I've been playing LOTRO since closed beta, and I'm thoroughly hooked.
It's obvious to me that the developers gave a lot of love, fun, and attention to the game: rainbows in the Shire, facial expressions that reflect your mood, the ever-annoying nosey/hungry hobbits, that lame man in Combe(!), emotes (picking a wedgie?), NPCs who remember your name and whether you've completed a quest for them as you walk by. It all works together so well to make you feel truly a part of the world.
Were those delightful touches included in the master design, or did they just develop on their own as the game was built?
My first, and only, online gaming experience. Started about a year and a half ago, created the gimpiest character on the server, met some cool folks, and I'm still happily bashing the sh*t out of monsters on a daily basis!
If you don't want to leave the DC area, consider looking around the Pax River (MD)/Dahlgren (VA) areas. Both areas are basically swarming with defense contractors, most tech related, but there are still lightly-populated areas nearby. Southern Maryland is building up quickly, but is still considered rural (we don't even have a 24-hour Wal Mart or grocery store, or a mall!). Same with the area of Virginia just south of the Nice bridge. Close enough to the big city to enjoy the good things (or commute -- if you're a masochist), but far enough away to enjoy small-town or even rural living.
The PayPal debit card is good (almost) everywhere -- online and off. I use it at brick-and-mortar stores, gas stations, and to make online purchases (up to, and including, airline tickets). Bit of a hassle to use it to reserve a rental car, but otherwise, I've never had anyone refuse it.
And no, you don't have to have a credit card on file with PayPal to get a debit card. The credit card is only if you want to use the Instant Transfer feature.
Geez, people, get the facts before you go spreading false information all over the/. universe!
I dual-booted Windows XP Professional and Mandrake 9.0 with no problems. When I upgraded to Mandrake 9.1, it completely hosed the boot sector -- wouldn't boot XP, wouldn't boot Mandrake. I eventually had to completely uninstall Mandrake, reformat the boot sector, and run three system restores on XP before I was even able to get to the boot screen.
The battery on my ThinkPad 755CD only lasts an hour at best (much less if I'm trying to play a game or a music CD). I bought it used from an auction site, though, so I don't know if the battery was this short-lived when the machine was new.
According to a 4/12/02 article in the Austin American-Statesman (archived; fee required), "Microsoft Corp. has told the Texas Department of Criminal Justice that the agency owes $1.5 million for having 2,082 'licensing shortfalls'."
Apparently this information came to light after an audit... sound familiar?
I'm studying Computer and Information Science (Unix, database theory, networking, C++) at the University of Maryland University College. All my classes are online, only proctored final exams; it's fully accredited through UM, and it offers credit for OJT "experiential learning." Cost: same as state U. I think I've learned more doing it online because instead of wasting time in lecture halls, I'm hacking away at my computer(s) doing some pretty heavy-duty programming, sysadmin, database design, etc. Hands-on learning beats boring profs any day, and I don't have to worry about wedging classes in between my full-time job and my 2+ hour commute.
(I'm counting on my BS, 20 years of being an end-user, and a little help from a mentor to break into the field.)
Re:Linux runs on low end laptops (like shit)
on
Low-end Laptops?
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· Score: 1
Red Hat runs like sh*t on my Athlon 800/20gb desktop too; what's your point? Try Debian. I've got Debian and Win95 double-booted on a used IBM ThinkPad 755CD that I picked up for $300 on E-Bay. Don't have modem and sound because IBM hasn't written drivers for my model(yet), but XWindows works pretty as you please.
Universal's "fearsome legalese" includes this statement: "The Content has been encoded using software that incorporates the LAME encoder; more information about the encoder is available at http://www.mp3dev.org."
Following the link, it appears that LAME is an open-source project (with the caveat that its use "is not for everyone - it is distributed as source code only and requires the ability to use a C compiler") and its website includes a list of ripping/encoding software that utilizes it.
Now maybe my newbie status is showing, but (a) if it's open source, how can Universal create a proprietary format and (b) what's to keep anyone from using a LAME ripper and the patience to crack the "Blowfish block cipher, ã 1995 A.M. Kuchling" to re-rip the MP3s?
I know this story's old by now, but the home page for KaZaA users now includes an apology from KaZaA for the spyware (which it says has been unfairly classified as a Trojan) along with a downloadable executable that supposedly erases the spyware. Whether it remains erased, or pops up once again, is yet to be seen... but at least it's a step in the right direction.
Hear, hear!! When my non-reader 17-y-o daughter is so entranced by FOTR that she starts thumbing through my trilogy for additional info, and at the same time asks when, oh when, are the next movies coming out because she can't wait to see what happens next, and it's just too bad that Gandalf died in the first movie... maybe Hollywood is onto something good for once. I only fear that the American public's short attention span will wander far off track before TTT and ROTK make it back to theaters.
I've been working as a typist/word processor/document analyst for years now, and I HATE WORD! Word Perfect in its latest incarnation is nothing more than a Word clone, so it's not an option. I wanted to use only true open-source software, not proprietary like StarOffice, and I didn't need a whole suite. So I chose AbiWord.
I'm a Linux newbie, and I was able to install AbiWord from the binaries (on Red Hat 6.0). The simplicity of the software is a refreshing change from all the packaged crap that wants to try to do everything for you (which is why I switched to Linux in the first place -- I've been working in Windows wayyyyy too long)!
After reading the AbiSource letter, I signed up for both the developer and user mailing lists. If there are bugs in AbiWord (I haven't found any yet, BTW), I want to help fix 'em, not just whine about 'em -- maybe my years of being an end-user will finally amount to something!
The military seems to be trying to develop many of the concepts introduced by Heinlein in "Starship Troopers"... the movie (ugh) didn't have to make any great leaps of imagination to re-create the weapons or armor...
