They didn't just do it for the novelty, however.. they had to have the computer generate stuff randomly, as they had no memory to store stuff permanently!
Someone scientific might be able to tell me this. Why didn't Apple just use NiMH batteries? They're high power in a small package, have no memory effects, and can last thousands of recharges. Why did they go with LiIon which seem to be plagued with problems/explosions and the sort?
Just asking this question as a vaguely misinformed consumer.
I have to agree with your complaints, but I don't think they're that important to Apple. After all, how many other people have come close to making a similar device?
All the other devices have lame interfaces, poor displays, and require lots of button pushing. No-one has approached Apple's interface for the iPod. I don't like the iPod, personally, but can recognize it's the best. I don't like the chrome back (why can't it all be in the one material?) which, on my friends iPod, looks all smudgey and dirty from finger prints, and I think this whole 'snow white' phase is going to fall on its ass within the next couple of years anyway. Colored/textured iPods (a la the old iMac) might be a hit.
If there was something designed a little like the iPod (i.e. easy to use, nothing fancy, clean and simple, not 100s of buttons) for around the $200-$300 mark with, say, recording, and a 20-40GB hard drive, they'd sell like hot cakes.
As it is, the iPod sells like hot cakes because it's the only viable choice without getting something that's ugly and angular as fuck, and with the world's shittiest interface. Apple knows this, and their computers operate on the same principle. They might not be perfect, but they're better. (Come on, OS X is not the best we could be doing right now, but it's better than the alternatives)
Owning an iPod is going to be like a chick owning a Chanel purse. Cool, and expensive, and they can keep stuff in it.. but they need to keep changing it every couple of years to stay 'in fashion' and to stop it wearing out.
I forgot you were a Slashdotter. It all floods back. Thanks for dropping a line. I was just checking out the news on your site, and am looking forward to seeing it back in its former glory:-)
It looks like he got rid of most of the gizmos and only has three lights hooked up now. He used to have about 12 sets of lights, and you could also control a remote control car that had a camera on it. I guess that all gets a bit expensive to maintain though. Oh, and you could do the sprinklers, and look at his doorcam.
There was another guy who set up webcams in his house and put all his lights on X10, and allowed people to control them over the web. Thing is, he's STILL doing it, it must have been going for a couple of years now.
This story reminded me of it, so I went back, and he's live on the thing STILL, so well worth checking out.
This is a bit of a ramble, and not necessarily meant to be modded up:-)
I'm an advocate for Linux in many situations. I've bugged everyone to hell since about 1997 to use it in server applications (not much of a BSD guy). I think it works great in masquerading situations. For quite some time I've felt that no Windows machine should be allowed directly onto the Internet, and that a non-Windows machine should masquerade traffic onto the net. I also think Linux is a far superior development environment to any other. That said, I still use a Windows desktop.. why?
For me the Linux desktop (or X with KDE or GNOME, as we're talking here) lacks a dock application. It also can't run everything I want without any hassles.. whereas I can just use VMWare/Virtual PC on Windows. Running Simcity 4 in VMWare under Linux, however, is not a great option;-)
As a developer, the Linux desktop also seems pretty scary. You've got KDE and you've got GNOME.. and the applications from the system you're not using can end up looking like ass. Of course, it's a lot better than developing for Windows, but we need more integration, and I'm glad OpenDesktop is trying to do this, and that GNOME and KDE are trying to work together.
Also, I find Redhat 9 to be deadly slow on the desktop. SuSE 8 has proven to be much better (a KDE vs GNOME here?).. but I'm waiting for Fedora Core 2 (with the 2.6.0 kernel) until I make my next foray into trying Linux as a desktop OS. (I continue to use SuSE 8 via emulation for development purposes)
But make no bones about it. Linux is using the right methods. Windows is not. Linux might still be behind Windows and OS X in many areas, but they have a far better foundation, and I'm confident the Linux desktop will prevail. And.. I can't wait.
Whoa whoa whoa, where did you read that? There will be less programmers in America.
With the way the US Dollar is going, I'm not so sure.
Indian workers were being seen as 40% cheaper in surveys done 6 months/a year ago (at least, that was the number being thrown around by the media). Now consider that the US Dollar has crashed in value by 12% against the UK pound (and more, by the Euro) in the LAST THREE MONTHS. With the deficits the US is running, and with the Euro presenting itself as a viable reserve currency, I think we could see the US dollar slumping further. This means American workers become more affordable, as Indian workers will seem to be demanding 30-40% more pay (or more, as the Indian economy improves).
