Maybe I'm the only one, but my iPhone 4S is actually working faster now. Transitions in and out of apps is much quicker, without the delay I had before.
Rather than the question, "Can violence be good?" the more interesting point of the article to me is the difference between real, personal violence as opposed to abstract, wipe-out-billions-with-one-blow violence. The author finds that playing the part of an attacker in a rape prevention class is both draining and emotionally disturbing, as might be expected. Then he compares that to virtually blowing away an entire country, which he finds disquieting in an abstract way, but not particulary emotionally touching.
This demonstrates one of the dangers of discussing violence in videogames: there is no way we can experience the same visceral reaction to videogame violence that we do to real violence. Trying to compare real world violence to videogame violence is like reading about climbing about Mount Everest and actually doing it; a superficial similarity, but not the same thing.
I used to read most of the major mags back in the day - PC World, PC Mag, Byte, and a couple of others - and I wound up giving up most of them around 2000. True, you can get the same information on the web, but I don't think that's what made them go downhill.
When the dot com boom was at its height, all the major publishers got fanatical that print was dead, everyone was going to read everything on the net, and it was time to readjust. Byte arbitrarily canceled my subscription, since they were going to a web only base. The rest of them shrank to half the page number, and what was left was mostly advertising. Even the trade rags got rid of most of their decent columnists, since they somehow concluded nobody wanted opinion pieces, basically making them boring and worthless. The only print mag I read now is Smart Computing, since they have some interesting tips and good reviews every now and again.
I signed up last April, and had problems with the Gametap video feeds locking up my Internet connection. Called up Gametap with every intention of cancelling, and was really impressed with the way it was handled. I told the service rep my problem, and I found him to be pretty knowledgeable. He suggested a few settings to check in my router, offered me the free month to try it out (which I accepted), and then we BS'd about tech related subjects for a while. That was the first time I think I ever enjoyed talking to a service rep. His advice put me on the trail, and I was able to fix my router configuration. Been using Gametap since then, and don't have any complaints.
And no, I don't work for Time Warner or their affiliates...
I went to one of these small business seminars held by the local colledge. Strangly, i left feeling that i knew less then when i entered. Have you actualy attended one of these?
Actually, yes I have. The college here has a regular half day seminar each month, and I went to one last month. Quite a bit different from what you saw. The only speaker was the head of the college small business section. There were about 12 of us there, all but one of which had just launched their businesses. The topics covered were all practical matters, like licensing, state revenue paperwork, marketing suggestions, and so on. They also gave us a big packet of resource materials on setting up a business, mostly from the SBA. Also made a few contacts among the other attendees. All in all, well worth my time.
If you have a local community college, check with them to see what services they offer. Our local college has a small business development center, which exists to help people just starting out in business. They offere free/low cost seminars, business advice, resources, and so on.
Agreed. I did the home maintenance support for a while a few years ago, running into the same problems noted in other posts (Make my computer run faster. What original disks? What data backup? No, I don't want you to take it away or reinstall anything. Just make it run faster!! Could you hurry it up? My dinner's almost ready.) The aggravation definitely wasn't worth it.
Then something I noticed recently in my area was a large group of older folks that aren't being served by the available resources. I live in a smaller town that is a fast-growing retirement community. There is a large segment of retirees coming here that just want to know how to send emails to their friends, print photos of the grandkids, and play canasta on the net. I opened up a one man business as a computer tutor. The only support issues I will consider is configuration and virus/spyware. I find a lot of these folks need help, but are too insecure to take advantage of a computer class. They need one on one help in their homes, with the actual equipment they will be using. They generally don't have the 14 year old nephew living nearby, and don't know who else to ask for help. And the need is out there. I had a client who was somewhat savvy, but hadn't figured out little things like how to use scrollbars because everyone assumes everyone knows stuff like that. And another advantage, the retirees moving here have money, or they wouldn't be able to afford the retirement homes they buy.
I charge $50/hour, by the way. Interestingly, my techie friends all thought that was way too much, but my customers think it's quite reasonable.
From TFA: Thompson also notes that it is particularly video game lawyers such as Blank Rome, which represents GTA creator Take-Two, that he believes are targeting him[...]
