You're close... the processing power required to emulate anything (especially arcade games that had a lot of custom hardware built into them) is quite intensive and therefore expensive.
What might be a better option is something along the line of what the FPGA Arcade people are doing. They're esentially replicating that custom hardware in the FPGAs. More hardware cost up front (relative to the actual chips themselves) but ultimately less cost than would be required to fully emulate everything.
Another interesting thing I've seen is like a 10 pack of Atari games built into an original looking controller with RCA outputs. I'm not sure the hardware they're using, but I'm pretty sure it's not emulated. The code may have been rewritten for a specific low-cost chip.
Wish I had mod points to give you... it took me FOREVER to find that site and that application last November when I wanted to use my phone in England. I don't know why this is such a hidden thing!
I've unlocked at least 8 cellphones now (only myself and another needed it) just on general principal.
Only thing to watch out for is which code to use (the first one works on most, but 7 seems to do better with T-Mobile). Also, there's some gotchas to the 3650s (my phone), but that website tells you all you need to know! If you enter a wrong code more than 5 times your phone will stop allowing you to enter any more and you'll have to get somebody with a cable to unlock you.
Nope, roaming partners are controlled in a completely different way that a sim provider lock.
Now, AT&T firmware phones have a tendency to hold onto a crappy digital signal well below usable levels when a perfectly good analog signal or roaming partnet was available. (Old non-GSM phones)
Unlocking a GSM phone will also NOT void your warranty, make your phone run slower, require you to pay an early termination fee, or any other form of FUD.
AT&T will never unlock your phone... trust me, I tried when I was going on vacation to England last Thanksgiving. T-Mobile I've heard will unlock your phone if you've been a customer for a few months (more than reasonable). No experience with Cingular, but in general phone companies don't want you to be free!
Whoa, I could have written exactly that myself (and have in other threads).
So many people say "but who wants to watch a DVD on a tiny screen". Well, not me... but I do want to watch a movie on a plane or bus from a device that I can keep in my pocket or at least on the outside of my carry-on luggage. "Just get a laptop"? Ya, what about weight... and a fragile screen... and battery life... and having to take it out for security checkpoints. Ha! "Buy a portable DVD player"... sure... might as well deal with a laptop... and they're almost as expensive as this device anyway!
The Archos Multimedia also works great at hotel rooms (assuming the TV has RCA inputs) rather than using their pay-per-view... bring your own porn!:)
I love my Archos Multimedia. I just wish there were a few things fixed in the firmware, or they would open it up for the Rockbox folks to have at it. AVOS project looks promising, but I think their goal of running Linux and games and other useless stuff is not as clean and simple as Rockbox would be.
Most of all, I wish there was a quick and easy way of dumping shows off satellite to these kinds of devices. Or downloads from the network's websites or something (even with all the commercials).
Screw dial-up... what about all these ISPs that are suddenly becoming bandwidth counters? If you surf a lot of content-heavy (read: inefficient and greedy) sites, it's going to up your bandwidth usage significantly....
We were developing (back in the dot-com days, a moment of silence please) a desktop collaboration software (think NetMeeting, WebEx, etc.) but we had a way-supeior codec and way of doing things.
Along came a company, that wanted to use our server technology to stream video. Interestingly not a porn company, but none other than those fine friers of chicken, KFC. They wanted to wire up all their stores and stream their security monitoring cameras back to HQ security. We called the project ChickenCam...
Coincidentally, a few weeks later we were approached by a company out of the LA area (where else) who wanted a surprisingly similar implementation. They were a little sketchy about the details in their first call, but eventually they let on that they wanted various video channels to stream to their users. It was then that we decided to rename the ChickenCam project to PoultryCam to match this PussyCam project. We didn't think CatCam and ChickenCam was nearly as much fun.
In the end, the PussyCam ended up going operational, but the thick client install and configuration made it less than successful (as I had originally predicted). We did sell the PoultryCam, but they only ever implemented it in one store and then gave up on the whole idea.
Maybe post your IMEI and the service (be as specific as possible) and country that your phone is locked to and some nice soul might just provide you with the unlock code.
--D
It's my phone, I'll do with it what I want, thanks.
Agreed entirely, but that does open some liabilities to the manufacturing company. Especially if idiots try to flash testing versions to their machines (did you see Dogger's chat log with that one clueless user?). As a company, I can easily see why I wouldn't want anything but my stuff out there. Because clueless users WILL call and they WILL blame me regardless.
Rockbox is beautiful because rather than saying users will want to see X this way, they make a lot of it configurable. The WhilePlayingScreen is a thing of beauty that should be copied in every device with an LCD!
