"THIS is why you can't get a date...I won't talk to a guy who's not fluent in Monty Python, and won't talk about Linux, Slashdot, or Star Trek with me!!!"
Heh. What part of the world is populated by female Star Trek fans? Certainly not in Portland. Heh.
"What a crashing bore he was. And he WAS the stereotypical, cliche geek - I strongly suspect I was only the second woman he'd ever been intimate with (and he was pushing forty!)"
Yeah. I remember being like that. I had some fear that opening my mouth meant points off.
What's sad is I didn't really 'grow out of it'. What happened was I snapped. I had a month of real nastiness, women wise. I went out to dinner with somebody I had recently met. I just *didn't care*. I let my opinions fly. I wasn't preoccupied with my behaviour. Even wandered into Star Trek territory. Got away with it, though. I do CG animation for a living. It was more about my ambitions than about being attracted to women with blue skin. She stopped me for a bit and said that I was far more interesting than the last guy she dated who talked about Linux non-stop. Having a few laughs goes a long way, duddn't it?
It's kind of funny. After we started dating, it took me a month or so to realize she really liked me. I had this suspiscion this was some joke or something. Or maybe that she wanted something of mine. I didn't know. I really do feel that high school had basically taught me that girls would never be particularly interested in me. So when I was faced with that reality, I had no idea how to cope. Fortunately for me she was patient.
Sorry if I'm rambling a bit. I just wanted to share that bit of info with you. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if some of the guys you date have the same problem. That would explain some quiet shyness, etc. I've been fortunate to dig myself out of that. But man, if I can't believe how my interpretation of how women are differs from what I thought of them back when I was 18. Ever see Mars Attacks? Remember how overly cautious the humans were in greeting the aliens? Remember how when they talked we couldn't understand it? Hehe it was like that.
"Ah, but will it take more time to acquire and install the service pack than it will to install windows itself, as has been the case with certain windows security packs in the past?"
Why? Are you on dialup? Who cares if it takes longer to download than to install Windows? Why is this insightful? Is it because in some weak way that's dependent on the speed of your net connection it makes Microsoft look bad?
At my previous company, we retired the IIS machine and I was asked to make a Linux based Apache server. Okay. Hadn't really done much of Linux at that point, but I thought it'd be a piece of cake. More or less, it was. Didn't take very long. Got it up and running. 2 weeks later, the server was down. My boss informed me that a worm hit it. The sysadmin there was going to have to rebuild it. Oops. Guess even Linux need to be patched.
"Can someone explain why NASA was so concerned about contaminating Europa that they smashed a spacecraft into Jupiter that could otherwise have lasted a lot longer, but where Titan is concerned no one seems to think about contamination?"
"Undoubtably we are going to do something while "studying" this that causes the process to go all wrong (or not happen at all) like a satellite hitting the surface and contaminating the moon, causing these building blocks to not form (flash backs of the last episode of ST:TNG)."
"Controversial film-maker Michael Moore has welcomed the appearance on the internet of pirated copies of his anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and claimed he is happy for anybody to download it free of charge."
"Umm... ethernet adapters for systems might add about $2 or $5 to the system. Not $100."
That's the component cost. There's still development of the system, APIs, services to make use of this port, etc etc etc. It doesn't take many of these to add up before you start having to push a console into a higher price.
" Nintendo should just go ahead and add this feature to their next system..."
Do you really really really think Nintendo wouldn't add a port like this if it only added a couple of bucks to each system?
"How much success has nintendo had with perpherial devices in the past?"
You mean like the Rumble Pak, 4MB memory expansion for the N64, memory cards, etc etc etc? Nintendo knows how to drive adoption of a peripheral. Simply attach a game to it.
Even if an ethernet port was included with the Game Cube, what makes you think it would be adopted any better than the Super Scope or the Mouse or any of that jazz? Not even Sony's been able to enjoy more than a small success with it. Adding the port just for the fun of it wouldn't do any good in Nintendo's next system. Few are willing to pay per-month fees for an on-line service, and there's really no practical way to host your own games for other people to play like you can in the PC world.
"Yay, someone understands! Down with the objectionably cartoony link with the ellipsoid head! (And no, I don't mind cartoon-style rendering if its done right.)"
So Family Guy is cool around here, but Zelda is objectionable.
"Moderators - read this guy's Slashdot and Google posting histories before you use mod points."
Yeah mods!! Don't mod my comments on the merit of the content itself! Instead, base it on what a bunch of other mods (chosen via lottery as opposed to an extensive audition process) have said in the past on unrelated topics!
