Waiting for December means a few things. "Waiting for the bugs to be found" was an oversimplification.
First, any problems found in the system will be uncovered. I probably wouldn't have had problems with the wrist strap, but there's something. How durable are the controllers? Ah, the ADXL330 handles 10,000g. Never mind. I'm not that strong...yet.
Second, strictly a vanity point, is that new colours will probably be available by year end. Why buy the controllers twice?
Third, the library of games will be greatly expanded by the end of the year. By then, Zelda will be in a gold box with its expansion, and we'll be able to get the other "launch titles" for a third of the price of what you're paying now. Yeah, I know, Gamecube games, but we don't have a Gamecube and we'd have to get controllers for that as well.
Fourth - and this is the most important part - we shop carefully. We spend less than we make, and we do this all the time. I could go out today and buy a Wii on my Mastercard, but why? I can wait until a price drop later. Yeah, it's only $300. But that's $300 that can sit in the bank, mate with all the other money that's in there, and have little baby monies. (4% savings account.) We make sure that there's 3 months+ worth of expenses in our accounts. That way, if I can't find work after my contract expires, we don't lose the house. I'm not saying that buying a Wii means that I'll be homeless (that's ridiculous) but we just don't buy a lot of expensive toys. For example, I haven't upgraded my computer since 2003.
A Wii is a major purchase, and it's something that requires a lot of extra purchases. (i.e. new games.) We both think the system is a lot of fun, but once the hype dies down and once we've thought about it seriously for a long time, then we'll know if it's a good idea. It's not like they're going to stop making them.
Putting off purchases like this are how my wife and I were able to afford a car (with cash), a house (25% down payment in the 2nd least affordable city in Canada), get major renos (roof, windows, furnace) done without going into debt, and live comfortably without owing money to anybody except our mortgage company. Even they're getting extra payments to end the debt sooner. You don't get big savings by winning the lottery or other windfalls. You save a $1/$5/$etc at a time.
Finally, the kids will be older. The boy won't be waking up at 0500 for MILK NOW NOT LATER so we can stay up late playing Red Steel2: Electric Boogaloo and Zelda: The Adventures of the Triforce Robots.
Don't get me wrong. I want a Wii. My wife wants a Wii. It's just not time to get one yet.
I want a game that's fun. I don't really care about how it looks. If there's a great storyline with a reasonable interface, that's fun.
It's got to be a "droppable" game, too. I don't want to have to run around for another 30-60 minutes trying to find a save point. That stops being fun pretty damned fast. It's one of the reasons I've cut down on playing video games and moved to mostly playing board games.
My wife and I are getting a Wii next December, once all the plebeians have found the bugs. Sure, it doesn't have the HD power of the PS3. Who cares? Nintendo decided to stop chasing the eye-candy tech and go back to the core of games.
Games should be fun.
If you want pretty, then watch a movie. Oh, wait. You are, since the ads and the box art are usually stills or pre-rendered video that looks nothing like the actual game.
There's a difference between being charged, arrested, indicted, and convicted. The cop is going to press charges. That's not the same as getting cuffed for what they are doing. There will be some kind of investigation. They'll probably all get told to knock it off. These guys were running RADAR systems without clearance. Where did they get it? eBay? Homebuilt? Egads.
If a cop wants to speed, or run red lights, or get free donuts, or whatever, that's cool with me. What's the problem? Cops have a crappy job. They deal with junkies, they pull over wound-up soccer moms, they get shot at, etc. I don't know what they do - it's all stuff that they take care of so I don't have to. One of the perks they get is that they get to bend the laws just a little to let them relax.
Plus, cops are professional drivers. They are better than the average yokel, and thus they have a lower likelihood of getting into an accident. (You are not as good a driver as you think you are.) Plus, they have inside information. What's the accident rate along that stretch of road? The cops know.
(I agree with you - if I had a card that said, "Don't worry about my speed, officer," you bet I'd use it.)
