For example, because the vast majority of Slashdotters are freethinkers (atheists, agnostics, irreligious etc.), as indeed am I, it does tend to drive away or silence those who aren't.
I'm not sure I'd agree with the "Freethinker" moniker. Being open to all possibilities is practically required when you're dealing with computers or troubleshooting any complex system (which I believe the majority of Slashdot members do/did regularly). This doesn't necessarily imply "Aetheist, Agnostic, Irreligious, etc.", anymore than a science degree implies it.
I think I'd have 2 or three chances to send absurd emails like this before I got a stern "talking to" at work. I'm amazed that these are CEOs in charge of multi-billion dollar companies.
You or I would get a "stern talking to" by our boss. Who is the boss of these childish CEOs who is both in the position to give them that stern talking to, and is aware of the childish memos they are sending around?
The only people who MIGHT be in that position are the Board of Directors, and even they might not be able to fulfill both requirements.
Microsoft is only dominant because people *want* Windows, and most people only *want* Windows because the other options are too much work.
Actually, most people don't really care about (or even think about, or in some cases even know) what OS runs their computer.
They want their computer to do things for them:
play games
read their email
browse the web
pass "office" documents back and forth
watch movies
interact with their other devices (printer, scanner, iPod, XBox, PS3, whatever)
The problem points on this list are (1) and possibly (6), and unless a "computer" can do these tasks, a lot of people think its broken.
1 is disappearing to some degree as more and more people are turning to console gaming and web based games. 6 is disappearing as more devices support and are supported by Linux.
Both Intel and AMD issued press releases crowing over their wins, and both are correct -- AMD highlights its presence in 7 of the top 10, while Intel boasts that 379 of the top 500 use their chips.
There are lies, damn lies and statistics (or as they like to call it now, "Marketing").
I agree completely, I think the future of e-books should be that they come along with the physical versions...
Baen already does this with any of their hard-cover books that include CDs.
The CD contains the book in electronic format, several actually. Well... several several actually since they both include several books, and include them in several formats, all free of DRM. They also encourage you to make copies of the CD and pass them out to any and all (so long as you do not sell them).
I've been reading books with my iPhone and its great at bed time. read with the lights off so I don't disturb my wife, and it powers off if I fall asleep and stop flipping pages. I also have it with me everywhere, so I 've got thought books faster as I can read it anytime.
I've been using my old Clie (PalmOS based Sony handheld) that way for the past 8 years.:)
But content, I cant just loan a copy to my friend, and I cant just mail them a link to the book as hey need the software I use.
E-books need a common format with tags for meta data like MP3s and work on all platforms. I'd like an e-copy with every paper copy I buy, but copy protection will never allow this freedom.
Check out http://www.webscriptions.net/. Baen has pioneered eBooks as far as I'm concerned. They were one of the first SciFi/Fantasy plublishing houses to release them, and they offer every one of their books in several electronic formats with no DRM (as well as offer a large "Free Library" of older books and their famous "CDs" which are usually chock full of the rest of a given author's backlog of books.
The mobi-book format is supported on both the iPhone and Kindle and the iPhone even has a "BookShelf" app that will let you buy and download books wirelessly.
Granted, its a small portion of the market (SciFi and Fantasy books), but I'd imagine that, for Slashdot readers at least, its a large-ish portion of the books they buy/read.:)
The best part (to me), is that they provide the books both in mobi-book format (for an eReader), as well as.rtf, and html. Heck, with a little bit of knowledge you can even use the plain HTML version to turn a PSP (or any other hand-held device that can retrieve locally stored html), into an eBook reader, just fine.:)
No, there isn't a glaring hole. The law specifically says you CAN use those devices, so long as you are not holding them.
If you can't use the device in a "hands-free" mode, then you probably shouldn't be the one trying to use it and drive. If you CAN (mount the laptop w/GPS somewhere you can see it, or rely on its "voice notifications"), then there isn't a problem. If you have to try holding a laptop w/GPS, and driving, then for safety's sake, you should probably just get a Car GPS like the rest of the Joe-Sixpacks, instead of insisting on making "one device do everything").
This seems no different than the rash of similar "No cellphone while driving" laws that have popped up in the states.
