(standard disclaimer, flamebait, karma to burn, yadda yadda...)
The yellow pages (commercial phone directories) have been doing this since forever. If you want a big ad for your business in the directory that everyone uses to look up businesses in their area, you pay for it. Pay for your listing - people see it. Why should search engines be any different? They're not public services, they're businesses. This isn't 1995, when altavista was just some research project or something. People need search engines, companies provide the service, and they have to pay for it somehow. I don't see the problem.
That being said, Google kicks ass, and I'd love to see more companies use their model, or at least their sense of utility and aesthetics.
To all my dear friends who gloated that the long-awaited Halo would only be available on their beloved tool of corporate domination, I have but one thing to say.
"When Elvis Presley died in 1977 there were 37 Elvis impersonators in the world. Today there are 48,000. If the current trend continues, by the year 2010, one out of every three people in the world will be an Elvis impersonator."
I must have missed the part on this site where it says, "YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE JARGON LEXICON BEFORE READING SLASHDOT."
Even if us lowly posters haven't (although you should), it would be nice if our nerd-overlord editors who put the story on the front page have given the jargon file a quick skim.
"Breaking news on Slashdot! Some programmers use funny words like 'foo' and 'bar' in their code, instead of *real* variable names!"
It's been a running firefight with the NYT to keep that page working. They keep slightly modifying their registration form, adding timestamped and hashed keys, etc. They seem to be doing some higgery-jiggery with cookies now, that breaks sometimes, and doesn't other times. If you get one of those "session timed out" errors, just reload the page - it usually works the second time.
I don't have the time right now, but if anyone wants to poke into the problem and submit a fix, you know where to reach me...
Yes, sir. Red light runners here in San Francisco are terrible - people get run down constantly. There are a few of these downtown, and while I initially disliked them for the usual kneejerk reasons (privacy, just a moneymaking scam, etc.) I'm pretty much for them now. If you're in such a hurry that you have to kill someone to get there, a little traffic ticket is probably the least of your troubles.
I, for one, think they should go even further and install Severe Tire Damage spikes in the crosswalks that pop up when the light turns red. Couple weeks of idiots trashing their wheels, and your problem is totally solved...
Dammit, that was my idea! I submitted that to Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars, and it was included in the 2035 Uncle Albert's catalog... I should dig up the old issue of Autoduel Quarterly with my name on it and go for prior art...
I've got four words for you: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
The original, by Eastman and Laird, was an excellent satire of the sorry state of the comics industry, drawn in their own unique style, and was pretty darkly funny. Then came the movies, and the cartoons, and the videogames, and blah blah blah - they had turned an intelligent, insightful series of 30 or so books into a massive tide of crap that completely obliterated the original.
Ask anyone who wasn't a comics geek in the mid-80s what their first impression is of TMNT, and the reaction you'll most likely get is, "oh, wasn't that that crappy kid's cartoon?". So sure, they got a lot more exposure that way, but it wasn't good - and I doubt anyone is going to track down the brilliant originals after seeing the shitty remake.
I agree. A good April Fool's gag should be clever and subtle, and make you actually stop to think, "Wait, I know it's April 1st, but is this real, or not?" Wil Wheaton's posting about his new role on Enterprise just about fits that - it's entirely plausible, and could quite possibly be true. Overall, though, this year's offerings have been lame and sad.
Of course, if Taco had any cojones on him at all, one of these years, he'd just redirect the front page to a certain site for 24 hours...
Now, the case can easily be made that Valve DESERVES more cash. They've continued to pump money into the Half-life community, making Counterstrike into a commercial product, releasing the classic quake and team fortress classic mods, releasing patches and feature upgrades these many years, and constantly improving the product.
Hell yeah. Over the years, I've probably gotten more gameplay from single-player Half-Life, deathmatch, Team Fortress Classic, and Counterstrike alone than any other recent game in memory. We're talking solid *months* of engrossing, well-produced, *fun* gameplay. Also, over the years, I've gladly bought two or three replacement Half-Life CDs for those that were lost or lent because, well, they damn well deserve it.
On the other hand, you have something like Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Bland single-player, unimaginative and buggy multiplayer, not really worth playing for more than a few hours, if that. (IMHO) Borrowed a friends copy for "evaluation purposes", and was immediately disappointed, and very glad that I didn't drop $65 at a local retailer for it. I will gladly spend that $65 on a game from someone like Valve.
It's a simple HTML/javascripty thing to automatically generate a random NYTimes login every time you want to view a story. Just cut and paste the nytimes.com url you want to view, and hit the button.
If you could, please try to save the page locally and use it from your server or desktop, to keep the traffic to my server reasonable. Distribute at will.
It's a simple HTML/javascripty thing to automatically generate a random NYTimes login every time you want to view a story. Just cut and paste the nytimes.com url you want to view, and hit the button.
