Seiff says most are more than happy to hear about new shipments of Furla bags or Michael Kors cashmere sweaters.
I think I'll try some "direct marketing" of a bag full of marbles. I'm sure Mr. Seiff would be more than happy to have some sense beaten into him.
Remember kids, every generalization is wrong.
Homogonized Culture
on
The Last Place
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
These fears aren't just about Bhutan. If anything, America faces as great a threat from the death of local culture as anywhere else. The only difference is that we delude ourselves into thinking that raking in money makes it all "okay."
Sure, we feel more comfortable when we travel when we can order the same extra value meal in in every time zone, but I can only echo the sentiments of Lisa on the variety of Americana:
Lisa: Wow, Dad and Bart have been everywhere! They've eaten submarine sandwiches, grinders, *and* hoagies.
Damn. I guess I've been taken in by the tentacles too. I guess it's okay as long as I can super-size.
Hmm . . . I'm sure I'm jumping on a crowded ship, but I thought that I'd add my two cents.
Tie Fighter
This game created an immersive atmosphere, had some impressive graphics and cutscenes for a game that came on five floppy disks, and (along with the add on) utterly wrecked my first joystick. It was called the 2nd best game of all time by PC Gamer not too long ago; I don't think that it should be so abruptly forgotten.
Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
PC Gamer called this the best game of the year when it came out, and it really was a keeper. It didn't have the best graphics, but I really liked how well it integrated the force powers and lightsabr into the game. I kicked the asses of quite a few UT and Quake gurus because I used my force powers wisely and just didn't barge into a room. A great 3D shooter that worked well within the SW universe.
I also think that it's also pretty impressive how LucasArts worked with the fan community to create homebrew levels for these two great games. I think the only area where LucasArts has perhaps fallen short is in the creation of a SW strategy game (or perhaps an adventure game, which would be cool given how good LucasArts is at adventure).
Perhaps there is no single definitive SW game, but most would agree that there are at least two really strong contenders.
The word "Canadian" is, unquestionably, generic. "Canadian" is a word whose usage is far, far more broad than the context of beer. A Google.com search for "canadian -beer" yields almost 4 million results!
Yeah, and "stupid -bush" turns up about the same number. That doesn't mean the words don't have a deep and meaningful connection.
For linear algebra, calculus, etc. It's the only way to go. Every problem has integer eigenvalues, the proofs are hard but doable, and it is just about as rigorous as you can get.
I had a friend who was working on this for a while. He kept building larger and larger metal units, cooling them down more and more, trying to get a rotating disk to speed up in a very, very, strong (par. magnetic field). If it sped up, then this was a reduction in the moment of inertia, and a decreased effective mass.
After two years of working on it, he gave up. He did get a measurable increase, but it was too little to be more than measurement error.
> Tie game night to grades. You get good grades you > get more LAN party time! How's that for an idea??
Proposition 1. Popular kids don't play computer games, and kids who play computer games aren't popular.
Proposition 2. Smart kids get good grades.
Proposition 3. Smart kids are inherently unpopular.
Thus, tying playing computer grades will either be meaning less, or keep out unpopular stupid kids. The latter of which need all the help they can get.
> I imagine there are a few someplace near silicon > valley as well as CalTech, etc.
Hell no. Not at Caltech. Every night moles scour the piles of discarded equipment outside Jorgensen and Steele (our CS / EE) buildings and claim it for Caltech. It then goes for decoration, inceneration, or other mischief.
Williams's doesn't seem to quite pull this off. He isn't creepy enough here -- think John Malkovich or Jeremy Irons. He doesn't get under your skin quite the way he ought to.
I actually thought this was a nice touch. Ever since Silence of the Lambs, criminals seem to be completely over the top and without any sort of pity. Finch tries to get Dormer to believe his telling of the story, and that's impossible if we don't think he's human.
Towards the end of the movie (without giving too much away) Dormer might have to cooperate with Finch. The audience wouldn't stomach this if Robin Williams wasn't someone who seemed like a down-to-Earth guy who just got in a bad situation. I think the comparison with Dormer's situtation is the key here; Dormer is trying to convince himself that Finch isn't such a bad guy.
At the end of the film, however, Williams is pretty damn scary. He's mean, he's creepy, and he kicks some ass. I thought it was an excellent film, and dare I say, better than the original.