From the law:
2. Part VI of the Act is amended by adding the following section: Hand-held devices prohibited Wireless communication devices
78.1 (1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a hand-held wireless communication device or other prescribed device that is capable of receiving or transmitting telephone communications, electronic data, mail or text messages. Entertainment devices
(2) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a hand-held electronic entertainment device or other prescribed device the primary use of which is unrelated to the safe operation of the motor vehicle. Hands-free mode allowed
(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), a person may drive a motor vehicle on a highway while using a device described in those subsections if the person is not holding the device. Exceptions
(4) Subsection (1) does not apply to, (a) the driver of an ambulance, fire department vehicle or police department vehicle; (b) any other prescribed person or class of persons; (c) a person holding or using a device prescribed for the purpose of this subsection; or (d) a person engaged in a prescribed activity or in prescribed conditions or circumstances. Same
(5) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of the use of a device to contact ambulance, police or fire department emergency services. Same
(6) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The motor vehicle is off the roadway or is lawfully parked on the roadway. 2. The motor vehicle is not in motion. 3. The motor vehicle is not impeding traffic.
True... but sometimes they can win and get the Nigerian to send THEM the money (or at least lots of entertainment of intangible value) http://www.419eater.com/.
Wii Shop Channel games allow multiple activations, but they all have to be on the same hardware serial number. Xbox Live Arcade is slightly more lenient: if your console dies, you can activate your games on a different console, but you have to connect to Live in order to play. That sucks if you're renting a hall for an annual family reunion, as my family does, and Internet access doesn't come with it.
PSN activation is on up to 5 consoles at any given time (and you can deactivate those consoles from your Account Management page).
Going to a friends house to play? Activate your account on their system and grab your DLC. Your PS3 get replaced (broke, stolen, etc.)? Makes no difference to how you use your content.
Its one of the ways PSN is more friendly than Live! (Live! has its own advantages, but in terms of user friendliness for the DRM? No.)
That's the price you pay for playing games that improve in appearance more frequently than every 5 years.
I'd argue that the visual quality of games don't have to be fixed for the lifetime of a console (compare the titles released at the beginning of the PS2s life to somethign toward the end like God of War).
I also wonder what point is "enough"? From the perspective of game developers, it costs lots more to make a game like Fallout 3 versus Everyday Shooter or Geometry Wars. Nintendo has also shown there is a huge market for games without "top of the line, gritty graphics."
From the users perspective, we've already seen lots of people decide that their home computer is "good enough" to run their apps (Web browsing, email, word processing, spreadsheets). How long before there are enough resources in the average console that they don't HAVE to come out with something within 10 years just to keep up?
VATS was actually what sold me. I'm more interested in the exploration and story and am more of a turn-based game player vs. a "twitch" gamer, and have a hard-time aiming for headshots all the time.
I've found VATS to be a nice compromise. (of course I also like that its use is optional:) )
On the other hand, besides the PC game being buggy, it is also more "open" in that it can be modded.
This was a factor but since my desktop (can't call it a gaming PC anymore its too behind the curve), can't support Fallout 3, it was no choice.:shrug:
I think not sitting in front of the computer has actually increased my gaming time since it feel less like "work":)
I pre-ordered the game. My wife says its the worst thing she's ever witnessed and its not looking good for me keeping the xbox
Hmmm... I pre-ordered Fallout 3. Wife finally saw it (complete with bloodily violent head-exploding take-downs in slow-motion), and commented that it was a bit more violent than the games I usually get. Otherwise she just went away and asked when I'd be done so she could watch some TV.:)
How much worse is Gears2? (or your wife has a ow threshold for "worst thing she's ever witnessed)
Either way, I assume you bought the XBox, so I don't see how she can take it away.
I remember the 90s and early 00s when you were basically required to upgrade your processor every year or two or be hopelessly behind when the latest game came out. Now, I'm running the same machine I was back in '04, except with a new video card and an upgrade from a 3800+ (2.4Ghz) to a 4800+X2 (2.6Ghz) a year and a half ago.
Yeah... around 5 years ago I got tired to the treadmill and switched to console gaming, with the occasional light puzzle game on the PC.
Suddenly my PC is now lasting 3 years without needing any parts upgraded (although the power supply needed to be replaced, but that was just poor QA by the manufacturer). I replaced my console 2 years ago (got a PS3 in Dec '06), and it looks set to last for another 4-5 at least.
On the whole I think console gaming seems to be a much cheaper way to go.
