Like a program that would "Capture the Flag" of a certain monopolistic regime...
Now *that* would be a Wonderful use of a "program";) Taking all the current settings of a Windoze machine, keeping the "wallpaper" and similar, familiar trappings, and allowing you to switch to BSD (or your fax 'NIX), and minimize the trauma of some poor drone's switch to something "else"...
But what are the Odds of seeing That happen anytime soon?
If followed, would also promote both kinds of Spam, the virtual, and the pulp-and-paper kind.
See if you can follow this one:
I have a physical mailing address, therefore, because anyone can send a letter/flyer/wad-o-coupons to that address as "Occupant", that they have the "right" to do so.
I have an E-mail address, therefore, because (apparently) anyone can send an e-mail to just about anyone at a given ISP's client list using any form of SpamBot, or mass-e-mailing program that uses common, uncommon, or even downright ludicrus usernames before the "@" on any given ISP address, they have the Right to bombard my inbox.
Ain't logic just grand?
Don't you wish that there was a Law requiring any E-mail/Snail-mail/Phone Call to have a verified "Reply-To" field/visible Caller ID, so you could send THEM a Solicited responce to their message/offer/"opportunity of a lifetime"? After all, They contacted You in the first place, so you have the Right to contact them at your convienience and give them appropriate feedback, right?
If more professionals stuck to Quality and Proper Programming, then it would become the Accepted thing. Too many times corners get cut, and there's Hell to pay afterwards. Most of the time, it's rightfully deserved, too!
Of course, you can't discount the Bosses Breathing down your neck for something that they wanted Yesterday, but you have to make a decision for yourself: "Is it worth my rep, my time, and my personal worth to cheapen this project with half-assed corner cutting?"
If you ever need a frame of reference, think Windows 9x. Too many corners cut to Try to bring it out in the right Year, and Still never got it all worked out. That, and so much time and effort wasted on "Creative Sabotage" of the OS to prevent compatability with 3rd party programs, and "Easter Eggs" buried in the code by Bored programmers that would have been better off spending their time killing Bugs...
... about Computers and/or IT as a whole, what would it be? What would you like to see done/made/treated differently in all the things you've been exposed to?
People Love to Cheat, and they do it a Lot. Why? They simply don't want to wait for their character to Get Big. They want to Start Big and Stay there.
Besides that, what is the actual Goal of the Sims Online? Big Money character? High Skills character? Is there any reason at All to build your character in any way, shape or form?
After all, if you have a goal, you need a Cheat to get there Before everyone else does, right? Or, if you started after others, you need to "Keep up with the Jonses'" and all they have, or you are the Small Fish.
So, if there is a Goal, there are those who wish to Cheat. If they Can't cheat, they get bored (or just can't be bothered), and walk away. After all, they can play their Sims Unleashed, and get all the money they ever wanted, and live in a HUGE mansion with topless maids, and 5 assorted spouses and work as the Mayor of the City. All with a few stupid cheat codes, and a bit of building patience to make the Perfect House.
What do you get online?
None of the opportunities that people have ben getting out of their isolated version.
Why haven't they made a version that allows people to play in a multi-player/LAN environment? Something that allows two (or more) people to just share their local game.
We took a mouse and [tech], then we [tech] while seeing if the combination was viable. If the subject survives the [tech], we then breed them and see whether they are [tech] or [more tech]. If they are not sterile, we then see if they [tech]...
If I left on acceptable terms, I'd be willing to do the work, but for a fair price. After all, I'm not working there any more, and my skills are my livelihood.
If I left on less-than-acceptable terms, I'd probably say no, or bill them through the nose, making them aware of the price beforehand, of course.
Turning the other cheek is allowing them to benefit from your skills again. But when you were working for them, they paid you, right? Why give them a freebie? They aren't about to hand you anythign for free, and they didn't evenm offer up a Thank-you! Fee-for-service is Not an un-Christian thing to do.
How might this affect things like GPS systems, the internet, and/or similar electronic devices that are in some way tuned to the magnetic fields of the planet, or at least susceptable to fields? Are there any indications of just how much flux happens when the poles flip?
They were supposed to be da BOMB for all your computing needs, and they were (supposed to be) SO much cheaper to produce, but the industry hadn't recovered the cost of R&D yet, so they were still Really Expensive.
Aren't they supposed to be superior to LCD/TFT?
