I'll be damned if I'm going to let this quality nostalgia die. I started out with an Apple II+ and about 270 disks of cracked games (remember those funky screens with messages like "Cracked by the Syndicate / Thanx to the Whip / Call the Safehouse"?). As the years went by I became interested in other Apple II systems, and eventually the craving spread to all sorts of old machines, all of which I still have:
Apple II
Apple II+
Apple IIe
Apple III
Sinclair ZX-80
TI-99/4A
Laser 128EX (currently a game machine hooked up to a 27" TV and surround sound)
Unitron clone (Apple II/II+ functionality - heck, it's probably worth something now)
I have splendiferous net access at work. Consequently, my home machine is an Apple II+ on which I run an old terminal program to access my Unix shell account. Now then, what's all this Code Red business?:-)
...who knows what fate holds for the show itself? The Enterprise basically looks like they took a TNG-era design and slapped a few TOS-era things on it (like the red caps on the warp nacelles). The interior is all right, since we couldn't really expect them to exactly duplicate the campy sets of the '60s. But the rest... fwah. I think the designers are subconsciously locked into the TNG look, which makes me wonder what they will do with the consoles.
Of course this is all ship design stuff, and I doubt ship design has a huge amount of influence on the writers. These folks are taking a big risk by setting the show in such an important, turbulent period in Star Trek history--the earliest days of the Federation. There is an opportunity here to either make a damn good story, or fuck it up spectacularly. After DS9 and Voyager (DS9 was okay, but let's face it, it wasn't that great) I'm skeptical, but perhaps they'll throw us for a loop and turn out something decent. It's still possible. Babylon 5 showed that.
...of the fact that as of this writing, there were 142 comments on "Nuclear Booster Rockets," 107 on "The Sliderule as Paleo-Geek Artifact," 114 on "Colorado May Map Drivers' Faces"... and merely 79 on this one. And of those 79, few are worthwhile technical commentaries on the actual article. What's happening here, eh?
It occurs to me that perhaps by making game consoles more and more computer-like, we are in effect creating a sort of gradual learning process for the average clueless computer user. Console users are generally very willing to learn all about what it takes to operate their system; through enough design similarities, maybe this motivation can be made to spill over into computers (at least at the Windows level)?
I half-cringed when I read the words "Linux" and "Hackers" in the same headline. Thank goodness that highly impressionable Joe Users don't read this site--who knows what sort of vague connection their minds might make?
I walk into the computer lab this morning at my university's library and what do I see but all the iMacs being replaced with Cubes. I'm guessing there will be some red faces around the IT department after everyone finally reads their tech news.:)
Oh yeah, and all the Cubes came with 15" flat-panel displays. I'm glad to see my dollars paying for such absolutely essential technology. I mean, how did I ever do word processing on a cathode-ray monitor? -grimace-
Heh, I'm betting these will be among the most valuable of vintage computers in a few decades or so. (I'd still prefer an original Macintosh though.)
Re:"This is not happening. This is not happening."
on
Scully Leaving X-Files
·
· Score: 1
"1) Scully / Mulder kiss (and probably boinked 9 months prior) as the cliffhanger for last season, with Mulder not to return to the series.
I like to think the kiss was more friendship than romance, but man, the way they've been dancing around each other... yeah, I'm disappointed and feel somewhat betrayed. I'm even more amazed that they intend to carry on the show without Duchovny.
2) The Consortium alien invasion / mytharc ends (primarily) with all the main baddies getting torched in a hanger. Effectively, the threat of a "V"-like global alien invasion, which was introduced as a potential threat in the 4th season and created a palpable urgency for a few seasons following, was neutralized simply by killing off two dozen old white men that drank brandy with Cancerman.
I don't know about that. The Syndicate is dead, but that was mostly Cancerman exacting revenge for their trying to kill him awhile back. The old administrators of the conspiracy are dead, but the last couple of seasons have affirmed that the alien invasion is still imminent.
3) The search by Mulder for his sister, which formed the true heart of the series and propulsion for his career and search for "truth" ended a couple of seasons ago with Mulder romping around with her ghost in a forest!. Turns out she died at the age of 13 or so. (insert comic 'boing!' sound effect here).
Yeah, that sucked. There was so much potential for that storyline. I'm of the opinion that they either couldn't agree or couldn't figure out how to resolve it and so took some kind of easy out. Thud.
