SimEarth, for sure. I can't count the number of hours I spent on that game, even though I could barely red English.
Come to think of it, I learned English basically by playing Wizardry VII and Matrix Cubed, so adventure games may be a good choice as well... Since they are based entirely around literacy:-)
If a handheld device is to be educational, it needs to be programmable. For example, my trusty old TI-85 graphing calculator (which comes with a Basic-like language and a massive library of math functions) has helped me learn more physics than all the "educational" videos put together. The reason for this is that I wanted to "cheat" at tests. To do that, I needed to write a program that would solve physics and math problems for me. To do that, I needed to thouroughly understand how such problems are solved. If that's not education, I don't know what is...
Palms are fine in their own way, but they are not immediately programmable (and graffiti is harder to use than a keyboard). Until Palms become as flexible as the (inferior, bulkier, slower) TI-85, Palms will retain the status of expensive yuppie toys.
It doesn't bother you that apparently AOL logs, or used to log, all the conversations that go on in all their chat rooms ? Otherwise, how did they come up with this evidence ?
Four reasons why paper books are superior to eBooks:
Easy to read: No flickering, small font size, incessant scrolling, or popup ads.
Cheap: An average book costs about $10. At this rate, you can afford to lose it, destroy it, give it to friends, etc.
Portable: All you need is a little light, and you can read the book. Does not require a power source. Anyone who knows how to read can read the book.
Unlimited: When you buy the book, you can read it as many times as you want, for however long you want. You can read it out loud, upside down, you can listen to someone else read it - whatever. That is, of course, if you actually own the book. If you borrow the book from a library, there is an additional restriction: you need to eventually return the book, in good condition.
Until eBooks can satisfy the 4 requirements above, eBooks will be useless.
I agree, the new Outer Limits is painfully obvious. It also seems to wield The Moral (tm) of the story like a 2x4. Do you get the moral yet ? *SMACK* How about now ? *SMACK*. It's annoying.
The original Outer Limits was much more subtle, and thus a much better show.
It's an excellent show - I only wish that my cable modem hadn't crapped out on me:-( What makes the show good is that the main character is fully aware of how cheesy the plot is. He doesn't even want to be an invisible man - all he wants to do is to escape these group of wackos who think their contrived games are the center of the world... Thus, he doesn't take any of his missions seriously. It's a great show.
What really scares me about all this is not Code Red itself. Ok, so it reproduces like "I Love You" on PMS, big deal. What really scares me is that most media reports state, "The virus infects Microsoft IIS, and therefore the Internet is doomed". Thus, in the public eye, Microsoft IS the Internet.
You may rant and rave about how Apache is better than IIS, but the battle has already been lost. Most people cannot even concieve the very idea that anything other than Microsoft could be running the Internet. Thus, it is quite probable that eventually Microsoft will in fact run every computer on the Net - since the alternatives will dwindle into complete obscurity.
The important fact about this device is not that it moves poker chips around, or that it can be used to set tables (what ? anyway), but that it is programmable. Meaning that it can potentially solve any problem which involves moving multiple objects to some specific configuration. What do you think is easier - building a physical robot arm capable of moving 100 objects at the same time, or writing a computer program using pre-built library functions ?
Read his post. Things like soap films, oil spills, feathers and hair are all pretty common, and are all affected by diffraction and interference. It would be nice to handle them with the QED renderer, as opposed to figuring out tricks on the case-by-case basis to get them to work right.
This is a bit off-topic, but a more recent writer in this genre is C. J. Cherryh. Her Sol/Alliance/Union books, such as "Cyteen", "Downbelow Station", "Heavy Time", "Hellburner" live up to the technical standards set forth by Hal Clement in "Mission of Gravity". However, while "Mission of Gravity" is basically an uplifting book about exploration, C. J. Cherryh's books (Especially "Cyteen") convey a sense of depression, paranoia and fear. I love it:-)
This guy, like so many other computer users today (I want to say "Mac Users", but I won't, that would be a troll:-) ) confuses the OPERATING SYSTEM with the USER INTERFACE to the operating system.
These are two very different things. The OS is something that the user never sees; it is what manages memory, peripherals, input, etc. When the user types a key on his word processor, it is the OS that ensures that the key does not get lost in some bit limbo somewhere.
The UI on top of the OS is totally irrelevant, as far as keystrokes go. It does its own thing - clicking icons, moving folders, animating paperclips... The OS is not aware of any of this. The OS just pushes pixels around.
That's the primary difference between Windows/Macs and UNIX: In Windows/Macs, there is no way to change the window manager. The UI is part of the OS. In UNIX, it is not. If you don't like the way your windows look in plain old 2d, you can download Berlin or whatever and make them all 3d.
