I just go by an empty register, then swipe a few cards. I then go home, fill 'em out with various fictional info, then take them back to the store to get them activated. I have about ten of these things - none with real info on them (heck, I doubt the addresses even exist). I pick a random one every day I go to the store, then periodically get new ones (every six months or so). I also keep an eye out for other people's cards left laying around.
Of course, the best thing is to have no card at all - the cashier gives you a dirty look - then generally swipes a store card that gives you the discount anyway!
I have a book call "Vengence" or something, basically about the Nazi V weapon program and the nuclear implications (many of the bunkers and such look so much like "modern" bunkers that it is scary!) - and basically comes away with that Hitler was going after some sort of spent uranium system.
In other words, rather than a bomb, toward the end of the war he was planning on hurling radioactive waste on board V2's at Britain. IMHO, I think this would actually have been more effective in the long run (though the normal fear/morality hit of a real thermonuclear weapon would have been preferred - from a war standpoint), by causing long term illness, etc. with no way to "cure" it (ok, there was some ways, but not very effective ones). Of course, it would have ruined the areas hit for future Nazi habitation...
As far a "nuking" a far away place (like the USA), Hitler also had plans for a modified dual-stage style V2 - putting a man in the nose (for guidance), and sending him into a suborbital flight - skipping off of the upper layers of atmosphere, until he was across the ocean, then he could "fly" in (drop, is more the word) to hit the coast. I can't remember what the thing was called (Antipodal Bomber rings in my head) - and I have come by very little info on it...
OS/9 has been around a lot longer than that - I remember you could get it for the Radio Shack Color Computer 2 back in 1986 - a real, multi-tasking, multi-user OS for an 8-bit CPU (6809)!
I have only _once_ seen the aftermath of a police raid - on an apartment of a friend whose boyfriend alledgedly stole $50,000 from a bank with some other guys (turns out he did - but that isn't the point of the story).
In the kitchen, I had to replace all of the hinges on the cabinets, because the doors were ripped off! I can understand the police looking for the money or goods obtained with the money, but they don't have to destroy a house to do it.
In a raid dealing with computers and electronics, if you are smart, and are doing something that may be illegal, you better have the appropriate protections in place. I would personally booby trap the machine via an iButton, so that if they powered up without it, the drive could be wiped (and the iButton would be on me as a ring on my finger). Or maybe the iButton could store the key to unlock the file encryption I would be using. Or maybe it would keep the machine from exploding via a homemade pipebomb that would encase the hard drive (personally, I wouldn't use this last one, but I am sure someone out there would/could)...
I bid and won copies (the real disks, with manuals) of both RayDream Studio and Poser (4 and 2, respectively). Now, with OSS, I can get a resonable - or even expect to find - a resonable alternative to RDS4. Worse case scenario, I can go with POV (I say worse case, because it is a Ray Tracer, not a Modeler - sometimes you just want a modeler). Heck - I think I could even stand a chance at coding a smaller modeler myself...
But what about Poser? There is _NOTHING_ comparable to this on the OSS market that I am aware of - mainly due to the reason that it costs big bucks to get a human model - period (on the order of $10,000 (US) or so). I have heard that there is a new company offering lower cost human figures (at around $1000), but this is still expensive, and you would still need to find a way to pose the things coming out of it. Can anyone recommend an alternative?
A type of memory used in computers (mostly during the mid-late 50's-late 70's, though the later half could be wrong - still used in nuclear warhead carrying missles due to resitance to EMP effects), that consisted of small, donut shaped, ferrite "cores", arranged in a grid pattern by a grid of cris-crossing wires, with one core at each intersection of the grid of wires (think of a screen from a screen door, and where the wires overlap, there would be a core at a diagonal with the wires threaded through). A third wire (called the "sense" wire) is threaded through all of the cores in a the following manner; starting from a corner, and advancing down the diagonal. Each core of the plane represents one bit of memory. These planes were generally stacked into a cubical type structure (some, like on an IBM 360, were the size of a modern refridgerator, and held quite a chunk - 64K or so). In the beginning, a plane could be built/threaded by hand, but as time went by, the size of a plane shrank, and became VERY tiny...
