Well, it's somewhat off-topic, but here goes .
I don't know about other gamers out there, but I look for a different kind of game for portable play. Something that will let me pass the time away is what works best.
This is why I (and many others) enjoy things like Tetris so much. You can pick it up and put it down, with no problem.
This is where the GBA is doing the right thing: bringing back those fun, *nostalgic* games. Those are the enjoyable ones to play when on travel (anyone else enjoy a few rounds of Joust as much as me).
Here's where the GBA fails, and someone else should pick up the slack:
1. Autosave. Someone needs to come up with an autosave feature that will let me save the state of my current game, so that I may turn off the machine and resume an hour, week, or month later.
2. Emulators. For portable games, the most fun ones are the puzzle (e.g. Tetris) and nostalgia games (e.g. Mario, Joust, galaga, etc.). It would be really great if I could play any game from any of the older platforms on my new portable. Ergo, it would need to act as an emulator. Wouldn't it just be the cat's meow if the thing could play games intended for other hw platforms (NeoGeo, Genesis, SNES, GB, etc.)?
While recovering from heart surgery, former Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams decided to finish his phD in Electrical Engineering.
With rejuvinated spirit (and heart), Dr Williams led his team to a thunderous start:
4 breakthrough technological developments
52 home runs
and a.384 batting average
An amazing comeback for the 80 year old slugger, which will surely earn him the MVP and Nobel Prize, a feat never before accomplished by a geriatric.
What you say makes sense.
However, you did not address the "sneak tactics" used by many companies in these situations.
By "sneak tactics" I refer to the situation where the company includes copyright protection schemes into their hardware/software/etc. without the consumer knowing about it, or not findout out about it until it is too late.
Firewire is a perfect example of this. Most people still do not know that data protection schemes are built into the standard!
What do you do when you have purchased your new HDTV with DRM and built-in Firewire connectivity, only to find out that certain movies you cannot record?? Now you are screwed!
Care for another example? How about VCRs? The majority of the VCR-purchasing audience was completely unaware of Macromedia protection schemes. Hell, many people still are. That doesn't stop them from buying them.
why?
Because no one tells them about these things ahead of time.
Price??
Anyone seen anything about price? My guess is that this bugger is pushing $600...and, like the Jaguar, it may price itself out of the market, even though it is the "best hardware" out there.
...BECAUSE! Regardless of who the person is, the action establishes a precedent!
Subsequent cases are built upon the precedent, leaving the next small-guy, who might have a legitimate gripe with a company or its products, open as easy prey.
Because it seems that, while he is good with numbers, he stinks at prices.
I cannot find a single video card at the prices he has mentioned.
The cheapest Gladiac was $170 (pricewatch), and the cheapeast Radeon was $180 (buy.com).
What gives??
No!
I high performance computing shop would never use substandard parts, nevermind parts that are KNOWN to be BAD.
Bad parts, regardless of whether it is somewhat usable, can corrupt data or cause incorrect results.
Therefore, those parts cannot be trusted.
Imagine if this yahoo was on the committee resolving the Microsoft case. Not only would Microsoft come out smelling like roses, they would come out looking like the Borg.
"Okay, Mr. Gates. You guys are free to go. Remember, though, that any software which you supply that makes a person productive is part of the OS"
Suddendly, the sky blackens over Redmond as the Gates-Master summons the demons of software absorption...
(Thunder! Lightning! Earthquake!) Suddenly, the Microsoft corporation building collapses upon itself, leaving behind an evil black presense: The OS Black Hole!!! (dun-dun-DAAAA)
Slurp!! In goes Sun! sluurp!! In goes IBM! (boof!) In goes Novell, Red Hat, Macintrash! Intel, Cisco! Oh my! The horror!! The humanity!
Did Bill Clinton write this??
on
Is UNIX An OS?
·
· Score: 1
"Unix is no longer an operating system. An operating system is the software that comes with a computer (or OS distribution)that programmers and users need to make themselves productive."
"Well that all depends on what your definition of 'is', is."
:)
Give me a break! If THAT is his definition of an OS, then what is his definition of an IDE? Of a productivity suite?
Pull Over! You have been sited for writing without a brain! Your literary license has been revoked!
I hope someone reads this.
