Evening all, it's once again time for an EU Digital Rights Patent Pending Bullshit Theory of the Day! I ask for patience as I weave my tale tonight, for the future is never more than a dim bulb as if about to burn out and the visions gleaned will be open to wide reinterpretation.
I want to go on record as saying that I approve of the Sun Grid, and the ideal of computing utilities. While I love the fact that my Mac thinks by itself, I've been watching the wall and the graffiti has begun to get very interesting. The Sun Grid concept as it stands today is best for major academic and scientific researchers. People splitting atoms virtually who are making $300,000 US in their work efforts. Is that me? No. Is it you? Probably not. The current intended market are eggheads of a different sort. A minute of their time wasted waiting for a computer is $.50 US. Two minutes of wasted time pays for a CPU Hour from Sun Grid.
Why is this important? It isn't, not yet. The fact that Sun had a press release, issued a statement, and as geeks we saw it zoom by and have been waiting for months to see what they were talking about has nothing to do with geeks that frequent/. Doesn't even have anything to do with most geeks that don't frequent/. Frankly, there doesn't seem to be anyone who is trying to sit down and think about it like a pointy haired boss and not a geek.
But I digress. Star Trek, yes?
The Kirk vs. Picard debate aside, The Next Generation had great technology. Kind of had to if it was going to be used to save the ship every week. The main computer of the NCC-1701-D was the most massive mainframe anyone could ever think of and was pretty much the entire ship. Sure, the Galaxy class had a computer Core, but really when you think about it all that meant was massive storage arrays. Believe what you will, Star Trek has pushed (especially the American) the dreams of tech builders ever since it hit the air waves. Just look at every flip phone and tell me that isn't a Kirk age communicator. For that matter, look at any PDA and tell me that isn't a PADD. (Personal Access Data Device or something)
The big thing is tomorrow, the 4th dimensional tomorrow. There will be a computing "Grid." Whether from Sun, or Microsoft, or Apple, or Bob's House of Discount Computers. The ideal and need for one is there. Seti @ Home and Bit Torrent prove that much. Why do I say this?
Wireless Communication Technology.
When the away team beamed to a planet's surface, they were wearing sophisticated VoIP communicators on their chest. Tap the dialer, and speak the name of the person you needed to speak to, the main computer system found that buddy online, routed the call to their VoIP communicator, chirped them and allowed two way communication. Don't tell me these aren't on the way, Nextel has been using a feature that is one step removed for years now.
Pull out your PADD and let's get some work done. Integrated WiFi ensures a connection, but why does tomorrows PDA need to think all by itself? Heck, I'm not even a crazy, knee deep, senior geek anymore. Too much time spent doting on my 2 year old daughter. Yet, I still have no less than 7 UNIX systems around the house that are all accessed via a single system, terminal, ssh, X Windows server/client protocol, and for the times I need to help Windows friends VNC. Why do we think that with the move to more mobile systems, global wireless technologies and scaled down embedded processors that we all won't still do all that tomorrow? The PDA / laptop / digital paper / Bob's your uncle that will be along very soon now will be very similar to Sun's Sun Ray systems. Insert your Java Card, enter your password, and you are on your desktop. Today the Sun Ray is a thin client desktop. The protocol, in theory, will allow you to connect to your home office from any Sun Ray with your card. Provided the firewalls allow it, routing systems allow it, etc. But let's view the future as ide
Could someone please tell me why employees browsing porn sites is such a big fucking deal? How is it different than employees browsing/.?
IT security people at corporations are becoming porno hunters. Be proud, guys.
You apparently do not live in the U.S. You see, here we have these things called laws that are written and voted upon by hairless monkeys that are given offices by people that can't be bothered to read and vote on these "laws" themselves.
Some of these "laws" revolve around personal opinion and human emotions known as "feelings." They state that if you do something that hurts someone elses "feelings" you will go to jail and have to give them a lot of money.
This has caused a rash outbreak of people "sniping" or hiding out in bushes that sometimes decorate offices and awaiting an unsuspecting employee to briefly brush past a site holding pornographic material. Google.com is a good example. In this instant they leap from the previously hidden sniping bush and proclaim that the barest hint of an unclothed nipple has hurt their "feelings"
This results in a winning lawsuit in which the unknowing employee receives a new boyfriend at the same time that he is given to the sniper as a money slave for the rest of his life. Sometimes it even results in the closing of an entire company and results in a rise in unemployment which these people called "taxpayers" really have something against.
A couple of years ago something that looked almost like a nipple, but clearly wasn't, caused a major change in the entire U.S. broadcasting industry because of all the people whose "feelings" the wardrobe malfunction had caused to be hurt.
This has caused companies to be very careful about keeping anything that could possible hurt "feelings" out of their offices and off of their computers. Where I work, we usually just leave the computers turned off....
Well, there are several ways to get torque and power to the road under the tires. The Honda Insight actually didn't originally have an Automatic transmission, they were all manual. Though that may have changed now, I haven't kept up.
Part of the way the system in the Insight worked was that you were supposed to put the car in neutral at stop lights. This killed the engine. As the light changed, and the car was put back into first, it engaged the starter and the engine was brought back to life, supposedly without the driver really noticing. Though far too many Americans drive in the "The other traffics light is green green green.... YELLOW.... PUNCH IT NOW WHILE MY LIGHT IS STILL RED" method of driving. So I don't know how many drivers would put the car in neutral anyway.
But in a half-assed response to your question, "performance" vehicles aimed at enthusiasts will always have a manual transmission. If the gear selection only really places capacitance on the engine to force it to slow down and feel like it dropped gear, then whatever it takes. Well, I guess I shouldn't say always. Sometime in the next 450,000 years we'll probably all travel by thought alone and what good will manual transmissions do us then?