The US-Rupee exchange rate has remained reasonably stable for the last few years, but with the giant swings against the Pound and the Euro (both belonging to major trade partners of India) it would not be unreasonable to expect this to change.
Perhaps it's just me, but I think it's GREAT there'll be less programmers. I can't see the amount of programming work dropping significantly by 2015, so it means more work for less people, and perhaps our rates of pay will become more on a par with plumbers, builders, and carpenters once again.. instead of being at Wal*Mart levels.
You can't buy from this new Walmart store if you're not in the 50 United States. And Apple's store isn't in Europe (yet). So what's the solution for those of us in Europe?
I've found various OD2 powered sites (Virgin, for one) but they're all the same, with awful interfaces, and music seems to be downloaded using a bizarre streaming arrangement (i.e. not good for me on a modem).
Sadly, I can see Apple et al coming to Europe, setting up their stores, and charging 99 pence a song ($1.76) which means hardly anyone will use it.. that seems to be how most US->UK things are priced.. just switch the $ for !
Went into Kill Bill without really knowing anything about it, and enjoyed myself as much as when I saw Clockwork Orange at the theater after it was unbanned (I'm from the UK).
Why? Because of the fighting. I'm not really into violent movies or the whole escapism thing, but seeing Uma Thurmann kick some major ass was almost sexual. A nice pastiche of the last 50 years of kung-fu cinema.
Personally, I'm glad Slashdot has a good mix of compputer, science, geek humor and geek lifestyle stories. Personally I can't stand the case mod stories (just doesn't interest me, for some reason), but I've found skipping over them, rather than reading them and complaining, works well for me.
I agree with all this, and find case mod stories similarly grating, but I don't complain about those either, as they are nerdy stories.
This, however, is not really for 'nerds' in any sense. Wiping your ass is an everyday life thing (well, unless you're constipated), but we don't necessarily want stories about coffee flavored toilet paper here.
I'd have no problem with all this if they dropped the 'News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters' tagline.. but this isn't for nerds, nor does it matter (much), even though I found the story useful (I have a friend who's a coffee nut, and I got to tell them about it).
Because the colder you make a processor, the further you can push it.
If you can keep a chip at 0 celsius (as you can with many PC cooling units out there), you can get at least another 1GHz out of your chip, meaning your 3GHz PC is now a 4GHz power house.
And so it goes with the lower you go. At -100C you could probably keep your 3GHz PC up at around the 14GHz area, which is way faster than anything on the market. Isn't it worth the money on cooling to experience a slice of tomorrow?
I study law in the UK. This means I am NOT au fait with US law or the US mechanisms of law. This is NOT legal advice, nor should be acted upon as being such.
I just read and summarized this Act for a company I work with. Here's what I wrote (company name removed).
~~
I figured this might be relevant to what some of you are involved in, or what you/company name sends. The CAN-SPAM bill was signed by the President today, and becomes law on January 1st, 2004. I imagine you've already heard about it all, but incase not, there's a copy of the act online at this URL: http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html
A quick summary, as it's pretty torpid reading.
The Act supersedes existing state laws based exclusively on the regulation of commercial mail (Sec. 8(b), Para. 1 & 2). The Act controls and concerns the delivery of "commercial electronic mail". It seems like corporate newsletters (like company name's own) are not considered to be commercial electronic mail (Sec. 3, Para. 2, Subpara. B) so they are not subject to the regulations laid out in the Act. Nor are "transactional" e-mails, which means all of company name's billing mails should also be exempt. Indeed, it seems all mails except marketing are fair game.
Of most interest is that mail which/is/ considered commercial electronic mail MUST contain an opt-out opportunity, AND a _valid physical postal address_ of the sender (Sec. 5(a), Para. 5).
Also of interest is who gets the blame for mass mailings. This could be of importance considering many affiliates advertise company name in their spammy e-mails (of which I receive a few myself from time to time). Section 3 Paragraph 16(a) is poorly worded on this. I'd watch out for what other people think and experience on this one. Also, Section 5(a), Paragraph 3 states that you cannot send commercial mail using a From address that is not valid, and which is not read and responded to. Bear this in mind in certain situations where noreply@company name.com is used, which may be considered "commercial electronic mail";-)
Anyway, looks like the Act is reasonably fair to both businesses and consumers, now let's hope we see some lawsuits getting filed in 2004, and all that spam deluge slowing down a bit.
