Shouldn't this comment be modded "funny" instead of insightful? "Athiests" : sounds like something form Pohl's The Merchants' War. And besides, why would atheists be the only persons offended? That is so insensitive and disrespectfull for all the FSM believers out here!
Does anyone remember a game called 1976 ? (or something like that). It was a car driving game based in the seventies with some groovy soundtrack. The thing that was sweet was the graphics which were very smooth and low on unnecessary details....
So it seems this has already (somewhat) been done, and it turned into a pretty decent game IMHO.
The dreaded Slashdot Distortion Field has struck again! Seriously, this guy has been doing a nice PR work with this article, nothing more. Besides, do you really think he'd dish out details this easily? eBay want us to trust the site, not being aware of all the possible scams that lurk on it, so they'd rather not tell how it's done, but reassure us with a "I'm won't rest until these bastards are in prison" and "eBay is the safest place to do online business".
Yes, it looks like a real winner in its category. Of course, that apple-like clean design has nothing to do with it. No I'm lying, it's both aesthetically pleasing, technologically clever and pretty usefull too.
But I wonder how much time it will bet logitech and microsoft to come up with similar solutions. Come on, the keyboard hasn't evolved in the last 25 years. How many ppl still use the SCROLL LOCK key ? Umm ? And don't tell me slapping a bunch of "multi" - "media" keys on top is a revolution.
Maybe it's true then, patents do have killed inovation (but that's another topic), so it's refreshing to see some guys actually go out and do something.
Let's add my email addresses to an easily downloadable file for spammers to use. Reminds me of an old Gary Larson cartoon where a bear had a "shoot me" sign on his back, it was called "pratical jokes of the wild".
Just because it happens on the 'net doesn't mean it's a totally new practise. Hell, brick and mortar retailers have been doing this for years. Normal customers get the retail price, but when you're a preferred customer, or on some marketing scheme you get discounts. Doesn't bother me at all.
The shopping world has always been divided between suckers and price hunters....Move along, nothing to see here.
Funny how well known people often win in these kind of disputes, and anonymous ones always get screwed. I'm not disputing the ruling, as I do not have enough information to determine whether it was a fair one or not, I'm just quite puzzled at how domain name disputes are handled.
Yes, I'm putting aside the actual content, the intent to make profit out of said content and the profile of both persons, so please no flames on that:p
If Warner sees a poor quality copy of its movies as a threat serious enough to track down camcorders in theaters, maybe they should ask themselves why people would want to download them. Could it be that recent movies are so lame that the extra comfort of digital image and surround sound are not enough to make viewers fork out $10 or more ?...
Except for the "I saw it first" factor, the main drive behind joe user piracy is the "it's not worth $10". Or for music albums, "it's not worth $15".
Again, they're using the wrong tactics to lure consumers back in the shops. I'm not condoning piracy, but it's the same old debate over and over again. What people want are reasonnable prices. Or else they'll get their kicks with bad quality copies and still be happy with it.
to reconcile photographers about the paper vs digital feud. It sums up exactly what are the advantages of both technologies : film for accuracy and digital treatment afterwards combined to make near perfect prints.
On a smaller scale, I have both an EOS 500N and an EOD 300D, and I use both, but for different reasons. Digital gives me instant verification of my settings and allow me to do lots of tests without burning my money on prints, and my old 500N is used to take the final picture that I will be able to print in large.
To go back to the current topic, it illustrates what direction the digital cameras should take to make film based ones really obsolete: it's all about resolution, although many will say this is false. I agree with the fact that better lenses are far more important than a high resolution, but when you already have a good lens, the only way is to go up in details.
IIRC, Microsoft was bound to stop support on windows NT 4. Are there any kind of provisions for systems such as this, which is going to be in service for quite some time? Or will the Swedish Navy be on its own if some glitch appears ? I know that using an old an proven operation system is better because all major bugs have been either wiped out or referenced, still I'm not sure that using a closed source unsupported OS is the smartest way. But maybe they know better ?
