The guy in the Wired story got just over 30mpg in his hybrid Civic. I have worse news for him. I drive a 1998 Civic EX and usually get just a touch under 30mpg. Which means he's getting at best a 10% boost in mileage for his hybrid car.
Not to mention, if you do the math on the gas savings, it takes nearly 150,000 miles of driving to make up the cost differential between the hybrid and conventional models of car, assuming that they get 50 and 30mpg respectively and that gas costs $2 a gallon (yay, USA).
It's worth a mention, though, that as far as the article is concerned, there doesn't seem to be much statistical data concerning lower mileage, only a few anecdotes. Consumer Reports (according to the article, not the posted story) apparently found hybrids to measure pretty close to their government rating.
I'm no Real Player fan...
on
Real Problems
·
· Score: 3, Informative
...but it only takes two clicks from their homepage to get the free player download started. Click "download" and then the bold, text link "Download free player."
I believe that it has been more complicated in the past, but it's not particularly difficult (unlike searching Slashdot for a particular story).
The most pertinent point is the Real-NPR deal. If the clickthrough for public radio listeners is making a free download difficult, then NPR has a legitimate complaint. Their users want a convenient and inexpensive way to access content. If Real can't accomodate, then screw them.
Actually, this "solution" to spam is a brilliant new tool for spammers.
Step (1) Create spam solution site with dozens of spam samples (i.e. meta-spam site)
Step (2) Publish a "solution" that requires scrolling through said dozens of spam examples.
Step (3) Get Slashdot to post your site
Step (4) Reap profits from all the extra traffic, as well as the newly-minted cynics who will be convinced there is no spam solution.
I like that the "story" on Mobile Mag contains one blog post that is identical to the Slashdot story submission. Or perhaps the story submission is identical to the blog po...oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.
I'm glad to see that they are trying a revision. While it took them too long to realize that people don't exactly like phones styled after Mexican food, I think the idea of a game system-phone combo is a winner. Just like a digital camera, a handheld is something you often don't realize you want to have until it's too late. Stuck in a line? Taking the bus? It's there!
I'd imagine that the N-Gage 2 will still get a lot of flak because of its predecessor, but I'd be surprised if they make the same mistakes twice. I think it'll do well.
The real issue is that you should try and meet local folks that game. I find that many former D&D types will come out of the woodwork when you admit that you still game at age __. I'd bet that you can pretty quickly assemble a local group, although probably not with 200 years experience. I don't think the idea of pencil/paper gaming online is bad, per se, just that there might be an easier way to game (and make new friends).
I saw a prototype on display at the science museum in Boston. They aren't kidding about the resolution or the contrast--it was almost like looking at paper. Plus, the display thing was probably no more than 3 pages thick. Just toss it in your backpack and you're set! And think of the money making opportunity:
1. Save up cash 2. Wait for E Ink IPO... 3. Profit!
"Do I like having to use two tools? No," says Jache of this two-application approach to browsing and captioning, but he can't find a single application that combines ACDSee's display speed with good captioning features.
Forget the ???
1. Make software that does both
2. Sell to SI
3. Profit!
...Doctor enters restroom where other doctor has occupied the stall. All of a sudden, a nurse on the other end of the hospital pages the stall occupant. The message echoes throughout the bathroom:
"Dr. Johnson, please finish your business and get back to Ward 3"
In Minnesota, at least, your employer is required by law to make up the difference in pay between the poll place and your work. They are also required to give you the day off to work the polls. In other words, at worst you get paid for eight hours at your regular job while working 14 hours at the polls (arguably easier) and at best your HR people say "fsck it" and you get paid from both places (so it ends up being a $100 bonus).
I know it gets mentioned in every spam discussion, but getting an email forwarding account from Spamgourmet is a great way to avoid spam. You can create "fake" email addresses that will forward a predetermined number of emails to your main account. After the number expires, the remaining emails sent to that address are canned. Oh, and did I mention it's free?
In terms of Slashdot, the parent is spot on that the "censorship" of moderation is voluntary. Anyone can change their settings to have access to all posts.
The censorship in The Sims, however, reminds me of malls. Laws vary from state to state regarding whether malls (almost always private property) have the right to censor speech by preventing public demonstrations, speeches, leafletting, etc... I think the point to remember is that as public spaces become enclosed and property rights are extended to more areas the public gathers, it is important that free speech rights allow democratic dialogue to continue.
