Microsoft is in early discussions with five or six media companies
I think the submitter means "Microsoft is in discussions with THE five or six media companies" (thanks Michael Powel for allowing this, by the way. Shame on you...)
when you bounce a directional radio beam off the moon, it can't be intercepted by anyone except those near the place on Earth where the beam bounces
Except it's bullshit, because (1) the beam is hardly directional enough to aim at a location precise enough on the moon to bounce back exactly at a certain point on earth over twice the earth-moon distance (even a well collimated laser makes a big miles-wide splotch on the moon at that distance), and (2) the returning signal is mostly *scattered* back, just like laser light hitting some non-reflective object doesn't come back as a beam, and so you'd be hard-pressed to control the return path anyway.
You know, there's a reason why Bamford's writings are considered a lot closer to fiction than to history.
Re:Moon Bounce for imformation storage
on
Operation Moon Bounce
·
· Score: 4, Informative
send a burst of data to the moon and let it bounce back then retransmit it without storing it. just a loop. You could fit a certain amount of data in the lag. They used it on farther objects to get longer delays. Kind of a strange idea.
It's nothing strange nor is it science ficton, it's called a delay line memory and it was used in early computers
road+rail dual mode vehicles
on
By Road and Rail?
·
· Score: 2, Funny
already exist, albeit with a less classy look than a tupperware tub-shaped bus.
*US* MREs are not haute cuisine. French MRE are actually incredibly tasty: they come packaged with a single-use heater kit that you assemble under the can and light up, it cooks in about 5 minutes and once it's done, it really is yummy.
There's a good reason why US military personels were dying to trade all kinds of hardware for rations with the (few) French soldiers in Iraq during Gulf War I.
What food contains, or is made of, and how it tastes are two different things.
Just look at your average McDonald's burger for instance: most people find it tasty and juicy (well, I must say I find the taste gross, but I seem to be in a minority), yet it contains beef meat you'd puke if you saw how it's produced, reconstituted onions, genetically engineered tomatoes, and scores of flavoring and coloring chemicals. And what's more, it demonstrably makes you sick in the long term, just like the pissy MRE.
What I'm saying is, McDonald's have been demonstrating for years that people can eat shit and enjoy it. This MRE is nothing new, it's just the continuation of the great American eating traditions, only targetted to tough army personels.
I can't believe that the editors have stooped to this level. We have come to an age where people can share information without being harassed about their physical mishaps, however the people who deliver this very information still find a way to make fun of others disablities.
Welcome to a brave new world where the gimp is called "physically challenged", the blind "visually deficient", the dumb "mentally differently abled" and where any joke who may offend anybody about anything is forbidden by the political thought police.
Guess what ModernGeek? I'm "different" and I laugh when people crack jokes about my differences. You obviously couldn't see a funny joke if it put on a silly hat and bit you on the behind. You make me sad...
a one-hand keyboard maybe more immediately useful for many
I'll second that. It's amazing how little computer hardware manufacturers think of disabled people. If you're one-handed and you're looking for a good chord keyboard, you better be prepared to spend a lorryload of money for one of the precious few options available.
Funnily enough, I've seen armless people type on a regular keyboard with their feet a lot more easily than with one hand. Maybe big keyboards would improve these guys' typing speed too...
Is this like those gigantic fucking calculators and phones with big buttons that are designed for old people? Computers designed for old people....hmmmm.
Don't be so smug. One say you too will be old, and when you are, the kids with their direct brain computer interfaces will look at you type on your small keyboard and use your small calculator and say "hmm, move on Grandpa".
Nothing beats a great product naming scheme for grabbing mindshare. Today they launch Flash Lite, but they still have the following absolutely smashing names at their disposal:
quit calling FUD when people don't do things the RMS way.
I call FUD the way Andi implies things the GPL does not say. People who look up to Andi will get distorted impressions about the GPL. It's crap like that that makes developers and software business owners go "GPL? uuh that's baaad" without even knowing what it's about.
I don't deny anybody the right to think differently than RMS. I'm not a huge fan of RMS myself, and I know very well the GPL isn't right for everything. But there's so much misconceptions about the GPL, and I think prominent people like Andi have a duty to speak some sort of truth about it. Once people know what it allows them to do or not do, they are free to not use it, but at least the decision will be made on more than bullshit they once read or heard somewhere.
