... a few times to at least get some data to work with? If you're doing something like canonical is doing you think they'd want metrics.
And, if they had installed some phone-home pingy-thing, they'd be pilloried in the town square by people screaming about that when it came to light, and they'd be decried as violating people's privacy. Geeks on Slashdot frothing at the mouth and wielding torches, cats living with dogs, that kinda stuff.
(And, before I get modded flamebait... that's also half of the amusement of being here. =)
Actually, it's more like critters originate in the most hospitable conditions around. The extremophiles just show us that once life exists, it's very good at adapting and growing into harsher regions.
Yeah, but "most hospitable around" can change over time, and "hospitable to what" is the key question.
I don't know that we conclusively know if life first emerged in the happy-fun conditions we think of on planet Earth now, or the Long Time Ago when life was first forming and conditions were entirely different.
From TFA:
The find could help scientists understand what life might have looked like in the earth's early oceans, which also had very little oxygen.
For all we know, it developed in the harsher regions, and moved on from there once that happened.
I find it odd that the article mentions absolutely NOTHING about the implications of this discovery as it pertains to life on other planets.
Maybe because terrestrial biologists aren't always thinking in terms of extra-terrestrial biology? It's just not everyone's field of study.
Of course, the exo-biologists (and geeks here on Slashdot) will make the connection, but I'm hardly surprised TFA didn't. Me, I'm no longer surprised to hear that there are such organisms -- the longer we have known about "extremophiles" the more it makes it fairly obvious that critters adapt to all sorts of condition, and quite likely originated in them. For me, it makes it fairly obvious that in the big-honking galaxy (let alone universe) that at least *some* form of life ha evolved elsewhere.
Now, knowing this doesn't make it any easier to look for life on other planets. It broadens the search parameters, but I don't think it gives us a tool to say "there could be life there". But, who knows, astronomy has grown quite a lot in my lifetime.
...I think Lucas is so pissed the he will forever be remembered for Star Wars and nothing else that he is purposely driving it into the ground...yet somehow, it still makes him a ton of money.
Or, is he desperately trying to still be remembered, and he's flogging his cash-cow for all it's worth? I'm not sure here purposely driving it into the ground, or if that's just happening on its own.
Other than Lucas Arts doing technical work for other people... has Lucas himself even had a non-Star Wars idea in the last few decades?? If he wants to be remembered for something else, then make something else.
Anything moderately current will do anything you want. It doesn't really matter what you choose. So set yourself a budget and buy something that fits within that. It will probably do fine.
Not necessarily true.
Take for instance Virtual machines and a 64-bit guest operating system.
I was rather annoyed to discover this recently that the big-honking quad-core 64-bit machine I bought from a local system builder just over a year ago is one Intel model below being able to run a 64-bit guest OS since it doesn't support the right hardware features.
I tend to agree with the poster -- it can be really fscking confusing unless you have kept up with all of the latest model numbers to really know the differences between one system and the next. If you don't have a list of must-haves, you might get bit later to discover that something you didn't even need you wanted isn't there.
So, now I'm faced with the prospect of swapping out a CPU just so I can run a 64-bit guest.
The industry has no real chance of wooing me with Blu Ray anytime soon. I don't even have an HD TV set in my house.
Hear hear.
I've had a DVD player for over 10 years now, and in that time I've been waiting for the HD specs to settle down to something constant so that I can buy something which is not going to be made obsolete in a year or two. All of the first gen HD adopters got hosed when they changed over to HDMI, and even the expected resolution and everything has been a moving target. I know someone who paid about $7K for a Pioneer Elite projection screen a decade or so ago, and he can't use it today to get 'real' HD with anything capable of producing the output.
Unless my current TV dies and I have to replace it, HD and Blu Ray represent an ever-changing series of specs that aren't always backward compatible and frequently get changed so the media companies can lock down their content even more. Couple that with the fact that even if you did switch to HD, the cable/satellite companies are the next in line to try to gouge you for the content.
