I was just in Tokyo on holiday and saw some Japanese friends I met in London. They were laughing that 512kbps was the normal broadband speed in London and 1Mbps was considered fast.
I guess they've just introduced 40Mbps over here...
Lusting for a mini-laptop
on
Handtop Roundup
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I really think the FlipTop is going down the right path. I'd love to get something about the same size as a PDA (maybe a bit larger) but that can run a real OS and all my apps. I don't want to sync my email/contacts/appointments. I want to run Outlook on one computer and that's it.
It's funny because I look at tablets the exact same way you look at these devices: not even close to fitting my needs. I can see that tablets are where we may go in 5-10 years but right now the software just isn't there.
I just want a PC I can use like a PC but that's really, really tiny (PDA sized). The FlipStart is really tempting...
Was I a participant in math/science/mind olympics? Yes.
Did I miss the recognition that sports start received? Yes.
But in the end, I was having a blast, my parents and friends (loads of geeks... some girls) thought it was cool, and the recognition I did get was worth it.
Long-term, the recognition I get is that I have a well-paid job that I enjoy. My school was one of the best schools in the state for sports and I don't know a single athlete that made it in sports...
Isn't it amazing how all those job categories had a single genre of music that they agreed on? And it's amazing that they all fit into the genre that most of us expected. I'd love to see the methodology on this.
My iPod has music from many of the genres they mention. I've got loads of cheesy pop, indie rock, electronic, hip hop, new age, etc. So where would I get put?
Of course all the politicians automatically flag the important bits of their speeches these days with that annoying loud, slow, word-enuniciating voice:
"The terrorists are trying to ruin our way of life. But we will fight to keep our way of life and the terrorists will know that AMERICA! WILL! NEVER! GIVE! UP!"
Seriously, do they really need to speak like that? And has anybody else noticed that that style of speech seems to be growing... It used to be confined to the state of the union address but these days every presidential/senate/house/state senate/etc hopeful is speaking that way.... sometimes with far too many words:
"There are those who say Podunk Kansas is just a suburb of Misourri, but I say PODUNK! IS! A! GROWING! CITY! WITH! A! LONG! PROSPEROUS! FUTURE! AHEAD! OF! IT!"
Hoping for the return of normal speech (but not holding my breath)
Keyboards that support both USB and PS2 have circuitry that support both protocols. Hence, they work with simple socket adaptors like the one you bought.
Until you make losing weight a real priority in your life, you're never going to achieve much. (I don't really get the sense that the poster is ready to make it a priority)
Making it a priority inevitably means giving up other things... giving up time for exercise and/or giving up food to diet. I chose to go the time route because I love food too much. I give up about 10 hours a week to run now, which means I sometimes miss going out with friends, TV shows, reading time, etc.
However, it's not all bad news. When I finally decided to get off my ass, I joined a running club. Believe it or not, this group is almost more social than exercise ("a drinking club with a running problem") and there are runners of all abilities. Having a group of people sharing the pain really helps and we all encourage each other. These days, I actually look forward to the group runs and I'm constantly challenging myself to go faster.
Good luck... but the first step is really deciding to make health/weight loss a priority.
Yes, there are a lot more "I did IT because it pays well" kids out there these days. But there are also plenty of kids who cut their teeth at age 10 on 386s and 486s and even Pentiums just for the love of it.
If your employer is hiring more of the former, I agree they are getting less capable people. But that's the fault of your employer because I know plenty of kids out there who love computers and understand them as well as I understood my Apple IIe. A lot of them are reading your post now...
I was in the same boat a year ago. I think (good) Java developers needs are unique when approaching C++ because we already know about 80% of the syntax and concepts, but we need a quick way to get into the STL, tips on how NOT to hang yourself (far too easy in C++), and some sense of how C++ programmers organize code.
For getting into the STL, I chose Accelerated C++ by Koenig and Moo. It is very basic at the beginning. However, it's not a 700-page behemoth (a Good Thing), it approaches C++ as OOP from the outset, and it starts using the STL from chapter 1. I'm sure you'll need a full STL reference after this book, but it serves as a decent starter. (I also have "The C++ Programming language" by Stroustrup and it's a bit too close to a language definition... good reference, bad primer)
For the tips, Scott Myers books can't be beat. Enough people have heaped praise on them that I won't bother with it here.
That leaves the last part of my education: "how do C++ programmers organize code". Unfortunately, the C++ world doesn't seem nearly as unified as the Java world. I started out doing things very Java-like, but decided that probably wasn't going to work if I eventually start coding with other people. Accelerated C++ has some tips. The C++ Programming Language also has a lengthy discussion on how to organize your code. Being the completely anal guy I am, I wanted to get it right the first time. Unfortunately, that's not possible. My style is still changing frequently as I see elements I like. I'm sure it will calm down if I ever get a job in a C++ shop.
