Limits of Power by Bacevich
on
The Shadow Factory
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
If you're interested in this type of book, you might want to check out the Limits of Power by Andrew Bacevich. Bacevich discusses the immense cost of the entire national security apparatus, and how most of the money spent on it goes to increasing the power and prestige of the individual services (NSA, CIA, FBI) and very little goes to actually protecting the American people.
Wow, baseless nerd rage. 5'10", 225 lbs. is OBESE. If you're a tall guy then maybe 225 is okay. If not, put down the fried chicken and hit that exercise bike until your crotch is numb! You know whether you're healthy or not, and you needn't be defensive about it on a message board. No one knows who you are anyway!
Regarding failure rates, it's also a pretty irrelevant point now, the 360's RROD problem has long been solved.
If you consider November of 2008 to be "long," then okay. The Jasper motherboard is the latest in a series of Xbox 360 motherboards. All of them claimed to solve the RRoD problem. None have succeeded so far. A buddy of mine personally knows the engineer who was in charge of the cooling system on the 360-he resigned in protest after Microsoft told him that they were releasing at Christmas, no matter what.
The Xbox 360 is a crappy rush job of a console, and they're just now (maybe) fixing the heat issues. Make no mistake about it, those fixes don't involve shrinking the massive power brick or dampening the hair-dryer-like sounds of the internal fans. That doesn't take away from the fact that the 360 is the primary next-gen platform in terms of software. I'd have one today if I wasn't convinced it would RRoD within a year. Every single person I know that has a 360 (except one who never plays it) has gone through RRoD.
Erroneus, despite your name, you're right. There's a difference between "niche" which means it can only appeal to a small audience (whether by design or inherent limitations) and "obscure" which implies it could appeal to a larger audience, but is not well known. Kinda like noise music vs. the MC5!
Tell that to the Democratic Congressman who are trying to bring back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine"
It'll never happen. The current policy is "allow large corporations to underwrite conservative talk radio and convince people that voting against their economic interests is 'macho' and 'rugged'" (while whining about the 'liberal media').
It sucks, but it's better than "there are only two sides to every story, and we're going to treat them as if they're both equally valid." How would the "Fairness Doctrine" apply to slavery? Equal time for slaveholders?
While it's a little unwieldy, Craigslist is a much better deal for both buyer and seller. I was able to get Street Fighter IV ($60 in store) brand new for $45 because someone bought it on impulse and then decided they didn't like. This happens with all games within the first couple of weeks of release-just keep an eye on your local Craigslist. Sure it might be a hassle to drive to a parking lot in the middle of nowhere and get felt up by greasy, wifebeater clad strangers, but it's worth it to save a buck.
They had some really good songs, and some really bad ones. I'd like to know which group it is. I'd consider getting it if its stuff like Yesterday and Sgt Peppers, but I have no interest in their boy band phase and stuff like "I want to hold your hand" and "She loves you yeah yeah yeah".
Are you kidding? The Beatles brought back rock n roll at a time when the music industry considered it "just a fad." Little Richard and Chuck Berry were waning in popularity, and Elvis was doing cheesy stuff similar to this. Then the Beatles came along and revitalized rock n roll. So if you like ANY rock n roll from after 1962, you should be thankful for "I wanna hold your hand" and "Please please me."
The way Steam works, is that it allows you download it anywhere as long as you are logged into YOUR account.
That solution is, far too complicated and/or time consuming for a console. "Hey Bob, I'm going to be coming over tomorrow...why don't you start that download of my 10 GB game, here's my account name and pass, don't use it to rack up $500 in Rock Band songs."
Compare that to bringing a CD or cartridge to your friend's house and putting it in. Digital distribution also doesn't take into account bandwidth caps, which are the norm in most countries, and becoming more widespread. All in all, I can see it taking over some casual games, but not the 360 or PS3-type major titles.
Maybe a lawyer could answer this, but I don't think the standard mechanical royalty stuff applies. If that were the case, I'm almost certain we'd have seen the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC in Guitar Hero/Rock Band already (I know AC/DC is there now, but I think they would have had it from the start).
