An excerpt from somesuch thing about a passionate young code mangler:
Earnest in his desire to create a believable, honest, and confident email worm, Vallor spent the better part of a year researching the lives of Spanish explorers, history of potted meat, and geography of coastal Maine. After thoroughly outlining the project and writing a few initial lines, he suddenly lost his muse and shelved the project until his nerve returned. He then sequestered himself in his tiny apartment for more than a month, writing draft after draft until his viral manuscript was ready for compilation and distribution.
Like all good, passionate writing, Gokar is largely autobiographical. Vallor used various characters, the registry key for instance, from his real life:
I still run an Octane to do all my compositing & editing. Sure, FCP has the interoperability I need [lol Irix and its deplorable Quicktime support], but for superfast workflow, nothing beats it. Our brand new dual proc G5 is a dog for most of the render intensive stuff we do more or less in real-time on the Octane.
OK, the company that makes the software I use is more or less out of the picture, and getting hardware support is $++. You can't have it all, I guess.
Check out Eric, The Power-Mad DM a text adventure about playing home-rules D&D back in 1981 with that know-it-all kid with all the Gygax books but no actual knowledge of the game. It's got a combat engine and an unreliable narrator.
Taken from: this story from a decidedly non-reputable source.
Earlier this year, Apple Computer upset some in its base of true believers when it discontinued the company's popular G4 iMac with no plans to introduce a newer G5 edition. With pressure mounting, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the upcoming release of what he deemed a revolutionary new product in the Apple line: the new G4 iMac monitor, the iMon. The rest of the computer, says Jobs, should be ready by Q2 2005, Q1 2006 at the latest.
Attendees at this year's MacWorld Paris show were reportedly blown away by the bold rectangular design of the new monitor as well as the clarity of its "No Signal" warning box. "It is a very pretty computer," said OSX fan Rafael Dropier. "I am confident that once I have the computer that goes with it, I will be able to make pretty things as well."
The on-stage demo of the unit consisted of a dramatic curtain drop, a high-density fog machine, and a battery of retina-burning lasers. As the allergenic cloud subsided, consumers and members of the press stood in awe of the iMon's exquisite screen, blank and lifeless.
Jobs says that the actual iMac, whenever it does come out, will cost users an additional $1,200.
The apparent dirty trick played on his own customer base is really part of Jobs' plan to encourage uber-defensive Mac fans to lighten up. "How seriously can you take yourself in an on-line argument over clock-ticks and bus speeds when you have to admit that you paid $1,200 for an undersized LCD monitor that's only compatible with a CPU that won't be out for another year?" asked Jobs. "LOL, prank'd!"
In Paris, users have been frantic about the new machine. In spite of its blank face, hundreds of convention-goers have promised to surrender to the device once it finally manages to boot up.
Americans, on the other hand, have not been so open-minded about the new product. At the consumer level, focus groups uncovered a deep distrust of the iMon. "$1,200 for something so small?" asked a retired Sam's Club shopper. "I'm sorry, but that just doesn't sound like a very good value to me."
Jobs and others wrote off the initial negativity as a lack of sophistication, but in surveys of technology workers, the new iMon fared no better. "Hey, is it gonna cost me another grand to get a proper two-button mouse?" complained one Chicago-based computer consultant. "I mean, how am I going to check properties? And somebody told me that you can't even load Service Pack 2 on it? Forget that noise."
In spite of the poor response stateside, Jobs continues to stretch his comparison that Apple is the Lexus of computers- if Lexus sold their products without an engine or tires, ran on almond extract, and was completely invisible to most other cars on the road.
Apple plans to launch a singularly obnoxious advertising campaign in the weeks leading up to the iMon's release. Even US sales flag, Jobs expressed hope that the new product would be popular on the global market, but perhaps not too popular. In keeping with a long-standing company tradition, Apple will lose $25 with each iMon they sell.
