Listen, I'm as anti-MS as the next guy but what the hell are you saying?
They're trying to get some money to support their infrastructure. If Trillian can't access the MS network, how is this the same? It seems like they're using the licensing fees to offset the extra users brought in by the 3rd party software.
And the previous poster is right -- when you are forced to use the MSN client, MS gets your eyeballs and profits from them, again to presumably keep the infrastructure supported.
Now, we can all use the "Well, MS has more money than God", or "MS is Evil", or "Gates is Borg.." arguments, but (provided the licensing fee is reasonable) this one just seems like good business. Just like Trillian did when they moved from donations only (which I participated in) to a fee-based system (which I AM partcipating in.)
Now, it would probably be way too progressive of Microsoft to come up with, but wouldn't it be great if they offered those who built and distributed free software a free license? That they'd only have to pay if they started charging for their work...?
Anyway, given the numerous blunders MS seems to be making right and left (See Eolas & Burst,) can't we chalk this up as a statistically due "good move"?
The best place for questions like this is the AV Science Forum. Lots of people doing all sorts of home-theater/home-audio projects. Look in the "Home Theater Computers" section.
There are several options for what you're looking to do these days. My brother is doing a similar thing, but he's using 802.11b for control (through Girder) and PocketPCs for remotes!
There are all sorts of tactics you can take. I laughingly call it my "Shiny Ball" syndrome and joke about it with people who work with me.
But, what I've found is that an ADHD person makes an excellent "fireman." The truth is that you can sit in a room and catch a stray noise, or a grunt indicating frustration from one of your fellow employees -- and be there to help.
Talk to your manager. If he/she is less-than-a-troll, they'll work with you to use your "gift."
As for focus, I have gotten good at marking where I am in various projects and flitting between them without having to do a lot of ramp-up. Again, it's just adapting to the different way your brain works.
Now mine might not be as severe as some. I know that I got through LOTR books in three days of intense reading--because it fascinated me. But give me a 60-page manual to read at a desk and it will take me weeks to plow through it.
When learning new languages, I tend to bring the reference manual into the john with me. Laugh if you will but amazingly, it works very well. I learned C, Flash, Java, Python, PHP, piece-by-piece (ahem) using this method.
As long as you remain productive, you're an asset to yourself and your career -- find ways to make this work for you.
You may also find that you have a better-than-average ability to "read" people. In three other people I've met who are ADHD, we all had that in common -- my (admittedly parlor) theory is that ADHD people unconsciously pick up more of body language-type cues because they're paying attention to EVERYTHING and learn to process them at an early age...
For fun, next time you're in a restaurant, see how many distinct conversations you can follow.
Another thing that drives me nuts is when people in the theater are whispering to each other. They'll be a couple of rows back and it will break any chance I have of watching the movie. Of course my companions never hear a thing.
By and large though, Microsoft evangelists tend to be nice people (like Scoble, who used to organize the Fawcette industry conferences for a long time). Much different from sales drones and even most enterprise support reps.
My guess is that the "evangelist" title is reserved for those who are intellectually valuable but aren't malevolent enough to make the real marketing team.
Yep, another slashdot idiot who does not understand economics 101. The fact of the matter is that, if someone can get something for free, they will not be willing pay money for the product in question. This is why we have anti-shoplifting laws; and why, yes, we have anti-piracy laws.
Strangely enough, the Apple iTunes music store seems to be doing surprisingly well. People don't want to steal but they are tired of paying the prices the record labels are insisting on. Funny how the price of Music CDs hasn't kept pace with the price to produce them, eh?
The Record Labels are getting what they deserve, the "Oh, new technology! Goodie! More money for me!" way of thinking is catching up with them.
Aside -- I guess I missed the part where P2P got illegal. Was there a ruling that file swapping with "friends" became illegal? (Wasn't that the whole crux of P2P in the first place?) If I am sharing my music only with friends I know, am I doing it illegally? What is the definition of "fair use?"
Not being facetious here, I just must have missed (or more likely misunderstood) it.
There were several other initiatives -- probably why Sculley pushed the thing out when he did. Magic Cap was one. A couple others. In hindsight, nothing particularly noteworthy.
But the utility to battery life ratio of the Newton still is second to none.
The Newton had a *VERY* strong developer base. Lots of diverse apps and great developers. I got my manuals for $150 and that was at an official Newton Developer's Conference in '95.
The HWR didn't require you to write in Cursive. As a matter of fact the printed recognizer was much more successful than the cursive.
They didn't require the apps be written in DYLAN? Can you say "NewtonScript?"
Where the hell do you get your information? Shrink-wrapped development successes? I assume these were mostly in the Adult Entertainment industry.
