Will be used in athletics for a limited time...
on
Mutation Creates SuperKid
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· Score: 5, Insightful
I like the fact that they're already touting this as an advance for athletics. That is, until people find out that (for example) it increases ALL muscles, including the heart, which'll then overgrow and collapses at the age of 35. There's a reason why mutations don't happen all the time.
"3rd party clients cut out a potential source of revenue for Yahoo"
Actually, 3rd party clients are the ONLY way they receive revenue from some of us. I keep a Yahoo and Hotmail email account. I rarely IM anyone outside of AIM. Trillian's checking of Yahoo email drives me to their site (where I see their ads). No checking, I don't go as often to check my mail. They lose money. As far as I'm concerned, Yahoo is shooting themselves in the foot.
"Compare that with how NASA closed ranks and divulged Columbia information"
I don't think that's fair or even justified. NASA is (primarily) a government organization. They have contractors to pay, politicians to appease, etc. Every flight is a multimilion dollar undertaking, and consider the vast majority for them have gone well, they must be doing something right.
Yesterday's flight, while incredible, was done with a very low budget (and in some ways, seat of the pants). Not that that's inherently "wrong", but they'd have a lot less people to answer to if something catastrophic happened. They'd probably have some investors to explain to, but NASA had over 300 million with Columbia. Would you rather the answers come out quickly or correctly?
"Is there anything Google can't do? Seriously, how cool is that?"
Just about as cool as when Apple, Sony, and even Microsoft (with restrictions) released some of their code. It's nothing new -- companies do it all the time for good PR and to help jumpstart initiatives. Question is, what code are they going to release, how much and when?
"Physics computations and weapons simulations so good looking, you're going to want to lick them." - Steve Jobs "Uh, we'd advise against that sir." - Army colonel "But he SAID I could lick them! Ooh, red, yellow and green WMD icons!" - G. W. Bush
Since you're a Linux user, you probably have a good grasp of most computing concepts. I'm a little surprised that you don't know about slipstreaming. Google it. Simply put, slipstreaming will add all of the current service packs/patches into the main install, so you're essentially installing XP up to date.
You can do this on an old Windows machine, within WINE, just about anything that'll run an XP executable. At work, we create a new install CD every month (when the latest patches come out). Think of it as compiling from a CSV without the source (getting the very latest install).
Well, my other issue is that I play Xbox Live, a lot, and I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to leave the modchip on and get banned permanently.
MythTV on a cheap media PC, to be honest, is a much better solution. Standard architechture, robust video recording (something the Xbox can't do), and it's upgradable. It's still got a few rough edges, but for the price it can't be beat.
Honestly, I think the vast majority of Xbox-modders that visit are THE Xbox modders. I recently tried to install Linux and MAME following the various TO-DOs on the net, and found all kinds of issues with my modified Xbox. After a while I just said myself "this is progress?" and put together a low-cost media PC instead.
Xbox excels at a few things: there's a number of great games now, the online service is very advanced for a first try, and the Xbox (still) impresses in the graphics department. If you're going to go the NES emulator route, I suggest making a media PC like I did. Hell of a lot easier.
CLIs are only good for geeks. They are excellent for servers but make pitiful desktops. Little brothers hate them, secretaries hate them, etc. They see GUIs as an "advancement" and CLIs (even in newer Linux distributions) as "old".
In a lot of ways GUIs are a replacement for CLIs. Just because you find CLIs functional doesn't mean others do. It's similar to when people used to had to start cars by turning the crank. Worked great, right? Functional, no batteries needed, etc. But people see the battery as a replacement, even though it generates more waste and costs more.
I'm sure some people swear by it, but like all advances (Word 5.1 up to 2003, CLI to GUI, etc.) it's really more a form of nostalgia than praise.
For example, I recently tried to pawn off an older PC with an old Linux distribution to my little brother. It had everything most people would need: a word processor, a web browser, etc. However, the word processor didn't do mail merges (something he needed for a class), the browser didn't support Flash, etc. To me, it was functional. To him, it was "broken".
