Wow, support the US government and get modded flamebait.
It amusing, no? I notice this more and more often on Digg and/. If I posted a story along the lines of "George W. Bush clips his toe-nails today, without repressing anyone," it would promptly be modded down. People don't want to see thing that don't agree with their world view of "George bush = evil, stupid". I like to call it folk censorship, certain people refuse to even think about things against their world view.
Yes, the man is a nasty little cuss, who has done more objectionable things than even Reagan or Nixon, but denying that he can do something right is obviously silly. And it seems a threatening mind set to even deny debate on his actions, perhaps he's done more right than popular opinion (and current social mindset allow). I'm not presenting this point, but debate has never been seen as a bad thing, and having your opiniona opposed can be seen to be a genuinely positive thing.
Moving back OT, I can't really see any serious mistakes done by the US in our controllership of internet. Yes, net neutrality is worrying, but it is not an official US position by any means, it is something debated, which is different. If laws are passed infringing on this, then we have a different story. But I wonder how much this would actually effect the internet for the rest of the world, not using US based ISPs?
This made me ponder how I aquired my own (moderate, granted) gaming skills, and I did realize that a degree of mentoring did have a roll. I remember the Total Annihilation strat forums rather well (and the odd philosophical conversations...), and the UT forums also helped. When it came to console FPS games, the learning curve more involved getting myself killed 8000 times in Halo DMs (to my freinds amusement) before mastering those nasty little controller things.
It seems that in gaming, (good) players are always willing to help out a newb, if for no other reason than to ramp up the challenge for themselves.
In WoW, I had no problem learning the ropes, if your on the right servers people on that game are frighteningly helpful.
But all this only serves to underline a point, "why bother?" Seems like a collosal waste of funds to me, none of the true hardcore gamers I know went to "game school" or such, its called practice, learned strategy, and quick reflexes, all but the later are available for free, with the added bonus that your skills will be more flexible than someone who paid an 8 year old for the facimile of such.
Then why isn't there any move to make law understandable to those directly effected by it, or streamline it to a degree where it is managable for the common man to defend himself?
I don't understand why needing a lawyer is a good thing, especially when their fees are so unreasonable. Sure, if criminal charges are filed you can get a court appointed one, which is about as good as none at all. And sadly this does not also apply to civil cases, which are even more prone to abuse (actually, on the whole, I'd see the criminal system as pretty good), as we can see from the various trade associations and nasty busineses.
Its not resistance to change so much as the loss of flexibility for more mindless gagdetphilia. As far as Monopoly was concerned, it wasn't broke, but they still must fix it to make it more technical. It also chops out some of the flexability I love, when I play monoploy loan-sharking is a massive part of my strategy, and covert land deals, which would warrent a VERY flexible system. I also like playing with my ever growing stack 500 notes.
Have Scotty Dog, will travel, though I prefer the howitzer, it matches my play style (lovingly dubbed "cut-throat")
But for the immediate problems, hiring a lawyer is the only solution. Having some big long-term fix will do nothing when the *IAA comes to your door, or someone breaths down your next from DCMA violation, PATRIOT act violation, or various other thoughtcrimes.
I would love something like common language law, where average lay-people could present civil matters, and defend themselves before the court. It would make sense. It should be in the constitution, along with the right to face your accusor, and have a jury of peers, "the right to understand the charges against you".
But again, those in charge profit from the status-quo, and those in charge are the only ones able to change it. Barring some legal version of Martin Luther and the Reformation, it will always remain broken.
"A person who represents himself has a fool for an attorney"
A truism. Law is such an intricate and complicated (conviluted) system that the average lay-person has no chance at understanding all of the precedents and oddness that is in law. Law is not for the people, it has long ago transcended "common law", and has become complicated for its own sake (if it was simple, lawyers would not be able to get rich, and thus it is in the law makers interest to keep it inaccesable).
Even simple matters can quickly become lost in rhetorical complications (you are in violation of statuate 12, sub-clause 14, paragraph 2, line 3, word 142).