Maybe the six hours contains the real Episode I that wasn't shown in theaters and is a whole lot better. Crafty Lucas, making us think he'd gone insane...
I don't have stats handy, but I would say that a large portion of IE's dominance is due to its inclusion in the AOL client. The size of that portion determines the potential impact Gecko could have if it replaced the IE engine in the client. Total replacement, that is, not just existing as one of many choices. If you had choices, lots of techies would advise lots of Joe Users that webpages are still by and large designed with IE in mind, and so the user should pick IE, which is just as if the choices didn't exist.
If Gecko were implemented as the one and only engine in the AOL client, its userbase would increase dramatically until it were a formidable contender against IE, and so the Web would move away from IE standards and--dare I say it?--to W3C, which Netscape claims to adhere rigorously to. (The other possibility is that people will get tired of Gecko incompatibilities with IE stuff and just launch IE on top of the AOL client, but I really doubt the average user would bother or even know it was possible.) If this new "Internet media portal" is really Netscape's new focus, I wonder how much it will retard their browser development and diminish the possibility of the above scenario.
"Damn, that's the only place those games are any good.
Ever see that Konami sniper game in a mall or wherever, with the big rifle and the magnifying scope on top and you're supposed to shoot villains out of windows in a building, but you get occasional bonus points for spotting sexy ladies in the windows, and there's a picture on the side of the machine of a digitized model in her underwear with a windowframe and giant
crosshairs overlaid on it, and the caption FIND HER FOR A BONUS or some such underneath? Man that cracks me up, the Japanese are great."
Hey, why is it assumed that sex is somehow dirty and amoral rather than "good clean fun".
I would say it's a holdover from ancient Christian doctrines, i.e. lust = the deadly sin of intercourse. This admittedly powerful idea doesn't seem to be finished rubbing off on society. And personally, I'm tired of the whole "it's sinful if it feels good" bit. Sin, shmin. I'm an atheist.:-P
TLG was really a mediocre show; applause to Carter for at least giving it a try though. Now all eyes are on XF again, but what will it give after Duchovny's permanent departure? The writers will have to come up with some quality character development (which IMO means focusing more on Doggett, a tad less on Scully, and making Agent Harrison a regular) and truly surprising developments in the Colonization storyline, which absolutely needs to be resolved by the series finale.
Okay, maybe I've been buried under final exams these last couple of weeks, and therefore seldom in contact with the world around me, but why is it good that film graphic designers reject SGI in favor of Linux? Political and/or technical reasons?
What the heck is "To the moon, Alice" from? I've heard that phrase a million times, but I'll be damned if I know its origin. Someone like to fill me in? (I went through this once before with "All your base...")
"Theft," "fair use," "piracy," "infringement," et cetera, et cetera... apparently no one, either here or in the legal profession, can agree on what those concepts mean. No standard exists; I will act as if the concepts don't exist and copy to my heart's content, and use circumvention methods when necessary. Boo-yah.
This article reminded me of a research paper I did for AP English back in '98. Thought I'd share the bibliography. Can you spot the fake entries?:) (What can I say? Meeting the 20-source requirement was hard using our cruddy library.)
Al-Ali, Nizar. "Debate Opens Wide Theological Issues." Inter Press Service English News Wire 23 Jan. 1998: B8.
Barrshaye, Catherine. "Old Suspicions to New Light." Time 13 June 1997: 18.
Cullis, Christopher. "Entering the Clone Zone." The World & I 1 Oct. 1997: 145.
Danzer, George. "Seafood by the Ton." Newsweek 5 Apr. 1997: 103.
Fenster, Rupert. "From One Cell." Time 21 Dec. 1997: 75.
Gardener, Micci. "An Army of Clones." Public Science 12 Jan. 1998: 109.
Gates, Howard. "Genetic Hopes." Current Issues 14 Jan. 1998: 84.
Hyland, David. "Frog Clones Aid Cancer Research." University Wire 6 Oct.
1997: n. pag.
Krauthammer, Charles. "Of Headless Mice and Men." Time 19 Jan. 1998: 76.
Surround sound, surround light... I dunno, it seems to me that the trend is toward something resembling virtual reality movie-watching, where one has a spherical freedom of view and can watch different parts of the film in multiple viewings. The whole "it's like you're really there" bit would finally be met, none of this half-assed "it's coming out of the screen" stuff. On the other hand, who wants to have to watch a movie 4-5 times in order to see all of it? I rather like my films done the old-fashioned way--where the point is to see what artistry can be done on a flat image displayed in front of you. It's old, but still effective.
