but then again, bees have been "proven" not to be able to fly.
People like you make my head hurt. It's just mind-boggling to me that such an obvious and completely asinine urban legend is STILL being repeated some 70 years after it was first invented. I can understand young children repeating everything they're told... but judging by your user number, you're probably older than I am. Stop and think before you speak!
Why do you think I put "proven" in quotes? Trying to score cheap points by demonstrating the reading skills of a 2nd-grader is not cool. (see, I can play the insult game too).
What I find interesting is that this opens up at least the possibility of that old sci-fi standby (really old - I haven't seen a reference to it in modern sci-fi) of polywater.
No, it doesn't. As Feynman said, if pollywater were possible, we'd have an animal that doesn't eat. It would just drink normal water and excrete polywater, living off of the energy released in the process.
Wrong on two counts, but nice to see you can stupidly parrot wikipedia.
1. Animals eat for more than just energy.
2. People used to think that solids could only shrink when compressed. We now have solids that expand under pressure. Things change as our understanding of the universe changes.
3. Again, according to yours (and Feynmans) beliefs, I should be okay to eat gasoline - after all, it's got more energy than the salad I had at supper. Carbo-hydrates, hydro-carbons, what's the diff... but it doesn't work that way.
4. Feynman also believes there's only one electron, one proton, and one neutron in the whole universe, and they cycle back and forth in time - we see a cross-section of those multiple paths as our current universe. Do you buy that too?
5. One word: Catalysts. Meditate on it. NO, don't start now... meditate on it. For at least a week.
Look, all rancor aside (because after all, you DID start it), we spend too much time saying why something is "umpossible", and not enough asking how we can make it possible. Progress doesn't happen by accepting the status quo, whether it's in the "textus receptus" of science or society. Would polywater be awesome? Yes. So instead of coming up with a million reasons why it can't possibly exist, why not ask "why not?"
Progress is made only by the "why not" crowd. Why not free the slaves? Why not abandon feudalism? Why not give women the vote (personally, I think that if anyone should have the vote taken away from them, it's men - they think with the wrong head - the one that's too small for any brains) Why not allow same-sex marriage? Why not have heavier-than-air flight? Why not travel faster than sound? Why not go to the moon? Why not network all these computers together? Why not try to sell computers to people instead of just jigamongous corporations? Why not try yet another filament even though the first 1000 didn't result in a practical light bulb? Why not try to make this piece of code better, even though it's already "sort of good enough"?
Look at your own personal life. Hasn't the most progress been made, or you achieved the most, when you decided that you would do something anyway, even though you could easily justify shirking the opportunity?
Why not polywater? Even if it's just for the lulz?
I've written custom disk formatters (more years ago than I want to think about). Sometimes you want to store data directly to the media, not to a filesystem. Sometimes you want to have a custom media layout.
Some programs never terminate - heck, in a modern OS there are bound to be programs that never terminate. Lots of people leave their computer on 24/7, or suspend to ram instead of shutting down or rebooting. In your scenario, unless the person powers down the computer (or there's a power failure), updates never get applied.
Some people are stupid enough to use the trashcan as their "archive"; some of the more "ingenious" use it as a version-controlled archive. "undelete undelete undelete undelete undelete - okay, it's that version I wanted!"
That last one actually makes sense for a quick-and-dirty "version control", so don't knock it. Never have the OS delete files that the user thinks are only archived in a "trash can" and can be recovered if necessary.
Ever see those stupid web sites that do that? They put a layer over everything, darken the background, and force you to click through to get rid of their shitty stuff? Now, do you remember what the ad said? Of course not. All you remember is you were pissed off that it got in the way of what you were trying to do.
Modeless+KeepAboveOthers, put it in "Help->Recent Errors", and the problem is solved. They can move it out of the way or hide it, and re-show it as necessary.
What I find interesting is that this opens up at least the possibility of that old sci-fi standby (really old - I haven't seen a reference to it in modern sci-fi) of polywater.
Polywater is supposed to be one of those "unobtaniums", theoretically impossible - but then again, bees have been "proven" not to be able to fly.
With a graphics program or word processor, for an end user to see an error message is inexcusable. If your users are getting errors, your program is poorly designed.
Your drive is full. Do yo want me to
[Delete C:/My Documents/Porn and try again] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - just reformat the drive to make more room]
Unable to save file goat.se - unknown file type.
[Save as] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - pick the name of an existing file at random and overwrite it]
Warning: This will reformat your hard drive. Are you sure?