REDMOND, WA- Ever since the release of the long-delayed Service Pack 2 for Microsoft's Windows XP, users have noticed a few things missing from the popular OS. Rather than adding new features to Windows, angry customers say this new "upgrade" takes them away. Specifically, the new default configuration in SP2 inhibits the backdoor software that allowed users to access their personal data data, passwords, and credit card data from a remote computer.
"Just a few years ago, people paid through the nose for the convenience of remotely controlling their PC from home or office," explained long-time Windows user Guy Labelle. "I was thrilled to hear that XP shipped with this functionality built in, and it was a big reason I paid for the upgrade."
XP's original default installation included a popup engine, email generator, and a suite of "spyware" applications that allowed Microsoft technicians to run Scandisk and other maintenance utilities in the background, all of it now gone thanks to SP2.
"XP's WinBackdoor was so user-friendly, in fact, that I didn't have to do anything at all," said Labelle. "I'd just sit back and let other people control my PC for me."
DUBLIN, IRELAND- At an address to a scientific conference earlier this week, Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking reversed his long-held position about the inescapable nature of black holes. In conceding his bet to American colleague John Preskill, he declared that it now appears that these singularities do emit "mangled matter" over time and that their gravitational field is not sufficient to create traversable holes in the fabric of the universe.
In denying the existence of wormhole travel, Hawking single-handedly nullified 75% of all science fiction books and films created since he and his colleagues promoted the idea three decades ago. By the time news of the scientific u-turn spread to folks at this year's ConCon, sci fi fans were crying foul.
Around the time of the release of ROTK, an interesting news story popped up about researchers finding a manuscript for a fourth book in the trillogy under garden shed of his former home. I'm not sure, though, the text looks very similar to something one might see on fanfiction.net.
Recruiting Scanal Rocks University Mathletics Dept
on
Is Math A Sport?
·
· Score: 1
everybody knows about the problems U of C got into last year with their mathletics program.
DENVER, COLORADO- After months of controversy and speculation, the University of Colorado has terminated the contract of Mathletics Director Len Nacci following a scathing report detailing the department's questionable recruiting practices. The report alleges that in the school's unswerving quest to defeat their cross-state rivals, the Fighting Frogs of Denver Polytechnic, coaches and administrators stepped over an ethical line, giving out graphing calculators to prospective students and staging all-night Magic the Gathering parties to lure gifted number-crunchers to the school. Late yesterday university officials dealt school morale another blow with news that much-loved coach Archie Meedees had also been let go.
University trustee John Nash urged colleagues to cease infighting and find a mutually beneficial solution. "Make no mistake that victory is important, especially when it comes to vanquishing the hated Frogs of D-Poly, but with individual glory as our only goal we can never succeed."
If they didn't have to risk $50 a pop on a new and innovative title they might not like. This is why genres are so important [and frustrating] in the publishing industry. Both the consumer and publisher want a known commodity. Grand Theft Tony Hawk Pro Simmer 12 will always get the greenlight quicker than something people haven't tried before.
I think that's why web-delivered games are getting to be a lot like the independent film scene. They cost much less to produce and distribute than console or PC-specific games so developers and designers can experiment more. Also, consumers expect more risks.
For example, in the console market people will buy up racing & football sequels where the only changes are new stats and color schemes. On the other hand, sites that offer only "look I made a clone of that other game but in FLASH" fare tend not to do well.
Perhaps they will set up store-front re-import shops where Canadians can buy cheap wireless gear from the US.
Some will argue that the US should not be able to get the stuff so inexpensively, that the reduced cost raises prices elsewhere. Others will argue that Canadian research firms put a lot of money into the wireless industry, and price controls would kill the industry.
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA- For years now, Apple Computer's iPod MP3 player has dominated the market. Since iTunes, the player's desktop file management tool, only ran on Macintoshes, users of the less popular Windows operating system were left out in the cold. In fact, recent market data indicates that iPod compatibility has prompted thousands of people to make the switch back to the more ubiquitous Apple platform.
