I have been looking for a usb type of button I could hit with my feet. This would be great to activate voice chat in games such as WoW that require keyboard and mouse attention at the same time. I would also love to activate an ability like War Stop with my foot. This would be very helpful in things like Arena, where time is sensitive. However, all the ones I found are quite expensive. I just need a single button I could map a key to and hit with my foot.
While the PC and Xbox 360 versions were handled by Valve Even though they were both handled by Valve, they are still not interoperable. I opened a Steam ticket asking why it is not compatible with the "Games for Windows Live" allowing Windows and Xbox 360 players to play together.
The response was that "We felt the keyboard/mouse for PC was an unfair advantage." I responded saying that is a relative statement. My 360 buddy can't control anything via keyboard/mouse, and I can't aim worth a crap on controllers, but on our own systems we are great. Why doesn't Microsoft feel this is an issue? Or do they, and not want to admit it (thus leading to the incredible library of 2 compatible games). Why not allow open networked games that anybody can join? I don't want to crack/cheat/bot anything, I just want to play with my friend.
So their response was that either I had to buy a 360 and another copy of "The Orange Box," or my friend had to buy a PC and another copy of "The Orange Box." I am so frustrated with this response, but it seems like a good bit of extra income to require your consumers to purchase multiple copies.
The same is true with games like Guitar Hero 3. Why these are not compatible with each other I still do not understand. Sure it's a bit extra work, but all the controllers are the same. Nobody has an advantage.
I'm not even going to worry about the PS3 version. I've learned that if it is available for PC, always get that version.
I have been a Costco member for over 5 years. Recently a "theater-in-a-box" DVD drive stopped opening/closing that I purchased over 4 years ago. I took it back, and they pulled up the receipt, and gave me a full refund. I paid $400 or so for it then, and now it isn't worth 1/4 of that. I was extremely impressed that they refunded it. I was only expecting a partial credit.
I am waiting for them to carry the Elite, then maybe I'll buy it from them, and them only. I'm still waiting to see what GTA IV does. I may just get it for my PC instead. I don't really care about any other games. My Wii is extremely fun right now.
Being able to see that your friend is playing Shadowrun while you are playing WoW will be the killer app My friends and I have been doing this for years with http://www.xfire.com/
What sorts of fines are retailers currently assessed for sale of rated R movies, CDs with "explicit lyrics", pornography, and other adult material to minors?
The bottom line is that parents should be the ones regulating what their children are doing. If you don't know what games your child is playing, what music they are listening to, or magazines they are buying, then you need to get more involved with their lives.
Stop blaming retailers, game companies, cable tv, and generally everyone else. Do you job as a parent, discuss with your children why the material is unsuitable for them. Heck, buy it and interact with them.
if the games industry would make games worth playing
I agree. Now that the average gamer has the income to support the gaming habit, I don't think this "Gorilla" will hurt the industry.
In fact, I'm have been a VERY devoted FFXI fan since the US release. I have a 60+ character (much harder to level then WOW.) I maintained my account when WOW came out. I dealt with all of the server issues that WOW had at launch, but I stuck with it. I now have two max level characters (60 in WOW, but you can solo easily), but I'm bored. It is a very pretty game, but in the end it is shallow.
Sure, you can start new characters, try different allegiances. But I ended up going back to FFXI.
In the meantime, I've purchased EXCELLENT games such as Resident Evil 4, GTA:SA, Battlefield 2. All on different platforms, no monthly fee.
Afterall, I need a game to play while they perform maintenance.
Exactly. The generation of tv is passing, as evident by the lack of actual actors in the bulk of tv shows now.
I'm not sure what the number are, but where are women in this figure? Why do they only report men? I know my wife will watch anything, anytime, anywhere, as long as it is mindless. I, on the other hand, need something that stimulates my mind. Interactive worlds, strategy, puzzles, and blowing shit up.
No matter how hard they try, television shows will never be as interactive as an online gaming experience. I mean, really, is calling a number in response to a bunch of talentless morons trying to sing really that interactive?
