No, I live here, but spent between 1991 and 2000 in the USA. British by birth, but shocked at changes since returning here in 2000. Ones perspective is different when spending time away. If you are caught up in any gradual changes they are harder to notice.
To those outside the UK reasing this, Britain is genuinely turning into a country whose society is becoming like that described in the dire writings of veteran SciFi writers. Except, there is no hero to save the day. A 'grey' cold government is watching us with thousands of cameras (which do nothing to PREVENT crime), and businesses hiding behind medical promises to cure very rare illnesses that effect about 25 children are making it possible to create the designer baby world predicted in Gattaca. We are headed towards a morally repugnant fear based society disguised as a 'liberal democracy' - and no one is doing a damned thing about it - and if they do, they are arrested under the prevention of terrorism act - simply for their views. Help us!
...against our freedoms. And it is once again, due to the very very dangerous change in our society from one run by the people's government to that run by private corporations. Totally unacceptable and while most postings on/. may be tinged with irony or bashing a specific company, this kind of law MUST be challenged. Greed and corporate malfiance must NEVER be allowed to become RULE OF LAW.
It polutes, its offshoot products (plastic bags etc), PCBs are harmful and all that. If they could invest in alternatives such as solar the air would be cleaner and the oil wars unecessary. Am I being naive here?
The PSP is seriously flawed. a) It is too big to carry everywhere (gym etc) and b) Lacks mass storage. The overpriced UMD drive will do to Sony what Minidisc did to them: Restrict the product to specific markets who don't mind the inconvenience of expensive mechanical mass storage. An iPod has huge internal storage capacity, and a new device with WiFi and a larger screen will not only double as a phone, but could be used for gaming. It's the resolution of the screen that counts, NOT the size. Check out some of the latest phones with small but high res screens and you will be surprised.
1. There is all this speculation over a) A video iPod, yet sales of portable video devices have not taken off, unlike MP3 players before the iPod was first launched. b) An iTunes equipped phone. 2. Here are some things to think about: a) The cell phone / mobile phone networks are in a mess and not global, while WiFi is a global standard. b) The future lies in VoIP. c) The iPod OS contains an address book and a huge hard drive. Therefore, 3. An iPod with built in WiFi would be a global carrier free product and liberate people from the need to use a Mac or PC to purchase/download/sync their tunes and other data, they would simply login to the nearest WiFi network. Syncing with any Mac or PC would be wireless too which would be sweet. 4. Consider that a music playing PHONE is not original, the excellent Sony Ericsson K750i and K800 phones already do this well - and include well reviewed 2MP cameras too. (See http://www.fonebox.com/matrix ) 5. I vote for a wireless iPod as being what Apple SHOULD do, perhaps with a 2MP digicam on the back too.
Sony are in denial here, a little like their still tepid response to the iPod. I see young people from 6 to 30 playing with their DS's everywhere, on the bus, the tube, even at work. It is more innovative and physically practical than the DS. The games have that addictive nature that Nintendo know so well. Although Nintendo come last in the console wars, they do actually understand human centric design better than Sony. The Gamecube controller is an example. The PSP is too large and flawed to ever reach mass market. No touch screen, no mass storage, so what's the point of the big screen? DS is a far more complete product. (Don't get me wrong, the screen on the PSP is excellent, but if people are not using a DS, they will use their phones for play games. The large screen is really only suited to viewing photos, but with no hard drive, what the point?
Easy P Z, just like other hosted content services, they will eventually allow a limited number of free videos, but charge for larger quantities. I think it's a cool idea and well done. Worked fine for me using Safari on Mac OS Tiger 10.4.2.
...it depends on the size of your company or budget. If you are a small organisation, you need experienced, honest, reliable and hard working programmers - because you cannot afford to wait for them to become good, assuming they have the potential in the first place of course. However, a large company can afford to assign less experienced engineers to less critical tasks (and even send them off to college), while allocating the top programmers to mission critical projects.
As I posted on the Slashdot shuttle launch thread yesterday, minutes after launch, Sky News here in the UK spent a lot of time replaying the moment of launch showing something falling and hitting the tail of the shuttle just as it left the launch pad. Said object then bounced off the tail. This was clear to see on any of the shots of the launch so if you have TiVO or a VCR, watch it again. The object was silvery. Why isn't the media covering this? Didn't ANYONE else on Slashdot watch Sky News for the launch?
