I know this is a quibble on a minor detail, but the term 'Cyberclysm' isn't quite the right fit for what is happening here.
This is not Mr. Katz's fault here. The fault lies largely on Mr. Clarke's shoulders.
'Cyberclysm' denotes more of a split or a schism happening. This is occuring, but it exists in the world now of those who have technology, and those who do not. The Cyberclysm is not about information overload, about whether you choose to use the new technology, but about whether you even have access to the technology in the first place.
The information overload that comes about from too much stuff going on does exist. The pet term I've always used for it has been 'Infocalypse'. The overwhelming avalanche of "Too Much Stuff" that threatens to engulf all in it's path.
However, this comes as little surprise. This was one of the underlying tenets of the Cyberpunk writers. Gibson, Sterling, Cadigan, and Stephenson have covered this topic well over a decade ago. So many of the things that they gave us a glimmers at have come true. Why should this not as well?
As for solutions? I can offer only one: "Surf, baby, Surf"
AIR, this is brought on by the newpaper enforced "pyramid-scheme" of writng a story.
I'm not a journalist, nor do I play one on TV, but as my recollection goes it is something to the effect of "1. Make point in first 15 words" "2. Repeat main elements of story" "3. Repeat with more detail" "4. Etc..."
This was done to make things easy for the Editor to cut the story down to size to fit in the space available in a column, without having to worry to much if info was lost.
Unfortunately, this technique is not as relevant on the web as it is in newspapers. Now it tends to just annoy readers, especially when space is no longer an issue.
Re:Where do you buy the video?
on
Project Grizzly
·
· Score: 2
Follow the NFB link in the story. They should have all the ordering information there. Not online though, so you may have to actually pick up a phone or write a letter;)
By way of personal example, I took an Introductory Programming Class over the summer at the local Tech College, as a means to get my feet wet again. Its been 13+ years since I did any coding, and a lot of brain cells have died since then:0
Anyways, the class was using C, so I picked up the Cow, and used the end of chapter questions in that book as additional examples for practice. In many cases, the questions were very similar to the ones asked at the end of the chapters, and I was generally impressed by the quality of the book, as well as its readability.
I'm not sure as to the solution. The lack of solutions to in-book problems may be one.
On a completely different topic: While I have no problems with the bindings, I've only had the book for about a month, and I'm already experiencing 'roll-back' on the cover, between the plastic film and the cardboard. It isn't that pronounced yet, but once it starts, there's no stopping it. I haven't had this happen to me for quite some time, and it cheese me off to no end, as the cover quickly starts to degrade. 'sides, it just feels kinda freaky.
Surveillance is the key...
on
Smart Dust
·
· Score: 3
Interesting how the first use that the article mentions for them is suirveillance. Or, to quote the article:
It is not inconceivable that motes could be fitted with minaturised microphones or tempest attack technology...
With a (reliable) 150m range. Superfreakyscary.
Is it to late to get a degree in nano-mechanics so I can have my homemade (open-sourced) Hunter-Killer Nanites surrounding my house 24/7?
In any event, I think we all know what the new growth market in tech in 10 years will be.
And last but not least, for you biologists out there. Would nanites of this size be large enough to deliver a biological payload? Remote-controlled, precise plague-bearers?
While I do agree WRT the speed issue, I still have to dig up my CD for 2/3's of the Win9x games I own now. I'm not seeing any real difference between the 2 systems here.
The human/orc thing exists in tons of fantasy works and games sure.
What Blizzard have ripped is the look and feel of the GW / Warhammer orcs (and elves and dwarves and humans and goblins and and and)
When was WCI released? 1993? Look at some GW sourcebooks from around the same time. Throw in the ships from WCII, which look very similar to the GW game Man-O-War (hmm...Orcs and Humans in fantasy sea-battles...) and WC looks more and more like a GW rip-off.
Not that I mind. Blizzard has made some very good games, and most of the GW licenses haven't lived up to their potential. Just calling a spade a spade.
