I always thought it would be a god idea to flash banner ads or something while you wait to respawn in Counter-Strike. As long as they didn't prevent you from speccing the other players, I think most peoople would be fine with it. Heck, it would almost be like a perk of winning the round, you don't see ads.
I think your comparison of Bill Gatea and the USSR (I always think of Zangief when I hear USSR) is erroneous. The arguements against a command economy (USSR) don't apply to Bill Gates. Bill Gates does not print his own money, dictate where other people can give or volunter, etc. And don't forget that while the USSR eventually collapsed, they accomplished quite a bit and invented a lot of new technologies. There are other reasons that the US survived and the USSR collapsed, it wasn't just the difference in markets.
Your comparison to the company is spot on, but for the opposing side. A company needs leadership, people who make big decisions that others carry out. The decision to localize power at the base was made by *gasp* someone way up the food chain. At some level, there exist a command structure, where authority could be broken up into smaller parts but is not. This applies to business, families, schools, anything with structure.
Every model has some aspects of a command and market. If you follow the chain down in a market economy, you'll find micro examples of command structures and vice versa.
I would say that Linux vs OSX is a perfect example of why your idea is wrong. Before someone tries to grill me, I'm just talking about the user interface. Gnome and KDE are worked on by numerous people each contributing what they think is right. They are open source and represent the Millions of people. Apple is the command economy of this example, yet their products is way ahead of Gnome or KDE. It's because of Apple's strong leadership (and money!) that they were able to accomplish what they did.
I think the problem is that you're applying a concept (markets breed efficiency) and applying it blindly to everything else. Kind of like how the 1st ammendment applies to government censoring speech, yet people use it all the time against companies and people. Hell, people even use it when someone is just speaking against them and not censoring.
And for the record, I think Bill Gates spending his money is ideal. First, because it's his money but secondly, no one cares about Malaria. The big buzz word here is AIDS which gets WAY too much money. Malaria is a much bigger problem but it doesn't have the sex appeal that AIDS does. No celebrities, politicians, or awareness groups. It good that Bill is throwing some money to fight Malaria.
"We believe that once consumers experience Rhapsody and share it with their friends, many people will upgrade to one of our premium Rhapsody tiers," Rob Glaser, chairman and chief executive of RealNetworks, said in a statement.
Or they will go back to getting songs illegally. Really, nothing annoys me more than video/audio that is only in Real format. RealNetworks has a reputation for intrusive software and crappy video streams. Being that their direct competitor is Napster, who has a much better name/reputation, I don't see this service taking off.
Looking back at the story history for Apache, it makes you wonder why it's even a section. A quarter or so of the stories have been just Security fixes and minor releases. Although I guess when you're looking for stability, that's a plus.
In regions plagued with malaria, there is an inverse relationship between the amount of DDT used and the number of deaths attributed to malaria. So this basically leaves you two options:
1) Unban DDT and save countless lives. 2) Keep preasuring developing nations into banning DDT and bear the burden of thousands of lives.
I'm not saying that DDT is a perfectly harmless substance, however, I am saying that it's hypocritical and asinine to believe that it should be banned at the cost of human life. There is nothing that we as human do that does not adversely impact the enviroment. Every enviromentalist that I've known drives a car, walks on sidewalks, uses air conditioning, enjoys public lighting, has a house, etc. Am I saying you should give up those luxuries? No! But I am saying that you are a complete ass to think that others should give up things like DDT, which are essential to LIFE, just to ease your "green conscience". There's a reason that no one really takes enviromentalists serious anymore. They get so wrapped up in their "issues" that they are blind to their own hypocricy and the cost of human life.
I think comparing indie artists to impressionists might be a bit of a stretch. All the original poster was trying to say is that just because something is new and different that does not make it good. Tapping your toes, swaying, and just plain grooving are all signs of good music. I doubt you'll find good music that doesn't make you shake sumthang.