Or, alternatively, the hard disk might be an add-on module that sits under or on top of the big box... or plugs in the back or something slick.
That way they can get gaming consoles out the door at a cheap per-unit cost, but still allow what I believe to be Microsoft's ultimate strategy of dominating the living room with a HTPC.
Easy answer... cater your resume to make it past screeners. Resume submissions are usually at least preliminarily sorted by HR people, then passed onto the hiring managers. Occasionally, if the manager is too busy they might pass a few off to their staff (team leads, etc.) to at least filter out yes or nor.
So, the question is then... at each step along the way, will they care about gaps? Two tricks I use: Just provide years but not months (ok for multi-year jobs), or provide a line item like January 2001-November 2002: Assorted consulting engagements. Then list a few of companies and positions as bullet points under that.
Now, for the interview, be prepared to answer questions about how you've spent your time. Make sure to cater the positions you are going to talk about to what is most important for the job, or most interesting to the interviewer. By this point, you will hopefully be impressive enough with your skills, experience, and manner that a spotty employment history with legitimate explanations (but not too much, definitely don't harp on it or point it out if not asked) will still get you hired.
I'm generally in favor of lying (at least exageration) on resumes... [joke: What does resume mean in French? Big Lies!] but companies now doing background checks will be able to find major lies. If filling out a job application (usually accompanied by a background check approval form), make sure you fill it out as acurately as possible. And make sure that can at least be compared to your resume. A lot of times applications will only ask for the 3 most recent employments. As long as those match your tax forms then you should be good to go.
If this catches on as much as RealNames did, you'll all of a sudden need to be a millionaire to get a cellphone.
Nope, they'll give you the cellphone number 230-0360 with a bunch of zeros that don't spell anything interesting. I dated a girl who's number was DROP-TEN (376-somethingsomething)... at least it was memorable.
All the cool numbers are gone these days... just like all the cool domain names. www.ebuyrealestatenow2000.com:)
Yeah, the name is stupid, but so was Lindows... of course is was meant to confuse and infringe... why not just pick a cool new name? Failing that, name it after a hat.
I'm normally the one defending the "because they can" comments, but come on....
What on earth is the point? Aren't those systems pretty well fully-emulated in software these days? Is there anything worthwhile they can do that can't be done on a slightly-advanced calculator these days?
And yes, I do own a few authentic arcade games and cabinets as well as a MAME cab... so I get the whole "authentic hardware" line... but come on....
It's 2004, and we seem to be WAY behind the curve on that prediction...
Call me synical, but the '00s seems to be the Commercial Interests boom. Unless we get a major revolt soon, expect that to continue for the rest of the decade.
If all goes to plan, I'm betting the '10s will be the nano-technology and alternative fuels boom.
I can't stand PC gaming for some reason, but really enjoy XBox Live games like Rainbow Six 3, Ghost Recon (I know the PC version has lots of modding available), and even to an extent the Team Dogfight mode of Crimson Skies.
I too get frustrated by the instantly killed, never time to learn or get better world of most FPS. Lan parties are a decent solution if your friends all live locally and/or your wife doesn't mind them coming over or you going there... but online is definitely the way to go. What about an online private LAN party? Same game, but only with people you know? Is that doable on those PC games? I know on most XBL games you can reserve slots for friends.
Maybe it's just me (and several guys I know), but there aren't a lot of things more sexy than naked or near-naked pics of your wife or gf. It's even nice if there are some very PG but sexy shots that you can make your buddies jealous with, while keeping the legs spread bent over naked pics for yourself.
Assuming she's been checked out and still clean, she actually sounds like quite a lot of fun!
I married Ms. Straight and Narrow, now I have to spend all my time turning her into the wild, kinky girl I think I want but probably don't want to marry:) Take Ms. Kinky and make her straight, we might end up with about the same mix of wildness vs. marriage material.
We attribute the numerous security flaws in Windows to programmers who have gotten laid.
It's funny... in Formula 1, I believe it was the Renault racing team that told their two young drivers to abstain during the season, especially immediately before races.
I told my wife that after my races it was blowjob for a finish, sex for a podium, anal for a win?:) Now that's an incentive plan!
--D
p.s. But seriously, on topic -- A USB jump drive (just make sure you get one big enough for his needs... 128 or 256 at least and don't whatever you do pay full price! Part of the appeal to him will be you getting the hot deal on it!)
If you only have 1 DirecTV receiver then it's true, you don't have to have it connected to a land-based telephone line. BUT, if you have multiple DirecTV receivers in your home, then you MUST connect them all to a telephone jack in your house or EACH of the receivers will be charged the full monthly subscription price.