HD is mostly a money treadmill for the people who want the latest and greatest, but for most of the rest of us, it's simply not cost effective to get involved with. The only way to win is to not play the game.
Last I checked, it was the standard for the entire government of Canada.
Many large organizations move to new versions of software at extremely slow pace -- often because they already have a bunch of legacy apps that are certified to work with that version, and explicitly say they don't work with the new version. Sometimes, there isn't a newer version of the software, and will never be -- so if it's an important app they can't afford/don't want to upgrade, they're hosed.
I don't think you understand just how much of a factor the IT departments of organizations can conspire to keep them running old versions, or the large number of reasons why it's not always possible to upgrade.
Users (a) aren't always aware that they're using an outdated browser and (b) will therefore simply blame your site rather than their browser. Unless you tell them explicitly their browser is at fault, they will not know.
My rule of thumb is that if an earthquake (or power outage;-) occurs at the same time the user presses a button on your software, that it was your fault.
Many users simply don't really understand the different roles of the components of their computer -- and when one goes wrong, the one they meant to be using was clearly the culprit.
Sadly, the now famous power outage story I linked to isn't really that far from what I've actually seen in the real world. To some users, the computer will always be a completely unknowable device which operates on magic. I can absolutely see a lot of users not understanding what is meant by an out of date browser or how to fix it.
That said, i wouldn't be caught dead using IE, nor let friends or family do it.
I can't even begin to tell you the number of sites required by my previous employer that required IE, and there's always a couple here and there that want ActiveX or what have you.
I do 99% of my browsing in a Firefox with noscript installed and a fairly locked down policy. I have found I pretty much need to keep an IE laying about for those really stubborn sites which require it, and which I'm willing to use.
Generally, I agree with you though. I just can't seem to find it feasible to completely not have it, unfortunately. God knows, I've tried.:-P
So then maybe they shouldn't have kicked the android code out of mainline in the first place?
If it created code dependencies that nobody buy Google could compile against, it's got no business in the mainline -- it effectively breaks the kernel for everyone else.
This isn't a matter of getting voted off the island because they don't like your features -- it's about making something which was incompatible and people deciding that it had to go.
The study is a failure if it finds both ends of the argument plausible and no concrete evidence for either.
Dude, did you even read TFA??? Take these three sentences....
People who spend a lot of time surfing the internet are more likely to show signs of depression, British scientists said on Wednesday.
But it is not clear whether the internet causes depression or whether depressed people are drawn to it.
"Excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first -- are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?"
All they have said is that people who spend a large amount of time on the internet might also correlate with depressed people, and that people should look out for it.
They absolutely find both ends of the argument plausible, and explicitly said so.
but anyway, how do you drive when it get's real shitty with ice and snow
In my case, I buy cars with all wheel drive and good snow tires. Generally speaking, if you live up here you've probably driven in snow and the like many times -- the first snowfall leads to a general outbreak of stupidity, but people adapt.
Sometimes, you don't have the choice of whether or not you venture out.
Hell, it snowed for four straight days or so starting from New Year's Eve this year. Even if the plows and salt trucks had been out, the roads were crappy and slippery.
It's the cold and the wind that really suck. And the dark -- by Christmas, it's fully dark before 5pm.
If you're not going to read the article, at least glance at the summary:
Well, where would the fun be in that? And, more seriously, the article seems to say
To avoid any data loss, I suggest making plans to move to a released version of Windows 7 before the automatic shutdowns start. During these shutdowns, your work will not be saved.
Meaning, I think, you'll get a warning that you might get a shutdown at some point. But, when the shutdown happens, it might come without a more imminent warning. The linked MS KB article supports that while you will get scheduled warnings, when the actual shutdown happens "When the computer restarts, your work will not be saved" -- the reboot will simply happen and kill whatever you're working on.