Operation of a core plane is as follows:
Assuming all cores are "cleared":
To write a bit:
The bit is selected applying half the voltage needed to flip the polarity of the ferrite core on one of each of the grid wires - so for bit 1, half the voltage would be placed on the first X grid wire, and half on the first Y grid wire. The total voltage at the junction would exceed the amount needed to change the polarity of the core, thus writing the bit. Positive voltages applied would flip the bit one way, negative the opposite, thus enabling the two states of the bit.
To read a bit:
In this operation, the action of reading a bit effective XORs the bit. It is done by reading state of the bit through the sense wire, while applying either positive or negative half-voltages again via the X and Y selection wire process. If the bit flips, the sense wire will "pulse" in the direction of the bit - so if positive voltages are assumed equal to a bit value of 1, then a positive pulse on the sense wire means that the bit was set. Unfortunately, this process reverses the state of the bit, and the bit must be re-written after being read.
Ok, I think I got most of that right - I know I am not completely correct - if you want something better, consult a good computer history book. All I know is that core memory was developed in the search for a fast, rewritable, cheap, and easy to manufacture memory system - mercury delay lines and magnetic drum memory (precursor to today's hard drives) just weren't cutting it at the time.
From what I have noticed, the sites that seem to be the best and last the longest tend to be those that foster a community around one central subject -/. is news...for nerds, MP3.COM specializes in music for the MP3 masses, Amazon for books, Ebay for crap (ok, not all crap - I have bought a lot of good stuff through it).
The point is, sites like these create a following - mainly by the interaction. They site may have the interaction built in (like/.), or it might be external to the site - but the really succesful ones have some way to chat/compare/argue oppinions with others built in. If/. just contained news, but didn't allow posting or moderation, do you think it would be as good as it is now?
How to make money on such a site is the next step - you could probably get advertisers - just don't overburden the user of the site with banners. Slashdot has it perfect, a single banner at the top, nothing more (not too much of a problem except when it is slow loading). I sometimes even click on the banner if it is interesting enough (and the banners should be targeted to the users of the site). An alternative to make money is to actually sell something on the site - software, bumper stickers, t-shirts. Another way is to sell the site - ie, have a "free" side (AC posting only) but pay for the privilage of a login (this may or may not work for some sites).
I am sure there are other ways - but the point is that the most popular sites are those that foster community.
Not too long ago, I found a book in a used bookstore called "How to Build a Radio Telescope" - it was published in the late 50's-early 60's (IIRC), and a the schematics seem to be based on tube technology. However, it seems pretty in depth on everything else.
Are there any geeks out there that would be interested in such a book? I picked it up because of the title - I mean, how often do you find such a book - anywhere?
I am not saying I am going to sell it - but I might give thought to converting it to HTML or something if enough people are interested...
Build the server - these days, you could build a decent one for $500-$1000 - heck, even one of the "free" PC's could function as the server. Put a real OS on it (Linux, FreeBSD, etc. - no flames, please). Then find the cheapest X-Window capable NC out there - or build your own from $10.00 surplus 486's! Network them all together. Give one to each member of the family (even the dog). Set up StarOffice or such office suite on the server, as well as other mundane stuff. If you have a games fanatic, have a designated game machine made (like one of those $500-600 jobbers). So if we tally it all up:
1. Server - $800.00 2. Game Box - $500.00 3. 5 custom NC's (you, wife, 2 kids and dog) - $500.00 (and I am being generous)
Total: $1800.00
Of course this doesn't take into account the fact that you will have to perform the adminstration and wiring up of the network. But the way things are going, people are going to have networks as an option on new homes (if they don't already), and they better learn something about admin'ing such a network if they are going to have one.
