I've found that I really dislike online gaming, even when it's a genre I'm really good at. I love RPGs and I'm not a horrible shot in Counter-Strike. However, there are issues at stake.
First off is the situation in which all the little kids are online and being obnoxious. You know (and I hope a gaming service takes the hint), I'd be willing to spring a couple of bucks a month just to make sure that if some jerk comes on and is abusive, he gets nailed and banned. I don't mean laughing or when someone sucks saying they suck. I mean really being obnoxious about it. If people had to link their real life personality with online games they might think twice.
The other issue is how some of these games are really just twitch and shoot. No real-life anything. The "bull-rush each game until you finally get the right way" approach sucks. In reality, you die, you're dead. Also head shots don't always kill, despite some cheap games that think that. Yeah, you can incapacitate someone, but good grief, it'll usually take another shot or two to do them off. If their buddy can snag and patch them, well, they've learned. Any game that improve skill based on not just your twitch-and-shoot capability, but also survivability would be good.
Maybe it's just me, but a frag-fest isn't all that interesting. It was cool when I was, um, 15. Now I'm far more interesting in using good tactics and lining up a good shot.
(I love taking out snipers by returning fire with a pistol.)
In so far as RPGs go, someone should really build in some social repercussions. Yeah, you can slaughter all the villagers, but someone's bound to notice and try to arrest or kill you. Even in pen-and-paper RPGs, players seem to think they'll get away with everything forever. It doesn't occur to them that eventually someone will try to poision them, kill them in their sleep, or otherwise.
If the XBox drops to $99 I'll definitely buy one. Of course, I'll use it for something else than a gaming console. I have no intention on growing XBox real market share.
I realise that most WCMS programs use web forms, but have you considered looking into how difficult it'd be to swap out the front end? Have you contacted the vendor of the software? Perhaps they have some suggestions?
A lot of WCMS vendors work on collaborative systems, so if there were some way to integrate with Macromedia's system (Contribute) or else some other interface that perhaps modifies the browser either via plug-in or proprietary interface (since you're on Wintel), that might be the best way to go about it.
The next question would be to find out what the anticipate life-cycle for the app is and what they're looking at doing for the next cycle, whether an upgrade or potential switch.
Wish you the best on it, since it really is a tough situation.
Official word from CIA denies a lot of things. Hence, they're not a credible source, either. (Really, we didn't kill that man. Really. It's called 'plausible deniability'.)
I've watched a BBC documentary or two that have pointed in that direction, and heard rumor and speculation out of Foggy Bottom before that was similar as well.
Reality is that until all those things would no longer be considered of threat to national security by DCI, they'll never be fully known nor released by the CIA.
Remember, we still have docs from WWII that have been released somewhat, albeit with big black marks on them.
Bullshit is refuting 30 years with only two events. The U.S. supported Saddam, supports the Saudi royal family, supports Israeli oppression of Palestinians. When people get angry they often react irrationally. If the "Great Western Democracy" is keeping people poor, making people lose their homes, and promoting the killing of Arabs, then something else will be sought to stand in opposition.
This was one of the reasons for shifting government through the Cold War, as opposition embraced the opposing superpower, not due to similar ideology, but simply due to support of opposition to the status quo.
Oh yeah, and didn't the US train Osama bin Laden and all the other foreign nationals fighting the Soviet Army? Play with others as pawns, and pretty soon you'll find them on the other side of the board, coming after you.
Terrorists do not hate this nation because it is so open and free (perhaps some individuals, but not organizations as a whole). Most organizations, include al-Qaeda, operate against the US in response to our policies overseas.
I'm still shocked at how shocked people wer on September 11, 2001, considering that four planes were hijacked under far more secure scenarios on September 9, 1970. Since then terrorists when from shooting and capturing to suicide bombing. It's called desperation, and when over a generation passes without anyone improving your lot in life and a large power continues to support dictatorships and power inequalities near your home, dialogue is lost and action is the only possiblity.
I hate the actions of the terrorists, but I hate more a government that creates no opportunities for dialogue in other countries and doesn't respect their original sovereignty nor their human rights.
Let's see how long my free speech rights seem to last when, despite not acting or doing anything illegal, I get detained for detailing how to disable airport security.
It doesn't matter if I say it or write it for people to make corrections. Someone COULD use it, and hence my free speech will be nullfied.
China and Burma can't be leading an attack when they are maintaining the same policies they've had in place. The US and UK can when they start forcing other countries to crack down on such publications, both for security reasons, the MPAA, the RIAA, etc. Remember DeCSS?
American Football is nowhere near as violent as you seem to think. And if you've played the game, you'd notice that it's not graphically violent.
When I was young and arrogant and brash, I liked a lot of rap. But most of what's pumped out these days just plain sucks. It's not interesting anymore. I don't need to hear the same crap again and again. It's like crappy pop music.