Anyone have a line on more of this info? Or am I the only one to remember this stuff?
Eventually, there will be the capability of copying a mind, making clones (even modified ones) of the host body, downloading the mind back into the body (or bodies), and Voila! Instant Army!
Well, I got so see more Pr0n than I ever imagined. Saw stuff that made me want to wash my eyes with liquid drano. Downloaded a Lot of useless crap. Became addicted to Online Comics. Made a handful of new friends. Got myself an e-mail account through a friend in Oslo. Learned that there are a Lot of ways to cheat...
Make sure you have an assortment of Simple Things for allowing them to change the appearance and behaviour of the GUI, too! Try and include some sort of Theme Management tools as well.
Different Cursors, Icons and.WAV files, for example. Oh, and Screensavers, and Wallpaper and a few Fonts...
And maybe a few (dozen)links to add to their Favorites (or Bookmarks) lists that allow them to go to various sites with such content!
First and foremost, have a directory for all those required DLLs;) That way, they don't have to go hunting for them.
Next, there are a few neet-o utilities out there, in various forms. One that I use a fair bit, is a "Universal Converter". Weight, Mass, Distance. It converts Metric, to Imperial, or simply to another unit of the same. Ounces in a Bushel, for example. Then there's a handy utility I use all the time called "Say The Time". Simple little thing that can be set to announce Verbally, what time it is, so you will be less likely to loose track of the time. Alarms can also be set as well as reminders.
Just a few simple things to add. Feel free to e-mail me should you wish the actual files. Say The Time is out there on the web, but I haven't found the converter in Ages. I think it used to be a simple VBasic excercise, or something.
As someone that has DSL in Canada, and pays for the Less Than Highest Speed verion for $42/month, I see the difference in speeds from Dial-up to ADSL. Personally, the Upload cap of 16KB/sec really make is hard(read painful) to upload anything large, like a CD full of anything.
Dialup is also painful, but it's less than half the price. There used to be days when you'd select something you wanted, and leave your system on overnight to get it. Those days are back, now that there are Movies and DVDs being shared.
Broadband is nice, but it's not always worth the more than double dialup cost. For those that don't do much more than surf, e-mail and newsgroups/IRC, Dial-up is More than enough.
Most typical home users are not Power Gamers(tm) and, therefore, don't need the Grotesque amounts of bandwidth, and low ping times needed to 0wn yer targ3tz and Use your 1337 sk!11z to the M4x.
That being said, I am not suprized that there are a Lot of people that can't be bothered with Broadband.
On the flipside, it's far easier (amd cheaper) to have broadband for more than one home system. Routers are cheap, and getting cheaper. Home networks are also becoming commonplace. And broadband dosen't tie up the phone, or require a second phone line.
Then, there are those that have a second phone line for their system. These people are spending almost the same money per month for their conneciton as boradband. These people should switch.
P2P has killed it for many of the rest of us that don't do rabid file sharing. Alas, we're suffering form the bandwidth caps, and upstream limits because of the few that tended to overuse what they had, and ultimately spoiled it for the rest of us.
Now, I have seen that some of the SIMs tend to want a specific side of the bed (of all things). What's to stop Maxis/EA from coding in a Product Preference? Suzy Sim prefers a Big Maq over a generic Hot Dog from a Corner Vender Cart. She even suffers form a Maq Attaq from time to time, and is Very Unhappy unless she gets to go Out and have a burger fairly frequently.
Perhaps they can even make it possible for the Sims to be Vegitarian, or even *Hate* certain products? Refuse to use an object because it's been branded with something they don't like?
Might add a certain dimension to the game.
Then again, the Sponsors might just Fight over who gets to be the Most Prefered...
First: Many of us already Pay for our TV with Cable/Satelite fees, so doesn't a chunk of that money already go *somewhere* upstream? Perhaps that's tha wave of the future...
Second: Anyone else remember the movie "The Truman Show"? Strategicly placed ads, "talkative" people just about Mugging the Main Character against a poster/ad, or just plaster the main character with (hopefully) subtle ads/logos/style reference, "background" billboards/placards, etc. It means that the ad execs would have to get (Heaven forfend) CREATIVE in what they do!
Here's an idea: Have a network, or even start with a show that has NO COMMERCIALS. Well, no plot/continuity interrupting ones, any way. Sell that to the public, and see how popular the full 27 minute programs become!