Slashdot Mirror
Apple II
Apple II+
Apple IIe
Apple III
Sinclair ZX-80
TI-99/4A
Laser 128EX (currently a game machine hooked up to a 27" TV and surround sound)
Unitron clone (Apple II/II+ functionality - heck, it's probably worth something now)
Yoink!
I have splendiferous net access at work. Consequently, my home machine is an Apple II+ on which I run an old terminal program to access my Unix shell account. Now then, what's all this Code Red business? :-)
And maybe some way more efficient fuels in the bargain? Please? :)
Of course this is all ship design stuff, and I doubt ship design has a huge amount of influence on the writers. These folks are taking a big risk by setting the show in such an important, turbulent period in Star Trek history--the earliest days of the Federation. There is an opportunity here to either make a damn good story, or fuck it up spectacularly. After DS9 and Voyager (DS9 was okay, but let's face it, it wasn't that great) I'm skeptical, but perhaps they'll throw us for a loop and turn out something decent. It's still possible. Babylon 5 showed that.
...of the fact that as of this writing, there were 142 comments on "Nuclear Booster Rockets," 107 on "The Sliderule as Paleo-Geek Artifact," 114 on "Colorado May Map Drivers' Faces"... and merely 79 on this one. And of those 79, few are worthwhile technical commentaries on the actual article. What's happening here, eh?
It's a pity that this kind of had to be posted publicly; now X10 is just as aware as the rest of us and will probably prohibit such hacks.
It occurs to me that perhaps by making game consoles more and more computer-like, we are in effect creating a sort of gradual learning process for the average clueless computer user. Console users are generally very willing to learn all about what it takes to operate their system; through enough design similarities, maybe this motivation can be made to spill over into computers (at least at the Windows level)?
I half-cringed when I read the words "Linux" and "Hackers" in the same headline. Thank goodness that highly impressionable Joe Users don't read this site--who knows what sort of vague connection their minds might make?
Oh yeah, and all the Cubes came with 15" flat-panel displays. I'm glad to see my dollars paying for such absolutely essential technology. I mean, how did I ever do word processing on a cathode-ray monitor? -grimace-
Heh, I'm betting these will be among the most valuable of vintage computers in a few decades or so. (I'd still prefer an original Macintosh though.)
I like to think the kiss was more friendship than romance, but man, the way they've been dancing around each other... yeah, I'm disappointed and feel somewhat betrayed. I'm even more amazed that they intend to carry on the show without Duchovny.
2) The Consortium alien invasion / mytharc ends (primarily) with all the main baddies getting torched in a hanger. Effectively, the threat of a "V"-like global alien invasion, which was introduced as a potential threat in the 4th season and created a palpable urgency for a few seasons following, was neutralized simply by killing off two dozen old white men that drank brandy with Cancerman.
I don't know about that. The Syndicate is dead, but that was mostly Cancerman exacting revenge for their trying to kill him awhile back. The old administrators of the conspiracy are dead, but the last couple of seasons have affirmed that the alien invasion is still imminent.
3) The search by Mulder for his sister, which formed the true heart of the series and propulsion for his career and search for "truth" ended a couple of seasons ago with Mulder romping around with her ghost in a forest!. Turns out she died at the age of 13 or so. (insert comic 'boing!' sound effect here).
Yeah, that sucked. There was so much potential for that storyline. I'm of the opinion that they either couldn't agree or couldn't figure out how to resolve it and so took some kind of easy out. Thud.
Maybe the six hours contains the real Episode I that wasn't shown in theaters and is a whole lot better. Crafty Lucas, making us think he'd gone insane...
If Gecko were implemented as the one and only engine in the AOL client, its userbase would increase dramatically until it were a formidable contender against IE, and so the Web would move away from IE standards and--dare I say it?--to W3C, which Netscape claims to adhere rigorously to. (The other possibility is that people will get tired of Gecko incompatibilities with IE stuff and just launch IE on top of the AOL client, but I really doubt the average user would bother or even know it was possible.) If this new "Internet media portal" is really Netscape's new focus, I wonder how much it will retard their browser development and diminish the possibility of the above scenario.
"Damn, that's the only place those games are any good.