Now, don't get me started on the whole Starcraft vs. a Imperium / Eldar / Tyranid three-way dance.
Looks pretty good...seems all the RTS games have opted for the 3D look since Myth came out. (Dark Reign 2, Force Commander, WarcraftIII, Homeworld, more that I know I'm forgetting.)
However, I hope for Blizzard's sake that Games Workshop never goes out of business. They wouldn't be able to make any 'new' games. ;->
Seriously, though, as most of the GW-licensed games have been mediocre at best, I am kinda glad that Blizzard has been shamelessly ripping them off all these years. I find it hard to believe that there hasn't been a lawsuit or 8 though.
Just a quick question regarding this topic, but how are todays' OS'es set up to handle 2.3 TB of memory on a single drive?
I seem to recall something in the BEos bible regarding the addressing of this much memory, but, truth be told my eys start getting glossy when there's lots of '0's.
I'm assuming that Win9X will suck hard at this, but I'm not sure. Would Linux and the BSD's be able to manage this? Are there any other issues for dealing with drives this large?
It also seems silly to me that those violence-obsessed 14-year-old boys get so much attention from the industry. How much purchasing power could they possibly have, when compared with literate, college educated adults?
It isn't so much about purchasing power, as it is about what you are willing to spend the money on. For 14 year olds, dropping cash on Games (or comics, CCG's, D&D, and whatever else the flavour of the month is) is a lot easier to justify.
As a literate, college-educated adult, I find I have less time to play the games, regardless of type, and other responsibilites, for both my money and my time.
Thus, while I wouldn't mind playing the latest and greatest, I have little to no tolerance for a game that leaves me feeling like I've wasted that time.
Thus, the games that reside on my HD are traditionally either quick and easy card games that can be done while waiting for a download, or a mindless shooter that can be dropped into and out of without a significant investiture of time (ie, Q3A).
And somehow, I get a sneaking suspicsion that I'm not alone in this either.
That it took until #16 to get an on-topic post, and one that was promptly flamed. Did the r.s.p-w trolls finally decide to stop invading newsgroups and start hitting Web-boards?
While the idea is kind of neat, I'm not sure the model is going to exist either as soon, or as widespread, as its proponents like to think.
After broadband is ready, the software services will slowly filter down, replacing commercial software packages.
I'm not sure. The utility of the interent apps really comes into play for products that you don't use often enough to justify the (current) full commercial price. For small businesses, or for home users who wish to sample a product, it may be worthwile. But for most corporate users, or developers, where an app is being used constantly, the it soon becomes worthwile to buy the product outright (even with things like yearly licensing and upgrades factored in).
For the home user, it may be a case of try before you buy, rather than the limited-trial demos of today. For some things, like using a Tax program once yearly, I can see the utility. Other power-use programs may not be so easily transfered.
The other concern is use. How would a charge be implemented?
Per-use, each time you open an app? Then we will have a situation much like AOL had when they went to their unlimited use plan. People dial-in once, and never leave (until Windoze crashes...so they'd still be loging in 2-3 times a day);0
Or per-minute, as I know I have a tendencey to open up 5-7 apps when I get into work and leave them there all day. Again, it would be better to own it.
Howabout a per-file app, as each time you create a new file you get dinged. Again. I can see people opening one big spreadsheet, and just zooming to different parts as needed.
This is a neat idea, but there are still some issues that need to be worked out. That, coupled with the people that are pushing this, make me very wary of this model every taking over as the distibution channel de riguer.
I agree. I love the idea of being able to do the 'small hosted environment' with a small bunch of friends. Baldur's Gate MP originally had some of this promise, being able to get with friends, and have a blast.
I'm wondering how this will do now that it will be competing for a part of the same audience that is now involved in MMRPGs like UO and EQ. I love the concept in both games, but there are times that both have frustrated the hell out of me.
Having a small, informal party setting like this would be akin to hosting those get-together murder mystery party games. The best part would be that every week another person could throw together a new adventure.