More importantly for me was that he was the first videogame villian to actually develop a sense of pathos. I wanted him dead, and not just because it was part of the game, but because it was more personal. And his laugh... Lord.
Sepheroth was cool, but for different, and more asesthetic, reason. I wanted to BE him, he looked awsome, and he was the ultimate bad-ass. A good foil, though, to the unsure, apathetic Cloud. Cloud would be listening to emo and reading Squall's Myspace account, while Seperoth would be sitting in a dive bar with real friends.
Problem with Blockbuster is their selection. If it isn't new, buzzworthy (in the masses sense) or or some sort of crap, they refuse to carry it. They really don't like classics or foreign films, if the movie didn't gross 100 million, or win some odd award, they will get rid of it.
Netflix lets me get my Kurosawa fix, while Blockbuster refuses to even stock most of them.
Meh. Sadly I think FFV was probably the best (followed by IV, then VI). Sure it ate time, but the story was amusing, and X-Death is probably the coolest Final Fantasy villian after Kefka (who is tied with Sepheroth). I probably got more joy from V than any other FF game.
Not that I played them all, the ones on PS2 have completely failed to keep me interested, they all seem too much 8 for me, with WAY too much cinamatics. I don't have time to sit though 8 hours of pointless angst.
The parent was talking (in part) about the cost of switching, and while OS X does run Photoshop it still costs another $300+ to get it, even if you had it on Windows.
The pre-press handling is part of the problem, but also it lacks a polished feel, which does seem to get in the way of my handling of files. It also has shown some stability problems on my Mini, it hangs often with very large image files. It does work for non-professional applications really well (I've installed it on all the installations I've done for other people, its on my "essential" CD). It just isn't set up as well as Photoshop, and has the aforementioned stability issue.
So I switched to a Mac some point during college when my Window/Redhat box fried. And yes, there was a week of difficulty, I needed to go scrounge up new software, get used to a new format, etc etc. In the end of that week I was playing WOW with my friends again, using the GIMP for art, etc. Granted it took some time and gumption to re-get essentials such as Office and Photoshop. Word processing is a weak point on the Mac, it still seems to be the Office port, or nothing (even with iWork/Pages), and the Gimp does not really compete with Photoshop. I'd say (thanks to ed discounts) the full curve was about a month at the most.
But then outside of various Blizzard games, and UT I'm not the gamer I once was, so I really didn't miss losing out on 70% of PC games.
It really was a non-issue in the end, it pretty much was the same as starting with a new Windows PC from scratch. And I guess that now with things such as Bootcamp and Parallels it is even more a non-issue (outside of gaming).
What your describing is not monopolistic, either. Its a vender problem evolved from market share. Its the price you pay be a minority, this is true of any "after market". There are more gadgets for iPods than any other MP3 player, this isn't really a good or bad thing, it just is that iPods are more profitable to support, ditto for Windows. This seems to be slowly changing with the increase of Mac popularity, though it has a long way to go.
The problem, to be completely honest (and hence unpopular) is probably in the users own work style. We're so used to Windows that we expect the same experience from everything else, with the same type of feeling and solution. Switching then becomes training yourself to use a new system, more than a new OS. You must modify your full work-flow. I'm not saying the "Mac way" is better than the "Windows way", but the fact is that they're different.
Right now it would be hard for my to switch back to Windows, for example, for lack of solutions such as Quicksilver, OmniOutliner, Automator, and Spotlight, and the integration between a range of apps with the OS. I'n not now complaining of the Apple monopoly, its just my style of computing has changed. Granted it would be easier for me than some, who have had nothing but Windows their whole life, for them it becomes the expectation of all OSs being just like Windows.
I'm sacrificing modding you up for an attaboy. On of my areas of interest is the philosophy of science, especially the epitemology of science (how can we know empircal fact x). I find physicists who are willing to admit that law does not equal fact, and that math does not equal universe, refreshing. It seems many of the physicists I know don't want to question the fundamentals of their discipline (they are so busy doing physics, that they never question what that means). One of my best friends is finishing up her schooling in physics and math, we get in large arguments about how our understanding of physics does not mirror how things are with certanty.