On a completely unrelated note, I prefer manual for control over the amount of torque delivered to the road. Do you have any idea how exceptionally hard it is to find a 4x4 anything with a stick? Mitsu and Suburu put out some AWD models, and I think you can still special order the Dakota with a manual + 4x4, and that's about it. Unfortunately we (Americans) tend to be a bit push the button and do it for me so I can be lazy again types.
While I'm on this rant, Four Wheel Drive does not mean Four Wheel Traction. Putting your SillyUberVehicle in Drive and slamming the pedal to the floor does not mean you are invincible in a Minnesota winter. (You know who you are, I watched you flip your Blazer last winter)
"Why waste your mod points on "All your base . .." jokes? I mean, come on,"
While I agree that "All your ${BASE} belong..." jokes have become very cliche, there is a point about humor to cover the impact of bad news. I believe Lewis Black said it best:
"America has lost it's God Damned mind... this country as it does everytime it comes down to war completely loses it's sense of humor. When we do that we become dangerously close to what we hate about our enemies."
"Of course I would much rather have a Judge I actually AGREED with 100%, but that's never ever ever going to happen."
Sure it will, go to law school, pass the bar, fight hard to be in the right place with the right people for the next 15 - 20 years and when one of those right people get into top office, slip them a solid "You owe me" and get a seat.
Then there will be at least 1 judge on the bench that you will agree with 100% of the time.
Personally, I don't have a windows computer in my home. I am running several Macs, a Sparc and a Linux machine. The main reason all stems from Microsoft and the way they treat their paying customers like they are stealing something from them.
A friend of mine bought a Gateway computer a couple of years ago with XP Home on it. After installing and uninstalling several pieces of software the system locked and he couldn't get it to "boot." So being the tech savvy friend in the industry he brings the PC to me.
The system is asking for a Microsoft Authentication Code. Ok, whatever. Plug into the switch, get online, enter the Key Code, refuses my request for an Auth Code. *grumble* Call the number provided, get a wonderful automated system that doesn't let me speak to a human. Also refuses to give me an Auth Code. *more grumbling* Call Microsoft Support direct (the first number was given to me by XP when the code gen failed) speak to a human who verifies I have a valid Windows Key Code and then refuses to give me an Auth Code.
Meh?
She proceeds to inform me that as the code is an OEM code from Gateway that I have to call them. *sighs* Ok, I've been dealing with this a couple hours now, with hold times and all, but what the hey. Call Gateway, the representative though friendly, tells me very politely to go screw myself. Seems the system is now out of warranty period, plus since I'm not the actual owner of the system anyway they can not give me any assistance what so ever. Offers the helpful advice to give Microsoft a call.
At this point I pull out an education bulk copy of XP Pro I happened to have purchased, and isn't running on anything else and install Pro in place of Home. Good thing about the bulk site keys, there are thousands of users with the same key legally and honestly. Kill the key and lots of very unhappy people.
My Mac? Drop the CD/DVD in, hold down C, click install, and I'm done. Ahh.... simple. Linux? Same thing, boot the disc, walk through the install dialog, and we're happy. Debian based? apt-get upgrade the entire thing without even a CD. Heck, even Solaris installs and assumes it's legit and doesn't mind. (This was before the whole it's free for you and open now too thing)
Yeah, Microsoft is only going to end up really annoying the hell out of it's legit users. Crackers and 1337 W@r3z P1r@t35 will never be more than mildly inconvenienced. If they are taking the time now to write programs that will let them keygen against binaries on the CD, then they are already spending the time trying to rip the thing off. The problem with a cat burglar is, no matter how many locks on the safe, if the Hope Diamond is inside, they are going to take the time they need to open it.
Where he of course met Guinan and Data and was almost killed by time shifting aliens that were attempting to steal our souls. Wouldn't that be anyones worst season?
[FANBOY]
Well, I'm not sure about this one. I mean, I would love to see the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, cleaned up and ready to rock on the big screen again. Mainly because I still buy the occasional toy and have been so buried by the amount of Star Wars figures the last decade that I'm ready for a change. Come on, we *need* an Indy line again. Just look at the Disney exclusives from the theme park. They still sell well on ye ol' eBay.
[/FANBOY]
Though, that being said, I'm not sure what they could do to the Indy movies sfx wise that would change them. With Star Wars, there is always a new alien to add in the background or spaceships on the huge expanse of space. But Indy? What would they do there? Add more spiders in the opening sequence? More dying Nazi's when they open the Ark? Raiders was never really a sfx power house. Didn't need to be, set in WWII and all, the tech to produce that is readily available and has been for 50+ years.
*sighs* I grew up on Indy, more so than Star Wars anyway. I've always enjoyed Star Wars, but the Indy series always meant more to me. Besides 3/4" scale Harrison Ford's just look cooler with a fedora instead of a blaster.
However, if they go through and recolor the fedora in every scene a nice Ferrari Red, someone dies.
I've seen a couple posts where people have said "Hey, the first optical mouse let me throw away the pad." and have just got to drop a quick note here.
I have several optical mice that *need* their pad, as it has a grid for the optics to read as you draw the mouse across it. So it took them awhile to figure out how to get the optical mouse to work with no pad. Just as it will take them awhile to figure out how to give the entire population of the Earth cancer by using Inductive style power beamed from satellites to power those mice.
Reminds me of a shirt my room mate use to wear, I'm sure many of you have seen it:
"If Pacman had affected us as kids we'd be running around in dark rooms,
munching pills and listening to repetitive music."
Which I believe to be a quote from someone, though I know not who, however I felt it relevant here.
