Re:Oh .. I get it.
on
The CVS Cop-Out
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I have a bit of a 1980s Steve Jobs attitude towards software and developers: if it doesn't work or if it sucks really bad, don't release it to the public. Maybe *you* think you're programming something for yourself, but when you post it to this website and that website and get it included in Linux distros, end users will be using it and expecting it to work. If you can't take the heat, etc...
1. Not that I doubt the Pentagon was hit by an aircraft, but it is documented fact that several security camera tapes were confiscated after the crash. Release them in their entirety.
2. Explain to me why standard operating procedures for NORAD that would normally require specific orders to disregard, were disregarded that day.
3. Explain to me how WTC-7 came to be the only steel-framed structure in recorded history to suffer a complete collapse as a result of fire alone. (FEMA's own report offers an elaborate theory which they say has a "low probability of occurance")
4. In light of the signifigance (particularly to insurers, architechts, engineers) of WTC-7's collapse-due-to-fire, why were the building remains sold to China for scrap before they could be fully analyzed? The building had been evacuated hours before the collapse, it was not necessary for rescue crews. This is a major event in the building industry: if steel structures can collapse from fire alone, insurance rates would have to be adjusted, architects would have to reconsider the design of thousands of structures.
5. If Flight 93 was destroyed by being crashed (intentionally or accidentally) into a field in Shanksville, PA, why did it leave a debris field over 8+ miles?
Answer those questions and I'll change my mind on the subject. And no, "I don't know", "It's not important" and "Maybe you need to adjust your tinfoil hat you crazy moonbat!" aren't valid responses. This isn't some wacky UFO and alien abduction silliness. The known laws of physics and US military standard operation procedure were both apparently out to lunch on 9/11, and we want to know why.
The US has been a scary place since 9/11, and not because of potential Islamic terrorism or whatever they're selling it as now. The big controversy up here in Canada right now is that everybody is going to need a passport to go across the border by next year. For me, this is a non-issue. You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me into the US in the first place.
That's not to say that we're a free society in Canada either, but at least we're not building concentration camps yet.
I'm not a flaky Christian, and I've actually got a diploma in Network admin, A+ and Linux+ certs, etc..and I *KNOW* advances in technology are the devil.
Ok, so I'm exaggerating..power, greed and money are the devil, advances in technology just facilitate an increase in power, greed and money. IBM, for example, made a lot of money from technology...by selling cataloguing systems to the Nazis. Oh, and don't get me (or anyone else on/.) started about Diebold. Or GPS tracking chips in cellphones. Or traffic cameras. Or automobile blackboxes. Or Internet phishing scams. Or...
I don't think the problem is that people *want* to use dial-up, it's just that broadband coverage isn't available in all areas. For example, I have a friend who is currently paying as much for his 56k access as others in this town pay for cable. The cost isn't the issue, it's that he lives in a somewhat rural area and the Cogeco cable line ends about 500 metres from his house.
If you're going to force people into using broadband for internet access, make sure they physically *have* that option first!
I check jobbank.gc.ca regularly, and they're a pretty big offender for allowing postings with keyword spam, contradictory requirements, and other such nonsense.
I've seen postings on that website for jobs that are "Full-Time/Part-Time/Temporary/Permanent" and require you to work "Day/Evening/Weekend". Of course you'll be rewarded handsomely with a salary of "to be negotiated". Job websites need to enforce some sort of rules on employers like:
1. Submission software that's smart enough to know that a job can't be both part time and full time, nor both temporary and permanent.
2. If an employer is looking for someone with x credentials or y certification, make sure that information is put in the corresponding section of the posting and not under some vague "other information" heading near the bottom.
Perhaps much of the fault should fall on the employers who are posting the job, but the job site should intervene enough to make sure a posting is logical, coherent, and spelled/formatted properly.
I couldn't agree with this more. I won't even look at job postings by recruiters. If an employer is serious about hiring, I fully expect them to be involved in the hiring process from the start. This Homer Simpson "can't someone else do it?" attitude completely turns me off of whatever job it may be.
