Unlike playing Wolfenstein, being an astrotourist probably really gets the chicks. (Don't know why -- a Wolfenstein player can keep going for days, but an astrotourist is only good for a few minutes of thrust.:^P
Hmm, yes, which is why he made it back with one ship after running the Santa Maria into a reef, and the Nina mutinying and taking off on its own. And starting with wrong assumption that the Earth was half the circumference that had been known since at least the Greeks.
Beats me why Columbus is always used as an example of successful exploration. (He did end up arrested in irons within, what, eight years?)
I've only ever gotten one stupid C&D letter. I whipped up a random name generator program called.. Namer, and released it as freeware. A few years later, a letter got to me (in Toronto) from a company in Texas claiming the name was too close to their product "Namer by Salinon" which they liked to call Namer for short.
I don't know what they expected me to do about all those copies on BBSs out there, and I don't give a flying fsck what they like to call their software for short. I blew the letter off, and never heard from them again. (I did add to the docs that if anyone gets a complaint, they should rename it to pnamer.exe.)
If Salinon still around, I hope this bugs them: Namer.Zip
I'd have no problem staying with Office 95. I don't recall any features added in seven years that I actually use.
The trouble is when a number of other people upgrade to a version with incompatable formats. *baaa*baaa*! The newer versions can save to older formats, but how many people do that? In a business environment, you have to upgrade everyone to keep in sync. (Invariably the company president upgrades first.)
The whole idea of Office was that you could send files to other people, and they could use them. Microsoft might add features in each release, but don't say that they don't add hooks to encourage an upgrade.
"As you do that over a period of 20-odd years, you end up with a lot of features that aren't used by many people," Mundie said. Left unmanaged, he explained, these chunks of code become breeding grounds for security holes.
People are still using stuff that depends on pre-MSDOS 2.0 features? It's hard to imagine how such a machine would get on the network to be 0wn3d in the first place without some serious social engineering: "Take this program, copy it to a 320k 5.25" floppy..."
Yeah, I know what he means, and he's right, but that 20 year figure was pulled out of his.. hat.
"Okay, I've got past the external security, but there's still that guard dinosaur inside."
"Can you shut it down?"
"No problem. My story was just accepted. Within 15 minutes, it'll be Slashdotted."
"Sweet!"
The prototype run is only 50 or so units. And at $15,000 or so, I'm not surprised. (And feeding it Aibos could get really expensive!)
I'll just settle for my 486/66 and a reed switch to handle break-ins (apartment, one door) and my smoke detector for fires. (To the people who expressed interest in where I live, I converted the 486 to Linux yesterday. You too slow!:^)
Ah, but you have to understand how the illegal gambling with those bar-top arcade games worked. After someone had been playing, they could "cash out" their credits, and the owner would zero the machine.
Only known regulars would be allowed to do this, and it was done quietly. Of course, the owners didn't like giving money to people, so the games cheated like hell.
I'll tell you that a number of video poker games were definitely rigged. In fact, I think I once did a mod to change the "payout" settings. With all the various chip sets for those games and all the knock-off copies, I wouldn't trust any of them. (Legal gambling machines might be a different story.)
But if you're trying MAME, you could try Intrepid by Nova Games. My initials are 4th in the starting high score list. (1982 hardware, only 8 sprites.) It was a conversion from "Portman" if you want to see a really bad game.
Signed up? Nonsense! Spammer #24601, three links down the chain of "millions" CDs simply scraped all his addresses from Usenet posts, web site links, or did dictionary scans.
The idea that you can sell "opt-in" lists is a bad joke. And how do you opt-out of all those copies of "millions" CDs that various spammers have and will sell to other spammers?
Rule #1: Spammers always lie.
Rule #2: When a spammer looks like they're telling the truth, see #1.
Rule #3: Spammers are stupid.
You have to remember that as a $cientologist, she's using the Co$ redefined meanings of those words. (They call themselves "the most ethical people on the planet", riiight.) You can do no wrong so long as you are "upstat".
