"Voice is faster then either Text Messaging or Morse Code..."
Speak for yourself. In most cases, I can a discussion going a lot faster than I could with IM than I could with voice.
In my case, though, I would attribute it to both being able to type fast AND I can more clearly convey my thoughts when I've got a moment to prepare them. In other words, if we were having to discuss this in person, it'd go something like this:
You: Voice is faster than IM! me: No it isn't. You: Bullshit! me: I'm not kidding. You: Prove it! me: I can take a little more time to articulate my thoughts... You: See! You're having to spend time... me: Let me finish! You:... to compose your thoughts, so you have to.. me: Shut up and let me finish! You: I'm just saying... me: But I'm not done! You: What are you going to say... me: You'll find out when you shut up. You:... that will make me... me: I'm still talking! You:... think you have anything interesting to say. me: Are you done? You:.... me: Alright. I was just saying that I could take a little more time to articulate my thoughts and send a much clearer message the first time around. You: Riiight. It's so hard to say that off the top of your head. me: Whatever, ass.
" teachers rarely know how to use them, students don't use them productively..."
I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to be a little nitpicky here.
Very much of your statement is true today. However, I think it's important to note a couple of things:
1.) I'd be willing to bet that the teachers that don't know how to use computers are also of an older generation. Can you imagine that being true 10 years from now considering how many homes have active personal computers these days?
2.) Students being productive... well that's really kind of hard to measure. Students will always be doing stuff on computers they shouldn't be. That doesn't mean they're not learning, though. Using ICQ and IRC, for example, indirectly taught me some significant stuff about networking and collaboration. (At the job I'm working at now, we're starting to use IM and forums for productive means.)
It's also worth mentioning that when the teachers become more adept with computers, they'll be able to make more effective use of them with their students. General use of the internet is becoming VERY important in a broad variety of careers.
Hopefully now you'll understand why I say that I don't agree with your comment about computers only belonging in specialized situations in schools. When I think back to most of the courses I took in high school I can think of a good use for an internet-connected computer in most of them. In some cases, it'd simply be a note taking device. In some, applications would be useful. Heck, if they'd do it right (and in most cases, they probably aren't. I cannot deny this strongly supports your point.) they wouldn't even need text books.
" It may be the best of the prequels, but since it's "cool" to hate Star Wars, we'll see the usual posts shitting on Lucas."
Actually, it's not so much that it's cool to hate Star Wars, it's that it's uncool to like it. The difference? Which looks cooler:
"I think I'm super smart and all knowing, so I predict the movie will smell of ass. My smugness prevents me from enjoying movies. Still, though, I'm going to throw my money at it just to prove how smart I am."
"I refuse to learn from my mistakes. Not only am I obscenely hyped by these trailers even though it's more likely that just I'm hyped by the concept than the actual content, but I also give George Lucas far more credit than he really deserves! I think everybody who hates Star Wars is irrational and stupid and only does it because they're crazy. Sadly, that is the only rebuttal I have left because all my other ones have been shot down. I still cannot even fathom the concept that maybe, just maybe these really are bad movies and I just happen to see something I personally like in them. It's all academic, though, since I'm terrible at expressing my thoughts well enough to have a reasonable debate. Oh well. I'm still going to be loud mouthed and annoying then act like the victim."
"1) I knew there were no WMD and I have no budget "
No you didn't. You assumed you knew.
Why am I being annoyingly nitpicky? Because people claim they know stuff all the time. Yet, I imagine in your case, you've never even been to Iraq.
It's like me saying I knew Episode II was going to suck. I didn't actually know until I saw it. It'd be very arrogant of me to try to pass that little prediction off as some sort of positive attribute to my character.
"$200 for every game currently released and every game to be released in the future is quite a bargain."
Too bad it's nowhere near as simple as that.
1.8 gigs of data? Well, there are two ways to do this:
- Fast. You'll have to purchase a monthly account to something like Giganet in order to get your 500k/s download speeds. Sadly, you're limited to the competency of those uploading AND to what files the servers happen to have available at the time. So now you're spending money AND your selection is limited. Not to mention the time it'll take to extract the ROM files and properly test them. It's enough of a pain in the ass downloading movies or TV episodes this way. Now you've got to move 2 gigs over to a memory stick.