But then again, I was forced to see the original in film class next to two stupid people making out and in front of a big snoring football jock.
fixing what's wrong with Episodes I & II. I'm sure there's more extra footage around, and it wouldn't be too hard to shore up the plot in those two installments. I would pay to see The Phantom Edit on the big screen, and I'm sure we could even completely replace Jake Droid with a more lifelike computer animation.
Certainly the "oops . . . I just blew up a fleet" scene could be repaired.
> Discussing this box office take rivalry is like > arguing who is the coolest millionaire, Ellison or > Gates? I don't really care. All I care is how their > products perform and how they affect my business.
Frankly, neither of them is very cool (pure evil and whatnot). My vote has to go for Mr. Buffet. You've got to respect a man who:
1. never got caught up in the tech buying spree
2. was eating a Dilly Bar one day and said, "Damn, this is good. I'm going to buy Dairy Queen."
3. only uses his computer for playing games (bridge) and slapping Bill Gates around (at bridge)
If Warren had a console out, it would cost $1,000, have the best games possible, and come with ice cream. He wouldn't lower the price (like his stock price) because it would actually be worth a grand.
He would know better if he watched a couple episodes of Law & Order. Note that I base all court proceedings on the wisdom of Sam Watterson.
Maybe he's been watching Ally McBeal. That would make more sense. They once sued God, who is only slightly easier to get into court than the United States of America.
Perhaps this is the result of being stuck in an academic situation right now, but perhaps the idea that all languages are the same is because - get this! - they are.
When one can reduce anything to a Turing machine, there isn't anything we can't do with say BASIC that we can now do with C# or Python. It might be faster (to a degree) or more elegant, but still possible.
Perhaps we should focus on pushing the envelope computationally by demanding new models of computation that would break the Church-Turing universiality of computation. Biological or quantum computers have the means to give programmers new ideas that are completely different from what we've already seen - just look at Shor's or Grover's algorithms for quantum computers. These CANNOT be done on a regular computer.
Eiffel just designed the metal skeleton, not the actual statue - that was Bartholdi. Also, if I recall correctly, the smaller (14 ton) version just got back from Tokyo, where it was on display for a French culture festival.
Are you doing it pixel by pixel? Sometimes pixels are not discrete color units, in which case you might want to reconsider your algorithm. For example, if you have a mosaic effect from newspaper you've scanned in, pixels are going to mirror the little newspaper specks of color introduced by the printing process. Maybe you want to have some sort of averaging method?
Porison and Wandrell adapted CIELAB color models to account for the quirks of monitors. You need to have information on how far away people sit from the monitor, the resolution, the size, etc., but it's actually quite good. Here's a MATLAB implementation by Zhang at Stanford.
One problem I had when I was working with this is that the pixels were not lining up correctly. Try overlaying the images and the CIELAB error to make sure your results are sensible.
When I can't get voice rec to work, I usually end up speaking louder because the frustration is just too much. It's bad enough listening to people yapping down the street or in stores with those little embedded mikes and earphones. Can you imagine hordes of people walking down the street screaming:
Each year, I prepare for the Super Bowl. Not that I like the Super Bowl, but apart from knowing the score at each quarter, the only knowledge you need to prove that you watched the game is what commercials were shown.
After programming my VCR to record the game, I watch the amusing commercials and fast forward through the game itself. This new-fangled "Time Machine" just gives you the illusion of actually watching the show between ads.
Slashdot Mirror
Seiff says most are more than happy to hear about new shipments of Furla bags or Michael Kors cashmere sweaters.
I think I'll try some "direct marketing" of a bag full of marbles. I'm sure Mr. Seiff would be more than happy to have some sense beaten into him.
Remember kids, every generalization is wrong.
These fears aren't just about Bhutan. If anything, America faces as great a threat from the death of local culture as anywhere else. The only difference is that we delude ourselves into thinking that raking in money makes it all "okay."
Sure, we feel more comfortable when we travel when we can order the same extra value meal in in every time zone, but I can only echo the sentiments of Lisa on the variety of Americana:
Lisa: Wow, Dad and Bart have been everywhere! They've eaten submarine sandwiches, grinders, *and* hoagies.
