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User: vistic

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  1. Re:Stupid on Why Microsoft's Surface Pro Could Fail · · Score: 1

    To run full x86 applications will drain battery

    Huh?

  2. Re:vintage computers on Radio Shack's TRS-80 Turns 35 · · Score: 1

    I have that cart... and I always wanted to get into it but never could. Maybe its because I didnt have the manual and I was always just guessing at what the commands / syntax could be.

  3. Re:I'm from Canada too, but I disagree with you. on Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Place To Relocate? · · Score: 1

    I'm from the USA and lived in Canada for a while, now back in the USA again. I've visited UK, Australia, India, China, and Brazil. I think long term however many years down the line I'd like to go back to Canada eventually.

  4. Re:vintage computers on Radio Shack's TRS-80 Turns 35 · · Score: 1

    Many models of Color Computer II?

    I think there was just one, with maybe a few different options for how much RAM you got.

    There were two different looking versions of the original Color Computer though, as I recall, one silver and one beige, with maybe different keyboards. But the Color Computer 2 (roman numerals were for the Apple) looked pretty much like the Color Computer 3.

  5. Re:vintage computers on Radio Shack's TRS-80 Turns 35 · · Score: 1

    I can still fire up the ol' Tandy Color Computer 2 and put those 64Ks through their paces with a rousing game of Pooyan, Demon Attack, or Dragonfire.

  6. Re:Everyone's thinking it. on Half of India Without Electricity As Power Grid Crisis Deepens · · Score: 2

    Such original humor, how do you come up with such gems?

  7. Wonder if they'll have to move on NBC Purchases MSNBC Rights From Microsoft · · Score: 1

    I think MSNBC TV has its offices in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in NYC, but msnbc.com has its offices actually within Microsoft's campus in Redmond WA.

    I wonder if they'll have to move out.

  8. Re:Why is 'church' in quotes? on Church of Scientology Enlisting Followers In Censorship · · Score: 1

    So once a work of fiction becomes popular, it becomes true? I guess this is the point you were trying to make? Just to be clear....

  9. Re:Why is 'church' in quotes? on Church of Scientology Enlisting Followers In Censorship · · Score: 1

    I fail to see how con jobs and churches are at all mutually exclusive. There are countless examples of people getting ripped off in the name of Jesus. It has no bearing on how much of a church it is or not.

  10. Re:Why is 'church' in quotes? on Church of Scientology Enlisting Followers In Censorship · · Score: 1

    Sure it's off the wall and only for gullible people... but do you think early Christianity, or any religion, wasn't?

    Give it a few thousand years and people might be saying this new XYZ religion is obviously crazy, and not like the respectable air and tradition about Christianity or Scientology. Look at how mainstream LDS is already... we have a presidential candidate.

  11. Why is 'church' in quotes? on Church of Scientology Enlisting Followers In Censorship · · Score: 1, Insightful

    It's not like the church you think doesn't need quotes is any more valid than this 'church' which you think needs quotes.

  12. Re:No course work? on University Sues Student For Graduating Early · · Score: 1

    I had a classmate who did a semester in Germany, and he explained their system was that they had no coursework and didn't keep tabs on attendance or even enrolment. Tuition was free, so basically you would show up for final exams, and if you passed you got a certificate (your entire grade for the entire semester being from that one exam). It was your job to hold on to the certificates for the classes because it was the only record that you did it. Then once you did enough for a degree you would present all the proof of your exams and get your degree.

    I don't know which college this was, if some of this was exaggerated, or if its normal in Germany. But at the very least, it might be that they don't have the same concept of coursework thats normal at American institutions.

  13. Re:wait, what? ppl are buying Sony stuff still? on Android 4.0 Upgrade For Sony Xperia Smartphones Opens a Pandora Box · · Score: 1

    I still buy Sony stuff if it doesn't have any software in it. Otherwise, no fucking way.

    What do you think they make that has no software on it?

  14. Re:As if he's pointing out hypocrisy? on Artist's Catcopter Causes a Stir · · Score: 1

    Well I guess we can be thankful that mistakes never happen with drone strikes.

  15. Re:U turn on Primary School Girl Told To Stop Photographing and Blogging School Meals · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I hate to tell you this but there is no such thing as "free". When I was young you were supposed to support your family and that meant feeding them. I fed my kids and I resent having to feed other people kids. There used to be a thing in society called responsibility. That meant you were responsible for you and your's. That free healthcare and free meals you allude to are paid for by taking money away from me and mine.

    That's a pretty sickening attitude. Really, society only survives because thankfully not everyone thinks the way you do.

  16. As if he's pointing out hypocrisy? on Artist's Catcopter Causes a Stir · · Score: 1

    "And for those that say stitching up a dead animal around the guts of a helicopter and flying it around is 'sick'" -- yes, it is.
    "...what of the massive drone industry, which, more than just producing a symbol, actually is creating flying death?" --- that's sick as well.

  17. Re:1977 was a seminal year on Wozniak's Original System Description of the Apple ][ · · Score: 1

    Same thing.

  18. Re:Seems so 1995... on Iran Threatens Legal Action Against Google For Not Labeling Gulf 'Persian' · · Score: 2

    What does China (People's Republic of China) call the island of Taiwan if not Taiwan? Formosa?

    If they want to avoid pissing off China (PRC) they would avoid labeling Taiwan as the "Republic of China", which they have.

