Let's also consider this, however; Jerry Pournelle (Byte)- I believe it was- pointed out the problem with outsourcing America's production of important stuff to countries like China.
I think he also used the example of production in Europe (e.g. what if production of XYZ is against a European law that says you can't produce XYZ if it is used for immoral purposes), but frankly, China is the main issue here, as they are far more likely to be America's enemies in a war, and they produce a mind-boggling quantity of.... everything, basically.
Now, if there was a problem with China, what sort of situation would America be in? Food is important, sure, but it's not the only consideration.
88-bit!? Ok, so it's emulated. That still seems like 1) a strange number (not 64, not 128)
They forgot the golden rule; if you feel like setting an arbitrary or bullshit value that the user is going to be exposed to, make it a power of 2 (at the very least). That way, it looks credible to someone who "knows" about that sort of thing (i.e. Slashdot users).
But when you think about the fact that it's quite likely that a good 30-40% of us will end up dying from cancer eventually, it's not all that funny.
Yeah, but people make jokes about this "death" thing all the time, and it's the cause of nigh-on 100% of mortality.
Anyway, you won't die of cancer. They'll cure cancer with nanomachines and biotechnology. What you will die of is when the nanomachines and/or biotech screws up and turns you, and the rest of the world into grey goo.
Yay! Go medical technology!
Personally, I can think of a lot of ways I'd rather go than cancer. Like a massive heart attack while having sex with a 20 year old.
Hmm... this being Slashdot, I reckon there are a number out there who would willingly submit to the fatal heart attack if it meant they got to have sex with a 20 year old at least once.
...I don't think I'd be able to resist the temptation to say "By the way, I'm a hardcore Windows fan" right as he went under anesthesia. Then tell him the truth when he came back around.
Would you *really* say that to him, knowing that there was the possibility, however small, that this might be the last thing he ever hears? That would just be too cruel. Sorry.
OTOH, if it was Bill Gates, I'd tell him I was a fanatical Linux zealot just as the anaesthetics kicked in, and I was wielding the knife.
As for Darl McBride, I'd tie him down, not bother with the anaesthetic and [... THIS SECTION DELETED ON ADVICE OF LAWYERS... ].
Linux and porn? Hmm... I like the name of the website; 'hoovers.com'. Specifically because, in the UK, "Hoover" is very common as a generic term for "vacuum cleaner".
For a brief moment before the site loaded, I was expecting "horny Electrolux will suck you dry" and " Dyson has a 25-inch attachment"....
However, when they heard "Netscape" they immediately think "buggy, bloated, slow", etc.
Unfortunately, many installations that are still running Netscape are running old versions on old (and slow) machines. You know... P166s in desktop cases attached to fuzzy and dim old 14" monitors with signs of impending death, and dither-tastic 256 color displays (which reminds me... does *anyone* still think about "web-safe" colors these days?)
This does not create the requisite feelgood vibes about Netscape.
I'm sure their marketing department feel very smug about portraying Linux as insecure by using fake headers.
Remember that Intel complained that various competitors' chips were identifying themselves as "Genuine Intel blah blah..." and threatened to take legal action (IIRC... too lazy to check (^_^))?
Well; isn't this a similar case? And- come to think of it- isn't IE identifying itself as "Netscape [whatever]" also trademark violation?
I am always suprised when travelling to the US and see banks advertising "No $1.50 ATM fees", we don't have charges across any of the linked (LINK) network.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but... some of these have been privatised recently, and I had one try to charge me UKP 1.50 for a transaction.
UK ATMs hold £5, £10, £20 and sometimes £50 notes, always have done.
Huh? I've had a cashcard for well over 10 years and I'm pretty sure that none have ever offered multiples of 5 pounds, or even given out 5 pound notes to me in that time; definitely *not* in the past few years anyway.
Currently, it seems that every machine I've used offers multiples of UKP 10.00, which is okay for what I need.
The one thing I *don't* like are those machines that have been sold off to a private company; they charge UKP 1.50 (approx US $2.80!!!) a time. To which my attitude is; go fsck yourself, I'll use the one 30 seconds up the road.
Counter-strike: The Corrs' musical blandness cancels out any perceived greatness of the Pogues.
Agree with you about "The Edge"'s name though. The guy wouldn't be complaining about the name if he liked U2. Is it a worse stage name than "Ringo Starr"?
In similar condition, both running Windows 9x, I doubt that there would be much perceivable difference. Obviously speed/hard-drive size; *possibly* monitor size would give it away, but fundamentally, it's still a beige-box PC compatible.
You'll notice the real difference when the PC is no longer the dominant form of computer.
"Oh yeah... I remember, I used to use one of those all the time.".... and you realise just how much things have changed.
that good judgement and self-awareness are the result of a spiritual, rather than mechanical or chemical, process
As said elsewhere, that (and pretty much everything else in your post) is your belief, not a scientific statement.
You obviously believe it though. Now, if your belief is mistaken, this suggests a conspiracy. Specifically, your neurons have something to hide and are trying to cover it up by making "you" believe this. I suggest retaliation- specifically, kill those pesky neurons by blowing your brains out.
