Slashdot Mirror


User: NMerriam

NMerriam's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
2,648
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 2,648

  1. Re:This arrest shows that people are paying attent on MA Attorney General Seeks Myspace Changes · · Score: 1

    What shining ray of hope do you live in that still thinks so? My local park closes at 8pm year-round. Kids (who else uses a park?) can and have been charged with tresspassing.

    What does having a closing time have to do with banning minors? Most public facilities are officially closed at night for security reasons, but that doesn't mean it would be sensible to ban 13 year olds from using them at 2 in the afternoon.

    I feel sorry if you live in such a horrible community that nobody over 18 goes to the park. There are lots of cities in the US where adults go to the park to engage in sports, sit on a bench and read, or just have a nice walk with someone they love.

  2. Re:Inappropriate? I'll tell you inappropriate on UN Broadcasting Treaty May Restrict Speech · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yes. It is the basis they use for all civil rights legislation. Since any state or local discriminatory laws could possibly affect a traveler from another state.

    That's not even remotely accurate. Federal civil rights legislation is based on the 14th amendment:

    "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

    The due process/equal protection clause is what pretty much all federal civil rights, voting, and criminal legislation is based on.

  3. Re:Doesn't work on New Apple Campaign Target PC Flaws · · Score: 1

    Indeed, one of the most successful ad campaigns of all time was the Pepsi Challenge, which eventually resulted in New Coke. Comparison ads are not "hate ads", they can be playful exercises, as the new Apple Ads are.

    If apple were running a Hate campaign, it would be along the lines of "Last year over 20 billion dollars was lost because of Microsoft Windows viruses, because Microsoft doesn't care if your computer is secure once they have your money. Apple computers don't get those viruses because we love you."

  4. Re:Good Combat Flight Sims; why not? on Blazing Angels Review · · Score: 1

    LOL, yeah I guess that would be a bit much for a combat helo without a STRONG tailwind. Been a few years since I played :)

  5. Re:Good Combat Flight Sims; why not? on Blazing Angels Review · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've been very disappointed in the lack of good simulators the last few years. There are a few fixed-wing PC sims that are good, but nothing like the heyday of the late 90s where it seemed every month had a new realistic fighter/bomber/helicopter sim.

    I would happily pay $150+ to be able to play Longbow II in a high-res 3D environment with current graphical features -- it was engrossing enough in the primitive Voodoo-optimized version, and the game mechanics/AI would barely need to be tweaked at all. Sure it's exciting to fly an F15 at Mach 3 with your pants on fire, but for my money nothing was as fun as 30 feet off the ground at 300 mph, popping up over a hill to engage 12 hard targets in 2 seconds while jinking to avoid small arms fire. Or the thrill of flying a fast, vulnerable Kiowa scout, hovering just behind the trees painting targets for the Apaches and then getting the hell out of dodge before the Iranian air force realizes you're in the neighborhood.

  6. Re:It depends. on Forget Expensive Video Cards · · Score: 1

    Just a note, PCI-X is completely different from PCIe (PCI Express). When talking about the tech specs of either standard, it's pretty important to keep that straight.

  7. Re:suggestion on Life on the Other End of the Tech Support Line · · Score: 1

    That is probably the single most useful posting I've read on Slashdot in the 8 years I've been here. It makes perfect sense when you look at it, it just isn't something people consider.

  8. Re:The difference... on FBI Releases Secret Subpoena Information · · Score: 1

    The Constitution IS the final word in the US Legal system. It is superior to all other laws created by any legislative body anywhere in the country.

    Nowhere in those statements or concepts does it claim it is either 1) perfect or 2) permanent.

  9. Re:Woah. on U.S. Government Moves To Dismiss EFF Case · · Score: 1

    Wow, I didn't realize the EFF was required to solve the world's problems before asking for the Constitution to be enforced by the courts and respected by the Executive branch.

    You may want to apply for a job in the Florida AG's office, though -- last week they argued in front of the US Supreme Court that a death row inmate was required to suggest his own method of execution in order to challenge whether or not lethal injection as implemented in Florida was "cruel and unusual".

    Needless to say, the Justices all made so many jokes about what an absolutely asinine idea that was that one of them had to remind the others they were dealing with a case of life and death in order to get them back on track.

  10. Re:But if ... on DOJ To Claim National Security in NSA Case · · Score: 1

    You're right, of course, which is why the CIA routinely declines to verify or deny rumors, no matter how outlandish. By doing so, they make it impossible to infer anything from denials.

