Oh, did they get rid of the blue screen button? Well, I'm sure that made the other [ctrl] [alt] and [delete] buttons redundant, which frees up 5 more places to put Windows buttons.:)
You know, that's not a bad option, except it makes it less portable. I had an alienware laptop that was just out of warranty. The keyboard stopped working and I was told "just plug in a USB keyboard, and you can order a key keyboard for only $125". Hrm. I went the USB keyboard *without* ordering theirs. The machine only survived a couple more months, before dying a horrible death. (It was left running in my hotel room while I was out somewhere. The A/C broke. I got back a few hours later to find it wouldn't turn back on.). Traveling with a keyboard in tow isn't exactly ideal. Fullsize keyboards don't fit well in laptop bags.
I've been generally annoyed with laptops, since they move keys around anyways. I've found the same thing with PC keyboards. Sure, all the letters, numbers, and characters are in the same place. Well, except the enter key may be shaped differently, which will move the backslash and pipe elsewhere. Sometimes the tilde (~) and backquote(`) get shoved off somewhere, because who would ever want to use those? Or some arbitrary non-alphanumeric key will be sized smaller since "no one uses it". My big gripe is with the keys between the alphanumeric group and the 10-key group. Depending on the keyboard, they move things around. Sure, it's fine if you hunt and peck, but when I'm pounding away at 100wpm, stopping to find where a keyboard layout put some key is annoying and time consuming.
I'm not against change, and can adapt, but when I'm asked to work on various computers, it's a pain to play the "where is the [something]key. If it was a migration to a new standard, that would be a lot different. Instead, vendors are changing to suit their needs (or just to be different), and making life difficult for those of us who use lots of different machines.
I'm not a snob. I usually buy the $9.99 keyboards for machines I use. Why? Because when they break, I won't care.:) I am careful to make sure the keys are all in the right places though. Right now, I'm using an emachines keyboard that I adopted from a stack of unused keyboards. All the keys are in the right places. They added volume buttons above the regular keys, and a sleep/hibernate button way off to the right side. Otherwise, it's a standard 104-key keyboard, and I won't have to go hunting for keys.
I never really liked Lenovo's, but if they're screwing with the keyboard layouts, I won't ever willingly use one.
[Kelly Bundy]: You know, I haven't heard anybody chant that word since me and my girlfriends were standing around when this old guy in this Dodge drove by... Ew, Daddy!
I've known guys like this. They'll be sitting in the bar alone, explaining to themselves (and anyone who accidentally gets close enough to talk to), why they can't get a girl. If they'd put more effort into themselves, and meeting women, they'd find themselves very successful. Girls don't like the depressed guy at the bar. They like the guy they can talk to and have fun with.
I was just going to say that.:) I'm positive that's why he doesn't have a girlfriend. Maybe there have been girls that wanted to be with him, but when while he was charting their weight, menstrual cycle, and the optimal way to get them into bed, they had already walked out looking for a guy who would pay attention TO them, not calculate ABOUT them.:)
To add to my confusion, the folks I knew that told me that spoke at least 2 languages, but usually 3 or more, so it's likely they knew a mix of them. I only ever learned a very few words of Russian, so all I can share is 2nd hand information.
You should get a good copy of the Purity Test, and see how many points you can lose. It may take a while, but it's worth it. Depending on the test, my score is down around 19%. No gay, children, necrophilia, piss/scat, or animals. Pretty much everything else is fair game.:)
Only if you're looking at my pictures on a small screen. But hey, I'm sure most AC's only troll on here and then go look at porn in their mothers basement, so you've probably seen me more than once, and cried because you're so inadequate, and I'm getting the hot chicks you can only dream about.
I had a projection TV in my house (and kickass sound system to match). The screen was 10 feet wide, and 6 feet tall (more or less). I simply couldn't bring myself to watch porn on it though. Huge breasts would be entertaining, but it may make me feel insecure about my 8 inches, when I see a 6 foot penis on the screen.