I watched the launch LIVE on BBC, ITV and SKY (switching channels to see how they covered it) and SKY then replayed the launch several times, clearly showing something falling from the external fuel tank onto the TAIL of the shuttle while it's leaving the launch pad. When you watch the launch from ANY source you can see it. I am not refering to the object that falls off the tank at booster seperation. DIDN'T ANYONE WATCH SKY NEWS IN THE UK? I NEED SUPPORT! Else this is a major cover up, although thanks to TiVO and VCRs, it's won't remain so.
I predict. The reason Apple didn't launch wide screen iBooks is because it would have been wasted investment. Power users who watch DVDs (in aircraft etc) use Powerbooks, not iBooks. And parents probably want their kids to use their iBooks to study, not be entertained. Anyway, if Sony can produce such amazingly compact yet feature laden portables as their current mini-laptop range, am sure Apple's next portable will be an ultra thin (Intel inside?) tablet with a very cleverly designed swivel touch screen and inkwell technologies. This will make it possible to use the machine in just about any configuration. PDA, office machine, artist's easel, data capture etc. Either way, I want an Apple PowerPad!
Sky kept replaying the footage, even without their red highlighting pen, it was clear to see. Just watch any footage of the launch (in close up) and pay attention to the left top of the shuttle as it leaves the launch pad and look out for a silvery object fluttering down. It then bounces off the tail. It could be ice, which is what some are saying fell off during booster seperation later in the flight - without hitting anything this time.
Sky News (UK) have clearly shown an object falling onto the tail of the shuttle as it left the launch pad. The tail knocks the object with enough force to push the object upwards. Question is, is it the same type of object that was shown falling away at booster seperation?Hopefully no damage to the shuttle tail.
AmigaMagic introduced some concepts that were, like the Amiga itself, ahead of their time. Take a look and let me know (alex at owonder dot com) if you ever got to play with this at is was only available to UK dealers but included some fun (but creative and useful) demos and a very web like animated scrolling page with hyperlinks to the individual applications.
...historians and/or alien race(s) visiting us in the future after things fall apart for humankind, will, when researching the downfall of our species, probably conclude a huge amount of our intellectual, fiscal and human resources were wasted on silly matters such as this. And not to mention other 'legal' and corporate interest issues that take up a lot of people's time in the USA and more so now in the UK where the concept of self-deprecation is a fading concept. Goddamit, can Hormel just get a life? Sooner individual Americans start to know how to laugh at themselves the better for all of us. And the same for us Brits too! We all need to put all this energy into solving real problems. How about a solar panel on every home for starters?
...historians and/or visiting alien species visiting us in the future after things fall apart for humankind will, when researching the downfall of our species, probably conclude a huge amount of our intellectual, fiscal and human capital/resources were wasted on silly matters such as this and others that seem to make up and take up a lot of people's time in the USA and more so now in the UK. Goddamit, can Hormel just get a life? Sooner individual Americans start to know how to laugh at themselves the better for all of us. It's called self-depreciation.
I for one, perhaps like millions of others, find light polution offensive and it effects one's ability to sleep, not to mention the tackyness of such advertising anyway.
Here in (currently) rainy England, one can buy for not very much money a set top box that provides free access to the most popular channels, with more available on subscription or through regular satellite or cable providers. The price of the boxes has fallen to below £50 and the convenience they bring - such as electronic program guides and reminders, plus the significant improvement in picture and audio quality, makes them worthwhile. Therefore, most people buy them and buy them for their relatives too who may not be able to afford or understand what they have to do. (I'm buying one for my Mum.) This is probably going to happen in the USA, and just as people worried some would be left behind in the digital revolution - yet were not, same with the great digital switchover. Market forces and kindness will save the day.
As animals, we're used to an immersive experience that involves all senses. Physical contact, smell, risk, fresh air! are all part of the game of reality. Electronic interaction may stimulate a small component of the mind, but all else is left to waste. And over time, it may, like Neo's muscles in The Matrix, simply wither away.
I didn't mention I was refering to the Mac OSX versions of Macromedia's products. Yes, DW MX 2004 is an improvement but still flawed. I cannot speak for Windows users.
Slashdot Mirror
No, I live here, but spent between 1991 and 2000 in the USA. British by birth, but shocked at changes since returning here in 2000. Ones perspective is different when spending time away. If you are caught up in any gradual changes they are harder to notice.