Important point to remember -- Newton, Inc. was spun off before Jobs came back into power. They had a set of prototypes that would have addressed most of the big issues. The problem was that the Newton was John Scully's baby and Jobs was going to kill it no matter what. Instead of letting Newton, Inc. float on it's own, Jobs pulled it back into Apple and dismantled it under the guise of "retaining high-quality engineers."
For those who think that the Palm would have been what it was before -- once Newton, Inc. was killed, every bright light (with the exception of Walter Smith and couple others who went other directions) on the Newton team went to work for Palm.
P.S. Graffitti was a 3rd part app that was a resonable substitute until the Handwriting Recognition was perfected. It was not an Apple product, IIRC.
Is there anyone who *REALLY* takes notes with the Palm/PPC Form Factor? When I whip out my MP2100, everyone in the room looks at the screen size with envy.
The Palm and iPAQ are great tools for tracking your calendar and contact management. If that's all you need, then a Newton would certainly be overkill.
If you wanted to replace your planner completely, then a Newton would be for you. The Handwriting Recognition has yet to be surpassed. One more case (see Apple II) of Steve Jobs blowing the market due to his arrogance... They were at least 4 years ahead of EVERYONE.
They had palm-sized prototypes. I heard they even had a COLOR prototype.... in 1997! Yeah, Steve. No future in the handheld market...
*sigh* You'd think I'd be less bitter after 5 years. Nope.
The kids who were at the "D" table were simply the intellectually smart kids who either didn't have or hadn't developed the emotional side of their intelligence. There were plenty of smart kids who play football and sit at the A table. It's nice to think "We're just smarter," but it's just not the case.
Popularity in high school is based on having a high level of empathic awareness -- knowing what to say, or moreover, how what you say will be understood. This extends into the realm of behavior and dress -- you can have popular boys who are not handsome and unpopular girls who are pretty. The emotionally intelligent know what a certain type of dress, hairstyle and other cosmetic accessories will evoke in those they choose to evoke at--their "target audience," if you will.
Once you're into the real world, however, the measure of popularity suddenly becomes MORE than just emotional intelligence. The combination of emotional and intellectual intelligence is what contributes to how successful you might be. And in society at large, success=popularity. The rules change... That's why a lot of the popular jocks in high-school end up washing cars. They had high emotional intelligence but either didn't develop or didn't have an aptitude for intellectual thinking.
I was a nerd. I got picked on in high school. My horror story is when one of the class bullies wanted to copy my math paper when the teacher went out for a minute. He came up, grabbed my hair and ordered me to give him my paper. I sat silently refusing. He grabbed (and tore) the paper and took it back to his desk. This was 9th grade.
I was a nerd/geek. I would never hide it -- it's part of who I am. I've worked to develop my emotional side over the years. When I was young, I LOVED programming. I still do. I look at social interactions in much the same way -- and they are FAR more challenging than any code I've ever written.
Eventually, I became a successful programmer, manager and director. Last I heard, the guy who bullied me was working at a gas station. Seems like a fair deal to me.
"...and while I don't have a mac to compare it to I am not sure how it could get much faster without opening before I clicked it."
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" -- A.C. Clarke
This guy should key his fingers to himself if he's uninformed. Mac OS X (10.1.5) on my old G4 450 Cube opens beautifully fast. Especially compared to the snoozefest on my BP-6 dual Celeron 500 PC running XP.
Does anyone remember the "Encounter at Space JellyfishLand (er, Farpoint)" that was the pilot of TNG?
Personally, I thought it was EXCELLENT for a pilot. The show will get its legs--let it happen and enjoy what you can while it does. Or just watch Andromeda.
Always looking to pick. Lighten up, dude.
Re:Change the rules, be realistic about conflict
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Perhaps I am naive but I DO think that they would have shown other footage, if they had it. They showed Arafat donating blood. I guess I'm just another sheep being manipulated by the genius media. I had heard that the camerapeople were being threatened (by the PLO leadership) while filming the footage. I doubt they were looking to take much more.
You're right. They die at the hands of American weapons. So do Americans. Israelis die at the hands of them, too. And Russian weapons. And where do the bullets come from? Maybe Germany.
I don't see the Israelis flying planes into buildings of countries that provide guns to the opposition.
AND, I've never seen US Citizens (or Israel, for that matter) with people dancing in the streets for *ANY* massacres that occur. As a matter of fact, I believe that a majority of the U.S. Citizenry was against the raids that Israel performed -- even those that were performed to minimize loss of life. They just don't use suicide bombers in crowded malls.
Like I said, if they're after an afterlife, I say we have them get in line and simplify the process.