I'm not saying science is arbitrary, far from it. I think with each revolution and paradigm change we sprial in closer to the point of parity with actual physical fact (though I doubt our knowledge will ever be completely certain, or complete). I don't think there will ever be a point where there is nothing new, or no new fact to through the whole scientific mess into disarry again.
It seems to be a thing of great confusion with many physicists, and scientists, that the models that they create are nothing but that, models. E=mc^2 does not exist in reality, it exists as an abstraction in the mind of Man, it is a model of observed process (or deduced, in this case).
That said, needlessly, I do like your pragmatic statement. Newton is valid here, Einstein becomes more valid (in terms of application) under the incluence of strong gravitation or high acceleration (and relativistic speeds), Quantum physics become valid when we shrink down below the point where gravitation plays an important role.
My nerd Bling is a 8086 chip from my second computer, I used to wear it as a necklace, but later it was just deligated down to "bad computer" mojo. A threat, someday you'll be obsolete too, seems to put all of my modern computers in their place.
Now of course a golden USB or Cat5 cable, with a wireless detector on it would be the upgraded equivelent. Though I'm guessing a pimped out laptop would be called for (with studs)
I'm very happy that there is yet another *core in music now, and this is the only *core thats rap. I'm still quite dazzled that there is mathcore, which sounds just like grindcore. I feel like I'm writing for Pitchfork, I'll shut up now, but wouldn't nerd rap be a better moniker?
Doesn't seem too hard, as been said here ad nauseum, "don't post anything you don't want seen". Makes sense. Second, if you really want to post your affinity with child sacrifice, corporate embezzlement, molesting small animals, or such, make damn sure its an anonymous site, or use a good psuedonym.
I haven't used my actual name online since the early 90's, the only thing public with my real name is a couple news stories (interviews, and such), a college paper, and my initials on a couple sites/emails. I have a bank of several names I use, this is my ranting name, used on a couple forums/blogs, I got another unlinked one for stupid software questions and web registration (linked to a spam box), and yet another for selling stuff on ebay and amazon. All with dedicated inboxes, and very little cross contamination.
This is the internet, paranoia is an art form (and a necessity).
It is a RC for the Beta. I guess post-Alpha, or Pre-Beta.
I remember when Beta meant buggy, and now it is more and more meaning the actual software (look at Google), I think Firefox also popularized this, since how many of use have been using it as Beta or Alpha (before it even was called Firefox), so now more and more developers are just sticking with a permanent Beta model. I think the logic is that "if we aren't finished developing it, it must be beta", which if I remember my pre-google and Firefox days correctly is a change from "if it is stable, it is RC or Gold). You can ADD features after a stable release, for Pete's sake, its called upgrades, or a revision.
Most of the freedom loving, american, libertarian crowd would say people should be allowed to ruin their lives but I think that is incorrect.
You had me there, I'm always happy to see people attack libertarianism on/., sadly after that you lost me.
The State exists FOR the people, and not visa versa. As said before me, we invest in the State, and not visa versa. I do agree with your premise, but your phrasing needs some work to be less objectionable. The state does exist to look out for the populances well being, but calling this an investement has scary ramifications, it switches the means and ends. The PEOPLE (meaning their freedom, happiness, and safety) are the ends of the State, and the State is but means for a collection of individuals to achieve the personal ends of freedom, safety, and happiness.
While gambling can lead to serious problems, it also can be a harmless distraction. I find it a bit hypocritical that gambling would be allowed on thousands of indian reservations, and places such as Nevada, but not online. What makes gambling "over-here" okay, but not "over-there"?
We must carefully analyze this, since I have a feeling that this is just a territorial law, not an law based on maintaining the level of individual happiness as a whole. Gambling here, and there, have the same effects on society, and for the most part those taxes from gambling here do not go towards treating gambling (which in itself would be rather odd).