I'd also allow a patent examiner to reject a patent for no reason. If they get, say, 90 generic applications from a patent mining company, all broadly worded, then they can just fail them all.
"Patent Rejected: Judgment Call"
Yeah, I know. There are problems with that. Let's make a list of them.
But you are the first Truly Insightful post I've seen here. Is it just because I agree with you? Maybe.
Working long hours to stroke your boss' ego isn't a sign of being a good worker. It's a sign of being an inefficient kiss-ass with no spine and no life.
I work to live, not live to work. Perfect sentiment, although I prefer, "Work is my #2 job, right after 'Everything else'".
This thing probably isn't up to military specifications.
Can it be dropped?
Can you turn it on in a volatile atmosphere?
Will the RF generated by the system trigger the detonators in a model XR5 demo pack?
Is the information encrypted? I sure as hell don't think so. Good luck getting a milspec encryption chip, Dave.
Yeah, you can get a crappy system cobbled together that will probably work. Will it work in all reasonably foreseeable circumstances when lives are at risk? No, but you can ship something out that will do a half-assed job.
Of course, that's the mentality that half the/. crowd (and 93.4% of management) has. "It doesn't matter how good it is. It matters that we stayed up all night to get it done fast."
I used to play a lot more video and computer games, but I've mostly given up on them. For the same money (~$50), you can buy a good board game. It's got more interaction, lower system requirements, and doesn't require a massive upgrade to use the new patch.
You're looking at the wrong kind of board games. Try looking at Board Game Geek to see about some more entertaining games. "Roll and move" games like Monopoly and Sorry are kind of low on the "fun" scale. (BGG calls the genre "Ameritrash".)
I can play a few games with my 3-year-old daughter. (Memory, Candy Land, Galloping Pigs) She can also play some video games. When she gets to be old enough, we'll let her play other games like Ticket to Ride or the Settlers of Catan.
You'll have to look into local gaming stores in your area, or perhaps trying mail-order. If you buy a copy of Puerto Rico or Ticket to Ride: Europe, I guarantee that you'll enjoy it.
The best way to fix this "problem" is by mandating new features into all new audio players.
Each new player (made after, say, 2008) must be equipped with a receiver that can respond to transmitters placed into the curbs and roads. Further, all vehicles over about 1000 pounds must be equipped with a transmitter. This network can determine when the user is about to walk onto a street. The earphones / buds / etc must also have accelerometers.
When the user is about to walk onto the street, then the transmitters in the vehicles and the curbs will signal the receivers in the audio players. They will in turn warn the user that they are about to enter traffic. The accelerometers can be used to check if the user has turned to the left, then the right, then left again in the time immediately preceding the traffic danger entry points. (Looking both ways before crossing the street, if you will.) If the user has rotated their head correctly, then the alarm is bypassed.
Certain models of audio player could deliver a mild shock which immobilizes the user, preventing them from crossing the street unless it is safe to do so.
I'd say we could use GPS to check position, but then we're getting ridiculous.
All right, let's see how over-the top we can make this idea.
That's it exactly. You can't package your childhood in a box and sell it.
I've learned that a really good game is only a really good game in your memory. It's fun to think about it later, but it's really not worth buying / dusting off the old equipment.
What you get isn't as good as what you remember.
That said, games where brains and thinking are more important that reflexes and a fast video card are few and far between.
Sure, if you don't use your computer for computing.
Here's a tip: Next time, save yourself some cash and just buy a console. It's cheaper, there are better games, and you won't have to upgrade next year.
I use my serial and parallel ports just about every day. I use them to work.
Just because you don't want to use it doesn't mean it's useless.
The US Constitution doesn't grant the right to bear arms. I believe the line is something like, "A well-stocked militia being necessary to a free state, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed."
What that means is that their founding fathers knew that at some time, someone who would abuse their power and privilege would assume office and attempt to remove some certain inalienable rights. It's not their right to just be able to buy a handgun and a Yosemite Sam bumper sticker; it is their duty to practice with that firearm, and if necessary, lay down their lives in defence of their country and constitution.