Personally I agree with the AC's who have said that the parents need to be held accountable *first* and the video game industry *second*. I am the proud father of a two year old girl. Am I about to let her start playing GTA next year? Hell no. Luigi's Mansion? Well... actually... she gets a little scared watching me play Luigi's Mansion. Kind of cute really, but the point is still valid. *My* daughter is going to have *My* input on what it is to be a well adjusted adult as she matures. While those of you that disagree with my viewpoints over the years may not be comfortable with that thought, she will at least be able to think.
All I can say is "Remember Rome" and start checking the aqueducts... sorry, plumbing... for lead.
*sighs* Seriously.... saying I buy G3 motherboards was for point validation. Just because I didn't say "Oh, I was in line with everyone else to grab hold of my brand new copy of Tiger." doesn't mean that I didn't. That I buy new Apple products as well isn't what was at issue here, and if it's just one in a thousand, then everyone of them must live within 30 miles of me, cause there are two shops here that do Mac repair and upgrades as well as other custom work if needed.
You sure you aren't Jobs? Cause I'm seriously beginning to see a Reality Distortion Field coming into effect. I'm not about to start listing items, but Apple has plenty of my money, don't you worry. So, yes, I do give a shit, which brings me back to being disturbed.
I seriously doubt there will ever be a Video iPod. It's kind of like an x86 port of Mac OS X. It just doesn't make the right kind of sense. Even though it's technically possible and, at least in the case of x86 X, exists in secret labs for testing purposes, a two inch screen just isn't good for watching a movie, especially when that movie is HD/Anamorphic/Needs to be letterboxed. Most people I know hate letterbox right now and they have 40+" screens.
No, if there is ever a portable Apple video product it will be a "vPod" design specifically to play video. Which means it will probably be clamshell to protect the screen, though with the thickness of the iPod harddrives still probably be fairly thin, but will be at least the size of a small hardback book so the screen can be in 16:9 ratio for playback of anamorphic video.
I mean, logically, when you think about it, you aren't about to let your kids try to lean over each other holding an iPod on a long trip. Most of those "portable" DVD players end up getting hard mounted in the seat backs of "Pimped" out rides anyway. So they really aren't "portable" they are watchable. That's the difference.
But that's just my two cents on the matter. Believe me, your mileage will vary.
I know others have jumped in here and tried to rip down on you. Their basic point is valid, don't piss a geek off. With that in mind I have to pepper you just a little bit myself, but I guess I'm just the overlap you talk about.
I happen to consider myself an "Alpha Geek." Why? Several reasons, I understand most of BGP, needed to when I worked in a NAP, I've admin'ed some truly enterprise *NIX including SunFire e10K class and Tru64 Alpha class machines, etc.
I also happen to be an Apple Stockholder, so I do happen to give a shit about what other "Alpha Geeks" think. (As an aside, I keep looking at SGI and envisioning all of that wonderful IP... and... well... use your imagination, I have.)
You do sell products to people that want to take them apart. That may not be who you target, but that is who buys them. Sure, if you sell 1 million iMacs, maybe only 20, or 30% want to, but they do. Just look at all the websites devoted to how to upgrade, repair, and do really non standard things with Apple gear.
I buy G3 motherboards off eBay all the time. Some of them happen to run Linux, but most of them end up in non Apple standard cases, like an 8U monster I have because I wanted the drives off the internal bus, and not connected external in another case/cabinet.
Sure it isn't *exactly* ATX spec, sure I have to perform minor surgery on power supplies for some of them and sure I have to drill holes in the case to make them work. The point is, I do it, and I wasn't the first. There is a company in TN I believe, Marathon Computers, that makes a decent living off of supplying just that, an ATX case with special fab board trays to fit Apple boards.
But the reason I go through all that trouble is why you say Apple builds them in the first place. "They just work." But don't think for a minute that as a company Apple provides me with everything I need. The company I currently work for is getting ready to make a massive migration from soon to be EOL systems to something more mainframe-esque. Unfortunately it won't be Apple because they don't offer what we need. (Massive Symmetric Processing)
Sorry to rant on you so long, I was just very honestly disturbed by the comments you made.
The current firmware running on the B&W is 1.1f1. Based on the information I have this is the latest readily available. There is apparently a 1.1f4, but was only available in a update from June 99 that is no longer available. Latest date on file available is 05-99 and is updater 1.1.
I have reset the NVRAM from OF as well as replaced the PRAM battery. This causes no changes, and the events are recreatable. I format the hard drive, reinstall 10.3.1, system runs with no problems or issues and behaves as expected. Allow the updates to install and around 10.3.7 (upgrades are now the "bulk all in one" type through System Update) the system stops booting by itself (black screen without PRAM zap). When I allow it to go to 10.3.9 it gives me the gray screen with "No" sign and will not boot at all.
I guess I could take it to the Apple store and let someone at the Genius Bar look at it, but I'm not sure they would even know what it is now. "What's this? It isn't a pleasing platinum or even a trendy white. Did you paint this blue?"
I skimmed through the change log but didn't see anything that addresses my problem. My B&W G3 will not boot by itself after the update two before this one.
Let me allow that to sink in for a moment..... before I repeat myself. My Mac will not boot by itself after one of the last Panther updates.
If I have to reboot I have to hover over the keyboard and wait for the Startup "Pong" to do a PRAM flash, second "Pong" and the system starts just fine. If I don't do that the screen goes black and the system sits there, disk access etc even stops.
God Forbid I have to shutdown completely. Last time I did that I had to open the case and depress the CUDA button to get the system to even power on.
I happen to know it's something in one of the updates, because I simply assumed the B&W (being that it is several years old) was finally dying, and gearing up for a newer G4 replacement bought a new hard drive. My copy of Panther is original, so after installation, shutdowns, reboots, everything works fine. I finally let it start it's updates after setting up my mail, etc (No Apps installs, though) and wham. Same issue, have to PRAM zap to boot... then it adds 10.3.9 and it eats the disk. Will not boot at all. Had to put the smaller disk back in..... though once I did that, the other Panther was able to *mount* the disk that apparently no longer has a boot sector
Meh?