I have always thought that if you are going to own a computer (even if it is just the cheesy RCX from Lego Mindstorms!), you had better know something about computers! I am not saying I was a computer god when I got my first machine, but I knew enough to start reading the manual that came with it!
On a side note - why don't people read manuals? People every day buy new cars, then don't read the manual. Later, they wonder about something that is mentioned in the manual (such as where the jack is stored to change a tire)! Is it really that difficult to read a simple book?!
I have to say the storyline to this game sounds wonderfull - sorta like XBill, but more graphical. I will have to download it and try it out someday...
Like I said - I know of these options. However, I doubt any title you write would end up in the store (so that others may purchase it and play it). The point is getting the game to a mass audience - not just a core group who would be willing to burn thier own ROM. The need for the physical media (the cartridge) is the barrier.
If the GB was a completely programmable device which you loaded the games into (similar to the MP3 devices offered), then it would be viable for mass marketing via the Net, since there wouldn't be any need for the exchange of physical media. However, the GB isn't this way...
Which is where a Palm-type device could come into play (no pun intended) - being that it is programmable, and that software is loaded onto it from a host machine (rather than as a packaged ROM). This makes the dissemination of software via third party channels much easier for both the distributor, as well as the consumer, thus allowing for a third-party game to reach a wider audience.
All this is nice, but off the core topic of my question - the question at hand is why aren't there buttons arranged for directional control of something? Even if all they were used for was as an alternative to scrolling they would be useful (the current method for scrolling on a palm is OK - but it reminds me too much of flipping DIP switches with a pen)...
Not easily (yeah, I know ways exist - but for true development, you gotta pay big bucks to Nintendo). At least for a Palm style device, there exists the possibility of being able to do so cheaply, with free to low-cost compilers being available...
The point is, I don't just want to play games, I want to develop games for others to play. I still would like to be able to use the handheld to do other things (note taking, addresses, etc)...
One of the big sticking points with me about the Palm Pilot has been its price - $200 is a little bit pricey for what you get (but just a little - $150 would be a better price point). The only other thing that the Palm Pilot has problems in is the interface.
The writing interface is pretty cool - no problem with that. But the buttons below the screen should be arranged differently. They are fine for business uses - but I wish they were arranged better for wider application (like games). Along comes the DaVinci - and wow, buttons arranged in a cross-pattern, plus extra buttons next to it - a new handheld gaming platform!
I realize that the Palm Pilot (and others) aren't meant for games - but let's face it, neither was the PC. Only when people started to play serious games on it did it start to become better (think about it - most peripheral devices in use today were developed with gaming in mind - sound cards, graphic accelerators, cd-rom drives). As they became better, PCs became more widespread. The same thing will probably happen with handhelds...
Oh, great - if this is the case, I can see a few scenarios:
1. It never works - so many servers are hitting it trying to authenticate users that it repeatedly crashes (ala the crack W2K contest).
2. It works, but security is so crappy that someone cracks the machine - sucessfully - and gains access to everyone's login and password for all of the servers using M$ Passport.
3. Bill Gates gets bored one day and decides to spend other peoples money by using other people's logins - in the process ordering 25 new toilets for his house.
I think a centralized registry is a good idea - but only when it is my data on my machine.
I have an old ADS GameBlaster (you know, converts VGA to TV) with a DOS driver. The driver is actually a TSR. I managed to find a "freeware" driver with source that works OK, but once again, it is a TSR and is for DOS.
All of this would be fine, but the application I am wanting to use the GameBlaster for I want to develop under Linux (it is a homebrew VR rig). So how do I get around the DOS/TSR issue? Is there a similar way under Linux? I have looked for info on doing this under Linux, but no luck. From looking at the code to the freeware version (it is x86 assembler - yech!), it first scans the VGA registers, trying to get a certain frequency setup to work. Once it finds one, it switches the frequency, pops to text mode, sets the TSR, and exits - leaving you in TV mode. It also replaces the video intterupt vector routine, to change the frequencies accordingly based on mode. The actual hardware is a cheapo device to take those modified frequencies and convert them to composite video.
