I'm actually taking a class titled "Engineering Leadership and Organization Management" right now. Without practically giving away my notes, I would say go take a look at General Bill Creech's The Five Pillars of Tqm: How to Make Total Quality Management Work for You. This applies to almost any leadership position, from small teams to entire organizations.
With that said, I can recommend several articles from the Harvard Business Review as well. If you're really interested, I'd highly suggest that you look into getting them either through your company, or just for yourself.
Someone damn well better read these links, since I spent the past 20 minutes weeding through articles, picking these out! By the way, if you cringe at the price, here's a hint: The executive summaries in the "previews" will give you a VERY good idea of what's in the article! Also, keep an eye out for the "OnPoint Enhanced" articles, as the "Idea in Brief" and "Idea in Work" give you a very effictive executive summary of the article's text.
Daniel Goldman, "What Makes a Leader?" When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision--the qualities traditionally associated with leadership. Often left off the list are softer, more personal qualities--but they are also essential. Although a certain degree of analytical and technical skill is a minimum requirement for success, studies indicate that emotional intelligence may be the key attribute that distinguishes outstanding performers...
John Kotter, "Leading Change" In the past decade, the author has watched more than 100 companies try to remake themselves into better competitors. Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds. A few of those efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be learned will be relevant to more and more organizations as the business environment becomes increasingly competitive in the coming decade...
J. Sterling Livingston, "Pygmalion in Management" Experiments and studies conclude that managers' expectations have a direct impact on their subordinates' productivity. High expectations on the part of managers lead to the development of a "super-staff"; low expectations and the resulting damaged egos cause subordinates to behave in a manner that increases the probability of failure...
W. Chan Kim , Renee A. Mauborgne, "Fair Process: Managing the Knowledge Economy" Unlike the traditional factors of production--land, labor, and capital--knowledge is a resource that can't be forced out of people. But creating and sharing knowledge is essential to fostering innovation, the key challenge of the knowledge-based economy. To create a climate in which employees volunteer their creativity and expertise, managers need to look beyond the traditional tools at their disposal. They need to build trust...
I think you would be wanting one of the Parhelia cards from Matrox Graphics. I'm sure some/. readers remember them. They're the company that refuses to die in the face of Nvidia and ATi, because they also sell other stuff in other markets.
I have the aforementioned Toshiba, and, to be honest, think it's a great machine. It is absolutely awesome for classes where the professor gives you a copy of his notes (like my thermodynamics class). All I had to do was "print" the notes to a Windows Journal file, and was able to mark them up with no fuss.
I'm going to suggest that you keep below US$2200 though. The price deprecation on the machine will hurt if it's much more than that. Trust me on this. I bought a $3000 laptop (thanks, Uncle Sam for the Tax Credit!) and within 6 months the machine was valued at about 2/3 that. Stay in the middle of the pack, regardless of whatever machine you buy, tablet or notebook.
Also, be sure to consider a convertible tablet, i.e. one with a keyboard. There are many times when it's simply more effient to whip the display around and type out notes in MS Word or whatever. However, at the same time, in certain classes it's much, much easier to draw diagrams, derive equations, and things with a pen. Having both options is very much worthwhile.
Also, think long and hard about an extended warranty. The machine supposedly will travel with you for at least three years, taking quite a bit of abuse along the way. Mine was VERY handy on another machine (Sony VAIO GRX-520), which experienced a sudden failure due to some hardware issues. After 20 minutes on the phone with a tech, they fedexed me an empty box and label, I fedexed the machine, and two days later, I got it back in perfect working condition (Sent it out Thursday, got it back Monday (FedEx only delivers on Weekdays). If I had not purchased that warranty, the service would have cost about $800 and who knows how much heartache.
Oh, and one last thing: Don't splurge and get a machine capable of playing the latest, greatest games. It'll be outdated within a year, and you'll have no upgrade path. Again, buy the middle of the pack and save some money for a replacement battery in two years or so.
That reminds me: Don't buy generic batteries, or old batteries off ebay. Lithium Ion batteries start to decay from the day they're manufactured.
I'd recommend a Flylight. Basically it's a LED hooked up to the power rails on your USB port. It's really useful on flights and car trips. They sell other things that might be useful as well.
Also, take a look at something along the lines of this thing for presentations. They're extremely handy, and have an extra "cool" factor when you leave the podium during your talk.
Ah, yes, but I bought one that had about an 8" blade diameter.
Re:Funny, I was messing with that last night...
on
Buddylinks Stinks
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Got a little click-happy with the submit button...