Enter the militia.
Or the National Guard. That's why the NG is assigned to the state governors' control, and not the Presi... oh, wait. Never mind.
One thing you have to remember is that any member of the administration (any administration) is but a cog in a machine. A redundant cog. One that when missing, will allow the machine to continue running. If anything were to happen to anybody in office, the only difference you'd see would be non-stop footage on CNN, a few more restrictions on airline travel, and a curfew. Maybe martial law.
So if bullets wouldn't work, what would? Use the same tactics they suggest using on countries. Leave your job. Get everyone you know who believes the same way to leave their job. Go on a general strike. The unemployment rate is so low that employers couldn't possibly fill all the gaps. If you get foreclosed, then launch a court appeal. It'll take years. Put so much political and financial pressure on these guys that they resign in disgrace - with no bloodshed. It would probably feel nice to have em hang, but do that after a sedition trial.
You'd have to have millions of people doing this, so it's probably not going to work. Americans are too lazy to do anything about the shithole their country is turning into. They're a bunch of lazy slacktivists. "But, I said 'bush suxors' on/. and I posted on my blog. I bought a 'bush's last day' shirt. I don't vote, though - it's a waste of time."
Re:There's not a chance that this is real.
on
Bugged Canadian Coins?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
How are you going to covertly track someone with RFID?
If you want to track someone, you've got to either broadcast the info or walk up to them with the RFID scanner.
If you're walking up to them with the RFID scanner, you already know where they are.
There's not a chance that this is real.
on
Bugged Canadian Coins?
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
I'm just a lowly Electrical Engineer who works in RF.
At my last job, we made transmitters. Some of them were really small - small enough to be surgically implanted into fish or ducks. It was cutting edge stuff; I had to work with the manufacturers to work out bugs in the chips, compilers, and programmers.
There is no way that a working transmitter can be fitted into a mockup coin. You'll have to have some kind of processor. The 10F202 is really small, coming in at about 2mm x 4mm x 2 mm, plus a little extra for the leads. Next we'll add the required RF circuitry, like the tuning and bypass capacitors, amplifiers, etc. We'll neglect voltage regulators and other things, but you're looking at more parts than what will fit in a toonie.
We'll assume that no board is being used, since that alone will negate the chance of a coin being used.
Let's assume an 800MHz signal. Why? Well, why not? That's going to give a 4-inch antenna. Let's assume a 24-gauge wire with a very small insulator, giving it almost negligible displacement. If you wrap this up inside the coin, you're going to have - quite frankly - fuck all for range. I guess you could run the wire on the outside of the coin, but you're not going to have much luck. Internal antennae just don't work very well.
Then you have a battery - oh, whoops, no more room.
"The invention being thus described, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims."
How in the world did that get patented? Anything that's kind of like this is also part of the patent?
Other patents I've seen require detail down to the bit level.
There's got to be something in the prosecution history that would shed more light on this.
That said, you've got to wonder about the company that's trying to sue Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. They should have gone after a few small companies first to build a precedent.
Slashdot Mirror
I'll buy the booze and rent them a car.
Does anyone know where you can rent a Pinto or Propane truck?
Waiting for December means a few things. "Waiting for the bugs to be found" was an oversimplification.
First, any problems found in the system will be uncovered. I probably wouldn't have had problems with the wrist strap, but there's something. How durable are the controllers? Ah, the ADXL330 handles 10,000g. Never mind. I'm not that strong...yet.
Second, strictly a vanity point, is that new colours will probably be available by year end. Why buy the controllers twice?
Third, the library of games will be greatly expanded by the end of the year. By then, Zelda will be in a gold box with its expansion, and we'll be able to get the other "launch titles" for a third of the price of what you're paying now. Yeah, I know, Gamecube games, but we don't have a Gamecube and we'd have to get controllers for that as well.
