For me, good gameplay means it's something I can apply my brain to in order to succeed, rather than depend on exquisite motor control and twitch ability.
Are twin primes useful? If not, why is this newsworthy?
Mathematics for mathematics sake aren't usually Slashdot's usual fare. And prime numbers? We could have a "Largest prime yet found" article every day, if was really that interesting. And then suddenly it wouldn't be.
From TFA:
Since each nanobattery is comprised of thousands of small batteries, even if one of these small batteries has a short circuit and fails, the entire battery can keep functioning, lossing only a very small amount of power. Similar damage to a conventional Li-Ion battery could result in substantial loss of power or a complete malfunction and in extreme cases even fire or explosion. So they're putting microcells in a series/parallel network, and claiming that, since each microcell contains minute quantities of energy, a short circuit would result in only minute consequences.
But, again, they've put the batteries in a series/parallel network. They don't mention that a short could take place in places in the network other than exactly across one cell. Let's say an impurity spec lands across a couple wires. Depending on which couple wires, you might have shorted just a few microcells, or you could be shorting out the whole battery.
The reason Li-Ion batteries are dangerous is the sheer energy density. Rearranging that energy with a different battery structure isn't going to negate the fact that, simplistically, you somewhere have two conductors across which is the entire potential of the battery. (Unless you divide the battery into segments and give each segment a unique load. However, that would require a fundamental re-thinking of how electronic devices are powered.)
Re:I Would Have Signed Up...
on
Inside MySpace.com
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Ditto, but until you get that dialog, Firefox can be pretty much non-responsive.
Re:I Would Have Signed Up...
on
Inside MySpace.com
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Firefox doesn't respond to a normal application close signal when stuck in intensive Javascript loops. I run into similar problems in some articles on Slashdot.
They really need to break the Javascript engine into a separate thread and avoid hinging all browser response on it. Or maybe that's just a flaw with the XUL way of doing things. Dunno.
I hear you. Quake CTF beat the pants off of every CTF implementation since.
I remember back when the grappling hook was one of the most awesome tools you had. I remember one time when I used the grappling hook to latch on to the enemy flag carrier, who kept going a couple times before anchoring himself to the sky. Without letting go of the hook, I switched to another weapon (my axe, I think), and killed him.
Ah, those were the days.
Of course, I had it easy. I was on 128k ISDN, while everyone else was still stuck on dial-up. Remember when there was such a thing as an "LPB"?
If you want a rich environment, I'd have to point you toward Secret of Evermore, a SNES game that had more believable maps and graphics than any Final Fantasy game I've played.
Quake's models weren't designed for it. If their bounding box was significantly lower, having additional entities of MOVETYPE_SOLID wouldn't have been a problem.
On second thought, you'd want the bodies to be semisolid, where a player could sink into them. The more embedded you are in a corpse (or stack of corpses), the slower you'd move. (Or the more likely you would be to trip.)
I didn't mean to imply the NES and SNES FF games were bad. I loved the SNES Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy III absolutely rocked. The next one I played was Mystic Quest. The puzzles in that game were great. I can't remember the others very well; all of the NES and SNES FF games were released before I was even a tween.
I wish corpses remained solid. It would add a whole new element to gameplay, making it a priority to get your butt through a hallway before the corpses pile up to the ceiling.
Also, in team play. Want to block off a path? Litter it with your opponents' corpses.
The people I know who played Pac-Man despise modern games for lack of gameplay. They see graphics as a secondary feature.
For me, there's few games more entertaining than LiquidWar, CoreWars, and RealTimeBattle. Though I got a kick out of Final Fantasy 8. (Which is, oddly, considered by many to be one of the worst of the post-SNES FF games.) I don't play FPS games much, but I do alright in UT2K4.
I believe the comment about video game music. I was interested in game music as a child, without really being interested in playing games through.
However, I don't buy the comment "I never knew the graphics were this amazing!" Non-gamers I know don't really care about graphics. Music has a universal appeal. Polygonal rendering does not.
A couple people have asked about that. I'll probably put up another wiki with PC Clinic specifically in mind. But here's some information to whet your appetite.
I also download all the updates. You can get AVG's updates here. Spybot's patches are on their download page.