I haven't had to worry about: - compatibility specs - upgrading hardware - one game's install breaking another
and best of all I don't have to sit down at a desk in front of a computer (something I do all day at work)
Do what you want, but I switched from a CRT to an LCD about two years ago, and only saw good things (crisper picture, better colours). I'd add more screen real-estate but I went from a 21" CRT to a 32" LCD. It was the right TV for the space, and when SD format shows are "columned" with those black bars on the sides the actual screen used is ~21" so it was switching to a comparable model.
Personally I expect prices to drop big time this season and next as the recession the holiday season and the mandatory analog cut-over all hit together, so feel free to hold off as long as you want.
Since its a fine imposed by the Justice Department, I would imagine the government gets the money (in part to defray the expense of filing and prosecuting the case).
Irony of irony, the advert displayed below the story was for the new Samsung HD TVs.:)
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure I'd agree with the "Freethinker" moniker. Being open to all possibilities is practically required when you're dealing with computers or troubleshooting any complex system (which I believe the majority of Slashdot members do/did regularly). This doesn't necessarily imply "Aetheist, Agnostic, Irreligious, etc.", anymore than a science degree implies it.
True. We should credit him for learning to "use his words".
Now I hope he learns "how to share" and "how to play nicely with others".
You or I would get a "stern talking to" by our boss. Who is the boss of these childish CEOs who is both in the position to give them that stern talking to, and is aware of the childish memos they are sending around?
The only people who MIGHT be in that position are the Board of Directors, and even they might not be able to fulfill both requirements.
Actually, most people don't really care about (or even think about, or in some cases even know) what OS runs their computer.
They want their computer to do things for them:
The problem points on this list are (1) and possibly (6), and unless a "computer" can do these tasks, a lot of people think its broken.
1 is disappearing to some degree as more and more people are turning to console gaming and web based games.
6 is disappearing as more devices support and are supported by Linux.
Okay... so they've got one of the Anti-Matter injectors working. ... How long till they get the warp drive back on-line?
There are lies, damn lies and statistics (or as they like to call it now, "Marketing").
We use a standard NAS serving NFS and SMB/CIFS.
All the Macs in the office use NFS, the few windows machine use SMB/CIFS.
Never had any problem using NFS on any of the MacBook Pros or MacPros
Baen already does this with any of their hard-cover books that include CDs.
The CD contains the book in electronic format, several actually. Well ... several several actually since they both include several books, and include them in several formats, all free of DRM. They also encourage you to make copies of the CD and pass them out to any and all (so long as you do not sell them).
Check out http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ and you can even download the CDs or explore them and check them out.
I wish other publishing houses were as in touch with their consumers as Baen.
I've been using my old Clie (PalmOS based Sony handheld) that way for the past 8 years. :)
Check out http://www.webscriptions.net/. Baen has pioneered eBooks as far as I'm concerned. They were one of the first SciFi/Fantasy plublishing houses to release them, and they offer every one of their books in several electronic formats with no DRM (as well as offer a large "Free Library" of older books and their famous "CDs" which are usually chock full of the rest of a given author's backlog of books.
The mobi-book format is supported on both the iPhone and Kindle and the iPhone even has a "BookShelf" app that will let you buy and download books wirelessly.
Granted, its a small portion of the market (SciFi and Fantasy books), but I'd imagine that, for Slashdot readers at least, its a large-ish portion of the books they buy/read. :)
The best part (to me), is that they provide the books both in mobi-book format (for an eReader), as well as .rtf, and html. Heck, with a little bit of knowledge you can even use the plain HTML version to turn a PSP (or any other hand-held device that can retrieve locally stored html), into an eBook reader, just fine. :)
That was my first thought also.
On the other hand we use the expression "Land a punch" which is certainly not a soft feathery thing (we hope).
Okay, that I'll certainly agree with. :)
IANAL, but I think that means that those parts of the subsection are probably Null (or at least open to interpretation as null by a judge).
No, there isn't a glaring hole. The law specifically says you CAN use those devices, so long as you are not holding them.
If you can't use the device in a "hands-free" mode, then you probably shouldn't be the one trying to use it and drive. If you CAN (mount the laptop w/GPS somewhere you can see it, or rely on its "voice notifications"), then there isn't a problem. If you have to try holding a laptop w/GPS, and driving, then for safety's sake, you should probably just get a Car GPS like the rest of the Joe-Sixpacks, instead of insisting on making "one device do everything").
This seems no different than the rash of similar "No cellphone while driving" laws that have popped up in the states.
From the law:
As a slashdot signature I've seen recently said:
"Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding who to eat for dinner. Liberty is the sheep having a gun."