Damn. I guess I've been taken in by the tentacles too. I guess it's okay as long as I can super-size.
Hmm . . . I'm sure I'm jumping on a crowded ship, but I thought that I'd add my two cents.
Tie Fighter
This game created an immersive atmosphere, had some impressive graphics and cutscenes for a game that came on five floppy disks, and (along with the add on) utterly wrecked my first joystick. It was called the 2nd best game of all time by PC Gamer not too long ago; I don't think that it should be so abruptly forgotten.
Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
PC Gamer called this the best game of the year when it came out, and it really was a keeper. It didn't have the best graphics, but I really liked how well it integrated the force powers and lightsabr into the game. I kicked the asses of quite a few UT and Quake gurus because I used my force powers wisely and just didn't barge into a room. A great 3D shooter that worked well within the SW universe.
I also think that it's also pretty impressive how LucasArts worked with the fan community to create homebrew levels for these two great games. I think the only area where LucasArts has perhaps fallen short is in the creation of a SW strategy game (or perhaps an adventure game, which would be cool given how good LucasArts is at adventure).
Perhaps there is no single definitive SW game, but most would agree that there are at least two really strong contenders.
The word "Canadian" is, unquestionably, generic. "Canadian" is a word whose usage is far, far more broad than the context of beer. A Google.com search for "canadian -beer" yields almost 4 million results!
Yeah, and "stupid -bush" turns up about the same number. That doesn't mean the words don't have a deep and meaningful connection.
> nearly error-free when working properly.
That's the way most things are, in my experience. Errors always seem to happen when things stop working properly. Darndest thing!
For linear algebra, calculus, etc. It's the only way to go. Every problem has integer eigenvalues, the proofs are hard but doable, and it is just about as rigorous as you can get.
It's more important than the bible.
I had a friend who was working on this for a while. He kept building larger and larger metal units, cooling them down more and more, trying to get a rotating disk to speed up in a very, very, strong (par. magnetic field). If it sped up, then this was a reduction in the moment of inertia, and a decreased effective mass.
After two years of working on it, he gave up. He did get a measurable increase, but it was too little to be more than measurement error.
> Tie game night to grades. You get good grades you
> get more LAN party time! How's that for an idea??
Proposition 1. Popular kids don't play computer games, and kids who play computer games aren't popular.
Proposition 2. Smart kids get good grades.
Proposition 3. Smart kids are inherently unpopular.
Thus, tying playing computer grades will either be meaning less, or keep out unpopular stupid kids. The latter of which need all the help they can get.
> I imagine there are a few someplace near silicon
> valley as well as CalTech, etc.
Hell no. Not at Caltech. Every night moles scour the piles of discarded equipment outside Jorgensen and Steele (our CS / EE) buildings and claim it for Caltech. It then goes for decoration, inceneration, or other mischief.
We're not about to part with our cool stuff.
Williams's doesn't seem to quite pull this off. He isn't creepy enough here -- think John Malkovich or Jeremy Irons. He doesn't get under your skin quite the way he ought to.
I actually thought this was a nice touch. Ever since Silence of the Lambs, criminals seem to be completely over the top and without any sort of pity. Finch tries to get Dormer to believe his telling of the story, and that's impossible if we don't think he's human.
Towards the end of the movie (without giving too much away) Dormer might have to cooperate with Finch. The audience wouldn't stomach this if Robin Williams wasn't someone who seemed like a down-to-Earth guy who just got in a bad situation. I think the comparison with Dormer's situtation is the key here; Dormer is trying to convince himself that Finch isn't such a bad guy.
At the end of the film, however, Williams is pretty damn scary. He's mean, he's creepy, and he kicks some ass. I thought it was an excellent film, and dare I say, better than the original.
But then again, I was forced to see the original in film class next to two stupid people making out and in front of a big snoring football jock.
fixing what's wrong with Episodes I & II. I'm sure there's more extra footage around, and it wouldn't be too hard to shore up the plot in those two installments. I would pay to see The Phantom Edit on the big screen, and I'm sure we could even completely replace Jake Droid with a more lifelike computer animation.
Certainly the "oops . . . I just blew up a fleet" scene could be repaired.