Finally, I grab AVG's individual virus removal tools. (I haven't had cause to use them individually yet, but it's best to be prepared.:)
I throw those all onto a CD, and burn ten copies. These copies float around the service lab, and eventually all disappear.:)
I also grab the CD image of the latest Ultimate Boot CD, and burn a few copies of that. (Grab the Full version. The SMART tools on the INSERT system are extremely helpful.)
Everyone else is irritated that NVidia's drivers are closed source. I'm just happy advanced native Linux drivers exist. Back when I had a 3D accelerator, ATI's and NVidia's drivers were considered a blessing by most.
Funny how people tend to complain once they learn to expect something.
I care. While I'm not likely to check the code for trojans and security flaws, I am likely to tinker with it.
Sometimes I need a feature in software that's not already there. Other times, I need to tinker with some hardcoded value or behavior. (Like the time I needed to modify wget to get around a broken robots.txt.) One time, I wanted to use xvidcap, but found that the latest version of the code was old enough as to not compile on a modern GCC. (I'd be happy to release my updated version, if anyone cares.)
Certain videos are usable under Linux which aren't under Windows. Why? Because commands are embedded in them that open links to websites and such.
I was surprised (and an embarrassed) when I tried to show an AMV to a friend, and it popped up a link to a porno website on his computer. (Note to self...don't grab AMVs off of Gnutella.)
This seems to be an issue with WMVs. I haven't noticed it with other container formats.
Grand Rapids Community College. Yeah, I know. It's a community college, so I shouldn't expect much. Nevertheless, the Linux instructors here are very dedicated, in some ways more so than the instructors who focus on Windows applications.
I attended one of their course-planning meetings, and it was frustrating to see the mentality that blared "We're only a community college, so we're not supposed to go beyond such-and-such a point in their education."
My point still stands, though. People looking for a job fresh out of college will be trained in the latest and greatest software. It's a function of practicality of maintaining a software base, meeting expected expectations [sic] and finding textbooks.
I've seen instructors utilize the online components of classes extremely well, negating almost entirely the need for a textbook. The only thing that keeps pushing the technology forward is that oddly-complicated "newer is better" assumption.
Slashdot Mirror
I watched it yesterday. I've been running the Flash 9 beta for ages.
For me, good gameplay means it's something I can apply my brain to in order to succeed, rather than depend on exquisite motor control and twitch ability.
Are twin primes useful? If not, why is this newsworthy?
Mathematics for mathematics sake aren't usually Slashdot's usual fare. And prime numbers? We could have a "Largest prime yet found" article every day, if was really that interesting. And then suddenly it wouldn't be.
But, again, they've put the batteries in a series/parallel network. They don't mention that a short could take place in places in the network other than exactly across one cell. Let's say an impurity spec lands across a couple wires. Depending on which couple wires, you might have shorted just a few microcells, or you could be shorting out the whole battery.
The reason Li-Ion batteries are dangerous is the sheer energy density. Rearranging that energy with a different battery structure isn't going to negate the fact that, simplistically, you somewhere have two conductors across which is the entire potential of the battery. (Unless you divide the battery into segments and give each segment a unique load. However, that would require a fundamental re-thinking of how electronic devices are powered.)
Ditto, but until you get that dialog, Firefox can be pretty much non-responsive.
Firefox doesn't respond to a normal application close signal when stuck in intensive Javascript loops. I run into similar problems in some articles on Slashdot.
They really need to break the Javascript engine into a separate thread and avoid hinging all browser response on it. Or maybe that's just a flaw with the XUL way of doing things. Dunno.
I hear you. Quake CTF beat the pants off of every CTF implementation since.
I remember back when the grappling hook was one of the most awesome tools you had. I remember one time when I used the grappling hook to latch on to the enemy flag carrier, who kept going a couple times before anchoring himself to the sky. Without letting go of the hook, I switched to another weapon (my axe, I think), and killed him.
Ah, those were the days.
Of course, I had it easy. I was on 128k ISDN, while everyone else was still stuck on dial-up. Remember when there was such a thing as an "LPB"?
If you want a rich environment, I'd have to point you toward Secret of Evermore, a SNES game that had more believable maps and graphics than any Final Fantasy game I've played.
Quake's models weren't designed for it. If their bounding box was significantly lower, having additional entities of MOVETYPE_SOLID wouldn't have been a problem.
(I used to mess around with QuakeC.)
...but I bet the MPAA is watching the peer list on this torrent very, very carefully.