  19. Re:An inaccurate test on FDA Panel Backs First Rapid, Take Home HIV Test · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you go to a lot of clinics, this is the exact same test they will give you there (OraQuick).

    I've had this test done a few times and it always seems pretty brainless to do it. I don't think there's much risk of someone getting a false positive or false negative from something they did wrong. It's similar to a home pregnancy test I think... there's a thing that shows up whether its negative or positive, and if its positive then another thing would show up in addition to that.

    In terms of accuracy and all that, they say it's like 99% as effective as the old way where they drew blood and shipped it off to a lab for 2 weeks.

    Of course if someone did get a false positive, then they would probably go to a doctor for a more careful test.

    And of course if someone is really obsessive compulsive about it and worried they have a false negative, they can buy a bunch and test themselves daily if they really wanted to.

    The only effect I can see from this being made available is a LOT more people will know their status now. Or at least have a 99% clear indication.

    The only downside really is that they won't get to talk to a doctor. A doctor would inform them about the time "window" between time of infection and the time it would show up on a test. If there are false negatives, that's where it would be from: People mistakenly thinking they can test for HIV the day after they might have been infected.

  20. Re:Everyone ignores Commodore on Jack Tramiel, Founder of Commodore Business Machines, Dies At Age 83 · · Score: 1

    It's funny, my first computer was a 64K CoCo2 also. I don't think I still have it, but I do still have a 512K CoCo3 I bought in the mid 90's when I got into retro video games. Not many people have them, but I remember being on a CoCo listserv for a long time and wishing I could go to these CoCoFests that I'd hear about. Some people had crazy projects they were working on that were very impressive. I always had a cassette drive, but never had the disk drives. Though I did acquire a disk interface pak in the 90s.

    I didn't see a Commodore 64 until the 90's. Back then I just remember IBM, Macs, and Apple II. IBMs were at my dad's office, and the Macs and Apple II's were at school. (I miss the Apple II lab... nothing better than the sound of everyone printing their art out on those ImageWriters at the same time.)

  21. Re:Because Hybrids Don't Pay For Themselves on Hybrid Car Owners Not Likely To Buy Another Hybrid · · Score: 2

    As a 2010 Honda Insight driver, I'd buy another hybrid again... I don't see why not?

    I wonder if a lot of these people bought crappy "hybrid" models of 20 mpg sedans and SUVs that only bump them up to 30 mpg. For those of us who got a "real" hybrid like a Prius or and Insight... I imagine we're happier.

    As for cost difference, if you compare a $25,000 hybrid to a $25,000 non-hybrid, the features are pretty much the same.

  22. Re:Look at the credits for Adobe Reader. on Adobe Warns of Critical Zero Day Vulnerability · · Score: 1

    If you're wondering "How can this happen?", all you need to do is look at the credits of Acrobat Reader. Notice that many of the names are quite clearly Indian. Then it all makes sense.

    What an ignorant d-bag you are.

    I've worked in companies (in the USA and Canada) where my team was primarily Indian/Chinese/Brazilian/Russian/etc. Some are here on visa, some are now citizens. You can't assume, especially in software engineering, that foreign names equals outsourcing. Some of these people are even second or third generation citizens.

    The hiring process is a key determining factor in the quality of the employee you have at the company. And presumably, if they are bad at their job, with good management, they won't be working there for long, regardless of where they came from.

    I've certainly seen variance among co-workers in the quality of their work, but that has never correlated with their race or ethnicity. If you see that, then you're probably blinded by your own prejudices. Take some time to sort out these issues you have.

  23. Re:have basic calculus and vectors? on Ask Slashdot: Math Curriculum To Understand General Relativity? · · Score: 1

    I think better than trying to get there just via Math, take an actual Physics course that teaches General Relativity.

    At ASU, I took a 300-level course "Modern Physics" as an elective and it explained it all pretty well. And I agree, the only Math concepts you really need to know would be basic calculus and vectors. Of course the course itself might have the basic first year Physics courses as pre-requisites.

  24. Ignorant American culture on India Moves To Put Its First Man In Space By 2016 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    IMF World Economic Outlook says India's economy was up 7.3% in 2008, up 5.6% in 2009, and predicted to be up 7.7% in 2010. China's economy was up 9.6% in 2008, up 8.7% in 2009, and predicted to be up 10% in 2010. Meanwhile the United States' economy was up 0.4% in 2008, down 2.5% in 2009, and predicted to be up only 2.7% in 2010.

    People are keeping a very close eye on emerging market economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, etc. They have been behind, but that means they have a lot of potential to grow, and many of them have been doing a good job at outpacing the United States' economy in recent years.

    That all aside, the original comment for this thread was just stupid. In terms of comedic value it was beyond stale. Other than that it's tasteless. I don't think I've ever been on the phone with a tech support rep who was in India. Meanwhile I've been to India twice in the past few years and know that call centers are just about zero percent of their cultural identity. Just because some Americans have some exposure to this one small profession in India, they have extrapolated it into this whole stereotype for an entire country. I guess that's just ignorance.

    If there is any stereotype of Americans which is absolutely accurate, it would be that Americans are ignorant.

  25. Re:What about Pick? on Old Operating Systems Never Die · · Score: 1

    I'm afraid to google for Dick Pick... I just know I will find out about something I never knew, and never wanted to know, existed.