You also agree to: (from the same URL as the parent post) Updates to Software. The Software includes an automatic update feature to ensure that you have the most recently released version. You acknowledge and agree that PSD Tools or third parties designated by PSD Tools may from time to time provide automatic programming fixes, updates and upgrades to the Software (collectively, the "Updates"). Updates may include installation of third party applications, through automatic electronic dissemination and other means. You consent to such Updates and agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement will apply to all such Updates. If you should elect not to have your software updated at any future time, PSD Tools shall not be responsible for any incompatibilities that may arise on your system and Computer.
Funny, I was messing with that last night...
on
Buddylinks Stinks
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Here's a copy of what the messages look like: InfectedUser (12:30:45 AM): check this out... http://www.wgutv.com/osama_capture.php?hAsH I'm wondering what that little hash code on the end is...
I haven't personally installed that crud, but I'm wondering if SpyBot (google for it) detects it. I clicked around the site, and, to be honest, it looks like they're setting themselves up for a huge "p2p" (I hate buzzwords) marketing push. I'm going to guess that this "jokes and pranks" business will come to an end when they have a sufficent install base, after which they'll start pushing the next new wave of spam for Viagra, Mortgages, Porn, or *checks his SpamNet folder* Internet gambling on you.
Here's a snippet from the license agreement with my emphasis: Services; Modifications to Your Instant Messaging Client. The Software provides you the opportunity to access Content for no charge. In return for the right to access this Content, you acknowledge and agree that the Software contains additional software products provided to PSD Tools by its suppliers which will periodically deliver additional Content such as, but not limited to, advertisements and promotional messages to your Computer and programs that may alter your home page to offer you Content. In addition, the Software will interoperate with your current instant messaging client so as to permit the automatic sending of advertising messages originating from your Computer to your contact or "buddy" list regarding Content offered by PSD Tools or its suppliers. If you desire to stop this activity, you may elect to stop the messages by navigating to the "buddylinks.net" entry in your "Start Menu", selecting the "buddylinks.net Configuration" item, and unchecking the appropriate option. You may also refer to PSD Tools' website at http://www.psdtools.com for an uninstaller. (http://www.buddylinks.net/terms.html)
I concur. Get a cheapo model in the $20 price range. It should be nice enough that the blades won't wobble (the sound will be constant) but still cheap enough that it'll make a nice moderately loud sound.
I bought one initially for air circulation, then quickly realized how useful it was at drowning out other annoying little (and not-so-little) sounds.
I just tried various portions of my own CC numbers. Mine didn't turn up, but I wonder if google might see a spike in purely numerical search queries because of your post? Mayhaps you'll end up in the zeitgeist (or however you spell that)?
If your music is deleted or if your hard disk becomes unusable, the Music Store will not be responsible for the loss of music or any other data on the disk. Therefore, you should back up your hard disk regularly. If the disk needs to be replaced, you can restore your music and other data from the backup and avoid the need to purchase replacement copies of your collection of songs.
For information on backing up your purchased music, please review the following AppleCare Knowledge Base article.
The thing about Fairplay is that it's really, really easy to understand what's happening, and to authorize computers to play the music. WMA is so flexible that understanding which rights you have and which you don't can be complicated, e.g. I can stream song X, but can't download. I can burn song Y Z times, but can't transfer. I can transfer song A B times, but can only burn it Z times (you get the idea). With fairplay, I can burn a song an infinite number of times. I just can't burn the same playlist 10 times in a row (which hasn't come up yet). I can play the song on 3 computers, and an infinite number of iPods (because Apple assumes you can't get the bits back OFF the iPod, which certainly is possible). And, if I really feel like pirating something, I can just re-rip a burn of the song (with quality loss, but I have a $60 sound system, so I can't tell) so iTunes treats it like a non-DRM'ed file.
In our apartment, we had (at last count, excluding gamestations) eight computers for three people, so we swap around iTunes purchases all the time. Two of my machines are "authorized" on my account, so I can drag-n-drop over the network and they just plain work with no problems whatsoever. The 3rd license I keep up in the air, for whoever wants to listen to my library. If someone wants to listen to one of my purchases, I can "authorize" the machine, and it'll work. Easily. Later on, we just deauthorize it whenever's convenient.
It can be a minor pain because the iTunes Rendezvous just plain works when you turn on the machine, and doesn't differentiate between DRM'd songs and plain vanilla AAC songs that I've ripped. Maybe they'll change that in the next point release.
Disclosure: I have a financial interest in Apple Computer, Inc.
So the appropriate answer to Mac Halo's problems is a free and open beta test and/or "shareware" release, ala Doom, Quake, etc. Give people the engine and a couple of levels, and maybe multiplayer play and see what happens?