Hopelessly optimistic!! My Name
Re:Given that they need the money, I doubt it.
on
EMC To Acquire VMware
·
· Score: 1
So, it's not just three people walking away with 9 digit checks, as you are imagining. It's hundreds of employees whose stakes are now worth 6 digits.
Ah okay, well that means the employees must hold stakes in the company. This is not normal practice in the UK (where I'm from). Generally employees are just that, employees.. so a buyout would be bad for them, since they're likely to be fired, and get squat.. whereas an IPO would let them cash in.
Sounds like a good deal for you then.. well done:-)
Re:Given that they need the money, I doubt it.
on
EMC To Acquire VMware
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
VMWare is privately held, so I imagine there's only a few guys controlling/holding it. If someone came along and offered $600mn cash here-and-now, it's a bit of a no brainer, even if it burns your employees in the ass:-)
I drink caffeine, but not much, and I've never found caffeine to have an effect on my mental state. I've drunk a couple of Red Bulls before and gone to sleep an hour later.
Sometimes I force myself to stay awake in those situations where I suddenly feel tired just 9-12 hours after waking up. In these cases I push through an hour of tiredness, then feel excellent and alert. I think this might actually be the circadian rhythm at work?
On the whole, however, I just get up and sleep 'whenever I feel like I should'. This is why I've slept 20 hours in one go before (no waking up half way through) and not been alarmed. I figure my body knows how to keep itself in check, so I let it.
People with no circadian rhythms
on
Living on Mars Time
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I think some people may have no circadian cycles. I sleep a random number of hours, and am awake for a random number of hours each day.
This week's rough 'awake' hours have been like.. 32, 9, 29, 11, 17, 12.. and 'sleep' hours have been like.. 7, 4, 16, 11, 12, 6, 9.
I live quite easily in this situation (since I work for myself). Daylight appears to have no effect, unless I woke up at, say, 9pm.. in which case I usually have a wave of tiredness hit me when daylight comes.
Does this mean I have no rhythm, or a heavily distorted one?
Yeah, I totally sympathise with what you say. I also have a weird sleep system, because I work for myself too.
The only problem is that my pattern is nonexistant. I often sleep for 12 hours (20 being my record), and sometimes for just 4. I usually vary between 6 and 13. My waking time is also variable. Yesterday I was up for just 12 hours. Two days ago I was up for just 8. Four days ago I was up for 32.
I get the feeling this could cause me serious problems later.. but I just go to sleep when I feel tired, and wake up when I feel refreshed. And, well, this is the schedule God makes me run to!
I think an iPod (or similar) is a bad geek gift, since most geeks probably have their eyes on these devices already, and have strong opinions on what they'd like.
An iPod is also too expensive a gift in most cases, and since you'll probably end up with the cheapest 15GB one, you'll feel shitty if you go out and buy a decent 40GB one a few months later, selling the gift on eBay or something.
I say geek gifts shouldn't necessarily be geek-exclusive gifts. Independent music in a genre the person likes.. movies they've shown an interest in.. box sets of the TV series they like. These things are smaller, more likely to open their eyes, and more likely to be remembered than a gift that could be obsolete within the year (because geeks upgrade often, as we know).
Or, even better, something off of their Amazon/whatever-store-isn't-evil-today giftlist.. that way you KNOw they'll like it! And, even better, you'll know someone else didn't buy it for them!
For what it's worth, I consider myself (as a non American) to be more a supporter of Bush and the Republicans, than the Democrats.
European humor can revolve around mocking that which you believe in, and parading that which you believe is false. I like Bush and appreciate his policies, but have no qualms in ridiculing him!
Slashdot Mirror
The space-sim 'Elite' did this in the mid 80's.
They didn't just do it for the novelty, however.. they had to have the computer generate stuff randomly, as they had no memory to store stuff permanently!
There's a cute article about how they developed it, and how the random engine created some pretty funny outcomes, including planet 'Arse'.
Someone scientific might be able to tell me this. Why didn't Apple just use NiMH batteries? They're high power in a small package, have no memory effects, and can last thousands of recharges. Why did they go with LiIon which seem to be plagued with problems/explosions and the sort?
