All the adolescent "bulge" jokes aside, if you're interested in the technology used in this sort of situation, I may have a few links of interest. And while the technology is *relatively* new, it's not *brand* new. ASF alone has been doing this since 1991, and we aren't the first.
The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) - This is where I work. We gather SAR data (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and do a lot of interferometric processing. Certainly cool stuff. This data can be used to create DEMs (Digital Elevation...Maps? Models? Can't remember which), among other things. Definitely good to check out. Grab the Antarctica Mosaic! It's huge, and we have one of all of Alaska, as well! Check out the facility's page here: http://www.asf.alaska.edu/ and the SAR FAQ can be found here: http://www.asf.alaska.edu/3_1.html
The second one is the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) which is a more general source of geo-information. If you go to the SwathViewer, there is a ton of data available, everything from road maps to DEMs to SAR data to "Blue Marble"...definitely worth a look-see. Right here: http://www.gina.alaska.edu/
There is a *ton* of information out there, and those two places are a great start. Check 'em out!
The thing is, any wood you buy at the store was almost certainly cut *ages* ago. It would be an insult to the trees to *not* use it. It's the very least we can do to put their corpses to good use!:P
Yes, the phone on the other end is my system. If someone else is calling it when I try to make a call, they are DOSing me, and I will press charges. Beware!:P
My point was more that it's my system being *affected*, not that I own the system being attacked.:)
I think it's implied that students would still learn typing through basic computer use. I learned to type long before I was ever forced to take a typing class, and I learned simply by using a computer. If students are immersed in computers, they will learn the methods needed to communicate with those computers--one of those methods being typing. It's like walking. Most people don't actually take a class on walking, it's simply something you learn as a necessity.
And of course, this is all on top of the fact that students still have to write papers and the like, which are generally typed. Again, more learning through necessity. We don't always have to *officially* teach things. Sometimes, they're learned because they must be.
Are you kidding? About being able to find games, I mean. Maybe it's just my location...I've actually found that Fred Meyers, of all places, has some of the best games selection for *any* console. Try it: head down to your local everything-store, be it Fred Meyers or whatever...check out the electronics department. Although, I think Fred Meyers is just a northwest thing...I wouldn't know. But yeah, Fred's has all those games and more, and they *always* have at least a dozen copies of each. Woo! Gamestop sucks.:P
Yes, I suppose it is. Robots having sex is the second best kind of sex there is, though. The first would be *me* having sex, of course. And, if you're curious, the third is Germans having sex (that is to say, robots having sex with animals.):P
Actually, if you want to see a *really* cool effect, trying doing this minimize/kill-dock thing with a movie in the Quicktime player. Since it plays the movie even while it's minimized in the dock, it also plays it on the way there...so you can catch it half way, and watch the movie all skewed up. Quite interesting.:P
Here's the one I got... I'm surprised it doesn't even seem to have an effect on the framerate, either. Strange stuff.:)
-Munki
Re:Oni was a good blend of action/story/puzzle...
on
Games For Both Of Us?
·
· Score: 1
I was referring to the PC version...I'm not much of a console gamer, although I'm working on that this Christmas.;) But the way my girlfriend and I did it was we played through it literally at the same time, and if one of us couldn't figure something out, the other would help, and vice versa...things like that. It's playing multi-singleplayer.:P Still, that works sometimes. Anybody remember Escape Velocity? I've actually been to LAN-parties devoted entirely to EV, and they've always had a remarkable turnout...numbering in the teens...ah, good times.;)
-Munki
Oni was a good blend of action/story/puzzle...
on
Games For Both Of Us?
·
· Score: 1
I liked Oni. My woman liked Oni...we both liked it a lot, actually. And no, I'm not being sexist calling her "my woman," and no, I'm not crazy, claiming that Oni was good. It was, it just had a lot of...work still to be done.:P But yeah, unless actually playing the game multiplayer-style is a requirement, I recommend Oni.:)
For those that don't get it, I'll spell it out: the entire article is a troll. It's not meant to be taken that seriously. It's just there to try to get a rise out of you. Happens all the time. The author wasn't actually trying to pigeonhole anyone...instead, it was just something fun, using common stereotypes...which, as we all know, are only sometimes true. It's like saying gay people are flamboyant. Maybe some of them are, but saying that doesn't mean they all are...it just means that often, the hard-hard-hardcore ones are. Yeehaw. Anyhow, like I said, the article was a troll, and apparently, it worked. Kudos to the author. I rate the article a +5, Funny/Troll.:)
It's all foolish. If they called it FirebirdSQL, that would be one thing. But the word "firebird" is still free use. Just like how we can stil call windows windows, even though Microsoft would probably try to claim otherwise, given the chance. But, since you can't claim a word like that as your own, we have windows, instead of "transparent-but-solid wall portals." Same goes for firebird. Besides, it also helps that they're different products. You can legally claim it as infringement if they name their product the same (or similar) to yours *if* it's the same (or similar) product. But, in this case, they aren't the same (nor similar). Nobody will confuse the two. They can call it firebird if they want to.
