What I think I have noticed is that technology seems to be changing away from critical systems to more fluid, biological systems.
It's definitely happening, but I doubt it's a conscious effort to drive research in that direction. Evolution has been in force for billions of years, and we're at the stage where we're beginning to realise that if there's an easy way to do something, nature's probably found it. As we dig more and more into the nature of plants and animals, we find more and more nifty tricks that can be applied to other areas.
You could probably win a suit for unfair dismissal.
You should get a new job anyway.
If your manager is a dick on this matter, chances are s/he'll be a dick on other matters too. Anyone with that level of idiocy is incapable of functioning as an efficient manager.
However: have you considered that this was a panicked reaction? It's possible that if you say with finality 'fuck off', they'll back down. I'd lay off the lawsuit threats until such time as you get the 'you're fired' notice; you'd only exacerbate an already bad situation with premature legal notices.
I kind of disagree. With 2.5 million users, and Seti@Home being around for a couple years now, that's a lot of time people AREN'T running the screensaver That's just silly. Would you judge the success of the Beatles based on the number who've never bought one of their records?
No, SETI@Home isn't getting very high marks in the dedication department. More people would rather turn their PC off than allow it to run overnight to help out SETI. And I'm one of those people. So what? Could the 35 years of time that I've contributed been higher? Yes. But the aim for most users isn't the same as yours; they (we) feel that we're making a contribution, and that we're not dedicated simply because we don't leave machines running all night. Nor are we guilty for the occasaional game of freecell or quake 3 that means fewer units get done.
I can't speak for others, but I'm happy that I'm contributing to a project in the way it was intended.
Exactly what do they mean with 500.000 years computing time?
You (and others who were also bitching/wondering) are missing the point. The reason for celebration isn't that a x amount of years were done; nor is arguing that it could have been done in x/100 hours on decent machines a worthwhile consideration.
The point is that 2.5 million people, between them, have been running their computers collectively for half a million years. Doesn't matter whether this was on 8088s or top-of-the-range z80s, the owners' computers were running, in total, for that time. This is, IMO, a phenomenal achievement.
Clue: Surely common sense dictates that you can't possibly have tea and no tea at the same time
Aha. The cycle begins again. I think I know what you mean, so I'll refrain from asking for further assistance. I'll try what I think the solution is, it won't work and I'll end up more bitter than before.
But thanks for the clue, and the offer. If, some time later this week, you see a post from me that consists, Spider-Jerusalem-like, of nothing but the word 'fuck', you'll know it didn't work.
put on the dressing gown, open the pocket and eat the analgesic. I think.
Normally I'd let you stew, but I can sympathise. I've been haunted for nearly a decade now by that fucking door that won't let me through. Every fucking person who tries to help tells me to show the fucking door tea and no tea, but I'd already fucking figured that out by consulting the fucking guide. It's the fucking syntax that gets me. And now that I've found the online version, I'm about to lose another couple of fucking years.
PS sorry about all the fucking swearing, but it's the only adventure game I haven't finished with a bit of persistence. And I'm still bitter.
These were released -- on this side of the Atlantic, at least -- a few years ago by HarperCollins, who have their own Tolkien imprint. There's a double cassette of the great man, not only reading, but singing all those elven things that I tend to skip over in the book.
If you're interested, wander over to here (which is a frame inside this)
Say to thorin 'carry me'|say to thorin 'go window'|se|e|se|e|get ring|n|d|n|go crack
I realize that you probably mis-spoke, but the phrase struck me as funny.
It struck me as funny too. Actually, I didn't misspeak (as such), but perhaps some clarification is in order. I believe absolutely that live exists elsewhere. Intelligent life, I'm not so sure about (the Drake Equation >= 10000 notwithstanding). The discovery of such life, be it on Europa, Ganymede or Minbar, is inevitable, given a long enough time scale. But if silicon-based life -- intelligent or otherwise -- were to be found, it'd go beyond coolness and come out the other side. It'd open up whole new vistas for science.