Ever see that Konami sniper game in a mall or wherever, with the big rifle and the magnifying scope on top and you're supposed to shoot villains out of windows in a building, but you get occasional bonus points for spotting sexy ladies in the windows, and there's a picture on the side of the machine of a digitized model in her underwear with a windowframe and giant crosshairs overlaid on it, and the caption FIND HER FOR A BONUS or some such underneath? Man that cracks me up, the Japanese are great."
I would say it's a holdover from ancient Christian doctrines, i.e. lust = the deadly sin of intercourse. This admittedly powerful idea doesn't seem to be finished rubbing off on society. And personally, I'm tired of the whole "it's sinful if it feels good" bit. Sin, shmin. I'm an atheist. :-P
I'm well aware of all that. But Duchovny's leaving the show after this season.
TLG was really a mediocre show; applause to Carter for at least giving it a try though. Now all eyes are on XF again, but what will it give after Duchovny's permanent departure? The writers will have to come up with some quality character development (which IMO means focusing more on Doggett, a tad less on Scully, and making Agent Harrison a regular) and truly surprising developments in the Colonization storyline, which absolutely needs to be resolved by the series finale.
Okay, maybe I've been buried under final exams these last couple of weeks, and therefore seldom in contact with the world around me, but why is it good that film graphic designers reject SGI in favor of Linux? Political and/or technical reasons?
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2761 338,00.html
Like from an inverse-square to an inverse-cube law? That would rock. -bounces away-
What the heck is "To the moon, Alice" from? I've heard that phrase a million times, but I'll be damned if I know its origin. Someone like to fill me in? (I went through this once before with "All your base...")
"Theft," "fair use," "piracy," "infringement," et cetera, et cetera... apparently no one, either here or in the legal profession, can agree on what those concepts mean. No standard exists; I will act as if the concepts don't exist and copy to my heart's content, and use circumvention methods when necessary. Boo-yah.
Oh yeah, got an A+ on the paper too. In fact, the one source she questioned was real. :)
Al-Ali, Nizar. "Debate Opens Wide Theological Issues." Inter Press Service English News Wire 23 Jan. 1998: B8.
Barrshaye, Catherine. "Old Suspicions to New Light." Time 13 June 1997: 18.
Cullis, Christopher. "Entering the Clone Zone." The World & I 1 Oct. 1997: 145.
Danzer, George. "Seafood by the Ton." Newsweek 5 Apr. 1997: 103.
Fenster, Rupert. "From One Cell." Time 21 Dec. 1997: 75.
Gardener, Micci. "An Army of Clones." Public Science 12 Jan. 1998: 109.
Gates, Howard. "Genetic Hopes." Current Issues 14 Jan. 1998: 84.
Hyland, David. "Frog Clones Aid Cancer Research." University Wire 6 Oct. 1997: n. pag.
Krauthammer, Charles. "Of Headless Mice and Men." Time 19 Jan. 1998: 76.
Lemonick, Michael. "Science: Cloning Classics." Public Science 8 Nov. 1993: 70.
Orthel, Victon. "Organically Grown Vegetables." Scientific American 5 Feb. 1998: 46.
Pasky, Gertrude. "The Furnace of Life: The Scientist?" The World & I 9 Nov. 1993: 53.
Post, Stephen. "Thoughts on Cloning People." Global Science 1 Oct. 1997: 160.
Rapier, John. "The Costs of Clones." Maclean's 11 Nov. 1997: 33.
Robicheaux, Gina. "Human Cloning Confronts Congress." Capitol Report 26 Jan. 1998: n. pag.
Ruhlzenstein, Dietrich. "All Creatures Great and Cloned." Mother Earth 25 Oct. 1997: 132.
Trenemen, Ann. "Send in the Clones." Independent 22 Jan. 1998: 16.
Wallace, Bruce. "Special Report: The Dolly Debate." Maclean's 10 Mar. 1997: 54.
Whitney, Verno. "A Clone of a Clone?" Time 19 Aug. 1997: 46.
Wills, Christopher. "A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing." Discover Magazine 1 Jan. 1998: 22.
Surround sound, surround light... I dunno, it seems to me that the trend is toward something resembling virtual reality movie-watching, where one has a spherical freedom of view and can watch different parts of the film in multiple viewings. The whole "it's like you're really there" bit would finally be met, none of this half-assed "it's coming out of the screen" stuff. On the other hand, who wants to have to watch a movie 4-5 times in order to see all of it? I rather like my films done the old-fashioned way--where the point is to see what artistry can be done on a flat image displayed in front of you. It's old, but still effective.