I have seen a dialog box that says "Reboot now?" with only "OK" and full modal focus. It was evil (and I'm not even saying it was an MS dialog box, since I can't remember).
I'm sure come June 1 or whatever the final cut-off date is, it will be far less polite about it.
Truthfully, I have no qualms about MS shutting down trial versions. A friend of mine has raved so much about Windows 7 I've been weighing the option of upgrading my Vista box -- but I've actually been really happy with my Vista experience, and I don't want to go through the bother of the upgrade/migration process.
Hmm, so everyone who lives north of Georgia and actually has to leave their basement is too stupid to live. Actually, I kinda like that *evil grin*
And, I'd love to see some of you Floridians deal with an actual winter -- you know, one with large amounts of snow and -40 (doesn't matter Fahrenheit or Celcius, at -40 it's the same). Then we'd see who is too stupid to live.;-)
[ Actually, I usually feel really bad for the obvious recent African immigrants when they have a parka on in October -- it's only going to get worse from there. ]
But then, I live in Florida, where I run the risk of hydroplaning during an afternoon rainstorm 8 months out of the year.
Or, having iguanas fall out of a tree due to a cold snap and bonk you on the head. That would suck.:-P
Ever seen a button that says "Your Machine Will Shut Down Now" that only has an "OK" as an option, and takes the focus for the entire machine so you can't do anything else like save your work?
That's not so much in the way of warning. Well, inasmuch as the Blue Screen of Death was a "warning".
I'm kidding. Sorry I ommited the smiley. Still, a phone/game console is just asking for this to become reality.
I almost added a PS indicating that I was allowing for the possibility of some sarcasm being present since I suspected you weren't being literal.
Yes, people will do lots of strange things while driving. I once saw someone talking on a cell phone and eating a sandwich while driving a car. At that point, you're not really driving, just getting lucky for not hitting anything yet.:-P
I know that the whole gravity-sensor-tilt thing is hot with the kids, but it might just be worth it to get a stationary mount on the dash, and some bluetooth buttons that would clip onto the steering wheel. I'm all about safety, and to play those tilt games properly takes both hands way too often. Then again, I can text pretty well while driving with my knees, so maybe it's not a big deal once you get used to it.
On behalf of the other people on the road with you, drive your damned car, and don't play with your video game or anything else that divides your attention from the road.
I can't tell you how often I see some tool behind me texting on his Blackberry, reading the news paper, or assembling some bit of Ikea furniture. Usually they're driving erratically and cutting people off because they're only marginally paying attention to the road. I don't want to get slammed into by some idiot who thinks he can have both of his thumbs on his Blackberry and still actually be driving the car.
I wonder how often after an accident someone ends up hiding their phone so it's not obvious that they caused the accident in the first place? There's a reason lots of places are banning use of a handheld device while you're driving.
Slashdot Mirror
And, if they had installed some phone-home pingy-thing, they'd be pilloried in the town square by people screaming about that when it came to light, and they'd be decried as violating people's privacy. Geeks on Slashdot frothing at the mouth and wielding torches, cats living with dogs, that kinda stuff.
(And, before I get modded flamebait ... that's also half of the amusement of being here. =)
Why does this statement hurt my head so much? ;-)
Girl geeks don't survive entirely on pizza and soda pop, they like chocolate as well.
Oh, wait, you meant ...
Yeah, but "most hospitable around" can change over time, and "hospitable to what" is the key question.
I don't know that we conclusively know if life first emerged in the happy-fun conditions we think of on planet Earth now, or the Long Time Ago when life was first forming and conditions were entirely different.
From TFA:
For all we know, it developed in the harsher regions, and moved on from there once that happened.
Cheers
Wow, thanks for that one. Fortunately, I never saw that Indiana Jones -- glad I didn't. :-P
Cheers
Maybe because terrestrial biologists aren't always thinking in terms of extra-terrestrial biology? It's just not everyone's field of study.