Now that I think about it, I wonder if id will do that for Doom III.
<MINIRANT> Also, I wouldn't have expected any laptop made a year ago to support games released recently. That's the nature of the machine, unfortunately, as far as laptops go, unless they're one of those hacked-together beasts that use desktop components. </MINIRANT>
In a similar vein, a networking consultant I knew a while back would reply, when asked what he did for a living, "Routing" and leave it at thatin the hopes that people would think it was plumbing or something similar.
Actually, that's true, but at least Splinter Cell's fair about it. Your aim is consistently hit-or-miss (pardon the pun) from the beginning of the game. I'd argue that the issue you've brought up with Splinter Cell is more of a game balancing issue than a rules issue, as this game (at least for me, since I'm bad at shooters) is more about the sneaking around and hiding in shadows. I actually shoot out lights more often than people when playing it, for example.
Personally, games that change the rules on you-- like Metroid, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and some of the really old shooters-- are my favorite types simply because it's a challenge to figure out how to adapt to a new situation and scenario. Certainly you can do that in a game like chess or Uno-- but if there's a twist to the rules that doesn't come into play for a little bit, then you have to re-evaluate your entire strategy and gameplay.
That's very true. I too like games that continue to reveal themselves to me as I play (various adventure games that continually introduce new equipment, or characters and maps that focus on particular skills). However, what really gets me is games that are difficult simply because they are crappily designed. Of course, I can't think of any examples. Someone post and back me up on this...
When I read the topic for the article, my first thought was that someone else had written a rant about this particular subject. I think a better phrase than illogical might be "not real," as many big-budget games are focusing more and more on realism to the point where complexity is becoming a huge issue. Did you know that Splinter Cell (an excellent game, IMHO) for XBOX has a button dedicated to bringing up the controller button map?
Returning from that sidebar, what really gets me is games that are so poorly designed that they break their own "ruleset" consistently and unfairly -- not to make the user reevaluate the rules, but simply because the designers did a poor job.
IMHO, a simple, easy to remember set of principles is what makes for an easy game. Examples: Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past (SNES): Any triangles formed out of scenery or objects on the screen are significant and have rewards hidden somewhere nearby. Super Mario (all): The harder you work to find an item (i.e. the better it's hidden) the better the reward will be. The warp zones from SNES come to mind, or the extra "Shines" from Sunshine that are hidden in plain sight, but require quite a bit of problem-solving to earn.
This posted turned into my mini-rant on game design, but hey, I can be off-topic, this is/.!
Well, you know, what's interesting about that is: 1. you'd have to increase the complexity of the device even more, exposing it to a higher risk of failure statistically 2. you'd need more complicated software and hardware that would require more time and effort (money & delays) 3. the hardware would need more power (limited batteries and solar panel capacity) 4. the system would be heavier and bigger (costs are measured in grams, iirc).
While you have a valid point, the constraints of this design give very strong tradeoffs among safety, feasability, and cash flow (and I'm sure there are others, but I'm not a rocket scientist). I'd imagine that some time was spent on redundant systems, but the adage of "Why have one when you can have two at twice the price?" only works when your budget can support the extra price of man-hours and cash.
I'd argue that where you work has unlimited available power, and if you need more, you can ask your power company for more. You have the money to spend on a X-thousand-dollar sever that's been pre-fabbed by whatever company you like. If you need more, you get more drop-shipped to you within days. NASA had to build these little buggers from the ground up.
<RANT> You know, if you take your philosophy of simply duplicating the entire machine, there is a backup. It's called "Opportunity." It lands tomorrow.
I highly resent the fact that you've called some of the greatest engineers of our time "retarded." If you can't understand the problem (I certainly don't, but I do understand the concept of tradeoffs in design) you have no right to speak on the issue. Of course, this is slashdot. Everyone can mouth off about everything. Nevermind. </RANT>
I can think of several reasons why these books are becoming less common.
1. Machines are much more complicated than they used to be. DirectX isn't the same thing as messing with BASIC on an Apple IIe or QBASIC in MS-DOS (both of which I did).
2. Expectations are higher. Much Higher. Everyone likes to think he or she doesn't need that 4-line "Hello World" program. You don't. What you need is the surrounding pages of discussion, tips, and tricks that tell you how to set up your compiler and the other "little" things that can be a huge barrier.
3. It's harder to get excited about a neat program you wrote that runs in a command console when you can see all sorts of flashy things going on elsewhere...