PHP co-founder Andi Gutmans takes a small shot at RMS (and the FSF), labelling them as fanatics and as not being representative of PHP's user base. 'Most of PHP's user base are people that are using PHP to make a living and they wouldn't care less.
Up to "user base", I thought Andi was doing a good thing (he takes shots at RMS' fanatism, that can't be all bad can it?).
But his implying that RMS and the FSF stand against making a living off of GPLed products totally misses the point, and makes him lose all coolness factor in my eyes. This is a common mistake that most everybody who does not understand the GPL makes: does the GPL prevent you from making money the Microsoft way? certainly. Does it prevent you from making money? certainly not (see RH, SuSE,...). Is it harder to make money off of GPL products? probably, in the traditional sense, the answer is probably in the services around them.
That Slashdotters and other hysterical Linux fans mistake the GPL for a money-grubbing-prevention license is sad but it's all too common. That somebody as prominent as Andi should make himself look like a fool by spewing the same sort of FUD, that's just wrong. I dislike RMS as much as anyone, but I'll credit the guy for saying over and over again that his aim is *not* to prevent people from making a living with software.
Works in every city in the world, doesn't need an iPod, can me printed on a very small piece of paper for easy access: 1- Buy an old laptop 2- Buy a cheap GPS 3- Install Linux 4- Install kismet 5- Install GPSDrive 6- Drive around
I figure the old laptop and cheap GPS are less expensive than an iPod.
How about some of these super-star coders make things like simple audio work properly on Linux? Hands up if your soundcard doesn't work properly with ALSA, or aRts doesn't work properly
I have a shiny sixpence here that says you have a VIA, i8x0 or other such insanely bad integrated sound device.
I mean honestly, ALSA is usually nothing but flawless with any decent soundcard. Even the $15 SBLive works great. Granted, ALSA isn't the easiest thing to set up, but once it's done, it works. As for aRTs, well hmm,.. it's aRTs you know, but at least with a soundcard that supports hardware mixing, it won't tie your audio out.
Audio on Linux is a joke,
Traditionally that's true. But fortunately, some people want to improve it instead of just whining about it like you.
Oh and also, just so you know, your post was OT, since the article is about a MIDI sequencer, not PCM audio through the soundcard.
I can put my old Atari 1040ST to rest. No, seriously, this is another killerapp that kept some of my friends from switching to Linux so far.
I'm curious: you do know that Cubase exists on Windows and Macintosh, right? Heck, you even have the choice of using Cakewalk or DP on those platforms.
What's this Atari ST nonsense? I can't decide whether you're trolling, or you're such a hysterical Windows and Mac hater that you're willing to not use anything but your Atari until something's available for Linux...
spamatica writes "In these times when multimedia on Linux seems to be on a roll, it's my pleasure to break the news that one of the most powerful midi/audio sequencers on Linux, MusE, has just had a new release.
Wow, this is like a total lack of news. It's the polar opposite of news. It feels like there should be a new word. Anti-news?
Oh please get off your high horse.
If a large, usually trusted company announces something important (if nothing else, for shareholders, but also for us geeks who like cutting edge tech) and then withdraws without any explanation, I say it's kind of newsworthy.
GE didn't anounce they'd have cheap fusion power by 2004 did they?
the panels still have a shorter life span than TFT LCD panels
and my guess is, they rushed their mass production announcement before doing the QA for full PR effect, and the stress-tests showed the shorter life span to be quite dramatically shorter than expected.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft is in early discussions with five or six media companies
I think the submitter means "Microsoft is in discussions with THE five or six media companies" (thanks Michael Powel for allowing this, by the way. Shame on you...)
when you bounce a directional radio beam off the moon, it can't be intercepted by anyone except those near the place on Earth where the beam bounces
Except it's bullshit, because (1) the beam is hardly directional enough to aim at a location precise enough on the moon to bounce back exactly at a certain point on earth over twice the earth-moon distance (even a well collimated laser makes a big miles-wide splotch on the moon at that distance), and (2) the returning signal is mostly *scattered* back, just like laser light hitting some non-reflective object doesn't come back as a beam, and so you'd be hard-pressed to control the return path anyway.