On another note, did anybody watch the "Test the Nation IQ" show? That was a better direction in something that can stimulate your mind. Oddly enough, you could go *online* and take the test...eliminating the need for watching the program. More shows like this, less midgets racing animals.
Everyone is complaining about size, weight and battery life. None of you have to sit in airports or hotels for more than 50% of your work life. I play most fps at 640x480 with all options turned down, because that's all the built-in ati 7500 can handle.
This is the laptop I've been waiting for. Sure there are alienware and other pcs, but with a Dell, I can get a 10% discount, and carry a coporate blessed brand.
This laptop isn't indended to be lightweight. I could play any MMORPG or fps downstairs, in the bathroom, in hotels, or airports. All of these have outlets nearby.
Definitely a good move by Dell. I'll be getting one.
I had nightmares last night of going to see this movie, and the film breaking in the middle of the movie. I went to the projection booth to help (I was a projectionist years ago in college), but we couldn't fix it. I guess that came to a stunning realization today.
I will admit, there were some good scenes, particularly the APU units fighting the Sentinels. I wish they would have broken that scene up with Neo's quest, though, instead of showing a 45 minute Zion scene.
I was excited when the Neo/Agent Smith scene started, and do admit that it was pretty epic, well-done cgi...but there was no release! I wanted Neo to kick the crap out of all the Agents. So...he died, and the world was saved? A Martyr? Did he just give up because Trinity died for no reason? Even the City of Zion was confused..."Uh, we won? uh...ok, rejoice! I guess!"
I asked several strangers there coming out of the theater -- all who stayed until the last credit rolled...waiting for something to pop back up...to finish the movie...the trilogy -- nobody understood the ending.
I would have rather waited another year or so for this movie to be done right. Hollywood seems to ruin everything they touch when it's all about the money, and realease time....
I guess we'll all just have to wait for a new Animatrix DVD to explain it all...
I've been quite happy with just having a PC and GC. There aren't any games out there I miss out on, except for Final Fantasy. I'll buy a cheaper PS2 just for that game.
Not to mention, the PS2 is a great 2nd dvd player at $99. This should be one of their biggest advantages for selling it as an addon system.
Actually even talking isn't (initially) that important. Women can talk endlessly about themselves and their friends, so all you have to do is to keep listening and ask something trivial once in a while to show that you're paying attention.
Why was this modded as FUNNY, this should be INSIGHTFUL.
Through all this, I agree with most. I've had all the Nintendo systems with the exception of the red-hazed VirtualBoy. I have over 30 gamecube games. I have the obligatory Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Luigi, even Mario Party (my nephews love it, not to mention my game-hating wife), Godzilla, and even have Hitman2, Matrix, LOTR, Splinter Cell and the like. I've only considered the xbox and ps2 for moments, but quickly realize that there are no "must-have" titles that I can't get on my pc. I have GTA for pc, and will get halo soon.
However, the one thing that most fail to mention, is the GCN's portability. I bought a 5.4" screen battery, and using the included car adapter, played Mortal Kombat for 1200 miles on a trip. Played Matrix it in the train station with the battery pack, and Zelda for the 1200 miles back on a train. I still have a GBA, with a self-installed AfterBurner, but for long trips with a nearby power source, the GCN is the most portable device out there. It's even smaller than a shuttle!
Not to mention it gives me something to do at my Mother-in-law's, and lets me play GCN while my wife watches those awful reality shows.
Rock on Nintendo, what's next?
Re:Presence exists... big brother is stalking you?
on
5 Predictions for 2012
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· Score: 1
Just because you can circumvent presence, doesn't mean it doesn't exist and/or affect you.
So you leave your phone at home. What if you need someone else to know your presence for that time you are supposed to be at work (or any other noble reason to skip work). Do you put your boss and any others in a "privacy" list?
What about when you go back to work, and your boss is trying to locate you, and you have them blocked? What will they see, "user offline"?
That's too obvious and/or troublesome. I prefer to keep my privacy. Why would you want everyone to know exactly where you are at all times?