Let's be honest, the percentage of kids who drop out of high school in order to "take his/her education into their own hands" is next to nil. Most of these kids NEED their diploma regardless of how they feel about it. I'm not saying that public schools are perfect, or even that we should force them to attend. But let's not paint the situation in a rosy light.
They have that now. I believe it's called Accel, at least here in Florida. Students in danger of failing can basically take cakewalk computer courses which only take about a month or two per credit. At my school, the amount of cheating that when on in these classes was extroidinary. I know kids who graduated without knowing how to add fractions... The best was when someone claimed 1/2 + 1/2 = 1/4. Great stuff.
You can't reduce anything as complex as a human being to mere comprehendable numbers.
This is true, but who said anything about using this system to "reduce a human being"? It's being used to predict those who are in danger of failing/dropping out. I think it'll do pretty well in that regard
I nearly failed French. Is that some kind of accomplishment?
I honestly don't understand what the purpose of your post was, other than perhaps to toot your own horn. Oooh, you "beat" the system. Congrats. You want a cookie?
How much cpu power does an IDE array need? Why don't they make a motherboard or raid card that has it's own CPU dedicated to IDE? An AMD 1800+ only costs like 110 and that is EXTREME overkill. I've never understood why IDE HAS to depend on the main CPU. You smarter types explain it to me:)
"You're right! Only people who sacrifise real life for their virtual life should be catered to"
Well in a sense...yeah. The only people I know that play MMORPGs are people who devote days worth of time a month to leveling their charactar. I personally don't play RPGs because I don't have the patience to sit on my comp all day and level up.
My point is that catering to "casual" MMORPG gamers is stupid. Stupid because of 2 reasons: a) Casual gamers dont play persistant games. Especially if you have to pay a monthly fee. Making the game accessible to casual gamers might result in big signup at launchtime but will ultimately fail because the CGs will leave(no point in paying for something you hardly use). b) the only real way to cater to CGs is to remove much of the complexity in the game. But when you remove the complexity you don't really have a MMORPG anymore, you have something more akin to Diablo 2 which is a great game but not a MMORPG.
I agree w/ alot of the developers' comments except for one: "How do you make a player who spends five hours a month [playing] still feel relevant to the game world?"
The easy answer is: You Shouldn't.
The whole point of a MMORPG is to immerse yourself into a digital world. It's not like playing a quick starcraft game. 5 hrs a month isn't even enough to develop a good Diablo II charactar, and most people (me included) feel that D2 is too simple and should've been more in-depth. If someone is only willing to play 5 hrs a month then they're probably not willing to buy the game.
trying to cater to this "vaporous" crowd will only make the game suck
Chances are that the MPAA isn't lieing about the whole inferior product comment. I highly doubt that the piraters were making 1:1 copies of the unreleased DVDs.
Remember that these guys are distributors and not "releasers". They've never actually had their hands on the original DVD. They download the DVD-RIP from a releasing group and burn it. Personally I've seen the LOTR rip and the quality is excellent, but I wouldn't call it DVD Quality.
Most people tend to be indifferent or side with Microsoft because they think Microsoft is on trial for being a monopoly. While this is true, to most people monopoly merely means that a company has little or no competition. They think that Microsoft is on trial because they are TOO successful. Now, although Microsoft is very successful, they are really on trial for MONOPOLISTIC PRACTICES! Which means they are committing unfair business practices and costing you as the consumer LOTS of MONEY! I think that phrase needs to be used more often in the media because saying Microsoft is being sued for being a monopoly makes Microsoft seem like the victum.
1) If these computers are going to poorer schools than how are they going to be networked? Connected to the internet? Who's going to pay for the T1? MSFT? Red Hat? As far as I'm concerned a computer not connected to the internet is just an expensive space heater.
2) So we have the computer hooked up to the internet. Now which OS do we choose? Answer: It doesn't freakin matter. Seriously what "educational" software do kids in school actually use? All you need is a web browser and an office suite and you're good to go. The ONLY thing a school computer is used for is a) writing up a report b) Downloading MP3s c) Surfing the web d) checking email. Sure you'll have those few schools where kids learn to program but most of those kids do their work at home and take the programming class for an easy A. It's hard to find a teacher in high school that can beat a good programming book.
