I'm the system administrator for Stone & Ward. After the two year headache of getting their network and Macs up to par, life is easy. I get about two phone calls a day for general support, and one weekend a month I do server maintenance. The rest of the time I 'play'. Because they're creative types, they plan all kinds of fun events to keep the troops happy, and I get to go to everything. Like Burnout Break, an 'all expenses paid day on the lake', with jet skis, hamburgers and beer.
I would say the only problem is support the 20+ Mac users, but after you get a friendly demeanor going, they're easy to get along with and actually start to solve their own problems.
Now I'm working on projects that are fun for me, that eventually Stone & Ward will see benifits from. Like playing with different Linux distros for an in-house webserver (that doubles as an Infiltration server:) Or building a RAS to take advantage of our 24 phone lines and 6mbit connection that don't get used after hours. I also have a planned network backup solution that uses an ATA RAID controller and a bunch of big hard drives. It would give them four months of hourly incremental backups.
I'm getting a few unusual requests from my corner of the `Net. Our webserver is run by Lotus Domino on NT4, so theoretically all this should do is put a little more load on my server (which is about to croke anyway). Hey, maybe it will kill my server and the boss will spring for a replacement! (:
Selling databases of customer information is a very large business. So large in fact that a company by the name of Acxiom has become an international fortune 500 company doing just that. How much junk (snail) mail do you get? Chances are they house the records of your personal information and purchases you've made, when, where, how (credit card..) and how much. They even print the billions of mailing labels every year. They also sell databases of customer information in electronic form. I'm sure this is how we all receive those thousands of wonderful emails asking us to sign up for insurance and toner.
But they also do more respectable business. Like they used to manage Dillard's warehouse stock information. They'd kick the data around and tell them what's selling where, what to order more of, and where to ship it at what time of the year. Pretty cool stuff actually.
Actually I'd rather they didn't mod me up. This entire thread has nothing to do with the origonal post. And you're an anonymous coward... like our recent terrorists.
A) It ran BeIA (Internet Appliance) not BeOS.
B) No you're not the only one that wanted one.
I could go for a lightweight wireless touchscreen device to surf the web. If its screen was about 8.5" x 11" and had resolution around 800px X 1000px you would essentially be holding a pad of paper. It doesn't need a hard drive, or amazing sound or video, but it does need all the current web drivers/plugins and the ability to upgrade. Its primary function would be surfing the web, which provides email (with address book), chat, and even word processing in some cases. A simple task tray could bring up a calculator and an on screen keyboard (that could be alphabetical or QWERTY...) so the user could type information on web pages.
Wireless and light weight are the key though. And it has to be able to view better than 80% of the web sites out there today. I think it can be done with *BSD or Linux. This is somewhat what Transmeta is shooting for with their web tablets they presented a while back.
I'd pay a few hundred dollars for one. It'd be pimp.
I live with my parents. I have run a 10/100mbit Cat5e network switched by a Linksys 8 port Cable router that routes my cable modem connection. All this is in the laundry room with the file/web/ftp/mail server. I ran two network connections to the Den, where my Yamaha receiver is. I don't spend all my time on my computer and this little device would allow me to play my music in the Den without having to run audio cable from my computer room up stairs down to the receiver. I could also control the music in the Den without having to build a playlist upstairs before I went down.
Man, the more I think about it, the better this thing sounds (:
There are lots of posts stating that DX covers more aspects of gaming, where OpenGL only does graphics. This is very true. But it wouldn't be difficult for a programer to adobt the other required skills to program in 'open source gaming'.
I think one of the big things is that hardware can handle DX's bulkier rendering system with satisfing output. There isn't a NEED for OpenGL because the hardware is so much better than it was when OpenGL and DX were battling for "programmer's choice". When my room mate shows me a first person game at 1600x1200 and over 100 frames a second rendered by DirectX, I see no need for OpenGL anymore. Of course, that takes a $450 video card, but who's checking? (:
There are enough of those model chips out there, that if anyone wanted one they could get it from an online auction or a computer swap shop dirt cheap. Some of us even work for large corporations that are giving away their old computer with 486 and 586 processors in them. Progress, out with the old in with the new. I guess this gives them a good chance to really get into the higher end market with more time and money to put toward producing faster chips.
Apple has done this by removing the floppy drive all together. But I know what they're talking about in the difficulty of weening users off of floppies. I stopped buying new ones two years ago for my users, and today they're still coming to me bugging me. We quite a robust mail system, and a file server with over 340GB of space. We don't need no stinking floppies! Besides, floppies are fragile and slow. Use the wire, that's what it's there for.
I've noticed that many spammers are using the addresses their mailing to as the return address. So basically you'd be spamming yourself by trying to combat spam with this method.