I was on the phone with it on HBO one day, and was totally distracted when the Dukes of Hazard movie was on, and they panned up Jessica Simpson's legs. I was simply speechless. The person I was talking to asked if I was ok, and it took me a minute or so to form coherent sentences. Once I described what I just saw, they were very understanding.:)
Ya, if there was a money shot towards the camera in 3D, I'd probably puke on the spot. It may not be too bad on a regular TV, but think of what would appear to be gallons of it flying at you. eeeeewwwwwww.
You've never heard of the infamous one eyed trouser snake?
From the (urban)dictionary entry:
"An elusive animal that comes in many shapes and sizes. The rare hooded trouser snake is more aware of its environment, but this snake likes to collect cheesy matter and keep it in its hood. Each snake carries a venom sack that produces a white venom when it reaches maturity. The snake's one eye also functions as its mouth and waste removal system. The snake does not like cold weather and will shrink in cold conditions. It thrives in warm conditions, such as the many burrows it spits into in order to mark its territory. When touched, the snake will swell up to twice its original size in order to frighten off predators."
plankton already has some less than pleasing definitions, but I've never heard them used in the wild.
I will preface this with, IANAL (I Am Not A Linguist), but....
I just know that some folks who were from ex-soviet states could read and speak to each other in their native languages (not necessarily Russian), and understand each other. They said that their native languages were similar enough to get the idea of what was being discussed.
I had a glance at the Mongolian language page, and it appears that outer Mongolia uses cyrillic, but inner Mongolia uses Traditional Mongolian Script. On the page you cited, it seems that cyrillic was introduced for Mongolian in the 1940's. The Mongolian language page also says that there was an attempt at introducing Latin characters as the standard in the 1930's, and is still used today for some work, including online work.
You can read Latin characters, but it doesn't mean that you can read Latin.:)
Many languages share common characters, usually based on the roots of that language.
But, from what I understand of the languages that use Cyrillic characters, they are very similar, so a speaker of a sister language could understand the text. That would be similar to the way an English reader could understand some words in French, Spanish, or Italian.
It's important to remember, anything worth doing isn't easy. Remember that next time you're in the bar with your beer goggles on, and the "cute" girl wants to sleep with you.. Trust me, you'll regret it in the morning.
There's nothing like rolling over in the morning and saying "Dear god, what did I do?"
Prove that if society operated differently, there would be a different outcome by now? Prove that if talented people were allowed to use their talents, rather than working jobs that pay the rent, a series of technological advancements would or wouldn't have happened? That part I can't prove to you.
I can say that there are a lot of talented people out there, who have inventions or innovations in their minds, but they will never see reality because of many limitations. There are several things I want to build, that simply don't exist yet. I don't have the money to do it, and it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. I'm just one person. There are countless others out there like me.
Actually, I'm not much of a Star Trek fan. Funny that, huh?:) I'm frequently amazed at nature, and no matter how much time I spend in it, it's still amazing. Regardless of where I am.
I've been close to the arctic circle, looking at trees growing in some of the most inhospitable places and frozen rivers with just a peek to see the water flowing.
I've been in tropical places, where the closest living creatures were alligators and mosquitoes. Mind you, that's not a very comfortable place to be on a moonless night.
I've chased coyotes in arid foothills, finding that I'm only armed with my voice and a small stick.
I've stood in the deserts of the American Southwest, seeing no sign of humanity in every direction, and no contact with the "civilized" world.
I even spend a lot of my time online outside. Before it got cold, I did most of my stuff online outside on a laptop. I sit still and quiet, only moving my fingers and occasionally picking up a cigarette. I've been approached by deer, armadillos, and raccoons who weren't aware I was there. I've been at peace with my environment, and it tends to be at peace with me.
I love nature, and respect it deeply. In that, nature tends to respect me. At very least, it hasn't eaten me yet, but I've tended to avoid dangerous nature when it approaches.
I do have a strong belief in our intellect. Just because you or I don't know how to do something, doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who can. Then again, maybe you or I are the people who could work magic and advance humanity if we weren't constrained by the bounds of modern society.
There have been a lot of things in scifi that have come true. We create because we fantasize about it, and someone makes it come true. I can't say that will apply to everything, but it applies to a lot of things. Cars that drive over 20mph. Flying machines that can take you half way around the world in hours instead of weeks. Vehicles capable of transporting us into space. Personal communicators to allow you to talk to someone no matter where you are. We even have devices that can tell you where you are, and how to get somewhere else.