The graphics are ugly? In Guitar Hero yes, in Rock Band they're as ugly as you want to make them, at least on the 360 and PS3. Personally, I don't wanna sound like a queer or nothing, but I think my dude is looking pretty good.
Before the war, the South was the rich half of the country.
No. In every measurable way, the North was far ahead of the South (GDP, industrial output, mean, and median wealth). Many economists have argued (and quite convincingly, in fact) that chattel slavery helped promote a stagnant, stratified economy.
I have a commodore_64 for which has been working just fine for me for many many years, but I am told that I must have a "web browser" in order to post comments to the Slashdot web site.
And forcing people to use Silverlight is nothing like that. There's no good reason to use Silverlight (or Flash for that matter) on a site that easily be done without nonstandard plugins. Remember when they used to do that 10+ years ago? Every site had its own pet video, audio, or other single-purpose wonky player. We're beyond those days, with the notable exception of Flash. Does anyone really want to go back?
This can be seen in their willingness to have Linux be installable but yet not providing for a driver set for the GPU. That was pretty stupid right there but Sony went far beyound the call of duty here and and implemented controls with respect to accessing that GPU from within Linux. Mind you I'm not expecting to run Linix full time here but when I do I want to be able to leverage that machine fully. This really pissed me off and is the primary factor in avoiding PS3 hardware today. I also agree with others that have said that Linux should have been made the machines primary OS.
Sony doesn't want people using the Linux environment as a cheap dev kit. There's a very good reason for that from a consumer standpoint as well. It's bad enough that many games require 4+ GB of hard drive space on the machine, can you imagine if they started requiring Linux? Too confusing for consumers. Annd...savvy programmers can use the SPUs to do a lot of cool graphic stuff in Linux anyway.
You and the ten other guys who care more about "openness" than playing fun games have a good time. Maybe they'll port Minesweeper to it one of these days.
I'm sure you can borrow a PS2 from someone for cheap if that's what you want to play. Yeah, it's a hassle and it takes up more space...otherwise, you can get an 80 GB model with software backwards compatibility on Craigslist for $300 (or maybe even less) used.
It's cute that you think Islamist reaction to US imperialism can be completely laid at the feet of Bill Clinton. Why the hell were we paying billions of dollars to the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc when all we got in return was a song?
In the words of Andrew Bacevich, all these agencies had plenty of scenarios and plans for attacks in Riyahd or Seoul. They had no plans for an attack on Manhattan. Indeed, it seemed inconceivable (though it probably shouldn't have, especially after the first WTC bombing).
Where is the talent anymore? Where are the complex hard to play and sing stuff? Oh, that's right, that takes 10-15 years of training, but we don't want to look at someone older than 20....
I've got a killer idea...MILF pop bands! They have the experience to satisfy! They train for 10-15 years...to pleasure your ears (and maybe, just maybe, your other parts!)
All Marios are basically the same game, just updated for the capabilities of the console they are/were on.
Way to reduce and dismiss several gaming revolutions in one snotty, inaccurate statement. Super Mario 1, 2, and 3 are totally the same? And the same as Mario 64? Not even close, chump.
Next, you'll tell us all movies are "King Kong" and all guitarists are Chuck Berry. Way to be simple, succinct, and totally ignorant!
Personally I just want a fucking eyetap built into some Oakley M-frames with photo-gray tint, and a discreet wearable computer so I don't look like a total tard at all times
I'm sorry but designer sunglasses don't make you look like less of a tard, they make you look like more of a tard. Especially if they have some kind of monitor built into them.
Slashdot Mirror
If you're interested in this type of book, you might want to check out the Limits of Power by Andrew Bacevich. Bacevich discusses the immense cost of the entire national security apparatus, and how most of the money spent on it goes to increasing the power and prestige of the individual services (NSA, CIA, FBI) and very little goes to actually protecting the American people.