On a related note, I wonder how long it'll be until the job recruiters are outsourcing their positions overseas so even THEY are barely involved. I hear capitalism works pretty well when jobs disappear and nobody can afford to buy anything.
Re:People are Obese regarless of Income or Geograp
on
Obesity Contagious?
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· Score: 1
This is exactly how I developed my current diet/exercise regimen. I'm a tall, slender, 23 year old male who developed a bit of a "spare tire" in college. Starting in October 2005, I began a fitness and nutrition program that I made up myself by observing nature. Consider:
1. With rare exception, humans are the only animals on the planet that get obese, and other animals that are obese usually got there due to human intervention.
2. For 40,000+ years, humans lived like other animals: When we weren't eating, we were being active hunting our next meal, or sleeping to regenerate our bodies. A measly ~100 years of McSociety isn't going to change what our species has adapted to thus far.
3. If the above is true, then the best way to stay healthy is to not fight nature, but try to live as closely to this way as possible. Excersise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and eat a lot of food.
There are a couple "tricks" though. Nature didn't intend for humans to eat processed food, so it's best to eat as much "real" food as possible. The other aspect that's often overlooked is building lean muscle mass. Each pound of lean muscle mass you add to your body burns approximately 50 calories a day at rest. If you want to lose body fat and keep it off, YOU CANNOT DO IT THROUGH AEROBIC EXERCISE ALONE!
Following these guidelines, I've been running this program since October, eating 3000 to 4000 calories a day(!), moderate fat intake, high protein intake, moderate carbohydrate intake, and avoiding grains. I have gone from 184 lbs. @ 22% body fat to 192 lbs. @ 19% body fat. I look and feel healthier, I have more energy through the day, I sleep better at night, and I don't get exhausted climbing a flight of stairs anymore.
I'm not a doctor or personal trainer or anything like that, but following the diet/exercise routine the human body has become adapted to through thousands of years of evolution works. Try it yourself. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.
One or two versions of Windows tried something like this (98 and 2000 I believe?) and I've seen a few programs offer a "details" button in their error dialogs, but I'm not convinced on the effectiveness of presenting error information in this way. I hold a diploma in Network Administration, and both A+ and Linux+ certifications (read: work at a community centre doing menial labor), so I've had the opportunity to observe a lot of people use a lot of computers with a lot of different OSes on them running a lot of different software. I've come to realize something of computer users: they ask stupid questions where there should be no questions.
Give a user a message that says "Program X caused an error" and they will be sent into a downward spiral of non-constructive rhetoric such as "Does that mean it won't work? Why won't it work? What did I do wrong? I didn't do anything to it! This thing just hates me! What a stupid piece of shit! Fuck computers! Fuck 'em in the ear! *sigh* Ok, fine, I guess I'll try again."
Nobody uses phrases like "caused an error" in real life, and these messages would be easier to understand if they were phrased like "Program X screwed up." or (for the kids) "OMFG! ur sooo fux0red if u didnt save that file u were werkin' on d00d!:(". Unfortunately, any error message you give to a computer user will bring on the aforementioned rash of cursing and projected self-hate.
The ideal solution is software that kills itself and starts back up right where it was so quickly that the user doesn't hardly notice, with NO error messages (unless they're turned on in "advanced settings" somewhere). The user never has to see an error message again unless the software gets caught in a loop of startup-error-shutdown, in which case it detects the loop, shuts down with no restart, and tells the user to contact a tech person. The tech person then changes a "0" to a "1" in a plaintext config file somewhere to turn on "advanced features" and goes under the hood to see what error(s) is happening and fix it.
