The author does an incredible job describing the common problems one encounters when trying to learn to draw, and the exercises are carefully designed to teach you to get past these pitfalls. Excellent book.
Order a copy, or check it out from your local library. This book radically changed my ability to draw.
Oh, do all of the exercises, using the equipment prescribed... They pay off..
After all, if there weren't other civilizations out there, it would be an awful waste of space...
If space is infinite, then it is impossible to waste it...(You can only waste finite resources) I was actually unable to enjoy that movie, due to that statement...
In the effort to defeat things sich as the DCMA and the SSSCA, one argument seems to be constantly negletted (though well known): when the entetainment media is controlled by a relatively few, they have the power to push out whatever message they want. If pop-culture continues to remain in the hands of the media elite, we risk the media elite slowly, but carefully redirecting the average Americans thoughts in the direction that they (the pop media) want them to go. They have been doing it for some time now, and the message is clear (if you stand back): "Look at the shiny thing! Indulge yourself! Do not concern yourelf with the man behind the curtain..."
This danger is well known to those who read Slashdot...I constantly see the benifits of P2P to independent artists being championed here, but rarely do I hear of the stakes (i.e., why it is so important for independent arrtists to have a voice).
It is important to inform others of the loss of personal freedom brought on by poor laws, but do not forget to inform others of the loss of societal freedom that comes with the loss of independent and uncorrupted voices.
I have heard of this version... Yet all other information I have seen has only indicated the ~2 hour video release, and the three hour television release. Do you have any furthur information on the 27 hour version you mentioned?
I have only seen the video version, and I always thought it's greatest weakness was attemption to summarize Paul's time with the Freman in what seemed like five minutes. I believe they would have done much better, for a two hour movie, to completely eliminate that part, and simply have Paul disapearing into the desert as a child (my other complaint about the movie... Why the same actor??? Paul shouldn't be 27 when he sticks his hand in the box...), and then skipping to the end of the movie, with Paul older, leaving what happened in the time he was gone left to the book. If it was done right, I think this could have been a really nice, reasonably lengthed film.
When I saw the movie, I thought they did a great job on the end, and I probably would have liked the beginning better if I hadn't been mad at Paul being far, far too old.
When the re-released the film on video, a year or two ago, I heard that there were no plans of making the "extended" version available again.
(Which I think is too bad, as the version they released is painfully lacking in some areas, and I have never had an oportunity to see the longer version.)
There is something to be said, however, for providing both a text and a graphical interface to the same application. For example, it would be really nice to use a nice gui email client at home, but when I am at school, log into my machine at home, and be able to run the same application in a terminal. (Yes, I know you can get some of this functionality with IMAP...)
And email is not the only application... I would love something like this for programs such as GNUcash, and even GNUmeric. Alot of work, especially in the commercial sectors, has gone into making apps available via HTML. I personaly, would prefer text based apps, as you can find telnet with vt100 on just about anything, and don't have to worry about having the latest version of JAVA, or having a supported browser. What more, I get all the speed of my machine at home.
Not alot of people would use this, but if app developers keep the gui and the logic seperate (like good programmers), it should be an easy addition by those who would.
Long Live the Text App! (I am writing this from lynx by the way...)
I have heard this complaint many times. I however, hold a completely opposite view. I find the acting in GATTACA brilliant. Yet it does not suprise me that many seem to strongly disagree.
The movie has an incredible amount of style. The music, the sets, the cineamatography, and the acting, all complement that style. The acting may come across dry and cold, yet this is because the interactions between characters are dry and cold. Even ones you would expect to be otherwise. This was intended. It is not a flaw in the part on the actors nor the director.
Now whether the directors choice in this was poor is up to the viewer. I would not have enjoyed the movie as much if the acting were different. I do agree, however, that they probably would have sold more tickets had the acting been different, and the movie's pace been faster. But I believe these changes would have taken a lot away from the film.
Maybe I am just blinded because I like the movie so much, with its strange sense of nostalgia in a futuristic setting. Or maybe it is just one of those films that only certain peple really understand, and the rest of society says, "You like that?", like art-films tend to be, and "chick-flicks" are to most of us guys, etc.