I am suprised that this approach, of dropping an OS that becomes infected and switching to a new variant that was not infected, was not mentioned in the article. It would certainly be a lot simpler that an all that processing and message passing.
Is this not what new kernel versions are? And why *nix is resitant to most Virii (sp?) because of the long, evolutionary process that has occurred over the last 30 years?
The process already exists. It just takes time. And floppies.
"I'm sorry. Humanity3.0 was wiped out unexpectedly, but a few had managed to upgrade to 3.1 in time."
As an interesting aside, anyone read Pat Cadigan's "Synners" regarding the propogation of a computer virus in an unchecked environment?
How to counter this? I hate to say it, but logos-based counter-FUD probably won't work here anymore. It's like trying to fight a rapidly spreading forest fire with a garden hose. We could watch with helplessness as the flames start igniting, or we can bring out the big guns...
Marketting, marketting, marketting. Expos (we got those already), Local User Groups (got those, too), and small to medium sized businesses (three for three) are key here. Organization is key here. Linux is already well-equipped to handle the flames with a few sparks of its own.
Lets add one more to the list. Linux now has some giants in its corner, whose marketing machines are just about to kick into gear with regards to marketing Linux. IBM, SGI, HP, Sun, Oracle. Pretty potent forces in marketing in their own right.
In the past, M$ has been able to fight them off by presenting a unified solution against the infighting of the giants. Now the giants have a unified front that they can present to combat M$. The message can vary slightly, as each giant has their own agenda, but it will still have the same core arguement: the logos that Linux already has established.
This not to say that we no longer have to be vigilant, but rather that the emotional-based FUD will soon find it's own competition, provided by large corporations that have an interest in seeing Linux succeed to break M$ down.
Well, the link to the submitter, "soulhuntre", is the same as the link to the sight. So either the html got crossed, or someone forgot to check for the "blatant self-promotion" flags when the story was submitted.
We were discussing something like this over on the alt.eq NG during the beta test. This was after the obvious problems that EQ had with co-existing with the OS.
I like the idea. I remember getting DoomII on CD, and being able to play directly from the CD was an option. Now we have 52x drives, and every freaking game requires a 450MB install.
Though I can't find the original article, this is the true, verifiable "Geek Test" that our erstwhile Mr. Katz was seeking to define several months ago.
Being a geek is not determined by whether you prefer 'The Matrix' or 'SW:TPM'. It is simply a matter of how much of 'MP and the Holy Grail' you can recite from memory.
(Extra Credit for 'Life of Brian')
I think the responses to this thread already are more than enough proof for this hypothesis.
Would that be a real computer or just a storage system that is inside that watch? I don't think I could type on something that small easily.
No, but with an Active Display, it would make wristwatch computers a lot more interesting. The problem would be the other mechanical components that this would use. (It is still an optical disc, correct?)
By the same token (Subway-token sized = Token Drives?), Palm computers would get ramped up in a much bigger way. Suddenly all those.mp3's are that much more portable.
Now all we need is a color display (yes, I am aware of WinCE), and one could fit the entire suze archives in the palm of your hand.
Slashdot Mirror
I know this is a quibble on a minor detail, but the term 'Cyberclysm' isn't quite the right fit for what is happening here.
This is not Mr. Katz's fault here. The fault lies largely on Mr. Clarke's shoulders.
'Cyberclysm' denotes more of a split or a schism happening. This is occuring, but it exists in the world now of those who have technology, and those who do not. The Cyberclysm is not about information overload, about whether you choose to use the new technology, but about whether you even have access to the technology in the first place.
The information overload that comes about from too much stuff going on does exist. The pet term I've always used for it has been 'Infocalypse'. The overwhelming avalanche of "Too Much Stuff" that threatens to engulf all in it's path.
However, this comes as little surprise. This was one of the underlying tenets of the Cyberpunk writers. Gibson, Sterling, Cadigan, and Stephenson have covered this topic well over a decade ago. So many of the things that they gave us a glimmers at have come true. Why should this not as well?