There seems to be a better way of detering spam. The way spammers avoid being stopped now is by obscurity. If there is a way of setting up checks and balances on email, it needs to be done. If creating a new protocal to replace smtp and pop3 is the only way, please someone do it.
Wow, dead on man. It's even more evident in Mac users because the reason they chose Macintosh in the first place is that it's "easy to use". I'm starting to wonder how good of a job Apple can do with OS X and educating its user base. Now we just have to wait for the first big wave of worm/viruses to roll out that target OS X, and the users will freak.
I'm all about being connected no matter where I am. I'm not a big fan of a laptop, but if I can check Slashdot from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, I'm happy. I guess it would have to be one serously beefed up computer to really get my attention. It would have to out perform my current desktop too. If I could get enough NICs in it to make it a portable router, that would be bad ass as well.
I spec'd out a Dell Inspiron 8000 for $3,200. Not too bad I suppose. DVD/CD-RW, 48GB hard drive, and 512mb RAM. Not too shabby.
Having the ability to zoom in and out on a high resolution monitor isn't enough. Neither is having a huge picture. They want both of these attributes in the same device. It makes it easier for a group to crowd around or for someone to do presentations with. They keep the detail and have it the size of a wall.
Also (and I'm serious here) having big expensive toys that people look at and think "WOW THAT'S SO COOL" draws attention, which draws clients, which generates funds. Hey, they got posted on Slashdot, and now a million geeks know about their work. If even a fraction of them put any interest into the company, it will fund the "Highest Resolution Wall" project and pick up a few more participants.
No actually they're going to be freaking huge. You have to consider the dots per inch. Someone already did the math and came up with 28pixels per inch. That would make a 32x32 pixel icon over an inch square. On my screen they're about 1/3 inch x 1/3 inch.
That I can agree with. I didn't think that Microsoft would have left themselves wide open on a license like that. I guess it's "buyer beware", or maybe "user beware" would be more appropriate here.
Slashdot Mirror
I would say the only problem is support the 20+ Mac users, but after you get a friendly demeanor going, they're easy to get along with and actually start to solve their own problems.
Now I'm working on projects that are fun for me, that eventually Stone & Ward will see benifits from. Like playing with different Linux distros for an in-house webserver (that doubles as an Infiltration server :) Or building a RAS to take advantage of our 24 phone lines and 6mbit connection that don't get used after hours. I also have a planned network backup solution that uses an ATA RAID controller and a bunch of big hard drives. It would give them four months of hourly incremental backups.
~LoudMusic
I'm getting a few unusual requests from my corner of the `Net. Our webserver is run by Lotus Domino on NT4, so theoretically all this should do is put a little more load on my server (which is about to croke anyway). Hey, maybe it will kill my server and the boss will spring for a replacement! (:
~LoudMusic
See, we try not to suggest things like this because:
a) they might take the advice
b) we're looking for leaps in advancement here
We want the hardware manufacturers to make as much progress as possible in the shortest amount of time.
~LoudMusic
But they also do more respectable business. Like they used to manage Dillard's warehouse stock information. They'd kick the data around and tell them what's selling where, what to order more of, and where to ship it at what time of the year. Pretty cool stuff actually.
~LoudMusic
Actually I'd rather they didn't mod me up. This entire thread has nothing to do with the origonal post. And you're an anonymous coward ... like our recent terrorists.
Get a name, log in, be somebody for a change.
~LoudMusic
"Arms" as defined by dictionary.com.
~LoudMusic
Maybe you should concider a site redesign. There is a large number of fairly large images on the http://www.fractalus.com/steve/stuff/ipmap/ page.
It is really cool though (:
~LoudMusic
Doooood. You're suppost to post that kind of stuff on someone else's connection (: Heh heh.
~LoudMusic
My server only has 384Kbps upstream, please be gentle.
~LoudMusic
B) No you're not the only one that wanted one.
I could go for a lightweight wireless touchscreen device to surf the web. If its screen was about 8.5" x 11" and had resolution around 800px X 1000px you would essentially be holding a pad of paper. It doesn't need a hard drive, or amazing sound or video, but it does need all the current web drivers/plugins and the ability to upgrade. Its primary function would be surfing the web, which provides email (with address book), chat, and even word processing in some cases. A simple task tray could bring up a calculator and an on screen keyboard (that could be alphabetical or QWERTY ...) so the user could type information on web pages.
Wireless and light weight are the key though. And it has to be able to view better than 80% of the web sites out there today. I think it can be done with *BSD or Linux. This is somewhat what Transmeta is shooting for with their web tablets they presented a while back.
I'd pay a few hundred dollars for one. It'd be pimp.
