If successful, it could allow people to touch and feel each other over the Internet.
Hands Across America could be succesful this time - with only two people.
This could have interesting ramifications (no pun intended;).
Seriously, people are already more physically separated than ever; rather than bring people closer, lots of technology has only widened the gulf.
I don't think I'm breaking any new ground here, many/.ers have been in a place in their lives where they've not had close relationships (platonic or otherwise). Even holding someone's hand has a positive effect on people's mental-well being.
Let me put this in terms I deal with all the time. Say I buy a guitar. I know that this guitar is not being made anymore and that I paid 100 dollars for it at a garage sale.
I know that I can sell it right now for $400. I also know I can wait 5 years and it will be worth a grand - if I put it in it's case and leave it in the closet.
If I play this guitar, invaribly I will put a ding in it here, a scratch in it there. I will need to change its strings, adjust the bridge, most likely adjust the neck. All these things are pretty much normal maintainance for an instrument that has not been played, or is heading into a new season.
Say this guitar has a bad pickup in it (and I have decided to play it). I have these options:
Leave it alone.
A new Pickup
Rewind the Original pickup.
A new pickup destroys (the collector's) resale and also maximizes choice.
A rewound pickup is less damaging to resale, but does not present as much choice.
Blahblahblah.
My point is this: People are watching too much Antiques Roadshow, and Lost Treasures, and endlessly refreshing pages on eBay. They lose sight of an important thing.
In 90 percent of collectables, the 'collectable' item was *meant to be used*. Crackerjack toys were meant to be played with, China teapots were meant to serve hot tea, guitars were meant to be played, cars were meant to be driven.
That is the purpose of their existence. These items had something special about them: they worked well for their purpose, they were fun, they never broke, or you had your first date in one.
In many of these items, form follows function - an apple peeler used by Gramma looks pretty much the same as one you can buy now. In some guitars (especially) function follows form - they look great, but were cheaply made, or are banged up and *used*.
If I love the form of a NeXT cube enough, I'll want to use it all the time. I'll want to see it, and touch it, and *use* it but I don't do things that that hardware can do.
Sure, I have stuff that is put away and not modded, or used. I have Hot Wheels still in the package, I have a guitar that sits in a case, I have a Beatles keychain in a drawer. I can look at these things and be happy I have something that not many others have - but I'd rather be using them in the context of their creation.
Some things I have learned in my short lifetime - Keep and use the things you love, get rid of the things you don't. Life is too short to be worried about resale.
You get one ticket for the ride, make sure its the ride you want to be on.
I'm sorry (not), but this guy should do anything he wants with his hardware. It's now usable on daily basis, and most likely will be better taken care of than a 'closet classic'. Christ - you people talk like there were only 3 ever made and one went down with the Titanic.
Sure, its a casemod. It's no longer the computer it was. But guess what? He likes it.
I can understand the guys who spend 300 some hours making a clear acrylic case for their Duron machines, and people who turn Mac SE's into fishtanks, and guys who make their classic 67 Beetle into some bastardized trike, ect ect. It's what they like to do.
I wouldn't do it myself, but what's important here?
The fact that this will be used with the form intact and the function 'improved'? Or that it stays in it's original form and decaying function?
Is the next post I read on/. going to be how everyone should go back to the 1.0 Linux kernal, "Cause that's da way it should be." ?? Ugh.
Personally, I'd love to have a Next Cube with an shit-hot PC in it. Why? So I could use it for what I do *now*, and look at it's beatiful shape and color while I record music and edit video on it. Would I miss the Next OS? Sure, maybe. Would it get used on a daily basis? (We're talking 040 processor, people)
Notice that Montana has no 'millons of dollars' in that fun little map on the bottom of the article? They have no sales tax.
Why not move your 'online store' to Montana? I'm sure some enterprising geek can setup an 'offshore' ISP for all those who don't want to deal with our money-grubbing, mismanaging Congresswores.
I'm sure there is a hole in my plan, but I just like saying "Congresswhores".
Re:All involved US corporate leaders arrested!
on
Saddam's Inbox Hacked
·
· Score: 1, Offtopic
It is an excellent example of two things:
One - Corporate bastards would drain the blood from their mother, if it meant they got a stock option, or key to the executive washroom.
Two - Corporate bastards obviously have no fscking clue about what goes on or what is even made at their own companies, and will promise anything to make a sale (see #1).
"4G Wireless Technology? Yes, that could ignite the atmospere. Oh, you need controllable ignition? Yes! We are pioneers in that technology!"
I'd love to know the name of that company, so I could ensure that I never do business with them.