You know, literally as I typed that last phrase, it occured to me that we (as established programmers) might be looking at this the wrong way. Why not teach a budding "programmer" flash? You'll learn the same concepts, won't you? It's visual, so you get immediate feedback, and it's also what every idiot with a computer seems to be churning out anyway on the WWW. Obviously a person won't learn how to write a linked list, or the exact syntax of C, but he or she will learn how to break apart a problem, and start thinking about it in the right manner. By the way, I do mean an interactive flash movie, like a "space invaders"-type game or beyond.
What other sorts of graphical programming packages are there, aside from Flash and Director that are accessible?
This actually sounds like a good idea to me (queue up the privacy advocates).
I've seen several posts that equate this to popup ads and the ilk. I'd rather look at it like Google's AdWords. Depending on their usage (say restaurant A says "Mention code 12345" to get a 15% discount on your meal), these could be rather useful. AdWords is effective because the advertisement is extremely targeted; a sniper-rifle approach, if you will, compared to the pop-up or SPAM shotgun approach to marketing.
I can see how driving past Restarant A's location with the location software on might be annoying, but, at the same time, if I'm specifically looking for something to eat, then, to me, it's extremely useful.
You can expand the above statement to other retailing venues, though I would see a need for some sort of filtering or category system for, say, walking through a densely packed mall. Of course, you're practially being hit over the head with adverts and whatnot anyway...
It could be a good thing, it could be a bad thing -- the technology itself is neutral, of course (I've forgotten the source of this paraphrase... anyone remember?).
Right. The Hosts file is a rather useful trick to get rid of a pretty good number of adverts. I've even set up my apache server (running on XP, so there:-P ) to show a nice little "Advertisement blocked" message, and a random quote.
However, Weather.com and several others have started using their own image servers as ad servers. For example, if I were to block blah.weather.com, I would block the ads (Yay!), and also block the rest of the images on the site (Crud!) unintentionally.
Also, I'm guessing whatever new popup ad will be a form of DHTML that pops up inside the same browser window, appearing to "float" over the rest of the page. Again, Weather.com does this. It's rather annoying, but, since I won't pay for their premium service, I "tough it out."
Ecco shoes are extremely comfortable, and also airport-friendly. I wear a pair of their suede dress/casual shoes throughout the day, and feel fine! I'm not 100% sure that they're all metal free, but the two pairs I have are. YMMV, so ask someone in the shoe department to be sure.
Re:Maybe Yahoo is changing for a reason
on
Yahoo to Dump Google
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
You know, I do the "review" thing too, and still get the same sorts of results -- possibly a different cross-section of them, but the same sorts of results, mostly due to the same reason, but also because every e-commerce engine under the sun seems to have a consumer review "feature." Look at this search for Canon ZR65MC review. As you can see, the results still contain the same sort of things. You also get (fairly useless to me, anyway) 10-20 different sites rebadging the pricegrabber or dealtime engines, providing the same exact content with a different HTML template.
I agree that Google needs to do something about e-commerce sites. Perhaps finalize the froogle beta and dump the e-tailers into there where they belong. (Of course I realize that it's very, very easy for me to say this, and extremely hard for Google to implement it.)
In the meantime, I can think of several ways to combat this sort of information glut. This search provides much better results in my opinion, but can be easily combated by the spammers by removing the keywords I'm using as filters.
I don't envy google. Their own popularity is killing their usefulness as a search for retail products. For actual information, such as the governmental structure of Canada, I've found they're still the best engine though.
Slighty Off Topic, but here are some more links to iPod Jr. stories. It's interesting to note that about 1/3 of the stories here don't even mention that this is speculation, and that none of this has been confirmed.
And one more that I've forgotten... We have all of the above, and anywhere from 2 to 4 controllers for each system. They all go to a RCA switch (available from Wally World or Best Buy or anywhere else, for that matter). One useful thing I've discovered at Best Buy: Various companies sell multi-system adapter universal cables similar to this one. This will neaten up the snake nest behind your TV, if you can manage to cluster all of the machines (or as many as is convenient) in one spot. One word of warning: The PS2 appears to ground the audio channels when it's in "standby" mode, killing the audio signal from any other console that happens to be plugged into the same universal cable. We have to keep the machine "off" by flipping the switch on the back to keep this from happening. When off, it lets the line float.
With that said, you could put a drawer or bin next to the TV with all of the controllers (we keep ours on top of our entertainment center in semi-neat rows according to system). You just have to remember to unplug the controllers when you're done playing.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm actually taking a class titled "Engineering Leadership and Organization Management" right now. Without practically giving away my notes, I would say go take a look at General Bill Creech's The Five Pillars of Tqm: How to Make Total Quality Management Work for You. This applies to almost any leadership position, from small teams to entire organizations.