Of course, the exo-biologists (and geeks here on Slashdot) will make the connection, but I'm hardly surprised TFA didn't. Me, I'm no longer surprised to hear that there are such organisms -- the longer we have known about "extremophiles" the more it makes it fairly obvious that critters adapt to all sorts of condition, and quite likely originated in them. For me, it makes it fairly obvious that in the big-honking galaxy (let alone universe) that at least *some* form of life ha evolved elsewhere.
Now, knowing this doesn't make it any easier to look for life on other planets. It broadens the search parameters, but I don't think it gives us a tool to say "there could be life there". But, who knows, astronomy has grown quite a lot in my lifetime.
Cheers
But ... that's what becoming an adult means. ;-)
Or, is he desperately trying to still be remembered, and he's flogging his cash-cow for all it's worth? I'm not sure here purposely driving it into the ground, or if that's just happening on its own.
Other than Lucas Arts doing technical work for other people ... has Lucas himself even had a non-Star Wars idea in the last few decades?? If he wants to be remembered for something else, then make something else.
Cheers
Not necessarily true.
Take for instance Virtual machines and a 64-bit guest operating system.
I was rather annoyed to discover this recently that the big-honking quad-core 64-bit machine I bought from a local system builder just over a year ago is one Intel model below being able to run a 64-bit guest OS since it doesn't support the right hardware features.
I tend to agree with the poster -- it can be really fscking confusing unless you have kept up with all of the latest model numbers to really know the differences between one system and the next. If you don't have a list of must-haves, you might get bit later to discover that something you didn't even need you wanted isn't there.
So, now I'm faced with the prospect of swapping out a CPU just so I can run a 64-bit guest.
Cheers
Oh, I don't know. The oopie-cow sounds like it could be, um, udderly hilarious. :-P
Cheers
Hear hear.
I've had a DVD player for over 10 years now, and in that time I've been waiting for the HD specs to settle down to something constant so that I can buy something which is not going to be made obsolete in a year or two. All of the first gen HD adopters got hosed when they changed over to HDMI, and even the expected resolution and everything has been a moving target. I know someone who paid about $7K for a Pioneer Elite projection screen a decade or so ago, and he can't use it today to get 'real' HD with anything capable of producing the output.
Unless my current TV dies and I have to replace it, HD and Blu Ray represent an ever-changing series of specs that aren't always backward compatible and frequently get changed so the media companies can lock down their content even more. Couple that with the fact that even if you did switch to HD, the cable/satellite companies are the next in line to try to gouge you for the content.
HD is mostly a money treadmill for the people who want the latest and greatest, but for most of the rest of us, it's simply not cost effective to get involved with. The only way to win is to not play the game.
Cheers
Last I checked, it was the standard for the entire government of Canada.
Many large organizations move to new versions of software at extremely slow pace -- often because they already have a bunch of legacy apps that are certified to work with that version, and explicitly say they don't work with the new version. Sometimes, there isn't a newer version of the software, and will never be -- so if it's an important app they can't afford/don't want to upgrade, they're hosed.
I don't think you understand just how much of a factor the IT departments of organizations can conspire to keep them running old versions, or the large number of reasons why it's not always possible to upgrade.
Cheers
My rule of thumb is that if an earthquake (or power outage ;-) occurs at the same time the user presses a button on your software, that it was your fault.
Many users simply don't really understand the different roles of the components of their computer -- and when one goes wrong, the one they meant to be using was clearly the culprit.
Sadly, the now famous power outage story I linked to isn't really that far from what I've actually seen in the real world. To some users, the computer will always be a completely unknowable device which operates on magic. I can absolutely see a lot of users not understanding what is meant by an out of date browser or how to fix it.
Cheers
I can't even begin to tell you the number of sites required by my previous employer that required IE, and there's always a couple here and there that want ActiveX or what have you.
I do 99% of my browsing in a Firefox with noscript installed and a fairly locked down policy. I have found I pretty much need to keep an IE laying about for those really stubborn sites which require it, and which I'm willing to use.