This is about as black and white as it gets. Black: Surprise attack against civilian targets.
White: Whatever response is returned to those that have reaped the whirlwind.
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You should define "Innocent."
I have always believed that the populace of Iraq, Palestine, etc. were merely a cowed people -- not agreeing with what their government does but feeling they could not change it.
After some of the images of those bastards in Palestine cheering the death of 10K+ Americans, I now feel there are very few innocents in that land.
Anyone notice that the van the cheering bastards were driving was a Ford?
I sure did.
The last surprise attack on American soil was met with the only deployment of nuclear weapons in the history of mankind. If they all feel the afterlife is a much better place, so be it.
The glass parking lot is looking better all the time.
I liked SAaB. After awhile, though, it got too formulaic (sp?) 1) Drop into impossible situation. 2) "New" but likable grunt gets killed, everyone sad, 3) They shoot their way out. 4) Colonel grieves privately but humanly about the loss.
I rented the DVD recently for Roughnecks and was struck by how much it reminded me of SAaB. I loved The Forever War and a lot of the Dorsai books -- but I like SF that goes beyond the ships and guns... I think calling it closer to Rat Patrol than ST is hitting the nail right on the head.
I find Andromeda to be absolutely fascinating. Sure they're derivative, but so? Let's talk about ST:TOS eposide "Balance of Terror" -- can you say "every sub/destroyer movie made?"
I enjoy the show. I enjoy the characters on Andromeda. The effects grate on me terribly (Mainframe did a better job on "Roughnecks" for God's sake!) but I can live with it. I think the Nietzscheans are a fascinating sub-species. I can do without the Magog but for a first season, it seems to be getting it's legs. Anyone remember the giant jellfish dog that was "Encounter At Farpoint?" Even TNG took a season and a half to get good.
It's a cool concept. If they decide to make things progress as they did in B5, it might be great. I look forward each week to that show -- really the only one I don't miss.
Slashdot Mirror
Listen, I'm as anti-MS as the next guy but what the hell are you saying?
They're trying to get some money to support their infrastructure. If Trillian can't access the MS network, how is this the same? It seems like they're using the licensing fees to offset the extra users brought in by the 3rd party software.
And the previous poster is right -- when you are forced to use the MSN client, MS gets your eyeballs and profits from them, again to presumably keep the infrastructure supported.
Now, we can all use the "Well, MS has more money than God", or "MS is Evil", or "Gates is Borg.." arguments, but (provided the licensing fee is reasonable) this one just seems like good business. Just like Trillian did when they moved from donations only (which I participated in) to a fee-based system (which I AM partcipating in.)
Now, it would probably be way too progressive of Microsoft to come up with, but wouldn't it be great if they offered those who built and distributed free software a free license? That they'd only have to pay if they started charging for their work...?
Anyway, given the numerous blunders MS seems to be making right and left (See Eolas & Burst,) can't we chalk this up as a statistically due "good move"?
The best place for questions like this is the AV Science Forum. Lots of people doing all sorts of home-theater/home-audio projects. Look in the "Home Theater Computers" section.
There are several options for what you're looking to do these days. My brother is doing a similar thing, but he's using 802.11b for control (through Girder) and PocketPCs for remotes!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
There are all sorts of tactics you can take. I laughingly call it my "Shiny Ball" syndrome and joke about it with people who work with me.
But, what I've found is that an ADHD person makes an excellent "fireman." The truth is that you can sit in a room and catch a stray noise, or a grunt indicating frustration from one of your fellow employees -- and be there to help.
Talk to your manager. If he/she is less-than-a-troll, they'll work with you to use your "gift."
As for focus, I have gotten good at marking where I am in various projects and flitting between them without having to do a lot of ramp-up. Again, it's just adapting to the different way your brain works.
Now mine might not be as severe as some. I know that I got through LOTR books in three days of intense reading--because it fascinated me. But give me a 60-page manual to read at a desk and it will take me weeks to plow through it.
When learning new languages, I tend to bring the reference manual into the john with me. Laugh if you will but amazingly, it works very well. I learned C, Flash, Java, Python, PHP, piece-by-piece (ahem) using this method.
As long as you remain productive, you're an asset to yourself and your career -- find ways to make this work for you.
You may also find that you have a better-than-average ability to "read" people. In three other people I've met who are ADHD, we all had that in common -- my (admittedly parlor) theory is that ADHD people unconsciously pick up more of body language-type cues because they're paying attention to EVERYTHING and learn to process them at an early age...
For fun, next time you're in a restaurant, see how many distinct conversations you can follow.