With that said, I can recommend several articles from the Harvard Business Review as well. If you're really interested, I'd highly suggest that you look into getting them either through your company, or just for yourself.
Someone damn well better read these links, since I spent the past 20 minutes weeding through articles, picking these out! By the way, if you cringe at the price, here's a hint: The executive summaries in the "previews" will give you a VERY good idea of what's in the article! Also, keep an eye out for the "OnPoint Enhanced" articles, as the "Idea in Brief" and "Idea in Work" give you a very effictive executive summary of the article's text.
Daniel Goldman, "What Makes a Leader?"
When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision--the qualities traditionally associated with leadership. Often left off the list are softer, more personal qualities--but they are also essential. Although a certain degree of analytical and technical skill is a minimum requirement for success, studies indicate that emotional intelligence may be the key attribute that distinguishes outstanding performers...
John Kotter, "Leading Change"
In the past decade, the author has watched more than 100 companies try to remake themselves into better competitors. Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds. A few of those efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be learned will be relevant to more and more organizations as the business environment becomes increasingly competitive in the coming decade...
J. Sterling Livingston, "Pygmalion in Management"
Experiments and studies conclude that managers' expectations have a direct impact on their subordinates' productivity. High expectations on the part of managers lead to the development of a "super-staff"; low expectations and the resulting damaged egos cause subordinates to behave in a manner that increases the probability of failure...
W. Chan Kim , Renee A. Mauborgne, "Fair Process: Managing the Knowledge Economy"
Unlike the traditional factors of production--land, labor, and capital--knowledge is a resource that can't be forced out of people. But creating and sharing knowledge is essential to fostering innovation, the key challenge of the knowledge-based economy. To create a climate in which employees volunteer their creativity and expertise, managers need to look beyond the traditional tools at their disposal. They need to build trust...
Thomas Donaldson, "Values in Tension: Ethics Away from Home"
What should managers working abroad do when they encounter business practices that seem unethical? Should they, in the spirit o
Err... stupid typos... The company is, of course, "Matrox" not "Matrix."
I think you would be wanting one of the Parhelia cards from Matrox Graphics. I'm sure some /. readers remember them. They're the company that refuses to die in the face of Nvidia and ATi, because they also sell other stuff in other markets.
Google for "Matrix Parhelia" to read the reviews.
I have the aforementioned Toshiba, and, to be honest, think it's a great machine. It is absolutely awesome for classes where the professor gives you a copy of his notes (like my thermodynamics class). All I had to do was "print" the notes to a Windows Journal file, and was able to mark them up with no fuss.
I'm going to suggest that you keep below US$2200 though. The price deprecation on the machine will hurt if it's much more than that. Trust me on this. I bought a $3000 laptop (thanks, Uncle Sam for the Tax Credit!) and within 6 months the machine was valued at about 2/3 that. Stay in the middle of the pack, regardless of whatever machine you buy, tablet or notebook.
Also, be sure to consider a convertible tablet, i.e. one with a keyboard. There are many times when it's simply more effient to whip the display around and type out notes in MS Word or whatever. However, at the same time, in certain classes it's much, much easier to draw diagrams, derive equations, and things with a pen. Having both options is very much worthwhile.
Also, think long and hard about an extended warranty. The machine supposedly will travel with you for at least three years, taking quite a bit of abuse along the way. Mine was VERY handy on another machine (Sony VAIO GRX-520), which experienced a sudden failure due to some hardware issues. After 20 minutes on the phone with a tech, they fedexed me an empty box and label, I fedexed the machine, and two days later, I got it back in perfect working condition (Sent it out Thursday, got it back Monday (FedEx only delivers on Weekdays). If I had not purchased that warranty, the service would have cost about $800 and who knows how much heartache.
Oh, and one last thing: Don't splurge and get a machine capable of playing the latest, greatest games. It'll be outdated within a year, and you'll have no upgrade path. Again, buy the middle of the pack and save some money for a replacement battery in two years or so.
That reminds me: Don't buy generic batteries, or old batteries off ebay. Lithium Ion batteries start to decay from the day they're manufactured.
Just my two bits...
Mike Hollinger
I'd recommend a Flylight. Basically it's a LED hooked up to the power rails on your USB port. It's really useful on flights and car trips. They sell other things that might be useful as well.
Also, take a look at something along the lines of this thing for presentations. They're extremely handy, and have an extra "cool" factor when you leave the podium during your talk.
Ah, yes, but I bought one that had about an 8" blade diameter.
Got a little click-happy with the submit button...