I think it is an incredible movie, and it is one of my personal favorites. I would recommend it strongly.
I was introduced to Alan Carter's writings (and his concept of mappers and packers) about a year ago by a mutual acquaintance who independently discovered some of the same concepts, not by working with programmers, but by working with ADD diagnosed children. I would have most likely been diagnosed with ADD, had I been born later than I was. Since I first heard of ADD, it scared me... "Let's pump these children full of drugs, since we can't control thm..." Yet if that was done to me... shiver
I have found the concept of packers and mappers to be very true in my experience, though not in those terms. I have always seen people as "button pushers" and "problem solvers". I have met many people that seem to beleive that the only way to solve a problem is a procedure. "If the green light goes on press the red button." If you try to explain what the green light means and what the red button does to fix it, they will listen, and probably retain much of this (I have found many button pushers/packers take tons of notes...), but if one day the red button doesn't work, they will be completely lost as to how to solve the problem, no matter how trivial the solution is.
Yet, I have also noticed that many people do have "mapper" abilities, but only in certain areas. For example, my mother could easily cope with missing an ingredient in a recipe, mapping all here knowledge of cooking to come up with an alternative, understanding everything involved. But if presented with a new task on the computer, she will not even try explorering the menus, or the help system. She will look imediately to me for a procedure.
It is probably related to the way people learn a subject that determines how the act in regards to that subject. If you learn something almost entirely on your own, you will be essentially forced to "map" while if it is taught to you by others, you will likely only "map" if that is your dominate mode of thinking. In other words, you will learn in the manner you learned to learn. You will solve problems in the manner you learned to solve them. If you are inclined toward "packing", you will default to it. If you are inclined toward "mapping", you will default to it.
I consider myself in that group which "packers" don't understand. I have worked with to many people of the "button pusher"/"packer" midset to dismiss the existance of this distinction in thought models. I would not go so far as to say that they a disjoint, far from it, but I will express the little bit of arrogance that most "mappers" likely share: Society would be better off if we taught our children to be "mappers", and if we aspired to lift our friends, coworkers and love ones out of the "packer" mentality.
Yes, they do have the MS-logo on them, but the MS keys can be extremely useful under Linux. You can re-map them to perform all sorts of nifty functions. The are great for controlling your window manager, among other things, and if you use Emacs, they can be used as Super and Hyper and Alt Keys (I keep alt as meta, due to it's convenient placement, even though it is a little confusing...).
And if, due to some horrid twist of fate, you are stuck in Windows, those keys are a Godsend if you are disinclined to point and click (winkey-r, for example pops up the run dialog...). When stuck in windows, I am able to use my mouse almost minimally, due to these keys, and in Linux I am slowly mapping them to provide similar functionality in Enlightenment. They may have the logos of our favorite software company of exceedingly questionable practices on them, but they are useful.
An interesting point. I have noticed that more and more recently: Evolutionists seeing the improbability of the Origin of life, and looking for new alternatives... But that still begs the question: Where did it all start?
I will agree with you, that some Creationists fall into this category, but I would also say that there are also some Evolutionists that fall into this category as well.
Evolution is an interesting theory. But it is just that: a theory. Teaching it has been debated for years. It is good to teach children about theories. It is not good as presenting only one theory (a controversial one at that), and far too often, not representing it as a theory. In most public schools it is the only theory taught about where we came from. If you don't teach the children that there are alternatives, chances are they will believe the one theory they have as fact.
Many people grow up never hearing that there is any other possibility. They believe that all other theories on the matter of the origins of life are backward, and based entirely on the superstitious religious beliefs of those who would never even consider evolution because it would undermine there faith. And there are those like that out there.
Whether or not Evolution is to be taught in schools is the right of an individual state to determine, as whether or not to teach Creation. If the state is fair, the will either allow both or neither.
But before complaining about this and being shocked that a state would choose not teach the theory of evolution in their schools, spend some time researching the matter. See for yourself whether or not Creationism is backward and illogical. Check out books, or sites that present both arguments. To look at the propaganda of only one side (either side) would be silly. Seriously consider this, before dismissing it. You will probably learn some things that surprise you.