I have absolutely no problem with professors using for-pay sites to identify plagarism. What is disgusting is that the basically have to because so many students are fscking cheaters.
I don't know why people plagarize. You pay to be at college, you pay for each class. If you cheat, you're just wasting the money you (or your parents) spent to send you there. Additionally, just a couple citations and quote marks transforms a paper from plagarized to innovative, original work. Stop being so damn lazy!
Most of us who actually live in Minnesota know that late October, no matter what the almanac says, is definitely not summer. In fact, with a average high/low of 46/29, I would be tempted to call it winter, except that winter here doesn't start until it's negative (on the F scale:-)
If there's one thing newer DVD players need to do, it's to stop the ridiculous lockout of user interface. I can understand making me watch the FBI warning (sort of), but at least my VCR could fast forward. Come on!
I had always been a fan of the word 'defenestration,' meaning the act of throwing someone from a window. So, I was extremely gratified to find that there exists a National Fenestration Rating Council to measure the quality of such apertures.
I was a moderator on the game copying discussion where you asked about MS Flight Sim from the mid 80s, so I'm posting my response about copy protection here.
There was a nifty program called Rawcopy floating around back in the day that solved many a backup problem with older games. I'm not sure if it still exists, though, as I certainly have found newer programs that are much more up-to-date.
I think that MMOs would have proved the futility of a purely communist economy. If "to each according to his need" indicated a constant reward level for playing a given game, no one would buy it. The diversity and varying magnitude of outcomes in MMORPGs is what keeps some people playing for several hours a day and keeps sales up.
Games are based on and support the capitalist principle that your risk and effort can return a commesurate reward.
The extraordinary irony here is the political role-reversal in challenging the intellectual establishment. The 1960s saw students challenging their administration from the left, clamoring for intellectual openness to their new ideas. These days, the common belief is that universities are home to the orthodoxy of liberalism and the assault on the orthodox comes from (ironically) conservatives.
While often at intellectual odds with conservatives on many points, I do agree with them that colleges should be more proactive in entertaining the kind of "outside the box" thinking that Graham advises. An affirmative action of intellectual discovery, if you will, though I'm sure that characterization will raise the hackles of conservatives:-)
His stuff on intellectual property and information security is pretty good. Some stuff, though...I'll just pick on the 5 that really caught my attention:
12 Make email addresses portable
I don't know how this is supposed to work. If I have an address @yahoo.com, it's because Yahoo serves it. There's no reason for hotmail to save the same name.
38 Simplify URLs
I don't disagree (this should happen with computer hardware connectors, too), but there are places that can do it for you. Try TinyURL.
50 Add a broadband department to Wal-Mart
The fact that Wal-Mart dominates the market is a bad thing--for local ownership, competition, free speech, fair wages, environmental protection, and (oh yeah), the ability for America to manufacture anything domestically. Kick Wal-Mart's ass, don't try to expand it!
75 Let us link to a page we hate without boosting its ranking
The whole idea is: if a page is relevant, it's ranking should rise. Thus, if I want to read about something you hate, it's easier to find.
76 Add mobile numbers to the phone book
As if telemarketing at home wasn't bad enough. At least with a cell phone, even the exempt groups (charities and politicians) still can't find me.
77 Create an email address directory
Um, no. What the heck would I want that for? Email gives relative anonymity to those who don't know you. This is a GOOD THING. It also gives us a running start on spammers.
...where is the line in making videogames that allow for users to simulate illegal activity?
If, for example, the gratuitous violence and prostitution of GTA is okay (I enjoy the game), then who's to say that a game as a rapist isn't? Obviously, even in America people would shrink from a rapist game, but where is the intellectual or moral line drawn? Is the line drawn merely by what will sell?
In movies, which I argue are the most relevant comparison, the MPAA rating system serves as a social control, because movies that exceed the R rating basically can't get a showing in theaters. However, gaming is primarily a private enterprise, done in the home. Is it right to allow people to indulge their more morally repugnant fantasies at home when we restrict them from the public in theaters?
I think that Take Two or some other company will soon push the simulation envelope even further and that we'll discover just who gets to draw the line.
Slashdot Mirror
Not to mention, if you do the math on the gas savings, it takes nearly 150,000 miles of driving to make up the cost differential between the hybrid and conventional models of car, assuming that they get 50 and 30mpg respectively and that gas costs $2 a gallon (yay, USA).