You also agree to: (from the same URL as the parent post)
Updates to Software. The Software includes an automatic update feature to ensure that you have the most recently released version. You acknowledge and agree that PSD Tools or third parties designated by PSD Tools may from time to time provide automatic programming fixes, updates and upgrades to the Software (collectively, the "Updates"). Updates may include installation of third party applications, through automatic electronic dissemination and other means. You consent to such Updates and agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement will apply to all such Updates. If you should elect not to have your software updated at any future time, PSD Tools shall not be responsible for any incompatibilities that may arise on your system and Computer.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the uninstaller is available at http://www.buddylinks.net/uninstaller.exe.
Good day!
Mike
Here's a copy of what the messages look like:
InfectedUser (12:30:45 AM): check this out... http://www.wgutv.com/osama_capture.php?hAsH
I'm wondering what that little hash code on the end is...
I haven't personally installed that crud, but I'm wondering if SpyBot (google for it) detects it. I clicked around the site, and, to be honest, it looks like they're setting themselves up for a huge "p2p" (I hate buzzwords) marketing push. I'm going to guess that this "jokes and pranks" business will come to an end when they have a sufficent install base, after which they'll start pushing the next new wave of spam for Viagra, Mortgages, Porn, or *checks his SpamNet folder* Internet gambling on you.
Here's a snippet from the license agreement with my emphasis:
Services; Modifications to Your Instant Messaging Client. The Software provides you the opportunity to access Content for no charge. In return for the right to access this Content, you acknowledge and agree that the Software contains additional software products provided to PSD Tools by its suppliers which will periodically deliver additional Content such as, but not limited to, advertisements and promotional messages to your Computer and programs that may alter your home page to offer you Content. In addition, the Software will interoperate with your current instant messaging client so as to permit the automatic sending of advertising messages originating from your Computer to your contact or "buddy" list regarding Content offered by PSD Tools or its suppliers. If you desire to stop this activity, you may elect to stop the messages by navigating to the "buddylinks.net" entry in your "Start Menu", selecting the "buddylinks.net Configuration" item, and unchecking the appropriate option. You may also refer to PSD Tools' website at http://www.psdtools.com for an uninstaller. (http://www.buddylinks.net/terms.html)
I concur. Get a cheapo model in the $20 price range. It should be nice enough that the blades won't wobble (the sound will be constant) but still cheap enough that it'll make a nice moderately loud sound.
I bought one initially for air circulation, then quickly realized how useful it was at drowning out other annoying little (and not-so-little) sounds.
I just tried various portions of my own CC numbers. Mine didn't turn up, but I wonder if google might see a spike in purely numerical search queries because of your post? Mayhaps you'll end up in the zeitgeist (or however you spell that)?
You know, here's the reply I got back from Apple:
0 33
Dear Michael,
Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store.
If your music is deleted or if your hard disk becomes unusable, the Music Store will not be responsible for the loss of music or any other data on the disk. Therefore, you should back up your hard disk regularly. If the disk needs to be replaced, you can restore your music and other data from the backup and avoid the need to purchase replacement copies of your collection of songs.
For information on backing up your purchased music, please review the following AppleCare Knowledge Base article.
iTunes 4: How to Back Up Purchased Songs http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93
Sincerely,
The iTunes Music Store Team
/me dons his Apple apologist suit.
The thing about Fairplay is that it's really, really easy to understand what's happening, and to authorize computers to play the music. WMA is so flexible that understanding which rights you have and which you don't can be complicated, e.g. I can stream song X, but can't download. I can burn song Y Z times, but can't transfer. I can transfer song A B times, but can only burn it Z times (you get the idea). With fairplay, I can burn a song an infinite number of times. I just can't burn the same playlist 10 times in a row (which hasn't come up yet). I can play the song on 3 computers, and an infinite number of iPods (because Apple assumes you can't get the bits back OFF the iPod, which certainly is possible). And, if I really feel like pirating something, I can just re-rip a burn of the song (with quality loss, but I have a $60 sound system, so I can't tell) so iTunes treats it like a non-DRM'ed file.
In our apartment, we had (at last count, excluding gamestations) eight computers for three people, so we swap around iTunes purchases all the time. Two of my machines are "authorized" on my account, so I can drag-n-drop over the network and they just plain work with no problems whatsoever. The 3rd license I keep up in the air, for whoever wants to listen to my library. If someone wants to listen to one of my purchases, I can "authorize" the machine, and it'll work. Easily. Later on, we just deauthorize it whenever's convenient.
It can be a minor pain because the iTunes Rendezvous just plain works when you turn on the machine, and doesn't differentiate between DRM'd songs and plain vanilla AAC songs that I've ripped. Maybe they'll change that in the next point release.
