Backgammon certainly involves predicting your opponents moves. Not only his general playing strategy, but the double cube take/drop points.
There is also psychological aspects, sometimes your positions is not well enough to double, but perhaps nearly so. The added benifit of impressing your opponent with a double, might make him drop it.
The best players do play different against different opponents.
And, while in BG all seems clear cut, it does involve complex math. As for poker, I dont play it, but it seems not so different to me, from what I have read the biggest problem is "remembering the cards" and calculating odds based on that. Not the opponents "betting strategy".
Anyway, poker compares better with BG than say, chess.
First they'll be really really good cruise controls with GPS maps on your display. Then they'll introduce a semi-autonomous service with a high-priced car. ("The New Lexus AAA Really Will Drive You!") Then they will designate lanes for it. Then they will mandate it, and people will only drive cars on race tracks. Damn.
Foor the cool factor (Yay! its GNU!) consider "GNU Backgammon", the program uses 3 neural nets and humongous move databases. Backgammon compares well to poker btw, BG is ruled by dice and skill, Poker is ruled by chances and skill too. It is quite likely the strongest BG playing, ehm, thing, in the world.
Gnu BG plays an astounding 2200 rating on Fibs, if not higher if you get high end hardware, and give the bot a few secs between moves.
1800 is considered a worldclass human player, 1900 and above are grandmasters.
Friends, dont play backgammon online for money, and certainly not Poker. Instead if you must, visit tournies in the flesh.
Or get the bots, and a few spare comps... You will NEVER rob the casino thou, you will rob other suck^D^D^D^Dplayers.
"Or do you think M.S. is afraid the Department of Homeland Security might issue another advisory saying that Office 2003 is insecure and everyone should switch to Open Office"
If the US Gov. cannot see the code than that is why the DHS should issue EXACTLY that warning.
After all, BillyG sold OBLaden that nifty "we can read your see-crets" exploit.
These laptops are shipped with manufactor's XP image. I DO totally understand, that hardware issues with the latest laptops, incompatibilities with the P Mobile en Wifi, bluetooth chipsets.
But -I- cant fix it, thats the double edged sword that is windows... I have to beg Acer for better images...
I love my job btw.. Especially converting SCO boxes to Linux boxes.. I have learned to not like working with Windows, but it doesnt pain me.
What I DO hate, is nitwits saying well my thingie works, so you must be doing it wrong. THOSE people are the arrogant bastards.
Of course I dont know EVERYTHING, but my exp in system management is a hellovelotmore than yours. I CAN absolutely garantee you that.
Oh, and I manage about 200 workstations, about a dozen win servers, and a few dozen laptops. (And some relaxing Linux machines, and some teeth grinding SCO machines untill they die, both of which beat the bloody crap out of ANY Win version in stability, I mean even the OLD SCO Open Server versions are more stable than Win)
- The servers run NT4 and 2003, NT4 crashes weekly, win 2003 less so, but still crashes.
- The workstations are almost all 2000, they are the most stable. S far I had to re-image 2. One was a harddisk crash, the other a stupid spyware attracking user.
- The Laptops are the problem... so far I had to re-image about 5 of them... they ALL run XP. (No option to get them with 2k, NEVER buy Acer.. but I digress)
So you see, your lame, "well MY XP machine is stable, so XP rulerz" bull, really does not impress me anymore.
I have had it with the moron idiots who are in sales (or programming) and keep insisting that all problems with windows are due to IT management or the "user" (which is essentially the same thing, as IT will typically allow/disallow things for the user). Fuck you all. Well not you personally, but you get my feelings. Keep to your own fucking job, Im not telling you that all leads shoud equal a sale do I? I also dont tell programmers that c++ is "better" than c because once I wrote a program, and c++ worked. Programming is NOT System Engineering and maintenance.
So while it is "hard to believe" take a fucking clue from people that KNOW.
Look, marketing is king yeah: "No Performance Hit", Enderle: "Moderns cpu's are fast enough to emulate each other".
What they MEAN is, CPU speed hardly mathers today, for ANY app.. I mean, sure a few photshoppers might like better hardware, a few beancounters who worship complex excel might even like dual cpu's, but for the rest of us, its how fast an app loads, and how fast it prints..
And if one app rules yor life, you buy native speedy hardware anyway. For the REST of your software needs it doesnt matter.
I have been wondering why there isnt a VMWARE for different arches for example, well maybe now there is...
Kidding aside, great idea, Debian needs more corporate influence, hmm questions:
- Will you actively search corporate certification? I know some vendors name debian as being tested, but the amount of cold feet is still staggering.
For example: I know Progress (Not all people use Oracle, yet:) names Debian as tested, but will not officialy suppport it. Now some Progress technicians will say we will help you anyway, and thatnks for that, but this is the sole reaon I can think of we are payingg RedHat rediculous amounts of money for a sub-excellent service.
- Selected a rep in The Netherlands yet? If not, are you hiring:)?
AFAIK (people seem to confirm it here) The British surveillance camera's -DATA- is considered, at least partially, public information, as in, if you are on it, you can get a copy..
