Oh, that's just great... Especially since there's about fifty ways that even a simple tax return can be computed. You've heard of those experiments where they take relatively simple tax information for a fictional family, and send it to 30 different tax accountants, and the result is about 25 or more different returns, ranging from "you owe $1800" to "you're getting $2300 back"? Gee, I wonder which computation Massachusettes would take...
How many times can Bill get on stage, claim that "Microsoft is refocusing its effors into security", and be believable? I mean, they supposedly shifted all these resources into fixing the holes in Windows, and, well, we all know how well THAT went. Now we're supposed to roll over, forget about that, and say, "Oh, okay. He means it this time. I believe him."?
My PS2 (and more recently, a friend of mine's as well) started having a lot of groaning coming from the machine when loading a disc, and during some disc loading.
Ends up that the laser eye is mounted on a wormgear (visible on some of the screenshots in the article), and sometimes the little tab which sits in the wormgear's notch doesn't follow it so well anymore. I've managed to bend the plastic tab into the wormgear a bit better, but it still has the problem a bit, and it feels like a temporary fix, not a real solution. Anyone know how to fix this properly (read: permanently)?
Well, I as well am stuck in a cube with a computer most of the day, and as I get older, my metabolism certainly isn't what it once was (I used to be able to eat as much of anything as I wanted and stay thin, but those habits are catching up to me now).
On a whim, I was at Fry's Electronics and tried out the home Dance Dance Revolution pads they had there, and immediately got hooked. So I bought it for PS2. Initially, it didn't seem like exercise, but as I progressed and started working on mastering the harder songs at higher difficulty levels, I started sweating up a storm. I mean BUCKETS. Now, I play using StepMania, a DDR simulator for PC's, along with the over 500 tracks I've picked up from various sources on the Net. So I don't get bored, and it's really a lot of fun. You can get away with a basic PS2 mat and PS2->PC adapter for under $50, and Stepmania's open-source (so it's free).
My wife enjoys playing, and I've introduced lots of people to it, and I've lost a few pounds to boot. (And I haven't changed my eating habits yet, either).
Give it a shot; it's not just for the kids, I promise.
I'm hoping that TNN's lawyers use the ruling against the musician named Sting, in which the judge stated that "sting" is a common English work (as is spike), and as such cannot be copyrighted. The trial's a long way off, from what I've read, which is a shame, because Viacom really deserves to be able to go about its business and get their new name going, rather than be held up with some bogus lawsuit.
Not that I'm expecting much to come from this, but the more attention drawn to the problems (and the more people who say, "We're not just gonna sit around and take it anymore"), the better.
I just hope that the Koreans are a lot more stubborn than all the U.S. states that have ever-so-quickly accepted MS's settlement offers...
I've loved tinkering with computers since I was six (the same as most of you, I'm sure), and it had always been my hobby. But almost immediately upon entering college, I realized that making my hobby into my career ruined the hobby, and that it wasn't going to be as exciting, sitting in a cube coding 40+ hours a week.
I have just come off of a four-month layoff, which, had it not been for some decent connections and more than a little luck, would still be ongoing, and I had already started exploring other options. The real deadly thing is that when prospective employers looked at my salary history, they all shook their heads and made no bones about the fact that because my salary was much higher than they could offer, they didn't feel confident I would stick around if an engineering position opened up at another company. And so, I got locked out of other career paths because of my previous salary history.
During my layoff, I developed PalmOS software, something that had intrigued me while I was employed, but never had the time to explore. I wrote two games for PalmOS, and would have very much liked to make PalmOS software development a career.
But, I ended up back in Win32 software development, and still wonder if I could be good at other things. I can write well, but never saw myself as "creative" enough for creative writing.
As for my shelf life, I have no illusions that at age 35-40, things get tougher, as younger, less salary-demanding kids with fresher skills and less jaded attitudes will make me easily replaceable. What will I do then? Good question...
But I do know that all this instability, had I known about it (and not been blinded by the high salaries that go with tech jobs), I certainly would not have gone down this road.
This story upsets me. For years, I've been a Dave Matthews Band fan, another band which allows live taping of their shows. One of the great things about live taping is the community that gets built around the band, without the band being directly involved. I've met so many great people through trades and message boards.
Since the policy states that copies can't be made for other people, the entire network of live performance trading (for Phish, anyways), has just been destroyed, and the community that the trading has created with it.
I hope the band enjoys their $10 or $13, but it may cost them fans in the long run, and I hope it does. This is not a good precedent to set.
Should DMB ever go this way with their taping policy, I guarantee that they won't see another dime from me. Live performances is what first excited me about DMB, and the grassroots support that they had (and still do) via the trading network is a beutiful thing, and should be preserves. Yes, even in the face of the almighty dollar.
Slashdot Mirror
The South Park Movie. We still owe you one for Bryan Adams...
Oh, that's just great... Especially since there's about fifty ways that even a simple tax return can be computed. You've heard of those experiments where they take relatively simple tax information for a fictional family, and send it to 30 different tax accountants, and the result is about 25 or more different returns, ranging from "you owe $1800" to "you're getting $2300 back"? Gee, I wonder which computation Massachusettes would take...