Jack is fighting a Take Two lawyer named Blank Rome? What, they couldn't find one named Duke Nukem to really make him mad?
You must be one of those pointy-haired bosses to say that Google Groups ain't got no business at work.
Heh. Reminds me of when I was SA of a small workgroup a few years ago. My boss refused to let me upgrade the systems by installing CD-ROM drives because he was sure the only thing people used them for was to listen to music when they should be working.
Check out RFC 1000 , from 1987. Stephen Crocker used the occasion of reaching 1000 to spell out the history of RFCs, and also the beginning planning stages of Arpanet. Has some interesting history included in it. He also uses it as an index to the first 1000 RFCs, including several dealing with the mail system.
Of special interest might be RFC 706, "On the Junk Mail Problem." They saw it coming...
I wish you luck. I had a 1440 last year, and while the quality was good, it jammed often enough to drive my SO up the wall. Then after six months it stopped working and just blinked an error code that meant "I am dead. Send me back to the factory." I had gotten it so cheap it was cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one.
The next time I spent more money and got a Canon MP730 Multifunction ink jet. Works fast, quality is good, and the SO loves it.
Find out if any of your local technical societies have any programs you can become involved with. For example, IEEE sponsors the national Engineers Week in February, and many Sections sponsor high school oriented competitions to go along with that. My local Section is involved with the Future City competition, where the kids have to design a city around a certain theme, build a physical model, write an abstract about it, and so on. That program is designed for middle school students, but you get the idea.
I started watching ZDTV as soon as DirecTV started carrying it. Generally watched it a couple of hours a day. Wasn't too bad when it turned into TechTV. The ScreenSavers was classic when hosted by Kate and Leo. Then Kate moved into GameSpot TV with Adam. Good move for GameSpot, but ScreenSavers went down just a little bit with that move. After Leo left, we could all see the end coming. At least after Kate left GameSpot, they brought Morgan in, and she and Adam have done a decent job.
I miss all the other old shows too. Call for Help, Silicon Spin, Big Thinkers, Fresh Gear, CyberCrime... all entertaining and informative.
Now after the G4 merger, the only thing I have any interest in at all is XPlay, if I happen to catch it when I'm surfing by. Otherwise, to me the channel has ceased to exist.
That brought back memories. The author refers to waiting 15 to 20 minutes to load Temple of Apshai on the Atari. I know by experience it took the same time to load on the VIC-20. And then about when it was loaded the power would flicker and you'd be looking at the inital screen again...
Surge supressors and UPS's, mankinds greatest achievements!
I got a call from a debt consolidation outfit on Friday. I screen all my calls, and they were kind enough to leave their name and number. Saturday morning the DNC site did not have a complaint page. The site became unavailable in the afternoon (you could see I was really looking forward to this) and it came up in late afternoon. They ask for your phone number, and the name and phone number of the marketer (either one is good, both is better), as well as the date and time of the call. They also give you the option of leaving your name and address and tying that to the complaint.
Duties have since been eliminated from both categories.
Not only is there not any relevance to the fictional characters, but there's no financial difference, either...
Actually, there is a financial difference. Later on in the article it mentions:
Toy Biz had good cause to pursue this line. Having its action figures declared toys would mean a hefty reimbursement of past duties, though the company declines to give specifics on how much was at stake.
So there is a reason to pursue this, even though tariffs do not currently apply.
Actually, military folks do have rights, just not the same ones as civilians. The military population is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Given that, I suspect that the argument could be made that the computers don't actually belong to the midshipmen until after they graduate and the systems are fully paid off, and is government property until then. Any veterans out there that could offer more insight?
That's exactly the message that is being sent, and I don't have a problem with that. I have read essays on fairy tales that point out that the original purpose of folk tales were to teach a lesson - especially that the world is a dangerous place. The woods are full of things that will eat you, you can get lost and not find your way out, the new stepmother may not mean well for you. Those lessons have been removed from the original stories (read: Disney) and regurgitated as mindless pap purely for entertainment.
