I couldn't agree more. The problem with comments is that programmers (esp. contractors) rarely update them when making changes. So it is necessary to read the code anyway to be sure of the meaning of a code fragment.
I believe that comments should only be used to explain particularly obscure techniques, or things that cannot be expressed with the code itself. Otherwise, they are distracting, increasing the difficulty of reading the code.
Grappling was a joke. A strict literal interpretation meant that a grappler with initiative could basically render weapon wielders helpless.
On the other hand, a literal interpretation of the introduction to the DM manual meant that you could play fast and loose with the rules, which I did. I got into competitive fencing around the same time and completely revamped the combat system in my campaigns. Rogues loved me:)
Actually, evolution, in its most general sense, is simply change in a certain direction. This comes up often when I am unfortunate enough to discuss evolution with a creationist. They are rarely well-informed enough to understand that what they disagree with is biological macroevolution and end up trying to debate whether things change at all, in order not to appear to be giving ground. *sigh*.
Re:Once again, Slashdotters want to have it both w
on
Read the Fine Print
·
· Score: 1
I always teach a new computer user that security starts with making an informed decision before you initiate a program. The last thing I want to see is that decision taken away, or concealed an another common action such as reading your email.
The decision to apply patches should be convenient, but voluntary. Just because I trust a particular rev of an OS, does not imply I trust the latest patch.
When I began dabbling in computers as a child, my progress was constrained by lack of information. The crowd I hung with, couldn't fathom my interest, and I never did talk my parents into that modem.
I marvel at the ease with which answers to questions can be obtained, aided by todays technology. Such ready access to information accelerates learning exponentially, for those inclined to make use of it.
In fact, Slashdot recently featured a story on such a game.
This is not the case for DAoC. The players specifcally agreed to a ruleset prohibiting such transactions (While allowing sale of characters which strikes me as odd).
A better analogy:
In competitive fencing, it is an unfortunately all too common practice for competitors to allow teammates (or sometimes paying "clients") to score against them. This would occur in a situation where one fencer is assured of making the next round, and the other in close competition to make the cut.
Now fencing is far from a spectator sport in the my country (U.S.A.), yet I've seen this take place on many an occasion myself. There are specific rules prohibiting this behaviour, and those who wish to compete strictly on the basis of physical performance have the right to maintain a format in which to do so.
"I don't think it's like that at all. It isn't a spectator sport. No one is betting on the outcome"
The same is true for every recreational sports league I've participated in. They exist for the entertainment of the participants, most of whom would consider such behaviour akin to, or literally cheating.
The best analogy I can think of, would be a recreational sports league that adopts a rule that it is illegal to bribe the umpire to change the score. If that rule was not enforced, a good portion of players would no longer wish to participate.
The funny thing is, that in Camelot the items and money are relatively meaningless. The drop rates in the dungeons are so out of wack that my characters have always had too much money, and items far above their level. On top of that, it is impractical to wield an item that is above your level, as it degrades too quickly.
With that in mind, they should be water resistant, and written with the assumption that you are not sitting at the computer. That implies less focus on step-by-step instructions, and code samples, more theory.
I'm excited for the eventual release of geforce4 cards. Why? Cause it means the geforce3 prices will plummet and I can upgrade from my geforce2 gts. Which, btw has all the performance really needed to drive the latest Quake3 games.
I learned a while ago that, at my budget, I'll get much better average performance (over time) by staying a bit shy of the leading edge. Also get fewer headaches from buggy products that way.
"It gets the job done, and companies are betting their entire businesses on it. If it was really that insecure, that wouldn't be the case."
The sad truth is, at the level where these decisions are made, technical knowledge is rare, flash and FUD prevail over substance.
I remember a day when I had to carefully remove any reference to "activex" from my design documents for internally developed and used applications! just because some suit had read somewhere about the dangers of downloading and executing activex applications.
"Maybe I'm just dense, but do we really need 30,000 varieties of corn from one continent?"
Yes.
With the advent of genetic engineering, the possibility of a "superstrain" of modified corn, replacing wild variants is quite possible. Think of the genetic code of these variants as building blocks for the engineering projects of the future, and consider the fact that, once gone, they can never be replaced.
If you want to see the game from the developer/publisher point of view, check out the Norrathian Scrolls
I'd often wondered why the makers of these MMORPEGS, seem obsessed with "nerfing" (removing or disabling) any techniques involving skill, in favor of mindless, repetitive actions. The above link made it clear. The research is questionable, but to this long-time player it rings true.
Exactly. Its common knowledge among athletes that an intensive training regimen both improves quality of sleep, and requires extra sleep to realize its full benefit. Sounds contradictory but isn't.