As someone who grew up making these things, I would like to make one suggestion: DON'T USE HAIRSPRAY. If you insist on using hairspray, yeah, Aquanet is the best stuff. However, it can seize up the threads on the cap, and basically gum up the entire works. Instead, I recommend Right Guard deoderant spray. It doesn't leave nearly as much residue, and the residue it does leave isn't sticky. Plus, while it still stinks, it does smell a hell of a lot better than Aquanet.
Also, another piece of advice. In order to get maximum distance, you need get the right length of the barrel. I've found the best way to do this is to start off with something *way* too long, about 7 or even 8 feet. Go out at night, so you can see the flame coming out of the barrel, and begin firing. Each time, cut a few inches off the end of the barrel. You're looking for about 6 inches of flame coming out the end of the barrel. Any more than this, and you're wasting energy. Any less, and you're potentially not getting the most bang for your buck.
Anyhow, that's all. Just thought I'd give you guys a few pointers.:P
Someone posed the question, although it seemed a little more in passing...but seriously, what *about* the people who pre-ordered? I was this close to doing so myself, but I decided not to at the last minute. I know, though, that if I had ordered it, it would be coming in soon, but all of a sudden, I wouldn't be getting the product I had ordered. With Bioware claiming to have a hybrid release, supposedly pre-ordering would get you said hybrid. But then, *later*, you find out that it is not, in fact, a hybrid...well, that just doesn't work. They were taking orders for hybrid copies, not single-platform copies. So, my question is, did any of you pre-order it? And if you did, what is Bioware telling you? Or are they just ignoring you and playing innocent?
Nope, sorry...the primary colors are red yellow and blue, but only for reflected light. Like your crayons. The primary colors for transmitted light, however, are red green and blue, like your mointor. Although, in truth, it's not actually red green and blue...it's *supposed* to be cyan and magenta, although I can't remember if that's for reflected or transmitted light. But in point of fact, monitors can't display true cyan, anyhow. In order for them to do that, someone would have to find a way to transmit some negative quantity of red. And you may say, "But, hey man, I can see cyan right there! It's on my screen! w00+!" But the fact of the matter is, all the major colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc.) actually have scientific definitions for quantities of certain wavelengths. What you see as cyan on your monitor is actually less intense than true cyan, and contains too much red. But I digress. The point is, the primary colors are *not* necessarily red, yellow, and blue.:)
Did anyone read the hardware prerequisites? ThinkPad this, ThinkPad that...you have to own a ThinkPad. That, and they say it works without driver support...provided you're running Windows 2000 or Windows ME. So, I wouldn't go around praising (or criticizing) it as yet another media format...instead, call it what it is: yet another specific toy for yet another specific piece of hardware. The two aren't independant: I can't take that key and plug it in to just *any* computer that has USB, it has to be one of the listed ThinkPads running one of the listed operating systems. What if I wanna plug it into my Mac? Or, for you types, my Linux box? What gives?
Am I the only one who thought it seemed an awful lot like a really, really long episode of Babylon 5? I can't say why, but visually, that's what it reminded me of. I think I liked the first more, just because it had more of that "movie quality," that something that says it's not just another weekly episode of Star Trek. The original movie seemed like a movie. Don't get me wrong on any of this: I did enjoy the first two hours so far...but it just doesn't have it, in my opinion. All of the effects and the like, they reminded me too much of a weekly series. And in my personal opinion, some of the casting was...well, not as good. For instance, while I think the current actor did fine, the first Baron Harkonen was much nastier as a human being, even with costuming aside. And Sting made a much better Feyd. Maybe I'm biased against this make of Dune just because I've always liked the first, but hey, that's just my opinion. Oh, and if you reply to this, don't whine about the spelling of names and the like: it's been ages since I read the book, and how we spell names is really not the point here.:)
Consulting with legal counsel doesn't mean that they're being put on trial. Consulting with legal counsel would would be getting advised on any course of action they should take. Just like if you're arrested, you don't have to answer any questions without first receiving legal advice, either from your own lawyer or one they give you. It's simply smarter, if you could possibly be put on trial, to get some sort of legal consultation beforehand.
