I love freeciv, but I'm disappointed with the isometric view. The graphics are muddy and indistinct compared with the old Trident tileset. All the land types look the same, and the units blend in with their backgrounds.
I recommend people try starting the client with --tiles=trident, to get the old view. It would be nice someone should draw some new, improved isometric graphics.
It would be really interesting seeing a few different Code Red's going with different proportions of near versus far dispersal, to see which one does best. It would tell us something about the aggregation of exploitable machines on the net. Although I suppose some people may object to such a study.
You can find the optimal near/far dispersion fraction without infecting anybody with Code Red. Do some Code Red-style scanning to build up a demographic database of susceptible / immune hosts on the Net (you don't have to scan the whole net, of course).
Then write a program which simulates the infection process on this database.
Since I switched to Linux four years ago, I have spent a grand total of $0 on desktop software. I got my home machine from a custom builder in Cambridge, MA, with no OS pre-installed. I've downloaded CD images from Redhat. My LILO gives me a choice between Linux or nothing.
I do everything I need to do with free (beer) software, although Loki occasionally tempts me to spend some money on games.
Ignorant question: Are there limits to the frequencies the FCC is permitted to regulate? We're getting to the point where the descendants of radio communications are beginning to blur into the descendants of visible-light communications. Heterodyne techniques are already used in astronomy for detecting infrared signals.
Someday in the future, could the FCC come after me for "pirate broadcasting" because I flashed my laser pointer at the wrong building? Could I be fined for unlicensed IR broadcasts because I happen to have a fever?
Those are tongue in cheek examples, but I am curious about the limits to the FCC's regulatory authority.
If this substance is just Americium 242, and thus has a 16-hour half-life, it's essentially useless for space propulsion. Most of the fuel will have decayed (and released its energy) in the first day of your two-week trip; there's no way to use it gradually, or to store it for a return trip. Heck, most of the fuel will decay in the time it takes to transport it from the processing plant to the spacecraft!
The only hope is to include a device on board the spacecraft which produces Am-242 from more stable elements. But this eliminates all the attractive features of using Am-242 in the first place!
If I see a $6 paperback which I'm not sure I'll enjoy, I'm more likely to buy it if I know I can re-sell it for $1, effectively making it cost $5 to read. If I couldn't re-sell the book, the publisher would have to charge less (maybe $5) to convince me to buy it. You can bet that most of that difference comes from the author's royalties.
In addition, if I'm really unsure about an author, I can buy a used copy; if I like it, I'm very likely to buy new versions of their stuff in the future.
Thus, the existence of a used market helps to increase the number and value of books an author/publisher sells.
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I recommend people try starting the client with --tiles=trident, to get the old view. It would be nice someone should draw some new, improved isometric graphics.
You can find the optimal near/far dispersion fraction without infecting anybody with Code Red. Do some Code Red-style scanning to build up a demographic database of susceptible / immune hosts on the Net (you don't have to scan the whole net, of course). Then write a program which simulates the infection process on this database.
I do everything I need to do with free (beer) software, although Loki occasionally tempts me to spend some money on games.
Someday in the future, could the FCC come after me for "pirate broadcasting" because I flashed my laser pointer at the wrong building? Could I be fined for unlicensed IR broadcasts because I happen to have a fever?
Those are tongue in cheek examples, but I am curious about the limits to the FCC's regulatory authority.
The only hope is to include a device on board the spacecraft which produces Am-242 from more stable elements. But this eliminates all the attractive features of using Am-242 in the first place!
If I see a $6 paperback which I'm not sure I'll enjoy, I'm more likely to buy it if I know I can re-sell it for $1, effectively making it cost $5 to read. If I couldn't re-sell the book, the publisher would have to charge less (maybe $5) to convince me to buy it. You can bet that most of that difference comes from the author's royalties.
In addition, if I'm really unsure about an author, I can buy a used copy; if I like it, I'm very likely to buy new versions of their stuff in the future.
Thus, the existence of a used market helps to increase the number and value of books an author/publisher sells.