"unlike religion, science is self-correcting over the long term."
Unlike religion? How can somebody on the side of science feel comfortable making statements about something they only have vague stereotypical impressions of?
"... but people do not want to be remotely inconvenienced even if it means screwing science."
Given that this possibility just came out, is this comment really fair? Can you really assume the general populace involved has any idea that 'science might be inconvenienced'?
There's a difference between lack of concern and lack of knowledge. Don't start off the bat assuming people are intentionally being assholes.
" Girls in general couldn't care less about computers, nor do they like that you spend 10 hours a day in front of the screen."
It's not even that, really. Most nerds treat chicks as though they're an alien species. They want to be treated like a normal person. Unfortunately, the tendancy is to walk on eggshells around them. "Here, let me get my chair for you.""Oh, I agree with everything you say, don't wanna offend you here.""Not as beautiful as you!"
Wimmenz don't like that. Nothing turns a girl off more than a suspsicion that you're not being honest with them. They also aren't keen on guys only liking them for their ambient sexual appeal. They like knowing that they've earned your attention. If you just give it to them out of desperation, you're sending up a warning flag.
Nerds actually can get chicks, but the first thing they've got to do is stop treating chicks like they're ladies. Treat them like a friend you've known a while and are comfortable interacting with.
" However, your email is not likely to be captured by their system, and remains private."
At that point, does it matter to the parent corp as much? One of the dangerous things about having a corporate email address is that it ties you to that corp. Imagine the difference between recieving 'leaked' specs of Nintendo's next system from a Hotmail address. Then imagine that same email from Nintendo.com. The problem isn't just privacy, it's that with that address you are a voice for the company.
My company doesn't play games like that with email, but if it did, I think their biggest worry is that I'd run around telling our customers they have free copies of our software.
On a side note: Is Slashdot broken, or am I being punished? "It's been 42 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment"
"Sound in a vacuum? Simple way to explain it away - shipboard computers would construct audio cues so you can hear where ships are, where weaponsfire is coming from, etc."
Not even that is needed. The reason that there is sound in space battles is for the exact same reason that alien languages have english subtitles: Presentation to the audience. It's all about presentation. Since none of the Star Wars (or Star Trek, or any other scifi franchise except for Babylon 5.. oopsie) have ever reacted to the sounds made in space, it's unreasonable to assume that the intent of that sound is that it was 'really' there.
Complaining about sound in space battles (or even acting as though the footage would actually be more enteratining without it.. ugh) is akin to complaining about color correction or filters on lenses.
Why do you think they'd go to the extra effort to add sound to space battles if they could just skip the whole step and chalk it up to being in a vacuum?
Yeah, and an orchestra lead by John Williams follows everybody around. I can't believe how unrealistic incidental music makes a movie. Oh, and don't get me started on looping of dialog!! Those guys shouldn't be futzing around with the sound like that, it's not realistic! I'm a purist that demands that scifi movies be like somebody is carrying around a small camcorder around documenting everything so it's as real as possible! MOD ME UP!!
"It's really no use these days as most people use the Internet for a lot of stuff. When power goes out, your connection goes with it unless you have a UPS."
I'd rather not be in the middle of saving a file when the power dies.
"Some of the features common in most desktops are the lack of need for a battery..."
Can't say I agree with you, here. One of the reasons I'd MUCH rather use a laptop over a desktop is that if the power does go out, you've got roughly a couple of hours of use before it goes. Maybe I'm the only one here, but I haven't had pleasant experiences with UPSs.
"Is that videogames don't make you any more prone to violence or less empathetic. I've been playing violent video games since I was four years old. Last week, after killing some mice that had infested our shed, especially the baby ones, I felt genuine distress at having just ended something's life that didn't deserve to have it ended."
I can tell you a similar story. Most of us probably could. It seems to me that most video game players can relate to this mentality. Which begs the question: Have the people who have made these claims about games causing desensitization actually played them?