Parents today worry about how to warn kids that the world is a dangerous place (stay away from strangers that try to lure you into cars, etc.) and sometimes an adult won't be there to bail you out. Perhaps the idea of the story used as a teaching tool wasn't such a bad idea. In that light, Harry Potter is just going back to its original fairy tale roots.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
...first, I play a lot of games. I know that every new game coming out will be supported under Windows, and that I can still play all the games I have that date back to DOS days. (Yes, I maintain an older computer just for that reason.)
Second, Windows applications (Read: Office) are the same that I have at work. I can work on stuff at home if I have to. Same goes with school. Compatibility is important.
Third, learning curve. I'm not a stranger to other OS's, but Windows, for the most part, works good enough for me (at least since XP Pro). There's not a compelling reason for me to switch to another OS and learn, not just the foibles of that OS, but of whatever apps I need to use with it. Given the time and money already invested, I would really need a compelling reason to switch platforms.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe I'm the only one, but my iPhone 4S is actually working faster now. Transitions in and out of apps is much quicker, without the delay I had before.
You can browse a list of games through Gametap.com.
This demonstrates one of the dangers of discussing violence in videogames: there is no way we can experience the same visceral reaction to videogame violence that we do to real violence. Trying to compare real world violence to videogame violence is like reading about climbing about Mount Everest and actually doing it; a superficial similarity, but not the same thing.
When the dot com boom was at its height, all the major publishers got fanatical that print was dead, everyone was going to read everything on the net, and it was time to readjust. Byte arbitrarily canceled my subscription, since they were going to a web only base. The rest of them shrank to half the page number, and what was left was mostly advertising. Even the trade rags got rid of most of their decent columnists, since they somehow concluded nobody wanted opinion pieces, basically making them boring and worthless. The only print mag I read now is Smart Computing, since they have some interesting tips and good reviews every now and again.
No, I didn't leave print mags, they left me...
I signed up last April, and had problems with the Gametap video feeds locking up my Internet connection. Called up Gametap with every intention of cancelling, and was really impressed with the way it was handled. I told the service rep my problem, and I found him to be pretty knowledgeable. He suggested a few settings to check in my router, offered me the free month to try it out (which I accepted), and then we BS'd about tech related subjects for a while. That was the first time I think I ever enjoyed talking to a service rep. His advice put me on the trail, and I was able to fix my router configuration. Been using Gametap since then, and don't have any complaints. And no, I don't work for Time Warner or their affiliates...
Actually, yes I have. The college here has a regular half day seminar each month, and I went to one last month. Quite a bit different from what you saw. The only speaker was the head of the college small business section. There were about 12 of us there, all but one of which had just launched their businesses. The topics covered were all practical matters, like licensing, state revenue paperwork, marketing suggestions, and so on. They also gave us a big packet of resource materials on setting up a business, mostly from the SBA. Also made a few contacts among the other attendees. All in all, well worth my time.
If you have a local community college, check with them to see what services they offer. Our local college has a small business development center, which exists to help people just starting out in business. They offere free/low cost seminars, business advice, resources, and so on.
Agreed. I did the home maintenance support for a while a few years ago, running into the same problems noted in other posts (Make my computer run faster. What original disks? What data backup? No, I don't want you to take it away or reinstall anything. Just make it run faster!! Could you hurry it up? My dinner's almost ready.) The aggravation definitely wasn't worth it.
Then something I noticed recently in my area was a large group of older folks that aren't being served by the available resources. I live in a smaller town that is a fast-growing retirement community. There is a large segment of retirees coming here that just want to know how to send emails to their friends, print photos of the grandkids, and play canasta on the net. I opened up a one man business as a computer tutor. The only support issues I will consider is configuration and virus/spyware. I find a lot of these folks need help, but are too insecure to take advantage of a computer class. They need one on one help in their homes, with the actual equipment they will be using. They generally don't have the 14 year old nephew living nearby, and don't know who else to ask for help. And the need is out there. I had a client who was somewhat savvy, but hadn't figured out little things like how to use scrollbars because everyone assumes everyone knows stuff like that. And another advantage, the retirees moving here have money, or they wouldn't be able to afford the retirement homes they buy.
I charge $50/hour, by the way. Interestingly, my techie friends all thought that was way too much, but my customers think it's quite reasonable.
Jack is fighting a Take Two lawyer named Blank Rome? What, they couldn't find one named Duke Nukem to really make him mad?
