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User: WillyWanker

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Comments · 619

  1. Try being unbiased? on Explaining the Lack of Quality Journalism In the Internet Age (gawker.com) · · Score: 1

    Find me an unbiased news source that's more concerned with reporting the news without any kind of socio-political slant, focus on profit above getting to the truth, and spreading half-truths and blatant lies for the sake of ratings (and dubbing their news programs as "entertainment", which somehow then makes lying OK) and I'd be more than willing to pay for it.

    And this goes for newspapers too. No one wants to pay to read a litter-box liner that's 80% ads, 19% loud-mouthed editorial, and 1% actual news.

    There was a time when news outlets actually provided the news. But when everything in media became profits-over-substance the news now had to be all about entertainment and ratings -- which led to this ridiculous trend of shock jock mouthpieces, faux-outrage, and fear-mongering instead of, y'know, NEWS.

    They made their bed, now it's time to lie in it. The only ones they have to blame are themselves.

  2. But when... on Mother Blames Wi-Fi Allergy For Daughter's Suicide (telegraph.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Will they develop a cure for Idiot Mother Syndrome (IMS)???

  3. The inevitable question... on Mozilla May Separate Itself From Thunderbird Email Client (techcrunch.com) · · Score: 1

    Does anyone know of a good alternative to Thunderbird, one that ultimately can import from TBird? I have 15 years of email that I don't want to lose, and if TBird is going to be sent down the crapper I want to be prepared with a replacement.

  4. Cheap 10" Android tablet? on What Might a $50 Tablet Inspire? (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Does one exist? It seems there are plenty of cheap 7" tablets to go around, but once you get into the 10" range the only cheap ones are Windows tablets. If you can make a $200 10" Windows tablet why are all the 10" Android tablets $350+? It makes no sense.

    Of course this also begs the question -- why are all the Android phones in the $350+ range. If you can make a speedy 7" tablet with all the bells and whistles and sell it for $200, why is the equivalent with a SMALLER screen and a cheap cell radio go for two to three times as much, if not more?

    7" tablets are too damned small, 10" tablets are too expensive, as are phones. Guess I'll stick to my old GS3 and my boyfriend's 10" Galaxy Note 2012. The pricing on this shit is all fucked up and I don't understand why no one seems to have an issue with the ridiculous pricing disparity.

  5. Re:The federation needs to be united. on Star Trek: New Voyages, The Fan-Based Star Trek Series (nytimes.com) · · Score: 1

    Yes, Michele is Vic's real-life girlfriend. That's the only reason she's on the show. They created the character of ship's counselor, Dr. McKennah, just for her, even though we're told in TNG that ships of the TOS era did not have ship's counselors.

    Here's the #1 problem with Continues (and there are many): the magic of TOS Trek was the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Spock is the rational mind, McCoy is the emotional mind, and Kirk is the wise mind. Each character is just as important as the other. But not in Continues. Continues is 100% Kirk, all Kirk, Kirk 24/7. Spock and McCoy are reduced to cameo appearances and a few lines here and there. There is no dynamic between them, no bond. The only one on the ship that Kirk has any kind of meaningful dynamic with is McKennah, who shouldn't even be there.

    New Voyages understands the importance of the trilogy and it shows. Yes, some of the early episodes are rough around the edges, but most are 6-11 years old at this point. The most recently released episode, Mind-Sifter, released last year, shows just how far the production has come, and it is top notch. NV shoots for 1, possibly 2 episodes a year because they want to ensure quality. Continues is pumping out episodes as quickly as they can and it shows. The editing is sloppy, the stories are a mess, and unlike NV's 50+ minute episodes (like TOS), Continues' episodes are getting shorter and shorter, with their latest release being only 42 minutes.

  6. Re:The federation needs to be united. on Star Trek: New Voyages, The Fan-Based Star Trek Series (nytimes.com) · · Score: 1

    Vic once worked with New Voyages and attempted to wrest control of the production from James Cawley and play Kirk when Cawley stepped down. When Mr. Cawley made it clear it would be a cold day in Hell before that would happen Vic ran off and made his own production, starring himself and his canon-breaking girlfriend, Dr. McKennah.

    His shills always pop up to denounce the vastly superior New Voyages at every opportunity. Vic has made it his own personal vendetta.