On the topic of the Open Source community nitpicking the details of everything, I'd have to agree. There always seemed to be more politics in Open Source than in the United Nations, and with few rare exceptions, most Open Source software that I've used have communities that seem incapable of just sitting down and making something that works. So much of the debate and bickering is completely unnecessary. Now I'm no software developer, but here's a short list of things I'd consider in an Open Source software project:
a) Why in the world would anyone want to use this software? Does something else currently available do the same thing? Does your open source solution do it faster? easier? How is the user rewarded (in a way meaningful to an average user) for using your open source solution over the existing competition?
b) Does the world really need your open source solution? Yes, choice is good, but if 25 other open source projects exist that offer audio file playback with an attractive UI, will your idea offer something new, or just make the open source audio player software community more complex and confusing? Is your new idea worth starting a new project, or could you just contribute to an existing one?
c) Do you have clear direction in your open source project? Do you have realistic goals to aim for? Will you stick with those goals or will you keep changing them whenever you get halfway there? (I'm looking at you GNOME)
d) Can you and your project's team create software for COMPUTER USERS? Can you get some average Joes to try your software and give you input? Computer users understand things like the "go" button, "the start bar thing" and "x-ing out of programs". Does your software cater to this, or does it ask your user if they'd like to "Terminate this process and it's child processes"? You might know what a PID is, but to a computer user, "PID" is the end of the word "stuPID", which is what they'll be calling your software if you throw terms like that at them.
These points are worth discussion in an open source community, as opposed to licensing issues, color schemes, neato animations, our-software-won't-interoperate-with-yours-cause-y ou-guys-are-dicks arguments, and the like. All these things only take time away from creating valuable, useable software.
...is probably the best Canadian Hip-hop group. Although not stricly "nerd-hop" or whatever stupid label we're talking about here, they do mention elements from AD&D in several songs. Surprisingly enough, they still have commercial appeal and sell records pretty well:P
I've never heard of a few of these, but the best web fads I remember in my circle of geek friends are without a doubt:
1) The oft-offensive video/image dumping grounds of Adorable Bunnies, and...
2) Homestar Runner! How could anyone forget Homestar? This site spawned such classics as "The Cheat is not dead" and "Peasant's Quest" featuring Trogdor, the Burninator (and it's catchy theme song (/burninating the peasants/who live in thatch roof cottages!!/)). If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about: Homestar Runner Wiki
I'd never heard of this "microwave weapon" until now, but you may be referring to the "Long Ranged Acoustic Device" which has been in use by police and military for years now. Apparently, with the right sound frequency, it's able to cause nausea and disorientation within seconds. More info can be found here
Re:This is news for nerds?
on
The Neuron Drive
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I live in Hamilton, Ontario. Ever since Mr. Young purchased the TiCats, he's been on the local news at least once a month causing shit and being an ass in general. I think he's one of those "I'm rich..now I'm bored." types like dude that owns Virgin records whose name escapes me at the moment.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but I'd recommend Magic: The Gathering. It's a great game that (usually) involves logical thinking and it really appeals to the male "use something I built to destroy something you built" drive. Not only is it a fun game to play with friends, but most comic book/gaming stores run tournaments on a weekly basis (I actually just got home from one), where you can meet and socialize with other players, trade cards, play for prizes, etc.
Anyone considering trying MTG should be warned however, that it's a very addictive game with a bit of a learning curve. It takes some time to become familiar with the game mechanic and the over 2,000 (and growing) available cards. You will lose a lot of games and spend a lot of money, but it's a fun game that causes you to *gasp* use your brain, and relatively speaking, there are much worse things you could be doing with your time and money.;)
I was interested in TV tuners and PVR software and so forth for a while, but then I realized that being able to watch and record TV on my computer still does nothing to improve the actual content that passes for entertainment on TV.
Britney Spears is the top search..and scroll down a bit to "top company searches" to see that SCO is in the lead. This confirms my theory that people are fascinated with stupidity in all it's forms.
I never get over people saying things like this. It's always seemed like splitting hairs to me. Yes it looks like KDE, just like KDE looks like Windows, Windows looks like GNOME, GNOME looks like Aqua, etc, etc..
All of these popular interfaces use the same metaphors and ideas. For example, they all have some sort of "bar" in one part of the screen that organizes open programs and/or launches programs and/or tells you what time it is and a bunch of other stuff. Call it a "taskbar", a "panel", a "dock", or a "kicker", it's all the same thing.
Interfaces haven't really progressed from these basic ideas since their inception. If you want something that's fundamentally different, look at interfaces like Looking Glass, or Metisse.