This is an important fact, as the information that you walked there, seems a public fact to me, and thus should really be accesible for -ALL-
Consider the Dutch. (I am Dutch)
We wiretap more than ANY country in the world, and we recently broadened the polices powers to do so.
Now, -The PEOPLE- have NO access to this information, cannot correct misunderstandings in it, plus the software run to do the tapping is Israeli, and -SECRET- EVEN for Dutch officials.
Im no anti-zionist at all, but I also do not trust "Mossad" to act in the Dutch best interest, so this is far more prone to abuse, than a few -public- cameras.
Remember folks, Information really does want and sometimes MUST be free, especially, PUBLIC information. Please, always apply that axiom TO YOU TOO. Then think again.
Slashdot Mirror
Ill give up my modpoint for you, since I modded this thread already.
Your point is taken, BUT.
The "enhancements" they talk about, are "popup blocking" and "Changes in Active-X".
Note perticulary the last one.
This effectively means, IE on win2k or older, will NEVER be safe.
One could argue "bugs" and "enhancements", but the result is deeply disturbing insecurity.
I must now convert my company to firefox.
"/Dread"
Thanks for setting that straight.
I -was- thinking of blackjack, even wrongfully assuming poker==blackjack.
"/Dread"
Backgammon certainly involves predicting your opponents moves. Not only his general playing strategy, but the double cube take/drop points.
There is also psychological aspects, sometimes your positions is not well enough to double, but perhaps nearly so. The added benifit of impressing your opponent with a double, might make him drop it.
The best players do play different against different opponents.
And, while in BG all seems clear cut, it does involve complex math. As for poker, I dont play it, but it seems not so different to me, from what I have read the biggest problem is "remembering the cards" and calculating odds based on that. Not the opponents "betting strategy".
Anyway, poker compares better with BG than say, chess.
"/Dread"
First they'll be really really good cruise controls with GPS maps on your display.
Then they'll introduce a semi-autonomous service with a high-priced car. ("The New Lexus AAA Really Will Drive You!")
Then they will designate lanes for it.
Then they will mandate it, and people will only drive cars on race tracks.
Damn.
"/Dread"
Seriously.
Foor the cool factor (Yay! its GNU!) consider "GNU Backgammon", the program uses 3 neural nets and humongous move databases. Backgammon compares well to poker btw, BG is ruled by dice and skill, Poker is ruled by chances and skill too. It is quite likely the strongest BG playing, ehm, thing, in the world.
Gnu BG plays an astounding 2200 rating on Fibs, if not higher if you get high end hardware, and give the bot a few secs between moves.
1800 is considered a worldclass human player, 1900 and above are grandmasters.
Friends, dont play backgammon online for money, and certainly not Poker. Instead if you must, visit tournies in the flesh.
Or get the bots, and a few spare comps... You will NEVER rob the casino thou, you will rob other suck^D^D^D^Dplayers.
"/Dread"
"blackmail a company into paying them money so they'll not release some damning information they've uncovered"
Ah, the joy's of the "knowledge economy"
In a true free-info world, there would BE no blackmail.
"/Dread"
"Or do you think M.S. is afraid the Department of Homeland Security might issue another advisory saying that Office 2003 is insecure and everyone should switch to Open Office"
If the US Gov. cannot see the code than that is why the DHS should issue EXACTLY that warning.
After all, BillyG sold OBLaden that nifty "we can read your see-crets" exploit.
Or didn't he?
"/Dread"
Whatever the reason.
These laptops are shipped with manufactor's XP image. I DO totally understand, that hardware issues with the latest laptops, incompatibilities with the P Mobile en Wifi, bluetooth chipsets.
But -I- cant fix it, thats the double edged sword that is windows... I have to beg Acer for better images...
I love my job btw.. Especially converting SCO boxes to Linux boxes.. I have learned to not like working with Windows, but it doesnt pain me.
What I DO hate, is nitwits saying well my thingie works, so you must be doing it wrong. THOSE people are the arrogant bastards.
Of course I dont know EVERYTHING, but my exp in system management is a hellovelotmore than yours. I CAN absolutely garantee you that.
"I encourage others to give ideas"
Well, not by telling them "my xp works so pbbbbt"
Which was kinda my point.
"/Dread"
"Lots of folks think there are black helicopters poisoning the citizens of our country too, but that doesn't make it the slightest bit true."
True. Right now they are tied up poisoning the citizens of OTHER countries.
"/Dread"
Sorry dude, I vehemently disagree.
Oh, and I manage about 200 workstations, about a dozen win servers, and a few dozen laptops. (And some relaxing Linux machines, and some teeth grinding SCO machines untill they die, both of which beat the bloody crap out of ANY Win version in stability, I mean even the OLD SCO Open Server versions are more stable than Win)
- The servers run NT4 and 2003, NT4 crashes weekly, win 2003 less so, but still crashes.
- The workstations are almost all 2000, they are the most stable. S far I had to re-image 2. One was a harddisk crash, the other a stupid spyware attracking user.