But hey, be an arrogant little shit. Bring you to the neighborhood I used to live in and see how long you last. Don't know who'd kick your ass first, the mexicans on one end, the somalis across the street, the black family from Detroit at the end of block, or the homeless.
Ahh... Yeah. Because race has everything to do with aggressive music.
Reality is that the GameCube tends to be bought by people with children. Most people don't want their children to listen to aggressive music or to play violent games. Having worked in videogame sales, I know the difference between the platforms. Proportionally there are far fewer violent games for the GameCube than for PS2 and Xbox.
I love it when cowards call me racist, particularly when they don't know my skin colour, ethnicity, where I've lived, and what I do now. LOL!
Damn! The only time I buy ANY sports titles is for playing on my GameCube. I hate the PS2 and Xbox controllers.
And I got Madden 2004 for GameCube. I think the biggest problem with Madden 2004 is the crappy jukebox in this version. Really doesn't go well for the Nintendo crowd.
The key part about this is that it seems like a kind of surveillance ops situation in which the person is taking pictures that shouldn't be transmitted to others except when they land in a secured area.
I think in order to do this you're going to need to switches, one on the base of the helicopter (which becomes depressed upon landing) and the other inside for verification. That way you aren't trying to transmit in an emergency landing situation. While I'm not a programmer, you should be able to use those as I/O triggers for a piece of software running resident on the system to attempt to transmit as soon as you land.
Then you may want a verification piece in the software to confirm receipt before erasing what's on your camera.
On the commericial end of a hybrid diesel/electric, I've not seen one. However, the reason may be that there's not much incentive to build one.
Someone else may have the exact stats, but I know that in Europe they make turbo diesels that have far better fuel economy that the turbo diesels that you see in the U.S. Unfortunately, they can't be sold in the U.S. because the diesel fuel sold here is too dirty.
There are plans to improve that, and then you may see a lot better engines available. Of course, when they outstrip the gas/electric hybrids, why bother with hybrid tech?
So you're suggesting that I should use a browser that ignores his piss-poor code, instead of griping about how he writes it? Um.... Ok, let's me add that to the file drawer of workarounds I've already built, most of which are in a folder naming a certain Redmond company.
Unfortunately, the two are not the same, though conforming to accessible guidelines would definitely enhance usability for a great percentage of the population. The worst thing is not that the fonts are small, but that they are not scaleable by adjusting size within the browser.
That is just wrong, and hence another reason I've never paid any attention to Zeldman.
As a person with ADHD (woohoo!), I highly recommend going beyond just strategy games into pen & paper RPGs with or without tabeltop miniatures.
The more work that you put into role-playing, the more you have to read. (For gaming alone, I end up reading history, economics, law, & political science.) You also interact with others and get your creative juices flowing.
Granted I'm a bit different when it comes to interview people and making recommendations for hiring precisely because I don't have a degree. However, that being the case, when it comes to going over their credentials, there are a few things I look for.
First off, I look at what they did. Did they write a thesis? If so, what did they write about? Did they intern anywhere? What kind of projects did they work on? If I'm looking to have a Linux cluster put in, all the people who interned and highlight non-Linux, non-enterprise apps will be tossed.
Next part I look at is what is the breadth of their education. Most of the time we need people who can where multiple hats. Nice that you have a M.Sc. in CompSci, but you didn't minor in anything and you have no hobbies. Buh-bye.
Lastly I start to look over and see where they went to school. I look for schools known for their field of expertise. I'll prefer students who studied in a metropolitan area over a rural area primarily because of the levels of social interaction and exposure to new idea. I'll look at students from top-tier schools in the UK, metropolitan schools in the US, and Finnish universities. If my top candidates aren't any of those, I'll start seeing how long it takes me to find their school online. The one's that I can't easily find get tossed, and I read about the programs.
It may be arbitrary, but I have never found a programmer who can't be replaced, never found a tech we couldn't get rid of, and I need flexible people to change with my company, not those bound to either rote methods or sitting solely in front of a machine 16+ hours/day.
I most whole-heartedly concur. That's why I got a GameCube. My younger siblings have all three and with the titles I've played, I've preferred the feel of the GameCube controller and found that without too much work I can find a good game to play on the GameCube. Note that I also used to sell all three of these systems at EB Games.
When it comes to gaming, if it's complex and I can't get out and get back in quickly, I want it to be a PC game where I can stare at my high refresh-rate monitor (or LCD that's coming) for hours on end and not get yelled at. Console games should be games for when friends come over, when I have a little time to kill, or when I'm too lazy to get off the couch.