It's unfortunate that Mr. Brin's "letter" was published at Slashdot, for it carries as many substantiated claims as a Lyndon LaRouche pamphlet, perhaps less.
Where is the documented support for these claims? Where are the studies which support these fantastic statements? Are they simply hand-waving arguments?
To begin with, this "inheritance" argument should be the *least* of our concerns. How about things like the economy, abortion, and SOCIAL SECURITY? Or is it that both of these candidates waffle too much to get a concrete idea of where they stand on these issues?
Now, on to the inheritance thingy..:)
Let's assume that we are living in a "diamond"-shaped society (though it's less of a diamond than Mr. Brin tends to let on). Let's further assume that this inheritance tax is repealed. Now what? Will all of these newly found "riches" suddenly vanish, leaving the US bankrupt? No. Not remotely.
The inheritances of the nation's wealthy will see one of the following fates:
1) Inheritances will be wastefully spent by the inheritors on goods, trips, and poor investments.
2) Inheritances will be wisely apportioned and re-invested, resulting in a greater wealth than before.
3) Inheritances will be spent on both good and bad investments, causing the overall inheritance fluctuate in size, but not deviate much overall.
In any of the cases above, the economy wins. If #1 is true, then money is largely spent on purchasing consumer goods. This means that other companies will profit. If #2 is true, then this means that the wise investments have produced successful ventures/businesses/etc. . This means that more people are employed, more goods are purchased, and so on. (If you do not believe that a well-invested inheritance can help out the economy, please see Bill Gates and the millionares he has created). If #3 is true, then money is still spent in the US, thus benefitting the local economy. Now, of course it is possible that the money may go overseas, but, this number is small, as the US is one of the best countries in the world to invest in.
How many children of famous American businessmen become famous Argentinian/German/Japanese businessmen? Probably a negligable amount (close to 0). What I am getting at is that a LARGE majority of the money will still remain tied up in the US economy. Better yet, it will be in the US ECONOMY, and not the US GOVERNMENT. This is CRITICAL to point out. This is the heart of Mr. Brin's argument, and it is flawed, fundamentally.
Now, to be quite frank and make some statements that will assuredly be attacked...
Trickle-down economics WORKS, believe it or not. Let me point out some VERY good examples of trickle-down economics, and why, not only does trickle-down work, but it is also very AMERICAN.
Why do many cities try to attract large businesses to locate in their town? Because a large business will bolster the local economy! Trickle-down in effect!
Why do cities try to host the Olympics? Because of the boost to the local economy! Trickle-down in effect!
Bill Gates. Rich boy turned to richest man. As much as many people hate him for Microsoft, his aggressive business tactics have made MANY millionaires. Windows has created many spin-off businesses that have also been extremely successful.
Is this bad? No! In fact, that is what many people believe in: that any individual, through hard work and persistence, may rise to the top and profit.
This government is entirely too wasteful. Believe me, as I have worked as a government contractor for many years. Giving more money to the government should be the LAST thing we do as a society. You work hard for your money: Why work for $1.00 so that the government can take $0.40, waste $0.30 in an effort to put $0.10 to use (please note: the above was an exaggerated demonstrative. I don't have exact numbers to show how much is spent on government overhead)? The argument here is, "Well, that's why the rich give away so much: so that the government can't waste it." Well, if the government is going to waste it, and you and I and the rich of this country all know it.... then why have the tax?
Remember, folks, if there is no concrete evidence to support a statement then it is, at best, a hypothesis; at worst: a lie.
(first post)
I wish I had scanned the article in when I had it...
However, I read a little interview with Scott Adams about a year ago, regarding the Dilbert phenomenon.
One thing that was asked was how he managed to come up with so much material.
His response? A great deal of the material he receives via letters and email from employees of various companies.
Granted, he must fantasticize (is this a word? if not, then I will file for a patent) the story somewhat: inflate the details and whatnot.
However, there is a grain of truth in these stories.
my 2 bits: Idiot bosses are the people who are authorized to make a decision for others, and know just enough to be dangerous.
Slashdot Mirror
I'll keep it short, since time is $, and karma is not. Claim that your son's rights are being compromised.
. I don't know about other gamers out there, but I look for a different kind of game for portable play. Something that will let me pass the time away is what works best.
This is why I (and many others) enjoy things like Tetris so much. You can pick it up and put it down, with no problem.
