Sure, you computer nerds had it bad and all that, but I was (am) a literature geek. I was the kid in your english class who compared "Death of a Salesman" to "Hamlet". I was the kid who ran the school poetry/literature magazine, worked in the library and read the optional assignments for fun. I was the kid who the girls looked down on for being a brown-noser and the guys thought was gay.
I was never shoved in a locker, swirleed or beat up after class. I was just lonely. I could talk to people just fine, make 'em laugh and all that, but no-one ever bothered.
But then I started talking to co-workers and classmates, going to bars and stuff, and you know what? People like the sort of stuff I'm good at.
I hated high school and will always look back on it with a bit of a frown, but I don't think those four years hurt me much. If anything they've given me a healthy dose of perspective.
hah! I Wish I could get cable or DSL. I'm not close enough to my local switching station for DSL to work and cable costs a small fortune if you don't have (or want) cable TV.
It's also worth noting that I don't live in middle america - I live in New York City. As it is I pay $5 a month for Dialup. Believe me, I'd get DSL if I could.
Sales tax is no big deal when you're talking about books, but the taxes on tech are enough to make them unaffordable.
When I was in the market for a flatpanel iMac I checked the applestore online. Sure, they don't charge shipping but an 8.25% sales tax on a $1,500 piece of equiptment is a large chunk of change. I went to smalldog.com instead (and got it cheaper as a refurbished unit, natch) and paid $20 in shipping instead.
books and stuff, who cares, but some things it's better to avoid the taxes on.
Triv
Re:dead before it was online
on
Sim-Dud?
·
· Score: 2
You are not the only one, I never saw the point in playing it. Now mix Diablo and The Sims, then you might get me to play it.
I realise you were kidding, but I'd love something like that.
Diablo gets really boring after a while - I'd love the backplot and associated stat modifiers etc. of your assassin having a family life (an odd one, but still.) Although decorating your tent in the rogue encampment would be a little much...
Although essays and criticism may be subjective in the liberal arts, the "correct" subjective interpretation is that of the professor, not the student.
No, at least, not in any of my lit classes. You need to prove what you put in a good english paper using quotes and secondary sources. I could say that Moliere was an existentialist and be laughed at, or I could provide contextual evidence and show he had existentialist tendencies (he doesn't, it's just an example). One answer is right because I can effectively show it to be so. Most people who say "The teacher didn't agree with me" happened to fail the class.
As an example: I had an english teacher in highschool who was fanatically devoted to James Joyce. She had set opinions on him. I contradicted her in a paper on "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and she gave me an A, said "Huh. I never thought of that." Why? Because I was convincing. YMMV, of course, but I've NEVER had a literature teacher that closed-minded.
"While this would doubtlessly be a great boon to Xbox's library, it could be a shock to other consoles as titles which were originally planned for a diverse release become Xbox exclusives."
Why not? They did it to Bungie. Remember why Halo was going to be a multi-platform release?
I agree with all of the people saying "expand your horizons" and offer this short list:
Jim Thompson, "Population 1280"
Sarah Vowell, "Radio On: A Listener's Diary"
Arundhati Roy, "The God of Small Things"
and Alistar Beaton's "Feelgood" (it's a play)
I DO pay for radio, specifically I pay for NPR. They provide conent I'm willing to throw down a couple of bucks for and I'd o insane if they weren't around to remind me that not all media sucks.:)
I've got it sitting right here on the desktop of a 700mhz G4. I've played it once. Why? it's so slow it's nearly unplayable. So why haven't I sold it or something? Because, despite how slow it runs, it's gorgeous. Go figure.
Moderators: this is a trek rant and I'm posting at 1 not 2. Don't bother modding me down, it's not worth it.
That really wasn't the point of my joke, though.