3) Schools are too anal with computers as it is. You can only do approved activities and you can hardly go during school time. And most computer labs are closed once school closes because computer are a precious commodity that cannot be used without proper monitoring.
I say just make microsoft pay that 1 billion to something that doesn't involve computers. Make them buy textbooks or have a nationwide free lunch day.
Honestly what does it matter? The only EDUCATIONAL software used on school computers are web browsers and office suites. The sad fact remains that putting fast computers into schools is really just a waste. No one uses them for anything other than writing up reports, which by the way is mainly a cut and paste job. And even if someone wanted to do something major like programming or web design, chances are that they won't be allowed to because no has the credentials to teach them or monitor their activities and we all know kids who can "hack" are risks.
I think alot of people are missing the point here. It's not really about the previous owners rights, if they didn't pay for it then yes they don't deserve to own the domain. It's about the fact that NSI is trying to hold onto it's monopoly by NOT letting domains out of it's system. Alot of the money Registrars make is from people regging domains that drop from NSI. This move if it goes through could seriously damage the domain free market as users no longer have a choice of registrars. The only way to change registrars is to pay NSI!
Also, wasn't it NSI that claimed that domains were not property so they wouldn't be liable for hijacks? They're not making sense because by holding these auctions they are making it clear that domains ARE property and contradicting themselves.
Slashdot Mirror
Why was the parent modded funny? Am I missing something?
I always thought it would be a god idea to flash banner ads or something while you wait to respawn in Counter-Strike. As long as they didn't prevent you from speccing the other players, I think most peoople would be fine with it. Heck, it would almost be like a perk of winning the round, you don't see ads.
Great. I'm looking forward to the check in the mail.
I think your comparison of Bill Gatea and the USSR (I always think of Zangief when I hear USSR) is erroneous. The arguements against a command economy (USSR) don't apply to Bill Gates. Bill Gates does not print his own money, dictate where other people can give or volunter, etc. And don't forget that while the USSR eventually collapsed, they accomplished quite a bit and invented a lot of new technologies. There are other reasons that the US survived and the USSR collapsed, it wasn't just the difference in markets.
Your comparison to the company is spot on, but for the opposing side. A company needs leadership, people who make big decisions that others carry out. The decision to localize power at the base was made by *gasp* someone way up the food chain. At some level, there exist a command structure, where authority could be broken up into smaller parts but is not. This applies to business, families, schools, anything with structure.
Every model has some aspects of a command and market. If you follow the chain down in a market economy, you'll find micro examples of command structures and vice versa.
I would say that Linux vs OSX is a perfect example of why your idea is wrong. Before someone tries to grill me, I'm just talking about the user interface. Gnome and KDE are worked on by numerous people each contributing what they think is right. They are open source and represent the Millions of people. Apple is the command economy of this example, yet their products is way ahead of Gnome or KDE. It's because of Apple's strong leadership (and money!) that they were able to accomplish what they did.
I think the problem is that you're applying a concept (markets breed efficiency) and applying it blindly to everything else. Kind of like how the 1st ammendment applies to government censoring speech, yet people use it all the time against companies and people. Hell, people even use it when someone is just speaking against them and not censoring.
And for the record, I think Bill Gates spending his money is ideal. First, because it's his money but secondly, no one cares about Malaria. The big buzz word here is AIDS which gets WAY too much money. Malaria is a much bigger problem but it doesn't have the sex appeal that AIDS does. No celebrities, politicians, or awareness groups. It good that Bill is throwing some money to fight Malaria.
My topic title keeps alternating between "GMail Sign-Ups Via Mobile" and "Gmail out of Beta". Is it just me?
Anyone else read that and think, "What the hell does Russell Crowe have to do with iTunes?" Well here's the answer:
Crowe said songs he had recorded since the break-up of his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunt, would be available when iTunes launches.