This is where the GBA is doing the right thing: bringing back those fun, *nostalgic* games. Those are the enjoyable ones to play when on travel (anyone else enjoy a few rounds of Joust as much as me).
Here's where the GBA fails, and someone else should pick up the slack:
1. Autosave. Someone needs to come up with an autosave feature that will let me save the state of my current game, so that I may turn off the machine and resume an hour, week, or month later.
2. Emulators. For portable games, the most fun ones are the puzzle (e.g. Tetris) and nostalgia games (e.g. Mario, Joust, galaga, etc.). It would be really great if I could play any game from any of the older platforms on my new portable. Ergo, it would need to act as an emulator. Wouldn't it just be the cat's meow if the thing could play games intended for other hw platforms (NeoGeo, Genesis, SNES, GB, etc.)?
Then again, maybe I'm all alone on this one.
-D
While recovering from heart surgery, former Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams decided to finish his phD in Electrical Engineering.
.384 batting average
With rejuvinated spirit (and heart), Dr Williams led his team to a thunderous start:
4 breakthrough technological developments
52 home runs
and a
An amazing comeback for the 80 year old slugger, which will surely earn him the MVP and Nobel Prize, a feat never before accomplished by a geriatric.
What you say makes sense.
However, you did not address the "sneak tactics" used by many companies in these situations.
By "sneak tactics" I refer to the situation where the company includes copyright protection schemes into their hardware/software/etc. without the consumer knowing about it, or not findout out about it until it is too late.
Firewire is a perfect example of this. Most people still do not know that data protection schemes are built into the standard!
What do you do when you have purchased your new HDTV with DRM and built-in Firewire connectivity, only to find out that certain movies you cannot record?? Now you are screwed!
Care for another example? How about VCRs? The majority of the VCR-purchasing audience was completely unaware of Macromedia protection schemes. Hell, many people still are. That doesn't stop them from buying them.
why?
Because no one tells them about these things ahead of time.
Now what do you do?
-D
If the following is true:
"Linus is killing Linux just as horribly as I'm killing Slashdot."
Then Microsoft has nothing to worry about.
ever.
Price?? Anyone seen anything about price? My guess is that this bugger is pushing $600...and, like the Jaguar, it may price itself out of the market, even though it is the "best hardware" out there.
Ummm...do you think that USPO mail doesn't cost the taxpayer anything?
...BECAUSE! Regardless of who the person is, the action establishes a precedent!
Subsequent cases are built upon the precedent, leaving the next small-guy, who might have a legitimate gripe with a company or its products, open as easy prey.
www.guinessbeer-killsbabies.com
-D
Because it seems that, while he is good with numbers, he stinks at prices.
I cannot find a single video card at the prices he has mentioned.
The cheapest Gladiac was $170 (pricewatch), and the cheapeast Radeon was $180 (buy.com).
What gives??
-D
Always play the bad guy? JEez.
No! I high performance computing shop would never use substandard parts, nevermind parts that are KNOWN to be BAD.
Bad parts, regardless of whether it is somewhat usable, can corrupt data or cause incorrect results.
Therefore, those parts cannot be trusted.
-Dennis
I think speakeasy.net might provide this...
DSL provider. They come highly regarded on dslreports.com
-Dennis
I'm so upset, I'm replying to myself!!
Imagine if this yahoo was on the committee resolving the Microsoft case. Not only would Microsoft come out smelling like roses, they would come out looking like the Borg.
"Okay, Mr. Gates. You guys are free to go. Remember, though, that any software which you supply that makes a person productive is part of the OS"
Suddendly, the sky blackens over Redmond as the Gates-Master summons the demons of software absorption...
(Thunder! Lightning! Earthquake!) Suddenly, the Microsoft corporation building collapses upon itself, leaving behind an evil black presense: The OS Black Hole!!!
(dun-dun-DAAAA)
Slurp!! In goes Sun! sluurp!! In goes IBM! (boof!) In goes Novell, Red Hat, Macintrash! Intel, Cisco! Oh my! The horror!! The humanity!
"Unix is no longer an operating system. An operating system is the software that comes with a computer (or OS distribution)that programmers and users need to make themselves productive."
"Well that all depends on what your definition of 'is', is."