The inner workings of our world our incredibly complex. Decide for yourself if they were divinely orchestrated, or miraculously evolved.
Any hope of a/. sweatshirt, maybe with one of these new designs? Better yet, simply embroider a/. on the front (say 4-6 inches in size...). That's what I want...
Does anyone know where we should send email to Compaq, to inform them that there is a demand for such a device?
I have wanted something like this for a long time, but Palm Pilots don't have the resources to do anything useful, and CE devices require MS VC++, NT Workstion, and an additional $100 bucks for the CE dev kit...
I actually met a guy who was working on this... On a private road down in southern California (one with magnets imbedded, to provide navigation information to the cars...), they had the cars in formation, about two inches apart, going 80 mph... (Something that would probably be disturbing, if you were in one...)
Although it removes the idiot factor, on computer glitch and WAM 300,000 car pile up... Kinda makes you nervous...
As a safegaurd to that, such systems are supposed to be monitored by an active human driver, ready to take over in case of an emergency... But, even if you are an awesome driver, could you really manage to stear clear of a problem when going 80 mph in even 12 inch formation???
Umm... California drivers... Well... Being born and raised in California, I would never, NEVER, consider the average population in California as "a bit knowing on how to drive." Especially in a the more urban areas, such as the bay area, or the LA Sprawl...
And many of them love SUV's...
(Being a Californian myself, I have people fill out waivers before they ride in my car...) (Well, ok, I don't, but I probably should...)
And just think... When you are stuck behind one in heavy traffic, you can just look underneath it to see if there really are cars up ahead, or if the driver is just wierd... Unlike SUV's which tend to block not only the view of those directly behind them, but anyone within their wake for about a half mile...
But what I really want is an acrylic box, filled with Christmas lights that blink at different intervalss, and wierd sliding switches on the outside (also made from colorless acrylic).
Slashdot Mirror
StarBucks et al, are known to add the chaff back into the coffee after roasting... This considerably increases the caffiene content.
Thunderbird
TightVNC
iTunes
Java Runtime
OpenOffice
Cygwin
WinGIMP
Acrobat
The Ur-Quan Masters
The author does an incredible job describing the common problems one encounters when trying to learn to draw, and the exercises are carefully designed to teach you to get past these pitfalls. Excellent book.
Order a copy, or check it out from your local library. This book radically changed my ability to draw.
Oh, do all of the exercises, using the equipment prescribed... They pay off..
After all, if there weren't other civilizations out there, it would be an awful waste of space...
If space is infinite, then it is impossible to waste it...(You can only waste finite resources) I was actually unable to enjoy that movie, due to that statement...
This danger is well known to those who read Slashdot...I constantly see the benifits of P2P to independent artists being championed here, but rarely do I hear of the stakes (i.e., why it is so important for independent arrtists to have a voice).
It is important to inform others of the loss of personal freedom brought on by poor laws, but do not forget to inform others of the loss of societal freedom that comes with the loss of independent and uncorrupted voices.
I mean what is six times seven...
I have heard of this version... Yet all other information I have seen has only indicated the ~2 hour video release, and the three hour television release. Do you have any furthur information on the 27 hour version you mentioned?
I have only seen the video version, and I always thought it's greatest weakness was attemption to summarize Paul's time with the Freman in what seemed like five minutes. I believe they would have done much better, for a two hour movie, to completely eliminate that part, and simply have Paul disapearing into the desert as a child (my other complaint about the movie... Why the same actor??? Paul shouldn't be 27 when he sticks his hand in the box...), and then skipping to the end of the movie, with Paul older, leaving what happened in the time he was gone left to the book. If it was done right, I think this could have been a really nice, reasonably lengthed film.
When I saw the movie, I thought they did a great job on the end, and I probably would have liked the beginning better if I hadn't been mad at Paul being far, far too old.
When the re-released the film on video, a year or two ago, I heard that there were no plans of making the "extended" version available again.
(Which I think is too bad, as the version they released is painfully lacking in some areas, and I have never had an oportunity to see the longer version.)