Fourth - and this is the most important part - we shop carefully. We spend less than we make, and we do this all the time. I could go out today and buy a Wii on my Mastercard, but why? I can wait until a price drop later. Yeah, it's only $300. But that's $300 that can sit in the bank, mate with all the other money that's in there, and have little baby monies. (4% savings account.) We make sure that there's 3 months+ worth of expenses in our accounts. That way, if I can't find work after my contract expires, we don't lose the house. I'm not saying that buying a Wii means that I'll be homeless (that's ridiculous) but we just don't buy a lot of expensive toys. For example, I haven't upgraded my computer since 2003.
A Wii is a major purchase, and it's something that requires a lot of extra purchases. (i.e. new games.) We both think the system is a lot of fun, but once the hype dies down and once we've thought about it seriously for a long time, then we'll know if it's a good idea. It's not like they're going to stop making them.
Putting off purchases like this are how my wife and I were able to afford a car (with cash), a house (25% down payment in the 2nd least affordable city in Canada), get major renos (roof, windows, furnace) done without going into debt, and live comfortably without owing money to anybody except our mortgage company. Even they're getting extra payments to end the debt sooner. You don't get big savings by winning the lottery or other windfalls. You save a $1/$5/$etc at a time.
Finally, the kids will be older. The boy won't be waking up at 0500 for MILK NOW NOT LATER so we can stay up late playing Red Steel2: Electric Boogaloo and Zelda: The Adventures of the Triforce Robots.
Don't get me wrong. I want a Wii. My wife wants a Wii. It's just not time to get one yet.
That's exactly it for me.
I want a game that's fun. I don't really care about how it looks. If there's a great storyline with a reasonable interface, that's fun.
It's got to be a "droppable" game, too. I don't want to have to run around for another 30-60 minutes trying to find a save point. That stops being fun pretty damned fast. It's one of the reasons I've cut down on playing video games and moved to mostly playing board games.
My wife and I are getting a Wii next December, once all the plebeians have found the bugs. Sure, it doesn't have the HD power of the PS3. Who cares? Nintendo decided to stop chasing the eye-candy tech and go back to the core of games.
Games should be fun.
If you want pretty, then watch a movie. Oh, wait. You are, since the ads and the box art are usually stills or pre-rendered video that looks nothing like the actual game.
No, they focus on pretty box art, eye-catching pre-rendered FMV, and a lot of side-quests that require a guidebook to find, let alone complete.
Oh, and hair for the protagonist. Can't forget the hair.
I've thought that for years.
You should be able to take special classes on handling vehicles above a certain power. You get a special plate and an insurance discount.
Those drivers get a higher speed limit.
Uh, are you at work right now?
;)
`Cause I'm at work right now.
Consider the rule...bent.
There's a difference between being charged, arrested, indicted, and convicted. The cop is going to press charges. That's not the same as getting cuffed for what they are doing. There will be some kind of investigation. They'll probably all get told to knock it off. These guys were running RADAR systems without clearance. Where did they get it? eBay? Homebuilt? Egads.
If a cop wants to speed, or run red lights, or get free donuts, or whatever, that's cool with me. What's the problem? Cops have a crappy job. They deal with junkies, they pull over wound-up soccer moms, they get shot at, etc. I don't know what they do - it's all stuff that they take care of so I don't have to. One of the perks they get is that they get to bend the laws just a little to let them relax.
Plus, cops are professional drivers. They are better than the average yokel, and thus they have a lower likelihood of getting into an accident. (You are not as good a driver as you think you are.) Plus, they have inside information. What's the accident rate along that stretch of road? The cops know.
(I agree with you - if I had a card that said, "Don't worry about my speed, officer," you bet I'd use it.)
I'd also allow a patent examiner to reject a patent for no reason. If they get, say, 90 generic applications from a patent mining company, all broadly worded, then they can just fail them all.
"Patent Rejected: Judgment Call"
Yeah, I know. There are problems with that. Let's make a list of them.
Southpark reference.