Just asking this question as a vaguely misinformed consumer.
I have to agree with your complaints, but I don't think they're that important to Apple. After all, how many other people have come close to making a similar device?
All the other devices have lame interfaces, poor displays, and require lots of button pushing. No-one has approached Apple's interface for the iPod. I don't like the iPod, personally, but can recognize it's the best. I don't like the chrome back (why can't it all be in the one material?) which, on my friends iPod, looks all smudgey and dirty from finger prints, and I think this whole 'snow white' phase is going to fall on its ass within the next couple of years anyway. Colored/textured iPods (a la the old iMac) might be a hit.
If there was something designed a little like the iPod (i.e. easy to use, nothing fancy, clean and simple, not 100s of buttons) for around the $200-$300 mark with, say, recording, and a 20-40GB hard drive, they'd sell like hot cakes.
As it is, the iPod sells like hot cakes because it's the only viable choice without getting something that's ugly and angular as fuck, and with the world's shittiest interface. Apple knows this, and their computers operate on the same principle. They might not be perfect, but they're better. (Come on, OS X is not the best we could be doing right now, but it's better than the alternatives)
Owning an iPod is going to be like a chick owning a Chanel purse. Cool, and expensive, and they can keep stuff in it.. but they need to keep changing it every couple of years to stay 'in fashion' and to stop it wearing out.
I forgot you were a Slashdotter. It all floods back. Thanks for dropping a line. I was just checking out the news on your site, and am looking forward to seeing it back in its former glory :-)
It looks like he got rid of most of the gizmos and only has three lights hooked up now. He used to have about 12 sets of lights, and you could also control a remote control car that had a camera on it. I guess that all gets a bit expensive to maintain though. Oh, and you could do the sprinklers, and look at his doorcam.
There was another guy who set up webcams in his house and put all his lights on X10, and allowed people to control them over the web. Thing is, he's STILL doing it, it must have been going for a couple of years now.
This story reminded me of it, so I went back, and he's live on the thing STILL, so well worth checking out.
It's here at DriveMeInsane.com (definitely an apt URL).
This is a bit of a ramble, and not necessarily meant to be modded up :-)
;-)
I'm an advocate for Linux in many situations. I've bugged everyone to hell since about 1997 to use it in server applications (not much of a BSD guy). I think it works great in masquerading situations. For quite some time I've felt that no Windows machine should be allowed directly onto the Internet, and that a non-Windows machine should masquerade traffic onto the net. I also think Linux is a far superior development environment to any other. That said, I still use a Windows desktop.. why?
For me the Linux desktop (or X with KDE or GNOME, as we're talking here) lacks a dock application. It also can't run everything I want without any hassles.. whereas I can just use VMWare/Virtual PC on Windows. Running Simcity 4 in VMWare under Linux, however, is not a great option
As a developer, the Linux desktop also seems pretty scary. You've got KDE and you've got GNOME.. and the applications from the system you're not using can end up looking like ass. Of course, it's a lot better than developing for Windows, but we need more integration, and I'm glad OpenDesktop is trying to do this, and that GNOME and KDE are trying to work together.
Also, I find Redhat 9 to be deadly slow on the desktop. SuSE 8 has proven to be much better (a KDE vs GNOME here?).. but I'm waiting for Fedora Core 2 (with the 2.6.0 kernel) until I make my next foray into trying Linux as a desktop OS. (I continue to use SuSE 8 via emulation for development purposes)
But make no bones about it. Linux is using the right methods. Windows is not. Linux might still be behind Windows and OS X in many areas, but they have a far better foundation, and I'm confident the Linux desktop will prevail. And.. I can't wait.
Whoa whoa whoa, where did you read that? There will be less programmers in America.
With the way the US Dollar is going, I'm not so sure.
Indian workers were being seen as 40% cheaper in surveys done 6 months/a year ago (at least, that was the number being thrown around by the media). Now consider that the US Dollar has crashed in value by 12% against the UK pound (and more, by the Euro) in the LAST THREE MONTHS. With the deficits the US is running, and with the Euro presenting itself as a viable reserve currency, I think we could see the US dollar slumping further. This means American workers become more affordable, as Indian workers will seem to be demanding 30-40% more pay (or more, as the Indian economy improves).