    Unfortunately, that's not what we're dealing with here -- the federal gov't does NOT make it a routine policy to request cases be dismissed for national security reasons no matter how outlandish the case. And because of that, we most certainly CAN infer something from their actions, which is that they are either doing what is alleged, or something very close to it that will be uncovered if investigated.

  11. Re:But if ... on DOJ To Claim National Security in NSA Case · · Score: 1

    ...and of course every health care decision that doesn't involve abortion is still covered by the right to privacy. That's where much of the legal tension comes from in parental notification laws and HIV notification laws that some states have implemented.

  12. Re:But if ... on DOJ To Claim National Security in NSA Case · · Score: 1

    This "right to privacy" is, in practice, a woman's right to have an abortion, and nothing more.

    Pretty much everything having to do with sex, marriage and activities inside the four walls of your home is based on the constitutional right to privacy. Your statement would be quite a newsflash, given that the vast majority of states used to have laws against sodomy (even among consenting, married adults in private) but they have been overturned by the courts in the past 50 years.

  13. Re:I love my job! on Judge Rules in Favor of Websurfing at Work · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is Xenu, the intergalactic overlord. Your volcanoes are full of alien spirits that are the root cause of all pain on Earth. Just leave the office supplies at Tom Cruise's place.

  14. Re:A Machine For Suckers With Too Much Cash on Apple Announced 17" MacBook Pro · · Score: 1

    Indeed, my girlfriend is fond of complaining about using my G5 desktop system because she's just more comfortable in Windows, etc. When she heard about Boot Camp, the first thing she said was that her next computer would probably be a Mac, which completely took me by surprise.

    I think on some level she was afraid of letting herself like the Mac, knowing it would doom her to having two computers or not being able to run some programs. Now I catch her looking at the MacBook Pros and asking me if I've heard anything about when the regular MacBook systems will be released (by back to school season, I'm sure, honey!)

  15. Re:Deliberately slowed graphics card... heat issue on Apple Announced 17" MacBook Pro · · Score: 1

    Imagine the problems I might cause by actually writing software for my computer that "broke my machine or crippled its performance"! Surely I wouldn't deserve support.

    Um, we're talking about overclocking here. I don't know of ANY computer manufacturer anywhere on Earth that will officially provide warranty repairs for damage done through overclocking.

    Running things outside of spec may be exciting, and nobody is saying you have to stop, they're just pointing out that Apple isn't going to support it any more than Dell or HP or IBM or anyone else, so people should be aware of that before they go adjusting the GPU or memory speeds.

    Calm down, Beavis.

  16. Re:I agree...something fundamentally wrong with th on Next in Browser Development, High DPI Websites? · · Score: 1

    I agree 100% -- if you search the slashdot archives, you'll even find an article of mine from 2000 or so begging for information on where to buy a 15" or 17" 1600x1200 desktop LCD (and many people chimed in to say they were searching as well). We had an entire office full of people who would have paid the $2000 our IBM thinkpads cost just to get the Thinkpad's LCD -- it's amazing no company has offered this product.

  17. Re:Ok, maybe laptops are different... on Next in Browser Development, High DPI Websites? · · Score: 1

    You're right, most desktop LCDs do tend to have a fixed DPI in the 80-100 range, which is a shame (and why I still use a CRT on my desk). But laptops are not a niche market, and haven't been for several years -- almost (over?) half of all computers sold in the USA are laptops, and some of them have screens with 150+ dpi, so we can't just arbitrarily say that DPI doesn't matter when developing UIs or web sites. It's an issue that is quite real even today, and eventually will be very real on the desktop as well.

  18. Re:I agree...something fundamentally wrong with th on Next in Browser Development, High DPI Websites? · · Score: 4, Informative

    FWIW, I currently see no industry interest in higher pixel density screens, in fact I see the total opposite.

    I have no idea what you are basing this on, because manufacturers currently offer a wide variety of displays with a huge range of true DPI.

    Many laptops for years have been coming with 15" screens that have 1600x1200 resolution, while the standalone 15" LCD you buy at a store might only have 800x600. I'd say that's a pretty significant difference -- enough that IBM shipped their thinkpads with the "large text" setting as default for many years.

    There has been a gradual trend towards increasing physical DPI in devices, simply because we all want crisper text and manufacturing limitations are the only reason we don't. Maybe you're happy seeing individual pixels, but when the average customer sees the quality difference between a 96dpi LCD and a 300 dpi LCD, he'll always prefer the higher -- assuming it doesn't make everything hard to see.