Another thing that drives me nuts is when people in the theater are whispering to each other. They'll be a couple of rows back and it will break any chance I have of watching the movie. Of course my companions never hear a thing.
By and large though, Microsoft evangelists tend to be nice people (like Scoble, who used to organize the Fawcette industry conferences for a long time). Much different from sales drones and even most enterprise support reps.
My guess is that the "evangelist" title is reserved for those who are intellectually valuable but aren't malevolent enough to make the real marketing team.
Yes. Please go actually study some law instead of listening to people on Slashdot parrot the same lies over and over.
Funny how the Anonymous Cowards are such tough guys.
In the 70's when we all (well, all who are that old) made tapes off the albums for our friends to listen to, was that illegal?
P.S. I'd rather not get a law degree to answer my curiosity--why don't you just cut everyone some slack, punk.
Yep, another slashdot idiot who does not understand economics 101. The fact of the matter is that, if someone can get something for free, they will not be willing pay money for the product in question. This is why we have anti-shoplifting laws; and why, yes, we have anti-piracy laws.
Strangely enough, the Apple iTunes music store seems to be doing surprisingly well. People don't want to steal but they are tired of paying the prices the record labels are insisting on. Funny how the price of Music CDs hasn't kept pace with the price to produce them, eh?
The Record Labels are getting what they deserve, the "Oh, new technology! Goodie! More money for me!" way of thinking is catching up with them.
Aside -- I guess I missed the part where P2P got illegal. Was there a ruling that file swapping with "friends" became illegal? (Wasn't that the whole crux of P2P in the first place?) If I am sharing my music only with friends I know, am I doing it illegally? What is the definition of "fair use?" Not being facetious here, I just must have missed (or more likely misunderstood) it.
I think the model may work. Let's hope it torpedoes the RIAA completely.
Agreed that the rollout was blown, no question.
There were several other initiatives -- probably why Sculley pushed the thing out when he did. Magic Cap was one. A couple others. In hindsight, nothing particularly noteworthy.
But the utility to battery life ratio of the Newton still is second to none.
Wow. The boy has issues.
The Newton had a *VERY* strong developer base. Lots of diverse apps and great developers. I got my manuals for $150 and that was at an official Newton Developer's Conference in '95.
The HWR didn't require you to write in Cursive. As a matter of fact the printed recognizer was much more successful than the cursive.
They didn't require the apps be written in DYLAN? Can you say "NewtonScript?"
Where the hell do you get your information? Shrink-wrapped development successes? I assume these were mostly in the Adult Entertainment industry.
Important point to remember -- Newton, Inc. was spun off before Jobs came back into power. They had a set of prototypes that would have addressed most of the big issues. The problem was that the Newton was John Scully's baby and Jobs was going to kill it no matter what. Instead of letting Newton, Inc. float on it's own, Jobs pulled it back into Apple and dismantled it under the guise of "retaining high-quality engineers."
For those who think that the Palm would have been what it was before -- once Newton, Inc. was killed, every bright light (with the exception of Walter Smith and couple others who went other directions) on the Newton team went to work for Palm.
P.S. Graffitti was a 3rd part app that was a resonable substitute until the Handwriting Recognition was perfected. It was not an Apple product, IIRC.
Gotta disagree on it being impractical.
Is there anyone who *REALLY* takes notes with the Palm/PPC Form Factor? When I whip out my MP2100, everyone in the room looks at the screen size with envy.
The Palm and iPAQ are great tools for tracking your calendar and contact management. If that's all you need, then a Newton would certainly be overkill.
If you wanted to replace your planner completely, then a Newton would be for you. The Handwriting Recognition has yet to be surpassed. One more case (see Apple II) of Steve Jobs blowing the market due to his arrogance... They were at least 4 years ahead of EVERYONE.
They had palm-sized prototypes. I heard they even had a COLOR prototype.... in 1997! Yeah, Steve. No future in the handheld market...
*sigh* You'd think I'd be less bitter after 5 years. Nope.
The kids who were at the "D" table were simply the intellectually smart kids who either didn't have or hadn't developed the emotional side of their intelligence. There were plenty of smart kids who play football and sit at the A table. It's nice to think "We're just smarter," but it's just not the case.
Popularity in high school is based on having a high level of empathic awareness -- knowing what to say, or moreover, how what you say will be understood. This extends into the realm of behavior and dress -- you can have popular boys who are not handsome and unpopular girls who are pretty. The emotionally intelligent know what a certain type of dress, hairstyle and other cosmetic accessories will evoke in those they choose to evoke at--their "target audience," if you will.