Finding ET live during my lifetime, btw, would cause me to be pleasantly surprised.
At the risk of sounding like an anti-consumer-society rantist, what's weird is that all these computers are being thrown out when they're still useful. How many people out there are using a PIII for surfing and a bit of word processing? How many 486s are thrown out each year because they're obsolete?
The 800XL is a powerful computer. Not by today's standards, perhaps, but basic data-processing needs haven't advanced so much in the last fifteen years that the an atari, a ti99-4a or even the noble spectrum can't handle them. I'd have my doubts about a vic 20, but I've had those doubts for decades now.
Personally, I'm delighted that these things are still being used, rather than stuck on a landfill leeching lead and PCBs into the ground.
It may have a weird shape and color, but it will be DNA-based.
For a long time I got annoyed by books/tv programmes/whatever that talked about 'alien dna'. However, I've come to realise that any life -- wherever it originates -- is likely to be DNA based. Not will be, I hasten to add, but likely to be. Why? Because the building blocks are very common.
Despite all the talk in science fiction of silicon based lifeforms, it's still far more likely that anything will be carbon based. Any life is likely to use what we call organic molecules; scientists have even calculated that adenine, one of the four bases, can be formed in space. Given the prevalance of amino acids around the universe, I'd be (pleasantly) surprised to find life anywhere based on anything else. I'd say, though, that DNA based life is, if not ubiquitous, then at least common.
Nit-picking? probably. I do agree that alien life would be phenomenally interesting from a scientific POV, but to echo the original poster, the ocean still holds untold secrets, from which we have much, much to learn.
I did reserve well over 2 months in advance. What did you think, I was sitting outside the local toy store waiting for a shipment to arrive? Okay, so I was a little harsh. If you like, I can try and make it up to you by describing some games. I really like smuggler's run, for example. I can describe at length what you can't play until Easter.
But if you reserved one, why haven't you got one? My understanding was that orders were based on initial reservations. Of course, it's probably different in the US. I understand your population is slightly larger over there.
Re:Introverted isn't *bad*, but it isn't healthy
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Gifts For Geeks
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· Score: 2
I'd opinion that the former is a very rare occurance and indicative of serious mental disorders, whereas the second is what a person who is "introverted" suffers from I think you're underestimating the flexiblity of the human beastie. I'd contend, for example, that most of us have the potential to become world-class nerds, but those who do only do so because of the lack of human interaction during the pre/teen years.
Eventually, this lack of ability becomes lack of desire. Every introverted nerd realises eventually that s/he's quite capable of carrying on without trying to spend the day on inane conversations with coworkers/whatevers.
*sigh* That's not what I said. Sorry for misunderstanding, but see above.
social interaction is just as necessary as it ever was. From an individual POV, certainly. But the species is in no danger of dying out from underbreeding, so there's no imperative on indiviuals to procreate. Adolescents don't think in such terms, but as we get older, we realise that we're capable etc etc.
Re:Introverted isn't *bad*, but it isn't healthy
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Gifts For Geeks
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· Score: 1
it isn't really a healthy state to be in psychologically speaking I've no doubt that for the majority of the population, you're right; but that doesn't mean it applies to everyone. Even for the people to whom it does applay, it isn't the case all the time. Equally, for those of us with distinct misanthropic tendencies, we still enjoy the occasional conversation.
Serial killers in particular don't possess this emotional connection with other people, making them maniupulative and unable to empathise with their victims And I thought I was capable of spurious arguments. I don't really want to start on this one; I doubt I could give anything approaching a complete answer in less than a few thousand words. Instead, I'll just say that it's rarely wise to illustrate a point by telling of how one character trait - introvertion, for example - can lead to nastiness (serial killing, in this case). Every trait humans possess can have its negative consequences; religous belief can lead to a willingness to believe in pseudoscience, intelligence can lead to disdain for the, ahem, cerebrally challenged... the list is endless.
the human need for companionship and love is part of what we are. It's certainly what we were, and it's pretty much certainly still in our genes. But it's no longer necessary for our survival, and as such is expendable. We can do without it.