If you were right after all- cool! You still have your soul.
If you were wrong then... that'll teach those evil neurons not to collude in giving you false beliefs again.
Is this like those gigantic fucking calculators and phones with big buttons that are designed for old people?
The calculators with big buttons are easier to use, full stop. This isn't an issue if you only use it a couple of times a week, but if you were using it for extended periods, messing around with dinky little calculator keys would soon start to grate.
A giant keyboard you have to step on to get to work, now that would be cool, not practical, but cool none the less.
Heck, I normally *hate* geek toys (if ThinkGeek were relying on me, they're fscked), but I'd seriously consider buying one of them if they were under $150 or so. Yeah, it would have to be huge, but... I want one too.
The one that came with the PS/2? I never understood the deal with that one. Keys that go 'click' and require that pressure to push down just didn't feel right to me.
Personally, I'd like a non-membrane keyboard that felt like the one that (most) BBC Micros had, or a Wyse terminal keyboard I used to use, neither of which had a particular 'pressure' point, but felt better than your typical membrane job.
It has to be said that although most membrane keyboards aren't too nice, some of them are fairly pleasant to work with (e.g. the Mitsumi I'm typing this on just now).
I always figured X3D is a superset of SVG, since you should be able to draw any 2D image using a 3D model, right?
Perhaps; but just because it's possible, doesn't mean it's advisable. I'd guess you could build '2D' images using coloured modelling clay, etc. But personally, I'd go with the 2D-only pencils, pens and paints.
So, why do designers keep making user-hostile choices?
The best explanation is that they are designing for aesthetics and/or gimmickry, and not usability.
For what it's worth, I don't mind the use of Flash for websites that are about image and novelty. What I find unacceptable is its (mis-)use in corporate websites that should be about professionalism and usability, when in fact we get some badly-designed Flash crap designed to look 'impressive' and bolster their image.
Actually, the image this projects is "this company is run by PHBs in thrall to superficiality".
Slashdot Mirror
does constantly hitting F5 on slashdot,
F5 doesn't do anything under Mozilla; it only works under.... IE.
Please return your geek license, cut in two through the magnetic strip, and leave immediately.
Let's also consider this, however; Jerry Pournelle (Byte)- I believe it was- pointed out the problem with outsourcing America's production of important stuff to countries like China.
I think he also used the example of production in Europe (e.g. what if production of XYZ is against a European law that says you can't produce XYZ if it is used for immoral purposes), but frankly, China is the main issue here, as they are far more likely to be America's enemies in a war, and they produce a mind-boggling quantity of.... everything, basically.
Now, if there was a problem with China, what sort of situation would America be in? Food is important, sure, but it's not the only consideration.
88-bit!? Ok, so it's emulated. That still seems like 1) a strange number (not 64, not 128)
They forgot the golden rule; if you feel like setting an arbitrary or bullshit value that the user is going to be exposed to, make it a power of 2 (at the very least). That way, it looks credible to someone who "knows" about that sort of thing (i.e. Slashdot users).
But when you think about the fact that it's quite likely that a good 30-40% of us will end up dying from cancer eventually, it's not all that funny.
Yeah, but people make jokes about this "death" thing all the time, and it's the cause of nigh-on 100% of mortality.
Anyway, you won't die of cancer. They'll cure cancer with nanomachines and biotechnology. What you will die of is when the nanomachines and/or biotech screws up and turns you, and the rest of the world into grey goo.
Yay! Go medical technology!
Personally, I can think of a lot of ways I'd rather go than cancer. Like a massive heart attack while having sex with a 20 year old.
Hmm... this being Slashdot, I reckon there are a number out there who would willingly submit to the fatal heart attack if it meant they got to have sex with a 20 year old at least once.
Would you *really* say that to him, knowing that there was the possibility, however small, that this might be the last thing he ever hears?
That would just be too cruel. Sorry.
OTOH, if it was Bill Gates, I'd tell him I was a fanatical Linux zealot just as the anaesthetics kicked in, and I was wielding the knife.
As for Darl McBride, I'd tie him down, not bother with the anaesthetic and [
Mitsubishi manufactures a ton of things, from escalotors to trains to LCDs to automobiles
Mitsubishi also manufactures ecstasy tablets.
Linux and porn? Hmm... I like the name of the website; 'hoovers.com'.
Specifically because, in the UK, "Hoover" is very common as a generic term for "vacuum cleaner".
For a brief moment before the site loaded, I was expecting "horny Electrolux will suck you dry" and " Dyson has a 25-inch attachment"....
I know, I know, it's "gullible".
Normally I'd suggest that you should check the spelling in a dictionary first; but did you know that "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?
However, when they heard "Netscape" they immediately think "buggy, bloated, slow", etc.
Unfortunately, many installations that are still running Netscape are running old versions on old (and slow) machines. You know... P166s in desktop cases attached to fuzzy and dim old 14" monitors with signs of impending death, and dither-tastic 256 color displays (which reminds me... does *anyone* still think about "web-safe" colors these days?)
This does not create the requisite feelgood vibes about Netscape.
It just looks way too 70s for my tastes.