If you were able to step back 50 years, and explain what is normal today, people would think you are nuts. Even the digital watch wouldn't be invented for another 10 years. I hope that in another 50 years, the same still applies. Heck, 20 years ago, there was no such thing as a DVD, although it seems like an obvious mate to the CD which didn't start into consumer production until 1981, and it wasn't until the mid 1980's that it was something practical, as most titles weren't even available on it until then.
I'd suspect if we can make a molecular replica of something, organs would be completely compatible. What is DNA anyways? A collection of molecules. I would suspect that a person couldn't exactly be cloned. While it's common to say that we couldn't reinvent a "soul", I would believe it would be more difficult to duplicate the electrical charges which are what makes our brains. Likewise, you may be able to replicate a hard drive, but would it be readable? I guess if we were far enough to be able to reassemble electrons, we should be able to align them for the required charges too. Ahh, there's a whole new problem.:) Would a clone army be most appropriate though? For the more powerful army to be built, it would seem advantageous to use selective breeding. Through selection of the appropriate traits, each generation should be better for the suited task, as long as they are properly evaluated for unwanted traits.... and for people who are going to get pissed off about that one, get over it. We've been selectively breeding just about every living thing that you know of, for generations. Even you were selectively bred. Lets hope that it was from your parents appropriately selecting a mate, and not out of desperation for companionship.:)
Well, on #1, my daughter won't ever be allowed to date, so that problem is eliminated right off.:) It's easy to say right now, since she's a toddler, and the only man she loves is daddy. It's a concept I refuse to accept, at least for the next decade.:)
I do see your point though. Things would be shifted from physical items, to more intellectual ones. I'd love to see humanity released from the need of things to live, to pursue more intellectual tasks. Oh, what we could do if money was not a restriction. People could go with their passions, and do what they really wanted. Right now, we could visit other planets, or explore deep into the oceans, or pursue arts or science. How many starving artists could rival the works of the "masters" if they weren't limited by their current needs for food, clothing, and shelter? We could do what we love, because we love it, not work loveless jobs because we need money to survive. Those are simple examples. People could find so many new ways to do what they love. I'm sure animal lovers would absolutely love to help sick and injured animals.
It does bring up a problem though. I know most doctors would love to be able to save every patient, but so many can't be saved because simple things like donor organs aren't available. What if they were on an unlimited basis. We'd quickly overpopulate our planet, and many others. I'm sure wars would start though, that would take care of that problem pretty quickly.:( There's always someone with enough hate to ruin a good thing.
The "scan proofing" would only be an target for people to subvert. Heck, we subvert just about every protection these days anyways, so it would just be an ongoing battle. The same applies to the scanning chamber size. So the initial one is built with a 1 cubic foot scanning and replication chamber, but the unit itself is 10 cubic feet. Someone else builds an "industrial" one that's 100 cubic feet. I wouldn't really see building one the size of a planet being practical, but who knows, maybe it would be for various purposes. You could get a planet the same way we get mobile homes now. "Where would you like your planet moved to?"
Would energy really be a problem? If you were working at an atomic scale, shifting a few electrons from one atom to another would be a simple task. So I have sand as a source. I could output uranium. It would take care of that pesky task of disposing of waste materials. Toxic wastes could simply be reorganized into a usable material again.
Exotic materials that are rare or nonexistent could become common place. In our current economy, it would be catastrophic. What if anyone could simply generate tons of gold, or other precious materials. Again, for simple reasons like this, such a machine would never be built.
Slashdot Mirror
How do you hit [shift]-[ins] to paste?
Oh, did they get rid of the blue screen button? Well, I'm sure that made the other [ctrl] [alt] and [delete] buttons redundant, which frees up 5 more places to put Windows buttons. :)
You know, that's not a bad option, except it makes it less portable. I had an alienware laptop that was just out of warranty. The keyboard stopped working and I was told "just plug in a USB keyboard, and you can order a key keyboard for only $125". Hrm. I went the USB keyboard *without* ordering theirs. The machine only survived a couple more months, before dying a horrible death. (It was left running in my hotel room while I was out somewhere. The A/C broke. I got back a few hours later to find it wouldn't turn back on.). Traveling with a keyboard in tow isn't exactly ideal. Fullsize keyboards don't fit well in laptop bags.