But we're straying from the point, here, which was Christmas/Saturnalia/Whatever. Let me ask you this: you advocate being nice to one and all at Christmas, and tolance for those we'd normally ignore. Which of these actions can we dispense with for the rest of the year?
Finally, a chance to get it off my chest...
Smuggler's Run has been ingnored by some (including this page) and dissed by others as useless, but it's the most compelling game I've played in a while. I finished it a couple of days ago, and my life seems emptier now.
Before you give up, this isn't a game review as much as an observation on gaming.
Smuggler's Run is an off-road car game; you bounce all over the hills and dales while avoiding myriad cops. The game has little by way of extras; there's no finishing movie, the intro movie is perfunctory at best, and the graphics would have looked only average on a Playstation One. However, the game itself is ridiculously addictive.
Remember all the Crystal/Design Design games on the spectrum? This is like that. It's designed with the gamer in mind, not the dolt who's more impressed with pretty graphics. When you restart the game, you start immediately. None of that crappy 360-circling views; you press (X) and you start. Similarly, there's nothing to delay the advance to the next level.
When I play a game, it's a game. I'm not being lara croft, I'm guiding a bunch of pixels around the screen. No matter how realistic the graphics get, that'll always be the case, and I'll always be aware that that's the case. I don't care about pretty graphics, fancy sound effects or end-of-level movies. I just want a good game.
To encapsulate: Review Smuggler's Run, You bastards. It's great.
Re:Geeks need to make the effort
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Gifts For Geeks
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· Score: 1
And what, we should encourage people to be this selfish and/or introverted? What's so wrong with being introverted? If it wasn't for introverts, we'd still be in the stone age.
Again, I come to the point: just because you (and, indeed, millions of others) think that being outgoing and extroverted are good things doesn't make it so. More specifically, it doesn't make introverted 'bad'.
I'll be going home on Christmas day. But my family have reconciled themselves to not getting much by way of pressies. It's taken a decade, but they finally accept that if I see something that someone I know would like, I'll buy it; I won't forbear just because it's not Christmas or a Birthday. Equally, I won't buy a present for someone just because I'm required by tradition to do so.
...celebrate the things that make us human. Don't get me started on this...
To avoid this is to admit that something is seriously lacking in your life.
Can you elucidate on this? I've no idea what you mean.
Re:Christmas isn't about presents
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Gifts For Geeks
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· Score: 2
Come on people, can't we stop thinking of ourselves at least once every year? Make the effort to turn off the computer and do something that will make your loved ones happy.
Humbug.
Have you considered the number of geeks who are maladjusted socially? The sort of people who, when thrust into the middle of a bunch of relatives they don't like and whom they only meet once a year, are going to be less than socially acceptable?
THey'd be doing themselves and their families a favour by staying at the computer.
Oh, and Christmas may be a time when you don't think of yourself for you, but for may others it's a time for thinking only of themselves. For others still, it's a time of peace when they can have the office to themeselves. For many more, it's a time to get pissed.
Why am I going through all this? Because Christmas may have its origins in religous festivals, but these days it's no more about Jesus than it is about Saturnalia.
It pisses me off to see people talk about Christmas as a time of good cheer and of being nice to your neighbours, as if it's perfectly acceptable to be an asshole for the rest of the year.
This comment is an attempt to call a lot of people names, but without being a troll.
Here goes...
About a month ago, the Playstation 2 was released in Ireland. On the day of its release, thousands of people queued up overnight outside shops all over Dublin, frantic in their hopes. People outside were offering hundreds of pounds over the odds to people who were walking out of the shops with their little blue boxes.