Once you're into the real world, however, the measure of popularity suddenly becomes MORE than just emotional intelligence. The combination of emotional and intellectual intelligence is what contributes to how successful you might be. And in society at large, success=popularity. The rules change... That's why a lot of the popular jocks in high-school end up washing cars. They had high emotional intelligence but either didn't develop or didn't have an aptitude for intellectual thinking.
I was a nerd. I got picked on in high school. My horror story is when one of the class bullies wanted to copy my math paper when the teacher went out for a minute. He came up, grabbed my hair and ordered me to give him my paper. I sat silently refusing. He grabbed (and tore) the paper and took it back to his desk. This was 9th grade.
I was a nerd/geek. I would never hide it -- it's part of who I am. I've worked to develop my emotional side over the years. When I was young, I LOVED programming. I still do. I look at social interactions in much the same way -- and they are FAR more challenging than any code I've ever written.
Eventually, I became a successful programmer, manager and director. Last I heard, the guy who bullied me was working at a gas station. Seems like a fair deal to me.
"...and while I don't have a mac to compare it to I am not sure how it could get much faster without opening before I clicked it."
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" -- A.C. Clarke
This guy should key his fingers to himself if he's uninformed. Mac OS X (10.1.5) on my old G4 450 Cube opens beautifully fast. Especially compared to the snoozefest on my BP-6 dual Celeron 500 PC running XP.
... the headline reads, "Internet knocked out by multi-city EMP attack"
... a Black Sun tavern anywhere? Hm.
Make sure your Sim characters don't accept any virtual business cards from strangers...
Does anyone remember the "Encounter at Space JellyfishLand (er, Farpoint)" that was the pilot of TNG?
Personally, I thought it was EXCELLENT for a pilot. The show will get its legs--let it happen and enjoy what you can while it does. Or just watch Andromeda.
Always looking to pick. Lighten up, dude.
Perhaps I am naive but I DO think that they would have shown other footage, if they had it. They showed Arafat donating blood. I guess I'm just another sheep being manipulated by the genius media. I had heard that the camerapeople were being threatened (by the PLO leadership) while filming the footage. I doubt they were looking to take much more.
You're right. They die at the hands of American weapons. So do Americans. Israelis die at the hands of them, too. And Russian weapons. And where do the bullets come from? Maybe Germany.
I don't see the Israelis flying planes into buildings of countries that provide guns to the opposition.
AND, I've never seen US Citizens (or Israel, for that matter) with people dancing in the streets for *ANY* massacres that occur. As a matter of fact, I believe that a majority of the U.S. Citizenry was against the raids that Israel performed -- even those that were performed to minimize loss of life. They just don't use suicide bombers in crowded malls.
Like I said, if they're after an afterlife, I say we have them get in line and simplify the process.
This is about as black and white as it gets. Black: Surprise attack against civilian targets.
White: Whatever response is returned to those that have reaped the whirlwind.
You should define "Innocent."
I have always believed that the populace of Iraq, Palestine, etc. were merely a cowed people -- not agreeing with what their government does but feeling they could not change it.
After some of the images of those bastards in Palestine cheering the death of 10K+ Americans, I now feel there are very few innocents in that land.
Anyone notice that the van the cheering bastards were driving was a Ford?
I sure did.
The last surprise attack on American soil was met with the only deployment of nuclear weapons in the history of mankind. If they all feel the afterlife is a much better place, so be it.
The glass parking lot is looking better all the time.
If those breasts aren't science-fiction, I don't know what is!
I liked SAaB. After awhile, though, it got too formulaic (sp?) 1) Drop into impossible situation. 2) "New" but likable grunt gets killed, everyone sad, 3) They shoot their way out. 4) Colonel grieves privately but humanly about the loss.
... I think calling it closer to Rat Patrol than ST is hitting the nail right on the head.
I rented the DVD recently for Roughnecks and was struck by how much it reminded me of SAaB. I loved The Forever War and a lot of the Dorsai books -- but I like SF that goes beyond the ships and guns
Geeze. Get over Kevin Sorbo, OK?
I find Andromeda to be absolutely fascinating. Sure they're derivative, but so? Let's talk about ST:TOS eposide "Balance of Terror" -- can you say "every sub/destroyer movie made?"
I enjoy the show. I enjoy the characters on Andromeda. The effects grate on me terribly (Mainframe did a better job on "Roughnecks" for God's sake!) but I can live with it. I think the Nietzscheans are a fascinating sub-species. I can do without the Magog but for a first season, it seems to be getting it's legs. Anyone remember the giant jellfish dog that was "Encounter At Farpoint?" Even TNG took a season and a half to get good.
It's a cool concept. If they decide to make things progress as they did in B5, it might be great. I look forward each week to that show -- really the only one I don't miss.