Also we must call responsibility here, isn't it the individuals free choice to choose to gamble? Addiction aside, they still choose to log on to getrichquick.com, go to Vegas, or their local tribal casino. And wouldn't this just be more "Nanny State in action" legislation? Reducing individual responsibility for their actions, and thus reducing the freedom of the individual?
Tax it, don't tell the goverment we need more Big Nanny actions.
I would consider coding or design a niche application. Granted on/. it isn't, but for the target market of Macs (meaning lay public/everyone) its not a killer feature. I can see how handy it is for most people going for cross platform code applications, actually I figure it would be a god send (as a person who once juggled 3 (5 OSs) computers I definatly see this), but you must admit that most people won't be utilizing this.
Who ever brough up Outlook has a good point, I think that has more saturation than the uses you have.
I just don't know how big an impact Bootcamp and Parallels is actually going to have on the casual home user. (Bootcamp especially, it is a little bit too complicated for most, with enough existant bugs to make it a pain. They should have waited for it to get a little less beta before making it an advertisment feature)
This isn't aimed at you, but thanks to the folk who pointed out that Ubuntu works, it wasn't supported last release, and I waa thinking of bootcamp.
I really don't understand the point, for most Mac users. I have it sitting on my computer with XP, but after the initial WOW! factor wore off, I really never touched it again. I've been using a Mac for roughly 4 years now, and have discovered alternatives to all my old Windows apps, bought all the "need-to-have" cross platform apps (Photoshop and Word), and completely adapted my work style to my Mac (running a computer without Quicksilver is painful). I really don't see the point outside of advertising and a very small amount of niche users.
I guess I could play Windows Solitare now... On the bright side.
I do wish I could install Ubuntu on it though, but it seems that Parallels doesn't yet support it, I still don't quite understand the point, but it would prolong the WOW! factor a bit.
It seems that most people are OS purists, if you really need to be doing something in Linux, then you generally use mostly linux to do that, ditto with XP and OS X. Now when the let me run a single Windows or Linux app in a window, without calling the whole of the OS into play (like the windows desktop) then I'll be happy, even if it will be an interface nightmare (ugly XP GUI with my OS X goodness!). Right now it seems a big hastle, since there is only one Windows app I actually ever need to run, though there might be a Mac alternative (which I haven't found), SPSS.
Most people I knew at college brought their own (pre-existing) computer with them. I'm not talking of just the geek-set either, but everyone, even the hippy art students. But most of this topic is correct, a majority of them had lap-tops and not desktops. The CS kids I knew had both, the desktop for gaming, and the laptop for coding/research. Most of the computer buying I saw was due to geeky one-up-manship or breakage, not because of the lack of computers.
Sadly laptops were pretty much useless on my campus (NAU) being that Wifi was non-existant in most places it would be useful (like the library or quad/central areas).
Good point. I'm trying to picture the tribes by where I live (Four Corners area) speaking our power-speak, but it just isn't working.
I think that the faster we talk, the more we take out the thoughtfulness behind what we're saying. Instead of being brain->consciousness->mouth it just becomes brain->mouth.
The problem with reform is that english in no longer limited to just England and the ex-colonies, it is the lingua franca of commerce and to a lesser degree science internationally. Changing it now locally might shake some degree of faith in it, and any changes would not be universally adopted leading to barriers in understanding (which defeats the purpose of a lingua franca).
I think we might need some grammatical change (not really spelling, it isn't broke so...). I think people who are going on about making language simpler should really be forced to take a year or so of Latin or Greek (ancient, not sure how modern greek stacks up in complexity), just to understand how painful a language can be.
Slashdot Mirror
Wow, support the US government and get modded flamebait.
/. If I posted a story along the lines of "George W. Bush clips his toe-nails today, without repressing anyone," it would promptly be modded down. People don't want to see thing that don't agree with their world view of "George bush = evil, stupid". I like to call it folk censorship, certain people refuse to even think about things against their world view.