    So no, there is no chance these two productions will ever work together, especially since Vic and his legion of lemmings continue to badmouth New Voyages at every opportunity while the NV team says nothing ill of Continues and takes the high road every time. That right there should tell you something.

    And watching Vic play Kirk is like watching a bad comic impersonation of Shatner while on helium. Anyone who says he plays a great Kirk needs medication.

  7. Instead of patrolling on behalf of the movie studios they patrol on behalf of their paying customers and eject people who are on their cellphones, excessively chatty, or bring screaming kids into the theater?

    And they wonder why people have stopped going to the movies.

  8. Or... on YouTube Reportedly Bypassing Ad Blockers On Google Chrome · · Score: 1

    To download the videos and bypass the YouTube player completely using any number of available options.

  9. Hellooo... on Death Star Science: The Physics Of Destroying An Earth-Sized Planet · · Score: 1

    Red matter??? Amateurs.

  10. It would be helpful on Ask Slashdot: Best Wireless PC-to-TV Solution? · · Score: 1

    If you told us what you wanted to do remotely. Watch video? Browse the web? Play games?

    Essentially what you need is what you explicitly state you do not want: a console, Steam Machine, etc. Maybe you could get away with a Raspberry Pi with a wifi adapter and Chrome remote desktop or Team Viewer. It might work for gaming if you can install the Steam client on it, and you should be able to stream video (probably better off putting video files into a shared folder or USB stick and playing them locally).

    But no, there is no cheap transmitter-like device that accomplishes solely what you're looking for. You basically need some kind of computer attached to your downstairs TV that can connect to your main machine via wifi. It doesn't need to be an expensive computer, but it still needs to be a computer of some kind, with wifi and USB ports capable of supporting a wired mouse and keyboard. Cheapest solution in my mind is a Raspberry Pi. Next up would be an inexpensive/older laptop or computer.

  11. Oh, you mean like on NVIDIA Shakes Its Flowing Mane With Life-Like HairWorks 1.1 Demo · · Score: 1

    TressFX that AMD came out with a year ago and isn't locked to just AMD cards?

  12. And... on How Apple Music Can Disrupt Users' iTunes Libraries · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Not a single shit does Apple give. Now be a good iPhanboi and buy an Apple watch.

  13. Well, just off the top of my head... on Why Electric Vehicles Aren't More Popular · · Score: 1

    1.) Horrible aesthetic design.
    2.) Lack of charging stations unless you're in or near a big city (the only ones around here are at big car dealerships, and none currently at any of the Interstate rest stops).
    3.) Short maximum distance coupled with long charge times makes any kind of long-distance road trip a nightmare.
    4.) Trading my gasoline bill for a huge increase in my electric bill and realizing I'm not actually saving any money.
    5.) Costs more than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle.

  14. Newsflash on The Vicious Circle That Is Sending Rents Spiraling Higher · · Score: 1

    We're already there. Rents are already unaffordable. When you're a single guy in your 40s and you still can't afford to live without a roommate something is seriously fucked up.

  15. Translation: on Why Apple Ditched Its Plan To Build a Television · · Score: 0

    "We examined the market and realized there is no way we can charge 3x what everyone else charges and expect to sell a significant amount of units. If Samsung and SONY can't do it, we sure as shit can't."

  16. Candidate Clary? on Men's Rights Activists Call For Boycott of Mad Max: Fury Road · · Score: 1

    This idiot should run for office. The GOP needs more good ole' boys like him. There's always room for one more in the Republican Clown Car...

  17. Re:Safety PSAs sponsored by local utilities on Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral · · Score: 1

    Hmm. Never got one. Still alive. I think I'm good.

  18. Re:Fuck you. on Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral · · Score: 1

    I pretty much agree with your sentiments, and that other people may not think the way I do, and that's cool. Obviously a lot of sites rely on advertising to survive, and since they are surviving *someone* is seeing/watching those ads. It's just not me. And honestly, not to sound like an ass, but as long as I don't need to see them I'm good.

    And I'll even admit there are a few (VERY few) sites where I don't block the ads because I want to support the site and the ads are extremely unobtrusive, so I can live with that. I use a lot of ad-supported apps on my phone/tablet, and I'm generally ok with that too so long as the ad is unobtrusive (I remember trying to play Angry Birds and the ads popped up in such a way that made the game impossible to play; deleted that shit real quick and never looked back). I have a buddy who sells a few basic Android apps and originally went with a 99 cent price with no ads. He wasn't getting a lot of purchases and then decided to offer a free version with ads and he makes over 10x the amount of money just from those small little popup ads. So, hey, more power to him.

