You're right, but labelling my claim beyond absurd is a bit harsh;)
I wouldn't expect any less from Dell than to make sure the hardware *they* sell will work without a hitch, but it's also very reasonable to expect the users to buy any third party peripheral (mouse, keyboard, joystick, web cam, monitor, etc.) and expect it to work without a hitch just as well, and from my experience (I've been using GNU/Linux exclusively at home for over a year), I'm not yet confident that such a guarantee can be easily achieved.
Because there is enough correlation, and because as a society we don't care if mice die/suffer and it's not "evil"/"murder"/"inhumane", if you ask enough people.
I mean, isn't it natural for the average person to think, "better some mouse I don't even know than me"?
If you test something, and the mouse doesn't die, then we feel safer trying it on some terminally ill patient. Then finally on someone with a less serious condition.
>> "Hordes of people call vendor tech support lines because of problems with Windows, whether such problems are viruses, spyware, or other operating system defects."
True, but keep in mind that with GNU/Linux hordes of people will be calling in because they can't figure out how to get X to use the correct widescreen resolution (try telling John Doe about modelines in/etc/X11/xorg.conf) or getting all 10 of their buttons on their new mouse to work, etc. There's many things in GNU/Linux that don't automagically work.
Not to start a flame war. There are also many things that do work, which don't work on Windows. But human nature is to notice more the things you miss, than the things you gain. And that's a big detriment when it comes to migration attempts.
I showed my co-worked the XGL demo the other day, and he thought it was really need. Then he asked me how to get it, and I said it only runs on Linux, and he completely lost interest.
I've had that experience too many times. If it can't run on Windows, they see it as off-limits. They feel safer thinking within their box. It's unfortunate.
And I'm talking about a lot of people I met. And quite a few are professional programmers.
"Like most new forms of artistic expression that have come before (music, novels, movies), the primary critics of video games are the people that do not play them."
Aside from the we-all-know-what-they-mean, this is actually a bit ambiguous. If they mean critics of certain games, then gamers definitely count, so that can't be right. If they mean critics of games as a whole, then... wouldn't it go without saying that those who don't like it won't do it?
Actually, XHTML should work best for those kids with $100 laptops. Since it's well-formed XML, parsing it is very straightforward and efficient, and since those laptops would be running open-source software, they'll certainly be able to parse XHTML.
I am incredibly smarter, luckier, and/or more insightful than each and every other person on the planet who might have ever had the chance to come up with this idea. In a sea of six billion faceless drones, I alone am unique.
It's getting worse... closer to seven billion people. In any case, though, you're asking the wrong question. Your actual competition should have not only thought the idea, but actually put a lot of effort into realising it. That's *much* less likely. Most ideas are just that, ideas. Someone thinks, "Hey, there's a great way to do something! Ah, but I wouldn't even know where to start. Maybe there's something I don't know". And moves on.
There are smarter people in the world - much smarter than me - who have thought of and then discarded this idea as the disgusting piece of trash that it is.
Or, as per above point, they just didn't pick that idea out of the thousands of other ideas they have as being the one worth a good portion of their lives. People with ideas generally have lots of them, and it's hard for anybody to tell which of them are actually worth realising.
The Decatur Daily is "News from the Tennessee Valley". What he didn't know is that the valley spans parts of both Tennessee and Alabama, and Decatur happens to be in Alabama.
I would hazard a guess that the rare, deranged people who are actually incited to commit violent acts by games and movies will probably play these games regardless if they are legally sold in their state/prefecture/whatever.
For the rest of us... people need to grow up. We do all agree that it's a game, right?
>> "I'm still waiting for the TV thing to die down, HD or not HD, Plasma or LCD (plus now there is a new one to the flat TV line-up isn't there?)."
Yeah, there's SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) coming out fairly soon (probably 2007). That's basically flat CRT, with each pixel being an individual mini electron emitter (a la LCD).
>> "So you bought a film once on VHS, again on VHS because the first one wore out, then on DVD, then once {if you picked the winner of the new format wars from day one} or twice {if you didn't} on the new, high-definition discs."