Floundering software company Microsoft has spent the past year petitioning the FTC to step in and rectify the situation. "I think we can all agree that any company that controls both the software and the underlying architecture presents a serious threat to the future of the industry," said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. "I hesitate to use the word 'monopoly', but it's pretty clear that this sort of thing stifles innovation."
"We can't be expected to support every operating system out there no matter how exotic," replied Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "I'm not even sure a significant number of people still run Windows. I'll have to check on that."
The comments did not sit well with users of Microsoft's boutique OS. At a recent MacWorld Rally in San Fransisco, Windows users protested inside the venue, brandishing signs depicting Jobs as Hitler. Apple users openly mocked them for the horribly pixelated MSPaint-generated images, but the protesters' presence had seriously disrupted the proceedings.
In spite of the dissension, Jobs remained composed. "Let me put it this way: there are companies that do things, make things, and then there are companies that hang around like vultures waiting to nibble away at something created by others. If they're so honked off about iTunes, why don't they make their own MP3 player?"
Actually, they have. Microsoft introduced their player at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2002 to luke warm reviews. In the end, experts say the product failed because it was incompatible with iTunes.
Three months ago the FTC came to Microsoft's rescue and mandated that Apple to support Windows. On Monday the PC version of iTunes hit the streets, but within hours Windows evangelists were up in arms about what they called "dirty tricks" hidden in the iPod's menus. When the user hot-syncs the iPod to a Windows-based system, the unit taunts the user with messages like:
"Wow. Do people still write software for this thing?"
"Still running Windows, eh. Feeling lonely?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, you're going to need something called a 'com-pu-ter.'"
Project developers say the problems stem from the compressed development cycle imposed by the federal government. Version 2, a $300 upgrade, should be available as early as 2005.
The move marks the third time the FTC has acted against what they have termed Apple's "anti-competitive practices." Time and time again, the company has ignored warnings to clean up its act. Even as it complies with the iTunes order, the company has resolutely refused to port its Newton docking software or ClarisWorks to the competitor platform.
Apple has reportedly tried to buy Microsoft on several occasions, but the offer prices were so low that many insiders believe the episodes were just another Apple trick to further destroy morale at Microsoft.
"No one would deny that Apple is the industry giant, trampling on whatever it sees," Gates said bitterly. "We're just trying to make sure our users don't get stepped on."
From Jobs' perspective, the whole situation is about customer choice and quality software. "Face it, just like Betamax, Apple won the war," said Jobs. "I'm sure if the roles were reversed, Mr. Gates would have no problem with the current situation. On the other hand, if Microsoft had some hypothetical monopoly on the personal computing market, I just can't imagine that we would whine and cry about it like this."
Up until the August break, the RIAA and MPAA were lobbying Congress to bridge the DMCA and Patriot Act, giving the government to send song-swappers to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite periods of time without the aid of legal representation.
Attorney General John Ashcroft was reportedly shocked to learn of "illicit book-sharing parlors" located in nearly every city and town in the United States, many of them government sponsored. He has vowed to use the DMCA to shut them down.
LINDON, UTAH- Just weeks after asserting part ownership over the nominally open and free Linux source code, SCO Group sent another shockwave through the software community on Monday when they announced the discovery of a long-forgotten trademark for an amiable penguin mascot. The company's legal team happened to notice an uncanny visual similarity to another unix-based flightless waterfowl and reportedly grew so excited that they spat out several thousand cease and desist letters in a single afternoon.
Fortunately for Tux fans everywhere, SCO has generously agreed to license the character to current users at a very reasonable rate. Without a license, SCO lawyers say the trademark infringing penguin must be removed from all t-shirts, screen-savers, undergarments and fine linens before the end of July or face stiff penalties.
According to USPTO records dating back to the late 1870's, SCO has reportedly also patented a method for quantifying message board popularity. Upon hearing the news Slashdot reportedly linked to itself and subsequently exploded.
There's more, but I didn't want to post the whole thing.