Moderate that -1 (Factually Incorrect)... that is a just a line that DirecTV gives you in order to make you plug in the phone line.
As others have said (and my 3 receivers, 1 UTV, 1 Sony, 1 Phillips prove), you do not need to have a phone line plugged in at all. I don't even have a phone line in the spare bedrooms. It is only used for PPV billing and usage statistics in the case of Tivo. Fact.
Now, the latest DirecTivo's my brother tells me do require a phone line to activate... but once they're up and running they definitely don't. My mother-in-laws Series2 DirecTivo is running right now as I watch it without a phone line in... it is spewing a message every few days to plug it in, but it's been since installation December 14th and running fine. Fact.
Now, if you do order PPV and don't have the phoneline connected, it will cut you off a few days after not being able to dial-in. This is a function of the receiver's firmware, so may not apply to some receivers. Fact.
Don't believe DirecTV... Fact.
Now, my coworker just got Dish Network with a DishPVR 5xx something... that apparently really does truly require a phone line... but I haven't seen it personally myself to know if it's just being obnoxious like the Tivo. Rumor.
I currently have a Palm IIIc (way outdated) and a SymbianOS Nokia 3650.
I want to get something smaller than a laptop but hopefully with slightly more of a keyboard than my current gizmos... but... here's the catch...
It's got to have 802.11b WiFi. Either built-in or with a cheap expansion card. I have to have that surfing at Starbucks, Instant Messaging at inapproprite places, downloading porn in the pet shop....
Ideally something used and on the cheap, or a plugin to my 3c, but the Dell Axim 3xi or whatever has the builtin wifi for like $299 would be OK minus the WinCE factor.
Slashdot Mirror
Note to self: never reply to an AC.
That's VTEC (look it up), and rice or not, it's a simple, cheap, workable, effective solution to a complicated problem.
VTEC on your dinosaur motor would be a benefit.
--D
You're close... the processing power required to emulate anything (especially arcade games that had a lot of custom hardware built into them) is quite intensive and therefore expensive.
What might be a better option is something along the line of what the FPGA Arcade people are doing. They're esentially replicating that custom hardware in the FPGAs. More hardware cost up front (relative to the actual chips themselves) but ultimately less cost than would be required to fully emulate everything.
Another interesting thing I've seen is like a 10 pack of Atari games built into an original looking controller with RCA outputs. I'm not sure the hardware they're using, but I'm pretty sure it's not emulated. The code may have been rewritten for a specific low-cost chip.
--D
Wish I had mod points to give you... it took me FOREVER to find that site and that application last November when I wanted to use my phone in England. I don't know why this is such a hidden thing!
I've unlocked at least 8 cellphones now (only myself and another needed it) just on general principal.
Only thing to watch out for is which code to use (the first one works on most, but 7 seems to do better with T-Mobile). Also, there's some gotchas to the 3650s (my phone), but that website tells you all you need to know! If you enter a wrong code more than 5 times your phone will stop allowing you to enter any more and you'll have to get somebody with a cable to unlock you.
--D
Nope, roaming partners are controlled in a completely different way that a sim provider lock.
Now, AT&T firmware phones have a tendency to hold onto a crappy digital signal well below usable levels when a perfectly good analog signal or roaming partnet was available. (Old non-GSM phones)
Unlocking a GSM phone will also NOT void your warranty, make your phone run slower, require you to pay an early termination fee, or any other form of FUD.
AT&T will never unlock your phone... trust me, I tried when I was going on vacation to England last Thanksgiving. T-Mobile I've heard will unlock your phone if you've been a customer for a few months (more than reasonable). No experience with Cingular, but in general phone companies don't want you to be free!
--D
Whoa, I could have written exactly that myself (and have in other threads).
:)
So many people say "but who wants to watch a DVD on a tiny screen". Well, not me... but I do want to watch a movie on a plane or bus from a device that I can keep in my pocket or at least on the outside of my carry-on luggage. "Just get a laptop"? Ya, what about weight... and a fragile screen... and battery life... and having to take it out for security checkpoints. Ha! "Buy a portable DVD player"... sure... might as well deal with a laptop... and they're almost as expensive as this device anyway!
The Archos Multimedia also works great at hotel rooms (assuming the TV has RCA inputs) rather than using their pay-per-view... bring your own porn!
I love my Archos Multimedia. I just wish there were a few things fixed in the firmware, or they would open it up for the Rockbox folks to have at it. AVOS project looks promising, but I think their goal of running Linux and games and other useless stuff is not as clean and simple as Rockbox would be.
