You've got quite a big chip on your shoulder there.
Sure, evolution of language is fine, new words and idioms develop all the time and old ones fall out of use. Sure. I get it.
Using things wrongly though is irritating. Frankly, this whole "begs the question / evolution of language / caveman" argument is really just a poor excuse for a lack of proper education in English.
Take that how you will. If it insults you, frankly that's your problem. Go back to school.
Why is it that someone who tries to encourage others to use idiomatic expressions correctly is so relentlessly flamed on this website? Slashdot readers are usually so civilised, after all...
Fair point. I haven't seen the source code, of course, and while I've seen a little of Linux source code, I'm not experienced enough as a coder to be able to judge based on that.
My yardstick has thus far been, does it work? In the past it was easy to point fingers at Windows and make jokes about Blue Screens of Death and having to constantly reboot. That's no longer the case. My machine at the moment has maybe once or twice in the past year given me any instability problems, and I only reboot it every other week or so, and that's more out of habit than anything else. Other objections you may have to Windows on grounds of closed-source and whatever else may still be there, but the OS itself works very well.
I've experienced the thing about deleting folders once or twice but not often. I've been using Win7 for just less than a year now. Can't say that I've had any of the other problems that you describe.
I guess the usual YMMV sticker still applies here...
FWIW, $1000 is still somewhat expensive and it's just scanning genes at the moment. It's not actively messing with the genes of a zygote as was happening in Gattaca.
I am not a Microsoft fan, but Windows 7 is actually a very well-written OS, in my experience. If you have lots of RAM then it uses it, there's no sense in having 8GB of RAM if it's only using 250MB and paging the rest of what it needs.
As a point of reference, have a look at this article. If you only have 512MB of RAM then Win7/64 will only use about 200MB of RAM.
Even if such a planet existed it'd be unlikely to be close enough to be reachable within several lifetimes, much less yours. Sorry to be a party pooper.
I'd be a bit suspect of this. I for one enjoyed learning computer history. My associates who found it boring on the other hand, never got past the gaming stage, and still call me when something goes wrong. Can't even configure their own computers never mind program.
To begin with, it'd probably be easier to get there.
Disclaimer: I've never so much as been to Canada so I don't know what it's like in the polar region there, but I'd imagine that the lack of a huge southwards plane / boat voyage would be an immediate bonus over Antarctica.
Probably be easier to get internet and other communication up there as well.
My personal reason for still running an XP box are HP printers and scanners which are not as old as you might think. I think I got them a few months before Vista was released, on a sale, they were probably old stock now that I think of it. Damn HP haven't released drivers for 7, nor are they going to, so I'm forced to keep an XP box to use them. It does nothing else except scan and print.
I've personally vowed never to buy HP stuff again for that reason. Does anyone know of a hardware manufacturer who is better from a perspective of driver support of slightly out-of-date hardware?
BTW, the printer works under Linux but the scanner doesn't. I'm not sure that I understand why.
Something that strikes me as weird though. From TFA:
In the open-source spirit of Hackerspace, Mr Bauer and some friends came up with the idea of a distributed network of low-cost ground stations that can be bought or built by individuals. Used together in a global network, these stations would be able to pinpoint satellites at any given time, while also making it easier and more reliable for fast-moving satellites to send data back to earth.
So... these ground stations would I presume be connected together by, uh, the internet? I don't get it.
Not that I'm against this at all, I think it's a fabulous idea. I'd buy one. Or build one. Or whatever.
It's worth thinking about it a different way perhaps. In episodes 1, 2 and 3, we find the Jedi in their prime, so naturally they'd be quick and good etc. In episodes 4, 5 and 6 though, there's Obi-Wan and Vader who are very old and Luke who is a complete newby, so their light-sabre skills will be somewhat less than say Darth Maul in episode 1.
Dude, get that chip off your shoulder. TFA makes no mention of religion, faith, belief, God, Christianity or anything.
I don't see any reason to turn this into a debate on the merits or otherwise of religion. The topic at hand is the American policymakers apparent hatred or obliviousness to science.
Idiots like you who seem to think that belief in some sort of God somehow makes a person a science-hater really get up my nose. Religion does good things. Mine teaches me to be honest and work hard and respect others. If it has some stories about Gardens in Eden or Noah and the Ark then so what? Does that hurt people? FWIW, I'm very religious, but that hasn't stopped me pursuing a career in EE, and I study astrophysics on the side.
I just usually use these things in my browser, I hate having a million and one applications installed when I can just use one. I used to use the Offline bits with Gears in Firefox but that was killed some time ago. I just prefer to do things this way.
Facebook will also get a lot more seamlessly integrated with your desktop, including file system access...
The hell it will.
Am I the only person who really isn't keen on this happening? I'm not a luddite, but this isn't really my field. The way I'm familiar with the web and JavaScript is that it specifically has no access to the local filesystem on your machine. Someone correct me if I'm wrong?
Slashdot Mirror
You've got quite a big chip on your shoulder there.
Sure, evolution of language is fine, new words and idioms develop all the time and old ones fall out of use. Sure. I get it.
Using things wrongly though is irritating. Frankly, this whole "begs the question / evolution of language / caveman" argument is really just a poor excuse for a lack of proper education in English.
Take that how you will. If it insults you, frankly that's your problem. Go back to school.
Why is it that someone who tries to encourage others to use idiomatic expressions correctly is so relentlessly flamed on this website? Slashdot readers are usually so civilised, after all...
So it's kind of ironic then that your comment is moderated "+5, Funny"?