The US-Rupee exchange rate has remained reasonably stable for the last few years, but with the giant swings against the Pound and the Euro (both belonging to major trade partners of India) it would not be unreasonable to expect this to change.
Yeah, fair enough, I figure if you're American you prefer 'buxom' ladies like Anna Nichole Smith, Roseanne, and Oprah Winfrey. ;-)
Perhaps it's just me, but I think it's GREAT there'll be less programmers. I can't see the amount of programming work dropping significantly by 2015, so it means more work for less people, and perhaps our rates of pay will become more on a par with plumbers, builders, and carpenters once again.. instead of being at Wal*Mart levels.
This is a great market readjustment.
You can't buy from this new Walmart store if you're not in the 50 United States. And Apple's store isn't in Europe (yet). So what's the solution for those of us in Europe?
I've found various OD2 powered sites (Virgin, for one) but they're all the same, with awful interfaces, and music seems to be downloaded using a bizarre streaming arrangement (i.e. not good for me on a modem).
Sadly, I can see Apple et al coming to Europe, setting up their stores, and charging 99 pence a song ($1.76) which means hardly anyone will use it.. that seems to be how most US->UK things are priced.. just switch the $ for !
Went into Kill Bill without really knowing anything about it, and enjoyed myself as much as when I saw Clockwork Orange at the theater after it was unbanned (I'm from the UK).
Why? Because of the fighting. I'm not really into violent movies or the whole escapism thing, but seeing Uma Thurmann kick some major ass was almost sexual. A nice pastiche of the last 50 years of kung-fu cinema.
Personally, I'm glad Slashdot has a good mix of compputer, science, geek humor and geek lifestyle stories. Personally I can't stand the case mod stories (just doesn't interest me, for some reason), but I've found skipping over them, rather than reading them and complaining, works well for me.
I agree with all this, and find case mod stories similarly grating, but I don't complain about those either, as they are nerdy stories.
This, however, is not really for 'nerds' in any sense. Wiping your ass is an everyday life thing (well, unless you're constipated), but we don't necessarily want stories about coffee flavored toilet paper here.
I'd have no problem with all this if they dropped the 'News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters' tagline.. but this isn't for nerds, nor does it matter (much), even though I found the story useful (I have a friend who's a coffee nut, and I got to tell them about it).
I think it's great that it's not just news for nerds anymore, and that we have true lifestyle/diet/nutritional stories, like this one.
I'm definitely looking forward to hearing that Tampax have released an update to Tampax 4.5, or about the latest advances in bath salts.
Coffee flavored breakfast cereal? WHAT. THE. FUCK. TACO?
Because the colder you make a processor, the further you can push it.
If you can keep a chip at 0 celsius (as you can with many PC cooling units out there), you can get at least another 1GHz out of your chip, meaning your 3GHz PC is now a 4GHz power house.
And so it goes with the lower you go. At -100C you could probably keep your 3GHz PC up at around the 14GHz area, which is way faster than anything on the market. Isn't it worth the money on cooling to experience a slice of tomorrow?
I study law in the UK. This means I am NOT au fait with US law or the US mechanisms of law. This is NOT legal advice, nor should be acted upon as being such.
/is/ considered commercial electronic mail MUST contain an opt-out opportunity, AND a _valid physical postal address_ of the sender (Sec. 5(a), Para. 5).
;-)
I just read and summarized this Act for a company I work with. Here's what I wrote (company name removed).
~~
I figured this might be relevant to what some of you are involved in, or what you/company name sends. The CAN-SPAM bill was signed by the President today, and becomes law on January 1st, 2004. I imagine you've already heard about it all, but incase not, there's a copy of the act online at this URL: http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html
A quick summary, as it's pretty torpid reading.
The Act supersedes existing state laws based exclusively on the regulation of commercial mail (Sec. 8(b), Para. 1 & 2). The Act controls and concerns the delivery of "commercial electronic mail". It seems like corporate newsletters (like company name's own) are not considered to be commercial electronic mail (Sec. 3, Para. 2, Subpara. B) so they are not subject to the regulations laid out in the Act. Nor are "transactional" e-mails, which means all of company name's billing mails should also be exempt. Indeed, it seems all mails except marketing are fair game.