And now, due to HDCP, you can't even watch it until you buy a new monitor!;)
>> "Although I heard blu ray is supposed to have some heavy polymer that prevents scratching, how much will your fingerprint or speck of dust stop the player from reading properly."
They actually came out with a new polymer covering for the Blu-Ray that's highly scratch-resistant. They did a demo a while back trying to jam a screwdriver into the disk and it was still fine. It's really quite an improvement.
>> "how much will your fingerprint or speck of dust stop the player from reading properly."
Possibly, but on the other hand that's not permanent damage:)
Some of the best jokes I know came out of the Soviet Union. Although, most of them aren't even that funny to someone who hasn't had a chance to live in the USSR.
As Heisenberg said, "There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them."
The question is, is the suffering worth it to you?
I think most bad drivers aren't bad primarily because of lack of talents, but rather mainly because of their lack of desire to drive better. Everybody has limits, and, honestly, I think if someone with very limited driving ability had enough sense to stay withing those limits, they'd be safer than a whole lot of drivers out there.
There was already a known way of breaking down polystyrene using limonene,the solvent in citrus oil in the rinds of citrus fruit -- the same solvent used in those aromatic citrus household cleaners.
Using bacteria for this is new, but I thought it'd be helpful to provide some perspective on the subject.
* BTW, Styrofoam is a brand that's been generalised, like Kleenex.
Why do you assume bad driving is genetic? Driving is a learned activity. Also, bad drivers don't necessarily cause their own death, or only their own death, or die before they reproduce.
There's a lot more to genetics, yet not everything is genetics either.
Slashdot Mirror
You're right, but labelling my claim beyond absurd is a bit harsh ;)
I wouldn't expect any less from Dell than to make sure the hardware *they* sell will work without a hitch, but it's also very reasonable to expect the users to buy any third party peripheral (mouse, keyboard, joystick, web cam, monitor, etc.) and expect it to work without a hitch just as well, and from my experience (I've been using GNU/Linux exclusively at home for over a year), I'm not yet confident that such a guarantee can be easily achieved.
Because there is enough correlation, and because as a society we don't care if mice die/suffer and it's not "evil"/"murder"/"inhumane", if you ask enough people.
I mean, isn't it natural for the average person to think, "better some mouse I don't even know than me"?
If you test something, and the mouse doesn't die, then we feel safer trying it on some terminally ill patient. Then finally on someone with a less serious condition.
>> "Hordes of people call vendor tech support lines because of problems with Windows, whether such problems are viruses, spyware, or other operating system defects."
/etc/X11/xorg.conf) or getting all 10 of their buttons on their new mouse to work, etc. There's many things in GNU/Linux that don't automagically work.
True, but keep in mind that with GNU/Linux hordes of people will be calling in because they can't figure out how to get X to use the correct widescreen resolution (try telling John Doe about modelines in
Not to start a flame war. There are also many things that do work, which don't work on Windows. But human nature is to notice more the things you miss, than the things you gain. And that's a big detriment when it comes to migration attempts.
I showed my co-worked the XGL demo the other day, and he thought it was really need. Then he asked me how to get it, and I said it only runs on Linux, and he completely lost interest.
I've had that experience too many times. If it can't run on Windows, they see it as off-limits. They feel safer thinking within their box. It's unfortunate.
And I'm talking about a lot of people I met. And quite a few are professional programmers.
...and hope Microsoft top management doesn't read your plans on /. :)
"Like most new forms of artistic expression that have come before (music, novels, movies), the primary critics of video games are the people that do not play them."
Aside from the we-all-know-what-they-mean, this is actually a bit ambiguous. If they mean critics of certain games, then gamers definitely count, so that can't be right. If they mean critics of games as a whole, then... wouldn't it go without saying that those who don't like it won't do it?
Actually, XHTML should work best for those kids with $100 laptops. Since it's well-formed XML, parsing it is very straightforward and efficient, and since those laptops would be running open-source software, they'll certainly be able to parse XHTML.