"When will Nintendo learn? ONLINE PLAY MATTERS. It's the only reason x-box has sold a single console. Everyone knows it's games suck outside Halo. It's the online part that's saving the system."
Seeing as how Playstation 2 has 40 million owners, but roughly a million are on-line, I'd say that you're full of shit.
"Nintendo not having a feature that other consoles do? Why not? That's my question."
Cheaper system. It's easier for lots of kids to get a Nintendo under the xmas tree when it costs $200 instead of $300. If an on-line capability significantly raises the cost of the system, but doesn't significantly raise its customer base, they're not going to go with it.
Truth be told, I don't think they're being totally unwise. As it stands right now, you need to pay for a service to play these games online. It's not like the PC world where anybody can host.
"Now, I can understand looking at this and saying - "online isn't the be-all end-all of technologies for consoles", but honestly, an online golf game - most likely the least online-needing sports subgenre there is - used as proof that online isn't a capability people want? What about all the people playing SOCOM on PS2? Splinter Cell on XBox?"
I think his point wasn't that it was 'mass-market' enough. I think Nintendo has a point. Few gamers have demonstrated that the current internet-console-multiplayer business model is worth their hard earne dmoney.
Slashdot Mirror
"THIS is why you can't get a date...I won't talk to a guy who's not fluent in Monty Python, and won't talk about Linux, Slashdot, or Star Trek with me!!!"
Heh. What part of the world is populated by female Star Trek fans? Certainly not in Portland. Heh.
"What a crashing bore he was. And he WAS the stereotypical, cliche geek - I strongly suspect I was only the second woman he'd ever been intimate with (and he was pushing forty!)"
Yeah. I remember being like that. I had some fear that opening my mouth meant points off.
What's sad is I didn't really 'grow out of it'. What happened was I snapped. I had a month of real nastiness, women wise. I went out to dinner with somebody I had recently met. I just *didn't care*. I let my opinions fly. I wasn't preoccupied with my behaviour. Even wandered into Star Trek territory. Got away with it, though. I do CG animation for a living. It was more about my ambitions than about being attracted to women with blue skin. She stopped me for a bit and said that I was far more interesting than the last guy she dated who talked about Linux non-stop. Having a few laughs goes a long way, duddn't it?
It's kind of funny. After we started dating, it took me a month or so to realize she really liked me. I had this suspiscion this was some joke or something. Or maybe that she wanted something of mine. I didn't know. I really do feel that high school had basically taught me that girls would never be particularly interested in me. So when I was faced with that reality, I had no idea how to cope. Fortunately for me she was patient.
Sorry if I'm rambling a bit. I just wanted to share that bit of info with you. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if some of the guys you date have the same problem. That would explain some quiet shyness, etc. I've been fortunate to dig myself out of that. But man, if I can't believe how my interpretation of how women are differs from what I thought of them back when I was 18. Ever see Mars Attacks? Remember how overly cautious the humans were in greeting the aliens? Remember how when they talked we couldn't understand it? Hehe it was like that.
"enter your car, and start it with just the key, the government may be to blame, but you need to be slapped."
Why? Because we designed the alarm system?
"You're laughing, but someone at Slate is going to lose their job over this article."
Based on what?
Windows does have a feature for this. They had it in Windows 2000, maybe even earlier.
Try here:
http://www.mdgx.com/2k1.htm#GTF!
"Ah, but will it take more time to acquire and install the service pack than it will to install windows itself, as has been the case with certain windows security packs in the past?"
Why? Are you on dialup? Who cares if it takes longer to download than to install Windows? Why is this insightful? Is it because in some weak way that's dependent on the speed of your net connection it makes Microsoft look bad?
At my previous company, we retired the IIS machine and I was asked to make a Linux based Apache server. Okay. Hadn't really done much of Linux at that point, but I thought it'd be a piece of cake. More or less, it was. Didn't take very long. Got it up and running. 2 weeks later, the server was down. My boss informed me that a worm hit it. The sysadmin there was going to have to rebuild it. Oops. Guess even Linux need to be patched.
"$100 to replace the *melted* keyboard. note to self: never remove nail polish near a computer."
Did you get your section 8?
"Can someone explain why NASA was so concerned about contaminating Europa that they smashed a spacecraft into Jupiter that could otherwise have lasted a lot longer, but where Titan is concerned no one seems to think about contamination?"
The mission isn't over?
"What type of organisms can sustain life under such low tempartures? "
I had an ex girlfriend that sustained running at icy temperatures.