Of most interest is that mail which
Also of interest is who gets the blame for mass mailings. This could be of importance considering many affiliates advertise company name in their spammy e-mails (of which I receive a few myself from time to time). Section 3 Paragraph 16(a) is poorly worded on this. I'd watch out for what other people think and experience on this one. Also, Section 5(a), Paragraph 3 states that you cannot send commercial mail using a From address that is not valid, and which is not read and responded to. Bear this in mind in certain situations where noreply@company name.com is used, which may be considered "commercial electronic mail"
Anyway, looks like the Act is reasonably fair to both businesses and consumers, now let's hope we see some lawsuits getting filed in 2004, and all that spam deluge slowing down a bit.
Hopelessly optimistic!!
My Name
So, it's not just three people walking away with 9 digit checks, as you are imagining. It's hundreds of employees whose stakes are now worth 6 digits.
:-)
Ah okay, well that means the employees must hold stakes in the company. This is not normal practice in the UK (where I'm from). Generally employees are just that, employees.. so a buyout would be bad for them, since they're likely to be fired, and get squat.. whereas an IPO would let them cash in.
Sounds like a good deal for you then.. well done
VMWare is privately held, so I imagine there's only a few guys controlling/holding it. If someone came along and offered $600mn cash here-and-now, it's a bit of a no brainer, even if it burns your employees in the ass :-)
I drink caffeine, but not much, and I've never found caffeine to have an effect on my mental state. I've drunk a couple of Red Bulls before and gone to sleep an hour later.
Sometimes I force myself to stay awake in those situations where I suddenly feel tired just 9-12 hours after waking up. In these cases I push through an hour of tiredness, then feel excellent and alert. I think this might actually be the circadian rhythm at work?
On the whole, however, I just get up and sleep 'whenever I feel like I should'. This is why I've slept 20 hours in one go before (no waking up half way through) and not been alarmed. I figure my body knows how to keep itself in check, so I let it.
I think some people may have no circadian cycles. I sleep a random number of hours, and am awake for a random number of hours each day.
This week's rough 'awake' hours have been like.. 32, 9, 29, 11, 17, 12.. and 'sleep' hours have been like.. 7, 4, 16, 11, 12, 6, 9.
I live quite easily in this situation (since I work for myself). Daylight appears to have no effect, unless I woke up at, say, 9pm.. in which case I usually have a wave of tiredness hit me when daylight comes.
Does this mean I have no rhythm, or a heavily distorted one?
Yeah, I totally sympathise with what you say. I also have a weird sleep system, because I work for myself too.
The only problem is that my pattern is nonexistant. I often sleep for 12 hours (20 being my record), and sometimes for just 4. I usually vary between 6 and 13. My waking time is also variable. Yesterday I was up for just 12 hours. Two days ago I was up for just 8. Four days ago I was up for 32.
I get the feeling this could cause me serious problems later.. but I just go to sleep when I feel tired, and wake up when I feel refreshed. And, well, this is the schedule God makes me run to!
I think an iPod (or similar) is a bad geek gift, since most geeks probably have their eyes on these devices already, and have strong opinions on what they'd like.
An iPod is also too expensive a gift in most cases, and since you'll probably end up with the cheapest 15GB one, you'll feel shitty if you go out and buy a decent 40GB one a few months later, selling the gift on eBay or something.
I say geek gifts shouldn't necessarily be geek-exclusive gifts. Independent music in a genre the person likes.. movies they've shown an interest in.. box sets of the TV series they like. These things are smaller, more likely to open their eyes, and more likely to be remembered than a gift that could be obsolete within the year (because geeks upgrade often, as we know).
Or, even better, something off of their Amazon/whatever-store-isn't-evil-today giftlist.. that way you KNOw they'll like it! And, even better, you'll know someone else didn't buy it for them!
For what it's worth, I consider myself (as a non American) to be more a supporter of Bush and the Republicans, than the Democrats.
European humor can revolve around mocking that which you believe in, and parading that which you believe is false. I like Bush and appreciate his policies, but have no qualms in ridiculing him!
President Bush has ordered the search for WMD to continue called with the help of Saddam Hussein.
It's funny people, laugh.
Uh, I use arrow keys in vi as well. Page Up and Page Down work nicely too.. you don't /have/ to use the arcane methods.
Of course, this may be a bash/Linux specialty.. but since I don't use vi on another other platform, it works fine for me.