Has any other B&W users here on/. been victim to this? I've trolled a few Mac forums but haven't found anything like this, and I'm not sure how I should submit it to Apple for a fix if I'm the only one having the issue. Though again, I have to admit I haven't been looking too long, thought it was the Mac and not the software, silly me.
The Great Depression was bad. Really bad. You couldn't believe how vastly, hugely mind-boggingly bad it was. I mean, you may think the Dot.Com era was a horrible circumstance, but that's just peanuts to the Great Depression.
Can you Define "alone", Define "is" please
on
Review: Jade Empire
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· Score: 1
You know what the word "is" means that's the first verb you learn in any language. It's the verb "to be" the verb of existance, it's why you went out to get your winky whacked.
*sighs* You know if it weren't for my horse I wouldn't have spent that year in college.
I used to work for an ISP that leased all of their equipment from the 3Com NICs all the way up to the Cisco 12000's.
From themselves!
The owner of the ISP started a "sister" company that owned and leased equipment. Our ISP wasn't his only company, he also leased some medical gear to himself. But another big feature was the fact that we had massive colocation. He also leased equipment as a third party (HA!) to our colo'd customers
I'm pretty sure that I do not have 10K tied up in my CD collection, most of which were bought used / second hand back when "Disc-Go-Round" was still in business and from Goodwill and Pawn Shops. I have several hundred discs, and a 10 GB iPod that I received for Christmas that has just under 2000 songs (7.5 GB) on it.
Also, given that Apple and Pepsi have sponsored a free iTunes song campaign the last two years during the superbowl, I have over 100 iTunes songs "Purchased" that, if you consider the fact that I would have been buying and drinking the Pepsi anyway, I have at most $5.00 of real cash tied up in.
So I have been able to fill my iPod for well under 10K. Sure, if you buy and pay for each song individually from iTMS and need to buy 2000 songs that equals 2000 dollars, but most iTunes albums feature more than 10 songs and typically sell for $9.99.
So in my opinion, Napster is nothing but marketing hype. However, I'm one of those people that hate monthly charges. Absolutely hate them. I prefer the pay as I go system, that way like last year when I went 7 months without buying anything at all from iTMS, I didn't pay anything and didn't feel any pressure or force to buy anything. So I guess as in all things your mileage may very.
In response to your statement about giving cops cell phones instead of a WiFi VoIP based solution. I'd like to add my opinion to the argument. Everyone ready?! It is time once again for my Bullshit Theory of the Day. (Patent Pending, of course.)
Let's review what the police already use to their job. Every officer where I live, be they local, county, or state, has a laptop in their car. Their radio system is trunked and the laptop receives information from the station as well as offering multiple channels for voice communication to dispatch. At this time the technology, though having been in use for a while, is still somewhat proprietary and thus is expensive. A station must buy the trunking hardware to digitize, and mux traffic, then transmit that into the ether where it is picked up by everyone.
Let's review that last word. Everyone. Where I live it is illegal to have a police scanner in a moving vehicle. (Technically, during transport ie you just bought it, the scanner must be in the trunk.) There really isn't anything to keep normal people, as well as criminals, from listening to communications. At best, the consumer scanners don't have the proper computer communication from headquarters and most sometimes can't follow a full conversation. (The trunks switch every mic key release, and the "computer" channels change every couple of days.) But you typically can hear what you need to in order to know where your friendly neighbor Officer Mitchell is doing his job.
Also, pushing information like that through the ether can be hit or miss in rural communities. You have to remember, that the curvature of the Earth dictates distance for RF travel. Typically 70 miles before you hit the ground itself, unless you get the signal on a high tower. However, the trunk receiver on the cars can't be equally as high (and I'm starting to wondering if satellites are not getting involved. The trunk receivers now look like XM antennas) anyway, I digress. This means, technically, that unless you are bouncing the signal to orbit and back you can not talk to a field agent that is over 70-ish miles from home base.
Enter tomorrows technology today. Setting up WiFi that allows vehicle transmission to push VoIP so that as long as you have an internet link, you can communicate with dispatch. This will not be limited to voice. The laptops the officers use to get information about plates and criminals will also switch to this WiFi based system, and for the Law Enforcement Pointy Haired Bosses, here comes the best part. PGP type encryption for PTP tunnel building so that the information between agent and base is "secure". Technically, it would take someone long enough to get the encrypt key, even if it's measured in minutes, to keep from knowing exactly when and where officer movement is occuring real time.
The funny thing is that I used to do tech support for Motorola, and they have a wireless networking technology that is pretty cool. We also did tech for their international customers, and had this one crazy chick from China continuously calling. Had to be two or three times a week, for about four months. Asking all kinds of technical and really out there questions about the system, and why the system didn't work. We puzzled through it and finally got an interpreter involved and found out she had these things on *trains* Apparently Asian WiFi has already been doing this moving hand off for a while now, at least experimentally. The Chinese chick couldn't understand that this product was like ethernet cabling, without the cable. Had to be aimed and left. So the control center kept losing, and then regaining, contact to trains on board systems. So people want this to work, for a variety of reasons.
I can't even begin to tell you how often I look and listen to what is going on without thinking to myself, "My God, we're in a badly ghostwritten William Shatner novel."... or any other post apocalyptic work that envisions the future of the world with computers in our head. Ever hear of Masamune Shirow? I'm starting to think that dude is dead on about what's coming in the next 50 years.