THen I wandered in around lunchtime, handed over the receipt, and walked out of the shop minutes later. No hassle, and all it took was a reservation two months before the fact.
So Cowboyneal, and thousands of others worldwide writhing with jealousy: I've no sympathy. But I do have a playstation.
Oh, yeah. The topic. If anyone wants to buy me a present, I'd love a Twiddler 2
I wonder why this was not noted by the computers.
My guess is that the software wasn't looking for it. It's also possible that there was insufficient data. If the planet differs between only two frames, then the software is quite likely to ignore it as a random abberation/cosmic ray/whatever. Computers are a lot more exacting in their standards; a human can notice the difference, then go looking for further evidence in different plates.
On a different topic: I reiterate the point I made during some other planetary discussion. Why do we need new designation? There are nine major planets, and godzillions of minor ones. Calling our diminutive neighbours planetarinos isn't going to help the cause of science at all. They're minor planets; leave 'em that way.
This seems to me like it would be going the wrong way.
Where are the damn moderator points when I need them?
I reckon you've got it exactly right; what's needed on the web in order for it to continue to expand usefully is for it to be indexable. There's no point in being able to look at a page exactly as the author intended if you can't find the damn thing in the first place.
Whatever format eventually replaces html, it's got to have at its core an indexing system. And pretty though latex is, it's not (AFAIR) that.
It seems like we ought to have some sort of new designation for satellites like this. I mean, we're talking *very* small chunks of rock, about an AU out from saturn.
Why? If it orbits like a moon, and through a telescope it looks like a moon, then as far as I'm concerned it's a moon. A new designation is necessary only if that designation served some purpose. Nothing would be gained by a new name for moonlets except to inflict another definition on our suffering schoolchildren.
Well actually I was just kidding. No attempt at either irony or hypocrisy. Sorry.
Boy, is my face red. Years of bitching about assholes who couldn't spot humour that wasn't accompanied by myriad smilies, and I go ahead and do the self-same thing.
By way of explanation - if not mitigation - I humbly offer as evidence the googols of comments of the nature outlined and ask, if not for forgiveness, then at least for a modicum of understanding.
Call Darth Vader a gay sadomasochist in a comment and you get nailed as a Troll.
Call Darth Vader a gay sadomasochist on a web page and you get a story on slashdot This sort of 'ironicly pointing out slashdot's shocking hyprocisy' comment is becoming more and more popular. Normally I ignore them as the work of the foolish, but every once and a while something comes along that's truly inane and I feel the urge to respond. So here we go...
I've had some of my most insightful comments (IMO, natch) marked down as trolls. Some of my trolls were marked up. Such is life in an imperfect universe. Moderators will have differing opinions, as will slashdot readers. Deal with it.
You really don't see any difference between a one-line 'Darth Vader is a Gay Sadomasochist' posted on a discussion about bandwidth and a web page - replete with (pretty crappy, but who cares) artwork - dedicated to brightening the lives of the few who find it? Make no mistake; the only reason people find pages like that is because they were sent the url. It's not the sort of thing you come across accidentally[1].
[1]Obviously, if you're going to ask jeeves where you can find gay, sadomasochistic lords of the sith then you might.
This may have appeared recently on/. when I wasn't paying attention, but just in case...
Check out this article from Forbes on Life; Turing Machines aren't the only things that can come out of Life programs.
I sneer at Nascomms, and fart in their general direction. Most of the reasons have been outlined already, so I'll make this comment more general in its scope.
The problem with this, as with myriad other 'solutions', is that it assumes that anything is better than IP4 and DNS. 'Bollocks' I say. If people wanted numeric addresses IP4/6 is perfectly suitable; it's as easy to remember and IP address as it is a phone number. However, people don't want numbers; they want something they can remember.
And if this is aimed at eliminating cybersquatting, what's going to happen when someone gets the phone number 7-11-7-11? How big a fight over 69-69-69 are we going to see among porn sites?