As for solutions? I can offer only one: "Surf, baby, Surf"
AIR, this is brought on by the newpaper enforced "pyramid-scheme" of writng a story.
I'm not a journalist, nor do I play one on TV, but as my recollection goes it is something to the effect of
"1. Make point in first 15 words"
"2. Repeat main elements of story"
"3. Repeat with more detail"
"4. Etc..."
This was done to make things easy for the Editor to cut the story down to size to fit in the space available in a column, without having to worry to much if info was lost.
Unfortunately, this technique is not as relevant on the web as it is in newspapers. Now it tends to just annoy readers, especially when space is no longer an issue.
Follow the NFB link in the story. They should have all the ordering information there. ;)
Not online though, so you may have to actually pick up a phone or write a letter
By way of personal example, I took an Introductory Programming Class over the summer at the local Tech College, as a means to get my feet wet again. Its been 13+ years since I did any coding, and a lot of brain cells have died since then :0
Anyways, the class was using C, so I picked up the Cow, and used the end of chapter questions in that book as additional examples for practice. In many cases, the questions were very similar to the ones asked at the end of the chapters, and I was generally impressed by the quality of the book, as well as its readability.
I'm not sure as to the solution. The lack of solutions to in-book problems may be one.
On a completely different topic: While I have no problems with the bindings, I've only had the book for about a month, and I'm already experiencing 'roll-back' on the cover, between the plastic film and the cardboard. It isn't that pronounced yet, but once it starts, there's no stopping it. I haven't had this happen to me for quite some time, and it cheese me off to no end, as the cover quickly starts to degrade. 'sides, it just feels kinda freaky.
Interesting how the first use that the article mentions for them is suirveillance. Or, to quote the article:
It is not inconceivable that motes could be fitted with minaturised microphones or tempest attack technology...
With a (reliable) 150m range. Superfreakyscary.
Is it to late to get a degree in nano-mechanics so I can have my homemade (open-sourced) Hunter-Killer Nanites surrounding my house 24/7?
In any event, I think we all know what the new growth market in tech in 10 years will be.
And last but not least, for you biologists out there. Would nanites of this size be large enough to deliver a biological payload? Remote-controlled, precise plague-bearers?
Good-morning. Welcome to the brave new world.
While I do agree WRT the speed issue, I still have to dig up my CD for 2/3's of the Win9x games I own now. I'm not seeing any real difference between the 2 systems here.
The human/orc thing exists in tons of fantasy works and games sure.
What Blizzard have ripped is the look and feel of the GW / Warhammer orcs (and elves and dwarves and humans and goblins and and and)
When was WCI released? 1993? Look at some GW sourcebooks from around the same time. Throw in the ships from WCII, which look very similar to the GW game Man-O-War (hmm...Orcs and Humans in fantasy sea-battles...) and WC looks more and more like a GW rip-off.
Not that I mind. Blizzard has made some very good games, and most of the GW licenses haven't lived up to their potential. Just calling a spade a spade.
Now, don't get me started on the whole Starcraft vs. a Imperium / Eldar / Tyranid three-way dance.
CNet Gamecenter also has a godd story on it, with some gameplay screenshots...
r craft3/?st.gc.fd.gcd
http://www.gamecenter.com/Resources/Strategy/Wa
Looks pretty good...seems all the RTS games have opted for the 3D look since Myth came out. (Dark Reign 2, Force Commander, WarcraftIII, Homeworld, more that I know I'm forgetting.)
However, I hope for Blizzard's sake that Games Workshop never goes out of business. They wouldn't be able to make any 'new' games.
;->
Seriously, though, as most of the GW-licensed games have been mediocre at best, I am kinda glad that Blizzard has been shamelessly ripping them off all these years. I find it hard to believe that there hasn't been a lawsuit or 8 though.