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I've been playing LOTRO since closed beta, and I'm thoroughly hooked. It's obvious to me that the developers gave a lot of love, fun, and attention to the game: rainbows in the Shire, facial expressions that reflect your mood, the ever-annoying nosey/hungry hobbits, that lame man in Combe(!), emotes (picking a wedgie?), NPCs who remember your name and whether you've completed a quest for them as you walk by. It all works together so well to make you feel truly a part of the world. Were those delightful touches included in the master design, or did they just develop on their own as the game was built?
My first, and only, online gaming experience. Started about a year and a half ago, created the gimpiest character on the server, met some cool folks, and I'm still happily bashing the sh*t out of monsters on a daily basis!
If you don't want to leave the DC area, consider looking around the Pax River (MD)/Dahlgren (VA) areas. Both areas are basically swarming with defense contractors, most tech related, but there are still lightly-populated areas nearby. Southern Maryland is building up quickly, but is still considered rural (we don't even have a 24-hour Wal Mart or grocery store, or a mall!). Same with the area of Virginia just south of the Nice bridge. Close enough to the big city to enjoy the good things (or commute -- if you're a masochist), but far enough away to enjoy small-town or even rural living.
The PayPal debit card is good (almost) everywhere -- online and off. I use it at brick-and-mortar stores, gas stations, and to make online purchases (up to, and including, airline tickets). Bit of a hassle to use it to reserve a rental car, but otherwise, I've never had anyone refuse it. And no, you don't have to have a credit card on file with PayPal to get a debit card. The credit card is only if you want to use the Instant Transfer feature. Geez, people, get the facts before you go spreading false information all over the /. universe!
I dual-booted Windows XP Professional and Mandrake 9.0 with no problems. When I upgraded to Mandrake 9.1, it completely hosed the boot sector -- wouldn't boot XP, wouldn't boot Mandrake. I eventually had to completely uninstall Mandrake, reformat the boot sector, and run three system restores on XP before I was even able to get to the boot screen.
The battery on my ThinkPad 755CD only lasts an hour at best (much less if I'm trying to play a game or a music CD). I bought it used from an auction site, though, so I don't know if the battery was this short-lived when the machine was new.
According to a 4/12/02 article in the Austin American-Statesman (archived; fee required), "Microsoft Corp. has told the Texas Department of Criminal Justice that the agency owes $1.5 million for having 2,082 'licensing shortfalls'." Apparently this information came to light after an audit ... sound familiar?
I'm studying Computer and Information Science (Unix, database theory, networking, C++) at the University of Maryland University College. All my classes are online, only proctored final exams; it's fully accredited through UM, and it offers credit for OJT "experiential learning." Cost: same as state U. I think I've learned more doing it online because instead of wasting time in lecture halls, I'm hacking away at my computer(s) doing some pretty heavy-duty programming, sysadmin, database design, etc. Hands-on learning beats boring profs any day, and I don't have to worry about wedging classes in between my full-time job and my 2+ hour commute. (I'm counting on my BS, 20 years of being an end-user, and a little help from a mentor to break into the field.)
Red Hat runs like sh*t on my Athlon 800/20gb desktop too; what's your point? Try Debian. I've got Debian and Win95 double-booted on a used IBM ThinkPad 755CD that I picked up for $300 on E-Bay. Don't have modem and sound because IBM hasn't written drivers for my model(yet), but XWindows works pretty as you please.
Universal's "fearsome legalese" includes this statement: "The Content has been encoded using software that incorporates the LAME encoder; more information about the encoder is available at http://www.mp3dev.org." Following the link, it appears that LAME is an open-source project (with the caveat that its use "is not for everyone - it is distributed as source code only and requires the ability to use a C compiler") and its website includes a list of ripping/encoding software that utilizes it. Now maybe my newbie status is showing, but (a) if it's open source, how can Universal create a proprietary format and (b) what's to keep anyone from using a LAME ripper and the patience to crack the "Blowfish block cipher, ã 1995 A.M. Kuchling" to re-rip the MP3s?
I know this story's old by now, but the home page for KaZaA users now includes an apology from KaZaA for the spyware (which it says has been unfairly classified as a Trojan) along with a downloadable executable that supposedly erases the spyware. Whether it remains erased, or pops up once again, is yet to be seen ... but at least it's a step in the right direction.
Hear, hear!! When my non-reader 17-y-o daughter is so entranced by FOTR that she starts thumbing through my trilogy for additional info, and at the same time asks when, oh when, are the next movies coming out because she can't wait to see what happens next, and it's just too bad that Gandalf died in the first movie ... maybe Hollywood is onto something good for once. I only fear that the American public's short attention span will wander far off track before TTT and ROTK make it back to theaters.
I've been working as a typist/word processor/document analyst for years now, and I HATE WORD! Word Perfect in its latest incarnation is nothing more than a Word clone, so it's not an option. I wanted to use only true open-source software, not proprietary like StarOffice, and I didn't need a whole suite. So I chose AbiWord. I'm a Linux newbie, and I was able to install AbiWord from the binaries (on Red Hat 6.0). The simplicity of the software is a refreshing change from all the packaged crap that wants to try to do everything for you (which is why I switched to Linux in the first place -- I've been working in Windows wayyyyy too long)! After reading the AbiSource letter, I signed up for both the developer and user mailing lists. If there are bugs in AbiWord (I haven't found any yet, BTW), I want to help fix 'em, not just whine about 'em -- maybe my years of being an end-user will finally amount to something!
The military seems to be trying to develop many of the concepts introduced by Heinlein in "Starship Troopers" ... the movie (ugh) didn't have to make any great leaps of imagination to re-create the weapons or armor ...