:)
Give me a break! If THAT is his definition of an OS, then what is his definition of an IDE? Of a productivity suite?
Pull Over! You have been sited for writing without a brain! Your literary license has been revoked!
I hope someone reads this.
It's unfortunate that Mr. Brin's "letter" was published at Slashdot, for it carries as many substantiated claims as a Lyndon LaRouche pamphlet, perhaps less.
Where is the documented support for these claims? Where are the studies which support these fantastic statements? Are they simply hand-waving arguments?
To begin with, this "inheritance" argument should be the *least* of our concerns. How about things like the economy, abortion, and SOCIAL SECURITY? Or is it that both of these candidates waffle too much to get a concrete idea of where they stand on these issues?
Now, on to the inheritance thingy..
Let's assume that we are living in a "diamond"-shaped society (though it's less of a diamond than Mr. Brin tends to let on). Let's further assume that this inheritance tax is repealed. Now what? Will all of these newly found "riches" suddenly vanish, leaving the US bankrupt? No. Not remotely.
The inheritances of the nation's wealthy will see one of the following fates:
1) Inheritances will be wastefully spent by the inheritors on goods, trips, and poor investments.
2) Inheritances will be wisely apportioned and re-invested, resulting in a greater wealth than before.
3) Inheritances will be spent on both good and bad investments, causing the overall inheritance fluctuate in size, but not deviate much overall.
In any of the cases above, the economy wins. If #1 is true, then money is largely spent on purchasing consumer goods. This means that other companies will profit. If #2 is true, then this means that the wise investments have produced successful ventures/businesses/etc. . This means that more people are employed, more goods are purchased, and so on. (If you do not believe that a well-invested inheritance can help out the economy, please see Bill Gates and the millionares he has created). If #3 is true, then money is still spent in the US, thus benefitting the local economy. Now, of course it is possible that the money may go overseas, but, this number is small, as the US is one of the best countries in the world to invest in.
How many children of famous American businessmen become famous Argentinian/German/Japanese businessmen? Probably a negligable amount (close to 0). What I am getting at is that a LARGE majority of the money will still remain tied up in the US economy. Better yet, it will be in the US ECONOMY, and not the US GOVERNMENT. This is CRITICAL to point out. This is the heart of Mr. Brin's argument, and it is flawed, fundamentally.
Now, to be quite frank and make some statements that will assuredly be attacked...
Trickle-down economics WORKS, believe it or not. Let me point out some VERY good examples of trickle-down economics, and why, not only does trickle-down work, but it is also very AMERICAN.
Why do many cities try to attract large businesses to locate in their town? Because a large business will bolster the local economy! Trickle-down in effect!
Why do cities try to host the Olympics? Because of the boost to the local economy! Trickle-down in effect!
Bill Gates. Rich boy turned to richest man. As much as many people hate him for Microsoft, his aggressive business tactics have made MANY millionaires. Windows has created many spin-off businesses that have also been extremely successful.
Is this bad? No! In fact, that is what many people believe in: that any individual, through hard work and persistence, may rise to the top and profit.
This government is entirely too wasteful. Believe me, as I have worked as a government contractor for many years. Giving more money to the government should be the LAST thing we do as a society. You work hard for your money: Why work for $1.00 so that the government can take $0.40, waste $0.30 in an effort to put $0.10 to use (please note: the above was an exaggerated demonstrative. I don't have exact numbers to show how much is spent on government overhead)? The argument here is, "Well, that's why the rich give away so much: so that the government can't waste it." Well, if the government is going to waste it, and you and I and the rich of this country all know it.... then why have the tax?
Remember, folks, if there is no concrete evidence to support a statement then it is, at best, a hypothesis; at worst: a lie.
This is the best entry I have ever READ!! I can't wait to take it home and make a Beowulf cluster out of it!
(first post) I wish I had scanned the article in when I had it... However, I read a little interview with Scott Adams about a year ago, regarding the Dilbert phenomenon. One thing that was asked was how he managed to come up with so much material. His response? A great deal of the material he receives via letters and email from employees of various companies. Granted, he must fantasticize (is this a word? if not, then I will file for a patent) the story somewhat: inflate the details and whatnot. However, there is a grain of truth in these stories. my 2 bits: Idiot bosses are the people who are authorized to make a decision for others, and know just enough to be dangerous.