And yes, you're right, they would have to get security clearance. The thing is, the article is claiming that they weren't allowed time. That's what bugs me: that it's claiming they were only given five days from start to finish, instead of the actual six months (at least) that this has been going on. These people knew they were in trouble of some sort six months ago when they were suspended. If they were going to seek legal counsel, they should have done it then, not waited until they were ordered to turn in a written explanation of their actions.
Basically, all that I'm saying is that whoever said they weren't given time to consult is wrong, and that whatever trouble these people get in to for not consulting over the period of those six months is their own fault.
In the original posting, it said that the employees have been givenm five days to respond, which killed their ability to consult with lawyers and the like, due to the time it takes to get clearance. However, in the article, it says that some of those senior employees have been "suspended with pay for the past six months while CIA officials try to decide what punishment is appropriate." This means that this happened a long time ago. At least six months. It's not as if they discovered this five days ago and have ordered written explanations; they found out at least six months ago and have just now ordered explanations. So, even if it does take a few months to get clearance, that still leaves a few more to consult with whoever needs to be consulted with.
In the original posting, it talks about this lack of time. It also says it almost exactly the same in the article itself: "The former officer said that by giving those under investigation only five days to respond to the charges against them, the CIA has 'effectively denied them the opportunity to seek legal counsel,' because lawyers typically must wait for months to obtain security clearances necessary to represent agency personnel." But again, six months is a long time. What were these people doing for the last six months? Especially the ones who had been suspended with pay? I would hope that they would spend that time doing everything in their power to seek legal counsel. If they waited until now to try, then maybe they should just face the consequences. I know that if I got caught breaking the rules like that on a secure computer system and was essentially told to not come to work until they figured out how they were going to punish me, I would spend the eight hours a day I would usually be working during trying to find a lawyer who could help me get out of trouble, regardless of whether or not what I did was wrong...that's just self-preservation.
Either way, that's what bugs me the most about this article: the claims that these people aren't getting a fair chance, when in fact they've had at least half a year to make whatever chance they wanted. And in all reality, this happened probably even twice that long ago, it just took six months for it to be dealt with, then six more for it to get to press and for the demands for explanations to be presented. Rip this apart as you please.
-G
Slashdot Mirror
All the adolescent "bulge" jokes aside, if you're interested in the technology used in this sort of situation, I may have a few links of interest. And while the technology is *relatively* new, it's not *brand* new. ASF alone has been doing this since 1991, and we aren't the first.
The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) - This is where I work. We gather SAR data (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and do a lot of interferometric processing. Certainly cool stuff. This data can be used to create DEMs (Digital Elevation...Maps? Models? Can't remember which), among other things. Definitely good to check out. Grab the Antarctica Mosaic! It's huge, and we have one of all of Alaska, as well! Check out the facility's page here: http://www.asf.alaska.edu/ and the SAR FAQ can be found here: http://www.asf.alaska.edu/3_1.html
The second one is the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) which is a more general source of geo-information. If you go to the SwathViewer, there is a ton of data available, everything from road maps to DEMs to SAR data to "Blue Marble"...definitely worth a look-see. Right here: http://www.gina.alaska.edu/
There is a *ton* of information out there, and those two places are a great start. Check 'em out!
In other news, while women can do two things at once, they do them both half-assed.
*duck!*
Umm...whether or not that's true, it has no bearing on what I said, regardless of the fact that what I said was almost purely sarcasm.
The thing is, any wood you buy at the store was almost certainly cut *ages* ago. It would be an insult to the trees to *not* use it. It's the very least we can do to put their corpses to good use! :P
Hold up, now. I was reading slashdot earlier, and I'm pretty sure that this article's headline should actually read:
:)
"France to be site of world's *second* nuclear fusion"
That should clear things up for anyone who's confused.
Yes, the phone on the other end is my system. If someone else is calling it when I try to make a call, they are DOSing me, and I will press charges. Beware! :P
:)
My point was more that it's my system being *affected*, not that I own the system being attacked.
Hating Microsoft is so five years ago. Where have you been? The current modus operandi is hating SCO. Please, try to get with the program/bandwagon.
It's my system when their zombified machine participates in a DOS attack on a service I need...
I think it's implied that students would still learn typing through basic computer use. I learned to type long before I was ever forced to take a typing class, and I learned simply by using a computer. If students are immersed in computers, they will learn the methods needed to communicate with those computers--one of those methods being typing. It's like walking. Most people don't actually take a class on walking, it's simply something you learn as a necessity.