In their quest to "clear the planet", a little lieing and trickery is for everyone's own good.
Slashdot Mirror
Unlike playing Wolfenstein, being an astrotourist probably really gets the chicks. (Don't know why -- a Wolfenstein player can keep going for days, but an astrotourist is only good for a few minutes of thrust. :^P
Why, yes they are: Armadillo at X Prize.
Burt Rutan's entry with "Undisclosed Rocket Power" sounds interesting...
Here's some pictures at the X Prize site which I included in my submission. (I even had a link to the Rocket Guy, ah well.)
Here's a news story about it. (Which was in my submission yesterday. Whine, whine :^)
To hell with launching, just give me the rocket, a tanker of orange juice and dump truck full of limes. Oh, and a big straw.
Beats me why Columbus is always used as an example of successful exploration. (He did end up arrested in irons within, what, eight years?)
So no one else is allowed to use Alan Smithee? :^)
I don't know what they expected me to do about all those copies on BBSs out there, and I don't give a flying fsck what they like to call their software for short. I blew the letter off, and never heard from them again. (I did add to the docs that if anyone gets a complaint, they should rename it to pnamer.exe.)
If Salinon still around, I hope this bugs them: Namer.Zip
Remember in Count Zero where Virek's empire had taken on a life of its own? Yeah, it's like that.
The trouble is when a number of other people upgrade to a version with incompatable formats. *baaa*baaa*! The newer versions can save to older formats, but how many people do that? In a business environment, you have to upgrade everyone to keep in sync. (Invariably the company president upgrades first.)
The whole idea of Office was that you could send files to other people, and they could use them. Microsoft might add features in each release, but don't say that they don't add hooks to encourage an upgrade.
Microsoft lives on the income from OS/Office upgrades at least as much as from new installs.
Very cute technology that lacks any sane or rational use.
People are still using stuff that depends on pre-MSDOS 2.0 features? It's hard to imagine how such a machine would get on the network to be 0wn3d in the first place without some serious social engineering: "Take this program, copy it to a 320k 5.25" floppy..."
Yeah, I know what he means, and he's right, but that 20 year figure was pulled out of his .. hat.
Has it got the Bunny inside?
"Okay, I've got past the external security, but there's still that guard dinosaur inside."
"Can you shut it down?"
"No problem. My story was just accepted. Within 15 minutes, it'll be Slashdotted."
"Sweet!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Hello, I'm Rags. Woof! Woof! Woof!"
I'll just settle for my 486/66 and a reed switch to handle break-ins (apartment, one door) and my smoke detector for fires. (To the people who expressed interest in where I live, I converted the 486 to Linux yesterday. You too slow! :^)
I think you misread the subject of his post. He's talking about his dog.
I submitted this story a few days ago, and since my last name is Sharp, maybe... :^)
Only known regulars would be allowed to do this, and it was done quietly. Of course, the owners didn't like giving money to people, so the games cheated like hell.
But if you're trying MAME, you could try Intrepid by Nova Games. My initials are 4th in the starting high score list. (1982 hardware, only 8 sprites.) It was a conversion from "Portman" if you want to see a really bad game.
The idea that you can sell "opt-in" lists is a bad joke. And how do you opt-out of all those copies of "millions" CDs that various spammers have and will sell to other spammers?
Rule #1: Spammers always lie.
Rule #2: When a spammer looks like they're telling the truth, see #1.
Rule #3: Spammers are stupid.
You have to remember that as a $cientologist, she's using the Co$ redefined meanings of those words. (They call themselves "the most ethical people on the planet", riiight.) You can do no wrong so long as you are "upstat".
In their quest to "clear the planet", a little lieing and trickery is for everyone's own good.
Refs at Here and and here as well as a Laura Betterly on the 1997 WISE list. (Co$ organization.)
Yet another scientology spammer, what a surprise!
Ooooooo! Cool, I want one in black.