If you could, please try to save the page locally and use it from your server or desktop, to keep the traffic to my server reasonable. Distribute at will.
I don't know where you live, but on the streets of New York and San Francisco, you're lucky if that's all the people on the street are muttering to themselves...
What I don't understand is what gives the BSA the right to come in and audit your software. Like the above poster says, why is it assumed that my business has pirated software? What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? Seriously, maybe I'm just not familiar enough with how the BSA and related agencies work, but don't they need a warrant or something to come into a place of business and start shaking the IS department down for receipts?
My favorite esoteric language is also on that site, Piet. It's the only language I can think of, aside from Befunge, that uses a 2-D array - an image, actually, that's supposed to look like abstract art - and direction, movement, etc, for instructions and program control. Someone *ahem* also wrote an interpreter for Piet with Perl and ImageMagick - Piet::Interpreter. Look for it on a CPAN near you.
Is is just me, or is - and I am not making this up - Dave Barry just not funny any more?
Re:Receiving Threatening Phone Calls Is Cool?!
on
Goodbye, "Majestic"
·
· Score: 4, Funny
First off, going on a first date to dinner and having to tell your girlfriend that you need to take a call from a video game would be pretty dorky.
*looks around* Ummm...did you by any chance realize where you were when you said that? Forget playing it - just knowing what Majestic is (the game, or otherwise) pretty much puts you firmly in the "dork" category right off. Even if you're not being paged by a computer during dinner, you know that you're going to eventually let something about your Quake clan or your Everquest guild (or whatever they are) accidentally slip in conversation, and that's it. Your scam is up. Best to face the truth head on, and count on your date being cool enough to be interested... in you, at least, if not the game.
Like the kids at Penny Arcade say, "You play videogames? Welcome to Dorksville. You want to know how cool your videogames are? Ask your fucking girlfriend how cool. And if you don't have a girlfriend? That's part of the test."
You may want to check out Python though. Imagine Perl without nearly as much support or maturity, but with beautiful syntax and good OO, and it's improving real quick.
Um, just a minor quibble, but I'm pretty sure that you spelled "Ruby" wrong up there.
Slashdot Mirror
(standard disclaimer, flamebait, karma to burn, yadda yadda...)
The yellow pages (commercial phone directories) have been doing this since forever. If you want a big ad for your business in the directory that everyone uses to look up businesses in their area, you pay for it. Pay for your listing - people see it. Why should search engines be any different? They're not public services, they're businesses. This isn't 1995, when altavista was just some research project or something. People need search engines, companies provide the service, and they have to pay for it somehow. I don't see the problem.
That being said, Google kicks ass, and I'd love to see more companies use their model, or at least their sense of utility and aesthetics.
I must have missed the part on this site where it says, "YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE JARGON LEXICON BEFORE READING SLASHDOT."
Even if us lowly posters haven't (although you should), it would be nice if our nerd-overlord editors who put the story on the front page have given the jargon file a quick skim.
"Breaking news on Slashdot! Some programmers use funny words like 'foo' and 'bar' in their code, instead of *real* variable names!"
zzzzzzz....
doesn't seem to be working right now
It's been a running firefight with the NYT to keep that page working. They keep slightly modifying their registration form, adding timestamped and hashed keys, etc. They seem to be doing some higgery-jiggery with cookies now, that breaks sometimes, and doesn't other times. If you get one of those "session timed out" errors, just reload the page - it usually works the second time.
I don't have the time right now, but if anyone wants to poke into the problem and submit a fix, you know where to reach me...
http://www.majcher.com/nytview.html?url=http://www . ytimes.com/2002/05/10/movies/10STAR.html&submit
... until they change the registration format again, that is...
Generates a random login every time and jumps to the page
And most importantly, it makes the street safer.
Yes, sir. Red light runners here in San Francisco are terrible - people get run down constantly. There are a few of these downtown, and while I initially disliked them for the usual kneejerk reasons (privacy, just a moneymaking scam, etc.) I'm pretty much for them now. If you're in such a hurry that you have to kill someone to get there, a little traffic ticket is probably the least of your troubles.
I, for one, think they should go even further and install Severe Tire Damage spikes in the crosswalks that pop up when the light turns red. Couple weeks of idiots trashing their wheels, and your problem is totally solved...
Dammit, that was my idea! I submitted that to Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars, and it was included in the 2035 Uncle Albert's catalog... I should dig up the old issue of Autoduel Quarterly with my name on it and go for prior art...
...now with automatic URL filling and submit, like a real gateway should:
w . ytimes.com/2002/05/02/technology/02SUN.html&submit
http://www.majcher.com/nytview.html?url=http://ww
Or use the random login generator and help clog up their database.
Share and enjoy.
As usual, you can generate a random New York Times login every time with the registration generator I threw together. Share and enjoy.