I haven't been able to find anything, and I would really like to use this device - otherwise, I am going to have to spend another $70-100 on a standalone scan converter, or a video card that has composite out.
What are your guy's thoughts? Should I mess with it, or should I just drop the cash and buy something new?
He could write it, and place it on the Net. Give a copy to the Guttenburg Project. In the text, he could ask for donations. If someone were to mail hime money out of the goodness of thier heart for a story they read for free, then it would be a gift, and not an earning, right?
Points well taken - but here is something to think about, that has everything you say (with the exception of excercise/physical training), plus would appeal to the geeks as well:
Robo-Sports!
All of your points would apply (except for the ones I mentioned); winning fairly, losing well, social/team involvment, and hand-eye coordination. Add to that the chance to learn robotics and AI, maybe learn RTLinux, and applying logic/thought to solving a problem.
It wouldn't have to cost a lot of money, either. the individual robots could be built either out of Legos or scrap wood/metal - Legos would be a better choice, for the educational reuse and discount possibilities - but I wouldn't rull out homebrew stuff, either...
This is very true - we sat back several rows from the front - and the edge of the screen was just at the edge of my vision. I didn't get sick, though - I guess I have played too many FPSs myself.
On the other hand, it could be because I had someone's head in front of me as a reference. I do know I have gotten sick when I played Dactyl Nitemare on a Virtuality 1000 (the ones with the huge Visettes - 1st Gen), and I whipped my head left, then right (and nearly broke my neck fromt he inertia of the helmet) to check the lag of the rendering engine - and boy was there lag! Made me very nauseous...
Slashdot Mirror
I just go by an empty register, then swipe a few cards. I then go home, fill 'em out with various fictional info, then take them back to the store to get them activated. I have about ten of these things - none with real info on them (heck, I doubt the addresses even exist). I pick a random one every day I go to the store, then periodically get new ones (every six months or so). I also keep an eye out for other people's cards left laying around.
Of course, the best thing is to have no card at all - the cashier gives you a dirty look - then generally swipes a store card that gives you the discount anyway!
I have a book call "Vengence" or something, basically about the Nazi V weapon program and the nuclear implications (many of the bunkers and such look so much like "modern" bunkers that it is scary!) - and basically comes away with that Hitler was going after some sort of spent uranium system.
In other words, rather than a bomb, toward the end of the war he was planning on hurling radioactive waste on board V2's at Britain. IMHO, I think this would actually have been more effective in the long run (though the normal fear/morality hit of a real thermonuclear weapon would have been preferred - from a war standpoint), by causing long term illness, etc. with no way to "cure" it (ok, there was some ways, but not very effective ones). Of course, it would have ruined the areas hit for future Nazi habitation...
As far a "nuking" a far away place (like the USA), Hitler also had plans for a modified dual-stage style V2 - putting a man in the nose (for guidance), and sending him into a suborbital flight - skipping off of the upper layers of atmosphere, until he was across the ocean, then he could "fly" in (drop, is more the word) to hit the coast. I can't remember what the thing was called (Antipodal Bomber rings in my head) - and I have come by very little info on it...
This saying is actually FAR, far older - dunno how old, but damn old...
I know I am late, but...
OS/9 has been around a lot longer than that - I remember you could get it for the Radio Shack Color Computer 2 back in 1986 - a real, multi-tasking, multi-user OS for an 8-bit CPU (6809)!
I have only _once_ seen the aftermath of a police raid - on an apartment of a friend whose boyfriend alledgedly stole $50,000 from a bank with some other guys (turns out he did - but that isn't the point of the story).
In the kitchen, I had to replace all of the hinges on the cabinets, because the doors were ripped off! I can understand the police looking for the money or goods obtained with the money, but they don't have to destroy a house to do it.