Either this episode or this one.
I'm out of points.
But you are the first Truly Insightful post I've seen here. Is it just because I agree with you? Maybe.
Working long hours to stroke your boss' ego isn't a sign of being a good worker. It's a sign of being an inefficient kiss-ass with no spine and no life.
I work to live, not live to work. Perfect sentiment, although I prefer, "Work is my #2 job, right after 'Everything else'".
It's like the joke:
There's a swimming pool with about 100 people in it. 30 are Canadians. How do you get the Canadians out?
Just shout, "Can all the Canadians get out of the pool?"
Seriously, it's legal to download in Canada. (Uploading is not.) The letters mean nothing. It's just a warning to use a better proxy.
Remember, if you want it to stay legal, write to the Heritage Critic and let him know that the Heritage Minister is being bribed by the CCPA.
That's not yogurt.
I had the same first thought too.
"What the? Sock puppets? Is this a problem in Europe?"
Lorry / Truck; Sock-puppet / Astroturfing, I suppose.
That's the problem, isn't it?
/. crowd (and 93.4% of management) has. "It doesn't matter how good it is. It matters that we stayed up all night to get it done fast."
This thing probably isn't up to military specifications.
Can it be dropped?
Can you turn it on in a volatile atmosphere?
Will the RF generated by the system trigger the detonators in a model XR5 demo pack?
Is the information encrypted? I sure as hell don't think so. Good luck getting a milspec encryption chip, Dave.
Yeah, you can get a crappy system cobbled together that will probably work. Will it work in all reasonably foreseeable circumstances when lives are at risk? No, but you can ship something out that will do a half-assed job.
Of course, that's the mentality that half the
I used to play a lot more video and computer games, but I've mostly given up on them. For the same money (~$50), you can buy a good board game. It's got more interaction, lower system requirements, and doesn't require a massive upgrade to use the new patch.
You're looking at the wrong kind of board games. Try looking at Board Game Geek to see about some more entertaining games. "Roll and move" games like Monopoly and Sorry are kind of low on the "fun" scale. (BGG calls the genre "Ameritrash".)
I can play a few games with my 3-year-old daughter. (Memory, Candy Land, Galloping Pigs) She can also play some video games. When she gets to be old enough, we'll let her play other games like Ticket to Ride or the Settlers of Catan.
You'll have to look into local gaming stores in your area, or perhaps trying mail-order. If you buy a copy of Puerto Rico or Ticket to Ride: Europe, I guarantee that you'll enjoy it.
The best way to fix this "problem" is by mandating new features into all new audio players.
Each new player (made after, say, 2008) must be equipped with a receiver that can respond to transmitters placed into the curbs and roads. Further, all vehicles over about 1000 pounds must be equipped with a transmitter. This network can determine when the user is about to walk onto a street. The earphones / buds / etc must also have accelerometers.
When the user is about to walk onto the street, then the transmitters in the vehicles and the curbs will signal the receivers in the audio players. They will in turn warn the user that they are about to enter traffic. The accelerometers can be used to check if the user has turned to the left, then the right, then left again in the time immediately preceding the traffic danger entry points. (Looking both ways before crossing the street, if you will.) If the user has rotated their head correctly, then the alarm is bypassed.
Certain models of audio player could deliver a mild shock which immobilizes the user, preventing them from crossing the street unless it is safe to do so.
I'd say we could use GPS to check position, but then we're getting ridiculous.
All right, let's see how over-the top we can make this idea.
That's it exactly. You can't package your childhood in a box and sell it.
I've learned that a really good game is only a really good game in your memory. It's fun to think about it later, but it's really not worth buying / dusting off the old equipment.
What you get isn't as good as what you remember.
That said, games where brains and thinking are more important that reflexes and a fast video card are few and far between.
Get ch3@p C@nadi@n L1ghtb\/lbs!
Warm lights, n0 flicker.
Discr33t Shipping Guaranteed!
I'd add more, but either you get the gag by now or you'll never get it.