I've got four words for you: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
The original, by Eastman and Laird, was an excellent satire of the sorry state of the comics industry, drawn in their own unique style, and was pretty darkly funny. Then came the movies, and the cartoons, and the videogames, and blah blah blah - they had turned an intelligent, insightful series of 30 or so books into a massive tide of crap that completely obliterated the original.
Ask anyone who wasn't a comics geek in the mid-80s what their first impression is of TMNT, and the reaction you'll most likely get is, "oh, wasn't that that crappy kid's cartoon?". So sure, they got a lot more exposure that way, but it wasn't good - and I doubt anyone is going to track down the brilliant originals after seeing the shitty remake.
You can also use the random login generator that I threw together. Creates a different login every time, clogs their user database with garbage. Yay.
UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of
this IMPORTANT information is ENCOURAGED
I agree. A good April Fool's gag should be clever and subtle, and make you actually stop to think, "Wait, I know it's April 1st, but is this real, or not?" Wil Wheaton's posting about his new role on Enterprise just about fits that - it's entirely plausible, and could quite possibly be true. Overall, though, this year's offerings have been lame and sad.
Of course, if Taco had any cojones on him at all, one of these years, he'd just redirect the front page to a certain site for 24 hours...
Now, the case can easily be made that Valve DESERVES more cash. They've continued to pump money into the Half-life community, making Counterstrike into a commercial product, releasing the classic quake and team fortress classic mods, releasing patches and feature upgrades these many years, and constantly improving the product.
Hell yeah. Over the years, I've probably gotten more gameplay from single-player Half-Life, deathmatch, Team Fortress Classic, and Counterstrike alone than any other recent game in memory. We're talking solid *months* of engrossing, well-produced, *fun* gameplay. Also, over the years, I've gladly bought two or three replacement Half-Life CDs for those that were lost or lent because, well, they damn well deserve it.
On the other hand, you have something like Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Bland single-player, unimaginative and buggy multiplayer, not really worth playing for more than a few hours, if that. (IMHO) Borrowed a friends copy for "evaluation purposes", and was immediately disappointed, and very glad that I didn't drop $65 at a local retailer for it. I will gladly spend that $65 on a game from someone like Valve.
Again, the URL is: http://www.majcher.com/nytview.html
It's a simple HTML/javascripty thing to automatically generate a random NYTimes login every time you want to view a story. Just cut and paste the nytimes.com url you want to view, and hit the button.
If you could, please try to save the page locally and use it from your server or desktop, to keep the traffic to my server reasonable. Distribute at will.
Here, try this: http://www.majcher.com/nytview.html
It's a simple HTML/javascripty thing to automatically generate a random NYTimes login every time you want to view a story. Just cut and paste the nytimes.com url you want to view, and hit the button.
If you could, please try to save the page locally and use it from your server or desktop, to keep the traffic to my server reasonable. Distribute at will.
And people complain about Perl being unreadable...
"Uncle Fucker"
"Baby Got Back"
"Cocaine"
"Cocacabana"
I don't know where you live, but on the streets of New York and San Francisco, you're lucky if that's all the people on the street are muttering to themselves...
What I don't understand is what gives the BSA the right to come in and audit your software. Like the above poster says, why is it assumed that my business has pirated software? What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? Seriously, maybe I'm just not familiar enough with how the BSA and related agencies work, but don't they need a warrant or something to come into a place of business and start shaking the IS department down for receipts?
My favorite esoteric language is also on that site, Piet. It's the only language I can think of, aside from Befunge, that uses a 2-D array - an image, actually, that's supposed to look like abstract art - and direction, movement, etc, for instructions and program control. Someone *ahem* also wrote an interpreter for Piet with Perl and ImageMagick - Piet::Interpreter. Look for it on a CPAN near you.
Readers of the finest news source in america have known this all along...
Is is just me, or is - and I am not making this up - Dave Barry just not funny any more?
*looks around* Ummm...did you by any chance realize where you were when you said that? Forget playing it - just knowing what Majestic is (the game, or otherwise) pretty much puts you firmly in the "dork" category right off. Even if you're not being paged by a computer during dinner, you know that you're going to eventually let something about your Quake clan or your Everquest guild (or whatever they are) accidentally slip in conversation, and that's it. Your scam is up. Best to face the truth head on, and count on your date being cool enough to be interested... in you, at least, if not the game.
Like the kids at Penny Arcade say, "You play videogames? Welcome to Dorksville. You want to know how cool your videogames are? Ask your fucking girlfriend how cool. And if you don't have a girlfriend? That's part of the test."
You may want to check out Python though. Imagine Perl without nearly as much support or maturity, but with beautiful syntax and good OO, and it's improving real quick.
Um, just a minor quibble, but I'm pretty sure that you spelled "Ruby" wrong up there.