There is something to be said, however, for providing both a text and a graphical interface to the same application. For example, it would be really nice to use a nice gui email client at home, but when I am at school, log into my machine at home, and be able to run the same application in a terminal. (Yes, I know you can get some of this functionality with IMAP...)
And email is not the only application... I would love something like this for programs such as GNUcash, and even GNUmeric. Alot of work, especially in the commercial sectors, has gone into making apps available via HTML. I personaly, would prefer text based apps, as you can find telnet with vt100 on just about anything, and don't have to worry about having the latest version of JAVA, or having a supported browser. What more, I get all the speed of my machine at home.
Not alot of people would use this, but if app developers keep the gui and the logic seperate (like good programmers), it should be an easy addition by those who would.
Long Live the Text App!
(I am writing this from lynx by the way...)
And the acting sucked
I have heard this complaint many times. I however, hold a completely opposite view. I find the acting in GATTACA brilliant. Yet it does not suprise me that many seem to strongly disagree.
The movie has an incredible amount of style. The music, the sets, the cineamatography, and the acting, all complement that style. The acting may come across dry and cold, yet this is because the interactions between characters are dry and cold. Even ones you would expect to be otherwise. This was intended. It is not a flaw in the part on the actors nor the director.
Now whether the directors choice in this was poor is up to the viewer. I would not have enjoyed the movie as much if the acting were different. I do agree, however, that they probably would have sold more tickets had the acting been different, and the movie's pace been faster. But I believe these changes would have taken a lot away from the film.
Maybe I am just blinded because I like the movie so much, with its strange sense of nostalgia in a futuristic setting. Or maybe it is just one of those films that only certain peple really understand, and the rest of society says, "You like that?", like art-films tend to be, and "chick-flicks" are to most of us guys, etc.
I think it is an incredible movie, and it is one of my personal favorites. I would recommend it strongly.
Yes. We must find the Giant Squid. We must then capture one alive.
Then we shall place the suid in a HUGE tank, and all of the world will be able to see a live Giant Squid. This is a good thing...
I was introduced to Alan Carter's writings (and his concept of mappers and packers) about a year ago by a mutual acquaintance who independently discovered some of the same concepts, not by working with programmers, but by working with ADD diagnosed children.
I would have most likely been diagnosed with ADD, had I been born later than I was. Since I first heard of ADD, it scared me... "Let's pump these children full of drugs, since we can't control thm..." Yet if that was done to me... shiver
I have found the concept of packers and mappers to be very true in my experience, though not in those terms. I have always seen people as "button pushers" and "problem solvers". I have met many people that seem to beleive that the only way to solve a problem is a procedure. "If the green light goes on press the red button." If you try to explain what the green light means and what the red button does to fix it, they will listen, and probably retain much of this (I have found many button pushers/packers take tons of notes...), but if one day the red button doesn't work, they will be completely lost as to how to solve the problem, no matter how trivial the solution is.
Yet, I have also noticed that many people do have "mapper" abilities, but only in certain areas. For example, my mother could easily cope with missing an ingredient in a recipe, mapping all here knowledge of cooking to come up with an alternative, understanding everything involved. But if presented with a new task on the computer, she will not even try explorering the menus, or the help system. She will look imediately to me for a procedure.
It is probably related to the way people learn a subject that determines how the act in regards to that subject. If you learn something almost entirely on your own, you will be essentially forced to "map" while if it is taught to you by others, you will likely only "map" if that is your dominate mode of thinking. In other words, you will learn in the manner you learned to learn. You will solve problems in the manner you learned to solve them. If you are inclined toward "packing", you will default to it. If you are inclined toward "mapping", you will default to it.
I consider myself in that group which "packers" don't understand. I have worked with to many people of the "button pusher"/"packer" midset to dismiss the existance of this distinction in thought models. I would not go so far as to say that they a disjoint, far from it, but I will express the little bit of arrogance that most "mappers" likely share: Society would be better off if we taught our children to be "mappers", and if we aspired to lift our friends, coworkers and love ones out of the "packer" mentality.
Now that is the keyboard dreams are made of...