In a raid dealing with computers and electronics, if you are smart, and are doing something that may be illegal, you better have the appropriate protections in place. I would personally booby trap the machine via an iButton, so that if they powered up without it, the drive could be wiped (and the iButton would be on me as a ring on my finger). Or maybe the iButton could store the key to unlock the file encryption I would be using. Or maybe it would keep the machine from exploding via a homemade pipebomb that would encase the hard drive (personally, I wouldn't use this last one, but I am sure someone out there would/could)...
Just some thoughts...
I have heard of this - where can I find more info?
I bid and won copies (the real disks, with manuals) of both RayDream Studio and Poser (4 and 2, respectively). Now, with OSS, I can get a resonable - or even expect to find - a resonable alternative to RDS4. Worse case scenario, I can go with POV (I say worse case, because it is a Ray Tracer, not a Modeler - sometimes you just want a modeler). Heck - I think I could even stand a chance at coding a smaller modeler myself...
But what about Poser? There is _NOTHING_ comparable to this on the OSS market that I am aware of - mainly due to the reason that it costs big bucks to get a human model - period (on the order of $10,000 (US) or so). I have heard that there is a new company offering lower cost human figures (at around $1000), but this is still expensive, and you would still need to find a way to pose the things coming out of it. Can anyone recommend an alternative?
Core Memory -
A type of memory used in computers (mostly during the mid-late 50's-late 70's, though the later half could be wrong - still used in nuclear warhead carrying missles due to resitance to EMP effects), that consisted of small, donut shaped, ferrite "cores", arranged in a grid pattern by a grid of cris-crossing wires, with one core at each intersection of the grid of wires (think of a screen from a screen door, and where the wires overlap, there would be a core at a diagonal with the wires threaded through). A third wire (called the "sense" wire) is threaded through all of the cores in a the following manner; starting from a corner, and advancing down the diagonal. Each core of the plane represents one bit of memory. These planes were generally stacked into a cubical type structure (some, like on an IBM 360, were the size of a modern refridgerator, and held quite a chunk - 64K or so). In the beginning, a plane could be built/threaded by hand, but as time went by, the size of a plane shrank, and became VERY tiny...
Operation of a core plane is as follows:
Assuming all cores are "cleared":
To write a bit:
The bit is selected applying half the voltage needed to flip the polarity of the ferrite core on one of each of the grid wires - so for bit 1, half the voltage would be placed on the first X grid wire, and half on the first Y grid wire. The total voltage at the junction would exceed the amount needed to change the polarity of the core, thus writing the bit. Positive voltages applied would flip the bit one way, negative the opposite, thus enabling the two states of the bit.
To read a bit:
In this operation, the action of reading a bit effective XORs the bit. It is done by reading state of the bit through the sense wire, while applying either positive or negative half-voltages again via the X and Y selection wire process. If the bit flips, the sense wire will "pulse" in the direction of the bit - so if positive voltages are assumed equal to a bit value of 1, then a positive pulse on the sense wire means that the bit was set. Unfortunately, this process reverses the state of the bit, and the bit must be re-written after being read.
Ok, I think I got most of that right - I know I am not completely correct - if you want something better, consult a good computer history book. All I know is that core memory was developed in the search for a fast, rewritable, cheap, and easy to manufacture memory system - mercury delay lines and magnetic drum memory (precursor to today's hard drives) just weren't cutting it at the time.
OK - where are my extra points?
From what I have noticed, the sites that seem to be the best and last the longest tend to be those that foster a community around one central subject - /. is news...for nerds, MP3.COM specializes in music for the MP3 masses, Amazon for books, Ebay for crap (ok, not all crap - I have bought a lot of good stuff through it).
/.), or it might be external to the site - but the really succesful ones have some way to chat/compare/argue oppinions with others built in. If /. just contained news, but didn't allow posting or moderation, do you think it would be as good as it is now?