What exactly would a commercial GPL be like? Doesn't that kind of go against the grain and nature of the GPL? Because when I think commercial I think "We made a change, then closed it, now we won't let you know what that change is or how it affects other GPL'd software"
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Evening all, it's once again time for an EU Digital Rights Patent Pending Bullshit Theory of the Day! I ask for patience as I weave my tale tonight, for the future is never more than a dim bulb as if about to burn out and the visions gleaned will be open to wide reinterpretation.
I want to go on record as saying that I approve of the Sun Grid, and the ideal of computing utilities. While I love the fact that my Mac thinks by itself, I've been watching the wall and the graffiti has begun to get very interesting. The Sun Grid concept as it stands today is best for major academic and scientific researchers. People splitting atoms virtually who are making $300,000 US in their work efforts. Is that me? No. Is it you? Probably not. The current intended market are eggheads of a different sort. A minute of their time wasted waiting for a computer is $.50 US. Two minutes of wasted time pays for a CPU Hour from Sun Grid.
Why is this important? It isn't, not yet. The fact that Sun had a press release, issued a statement, and as geeks we saw it zoom by and have been waiting for months to see what they were talking about has nothing to do with geeks that frequent /. Doesn't even have anything to do with most geeks that don't frequent /. Frankly, there doesn't seem to be anyone who is trying to sit down and think about it like a pointy haired boss and not a geek.
But I digress. Star Trek, yes?
The Kirk vs. Picard debate aside, The Next Generation had great technology. Kind of had to if it was going to be used to save the ship every week. The main computer of the NCC-1701-D was the most massive mainframe anyone could ever think of and was pretty much the entire ship. Sure, the Galaxy class had a computer Core, but really when you think about it all that meant was massive storage arrays. Believe what you will, Star Trek has pushed (especially the American) the dreams of tech builders ever since it hit the air waves. Just look at every flip phone and tell me that isn't a Kirk age communicator. For that matter, look at any PDA and tell me that isn't a PADD. (Personal Access Data Device or something)
The big thing is tomorrow, the 4th dimensional tomorrow. There will be a computing "Grid." Whether from Sun, or Microsoft, or Apple, or Bob's House of Discount Computers. The ideal and need for one is there. Seti @ Home and Bit Torrent prove that much. Why do I say this?
Wireless Communication Technology.
When the away team beamed to a planet's surface, they were wearing sophisticated VoIP communicators on their chest. Tap the dialer, and speak the name of the person you needed to speak to, the main computer system found that buddy online, routed the call to their VoIP communicator, chirped them and allowed two way communication. Don't tell me these aren't on the way, Nextel has been using a feature that is one step removed for years now.
Pull out your PADD and let's get some work done. Integrated WiFi ensures a connection, but why does tomorrows PDA need to think all by itself? Heck, I'm not even a crazy, knee deep, senior geek anymore. Too much time spent doting on my 2 year old daughter. Yet, I still have no less than 7 UNIX systems around the house that are all accessed via a single system, terminal, ssh, X Windows server/client protocol, and for the times I need to help Windows friends VNC. Why do we think that with the move to more mobile systems, global wireless technologies and scaled down embedded processors that we all won't still do all that tomorrow? The PDA / laptop / digital paper / Bob's your uncle that will be along very soon now will be very similar to Sun's Sun Ray systems. Insert your Java Card, enter your password, and you are on your desktop. Today the Sun Ray is a thin client desktop. The protocol, in theory, will allow you to connect to your home office from any Sun Ray with your card. Provided the firewalls allow it, routing systems allow it, etc. But let's view the future as ide
Life, Sir, is a joke. Please laugh every once in a while. It will make the day go by faster.
You apparently do not live in the U.S. You see, here we have these things called laws that are written and voted upon by hairless monkeys that are given offices by people that can't be bothered to read and vote on these "laws" themselves.
Some of these "laws" revolve around personal opinion and human emotions known as "feelings." They state that if you do something that hurts someone elses "feelings" you will go to jail and have to give them a lot of money.
This has caused a rash outbreak of people "sniping" or hiding out in bushes that sometimes decorate offices and awaiting an unsuspecting employee to briefly brush past a site holding pornographic material. Google.com is a good example. In this instant they leap from the previously hidden sniping bush and proclaim that the barest hint of an unclothed nipple has hurt their "feelings"
This results in a winning lawsuit in which the unknowing employee receives a new boyfriend at the same time that he is given to the sniper as a money slave for the rest of his life. Sometimes it even results in the closing of an entire company and results in a rise in unemployment which these people called "taxpayers" really have something against.
A couple of years ago something that looked almost like a nipple, but clearly wasn't, caused a major change in the entire U.S. broadcasting industry because of all the people whose "feelings" the wardrobe malfunction had caused to be hurt.
This has caused companies to be very careful about keeping anything that could possible hurt "feelings" out of their offices and off of their computers. Where I work, we usually just leave the computers turned off ....
Well, there are several ways to get torque and power to the road under the tires. The Honda Insight actually didn't originally have an Automatic transmission, they were all manual. Though that may have changed now, I haven't kept up.
Part of the way the system in the Insight worked was that you were supposed to put the car in neutral at stop lights. This killed the engine. As the light changed, and the car was put back into first, it engaged the starter and the engine was brought back to life, supposedly without the driver really noticing. Though far too many Americans drive in the "The other traffics light is green green green .... YELLOW .... PUNCH IT NOW WHILE MY LIGHT IS STILL RED" method of driving. So I don't know how many drivers would put the car in neutral anyway.
But in a half-assed response to your question, "performance" vehicles aimed at enthusiasts will always have a manual transmission. If the gear selection only really places capacitance on the engine to force it to slow down and feel like it dropped gear, then whatever it takes. Well, I guess I shouldn't say always. Sometime in the next 450,000 years we'll probably all travel by thought alone and what good will manual transmissions do us then?