I've been generally annoyed with laptops, since they move keys around anyways. I've found the same thing with PC keyboards. Sure, all the letters, numbers, and characters are in the same place. Well, except the enter key may be shaped differently, which will move the backslash and pipe elsewhere. Sometimes the tilde (~) and backquote(`) get shoved off somewhere, because who would ever want to use those? Or some arbitrary non-alphanumeric key will be sized smaller since "no one uses it". My big gripe is with the keys between the alphanumeric group and the 10-key group. Depending on the keyboard, they move things around. Sure, it's fine if you hunt and peck, but when I'm pounding away at 100wpm, stopping to find where a keyboard layout put some key is annoying and time consuming.
I'm not against change, and can adapt, but when I'm asked to work on various computers, it's a pain to play the "where is the [something]key. If it was a migration to a new standard, that would be a lot different. Instead, vendors are changing to suit their needs (or just to be different), and making life difficult for those of us who use lots of different machines.
I'm not a snob. I usually buy the $9.99 keyboards for machines I use. Why? Because when they break, I won't care. :) I am careful to make sure the keys are all in the right places though. Right now, I'm using an emachines keyboard that I adopted from a stack of unused keyboards. All the keys are in the right places. They added volume buttons above the regular keys, and a sleep/hibernate button way off to the right side. Otherwise, it's a standard 104-key keyboard, and I won't have to go hunting for keys.
I never really liked Lenovo's, but if they're screwing with the keyboard layouts, I won't ever willingly use one.
[Al Bundy] Boobies.. boobies.. boobies.. BOOBIES!
Actually, right from the show
[Al Bundy]: Boobies. Boobies. Boobies. Boobies.
[Kelly comes downstairs; all but Al stop]
[Al Bundy]: Boobies. Boobies. Boobies. Um... Hi, Pumpkin.
[Kelly Bundy]: You know, I haven't heard anybody chant that word since me and my girlfriends were standing around when this old guy in this Dodge drove by... Ew, Daddy!
I'd prefer if they didn't replace the first with the second, but added them together.
MMmm.. Obscenity, naked breasts, genitalia, explosions, and goofy antics.
THAT would be a good show.
[Penn] "Today we're going to be blowing up this fucking thing, and to help us, is the Swedish bikini team, without their bikini's. Fuck this is cool."
[Teller] [nods acceptingly]
[Adam] "Wow, how did we land this gig."
[Jamie] "Yeah."
[Swedish Bikini Team] "Would you like us to blow something up now?"
Ahhhhhh, the perfect show....
3.28 feet? Talk about hung like a horse.
I've known guys like this. They'll be sitting in the bar alone, explaining to themselves (and anyone who accidentally gets close enough to talk to), why they can't get a girl. If they'd put more effort into themselves, and meeting women, they'd find themselves very successful. Girls don't like the depressed guy at the bar. They like the guy they can talk to and have fun with.
I was just going to say that. :) I'm positive that's why he doesn't have a girlfriend. Maybe there have been girls that wanted to be with him, but when while he was charting their weight, menstrual cycle, and the optimal way to get them into bed, they had already walked out looking for a guy who would pay attention TO them, not calculate ABOUT them. :)
He'd probably make a very good stalker though.
You haven't been around here very long, have you?
To add to my confusion, the folks I knew that told me that spoke at least 2 languages, but usually 3 or more, so it's likely they knew a mix of them. I only ever learned a very few words of Russian, so all I can share is 2nd hand information.
You should get a good copy of the Purity Test, and see how many points you can lose. It may take a while, but it's worth it. Depending on the test, my score is down around 19%. No gay, children, necrophilia, piss/scat, or animals. Pretty much everything else is fair game. :)
I get a headache with a CRT monitor at 60hz (60 refreshes per second, for the oblivious), I can imagine what 30fps flickering glasses would do.
Only if you're looking at my pictures on a small screen. But hey, I'm sure most AC's only troll on here and then go look at porn in their mothers basement, so you've probably seen me more than once, and cried because you're so inadequate, and I'm getting the hot chicks you can only dream about.
