function location() {
if (my.state != "coding" & my.conscious == true) {
return ("at the pool hall");
} }
and while at the pool hall (Amsterdam Billiard Club, NYC) I have watched and played many professional pool players.
Yes, pool is governed by the laws of physics (even when your opponent snaps the nine-ball in three consecutive times).
No, knowledge of these physical laws will not make you a professional player.
Take a bank shot, for example. If you assume that the angle of deflection of the object ball into the rail equals the angle of deflection, calculate that angle and shoot, there's still a good chance you won't make the shot. One reason: from table to table the hardness of the rails varies.
A few other variables which your ruler and protractor probably won't account for:
crap in the air (humidity affects the speed of the cloth)
crap stuck to the balls
crap on the table (damn that shard of chalk!)
crap on your cue tip (chalk/no chalk?)
crap going on around you (people talking about the likelihood of you missing)
crap on the line (the money you're about to give the guy who's kicking the crap out of you.)
So, when you get right down to it:
pool == physics + Random (crap);
and the good players have a better sense of smell.
if you want to attract attention, don't resemble anything conventional
in other words, if the linux realm wishes to attract mister average joe with a GUI, the folks at Gnome, KDE, etc, should think up something as useful as the old (MacOS, Windows Explorer) but looks a helluvalot cooler and "cutting edge."
then we can run nice ads that show the world how pretty and different linux is...with an intelligent slogan like "think differently"...
read something here a while back about a 3d Xwindows environment...that will do nicely (add boisterous, spooky laugh here:)
seriously, if linux wants average users and not just serious business types, developers need more eye candy-- just look at windows 2K-- everyone loves the stupid fading drop down menus. instead of regurgitating a GUI that's been around in various reincarnations for over 10 yrs, lets push something new
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function location() {
if (my.state != "coding" & my.conscious == true)
{
return ("at the pool hall");
}
}
and while at the pool hall (Amsterdam Billiard Club, NYC) I have watched and played many professional pool players.
Yes, pool is governed by the laws of physics (even when your opponent snaps the nine-ball in three consecutive times).
No, knowledge of these physical laws will not make you a professional player.
Take a bank shot, for example. If you assume that the angle of deflection of the object ball into the rail equals the angle of deflection, calculate that angle and shoot, there's still a good chance you won't make the shot. One reason: from table to table the hardness of the rails varies.
A few other variables which your ruler and protractor probably won't account for:
crap in the air (humidity affects the speed of the cloth)
crap stuck to the balls
crap on the table (damn that shard of chalk!)
crap on your cue tip (chalk/no chalk?)
crap going on around you (people talking about the likelihood of you missing)
crap on the line (the money you're about to give the guy who's kicking the crap out of you.)
So, when you get right down to it:
pool == physics + Random (crap);
and the good players have a better sense of smell.
at least you'll have something to munch on when you unwrap your big mac and realize that television advertisments have deceived you once again...
if you want to attract attention, don't resemble anything conventional
in other words, if the linux realm wishes to attract mister average joe with a GUI, the folks at Gnome, KDE, etc, should think up something as useful as the old (MacOS, Windows Explorer) but looks a helluvalot cooler and "cutting edge."
then we can run nice ads that show the world how pretty and different linux is...with an intelligent slogan like "think differently"...
read something here a while back about a 3d Xwindows environment...that will do nicely (add boisterous, spooky laugh here:)
seriously, if linux wants average users and not just serious business types, developers need more eye candy-- just look at windows 2K-- everyone loves the stupid fading drop down menus. instead of regurgitating a GUI that's been around in various reincarnations for over 10 yrs, lets push something new