... and mindless drivel like this is what gives our state a bad name. Lexington/Frankfort is FULL of clueless idiots who have no sense of reality, but this takes the cake. My favorite part?
Represntative Couch says enforcing this bill if it became law would be a challenge.
A challenge? If by challenge, he means completely IMPOSSIBLE and a giant waste of taxpayer funds, then yes.
I encourage everyone to contact Mr. Couch and let him know how unfeasable and insulting this idea is. That measn well-thought and well-written messages, not/b/-tard screaming. If any of you live in Clay, Harlan, or Leslie county, then you especially should write/call and make your opinions known.
Again, please make sure your correspondence is professional and polite. The last thing we need is a bunch of idiots spamming his inbox and basically proving him right...
Don't think that private schools are any better. If anything, they are home to people who are even WORSE pricks because they have a sense of entitlement to go along with the fact that they would rather be out catching VD than learning.
I'll agree with you wholeheartedly on how ridiculous it is to be punished for standing up for yourself. I went to a private HS myself, and we had our share of annoying asshats. During one class period round about my 3rd year, I had been catching hell all day from a few of said asshats. Toward the end of class, one of them walked by my desk and fired something from one of those really big rubber bands at me. Not sure what it was, other than solid, and that from all of 3 feet away, it hurt like hell. I snapped, jumped from my seat, grabbed the fucker by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Then I spelled out for him in front of the whole class exactly what kind of reprecussions he could expect should he choose to try something like that again (whilst still pinned to the wall by his throat).
So who gets in trouble for the altercation? Me, of course. Got a nice little assignment to detention, doubled by the fact that it happened while a substitute was there in place of the regular instructor. Surprised I wasn't suspended, actually. All in all, however, it was worth it. Why? Because that piece of shit never even spoke to me again, let alone hassled me. Several of his cohorts took the lesson to heart as well, and never really gave me much of a problem after that either.
Is it me, or did this problem not exist in anywhere NEAR as large a manner as when kids were allowed to stand up for themselves, and teachers were allowed to "apply the board of wisdom to the seat of education", so to speak?
Last time I checked, you could get a pretty good HD quality movie down to about 8GB with Divx, without any real quality drop.
Sorry, but you're wrong. There WILL be quality loss. The h.264 codec used by both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD allow for much higher compression ratios with less loss of quality. This means that you can keep the same size and get more quality, or you can keep the same quality and drop the filesize.
Case in point, I have a couple of projects I've done with DVD footage. The DivX/XviD version comes to about 95mb. The exact same thing encoded in h.264 at the exact same quality (720x480) clocks in at about 45mb. If I kept the same filesize, I could scale it up to 1280x720 easily (would look like ass since the source isn't that high to begin with, but you see the point). There is no way you could take a high-def movie and compress it to 8gb in DivX without sacrificing quality.
The only win you're going to get with this route is saving power due to decreased CPU usage. Rendering h.264 video in realtime is notoriously taxing on CPU's, ESPECIALLY at HD resolutions. But if you drop the quality, you lose the entire point of having a high-def copy in the first place.
And to the people talking about the lasers eating up power, yes they do. To an extent. Along with maxing out the CPU, the biggest drain on the battery is the drive itself. It's a moving part. It spins. ANY optical drive when in constant use is going to drain the battery a lot faster than just sitting idle or reading a few files every couple of minutes.
The bigger question would be how do you determine the value of the IP to assess it for taxation.
I'd be all for a percentage of whatever revenue the copyright has brought to you the preceeding year. Failing to pay said tax would immediately cause the imagin...err...intellectual property to lapse into the public domain.
But let's just see where you turn next time you want an update on Paris Hilton's brother's DUI, Britney Spears's sister's pregnancy, Britney's zany exploits and custody issues, or Lindsay Lohan's latest wreck (car or box-office - your pick)?
Easy, Fox News. Seriously, that's EXACTLY the kind of trivial bullshit making front page headlines (on there AND on CNN) that made me switch to BBC America.
For all the incessant claims that the world is ending, that we're losing all of our freedoms, and that the "enemy" has won and we are all doomed to live a dystopian nightmare, I've noticed a few things.