Yep, I *literally* feel your pain. This is my 4th year here, and every year it smells more and more like a dirty gym in here! This year, they decided to scrunch the tables even CLOSER together. So, it's not enough that the line of 10 people going to eat all bump your case and monitor (along with everyone else's) on their way out, but the other 20 people all leaving on YOUR row, all rub their nastiness all over the back of your head as they scoot by you.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this con. Though most of the time is spent playing games, it's my "cave" time of the year, and I get LOTS and LOTS of me time. A *VERY* good portion of it is, as you mentioned, spent getting file sharing to work. Windows 98 has always sucked at networking, everyone knows that. Some people can't afford XP, and wine doesn't do proper justice in some cases. XP looses compatibility with some games (though not new ones) that we play, so some of us simply have to run 98. It seems to me that MS$ has somehow coded XP to *NOT* play nicely with 98. Is this another "forced upgrade"-ism?
Most of the time, we boot into Linux to run samba to share. Seems that as long as samba is the file server, it doesn't care what the client is, the share is blazing fast.
Anyway, my lansearch results are just about done, hrm "*.mp*g;*.avi" returned 60000 results, should have bought that other 100GB drive!!
What? I watch DVDs while driving from job to job all the time. I use a tape adapter to pipe the sound through my car speakers, and sit my dell 8100 facing me in the passengers seat.
Also, my family doesn't have a dvd player, as they have no dvds. So, when I visit, I play the DVDs on my laptop, and feed the video into their vcr via s-video, and we'll rent dvds or I'll bring some over. Half the time, everyone is watching the 15" laptop screen, instead of the 25" low-quality tv.
We do the same for just about all family trips we take. Not to mention my wife watching movies while I drive.
What do you do if you have a friend who is similarly situated?
In this case, given that "similarly" means both of us are using dialpad then we can call each other directly through dialpad. I've never done this, so I don't know what the cost is, or the quality.
I can go on and on, but I'll tell you this: I do not have a phone at home anymore, and I have long since abandonded my much loved 5 static ips and dsl as well, in favor of dynamic-only port-80 blocked sometimes-slower-than-M$-fixes-security-holes cable modem.
And I'm MUCH happier.
I will never in my life use SWBell's services. If I am running from rabbid wolverines and my only chance of survival is to purchase SWBell local phone service, I'd rather dive into a swimming pool filled with double-edged razor blades, followed by having my face eaten off by said wolverines.
I only make calls through dialpad, ($9.99 a month for 400 minutes). That's all my long distance AND all local calls. No incoming calls. My wife has gotten use to it. Sure beats $50/month for voice mail/caller id/call waiting/call waiting caller id/caller id call waiting calling/made up services to charge you extra in hopes you won't notice (slamming & cramming)/to just look at the caller id, and ignore the call.
Yeah, maybe it's a pain in the butt to connect the handset everytime I need to make a call (that's what wireless+laptop is for), and 911 isn't supported (that's what cell phones are for). But at 2.5 cents a minute, (and best of all NO SWBell), I see no comparison. People just page me, and I call them back. It's a plus, because none of our friends/family have to use long distance to get a hold of us either.
Oh yeah, and no spam calls/wrong numbers either...
I haven't tried this out yet, but it allows you to connect a regular (cordless) phone to your computer, eliminating the wire-fumbling.
when it takes more man hours to deploy them to large enterprises than to actually setup the enterprise?
A thread in microsoft's public newsgroup recently discusses methods of deployment. Oddly enough, the one post that contained a list of 3rd party programs and pricing structures is now gone, but the rest of the thread exists: applying updates
Here are the free utilities that MS provides: hfnetchk
Nice, though they still don't INSTALL THE UPDATES to any workstations. The 3rd party programs I mentioned cost thousands for licenses.
As our funds are VERY low for anything (I work for the State), we couldn't just spend thousands for 3rd party programs to apply bug fixes (or even hundreds for that matter). Instead, I wrote a batch script to silently apply critical updates to workstations to nearly a thousand users, with integrity checks and output logs (would work for any number of workstations).