To those outside the UK reasing this, Britain is genuinely turning into a country whose society is becoming like that described in the dire writings of veteran SciFi writers. Except, there is no hero to save the day. A 'grey' cold government is watching us with thousands of cameras (which do nothing to PREVENT crime), and businesses hiding behind medical promises to cure very rare illnesses that effect about 25 children are making it possible to create the designer baby world predicted in Gattaca. We are headed towards a morally repugnant fear based society disguised as a 'liberal democracy' - and no one is doing a damned thing about it - and if they do, they are arrested under the prevention of terrorism act - simply for their views. Help us!
...against our freedoms. And it is once again, due to the very very dangerous change in our society from one run by the people's government to that run by private corporations. Totally unacceptable and while most postings on /. may be tinged with irony or bashing a specific company, this kind of law MUST be challenged. Greed and corporate malfiance must NEVER be allowed to become RULE OF LAW.
It polutes, its offshoot products (plastic bags etc), PCBs are harmful and all that. If they could invest in alternatives such as solar the air would be cleaner and the oil wars unecessary. Am I being naive here?
The PSP is seriously flawed. a) It is too big to carry everywhere (gym etc) and b) Lacks mass storage. The overpriced UMD drive will do to Sony what Minidisc did to them: Restrict the product to specific markets who don't mind the inconvenience of expensive mechanical mass storage. An iPod has huge internal storage capacity, and a new device with WiFi and a larger screen will not only double as a phone, but could be used for gaming. It's the resolution of the screen that counts, NOT the size. Check out some of the latest phones with small but high res screens and you will be surprised.
As per my earlier posting (above), a WiFi equipped iPod would make the most sense Reasons given in earlier post.
1. There is all this speculation over a) A video iPod, yet sales of portable video devices have not taken off, unlike MP3 players before the iPod was first launched. b) An iTunes equipped phone. 2. Here are some things to think about: a) The cell phone / mobile phone networks are in a mess and not global, while WiFi is a global standard. b) The future lies in VoIP. c) The iPod OS contains an address book and a huge hard drive. Therefore, 3. An iPod with built in WiFi would be a global carrier free product and liberate people from the need to use a Mac or PC to purchase/download/sync their tunes and other data, they would simply login to the nearest WiFi network. Syncing with any Mac or PC would be wireless too which would be sweet. 4. Consider that a music playing PHONE is not original, the excellent Sony Ericsson K750i and K800 phones already do this well - and include well reviewed 2MP cameras too. (See http://www.fonebox.com/matrix ) 5. I vote for a wireless iPod as being what Apple SHOULD do, perhaps with a 2MP digicam on the back too.
Human, may I surf your mind?
Sony are in denial here, a little like their still tepid response to the iPod. I see young people from 6 to 30 playing with their DS's everywhere, on the bus, the tube, even at work. It is more innovative and physically practical than the DS. The games have that addictive nature that Nintendo know so well. Although Nintendo come last in the console wars, they do actually understand human centric design better than Sony. The Gamecube controller is an example. The PSP is too large and flawed to ever reach mass market. No touch screen, no mass storage, so what's the point of the big screen? DS is a far more complete product. (Don't get me wrong, the screen on the PSP is excellent, but if people are not using a DS, they will use their phones for play games. The large screen is really only suited to viewing photos, but with no hard drive, what the point?
Easy P Z, just like other hosted content services, they will eventually allow a limited number of free videos, but charge for larger quantities. I think it's a cool idea and well done. Worked fine for me using Safari on Mac OS Tiger 10.4.2.
When we see headlines like this, we'll know mankind has grasped true control of the weather.
...it depends on the size of your company or budget. If you are a small organisation, you need experienced, honest, reliable and hard working programmers - because you cannot afford to wait for them to become good, assuming they have the potential in the first place of course. However, a large company can afford to assign less experienced engineers to less critical tasks (and even send them off to college), while allocating the top programmers to mission critical projects.
Yes, I said, Woof! Woof!
As I posted on the Slashdot shuttle launch thread yesterday, minutes after launch, Sky News here in the UK spent a lot of time replaying the moment of launch showing something falling and hitting the tail of the shuttle just as it left the launch pad. Said object then bounced off the tail. This was clear to see on any of the shots of the launch so if you have TiVO or a VCR, watch it again. The object was silvery. Why isn't the media covering this? Didn't ANYONE else on Slashdot watch Sky News for the launch?