It amusing, no? I notice this more and more often on Digg and
Yes, the man is a nasty little cuss, who has done more objectionable things than even Reagan or Nixon, but denying that he can do something right is obviously silly. And it seems a threatening mind set to even deny debate on his actions, perhaps he's done more right than popular opinion (and current social mindset allow). I'm not presenting this point, but debate has never been seen as a bad thing, and having your opiniona opposed can be seen to be a genuinely positive thing.
Moving back OT, I can't really see any serious mistakes done by the US in our controllership of internet. Yes, net neutrality is worrying, but it is not an official US position by any means, it is something debated, which is different. If laws are passed infringing on this, then we have a different story. But I wonder how much this would actually effect the internet for the rest of the world, not using US based ISPs?
Exactly.
This made me ponder how I aquired my own (moderate, granted) gaming skills, and I did realize that a degree of mentoring did have a roll. I remember the Total Annihilation strat forums rather well (and the odd philosophical conversations...), and the UT forums also helped. When it came to console FPS games, the learning curve more involved getting myself killed 8000 times in Halo DMs (to my freinds amusement) before mastering those nasty little controller things.
It seems that in gaming, (good) players are always willing to help out a newb, if for no other reason than to ramp up the challenge for themselves.
In WoW, I had no problem learning the ropes, if your on the right servers people on that game are frighteningly helpful.
But all this only serves to underline a point, "why bother?" Seems like a collosal waste of funds to me, none of the true hardcore gamers I know went to "game school" or such, its called practice, learned strategy, and quick reflexes, all but the later are available for free, with the added bonus that your skills will be more flexible than someone who paid an 8 year old for the facimile of such.
Then why isn't there any move to make law understandable to those directly effected by it, or streamline it to a degree where it is managable for the common man to defend himself?
I don't understand why needing a lawyer is a good thing, especially when their fees are so unreasonable. Sure, if criminal charges are filed you can get a court appointed one, which is about as good as none at all. And sadly this does not also apply to civil cases, which are even more prone to abuse (actually, on the whole, I'd see the criminal system as pretty good), as we can see from the various trade associations and nasty busineses.
Yeah, I'm just ranting, IANAL etc...
Its not resistance to change so much as the loss of flexibility for more mindless gagdetphilia. As far as Monopoly was concerned, it wasn't broke, but they still must fix it to make it more technical. It also chops out some of the flexability I love, when I play monoploy loan-sharking is a massive part of my strategy, and covert land deals, which would warrent a VERY flexible system. I also like playing with my ever growing stack 500 notes.
Have Scotty Dog, will travel, though I prefer the howitzer, it matches my play style (lovingly dubbed "cut-throat")
Love the sig!
Though I do like early Marx... Late Marx though...
I never even thought of the Balmer - Kruschev link...
The day Bush uses his shoe as a gavel, then we know we are doomed.
I agree with you...
But for the immediate problems, hiring a lawyer is the only solution. Having some big long-term fix will do nothing when the *IAA comes to your door, or someone breaths down your next from DCMA violation, PATRIOT act violation, or various other thoughtcrimes.
I would love something like common language law, where average lay-people could present civil matters, and defend themselves before the court. It would make sense. It should be in the constitution, along with the right to face your accusor, and have a jury of peers, "the right to understand the charges against you".
But again, those in charge profit from the status-quo, and those in charge are the only ones able to change it. Barring some legal version of Martin Luther and the Reformation, it will always remain broken.
"A person who represents himself has a fool for an attorney"
A truism. Law is such an intricate and complicated (conviluted) system that the average lay-person has no chance at understanding all of the precedents and oddness that is in law. Law is not for the people, it has long ago transcended "common law", and has become complicated for its own sake (if it was simple, lawyers would not be able to get rich, and thus it is in the law makers interest to keep it inaccesable).