Wow, what a concept, too bad for MS the "open-source community's man hours" paid off (apt-get, up2date) for *FREE* functionality to apply updates. MS can learn a thing or two, if they'd stop bashing the open-source network, and instead spend their "man hours" providing functional programs to the millions of customers they have forced their OS on.
Hrm, I know this has been beaten to death, but: Doesn't anyone see anything wrong with the fact that MS (aside from the evil OEM bullying) sells an OS that they have to release patches for weekly (including patches for patches), then provide no way to deploy these to large enterprises?
Can you imagine if Auto Manufacturers provided service like this? Let's say Ford would sell an Explorer that blew up if you filled the gas tank up too much (we'll call it a 'gas tank buffer overflow'), so they released a gas tank modification kit to fix it. Now, they will send you all the kits you need for your lot, but it's up to you to install them all. Furthermore, if they catch you selling Chevy's, they'll penalize you. And your license agreement says you HAVE to sell the new model when it comes out. *OR*, here's a list of 'partners' that will install them for you, at a pretty penny.
Vinny Valdez
p.s. if anyone would like a copy of the script, just email me.
Does anybody have any info on how the broadband connection is going to be implemented? Can I plus my cube into my home lan, or would I have to purchase a dedicated connection package through Nintendo? I don't see much info here http://cube.ign.com/hardware/232.html at ign, can anybody point me in the direction of some better info?
Well, doing consulting and having setup a lot of NAT environments across many platforms, I would say that these "all-in-one" solutions are a great idea. That is, however, if you get the right one.
Certainly the first suggestion I have when I see a home business paying for extra ips, is to take an old machine and setup ip masqurading on a linux box. However, I have found that many people are "scared" of linux, and some don't have dedicated machines. Others want a firewall, public servers, and of course the full web/email site setup. While some businesses look at this as opportunities for recuring fees to unknowledgeable users, I try to lay it all out for the customer. Advantages and disadvantages, ease of administration, power consumption, maintenance. In most cases, customers LOVE the all-in-one solution devices.
For power users that want to control all aspects of filtering, routing, port forwarding, and hosting, this is not the best option. However, it can be a *good* solution. I have up until recently been a Linksys advocate. It is actually a great product, and can perform NAT, DHCP (may toggle off and use an internal DHCP server), "DMZ" port forwarding, and flashable firmware. However, don't be fooled by the claim that it is a "switch". I spent many hours trying to find out directly from Linksys what some specifications were on the advertised "switch". First of all, it does not have a backplane. Anyone that knows what to look for in a switch, will first want to know how much data can be shared. When there is no backplane in any specs, and the "engineers" at Linksys don't seem to know what you are talking about, one tends to rethink their purchase. There is no mac table, nor is there anyway I have seen to find any specifics about how it "switches". Does anybody know what these devices really are? They have to be some sort of "smart" hub. What i have ended up doing, is purchasing NAT/router devices, and separate switches that perform like switches. I have found some D-link and Addtron switches with backplanes and viewable mac tables.
Also, the only way to configure any options on a Linksys device, is through a web browser. I have been able to use lynx before, but this one particular 8-port switch/router had broken tags in the config. I flashed the firmware, and tried just about every browser, but each time I would get java erros and broken tags. When I called tech support, they told me to take it back to my retailer. What they don't know, is that I had just replaced it, because the firmware flash died halfway through, and fried the device. This is not very reliable IMHO.
Netgear, however, allows you to telnet in and configure via command-line, which IMHO, is the most important feature of a configurable network device. JetAdmin or telnet for managing HP printers? Are you kidding me? I'll take command-line anyday. We need a low-end cisco device is what we need.
Are there any other command-line configurable NAT/routers that have actual backplanes for the switching component and has flashable firmware (other than a cisco switch) aimed at this market?
Slashdot Mirror
Wait for it to release on Steam.
I have been looking for a usb type of button I could hit with my feet. This would be great to activate voice chat in games such as WoW that require keyboard and mouse attention at the same time. I would also love to activate an ability like War Stop with my foot. This would be very helpful in things like Arena, where time is sensitive. However, all the ones I found are quite expensive. I just need a single button I could map a key to and hit with my foot.