Wow, baseless nerd rage. 5'10", 225 lbs. is OBESE. If you're a tall guy then maybe 225 is okay. If not, put down the fried chicken and hit that exercise bike until your crotch is numb! You know whether you're healthy or not, and you needn't be defensive about it on a message board. No one knows who you are anyway!
Watching TV produces similar brain patterns as the act of meditation.
I'm not sure what conclusion we can draw from this, but it's pretty interesting, eh?
Regarding failure rates, it's also a pretty irrelevant point now, the 360's RROD problem has long been solved.
If you consider November of 2008 to be "long," then okay. The Jasper motherboard is the latest in a series of Xbox 360 motherboards. All of them claimed to solve the RRoD problem. None have succeeded so far. A buddy of mine personally knows the engineer who was in charge of the cooling system on the 360-he resigned in protest after Microsoft told him that they were releasing at Christmas, no matter what.
The Xbox 360 is a crappy rush job of a console, and they're just now (maybe) fixing the heat issues. Make no mistake about it, those fixes don't involve shrinking the massive power brick or dampening the hair-dryer-like sounds of the internal fans. That doesn't take away from the fact that the 360 is the primary next-gen platform in terms of software. I'd have one today if I wasn't convinced it would RRoD within a year. Every single person I know that has a 360 (except one who never plays it) has gone through RRoD.
Erroneus, despite your name, you're right. There's a difference between "niche" which means it can only appeal to a small audience (whether by design or inherent limitations) and "obscure" which implies it could appeal to a larger audience, but is not well known. Kinda like noise music vs. the MC5!
Obviously, he stopped believin' too early.
Now I can get all the disgusting Spock/Kirk slash that people post at -1 in eBook format!
Tell that to the Democratic Congressman who are trying to bring back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine"
It'll never happen. The current policy is "allow large corporations to underwrite conservative talk radio and convince people that voting against their economic interests is 'macho' and 'rugged'" (while whining about the 'liberal media').
It sucks, but it's better than "there are only two sides to every story, and we're going to treat them as if they're both equally valid." How would the "Fairness Doctrine" apply to slavery? Equal time for slaveholders?
But does plimplinkplonkplinkplonko support bwabbabingbang?
See, I can make up goofy, uninspired Web 2.0 names too. Slashdotters, I invite you to join me in my new startup: Jizzogle!
While it's a little unwieldy, Craigslist is a much better deal for both buyer and seller. I was able to get Street Fighter IV ($60 in store) brand new for $45 because someone bought it on impulse and then decided they didn't like. This happens with all games within the first couple of weeks of release-just keep an eye on your local Craigslist. Sure it might be a hassle to drive to a parking lot in the middle of nowhere and get felt up by greasy, wifebeater clad strangers, but it's worth it to save a buck.
They had some really good songs, and some really bad ones. I'd like to know which group it is. I'd consider getting it if its stuff like Yesterday and Sgt Peppers, but I have no interest in their boy band phase and stuff like "I want to hold your hand" and "She loves you yeah yeah yeah".
Are you kidding? The Beatles brought back rock n roll at a time when the music industry considered it "just a fad." Little Richard and Chuck Berry were waning in popularity, and Elvis was doing cheesy stuff similar to this. Then the Beatles came along and revitalized rock n roll. So if you like ANY rock n roll from after 1962, you should be thankful for "I wanna hold your hand" and "Please please me."
OLD NEWS IS OLD. MJ never bought all the songs, and he sold the rights at least 10 years ago.
The way Steam works, is that it allows you download it anywhere as long as you are logged into YOUR account.
That solution is, far too complicated and/or time consuming for a console. "Hey Bob, I'm going to be coming over tomorrow...why don't you start that download of my 10 GB game, here's my account name and pass, don't use it to rack up $500 in Rock Band songs."
Compare that to bringing a CD or cartridge to your friend's house and putting it in. Digital distribution also doesn't take into account bandwidth caps, which are the norm in most countries, and becoming more widespread. All in all, I can see it taking over some casual games, but not the 360 or PS3-type major titles.