Slashdot Mirror
I have a bit of a 1980s Steve Jobs attitude towards software and developers: if it doesn't work or if it sucks really bad, don't release it to the public. Maybe *you* think you're programming something for yourself, but when you post it to this website and that website and get it included in Linux distros, end users will be using it and expecting it to work. If you can't take the heat, etc...
1. Not that I doubt the Pentagon was hit by an aircraft, but it is documented fact that several security camera tapes were confiscated after the crash. Release them in their entirety.
2. Explain to me why standard operating procedures for NORAD that would normally require specific orders to disregard, were disregarded that day.
3. Explain to me how WTC-7 came to be the only steel-framed structure in recorded history to suffer a complete collapse as a result of fire alone. (FEMA's own report offers an elaborate theory which they say has a "low probability of occurance")
4. In light of the signifigance (particularly to insurers, architechts, engineers) of WTC-7's collapse-due-to-fire, why were the building remains sold to China for scrap before they could be fully analyzed? The building had been evacuated hours before the collapse, it was not necessary for rescue crews. This is a major event in the building industry: if steel structures can collapse from fire alone, insurance rates would have to be adjusted, architects would have to reconsider the design of thousands of structures.
5. If Flight 93 was destroyed by being crashed (intentionally or accidentally) into a field in Shanksville, PA, why did it leave a debris field over 8+ miles?
Answer those questions and I'll change my mind on the subject. And no, "I don't know", "It's not important" and "Maybe you need to adjust your tinfoil hat you crazy moonbat!" aren't valid responses. This isn't some wacky UFO and alien abduction silliness. The known laws of physics and US military standard operation procedure were both apparently out to lunch on 9/11, and we want to know why.
"It may be a non-issue for you, but some people care about it."
:)
That's why I said "for me"
The US has been a scary place since 9/11, and not because of potential Islamic terrorism or whatever they're selling it as now. The big controversy up here in Canada right now is that everybody is going to need a passport to go across the border by next year. For me, this is a non-issue. You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me into the US in the first place.
That's not to say that we're a free society in Canada either, but at least we're not building concentration camps yet.
I'm not a flaky Christian, and I've actually got a diploma in Network admin, A+ and Linux+ certs, etc..and I *KNOW* advances in technology are the devil.
/.) started about Diebold. Or GPS tracking chips in cellphones. Or traffic cameras. Or automobile blackboxes. Or Internet phishing scams. Or...
Ok, so I'm exaggerating..power, greed and money are the devil, advances in technology just facilitate an increase in power, greed and money. IBM, for example, made a lot of money from technology...by selling cataloguing systems to the Nazis. Oh, and don't get me (or anyone else on
I don't think the problem is that people *want* to use dial-up, it's just that broadband coverage isn't available in all areas. For example, I have a friend who is currently paying as much for his 56k access as others in this town pay for cable. The cost isn't the issue, it's that he lives in a somewhat rural area and the Cogeco cable line ends about 500 metres from his house.
If you're going to force people into using broadband for internet access, make sure they physically *have* that option first!
I check jobbank.gc.ca regularly, and they're a pretty big offender for allowing postings with keyword spam, contradictory requirements, and other such nonsense.
I've seen postings on that website for jobs that are "Full-Time/Part-Time/Temporary/Permanent" and require you to work "Day/Evening/Weekend". Of course you'll be rewarded handsomely with a salary of "to be negotiated". Job websites need to enforce some sort of rules on employers like:
1. Submission software that's smart enough to know that a job can't be both part time and full time, nor both temporary and permanent.
2. If an employer is looking for someone with x credentials or y certification, make sure that information is put in the corresponding section of the posting and not under some vague "other information" heading near the bottom.
Perhaps much of the fault should fall on the employers who are posting the job, but the job site should intervene enough to make sure a posting is logical, coherent, and spelled/formatted properly.
I couldn't agree with this more. I won't even look at job postings by recruiters. If an employer is serious about hiring, I fully expect them to be involved in the hiring process from the start. This Homer Simpson "can't someone else do it?" attitude completely turns me off of whatever job it may be.