[Yes] [No] [I don't read error messages - just do it]
Unable to connect to remote server
[Retry] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - just fake it by showing me random crap from my local filesystem]
Incomplete file transfer.
[Save] [Delete] [Retry] [Quit] [I don't read error messages - pick an option at random]
A file by that name already exists.
[Overwrite] [Rename] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - hose my old file]
Your battery is low.
[Save and quit] [Quit without saving] [Suspend to disk] [I don't read error messages - never warn me again, EVER]
And the best one:
New updates have been installed.
[Reboot new] [Reboot later] [Reboot now even though I clicked on Reboot later]
Try clicking on the dialog box, hitting ctrl-c, then opening notepad and hitting ctrl-v. It's non-intuitive that you don't have to highlight the text, but it normally works.
You're talking about people who just blindly click on buttons to make error dialogs go away. Someone in the middle of trying to do something doesn't want their computer to get in the way to begin with, which is why they just click to get rid of the message - it works some of the time, or at least SEEMS to, and that's all that counts to them.
The LAST thing that user is going to remember after your program swallowed 4 hours of work is the text in an error box - they're too much in a panic trying to keep the computer from eating their work.
This is why a modal box for error messages is a design mistake.
... and so is creating another instance of the box for every error - nothing says "amateur programmer" more than 50 error boxes one after another. Better to just append a new line of text explaining the error to a ring buffer of, say 100 entries, and when an error occurs, show the contents of the buffer, without disabling access to the underlying program. At least this way they can sometimes salvage something, and if not, they can still read the error messages.
It's worse than you make out. There's a good chance that by the time the new drugs are out, the bugs dna will have naturally selected for the ability to mutate faster. The "window of opportunity" for newer drugs is already less than it was for the originals.
Microsoft used none of these well-known solutions in their random solution. Instead they fell for the well-known trap. What they did is sort the array, but with a custom-defined comparison function. JavaScript, like many other programming languages, allows a custom comparator function to be specified. In the case of JavaScript, this function takes two indexes into the value array and returns a value which is:
< 0 if the value at the first index should be sorted before the value at the second index
0 if the values at the first index and the second index are equal, which is to say you are indifferent as to what order they are sorted
< 0 if the value at the first index should be sorted after the value at the second index
According to the description, it returns either 0 or < 0.
That's not the way the comparator function works in any implementation I've seen. Hopefully, the test code the author wrote wasn't as random as the documentation.
It's still news, and it's still news that matters. People are dying, others want to help, and a 3rd party tries to get in between and skim off as much as they can. The day that we no longer consider this news is the day we as a society say that this is just normal behavior.
Same place I buy 8' usb cables for $2. accesselectronique.com - they're about 2 kilometers from where I live. $15 for a 5-port switch (not a hub - a real switch). Case fans for a buck - or less when they're on special.
It depends on the serial-to-usb converter chip used. Some don't do a good job of replicating all the characteristics of the port. Best advice is try different types until you find one that works. The newer ones do a good job - the older ones were really hit-and-miss (mostly miss) affairs.
I use one just fine with an old WACOM 12" tablet under linux, so while the port may be dead, we can still use serial software and hardware. There's no reason you can't use two $15 converters plus a null modem to run that old DOS-based serial telecom program (ah, telix... thanks for the memories).
If it is too expensive to build again, or if it would be replaced with something else, it may in fact be "priceless" in the sense that money will not ever be allocated to replace it.
A good example is the current fleet of space shuttles. They are priceless in this sense. Once they are gone, they are gone for good.
You missed the point. Here, let me fix it for you,
For some time now I have lamented the fact that major issues are overlooked while many
Unnecessary bills come to me for consideration. Water reform, prison reform, and health
Care are major issues my Administration has brought to the table, but the Legislature just
Kicks the can down the alley.
Yet another legislative year has come and gone without the major reforms Californians
Overwhelmingly deserve. In light of this, and after careful consideration, I believe it is
Unnecessary to sign this measure at this time."
If people are offended by swear words not directed at them, the problem lies with them and not the speaker.
If people are offended by my naked body out in public, that's their problem, not mine.
Seriously, we have public decency laws for a reason - it's so we don't go around offending people.
Seriously? You're welcome to go around here in public totally naked. We'll have fun watching you freeze in sub-zero weather.
Suppose I have a neighbor who is offended by the word "noodle", for some inexplicable reason. You're saying it's perfectly acceptable for me to deliberately use the word "noodle" in every way possible every time the neighbor is within earshot?