I urge you to reconsider my competitors offer of "4G" wireless technology. Our "5G" technology is better and will allow you 'set it and forget it' just like my rotisserie. We promise this will be the best "Wireless Weapon of Mass Destruction" you have ever used, or your money back! We have over 20 years of experience providing housewives with labor saving 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'.
Thank you for your kind and world dominating consideration, Ron Popeil
Ronco.com (secure connections available!)
CALL US!
In the USA, toll free,
(800) 486-1806
Outside the U.S.(of course), call our business office
(818) 775-4602
Monday-Friday
8am to 5pm Pacific Time.
I keep all my cable installers and put them in a deep circular well in my basement. They scream and holler, especially when I tell them I'm going to make a fleshsuit out of their skin. I won't feed them until they put the lotion on. And I get all the channels for free!
In a small town, the local newspaper wouldn't write a story badmouthing a local business - that's ad dollars down the drain, as well as a potential lawsuit for the guy that owns the paper. Cable companies have far deeper pockets than newspapers; unfortunately it shows.
My local paper runs insipid stories about small town life: recipies, who got married, divorced, arrested, what's going on with local politics (nothing) and classified ads for old Walmart purchases.
So the apple printed on there on there is just to remind me that it's *not* the apple key.
Back in the day, Apple IIs and Macs had two 'Apple' keys. One was empty in the middle - 'Open Apple'. One was filled in - 'Closed Apple'. That is how Apple Computer referred to those keys.
Command *is* also printed on there, but old habits are hard to break.
who doesn't like the 'fuzzy' fonts? If you turn Clear Type on in XP or use IE for OS X the fonts seem to be *harder* to read. (to me) I want fonts to be antialiased on paper, not on the screen.
If you don't have ClearType or font smoothing, you can approximate the effect.
Just smear Vaseline evenly over your screen - voila! Antialiased fonts!
I've got to spend 30 million dollars in 30 days so I can inheirit 300 million! I can't give any away to charity, and I can't tell anyone why I'm doing it! (shhh.)
MS Exchange is perfect for my needs! I can pick up a 1000 seat licence and a couple of XP Advanced Servers and blow my wad right there! Plus, I can hire a bunch of IT guys to keep up with bugs and patches - ooooh, don't kill Exchange!
Slashdot Mirror
but this is unbefsckingleivable!
Quick!! Get all your meta discussions in while there still is time!
Hands Across America could be succesful this time - with only two people. ;).
This could have interesting ramifications (no pun intended
Seriously, people are already more physically separated than ever; rather than bring people closer, lots of technology has only widened the gulf.
I don't think I'm breaking any new ground here, many /.ers have been in a place in their lives where they've not had close relationships (platonic or otherwise). Even holding someone's hand has a positive effect on people's mental-well being.
Could this be more isolating than positive?
Reach out and grope someone!
I touched someone overseas, and got a nasty virus!
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!
When will we have bras made out of this?
I hope we don't /. someone's groin!
We can make politicians wear this on their head, and punch them when we don't like their votes!
I've installed this in all my chairs!
and finally:
OMG! It feels just like Natalie Portman slathered in hot grits!
Thanks, I'll be appearing at K5 on Saturday!
I know that I can sell it right now for $400. I also know I can wait 5 years and it will be worth a grand - if I put it in it's case and leave it in the closet.
If I play this guitar, invaribly I will put a ding in it here, a scratch in it there. I will need to change its strings, adjust the bridge, most likely adjust the neck. All these things are pretty much normal maintainance for an instrument that has not been played, or is heading into a new season.
Say this guitar has a bad pickup in it (and I have decided to play it). I have these options:
Leave it alone.
A new Pickup
Rewind the Original pickup.
A new pickup destroys (the collector's) resale and also maximizes choice.
A rewound pickup is less damaging to resale, but does not present as much choice.
Blahblahblah.
My point is this: People are watching too much Antiques Roadshow, and Lost Treasures, and endlessly refreshing pages on eBay. They lose sight of an important thing.
In 90 percent of collectables, the 'collectable' item was *meant to be used*. Crackerjack toys were meant to be played with, China teapots were meant to serve hot tea, guitars were meant to be played, cars were meant to be driven.
That is the purpose of their existence. These items had something special about them: they worked well for their purpose, they were fun, they never broke, or you had your first date in one.
In many of these items, form follows function - an apple peeler used by Gramma looks pretty much the same as one you can buy now. In some guitars (especially) function follows form - they look great, but were cheaply made, or are banged up and *used*.
If I love the form of a NeXT cube enough, I'll want to use it all the time. I'll want to see it, and touch it, and *use* it but I don't do things that that hardware can do.