On a related note, I wonder how long it'll be until the job recruiters are outsourcing their positions overseas so even THEY are barely involved. I hear capitalism works pretty well when jobs disappear and nobody can afford to buy anything.
This is exactly how I developed my current diet/exercise regimen. I'm a tall, slender, 23 year old male who developed a bit of a "spare tire" in college. Starting in October 2005, I began a fitness and nutrition program that I made up myself by observing nature. Consider:
1. With rare exception, humans are the only animals on the planet that get obese, and other animals that are obese usually got there due to human intervention.
2. For 40,000+ years, humans lived like other animals: When we weren't eating, we were being active hunting our next meal, or sleeping to regenerate our bodies. A measly ~100 years of McSociety isn't going to change what our species has adapted to thus far.
3. If the above is true, then the best way to stay healthy is to not fight nature, but try to live as closely to this way as possible. Excersise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and eat a lot of food.
There are a couple "tricks" though. Nature didn't intend for humans to eat processed food, so it's best to eat as much "real" food as possible. The other aspect that's often overlooked is building lean muscle mass. Each pound of lean muscle mass you add to your body burns approximately 50 calories a day at rest. If you want to lose body fat and keep it off, YOU CANNOT DO IT THROUGH AEROBIC EXERCISE ALONE!
Following these guidelines, I've been running this program since October, eating 3000 to 4000 calories a day(!), moderate fat intake, high protein intake, moderate carbohydrate intake, and avoiding grains. I have gone from 184 lbs. @ 22% body fat to 192 lbs. @ 19% body fat. I look and feel healthier, I have more energy through the day, I sleep better at night, and I don't get exhausted climbing a flight of stairs anymore.
I'm not a doctor or personal trainer or anything like that, but following the diet/exercise routine the human body has become adapted to through thousands of years of evolution works. Try it yourself. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.
A photoshopped image from AP? Imagine my shock!
Because there are NO police state type shenanigans happening there..
One or two versions of Windows tried something like this (98 and 2000 I believe?) and I've seen a few programs offer a "details" button in their error dialogs, but I'm not convinced on the effectiveness of presenting error information in this way. I hold a diploma in Network Administration, and both A+ and Linux+ certifications (read: work at a community centre doing menial labor), so I've had the opportunity to observe a lot of people use a lot of computers with a lot of different OSes on them running a lot of different software. I've come to realize something of computer users: they ask stupid questions where there should be no questions.
:(". Unfortunately, any error message you give to a computer user will bring on the aforementioned rash of cursing and projected self-hate.
Give a user a message that says "Program X caused an error" and they will be sent into a downward spiral of non-constructive rhetoric such as "Does that mean it won't work? Why won't it work? What did I do wrong? I didn't do anything to it! This thing just hates me! What a stupid piece of shit! Fuck computers! Fuck 'em in the ear! *sigh* Ok, fine, I guess I'll try again."
Nobody uses phrases like "caused an error" in real life, and these messages would be easier to understand if they were phrased like "Program X screwed up." or (for the kids) "OMFG! ur sooo fux0red if u didnt save that file u were werkin' on d00d!
The ideal solution is software that kills itself and starts back up right where it was so quickly that the user doesn't hardly notice, with NO error messages (unless they're turned on in "advanced settings" somewhere). The user never has to see an error message again unless the software gets caught in a loop of startup-error-shutdown, in which case it detects the loop, shuts down with no restart, and tells the user to contact a tech person. The tech person then changes a "0" to a "1" in a plaintext config file somewhere to turn on "advanced features" and goes under the hood to see what error(s) is happening and fix it.