In case we've all forgotten who belongs to this wretched organisation, go take a look at their list or read on:
1500 Records 20G Entertainment
241 Records 2Ksounds
32 Records 333 Music
4AD Records 4th & Broadway
5 Minute Walk 5.1 Entertainment
510 Records 550 Music
57 Records A& E Latin Music
A&M Records A440 Records
Abkco Acony Records
AD Records Aftermath/Shady
Aleho Alice Alliance
Alligator Records Almo Sounds
Amaru Records Ambar Records
American Empire American Recording
Amiata Records Andy Prieboy
Angel Angels
Antilles Antone's
Antra Records Apple
Archive Ardent
Aries Music Entertainment, Inc. Arista Latin
Arista Nashville Arista Records
Ark 21 Arsenal
Artanis Arte Nova
Artemis Artist Direct/Kneeling Elephant
Astoria Entertainment Astralwerks Records
Asylum Records Atco
Atlantic Atlantic Classics
Atlantic Nashville ATO Records
Atrium Records AV8 Records
Avatar Records Avenue Records
AVI Aware
AWOL Records Axiom
B.E.C. Back Porch Records
Bad Boy Entertainment
Bad Dog Records
Ballers Entertainment
Baphomet Housecore
Barak Entertainment
Barb Wire Productions
Barco Records
Bass Productions
Beat Club
Beauty Records
Beginner's Bible
Beiler Bros Records
Belart
Bellmark
Belly Soundtrack
Benson Record
Berman Brothers
Best Side
Beyond Music
Bibleman
Big Baller
Big Beat Records
Big Cat/Work
Big Deal
Big Dog Records
Big Ear Music
Big Head Todd
Big Idea Productions
Big Records
Big Screen Music
Big Tree
Big Wadd
Big World
Bigtyme Records
Billy Corgan
Biv Ten Records
Black Market Records
Black Out
Black Pumpkin Records
Black Top Records
Blackground (Barry & Sons, Inc.)
Blackground Records
Blackheart
Blackstone
Bliss Productions
Blix Street
Blood and Fire
Bloodline Records
Blue Gorilla
Blue Jackel Entertainment
Blue Note
Blue Plate
Blue Thumb
Bluebird
Blues Bureau
BMG Classics
BMG Entertainment
BMG U.S. Latin
BNA Records
Bob Marley Music
Bocelli-Sogno
Bohemia
Bon Jovi
Box Tunes
Branford Marsalis
Breakaway
B-Rite
Broadway MCA
Brody Records
Broken Bow Records
Broken Records
Brutal Records
Bullseye
Bungalow Records
Burnside
C2
Cadena Records
Cadence Christian
Caliente
Candle In The Wind
Cannan
Capitol Nashville
Capitol Records
Capricorn
Cargo Records
Cash Money Records
Catalyst
Caviant
Cell Block Records
Celtic Corner
Celtic Heartbeat
Chameleon Records
Charisma
Cheeba Sounds
Cherry Entertainment
Chignon Records
Children
Chord
Chordant
Christian Music Group
Chronicles/PSM
Chrysalis Music Group
Chuck Life
Cintas Acuario
Circular Moves
City of Hope
Cky
Classic Tracs
Clatown Records
Clean Slate
Climate
C-Loc Records
Clockwork
CMC International
CMG
Cold Chillin' Records
Colli Park Music
Columbia Records
Command
Conifer
Contemporary
Coolhunter Records
Coolsville Productions
Copacabana Records
Costarola
Cotillion
Covenant Artists
Crazy Cat
Crescent Moon
Crime Partners
Critique Records
Crowne Music Group
Crystal Lewis
Crystal Rose
CTW/Sesame Street
Curb
Curb/Rising Tide
Cyan Records
Cypress
D & D Records
Da Border Music, Inc.
Dagger Records
Dali Records
Damian Music
Damian US Latin
Dancing Cat
Dare 2BU, Inc.
DAS
Day Spring
Daywind Music Group
DCC
Death Row
Debris Records
Debut
Decca
Deep Purple
Def Jam
Def Soul
Delicious Vinyl
Delos
Denon
Desert Storm
DGG
DHM
Digital Theater System, Inc.
Disa
Discipline
Disques Vogue
DJ Honda Recordings
DKC
DM Music
DM Records, Inc.
DMY
DMZ
Doggystyle Records
Domo Records
Dopehouse Records
Down in the Delta JV
Dr. Dream
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Nashville
Drive Thru Records
Duck Down Music
DV8 Records
E Pluribus Unum
Eagle Rock
Eaglevision
Earthbeat
Earthdance
East Side Digital
East West Records
Easydisc
ECM
Eddie Soundtrack
Edel America Records
Edel Entertainment
Edito Classica
Edmonds Record Group
Elektra Asylum
Elektra Entertainment Group
Elektra Musician group
Elementree Records
Ellipsis Ar
Not to be rude to anyone who has been poor and made a better life for themselves, but from experience living in shady neighborhoods, a lot of people are really uneducated and don't understand the intricacies of what's involved with the law.