Even simple matters can quickly become lost in rhetorical complications (you are in violation of statuate 12, sub-clause 14, paragraph 2, line 3, word 142).
More importantly for me was that he was the first videogame villian to actually develop a sense of pathos. I wanted him dead, and not just because it was part of the game, but because it was more personal. And his laugh... Lord.
Sepheroth was cool, but for different, and more asesthetic, reason. I wanted to BE him, he looked awsome, and he was the ultimate bad-ass. A good foil, though, to the unsure, apathetic Cloud. Cloud would be listening to emo and reading Squall's Myspace account, while Seperoth would be sitting in a dive bar with real friends.
Problem with Blockbuster is their selection. If it isn't new, buzzworthy (in the masses sense) or or some sort of crap, they refuse to carry it. They really don't like classics or foreign films, if the movie didn't gross 100 million, or win some odd award, they will get rid of it.
Netflix lets me get my Kurosawa fix, while Blockbuster refuses to even stock most of them.
Meh. Sadly I think FFV was probably the best (followed by IV, then VI). Sure it ate time, but the story was amusing, and X-Death is probably the coolest Final Fantasy villian after Kefka (who is tied with Sepheroth). I probably got more joy from V than any other FF game.
Not that I played them all, the ones on PS2 have completely failed to keep me interested, they all seem too much 8 for me, with WAY too much cinamatics. I don't have time to sit though 8 hours of pointless angst.
The parent was talking (in part) about the cost of switching, and while OS X does run Photoshop it still costs another $300+ to get it, even if you had it on Windows.
The pre-press handling is part of the problem, but also it lacks a polished feel, which does seem to get in the way of my handling of files. It also has shown some stability problems on my Mini, it hangs often with very large image files. It does work for non-professional applications really well (I've installed it on all the installations I've done for other people, its on my "essential" CD). It just isn't set up as well as Photoshop, and has the aforementioned stability issue.
So I switched to a Mac some point during college when my Window/Redhat box fried. And yes, there was a week of difficulty, I needed to go scrounge up new software, get used to a new format, etc etc. In the end of that week I was playing WOW with my friends again, using the GIMP for art, etc. Granted it took some time and gumption to re-get essentials such as Office and Photoshop. Word processing is a weak point on the Mac, it still seems to be the Office port, or nothing (even with iWork/Pages), and the Gimp does not really compete with Photoshop. I'd say (thanks to ed discounts) the full curve was about a month at the most.
But then outside of various Blizzard games, and UT I'm not the gamer I once was, so I really didn't miss losing out on 70% of PC games.
It really was a non-issue in the end, it pretty much was the same as starting with a new Windows PC from scratch. And I guess that now with things such as Bootcamp and Parallels it is even more a non-issue (outside of gaming).
What your describing is not monopolistic, either. Its a vender problem evolved from market share. Its the price you pay be a minority, this is true of any "after market". There are more gadgets for iPods than any other MP3 player, this isn't really a good or bad thing, it just is that iPods are more profitable to support, ditto for Windows. This seems to be slowly changing with the increase of Mac popularity, though it has a long way to go.
The problem, to be completely honest (and hence unpopular) is probably in the users own work style. We're so used to Windows that we expect the same experience from everything else, with the same type of feeling and solution. Switching then becomes training yourself to use a new system, more than a new OS. You must modify your full work-flow. I'm not saying the "Mac way" is better than the "Windows way", but the fact is that they're different.
Right now it would be hard for my to switch back to Windows, for example, for lack of solutions such as Quicksilver, OmniOutliner, Automator, and Spotlight, and the integration between a range of apps with the OS. I'n not now complaining of the Apple monopoly, its just my style of computing has changed. Granted it would be easier for me than some, who have had nothing but Windows their whole life, for them it becomes the expectation of all OSs being just like Windows.