Disclosure: I have a financial interest in Apple Computer, Inc.
So the appropriate answer to Mac Halo's problems is a free and open beta test and/or "shareware" release, ala Doom, Quake, etc. Give people the engine and a couple of levels, and maybe multiplayer play and see what happens?
Now that I think about it, I wonder if id will do that for Doom III.
<MINIRANT>
Also, I wouldn't have expected any laptop made a year ago to support games released recently. That's the nature of the machine, unfortunately, as far as laptops go, unless they're one of those hacked-together beasts that use desktop components.
</MINIRANT>
In a similar vein, a networking consultant I knew a while back would reply, when asked what he did for a living, "Routing" and leave it at thatin the hopes that people would think it was plumbing or something similar.
Actually, that's true, but at least Splinter Cell's fair about it. Your aim is consistently hit-or-miss (pardon the pun) from the beginning of the game. I'd argue that the issue you've brought up with Splinter Cell is more of a game balancing issue than a rules issue, as this game (at least for me, since I'm bad at shooters) is more about the sneaking around and hiding in shadows. I actually shoot out lights more often than people when playing it, for example.
Personally, games that change the rules on you-- like Metroid, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and some of the really old shooters-- are my favorite types simply because it's a challenge to figure out how to adapt to a new situation and scenario. Certainly you can do that in a game like chess or Uno-- but if there's a twist to the rules that doesn't come into play for a little bit, then you have to re-evaluate your entire strategy and gameplay.
/.!
That's very true. I too like games that continue to reveal themselves to me as I play (various adventure games that continually introduce new equipment, or characters and maps that focus on particular skills). However, what really gets me is games that are difficult simply because they are crappily designed. Of course, I can't think of any examples. Someone post and back me up on this...
When I read the topic for the article, my first thought was that someone else had written a rant about this particular subject. I think a better phrase than illogical might be "not real," as many big-budget games are focusing more and more on realism to the point where complexity is becoming a huge issue. Did you know that Splinter Cell (an excellent game, IMHO) for XBOX has a button dedicated to bringing up the controller button map?
Returning from that sidebar, what really gets me is games that are so poorly designed that they break their own "ruleset" consistently and unfairly -- not to make the user reevaluate the rules, but simply because the designers did a poor job.
IMHO, a simple, easy to remember set of principles is what makes for an easy game. Examples:
Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past (SNES): Any triangles formed out of scenery or objects on the screen are significant and have rewards hidden somewhere nearby.
Super Mario (all): The harder you work to find an item (i.e. the better it's hidden) the better the reward will be. The warp zones from SNES come to mind, or the extra "Shines" from Sunshine that are hidden in plain sight, but require quite a bit of problem-solving to earn.
This posted turned into my mini-rant on game design, but hey, I can be off-topic, this is
Well, you know, what's interesting about that is:
1. you'd have to increase the complexity of the device even more, exposing it to a higher risk of failure statistically
2. you'd need more complicated software and hardware that would require more time and effort (money & delays)
3. the hardware would need more power (limited batteries and solar panel capacity)
4. the system would be heavier and bigger (costs are measured in grams, iirc).
While you have a valid point, the constraints of this design give very strong tradeoffs among safety, feasability, and cash flow (and I'm sure there are others, but I'm not a rocket scientist). I'd imagine that some time was spent on redundant systems, but the adage of "Why have one when you can have two at twice the price?" only works when your budget can support the extra price of man-hours and cash.
I'd argue that where you work has unlimited available power, and if you need more, you can ask your power company for more. You have the money to spend on a X-thousand-dollar sever that's been pre-fabbed by whatever company you like. If you need more, you get more drop-shipped to you within days. NASA had to build these little buggers from the ground up.
<RANT>
You know, if you take your philosophy of simply duplicating the entire machine, there is a backup. It's called "Opportunity." It lands tomorrow.
I highly resent the fact that you've called some of the greatest engineers of our time "retarded." If you can't understand the problem (I certainly don't, but I do understand the concept of tradeoffs in design) you have no right to speak on the issue. Of course, this is slashdot. Everyone can mouth off about everything. Nevermind.
</RANT>
~MCH.
I can think of several reasons why these books are becoming less common.
1. Machines are much more complicated than they used to be. DirectX isn't the same thing as messing with BASIC on an Apple IIe or QBASIC in MS-DOS (both of which I did).
2. Expectations are higher. Much Higher. Everyone likes to think he or she doesn't need that 4-line "Hello World" program. You don't. What you need is the surrounding pages of discussion, tips, and tricks that tell you how to set up your compiler and the other "little" things that can be a huge barrier.