You know, there's a reason why Bamford's writings are considered a lot closer to fiction than to history.
send a burst of data to the moon and let it bounce back then retransmit it without storing it. just a loop. You could fit a certain amount of data in the lag. They used it on farther objects to get longer delays. Kind of a strange idea.
It's nothing strange nor is it science ficton, it's called a delay line memory and it was used in early computers
already exist, albeit with a less classy look than a tupperware tub-shaped bus.
It's nothing new. Common use in the military (pre 9/11)
Why pre-9/11? What does it mean now? Iraqi-English Dictionary?
MREs are certainly not haute cousine.
*US* MREs are not haute cuisine. French MRE are actually incredibly tasty: they come packaged with a single-use heater kit that you assemble under the can and light up, it cooks in about 5 minutes and once it's done, it really is yummy.
There's a good reason why US military personels were dying to trade all kinds of hardware for rations with the (few) French soldiers in Iraq during Gulf War I.
Lets see, do I want urine or swam flavor today?
What food contains, or is made of, and how it tastes are two different things.
Just look at your average McDonald's burger for instance: most people find it tasty and juicy (well, I must say I find the taste gross, but I seem to be in a minority), yet it contains beef meat you'd puke if you saw how it's produced, reconstituted onions, genetically engineered tomatoes, and scores of flavoring and coloring chemicals. And what's more, it demonstrably makes you sick in the long term, just like the pissy MRE.
What I'm saying is, McDonald's have been demonstrating for years that people can eat shit and enjoy it. This MRE is nothing new, it's just the continuation of the great American eating traditions, only targetted to tough army personels.
I can't believe that the editors have stooped to this level. We have come to an age where people can share information without being harassed about their physical mishaps, however the people who deliver this very information still find a way to make fun of others disablities.
Welcome to a brave new world where the gimp is called "physically challenged", the blind "visually deficient", the dumb "mentally differently abled" and where any joke who may offend anybody about anything is forbidden by the political thought police.
Guess what ModernGeek? I'm "different" and I laugh when people crack jokes about my differences. You obviously couldn't see a funny joke if it put on a silly hat and bit you on the behind. You make me sad...
Hawking Gracefully, Formally Loses Black Hole Bet
Does that have anything to do with the GNAA?
a one-hand keyboard maybe more immediately useful for many
I'll second that. It's amazing how little computer hardware manufacturers think of disabled people. If you're one-handed and you're looking for a good chord keyboard, you better be prepared to spend a lorryload of money for one of the precious few options available.
Funnily enough, I've seen armless people type on a regular keyboard with their feet a lot more easily than with one hand. Maybe big keyboards would improve these guys' typing speed too...
Is this like those gigantic fucking calculators and phones with big buttons that are designed for old people? Computers designed for old people....hmmmm.
Don't be so smug. One say you too will be old, and when you are, the kids with their direct brain computer interfaces will look at you type on your small keyboard and use your small calculator and say "hmm, move on Grandpa".
Respect your elders, you'll be one too some day.
The extra-large trackball. If you've ever seen one of these things, it's soccer-ball-sized!
You can make great things with Flash.
Unfortunately, you're right, most people use it to create annoying crap.
What can Flash do that SVG can't?
It lowers the cost of customer support. Compare
Sir, did you install the Flash plugin? No? Well, you need to install it.
to
Sir, did you install the SVG plugin? what? yes, it's Ess-Vee-Gee... Yes, Sarah-Vostok-Gargoyle... No? well you need to install it.
Nothing beats a great product naming scheme for grabbing mindshare. Today they launch Flash Lite, but they still have the following absolutely smashing names at their disposal:
...
- Flash Flood
- Flash Gordon
- Flash Card
Nobody reads anymore, huh? So all these giant Barnes and Nobles they're building are just for decoration?
Last I checked, most people go to B+N to have a nice cuppa at the cafe corner while perusing a few magazine they picked up on the mag shelf for free.
Oh yes, and by CD, stationery and postcards, and books for work.
And it's true, sometimes book for fun also.
quit calling FUD when people don't do things the RMS way.