To sum up: half-arsed doesn't even begin to describe this idea.
Slashdot Mirror
What I think I have noticed is that technology seems to be changing away from critical systems to more fluid, biological systems.
It's definitely happening, but I doubt it's a conscious effort to drive research in that direction. Evolution has been in force for billions of years, and we're at the stage where we're beginning to realise that if there's an easy way to do something, nature's probably found it. As we dig more and more into the nature of plants and animals, we find more and more nifty tricks that can be applied to other areas.
You're right. They're wrong.
They're assholes.
You could probably win a suit for unfair dismissal.
You should get a new job anyway.
If your manager is a dick on this matter, chances are s/he'll be a dick on other matters too. Anyone with that level of idiocy is incapable of functioning as an efficient manager.
However: have you considered that this was a panicked reaction? It's possible that if you say with finality 'fuck off', they'll back down. I'd lay off the lawsuit threats until such time as you get the 'you're fired' notice; you'd only exacerbate an already bad situation with premature legal notices.
I kind of disagree. With 2.5 million users, and Seti@Home being around for a couple years now, that's a lot of time people AREN'T running the screensaver
That's just silly. Would you judge the success of the Beatles based on the number who've never bought one of their records?
No, SETI@Home isn't getting very high marks in the dedication department. More people would rather turn their PC off than allow it to run overnight to help out SETI.
And I'm one of those people. So what? Could the 35 years of time that I've contributed been higher? Yes. But the aim for most users isn't the same as yours; they (we) feel that we're making a contribution, and that we're not dedicated simply because we don't leave machines running all night. Nor are we guilty for the occasaional game of freecell or quake 3 that means fewer units get done.
I can't speak for others, but I'm happy that I'm contributing to a project in the way it was intended.
Wouldn't it be nicer if it could take a sim card, so the rest of the world could use it as well?
(It suddenly occurs to me that just cos we use SIMs in Ireland doesn't mean the ROTW does. God, I'm turning into an American).
So, a question: do y'all use sim cards? And don't you agree that it would be nice if these things were providor independent?
Exactly what do they mean with 500.000 years computing time?
You (and others who were also bitching/wondering) are missing the point. The reason for celebration isn't that a x amount of years were done; nor is arguing that it could have been done in x/100 hours on decent machines a worthwhile consideration.
The point is that 2.5 million people, between them, have been running their computers collectively for half a million years. Doesn't matter whether this was on 8088s or top-of-the-range z80s, the owners' computers were running, in total, for that time. This is, IMO, a phenomenal achievement.
Clue: Surely common sense dictates that you can't possibly have tea and no tea at the same time
Aha. The cycle begins again. I think I know what you mean, so I'll refrain from asking for further assistance. I'll try what I think the solution is, it won't work and I'll end up more bitter than before.
But thanks for the clue, and the offer. If, some time later this week, you see a post from me that consists, Spider-Jerusalem-like, of nothing but the word 'fuck', you'll know it didn't work.
put on the dressing gown, open the pocket and eat the analgesic. I think.
Normally I'd let you stew, but I can sympathise. I've been haunted for nearly a decade now by that fucking door that won't let me through. Every fucking person who tries to help tells me to show the fucking door tea and no tea, but I'd already fucking figured that out by consulting the fucking guide. It's the fucking syntax that gets me. And now that I've found the online version, I'm about to lose another couple of fucking years.
PS sorry about all the fucking swearing, but it's the only adventure game I haven't finished with a bit of persistence. And I'm still bitter.
These were released -- on this side of the Atlantic, at least -- a few years ago by HarperCollins, who have their own Tolkien imprint. There's a double cassette of the great man, not only reading, but singing all those elven things that I tend to skip over in the book.
If you're interested, wander over to here (which is a frame inside this)
Say to thorin 'carry me'|say to thorin 'go window'|se|e|se|e|get ring|n|d|n|go crack
I realize that you probably mis-spoke, but the phrase struck me as funny.