Maybe a lawyer could answer this, but I don't think the standard mechanical royalty stuff applies. If that were the case, I'm almost certain we'd have seen the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC in Guitar Hero/Rock Band already (I know AC/DC is there now, but I think they would have had it from the start).
The graphics are ugly? In Guitar Hero yes, in Rock Band they're as ugly as you want to make them, at least on the 360 and PS3. Personally, I don't wanna sound like a queer or nothing, but I think my dude is looking pretty good.
Before the war, the South was the rich half of the country.
No. In every measurable way, the North was far ahead of the South (GDP, industrial output, mean, and median wealth). Many economists have argued (and quite convincingly, in fact) that chattel slavery helped promote a stagnant, stratified economy.
I have a commodore_64 for which has been working just fine for me for many many years, but I am told that I must have a "web browser" in order to post comments to the Slashdot web site.
Don't worry dude, I've got you covered!
And forcing people to use Silverlight is nothing like that. There's no good reason to use Silverlight (or Flash for that matter) on a site that easily be done without nonstandard plugins. Remember when they used to do that 10+ years ago? Every site had its own pet video, audio, or other single-purpose wonky player. We're beyond those days, with the notable exception of Flash. Does anyone really want to go back?
Actually, all PS3s can play Playstation 1 games in software.
Still, it doesn't help with your PS2 issue and you'd think they'd be adding rather than subtracting features at this point.
This can be seen in their willingness to have Linux be installable but yet not providing for a driver set for the GPU. That was pretty stupid right there but Sony went far beyound the call of duty here and and implemented controls with respect to accessing that GPU from within Linux. Mind you I'm not expecting to run Linix full time here but when I do I want to be able to leverage that machine fully. This really pissed me off and is the primary factor in avoiding PS3 hardware today. I also agree with others that have said that Linux should have been made the machines primary OS.
Sony doesn't want people using the Linux environment as a cheap dev kit. There's a very good reason for that from a consumer standpoint as well. It's bad enough that many games require 4+ GB of hard drive space on the machine, can you imagine if they started requiring Linux? Too confusing for consumers. Annd...savvy programmers can use the SPUs to do a lot of cool graphic stuff in Linux anyway.
You and the ten other guys who care more about "openness" than playing fun games have a good time. Maybe they'll port Minesweeper to it one of these days.
They aren't going to reduce any more features.
I'm sure you can borrow a PS2 from someone for cheap if that's what you want to play. Yeah, it's a hassle and it takes up more space...otherwise, you can get an 80 GB model with software backwards compatibility on Craigslist for $300 (or maybe even less) used.
It's cute that you think Islamist reaction to US imperialism can be completely laid at the feet of Bill Clinton. Why the hell were we paying billions of dollars to the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc when all we got in return was a song?
In the words of Andrew Bacevich, all these agencies had plenty of scenarios and plans for attacks in Riyahd or Seoul. They had no plans for an attack on Manhattan. Indeed, it seemed inconceivable (though it probably shouldn't have, especially after the first WTC bombing).
Where is the talent anymore? Where are the complex hard to play and sing stuff? Oh, that's right, that takes 10-15 years of training, but we don't want to look at someone older than 20....
I've got a killer idea...MILF pop bands! They have the experience to satisfy! They train for 10-15 years...to pleasure your ears (and maybe, just maybe, your other parts!)
All Marios are basically the same game, just updated for the capabilities of the console they are/were on.
Way to reduce and dismiss several gaming revolutions in one snotty, inaccurate statement. Super Mario 1, 2, and 3 are totally the same? And the same as Mario 64? Not even close, chump.
Next, you'll tell us all movies are "King Kong" and all guitarists are Chuck Berry. Way to be simple, succinct, and totally ignorant!
Personally I just want a fucking eyetap built into some Oakley M-frames with photo-gray tint, and a discreet wearable computer so I don't look like a total tard at all times
I'm sorry but designer sunglasses don't make you look like less of a tard, they make you look like more of a tard. Especially if they have some kind of monitor built into them.