I watched the launch LIVE on BBC, ITV and SKY (switching channels to see how they covered it) and SKY then replayed the launch several times, clearly showing something falling from the external fuel tank onto the TAIL of the shuttle while it's leaving the launch pad. When you watch the launch from ANY source you can see it. I am not refering to the object that falls off the tank at booster seperation. DIDN'T ANYONE WATCH SKY NEWS IN THE UK? I NEED SUPPORT! Else this is a major cover up, although thanks to TiVO and VCRs, it's won't remain so.
I predict. The reason Apple didn't launch wide screen iBooks is because it would have been wasted investment. Power users who watch DVDs (in aircraft etc) use Powerbooks, not iBooks. And parents probably want their kids to use their iBooks to study, not be entertained. Anyway, if Sony can produce such amazingly compact yet feature laden portables as their current mini-laptop range, am sure Apple's next portable will be an ultra thin (Intel inside?) tablet with a very cleverly designed swivel touch screen and inkwell technologies. This will make it possible to use the machine in just about any configuration. PDA, office machine, artist's easel, data capture etc. Either way, I want an Apple PowerPad!
Sky kept replaying the footage, even without their red highlighting pen, it was clear to see. Just watch any footage of the launch (in close up) and pay attention to the left top of the shuttle as it leaves the launch pad and look out for a silvery object fluttering down. It then bounces off the tail. It could be ice, which is what some are saying fell off during booster seperation later in the flight - without hitting anything this time.
Sky News (UK) have clearly shown an object falling onto the tail of the shuttle as it left the launch pad. The tail knocks the object with enough force to push the object upwards. Question is, is it the same type of object that was shown falling away at booster seperation?Hopefully no damage to the shuttle tail.
AmigaMagic introduced some concepts that were, like the Amiga itself, ahead of their time. Take a look and let me know (alex at owonder dot com) if you ever got to play with this at is was only available to UK dealers but included some fun (but creative and useful) demos and a very web like animated scrolling page with hyperlinks to the individual applications.
...historians and/or alien race(s) visiting us in the future after things fall apart for humankind, will, when researching the downfall of our species, probably conclude a huge amount of our intellectual, fiscal and human resources were wasted on silly matters such as this. And not to mention other 'legal' and corporate interest issues that take up a lot of people's time in the USA and more so now in the UK where the concept of self-deprecation is a fading concept. Goddamit, can Hormel just get a life? Sooner individual Americans start to know how to laugh at themselves the better for all of us. And the same for us Brits too! We all need to put all this energy into solving real problems. How about a solar panel on every home for starters?
...historians and/or visiting alien species visiting us in the future after things fall apart for humankind will, when researching the downfall of our species, probably conclude a huge amount of our intellectual, fiscal and human capital/resources were wasted on silly matters such as this and others that seem to make up and take up a lot of people's time in the USA and more so now in the UK. Goddamit, can Hormel just get a life? Sooner individual Americans start to know how to laugh at themselves the better for all of us. It's called self-depreciation.
I for one, perhaps like millions of others, find light polution offensive and it effects one's ability to sleep, not to mention the tackyness of such advertising anyway.
Here in (currently) rainy England, one can buy for not very much money a set top box that provides free access to the most popular channels, with more available on subscription or through regular satellite or cable providers. The price of the boxes has fallen to below £50 and the convenience they bring - such as electronic program guides and reminders, plus the significant improvement in picture and audio quality, makes them worthwhile. Therefore, most people buy them and buy them for their relatives too who may not be able to afford or understand what they have to do. (I'm buying one for my Mum.) This is probably going to happen in the USA, and just as people worried some would be left behind in the digital revolution - yet were not, same with the great digital switchover. Market forces and kindness will save the day.
As animals, we're used to an immersive experience that involves all senses. Physical contact, smell, risk, fresh air! are all part of the game of reality. Electronic interaction may stimulate a small component of the mind, but all else is left to waste. And over time, it may, like Neo's muscles in The Matrix, simply wither away.
I didn't mention I was refering to the Mac OSX versions of Macromedia's products. Yes, DW MX 2004 is an improvement but still flawed. I cannot speak for Windows users.