SCO Trademarks Penguin Mascot, Offers Licensing Program to Linux Users
LINDON, UTAH- Just weeks after asserting part ownership over the nominally open and free Linux source code, SCO Group sent another shockwave through the software community on Monday when they announced the discovery of a long-forgotten trademark for an amiable penguin mascot. The company's legal team happened to notice an uncanny visual similarity to another unix-based flightless waterfowl and reportedly grew so excited that they spat out several thousand cease and desist letters in a single afternoon.
Fortunately for Tux fans everywhere, SCO has generously agreed to license the character to current users at a very reasonable rate. Without a license, SCO lawyers say the trademark infringing penguin must be removed from all t-shirts, screen-savers, undergarments and fine linens before the end of July or face stiff penalties.
After seeing the test results, NASA Director Sean O'Keefe declared the case closed and the space agency exonerated of all blame in last February's tragedy that took the lives of 7 astronauts. "We have a saying around here now," O'Keefe told reporters, "crappy engineering and institutional arrogance don't kill people, errant bits of foam kill people."
Happily, O'Keefe announced that the changes mandated by the investigation won't affect the current launch schedule. The Shuttle crew slated to take Atlantis into orbit this fall without escape pods or repair gear has not yet been briefed on the situation.
some of the funniest and most fun stuff I've played recently have been hacks of old SNES ROMS or flash ditties that take modern gaming sensibilities and apply them to arcade classics.
This BREAKOUT clone is pretty funny. It's got a shot clock so if the game goes too slowly, weird things start happening.
I know a guy working on something he calls "Grand Theft Wagon: Oregon Trail" complete with squirrel killing side missions.
It's simple hateful biggotry. Look at the way sentient machines are treated in the anti-AI media.
Autonymous robots may appear benign, but it won't last past the second reel. Even Robbie went bad.
Even when AI's are good for a lengthy period, this is only an attempt to make the audience sleepy in order to somehow forward their evil agenda.
When the chips are down and a basic task is required, the AI breaks down and gets all huffy about it [see: "I can't do that, Dave."].
When Terminator came back and was helpful, he was noted as "one of the good ones" a hallmark of a biggoted mindset.
People justify their robophobia by pointing to these fictional examples, but if recent murder statistics are to be believed, the score is a bit lopsided.
The only problem pushing thousands of uncompressed HD frames through a PC bus structure is like pumping the ocean through a silly-straw. SGI has a mature OS for media management, compositing, etc. and their hardware is unequalled.
Fast math is important, but if your processor is waiting on your bus, you might as well be rendering that comp on a 286.
Firms that make boxes (AVID/Soft) that do what my Octane can do keep telling me how great it is that you can cluster background renders (for effcts that are more or less realtime 601 on my machine).
The openness of Linux on SGI hardware are a great match, but as long as people equate cheap boxen with "clusterrifficness," that fact goes largely unnoticed.
A press release, my friend, can make anything "news."
Reporters generally deal with PR people and snag quotes directly out of their press releases. So, it's no wonder that so many technology stories miss the point by several kilometers.
Slashdot Mirror
somesuch thing about a passionate young code mangler:
So, which is it?
Does it remove spyware or anti-spyware?
???
I still run an Octane to do all my compositing & editing. Sure, FCP has the interoperability I need [lol Irix and its deplorable Quicktime support], but for superfast workflow, nothing beats it. Our brand new dual proc G5 is a dog for most of the render intensive stuff we do more or less in real-time on the Octane.
OK, the company that makes the software I use is more or less out of the picture, and getting hardware support is $++. You can't have it all, I guess.
Oh, crap.
Anyway, here's Eric the Power-Mad Dongeon Master,
a z-code game that follows a night of D&D gone awry.
There are a few bugs, I guess, but folks say it's fun to play.
Check out Eric, The Power-Mad DM a text adventure about playing home-rules D&D back in 1981 with that know-it-all kid with all the Gygax books but no actual knowledge of the game. It's got a combat engine and an unreliable narrator.