I call FUD the way Andi implies things the GPL does not say. People who look up to Andi will get distorted impressions about the GPL. It's crap like that that makes developers and software business owners go "GPL? uuh that's baaad" without even knowing what it's about.
I don't deny anybody the right to think differently than RMS. I'm not a huge fan of RMS myself, and I know very well the GPL isn't right for everything. But there's so much misconceptions about the GPL, and I think prominent people like Andi have a duty to speak some sort of truth about it. Once people know what it allows them to do or not do, they are free to not use it, but at least the decision will be made on more than bullshit they once read or heard somewhere.
PHP co-founder Andi Gutmans takes a small shot at RMS (and the FSF), labelling them as fanatics and as not being representative of PHP's user base. 'Most of PHP's user base are people that are using PHP to make a living and they wouldn't care less.
Up to "user base", I thought Andi was doing a good thing (he takes shots at RMS' fanatism, that can't be all bad can it?).
But his implying that RMS and the FSF stand against making a living off of GPLed products totally misses the point, and makes him lose all coolness factor in my eyes. This is a common mistake that most everybody who does not understand the GPL makes: does the GPL prevent you from making money the Microsoft way? certainly. Does it prevent you from making money? certainly not (see RH, SuSE,...). Is it harder to make money off of GPL products? probably, in the traditional sense, the answer is probably in the services around them.
That Slashdotters and other hysterical Linux fans mistake the GPL for a money-grubbing-prevention license is sad but it's all too common. That somebody as prominent as Andi should make himself look like a fool by spewing the same sort of FUD, that's just wrong. I dislike RMS as much as anyone, but I'll credit the guy for saying over and over again that his aim is *not* to prevent people from making a living with software.
so a palm-based version of this would be convenient
I think it's called a text editor. Most PDA have one these days...
Works in every city in the world, doesn't need an iPod, can me printed on a very small piece of paper for easy access:
1- Buy an old laptop
2- Buy a cheap GPS
3- Install Linux
4- Install kismet
5- Install GPSDrive
6- Drive around
I figure the old laptop and cheap GPS are less expensive than an iPod.
How about some of these super-star coders make things like simple audio work properly on Linux? Hands up if your soundcard doesn't work properly with ALSA, or aRts doesn't work properly
I have a shiny sixpence here that says you have a VIA, i8x0 or other such insanely bad integrated sound device.
I mean honestly, ALSA is usually nothing but flawless with any decent soundcard. Even the $15 SBLive works great. Granted, ALSA isn't the easiest thing to set up, but once it's done, it works. As for aRTs, well hmm,.. it's aRTs you know, but at least with a soundcard that supports hardware mixing, it won't tie your audio out.
Audio on Linux is a joke,
Traditionally that's true. But fortunately, some people want to improve it instead of just whining about it like you.
Oh and also, just so you know, your post was OT, since the article is about a MIDI sequencer, not PCM audio through the soundcard.
I can put my old Atari 1040ST to rest. No, seriously, this is another killerapp that kept some of my friends from switching to Linux so far.
I'm curious: you do know that Cubase exists on Windows and Macintosh, right? Heck, you even have the choice of using Cakewalk or DP on those platforms.
What's this Atari ST nonsense? I can't decide whether you're trolling, or you're such a hysterical Windows and Mac hater that you're willing to not use anything but your Atari until something's available for Linux...
spamatica writes "In these times when multimedia on Linux seems to be on a roll, it's my pleasure to break the news that one of the most powerful midi/audio sequencers on Linux, MusE, has just had a new release.
The submitter has a fitting nickname indeed...
Wow, this is like a total lack of news. It's the polar opposite of news. It feels like there should be a new word. Anti-news?
Oh please get off your high horse.
If a large, usually trusted company announces something important (if nothing else, for shareholders, but also for us geeks who like cutting edge tech) and then withdraws without any explanation, I say it's kind of newsworthy.
GE didn't anounce they'd have cheap fusion power by 2004 did they?
the panels still have a shorter life span than TFT LCD panels
and my guess is, they rushed their mass production announcement before doing the QA for full PR effect, and the stress-tests showed the shorter life span to be quite dramatically shorter than expected.