KaZaa is available without banner ads and with product support for $29.95. If you're not bright and you don't read quickly, you may miss any disclaimers, etc. (Most people don't read click-wrap licenses.) It would be natural for someone uneducated to assume they'd paid for a service to listen to music, which would be a LOT cheaper than buying CDs.
And as regards being on the honor roll, well, thanks to the ALL CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND ACT, that don't mean shit. It's not like when I was in school. Inner city schools now suck more than ever. You can be on the honor roll and be able to read, write, and do math without any comprehension of what you're doing.
Hey, now.... Some techno is ok, especially the dance stuff. Those albums are usually nicely put together too. But not the industrial crap. Same with rap. Some is smooth and flowing and is ok. But a lot is hostile shit that the labels keep pumping out almost as a disease for our inner cities here. But that would be another article.
I was thinking about the possiblity of something like this last night when I was listening to NPR's report on the RIAA. All these lawsuits and going after downloaders have already created a bad identity for record labels. Before all this, most people didn't know about the labels, they primarily knew the about the artists. Now there are major negative connotations with the labels.
So, now the primary demographic they need to spend money, teens and college students, will now associate labels with persecuting them, asking colleges to violate their privacy, suing a 12-year old, and going after grandpa. Grandparents, a large part of the senior citizen voting group, will start to see themselves as potential victims.
If the studios want to make money from selling CDs again, they need to both drop the price and start really creating albums again. I remember albums that were created very well that the flow from song to song made listening to the album a joy, but now with pushing the crap they are now, they make an album just a collection of tracks of which one or two might be neat to listen to for a few months.
The RIAA needs to sack the lawyers and send their marketing people back to school for the fundamentals.
First off, I'd like to say that I do understand WotC's attitude regarding the d20 trademark. It is essential that they maintain certain levels of deceny. As to whether or not they released the Book of Vile Darkness and to what level that goes, it was very clear that it was to be sold only to mature audience members (and some gaming stores would NOT sell it to anyone under 17), and they caught flack from long-time D&D-associated individuals.
Additionally, we have to consider that by putting the logo on a product, it is to associated it with D&D (or at least that's how most parents will see it). If you have a clear disclaimer on the cover, fine, but otherwise, you're lumping it in with the same people who make Pokemon cards. WotC's parent, Hasbro, might not like to see some company they have next to no control over coming out with a product filled with erotica that some parents will associated with those people who make Pokemon cards. I also see a lot of potential flack from owners of other brands (e.g. Star Wars) that have licensed those brands to WotC.
Can you still produce D&D compatible stuff without the d20 license? Yes! Matured and experience gamers will know what the SRD is. So call it SRD-fantasy compatible or SRD-modern compatible. Heck, get together and create a logo and have that logo owned by the Open Gaming Foundation for all I care. I won't buy stuff that's overly indecent, but if it's detailed, almost clinical in nature, and gives me rules to pick and choose for realism, I might buy it.
Having been published using the SRD, it's very, very important to not violate those things that WotC explicitly says no to and to avoid, for the most part where possible, things the SRD doesn't say yes to. Basically, create individually, and use the SRD and nothing else to look at, and you'll do well. Come up with something really unique and useful like Expeditious Retreat did and you'll be amazed at how quickly everyone likes your stuff.
I imagine that the 911 problem is similarly lessened if you have a cell phone in addition to the phones in your house.
Um... As noted elsewhere, blackouts are blackouts and cell towers go down, too. And even though I use a cordless phone 99% of the time at home, unlike most of the sheep out there, I keep a regular land telephone for emergencies and power outages.
The fantasy responses that VoIP should be free of any regulation and should be relied on and who cares if I don't have emergency services (and more pseudo-Marxist lamentations) smack of the fact that a lot of people with little sense of security or self-reliance and have enjoyed their nice subarban lives with white-collar jobs for far too long.
For those of you who haven't had life handed to you and understand risks, thank you for still coming to Slashdot.
I've seen all the stuff about Vonage here in Minnesota. Vonage advertises constantly, but given that my broadband provider is Comcast, I wouldn't exaclty WANT to rely on that service staying up, and that's what worries me about how VoIP is marketed by a lot of places.
It's great that for only $39.99 (plus broadband, easily $45/month) I can make calls all across the nation. Sounds nifty. And yes, it's increased competition. But unfortunately, Vonage makes little fuss about the fact that if your broadband provider goes down you're screwed. How about those 911 calls?
For very close to the same prices, I can get MCI's The Neighborhood plan with DSL here. Same thing with Qwest now. Yeah, I'm paying extra taxes, which sucks, but they are required by law to give me service. There's a maximum amount of downtime they're allowed, and I can call 911. I use The Neighborhood without DSL now, and even if the power goes out, I can still make calls.
