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User: gatzke

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  1. Re:From one button to how many? on Apple Files Patent For Display Mouse · · Score: 1

    What is the deal with Steve? Why does he hate buttons so?

    If I have a button, I have tactile and even audible feedback when I push the damn thing. It helps me use the interface to know that the thing probably is getting some sort of input from me.

    I have a Moto Droid. The "buttons" on the home screen are soft buttons. I hate it. I would much have my old Treo/Palm Pilot hardware buttons so that I know I am pushing something and it probably is the right one.

    Of course you can go overboard. My wife has a mouse with seven buttons plus a wheel-button combo. LR+Wheel scroll is enough for a mouse, methinks, but maybe I don't play enough FPS games...

  2. Re:Who uses Apple's crap devices anyway? on Apple Files Patent For Display Mouse · · Score: 0

    I have used laptops with crappy keypress depth for years. I hate them. I hate them all.

    I want my keys to actually press, like on a keyboard. Maybe I am a throwback, like people that learned to type on a typewriter. But I want my keys to go up and down about 2x as much as a laptop keyboard or a Apple keyboard.

    I have an old metal IBM keyboard lying around, but it needs a PS1 connector I think. Classic, but a little loud when I am really going. Built to survive WWIII I bet.

    WRT Apple keyboards, they do look pretty! Shiny! Oooh! Let me pay 3x for whatever Steve is schlocking...

  3. Folder names + rsync on How Do You Store Your Personal Photos? · · Score: 1

    Raw images in folders. Date them something like
    2010-01-23_Photos_In_Spain

    So that they sort alphabetically. Keep them all in one folder, like Pictures01. Eventually, you may start another folder when that gets a bit unwieldly, like 50-100 GB or whatever limit you want. Maybe it coincides with a life change? Or maybe one bit folder per year?

    Select out the good ones from a single folder. Copy them into something like goodpics_001_Spain_Day_1 and keep those folders all in a folder in Pictures01, like GoodPics

    I upload good pics to share online. Having the good ones selected out saves time. Say you need to find something, look in goodpics first. Say yahoo stops photo online service, you have them ready for the next server.

    Set up rsync scripts to upload / sync / copy folders / pics to a few sites. I triple back up my family photos. Occasionally keep snapshots, in case something goes awry.

  4. Re:Stinky PC best? on Google TV Suffers Setback · · Score: 1

    Hulu desktop did not stream any better. Netflix and slingbox work great, but those monkeys at Hulu can't seem to figure out how to stop dropping frames, or maybe they don't want you to have a decent picture?

    I remembered this morning, the eeePC also has a camera so you can video chat via Skype.

    The only thing it does not do is pull in encrypted channels. But using the slingbox client, everything can be watched from the tivo.

    And we were this close to getting a Google TV box...

  5. Stinky PC best? on Google TV Suffers Setback · · Score: 1

    We recently spent some money on a new TV for the kitchen. The den is already outfitted with a tivo+HD+tuning adapter+m card+ps3+wii+slingbox.

    For the kitchen, I wanted something "simple" that did everything:
        TV
        Digital TV
        HD unencrypted
        HD encrypted
        Stream music, video, pics from PC
        Hulu
        Netflix
        Crap flash games (PBS kids)
        Check email
        Surf web
        Games (Mame?)

    I looked at everything. Nothing seemed to fit. We bought the new 40" tv and installed it ayway.

    Hook up our old old eeePC and everything works! This three year old POS does everything we wanted. It even puts out 1080p if you want it to, however hulu stutters at that resolution.

    So far it seems best to run the eeePC at 1024x764. You have to scroll on the eeePC a bit, but generally you are just using the mousepad and keyboard to navigate the moster monitor. Everything streams without issue and the flash crap games fit onscreen. The tiny eeePC needs a little scroll, but 1024x768 is close enough to 800x600 that you don't miss much.

    And it streams awesome off of wifi.

    Drawback, I have to run VGA, audio, and power to the crap netbook. Would be better if VGA and audio were on the same side of the netbook.

    So, WRT hulu blocking, forget them. Just get a stinky XP netbook and run everything. It may not be a HTPC, but it freaking works without a ton of $$$.

  6. Serial cable? on Split Screen Co-op Is Dying · · Score: 2

    What happened to serial cables to network two PCs to play Doom or Hexen? Kids today have no appreciation of technology...

  7. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    Reason is libertarian, not conservative or Republican.

    From Weigel's twitter feed last night:

    "@lovelyladypa I voted for Obama and would like him to be a successful president, actually..."

    http://twitter.com/daveweigel

    If he quacks like a duck and votes like a duck...

  8. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    You avoided my question. Joe had Olbermann suspended? He has editorial control over Olbermann?

    I think Olbermann initially refused to apologize, leading to the indefinite suspension. I think Joe (claimed) he was unaware of the policy and quickly apologized, leading to a 2 day suspension.

    And you have not shown proof that perceived "hypocrisy" caused any action by Phil.

  9. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    She reads from WH talking points on the BP oil spill that apparently she got from email.

    I guess they aren't "secret email" just email. Now I see the difference! MSNBC is totally non-biased! Thanks for clearing that up!

  10. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    Weigel was the guy that covered conservative issues despite being a liberal. He was on journolist, not a very conservative group.

    And citing a guest from two years ago helps support my point.

    why is MSNBC afraid of opposition?

  11. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    Really? Editorial control? Joe had Olbermann suspended? Any actual links on that, other than some kos or huff post site?

    If MSNBC CEO is really rabidly right wing, why are (nearly) all the hosts left wing? It can't be for the ratings, they are tanked?

    If they want to compete, shouldn't they emulate Fox? Maybe have a few conservative guests on?