And of course, this is all on top of the fact that students still have to write papers and the like, which are generally typed. Again, more learning through necessity. We don't always have to *officially* teach things. Sometimes, they're learned because they must be.
-G
No.
Are you kidding? About being able to find games, I mean. Maybe it's just my location...I've actually found that Fred Meyers, of all places, has some of the best games selection for *any* console. Try it: head down to your local everything-store, be it Fred Meyers or whatever...check out the electronics department. Although, I think Fred Meyers is just a northwest thing...I wouldn't know. But yeah, Fred's has all those games and more, and they *always* have at least a dozen copies of each. Woo! Gamestop sucks. :P
-Munki
Yes, I suppose it is. Robots having sex is the second best kind of sex there is, though. The first would be *me* having sex, of course. And, if you're curious, the third is Germans having sex (that is to say, robots having sex with animals.) :P
-Munki
Actually, if you want to see a *really* cool effect, trying doing this minimize/kill-dock thing with a movie in the Quicktime player. Since it plays the movie even while it's minimized in the dock, it also plays it on the way there...so you can catch it half way, and watch the movie all skewed up. Quite interesting. :P
:)
Here's the one I got... I'm surprised it doesn't even seem to have an effect on the framerate, either. Strange stuff.
-Munki
I was referring to the PC version...I'm not much of a console gamer, although I'm working on that this Christmas. ;) But the way my girlfriend and I did it was we played through it literally at the same time, and if one of us couldn't figure something out, the other would help, and vice versa...things like that. It's playing multi-singleplayer. :P Still, that works sometimes. Anybody remember Escape Velocity? I've actually been to LAN-parties devoted entirely to EV, and they've always had a remarkable turnout...numbering in the teens...ah, good times. ;)
-Munki
I liked Oni. My woman liked Oni...we both liked it a lot, actually. And no, I'm not being sexist calling her "my woman," and no, I'm not crazy, claiming that Oni was good. It was, it just had a lot of...work still to be done. :P But yeah, unless actually playing the game multiplayer-style is a requirement, I recommend Oni. :)
-Munki
I, for one, am not amused at all: they (Atari) *totally* ripped off Apple's naming scheme! Apple should sue Atari! Die, Atari! :P
For those that don't get it, I'll spell it out: the entire article is a troll. It's not meant to be taken that seriously. It's just there to try to get a rise out of you. Happens all the time. The author wasn't actually trying to pigeonhole anyone...instead, it was just something fun, using common stereotypes...which, as we all know, are only sometimes true. It's like saying gay people are flamboyant. Maybe some of them are, but saying that doesn't mean they all are...it just means that often, the hard-hard-hardcore ones are. Yeehaw. Anyhow, like I said, the article was a troll, and apparently, it worked. Kudos to the author. I rate the article a +5, Funny/Troll. :)
-G
It's all foolish. If they called it FirebirdSQL, that would be one thing. But the word "firebird" is still free use. Just like how we can stil call windows windows, even though Microsoft would probably try to claim otherwise, given the chance. But, since you can't claim a word like that as your own, we have windows, instead of "transparent-but-solid wall portals." Same goes for firebird. Besides, it also helps that they're different products. You can legally claim it as infringement if they name their product the same (or similar) to yours *if* it's the same (or similar) product. But, in this case, they aren't the same (nor similar). Nobody will confuse the two. They can call it firebird if they want to.
Also, another piece of advice. In order to get maximum distance, you need get the right length of the barrel. I've found the best way to do this is to start off with something *way* too long, about 7 or even 8 feet. Go out at night, so you can see the flame coming out of the barrel, and begin firing. Each time, cut a few inches off the end of the barrel. You're looking for about 6 inches of flame coming out the end of the barrel. Any more than this, and you're wasting energy. Any less, and you're potentially not getting the most bang for your buck.
Anyhow, that's all. Just thought I'd give you guys a few pointers. :P
-G
Someone posed the question, although it seemed a little more in passing...but seriously, what *about* the people who pre-ordered? I was this close to doing so myself, but I decided not to at the last minute. I know, though, that if I had ordered it, it would be coming in soon, but all of a sudden, I wouldn't be getting the product I had ordered. With Bioware claiming to have a hybrid release, supposedly pre-ordering would get you said hybrid. But then, *later*, you find out that it is not, in fact, a hybrid...well, that just doesn't work. They were taking orders for hybrid copies, not single-platform copies. So, my question is, did any of you pre-order it? And if you did, what is Bioware telling you? Or are they just ignoring you and playing innocent?