Fair point. I haven't seen the source code, of course, and while I've seen a little of Linux source code, I'm not experienced enough as a coder to be able to judge based on that.
My yardstick has thus far been, does it work? In the past it was easy to point fingers at Windows and make jokes about Blue Screens of Death and having to constantly reboot. That's no longer the case. My machine at the moment has maybe once or twice in the past year given me any instability problems, and I only reboot it every other week or so, and that's more out of habit than anything else. Other objections you may have to Windows on grounds of closed-source and whatever else may still be there, but the OS itself works very well.
That's a very good post. Someone mod parent up, please!
I've experienced the thing about deleting folders once or twice but not often. I've been using Win7 for just less than a year now. Can't say that I've had any of the other problems that you describe.
I guess the usual YMMV sticker still applies here...
Weren't they going to Titan in Gattaca?
FWIW, $1000 is still somewhat expensive and it's just scanning genes at the moment. It's not actively messing with the genes of a zygote as was happening in Gattaca.
For the moment, anyway.
I am not a Microsoft fan, but Windows 7 is actually a very well-written OS, in my experience. If you have lots of RAM then it uses it, there's no sense in having 8GB of RAM if it's only using 250MB and paging the rest of what it needs.
As a point of reference, have a look at this article. If you only have 512MB of RAM then Win7/64 will only use about 200MB of RAM.
In Soviet Russia, the machines vote you!
Even that is kind of impractical.
Based on some quick and dirty calculations, it'd take about 74000 years to get even to the nearest star. That'd be a lot of clones.
>
Even if such a planet existed it'd be unlikely to be close enough to be reachable within several lifetimes, much less yours. Sorry to be a party pooper.
I'd be a bit suspect of this. I for one enjoyed learning computer history. My associates who found it boring on the other hand, never got past the gaming stage, and still call me when something goes wrong. Can't even configure their own computers never mind program.
Just my 2c. YMMV, of course.
Lol. I also live in the Southern Hemisphere, South Africa to be precise.
There's not nearly as much by way of infrastructure here as there is in the USA, which is, last time I checked, right next door to Canada.
To begin with, it'd probably be easier to get there.
Disclaimer: I've never so much as been to Canada so I don't know what it's like in the polar region there, but I'd imagine that the lack of a huge southwards plane / boat voyage would be an immediate bonus over Antarctica.
Probably be easier to get internet and other communication up there as well.
Sorry, it just didn't look right...
I suppose for fear of getting labelled OCD or something, he is getting slightly more than 5.5 days warning, the leap second isn't for some months.
3x10^8 seconds on the other hand is about nine and a half years, so that's a bit more advance notice.
I demand at least 3x10^8 seconds advance warning.
FTFY
with a solar panel duct taped to the back of it?
FTFY
My personal reason for still running an XP box are HP printers and scanners which are not as old as you might think. I think I got them a few months before Vista was released, on a sale, they were probably old stock now that I think of it. Damn HP haven't released drivers for 7, nor are they going to, so I'm forced to keep an XP box to use them. It does nothing else except scan and print.
I've personally vowed never to buy HP stuff again for that reason. Does anyone know of a hardware manufacturer who is better from a perspective of driver support of slightly out-of-date hardware?
BTW, the printer works under Linux but the scanner doesn't. I'm not sure that I understand why.
That's fair, I suppose.
I read about this on the Make Magazine blog a few days ago. (Link for anyone who's interested.)
Something that strikes me as weird though. From TFA:
In the open-source spirit of Hackerspace, Mr Bauer and some friends came up with the idea of a distributed network of low-cost ground stations that can be bought or built by individuals. Used together in a global network, these stations would be able to pinpoint satellites at any given time, while also making it easier and more reliable for fast-moving satellites to send data back to earth.
So... these ground stations would I presume be connected together by, uh, the internet? I don't get it.
Not that I'm against this at all, I think it's a fabulous idea. I'd buy one. Or build one. Or whatever.
That would take the term "Blue Screen of Death" to a whole new level.
It's worth thinking about it a different way perhaps. In episodes 1, 2 and 3, we find the Jedi in their prime, so naturally they'd be quick and good etc. In episodes 4, 5 and 6 though, there's Obi-Wan and Vader who are very old and Luke who is a complete newby, so their light-sabre skills will be somewhat less than say Darth Maul in episode 1.
Just my 2c.
Dude, get that chip off your shoulder. TFA makes no mention of religion, faith, belief, God, Christianity or anything.
I don't see any reason to turn this into a debate on the merits or otherwise of religion. The topic at hand is the American policymakers apparent hatred or obliviousness to science.
Idiots like you who seem to think that belief in some sort of God somehow makes a person a science-hater really get up my nose. Religion does good things. Mine teaches me to be honest and work hard and respect others. If it has some stories about Gardens in Eden or Noah and the Ark then so what? Does that hurt people? FWIW, I'm very religious, but that hasn't stopped me pursuing a career in EE, and I study astrophysics on the side.
Yes, I realise this, I'm not a total noob.
I just usually use these things in my browser, I hate having a million and one applications installed when I can just use one. I used to use the Offline bits with Gears in Firefox but that was killed some time ago. I just prefer to do things this way.
Facebook will also get a lot more seamlessly integrated with your desktop, including file system access...
The hell it will.
Am I the only person who really isn't keen on this happening? I'm not a luddite, but this isn't really my field. The way I'm familiar with the web and JavaScript is that it specifically has no access to the local filesystem on your machine. Someone correct me if I'm wrong?