  19. Re:First Amendment Nullified on US Intensifies Fight Against Child Pornography · · Score: 1

    he is free to challenge his conviction on 1st Amendment grounds, but it is likely he will lose because he fails the Supreme Court's test for pornagraphic material.

    On the contrary, anyone with a newspaper subscription knows without a doubt that the man will be free as soon as it get to appeals court. The Supreme Court has already stated explicitly that imaginary porn is not porn, and that drawings or renderings of children engaged in sex acts are not child porn because there are NO CHILDREN in it, no victims whatsoever.

    This law and the conviction are nothing more than shallow attempts by elected officials to manipulate voters and look like they're doing something, even though they all know they are wasting money on a case that will be overturned on appeal. Maybe YOU appreciate seeing your law enforcement tax dollars wasted in such a manner, but some of us would prefer the police pursue real child molesters with that time and funding, and get convictions that will stand up in court as well as saving actual children from abuse.

  20. Re:I hope Google shit on ebay on eBay Looking for Allies Against Google · · Score: 1

    I have a crazy idea, I'll use the best option available despite its (many, horrible) flaws, since it makes me money. Then, when a better option becomes available, I'll gladly switch to it and dance on the grave of eBay. I call that a win-win situation.

    Most products have flaws, bitching about them and even cheering competitors' products says nothing about the overall value of the product. Ask anyone who works in publishing what they think of Quark, and more importantly, how big of a party did they have the day they able to burn their last Quark install CD and switch to Adobe InDesign? Quark controlled the market and had no viable competitors, so we had to grin and bear it through most of the 90s. Now they spiral towards bankruptcy and every one of their customers is cheering on the Grim Reaper.

  21. Re:I hope Google shit on ebay on eBay Looking for Allies Against Google · · Score: 1

    What can Google do to combat the same behavior that is so ingrained in the on-line auction seller community, a community that strikes me as the next dimension of flea market vendors?

    Quite simply, they can require the seller to post feedback before the buyer. If the buyer sent you money according to your terms, then they've done the only thing they are required to do.

    As it stands, I have rarely had a seller post feedback until I have given positive first -- the one time I gave negative (since the item was not shipped for over 3 weeks, and repeated emails were not answered) the seller gave me a negative despite my paying withing 30 minutes of auction close and providing him with all the information necessary to ship.

    It's a big protection racket and there are nhumerous little shit-on-the-customer things like this all through the eBay process, not including the massive financial fraud that is Paypal (we know who you are but won't list you as verified until you give us permission to withdraw any amount of money from your bank account at our whim).

    eBay doesn't need allies against Google, they need to find a mortician with a big enough coffin to bury their corpse when Google gets an auction and payment system online. It'll take a few years to overcome inertia, but I can't wait for the day I can tell eBay/Paypal to go screw themselves the way they screw so many of their own customers.

  22. Re:Can't blame a wolf for eating rabbits... on Yahoo! Allegedly Helps Beijing Arrest a Third Reporter · · Score: 1

    Shocikingly enough, I do own and run my own business.

    Now that we both agree your false dilemma is silly and has nothing to do with the poster's statement, we can get back to the point that he believes there should be more regulation (whether self- or governmental, I'm not sure) of businesses using profit as an excuse to abuse human rights.

    If you just want to sit around blurting out non-sequiters like "communism sucks!" you should probably go hang out with the freepers, you'll be congratulated for your insight.

  23. Re:Can't blame a wolf for eating rabbits... on Yahoo! Allegedly Helps Beijing Arrest a Third Reporter · · Score: 1

    Shockingly enough, unfettered capitalism and totalitarian communism are not the only choices, except to Ayn Rand.

  24. Re:or will they both lose to plain old DVD? on HD-DVD's Temporary Edge · · Score: 1

    Yes, but most people can't tell the difference between 128kbps+ AAC/Lame compressed audio and the original CD source. Giving them even more audio data they can't hear is a pretty hard sell, especially when most of us listen to music on cheap earbuds or Best Buy $300 stereo speakers. DVD-Audio and SACD were solutions in search of a problem only extreme audiophiles have.

    HD video content is the exact opposite -- even the least technically adept person with no interest in the content can see the huge visual difference between 1920x1280 and 720x480 resolution. Even the cheapest $300 HD set will show that difference in a way anyone off the street can notice.

  25. Re:duh on Linux Snobs, The Real Barriers to Entry · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Although one critical difference between a smug bastard and a zealot is that the zealot, in the course of displaying WHY his system is The Best (tm), will actually show you 100 cool features you might not have discovered on your own for some time. So while they might both be equally annoying, the zealot has imparted useful information and not JUST attitude.