Heh. Reminds me of when I was SA of a small workgroup a few years ago. My boss refused to let me upgrade the systems by installing CD-ROM drives because he was sure the only thing people used them for was to listen to music when they should be working.
Of special interest might be RFC 706, "On the Junk Mail Problem." They saw it coming...
Excellent list. I had to chuckle a bit reading it, as I have every one of those compilations you list. I agree they're well worth tracking down.
0 8GMVWG/104-0940037-0294322?v=glance
0 AYFPKG/qid=1135049473/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_unbuck_1/1 04-0940037-0294322?v=glance&s=videogames&n=229534
I personally would also add
The Zork Legacy Collection (I know, text adventure and not RPG, but still worthwhile): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00
(Zork 1 - 5, Zork Nemesis, Return to Zork)
The King's Quest Collection:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00
(King's Quest 1 - 7)
Buy an inexpensive crosscut shredder
The next time I spent more money and got a Canon MP730 Multifunction ink jet. Works fast, quality is good, and the SO loves it.
Find out if any of your local technical societies have any programs you can become involved with. For example, IEEE sponsors the national Engineers Week in February, and many Sections sponsor high school oriented competitions to go along with that. My local Section is involved with the Future City competition, where the kids have to design a city around a certain theme, build a physical model, write an abstract about it, and so on. That program is designed for middle school students, but you get the idea.
I miss all the other old shows too. Call for Help, Silicon Spin, Big Thinkers, Fresh Gear, CyberCrime ... all entertaining and informative.
Now after the G4 merger, the only thing I have any interest in at all is XPlay, if I happen to catch it when I'm surfing by. Otherwise, to me the channel has ceased to exist.
Surge supressors and UPS's, mankinds greatest achievements!
You can find Computer Chronicle espisodes at the Internet Archive
I'm running Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. Actually more of a challenge then most of the new games I've played recently.
I got a call from a debt consolidation outfit on Friday. I screen all my calls, and they were kind enough to leave their name and number. Saturday morning the DNC site did not have a complaint page. The site became unavailable in the afternoon (you could see I was really looking forward to this) and it came up in late afternoon. They ask for your phone number, and the name and phone number of the marketer (either one is good, both is better), as well as the date and time of the call. They also give you the option of leaving your name and address and tying that to the complaint.
Actually, there is a financial difference. Later on in the article it mentions:
Toy Biz had good cause to pursue this line. Having its action figures declared toys would mean a hefty reimbursement of past duties, though the company declines to give specifics on how much was at stake.
So there is a reason to pursue this, even though tariffs do not currently apply.
Actually, military folks do have rights, just not the same ones as civilians. The military population is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Given that, I suspect that the argument could be made that the computers don't actually belong to the midshipmen until after they graduate and the systems are fully paid off, and is government property until then. Any veterans out there that could offer more insight?
>
That's exactly the message that is being sent, and I don't have a problem with that. I have read essays on fairy tales that point out that the original purpose of folk tales were to teach a lesson - especially that the world is a dangerous place. The woods are full of things that will eat you, you can get lost and not find your way out, the new stepmother may not mean well for you. Those lessons have been removed from the original stories (read: Disney) and regurgitated as mindless pap purely for entertainment.
Parents today worry about how to warn kids that the world is a dangerous place (stay away from strangers that try to lure you into cars, etc.) and sometimes an adult won't be there to bail you out. Perhaps the idea of the story used as a teaching tool wasn't such a bad idea. In that light, Harry Potter is just going back to its original fairy tale roots.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
...first, I play a lot of games. I know that every new game coming out will be supported under Windows, and that I can still play all the games I have that date back to DOS days. (Yes, I maintain an older computer just for that reason.)
Second, Windows applications (Read: Office) are the same that I have at work. I can work on stuff at home if I have to. Same goes with school. Compatibility is important.
Third, learning curve. I'm not a stranger to other OS's, but Windows, for the most part, works good enough for me (at least since XP Pro). There's not a compelling reason for me to switch to another OS and learn, not just the foibles of that OS, but of whatever apps I need to use with it. Given the time and money already invested, I would really need a compelling reason to switch platforms.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451.