"Undoubtably we are going to do something while "studying" this that causes the process to go all wrong (or not happen at all) like a satellite hitting the surface and contaminating the moon, causing these building blocks to not form (flash backs of the last episode of ST:TNG)."
Chalk it up to Darwinism.
"Controversial film-maker Michael Moore has welcomed the appearance on the internet of pirated copies of his anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and claimed he is happy for anybody to download it free of charge."
It isn't piracy if Moore okays it. Stupid media.
"What if people start using it? They avoid the traffic jams, thus no traffic jams. Wrong prediction!"
Oh the horror.
"P L E A S E
compile those drivers for us PowerPC owners who also pay for the cards?"
Oooo ooo ooo can I be the first to be modded up for saying "Just another reason to switch to Windows!"..?
"The real story is when they open the source to the drivers."
Yeah, there's new source of discussion just brimming with new content.
"Check out the policy that AT&T has regarding SMS, turns out they log 3 months worth ... ala, the Amercians monitor it too."
A.) They're not preventing messages from being sent.
B.) Due process.
C.) Nobody's been investigated for discussing anti-Bush views via SMS.
"Umm... ethernet adapters for systems might add about $2 or $5 to the system. Not $100."
That's the component cost. There's still development of the system, APIs, services to make use of this port, etc etc etc. It doesn't take many of these to add up before you start having to push a console into a higher price.
" Nintendo should just go ahead and add this feature to their next system..."
Do you really really really think Nintendo wouldn't add a port like this if it only added a couple of bucks to each system?
"How much success has nintendo had with perpherial devices in the past?"
You mean like the Rumble Pak, 4MB memory expansion for the N64, memory cards, etc etc etc? Nintendo knows how to drive adoption of a peripheral. Simply attach a game to it.
Even if an ethernet port was included with the Game Cube, what makes you think it would be adopted any better than the Super Scope or the Mouse or any of that jazz? Not even Sony's been able to enjoy more than a small success with it. Adding the port just for the fun of it wouldn't do any good in Nintendo's next system. Few are willing to pay per-month fees for an on-line service, and there's really no practical way to host your own games for other people to play like you can in the PC world.
"Music is nice, but there's no sound like a proper exhaust note at 140mph."
Hmm... well okay. I put an MP3 of that up on Kazaa, enjoy!
"Yay, someone understands! Down with the objectionably cartoony link with the ellipsoid head! (And no, I don't mind cartoon-style rendering if its done right.)"
So Family Guy is cool around here, but Zelda is objectionable.
"Moderators - read this guy's Slashdot and Google posting histories before you use mod points."
Yeah mods!! Don't mod my comments on the merit of the content itself! Instead, base it on what a bunch of other mods (chosen via lottery as opposed to an extensive audition process) have said in the past on unrelated topics!
"When will Nintendo learn? ONLINE PLAY MATTERS. It's the only reason x-box has sold a single console. Everyone knows it's games suck outside Halo. It's the online part that's saving the system."
Seeing as how Playstation 2 has 40 million owners, but roughly a million are on-line, I'd say that you're full of shit.
"Nintendo not having a feature that other consoles do? Why not? That's my question."
Cheaper system. It's easier for lots of kids to get a Nintendo under the xmas tree when it costs $200 instead of $300. If an on-line capability significantly raises the cost of the system, but doesn't significantly raise its customer base, they're not going to go with it.
Truth be told, I don't think they're being totally unwise. As it stands right now, you need to pay for a service to play these games online. It's not like the PC world where anybody can host.
"Now, I can understand looking at this and saying - "online isn't the be-all end-all of technologies for consoles", but honestly, an online golf game - most likely the least online-needing sports subgenre there is - used as proof that online isn't a capability people want? What about all the people playing SOCOM on PS2? Splinter Cell on XBox?"
I think his point wasn't that it was 'mass-market' enough. I think Nintendo has a point. Few gamers have demonstrated that the current internet-console-multiplayer business model is worth their hard earne dmoney.
Does Media Center have a service where I can buy content? That's what I was referring to.
:)
Anyway, not trying to shoot you down here, I'm very glad you pointed these out. I appreciate it.
"It's a shame that this doesn't work to silence CD players and tape decks. Or sattelite radio, for that matter."
Just remember there's nothing preventing you from being a victim of this sort of thing.
"Use an iPod Mini to Broadcast Pirate Radio"
Heh. I love stories like this. Makes me feel like Evil MacGuyver.