I'm sacrificing modding you up for an attaboy. On of my areas of interest is the philosophy of science, especially the epitemology of science (how can we know empircal fact x). I find physicists who are willing to admit that law does not equal fact, and that math does not equal universe, refreshing. It seems many of the physicists I know don't want to question the fundamentals of their discipline (they are so busy doing physics, that they never question what that means). One of my best friends is finishing up her schooling in physics and math, we get in large arguments about how our understanding of physics does not mirror how things are with certanty.
I'm not saying science is arbitrary, far from it. I think with each revolution and paradigm change we sprial in closer to the point of parity with actual physical fact (though I doubt our knowledge will ever be completely certain, or complete). I don't think there will ever be a point where there is nothing new, or no new fact to through the whole scientific mess into disarry again.
It seems to be a thing of great confusion with many physicists, and scientists, that the models that they create are nothing but that, models. E=mc^2 does not exist in reality, it exists as an abstraction in the mind of Man, it is a model of observed process (or deduced, in this case).
That said, needlessly, I do like your pragmatic statement. Newton is valid here, Einstein becomes more valid (in terms of application) under the incluence of strong gravitation or high acceleration (and relativistic speeds), Quantum physics become valid when we shrink down below the point where gravitation plays an important role.
My nerd Bling is a 8086 chip from my second computer, I used to wear it as a necklace, but later it was just deligated down to "bad computer" mojo. A threat, someday you'll be obsolete too, seems to put all of my modern computers in their place.
Now of course a golden USB or Cat5 cable, with a wireless detector on it would be the upgraded equivelent. Though I'm guessing a pimped out laptop would be called for (with studs)
I'm very happy that there is yet another *core in music now, and this is the only *core thats rap. I'm still quite dazzled that there is mathcore, which sounds just like grindcore. I feel like I'm writing for Pitchfork, I'll shut up now, but wouldn't nerd rap be a better moniker?
Doesn't seem too hard, as been said here ad nauseum, "don't post anything you don't want seen". Makes sense. Second, if you really want to post your affinity with child sacrifice, corporate embezzlement, molesting small animals, or such, make damn sure its an anonymous site, or use a good psuedonym.
I haven't used my actual name online since the early 90's, the only thing public with my real name is a couple news stories (interviews, and such), a college paper, and my initials on a couple sites/emails. I have a bank of several names I use, this is my ranting name, used on a couple forums/blogs, I got another unlinked one for stupid software questions and web registration (linked to a spam box), and yet another for selling stuff on ebay and amazon. All with dedicated inboxes, and very little cross contamination.
This is the internet, paranoia is an art form (and a necessity).
+5 Pedantic
Hmmmm version 1.1.134.5b or 1.1.134.6a?
Its more odd than that...
It is a RC for the Beta. I guess post-Alpha, or Pre-Beta.
I remember when Beta meant buggy, and now it is more and more meaning the actual software (look at Google), I think Firefox also popularized this, since how many of use have been using it as Beta or Alpha (before it even was called Firefox), so now more and more developers are just sticking with a permanent Beta model. I think the logic is that "if we aren't finished developing it, it must be beta", which if I remember my pre-google and Firefox days correctly is a change from "if it is stable, it is RC or Gold). You can ADD features after a stable release, for Pete's sake, its called upgrades, or a revision.
Most of the freedom loving, american, libertarian crowd would say people should be allowed to ruin their lives but I think that is incorrect.
/., sadly after that you lost me.
You had me there, I'm always happy to see people attack libertarianism on
The State exists FOR the people, and not visa versa. As said before me, we invest in the State, and not visa versa. I do agree with your premise, but your phrasing needs some work to be less objectionable. The state does exist to look out for the populances well being, but calling this an investement has scary ramifications, it switches the means and ends. The PEOPLE (meaning their freedom, happiness, and safety) are the ends of the State, and the State is but means for a collection of individuals to achieve the personal ends of freedom, safety, and happiness.
While gambling can lead to serious problems, it also can be a harmless distraction. I find it a bit hypocritical that gambling would be allowed on thousands of indian reservations, and places such as Nevada, but not online. What makes gambling "over-here" okay, but not "over-there"?