It struck me as funny too. Actually, I didn't misspeak (as such), but perhaps some clarification is in order. I believe absolutely that live exists elsewhere. Intelligent life, I'm not so sure about (the Drake Equation >= 10000 notwithstanding). The discovery of such life, be it on Europa, Ganymede or Minbar, is inevitable, given a long enough time scale. But if silicon-based life -- intelligent or otherwise -- were to be found, it'd go beyond coolness and come out the other side. It'd open up whole new vistas for science.
Finding ET live during my lifetime, btw, would cause me to be pleasantly surprised.
At the risk of sounding like an anti-consumer-society rantist, what's weird is that all these computers are being thrown out when they're still useful. How many people out there are using a PIII for surfing and a bit of word processing? How many 486s are thrown out each year because they're obsolete?
The 800XL is a powerful computer. Not by today's standards, perhaps, but basic data-processing needs haven't advanced so much in the last fifteen years that the an atari, a ti99-4a or even the noble spectrum can't handle them. I'd have my doubts about a vic 20, but I've had those doubts for decades now.
Personally, I'm delighted that these things are still being used, rather than stuck on a landfill leeching lead and PCBs into the ground.
It may have a weird shape and color, but it will be DNA-based.
For a long time I got annoyed by books/tv programmes/whatever that talked about 'alien dna'. However, I've come to realise that any life -- wherever it originates -- is likely to be DNA based. Not will be, I hasten to add, but likely to be. Why? Because the building blocks are very common.
Despite all the talk in science fiction of silicon based lifeforms, it's still far more likely that anything will be carbon based. Any life is likely to use what we call organic molecules; scientists have even calculated that adenine, one of the four bases, can be formed in space. Given the prevalance of amino acids around the universe, I'd be (pleasantly) surprised to find life anywhere based on anything else. I'd say, though, that DNA based life is, if not ubiquitous, then at least common.
Nit-picking? probably. I do agree that alien life would be phenomenally interesting from a scientific POV, but to echo the original poster, the ocean still holds untold secrets, from which we have much, much to learn.
I did reserve well over 2 months in advance. What did you think, I was sitting outside the local toy store waiting for a shipment to arrive?
Okay, so I was a little harsh. If you like, I can try and make it up to you by describing some games. I really like smuggler's run, for example. I can describe at length what you can't play until Easter.
But if you reserved one, why haven't you got one? My understanding was that orders were based on initial reservations. Of course, it's probably different in the US. I understand your population is slightly larger over there.
I'd opinion that the former is a very rare occurance and indicative of serious mental disorders, whereas the second is what a person who is "introverted" suffers from
I think you're underestimating the flexiblity of the human beastie. I'd contend, for example, that most of us have the potential to become world-class nerds, but those who do only do so because of the lack of human interaction during the pre/teen years.
Eventually, this lack of ability becomes lack of desire. Every introverted nerd realises eventually that s/he's quite capable of carrying on without trying to spend the day on inane conversations with coworkers/whatevers.
*sigh* That's not what I said.
Sorry for misunderstanding, but see above.
social interaction is just as necessary as it ever was.
From an individual POV, certainly. But the species is in no danger of dying out from underbreeding, so there's no imperative on indiviuals to procreate. Adolescents don't think in such terms, but as we get older, we realise that we're capable etc etc.
it isn't really a healthy state to be in psychologically speaking
I've no doubt that for the majority of the population, you're right; but that doesn't mean it applies to everyone. Even for the people to whom it does applay, it isn't the case all the time. Equally, for those of us with distinct misanthropic tendencies, we still enjoy the occasional conversation.