Common decency would suggest otherwise. I may think it's absurd to be offended by the word "noodle", but I'm certainly not going to deliberately offend my neighbor.
And yet you're saying it's perfectly acceptable to go around deliberately offending people. I guess you have no sense of decency.
No, your neighbor then needs to get their noodle examined. What if your neighbor is offended by gays and lesbians? What if your neighbor is offended by inter-racial marriage? What if your neighbor is offended by YOU?
What if I find it offensive that your neighbor is so easily offended? What if I find it offensive that YOU defend such offensive behaviour? Have you no sense of decency?
The accepted way to let people know you want your AP to be free is to name it something like "FREE" or "FREENET" or "PUBLIC" (if you want to get lots of users, name it something along the lines of "FREEPORN"). Have all incoming http requests redirect to your home box, which should list hundreds of videos - all with "interesting" names - and all just being another copy of a Rick Roll vid. After all, Rick Rolling the Vice Squad == PRICELESS!
For those who miss the point, the reference to the "free property rights of horse and carriage" law of 1798 is a joke - there is no such law outside of crappy movies.
Slashdot Mirror
Why do you think I put "proven" in quotes? Trying to score cheap points by demonstrating the reading skills of a 2nd-grader is not cool. (see, I can play the insult game too).
Wrong on two counts, but nice to see you can stupidly parrot wikipedia.
1. Animals eat for more than just energy.
2. People used to think that solids could only shrink when compressed. We now have solids that expand under pressure. Things change as our understanding of the universe changes.
3. Again, according to yours (and Feynmans) beliefs, I should be okay to eat gasoline - after all, it's got more energy than the salad I had at supper. Carbo-hydrates, hydro-carbons, what's the diff ... but it doesn't work that way.
4. Feynman also believes there's only one electron, one proton, and one neutron in the whole universe, and they cycle back and forth in time - we see a cross-section of those multiple paths as our current universe. Do you buy that too?
5. One word: Catalysts. Meditate on it. NO, don't start now ... meditate on it. For at least a week.
Look, all rancor aside (because after all, you DID start it), we spend too much time saying why something is "umpossible", and not enough asking how we can make it possible. Progress doesn't happen by accepting the status quo, whether it's in the "textus receptus" of science or society. Would polywater be awesome? Yes. So instead of coming up with a million reasons why it can't possibly exist, why not ask "why not?"
Progress is made only by the "why not" crowd. Why not free the slaves? Why not abandon feudalism? Why not give women the vote (personally, I think that if anyone should have the vote taken away from them, it's men - they think with the wrong head - the one that's too small for any brains) Why not allow same-sex marriage? Why not have heavier-than-air flight? Why not travel faster than sound? Why not go to the moon? Why not network all these computers together? Why not try to sell computers to people instead of just jigamongous corporations? Why not try yet another filament even though the first 1000 didn't result in a practical light bulb? Why not try to make this piece of code better, even though it's already "sort of good enough"?
Look at your own personal life. Hasn't the most progress been made, or you achieved the most, when you decided that you would do something anyway, even though you could easily justify shirking the opportunity?
Why not polywater? Even if it's just for the lulz?
Why do you think it put "proven" in quotes? Because " I " like " using " quote " characters " or " s"o"m"e"t"h"i"n"g" """?
I know, you're just bugging me, right :-)
I knew that when I brought up polywater, I'd get a mini-tsunami.
That last one actually makes sense for a quick-and-dirty "version control", so don't knock it. Never have the OS delete files that the user thinks are only archived in a "trash can" and can be recovered if necessary.
Modeless+KeepAboveOthers, put it in "Help->Recent Errors", and the problem is solved. They can move it out of the way or hide it, and re-show it as necessary.
What I find interesting is that this opens up at least the possibility of that old sci-fi standby (really old - I haven't seen a reference to it in modern sci-fi) of polywater.
Polywater is supposed to be one of those "unobtaniums", theoretically impossible - but then again, bees have been "proven" not to be able to fly.
The selection pressure is never removed. Resistance to a drug isn't binary - it's not "either 0% or 100%".
So the bugs that can mutate more rapidly will usually win out provided that the mutations aren't detrimental.
Ask your local flu virus.
Your drive is full. Do yo want me to
[Delete C:/My Documents/Porn and try again] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - just reformat the drive to make more room]
Unable to save file goat.se - unknown file type.
[Save as] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - pick the name of an existing file at random and overwrite it]
Warning: This will reformat your hard drive. Are you sure?