We must carefully analyze this, since I have a feeling that this is just a territorial law, not an law based on maintaining the level of individual happiness as a whole. Gambling here, and there, have the same effects on society, and for the most part those taxes from gambling here do not go towards treating gambling (which in itself would be rather odd).
Also we must call responsibility here, isn't it the individuals free choice to choose to gamble? Addiction aside, they still choose to log on to getrichquick.com, go to Vegas, or their local tribal casino. And wouldn't this just be more "Nanny State in action" legislation? Reducing individual responsibility for their actions, and thus reducing the freedom of the individual?
Tax it, don't tell the goverment we need more Big Nanny actions.
I would consider coding or design a niche application. Granted on /. it isn't, but for the target market of Macs (meaning lay public/everyone) its not a killer feature. I can see how handy it is for most people going for cross platform code applications, actually I figure it would be a god send (as a person who once juggled 3 (5 OSs) computers I definatly see this), but you must admit that most people won't be utilizing this.
Who ever brough up Outlook has a good point, I think that has more saturation than the uses you have.
I just don't know how big an impact Bootcamp and Parallels is actually going to have on the casual home user. (Bootcamp especially, it is a little bit too complicated for most, with enough existant bugs to make it a pain. They should have waited for it to get a little less beta before making it an advertisment feature)
This isn't aimed at you, but thanks to the folk who pointed out that Ubuntu works, it wasn't supported last release, and I waa thinking of bootcamp.
I really don't understand the point, for most Mac users. I have it sitting on my computer with XP, but after the initial WOW! factor wore off, I really never touched it again. I've been using a Mac for roughly 4 years now, and have discovered alternatives to all my old Windows apps, bought all the "need-to-have" cross platform apps (Photoshop and Word), and completely adapted my work style to my Mac (running a computer without Quicksilver is painful). I really don't see the point outside of advertising and a very small amount of niche users.
I guess I could play Windows Solitare now... On the bright side.
I do wish I could install Ubuntu on it though, but it seems that Parallels doesn't yet support it, I still don't quite understand the point, but it would prolong the WOW! factor a bit.
It seems that most people are OS purists, if you really need to be doing something in Linux, then you generally use mostly linux to do that, ditto with XP and OS X. Now when the let me run a single Windows or Linux app in a window, without calling the whole of the OS into play (like the windows desktop) then I'll be happy, even if it will be an interface nightmare (ugly XP GUI with my OS X goodness!). Right now it seems a big hastle, since there is only one Windows app I actually ever need to run, though there might be a Mac alternative (which I haven't found), SPSS.
Most people I knew at college brought their own (pre-existing) computer with them. I'm not talking of just the geek-set either, but everyone, even the hippy art students. But most of this topic is correct, a majority of them had lap-tops and not desktops. The CS kids I knew had both, the desktop for gaming, and the laptop for coding/research. Most of the computer buying I saw was due to geeky one-up-manship or breakage, not because of the lack of computers.
Sadly laptops were pretty much useless on my campus (NAU) being that Wifi was non-existant in most places it would be useful (like the library or quad/central areas).
Lots of closed doors with the sounds of WoW (and plummeting GPAs) coming from them.
Good point. I'm trying to picture the tribes by where I live (Four Corners area) speaking our power-speak, but it just isn't working.
I think that the faster we talk, the more we take out the thoughtfulness behind what we're saying. Instead of being brain->consciousness->mouth it just becomes brain->mouth.
The problem with reform is that english in no longer limited to just England and the ex-colonies, it is the lingua franca of commerce and to a lesser degree science internationally. Changing it now locally might shake some degree of faith in it, and any changes would not be universally adopted leading to barriers in understanding (which defeats the purpose of a lingua franca).
I think we might need some grammatical change (not really spelling, it isn't broke so...). I think people who are going on about making language simpler should really be forced to take a year or so of Latin or Greek (ancient, not sure how modern greek stacks up in complexity), just to understand how painful a language can be.