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User: Partaolas

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  1. Re:Bring back 4x3 screen ratio: more vertical scre on Dell Designing Developer Oriented Laptop · · Score: 2

    Turn it to the side...

    Kidding of course, hard to do it with a laptop anyways, but while I was working on a long report recently I decided to rotate my 19" monitor and it was great.

    My laptop has a 12" 4x3 screen and I find it much better than the 13-14" wide screen ones.

  2. Re:No bubble. on How Long Before the Kickstarter Bubble Bursts? · · Score: 1

    There isn't *that much* of a difference if I buy the latest Tim Schafer game from a major publisher and it turns out to stink, or if I fund Tim Schafer's Kickstarter campaign and get the game "for free" and the game turns out to stink. Really, there are 2 differences: (a) if the publisher makes the game first, I can read the review before I buy; and (b) in the kickstarter model, Tim Schafer probably has more creative control. Therefore, the whole thing comes down to the question, "Do I generally trust Tim Schafer to make a good game?"

    Actually on Kickstarter you are buying *a promise* that some time in the future, if all goes well, you will get a game, a book, a dvd whatever. I wouldn't compare it with investing and the stock market either, because if a project goes really really well the "investors" won't see a dime extra than what they initially pledged for.

    The complaints I've seen are usually about long delays, delivering less than promised, Kickstarter exclusives ending up in retail boxes and retail being much cheaper and not any slower than getting it from Kickstarter (especially if you are from outside the US). The only apparent advantage as you said is that you remove the middle-men but, unless projects start improving on the other aspects, people will become more hesitant to give money or will give money only to "sure bets". Of course "sure bets" had other ways of raising money so the "fad" or "bubble" of the new, unknown guy or gal crowdsourcing a new idea is going to deflate. In fact, it has already deflated a bit because a lot of the new projects are from established companies that use Kickstarter as a market survey tool and flexible pre-order system (see for example the ogre project by SJ Games).

  3. Re:Ejections from a 727 on Discovery Channel Crashes a Boeing 727 For Science Documentary (latimes.com) · · Score: 1

    I would guess the pilot ejected not too long prior to impact, so ejecting downwards probably wasn't an option. Also, not all of the seats of the B52 eject downwards.

  4. Re:Nope on Could You Pass Harvard's Entrance Exam From 1869? · · Score: 1

    Just wanted to point out that besides modern Greek, ancient Greek is also being taught in Greek high schools. It was mandatory some years ago and I expect it still is. I've also heard that ancient Greek is a popular course in certain countries like France, but I can't tell if it is true or not.

  5. Re:Sadly... on US Competitiveness Chief Immelt's GE Tax Bill: $0 · · Score: 1

    Did I say that companies are bad and that we need to go pre-industrial? I only said that lowering taxes doesn't always work the way you think.

    Based on what I have read, I understand that GM hasn't been paying taxes and has downsized its personnel. Moving corporate headquarters or hiring more people wouldn't have increased their taxes anyway since that wouldn't have affected their profits (at least upwards). Moving part of their production to the US wouldn't be a problem either because their creative accounting would make sure that any profits would show up in some other country. The reason they are not investing in the US is because both manpower and materials are cheaper elsewhere. Eliminating taxes for them is not an incentive to do anything since they are not bothered by taxes anyway. Granted that such a thing would help smaller corporations that are not that "flexible". Of course lowering income tax would also help most of these corporations as well, since they are targeted to the domestic market.

  6. Re:Sadly... on US Competitiveness Chief Immelt's GE Tax Bill: $0 · · Score: 1

    It is also sad that some people think that the theory of Economics they read in textbooks works as advertised in an international environment.

    Unfortunately I don't see how the "tax breaks" to GM and others have improved the unemployment situation in the US or the US economy. What I see (and I could be wrong) is that the money that they save is invested elsewhere, where it is more profitable. They do invest in lobbying, but I doubt that trickles down to the rest of us.

  7. Re:Good for US economy on MS Wants Laws To Block Products Made By Software Pirates · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Unfair competition laws" == Laws against unfair competition.

    The problem here is that GM is not competing with Microsoft.

  8. Re:Laser scanners covertly map? on Surveillance Robot That is Programmed To Hide · · Score: 1

    The navigation is covert. It is looking to minimize the chances of being spotted by (presumably) looking for shadows, going under tables, avoiding people and whatnot. Mapping is not even mentioned in the system's factsheet.

    Personally I doubt that someone would be actively looking for lasers or have laser detection systems installed in a combat, hostage or other similar situation. In any case vision-based mapping is also possible, so I guess they either wanted to minimize processing requirements or it was just easier and faster to get a product out. When they start selling it, it will probably come with different payloads EO/IR, laser scanner, chemical sniffers, etc.

    Btw Kinect (which someone suggested as an alternative) would have the same issue.

  9. Re:try work with possibility of exceeding 40 hours on CS Prof Decries America's 'Internal Brain Drain' · · Score: 1

    42 hours a week and 29 days vacation for me and I am in the civil service sector.

  10. Waiting for the 4D on Was the Early Universe 2 Dimensional Spacetime? · · Score: 2

    So how long until it cools enough to get a fourth dimension and will we ever get to 11?

  11. Re:Ze Germans on AT&T To Acquire T-Mobile From Deutsche Telekom · · Score: 1

    In Germany there are four choices and as far as I know you need to get a two year contract, so good luck if you feel like switching. Personally I found them to be expensive. Of course you can always go prepaid as I did. In Greece there are only three choices, but last time I was there I was able to get a contract with no fixed duration (and no termination fees), cheap roaming within Europe and a discount in the already low monthly fees because I had a phone. The number of choices (as long as there is choice) does not count so much as having real competition.

  12. Re:Star Wars on Ask Slashdot: Worst Computer Scene In TV or Movies? · · Score: 1

    True, that's mostly a human trait.

  13. Re:Colbert on The Hidden Reality Draws Ire From Physicists · · Score: 1

    I can too. The whole episode. No commercials (more joy). Have tried in Germany (and Greece of all places) without proxy or other tricks.

  14. Re:Next step on London Police Credit CCTV Cameras With Six Solved Crimes Per Day · · Score: 1

    I believe that at first there will be some apprehension and it won't be as easy as you describe. Nevertheless, after the second year when the number of arrests based on the identity/tracking chip increases from 73.053 to 127.314 (including 23 violent/dangerous offenders) the public confidence will rise, countering initial bad coverage and concerns about the cost and privacy issues.

  15. Re:Does anyone actually use it legitimately? on Google Wants To Take Away Your Capslock Key · · Score: 1

    I use it to change keyboard layouts, other people use it as a backspace or escape. Some applications use it for changing between different modes. In any case, who cares if they remove it? Quality of comments will not improve, even for those who will post using Google Chrome Notebook.

  16. Re:Little difference? on Scientists Propose One-Way Trips To Mars · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why is everyone assuming that the "colonists" will die within days of arrival? I am willing to bet that there will be lots of volunteers for one-way missions to Mars (provided good chances of survival).

  17. Re:You can't have their email address on Google Challenges Facebook Over User Address Books · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So most people don't mind sharing personal information with these "friends", but when it comes to sharing their email is where they draw the line? I would think it would be the reverse. Many people have my email address, very few of them know who I am dating or what I did last night.