I agree that a simple GUI is great for some people, but it isn't for everything. If there was honestly nothing that could be improved since the early versions of word processors, no one would be buying the Office/Appleworks/Corel Office applications of today.
The fact that I had a secretary recently freak out because the CEO's name wasn't highlighted in Word and automatically showed his meeting schedule (Smart Tags), shows that people generally get used to what they're using. That's what most people reminisice about.
I can't get through to the page, but typically the reason why they *don't* list companies is because workers tend to fill out the survey themselves (and don't like to list their companies).
Very rarely will an HR person come around and say "here's where our company stands when handing out salaries". The only time most do is when they've just been given a much larger payroll to work with and they have holes in key positions.
I know when I fill out these surveys, I don't list my company. I'd rather the survey stay semi-anonymous.
...at least for me. I managed to get over a 20% increase in January through a salary adjustment. How? I worked my ass off. Smartly.
I did the normal IT stuff, but I also introduced new (free) tech, held training classes for staff, and generally took honest interest in my job (something I don't always see in the 19-year old wire contractors we sometimes hire).
This January I basically presented myself as a needed member of the team, explained my salary adjustment request (using an Infoworld-like survey) and got my boss to back it up to management (not hard, because we treat each other well). There's methods to increase your chances of getting a good pay raise.
"Just as MP3s remove high frequencies we can't hear"
Not quite. The primary brunt of MP3 focuses on areas of repeated sound (which can easily be compressed). All of the MPEG codecs attempt to find areas where change is infrequent, then tell the system "from frame X to frame Y, don't change the vast majority of the sound/video".
In the case of 3D graphics in particular, the image changes. Often. Actually, it's more like an action movie than anything else (Ever see the artifacts on a poor digital cable or satellite connection? They tend to show up worst in fast moving scenes).
This compression may help a lot on still or near-still images, but I'm not sure it'll help with most modern day 3D apps and games.
Do the projected earnings from Chrysler's maintenance group (on all those extended warranties) affect safety decisions making cars? Not likely. The hearts of companies, contrary to what young'uns believe, aren't all inherently black.
"Sure does present a MASSIVE conflict of interest issue. Let's see... a monopoly... selling stuff to guard their own product from defects."
Uh, to be frank, how is that any different than being coerced to buy the "7 year, 70,000 miles" guarantee with a new automobile from most companies? What are they implying? That they want to make money off me because they know the standard warranty won't cut it?
"Conflicts of interest" have nothing to do with what you're describing, unfortunately.
"Especially if that corporation doesn't give a shit about you, your life, your family, your freedom, your health or any other aspect of your life."
Same goes for defending art interests, politicians, etc. None of these "give a shit" about me, my life, my family, my freedom, my health, etc. Even if I planned on voting for X politician, chances are Mr. X has no clue who I even am.
The goal of a place like Slashdot is to get as many opinions as possible into the mix. Simply firing against any given company (or praising them, like Apple) brings the level of discussion down to a 3rd grade level.
The funny thing about Safari is that it "remembers" favorite icons better than IE (sometimes IE just turns things back to the regular icon). I thought favorite icons were an IE invention.
"especially when regular DVD is 'good enough' for most of them"
I don't need a cell phone. Landline phones are 'good enough'. I don't need a CD player. Cassettes are 'good enough'. I don't need a TV. Radio is 'good enough'. I don't need a telephone. Mail is 'good enough'. I don't need a car. Horsel-drawn carriages are 'good enough'.
The average user doesn't look at "am I turning functionality on that'll make me vulnerable", he or she is looking at "how do I turn on functionality so I can do X fun thing" (where X is text messaging, gaming, etc). The functionality is second to the application, and it's why we're in the mess of security involved with the internet right now (user doesn't think about the ramifications of installing that chat or file sharing app).
Slashdot Mirror
I like the fact that they're already touting this as an advance for athletics. That is, until people find out that (for example) it increases ALL muscles, including the heart, which'll then overgrow and collapses at the age of 35. There's a reason why mutations don't happen all the time.