I know. It just reminded me.:)
On the design of the reliant: There was a fan publication that had imagined movie-era ship designs (TacResFleet review, I think?). One of the most innovative designs they had was the Thruxton Class light cruiser: the basic idea was to reduce the profile of the z-axis and thereby reduce the profile, making it harder to hit from the side. There was a minimal secondary hull with the nacells mounted along its length (like the constitution class if the nacelle struts had no z-axis depth, if you can imagine that.)
The truly innovative thing was the placement of the mega-phaser cannon. On the Reliant they were mounted on the rollbar making it quite difficult to hit anthing coming at them from below (which unintentionally mirrors Khan's 2-dimentional thinking). On the Thruxton they were mounted on the nacelles, offering a close to 360-degree phaser arc. Neat.
Apparently the real world version needed interchangable nodules...
Thought we had a Star Trek parody here.
[treknerd]
My treklore might be a bit fuzzy, but certain starships were designed this way - most starships from the retrofitted enterprise onward were designed with swappable bridge modules (which was basically an explanation as to why the Enterprise's bridge layout kept changing from movie to movie), but the most striking example of this was the nebula class - nacelles tucked right up under the saucer, shortened vertical engineering section and a huge mission definable pod mounted on its back. Survey mission? slide on a sensor pack. Goin' to war? Add some extra photon torpedo launchers and you're good to go.
They did something like this on DS9 with the runabouts as well, but that was because one episode had all three runabouts on screen at the same time and viewers needed to be able to visually tell the ships apart - one didn't have one, one glowed green and one glowed red (or something like that). Cute.
Just DLed safari. Works well, (and blocks pop-ups! and integrates google search! And cleanly handles ad cookies!) except:
1. NO TABS. Tabs are the greatest thing about chimera and I've gotten quite used to them. I like only having one open window.
2. the brushed metal theme only encompasses the menubar area with no frame at all around the rest. It looks...odd - none of the windows have real borders which works well for the finder but looks off for a web-browser.
it IS still in beta, of course, and I'm truly torn between this and Chimera. Let's see what happens.:)
you'll be forced to watch ads (like the unskipable previews on some DVDs)...
Ooooh, how I HATE them. It's one thing to hit me with ads for something I'm essentially getting for free (TV) but to put 'em in front of a movie I've paid for is extremely annoying. Our economy is becoming more and more entrenched in "Free=advertising, cost=no advertising" land, which is fine, but it makes violations of this 'agreement' stick out like a sore thumb.
Here's the lowdown on tenure: if you're salaried, and 90% of us are (I will be in a few weeks, or I'll be completely unemployed - I'm with ReCap till jan. 8th) after one year you are given tenure, basically meaning they can't fire you without cause and if you're current assignment ends they transfer you to another position. I'm pretty sure this is a union-only deal though I could be wrong. I'm certain it applies to LTA positions. I'll check up on it.:)
I have no problems with Apple's pricing policy - I firmly believe that with them you get what you pay for. I got the computer I ultimately wanted, paid a more than reasonable price for it and have been happy ever since. I can see how my original post could've been seen as lambasting Apple, but it was more picking on this thread's parent for being so...annoying.:)
hell dude, I'm having problems getting my palm to sync in the first place. I got an M505 as a freebie and have been trying like hell to sync it with my flatpanel to no avail. I think the problem's with the ultra-cheap serial-USB bridge I picked up - iSync, PalmDesktop and OSX set up perfectly but then can't ID the palm at all.
And without the sync for me it's pretty much useless.:(
I'm not in IT, it's an obsessive hobby. I have no idea what the tech market's like right now (though I've been told it's not at all good) but my industry's having some major issues.
Yes, I still go to school. I also work 40+ hours a week, pay tuition, rent and transportation in New York City. the 20k a year I make means I scrape by, particularly with a new computer to pay for. I also have the love-hate relationship of working for the NYPL - our budget is so tight this year the research libraries (which I work for) don't open on mondays anymore.