- The Laptops are the problem... so far I had to re-image about 5 of them... they ALL run XP. (No option to get them with 2k, NEVER buy Acer.. but I digress)
So you see, your lame, "well MY XP machine is stable, so XP rulerz" bull, really does not impress me anymore.
I have had it with the moron idiots who are in sales (or programming) and keep insisting that all problems with windows are due to IT management or the "user" (which is essentially the same thing, as IT will typically allow/disallow things for the user). Fuck you all. Well not you personally, but you get my feelings. Keep to your own fucking job, Im not telling you that all leads shoud equal a sale do I? I also dont tell programmers that c++ is "better" than c because once I wrote a program, and c++ worked. Programming is NOT System Engineering and maintenance.
So while it is "hard to believe" take a fucking clue from people that KNOW.
"/Dread"
Look, marketing is king yeah: "No Performance Hit", Enderle: "Moderns cpu's are fast enough to emulate each other".
What they MEAN is, CPU speed hardly mathers today, for ANY app.. I mean, sure a few photshoppers might like better hardware, a few beancounters who worship complex excel might even like dual cpu's, but for the rest of us, its how fast an app loads, and how fast it prints..
And if one app rules yor life, you buy native speedy hardware anyway. For the REST of your software needs it doesnt matter.
I have been wondering why there isnt a VMWARE for different arches for example, well maybe now there is...
"/Dread"
I don't think that's true in the Netherlands.
AFAIK, IMNADL, the person who shares is guilty of illegal distribution, but the downloader isn't.
You can also legally copy library CD"s in the Netherlands, but copy protection is also legal.
"/Dread"
A sort of Debian Jr. with smaller icons?
:) names Debian as tested, but will not officialy suppport it. Now some Progress technicians will say we will help you anyway, and thatnks for that, but this is the sole reaon I can think of we are payingg RedHat rediculous amounts of money for a sub-excellent service.
:)?
Kidding aside, great idea, Debian needs more corporate influence, hmm questions:
- Will you actively search corporate certification? I know some vendors name debian as being tested, but the amount of cold feet is still staggering.
For example: I know Progress (Not all people use Oracle, yet
- Selected a rep in The Netherlands yet? If not, are you hiring
"/Dread"
I was raised with the zx81/spectrum and Commodores.
If there was ONE THING that fascinated me, then it was the blinking prompt, inviting me to just try -anything-
I LOVED it, when I found out about a new command, such as PEEK/POKE.
People are like, born CURIOUS. If it fears you, you have more issues than a GUI can solve.
Dread.
Take their distro agnostic Linux courses. I have never been better educated than by IBM (That was in the OS/2 days)
Anyway, the disto agnostic approuch seems more usefull to me than a red hat cert.
"/Dread"
you pry it from my dead cold brain.
"/Dread"
-- Slow Down Cowboy? I'm on a roll!
"The problem isn't that patents are bad"
What you said is rightious and spot on.
I however think that patents are not bad but not good either.
There is no scientific evidence that patents are "good" for humankind, neither is there any that it is "bad".
Patent law makers have written this, saying its mostly a political issue.
Dread
almost anybody as president than accept this kind of overt political manipulation"
Like, wow. Ok so I am European, but are you saying you rather have a whatever president, than the right to criticize him?
Sounds odd, even for a die-hard Republican.
"/Dread"
All your products please?
Pretty please?
"/Dread"
Nothing to see here, move along..
"/Dread"
I for one, would like faster searching. Google my filesystem, something like that. Personally.
"/Dread"
and I feel fine..
"/Dread"
Didnt they just order boatloads of the now previous year model?
"/Dread"
Sure, nuke energy plants can be as safe as pussy cats.
But what about the waste?
Dumping it, in a save place (-If- Them canadians allow it) might work (in glass and shit) but HOW TO GET IT THERE?
Transport...
Well I dont want to live next to a railtrack that carries this shit around see...
Burning the waist can theoratically work, IF we can do it efficient AT THE PLANT.
Can we? (Answer: not yet)
Another consideration: Nuke enery is not "sustainable" there will be an end it its "fuel". It is a dead-end road (abeit, a really long road)
"/Dread"
AFAIK (people seem to confirm it here) The British surveillance camera's -DATA- is considered, at least partially, public information, as in, if you are on it, you can get a copy..
This is an important fact, as the information that you walked there, seems a public fact to me, and thus should really be accesible for -ALL-
Consider the Dutch. (I am Dutch)
We wiretap more than ANY country in the world, and we recently broadened the polices powers to do so.
Now, -The PEOPLE- have NO access to this information, cannot correct misunderstandings in it, plus the software run to do the tapping is Israeli, and -SECRET- EVEN for Dutch officials.
Im no anti-zionist at all, but I also do not trust "Mossad" to act in the Dutch best interest, so this is far more prone to abuse, than a few -public- cameras.
Remember folks, Information really does want and sometimes MUST be free, especially, PUBLIC information. Please, always apply that axiom TO YOU TOO. Then think again.
"/Dread"