The response was that "We felt the keyboard/mouse for PC was an unfair advantage." I responded saying that is a relative statement. My 360 buddy can't control anything via keyboard/mouse, and I can't aim worth a crap on controllers, but on our own systems we are great. Why doesn't Microsoft feel this is an issue? Or do they, and not want to admit it (thus leading to the incredible library of 2 compatible games). Why not allow open networked games that anybody can join? I don't want to crack/cheat/bot anything, I just want to play with my friend.
So their response was that either I had to buy a 360 and another copy of "The Orange Box," or my friend had to buy a PC and another copy of "The Orange Box." I am so frustrated with this response, but it seems like a good bit of extra income to require your consumers to purchase multiple copies.
The same is true with games like Guitar Hero 3. Why these are not compatible with each other I still do not understand. Sure it's a bit extra work, but all the controllers are the same. Nobody has an advantage.
I'm not even going to worry about the PS3 version. I've learned that if it is available for PC, always get that version.
I have been a Costco member for over 5 years. Recently a "theater-in-a-box" DVD drive stopped opening/closing that I purchased over 4 years ago. I took it back, and they pulled up the receipt, and gave me a full refund. I paid $400 or so for it then, and now it isn't worth 1/4 of that. I was extremely impressed that they refunded it. I was only expecting a partial credit.
I am waiting for them to carry the Elite, then maybe I'll buy it from them, and them only. I'm still waiting to see what GTA IV does. I may just get it for my PC instead. I don't really care about any other games. My Wii is extremely fun right now.
My favorite thing about the Gamecube controller was that all of the buttons had a unique feel.
A button: the huge green circular one
B button: the tiny red circular one
Y button: the horizontal long one
X button: the vertical long one
My wife, non-gamer, would actually play games on Gamecube because she could easily remember those descriptions. PS2 was "too hard to remember."
She plays all multiplayer Wii games with me now.
What sorts of fines are retailers currently assessed for sale of rated R movies, CDs with "explicit lyrics", pornography, and other adult material to minors?
The bottom line is that parents should be the ones regulating what their children are doing. If you don't know what games your child is playing, what music they are listening to, or magazines they are buying, then you need to get more involved with their lives.
Stop blaming retailers, game companies, cable tv, and generally everyone else. Do you job as a parent, discuss with your children why the material is unsuitable for them. Heck, buy it and interact with them.
Grim Fandago
Oh, what a fabulous game.
if the games industry would make games worth playing
I agree. Now that the average gamer has the income to support the gaming habit, I don't think this "Gorilla" will hurt the industry.
In fact, I'm have been a VERY devoted FFXI fan since the US release. I have a 60+ character (much harder to level then WOW.) I maintained my account when WOW came out. I dealt with all of the server issues that WOW had at launch, but I stuck with it. I now have two max level characters (60 in WOW, but you can solo easily), but I'm bored. It is a very pretty game, but in the end it is shallow.
Sure, you can start new characters, try different allegiances. But I ended up going back to FFXI.
In the meantime, I've purchased EXCELLENT games such as Resident Evil 4, GTA:SA, Battlefield 2. All on different platforms, no monthly fee.
Afterall, I need a game to play while they perform maintenance.
2) Burn only the first ISO to CD-R
Why do that? Just burn the 4MB boot.iso. No "askmethod" needed.
In fact, burn a cd with all of the boot.iso data, and using isolinux, choose which image to boot from (RedHat 9, RHEL 3, Fedora Core 2, etc).
Ogre
This is your wife.
No, my wife is at home watching soaps right now, making sure the lineup for tonight will record on tivo.
Exactly. The generation of tv is passing, as evident by the lack of actual actors in the bulk of tv shows now.
I'm not sure what the number are, but where are women in this figure? Why do they only report men? I know my wife will watch anything, anytime, anywhere, as long as it is mindless. I, on the other hand, need something that stimulates my mind. Interactive worlds, strategy, puzzles, and blowing shit up.
No matter how hard they try, television shows will never be as interactive as an online gaming experience. I mean, really, is calling a number in response to a bunch of talentless morons trying to sing really that interactive?