We have regulations on what people can and cannot do with private property, why should an online computer be treated differently ? Oh yeah, they flash a so called licence agreement to the user just to be on the safe side of the law, that you dismiss by either clicking yes or no (read the very fine prints). That is unnacceptable. Any program installing on a computer should clearly show how to exit the installation process, and better, unsollicited installs should be banned altogether. I'm talking about thoses occuring when you just load a web page. You never asked to install anything, or never wanted to do so, yet something asks you install it, often in a deceptive manner.
This shouldn't be too difficult to pass such a law, and legit businesses will adapt very well. As a matter of fact, legit businesses already have adapted : a clear warning or information page with a link to the install program. Plain and simple.
All I seem to find on this guy is links to buy his book on his "discovery". Great for him. What's his background ? What are those scientific clues he's talking about ? This all seem too vague to be taken as granted right now.
Besides, there are so many theories about Atlantis that it'll take more than that to convince me...
I'm not sure how this is going to help AOL in the ongoing battle between ISPs. Although this is a nice initiative for their customers, I don't think it's going to attract more punters on the sole basis of standards compatibility.
Besides, most of their ads bring the proprietary content forward as the added value. What will they use in the future ? Will they just become a plain vanilla ISP ?
That's not cool, that's stupid. If I'm watching a hockey game and I want stats, I get my laptop and go to NHL.com
Not everyone has a laptop or a computer near his TV. What I'm talking about is quick on demand information. Of course, if you really want to know more about xyz, you can always check it out later.
I don't need someone grabbing the remote and popping up windows and hiding the action
Someone ? You're the one asking for info. If you don't want it, it won't display all by itself. Or you need to ask your kids not to play with it.
Or, I can wait until I'm at work and do my stat searching, web shopping, etc. on someone else's dime.
Now that's a very fine philosophy.That someone else is paying you to work, not check NHL stats. Most people with web access at work will surf the web during the day, but it's allowed as long as you're not abusing it and going "woohoo ! I'm browsing pr0n and I'm getting paid at the same time !". Don't complain when they'll block your net access with a beefed up firewall...
You people really need to stop fucking with the sit-and-stare paradigm of TV watching or some MAJOR shit is going to go down.
Sigh. Now what could happen besides hard core couch potatoes complaining they have to use their brain to watch TV (gasp) ? Nothing is forced upon the user, don't want extra info ? just don't click. But blocking others from using extra OPTIONAL features because they don't fit your lifestyle is not very smart. We're witnessing the web changing the way we get information and we communicate, and more and more people are spending more time on the net than on tv. Could this be because the "sit and stare" paradigm of tv is becoming obsolete ?
I used to work for a company whose aim was to build interactive television tools. Apart from the standard webmail/chat/TV guide apps, one really cool feature would have been to add information to TV shows.
Let's say you're watching some show, and see some really nice toy, or outfit, or you're in front of your favorite sports/team match, and want to have some player' stats, you click on the item/player and some web page with the desired info is shown to you
Information on demand for the user and a not so obstrusive yet effective ads/marketing scheme for the companies. this could have become the future of television, as more and more people are looking for real interactivity, and coupling TV for content and the web as a large databank would really reconcile me with TV.
At least that was the idea... What makes me think of it is the home network/broadband/experience words in the announcement.
Any other company would have sweeped that kind of incident under the rug hoping it had gone unnoticed, or would have cooked up a PR statement to minimize the incident.
Here we can see the strength of such projects, as in this recent kernel story.
130 000 potential customers for the next 30 years. I can see how Apple could benefit from that to expand its user base.
But seriously, when you hear (especially abroad) how bad the state of education is in the US, is it really money worth spending ? If we want to educate kids as users, sure, but I don't see ho this could be useful at all. Some might say it's going to bridge the 'digital gap'. Sure, and leave the social gap wide open.