-G
Nope, sorry...the primary colors are red yellow and blue, but only for reflected light. Like your crayons. The primary colors for transmitted light, however, are red green and blue, like your mointor. Although, in truth, it's not actually red green and blue...it's *supposed* to be cyan and magenta, although I can't remember if that's for reflected or transmitted light. But in point of fact, monitors can't display true cyan, anyhow. In order for them to do that, someone would have to find a way to transmit some negative quantity of red. And you may say, "But, hey man, I can see cyan right there! It's on my screen! w00+!" But the fact of the matter is, all the major colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc.) actually have scientific definitions for quantities of certain wavelengths. What you see as cyan on your monitor is actually less intense than true cyan, and contains too much red. But I digress. The point is, the primary colors are *not* necessarily red, yellow, and blue. :)
Did anyone read the hardware prerequisites? ThinkPad this, ThinkPad that...you have to own a ThinkPad. That, and they say it works without driver support...provided you're running Windows 2000 or Windows ME. So, I wouldn't go around praising (or criticizing) it as yet another media format...instead, call it what it is: yet another specific toy for yet another specific piece of hardware. The two aren't independant: I can't take that key and plug it in to just *any* computer that has USB, it has to be one of the listed ThinkPads running one of the listed operating systems. What if I wanna plug it into my Mac? Or, for you types, my Linux box? What gives?
Am I the only one who thought it seemed an awful lot like a really, really long episode of Babylon 5? I can't say why, but visually, that's what it reminded me of. I think I liked the first more, just because it had more of that "movie quality," that something that says it's not just another weekly episode of Star Trek. The original movie seemed like a movie. Don't get me wrong on any of this: I did enjoy the first two hours so far...but it just doesn't have it, in my opinion. All of the effects and the like, they reminded me too much of a weekly series. And in my personal opinion, some of the casting was...well, not as good. For instance, while I think the current actor did fine, the first Baron Harkonen was much nastier as a human being, even with costuming aside. And Sting made a much better Feyd. Maybe I'm biased against this make of Dune just because I've always liked the first, but hey, that's just my opinion. Oh, and if you reply to this, don't whine about the spelling of names and the like: it's been ages since I read the book, and how we spell names is really not the point here. :)
Consulting with legal counsel doesn't mean that they're being put on trial. Consulting with legal counsel would would be getting advised on any course of action they should take. Just like if you're arrested, you don't have to answer any questions without first receiving legal advice, either from your own lawyer or one they give you. It's simply smarter, if you could possibly be put on trial, to get some sort of legal consultation beforehand.
And yes, you're right, they would have to get security clearance. The thing is, the article is claiming that they weren't allowed time. That's what bugs me: that it's claiming they were only given five days from start to finish, instead of the actual six months (at least) that this has been going on. These people knew they were in trouble of some sort six months ago when they were suspended. If they were going to seek legal counsel, they should have done it then, not waited until they were ordered to turn in a written explanation of their actions.
Basically, all that I'm saying is that whoever said they weren't given time to consult is wrong, and that whatever trouble these people get in to for not consulting over the period of those six months is their own fault.
-G
In the original posting, it said that the employees have been givenm five days to respond, which killed their ability to consult with lawyers and the like, due to the time it takes to get clearance. However, in the article, it says that some of those senior employees have been "suspended with pay for the past six months while CIA officials try to decide what punishment is appropriate." This means that this happened a long time ago. At least six months. It's not as if they discovered this five days ago and have ordered written explanations; they found out at least six months ago and have just now ordered explanations. So, even if it does take a few months to get clearance, that still leaves a few more to consult with whoever needs to be consulted with.
In the original posting, it talks about this lack of time. It also says it almost exactly the same in the article itself: "The former officer said that by giving those under investigation only five days to respond to the charges against them, the CIA has 'effectively denied them the opportunity to seek legal counsel,' because lawyers typically must wait for months to obtain security clearances necessary to represent agency personnel." But again, six months is a long time. What were these people doing for the last six months? Especially the ones who had been suspended with pay? I would hope that they would spend that time doing everything in their power to seek legal counsel. If they waited until now to try, then maybe they should just face the consequences. I know that if I got caught breaking the rules like that on a secure computer system and was essentially told to not come to work until they figured out how they were going to punish me, I would spend the eight hours a day I would usually be working during trying to find a lawyer who could help me get out of trouble, regardless of whether or not what I did was wrong...that's just self-preservation.
Either way, that's what bugs me the most about this article: the claims that these people aren't getting a fair chance, when in fact they've had at least half a year to make whatever chance they wanted. And in all reality, this happened probably even twice that long ago, it just took six months for it to be dealt with, then six more for it to get to press and for the demands for explanations to be presented. Rip this apart as you please.
-G