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) claims to have free Wi-Fi coverage for all of Terminal A.
Zero to Blue Screen of Death in 3.8 seconds!
How many times can Bill get on stage, claim that "Microsoft is refocusing its effors into security", and be believable? I mean, they supposedly shifted all these resources into fixing the holes in Windows, and, well, we all know how well THAT went. Now we're supposed to roll over, forget about that, and say, "Oh, okay. He means it this time. I believe him."?
My PS2 (and more recently, a friend of mine's as well) started having a lot of groaning coming from the machine when loading a disc, and during some disc loading.
Ends up that the laser eye is mounted on a wormgear (visible on some of the screenshots in the article), and sometimes the little tab which sits in the wormgear's notch doesn't follow it so well anymore. I've managed to bend the plastic tab into the wormgear a bit better, but it still has the problem a bit, and it feels like a temporary fix, not a real solution. Anyone know how to fix this properly (read: permanently)?
I believe that in competition, each competitor solves ten cubes and the times are averaged, which helps eliminate the luck factor.
Well, I as well am stuck in a cube with a computer most of the day, and as I get older, my metabolism certainly isn't what it once was (I used to be able to eat as much of anything as I wanted and stay thin, but those habits are catching up to me now).
On a whim, I was at Fry's Electronics and tried out the home Dance Dance Revolution pads they had there, and immediately got hooked. So I bought it for PS2. Initially, it didn't seem like exercise, but as I progressed and started working on mastering the harder songs at higher difficulty levels, I started sweating up a storm. I mean BUCKETS. Now, I play using StepMania, a DDR simulator for PC's, along with the over 500 tracks I've picked up from various sources on the Net. So I don't get bored, and it's really a lot of fun. You can get away with a basic PS2 mat and PS2->PC adapter for under $50, and Stepmania's open-source (so it's free).
My wife enjoys playing, and I've introduced lots of people to it, and I've lost a few pounds to boot. (And I haven't changed my eating habits yet, either).
Give it a shot; it's not just for the kids, I promise.
I'm hoping that TNN's lawyers use the ruling against the musician named Sting, in which the judge stated that "sting" is a common English work (as is spike), and as such cannot be copyrighted. The trial's a long way off, from what I've read, which is a shame, because Viacom really deserves to be able to go about its business and get their new name going, rather than be held up with some bogus lawsuit.
Perhaps they could show that The New TNN (SpikeTV) has no connection to Spike Lee, and that would help move the case along.
And, yes, I know that Spike Jonez has joined the fray on TNN's side, which is also good news for the "good" folks at Viacom.
I guess Mr. Lee needs something to do during the Knicks' offseason (wait a minute, it looks like the offseason even when the Knicks are playing!...)
Not that I'm expecting much to come from this, but the more attention drawn to the problems (and the more people who say, "We're not just gonna sit around and take it anymore"), the better.
I just hope that the Koreans are a lot more stubborn than all the U.S. states that have ever-so-quickly accepted MS's settlement offers...
Almost definitely not.
I've loved tinkering with computers since I was six (the same as most of you, I'm sure), and it had always been my hobby. But almost immediately upon entering college, I realized that making my hobby into my career ruined the hobby, and that it wasn't going to be as exciting, sitting in a cube coding 40+ hours a week.
I have just come off of a four-month layoff, which, had it not been for some decent connections and more than a little luck, would still be ongoing, and I had already started exploring other options. The real deadly thing is that when prospective employers looked at my salary history, they all shook their heads and made no bones about the fact that because my salary was much higher than they could offer, they didn't feel confident I would stick around if an engineering position opened up at another company. And so, I got locked out of other career paths because of my previous salary history.
During my layoff, I developed PalmOS software, something that had intrigued me while I was employed, but never had the time to explore. I wrote two games for PalmOS, and would have very much liked to make PalmOS software development a career.
But, I ended up back in Win32 software development, and still wonder if I could be good at other things. I can write well, but never saw myself as "creative" enough for creative writing.
As for my shelf life, I have no illusions that at age 35-40, things get tougher, as younger, less salary-demanding kids with fresher skills and less jaded attitudes will make me easily replaceable. What will I do then? Good question...
But I do know that all this instability, had I known about it (and not been blinded by the high salaries that go with tech jobs), I certainly would not have gone down this road.
This story upsets me. For years, I've been a Dave Matthews Band fan, another band which allows live taping of their shows. One of the great things about live taping is the community that gets built around the band, without the band being directly involved. I've met so many great people through trades and message boards.
Since the policy states that copies can't be made for other people, the entire network of live performance trading (for Phish, anyways), has just been destroyed, and the community that the trading has created with it.
I hope the band enjoys their $10 or $13, but it may cost them fans in the long run, and I hope it does. This is not a good precedent to set.
Should DMB ever go this way with their taping policy, I guarantee that they won't see another dime from me. Live performances is what first excited me about DMB, and the grassroots support that they had (and still do) via the trading network is a beutiful thing, and should be preserves. Yes, even in the face of the almighty dollar.