Generally, I agree with you though. I just can't seem to find it feasible to completely not have it, unfortunately. God knows, I've tried. :-P
Cheers
Courtesy of the google translator ...
Still no idea what it meant. :-P
If it created code dependencies that nobody buy Google could compile against, it's got no business in the mainline -- it effectively breaks the kernel for everyone else.
This isn't a matter of getting voted off the island because they don't like your features -- it's about making something which was incompatible and people deciding that it had to go.
Dude, did you even read TFA??? Take these three sentences ....
All they have said is that people who spend a large amount of time on the internet might also correlate with depressed people, and that people should look out for it.
They absolutely find both ends of the argument plausible, and explicitly said so.
Apparently, making porn is the likely answer. :-P
In my case, I buy cars with all wheel drive and good snow tires. Generally speaking, if you live up here you've probably driven in snow and the like many times -- the first snowfall leads to a general outbreak of stupidity, but people adapt.
Sometimes, you don't have the choice of whether or not you venture out.
Hell, it snowed for four straight days or so starting from New Year's Eve this year. Even if the plows and salt trucks had been out, the roads were crappy and slippery.
It's the cold and the wind that really suck. And the dark -- by Christmas, it's fully dark before 5pm.
Cheers
Well, where would the fun be in that? And, more seriously, the article seems to say
Meaning, I think, you'll get a warning that you might get a shutdown at some point. But, when the shutdown happens, it might come without a more imminent warning. The linked MS KB article supports that while you will get scheduled warnings, when the actual shutdown happens "When the computer restarts, your work will not be saved" -- the reboot will simply happen and kill whatever you're working on.
I have seen a dialog box that says "Reboot now?" with only "OK" and full modal focus. It was evil (and I'm not even saying it was an MS dialog box, since I can't remember).
I'm sure come June 1 or whatever the final cut-off date is, it will be far less polite about it.
Truthfully, I have no qualms about MS shutting down trial versions. A friend of mine has raved so much about Windows 7 I've been weighing the option of upgrading my Vista box -- but I've actually been really happy with my Vista experience, and I don't want to go through the bother of the upgrade/migration process.
Cheers
Was it the car, or the lack of seatbelts?
Momentum is a harsh reality.
And, I'd love to see some of you Floridians deal with an actual winter -- you know, one with large amounts of snow and -40 (doesn't matter Fahrenheit or Celcius, at -40 it's the same). Then we'd see who is too stupid to live. ;-)
[ Actually, I usually feel really bad for the obvious recent African immigrants when they have a parka on in October -- it's only going to get worse from there. ]
Or, having iguanas fall out of a tree due to a cold snap and bonk you on the head. That would suck. :-P
Cheers
Ever seen a button that says "Your Machine Will Shut Down Now" that only has an "OK" as an option, and takes the focus for the entire machine so you can't do anything else like save your work?
That's not so much in the way of warning. Well, inasmuch as the Blue Screen of Death was a "warning".
Cheers
I almost added a PS indicating that I was allowing for the possibility of some sarcasm being present since I suspected you weren't being literal.
Yes, people will do lots of strange things while driving. I once saw someone talking on a cell phone and eating a sandwich while driving a car. At that point, you're not really driving, just getting lucky for not hitting anything yet. :-P
Cheers
On behalf of the other people on the road with you, drive your damned car, and don't play with your video game or anything else that divides your attention from the road.
I can't tell you how often I see some tool behind me texting on his Blackberry, reading the news paper, or assembling some bit of Ikea furniture. Usually they're driving erratically and cutting people off because they're only marginally paying attention to the road. I don't want to get slammed into by some idiot who thinks he can have both of his thumbs on his Blackberry and still actually be driving the car.
I wonder how often after an accident someone ends up hiding their phone so it's not obvious that they caused the accident in the first place? There's a reason lots of places are banning use of a handheld device while you're driving.