Given this nation's power grid and the lack of good service contracts and requirements for uptime with broadband providers, I don't think I'd like to trust VoIP anytime soon here.
So, VoIP people, get back to me when you're willing to submit to some regulations for the quality of service.
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I've found that I really dislike online gaming, even when it's a genre I'm really good at. I love RPGs and I'm not a horrible shot in Counter-Strike. However, there are issues at stake.
First off is the situation in which all the little kids are online and being obnoxious. You know (and I hope a gaming service takes the hint), I'd be willing to spring a couple of bucks a month just to make sure that if some jerk comes on and is abusive, he gets nailed and banned. I don't mean laughing or when someone sucks saying they suck. I mean really being obnoxious about it. If people had to link their real life personality with online games they might think twice.
The other issue is how some of these games are really just twitch and shoot. No real-life anything. The "bull-rush each game until you finally get the right way" approach sucks. In reality, you die, you're dead. Also head shots don't always kill, despite some cheap games that think that. Yeah, you can incapacitate someone, but good grief, it'll usually take another shot or two to do them off. If their buddy can snag and patch them, well, they've learned. Any game that improve skill based on not just your twitch-and-shoot capability, but also survivability would be good.
Maybe it's just me, but a frag-fest isn't all that interesting. It was cool when I was, um, 15. Now I'm far more interesting in using good tactics and lining up a good shot.
(I love taking out snipers by returning fire with a pistol.)
In so far as RPGs go, someone should really build in some social repercussions. Yeah, you can slaughter all the villagers, but someone's bound to notice and try to arrest or kill you. Even in pen-and-paper RPGs, players seem to think they'll get away with everything forever. It doesn't occur to them that eventually someone will try to poision them, kill them in their sleep, or otherwise.
Um... I don't think English is his native language. Syntax suggests that he's Scandinavian, probably Swedish.
If the XBox drops to $99 I'll definitely buy one. Of course, I'll use it for something else than a gaming console. I have no intention on growing XBox real market share.
I already have a GameCube and I love it.
I realise that most WCMS programs use web forms, but have you considered looking into how difficult it'd be to swap out the front end? Have you contacted the vendor of the software? Perhaps they have some suggestions?
A lot of WCMS vendors work on collaborative systems, so if there were some way to integrate with Macromedia's system (Contribute) or else some other interface that perhaps modifies the browser either via plug-in or proprietary interface (since you're on Wintel), that might be the best way to go about it.
The next question would be to find out what the anticipate life-cycle for the app is and what they're looking at doing for the next cycle, whether an upgrade or potential switch.
Wish you the best on it, since it really is a tough situation.
Official word from CIA denies a lot of things. Hence, they're not a credible source, either. (Really, we didn't kill that man. Really. It's called 'plausible deniability'.)
I've watched a BBC documentary or two that have pointed in that direction, and heard rumor and speculation out of Foggy Bottom before that was similar as well.
Reality is that until all those things would no longer be considered of threat to national security by DCI, they'll never be fully known nor released by the CIA.
Remember, we still have docs from WWII that have been released somewhat, albeit with big black marks on them.
Bullshit is refuting 30 years with only two events. The U.S. supported Saddam, supports the Saudi royal family, supports Israeli oppression of Palestinians. When people get angry they often react irrationally. If the "Great Western Democracy" is keeping people poor, making people lose their homes, and promoting the killing of Arabs, then something else will be sought to stand in opposition.
This was one of the reasons for shifting government through the Cold War, as opposition embraced the opposing superpower, not due to similar ideology, but simply due to support of opposition to the status quo.
Oh yeah, and didn't the US train Osama bin Laden and all the other foreign nationals fighting the Soviet Army? Play with others as pawns, and pretty soon you'll find them on the other side of the board, coming after you.
Terrorists do not hate this nation because it is so open and free (perhaps some individuals, but not organizations as a whole). Most organizations, include al-Qaeda, operate against the US in response to our policies overseas.
I'm still shocked at how shocked people wer on September 11, 2001, considering that four planes were hijacked under far more secure scenarios on September 9, 1970. Since then terrorists when from shooting and capturing to suicide bombing. It's called desperation, and when over a generation passes without anyone improving your lot in life and a large power continues to support dictatorships and power inequalities near your home, dialogue is lost and action is the only possiblity.
I hate the actions of the terrorists, but I hate more a government that creates no opportunities for dialogue in other countries and doesn't respect their original sovereignty nor their human rights.
Let's see how long my free speech rights seem to last when, despite not acting or doing anything illegal, I get detained for detailing how to disable airport security.
It doesn't matter if I say it or write it for people to make corrections. Someone COULD use it, and hence my free speech will be nullfied.
China and Burma can't be leading an attack when they are maintaining the same policies they've had in place. The US and UK can when they start forcing other countries to crack down on such publications, both for security reasons, the MPAA, the RIAA, etc. Remember DeCSS?