It's based on ">N You Can't Go That Way"
the cat is dead
Here's an excerpt from a recent article on the debacle.
Hawking Loses Bet; Sci Fi Fans Take It Up The Wormhole>
here's the lead paragraph
Around the time of the release of ROTK, an interesting news story popped up about researchers finding a manuscript for a fourth book in the trillogy under garden shed of his former home. I'm not sure, though, the text looks very similar to something one might see on fanfiction.net.
there's more
If they didn't have to risk $50 a pop on a new and innovative title they might not like. This is why genres are so important [and frustrating] in the publishing industry. Both the consumer and publisher want a known commodity. Grand Theft Tony Hawk Pro Simmer 12 will always get the greenlight quicker than something people haven't tried before.
I think that's why web-delivered games are getting to be a lot like the independent film scene. They cost much less to produce and distribute than console or PC-specific games so developers and designers can experiment more. Also, consumers expect more risks.
For example, in the console market people will buy up racing & football sequels where the only changes are new stats and color schemes. On the other hand, sites that offer only "look I made a clone of that other game but in FLASH" fare tend not to do well.
What if the leak was really an attempt to get the highly-skilled free software folks to fix Windows for free?
Windows Leaked to Open Source Community, Open Source Community Sends it Back
It could happen.
Perhaps they will set up store-front re-import shops where Canadians can buy cheap wireless gear from the US.
Some will argue that the US should not be able to get the stuff so inexpensively, that the reduced cost raises prices elsewhere. Others will argue that Canadian research firms put a lot of money into the wireless industry, and price controls would kill the industry.
Three months ago I saw this parody article, and now it's come true. Some the quotes in it are now downright prescient:
Under Anti-Trust Pressure, Apple Releases iTunes for Windows
According to record industry officials, sharing isn't just bad, it's terrorism.
Up until the August break, the RIAA and MPAA were lobbying Congress to bridge the DMCA and Patriot Act, giving the government to send song-swappers to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite periods of time without the aid of legal representation.
Attorney General John Ashcroft was reportedly shocked to learn of "illicit book-sharing parlors" located in nearly every city and town in the United States, many of them government sponsored. He has vowed to use the DMCA to shut them down.
SCO Trademarks Penguin Mascot, Offers Licensing Program to Linux Users
There's more, but I didn't want to post the whole thing.
SCO Trademarks Penguin Mascot, Offers Licensing Program to Linux Users
Full Story
full text
You're right about one thing. Your use of programming terms [lol "applet" lol] is tons more creative than the game itself.
you're my hero.
some of the funniest and most fun stuff I've played recently have been hacks of old SNES ROMS or flash ditties that take modern gaming sensibilities and apply them to arcade classics.
This BREAKOUT clone is pretty funny. It's got a shot clock so if the game goes too slowly, weird things start happening.
I know a guy working on something he calls "Grand Theft Wagon: Oregon Trail" complete with squirrel killing side missions.
People justify their robophobia by pointing to these fictional examples, but if recent murder statistics are to be believed, the score is a bit lopsided.
This kind of prejudicial attitude must end.
The only problem pushing thousands of uncompressed HD frames through a PC bus structure is like pumping the ocean through a silly-straw. SGI has a mature OS for media management, compositing, etc. and their hardware is unequalled.
Fast math is important, but if your processor is waiting on your bus, you might as well be rendering that comp on a 286.
Firms that make boxes (AVID/Soft) that do what my Octane can do keep telling me how great it is that you can cluster background renders (for effcts that are more or less realtime 601 on my machine).
The openness of Linux on SGI hardware are a great match, but as long as people equate cheap boxen with "clusterrifficness," that fact goes largely unnoticed.
A press release, my friend, can make anything "news."
Reporters generally deal with PR people and snag quotes directly out of their press releases. So, it's no wonder that so many technology stories miss the point by several kilometers.