Slashdot Mirror


User: SoupIsGoodFood_42

SoupIsGoodFood_42's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
3,866
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 3,866

  1. Re:why do screen resolutions keep going down? on Alienware's Curved Monitor · · Score: 1

    My computer has a 24" 1920x1200 LCD screen. 1280x1024 sounds about right for a low-end or specialised screen, but bigger screens have been around for a while now, without costing an arm and a leg, too.

    Also, you can always buy a wide-screen and mount it on it's side, then simply tell your OS to rotate the video feed to it (standard feature in OS X 10.5) like I did for my 2nd screen (1024x1280, with built-in pivot) -- very handy. Your sub-pixel font rendering might not work, but since you have a larger amount of pixels to view it in, you can increase the font-size to something more comfortable and still have plenty of vertical room.

  2. Re:initital thoughts on Alienware's Curved Monitor · · Score: 1

    Given that the curvature is only slight, and is convex, not concave like an old CRT, I thought there would have been less visual distortion. In fact, I thought that would have been the entire point of making such a wide-angle screen curved in the first place -- less visual distortion.

  3. Re:Still half vertically symmetric on USB 3.0's New Jacks and Sockets · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I still find this a problem when the ports are vertical, since it's never obvious which way the connector goes even if you look at the little symbol on the plug before you begin your fumbling around.

  4. Re: A serious question on USB 3.0's New Jacks and Sockets · · Score: 1

    Apple? Apple would never let it die, because a large portion of their pro users rely on FireWire, and I doubt USB 3 is going to change that. I got into an argument a while ago about FireWire, and what some people don't realise is that niche markets can be profitable, and Apple knows that. FireWire isn't dying because it was never "alive" in the same market as USB in the first place. It was never design only to compete with USB. Unfortunately, many people don't realise this, and hence FireWire is "dying" just as much as Apple is.

  5. Re:A serious question on USB 3.0's New Jacks and Sockets · · Score: 1

    FireWire is hardly expensive at all. It's just that in a market full of people trying to make the cheapest product possible, small expenses go out the door.

  6. Re:You have to start somewhere... on Professors Slam Java As "Damaging" To Students · · Score: 1

    Err... I think you are missing the point entirely. I think their concert is that many of these students never progress beyond what is required of them (or something to that effect), and that has a huge consequence for the quality of programming in the industry.

    When you don't learn the basics of something, then you are also less likely to know the limitations of your current environment, or whatever you want to call it.

  7. Re:what's the problem? on PI License May Soon Be Required for Computer Forensics · · Score: 1

    Wow. There are calm, thoughtful, rational people on Slashdot.

  8. Re:The Universal Platform on Is Apple Killing Linux on the Desktop? · · Score: 1

    Well, you can still very easily turn a Mac into a flake by installing all sorts of 3rd party software and hacks, just like you can turn Windows into a nightmare in a similar manner. And there are the occasional bad updates, but that happens on Windows, too, in my experience.

    Aqua can really hog the machine, but as far as I see, this type of GUI is inevitable -- Vista does the same thing, and if this were a Vista vs. Mac OS X argument, I think you'd find the Mac much faster. Comparing OS X to XP (or anything before it) is a bit unfair from a technical perspective.

    But even so, when people talk about productivity, they're taking about the way the GUI works, not just the perceived responsiveness of the GUI.

  9. Re:my rebuttal on Is Apple Killing Linux on the Desktop? · · Score: 1

    I'm a programmer and a designer, and I think Mac OS is great for programming (depending on what you do, exactly, of course). Perhaps you didn't give it enough of a chance? It can take a while to get used to a different environment, especially for the highly technical environments programmers use. I'd say you'd have to dual boot for a while to give it a fair chance.

  10. Re:People Still Pay For Music? on Antitrust Suit Filed To Halt Apple 'Music Monopoly' · · Score: 1

    Then that makes you delusional. Or perhaps just naive.

  11. Re:Sheesh on Proof That Practice Does Make Perfect · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not yet, but given how little we still know on the subject, I don't see why intuition should be regarded as something not scientifically valid simply because there currently may not be much research on it specifically.

  12. Re:Why? on World's Smallest Projector · · Score: 1

    Because it's a new type of technology in this projector?

  13. Re:A fine theory on the imaginations of rats on Dreams Actually Virtual Reality Threat Simulation? · · Score: 1

    Are my dreams of being naked in public just training ground to remind me to get dressed every morning?

    Or perhaps a simulation for dealing with humiliation?

  14. Re:Scary? on Airport Profilers Learn to Read Facial Expressions · · Score: 1

    Then what is stopping terrorists taking a couple of xanax before a suicide mission? Aside from the obvious fact that humans are very strange creatures, psychologically, and that this system will no doubt have many false alarms. Surely the money would be better spend elsewhere?