Yeah, whatever.
American Football is nowhere near as violent as you seem to think. And if you've played the game, you'd notice that it's not graphically violent.
When I was young and arrogant and brash, I liked a lot of rap. But most of what's pumped out these days just plain sucks. It's not interesting anymore. I don't need to hear the same crap again and again. It's like crappy pop music.
But hey, be an arrogant little shit. Bring you to the neighborhood I used to live in and see how long you last. Don't know who'd kick your ass first, the mexicans on one end, the somalis across the street, the black family from Detroit at the end of block, or the homeless.
Ahh... Yeah. Because race has everything to do with aggressive music.
Reality is that the GameCube tends to be bought by people with children. Most people don't want their children to listen to aggressive music or to play violent games. Having worked in videogame sales, I know the difference between the platforms. Proportionally there are far fewer violent games for the GameCube than for PS2 and Xbox.
I love it when cowards call me racist, particularly when they don't know my skin colour, ethnicity, where I've lived, and what I do now. LOL!
Damn! The only time I buy ANY sports titles is for playing on my GameCube. I hate the PS2 and Xbox controllers.
And I got Madden 2004 for GameCube. I think the biggest problem with Madden 2004 is the crappy jukebox in this version. Really doesn't go well for the Nintendo crowd.
The key part about this is that it seems like a kind of surveillance ops situation in which the person is taking pictures that shouldn't be transmitted to others except when they land in a secured area.
I think in order to do this you're going to need to switches, one on the base of the helicopter (which becomes depressed upon landing) and the other inside for verification. That way you aren't trying to transmit in an emergency landing situation. While I'm not a programmer, you should be able to use those as I/O triggers for a piece of software running resident on the system to attempt to transmit as soon as you land.
Then you may want a verification piece in the software to confirm receipt before erasing what's on your camera.
On the commericial end of a hybrid diesel/electric, I've not seen one. However, the reason may be that there's not much incentive to build one.
Someone else may have the exact stats, but I know that in Europe they make turbo diesels that have far better fuel economy that the turbo diesels that you see in the U.S. Unfortunately, they can't be sold in the U.S. because the diesel fuel sold here is too dirty.
There are plans to improve that, and then you may see a lot better engines available. Of course, when they outstrip the gas/electric hybrids, why bother with hybrid tech?
So you're suggesting that I should use a browser that ignores his piss-poor code, instead of griping about how he writes it? Um.... Ok, let's me add that to the file drawer of workarounds I've already built, most of which are in a folder naming a certain Redmond company.
Unfortunately, the two are not the same, though conforming to accessible guidelines would definitely enhance usability for a great percentage of the population. The worst thing is not that the fonts are small, but that they are not scaleable by adjusting size within the browser.
That is just wrong, and hence another reason I've never paid any attention to Zeldman.
As a person with ADHD (woohoo!), I highly recommend going beyond just strategy games into pen & paper RPGs with or without tabeltop miniatures.
The more work that you put into role-playing, the more you have to read. (For gaming alone, I end up reading history, economics, law, & political science.) You also interact with others and get your creative juices flowing.
Granted I'm a bit different when it comes to interview people and making recommendations for hiring precisely because I don't have a degree. However, that being the case, when it comes to going over their credentials, there are a few things I look for.
First off, I look at what they did. Did they write a thesis? If so, what did they write about? Did they intern anywhere? What kind of projects did they work on? If I'm looking to have a Linux cluster put in, all the people who interned and highlight non-Linux, non-enterprise apps will be tossed.
Next part I look at is what is the breadth of their education. Most of the time we need people who can where multiple hats. Nice that you have a M.Sc. in CompSci, but you didn't minor in anything and you have no hobbies. Buh-bye.
Lastly I start to look over and see where they went to school. I look for schools known for their field of expertise. I'll prefer students who studied in a metropolitan area over a rural area primarily because of the levels of social interaction and exposure to new idea. I'll look at students from top-tier schools in the UK, metropolitan schools in the US, and Finnish universities. If my top candidates aren't any of those, I'll start seeing how long it takes me to find their school online. The one's that I can't easily find get tossed, and I read about the programs.
It may be arbitrary, but I have never found a programmer who can't be replaced, never found a tech we couldn't get rid of, and I need flexible people to change with my company, not those bound to either rote methods or sitting solely in front of a machine 16+ hours/day.
I most whole-heartedly concur. That's why I got a GameCube. My younger siblings have all three and with the titles I've played, I've preferred the feel of the GameCube controller and found that without too much work I can find a good game to play on the GameCube. Note that I also used to sell all three of these systems at EB Games.
When it comes to gaming, if it's complex and I can't get out and get back in quickly, I want it to be a PC game where I can stare at my high refresh-rate monitor (or LCD that's coming) for hours on end and not get yelled at. Console games should be games for when friends come over, when I have a little time to kill, or when I'm too lazy to get off the couch.