They sell a box that lets you connect multiple devices to the internet. What devices/traffic can they possibly disable without causing massive uproar?
The Linux market is too large for them to disable all Linux boxes. There's a decent chance the FCC would have problems if they stopped allowing VoIP devices... and even if the FCC didn't, consumers and the media would definitely take them to task. Even disabling PCs with a worms/virii/trojans could be a major PR catastrophe. There's no way Comcast can tell Average Joe "we've disabled your XXX because we don't allow them on our network" without making Average Joe angry.
The snooping aspect of the device could be a bad sign, but I doubt the disabling aspect is anything to worry about.
Having a cart won't necessarily solve the problem. A cartridge solves the disc-loading end of the equation but several games also seem to need CPU-intensive unpacking/world-building time (I'm not sure what they're doing, it's just not disk based).
All the developers on my project (7 in total) are "resigning", one at a time, in individual meetings with the PM. The project's been rough recently, so this won't be coming out of left-field and detected as a prank immediately.
I'm hoping we'll have a good laugh AND teach management how much they need us at the same time...
As Dr. Covey would say "seek first to understand, then to be understood". You didn't listen to the question because your Mac fanatacism got in the way.
The guy is not complaining about what a PC will or will not let him do, but what the camera will not let him do. He could move to a Mac and that wouldn't change the fact that - according to the questioner - Sony cams don't appear to send a live video feed over Firewire.
I came from the states and currently work in the UK. None of the above-mentioned problems are that difficult:
All you actually need is a socket with a US pinout. All dell laptop power adapters have been 50/60hz and 110-240v adapters for quite some time now.
Most everything these days comes with dual-voltage power supplies: I run a projector, computer, two musical keyboards and a laptop - all from the US - off UK mains. Some might say the easiest solution for the laptop power is a travel plug adaptor but for long term use the best idea is a replacement power lead. Most computer stores should have replacement leads that will plug into the power adaptor.
I agree totally on the mappings bit. Pain in the ass to use certain keys "
If you know how to touch type, it's not a problem. I switched my UK keyboard at work to the US layout and there was not even a day's worth of annoyances. I'm sure it's not that different going the other way.
What else are we missing?
on
Hack This, Please
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I love my iPod, but the most frustrating thing about it is what it could do if Apple allowed people to hack them.
For instance, thanks to all the mix CDs and compilations I own, I have over 1700 unique artists in my MP3 collection. Of those, only about 500 have more than one song and only 300 artists have more than 3-4 songs. On the iPod, that means I have to scroll through 4 one-track artists for each of the artists that I own an entire album of. It would be great to have a second "Popular Artist" list that would only show the artists that have more than 3-4 tracks.
For a coder, something like that would be easy to write. But because Apple doesn't allow iPod hacking, I'll probably never see that feature. How many other great features are our mp3 players, DVD players, microwaves, automobiles, etc missing becuase people can't hack them?
I think one could apply the same argument to Microsoft: what nifty OS features aren't we seeing becuase the only vision of OS we see is the MS vision?
Microsoft gets to preload the OS with their preference (a browser that defaults to the MS search engine). There may not be a 20MB download that stands in the way of Joe User choosing a different search engine, but given the choice between a search box in the browser and having to type in "www.google.com", I think most users will choose the former.
I'm not saying the users can't make another choice, I'm just saying they won't bother.
I'm getting so tired of sensational headlines like "CDs 'could be history in five years'". Even if the technology were available today, CDs would still be around in 5 years. But the article makes it clear that the technology might be ready in 5 years...
I would have read the article even if it were called "Potential new CD replacement in development."
If you knew all the rules of the universe, it might not be that mind-numbing to write a full simulation. Especially if there really is a grand unifying theory. In fact, it would probably be significantly easier to emulate everything properly than adding a bunch of speed hacks.
With all the hype of Matrix Reloaded (and specifically the Second Renaissance animatrix shorts), I wanted to get a real-world perspective on the possibility of human intelligence in machines.
It's written by Ray Kurzweil and covers his prediction that we will have human-level intelligence in machines by 2020 and the implications of that prediction. I'm a bit more than halfway through this right now and it's a *great* read.
I'm guessing Evolution wasn't considered because Evolution only runs on Linux/UNIX.
(The original poster didn't make it clear which OS his company uses, but it seems pretty improbably that everyone at his company uses Outlook 2002 on WINE/Linux)
Slashdot Mirror
I was just in Tokyo on holiday and saw some Japanese friends I met in London. They were laughing that 512kbps was the normal broadband speed in London and 1Mbps was considered fast.
I guess they've just introduced 40Mbps over here...