  15. Re:What is a terrorist facial expression? on Airport Profilers Learn to Read Facial Expressions · · Score: 1

    Yes, with modern psychology and technology like this, it can be very easy to tell what some is feeling, even if they are pretty good at hiding it. But unless you know what is going on inside their head, just knowing their emotional state doesn't tell you much about why they were in that state.

  16. Re:Note to terrorist self on Airport Profilers Learn to Read Facial Expressions · · Score: 1

    And unlike you, a terrorist would probably get his hands on a bottle of morphine (and a fake prescription) to calm his nerves, making the whole thing seem even more silly.

  17. Re:Not worthless on Cocaine Vaccine In the Works · · Score: 1

    I think that's one the key issues here. When first read the summary, I was reminded of some experiments -- in China, I think --- where they were destroying the brain's dopamine system as a cure for drug addiction. This doesn't sound as bad, of course...

  18. Re:Bullet Point Three on MS To Push Silverlight Via Redesigned Microsoft.com · · Score: 1

    Given Microsoft's rather lack-luster performance when it comes to designing GUIs, I wouldn't expect miracles. I'm guessing it will have some genuinely useful features compared to the current site, but I'm also guessing they won't get used as much as they had hoped.

  19. Re:People Still Pay For Music? on Antitrust Suit Filed To Halt Apple 'Music Monopoly' · · Score: 1

    I'm willing to bet that most people still pay for music, even if they also download music illegitimately. Not everyone lives in their parent's basement thinking the world owes them something.

  20. Re:I'm not arguing on technical merit on Afterlife Will Be Costly For Digital Films · · Score: 1

    The fact that you think a niche market is irrelevant just goes to show how silly you are being. And you still don't get the fact that USB isn't an alternative to FireWire for many people, not just "esoteric or high end niches". I think you really underestimate what computers are used for in todays society. Not everyone is exactly the same as you, and that is a good thing. At the end of the day, computers and technology are all just tools, and if you're so foolish as to believe that you know everything on the subject because you also happen to be in the industry, then that is your problem. I think I'm done here, so feel free to get the last word in.

  21. Re:Keep this stuff out of Japan on Snortable Drug 'Replaces' Sleep For Monkeys In Trials · · Score: 1

    From what I've read, Japan is quite strict when it comes to prescribing stimulants compared to say, the USA. So what makes you think this drug wouldn't be treated the same way? Or am I wrong about the former? Energy drinks can be problems, but not usually to the same extent as prescription meds, so It's kinda hard to justify banning them. Or can Japan be similar to China when it comes to what's allowed in food? As I know that there have been a few cases where food imported from China has be found to contain some ingredient that's banned in the country importing it for health reasons.

  22. Re:Why not modafinil? on Snortable Drug 'Replaces' Sleep For Monkeys In Trials · · Score: 1

    Amphetamines have an effect on the dopamine system, so yes, I expect the there are effects from it that don't happen with these newer drugs. Also, not everyone gets euphoria, as [side] effects can vary with each person -- another reason one drug rarely completely replaces another one.

  23. Re:Pilots on meth? on Snortable Drug 'Replaces' Sleep For Monkeys In Trials · · Score: 1

    Isn't it dextroamphetamine? I use it moderately for ADD or when I find myself sleeping too much.

    It would be nice to have something with less side effects and tolerance, etc.

  24. Re:I imagine... on TSA Limits Lithium Batteries on Airplanes · · Score: 1

    So you don't have any actual facts?

  25. Re:AV is a side issue on Afterlife Will Be Costly For Digital Films · · Score: 1

    Your point seems to be that FireWire has no value because it will eventually die. It can't just be ubiquity, because that is irrelevant as because many enclosures also have USB. So your point seems to be around the advantages of FireWire for enclosures aren't enough to save it, and I'd agree if that was the only use for FireWire. But since it still has uses that USB or whatever can't replace, it's not going anywhere anytime soon, so those of us who have FireWire can still benefit from it, even if we only use it for storage devices.

    I don't imagine you'll find many netcafes that won't allow you to burn cds/dvds of data you bring in. You'll have to have a way to get that data on their systems though, and that isn't firewire.

    And it isn't necessarily USB, either, because many video cameras still don't have USB. Many of Sony's tape-based video cameras, which include one of their high-end models, still use FireWire. You may think that tape is outdated, but it's not. It still provides the best quality in that range, and it's ubiquitous and cheap compared to an un-replaceable HDD, since you don't even need to transfer it to a computer when it gets full,

    Did you know that FireWire doesn't require a host? Meaning that if the devices support it, you can simply plug one device into another to transfer data, no computer necessary.

    And what about the audio industry? You still haven't told me why FireWire is hopeless in there.