The sun still shines (unless you live in Seattle, in which case you get "the rain still falls." heh).
You're still allowed to rant and scream about the government.
Nobody is beating your door down because you think the government sucks.
What does that mean? It means its NOT too late to DO SOMETHING. And by do something, I don't mean sit in your basement posting long winded diatribes to Slashdot that almost nobody with any power to make policy will ever read. No, posting to Slashdot serves the same purpose as preaching to the choir. Everyone here knows what's going on. You have to tell everyone ELSE about it. Make people aware, vote for people who will protect privacy and freedom. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. Letters, phonecalls, and ballot boxes, people. This means getting off of your ass and getting something done.
Will one or two of you doing this make a difference? Not a chance in hell. However, if in the process you get one or two others, who also get more people to act, then eventually a big enough noise will be made that those in power will have no choice but to listen. Calling people to action on Slashdot is about as effective as pouring water on a grease fire. It accomplishes absolutely nothing. Get out in the real world and tell people why things like this are bad in words that they will understand. You can't make a difference from your keyboard, so put on some comfortable shoes and get out the door!
However, the aqquisition of Sammy made me think that they do indeed have some type of long term plans, possibly with a new console at some point, but they are probably really worried about experiencing another Saturn or Dreamcast, which wouldn't bode well financially, albeit Dreamcast was just an incomplete victory in a battle that was ahead of it's time.
I'm sure you meant the acquisition BY Sammy, which prompted a lot of Sega employees to leave the company. Make no mistake. Other than arcare hardware, Sega is merely a 3rd party developer these days. While they still do make some damned good games, seeing Sonic and Mario in the same game is still somewhat...weird...
WHY is 10% of all meeting and presentation productivity wasted on hooking the laptop up to the damn projector or plasma screen?
Because most corporate types seemingly can't be bothered with learning anything more complex than creating some insipid Power Point presentation (which is why they're probably using the larger screen to begin with) with the aid of "Clippy".
To be honest, it's really not that hard (at least on mine). Plug in the cable, Fn+F7, and that's it. System instantly clones the display onto the external monitor and even changes the resolution on the main display to match. Oh yeah, and it's even running Windows.
That a Linux machine is sold out at Walmart suggests that plain folks -- not like you and me -- know and respect Linux. The lesson is that there is a ready market, in middle America, for Linux-based applications.
Of course with this being Wal-Mart, the more likely scenario is Joe Sixpack reads "Ayy Beth-Ann-Bobbi-Jo-Ruthie-May! They got dem compyooturz at thu walmart for $200!"
With the absence of "them thar geek peopullz" that talk about "virusin' and spahhhwurin' the box", they can pick one up on their next trip out for junk food, beer, and a few copies of both Guns N' Ammo and American Hunter Motherfucker*. They will get it home, only to find out that it doesn't have Winduh Veesta or run their ancient copy of Deer Hunter.
The fact that it is Linux-based has absolutely nothing to do with the sales figures. You forget that the system is being sold in a place where the absolute lowest price is the ruling factor in ANYTHING found inside. I can also assure you that the "associates" in Wal-Mart aren't going to know a damned thing about Linux vs Windows, and will answer any question with a blank stare. I forsee MANY returns on these items after Christmas. Maybe by then, stock levels will be back up and I can actually find one to use as a box to tinker around with.
They should have to spend their sentences listening to each week's Top 50 pop songs, endlessly repeated on commercial radio stations.
Well, considering that they resorted to trying to change their grades instead of EARNING them, I would say they already listen to that junk anyways. This added "punishment" would probably have little effect...
If I'm reading it correctly, they're not talking about having the capability to edit the HTML so much as having the knowledge of how to edit it.
Remember, we're talking about Power Point users here. If they knew how to edit HTML, they wouldn't be using the software. These are the same people who think Clippy is a useful guide in writing their documents. They are also most assuredly the exact same people who use Front Page to design a website. Doing it the right way for these middle-management types would be like expecting a 4th grader to grasp particle physics (with even less success, I might add).
In that case, I believe "removed" would be a better term, as "yanked" used in relation to that bit of anatomy would simply describe a routine habit of most slashdotters...