It's worth a mention, though, that as far as the article is concerned, there doesn't seem to be much statistical data concerning lower mileage, only a few anecdotes. Consumer Reports (according to the article, not the posted story) apparently found hybrids to measure pretty close to their government rating.
I believe that it has been more complicated in the past, but it's not particularly difficult (unlike searching Slashdot for a particular story).
The most pertinent point is the Real-NPR deal. If the clickthrough for public radio listeners is making a free download difficult, then NPR has a legitimate complaint. Their users want a convenient and inexpensive way to access content. If Real can't accomodate, then screw them.
Step (1) Create spam solution site with dozens of spam samples (i.e. meta-spam site)
Step (2) Publish a "solution" that requires scrolling through said dozens of spam examples.
Step (3) Get Slashdot to post your site
Step (4) Reap profits from all the extra traffic, as well as the newly-minted cynics who will be convinced there is no spam solution.
I'd imagine that the N-Gage 2 will still get a lot of flak because of its predecessor, but I'd be surprised if they make the same mistakes twice. I think it'll do well.
1. Save up cash ...
2. Wait for E Ink IPO
3. Profit!
Forget the ???
1. Make software that does both
2. Sell to SI
3. Profit!
"Dr. Johnson, please finish your business and get back to Ward 3"
Sometimes you need a little peace and quiet.
The censorship in The Sims, however, reminds me of malls. Laws vary from state to state regarding whether malls (almost always private property) have the right to censor speech by preventing public demonstrations, speeches, leafletting, etc... I think the point to remember is that as public spaces become enclosed and property rights are extended to more areas the public gathers, it is important that free speech rights allow democratic dialogue to continue.
I don't know why people plagarize. You pay to be at college, you pay for each class. If you cheat, you're just wasting the money you (or your parents) spent to send you there. Additionally, just a couple citations and quote marks transforms a paper from plagarized to innovative, original work. Stop being so damn lazy!
Most of us who actually live in Minnesota know that late October, no matter what the almanac says, is definitely not summer. In fact, with a average high/low of 46/29, I would be tempted to call it winter, except that winter here doesn't start until it's negative (on the F scale :-)
There was a nifty program called Rawcopy floating around back in the day that solved many a backup problem with older games. I'm not sure if it still exists, though, as I certainly have found newer programs that are much more up-to-date.
Dude, I'm in the middle of reading Atlas Shrugged. Crazy.
Games are based on and support the capitalist principle that your risk and effort can return a commesurate reward.
While often at intellectual odds with conservatives on many points, I do agree with them that colleges should be more proactive in entertaining the kind of "outside the box" thinking that Graham advises. An affirmative action of intellectual discovery, if you will, though I'm sure that characterization will raise the hackles of conservatives :-)
12 Make email addresses portable
I don't know how this is supposed to work. If I have an address @yahoo.com, it's because Yahoo serves it. There's no reason for hotmail to save the same name.
38 Simplify URLs
I don't disagree (this should happen with computer hardware connectors, too), but there are places that can do it for you. Try TinyURL.
50 Add a broadband department to Wal-Mart
The fact that Wal-Mart dominates the market is a bad thing--for local ownership, competition, free speech, fair wages, environmental protection, and (oh yeah), the ability for America to manufacture anything domestically. Kick Wal-Mart's ass, don't try to expand it!
75 Let us link to a page we hate without boosting its ranking
The whole idea is: if a page is relevant, it's ranking should rise. Thus, if I want to read about something you hate, it's easier to find.
76 Add mobile numbers to the phone book
As if telemarketing at home wasn't bad enough. At least with a cell phone, even the exempt groups (charities and politicians) still can't find me.
77 Create an email address directory
Um, no. What the heck would I want that for? Email gives relative anonymity to those who don't know you. This is a GOOD THING. It also gives us a running start on spammers.
If, for example, the gratuitous violence and prostitution of GTA is okay (I enjoy the game), then who's to say that a game as a rapist isn't? Obviously, even in America people would shrink from a rapist game, but where is the intellectual or moral line drawn? Is the line drawn merely by what will sell?
In movies, which I argue are the most relevant comparison, the MPAA rating system serves as a social control, because movies that exceed the R rating basically can't get a showing in theaters. However, gaming is primarily a private enterprise, done in the home. Is it right to allow people to indulge their more morally repugnant fantasies at home when we restrict them from the public in theaters?
I think that Take Two or some other company will soon push the simulation envelope even further and that we'll discover just who gets to draw the line.