It's getting worse... closer to seven billion people. In any case, though, you're asking the wrong question. Your actual competition should have not only thought the idea, but actually put a lot of effort into realising it. That's *much* less likely. Most ideas are just that, ideas. Someone thinks, "Hey, there's a great way to do something! Ah, but I wouldn't even know where to start. Maybe there's something I don't know". And moves on.
Or, as per above point, they just didn't pick that idea out of the thousands of other ideas they have as being the one worth a good portion of their lives. People with ideas generally have lots of them, and it's hard for anybody to tell which of them are actually worth realising.
It's just not that simple...
Shhh... do you want to see anti-Internet legislation? ;-)
The Decatur Daily is "News from the Tennessee Valley". What he didn't know is that the valley spans parts of both Tennessee and Alabama, and Decatur happens to be in Alabama.
:)
So, he got it backwards.
Uh... the article you posted says Alabama. Did you get your backwards states mixed up? ;-)
If you can demonstrate violent behaviour *before* you play the game, then doesn't it clear the game of all charges?
Let's start a petition!
X_____________ (sign here)
I would hazard a guess that the rare, deranged people who are actually incited to commit violent acts by games and movies will probably play these games regardless if they are legally sold in their state/prefecture/whatever.
For the rest of us... people need to grow up. We do all agree that it's a game, right?
About your sig...
.00051mL more empty than it is full."
:)
>> "I'm not a pessimist. The glass IS
No, that's certainly is a pessimistic way of looking at only a 0.000255 mL deviation from half-and-half full/empty equilibrium.
>> "I'm still waiting for the TV thing to die down, HD or not HD, Plasma or LCD (plus now there is a new one to the flat TV line-up isn't there?)."
Yeah, there's SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) coming out fairly soon (probably 2007). That's basically flat CRT, with each pixel being an individual mini electron emitter (a la LCD).
>> "So you bought a film once on VHS, again on VHS because the first one wore out, then on DVD, then once {if you picked the winner of the new format wars from day one} or twice {if you didn't} on the new, high-definition discs."
;)
And now, due to HDCP, you can't even watch it until you buy a new monitor!
With DVDs we got stuck with "both formats", + and -, and it's confusing as hell. How does that benefit anybody?
>> "Although I heard blu ray is supposed to have some heavy polymer that prevents scratching, how much will your fingerprint or speck of dust stop the player from reading properly."
:)
They actually came out with a new polymer covering for the Blu-Ray that's highly scratch-resistant. They did a demo a while back trying to jam a screwdriver into the disk and it was still fine. It's really quite an improvement.
>> "how much will your fingerprint or speck of dust stop the player from reading properly."
Possibly, but on the other hand that's not permanent damage
>> "But then again, who am I kidding, everyone that meets me just assumes I am into porn. I guess it is my vibe."
;-)
It's because you say things like "I use them all the time for 3 day 1.99 trials".
Jizzus Christ, that's nasty!
Some of the best jokes I know came out of the Soviet Union. Although, most of them aren't even that funny to someone who hasn't had a chance to live in the USSR.
As Heisenberg said, "There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them."
The question is, is the suffering worth it to you?
I think most bad drivers aren't bad primarily because of lack of talents, but rather mainly because of their lack of desire to drive better. Everybody has limits, and, honestly, I think if someone with very limited driving ability had enough sense to stay withing those limits, they'd be safer than a whole lot of drivers out there.
>> "overassumptive (yes, I like to create my own words)"
;-)
Isn't that a bit overpresumptuous?
There was already a known way of breaking down polystyrene using limonene,the solvent in citrus oil in the rinds of citrus fruit -- the same solvent used in those aromatic citrus household cleaners.
Using bacteria for this is new, but I thought it'd be helpful to provide some perspective on the subject.
* BTW, Styrofoam is a brand that's been generalised, like Kleenex.
Why do you assume bad driving is genetic? Driving is a learned activity. Also, bad drivers don't necessarily cause their own death, or only their own death, or die before they reproduce.
There's a lot more to genetics, yet not everything is genetics either.