Actually, the BigWigs(tm) get their paper, and pens, and executive lunches, right? Surely they can cough up the clams for the right hardware to benefit All of the company, and it's network-dependant business!
Sure, it sounds trite, but just listen for a moment.
When it was My turn at the plate, my mother dug out her jewlery box, and, lo-and-behold, produced my Grandmother's engagement ring! It had a 1/4 ct full cut, blue-clear, with no less than 6 1/2 cut 1/8th ct diamonds with it.
Suffice it to say, my wife was Well-Pleased with a diamond that had been in the family for the better part of a century.
Cost to me: $300 for a new ring set (including the wedding bands)
Moral to this story: Hit up the Parents/Grandparents for one! You just might have some good rocks out there! (Just don't dig up any releative out of the dirt;)
Just think, next time the BigWigs want something that involves IT-related skills, you hold out until they give you something you need. You refer to it as "Fair Trade" for services rendered. That, or "Sorry, but unless we have that Googleplexer9000 you've been denying me, I just can't do what you're asking of me. Our poor, outdated hardware just can't handle that kind of load."
They just might see the value of IT then. Just has to be, uhm, "Highlighted" a bit?;)
Slashdot Mirror
Like a program that would "Capture the Flag" of a certain monopolistic regime...
;) Taking all the current settings of a Windoze machine, keeping the "wallpaper" and similar, familiar trappings, and allowing you to switch to BSD (or your fax 'NIX), and minimize the trauma of some poor drone's switch to something "else"...
Now *that* would be a Wonderful use of a "program"
But what are the Odds of seeing That happen anytime soon?
If followed, would also promote both kinds of Spam, the virtual, and the pulp-and-paper kind.
See if you can follow this one:
I have a physical mailing address, therefore, because anyone can send a letter/flyer/wad-o-coupons to that address as "Occupant", that they have the "right" to do so.
I have an E-mail address, therefore, because (apparently) anyone can send an e-mail to just about anyone at a given ISP's client list using any form of SpamBot, or mass-e-mailing program that uses common, uncommon, or even downright ludicrus usernames before the "@" on any given ISP address, they have the Right to bombard my inbox.
Ain't logic just grand?
Don't you wish that there was a Law requiring any E-mail/Snail-mail/Phone Call to have a verified "Reply-To" field/visible Caller ID, so you could send THEM a Solicited responce to their message/offer/"opportunity of a lifetime"? After all, They contacted You in the first place, so you have the Right to contact them at your convienience and give them appropriate feedback, right?
Right?
Who's with me? *Arrr!*
~X!0
If more professionals stuck to Quality and Proper Programming, then it would become the Accepted thing. Too many times corners get cut, and there's Hell to pay afterwards. Most of the time, it's rightfully deserved, too!
Of course, you can't discount the Bosses Breathing down your neck for something that they wanted Yesterday, but you have to make a decision for yourself: "Is it worth my rep, my time, and my personal worth to cheapen this project with half-assed corner cutting?"
If you ever need a frame of reference, think Windows 9x. Too many corners cut to Try to bring it out in the right Year, and Still never got it all worked out. That, and so much time and effort wasted on "Creative Sabotage" of the OS to prevent compatability with 3rd party programs, and "Easter Eggs" buried in the code by Bored programmers that would have been better off spending their time killing Bugs...
But I digress...
... about Computers and/or IT as a whole, what would it be? What would you like to see done/made/treated differently in all the things you've been exposed to?
And a Simple one at that:
No Cheat Codes!
People Love to Cheat, and they do it a Lot. Why? They simply don't want to wait for their character to Get Big. They want to Start Big and Stay there.
Besides that, what is the actual Goal of the Sims Online? Big Money character? High Skills character? Is there any reason at All to build your character in any way, shape or form?
After all, if you have a goal, you need a Cheat to get there Before everyone else does, right? Or, if you started after others, you need to "Keep up with the Jonses'" and all they have, or you are the Small Fish.
So, if there is a Goal, there are those who wish to Cheat. If they Can't cheat, they get bored (or just can't be bothered), and walk away. After all, they can play their Sims Unleashed, and get all the money they ever wanted, and live in a HUGE mansion with topless maids, and 5 assorted spouses and work as the Mayor of the City. All with a few stupid cheat codes, and a bit of building patience to make the Perfect House.