I don't know about the tech market or the rest of the country, but finding even an entry-level position in NYC is well nigh impossible. I counting the days until the library gives me tenior. Until then there's a good chance I'll be living on the street if the cutbacks continue and I end up out of a job.
But who wants an iMac when you can get a Dual G4 with one of those really pretty cinema displays
People without $6,000 to throw down, you idiot.
I make around $20,000 a year and I needed a new computer. I took out a loan and bought a midrange flatpanel iMac and I love it. I would've LOVED a 23" cinema display, but guess what? I couldn't afford one even with years of saving. I thought about spending the extra cash and get a tower but the form-factor of the iMac is so unassuming and the screen so wonderfully designed I can't believe I even thought about a tower. I also know myself and know that I'd much rather buy a new computer in 4 years than keep upgrading the tower. Ok, realistically if they had a cheaper 17"er I would've bought it, but I got my iMac for $1,350. Throw a 10 GB iPod in there and it's STILL cheaper than the cheapest tower/monitor combo, even with an education discount on the pre-windtunnel models.
So in short: you're either a troll or spoiled, and either way you need a serious dose of reality. Apparently you don't realise how hard money is to come by these days.
Slashdot Mirror
Sure, you computer nerds had it bad and all that, but I was (am) a literature geek. I was the kid in your english class who compared "Death of a Salesman" to "Hamlet". I was the kid who ran the school poetry/literature magazine, worked in the library and read the optional assignments for fun. I was the kid who the girls looked down on for being a brown-noser and the guys thought was gay.
I was never shoved in a locker, swirleed or beat up after class. I was just lonely. I could talk to people just fine, make 'em laugh and all that, but no-one ever bothered.
But then I started talking to co-workers and classmates, going to bars and stuff, and you know what? People like the sort of stuff I'm good at.
I hated high school and will always look back on it with a bit of a frown, but I don't think those four years hurt me much. If anything they've given me a healthy dose of perspective.
Triv
Geek guides for dating could be a powerful weapon against the Dark Lord in the East.
You mean...the sun? Not really a dark lord unless you stare at it for too long...assuming you remember what it looks like and what function it serves.
For me, it's halogen all the way.
Triv
Until then you have DSL and cable modem at best
hah! I Wish I could get cable or DSL. I'm not close enough to my local switching station for DSL to work and cable costs a small fortune if you don't have (or want) cable TV.
It's also worth noting that I don't live in middle america - I live in New York City. As it is I pay $5 a month for Dialup. Believe me, I'd get DSL if I could.
Triv
Sales tax is no big deal when you're talking about books, but the taxes on tech are enough to make them unaffordable.
When I was in the market for a flatpanel iMac I checked the applestore online. Sure, they don't charge shipping but an 8.25% sales tax on a $1,500 piece of equiptment is a large chunk of change. I went to smalldog.com instead (and got it cheaper as a refurbished unit, natch) and paid $20 in shipping instead.
books and stuff, who cares, but some things it's better to avoid the taxes on.
Triv
You are not the only one, I never saw the point in playing it. Now mix Diablo and The Sims, then you might get me to play it.
I realise you were kidding, but I'd love something like that.
Diablo gets really boring after a while - I'd love the backplot and associated stat modifiers etc. of your assassin having a family life (an odd one, but still.) Although decorating your tent in the rogue encampment would be a little much...
Triv
Well, and a network card
I might be misinterpreting this, but isn't it pretty unlikely to be running OS X on a system without an ethernet card built-in?
Triv
Not me. My Higher-ed teachers have all been really cool about dissenting opinions. That high school teacher was just a striking example.
:)
My opinion, if you're teachers are honestly like that you're at the wrong school. But then again, I'm a Liberal Arts major.
Triv
Although essays and criticism may be subjective in the liberal arts, the "correct" subjective interpretation is that of the professor, not the student.