"3rd party clients cut out a potential source of revenue for Yahoo"
Actually, 3rd party clients are the ONLY way they receive revenue from some of us. I keep a Yahoo and Hotmail email account. I rarely IM anyone outside of AIM. Trillian's checking of Yahoo email drives me to their site (where I see their ads). No checking, I don't go as often to check my mail. They lose money. As far as I'm concerned, Yahoo is shooting themselves in the foot.
Think you missed the plus sign there, buddy. I wouldn't be surprised if it stays 256, but 512 might be reasonable by the time it comes out.
"Compare that with how NASA closed ranks and divulged Columbia information"
I don't think that's fair or even justified. NASA is (primarily) a government organization. They have contractors to pay, politicians to appease, etc. Every flight is a multimilion dollar undertaking, and consider the vast majority for them have gone well, they must be doing something right.
Yesterday's flight, while incredible, was done with a very low budget (and in some ways, seat of the pants). Not that that's inherently "wrong", but they'd have a lot less people to answer to if something catastrophic happened. They'd probably have some investors to explain to, but NASA had over 300 million with Columbia. Would you rather the answers come out quickly or correctly?
"Is there anything Google can't do? Seriously, how cool is that?"
Just about as cool as when Apple, Sony, and even Microsoft (with restrictions) released some of their code. It's nothing new -- companies do it all the time for good PR and to help jumpstart initiatives. Question is, what code are they going to release, how much and when?
"Physics computations and weapons simulations so good looking, you're going to want to lick them." - Steve Jobs
"Uh, we'd advise against that sir." - Army colonel
"But he SAID I could lick them! Ooh, red, yellow and green WMD icons!" - G. W. Bush
Since you're a Linux user, you probably have a good grasp of most computing concepts. I'm a little surprised that you don't know about slipstreaming. Google it. Simply put, slipstreaming will add all of the current service packs/patches into the main install, so you're essentially installing XP up to date.
You can do this on an old Windows machine, within WINE, just about anything that'll run an XP executable. At work, we create a new install CD every month (when the latest patches come out). Think of it as compiling from a CSV without the source (getting the very latest install).
Well, my other issue is that I play Xbox Live, a lot, and I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to leave the modchip on and get banned permanently.
MythTV on a cheap media PC, to be honest, is a much better solution. Standard architechture, robust video recording (something the Xbox can't do), and it's upgradable. It's still got a few rough edges, but for the price it can't be beat.
Yes, all couple hundred of you. :)
Honestly, I think the vast majority of Xbox-modders that visit are THE Xbox modders. I recently tried to install Linux and MAME following the various TO-DOs on the net, and found all kinds of issues with my modified Xbox. After a while I just said myself "this is progress?" and put together a low-cost media PC instead.
Xbox excels at a few things: there's a number of great games now, the online service is very advanced for a first try, and the Xbox (still) impresses in the graphics department. If you're going to go the NES emulator route, I suggest making a media PC like I did. Hell of a lot easier.
CLIs are only good for geeks. They are excellent for servers but make pitiful desktops. Little brothers hate them, secretaries hate them, etc. They see GUIs as an "advancement" and CLIs (even in newer Linux distributions) as "old".
In a lot of ways GUIs are a replacement for CLIs. Just because you find CLIs functional doesn't mean others do. It's similar to when people used to had to start cars by turning the crank. Worked great, right? Functional, no batteries needed, etc. But people see the battery as a replacement, even though it generates more waste and costs more.
Works both ways. I work with a lot of PR people, and I've seen tactics used like that both for and against.
I'm sure some people swear by it, but like all advances (Word 5.1 up to 2003, CLI to GUI, etc.) it's really more a form of nostalgia than praise.
For example, I recently tried to pawn off an older PC with an old Linux distribution to my little brother. It had everything most people would need: a word processor, a web browser, etc. However, the word processor didn't do mail merges (something he needed for a class), the browser didn't support Flash, etc. To me, it was functional. To him, it was "broken".
I agree that a simple GUI is great for some people, but it isn't for everything. If there was honestly nothing that could be improved since the early versions of word processors, no one would be buying the Office/Appleworks/Corel Office applications of today.