    For now most of the app ads are unobtrusive, but the web was once like that too. When things start to change and get out of control that's when it's going to be time to look into adblockers for my phone and tablet.

  19. Re:Safety PSAs sponsored by local utilities on Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral · · Score: 1

    Never heard of the little critter.

  20. Re:Safety PSAs sponsored by local utilities on Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral · · Score: 1

    Um yeah, when exactly was the last time that happened? Like never. Google kindly sends me urgent updates via my phone and thru Chrome notifications. I'm good with that.

  21. Re:Fuck you. on Editor-in-Chief of the Next Web: Adblockers Are Immoral · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This. I don't want to see ads, I'm sick to death of seeing ads, and I'll do everything in my power not to. If that means the end of the web, I don't care. There isn't a single solitary website I can't live without.

    The thing that gets me is that even though advertisers know full well we're all sick to death of advertising and don't want to see it they are doing everything they can to shove it down our throats whether we like it or not. And y'know what, If I'm forced to somehow sit thru an ad when I don't want to (I recently tried to watch a video at CBS.com, and if you block the ads you can't watch the program) I'm either going to a.) mute the sound and switch the tab till the ad is over, or b.) make note of the advertiser and NEVER patronize them simply because they forced me to sit thru an ad I had no interest in seeing. In most cases I will do both.

    Fuck them.

  22. Re:Yawn... Strawmening and elenchiing now? on Robots Step Into the Backbreaking Agricultural Work That Immigrants Won't Do · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I stopped after the first paragraph. If you believe that pizza and Big Macs are "meals" and strawberries and almonds are "luxuries" you need medication. I dare say if people ate more of the latter and less of the former we'd have a lot less obesity in this country. Strawberries and almonds certainly are not a luxury. Fruit and nuts are essential parts of a healthy diet whereas pizza and Big Macs are the antithesis of one.

    What little of your "argument" I did read is fallacial at best, ridiculous at worst, and sorry, but I don't argue with stupid or crazy. Carry on.

  23. It's more of a raise than most people got, so stop bitching.

  24. Re:Nice argumentum ad lapidem there. on Robots Step Into the Backbreaking Agricultural Work That Immigrants Won't Do · · Score: 1

    Considering your inane rant was a non sequitur strawman argument I am not required to argue its merits, because by definition is has none. But ok, sure, I'll humor you:

    First off, strawberries aren't food? Since when? And pizza and Big Macs are?

    Whatever difficulties there are in picking strawberries are irrelevant, as the production of every food substance has it's own set of challenges. Pizza dough has to be used when it's thawed and can't be refrozen. Same with hamburger. Cheese needs to be refrigerated. French fries can only be up to 2 hours old and then need to be pitched. Buns have to be thrown out once they get stale, and so on. None of which are germane to the discussion of wages.

    And don't you think, following your trainwreck of thought, that if strawberries aren't priced fairly due to slave wages, that pizza and Big Macs also are not priced fairly due to the slave wages paid to make them? Not to mention the grade-z ingredients used? But again, irrelevant to the discussion of wages as the production of strawberries via slave wages is no different than the production of any other product via slave wages. And none of this has anything to do with almonds.

    I laid out very specific economic points, each of which you ignored and then went on a rant about how delicate and luxurious strawberries are. Which not only makes no sense, it's completely irrelevant to the discussion and not even close to being on topic. If anything you actually proved my point -- if strawberries are so difficult to pick, and so delicate, one would think you'd need skilled labor to do it correctly and efficiently. And skilled labor doesn't come cheap. And I'm betting that paying your workers $25/hr + benefits is still cheaper than watching your entire crop shrivel and die because you can't find anyone willing to work for less. Let's also remember we're not talking about a little mom and pop farm here, the farm from the article is one of the biggest producers of strawberries -- most certainly a multi-million dollar enterprise whose top men I'm sure get paid very handsomely.

    Any more words from the peanut gallery?

  25. Re:You're not willing to pay on Robots Step Into the Backbreaking Agricultural Work That Immigrants Won't Do · · Score: 1

    Sorry, but everything you've said is idiotic and irrelevant. Great strawman argument tho, I'll give you props for that.