Actually, the internet has had several killer apps that kept the boom going:
a) Communication: This includes IM's and email. In the early days it was mostly email.
b) PR0N: Actually, it's been around since the early days of the internet. Heck, I remember it was a big part of BBS's before I got on the 'net
c) Games: This really hit when TCP/IP games became popular over the internet. Less need to lug your PC over to a friends' for a LAN party, and you mom can play solitaire with your aunt in another country
d) Music: I know a lot of people that subscribed to high speed just to get supposed "free" music.
Email is perhaps, however, one of the "killer apps" that has suffered the most during its time online. Games have their botters/hackers, pr0n has its misleading popups, and music has its Britneys, but by far SPAM has become one of the larger unfixed problems so far (patched, perhaps, but not fixed)
So if I'm downloading a song, and this program blocks me because it determines that the song is copyrighted. Oops, guess what, downloading a copyrighted song isn't illegal... unless one doesn't own the original medium (disc).
"The fundamental technology developed here can also be developed to help people with limited muscle ability to walk optimally"
Having just broken my ankle recently, I could see how - if priced right - this technology would be great for patients recovering from leg injuries.
I'm wondering how well it actually supports the legs. Assumedly, one could splint or cast the broken part of the leg/ankle/etc, and allow the mechanics to take weight off the broken areas.
Even if it weren't useful for an actual break, it would definately be great for the recovery process. I'm getting my cast off tomorrow, but I can see that my muscle atrophied rather quickly. 5 weeks, and my once well-formed muscles are now rather thin (the other leg got a lot stronger though).
An exoskeleton would assist the weak muscles, while the movement should force movement which would strengthen them over time. I'd go for one if I could get it!
The price at the pump is quite often, however, not a reflection of the "cost."
As for these stations being "new" in town. They weren't really, been around for a few year, but most of the others had been here for over a decade in some form or other.
What I love is the "poor us" sticker on pumps indicating how there is only 2% profit in the gas: that's profit, and 2% of $0.75/L is a lot more than 2% of $0.50/L a few years back.
Actually, price-fixing and collaboration happens fairly often in the gas industry... it's just not caught/deal-with as often. However, the concept of price-fixing Vs price-ways happens quite often at the pumps.
Locally, we had some of the cheapest gas in probably the entire province (Canada). Longtime gas-stations kept trying to raise the price, bumping to the 70-80c range. However, two of the newer stations in town - both attached to grocery outlets - consistently stayed 8-10c+ under the competetion.
Least to say, the pumps that went up weren't getting much business, and eventually had to drop. This went on for some time, until the newer stations (at Safeway and the "Superstore") finally went with the bump and jacked their prices up.
It makes me wonder though, how often this type of thing happens in the gas industry. I've heard from employees about how the gas-stations will try to set a mutually-profitable higher prices, so maybe it just too awhile for them to get the "new boys" into the loop.
Autozone website is running about as fast as a hedgehog through mud... I'm assuming it's getting a lot of traffic right now (gee, I wonder why).
Just wondering if anyone knows if autozone has any Canadian locations. They're definately not around here, but I wouldn't have too much problem grabbing some oil and an air-freshener from wherever they happen to be locally should I be in the area.
I'm Canadian, and I didn't know what it means. Not all of the/. readers are in N. America or Britain either, so it's always helpful to post an explanation.
Thanks for clearing up the abandonware issue. In my case, I can "pirate" it anyhow, seeing as though I actually have the original diskettes (though since demagnetized).
As a side question. Many of these classics (Duke3d, Keen, etc) simply don't run on my windows boxen anymore. I've considered trying DOSEMU under 'nix to get them to work. Anyone had success with this, especially sound/network-wise?
It seems to me that the original DN3D was open-sourced, possibly even released free. Not sure about Keen, but I think it might be now abandonware.
The relation, take a look at the comment about MAME and emulation:
people have done it just for the love of the old games, so, in a sense, they've done a tremendous public service in preserving the old games to be played and enjoyed today
It's nice to see an artist (video-game artist) who understands what this is about. Old movies, old music, old games... it's not about theft in many cases, it's about preservation. It's about the game you can't play anywhere, or the movie that you won't find in any Blockbuster nearby.
I wonder about 10 years from now though. Will people bother swapping around copies of GTA: VC, or will it fade into oblivion as the next dismember-head-in-a-baggie game comes around. Games like Defender etc had lasting appeal... even ones like Keen and DN3D did (humour in DN3D). I wonder how today's games will measure up.