On another note, did anybody watch the "Test the Nation IQ" show? That was a better direction in something that can stimulate your mind. Oddly enough, you could go *online* and take the test...eliminating the need for watching the program. More shows like this, less midgets racing animals.
Everyone is complaining about size, weight and battery life. None of you have to sit in airports or hotels for more than 50% of your work life. I play most fps at 640x480 with all options turned down, because that's all the built-in ati 7500 can handle.
This is the laptop I've been waiting for. Sure there are alienware and other pcs, but with a Dell, I can get a 10% discount, and carry a coporate blessed brand.
This laptop isn't indended to be lightweight. I could play any MMORPG or fps downstairs, in the bathroom, in hotels, or airports. All of these have outlets nearby.
Definitely a good move by Dell. I'll be getting one.
I'm almost in tears.
I had nightmares last night of going to see this movie, and the film breaking in the middle of the movie. I went to the projection booth to help (I was a projectionist years ago in college), but we couldn't fix it. I guess that came to a stunning realization today.
I will admit, there were some good scenes, particularly the APU units fighting the Sentinels. I wish they would have broken that scene up with Neo's quest, though, instead of showing a 45 minute Zion scene.
I was excited when the Neo/Agent Smith scene started, and do admit that it was pretty epic, well-done cgi...but there was no release! I wanted Neo to kick the crap out of all the Agents. So...he died, and the world was saved? A Martyr? Did he just give up because Trinity died for no reason? Even the City of Zion was confused..."Uh, we won? uh...ok, rejoice! I guess!"
I asked several strangers there coming out of the theater -- all who stayed until the last credit rolled...waiting for something to pop back up...to finish the movie...the trilogy -- nobody understood the ending.
I would have rather waited another year or so for this movie to be done right. Hollywood seems to ruin everything they touch when it's all about the money, and realease time....
I guess we'll all just have to wait for a new Animatrix DVD to explain it all...
Oh well, at least we know how LOTR ends...
I've been quite happy with just having a PC and GC. There aren't any games out there I miss out on, except for Final Fantasy. I'll buy a cheaper PS2 just for that game.
Not to mention, the PS2 is a great 2nd dvd player at $99. This should be one of their biggest advantages for selling it as an addon system.
Actually even talking isn't (initially) that important. Women can talk endlessly about themselves and their friends, so all you have to do is to keep listening and ask something trivial once in a while to show that you're paying attention.
Why was this modded as FUNNY, this should be INSIGHTFUL.
I'd sooner have a room with a girlfriend in, if it were all the same.
You obviously haven't been married before.
Through all this, I agree with most. I've had all the Nintendo systems with the exception of the red-hazed VirtualBoy. I have over 30 gamecube games. I have the obligatory Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Luigi, even Mario Party (my nephews love it, not to mention my game-hating wife), Godzilla, and even have Hitman2, Matrix, LOTR, Splinter Cell and the like. I've only considered the xbox and ps2 for moments, but quickly realize that there are no "must-have" titles that I can't get on my pc. I have GTA for pc, and will get halo soon.
However, the one thing that most fail to mention, is the GCN's portability. I bought a 5.4" screen battery, and using the included car adapter, played Mortal Kombat for 1200 miles on a trip. Played Matrix it in the train station with the battery pack, and Zelda for the 1200 miles back on a train. I still have a GBA, with a self-installed AfterBurner, but for long trips with a nearby power source, the GCN is the most portable device out there. It's even smaller than a shuttle!
Not to mention it gives me something to do at my Mother-in-law's, and lets me play GCN while my wife watches those awful reality shows.
Rock on Nintendo, what's next?
Just because you can circumvent presence, doesn't mean it doesn't exist and/or affect you.
So you leave your phone at home. What if you need someone else to know your presence for that time you are supposed to be at work (or any other noble reason to skip work). Do you put your boss and any others in a "privacy" list?
What about when you go back to work, and your boss is trying to locate you, and you have them blocked? What will they see, "user offline"?