-Slow. Well you get your variety, but then you often spend > 24 hours downloading a game, thanks to upload caps. You still have to have competency on the other end AND get it over to your machine.
I wouldn't pirate PSP games either. Not because I'm ethical, but because I just assume buy the damn game instead of going through all the trouble.
"History disagrees with you. A flashcard system for the GBA costs about the same ratio, and that doesn't seem to be a barrier. Forking over the cost of 4 games to pirate dozens is often a no-brainer for the less ethically-challenged."
According to History, how many people actually have one of these flashcard system FOR piracy of games? I seriously doubt this number is higher than a handful of thousand.
"Note that lightsabers customarily do not function when laying on the ground."
Uh, yeah, that'd be called a safety feature. Can you imagine what a nuisance a dropped lightsaber would be on a starship?
I have a question, though: Why didn't Quai Gon burn the shit out of his hand when he tried to slice through a door? Lucas sets should have signs that read:> "Warning: Variable physics area."
"Seems kinda brutal to hit them with another DDOS."
Heh. Ever wonder if one day Slashdot will find itself in legal hot-water over something like that?
"Your honor, they posted a negative story about us and put our contact info on their home page. We recieved 40,000 emails telling us we're litiguous bastards!"
Slashdot Mirror
Speak for yourself. In most cases, I can a discussion going a lot faster than I could with IM than I could with voice.
In my case, though, I would attribute it to both being able to type fast AND I can more clearly convey my thoughts when I've got a moment to prepare them. In other words, if we were having to discuss this in person, it'd go something like this:
" teachers rarely know how to use them, students don't use them productively..."
I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to be a little nitpicky here.
Very much of your statement is true today. However, I think it's important to note a couple of things:
1.) I'd be willing to bet that the teachers that don't know how to use computers are also of an older generation. Can you imagine that being true 10 years from now considering how many homes have active personal computers these days?
2.) Students being productive... well that's really kind of hard to measure. Students will always be doing stuff on computers they shouldn't be. That doesn't mean they're not learning, though. Using ICQ and IRC, for example, indirectly taught me some significant stuff about networking and collaboration. (At the job I'm working at now, we're starting to use IM and forums for productive means.)
It's also worth mentioning that when the teachers become more adept with computers, they'll be able to make more effective use of them with their students. General use of the internet is becoming VERY important in a broad variety of careers.
Hopefully now you'll understand why I say that I don't agree with your comment about computers only belonging in specialized situations in schools. When I think back to most of the courses I took in high school I can think of a good use for an internet-connected computer in most of them. In some cases, it'd simply be a note taking device. In some, applications would be useful. Heck, if they'd do it right (and in most cases, they probably aren't. I cannot deny this strongly supports your point.) they wouldn't even need text books.
Cheers. :)
Have a good weekend.
"An animator, cool. Yeah, I can see how that would be a rather restrictive job space.."
:)
Yeah... you almost have to be in close orbit to LA. Hehe.
Try http://www.nanogator.com/gallery. If that doesn't work, try this. If those are blocked... err.. sorry!
"I think it's a bit eerie that you're dating yourself, personally."
Yeah, like he's the only auto-sexual around here. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
"What do you do that is tied so irrevocably to one single location in the US that you couldn't do it at all if you moved elsewhere?"
Animator for 3D movies.
"Surely they have some more of your professional peers in other parts of the country..?"
My choices are limited and I would seriously risk living too long on unemployment. I've already found this out the hard way.
" It may be the best of the prequels, but since it's "cool" to hate Star Wars, we'll see the usual posts shitting on Lucas."
Actually, it's not so much that it's cool to hate Star Wars, it's that it's uncool to like it. The difference? Which looks cooler:
"I think I'm super smart and all knowing, so I predict the movie will smell of ass. My smugness prevents me from enjoying movies. Still, though, I'm going to throw my money at it just to prove how smart I am."