Sure, if you don't use your computer for computing.
Here's a tip: Next time, save yourself some cash and just buy a console. It's cheaper, there are better games, and you won't have to upgrade next year.
I use my serial and parallel ports just about every day. I use them to work.
Just because you don't want to use it doesn't mean it's useless.
The trans-sexual / hermaphrodite pirate lobby is notoriously low-budget.
You've probably never even heard of them...
Nicely worded.
I'm going to send a similar letter to my MP as well.
Note that we shouldn't copy the letter, fellow Canucks - they'll think it's a form letter and ignore it.
You've almost got it.
... oh, wait. Never mind.
/. and I posted on my blog. I bought a 'bush's last day' shirt. I don't vote, though - it's a waste of time."
The US Constitution doesn't grant the right to bear arms. I believe the line is something like, "A well-stocked militia being necessary to a free state, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed."
What that means is that their founding fathers knew that at some time, someone who would abuse their power and privilege would assume office and attempt to remove some certain inalienable rights. It's not their right to just be able to buy a handgun and a Yosemite Sam bumper sticker; it is their duty to practice with that firearm, and if necessary, lay down their lives in defence of their country and constitution.
Enter the militia.
Or the National Guard. That's why the NG is assigned to the state governors' control, and not the Presi
One thing you have to remember is that any member of the administration (any administration) is but a cog in a machine. A redundant cog. One that when missing, will allow the machine to continue running. If anything were to happen to anybody in office, the only difference you'd see would be non-stop footage on CNN, a few more restrictions on airline travel, and a curfew. Maybe martial law.
So if bullets wouldn't work, what would? Use the same tactics they suggest using on countries. Leave your job. Get everyone you know who believes the same way to leave their job. Go on a general strike. The unemployment rate is so low that employers couldn't possibly fill all the gaps. If you get foreclosed, then launch a court appeal. It'll take years. Put so much political and financial pressure on these guys that they resign in disgrace - with no bloodshed. It would probably feel nice to have em hang, but do that after a sedition trial.
You'd have to have millions of people doing this, so it's probably not going to work. Americans are too lazy to do anything about the shithole their country is turning into. They're a bunch of lazy slacktivists. "But, I said 'bush suxors' on
How are you going to covertly track someone with RFID?
If you want to track someone, you've got to either broadcast the info or walk up to them with the RFID scanner.
If you're walking up to them with the RFID scanner, you already know where they are.
I'm just a lowly Electrical Engineer who works in RF.
At my last job, we made transmitters. Some of them were really small - small enough to be surgically implanted into fish or ducks. It was cutting edge stuff; I had to work with the manufacturers to work out bugs in the chips, compilers, and programmers.
There is no way that a working transmitter can be fitted into a mockup coin. You'll have to have some kind of processor. The 10F202 is really small, coming in at about 2mm x 4mm x 2 mm, plus a little extra for the leads. Next we'll add the required RF circuitry, like the tuning and bypass capacitors, amplifiers, etc. We'll neglect voltage regulators and other things, but you're looking at more parts than what will fit in a toonie.
We'll assume that no board is being used, since that alone will negate the chance of a coin being used.
Let's assume an 800MHz signal. Why? Well, why not? That's going to give a 4-inch antenna. Let's assume a 24-gauge wire with a very small insulator, giving it almost negligible displacement. If you wrap this up inside the coin, you're going to have - quite frankly - fuck all for range. I guess you could run the wire on the outside of the coin, but you're not going to have much luck. Internal antennae just don't work very well.
Then you have a battery - oh, whoops, no more room.
So how does this work, again?
From the patent:
"The invention being thus described, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims."
How in the world did that get patented? Anything that's kind of like this is also part of the patent?
Other patents I've seen require detail down to the bit level.
There's got to be something in the prosecution history that would shed more light on this.
That said, you've got to wonder about the company that's trying to sue Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. They should have gone after a few small companies first to build a precedent.