True ... but sometimes they can win and get the Nigerian to send THEM the money (or at least lots of entertainment of intangible value) http://www.419eater.com/.
PSN activation is on up to 5 consoles at any given time (and you can deactivate those consoles from your Account Management page).
Going to a friends house to play? Activate your account on their system and grab your DLC. Your PS3 get replaced (broke, stolen, etc.)? Makes no difference to how you use your content.
Its one of the ways PSN is more friendly than Live! (Live! has its own advantages, but in terms of user friendliness for the DRM? No.)
I'd argue that the visual quality of games don't have to be fixed for the lifetime of a console (compare the titles released at the beginning of the PS2s life to somethign toward the end like God of War).
I also wonder what point is "enough"? From the perspective of game developers, it costs lots more to make a game like Fallout 3 versus Everyday Shooter or Geometry Wars. Nintendo has also shown there is a huge market for games without "top of the line, gritty graphics."
From the users perspective, we've already seen lots of people decide that their home computer is "good enough" to run their apps (Web browsing, email, word processing, spreadsheets). How long before there are enough resources in the average console that they don't HAVE to come out with something within 10 years just to keep up?
VATS was actually what sold me. I'm more interested in the exploration and story and am more of a turn-based game player vs. a "twitch" gamer, and have a hard-time aiming for headshots all the time.
I've found VATS to be a nice compromise. (of course I also like that its use is optional :) )
On the other hand, besides the PC game being buggy, it is also more "open" in that it can be modded.
This was a factor but since my desktop (can't call it a gaming PC anymore its too behind the curve), can't support Fallout 3, it was no choice. :shrug:
I think not sitting in front of the computer has actually increased my gaming time since it feel less like "work" :)
Hmmm ... I pre-ordered Fallout 3. Wife finally saw it (complete with bloodily violent head-exploding take-downs in slow-motion), and commented that it was a bit more violent than the games I usually get. Otherwise she just went away and asked when I'd be done so she could watch some TV. :)
How much worse is Gears2? (or your wife has a ow threshold for "worst thing she's ever witnessed)
Either way, I assume you bought the XBox, so I don't see how she can take it away.
Thats entirely a decision in the hands of developers.
The PS3 supports standard USB Mouse/Keyboard and Unreal Tournament 3 on the PS3 took advantage of this to support the controls also.
http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=574996
Unfortunately they are the only game developer to have bothered supporting the controller combination so far.
Yeah ... around 5 years ago I got tired to the treadmill and switched to console gaming, with the occasional light puzzle game on the PC.
Suddenly my PC is now lasting 3 years without needing any parts upgraded (although the power supply needed to be replaced, but that was just poor QA by the manufacturer). I replaced my console 2 years ago (got a PS3 in Dec '06), and it looks set to last for another 4-5 at least.
On the whole I think console gaming seems to be a much cheaper way to go.
I haven't had to worry about:
- compatibility specs
- upgrading hardware
- one game's install breaking another
and best of all I don't have to sit down at a desk in front of a computer (something I do all day at work)
Used to be break time was included in the standard 8 hours. :/
I've had lots of dogs over the years and each one seems to have their own taste.
One of them used to love bell pepper. My current dog loves baby carrots (makes a great impromptu treat if we've run out),.
Most will usually love meat in any form, but like humans, they can eat just about anything (except chocolate and raisins, which is poison to them).
Take a look at this list of foods dogs shouldn't eat: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1661&aid=1030 and realize how much ISN'T on there (and what surprising things are, like grapes).
Do what you want, but I switched from a CRT to an LCD about two years ago, and only saw good things (crisper picture, better colours). I'd add more screen real-estate but I went from a 21" CRT to a 32" LCD. It was the right TV for the space, and when SD format shows are "columned" with those black bars on the sides the actual screen used is ~21" so it was switching to a comparable model.
Personally I expect prices to drop big time this season and next as the recession the holiday season and the mandatory analog cut-over all hit together, so feel free to hold off as long as you want.
Since its a fine imposed by the Justice Department, I would imagine the government gets the money (in part to defray the expense of filing and prosecuting the case).
Irony of irony, the advert displayed below the story was for the new Samsung HD TVs. :)
I agree.
Instead of needing to go out looking for pr0n and Warez they just magically appear in the SMB share.
Sure, not all of it are your tastes, but you can always pick and choose later, right?
Sorry, gotta go, there seems to be a knocking at my door.
Why hello officers ...