I really think the FlipTop is going down the right path. I'd love to get something about the same size as a PDA (maybe a bit larger) but that can run a real OS and all my apps. I don't want to sync my email/contacts/appointments. I want to run Outlook on one computer and that's it.
It's funny because I look at tablets the exact same way you look at these devices: not even close to fitting my needs. I can see that tablets are where we may go in 5-10 years but right now the software just isn't there.
I just want a PC I can use like a PC but that's really, really tiny (PDA sized). The FlipStart is really tempting...
Is this the end of the Slashdot effect?
/. from the cache, I'd say "no".
Considering that it took 3x longer to load
How hard can it be? Send out an AES-encrypted file and send out the key when the game goes gold.
This is a different problem than game copy protection and it's already been solved. If Valve screw it up, they're idiots...
Was I a participant in math/science/mind olympics? Yes.
Did I miss the recognition that sports start received? Yes.
But in the end, I was having a blast, my parents and friends (loads of geeks... some girls) thought it was cool, and the recognition I did get was worth it.
Long-term, the recognition I get is that I have a well-paid job that I enjoy. My school was one of the best schools in the state for sports and I don't know a single athlete that made it in sports...
Isn't it amazing how all those job categories had a single genre of music that they agreed on? And it's amazing that they all fit into the genre that most of us expected. I'd love to see the methodology on this.
My iPod has music from many of the genres they mention. I've got loads of cheesy pop, indie rock, electronic, hip hop, new age, etc. So where would I get put?
Another non-study getting reported as crap news.
That sounds like a great way to get your wedding photos destroyed...
Of course all the politicians automatically flag the important bits of their speeches these days with that annoying loud, slow, word-enuniciating voice:
"The terrorists are trying to ruin our way of life. But we will fight to keep our way of life and the terrorists will know that AMERICA! WILL! NEVER! GIVE! UP!"
Seriously, do they really need to speak like that? And has anybody else noticed that that style of speech seems to be growing... It used to be confined to the state of the union address but these days every presidential/senate/house/state senate/etc hopeful is speaking that way.... sometimes with far too many words:
"There are those who say Podunk Kansas is just a suburb of Misourri, but I say PODUNK! IS! A! GROWING! CITY! WITH! A! LONG! PROSPEROUS! FUTURE! AHEAD! OF! IT!"
Hoping for the return of normal speech (but not holding my breath)
Keyboards that support both USB and PS2 have circuitry that support both protocols. Hence, they work with simple socket adaptors like the one you bought.
You bought a keyboard that only supports the PS/2 protocol, which is why you need something that translates the PS/2 protocol to USB.
Until you make losing weight a real priority in your life, you're never going to achieve much. (I don't really get the sense that the poster is ready to make it a priority)
Making it a priority inevitably means giving up other things... giving up time for exercise and/or giving up food to diet. I chose to go the time route because I love food too much. I give up about 10 hours a week to run now, which means I sometimes miss going out with friends, TV shows, reading time, etc.
However, it's not all bad news. When I finally decided to get off my ass, I joined a running club. Believe it or not, this group is almost more social than exercise ("a drinking club with a running problem") and there are runners of all abilities. Having a group of people sharing the pain really helps and we all encourage each other. These days, I actually look forward to the group runs and I'm constantly challenging myself to go faster.
Good luck... but the first step is really deciding to make health/weight loss a priority.
Yes, there are a lot more "I did IT because it pays well" kids out there these days. But there are also plenty of kids who cut their teeth at age 10 on 386s and 486s and even Pentiums just for the love of it.
If your employer is hiring more of the former, I agree they are getting less capable people. But that's the fault of your employer because I know plenty of kids out there who love computers and understand them as well as I understood my Apple IIe. A lot of them are reading your post now...
I was in the same boat a year ago. I think (good) Java developers needs are unique when approaching C++ because we already know about 80% of the syntax and concepts, but we need a quick way to get into the STL, tips on how NOT to hang yourself (far too easy in C++), and some sense of how C++ programmers organize code.
For getting into the STL, I chose Accelerated C++ by Koenig and Moo. It is very basic at the beginning. However, it's not a 700-page behemoth (a Good Thing), it approaches C++ as OOP from the outset, and it starts using the STL from chapter 1. I'm sure you'll need a full STL reference after this book, but it serves as a decent starter. (I also have "The C++ Programming language" by Stroustrup and it's a bit too close to a language definition... good reference, bad primer)
For the tips, Scott Myers books can't be beat. Enough people have heaped praise on them that I won't bother with it here.
That leaves the last part of my education: "how do C++ programmers organize code". Unfortunately, the C++ world doesn't seem nearly as unified as the Java world. I started out doing things very Java-like, but decided that probably wasn't going to work if I eventually start coding with other people. Accelerated C++ has some tips. The C++ Programming Language also has a lengthy discussion on how to organize your code. Being the completely anal guy I am, I wanted to get it right the first time. Unfortunately, that's not possible. My style is still changing frequently as I see elements I like. I'm sure it will calm down if I ever get a job in a C++ shop.
