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User: jezzball

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Comments · 66

  1. Re:Great Cycloptian Mouse Batman! on The Mighty Mouse Has Lost Its Tail · · Score: 1

    It defaults to being one button. Why have two distinct buttons when the default configuration is one button?

    And LEDs on the buttons? You have to be kidding me. How often do you look at your mouse when you're using it?

  2. Re:OS included? on Free Software on a Cheap Computer · · Score: 1

    FYI, it's not a "heartbeat" sleep monitor :) My Sawtooth G4/400 had a heartbeat sleep monitor - it pulsed approximately (from memory) once a second, or close to a resting heart rate. The iBook you have (and my iBook G3, and my G5 tower) have a more "resting breathing rate" pulse. About 4-5 seconds cycle time. This is a far more relaxing status indicator.

    Just another touch that Apple does.

  3. Re:CUUAV on Cornell Builds Autonomous UAV · · Score: 1

    Hahah! As a recent CS grad from Cornell, I can safely correct your above statement, I think:

    "Don't forget this is Cornell here and therefore they're going to completely rely on Microsoft to make the plane run."

    Duh. Cornhell was bought out several years ago. There are clusters of Linux installations, but the main campus (including our huge cluster) is Windows based.

  4. Re:Interesting soil on Spirit Rolls on Mars · · Score: 1

    Hey! I'll drag you outside to my car, and we'll take it to a perfectly dry area...and you'll see how the dirt _sticks_ to my wheels. It's called sticky tread.

    This rover is supposed to operate for 90 days at the max, right? They can make really sticky tires for that length of time...and I see no reason why they wouldn't.

    Dan

  5. Very Positive Experience on iMovie 3.0.1 Users "Upgrading" to 2.1.2 · · Score: 3, Informative

    For some reason I've always had trouble with iMovie 2. My Sony TRV-240 would allow maybe 10-15 min of capture, and then there'd be a huge blip where the computer (400 G4, 1.12GB) would just stop recording, and then start again. The transfer between recording intervals also generally lost a few seconds or had the first few seconds of the next interval tacked onto the first one (or vice versa).

    As soon as I d/l iMovie 3 I tried to re-import the xmas videos that I had unsuccessful attempts at before.

    Ahah! It worked flawlessly! The only problem was that the camera's fully-charged battery died at 40 min (the first time I've gotten far enough for that to be an issue). Plugged it in and got the last 20 minutes, and all are in sync and wonderful.

    My only complaint - the widescreen (16:9) mode of the camera is not recognized - the video is still imported as 4:3 and is just squeezed so everyone is tall and narrow. Does anyone know of a way to get iMovie to do 16:9, or must I upgrade to FC{E,P} to get that capability? (It works great with plain-old RCA jacks on my 16:9 TV).

    Dan

  6. Not a Problem on Card Makers Say UK Citizens Want Biometric ID Cards · · Score: 2, Troll

    I, frankly, have no problem with using a retinal scan to identify myself. Retinal scans are very hard (from what I've read) to fake, and would deter common criminal activity.

    Yes, any system can be hacked. Yes, one could either modify that backend to accept an illegal scan or somehow get around the retinal scanner itself...but can that not be done now?

    It's quite easy to, say, get a credit card number right now. It's not like all those signatures actually get checked - one has to dispute, and then go through litigation, etc. A simple retinal scan on purchase would go a long way.

    I'm all in favor.

  7. Technological Juxtapositoin on iPods Around the World · · Score: 1

    Does anyone else find it disturbing to see such amazing technology juxtaposed with such dismal surroundings?

    I'm a hypocrite to talk, but as I get older, I get more depressed that the world isn't happier.

    Dan

  8. Re:Two notes on QuickTime 6.0.2 Released · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I see it's been a long time since your last reboot...

    When you click "Always", it just means "Always this boot".

    Dan

  9. What about the FutureTruck competition? on SDSU Students Create Sporty Hybrid Vehicle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm at Cornell, and several of my close friends are involved with the FutureTruck competition (http://www.hev.cornell.edu). Very very cool stuff - They've made a Ford Explorer with a Miata engine (turbocharged) and electric motor. Much more practical than yet another sporty car (which I think has been done better...witness the EV1, for instance).

    Go Cornell! Competition starts Monday! Go Big Red!

  10. Re:What's a Kernal Panic look like? on Mac OS X Reaches First Birthday · · Score: 2

    I _wish_ the original poster was right. There is no bug in chown. Where there is a bug (which does not kernel panic)...

    Say you have a user (pgsql) whose home directory was set to / by whatever stupid installation program. Well, in the Users control panel, you wanna get rid of him. You haven't noticed that his home is /, of course. MacOS X decides to be all nice and say "We're going to change the ownership of all the files in his directory to the main Administrator of the machine" (not root - the main user account with sudo privs). All good and all, until the go chown -R $HOME, or chown -R / and suddenly all your setuid programs don't work...

    Believe me, that's no fun. sync, hard reboot (no rights to shutdown), find -xtype, etc.

    Dan

  11. Re:MacOS X beat ya to the punch... on Linux *Won't* Fail on the Desktop? · · Score: 2

    http://morthul.dyndns.org/~jobe/images/screenshot. jpg

    Eat your heart out ;-)

    Dan

  12. Re:MacOS X beat ya to the punch... on Linux *Won't* Fail on the Desktop? · · Score: 2

    Sorry - emacs does have a native version...I'm running it right now, under Aqua...