"I wonder how much the lackluster appeal of these devices contributed to Transmeta's downfall... or if they just never stood a chance against Intel."
Well, as a TabletPC owner, I can tell you I wouldn't have bothered with Transmeta. I get nearly 4 hours out of my Tablet on a single charge. At that point, getting another hour or two wouldn't have been worth the potential performane hit. (Note: this is NOT an educated opinion, it's a perception. And that's my point, perception is a factor when purchasing something like this.) PC purchases are treated more like investments than "oo that's neat!" impulse buys. I had a lot of trouble settling on the one I wanted.
If anybody's curious, no, I don't have any complaints aobut my TabletPC. It's quite nice to be able to use it while standing up. I walked around the office taking inventory of the computer equipment in my office not too long ago. Just walked into each office, tapped the data right in to the spreadsheet, and it was done. I'm actually kind of surprised TPCs aren't more popular with sysadmins. I think Microsoft should be less enthusiastic about handwriting input and more so on the "you don't have to have a table to use it" aspect of it.
Slashdot Mirror
"unlike religion, science is self-correcting over the long term."
Unlike religion? How can somebody on the side of science feel comfortable making statements about something they only have vague stereotypical impressions of?
"who the **** wears nanopants?"
Guess!
"Seriously, do we need yet another music provider?"
Why not? I thought choice choice choice was a big deal around here.
Maybe I'm biased, though, as I am subscribed to a music service that isn't iTunes.
"No, this is Slashdot, you have to report they will use GIMP."
And then somebody will come alnog and start a long ass flaming thread because he corrected the parent poster by using the word "attempt".
"At least we know what the true value of Microsoft Windows is."
Yeah, my biases affect my ability to estimate value, too.
"Not worth it - that's still more than twice what Debian charges."
If I give Debian a dollar, will all my games start working again?
"... but people do not want to be remotely inconvenienced even if it means screwing science."
Given that this possibility just came out, is this comment really fair? Can you really assume the general populace involved has any idea that 'science might be inconvenienced'?
There's a difference between lack of concern and lack of knowledge. Don't start off the bat assuming people are intentionally being assholes.
"The Comic Book Guy - William Shatner"
I heard Slashdot was hosting tryouts for this part.
" Girls in general couldn't care less about computers, nor do they like that you spend 10 hours a day in front of the screen."
It's not even that, really. Most nerds treat chicks as though they're an alien species. They want to be treated like a normal person. Unfortunately, the tendancy is to walk on eggshells around them. "Here, let me get my chair for you." "Oh, I agree with everything you say, don't wanna offend you here." "Not as beautiful as you!"
Wimmenz don't like that. Nothing turns a girl off more than a suspsicion that you're not being honest with them. They also aren't keen on guys only liking them for their ambient sexual appeal. They like knowing that they've earned your attention. If you just give it to them out of desperation, you're sending up a warning flag.
Nerds actually can get chicks, but the first thing they've got to do is stop treating chicks like they're ladies. Treat them like a friend you've known a while and are comfortable interacting with.
"some porn in your pocket or are you just happy to see me!?"
Wow, your battery died quick.
Well railguns are neat and all, but I'm still not joining the Army until they invent the respawn point.
" Each of us is looking for different things in a game, regardless of sex."
Duh. I have empirical data that says gaming and sex are mutually exclusive.
... when you put five of these together!!
"I don't think there is anything wrong for a listed company to protect its interest, control its IPs and maximize its profit..."
It's a pity Blizzard wasn't given that consideration.
"Sound like a company you know?"
It sounds a little like a company I know, but not a company that built a monopoly that way.
" However, your email is not likely to be captured by their system, and remains private."
At that point, does it matter to the parent corp as much? One of the dangerous things about having a corporate email address is that it ties you to that corp. Imagine the difference between recieving 'leaked' specs of Nintendo's next system from a Hotmail address. Then imagine that same email from Nintendo.com. The problem isn't just privacy, it's that with that address you are a voice for the company.