In some interview, Faulkner was asked if he had read Freud. He wittily answered that Shakespeare hadn't. The point is, this is not going to make kids smarter or more educated. It is not going to give them any 'edge' in future studies or jobs. Although using a computer cannot be avoided and that computer illiterate folks ARE disadvantaged, there are still many options that allow students to learn the basics.
And I don't think giving a highly breakable (for 6th graders at least) and stealable item to each and every kid is wise. Makes me wonder what are the real motives behind this operation and what global program is planned to use these laptops.
This could have been the Dot Crash craze : you lost jour job, your stocks won't buy you a pack of gum and you live in a homeless shelter ? Don't let your shiny computer you slavaged ruin that overall misery look : The cardboard case will win everyone's sympathy !
Playing a game should not require the user to spend time installing and configuring it, and pull his hair whenever the game or computer crash. This is why game consoles should remain the only serious way to play. Ok people, we all have great PCs with lots of computing and video power, and we know how to use them, but really, the focus should be on average users, guys who want to play right now, children. While this is a step in the right direction, Linux is nowhere near being the platform of choice for gamers and will remain the realm of computer savvy users for a pretty long time. Anyone saying otherwise should try to emulate the ease of use of your average playstation.
What we need is not another way to get energy from power plants to towns and houses but small clean power generators in every buiding. Then again, the oil lobby blocked every innovation for cars, so this is not gonna happen soon. (And that comment was NOT a flamebait, just my opinion)
it can become very confusing for the computer illiterate crowd. Ever tried to explain the difference between left and right click ? But for power users, it's a different story. I have a thumb button on my mouse that I programmed to be the ENTER key, and it's be hard for me now to do without. My point is, how can you design a mouse that is universal and "upgradeable" at the same time ? Apple's approach of the problem sounds interesting though, and raise a question about what will the future of pointing devices be.
Slashdot Mirror
Shouldn't this comment be modded "funny" instead of insightful? "Athiests" : sounds like something form Pohl's The Merchants' War. And besides, why would atheists be the only persons offended? That is so insensitive and disrespectfull for all the FSM believers out here!
Does anyone remember a game called 1976 ? (or something like that). It was a car driving game based in the seventies with some groovy soundtrack. The thing that was sweet was the graphics which were very smooth and low on unnecessary details....
So it seems this has already (somewhat) been done, and it turned into a pretty decent game IMHO.
The dreaded Slashdot Distortion Field has struck again! Seriously, this guy has been doing a nice PR work with this article, nothing more. Besides, do you really think he'd dish out details this easily? eBay want us to trust the site, not being aware of all the possible scams that lurk on it, so they'd rather not tell how it's done, but reassure us with a "I'm won't rest until these bastards are in prison" and "eBay is the safest place to do online business".
:)
Typical ZDnet article though
Yes, it looks like a real winner in its category. Of course, that apple-like clean design has nothing to do with it. No I'm lying, it's both aesthetically pleasing, technologically clever and pretty usefull too.
But I wonder how much time it will bet logitech and microsoft to come up with similar solutions. Come on, the keyboard hasn't evolved in the last 25 years. How many ppl still use the SCROLL LOCK key ? Umm ? And don't tell me slapping a bunch of "multi" - "media" keys on top is a revolution.
Maybe it's true then, patents do have killed inovation (but that's another topic), so it's refreshing to see some guys actually go out and do something.
Let's open an "Ask Slashdot" topic named : best programmable keyboard. Any ideas (ergodex, POS keyboards, XKeys...) ?
Let's add my email addresses to an easily downloadable file for spammers to use. Reminds me of an old Gary Larson cartoon where a bear had a "shoot me" sign on his back, it was called "pratical jokes of the wild".
Just because it happens on the 'net doesn't mean it's a totally new practise. Hell, brick and mortar retailers have been doing this for years. Normal customers get the retail price, but when you're a preferred customer, or on some marketing scheme you get discounts.
Doesn't bother me at all.
The shopping world has always been divided between suckers and price hunters....Move along, nothing to see here.