That's too obvious and/or troublesome. I prefer to keep my privacy. Why would you want everyone to know exactly where you are at all times?
You can't surprise them that way.
Ogre
Yep, I *literally* feel your pain. This is my 4th year here, and every year it smells more and more like a dirty gym in here! This year, they decided to scrunch the tables even CLOSER together. So, it's not enough that the line of 10 people going to eat all bump your case and monitor (along with everyone else's) on their way out, but the other 20 people all leaving on YOUR row, all rub their nastiness all over the back of your head as they scoot by you.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this con. Though most of the time is spent playing games, it's my "cave" time of the year, and I get LOTS and LOTS of me time. A *VERY* good portion of it is, as you mentioned, spent getting file sharing to work. Windows 98 has always sucked at networking, everyone knows that. Some people can't afford XP, and wine doesn't do proper justice in some cases. XP looses compatibility with some games (though not new ones) that we play, so some of us simply have to run 98. It seems to me that MS$ has somehow coded XP to *NOT* play nicely with 98. Is this another "forced upgrade"-ism?
Most of the time, we boot into Linux to run samba to share. Seems that as long as samba is the file server, it doesn't care what the client is, the share is blazing fast.
Anyway, my lansearch results are just about done, hrm "*.mp*g;*.avi" returned 60000 results, should have bought that other 100GB drive!!
Ogre
What? I watch DVDs while driving from job to job all the time. I use a tape adapter to pipe the sound through my car speakers, and sit my dell 8100 facing me in the passengers seat.
Also, my family doesn't have a dvd player, as they have no dvds. So, when I visit, I play the DVDs on my laptop, and feed the video into their vcr via s-video, and we'll rent dvds or I'll bring some over. Half the time, everyone is watching the 15" laptop screen, instead of the 25" low-quality tv.
We do the same for just about all family trips we take. Not to mention my wife watching movies while I drive.
OgreInside
What do you do if you have a friend who is similarly situated?
In this case, given that "similarly" means both of us are using dialpad then we can call each other directly through dialpad. I've never done this, so I don't know what the cost is, or the quality.
If you want to try it out, email me.
OgreInside
Specifically Southwestern Bell.
I can go on and on, but I'll tell you this: I do not have a phone at home anymore, and I have long since abandonded my much loved 5 static ips and dsl as well, in favor of dynamic-only port-80 blocked sometimes-slower-than-M$-fixes-security-holes cable modem.
And I'm MUCH happier.
I will never in my life use SWBell's services. If I am running from rabbid wolverines and my only chance of survival is to purchase SWBell local phone service, I'd rather dive into a swimming pool filled with double-edged razor blades, followed by having my face eaten off by said wolverines.
I only make calls through dialpad, ($9.99 a month for 400 minutes). That's all my long distance AND all local calls. No incoming calls. My wife has gotten use to it. Sure beats $50/month for voice mail/caller id/call waiting/call waiting caller id/caller id call waiting calling/made up services to charge you extra in hopes you won't notice (slamming & cramming)/to just look at the caller id, and ignore the call.
Yeah, maybe it's a pain in the butt to connect the handset everytime I need to make a call (that's what wireless+laptop is for), and 911 isn't supported (that's what cell phones are for). But at 2.5 cents a minute, (and best of all NO SWBell), I see no comparison. People just page me, and I call them back. It's a plus, because none of our friends/family have to use long distance to get a hold of us either.
Oh yeah, and no spam calls/wrong numbers either...
I haven't tried this out yet, but it allows you to connect a regular (cordless) phone to your computer, eliminating the wire-fumbling.
OgreInsde
when it takes more man hours to deploy them to large enterprises than to actually setup the enterprise?
A thread in microsoft's public newsgroup recently discusses methods of deployment. Oddly enough, the one post that contained a list of 3rd party programs and pricing structures is now gone, but the rest of the thread exists: applying updates
Here are the free utilities that MS provides:
hfnetchk
MBSA
Nice, though they still don't INSTALL THE UPDATES to any workstations. The 3rd party programs I mentioned cost thousands for licenses.