  12. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    So a few times she admits openly to reading talking points. But she generally spouts off talking points when she is not about the source, so you can assume where her source is from past history.

    Again, these are talking head on entertainment shows, not the "straight" news.

    At least on Fox you get to see representatives of both sides. You rarely if ever see a conservative voice on any of the MSNBC shows.

    If you don't see the bias on MSNBC, there is no hope for you.

  13. Re:Seriously? on Survey Shows That Fox News Makes You Less Informed · · Score: 1

    Have you ever seen a conservative on Olbermann? Not much balance there.

    Have you ever watched Maddow? Nothing but shill.

    Mika on the Morning Joe has admitted to running WH talking points.

    There have not been any leaked e-mails from top MSNBC employees to their on-air personalities, grooming them in what language to use when presenting certain issues.

    http://www.thehopeforamerica.com/play.php?id=4336

    http://storyballoon.org/blog/2010/03/26/mika-brzezinski-reads-white-house-talking-points-kicks-scarborough-into-not-commenting-on-obama/

  14. Re:Is it that bad? on Gmail Creator Says Chrome OS Is As Good As Dead · · Score: 1

    It has linux as the underlying OS, so I would have thought you could get access to the machine like any linux box.

    I have not rooted my droid, but I think you can get to some sort of shell.

    From what I understand, you can't just get into a shell and start making all the standard tools, you have to do everything in that javlik stuff.

    Or maybe I am wrong and just have not looked at it in quite a while. The NDK seems to have some gcc tools for native code development...

  15. Re:Is it that bad? on Gmail Creator Says Chrome OS Is As Good As Dead · · Score: 1

    Exactly. What is the difference?

    And apparently I can't get normal tools in Android? No ssh in and make my project using gcc? What is up? Or am I clueless...

  16. Re:GTX blahwhat on Nvidia Adds GeForce GTX 570 To Graphics Lineup · · Score: 1

    But I think I might go blind (er) sitting 15 inches from a 50" LCD all day long.

    30" fills almost all of my view with just enough peripheral vision to know if the zombies are attacking, as long as they attack from behind my monitor.

    You spend 8-12+ hours a day working, you might as well have a decent work tool.

  17. Re:GTX blahwhat on Nvidia Adds GeForce GTX 570 To Graphics Lineup · · Score: 1

    So last year. 2560x1600 lets you run 1080 in a little window.

    I still remember the first 3D card I saw, 3Dfx I think...

  18. Re:Touchscreens vs. Touchless on BendDesk Merges Computer, Monitor and Desk · · Score: 1

    Why touch free? Tactile feedback works well.

    I still miss clicky keyboard buttons. My old old Compaq had bios that could adjust the sound for the clicking to your preference.

    For entering text, you can't beat a real hardware keyboard for accuracy.

    Maybe touch screen or touchless makes sense for a few jobs, but for 95% of day-to-day work (email, writing docs, browsing web, entering data) the current standard is pretty close to optimal.

  19. Re:Using old technology on An Astronaut's View of Space Station Tech · · Score: 1

    Heard about missile folks using old stuff because it is hardened and works. Some systems run on core memory, physical single bit wound magnets. They make hardened CPUs too, but they are usually generations old.

    But for this, I would think they would let them consider a new laptop with maybe a spare? I know weight is an issue, but some of the modern netbooks are totally usable. I could probably survive with just my droid if I had to.

  20. FORTRAN vs 4chan on Which Language To Learn? · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mentioned FORTRAN to a student the other day and he thought I was talking about 4chan.

    Definitely Not. The. Same.

  21. Re:Glacial lake for cooling? on Nuclear Bunker Houses World's Toughest Server Farm · · Score: 1

    And it probably helps melt the glaciers and kill us all.

    Think of the polar bears!

  22. Glacial lake for cooling? on Nuclear Bunker Houses World's Toughest Server Farm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Underground glacial lake for cooling?

    I thought it was the CO2 that was melting the glaciers in Europe, not farmville.

  23. Re:energy density on Looking To Better Engines Instead of Electric Vehicles · · Score: 1

    H2 is just a carrier, like gasoline.

    Every energy conversion process loses some energy, so efficiency becomes a big deal.

    However, some processes that use Hydrogen are extra efficient. But making the hydrogen is not usually, so you are stuck again.

    The H2 Sterling engine I was talking about was really just using H2 as a fluid to make a more efficient generator. Sun heats H2, that pushes a piston, H2 cools, repeat. That process if done correctly can be super efficient.

  24. 3D Printers on Car Produced With a 3D Printer · · Score: 1

    Maybe they have some nice new tech, but the 3D printers I have seen produce stuff that is not well finished. The resolution just is not near perfect, you can see and feel little bumps and ridges.

    And how have they scaled it up? You only do this stuff for prototype, not production due to cost.

    However, you can make "impossible" shapes. That can be pretty cool.

  25. Re:energy density on Looking To Better Engines Instead of Electric Vehicles · · Score: 1

    Plants do this already. Corn, switchgrass, sugar cane, algae are options.

    The problems are efficiency and rates.

    Low rates requires bigger infrastructure, so more land dedicated to growing for fuels.

    Low efficiency makes other methods more attractive. I have heard (but not verified) that making Ethanol from corn uses more petrochemicals than just using petrochemicals, once you factor in the petrochemicals used in fertilizers, harvest, transport, processing, and distillation. Distillation of EtOH from water is very very energy intensive. Butanol or others may be better options, if we can find bioprocess to make Butanol instead of Ethanol.

    Your article is dated 2007, so they should have results... If they had significant success, we probably would see something.

    One good Sandia option was Solar thermal to run Sterling Engines with H2 in them to make electricity. High efficiency of the system, but costs are significant.