Sure, I have stuff that is put away and not modded, or used. I have Hot Wheels still in the package, I have a guitar that sits in a case, I have a Beatles keychain in a drawer. I can look at these things and be happy I have something that not many others have - but I'd rather be using them in the context of their creation.
Some things I have learned in my short lifetime - Keep and use the things you love, get rid of the things you don't. Life is too short to be worried about resale.
You get one ticket for the ride, make sure its the ride you want to be on.
Sure, its a casemod. It's no longer the computer it was. But guess what? He likes it.
I can understand the guys who spend 300 some hours making a clear acrylic case for their Duron machines, and people who turn Mac SE's into fishtanks, and guys who make their classic 67 Beetle into some bastardized trike, ect ect. It's what they like to do.
I wouldn't do it myself, but what's important here?
The fact that this will be used with the form intact and the function 'improved'? Or that it stays in it's original form and decaying function?
Is the next post I read on /. going to be how everyone should go back to the 1.0 Linux kernal, "Cause that's da way it should be." ?? Ugh.
Personally, I'd love to have a Next Cube with an shit-hot PC in it. Why? So I could use it for what I do *now*, and look at it's beatiful shape and color while I record music and edit video on it. Would I miss the Next OS? Sure, maybe. Would it get used on a daily basis? (We're talking 040 processor, people)
No.
But hey what the hell do I know?
In the case of Duke Nukem' Forever, that means just after our sun expands to a red giant and swallows the earth and moon.
I recall IBM's PPC boards going for over a grand, which is (to me) far too much. Especially when it was a 'G3' chip.
Even if the new chip is faster, will I be able to buy 2 pentium 4's (5?) for the price of it?
This teacher has intimate knowlege of nanotechnology.
Bill Nye the Science Guy's early work!
Why not move your 'online store' to Montana? I'm sure some enterprising geek can setup an 'offshore' ISP for all those who don't want to deal with our money-grubbing, mismanaging Congresswores.
I'm sure there is a hole in my plan, but I just like saying "Congresswhores".
One - Corporate bastards would drain the blood from their mother, if it meant they got a stock option, or key to the executive washroom.
Two - Corporate bastards obviously have no fscking clue about what goes on or what is even made at their own companies, and will promise anything to make a sale (see #1).
"4G Wireless Technology? Yes, that could ignite the atmospere. Oh, you need controllable ignition? Yes! We are pioneers in that technology!"
I'd love to know the name of that company, so I could ensure that I never do business with them.
Thank you for your kind and world dominating consideration,
Ron Popeil
Ronco.com (secure connections available!) CALL US!
In the USA, toll free,
(800) 486-1806
Outside the U.S.(of course), call our business office
(818) 775-4602
Monday-Friday
8am to 5pm Pacific Time.
To quote Joe vs. the Volcano: '99% of people go through life asleep; the remaining 1% walk around in a state of constant amazement.'
To add to that I'd say: 99% of people *think* they're awake; the remaining 1% know they've got some waking up to do.
There you have it, your Zen moment of the day.
To be quite honest, if I'm still waiting for a Photoshop render, or a level to load in RTCW, our machines aren't ready to think.
lol - just saw a giant pumpkin story this weekend! Google news is my new (non-nerd news) best friend...
The most creative minds wear ties on their johnson.
I keep all my cable installers and put them in a deep circular well in my basement. They scream and holler, especially when I tell them I'm going to make a fleshsuit out of their skin. I won't feed them until they put the lotion on. And I get all the channels for free!
My local paper runs insipid stories about small town life: recipies, who got married, divorced, arrested, what's going on with local politics (nothing) and classified ads for old Walmart purchases.
Professor Falkin was always saying, "Leave a backdoor in any program you write, just in case your code becomes self-aware."
Please hook up a sampler and record it that way.
I like the music, its just that the MIDI kills me.
Many equations were solved with that fine machine.
Back in the day, Apple IIs and Macs had two 'Apple' keys. One was empty in the middle - 'Open Apple'. One was filled in - 'Closed Apple'. That is how Apple Computer referred to those keys.
Command *is* also printed on there, but old habits are hard to break.
This is far funnier than my post. hehehehe
I want fonts to be antialiased on paper, not on the screen.
If you don't have ClearType or font smoothing, you can approximate the effect.
Just smear Vaseline evenly over your screen - voila! Antialiased fonts!
It worked for Cybil Shepard on 'Moonlighting'.
MS Exchange is perfect for my needs! I can pick up a 1000 seat licence and a couple of XP Advanced Servers and blow my wad right there! Plus, I can hire a bunch of IT guys to keep up with bugs and patches - ooooh, don't kill Exchange!
Signed, Brewster
(a.k.a Richard Prior)