> Discussing this box office take rivalry is like
> arguing who is the coolest millionaire, Ellison or
> Gates? I don't really care. All I care is how their
> products perform and how they affect my business.
Frankly, neither of them is very cool (pure evil and whatnot). My vote has to go for Mr. Buffet. You've got to respect a man who:
1. never got caught up in the tech buying spree
2. was eating a Dilly Bar one day and said, "Damn, this is good. I'm going to buy Dairy Queen."
3. only uses his computer for playing games (bridge) and slapping Bill Gates around (at bridge)
If Warren had a console out, it would cost $1,000, have the best games possible, and come with ice cream. He wouldn't lower the price (like his stock price) because it would actually be worth a grand.
I wonder if Ballmer will get his own workout show. It'd be even worse than flashy animation from Japan: siezures and vomiting.
Some people see things as they are and say why. I see things that never were and say why not.
Then again, some people say "why not," get drunk, and and hook a piece of crap up to the internet.
$50 bucks to the first person that builds a C64 emulator out of legos that streams video of a coffeepot and runs BSD.
If you find this image offensive . . .
/. discussion? Either our standards have gone way down or Satan needs some tire chains.
A legit link to goatse.cx that fits into the context of a
He would know better if he watched a couple episodes of Law & Order. Note that I base all court proceedings on the wisdom of Sam Watterson.
Maybe he's been watching Ally McBeal. That would make more sense. They once sued God, who is only slightly easier to get into court than the United States of America.
One of my friends had a clever way of thinking up passwords. She would take her high school class schedule, say:
Study Hall
Calculus
Physics
Chemistry
Band
Literature
Biology
She would then alternate between the floor it was on and then the first letter of the class: 5c4p2c5b3l7s2b
It's something you did for a year of your life, so not that easy to forget, and you could always look it up.
Perhaps this is the result of being stuck in an academic situation right now, but perhaps the idea that all languages are the same is because - get this! - they are.
When one can reduce anything to a Turing machine, there isn't anything we can't do with say BASIC that we can now do with C# or Python. It might be faster (to a degree) or more elegant, but still possible.
Perhaps we should focus on pushing the envelope computationally by demanding new models of computation that would break the Church-Turing universiality of computation. Biological or quantum computers have the means to give programmers new ideas that are completely different from what we've already seen - just look at Shor's or Grover's algorithms for quantum computers. These CANNOT be done on a regular computer.
> You spelled Arkansas wrong, but that's OK because
> no one from there would know anyway.
The original poster was erudite enough to use the native spelling.
Eiffel just designed the metal skeleton, not the actual statue - that was Bartholdi. Also, if I recall correctly, the smaller (14 ton) version just got back from Tokyo, where it was on display for a French culture festival.
Are you doing it pixel by pixel? Sometimes pixels are not discrete color units, in which case you might want to reconsider your algorithm. For example, if you have a mosaic effect from newspaper you've scanned in, pixels are going to mirror the little newspaper specks of color introduced by the printing process. Maybe you want to have some sort of averaging method?
Porison and Wandrell adapted CIELAB color models to account for the quirks of monitors. You need to have information on how far away people sit from the monitor, the resolution, the size, etc., but it's actually quite good. Here's a MATLAB implementation by Zhang at Stanford.
One problem I had when I was working with this is that the pixels were not lining up correctly. Try overlaying the images and the CIELAB error to make sure your results are sensible.
When I can't get voice rec to work, I usually end up speaking louder because the frustration is just too much. It's bad enough listening to people yapping down the street or in stores with those little embedded mikes and earphones. Can you imagine hordes of people walking down the street screaming:
"Uncle Fucker"
"Baby Got Back"
"Cocaine"
"Cocacabana"
The last is probably worst of all. We know Barry exists, but it's horrible to be reminded that people actually listen to him.
A report on the reliability of various voting systems (including Internet) from MIT/Caltech.
If only I had a patent.
Each year, I prepare for the Super Bowl. Not that I like the Super Bowl, but apart from knowing the score at each quarter, the only knowledge you need to prove that you watched the game is what commercials were shown.
After programming my VCR to record the game, I watch the amusing commercials and fast forward through the game itself. This new-fangled "Time Machine" just gives you the illusion of actually watching the show between ads.
Somebody's taking an intro Ec course . . .