The point is, sites like these create a following - mainly by the interaction. They site may have the interaction built in (like
How to make money on such a site is the next step - you could probably get advertisers - just don't overburden the user of the site with banners. Slashdot has it perfect, a single banner at the top, nothing more (not too much of a problem except when it is slow loading). I sometimes even click on the banner if it is interesting enough (and the banners should be targeted to the users of the site). An alternative to make money is to actually sell something on the site - software, bumper stickers, t-shirts. Another way is to sell the site - ie, have a "free" side (AC posting only) but pay for the privilage of a login (this may or may not work for some sites).
I am sure there are other ways - but the point is that the most popular sites are those that foster community.
This is slightly off topic, but...
Not too long ago, I found a book in a used bookstore called "How to Build a Radio Telescope" - it was published in the late 50's-early 60's (IIRC), and a the schematics seem to be based on tube technology. However, it seems pretty in depth on everything else.
Are there any geeks out there that would be interested in such a book? I picked it up because of the title - I mean, how often do you find such a book - anywhere?
I am not saying I am going to sell it - but I might give thought to converting it to HTML or something if enough people are interested...
Build the server - these days, you could build a decent one for $500-$1000 - heck, even one of the "free" PC's could function as the server. Put a real OS on it (Linux, FreeBSD, etc. - no flames, please). Then find the cheapest X-Window capable NC out there - or build your own from $10.00 surplus 486's! Network them all together. Give one to each member of the family (even the dog). Set up StarOffice or such office suite on the server, as well as other mundane stuff. If you have a games fanatic, have a designated game machine made (like one of those $500-600 jobbers). So if we tally it all up:
1. Server - $800.00
2. Game Box - $500.00
3. 5 custom NC's (you, wife, 2 kids and dog) - $500.00 (and I am being generous)
Total: $1800.00
Of course this doesn't take into account the fact that you will have to perform the adminstration and wiring up of the network. But the way things are going, people are going to have networks as an option on new homes (if they don't already), and they better learn something about admin'ing such a network if they are going to have one.
I have always thought that if you are going to own a computer (even if it is just the cheesy RCX from Lego Mindstorms!), you had better know something about computers! I am not saying I was a computer god when I got my first machine, but I knew enough to start reading the manual that came with it!
On a side note - why don't people read manuals? People every day buy new cars, then don't read the manual. Later, they wonder about something that is mentioned in the manual (such as where the jack is stored to change a tire)! Is it really that difficult to read a simple book?!
I have to say the storyline to this game sounds wonderfull - sorta like XBill, but more graphical. I will have to download it and try it out someday...
Like I said - I know of these options. However, I doubt any title you write would end up in the store (so that others may purchase it and play it). The point is getting the game to a mass audience - not just a core group who would be willing to burn thier own ROM. The need for the physical media (the cartridge) is the barrier.
If the GB was a completely programmable device which you loaded the games into (similar to the MP3 devices offered), then it would be viable for mass marketing via the Net, since there wouldn't be any need for the exchange of physical media. However, the GB isn't this way...
Which is where a Palm-type device could come into play (no pun intended) - being that it is programmable, and that software is loaded onto it from a host machine (rather than as a packaged ROM). This makes the dissemination of software via third party channels much easier for both the distributor, as well as the consumer, thus allowing for a third-party game to reach a wider audience.
All this is nice, but off the core topic of my question - the question at hand is why aren't there buttons arranged for directional control of something? Even if all they were used for was as an alternative to scrolling they would be useful (the current method for scrolling on a palm is OK - but it reminds me too much of flipping DIP switches with a pen)...
That's true - but can I code games for it?
Not easily (yeah, I know ways exist - but for true development, you gotta pay big bucks to Nintendo). At least for a Palm style device, there exists the possibility of being able to do so cheaply, with free to low-cost compilers being available...
The point is, I don't just want to play games, I want to develop games for others to play. I still would like to be able to use the handheld to do other things (note taking, addresses, etc)...
One of the big sticking points with me about the Palm Pilot has been its price - $200 is a little bit pricey for what you get (but just a little - $150 would be a better price point). The only other thing that the Palm Pilot has problems in is the interface.