Yes, they do have the MS-logo on them, but the MS keys can be extremely useful under Linux. You can re-map them to perform all sorts of nifty functions. The are great for controlling your window manager, among other things, and if you use Emacs, they can be used as Super and Hyper and Alt Keys (I keep alt as meta, due to it's convenient placement, even though it is a little confusing...).
And if, due to some horrid twist of fate, you are stuck in Windows, those keys are a Godsend if you are disinclined to point and click (winkey-r, for example pops up the run dialog...). When stuck in windows, I am able to use my mouse almost minimally, due to these keys, and in Linux I am slowly mapping them to provide similar functionality in Enlightenment. They may have the logos of our favorite software company of exceedingly questionable practices on them, but they are useful.
An interesting point. I have noticed that more and more recently: Evolutionists seeing the improbability of the Origin of life, and looking for new alternatives... But that still begs the question: Where did it all start?
I will agree with you, that some Creationists fall into this category, but I would also say that there are also some Evolutionists that fall into this category as well.
You can believe both, but why? If God is God, and therefore omnipotent, why could he not have created the entire universe in six days?
The only reason to believe differently would be if you find the Judeo/Christian God, and the consequences of His existence unappealing.
Evolution is an interesting theory. But it is just that: a theory. Teaching it has been debated for years. It is good to teach children about theories. It is not good as presenting only one theory (a controversial one at that), and far too often, not representing it as a theory. In most public schools it is the only theory taught about where we came from. If you don't teach the children that there are alternatives, chances are they will believe the one theory they have as fact.
Many people grow up never hearing that there is any other possibility. They believe that all other theories on the matter of the origins of life are backward, and based entirely on the superstitious religious beliefs of those who would never even consider evolution because it would undermine there faith. And there are those like that out there.
Whether or not Evolution is to be taught in schools is the right of an individual state to determine, as whether or not to teach Creation. If the state is fair, the will either allow both or neither.
But before complaining about this and being shocked that a state would choose not teach the theory of evolution in their schools, spend some time researching the matter. See for yourself whether or not Creationism is backward and illogical. Check out books, or sites that present both arguments. To look at the propaganda of only one side (either side) would be silly. Seriously consider this, before dismissing it. You will probably learn some things that surprise you.
The inner workings of our world our incredibly complex. Decide for yourself if they were divinely orchestrated, or miraculously evolved.
Any hope of a /. sweatshirt, maybe with one of these new designs? Better yet, simply embroider a /. on the front (say 4-6 inches in size...). That's what I want...
/. logo... mm...)
(mmm... warm fuzzy sweatshirt... with
Does anyone know where we should send email to Compaq, to inform them that there is a demand for such a device?
I have wanted something like this for a long time, but Palm Pilots don't have the resources to do anything useful, and CE devices require MS VC++, NT Workstion, and an additional $100 bucks for the CE dev kit...
I actually met a guy who was working on this... On a private road down in southern California (one with magnets imbedded, to provide navigation information to the cars...), they had the cars in formation, about two inches apart, going 80 mph... (Something that would probably be disturbing, if you were in one...)
Although it removes the idiot factor, on computer glitch and WAM 300,000 car pile up... Kinda makes you nervous...
As a safegaurd to that, such systems are supposed to be monitored by an active human driver, ready to take over in case of an emergency... But, even if you are an awesome driver, could you really manage to stear clear of a problem when going 80 mph in even 12 inch formation???
Umm... California drivers... Well... Being born and raised in California, I would never, NEVER, consider the average population in California as "a bit knowing on how to drive." Especially in a the more urban areas, such as the bay area, or the LA Sprawl...
And many of them love SUV's...
(Being a Californian myself, I have people fill out waivers before they ride in my car...) (Well, ok, I don't, but I probably should...)
And just think... When you are stuck behind one in heavy traffic, you can just look underneath it to see if there really are cars up ahead, or if the driver is just wierd... Unlike SUV's which tend to block not only the view of those directly behind them, but anyone within their wake for about a half mile...
Good Idea.
But what I really want is an acrylic box, filled with Christmas lights that blink at different intervalss, and wierd sliding switches on the outside (also made from colorless acrylic).
I would call it "ORAC".