Yes, I probably spelled this one wrong, possibly even got the name wrong...but I think that was the name of the game. Basically the premise was the sexual expoitation of a native indian.
Current-day graphics and sound etc may have brought more realism to today's games, thus making them more disturbing, but the poor content has been there for a long time.
Does anyone know if there is a bias to horizontal spin. Spinning the coin with its side on a flat surface works more-or-less as well as a coin-flip, and it's probably fairly random as to which side it finally settles on when it loses momentum.
From my understanding, which was also my original thought in the first place, EV1 "bought" SCO "licenses" because of the concern some of their customers had about the Linux servers.
Now this wasn't because EV1 particularly wanted to bend over to SCO, but because they'd rather do so that alienate the idiots. For those that know the situation, think of it something like doing something you know is rather useless/stupid for a boss or important client (many of us have been there).
Explaining exactly what was "bought" isn't going to help much, because those who are clueless enough to press for a "license" never understand that it wasn't needed in the first place. I'm just hoping that any excess costs due to this (though EV1 might just take a bite if it's small enough) get passed on to the stupid customers who wanted the license rather than those who saw it for the BS that it is.
I work for schools. Yes, I collect a paycheque, as do those above me... but we also use open source because, as a school, we could not afford to equip hundreds or even thousands of computers with Windows XP and fast CPU's.
You might argue that we're benefitting from that, but really without OS we'd just have to do without, and the students would be the ones that get screwed.
Writing free software doesn't help people improve their lives. It helps big corporations turn a profit.
That assumes that only big corporations use free software.
I run a webserver, which uses linux, apache etc etc. My desktop also uses a lot of linux GPL'ed software. I use open office. Am I a corporation? No, I'm just somebody who has benefitted from "free" software.
The idea is that everyone can use it. So you use free software, I do... doesn't that mean that it's making a different to somebody? And it's making my life better by making it easier, as well as cheaper...
Caldwell said he expected to see devices and services supporting the protected MP3 format by the end of 2004
But, will the new devices support the old format (and if not, why would those with massive Mp3 collections buy them), and will the new format work on old devices (again, why would those with old devices use this format).
It seems really that they're shooting themselves in the foot, but I'll be glad when that means my next deck for the car should support OGG.
And if you're on dial-up, then is 10 times worse than that. My parents' ISP recently started blocking measures, but up to then it was 20-30 idiotic spam messages, sometimes with graphics. Of course, those stupid chain-letters are even worse...
Being able to set off some explosives etc along the fault-line and CAUSE an earthquake. Not sure if it would fly in the anti-terrorist US, but it would somewhat fit in with the GTA theme of mayhem and mass-destruction.
I think that while a lot of geeks are happy to see a Fantasy movie do well, they forget that there already has been significant fantasy crud in the past (some of which probably being the reason that it wasn't well esteemed in movies). However, I'm hlook at the current fads and I'm thinking that we'll probably see a lot of either ("Hulk" variety movie Vs X-men or Spider Man).
I guess we'll just have to pick/choose our way though what's good and what's not, but that's usually the way it goes, isn't it?
It wasn't that he wasn't able to restrain his "manly urges" so much as the fact that he wasn't supposed to be able to have any. That particular part of his anatomy, as well as a lot more, was rendered ineffective due to his disease (leprosy). Suddenly, he's thrust into what appears to be a "place" where all his bits and pieces start working as normal... the quick assumption is that he is having a dream and rather than be tormented by the fact that he knows he will awaken to find his body a useless husk again, he decides to fight the dream and/or also get something out of it while he can.
It's actually a rather human reaction. Throughout the series you also see how this one particular act of unrestraint comes back to bite him in the backside several times.
TC isn't supposed to be a hero at the start. He's supposed to be a less-than-average-Joe character who is on the edge of oblivion. He's got a degenerative disease which everyone fears/hates him for, and thus becomes a bitter and almost sinister scrooge-like character. It's then up to the author to redeem this character and somehow turn him into something of a hero.
But really, in the first series TC isn't really much of a hero at all. Though he does do some selfless things (saving a snakebitten girl), it's more about how he - despite being as low as he his - spurs hope in those around him which more allows them to save themselves. Not really a bad read if you can get through it and some of the odd language/twists, not sure if it's movie material though (certainly hard to do on film for some things).
Yes, but do you qualify terrorism as the desire to incite terror, the incitement of terror, or other definitions. It still doesn't fit as terrorism to me, but it was an attempted attack (whether through stupidity or not) against a important/critical safety system.