No, at least, not in any of my lit classes. You need to prove what you put in a good english paper using quotes and secondary sources. I could say that Moliere was an existentialist and be laughed at, or I could provide contextual evidence and show he had existentialist tendencies (he doesn't, it's just an example). One answer is right because I can effectively show it to be so. Most people who say "The teacher didn't agree with me" happened to fail the class.
As an example: I had an english teacher in highschool who was fanatically devoted to James Joyce. She had set opinions on him. I contradicted her in a paper on "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and she gave me an A, said "Huh. I never thought of that." Why? Because I was convincing. YMMV, of course, but I've NEVER had a literature teacher that closed-minded.
Triv
"While this would doubtlessly be a great boon to Xbox's library, it could be a shock to other consoles as titles which were originally planned for a diverse release become Xbox exclusives."
Why not? They did it to Bungie. Remember why Halo was going to be a multi-platform release?
Triv
I agree with all of the people saying "expand your horizons" and offer this short list:
:)
Jim Thompson, "Population 1280"
Sarah Vowell, "Radio On: A Listener's Diary"
Arundhati Roy, "The God of Small Things"
and Alistar Beaton's "Feelgood" (it's a play)
go for it.
triv
I DO pay for radio, specifically I pay for NPR. They provide conent I'm willing to throw down a couple of bucks for and I'd o insane if they weren't around to remind me that not all media sucks. :)
Triv
I've got it sitting right here on the desktop of a 700mhz G4. I've played it once. Why? it's so slow it's nearly unplayable. So why haven't I sold it or something? Because, despite how slow it runs, it's gorgeous. Go figure.
Triv
I'll be nice and not post it here, but you do know what whois is, don't you? Next time I'm in Lochgilphead (yeah, right) I'll drop by for that pint. ;)
Triv
Moderators: this is a trek rant and I'm posting at 1 not 2. Don't bother modding me down, it's not worth it.
:)
That really wasn't the point of my joke, though.
I know. It just reminded me.
On the design of the reliant: There was a fan publication that had imagined movie-era ship designs (TacResFleet review, I think?). One of the most innovative designs they had was the Thruxton Class light cruiser: the basic idea was to reduce the profile of the z-axis and thereby reduce the profile, making it harder to hit from the side. There was a minimal secondary hull with the nacells mounted along its length (like the constitution class if the nacelle struts had no z-axis depth, if you can imagine that.)
The truly innovative thing was the placement of the mega-phaser cannon. On the Reliant they were mounted on the rollbar making it quite difficult to hit anthing coming at them from below (which unintentionally mirrors Khan's 2-dimentional thinking). On the Thruxton they were mounted on the nacelles, offering a close to 360-degree phaser arc. Neat.
Neat! There's a page on it here.
Triv
Apparently the real world version needed interchangable nodules...
Thought we had a Star Trek parody here.
[treknerd] My treklore might be a bit fuzzy, but certain starships were designed this way - most starships from the retrofitted enterprise onward were designed with swappable bridge modules (which was basically an explanation as to why the Enterprise's bridge layout kept changing from movie to movie), but the most striking example of this was the nebula class - nacelles tucked right up under the saucer, shortened vertical engineering section and a huge mission definable pod mounted on its back. Survey mission? slide on a sensor pack. Goin' to war? Add some extra photon torpedo launchers and you're good to go.
They did something like this on DS9 with the runabouts as well, but that was because one episode had all three runabouts on screen at the same time and viewers needed to be able to visually tell the ships apart - one didn't have one, one glowed green and one glowed red (or something like that). Cute.
[/treknerd]
Triv
Just DLed safari. Works well, (and blocks pop-ups! and integrates google search! And cleanly handles ad cookies!) except:
:)
1. NO TABS. Tabs are the greatest thing about chimera and I've gotten quite used to them. I like only having one open window. 2. the brushed metal theme only encompasses the menubar area with no frame at all around the rest. It looks...odd - none of the windows have real borders which works well for the finder but looks off for a web-browser.
it IS still in beta, of course, and I'm truly torn between this and Chimera. Let's see what happens.