[Yes] [No] [I don't read error messages - just do it]
Unable to connect to remote server
[Retry] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - just fake it by showing me random crap from my local filesystem]
Incomplete file transfer.
[Save] [Delete] [Retry] [Quit] [I don't read error messages - pick an option at random]
A file by that name already exists.
[Overwrite] [Rename] [Cancel] [I don't read error messages - hose my old file]
Your battery is low.
[Save and quit] [Quit without saving] [Suspend to disk] [I don't read error messages - never warn me again, EVER]
And the best one:
New updates have been installed.
[Reboot new] [Reboot later] [Reboot now even though I clicked on Reboot later]
You're talking about people who just blindly click on buttons to make error dialogs go away. Someone in the middle of trying to do something doesn't want their computer to get in the way to begin with, which is why they just click to get rid of the message - it works some of the time, or at least SEEMS to, and that's all that counts to them.
The LAST thing that user is going to remember after your program swallowed 4 hours of work is the text in an error box - they're too much in a panic trying to keep the computer from eating their work.
This is why a modal box for error messages is a design mistake.
It's worse than you make out. There's a good chance that by the time the new drugs are out, the bugs dna will have naturally selected for the ability to mutate faster. The "window of opportunity" for newer drugs is already less than it was for the originals.
According to the description, it returns either 0 or < 0.
That's not the way the comparator function works in any implementation I've seen. Hopefully, the test code the author wrote wasn't as random as the documentation.
Or we could go into "negative population growth."
That would mean we have both an increase in standards of living and a reduction in the number of slums.
If you've lived in a slum neighborhood, less than zpg is an attractive option.
It's still news, and it's still news that matters. People are dying, others want to help, and a 3rd party tries to get in between and skim off as much as they can. The day that we no longer consider this news is the day we as a society say that this is just normal behavior.
Same place I buy 8' usb cables for $2. accesselectronique.com - they're about 2 kilometers from where I live. $15 for a 5-port switch (not a hub - a real switch). Case fans for a buck - or less when they're on special.
It depends on the serial-to-usb converter chip used. Some don't do a good job of replicating all the characteristics of the port. Best advice is try different types until you find one that works. The newer ones do a good job - the older ones were really hit-and-miss (mostly miss) affairs.
I use one just fine with an old WACOM 12" tablet under linux, so while the port may be dead, we can still use serial software and hardware. There's no reason you can't use two $15 converters plus a null modem to run that old DOS-based serial telecom program (ah, telix ... thanks for the memories).
If it is too expensive to build again, or if it would be replaced with something else, it may in fact be "priceless" in the sense that money will not ever be allocated to replace it.
A good example is the current fleet of space shuttles. They are priceless in this sense. Once they are gone, they are gone for good.
Big deal - people were running their computers in aquariums filled with olive oil years ago. Adds whole new meaning to "do you want fries with that?"
No - for that you can just dial #42 from any cell phone.
For some time now I have lamented the fact that major issues are overlooked while many
Unnecessary bills come to me for consideration. Water reform, prison reform, and health
Care are major issues my Administration has brought to the table, but the Legislature just
Kicks the can down the alley.
Yet another legislative year has come and gone without the major reforms Californians
Overwhelmingly deserve. In light of this, and after careful consideration, I believe it is
Unnecessary to sign this measure at this time."
Seriously? You're welcome to go around here in public totally naked. We'll have fun watching you freeze in sub-zero weather.
No, your neighbor then needs to get their noodle examined. What if your neighbor is offended by gays and lesbians? What if your neighbor is offended by inter-racial marriage? What if your neighbor is offended by YOU?
What if I find it offensive that your neighbor is so easily offended? What if I find it offensive that YOU defend such offensive behaviour? Have you no sense of decency?
They wouldn't be noticed among the tens of thousands of humans calling every day to swear at the gubbimint.
The accepted way to let people know you want your AP to be free is to name it something like "FREE" or "FREENET" or "PUBLIC" (if you want to get lots of users, name it something along the lines of "FREEPORN"). Have all incoming http requests redirect to your home box, which should list hundreds of videos - all with "interesting" names - and all just being another copy of a Rick Roll vid. After all, Rick Rolling the Vice Squad == PRICELESS!
For those who miss the point, the reference to the "free property rights of horse and carriage" law of 1798 is a joke - there is no such law outside of crappy movies.
s/wireless signal/unlocked front door/gi
In both cases, you are still going to be arrested and convicted. Why? Because it's not YOURS to take.