What do you get online?
None of the opportunities that people have ben getting out of their isolated version.
Why haven't they made a version that allows people to play in a multi-player/LAN environment? Something that allows two (or more) people to just share their local game.
Might be an idea.
We took a mouse and [tech], then we [tech] while seeing if the combination was viable. If the subject survives the [tech], we then breed them and see whether they are [tech] or [more tech]. If they are not sterile, we then see if they [tech]...
Lotsa Big Woids...
Oi!
They don't want to give anybody ELSE control of prices, distribution, or even discounts.
Talk about Control Freaks!
So many Freaks, so few "sharzeez"...
What was your happiest/most proud moment? Why?
(could be career-based or personal)
What are you the Least proud of? Why?
What keeps, say, you neighbor from "tuning in" your monitor and having a peek at your PC activities?
Or the Police? The FBI/CIA/RCMP/RIAA/(insert-alphabet-name-here)?
Just curious.
If I left on acceptable terms, I'd be willing to do the work, but for a fair price. After all, I'm not working there any more, and my skills are my livelihood.
If I left on less-than-acceptable terms, I'd probably say no, or bill them through the nose, making them aware of the price beforehand, of course.
Turning the other cheek is allowing them to benefit from your skills again. But when you were working for them, they paid you, right? Why give them a freebie? They aren't about to hand you anythign for free, and they didn't evenm offer up a Thank-you! Fee-for-service is Not an un-Christian thing to do.
Sounds like a case of "Hey, You! Yer Ugly! Let's You and Him fight!", and, after a few rounds of scrapping, they figured it out!
Nothing like making leading edge devellopers duke it out in court to cripple a budding tech before it can catch on.
Now, who would benefit from this the most?
*ponder*
Nayone have one of this site Hanging around for the rest of us that didn't flood the site first to have a peek into?
Just being Hopeful on this one...
Here's my silly little concern:
How might this affect things like GPS systems, the internet, and/or similar electronic devices that are in some way tuned to the magnetic fields of the planet, or at least susceptable to fields? Are there any indications of just how much flux happens when the poles flip?
Just a thought.
Shouldn't this topic/thread have a Foot (it's funny, laugh) Logo?
;)
:p
I mean, it's *Hardly* a serious news article.
After all, how many of the threads below are assuming the topic is an actual article on legitimate System Silencing?
I was one of those who was wishing it had a serious side to it. Alas, the silly seems to have won out
Just my braindroppings leaking out again
LDPs? Y'know, good ol' Liquid Plasma Displays?
They were supposed to be da BOMB for all your computing needs, and they were (supposed to be) SO much cheaper to produce, but the industry hadn't recovered the cost of R&D yet, so they were still Really Expensive.
Aren't they supposed to be superior to LCD/TFT?
Anyone have a line on more of this info? Or am I the only one to remember this stuff?
Eventually, there will be the capability of copying a mind, making clones (even modified ones) of the host body, downloading the mind back into the body (or bodies), and Voila! Instant Army!
;)
Now *Where* have we seen This one before?
Well, I got so see more Pr0n than I ever imagined. Saw stuff that made me want to wash my eyes with liquid drano. Downloaded a Lot of useless crap. Became addicted to Online Comics. Made a handful of new friends. Got myself an e-mail account through a friend in Oslo. Learned that there are a Lot of ways to cheat...
Search engines are my friends!
So much data. So little HD space...
I'm so *Daft* for forgetting these...
.WAV files, for example. Oh, and Screensavers, and Wallpaper and a few Fonts...
Make sure you have an assortment of Simple Things for allowing them to change the appearance and behaviour of the GUI, too! Try and include some sort of Theme Management tools as well.
Different Cursors, Icons and
And maybe a few (dozen)links to add to their Favorites (or Bookmarks) lists that allow them to go to various sites with such content!
mumblestoopidmorninglackofcaffenemumble...
First and foremost, have a directory for all those required DLLs ;) That way, they don't have to go hunting for them.
Next, there are a few neet-o utilities out there, in various forms. One that I use a fair bit, is a "Universal Converter". Weight, Mass, Distance. It converts Metric, to Imperial, or simply to another unit of the same. Ounces in a Bushel, for example. Then there's a handy utility I use all the time called "Say The Time". Simple little thing that can be set to announce Verbally, what time it is, so you will be less likely to loose track of the time. Alarms can also be set as well as reminders.