Serial killers in particular don't possess this emotional connection with other people, making them maniupulative and unable to empathise with their victims
And I thought I was capable of spurious arguments. I don't really want to start on this one; I doubt I could give anything approaching a complete answer in less than a few thousand words. Instead, I'll just say that it's rarely wise to illustrate a point by telling of how one character trait - introvertion, for example - can lead to nastiness (serial killing, in this case). Every trait humans possess can have its negative consequences; religous belief can lead to a willingness to believe in pseudoscience, intelligence can lead to disdain for the, ahem, cerebrally challenged... the list is endless.
the human need for companionship and love is part of what we are.
It's certainly what we were, and it's pretty much certainly still in our genes. But it's no longer necessary for our survival, and as such is expendable. We can do without it.
But we're straying from the point, here, which was Christmas/Saturnalia/Whatever. Let me ask you this: you advocate being nice to one and all at Christmas, and tolance for those we'd normally ignore. Which of these actions can we dispense with for the rest of the year?
Finally, a chance to get it off my chest...
Smuggler's Run has been ingnored by some (including this page) and dissed by others as useless, but it's the most compelling game I've played in a while. I finished it a couple of days ago, and my life seems emptier now.
Before you give up, this isn't a game review as much as an observation on gaming.
Smuggler's Run is an off-road car game; you bounce all over the hills and dales while avoiding myriad cops. The game has little by way of extras; there's no finishing movie, the intro movie is perfunctory at best, and the graphics would have looked only average on a Playstation One. However, the game itself is ridiculously addictive.
Remember all the Crystal/Design Design games on the spectrum? This is like that. It's designed with the gamer in mind, not the dolt who's more impressed with pretty graphics. When you restart the game, you start immediately. None of that crappy 360-circling views; you press (X) and you start. Similarly, there's nothing to delay the advance to the next level.
When I play a game, it's a game. I'm not being lara croft, I'm guiding a bunch of pixels around the screen. No matter how realistic the graphics get, that'll always be the case, and I'll always be aware that that's the case. I don't care about pretty graphics, fancy sound effects or end-of-level movies. I just want a good game.
To encapsulate: Review Smuggler's Run, You bastards. It's great.
And what, we should encourage people to be this selfish and/or introverted?
...celebrate the things that make us human.
What's so wrong with being introverted? If it wasn't for introverts, we'd still be in the stone age.
Again, I come to the point: just because you (and, indeed, millions of others) think that being outgoing and extroverted are good things doesn't make it so. More specifically, it doesn't make introverted 'bad'.
I'll be going home on Christmas day. But my family have reconciled themselves to not getting much by way of pressies. It's taken a decade, but they finally accept that if I see something that someone I know would like, I'll buy it; I won't forbear just because it's not Christmas or a Birthday. Equally, I won't buy a present for someone just because I'm required by tradition to do so.
Don't get me started on this...
To avoid this is to admit that something is seriously lacking in your life.
Can you elucidate on this? I've no idea what you mean.
Come on people, can't we stop thinking of ourselves at least once every year? Make the effort to turn off the computer and do something that will make your loved ones happy.
Humbug.
Have you considered the number of geeks who are maladjusted socially? The sort of people who, when thrust into the middle of a bunch of relatives they don't like and whom they only meet once a year, are going to be less than socially acceptable?
THey'd be doing themselves and their families a favour by staying at the computer.
Oh, and Christmas may be a time when you don't think of yourself for you, but for may others it's a time for thinking only of themselves. For others still, it's a time of peace when they can have the office to themeselves. For many more, it's a time to get pissed.
Why am I going through all this? Because Christmas may have its origins in religous festivals, but these days it's no more about Jesus than it is about Saturnalia.
It pisses me off to see people talk about Christmas as a time of good cheer and of being nice to your neighbours, as if it's perfectly acceptable to be an asshole for the rest of the year.
This comment is an attempt to call a lot of people names, but without being a troll.
Here goes...
About a month ago, the Playstation 2 was released in Ireland. On the day of its release, thousands of people queued up overnight outside shops all over Dublin, frantic in their hopes. People outside were offering hundreds of pounds over the odds to people who were walking out of the shops with their little blue boxes.