Seriously, I wouldn't have read the article if I hadn't read that Crowe was involved. Pretty boring story otherwise.
"We believe that once consumers experience Rhapsody and share it with their friends, many people will upgrade to one of our premium Rhapsody tiers," Rob Glaser, chairman and chief executive of RealNetworks, said in a statement.
Or they will go back to getting songs illegally. Really, nothing annoys me more than video/audio that is only in Real format. RealNetworks has a reputation for intrusive software and crappy video streams. Being that their direct competitor is Napster, who has a much better name/reputation, I don't see this service taking off.
Oh yeah, I forgot to ask... Does it support iPod?
Looking back at the story history for Apache, it makes you wonder why it's even a section. A quarter or so of the stories have been just Security fixes and minor releases. Although I guess when you're looking for stability, that's a plus.
Right, they have a problem with criminals having handguns. This mandate will prevent that...right?
In regions plagued with malaria, there is an inverse relationship between the amount of DDT used and the number of deaths attributed to malaria. So this basically leaves you two options:
1) Unban DDT and save countless lives.
2) Keep preasuring developing nations into banning DDT and bear the burden of thousands of lives.
I'm not saying that DDT is a perfectly harmless substance, however, I am saying that it's hypocritical and asinine to believe that it should be banned at the cost of human life. There is nothing that we as human do that does not adversely impact the enviroment. Every enviromentalist that I've known drives a car, walks on sidewalks, uses air conditioning, enjoys public lighting, has a house, etc. Am I saying you should give up those luxuries? No! But I am saying that you are a complete ass to think that others should give up things like DDT, which are essential to LIFE, just to ease your "green conscience". There's a reason that no one really takes enviromentalists serious anymore. They get so wrapped up in their "issues" that they are blind to their own hypocricy and the cost of human life.
Just use your SSN. There's no harm in it!
I think comparing indie artists to impressionists might be a bit of a stretch. All the original poster was trying to say is that just because something is new and different that does not make it good. Tapping your toes, swaying, and just plain grooving are all signs of good music. I doubt you'll find good music that doesn't make you shake sumthang.
Let's be honest, the percentage of kids who drop out of high school in order to "take his/her education into their own hands" is next to nil. Most of these kids NEED their diploma regardless of how they feel about it. I'm not saying that public schools are perfect, or even that we should force them to attend. But let's not paint the situation in a rosy light.
They have that now. I believe it's called Accel, at least here in Florida. Students in danger of failing can basically take cakewalk computer courses which only take about a month or two per credit. At my school, the amount of cheating that when on in these classes was extroidinary. I know kids who graduated without knowing how to add fractions... The best was when someone claimed 1/2 + 1/2 = 1/4. Great stuff.
You can't reduce anything as complex as a human being to mere comprehendable numbers.
This is true, but who said anything about using this system to "reduce a human being"? It's being used to predict those who are in danger of failing/dropping out. I think it'll do pretty well in that regard
I nearly failed French.
Is that some kind of accomplishment?
I honestly don't understand what the purpose of your post was, other than perhaps to toot your own horn. Oooh, you "beat" the system. Congrats. You want a cookie?
I thought the basis of einstein's theories was that acceleration and gravity were basically the same and had the same effects.
How much cpu power does an IDE array need? Why don't they make a motherboard or raid card that has it's own CPU dedicated to IDE? An AMD 1800+ only costs like 110 and that is EXTREME overkill. I've never understood why IDE HAS to depend on the main CPU. You smarter types explain it to me :)
"You're right! Only people who sacrifise real life for their virtual life should be catered to"
Well in a sense...yeah. The only people I know that play MMORPGs are people who devote days worth of time a month to leveling their charactar. I personally don't play RPGs because I don't have the patience to sit on my comp all day and level up.