Except that all motion is relative. Imagine you are travelling in the same path at the same velocity as the ship (nevermind having to be able to breathe in a vacuum, be immune to nuclear explosions, etc) a short distance away. You are both travelling at the same speed, so the ship is sitting still as far as you're concerned. When the explosions begin again, you won't be changing velocity, but the ship WILL. Therefore, the ship will be moving AWAY from you. Same thing with the explosions. Also the same reason why the space shuttle isn't flying into it's own engine exhaust when it does a de-orbit burn (and is "flying" backwards).
It's an MMO, but how are they gonna deal with the latency between here and Mars? Better yet, what kind of hardware is the server running, and how much RAM will the client require? How do they plan to get past the annoyance of level-grinding?
Slashdot Mirror
Well, if cetaceans read Slashdot (or any other forum, for that matter), they would have all the proof they needed to make their point valid.
*ducks*
One too many sub-prime loans for you, eh?
I encourage everyone to contact Mr. Couch and let him know how unfeasable and insulting this idea is. That measn well-thought and well-written messages, not
Rep. Couch's Page @ lrc.ky.gov
Again, please make sure your correspondence is professional and polite. The last thing we need is a bunch of idiots spamming his inbox and basically proving him right...
Don't think that private schools are any better. If anything, they are home to people who are even WORSE pricks because they have a sense of entitlement to go along with the fact that they would rather be out catching VD than learning.
I'll agree with you wholeheartedly on how ridiculous it is to be punished for standing up for yourself. I went to a private HS myself, and we had our share of annoying asshats. During one class period round about my 3rd year, I had been catching hell all day from a few of said asshats. Toward the end of class, one of them walked by my desk and fired something from one of those really big rubber bands at me. Not sure what it was, other than solid, and that from all of 3 feet away, it hurt like hell. I snapped, jumped from my seat, grabbed the fucker by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Then I spelled out for him in front of the whole class exactly what kind of reprecussions he could expect should he choose to try something like that again (whilst still pinned to the wall by his throat).
So who gets in trouble for the altercation? Me, of course. Got a nice little assignment to detention, doubled by the fact that it happened while a substitute was there in place of the regular instructor. Surprised I wasn't suspended, actually. All in all, however, it was worth it. Why? Because that piece of shit never even spoke to me again, let alone hassled me. Several of his cohorts took the lesson to heart as well, and never really gave me much of a problem after that either.
Is it me, or did this problem not exist in anywhere NEAR as large a manner as when kids were allowed to stand up for themselves, and teachers were allowed to "apply the board of wisdom to the seat of education", so to speak?
Likely here...
Be sure to enable the macros included and then Alt+F8, and run.
Case in point, I have a couple of projects I've done with DVD footage. The DivX/XviD version comes to about 95mb. The exact same thing encoded in h.264 at the exact same quality (720x480) clocks in at about 45mb. If I kept the same filesize, I could scale it up to 1280x720 easily (would look like ass since the source isn't that high to begin with, but you see the point). There is no way you could take a high-def movie and compress it to 8gb in DivX without sacrificing quality.
The only win you're going to get with this route is saving power due to decreased CPU usage. Rendering h.264 video in realtime is notoriously taxing on CPU's, ESPECIALLY at HD resolutions. But if you drop the quality, you lose the entire point of having a high-def copy in the first place.
And to the people talking about the lasers eating up power, yes they do. To an extent. Along with maxing out the CPU, the biggest drain on the battery is the drive itself. It's a moving part. It spins. ANY optical drive when in constant use is going to drain the battery a lot faster than just sitting idle or reading a few files every couple of minutes.
- The sun still shines (unless you live in Seattle, in which case you get "the rain still falls." heh).
- You're still allowed to rant and scream about the government.
- Nobody is beating your door down because you think the government sucks.