On a completely unrelated note, I prefer manual for control over the amount of torque delivered to the road. Do you have any idea how exceptionally hard it is to find a 4x4 anything with a stick? Mitsu and Suburu put out some AWD models, and I think you can still special order the Dakota with a manual + 4x4, and that's about it. Unfortunately we (Americans) tend to be a bit push the button and do it for me so I can be lazy again types.
While I'm on this rant, Four Wheel Drive does not mean Four Wheel Traction. Putting your SillyUberVehicle in Drive and slamming the pedal to the floor does not mean you are invincible in a Minnesota winter. (You know who you are, I watched you flip your Blazer last winter)
While I agree that "All your ${BASE} belong ..." jokes have become very cliche, there is a point about humor to cover the impact of bad news. I believe Lewis Black said it best:
Laugh, Life's a joke.
Sure it will, go to law school, pass the bar, fight hard to be in the right place with the right people for the next 15 - 20 years and when one of those right people get into top office, slip them a solid "You owe me" and get a seat.
Then there will be at least 1 judge on the bench that you will agree with 100% of the time.
Personally, I don't have a windows computer in my home. I am running several Macs, a Sparc and a Linux machine. The main reason all stems from Microsoft and the way they treat their paying customers like they are stealing something from them.
A friend of mine bought a Gateway computer a couple of years ago with XP Home on it. After installing and uninstalling several pieces of software the system locked and he couldn't get it to "boot." So being the tech savvy friend in the industry he brings the PC to me.
The system is asking for a Microsoft Authentication Code. Ok, whatever. Plug into the switch, get online, enter the Key Code, refuses my request for an Auth Code. *grumble* Call the number provided, get a wonderful automated system that doesn't let me speak to a human. Also refuses to give me an Auth Code. *more grumbling* Call Microsoft Support direct (the first number was given to me by XP when the code gen failed) speak to a human who verifies I have a valid Windows Key Code and then refuses to give me an Auth Code.
Meh?
She proceeds to inform me that as the code is an OEM code from Gateway that I have to call them. *sighs* Ok, I've been dealing with this a couple hours now, with hold times and all, but what the hey. Call Gateway, the representative though friendly, tells me very politely to go screw myself. Seems the system is now out of warranty period, plus since I'm not the actual owner of the system anyway they can not give me any assistance what so ever. Offers the helpful advice to give Microsoft a call.
At this point I pull out an education bulk copy of XP Pro I happened to have purchased, and isn't running on anything else and install Pro in place of Home. Good thing about the bulk site keys, there are thousands of users with the same key legally and honestly. Kill the key and lots of very unhappy people.
My Mac? Drop the CD/DVD in, hold down C, click install, and I'm done. Ahh .... simple. Linux? Same thing, boot the disc, walk through the install dialog, and we're happy. Debian based? apt-get upgrade the entire thing without even a CD. Heck, even Solaris installs and assumes it's legit and doesn't mind. (This was before the whole it's free for you and open now too thing)
Yeah, Microsoft is only going to end up really annoying the hell out of it's legit users. Crackers and 1337 W@r3z P1r@t35 will never be more than mildly inconvenienced. If they are taking the time now to write programs that will let them keygen against binaries on the CD, then they are already spending the time trying to rip the thing off. The problem with a cat burglar is, no matter how many locks on the safe, if the Hope Diamond is inside, they are going to take the time they need to open it.
Where he of course met Guinan and Data and was almost killed by time shifting aliens that were attempting to steal our souls. Wouldn't that be anyones worst season?
Did someone mention De Lorean?! Oh, no, wait you just mentioned Back to the Future, sorry.
"A flying De Lorean? I haven't seen one of those in ... thirty years."
What they need is Harrison Ford in a De Lorean going back in time to a younger self so he can continue to play Indy forever.
[FANBOY]
Well, I'm not sure about this one. I mean, I would love to see the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, cleaned up and ready to rock on the big screen again. Mainly because I still buy the occasional toy and have been so buried by the amount of Star Wars figures the last decade that I'm ready for a change. Come on, we *need* an Indy line again. Just look at the Disney exclusives from the theme park. They still sell well on ye ol' eBay.
[/FANBOY]
Though, that being said, I'm not sure what they could do to the Indy movies sfx wise that would change them. With Star Wars, there is always a new alien to add in the background or spaceships on the huge expanse of space. But Indy? What would they do there? Add more spiders in the opening sequence? More dying Nazi's when they open the Ark? Raiders was never really a sfx power house. Didn't need to be, set in WWII and all, the tech to produce that is readily available and has been for 50+ years.
*sighs* I grew up on Indy, more so than Star Wars anyway. I've always enjoyed Star Wars, but the Indy series always meant more to me. Besides 3/4" scale Harrison Ford's just look cooler with a fedora instead of a blaster.
However, if they go through and recolor the fedora in every scene a nice Ferrari Red, someone dies.
I've seen a couple posts where people have said "Hey, the first optical mouse let me throw away the pad." and have just got to drop a quick note here.
I have several optical mice that *need* their pad, as it has a grid for the optics to read as you draw the mouse across it. So it took them awhile to figure out how to get the optical mouse to work with no pad. Just as it will take them awhile to figure out how to give the entire population of the Earth cancer by using Inductive style power beamed from satellites to power those mice.
Reminds me of a shirt my room mate use to wear, I'm sure many of you have seen it:
Which I believe to be a quote from someone, though I know not who, however I felt it relevant here.
Personally I agree with the AC's who have said that the parents need to be held accountable *first* and the video game industry *second*. I am the proud father of a two year old girl. Am I about to let her start playing GTA next year? Hell no. Luigi's Mansion? Well ... actually ... she gets a little scared watching me play Luigi's Mansion. Kind of cute really, but the point is still valid. *My* daughter is going to have *My* input on what it is to be a well adjusted adult as she matures. While those of you that disagree with my viewpoints over the years may not be comfortable with that thought, she will at least be able to think.