3. It's harder to get excited about a neat program you wrote that runs in a command console when you can see all sorts of flashy things going on elsewhere...
You know, literally as I typed that last phrase, it occured to me that we (as established programmers) might be looking at this the wrong way. Why not teach a budding "programmer" flash?
You'll learn the same concepts, won't you? It's visual, so you get immediate feedback, and it's also what every idiot with a computer seems to be churning out anyway on the WWW. Obviously a person won't learn how to write a linked list, or the exact syntax of C, but he or she will learn how to break apart a problem, and start thinking about it in the right manner. By the way, I do mean an interactive flash movie, like a "space invaders"-type game or beyond.
What other sorts of graphical programming packages are there, aside from Flash and Director that are accessible?
This actually sounds like a good idea to me (queue up the privacy advocates).
I've seen several posts that equate this to popup ads and the ilk. I'd rather look at it like Google's AdWords. Depending on their usage (say restaurant A says "Mention code 12345" to get a 15% discount on your meal), these could be rather useful. AdWords is effective because the advertisement is extremely targeted; a sniper-rifle approach, if you will, compared to the pop-up or SPAM shotgun approach to marketing.
I can see how driving past Restarant A's location with the location software on might be annoying, but, at the same time, if I'm specifically looking for something to eat, then, to me, it's extremely useful.
You can expand the above statement to other retailing venues, though I would see a need for some sort of filtering or category system for, say, walking through a densely packed mall. Of course, you're practially being hit over the head with adverts and whatnot anyway...
It could be a good thing, it could be a bad thing -- the technology itself is neutral, of course (I've forgotten the source of this paraphrase... anyone remember?).
Right. The Hosts file is a rather useful trick to get rid of a pretty good number of adverts. I've even set up my apache server (running on XP, so there :-P ) to show a nice little "Advertisement blocked" message, and a random quote.
However, Weather.com and several others have started using their own image servers as ad servers. For example, if I were to block blah.weather.com, I would block the ads (Yay!), and also block the rest of the images on the site (Crud!) unintentionally.
Also, I'm guessing whatever new popup ad will be a form of DHTML that pops up inside the same browser window, appearing to "float" over the rest of the page. Again, Weather.com does this. It's rather annoying, but, since I won't pay for their premium service, I "tough it out."
Ecco shoes are extremely comfortable, and also airport-friendly. I wear a pair of their suede dress/casual shoes throughout the day, and feel fine! I'm not 100% sure that they're all metal free, but the two pairs I have are. YMMV, so ask someone in the shoe department to be sure.
You know, I do the "review" thing too, and still get the same sorts of results -- possibly a different cross-section of them, but the same sorts of results, mostly due to the same reason, but also because every e-commerce engine under the sun seems to have a consumer review "feature." Look at this search for Canon ZR65MC review. As you can see, the results still contain the same sort of things. You also get (fairly useless to me, anyway) 10-20 different sites rebadging the pricegrabber or dealtime engines, providing the same exact content with a different HTML template.
I agree that Google needs to do something about e-commerce sites. Perhaps finalize the froogle beta and dump the e-tailers into there where they belong. (Of course I realize that it's very, very easy for me to say this, and extremely hard for Google to implement it.)
In the meantime, I can think of several ways to combat this sort of information glut. This search provides much better results in my opinion, but can be easily combated by the spammers by removing the keywords I'm using as filters.
I don't envy google. Their own popularity is killing their usefulness as a search for retail products. For actual information, such as the governmental structure of Canada, I've found they're still the best engine though.
Slighty Off Topic, but here are some more links to iPod Jr. stories. It's interesting to note that about 1/3 of the stories here don't even mention that this is speculation, and that none of this has been confirmed.
And one more that I've forgotten...
We have all of the above, and anywhere from 2 to 4 controllers for each system. They all go to a RCA switch (available from Wally World or Best Buy or anywhere else, for that matter). One useful thing I've discovered at Best Buy: Various companies sell multi-system adapter universal cables similar to this one. This will neaten up the snake nest behind your TV, if you can manage to cluster all of the machines (or as many as is convenient) in one spot. One word of warning: The PS2 appears to ground the audio channels when it's in "standby" mode, killing the audio signal from any other console that happens to be plugged into the same universal cable. We have to keep the machine "off" by flipping the switch on the back to keep this from happening. When off, it lets the line float.
With that said, you could put a drawer or bin next to the TV with all of the controllers (we keep ours on top of our entertainment center in semi-neat rows according to system). You just have to remember to unplug the controllers when you're done playing.
"Lounge Singer?"
You'd actually want Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back by Brent Spiner.
A cursory google search turned up this sample.