Triv
you'll be forced to watch ads (like the unskipable previews on some DVDs)...
Ooooh, how I HATE them. It's one thing to hit me with ads for something I'm essentially getting for free (TV) but to put 'em in front of a movie I've paid for is extremely annoying. Our economy is becoming more and more entrenched in "Free=advertising, cost=no advertising" land, which is fine, but it makes violations of this 'agreement' stick out like a sore thumb.
Triv
Here's the lowdown on tenure: if you're salaried, and 90% of us are (I will be in a few weeks, or I'll be completely unemployed - I'm with ReCap till jan. 8th) after one year you are given tenure, basically meaning they can't fire you without cause and if you're current assignment ends they transfer you to another position. I'm pretty sure this is a union-only deal though I could be wrong. I'm certain it applies to LTA positions. I'll check up on it. :)
triv
You'd think working in a library would give one plenty of time and opportunity to pick up, oh, I dunno... a dictionary?
You ever work in a library, flame-boy? No? If you did, was it something other than reshelving? No? So shut up. You have no idea.
I don't mind being corrected for my spelling, but gods. Don't you have anything better to do?
Triv
I have no problems with Apple's pricing policy - I firmly believe that with them you get what you pay for. I got the computer I ultimately wanted, paid a more than reasonable price for it and have been happy ever since. I can see how my original post could've been seen as lambasting Apple, but it was more picking on this thread's parent for being so...annoying. :)
Triv
hell dude, I'm having problems getting my palm to sync in the first place. I got an M505 as a freebie and have been trying like hell to sync it with my flatpanel to no avail. I think the problem's with the ultra-cheap serial-USB bridge I picked up - iSync, PalmDesktop and OSX set up perfectly but then can't ID the palm at all.
:(
And without the sync for me it's pretty much useless.
Triv
a few points:
I'm not in IT, it's an obsessive hobby. I have no idea what the tech market's like right now (though I've been told it's not at all good) but my industry's having some major issues.
Yes, I still go to school. I also work 40+ hours a week, pay tuition, rent and transportation in New York City. the 20k a year I make means I scrape by, particularly with a new computer to pay for. I also have the love-hate relationship of working for the NYPL - our budget is so tight this year the research libraries (which I work for) don't open on mondays anymore.
I don't know about the tech market or the rest of the country, but finding even an entry-level position in NYC is well nigh impossible. I counting the days until the library gives me tenior. Until then there's a good chance I'll be living on the street if the cutbacks continue and I end up out of a job.
Triv
But who wants an iMac when you can get a Dual G4 with one of those really pretty cinema displays
People without $6,000 to throw down, you idiot.
I make around $20,000 a year and I needed a new computer. I took out a loan and bought a midrange flatpanel iMac and I love it. I would've LOVED a 23" cinema display, but guess what? I couldn't afford one even with years of saving. I thought about spending the extra cash and get a tower but the form-factor of the iMac is so unassuming and the screen so wonderfully designed I can't believe I even thought about a tower. I also know myself and know that I'd much rather buy a new computer in 4 years than keep upgrading the tower. Ok, realistically if they had a cheaper 17"er I would've bought it, but I got my iMac for $1,350. Throw a 10 GB iPod in there and it's STILL cheaper than the cheapest tower/monitor combo, even with an education discount on the pre-windtunnel models.
So in short: you're either a troll or spoiled, and either way you need a serious dose of reality. Apparently you don't realise how hard money is to come by these days.
Triv
(Don't bother looking for it, it's nowhere to be found...)
;)
oh yeah?
Triv
...to those who now want to read Beowulf:
Don't. Listen to it instead. It was a myth, part of an oral tradition. You really don't get the same thing out of reading it.
There's a recording available of Seamus Heaney reading his translation of it here.
Triv