A better subject for the article would be, "How come all modern UIs suck so much ?". The article has nothing to do with OSs.
I would have to add MODs (XM, S3M, IT, you get the idea) to the list. Most of the mods in my collection are orders of magnitude smaller than MP3s of the same duration, and orders of magnitude more creative. I still haven't found anything that sounds better than masqrade.mod or icefront.s3m... But people stopped making them, I guess, because MP3s don't require as much creativity or know-how.
It looked to me like the people who made these series read the cliffnotes, not the book. The acting is pretty average (especially from Paul, who seems to have 2 states: spoiled_brat and luke_skywalker), the story was sort of mushed togther, and the effects, though technically super-impressive, didn't create the same breathtaking feeling as they did in the original movie. Although I have to admit, the shield glow and the space-navigation effects were pretty cool.
But in general, the entire show seemed pretty cartoonish, stylized and rushed.
Of course, it could have been worse - it could have been Disney...
Can someone name all the video games presented in the clip ? I have recognized pitfall, UFO, that airplane game (?), Space Invaders, Tennis, PacMan, and, probably, Larry 1 and Double Dragon... But it would be nice to get an expert opinion:-)
Specifically, what was the very first game that they showed ? What was the game with the space shuttle taking off (Moon Patrol ?) What about the rock concert ? And the mall scene ?
Ahhh, nostalgia is making me feel all fuzzy inside...
I haven't read any of Banks's stuff yet (in fact this is the first time I've heard of him), but his books sound very much like C.J.Cherryh's Cyteen.
The book is extremely involved and extremely hopeless. The feeling of fatalism permeates the entire book - nothing can stand against the main "protagonist", whom by the end of the book I was ready to ponud into smithereens with my bare hands. Cyteen has that "wheels within wheels, plans within plans" Dune feeling, combined with the totalitarian state of 1984, and a serious discussion of the ethics of cloning, politics and mind control. A great book.
The mail situation in Russia is worse than you think. Basically, the post office/customs office is equivalent to a large, self-regulating gang. If there is anything breakable in your package, it will be broken. If there is anything valuable in it, your package will be opened and all the valuables stolen, after which the package may or may not be thrown away. The post office treats the mail as their personal stash of goodies, not as a set of items to be delivered.
Basically, if you want anything shipped to Russia, use the old-fashioned method: ask a friend who is flying into Russia to carry it with him.
Of course I should clarify that the above is only my perception, based on my attempts to send packages to and from Moscow (even though it is on the UPS "Approved Cities" list, or whatever), and on various anectodes told by my friends. I do not know how the situation is in other cities.
Slashdot Mirror
Come to think of it, I learned English basically by playing Wizardry VII and Matrix Cubed, so adventure games may be a good choice as well... Since they are based entirely around literacy
Palms are fine in their own way, but they are not immediately programmable (and graffiti is harder to use than a keyboard). Until Palms become as flexible as the (inferior, bulkier, slower) TI-85, Palms will retain the status of expensive yuppie toys.
It doesn't bother you that apparently AOL logs, or used to log, all the conversations that go on in all their chat rooms ? Otherwise, how did they come up with this evidence ?
- Easy to read: No flickering, small font size, incessant scrolling, or popup ads.
- Cheap: An average book costs about $10. At this rate, you can afford to lose it, destroy it, give it to friends, etc.
- Portable: All you need is a little light, and you can read the book. Does not require a power source. Anyone who knows how to read can read the book.
- Unlimited: When you buy the book, you can read it as many times as you want, for however long you want. You can read it out loud, upside down, you can listen to someone else read it - whatever. That is, of course, if you actually own the book. If you borrow the book from a library, there is an additional restriction: you need to eventually return the book, in good condition.
Until eBooks can satisfy the 4 requirements above, eBooks will be useless.I agree, the new Outer Limits is painfully obvious. It also seems to wield The Moral (tm) of the story like a 2x4. Do you get the moral yet ? *SMACK* How about now ? *SMACK*. It's annoying. The original Outer Limits was much more subtle, and thus a much better show.
It's an excellent show - I only wish that my cable modem hadn't crapped out on me :-( What makes the show good is that the main character is fully aware of how cheesy the plot is. He doesn't even want to be an invisible man - all he wants to do is to escape these group of wackos who think their contrived games are the center of the world... Thus, he doesn't take any of his missions seriously. It's a great show.
Regrettable, yet true... Still, the actual software is somewhat more diversified.
What really scares me about all this is not Code Red itself. Ok, so it reproduces like "I Love You" on PMS, big deal. What really scares me is that most media reports state, "The virus infects Microsoft IIS, and therefore the Internet is doomed". Thus, in the public eye, Microsoft IS the Internet.