Just a quick question regarding this topic, but how are todays' OS'es set up to handle 2.3 TB of memory on a single drive?
I seem to recall something in the BEos bible regarding the addressing of this much memory, but, truth be told my eys start getting glossy when there's lots of '0's.
I'm assuming that Win9X will suck hard at this, but I'm not sure. Would Linux and the BSD's be able to manage this? Are there any other issues for dealing with drives this large?
It also seems silly to me that those violence-obsessed 14-year-old boys get so much attention from the industry. How much purchasing power could they possibly have, when compared with literate, college educated adults?
It isn't so much about purchasing power, as it is about what you are willing to spend the money on. For 14 year olds, dropping cash on Games (or comics, CCG's, D&D, and whatever else the flavour of the month is) is a lot easier to justify.
As a literate, college-educated adult, I find I have less time to play the games, regardless of type, and other responsibilites, for both my money and my time.
Thus, while I wouldn't mind playing the latest and greatest, I have little to no tolerance for a game that leaves me feeling like I've wasted that time.
Thus, the games that reside on my HD are traditionally either quick and easy card games that can be done while waiting for a download, or a mindless shooter that can be dropped into and out of without a significant investiture of time (ie, Q3A).
And somehow, I get a sneaking suspicsion that I'm not alone in this either.
That it took until #16 to get an on-topic post, and one that was promptly flamed. Did the r.s.p-w trolls finally decide to stop invading newsgroups and start hitting Web-boards?
While the idea is kind of neat, I'm not sure the model is going to exist either as soon, or as widespread, as its proponents like to think.
;0
After broadband is ready, the software services will slowly filter down, replacing commercial software packages.
I'm not sure. The utility of the interent apps really comes into play for products that you don't use often enough to justify the (current) full commercial price. For small businesses, or for home users who wish to sample a product, it may be worthwile. But for most corporate users, or developers, where an app is being used constantly, the it soon becomes worthwile to buy the product outright (even with things like yearly licensing and upgrades factored in).
For the home user, it may be a case of try before you buy, rather than the limited-trial demos of today. For some things, like using a Tax program once yearly, I can see the utility. Other power-use programs may not be so easily transfered.
The other concern is use. How would a charge be implemented?
Per-use, each time you open an app? Then we will have a situation much like AOL had when they went to their unlimited use plan. People dial-in once, and never leave (until Windoze crashes...so they'd still be loging in 2-3 times a day)
Or per-minute, as I know I have a tendencey to open up 5-7 apps when I get into work and leave them there all day. Again, it would be better to own it.
Howabout a per-file app, as each time you create a new file you get dinged. Again. I can see people opening one big spreadsheet, and just zooming to different parts as needed.
This is a neat idea, but there are still some issues that need to be worked out. That, coupled with the people that are pushing this, make me very wary of this model every taking over as the distibution channel de riguer.
They would, I'm sure, but Nyarlothotep and Cthulhu are all booked up until Jan 1, 2000. :)
(They've one -hell- of a New Year's party they have planned...)
...and then its straight onto the campaign trail. Cthulhu in 2000 baby! The viable 4th party candidate.
Hey, if the country is going to hell, might as well have someone who's personally familiar with it leading the way.
I agree. I love the idea of being able to do the 'small hosted environment' with a small bunch of friends. Baldur's Gate MP originally had some of this promise, being able to get with friends, and have a blast.
I'm wondering how this will do now that it will be competing for a part of the same audience that is now involved in MMRPGs like UO and EQ. I love the concept in both games, but there are times that both have frustrated the hell out of me.
Having a small, informal party setting like this would be akin to hosting those get-together murder mystery party games. The best part would be that every week another person could throw together a new adventure.
Looks like some fun could be had...
From the LA Times update:
Top Ten Reasons Why Working at Microsoft Destroys Your Sex Drive:
5) You're afraid to get involved for fear everyone just wants free software.
I imagine this is being tacked on RMS's wall somewhere as we speak...