My point is that catering to "casual" MMORPG gamers is stupid. Stupid because of 2 reasons:
a) Casual gamers dont play persistant games. Especially if you have to pay a monthly fee. Making the game accessible to casual gamers might result in big signup at launchtime but will ultimately fail because the CGs will leave(no point in paying for something you hardly use).
b) the only real way to cater to CGs is to remove much of the complexity in the game. But when you remove the complexity you don't really have a MMORPG anymore, you have something more akin to Diablo 2 which is a great game but not a MMORPG.
"I guess it'll depend on whether or not they stand to lose money in lost Mac sales or gain money in extra iPod sales."
You trying to tell me people buy macs just to use the ipod?
I agree w/ alot of the developers' comments except for one: "How do you make a player who spends five hours a month [playing] still feel relevant to the game world?"
The easy answer is: You Shouldn't.
The whole point of a MMORPG is to immerse yourself into a digital world. It's not like playing a quick starcraft game. 5 hrs a month isn't even enough to develop a good Diablo II charactar, and most people (me included) feel that D2 is too simple and should've been more in-depth. If someone is only willing to play 5 hrs a month then they're probably not willing to buy the game.
trying to cater to this "vaporous" crowd will only make the game suck
Chances are that the MPAA isn't lieing about the whole inferior product comment. I highly doubt that the piraters were making 1:1 copies of the unreleased DVDs.
Remember that these guys are distributors and not "releasers". They've never actually had their hands on the original DVD. They download the DVD-RIP from a releasing group and burn it. Personally I've seen the LOTR rip and the quality is excellent, but I wouldn't call it DVD Quality.
BTW, the LOTR rip was 3 CDs long.
Most people tend to be indifferent or side with Microsoft because they think Microsoft is on trial for being a monopoly. While this is true, to most people monopoly merely means that a company has little or no competition. They think that Microsoft is on trial because they are TOO successful. Now, although Microsoft is very successful, they are really on trial for MONOPOLISTIC PRACTICES! Which means they are committing unfair business practices and costing you as the consumer LOTS of MONEY! I think that phrase needs to be used more often in the media because saying Microsoft is being sued for being a monopoly makes Microsoft seem like the victum.
A couple points people seem to be missing.
1) If these computers are going to poorer schools than how are they going to be networked? Connected to the internet? Who's going to pay for the T1? MSFT? Red Hat? As far as I'm concerned a computer not connected to the internet is just an expensive space heater.
2) So we have the computer hooked up to the internet. Now which OS do we choose? Answer: It doesn't freakin matter. Seriously what "educational" software do kids in school actually use? All you need is a web browser and an office suite and you're good to go. The ONLY thing a school computer is used for is a) writing up a report b) Downloading MP3s c) Surfing the web d) checking email. Sure you'll have those few schools where kids learn to program but most of those kids do their work at home and take the programming class for an easy A. It's hard to find a teacher in high school that can beat a good programming book.
3) Schools are too anal with computers as it is. You can only do approved activities and you can hardly go during school time. And most computer labs are closed once school closes because computer are a precious commodity that cannot be used without proper monitoring.
I say just make microsoft pay that 1 billion to something that doesn't involve computers. Make them buy textbooks or have a nationwide free lunch day.
Honestly what does it matter? The only EDUCATIONAL software used on school computers are web browsers and office suites. The sad fact remains that putting fast computers into schools is really just a waste. No one uses them for anything other than writing up reports, which by the way is mainly a cut and paste job. And even if someone wanted to do something major like programming or web design, chances are that they won't be allowed to because no has the credentials to teach them or monitor their activities and we all know kids who can "hack" are risks.
I think alot of people are missing the point here. It's not really about the previous owners rights, if they didn't pay for it then yes they don't deserve to own the domain. It's about the fact that NSI is trying to hold onto it's monopoly by NOT letting domains out of it's system. Alot of the money Registrars make is from people regging domains that drop from NSI. This move if it goes through could seriously damage the domain free market as users no longer have a choice of registrars. The only way to change registrars is to pay NSI!
Also, wasn't it NSI that claimed that domains were not property so they wouldn't be liable for hijacks? They're not making sense because by holding these auctions they are making it clear that domains ARE property and contradicting themselves.