My company doesn't play games like that with email, but if it did, I think their biggest worry is that I'd run around telling our customers they have free copies of our software.
On a side note: Is Slashdot broken, or am I being punished? "It's been 42 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment"
"Sound in a vacuum? Simple way to explain it away - shipboard computers would construct audio cues so you can hear where ships are, where weaponsfire is coming from, etc."
Not even that is needed. The reason that there is sound in space battles is for the exact same reason that alien languages have english subtitles: Presentation to the audience. It's all about presentation. Since none of the Star Wars (or Star Trek, or any other scifi franchise except for Babylon 5.. oopsie) have ever reacted to the sounds made in space, it's unreasonable to assume that the intent of that sound is that it was 'really' there.
Complaining about sound in space battles (or even acting as though the footage would actually be more enteratining without it.. ugh) is akin to complaining about color correction or filters on lenses.
Why do you think they'd go to the extra effort to add sound to space battles if they could just skip the whole step and chalk it up to being in a vacuum?
"Fighters make sound in a vacuum."
Yeah, and an orchestra lead by John Williams follows everybody around. I can't believe how unrealistic incidental music makes a movie. Oh, and don't get me started on looping of dialog!! Those guys shouldn't be futzing around with the sound like that, it's not realistic! I'm a purist that demands that scifi movies be like somebody is carrying around a small camcorder around documenting everything so it's as real as possible! MOD ME UP!!
" Step 1: Build a monopoly for a required commodity"
You can't build a monopoly without producing something a lot of people will come along and buy.
"...the artists, coders, and designers whose work makes up the game? Why do they deserve royalties any less than a voice actor?"
Because the artists, coders, and designers aren't striking over it?
We're not even unionized, sadly. Which is why EA got away with its overtime bullshit.
"It's really no use these days as most people use the Internet for a lot of stuff. When power goes out, your connection goes with it unless you have a UPS."
I'd rather not be in the middle of saving a file when the power dies.
"Some of the features common in most desktops are the lack of need for a battery..."
Can't say I agree with you, here. One of the reasons I'd MUCH rather use a laptop over a desktop is that if the power does go out, you've got roughly a couple of hours of use before it goes. Maybe I'm the only one here, but I haven't had pleasant experiences with UPSs.
"Is that videogames don't make you any more prone to violence or less empathetic. I've been playing violent video games since I was four years old. Last week, after killing some mice that had infested our shed, especially the baby ones, I felt genuine distress at having just ended something's life that didn't deserve to have it ended."
I can tell you a similar story. Most of us probably could. It seems to me that most video game players can relate to this mentality. Which begs the question: Have the people who have made these claims about games causing desensitization actually played them?
"Aren't you forgetting AMD's Jem'Hadar soldiers too?"
... err... whatever the plural of prosthesis is. Oh, plungers!
I'll stick with Apple's Daleks. Gotta love their elegant simplicity of their
"I wonder how much the lackluster appeal of these devices contributed to Transmeta's downfall... or if they just never stood a chance against Intel."
Well, as a TabletPC owner, I can tell you I wouldn't have bothered with Transmeta. I get nearly 4 hours out of my Tablet on a single charge. At that point, getting another hour or two wouldn't have been worth the potential performane hit. (Note: this is NOT an educated opinion, it's a perception. And that's my point, perception is a factor when purchasing something like this.) PC purchases are treated more like investments than "oo that's neat!" impulse buys. I had a lot of trouble settling on the one I wanted.
If anybody's curious, no, I don't have any complaints aobut my TabletPC. It's quite nice to be able to use it while standing up. I walked around the office taking inventory of the computer equipment in my office not too long ago. Just walked into each office, tapped the data right in to the spreadsheet, and it was done. I'm actually kind of surprised TPCs aren't more popular with sysadmins. I think Microsoft should be less enthusiastic about handwriting input and more so on the "you don't have to have a table to use it" aspect of it.