On another note, back when I used to compete I would take a day off before a serious competition and lie around all day in a darkened room sleeping as much as possible. In addition to temporarily shifting my sleep pattern from late to early riser, I found my mental faculties and physical capability greatly enhanced the following day.
My understanding is that advanced age does not reduce hours of sleep needed, but rather that various health problems that are associated with age, make it difficult to sleep.
"I completely agree with your post. I suggest, however that you move from hate to a more enlightened perspective- "
Of course, because Hate leads to suffering;).
Over the years, I've had countless debates with people who attribute the success of Star Wars to one or another facet. Obviously the stellar score, the mindblowing special effects, novel dramatic pacing, excellent performances (for the most part) and even marketing played into it. But what drew it all together was that it was a rollicking good adventure tale.
I was first exposed to Star Wars by the Alan Dean Foster novel I found on a paperback rack when I was 10 or so. It immediately took its place among my little collection of prized "adult" books. My parents hadn't quite caught on that I'd outgrown Tom Swift, so I read my copies of Jaws, Planet of the Apes, Lucifer's Hammer, and Star Wars fetishistically until they fell apart.
But my point is this: I was utterly hooked and fascinated with the story, even though it was nearly a year before I convinced my parents to take the family out and see it!
A lot of great work by very talented people came together to produce the phenomenon that was Star Wars. But what held it together and gave it staying power was the story behind it that resonated. As a counter-example I offer the Phantom Menace. A lot of good work there, but it is essentially empty.
As a long-time Tolkienophile;), I was as concerned as anyone with the rumoured revisions to the story. I even penned a message to Jackson a year or so ago about the Arwen change, pleading with him to be true to the book.
After my second viewing, the movie is obviously a labour of love on the part of a true fan. Having read the books umpteen times, each deviation from the text obviously jumps out at me, but I can clearly see how the changes help to convey the essence of the story, within the constraints of the different medium.
Merging the role of Glorfindel and Arwen makes perfect sense when you consider her lineage, and conveys much more Tolkien's sense of the role of women in the struggles of Middle-earth, and the unions of elves and man. It also helps to illuminate the transition of Aragorns character from rootless wanderer to heir of Gondor.
I liked very much the addition of Aragorn wilfully releasing Frodo to travel to Mordor alone, and the ring calling his name in temptation was nice touch. I got perfect chills from the shot of the ring reflecting the arguing councilmembers and faintly reciting its inscription in the tongue of Mordor. Other touches, such as Frodo solving the riddle of the gates of Moria, further conveyed the themes of the book, better perhaps than strict adherence to the original story.
About the only nits I have to pick, which are really more stylistic differences, are the role of Saruman, and the heavy editing of the Lothlorien segment. I think that compelling dialogue and a skillful actor could have made much of Saruman's cunning arts of persuasion, though I will allow that the visual approach is compelling. I have high hopes for the extra footage on the DVD to flesh out the Lothlorien portion.
But I have to really work to find criticism, when on the whole I was absolutely thrilled with the movie. The pervasive use of dialogue drawn straight from the book, authentic pronunciation, great casting, acting and direction, all the little touches have produced a classic in its own right.
Heck I flew to LA out of Logran Airport a couple of months ago, with a 3" pocketknife in my buttpack. I realized in the security check that I'd forgotten to stow it in my checked luggage, and decided to just see if they noticed. The xray attendant seemed to pause on it, but it went through.
I just create a text file containing the link, open in a browser, right-click and save to file. Much easier than ripping the cd, let alone a trip to the record store.
As an avid competitive athlete, I've long remarked on the similarities. My chosen sport, epee fencing, requires split-second responses, fingertip control and pinpoint accuracy (The knuckle of your opponents hand, protruding beyond the guard qualifies as a target). Not at all unlike the precision required to master the headshot in games such as Counter-Strike.
In fact, I enjoyed my greatest success ( at a time my training hours were greatly declining due to a variety of reasons (age, responsibility, geographic proximity). At the same time, I was spending an hour or so a night in Action Quake and an hour or so in athletic conditioning. I've always attributed the quaking to helping to keep my concentration and focus faculties "in condition".
Theres no question that skills learned in a well-designed simulation can cross over into the real world. I've taken lessons learned in a console basketball game onto the court. First person shooter tactics can be translated into paintball. You just have to use some sense in knowing what parts don't, e.g. bunnyhopping in a combat situation will get you nowhere. Someday, when the mouse has gone the way of the dodo, and we are using motion capture devices for input, we'll see sports games actually critiquing and awarding points based on proper form. Talk about a whole new level of athletic performance!