Funny how well known people often win in these kind of disputes, and anonymous ones always get screwed. I'm not disputing the ruling, as I do not have enough information to determine whether it was a fair one or not, I'm just quite puzzled at how domain name disputes are handled.
Yes, I'm putting aside the actual content, the intent to make profit out of said content and the profile of both persons, so please no flames on that :p
If Warner sees a poor quality copy of its movies as a threat serious enough to track down camcorders in theaters, maybe they should ask themselves why people would want to download them. Could it be that recent movies are so lame that the extra comfort of digital image and surround sound are not enough to make viewers fork out $10 or more ?...
Except for the "I saw it first" factor, the main drive behind joe user piracy is the "it's not worth $10". Or for music albums, "it's not worth $15".
Again, they're using the wrong tactics to lure consumers back in the shops. I'm not condoning piracy, but it's the same old debate over and over again. What people want are reasonnable prices. Or else they'll get their kicks with bad quality copies and still be happy with it.
to reconcile photographers about the paper vs digital feud. It sums up exactly what are the advantages of both technologies : film for accuracy and digital treatment afterwards combined to make near perfect prints.
On a smaller scale, I have both an EOS 500N and an EOD 300D, and I use both, but for different reasons. Digital gives me instant verification of my settings and allow me to do lots of tests without burning my money on prints, and my old 500N is used to take the final picture that I will be able to print in large.
To go back to the current topic, it illustrates what direction the digital cameras should take to make film based ones really obsolete: it's all about resolution, although many will say this is false. I agree with the fact that better lenses are far more important than a high resolution, but when you already have a good lens, the only way is to go up in details.
If you're wearing this outside the lab, be sure that everyone will avert eye contact with you! Not very practical for real life testing :)
IIRC, Microsoft was bound to stop support on windows NT 4. Are there any kind of provisions for systems such as this, which is going to be in service for quite some time? Or will the Swedish Navy be on its own if some glitch appears ?
I know that using an old an proven operation system is better because all major bugs have been either wiped out or referenced, still I'm not sure that using a closed source unsupported OS is the smartest way. But maybe they know better ?
We have regulations on what people can and cannot do with private property, why should an online computer be treated differently ? Oh yeah, they flash a so called licence agreement to the user just to be on the safe side of the law, that you dismiss by either clicking yes or no (read the very fine prints). That is unnacceptable. Any program installing on a computer should clearly show how to exit the installation process, and better, unsollicited installs should be banned altogether. I'm talking about thoses occuring when you just load a web page. You never asked to install anything, or never wanted to do so, yet something asks you install it, often in a deceptive manner.
This shouldn't be too difficult to pass such a law, and legit businesses will adapt very well. As a matter of fact, legit businesses already have adapted : a clear warning or information page with a link to the install program. Plain and simple.
All I seem to find on this guy is links to buy his book on his "discovery". Great for him. What's his background ? What are those scientific clues he's talking about ? This all seem too vague to be taken as granted right now. Besides, there are so many theories about Atlantis that it'll take more than that to convince me...
I'm not sure how this is going to help AOL in the ongoing battle between ISPs. Although this is a nice initiative for their customers, I don't think it's going to attract more punters on the sole basis of standards compatibility.
Besides, most of their ads bring the proprietary content forward as the added value. What will they use in the future ? Will they just become a plain vanilla ISP ?
Bigger font = more paper. Let's get rid of all those useless forests. They're full of bugs and they burn all the time.
My boss knows that /. counts as work :)
That's not cool, that's stupid. If I'm watching a hockey game and I want stats, I get my laptop and go to NHL.com
Not everyone has a laptop or a computer near his TV. What I'm talking about is quick on demand information. Of course, if you really want to know more about xyz, you can always check it out later.
I don't need someone grabbing the remote and popping up windows and hiding the action
Someone ? You're the one asking for info. If you don't want it, it won't display all by itself. Or you need to ask your kids not to play with it.
Or, I can wait until I'm at work and do my stat searching, web shopping, etc. on someone else's dime.