I had a projection TV in my house (and kickass sound system to match). The screen was 10 feet wide, and 6 feet tall (more or less). I simply couldn't bring myself to watch porn on it though. Huge breasts would be entertaining, but it may make me feel insecure about my 8 inches, when I see a 6 foot penis on the screen.
I was on the phone with it on HBO one day, and was totally distracted when the Dukes of Hazard movie was on, and they panned up Jessica Simpson's legs. I was simply speechless. The person I was talking to asked if I was ok, and it took me a minute or so to form coherent sentences. Once I described what I just saw, they were very understanding. :)
Ya, if there was a money shot towards the camera in 3D, I'd probably puke on the spot. It may not be too bad on a regular TV, but think of what would appear to be gallons of it flying at you. eeeeewwwwwww.
Beavers are good to wear as a mustache also. :)
You've never heard of the infamous one eyed trouser snake?
From the (urban)dictionary entry:
"An elusive animal that comes in many shapes and sizes. The rare hooded trouser snake is more aware of its environment, but this snake likes to collect cheesy matter and keep it in its hood. Each snake carries a venom sack that produces a white venom when it reaches maturity. The snake's one eye also functions as its mouth and waste removal system. The snake does not like cold weather and will shrink in cold conditions. It thrives in warm conditions, such as the many burrows it spits into in order to mark its territory. When touched, the snake will swell up to twice its original size in order to frighten off predators."
plankton already has some less than pleasing definitions, but I've never heard them used in the wild.
I will preface this with, IANAL (I Am Not A Linguist), but....
I just know that some folks who were from ex-soviet states could read and speak to each other in their native languages (not necessarily Russian), and understand each other. They said that their native languages were similar enough to get the idea of what was being discussed.
I had a glance at the Mongolian language page, and it appears that outer Mongolia uses cyrillic, but inner Mongolia uses Traditional Mongolian Script. On the page you cited, it seems that cyrillic was introduced for Mongolian in the 1940's. The Mongolian language page also says that there was an attempt at introducing Latin characters as the standard in the 1930's, and is still used today for some work, including online work.
You can read Latin characters, but it doesn't mean that you can read Latin. :)
Many languages share common characters, usually based on the roots of that language.
But, from what I understand of the languages that use Cyrillic characters, they are very similar, so a speaker of a sister language could understand the text. That would be similar to the way an English reader could understand some words in French, Spanish, or Italian.
It's important to remember, anything worth doing isn't easy. Remember that next time you're in the bar with your beer goggles on, and the "cute" girl wants to sleep with you.. Trust me, you'll regret it in the morning.
There's nothing like rolling over in the morning and saying "Dear god, what did I do?"
Prove that if society operated differently, there would be a different outcome by now? Prove that if talented people were allowed to use their talents, rather than working jobs that pay the rent, a series of technological advancements would or wouldn't have happened? That part I can't prove to you.
I can say that there are a lot of talented people out there, who have inventions or innovations in their minds, but they will never see reality because of many limitations. There are several things I want to build, that simply don't exist yet. I don't have the money to do it, and it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. I'm just one person. There are countless others out there like me.
Actually, I'm not much of a Star Trek fan. Funny that, huh? :) I'm frequently amazed at nature, and no matter how much time I spend in it, it's still amazing. Regardless of where I am.
I've been close to the arctic circle, looking at trees growing in some of the most inhospitable places and frozen rivers with just a peek to see the water flowing.
I've been in tropical places, where the closest living creatures were alligators and mosquitoes. Mind you, that's not a very comfortable place to be on a moonless night.
I've chased coyotes in arid foothills, finding that I'm only armed with my voice and a small stick.
I've stood in the deserts of the American Southwest, seeing no sign of humanity in every direction, and no contact with the "civilized" world.
I even spend a lot of my time online outside. Before it got cold, I did most of my stuff online outside on a laptop. I sit still and quiet, only moving my fingers and occasionally picking up a cigarette. I've been approached by deer, armadillos, and raccoons who weren't aware I was there. I've been at peace with my environment, and it tends to be at peace with me.