In case we've all forgotten who belongs to this wretched organisation, go take a look at their list or read on:
1500 Records 20G Entertainment 241 Records 2Ksounds 32 Records 333 Music 4AD Records 4th & Broadway 5 Minute Walk 5.1 Entertainment 510 Records 550 Music 57 Records A& E Latin Music A&M Records A440 Records Abkco Acony Records AD Records Aftermath/Shady Aleho Alice Alliance Alligator Records Almo Sounds Amaru Records Ambar Records American Empire American Recording Amiata Records Andy Prieboy Angel Angels Antilles Antone's Antra Records Apple Archive Ardent Aries Music Entertainment, Inc. Arista Latin Arista Nashville Arista Records Ark 21 Arsenal Artanis Arte Nova Artemis Artist Direct/Kneeling Elephant Astoria Entertainment Astralwerks Records Asylum Records Atco Atlantic Atlantic Classics Atlantic Nashville ATO Records Atrium Records AV8 Records Avatar Records Avenue Records AVI Aware AWOL Records Axiom B.E.C. Back Porch Records Bad Boy Entertainment Bad Dog Records Ballers Entertainment Baphomet Housecore Barak Entertainment Barb Wire Productions Barco Records Bass Productions Beat Club Beauty Records Beginner's Bible Beiler Bros Records Belart Bellmark Belly Soundtrack Benson Record Berman Brothers Best Side Beyond Music Bibleman Big Baller Big Beat Records Big Cat/Work Big Deal Big Dog Records Big Ear Music Big Head Todd Big Idea Productions Big Records Big Screen Music Big Tree Big Wadd Big World Bigtyme Records Billy Corgan Biv Ten Records Black Market Records Black Out Black Pumpkin Records Black Top Records Blackground (Barry & Sons, Inc.) Blackground Records Blackheart Blackstone Bliss Productions Blix Street Blood and Fire Bloodline Records Blue Gorilla Blue Jackel Entertainment Blue Note Blue Plate Blue Thumb Bluebird Blues Bureau BMG Classics BMG Entertainment BMG U.S. Latin BNA Records Bob Marley Music Bocelli-Sogno Bohemia Bon Jovi Box Tunes Branford Marsalis Breakaway B-Rite Broadway MCA Brody Records Broken Bow Records Broken Records Brutal Records Bullseye Bungalow Records Burnside C2 Cadena Records Cadence Christian Caliente Candle In The Wind Cannan Capitol Nashville Capitol Records Capricorn Cargo Records Cash Money Records Catalyst Caviant Cell Block Records Celtic Corner Celtic Heartbeat Chameleon Records Charisma Cheeba Sounds Cherry Entertainment Chignon Records Children Chord Chordant Christian Music Group Chronicles/PSM Chrysalis Music Group Chuck Life Cintas Acuario Circular Moves City of Hope Cky Classic Tracs Clatown Records Clean Slate Climate C-Loc Records Clockwork CMC International CMG Cold Chillin' Records Colli Park Music Columbia Records Command Conifer Contemporary Coolhunter Records Coolsville Productions Copacabana Records Costarola Cotillion Covenant Artists Crazy Cat Crescent Moon Crime Partners Critique Records Crowne Music Group Crystal Lewis Crystal Rose CTW/Sesame Street Curb Curb/Rising Tide Cyan Records Cypress D & D Records Da Border Music, Inc. Dagger Records Dali Records Damian Music Damian US Latin Dancing Cat Dare 2BU, Inc. DAS Day Spring Daywind Music Group DCC Death Row Debris Records Debut Decca Deep Purple Def Jam Def Soul Delicious Vinyl Delos Denon Desert Storm DGG DHM Digital Theater System, Inc. Disa Discipline Disques Vogue DJ Honda Recordings DKC DM Music DM Records, Inc. DMY DMZ Doggystyle Records Domo Records Dopehouse Records Down in the Delta JV Dr. Dream DreamWorks DreamWorks Nashville Drive Thru Records Duck Down Music DV8 Records E Pluribus Unum Eagle Rock Eaglevision Earthbeat Earthdance East Side Digital East West Records Easydisc ECM Eddie Soundtrack Edel America Records Edel Entertainment Edito Classica Edmonds Record Group Elektra Asylum Elektra Entertainment Group Elektra Musician group Elementree Records Ellipsis Ar
Not to be rude to anyone who has been poor and made a better life for themselves, but from experience living in shady neighborhoods, a lot of people are really uneducated and don't understand the intricacies of what's involved with the law.
KaZaa is available without banner ads and with product support for $29.95. If you're not bright and you don't read quickly, you may miss any disclaimers, etc. (Most people don't read click-wrap licenses.) It would be natural for someone uneducated to assume they'd paid for a service to listen to music, which would be a LOT cheaper than buying CDs.