They sell a box that lets you connect multiple devices to the internet. What devices/traffic can they possibly disable without causing massive uproar?
The Linux market is too large for them to disable all Linux boxes. There's a decent chance the FCC would have problems if they stopped allowing VoIP devices... and even if the FCC didn't, consumers and the media would definitely take them to task. Even disabling PCs with a worms/virii/trojans could be a major PR catastrophe. There's no way Comcast can tell Average Joe "we've disabled your XXX because we don't allow them on our network" without making Average Joe angry.
The snooping aspect of the device could be a bad sign, but I doubt the disabling aspect is anything to worry about.
I was able to get 2nd Reality to work on DOSBox without much configuration (though I believe I was using Gravis emulation).
Have you tried 2nd Reality with the newer version of DOSBox?
Having a cart won't necessarily solve the problem. A cartridge solves the disc-loading end of the equation but several games also seem to need CPU-intensive unpacking/world-building time (I'm not sure what they're doing, it's just not disk based).
All the developers on my project (7 in total) are "resigning", one at a time, in individual meetings with the PM. The project's been rough recently, so this won't be coming out of left-field and detected as a prank immediately.
I'm hoping we'll have a good laugh AND teach management how much they need us at the same time...
As Dr. Covey would say "seek first to understand, then to be understood". You didn't listen to the question because your Mac fanatacism got in the way.
The guy is not complaining about what a PC will or will not let him do, but what the camera will not let him do. He could move to a Mac and that wouldn't change the fact that - according to the questioner - Sony cams don't appear to send a live video feed over Firewire.
I came from the states and currently work in the UK. None of the above-mentioned problems are that difficult:
All you actually need is a socket with a US pinout. All dell laptop power adapters have been 50/60hz and 110-240v adapters for quite some time now.
Most everything these days comes with dual-voltage power supplies: I run a projector, computer, two musical keyboards and a laptop - all from the US - off UK mains. Some might say the easiest solution for the laptop power is a travel plug adaptor but for long term use the best idea is a replacement power lead. Most computer stores should have replacement leads that will plug into the power adaptor.
I agree totally on the mappings bit. Pain in the ass to use certain keys "If you know how to touch type, it's not a problem. I switched my UK keyboard at work to the US layout and there was not even a day's worth of annoyances. I'm sure it's not that different going the other way.
I love my iPod, but the most frustrating thing about it is what it could do if Apple allowed people to hack them. For instance, thanks to all the mix CDs and compilations I own, I have over 1700 unique artists in my MP3 collection. Of those, only about 500 have more than one song and only 300 artists have more than 3-4 songs. On the iPod, that means I have to scroll through 4 one-track artists for each of the artists that I own an entire album of. It would be great to have a second "Popular Artist" list that would only show the artists that have more than 3-4 tracks. For a coder, something like that would be easy to write. But because Apple doesn't allow iPod hacking, I'll probably never see that feature. How many other great features are our mp3 players, DVD players, microwaves, automobiles, etc missing becuase people can't hack them? I think one could apply the same argument to Microsoft: what nifty OS features aren't we seeing becuase the only vision of OS we see is the MS vision?
Microsoft gets to preload the OS with their preference (a browser that defaults to the MS search engine). There may not be a 20MB download that stands in the way of Joe User choosing a different search engine, but given the choice between a search box in the browser and having to type in "www.google.com", I think most users will choose the former.
I'm not saying the users can't make another choice, I'm just saying they won't bother.
I'm getting so tired of sensational headlines like "CDs 'could be history in five years'". Even if the technology were available today, CDs would still be around in 5 years. But the article makes it clear that the technology might be ready in 5 years...
I would have read the article even if it were called "Potential new CD replacement in development."
If you knew all the rules of the universe, it might not be that mind-numbing to write a full simulation. Especially if there really is a grand unifying theory. In fact, it would probably be significantly easier to emulate everything properly than adding a bunch of speed hacks.
With all the hype of Matrix Reloaded (and specifically the Second Renaissance animatrix shorts), I wanted to get a real-world perspective on the possibility of human intelligence in machines.
It's written by Ray Kurzweil and covers his prediction that we will have human-level intelligence in machines by 2020 and the implications of that prediction. I'm a bit more than halfway through this right now and it's a *great* read.
I'm guessing Evolution wasn't considered because Evolution only runs on Linux/UNIX.
(The original poster didn't make it clear which OS his company uses, but it seems pretty improbably that everyone at his company uses Outlook 2002 on WINE/Linux)