"I refuse to learn from my mistakes. Not only am I obscenely hyped by these trailers even though it's more likely that just I'm hyped by the concept than the actual content, but I also give George Lucas far more credit than he really deserves! I think everybody who hates Star Wars is irrational and stupid and only does it because they're crazy. Sadly, that is the only rebuttal I have left because all my other ones have been shot down. I still cannot even fathom the concept that maybe, just maybe these really are bad movies and I just happen to see something I personally like in them. It's all academic, though, since I'm terrible at expressing my thoughts well enough to have a reasonable debate. Oh well. I'm still going to be loud mouthed and annoying then act like the victim."
Prove it.
"No, we knew. How did we know?"
You didn't know. You can rationalize all you want, but you didn't know.
"That's the other great thing about having States. You don't have to stay in one that does stuff you don't like."
Maybe YOU can. I, on the other hand, would have to change careers.
That's great, except I live in California.
"Funny, I wrote similar papers about Duke Nukem Forever. No one wants to believe..."
I wrote similar papers about Longhorn, and now I'm full up on karma!!
"1) I knew there were no WMD and I have no budget "
No you didn't. You assumed you knew.
Why am I being annoyingly nitpicky? Because people claim they know stuff all the time. Yet, I imagine in your case, you've never even been to Iraq.
It's like me saying I knew Episode II was going to suck. I didn't actually know until I saw it. It'd be very arrogant of me to try to pass that little prediction off as some sort of positive attribute to my character.
"If you read the article..."
Thanks for the info Mr. Kryten. Next time you head down to the Emotions Show, pick up the upgrade disc with a picture of Joe Piscapo on the label.
"$200 for every game currently released and every game to be released in the future is quite a bargain."
Too bad it's nowhere near as simple as that.
1.8 gigs of data? Well, there are two ways to do this:
- Fast. You'll have to purchase a monthly account to something like Giganet in order to get your 500k/s download speeds. Sadly, you're limited to the competency of those uploading AND to what files the servers happen to have available at the time. So now you're spending money AND your selection is limited. Not to mention the time it'll take to extract the ROM files and properly test them. It's enough of a pain in the ass downloading movies or TV episodes this way. Now you've got to move 2 gigs over to a memory stick.
-Slow. Well you get your variety, but then you often spend > 24 hours downloading a game, thanks to upload caps. You still have to have competency on the other end AND get it over to your machine.
I wouldn't pirate PSP games either. Not because I'm ethical, but because I just assume buy the damn game instead of going through all the trouble.
"History disagrees with you. A flashcard system for the GBA costs about the same ratio, and that doesn't seem to be a barrier. Forking over the cost of 4 games to pirate dozens is often a no-brainer for the less ethically-challenged."
According to History, how many people actually have one of these flashcard system FOR piracy of games? I seriously doubt this number is higher than a handful of thousand.
"How did they get 80GB onto a CD?"
.doc to .txt.
They converted it from
"... but not crashing tells us this is not a windows product."
Maybe for Episode I.
Michael Winslow everybody. Give the man a hand!
"Does it run Linux?"
Seeing as how nobody had to type furiously to activate the sabre, I'd say probably not.
"Note that lightsabers customarily do not function when laying on the ground."
Uh, yeah, that'd be called a safety feature. Can you imagine what a nuisance a dropped lightsaber would be on a starship?
I have a question, though: Why didn't Quai Gon burn the shit out of his hand when he tried to slice through a door? Lucas sets should have signs that read:> "Warning: Variable physics area."
You're right. Howstuffworks.com should take itself too seriously if, for anything, to satisfy your rant.
"The price paid or not paid, has nothing to do with the value of the software."
That's BS.
a.) XP has to be cracked to get around the on-line activation, so the user is not necessarily getting the same thing MS offers or guarantees.
b.) Slashdot LOVES posting stories about how MS only supports legit versions of Windows. Ethical or not, there's still a difference.
c.) If the user has a pirated copy of XP and needs support, there's no reasonable expectation that MS MUST help them.
It's not just about money changing hands, there's software moving, too.
It's also worth mentioning "laptop market".
"Seems kinda brutal to hit them with another DDOS."
Heh. Ever wonder if one day Slashdot will find itself in legal hot-water over something like that?
"Your honor, they posted a negative story about us and put our contact info on their home page. We recieved 40,000 emails telling us we're litiguous bastards!"