The fact that I had a secretary recently freak out because the CEO's name wasn't highlighted in Word and automatically showed his meeting schedule (Smart Tags), shows that people generally get used to what they're using. That's what most people reminisice about.
Day off. Comp day for working a Saturday. Nice try, though. :)
I can't get through to the page, but typically the reason why they *don't* list companies is because workers tend to fill out the survey themselves (and don't like to list their companies).
Very rarely will an HR person come around and say "here's where our company stands when handing out salaries". The only time most do is when they've just been given a much larger payroll to work with and they have holes in key positions.
I know when I fill out these surveys, I don't list my company. I'd rather the survey stay semi-anonymous.
Hey, jerk. Shut up. No, really, be quiet. Thanks.
...at least for me. I managed to get over a 20% increase in January through a salary adjustment. How? I worked my ass off. Smartly.
I did the normal IT stuff, but I also introduced new (free) tech, held training classes for staff, and generally took honest interest in my job (something I don't always see in the 19-year old wire contractors we sometimes hire).
This January I basically presented myself as a needed member of the team, explained my salary adjustment request (using an Infoworld-like survey) and got my boss to back it up to management (not hard, because we treat each other well). There's methods to increase your chances of getting a good pay raise.
"Just as MP3s remove high frequencies we can't hear"
Not quite. The primary brunt of MP3 focuses on areas of repeated sound (which can easily be compressed). All of the MPEG codecs attempt to find areas where change is infrequent, then tell the system "from frame X to frame Y, don't change the vast majority of the sound/video".
In the case of 3D graphics in particular, the image changes. Often. Actually, it's more like an action movie than anything else (Ever see the artifacts on a poor digital cable or satellite connection? They tend to show up worst in fast moving scenes).
This compression may help a lot on still or near-still images, but I'm not sure it'll help with most modern day 3D apps and games.
Do the projected earnings from Chrysler's maintenance group (on all those extended warranties) affect safety decisions making cars? Not likely. The hearts of companies, contrary to what young'uns believe, aren't all inherently black.
"Sure does present a MASSIVE conflict of interest issue. Let's see... a monopoly... selling stuff to guard their own product from defects."
Uh, to be frank, how is that any different than being coerced to buy the "7 year, 70,000 miles" guarantee with a new automobile from most companies? What are they implying? That they want to make money off me because they know the standard warranty won't cut it?
"Conflicts of interest" have nothing to do with what you're describing, unfortunately.
"It's just a little scary that a company that is responsible for almost all viruses and worms..."
Wow. That's bringing trolling to a whole new level. Someone tell GM: they're responsible because idiots don't put on their seatbelts!
"Especially if that corporation doesn't give a shit about you, your life, your family, your freedom, your health or any other aspect of your life."
Same goes for defending art interests, politicians, etc. None of these "give a shit" about me, my life, my family, my freedom, my health, etc. Even if I planned on voting for X politician, chances are Mr. X has no clue who I even am.
The goal of a place like Slashdot is to get as many opinions as possible into the mix. Simply firing against any given company (or praising them, like Apple) brings the level of discussion down to a 3rd grade level.
The funny thing about Safari is that it "remembers" favorite icons better than IE (sometimes IE just turns things back to the regular icon). I thought favorite icons were an IE invention.
Fine, color tv vs. black and white.
"especially when regular DVD is 'good enough' for most of them"
I don't need a cell phone. Landline phones are 'good enough'.
I don't need a CD player. Cassettes are 'good enough'.
I don't need a TV. Radio is 'good enough'.
I don't need a telephone. Mail is 'good enough'.
I don't need a car. Horsel-drawn carriages are 'good enough'.
'Good enough' doesn't last very long.
The average user doesn't look at "am I turning functionality on that'll make me vulnerable", he or she is looking at "how do I turn on functionality so I can do X fun thing" (where X is text messaging, gaming, etc). The functionality is second to the application, and it's why we're in the mess of security involved with the internet right now (user doesn't think about the ramifications of installing that chat or file sharing app).