Just a few simple things to add. Feel free to e-mail me should you wish the actual files. Say The Time is out there on the web, but I haven't found the converter in Ages. I think it used to be a simple VBasic excercise, or something.
Good luck!
As someone that has DSL in Canada, and pays for the Less Than Highest Speed verion for $42/month, I see the difference in speeds from Dial-up to ADSL. Personally, the Upload cap of 16KB/sec really make is hard(read painful) to upload anything large, like a CD full of anything.
;)
Dialup is also painful, but it's less than half the price. There used to be days when you'd select something you wanted, and leave your system on overnight to get it. Those days are back, now that there are Movies and DVDs being shared.
Broadband is nice, but it's not always worth the more than double dialup cost. For those that don't do much more than surf, e-mail and newsgroups/IRC, Dial-up is More than enough.
Most typical home users are not Power Gamers(tm) and, therefore, don't need the Grotesque amounts of bandwidth, and low ping times needed to 0wn yer targ3tz and Use your 1337 sk!11z to the M4x.
That being said, I am not suprized that there are a Lot of people that can't be bothered with Broadband.
On the flipside, it's far easier (amd cheaper) to have broadband for more than one home system. Routers are cheap, and getting cheaper. Home networks are also becoming commonplace. And broadband dosen't tie up the phone, or require a second phone line.
Then, there are those that have a second phone line for their system. These people are spending almost the same money per month for their conneciton as boradband. These people should switch.
P2P has killed it for many of the rest of us that don't do rabid file sharing. Alas, we're suffering form the bandwidth caps, and upstream limits because of the few that tended to overuse what they had, and ultimately spoiled it for the rest of us.
There's my rant for the week.
Have at!
Now, I have seen that some of the SIMs tend to want a specific side of the bed (of all things). What's to stop Maxis/EA from coding in a Product Preference? Suzy Sim prefers a Big Maq over a generic Hot Dog from a Corner Vender Cart. She even suffers form a Maq Attaq from time to time, and is Very Unhappy unless she gets to go Out and have a burger fairly frequently.
Perhaps they can even make it possible for the Sims to be Vegitarian, or even *Hate* certain products? Refuse to use an object because it's been branded with something they don't like?
Might add a certain dimension to the game.
Then again, the Sponsors might just Fight over who gets to be the Most Prefered...
Hmm...
Could get interesting...
First: Many of us already Pay for our TV with Cable/Satelite fees, so doesn't a chunk of that money already go *somewhere* upstream? Perhaps that's tha wave of the future...
;)
Second: Anyone else remember the movie "The Truman Show"? Strategicly placed ads, "talkative" people just about Mugging the Main Character against a poster/ad, or just plaster the main character with (hopefully) subtle ads/logos/style reference, "background" billboards/placards, etc. It means that the ad execs would have to get (Heaven forfend) CREATIVE in what they do!
Here's an idea: Have a network, or even start with a show that has NO COMMERCIALS. Well, no plot/continuity interrupting ones, any way. Sell that to the public, and see how popular the full 27 minute programs become!
Just my random brain droppings for the day
Actually, the BigWigs(tm) get their paper, and pens, and executive lunches, right? Surely they can cough up the clams for the right hardware to benefit All of the company, and it's network-dependant business!
Just my rantings...
Sure, it sounds trite, but just listen for a moment.
;)
When it was My turn at the plate, my mother dug out her jewlery box, and, lo-and-behold, produced my Grandmother's engagement ring! It had a 1/4 ct full cut, blue-clear, with no less than 6 1/2 cut 1/8th ct diamonds with it.
Suffice it to say, my wife was Well-Pleased with a diamond that had been in the family for the better part of a century.
Cost to me: $300 for a new ring set (including the wedding bands)
Moral to this story: Hit up the Parents/Grandparents for one! You just might have some good rocks out there! (Just don't dig up any releative out of the dirt
Not From us, but BY us ;)
;)
Just think, next time the BigWigs want something that involves IT-related skills, you hold out until they give you something you need. You refer to it as "Fair Trade" for services rendered. That, or "Sorry, but unless we have that Googleplexer9000 you've been denying me, I just can't do what you're asking of me. Our poor, outdated hardware just can't handle that kind of load."
They just might see the value of IT then. Just has to be, uhm, "Highlighted" a bit?