Forgive my naivete, but could you not create a netscape-plug-in or an Active-X control to just delete this file everytime you go to a new page?
Not sure if it would mess up search engines, but basically, a Cookie Monster that eats em as you go?
I am suprised that this approach, of dropping an OS that becomes infected and switching to a new variant that was not infected, was not mentioned in the article. It would certainly be a lot simpler that an all that processing and message passing.
Is this not what new kernel versions are? And why *nix is resitant to most Virii (sp?) because of the long, evolutionary process that has occurred over the last 30 years?
The process already exists. It just takes time. And floppies.
"I'm sorry. Humanity3.0 was wiped out unexpectedly, but a few had managed to upgrade to 3.1 in time."
As an interesting aside, anyone read Pat Cadigan's "Synners" regarding the propogation of a computer virus in an unchecked environment?
This is an important first step, but it is not
even close to a real understanding.
Right. And what we really need is this floating around while not being understood.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and we now have just enough knowledge to wipe humanity off the face of the earth (again).
As one of the other posts pointed out, they currently have little to no content from NA.
;0
Obviously, this would tend to skew the results somewhat.
I imagine as they get closer to their goal, the search results will become more relevant.
How to counter this? I hate to say it, but logos-based counter-FUD probably won't work here anymore. It's like trying to fight a rapidly spreading forest fire with a garden hose. We could watch with helplessness as the flames start igniting, or we can bring out the big guns...
Marketting, marketting, marketting. Expos (we got those already), Local User Groups (got those, too), and small to medium sized businesses (three for three) are key here. Organization is key here.
Linux is already well-equipped to handle the flames with a few sparks of its own.
Lets add one more to the list. Linux now has some giants in its corner, whose marketing machines are just about to kick into gear with regards to marketing Linux. IBM, SGI, HP, Sun, Oracle. Pretty potent forces in marketing in their own right.
In the past, M$ has been able to fight them off by presenting a unified solution against the infighting of the giants. Now the giants have a unified front that they can present to combat M$. The message can vary slightly, as each giant has their own agenda, but it will still have the same core arguement: the logos that Linux already has established.
This not to say that we no longer have to be vigilant, but rather that the emotional-based FUD will soon find it's own competition, provided by large corporations that have an interest in seeing Linux succeed to break M$ down.
Well, the link to the submitter, "soulhuntre", is the same as the link to the sight. So either the html got crossed, or someone forgot to check for the "blatant self-promotion" flags when the story was submitted.
We were discussing something like this over on the alt.eq NG during the beta test. This was after the obvious problems that EQ had with co-existing with the OS.
I like the idea. I remember getting DoomII on CD, and being able to play directly from the CD was an option. Now we have 52x drives, and every freaking game requires a 450MB install.
The last one I seem to recall was Battlespire from Bethseda. And that was 1997, AIR. And was a buggy pice of crap to boot.
Not that I won't take a look at TES: Vanguard when (and if) it ships, mind you. Daggerfall was a hoot. A massive time suck of a hoot.
Though I can't find the original article, this is the true, verifiable "Geek Test" that our erstwhile Mr. Katz was seeking to define several months ago.
Being a geek is not determined by whether you prefer 'The Matrix' or 'SW:TPM'. It is simply a matter of how much of 'MP and the Holy Grail' you can recite from memory.
(Extra Credit for 'Life of Brian')
I think the responses to this thread already are more than enough proof for this hypothesis.
Would that be a real computer or just a storage system that is inside that watch? I don't think I could type on something that small easily.
.mp3's are that much more portable.
No, but with an Active Display, it would make wristwatch computers a lot more interesting. The problem would be the other mechanical components that this would use. (It is still an optical disc, correct?)
By the same token (Subway-token sized = Token Drives?), Palm computers would get ramped up in a much bigger way. Suddenly all those
Now all we need is a color display (yes, I am aware of WinCE), and one could fit the entire suze archives in the palm of your hand.
{homer}Mmmmmm....miniature pr0n....{/homer}