As our funds are VERY low for anything (I work for the State), we couldn't just spend thousands for 3rd party programs to apply bug fixes (or even hundreds for that matter). Instead, I wrote a batch script to silently apply critical updates to workstations to nearly a thousand users, with integrity checks and output logs (would work for any number of workstations).
Wow, what a concept, too bad for MS the "open-source community's man hours" paid off (apt-get, up2date) for *FREE* functionality to apply updates. MS can learn a thing or two, if they'd stop bashing the open-source network, and instead spend their "man hours" providing functional programs to the millions of customers they have forced their OS on.
Hrm, I know this has been beaten to death, but: Doesn't anyone see anything wrong with the fact that MS (aside from the evil OEM bullying) sells an OS that they have to release patches for weekly (including patches for patches), then provide no way to deploy these to large enterprises?
Can you imagine if Auto Manufacturers provided service like this? Let's say Ford would sell an Explorer that blew up if you filled the gas tank up too much (we'll call it a 'gas tank buffer overflow'), so they released a gas tank modification kit to fix it. Now, they will send you all the kits you need for your lot, but it's up to you to install them all. Furthermore, if they catch you selling Chevy's, they'll penalize you. And your license agreement says you HAVE to sell the new model when it comes out. *OR*, here's a list of 'partners' that will install them for you, at a pretty penny.
Vinny Valdez
p.s. if anyone would like a copy of the script, just email me.
Does anybody have any info on how the broadband connection is going to be implemented? Can I plus my cube into my home lan, or would I have to purchase a dedicated connection package through Nintendo? I don't see much info here http://cube.ign.com/hardware/232.html at ign, can anybody point me in the direction of some better info?
Thanks.
Well, doing consulting and having setup a lot of NAT environments across many platforms, I would say that these "all-in-one" solutions are a great idea. That is, however, if you get the right one.
Certainly the first suggestion I have when I see a home business paying for extra ips, is to take an old machine and setup ip masqurading on a linux box. However, I have found that many people are "scared" of linux, and some don't have dedicated machines. Others want a firewall, public servers, and of course the full web/email site setup. While some businesses look at this as opportunities for recuring fees to unknowledgeable users, I try to lay it all out for the customer. Advantages and disadvantages, ease of administration, power consumption, maintenance. In most cases, customers LOVE the all-in-one solution devices.
For power users that want to control all aspects of filtering, routing, port forwarding, and hosting, this is not the best option. However, it can be a *good* solution. I have up until recently been a Linksys advocate. It is actually a great product, and can perform NAT, DHCP (may toggle off and use an internal DHCP server), "DMZ" port forwarding, and flashable firmware. However, don't be fooled by the claim that it is a "switch". I spent many hours trying to find out directly from Linksys what some specifications were on the advertised "switch". First of all, it does not have a backplane. Anyone that knows what to look for in a switch, will first want to know how much data can be shared. When there is no backplane in any specs, and the "engineers" at Linksys don't seem to know what you are talking about, one tends to rethink their purchase. There is no mac table, nor is there anyway I have seen to find any specifics about how it "switches". Does anybody know what these devices really are? They have to be some sort of "smart" hub. What i have ended up doing, is purchasing NAT/router devices, and separate switches that perform like switches. I have found some D-link and Addtron switches with backplanes and viewable mac tables.
Also, the only way to configure any options on a Linksys device, is through a web browser. I have been able to use lynx before, but this one particular 8-port switch/router had broken tags in the config. I flashed the firmware, and tried just about every browser, but each time I would get java erros and broken tags. When I called tech support, they told me to take it back to my retailer. What they don't know, is that I had just replaced it, because the firmware flash died halfway through, and fried the device. This is not very reliable IMHO.
Netgear, however, allows you to telnet in and configure via command-line, which IMHO, is the most important feature of a configurable network device. JetAdmin or telnet for managing HP printers? Are you kidding me? I'll take command-line anyday. We need a low-end cisco device is what we need.
Are there any other command-line configurable NAT/routers that have actual backplanes for the switching component and has flashable firmware (other than a cisco switch) aimed at this market?