Was cowritten by Zelazny and Dick. Its also the only Zelazny book I was unable to get through. For some reason, it was too bleak and depressing for me, but one of these days...
Coils was also the first place I read anything like the visual representation of "cyberspace" so common in todays scifi. The only difference was, if I remember aright, the protagonist jacked in through some psychic power or other, rather than via a mechanical device.
Slashdot Mirror
I couldn't agree more. The problem with comments is that programmers (esp. contractors) rarely update them when making changes. So it is necessary to read the code anyway to be sure of the meaning of a code fragment.
I believe that comments should only be used to explain particularly obscure techniques, or things that cannot be expressed with the code itself. Otherwise, they are distracting, increasing the difficulty of reading the code.
Grappling was a joke. A strict literal interpretation meant that a grappler with initiative could basically render weapon wielders helpless.
:)
On the other hand, a literal interpretation of the introduction to the DM manual meant that you could play fast and loose with the rules, which I did. I got into competitive fencing around the same time and completely revamped the combat system in my campaigns. Rogues loved me
Actually, evolution, in its most general sense, is simply change in a certain direction. This comes up often when I am unfortunate enough to discuss evolution with a creationist. They are rarely well-informed enough to understand that what they disagree with is biological macroevolution and end up trying to debate whether things change at all, in order not to appear to be giving ground. *sigh*.
The decision to apply patches should be convenient, but voluntary. Just because I trust a particular rev of an OS, does not imply I trust the latest patch.
of MMORPEGS
posting inline /img links on an html messageboard is infringement?
When I began dabbling in computers as a child, my progress was constrained by lack of information. The crowd I hung with, couldn't fathom my interest, and I never did talk my parents into that modem.
I marvel at the ease with which answers to questions can be obtained, aided by todays technology. Such ready access to information accelerates learning exponentially, for those inclined to make use of it.
In fact, Slashdot recently featured a story on such a game.
This is not the case for DAoC. The players specifcally agreed to a ruleset prohibiting such transactions (While allowing sale of characters which strikes me as odd).
A better analogy: In competitive fencing, it is an unfortunately all too common practice for competitors to allow teammates (or sometimes paying "clients") to score against them. This would occur in a situation where one fencer is assured of making the next round, and the other in close competition to make the cut.
Now fencing is far from a spectator sport in the my country (U.S.A.), yet I've seen this take place on many an occasion myself. There are specific rules prohibiting this behaviour, and those who wish to compete strictly on the basis of physical performance have the right to maintain a format in which to do so.
The same is true for every recreational sports league I've participated in. They exist for the entertainment of the participants, most of whom would consider such behaviour akin to, or literally cheating.
The funny thing is, that in Camelot the items and money are relatively meaningless. The drop rates in the dungeons are so out of wack that my characters have always had too much money, and items far above their level. On top of that, it is impractical to wield an item that is above your level, as it degrades too quickly.
With that in mind, they should be water resistant, and written with the assumption that you are not sitting at the computer. That implies less focus on step-by-step instructions, and code samples, more theory.
I learned a while ago that, at my budget, I'll get much better average performance (over time) by staying a bit shy of the leading edge. Also get fewer headaches from buggy products that way.
"It gets the job done, and companies are betting their entire businesses on it. If it was really that insecure, that wouldn't be the case."
The sad truth is, at the level where these decisions are made, technical knowledge is rare, flash and FUD prevail over substance.
I remember a day when I had to carefully remove any reference to "activex" from my design documents for internally developed and used applications! just because some suit had read somewhere about the dangers of downloading and executing activex applications.
Yes.
With the advent of genetic engineering, the possibility of a "superstrain" of modified corn, replacing wild variants is quite possible. Think of the genetic code of these variants as building blocks for the engineering projects of the future, and consider the fact that, once gone, they can never be replaced.
I'd often wondered why the makers of these MMORPEGS, seem obsessed with "nerfing" (removing or disabling) any techniques involving skill, in favor of mindless, repetitive actions. The above link made it clear. The research is questionable, but to this long-time player it rings true.
Exactly. Its common knowledge among athletes that an intensive training regimen both improves quality of sleep, and requires extra sleep to realize its full benefit. Sounds contradictory but isn't.
On another note, back when I used to compete I would take a day off before a serious competition and lie around all day in a darkened room sleeping as much as possible. In addition to temporarily shifting my sleep pattern from late to early riser, I found my mental faculties and physical capability greatly enhanced the following day.