The writing interface is pretty cool - no problem with that. But the buttons below the screen should be arranged differently. They are fine for business uses - but I wish they were arranged better for wider application (like games). Along comes the DaVinci - and wow, buttons arranged in a cross-pattern, plus extra buttons next to it - a new handheld gaming platform!
I realize that the Palm Pilot (and others) aren't meant for games - but let's face it, neither was the PC. Only when people started to play serious games on it did it start to become better (think about it - most peripheral devices in use today were developed with gaming in mind - sound cards, graphic accelerators, cd-rom drives). As they became better, PCs became more widespread. The same thing will probably happen with handhelds...
Oh, great - if this is the case, I can see a few scenarios:
1. It never works - so many servers are hitting it trying to authenticate users that it repeatedly crashes (ala the crack W2K contest).
2. It works, but security is so crappy that someone cracks the machine - sucessfully - and gains access to everyone's login and password for all of the servers using M$ Passport.
3. Bill Gates gets bored one day and decides to spend other peoples money by using other people's logins - in the process ordering 25 new toilets for his house.
I think a centralized registry is a good idea - but only when it is my data on my machine.
This sounds interesting...
I have an old ADS GameBlaster (you know, converts VGA to TV) with a DOS driver. The driver is actually a TSR. I managed to find a "freeware" driver with source that works OK, but once again, it is a TSR and is for DOS.
All of this would be fine, but the application I am wanting to use the GameBlaster for I want to develop under Linux (it is a homebrew VR rig). So how do I get around the DOS/TSR issue? Is there a similar way under Linux? I have looked for info on doing this under Linux, but no luck. From looking at the code to the freeware version (it is x86 assembler - yech!), it first scans the VGA registers, trying to get a certain frequency setup to work. Once it finds one, it switches the frequency, pops to text mode, sets the TSR, and exits - leaving you in TV mode. It also replaces the video intterupt vector routine, to change the frequencies accordingly based on mode. The actual hardware is a cheapo device to take those modified frequencies and convert them to composite video.
I haven't been able to find anything, and I would really like to use this device - otherwise, I am going to have to spend another $70-100 on a standalone scan converter, or a video card that has composite out.
What are your guy's thoughts? Should I mess with it, or should I just drop the cash and buy something new?
But if Motorola did have losses, and didn't report them to the SEC or to thier stockholders, then Motorola IS committing a crime.
I don't even own any fuckin' stock and I know this!
He could write it, and place it on the Net. Give a copy to the Guttenburg Project. In the text, he could ask for donations. If someone were to mail hime money out of the goodness of thier heart for a story they read for free, then it would be a gift, and not an earning, right?
Points well taken - but here is something to think about, that has everything you say (with the exception of excercise/physical training), plus would appeal to the geeks as well:
Robo-Sports!
All of your points would apply (except for the ones I mentioned); winning fairly, losing well, social/team involvment, and hand-eye coordination. Add to that the chance to learn robotics and AI, maybe learn RTLinux, and applying logic/thought to solving a problem.
It wouldn't have to cost a lot of money, either. the individual robots could be built either out of Legos or scrap wood/metal - Legos would be a better choice, for the educational reuse and discount possibilities - but I wouldn't rull out homebrew stuff, either...
As if crashing a probe into the moon wasn't enough to piss the aliens off...
Prions...
This is very true - we sat back several rows from the front - and the edge of the screen was just at the edge of my vision. I didn't get sick, though - I guess I have played too many FPSs myself.
On the other hand, it could be because I had someone's head in front of me as a reference. I do know I have gotten sick when I played Dactyl Nitemare on a Virtuality 1000 (the ones with the huge Visettes - 1st Gen), and I whipped my head left, then right (and nearly broke my neck fromt he inertia of the helmet) to check the lag of the rendering engine - and boy was there lag! Made me very nauseous...
Well, if you figured out that 216 digit number...
Really, he was a genius - who had a major problem with migraine headaches...
I think BWP is the best non-scripted indie film.
PI would have to be the best scripted indie film.