All I can say is "Remember Rome" and start checking the aqueducts ... sorry, plumbing ... for lead.
*sighs* Seriously .... saying I buy G3 motherboards was for point validation. Just because I didn't say "Oh, I was in line with everyone else to grab hold of my brand new copy of Tiger." doesn't mean that I didn't. That I buy new Apple products as well isn't what was at issue here, and if it's just one in a thousand, then everyone of them must live within 30 miles of me, cause there are two shops here that do Mac repair and upgrades as well as other custom work if needed.
You sure you aren't Jobs? Cause I'm seriously beginning to see a Reality Distortion Field coming into effect. I'm not about to start listing items, but Apple has plenty of my money, don't you worry. So, yes, I do give a shit, which brings me back to being disturbed.
Danger: Personal Opinion Ahead
I seriously doubt there will ever be a Video iPod. It's kind of like an x86 port of Mac OS X. It just doesn't make the right kind of sense. Even though it's technically possible and, at least in the case of x86 X, exists in secret labs for testing purposes, a two inch screen just isn't good for watching a movie, especially when that movie is HD/Anamorphic/Needs to be letterboxed. Most people I know hate letterbox right now and they have 40+" screens.
No, if there is ever a portable Apple video product it will be a "vPod" design specifically to play video. Which means it will probably be clamshell to protect the screen, though with the thickness of the iPod harddrives still probably be fairly thin, but will be at least the size of a small hardback book so the screen can be in 16:9 ratio for playback of anamorphic video.
I mean, logically, when you think about it, you aren't about to let your kids try to lean over each other holding an iPod on a long trip. Most of those "portable" DVD players end up getting hard mounted in the seat backs of "Pimped" out rides anyway. So they really aren't "portable" they are watchable. That's the difference.
But that's just my two cents on the matter. Believe me, your mileage will vary.
I know others have jumped in here and tried to rip down on you. Their basic point is valid, don't piss a geek off. With that in mind I have to pepper you just a little bit myself, but I guess I'm just the overlap you talk about.
I happen to consider myself an "Alpha Geek." Why? Several reasons, I understand most of BGP, needed to when I worked in a NAP, I've admin'ed some truly enterprise *NIX including SunFire e10K class and Tru64 Alpha class machines, etc.
I also happen to be an Apple Stockholder, so I do happen to give a shit about what other "Alpha Geeks" think. (As an aside, I keep looking at SGI and envisioning all of that wonderful IP ... and ... well ... use your imagination, I have.)
You do sell products to people that want to take them apart. That may not be who you target, but that is who buys them. Sure, if you sell 1 million iMacs, maybe only 20, or 30% want to, but they do. Just look at all the websites devoted to how to upgrade, repair, and do really non standard things with Apple gear.
I buy G3 motherboards off eBay all the time. Some of them happen to run Linux, but most of them end up in non Apple standard cases, like an 8U monster I have because I wanted the drives off the internal bus, and not connected external in another case/cabinet.
Sure it isn't *exactly* ATX spec, sure I have to perform minor surgery on power supplies for some of them and sure I have to drill holes in the case to make them work. The point is, I do it, and I wasn't the first. There is a company in TN I believe, Marathon Computers, that makes a decent living off of supplying just that, an ATX case with special fab board trays to fit Apple boards.
But the reason I go through all that trouble is why you say Apple builds them in the first place. "They just work." But don't think for a minute that as a company Apple provides me with everything I need. The company I currently work for is getting ready to make a massive migration from soon to be EOL systems to something more mainframe-esque. Unfortunately it won't be Apple because they don't offer what we need. (Massive Symmetric Processing)
Sorry to rant on you so long, I was just very honestly disturbed by the comments you made.
The current firmware running on the B&W is 1.1f1. Based on the information I have this is the latest readily available. There is apparently a 1.1f4, but was only available in a update from June 99 that is no longer available. Latest date on file available is 05-99 and is updater 1.1.
I have reset the NVRAM from OF as well as replaced the PRAM battery. This causes no changes, and the events are recreatable. I format the hard drive, reinstall 10.3.1, system runs with no problems or issues and behaves as expected. Allow the updates to install and around 10.3.7 (upgrades are now the "bulk all in one" type through System Update) the system stops booting by itself (black screen without PRAM zap). When I allow it to go to 10.3.9 it gives me the gray screen with "No" sign and will not boot at all.
I guess I could take it to the Apple store and let someone at the Genius Bar look at it, but I'm not sure they would even know what it is now. "What's this? It isn't a pleasing platinum or even a trendy white. Did you paint this blue?"
I skimmed through the change log but didn't see anything that addresses my problem. My B&W G3 will not boot by itself after the update two before this one.
Let me allow that to sink in for a moment ..... before I repeat myself. My Mac will not boot by itself after one of the last Panther updates.
If I have to reboot I have to hover over the keyboard and wait for the Startup "Pong" to do a PRAM flash, second "Pong" and the system starts just fine. If I don't do that the screen goes black and the system sits there, disk access etc even stops.
God Forbid I have to shutdown completely. Last time I did that I had to open the case and depress the CUDA button to get the system to even power on.
I happen to know it's something in one of the updates, because I simply assumed the B&W (being that it is several years old) was finally dying, and gearing up for a newer G4 replacement bought a new hard drive. My copy of Panther is original, so after installation, shutdowns, reboots, everything works fine. I finally let it start it's updates after setting up my mail, etc (No Apps installs, though) and wham. Same issue, have to PRAM zap to boot ... then it adds 10.3.9 and it eats the disk. Will not boot at all. Had to put the smaller disk back in ..... though once I did that, the other Panther was able to *mount* the disk that apparently no longer has a boot sector
Meh?