My understanding is that advanced age does not reduce hours of sleep needed, but rather that various health problems that are associated with age, make it difficult to sleep.
Of course, because Hate leads to suffering ;).
Over the years, I've had countless debates with people who attribute the success of Star Wars to one or another facet. Obviously the stellar score, the mindblowing special effects, novel dramatic pacing, excellent performances (for the most part) and even marketing played into it. But what drew it all together was that it was a rollicking good adventure tale.
I was first exposed to Star Wars by the Alan Dean Foster novel I found on a paperback rack when I was 10 or so. It immediately took its place among my little collection of prized "adult" books. My parents hadn't quite caught on that I'd outgrown Tom Swift, so I read my copies of Jaws, Planet of the Apes, Lucifer's Hammer, and Star Wars fetishistically until they fell apart.
But my point is this: I was utterly hooked and fascinated with the story, even though it was nearly a year before I convinced my parents to take the family out and see it! A lot of great work by very talented people came together to produce the phenomenon that was Star Wars. But what held it together and gave it staying power was the story behind it that resonated. As a counter-example I offer the Phantom Menace. A lot of good work there, but it is essentially empty.
As a long-time Tolkienophile ;), I was as concerned as anyone with the rumoured revisions to the story. I even penned a message to Jackson a year or so ago about the Arwen change, pleading with him to be true to the book.
After my second viewing, the movie is obviously a labour of love on the part of a true fan. Having read the books umpteen times, each deviation from the text obviously jumps out at me, but I can clearly see how the changes help to convey the essence of the story, within the constraints of the different medium.
Merging the role of Glorfindel and Arwen makes perfect sense when you consider her lineage, and conveys much more Tolkien's sense of the role of women in the struggles of Middle-earth, and the unions of elves and man. It also helps to illuminate the transition of Aragorns character from rootless wanderer to heir of Gondor.
I liked very much the addition of Aragorn wilfully releasing Frodo to travel to Mordor alone, and the ring calling his name in temptation was nice touch. I got perfect chills from the shot of the ring reflecting the arguing councilmembers and faintly reciting its inscription in the tongue of Mordor. Other touches, such as Frodo solving the riddle of the gates of Moria, further conveyed the themes of the book, better perhaps than strict adherence to the original story.
About the only nits I have to pick, which are really more stylistic differences, are the role of Saruman, and the heavy editing of the Lothlorien segment. I think that compelling dialogue and a skillful actor could have made much of Saruman's cunning arts of persuasion, though I will allow that the visual approach is compelling. I have high hopes for the extra footage on the DVD to flesh out the Lothlorien portion. But I have to really work to find criticism, when on the whole I was absolutely thrilled with the movie. The pervasive use of dialogue drawn straight from the book, authentic pronunciation, great casting, acting and direction, all the little touches have produced a classic in its own right.
Peter Jackson thank you!!!
Heck I flew to LA out of Logran Airport a couple of months ago, with a 3" pocketknife in my buttpack. I realized in the security check that I'd forgotten to stow it in my checked luggage, and decided to just see if they noticed. The xray attendant seemed to pause on it, but it went through.
Hmmm does this post violate the DMCA?
Might I recommend you spellcheck your spelling flames? ;)
As an avid competitive athlete, I've long remarked on the similarities. My chosen sport, epee fencing, requires split-second responses, fingertip control and pinpoint accuracy (The knuckle of your opponents hand, protruding beyond the guard qualifies as a target). Not at all unlike the precision required to master the headshot in games such as Counter-Strike.
In fact, I enjoyed my greatest success ( at a time my training hours were greatly declining due to a variety of reasons (age, responsibility, geographic proximity). At the same time, I was spending an hour or so a night in Action Quake and an hour or so in athletic conditioning. I've always attributed the quaking to helping to keep my concentration and focus faculties "in condition".
Theres no question that skills learned in a well-designed simulation can cross over into the real world. I've taken lessons learned in a console basketball game onto the court. First person shooter tactics can be translated into paintball. You just have to use some sense in knowing what parts don't, e.g. bunnyhopping in a combat situation will get you nowhere. Someday, when the mouse has gone the way of the dodo, and we are using motion capture devices for input, we'll see sports games actually critiquing and awarding points based on proper form. Talk about a whole new level of athletic performance!
Was cowritten by Zelazny and Dick. Its also the only Zelazny book I was unable to get through. For some reason, it was too bleak and depressing for me, but one of these days...
Coils was also the first place I read anything like the visual representation of "cyberspace" so common in todays scifi. The only difference was, if I remember aright, the protagonist jacked in through some psychic power or other, rather than via a mechanical device.