And as regards being on the honor roll, well, thanks to the ALL CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND ACT, that don't mean shit. It's not like when I was in school. Inner city schools now suck more than ever. You can be on the honor roll and be able to read, write, and do math without any comprehension of what you're doing.
Sure beats the crap out of rap and techno.
Hey, now.... Some techno is ok, especially the dance stuff. Those albums are usually nicely put together too. But not the industrial crap. Same with rap. Some is smooth and flowing and is ok. But a lot is hostile shit that the labels keep pumping out almost as a disease for our inner cities here. But that would be another article.
I was thinking about the possiblity of something like this last night when I was listening to NPR's report on the RIAA. All these lawsuits and going after downloaders have already created a bad identity for record labels. Before all this, most people didn't know about the labels, they primarily knew the about the artists. Now there are major negative connotations with the labels.
So, now the primary demographic they need to spend money, teens and college students, will now associate labels with persecuting them, asking colleges to violate their privacy, suing a 12-year old, and going after grandpa. Grandparents, a large part of the senior citizen voting group, will start to see themselves as potential victims.
If the studios want to make money from selling CDs again, they need to both drop the price and start really creating albums again. I remember albums that were created very well that the flow from song to song made listening to the album a joy, but now with pushing the crap they are now, they make an album just a collection of tracks of which one or two might be neat to listen to for a few months.
The RIAA needs to sack the lawyers and send their marketing people back to school for the fundamentals.
First off, I'd like to say that I do understand WotC's attitude regarding the d20 trademark. It is essential that they maintain certain levels of deceny. As to whether or not they released the Book of Vile Darkness and to what level that goes, it was very clear that it was to be sold only to mature audience members (and some gaming stores would NOT sell it to anyone under 17), and they caught flack from long-time D&D-associated individuals.
Additionally, we have to consider that by putting the logo on a product, it is to associated it with D&D (or at least that's how most parents will see it). If you have a clear disclaimer on the cover, fine, but otherwise, you're lumping it in with the same people who make Pokemon cards. WotC's parent, Hasbro, might not like to see some company they have next to no control over coming out with a product filled with erotica that some parents will associated with those people who make Pokemon cards. I also see a lot of potential flack from owners of other brands (e.g. Star Wars) that have licensed those brands to WotC.
Can you still produce D&D compatible stuff without the d20 license? Yes! Matured and experience gamers will know what the SRD is. So call it SRD-fantasy compatible or SRD-modern compatible. Heck, get together and create a logo and have that logo owned by the Open Gaming Foundation for all I care. I won't buy stuff that's overly indecent, but if it's detailed, almost clinical in nature, and gives me rules to pick and choose for realism, I might buy it.
Having been published using the SRD, it's very, very important to not violate those things that WotC explicitly says no to and to avoid, for the most part where possible, things the SRD doesn't say yes to. Basically, create individually, and use the SRD and nothing else to look at, and you'll do well. Come up with something really unique and useful like Expeditious Retreat did and you'll be amazed at how quickly everyone likes your stuff.
I imagine that the 911 problem is similarly lessened if you have a cell phone in addition to the phones in your house.
Um... As noted elsewhere, blackouts are blackouts and cell towers go down, too. And even though I use a cordless phone 99% of the time at home, unlike most of the sheep out there, I keep a regular land telephone for emergencies and power outages.
The fantasy responses that VoIP should be free of any regulation and should be relied on and who cares if I don't have emergency services (and more pseudo-Marxist lamentations) smack of the fact that a lot of people with little sense of security or self-reliance and have enjoyed their nice subarban lives with white-collar jobs for far too long.
For those of you who haven't had life handed to you and understand risks, thank you for still coming to Slashdot.
I've seen all the stuff about Vonage here in Minnesota. Vonage advertises constantly, but given that my broadband provider is Comcast, I wouldn't exaclty WANT to rely on that service staying up, and that's what worries me about how VoIP is marketed by a lot of places.
It's great that for only $39.99 (plus broadband, easily $45/month) I can make calls all across the nation. Sounds nifty. And yes, it's increased competition. But unfortunately, Vonage makes little fuss about the fact that if your broadband provider goes down you're screwed. How about those 911 calls?
For very close to the same prices, I can get MCI's The Neighborhood plan with DSL here. Same thing with Qwest now. Yeah, I'm paying extra taxes, which sucks, but they are required by law to give me service. There's a maximum amount of downtime they're allowed, and I can call 911. I use The Neighborhood without DSL now, and even if the power goes out, I can still make calls.
Given this nation's power grid and the lack of good service contracts and requirements for uptime with broadband providers, I don't think I'd like to trust VoIP anytime soon here.
So, VoIP people, get back to me when you're willing to submit to some regulations for the quality of service.