Most of all, I wish there was a quick and easy way of dumping shows off satellite to these kinds of devices. Or downloads from the network's websites or something (even with all the commercials).
--D
Screw dial-up... what about all these ISPs that are suddenly becoming bandwidth counters? If you surf a lot of content-heavy (read: inefficient and greedy) sites, it's going to up your bandwidth usage significantly....
--D
True story...
We were developing (back in the dot-com days, a moment of silence please) a desktop collaboration software (think NetMeeting, WebEx, etc.) but we had a way-supeior codec and way of doing things.
Along came a company, that wanted to use our server technology to stream video. Interestingly not a porn company, but none other than those fine friers of chicken, KFC. They wanted to wire up all their stores and stream their security monitoring cameras back to HQ security. We called the project ChickenCam...
Coincidentally, a few weeks later we were approached by a company out of the LA area (where else) who wanted a surprisingly similar implementation. They were a little sketchy about the details in their first call, but eventually they let on that they wanted various video channels to stream to their users. It was then that we decided to rename the ChickenCam project to PoultryCam to match this PussyCam project. We didn't think CatCam and ChickenCam was nearly as much fun.
In the end, the PussyCam ended up going operational, but the thick client install and configuration made it less than successful (as I had originally predicted). We did sell the PoultryCam, but they only ever implemented it in one store and then gave up on the whole idea.
Those were the days...
--D
p.s. Any porn companies currently hiring?
Maybe post your IMEI and the service (be as specific as possible) and country that your phone is locked to and some nice soul might just provide you with the unlock code.
--D
It's my phone, I'll do with it what I want, thanks.
Agreed entirely, but that does open some liabilities to the manufacturing company. Especially if idiots try to flash testing versions to their machines (did you see Dogger's chat log with that one clueless user?). As a company, I can easily see why I wouldn't want anything but my stuff out there. Because clueless users WILL call and they WILL blame me regardless.
Rockbox is beautiful because rather than saying users will want to see X this way, they make a lot of it configurable. The WhilePlayingScreen is a thing of beauty that should be copied in every device with an LCD!
--D
Or, alternatively, the hard disk might be an add-on module that sits under or on top of the big box... or plugs in the back or something slick.
That way they can get gaming consoles out the door at a cheap per-unit cost, but still allow what I believe to be Microsoft's ultimate strategy of dominating the living room with a HTPC.
--D
Never let a graphic artist.... anywhere near the google interface! Blink Blink... Flash!
--D
Easy answer... cater your resume to make it past screeners. Resume submissions are usually at least preliminarily sorted by HR people, then passed onto the hiring managers. Occasionally, if the manager is too busy they might pass a few off to their staff (team leads, etc.) to at least filter out yes or nor.
So, the question is then... at each step along the way, will they care about gaps? Two tricks I use: Just provide years but not months (ok for multi-year jobs), or provide a line item like January 2001-November 2002: Assorted consulting engagements. Then list a few of companies and positions as bullet points under that.
Now, for the interview, be prepared to answer questions about how you've spent your time. Make sure to cater the positions you are going to talk about to what is most important for the job, or most interesting to the interviewer. By this point, you will hopefully be impressive enough with your skills, experience, and manner that a spotty employment history with legitimate explanations (but not too much, definitely don't harp on it or point it out if not asked) will still get you hired.
I'm generally in favor of lying (at least exageration) on resumes... [joke: What does resume mean in French? Big Lies!] but companies now doing background checks will be able to find major lies. If filling out a job application (usually accompanied by a background check approval form), make sure you fill it out as acurately as possible. And make sure that can at least be compared to your resume. A lot of times applications will only ask for the 3 most recent employments. As long as those match your tax forms then you should be good to go.
Hope that helps!
--D
who are these chumps???
Um... a call girl named Jenny perhaps?
--D
If this catches on as much as RealNames did, you'll all of a sudden need to be a millionaire to get a cellphone.
:)
Nope, they'll give you the cellphone number 230-0360 with a bunch of zeros that don't spell anything interesting. I dated a girl who's number was DROP-TEN (376-somethingsomething)... at least it was memorable.
All the cool numbers are gone these days... just like all the cool domain names. www.ebuyrealestatenow2000.com
--D
First company to offer a GMS and WiFi VoiP phone gets my business....
Damn I wish Vodafone had gottent the deal. At least they know how to deploy GSM environments unlike AT&T.
I wonder if I will get rollover minutes now?
--D
Yeah, the name is stupid, but so was Lindows... of course is was meant to confuse and infringe... why not just pick a cool new name? Failing that, name it after a hat.