~LoudMusic
Because the server currently runs on a Unix operating system, and the audio is pumped strait into an amplifier/receiver.
Maybe you should of thought out your post.
~LoudMusic
I live with my parents. I have run a 10/100mbit Cat5e network switched by a Linksys 8 port Cable router that routes my cable modem connection. All this is in the laundry room with the file/web/ftp/mail server. I ran two network connections to the Den, where my Yamaha receiver is. I don't spend all my time on my computer and this little device would allow me to play my music in the Den without having to run audio cable from my computer room up stairs down to the receiver. I could also control the music in the Den without having to build a playlist upstairs before I went down.
Man, the more I think about it, the better this thing sounds (:
~LoudMusic
That's the funniest thing I've read all day! You rock! I'm going to read all the rest of your posts now (:
~LoudMusic
There are lots of posts stating that DX covers more aspects of gaming, where OpenGL only does graphics. This is very true. But it wouldn't be difficult for a programer to adobt the other required skills to program in 'open source gaming'.
I think one of the big things is that hardware can handle DX's bulkier rendering system with satisfing output. There isn't a NEED for OpenGL because the hardware is so much better than it was when OpenGL and DX were battling for "programmer's choice". When my room mate shows me a first person game at 1600x1200 and over 100 frames a second rendered by DirectX, I see no need for OpenGL anymore. Of course, that takes a $450 video card, but who's checking? (:
~LoudMusic
There are enough of those model chips out there, that if anyone wanted one they could get it from an online auction or a computer swap shop dirt cheap. Some of us even work for large corporations that are giving away their old computer with 486 and 586 processors in them. Progress, out with the old in with the new. I guess this gives them a good chance to really get into the higher end market with more time and money to put toward producing faster chips.
Rock on!
~LoudMusic
I couldn't decide who to reply to, so this is to everyone else who commented.
HE'S A PROFESSOR, NOT A GAMER. DA-YAM, give the man a break.
~LoudMusic
Apple has done this by removing the floppy drive all together. But I know what they're talking about in the difficulty of weening users off of floppies. I stopped buying new ones two years ago for my users, and today they're still coming to me bugging me. We quite a robust mail system, and a file server with over 340GB of space. We don't need no stinking floppies! Besides, floppies are fragile and slow. Use the wire, that's what it's there for.
~LoudMusic
They were refering to a complete system failure, not just a program crash.
~LoudMusic
I've noticed that many spammers are using the addresses their mailing to as the return address. So basically you'd be spamming yourself by trying to combat spam with this method.
There seems to be a better way of detering spam. The way spammers avoid being stopped now is by obscurity. If there is a way of setting up checks and balances on email, it needs to be done. If creating a new protocal to replace smtp and pop3 is the only way, please someone do it.
~LoudMusic
Good virus
~LoudMusic
Wow, dead on man. It's even more evident in Mac users because the reason they chose Macintosh in the first place is that it's "easy to use". I'm starting to wonder how good of a job Apple can do with OS X and educating its user base. Now we just have to wait for the first big wave of worm/viruses to roll out that target OS X, and the users will freak.
~LoudMusic
I'm all about being connected no matter where I am. I'm not a big fan of a laptop, but if I can check Slashdot from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, I'm happy. I guess it would have to be one serously beefed up computer to really get my attention. It would have to out perform my current desktop too. If I could get enough NICs in it to make it a portable router, that would be bad ass as well.
I spec'd out a Dell Inspiron 8000 for $3,200. Not too bad I suppose. DVD/CD-RW, 48GB hard drive, and 512mb RAM. Not too shabby.
~LoudMusic
Having the ability to zoom in and out on a high resolution monitor isn't enough. Neither is having a huge picture. They want both of these attributes in the same device. It makes it easier for a group to crowd around or for someone to do presentations with. They keep the detail and have it the size of a wall.
Also (and I'm serious here) having big expensive toys that people look at and think "WOW THAT'S SO COOL" draws attention, which draws clients, which generates funds. Hey, they got posted on Slashdot, and now a million geeks know about their work. If even a fraction of them put any interest into the company, it will fund the "Highest Resolution Wall" project and pick up a few more participants.
Just my thoughts,
~LoudMusic
No actually they're going to be freaking huge. You have to consider the dots per inch. Someone already did the math and came up with 28pixels per inch. That would make a 32x32 pixel icon over an inch square. On my screen they're about 1/3 inch x 1/3 inch.
~LoudMusic
That I can agree with. I didn't think that Microsoft would have left themselves wide open on a license like that. I guess it's "buyer beware", or maybe "user beware" would be more appropriate here.
Thanks for the copy/paste (:
~LoudMusic