What does that mean? It means its NOT too late to DO SOMETHING. And by do something, I don't mean sit in your basement posting long winded diatribes to Slashdot that almost nobody with any power to make policy will ever read. No, posting to Slashdot serves the same purpose as preaching to the choir. Everyone here knows what's going on. You have to tell everyone ELSE about it. Make people aware, vote for people who will protect privacy and freedom. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. Letters, phonecalls, and ballot boxes, people. This means getting off of your ass and getting something done.Will one or two of you doing this make a difference? Not a chance in hell. However, if in the process you get one or two others, who also get more people to act, then eventually a big enough noise will be made that those in power will have no choice but to listen. Calling people to action on Slashdot is about as effective as pouring water on a grease fire. It accomplishes absolutely nothing. Get out in the real world and tell people why things like this are bad in words that they will understand. You can't make a difference from your keyboard, so put on some comfortable shoes and get out the door!
That cake is most DEFINITELY a lie!
So you're still at it I assume? I know I would be........... What? Why does everyone keep looking at me like I'm crazy?
Sadly enough, in this case, the cake ISN'T a lie... =(
Hrmm.... First this, then this.
I've seen plenty of duplicate stories before...but now we're getting comments that are dupes as well?
I'm sure you meant the acquisition BY Sammy, which prompted a lot of Sega employees to leave the company. Make no mistake. Other than arcare hardware, Sega is merely a 3rd party developer these days. While they still do make some damned good games, seeing Sonic and Mario in the same game is still somewhat...weird...
Because most corporate types seemingly can't be bothered with learning anything more complex than creating some insipid Power Point presentation (which is why they're probably using the larger screen to begin with) with the aid of "Clippy".
To be honest, it's really not that hard (at least on mine). Plug in the cable, Fn+F7, and that's it. System instantly clones the display onto the external monitor and even changes the resolution on the main display to match. Oh yeah, and it's even running Windows.
Of course with this being Wal-Mart, the more likely scenario is Joe Sixpack reads "Ayy Beth-Ann-Bobbi-Jo-Ruthie-May! They got dem compyooturz at thu walmart for $200!"
With the absence of "them thar geek peopullz" that talk about "virusin' and spahhhwurin' the box", they can pick one up on their next trip out for junk food, beer, and a few copies of both Guns N' Ammo and American Hunter Motherfucker*. They will get it home, only to find out that it doesn't have Winduh Veesta or run their ancient copy of Deer Hunter.
The fact that it is Linux-based has absolutely nothing to do with the sales figures. You forget that the system is being sold in a place where the absolute lowest price is the ruling factor in ANYTHING found inside. I can also assure you that the "associates" in Wal-Mart aren't going to know a damned thing about Linux vs Windows, and will answer any question with a blank stare. I forsee MANY returns on these items after Christmas. Maybe by then, stock levels will be back up and I can actually find one to use as a box to tinker around with.
*Bonus points to those who get the reference.
Already got you covered.
Well, considering that they resorted to trying to change their grades instead of EARNING them, I would say they already listen to that junk anyways. This added "punishment" would probably have little effect...
"Why you think the net was born?" _________________
Five points for finishing the line, an extra 10 for naming the reference (and no, a certain MMORPG does NOT count).
If I'm reading it correctly, they're not talking about having the capability to edit the HTML so much as having the knowledge of how to edit it.
Remember, we're talking about Power Point users here. If they knew how to edit HTML, they wouldn't be using the software. These are the same people who think Clippy is a useful guide in writing their documents. They are also most assuredly the exact same people who use Front Page to design a website. Doing it the right way for these middle-management types would be like expecting a 4th grader to grasp particle physics (with even less success, I might add).
In that case, I believe "removed" would be a better term, as "yanked" used in relation to that bit of anatomy would simply describe a routine habit of most slashdotters...
Except that all motion is relative. Imagine you are travelling in the same path at the same velocity as the ship (nevermind having to be able to breathe in a vacuum, be immune to nuclear explosions, etc) a short distance away. You are both travelling at the same speed, so the ship is sitting still as far as you're concerned. When the explosions begin again, you won't be changing velocity, but the ship WILL. Therefore, the ship will be moving AWAY from you. Same thing with the explosions. Also the same reason why the space shuttle isn't flying into it's own engine exhaust when it does a de-orbit burn (and is "flying" backwards).
It's an MMO, but how are they gonna deal with the latency between here and Mars? Better yet, what kind of hardware is the server running, and how much RAM will the client require? How do they plan to get past the annoyance of level-grinding?