You may rant and rave about how Apache is better than IIS, but the battle has already been lost. Most people cannot even concieve the very idea that anything other than Microsoft could be running the Internet. Thus, it is quite probable that eventually Microsoft will in fact run every computer on the Net - since the alternatives will dwindle into complete obscurity.
The important fact about this device is not that it moves poker chips around, or that it can be used to set tables (what ? anyway), but that it is programmable. Meaning that it can potentially solve any problem which involves moving multiple objects to some specific configuration. What do you think is easier - building a physical robot arm capable of moving 100 objects at the same time, or writing a computer program using pre-built library functions ?
At least they haven't called it "BFG9000". The thought of that baby in the hands of my surgeon scares the crap out of me.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this site just one of those "stealth" ads for the AI movie ?
Read his post. Things like soap films, oil spills, feathers and hair are all pretty common, and are all affected by diffraction and interference. It would be nice to handle them with the QED renderer, as opposed to figuring out tricks on the case-by-case basis to get them to work right.
This is a bit off-topic, but a more recent writer in this genre is C. J. Cherryh. Her Sol/Alliance/Union books, such as "Cyteen", "Downbelow Station", "Heavy Time", "Hellburner" live up to the technical standards set forth by Hal Clement in "Mission of Gravity". However, while "Mission of Gravity" is basically an uplifting book about exploration, C. J. Cherryh's books (Especially "Cyteen") convey a sense of depression, paranoia and fear. I love it :-)
These are two very different things. The OS is something that the user never sees; it is what manages memory, peripherals, input, etc. When the user types a key on his word processor, it is the OS that ensures that the key does not get lost in some bit limbo somewhere.
The UI on top of the OS is totally irrelevant, as far as keystrokes go. It does its own thing - clicking icons, moving folders, animating paperclips... The OS is not aware of any of this. The OS just pushes pixels around.
That's the primary difference between Windows/Macs and UNIX: In Windows/Macs, there is no way to change the window manager. The UI is part of the OS. In UNIX, it is not. If you don't like the way your windows look in plain old 2d, you can download Berlin or whatever and make them all 3d.
A better subject for the article would be, "How come all modern UIs suck so much ?". The article has nothing to do with OSs.
I would have to add MODs (XM, S3M, IT, you get the idea) to the list. Most of the mods in my collection are orders of magnitude smaller than MP3s of the same duration, and orders of magnitude more creative. I still haven't found anything that sounds better than masqrade.mod or icefront.s3m... But people stopped making them, I guess, because MP3s don't require as much creativity or know-how.
It looked to me like the people who made these series read the cliffnotes, not the book. The acting is pretty average (especially from Paul, who seems to have 2 states: spoiled_brat and luke_skywalker), the story was sort of mushed togther, and the effects, though technically super-impressive, didn't create the same breathtaking feeling as they did in the original movie. Although I have to admit, the shield glow and the space-navigation effects were pretty cool. But in general, the entire show seemed pretty cartoonish, stylized and rushed. Of course, it could have been worse - it could have been Disney...
Can someone name all the video games presented in the clip ? I have recognized pitfall, UFO, that airplane game (?), Space Invaders, Tennis, PacMan, and, probably, Larry 1 and Double Dragon... But it would be nice to get an expert opinion :-)
Specifically, what was the very first game that they showed ? What was the game with the space shuttle taking off (Moon Patrol ?) What about the rock concert ? And the mall scene ?
Ahhh, nostalgia is making me feel all fuzzy inside...
I haven't read any of Banks's stuff yet (in fact this is the first time I've heard of him), but his books sound very much like C.J.Cherryh's Cyteen. The book is extremely involved and extremely hopeless. The feeling of fatalism permeates the entire book - nothing can stand against the main "protagonist", whom by the end of the book I was ready to ponud into smithereens with my bare hands. Cyteen has that "wheels within wheels, plans within plans" Dune feeling, combined with the totalitarian state of 1984, and a serious discussion of the ethics of cloning, politics and mind control. A great book.
The mail situation in Russia is worse than you think. Basically, the post office/customs office is equivalent to a large, self-regulating gang. If there is anything breakable in your package, it will be broken. If there is anything valuable in it, your package will be opened and all the valuables stolen, after which the package may or may not be thrown away. The post office treats the mail as their personal stash of goodies, not as a set of items to be delivered.
Basically, if you want anything shipped to Russia, use the old-fashioned method: ask a friend who is flying into Russia to carry it with him.
Of course I should clarify that the above is only my perception, based on my attempts to send packages to and from Moscow (even though it is on the UPS "Approved Cities" list, or whatever), and on various anectodes told by my friends. I do not know how the situation is in other cities.