I love nature, and respect it deeply. In that, nature tends to respect me. At very least, it hasn't eaten me yet, but I've tended to avoid dangerous nature when it approaches.
I do have a strong belief in our intellect. Just because you or I don't know how to do something, doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who can. Then again, maybe you or I are the people who could work magic and advance humanity if we weren't constrained by the bounds of modern society.
There have been a lot of things in scifi that have come true. We create because we fantasize about it, and someone makes it come true. I can't say that will apply to everything, but it applies to a lot of things. Cars that drive over 20mph. Flying machines that can take you half way around the world in hours instead of weeks. Vehicles capable of transporting us into space. Personal communicators to allow you to talk to someone no matter where you are. We even have devices that can tell you where you are, and how to get somewhere else.
If you were able to step back 50 years, and explain what is normal today, people would think you are nuts. Even the digital watch wouldn't be invented for another 10 years. I hope that in another 50 years, the same still applies. Heck, 20 years ago, there was no such thing as a DVD, although it seems like an obvious mate to the CD which didn't start into consumer production until 1981, and it wasn't until the mid 1980's that it was something practical, as most titles weren't even available on it until then.
I'd suspect if we can make a molecular replica of something, organs would be completely compatible. What is DNA anyways? A collection of molecules. I would suspect that a person couldn't exactly be cloned. While it's common to say that we couldn't reinvent a "soul", I would believe it would be more difficult to duplicate the electrical charges which are what makes our brains. Likewise, you may be able to replicate a hard drive, but would it be readable? I guess if we were far enough to be able to reassemble electrons, we should be able to align them for the required charges too. Ahh, there's a whole new problem. :) Would a clone army be most appropriate though? For the more powerful army to be built, it would seem advantageous to use selective breeding. Through selection of the appropriate traits, each generation should be better for the suited task, as long as they are properly evaluated for unwanted traits. ... and for people who are going to get pissed off about that one, get over it. We've been selectively breeding just about every living thing that you know of, for generations. Even you were selectively bred. Lets hope that it was from your parents appropriately selecting a mate, and not out of desperation for companionship. :)
Well, on #1, my daughter won't ever be allowed to date, so that problem is eliminated right off. :) It's easy to say right now, since she's a toddler, and the only man she loves is daddy. It's a concept I refuse to accept, at least for the next decade. :)
I do see your point though. Things would be shifted from physical items, to more intellectual ones. I'd love to see humanity released from the need of things to live, to pursue more intellectual tasks. Oh, what we could do if money was not a restriction. People could go with their passions, and do what they really wanted. Right now, we could visit other planets, or explore deep into the oceans, or pursue arts or science. How many starving artists could rival the works of the "masters" if they weren't limited by their current needs for food, clothing, and shelter? We could do what we love, because we love it, not work loveless jobs because we need money to survive. Those are simple examples. People could find so many new ways to do what they love. I'm sure animal lovers would absolutely love to help sick and injured animals.
It does bring up a problem though. I know most doctors would love to be able to save every patient, but so many can't be saved because simple things like donor organs aren't available. What if they were on an unlimited basis. We'd quickly overpopulate our planet, and many others. I'm sure wars would start though, that would take care of that problem pretty quickly. :( There's always someone with enough hate to ruin a good thing.
The "scan proofing" would only be an target for people to subvert. Heck, we subvert just about every protection these days anyways, so it would just be an ongoing battle. The same applies to the scanning chamber size. So the initial one is built with a 1 cubic foot scanning and replication chamber, but the unit itself is 10 cubic feet. Someone else builds an "industrial" one that's 100 cubic feet. I wouldn't really see building one the size of a planet being practical, but who knows, maybe it would be for various purposes. You could get a planet the same way we get mobile homes now. "Where would you like your planet moved to?"
Would energy really be a problem? If you were working at an atomic scale, shifting a few electrons from one atom to another would be a simple task. So I have sand as a source. I could output uranium. It would take care of that pesky task of disposing of waste materials. Toxic wastes could simply be reorganized into a usable material again.
Exotic materials that are rare or nonexistent could become common place. In our current economy, it would be catastrophic. What if anyone could simply generate tons of gold, or other precious materials. Again, for simple reasons like this, such a machine would never be built.