On the topic of the Open Source community nitpicking the details of everything, I'd have to agree. There always seemed to be more politics in Open Source than in the United Nations, and with few rare exceptions, most Open Source software that I've used have communities that seem incapable of just sitting down and making something that works. So much of the debate and bickering is completely unnecessary. Now I'm no software developer, but here's a short list of things I'd consider in an Open Source software project:
y ou-guys-are-dicks arguments, and the like. All these things only take time away from creating valuable, useable software.
a) Why in the world would anyone want to use this software? Does something else currently available do the same thing? Does your open source solution do it faster? easier? How is the user rewarded (in a way meaningful to an average user) for using your open source solution over the existing competition?
b) Does the world really need your open source solution? Yes, choice is good, but if 25 other open source projects exist that offer audio file playback with an attractive UI, will your idea offer something new, or just make the open source audio player software community more complex and confusing? Is your new idea worth starting a new project, or could you just contribute to an existing one?
c) Do you have clear direction in your open source project? Do you have realistic goals to aim for? Will you stick with those goals or will you keep changing them whenever you get halfway there? (I'm looking at you GNOME)
d) Can you and your project's team create software for COMPUTER USERS? Can you get some average Joes to try your software and give you input? Computer users understand things like the "go" button, "the start bar thing" and "x-ing out of programs". Does your software cater to this, or does it ask your user if they'd like to "Terminate this process and it's child processes"? You might know what a PID is, but to a computer user, "PID" is the end of the word "stuPID", which is what they'll be calling your software if you throw terms like that at them.
These points are worth discussion in an open source community, as opposed to licensing issues, color schemes, neato animations, our-software-won't-interoperate-with-yours-cause-
...is probably the best Canadian Hip-hop group. Although not stricly "nerd-hop" or whatever stupid label we're talking about here, they do mention elements from AD&D in several songs. Surprisingly enough, they still have commercial appeal and sell records pretty well :P
BTW, my all time favorite from Homestar Runner, which I'm sure will be appreciated by most people reading Slashdot: Strong Bad's Virus E-Mail
1) The oft-offensive video/image dumping grounds of Adorable Bunnies, and...
2) Homestar Runner! How could anyone forget Homestar? This site spawned such classics as "The Cheat is not dead" and "Peasant's Quest" featuring Trogdor, the Burninator (and it's catchy theme song (/burninating the peasants/who live in thatch roof cottages!!/)). If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about: Homestar Runner Wiki
Sharks with...lasers?
I'd never heard of this "microwave weapon" until now, but you may be referring to the "Long Ranged Acoustic Device" which has been in use by police and military for years now. Apparently, with the right sound frequency, it's able to cause nausea and disorientation within seconds. More info can be found here
You know it's a slow news day when...
I live in Hamilton, Ontario. Ever since Mr. Young purchased the TiCats, he's been on the local news at least once a month causing shit and being an ass in general. I think he's one of those "I'm rich..now I'm bored." types like dude that owns Virgin records whose name escapes me at the moment.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but I'd recommend Magic: The Gathering. It's a great game that (usually) involves logical thinking and it really appeals to the male "use something I built to destroy something you built" drive. Not only is it a fun game to play with friends, but most comic book/gaming stores run tournaments on a weekly basis (I actually just got home from one), where you can meet and socialize with other players, trade cards, play for prizes, etc.
;)
Anyone considering trying MTG should be warned however, that it's a very addictive game with a bit of a learning curve. It takes some time to become familiar with the game mechanic and the over 2,000 (and growing) available cards. You will lose a lot of games and spend a lot of money, but it's a fun game that causes you to *gasp* use your brain, and relatively speaking, there are much worse things you could be doing with your time and money.
I was interested in TV tuners and PVR software and so forth for a while, but then I realized that being able to watch and record TV on my computer still does nothing to improve the actual content that passes for entertainment on TV.
no, it's wouldn't be.
Britney Spears is the top search..and scroll down a bit to "top company searches" to see that SCO is in the lead. This confirms my theory that people are fascinated with stupidity in all it's forms.
I never get over people saying things like this. It's always seemed like splitting hairs to me. Yes it looks like KDE, just like KDE looks like Windows, Windows looks like GNOME, GNOME looks like Aqua, etc, etc..
All of these popular interfaces use the same metaphors and ideas. For example, they all have some sort of "bar" in one part of the screen that organizes open programs and/or launches programs and/or tells you what time it is and a bunch of other stuff. Call it a "taskbar", a "panel", a "dock", or a "kicker", it's all the same thing.
Interfaces haven't really progressed from these basic ideas since their inception. If you want something that's fundamentally different, look at interfaces like Looking Glass, or Metisse.