So, we've got the robotic DAT changer and the robotic bar. The DAT changer was probably much more fun to engineer, but I know which wins the "post-creation fun" contest.
Personally, I don't know whether the X-box'll flop in Japan or not - I was just trying to clarify what was being said.
As for the X-box being ferior hardware, that won't matter at all. Both the Saturn and Dreamcast were superior to their contemporaries (N64, PS1), but they lost out because they were harder to program for, IIRC.
Trying to compare the launch of the X-box and the PS2 isn't fair either. The PS2 was able to trade on the reputation of the PS1, as well as its own hype. Microsoft is untried in the console industry, so has no reputation to trade on, bar the overall Microsoft Corp.'s (and that ain't exactly the best in the world, even to Joe Q. Public). And don't forget one of the main plus points for the PS2 was that could play the entire PS1 back-catalog. There may not have been an immense number of PS2 games, but there was certainly more than a few games available.
"Japanese developers aren't going to jump ship because there aren't enough release games"
That's not what's being suggested. What's being suggested is that the launch of the X-box will be a flop, and the Japanese won't be interested, because of the limited games. After that, the developers will jump ship.
And as for DoA - the X-Box will not rise or fall based entirely on one average-playing beat 'em up with large breasted characters!
Wait a minute? You mean that if I go out and get a Tivo, then they can tell exactly what commercials I watch? I was always a little spooked by the fact that your cable television provider could tell which channel you were watching, but this is far worse than that!"
That's not it exactly. AFAIK, it can tell when you pause or use a replay. And it knows what channel you were on. Using both together, they can tell which adverts you used a special Tivo feature on. Not which you actually watch.
I may be being obtuse here, but how exactly do you transfer power over fibre optics? AFAIK, power transmission needs honking great cables to carry electricity. So how does this work? Shine a very large torch down the line, and get it picked up by a very sensitive photo-electric cell?
"How dare he make a movie about two teenagers falling in love when he's telling the story about how two teenagers fell in love which eventually results in Episodes 4,5, and 6. It would be SO much more satisfying if Amidala just has Luke and Leia with no explanation."
What, you mean like how Shimi had Anakin without him having a father (casting no aspertions here, but I'd hesitate to say "virgin birth")?
Let's see, born (presumably) in some relative hovel somewhere, 3 strangers turn up, and bring him gifts (like freeing him, training him, etc). Dies "to save us all" (killing the Emperor). Comes back from the dead (sort of) and can only be seen by certain people...
Jesus == Darth Vader?
Geez, if religion was as cool as Star Wars, I might be a believer ^^;
Yeah, the trailer I saw was full of teenage forbidden love and sappy-cuteness. But I doubt that's going to be the content of the whole film. I mean, it wouldn't be a Star Wars movie without a decent space battle and lightsaber duel. Even Lucas realises this.
[rant]
Besides, I'm _very_ glad that the trailer doesn't reveal everything - The Ep 1 trailer showed far too much. Like Darth Maul and his double bladed lightsaber. Go back in your mind to the first time you saw the film. Now replay the scene where Maul lights the second blade - as if you _didn't_ know he had one from the trailer. That could have been a "holy f*cking sh*t!!!" moment that would have made the entire film. Who cares about Jar Jar when you've got a scene like that? But no. They had to go and spoil it...
[/rant]
IIRC, Lucas said that Ep 1 was an introduction to the characters and time period. 2 is _mostly_ a love story, while 3 is much darker. I for one can tollerate a little glucose content in 2, as long as it doesn't detract from the story (or get in the way of some bad-guy ass-kicking Jedi style).
And as for the title, I am still holding out hope that it's a ploy to screw all the fake merchandise that's bound to appear. I'm not sure, but I don't recall the trailer explicitly calling it "Attack of the Clones" - it was just "Episode 2". Am I right?
Progress in computer hardware has followed an amazingly steady curve in the last few decades [17]. Based largely on this trend, I believe that the creation of greater than human intelligence will occur during the next thirty years.
Reading that article while bored and revising for exams is not a good idea. My brain has switched off for the next few hours, which may impede my revision process.
Although, there's probably a superstate in which I have both passed and failed my exams already, so does it really matter?
...Elemental battle-armor from BattleTech / MechWarrior. That stuff carries a couple of short range missles and a submachine gun (and a laser, but let's keep it as what could be done *soon*) It's controled using a body suit covered in sensors, that pass body movement to the armor, which then responds. That could probably be used here, with current tech. It also controls the computer with a 'glance' system - the cursor follows the pilot's eye movement. IIRC, that is used in various helicopter gunships already. Elemental armor comes with a claw capable of ripping armor of tanks / etc. That would be almost worse than the missiles. It can also jump about 90 meters, using jets. Yet another example of this stuff in Sci-fi. I so much want one of these. Would solve the traffic problem in the mornings... Maran
Slashdot Mirror
So, we've got the robotic DAT changer and the robotic bar. The DAT changer was probably much more fun to engineer, but I know which wins the "post-creation fun" contest.
Maran
Can the Madness of Katz be controlled? And I dread to think where the controller'd have to be plugged in
Maran
Personally, I don't know whether the X-box'll flop in Japan or not - I was just trying to clarify what was being said.
As for the X-box being ferior hardware, that won't matter at all. Both the Saturn and Dreamcast were superior to their contemporaries (N64, PS1), but they lost out because they were harder to program for, IIRC.