--D
WiFi on Linux sucks.....
I've been liking Debian so far, but it is killing me setting up WiFi!!!!
--D "Debian Woody, SMC 2532w-b, no WiFi love"
I'm normally the one defending the "because they can" comments, but come on....
What on earth is the point? Aren't those systems pretty well fully-emulated in software these days? Is there anything worthwhile they can do that can't be done on a slightly-advanced calculator these days?
And yes, I do own a few authentic arcade games and cabinets as well as a MAME cab... so I get the whole "authentic hardware" line... but come on....
--D
It's 2004, and we seem to be WAY behind the curve on that prediction...
Call me synical, but the '00s seems to be the Commercial Interests boom. Unless we get a major revolt soon, expect that to continue for the rest of the decade.
If all goes to plan, I'm betting the '10s will be the nano-technology and alternative fuels boom.
--D
I can't stand PC gaming for some reason, but really enjoy XBox Live games like Rainbow Six 3, Ghost Recon (I know the PC version has lots of modding available), and even to an extent the Team Dogfight mode of Crimson Skies.
I too get frustrated by the instantly killed, never time to learn or get better world of most FPS. Lan parties are a decent solution if your friends all live locally and/or your wife doesn't mind them coming over or you going there... but online is definitely the way to go. What about an online private LAN party? Same game, but only with people you know? Is that doable on those PC games? I know on most XBL games you can reserve slots for friends.
--D
Maybe it's just me (and several guys I know), but there aren't a lot of things more sexy than naked or near-naked pics of your wife or gf. It's even nice if there are some very PG but sexy shots that you can make your buddies jealous with, while keeping the legs spread bent over naked pics for yourself.
Plus, those USB drives _are_ cool and functional!
--D
Assuming she's been checked out and still clean, she actually sounds like quite a lot of fun!
:) Take Ms. Kinky and make her straight, we might end up with about the same mix of wildness vs. marriage material.
I married Ms. Straight and Narrow, now I have to spend all my time turning her into the wild, kinky girl I think I want but probably don't want to marry
--D
We attribute the numerous security flaws in Windows to programmers who have gotten laid.
:) Now that's an incentive plan!
It's funny... in Formula 1, I believe it was the Renault racing team that told their two young drivers to abstain during the season, especially immediately before races.
I told my wife that after my races it was blowjob for a finish, sex for a podium, anal for a win?
--D
p.s. But seriously, on topic -- A USB jump drive (just make sure you get one big enough for his needs... 128 or 256 at least and don't whatever you do pay full price! Part of the appeal to him will be you getting the hot deal on it!)
If you only have 1 DirecTV receiver then it's true, you don't have to have it connected to a land-based telephone line. BUT, if you have multiple DirecTV receivers in your home, then you MUST connect them all to a telephone jack in your house or EACH of the receivers will be charged the full monthly subscription price.
Moderate that -1 (Factually Incorrect)... that is a just a line that DirecTV gives you in order to make you plug in the phone line.
As others have said (and my 3 receivers, 1 UTV, 1 Sony, 1 Phillips prove), you do not need to have a phone line plugged in at all. I don't even have a phone line in the spare bedrooms. It is only used for PPV billing and usage statistics in the case of Tivo. Fact.
Now, the latest DirecTivo's my brother tells me do require a phone line to activate... but once they're up and running they definitely don't. My mother-in-laws Series2 DirecTivo is running right now as I watch it without a phone line in... it is spewing a message every few days to plug it in, but it's been since installation December 14th and running fine. Fact.
Now, if you do order PPV and don't have the phoneline connected, it will cut you off a few days after not being able to dial-in. This is a function of the receiver's firmware, so may not apply to some receivers. Fact.
Don't believe DirecTV... Fact.
Now, my coworker just got Dish Network with a DishPVR 5xx something... that apparently really does truly require a phone line... but I haven't seen it personally myself to know if it's just being obnoxious like the Tivo. Rumor.
--D
I currently have a Palm IIIc (way outdated) and a SymbianOS Nokia 3650.
I want to get something smaller than a laptop but hopefully with slightly more of a keyboard than my current gizmos... but... here's the catch...
It's got to have 802.11b WiFi. Either built-in or with a cheap expansion card. I have to have that surfing at Starbucks, Instant Messaging at inapproprite places, downloading porn in the pet shop....
Ideally something used and on the cheap, or a plugin to my 3c, but the Dell Axim 3xi or whatever has the builtin wifi for like $299 would be OK minus the WinCE factor.
Any suggestions?
--D