Now that's a very fine philosophy.That someone else is paying you to work, not check NHL stats. Most people with web access at work will surf the web during the day, but it's allowed as long as you're not abusing it and going "woohoo ! I'm browsing pr0n and I'm getting paid at the same time !". Don't complain when they'll block your net access with a beefed up firewall...
You people really need to stop fucking with the sit-and-stare paradigm of TV watching or some MAJOR shit is going to go down.
Sigh. Now what could happen besides hard core couch potatoes complaining they have to use their brain to watch TV (gasp) ? Nothing is forced upon the user, don't want extra info ? just don't click. But blocking others from using extra OPTIONAL features because they don't fit your lifestyle is not very smart.
We're witnessing the web changing the way we get information and we communicate, and more and more people are spending more time on the net than on tv. Could this be because the "sit and stare" paradigm of tv is becoming obsolete ?
I used to work for a company whose aim was to build interactive television tools. Apart from the standard webmail/chat/TV guide apps, one really cool feature would have been to add information to TV shows.
Let's say you're watching some show, and see some really nice toy, or outfit, or you're in front of your favorite sports/team match, and want to have some player' stats, you click on the item/player and some web page with the desired info is shown to you
Information on demand for the user and a not so obstrusive yet effective ads/marketing scheme for the companies. this could have become the future of television, as more and more people are looking for real interactivity, and coupling TV for content and the web as a large databank would really reconcile me with TV.
At least that was the idea... What makes me think of it is the home network/broadband/experience words in the announcement.
Any other company would have sweeped that kind of incident under the rug hoping it had gone unnoticed, or would have cooked up a PR statement to minimize the incident.
Here we can see the strength of such projects, as in this recent kernel story.
130 000 potential customers for the next 30 years. I can see how Apple could benefit from that to expand its user base.
But seriously, when you hear (especially abroad) how bad the state of education is in the US, is it really money worth spending ? If we want to educate kids as users, sure, but I don't see ho this could be useful at all. Some might say it's going to bridge the 'digital gap'. Sure, and leave the social gap wide open.
In some interview, Faulkner was asked if he had read Freud. He wittily answered that Shakespeare hadn't. The point is, this is not going to make kids smarter or more educated. It is not going to give them any 'edge' in future studies or jobs. Although using a computer cannot be avoided and that computer illiterate folks ARE disadvantaged, there are still many options that allow students to learn the basics.
And I don't think giving a highly breakable (for 6th graders at least) and stealable item to each and every kid is wise. Makes me wonder what are the real motives behind this operation and what global program is planned to use these laptops.
This could have been the Dot Crash craze : you lost jour job, your stocks won't buy you a pack of gum and you live in a homeless shelter ?
Don't let your shiny computer you slavaged ruin that overall misery look : The cardboard case will win everyone's sympathy !
Playing a game should not require the user to spend time installing and configuring it, and pull his hair whenever the game or computer crash.
This is why game consoles should remain the only serious way to play.
Ok people, we all have great PCs with lots of computing and video power, and we know how to use them, but really, the focus should be on average users, guys who want to play right now, children.
While this is a step in the right direction, Linux is nowhere near being the platform of choice for gamers and will remain the realm of computer savvy users for a pretty long time. Anyone saying otherwise should try to emulate the ease of use of your average playstation.
What we need is not another way to get energy from power plants to towns and houses but small clean power generators in every buiding.
Then again, the oil lobby blocked every innovation for cars, so this is not gonna happen soon.
(And that comment was NOT a flamebait, just my opinion)
it can become very confusing for the computer illiterate crowd. Ever tried to explain the difference between left and right click ?
But for power users, it's a different story. I have a thumb button on my mouse that I programmed to be the ENTER key, and it's be hard for me now to do without.
My point is, how can you design a mouse that is universal and "upgradeable" at the same time ?
Apple's approach of the problem sounds interesting though, and raise a question about what will the future of pointing devices be.