THen I wandered in around lunchtime, handed over the receipt, and walked out of the shop minutes later. No hassle, and all it took was a reservation two months before the fact.
So Cowboyneal, and thousands of others worldwide writhing with jealousy: I've no sympathy. But I do have a playstation.
Oh, yeah. The topic. If anyone wants to buy me a present, I'd love a Twiddler 2
I wonder why this was not noted by the computers.
My guess is that the software wasn't looking for it. It's also possible that there was insufficient data. If the planet differs between only two frames, then the software is quite likely to ignore it as a random abberation/cosmic ray/whatever. Computers are a lot more exacting in their standards; a human can notice the difference, then go looking for further evidence in different plates.
On a different topic: I reiterate the point I made during some other planetary discussion. Why do we need new designation? There are nine major planets, and godzillions of minor ones. Calling our diminutive neighbours planetarinos isn't going to help the cause of science at all. They're minor planets; leave 'em that way.
This seems to me like it would be going the wrong way.
Where are the damn moderator points when I need them?
I reckon you've got it exactly right; what's needed on the web in order for it to continue to expand usefully is for it to be indexable. There's no point in being able to look at a page exactly as the author intended if you can't find the damn thing in the first place.
Whatever format eventually replaces html, it's got to have at its core an indexing system. And pretty though latex is, it's not (AFAIR) that.
It seems like we ought to have some sort of new designation for satellites like this. I mean, we're talking *very* small chunks of rock, about an AU out from saturn.
Why? If it orbits like a moon, and through a telescope it looks like a moon, then as far as I'm concerned it's a moon. A new designation is necessary only if that designation served some purpose. Nothing would be gained by a new name for moonlets except to inflict another definition on our suffering schoolchildren.
Well actually I was just kidding. No attempt at either irony or hypocrisy. Sorry.
Boy, is my face red. Years of bitching about assholes who couldn't spot humour that wasn't accompanied by myriad smilies, and I go ahead and do the self-same thing.
By way of explanation - if not mitigation - I humbly offer as evidence the googols of comments of the nature outlined and ask, if not for forgiveness, then at least for a modicum of understanding.
Call Darth Vader a gay sadomasochist on a web page and you get a story on slashdot
This sort of 'ironicly pointing out slashdot's shocking hyprocisy' comment is becoming more and more popular. Normally I ignore them as the work of the foolish, but every once and a while something comes along that's truly inane and I feel the urge to respond. So here we go...
I've had some of my most insightful comments (IMO, natch) marked down as trolls. Some of my trolls were marked up. Such is life in an imperfect universe. Moderators will have differing opinions, as will slashdot readers. Deal with it.
You really don't see any difference between a one-line 'Darth Vader is a Gay Sadomasochist' posted on a discussion about bandwidth and a web page - replete with (pretty crappy, but who cares) artwork - dedicated to brightening the lives of the few who find it? Make no mistake; the only reason people find pages like that is because they were sent the url. It's not the sort of thing you come across accidentally[1].
[1]Obviously, if you're going to ask jeeves where you can find gay, sadomasochistic lords of the sith then you might.
This may have appeared recently on /. when I wasn't paying attention, but just in case...
Check out this article from Forbes on Life; Turing Machines aren't the only things that can come out of Life programs.
I sneer at Nascomms, and fart in their general direction. Most of the reasons have been outlined already, so I'll make this comment more general in its scope.
The problem with this, as with myriad other 'solutions', is that it assumes that anything is better than IP4 and DNS. 'Bollocks' I say. If people wanted numeric addresses IP4/6 is perfectly suitable; it's as easy to remember and IP address as it is a phone number. However, people don't want numbers; they want something they can remember.
And if this is aimed at eliminating cybersquatting, what's going to happen when someone gets the phone number 7-11-7-11? How big a fight over 69-69-69 are we going to see among porn sites?
To sum up: half-arsed doesn't even begin to describe this idea.