Has any other B&W users here on /. been victim to this? I've trolled a few Mac forums but haven't found anything like this, and I'm not sure how I should submit it to Apple for a fix if I'm the only one having the issue. Though again, I have to admit I haven't been looking too long, thought it was the Mac and not the software, silly me.
I think what you meant was:
The Great Depression was bad. Really bad. You couldn't believe how vastly, hugely mind-boggingly bad it was. I mean, you may think the Dot.Com era was a horrible circumstance, but that's just peanuts to the Great Depression.
You know what the word "is" means that's the first verb you learn in any language. It's the verb "to be" the verb of existance, it's why you went out to get your winky whacked.
*sighs* You know if it weren't for my horse I wouldn't have spent that year in college.
I used to work for an ISP that leased all of their equipment from the 3Com NICs all the way up to the Cisco 12000's.
From themselves!
The owner of the ISP started a "sister" company that owned and leased equipment. Our ISP wasn't his only company, he also leased some medical gear to himself. But another big feature was the fact that we had massive colocation. He also leased equipment as a third party (HA!) to our colo'd customers
It was in a snow globe ..... A SNOW GLOBE!!!
Ummm .... the guy that played Lore *and* Dr. Soong *was* Brent Spiner ....
*Scratches Head*
I'm pretty sure that I do not have 10K tied up in my CD collection, most of which were bought used / second hand back when "Disc-Go-Round" was still in business and from Goodwill and Pawn Shops. I have several hundred discs, and a 10 GB iPod that I received for Christmas that has just under 2000 songs (7.5 GB) on it.
Also, given that Apple and Pepsi have sponsored a free iTunes song campaign the last two years during the superbowl, I have over 100 iTunes songs "Purchased" that, if you consider the fact that I would have been buying and drinking the Pepsi anyway, I have at most $5.00 of real cash tied up in.
So I have been able to fill my iPod for well under 10K. Sure, if you buy and pay for each song individually from iTMS and need to buy 2000 songs that equals 2000 dollars, but most iTunes albums feature more than 10 songs and typically sell for $9.99.
So in my opinion, Napster is nothing but marketing hype. However, I'm one of those people that hate monthly charges. Absolutely hate them. I prefer the pay as I go system, that way like last year when I went 7 months without buying anything at all from iTMS, I didn't pay anything and didn't feel any pressure or force to buy anything. So I guess as in all things your mileage may very.
In response to your statement about giving cops cell phones instead of a WiFi VoIP based solution. I'd like to add my opinion to the argument. Everyone ready?! It is time once again for my Bullshit Theory of the Day . (Patent Pending, of course.)
Let's review what the police already use to their job. Every officer where I live, be they local, county, or state, has a laptop in their car. Their radio system is trunked and the laptop receives information from the station as well as offering multiple channels for voice communication to dispatch. At this time the technology, though having been in use for a while, is still somewhat proprietary and thus is expensive. A station must buy the trunking hardware to digitize, and mux traffic, then transmit that into the ether where it is picked up by everyone.
Let's review that last word. Everyone. Where I live it is illegal to have a police scanner in a moving vehicle. (Technically, during transport ie you just bought it, the scanner must be in the trunk.) There really isn't anything to keep normal people, as well as criminals, from listening to communications. At best, the consumer scanners don't have the proper computer communication from headquarters and most sometimes can't follow a full conversation. (The trunks switch every mic key release, and the "computer" channels change every couple of days.) But you typically can hear what you need to in order to know where your friendly neighbor Officer Mitchell is doing his job.
Also, pushing information like that through the ether can be hit or miss in rural communities. You have to remember, that the curvature of the Earth dictates distance for RF travel. Typically 70 miles before you hit the ground itself, unless you get the signal on a high tower. However, the trunk receiver on the cars can't be equally as high (and I'm starting to wondering if satellites are not getting involved. The trunk receivers now look like XM antennas) anyway, I digress. This means, technically, that unless you are bouncing the signal to orbit and back you can not talk to a field agent that is over 70-ish miles from home base.
Enter tomorrows technology today. Setting up WiFi that allows vehicle transmission to push VoIP so that as long as you have an internet link, you can communicate with dispatch. This will not be limited to voice. The laptops the officers use to get information about plates and criminals will also switch to this WiFi based system, and for the Law Enforcement Pointy Haired Bosses, here comes the best part. PGP type encryption for PTP tunnel building so that the information between agent and base is "secure". Technically, it would take someone long enough to get the encrypt key, even if it's measured in minutes, to keep from knowing exactly when and where officer movement is occuring real time.
The funny thing is that I used to do tech support for Motorola, and they have a wireless networking technology that is pretty cool. We also did tech for their international customers, and had this one crazy chick from China continuously calling. Had to be two or three times a week, for about four months. Asking all kinds of technical and really out there questions about the system, and why the system didn't work. We puzzled through it and finally got an interpreter involved and found out she had these things on *trains* Apparently Asian WiFi has already been doing this moving hand off for a while now, at least experimentally. The Chinese chick couldn't understand that this product was like ethernet cabling, without the cable. Had to be aimed and left. So the control center kept losing, and then regaining, contact to trains on board systems. So people want this to work, for a variety of reasons.
I can't even begin to tell you how often I look and listen to what is going on without thinking to myself, "My God, we're in a badly ghostwritten William Shatner novel." ... or any other post apocalyptic work that envisions the future of the world with computers in our head. Ever hear of Masamune Shirow? I'm starting to think that dude is dead on about what's coming in the next 50 years.
What exactly would a commercial GPL be like? Doesn't that kind of go against the grain and nature of the GPL? Because when I think commercial I think "We made a change, then closed it, now we won't let you know what that change is or how it affects other GPL'd software"