Trying to compare the launch of the X-box and the PS2 isn't fair either. The PS2 was able to trade on the reputation of the PS1, as well as its own hype. Microsoft is untried in the console industry, so has no reputation to trade on, bar the overall Microsoft Corp.'s (and that ain't exactly the best in the world, even to Joe Q. Public). And don't forget one of the main plus points for the PS2 was that could play the entire PS1 back-catalog. There may not have been an immense number of PS2 games, but there was certainly more than a few games available.
Maran
"Japanese developers aren't going to jump ship because there aren't enough release games"
That's not what's being suggested. What's being suggested is that the launch of the X-box will be a flop, and the Japanese won't be interested, because of the limited games. After that, the developers will jump ship.
And as for DoA - the X-Box will not rise or fall based entirely on one average-playing beat 'em up with large breasted characters!
Maran
I think you're over-estimating Tivo's userbase. A lot of quite ahem "normal" (read non-techie) people have them.
People that hack their Tivos, however...
Maran
Wait a minute? You mean that if I go out and get a Tivo, then they can tell exactly what commercials I watch? I was always a little spooked by the fact that your cable television provider could tell which channel you were watching, but this is far worse than that!"
That's not it exactly. AFAIK, it can tell when you pause or use a replay. And it knows what channel you were on. Using both together, they can tell which adverts you used a special Tivo feature on. Not which you actually watch.
Maran
"Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets..."
Huh? They're both from the same planet!
Maran
I may be being obtuse here, but how exactly do you transfer power over fibre optics? AFAIK, power transmission needs honking great cables to carry electricity. So how does this work? Shine a very large torch down the line, and get it picked up by a very sensitive photo-electric cell?
Maran
The sarcasm meter's red-lining here:
"How dare he make a movie about two teenagers falling in love when he's telling the story about how two teenagers fell in love which eventually results in Episodes 4,5, and 6. It would be SO much more satisfying if Amidala just has Luke and Leia with no explanation."
What, you mean like how Shimi had Anakin without him having a father (casting no aspertions here, but I'd hesitate to say "virgin birth")?
Let's see, born (presumably) in some relative hovel somewhere, 3 strangers turn up, and bring him gifts (like freeing him, training him, etc). Dies "to save us all" (killing the Emperor). Comes back from the dead (sort of) and can only be seen by certain people...
Jesus == Darth Vader?
Geez, if religion was as cool as Star Wars, I might be a believer ^^;
Maran
Yeah, the trailer I saw was full of teenage forbidden love and sappy-cuteness. But I doubt that's going to be the content of the whole film. I mean, it wouldn't be a Star Wars movie without a decent space battle and lightsaber duel. Even Lucas realises this.
[rant]
Besides, I'm _very_ glad that the trailer doesn't reveal everything - The Ep 1 trailer showed far too much. Like Darth Maul and his double bladed lightsaber. Go back in your mind to the first time you saw the film. Now replay the scene where Maul lights the second blade - as if you _didn't_ know he had one from the trailer. That could have been a "holy f*cking sh*t!!!" moment that would have made the entire film. Who cares about Jar Jar when you've got a scene like that? But no. They had to go and spoil it...
[/rant]
IIRC, Lucas said that Ep 1 was an introduction to the characters and time period. 2 is _mostly_ a love story, while 3 is much darker. I for one can tollerate a little glucose content in 2, as long as it doesn't detract from the story (or get in the way of some bad-guy ass-kicking Jedi style).
And as for the title, I am still holding out hope that it's a ploy to screw all the fake merchandise that's bound to appear. I'm not sure, but I don't recall the trailer explicitly calling it "Attack of the Clones" - it was just "Episode 2". Am I right?
Maran
Is it me or does this thing look like it belongs in a Bond Villan's HQ?
What's the betting that the next Bad Guy's got a Welsh accent, with a base on Barry island?
Maybe manga and anime are nature's way of telling us that orbital particle beams and lasers are a Bad Thing?
Here's a link to the BBC Article. Maran
Progress in computer hardware has followed an amazingly steady curve in the last few decades [17]. Based largely on this trend, I believe that the creation of greater than human intelligence will occur during the next thirty years.
So we're still on track for Bubblegum Crisis then ^_^
MaranI think industry and public XP support is dropping like the proverbial lead balloon at the moment.
Reading that article while bored and revising for exams is not a good idea. My brain has switched off for the next few hours, which may impede my revision process. Although, there's probably a superstate in which I have both passed and failed my exams already, so does it really matter?
As they say in wrestling, "Is that legal?"
"I shall make it legal!"
I'm sorry, but that had to be said.
So, when are these things going to be available to us non-Americans?
Maran
From the article:
"Clothes equipped with fully integrated computer networks have been designed and developed..."
Just think, 8 player Quake 3 games over your favourite anorak...
^_^
Go on, I've got to say it - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these
Maran
Correct me if I'm wrong but....
This is a Microsoft application.
It is integrated with the Microsoft Windows operating system.
That would be a really big breach of the Microsoft ruling then.
Why do I get the feeling that they'll get away with this one as well
Maran
...Elemental battle-armor from BattleTech / MechWarrior. That stuff carries a couple of short range missles and a submachine gun (and a laser, but let's keep it as what could be done *soon*) It's controled using a body suit covered in sensors, that pass body movement to the armor, which then responds. That could probably be used here, with current tech. It also controls the computer with a 'glance' system - the cursor follows the pilot's eye movement. IIRC, that is used in various helicopter gunships already. Elemental armor comes with a claw capable of ripping armor of tanks / etc. That would be almost worse than the missiles. It can also jump about 90 meters, using jets. Yet another example of this stuff in Sci-fi. I so much want one of these. Would solve the traffic problem in the mornings... Maran