    GNU Emacs 21.1.30.1 (powerpc-apple-darwin5.2) of 2002-02-16 on *.*.*.*

    Gaim can be run under a root-less X server (which, I think should be said, is almost completely transparent to the user other than look and feel). I, however, don't run Gaim, preferring Adium (a native Cocoa app with a few cool features that Gaim doesn't have).

    And I just don't see how installing a rootless X server can be a band-aid. Don't you have an X server installed? Don't you use apps in it? So what's the harm of just installing it on OS X?

  13. 2.5 lbs? on User Review of Transmeta-Based Aquapad · · Score: 2, Informative

    How is this unit with an 8.4" screen 2.5 lbs?

    And only 3.0 hours of battery life? Out of a Crusoe?

    It seems as if this unit fits right into where no one would want one - a tablet that weighs as much as a light laptop, is smaller, can do less, and doesn't last any longer.

    Am I missing something?

  14. Re:Oh no! Why not in the summer? on Geminid Meteor Shower · · Score: 1

    Andy!

    I missed them too...due to partner sleep deprivation...she pulled the covers up, I fell asleep :)

    I know I'm going to go out and try to see this one :)

  15. Re:It's Really Pretty Trivial on Seeking Current Info on Linux Encrypted FS? · · Score: 1

    Funny that you and jnik both are posting at +1, as am I...

    Older people don't get +2's...

    /. just doesn't seem to hold the fascination it used to...

  16. Re:Dear Website Owner on Apple Cease-And-Desists Stupidity Leak · · Score: 1

    vs rm -rf / ?

    Um, yeah, I think that every OS lets you do that...

  17. Re:It's Really Pretty Trivial on Seeking Current Info on Linux Encrypted FS? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sure, from someone with a 50k id...

    Young'un :)

    Maybe he just forgot his password on an encrypted file system that he couldn't mount?

  18. Re:His questions have already been answered.... on Does This Article Violate the DMCA? · · Score: 1

    What about BBC? (ok, so it's American news...but I'd still think it'd make it). What about the NY Times? What about CBS? What about PBS?

    *shrug* I think the whole thing is going to pot...

    Jezz

  19. Re:I think someone needs to get laid on Mac Rants · · Score: 1

    Have it. And I'm not running the OGR, because (afaik) it has not been optimized for the G4.

    So I consider it a waste of my processor cycles - I know my clock rate is slow, I'll use it efficiently if I'm going to use it.

  20. Re:I think someone needs to get laid on Mac Rants · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sure. Dnetc. I believe that has been heavily optimized for this P4 here at work (at least, according to the changelogs).

    And this beautiful 1.7GHz P4 does around 2.6Mkeys/s. My 400MHz G4 at home does 3.6Mkeys/s.

    That give you a nice benchmark?

  21. Re:Switch User functionality on A Visual Comparison Between XP And Mandrake · · Score: 1

    No, not quite...

    Because then the sister (who has obviously studied up on Linux) just hits ctrl-alt-F7 and gets to brother's windows, closes his transfers, signs him up for porno lists, etc :)

    Dan

  22. Re:One thing that's always bothered me... on Architectural Difference Between The P4 And G4 · · Score: 2

    Nice superlatives...

    "A 400 MHz G4 ... slower than ... 4GHz P4."

    Hmm. Slowest G4 ever released - 350. So a 400 is about the same as the baseline model. Of course it's going to be slower! :-P

    But to give you some of my own stats...

    My home computer is a G4/400. My work computer is a P4/1.7GHz. Pretty fair comparison in terms of age of chip (although I'd really think the 450 (top of initial line) would compare better to the 1.7).

    In RC5, no altivec optimization, the G4 is about half as fast (1.3Mkeys/s to 2.4Mkeys/s). This is with less than a quarter the clock.

    With altivec optimization, the puny G4 does 3.5Mkeys/s.

    Simple benchmarking, not necessarily too indictive of normal use, but thank you, move along now - nobody's saying that the G4 will always be faster because of more work per clock cycle, but that the speeds don't have to be so phenomenal on them. Mine's a lowly 400. Imagine a 733?

    Dan
    ls: .sig: File not found.

  23. Re:Maybe we should ... on Will The Power Grid Fail? · · Score: 2

    then why isn't anyone running PowerPC's? They use like 15 watts.

    For what it's worth, I have a G4 at home - and it consistently runs between 75* - 82* F - a pentium can fry an egg :-P

    ls: .sig: File not found.

  24. Mass Paranoia and Hysteria on Will The Power Grid Fail? · · Score: 1

    Hey! Y2K came and went, and we're still here...um...what's next...well, what of our predictions could still come true? Oh yeah! Mass power outages!

    Hrmm. Wait, this one was played out in the 70's. It's been covered.

    But mankind will not be able to survive if it happens! there is no way our weak infrastructure could withstand this possibility!

    Sheesh. We've prospered (somewhat) for thousands of years, I don't think capacity of a power grid will hurt much :-P
    ls: .sig: File not found.

  25. Re:*ahem* announced :P on Linux 2.4.0-test1 Released · · Score: 1

    Oh, I know. I just found it rather funny - something seeming to be hidden comes out front. Nothing really special, I guess.

    Dan
    ls: .sig: File not found.