70s my ass. Looks more like a piece of valve-powered physics equipment from the 1920s or something, but not as small.
But the look brought back a lot of memories of my old atari 2600!
Going by the size of the thing, I'd say it's more likely to bring back memories of ENIAC.
life, Life, LIFE!
Sigh.... 3f3ry0|\|3 k|\|0\/\/5 i7'5 5p3113d 'lyfe'.
www.ilovebees.com is running on Windows 2000.
I'm sure their marketing department feel very smug about portraying Linux as insecure by using fake headers.
Remember that Intel complained that various competitors' chips were identifying themselves as "Genuine Intel blah blah..." and threatened to take legal action (IIRC... too lazy to check (^_^))?
Well; isn't this a similar case? And- come to think of it- isn't IE identifying itself as "Netscape [whatever]" also trademark violation?
I am always suprised when travelling to the US and see banks advertising "No $1.50 ATM fees", we don't have charges across any of the linked (LINK) network.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but... some of these have been privatised recently, and I had one try to charge me UKP 1.50 for a transaction.
Ever wonder what $100 in $5's is like? A pain in the ass is what it is!
If I was storing $100 up my ass, I'd want it in $20s as well. Certainly not in nickels or dimes.
UK ATMs hold £5, £10, £20 and sometimes £50 notes, always have done.
Huh? I've had a cashcard for well over 10 years and I'm pretty sure that none have ever offered multiples of 5 pounds, or even given out 5 pound notes to me in that time; definitely *not* in the past few years anyway.
Currently, it seems that every machine I've used offers multiples of UKP 10.00, which is okay for what I need.
The one thing I *don't* like are those machines that have been sold off to a private company; they charge UKP 1.50 (approx US $2.80!!!) a time. To which my attitude is; go fsck yourself, I'll use the one 30 seconds up the road.
And hey, the Pogues are a great Irish band!
Counter-strike: The Corrs' musical blandness cancels out any perceived greatness of the Pogues.
Agree with you about "The Edge"'s name though. The guy wouldn't be complaining about the name if he liked U2. Is it a worse stage name than "Ringo Starr"?
Nope.
You'd never mistake a 2002 PC for a 1996 PC.
In similar condition, both running Windows 9x, I doubt that there would be much perceivable difference. Obviously speed/hard-drive size; *possibly* monitor size would give it away, but fundamentally, it's still a beige-box PC compatible.
You'll notice the real difference when the PC is no longer the dominant form of computer.
"Oh yeah... I remember, I used to use one of those all the time.".... and you realise just how much things have changed.
that good judgement and self-awareness are the result of a spiritual, rather than mechanical or chemical, process
As said elsewhere, that (and pretty much everything else in your post) is your belief, not a scientific statement.
You obviously believe it though. Now, if your belief is mistaken, this suggests a conspiracy. Specifically, your neurons have something to hide and are trying to cover it up by making "you" believe this. I suggest retaliation- specifically, kill those pesky neurons by blowing your brains out.
If you were right after all- cool! You still have your soul.
If you were wrong then... that'll teach those evil neurons not to collude in giving you false beliefs again.
Neurons; you can't trust 'em at all.
Is this like those gigantic fucking calculators and phones with big buttons that are designed for old people?
The calculators with big buttons are easier to use, full stop. This isn't an issue if you only use it a couple of times a week, but if you were using it for extended periods, messing around with dinky little calculator keys would soon start to grate.
A giant keyboard you have to step on to get to work, now that would be cool, not practical, but cool none the less.
Heck, I normally *hate* geek toys (if ThinkGeek were relying on me, they're fscked), but I'd seriously consider buying one of them if they were under $150 or so. Yeah, it would have to be huge, but... I want one too.
IBM Model M.
The one that came with the PS/2? I never understood the deal with that one. Keys that go 'click' and require that pressure to push down just didn't feel right to me.
Personally, I'd like a non-membrane keyboard that felt like the one that (most) BBC Micros had, or a Wyse terminal keyboard I used to use, neither of which had a particular 'pressure' point, but felt better than your typical membrane job.
It has to be said that although most membrane keyboards aren't too nice, some of them are fairly pleasant to work with (e.g. the Mitsumi I'm typing this on just now).
Ever noticed the prevalence of British "Fnarr Fnarr" humour on here until the Americans start coming on line at our lunchtime?
Heh heh.... he said "coming".
I always figured X3D is a superset of SVG, since you should be able to draw any 2D image using a 3D model, right?
Perhaps; but just because it's possible, doesn't mean it's advisable. I'd guess you could build '2D' images using coloured modelling clay, etc. But personally, I'd go with the 2D-only pencils, pens and paints.
So, why do designers keep making user-hostile choices?
The best explanation is that they are designing for aesthetics and/or gimmickry, and not usability.
For what it's worth, I don't mind the use of Flash for websites that are about image and novelty. What I find unacceptable is its (mis-)use in corporate websites that should be about professionalism and usability, when in fact we get some badly-designed Flash crap designed to look 'impressive' and bolster their image.
Actually, the image this projects is "this company is run by PHBs in thrall to superficiality".