On second thought, you'd want the bodies to be semisolid, where a player could sink into them. The more embedded you are in a corpse (or stack of corpses), the slower you'd move. (Or the more likely you would be to trip.)
I didn't mean to imply the NES and SNES FF games were bad. I loved the SNES Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy III absolutely rocked. The next one I played was Mystic Quest. The puzzles in that game were great. I can't remember the others very well; all of the NES and SNES FF games were released before I was even a tween.
I wish corpses remained solid. It would add a whole new element to gameplay, making it a priority to get your butt through a hallway before the corpses pile up to the ceiling.
Also, in team play. Want to block off a path? Litter it with your opponents' corpses.
Actually, I do it at 80x24, using mplayer and aalib.
The people I know who played Pac-Man despise modern games for lack of gameplay. They see graphics as a secondary feature.
For me, there's few games more entertaining than LiquidWar, CoreWars, and RealTimeBattle. Though I got a kick out of Final Fantasy 8. (Which is, oddly, considered by many to be one of the worst of the post-SNES FF games.) I don't play FPS games much, but I do alright in UT2K4.
And, of course, there's StepMania...
Very few people have the musical talent to recognize music as junk. That's why junk is so popular.
There are two reasons I collect video game music. Some of it is for nostalgic purposes, some of it is genuinely good.
I believe the comment about video game music. I was interested in game music as a child, without really being interested in playing games through.
However, I don't buy the comment "I never knew the graphics were this amazing!" Non-gamers I know don't really care about graphics. Music has a universal appeal. Polygonal rendering does not.
A couple people have asked about that. I'll probably put up another wiki with PC Clinic specifically in mind. But here's some information to whet your appetite.
:)
:)
Before each clinic, I hop online and download the latest versions of AVG Antivirus Free Edition and Spybot Search & Destroy.
I also download all the updates. You can get AVG's updates here. Spybot's patches are on their download page.
Finally, I grab AVG's individual virus removal tools. (I haven't had cause to use them individually yet, but it's best to be prepared.
I throw those all onto a CD, and burn ten copies. These copies float around the service lab, and eventually all disappear.
I also grab the CD image of the latest Ultimate Boot CD, and burn a few copies of that. (Grab the Full version. The SMART tools on the INSERT system are extremely helpful.)
Meh. The problem's not on my computer. I only run Linux. :)
Everyone else is irritated that NVidia's drivers are closed source. I'm just happy advanced native Linux drivers exist. Back when I had a 3D accelerator, ATI's and NVidia's drivers were considered a blessing by most.
Funny how people tend to complain once they learn to expect something.
I care. While I'm not likely to check the code for trojans and security flaws, I am likely to tinker with it.
Sometimes I need a feature in software that's not already there. Other times, I need to tinker with some hardcoded value or behavior. (Like the time I needed to modify wget to get around a broken robots.txt.) One time, I wanted to use xvidcap, but found that the latest version of the code was old enough as to not compile on a modern GCC. (I'd be happy to release my updated version, if anyone cares.)
Certain videos are usable under Linux which aren't under Windows. Why? Because commands are embedded in them that open links to websites and such.
I was surprised (and an embarrassed) when I tried to show an AMV to a friend, and it popped up a link to a porno website on his computer. (Note to self...don't grab AMVs off of Gnutella.)
This seems to be an issue with WMVs. I haven't noticed it with other container formats.
I emailed the editor on this one. I wish I'd been watching the Firehose; I'd have voted it down.
Grand Rapids Community College. Yeah, I know. It's a community college, so I shouldn't expect much. Nevertheless, the Linux instructors here are very dedicated, in some ways more so than the instructors who focus on Windows applications.
I attended one of their course-planning meetings, and it was frustrating to see the mentality that blared "We're only a community college, so we're not supposed to go beyond such-and-such a point in their education."
My point still stands, though. People looking for a job fresh out of college will be trained in the latest and greatest software. It's a function of practicality of maintaining a software base, meeting expected expectations [sic] and finding textbooks.
I've seen instructors utilize the online components of classes extremely well, negating almost entirely the need for a textbook. The only thing that keeps pushing the technology forward is that oddly-complicated "newer is better" assumption.
What they really need is a class that trains students how to use a word processor, not Word, not Wordperfect, and not OOo Writer.