If this accident had disabled the 9-1-1 system during a critical accident, would it then be terrorism? Maybe it doesn't fit an exact definition, but it definately was an attack against a critical infrastructure.
Perhaps multiple charges (sabotage, reckless endangerment, vandalism, and I'm sure many others) would fit better than a terrorism charge though, certainly they might be easier to make stick...
there's something in human nature that rebels at the thought of someone else getting ahead of you in line.
Around here (especially in winter/rainy conditions), it's more the concept that the idiot passing me at 20kph over the limit on the gravelly side is probably going to launch a nice big rock at my windshield.
Not so bad in the city where the speed limits are lower, but you still get rocks and lots of mud etc when the weather is bad.
Slashdot Mirror
E-mail is the 'killer app' of the Internet
Actually, the internet has had several killer apps that kept the boom going:
a) Communication: This includes IM's and email. In the early days it was mostly email.
b) PR0N: Actually, it's been around since the early days of the internet. Heck, I remember it was a big part of BBS's before I got on the 'net
c) Games: This really hit when TCP/IP games became popular over the internet. Less need to lug your PC over to a friends' for a LAN party, and you mom can play solitaire with your aunt in another country
d) Music: I know a lot of people that subscribed to high speed just to get supposed "free" music.
Email is perhaps, however, one of the "killer apps" that has suffered the most during its time online. Games have their botters/hackers, pr0n has its misleading popups, and music has its Britneys, but by far SPAM has become one of the larger unfixed problems so far (patched, perhaps, but not fixed)
So if I'm downloading a song, and this program blocks me because it determines that the song is copyrighted. Oops, guess what, downloading a copyrighted song isn't illegal... unless one doesn't own the original medium (disc).
"The fundamental technology developed here can also be developed to help people with limited muscle ability to walk optimally"
Having just broken my ankle recently, I could see how - if priced right - this technology would be great for patients recovering from leg injuries.
I'm wondering how well it actually supports the legs. Assumedly, one could splint or cast the broken part of the leg/ankle/etc, and allow the mechanics to take weight off the broken areas.
Even if it weren't useful for an actual break, it would definately be great for the recovery process. I'm getting my cast off tomorrow, but I can see that my muscle atrophied rather quickly. 5 weeks, and my once well-formed muscles are now rather thin (the other leg got a lot stronger though).
An exoskeleton would assist the weak muscles, while the movement should force movement which would strengthen them over time. I'd go for one if I could get it!
The price at the pump is quite often, however, not a reflection of the "cost."
As for these stations being "new" in town. They weren't really, been around for a few year, but most of the others had been here for over a decade in some form or other.
What I love is the "poor us" sticker on pumps indicating how there is only 2% profit in the gas: that's profit, and 2% of $0.75/L is a lot more than 2% of $0.50/L a few years back.
Actually, price-fixing and collaboration happens fairly often in the gas industry... it's just not caught/deal-with as often. However, the concept of price-fixing Vs price-ways happens quite often at the pumps.
Locally, we had some of the cheapest gas in probably the entire province (Canada). Longtime gas-stations kept trying to raise the price, bumping to the 70-80c range. However, two of the newer stations in town - both attached to grocery outlets - consistently stayed 8-10c+ under the competetion.
Least to say, the pumps that went up weren't getting much business, and eventually had to drop. This went on for some time, until the newer stations (at Safeway and the "Superstore") finally went with the bump and jacked their prices up.
It makes me wonder though, how often this type of thing happens in the gas industry. I've heard from employees about how the gas-stations will try to set a mutually-profitable higher prices, so maybe it just too awhile for them to get the "new boys" into the loop.
Autozone website is running about as fast as a hedgehog through mud... I'm assuming it's getting a lot of traffic right now (gee, I wonder why).
Just wondering if anyone knows if autozone has any Canadian locations. They're definately not around here, but I wouldn't have too much problem grabbing some oil and an air-freshener from wherever they happen to be locally should I be in the area.
So when Darl's vehicle gets "mysteriously" run over by a monster-truck, none of us will be surprised will we.
I'm just hoping that Darl will be in the vehicle at the time...
I'm Canadian, and I didn't know what it means. Not all of the /. readers are in N. America or Britain either, so it's always helpful to post an explanation.
Thanks for clearing up the abandonware issue. In my case, I can "pirate" it anyhow, seeing as though I actually have the original diskettes (though since demagnetized).
As a side question. Many of these classics (Duke3d, Keen, etc) simply don't run on my windows boxen anymore. I've considered trying DOSEMU under 'nix to get them to work. Anyone had success with this, especially sound/network-wise?
It seems to me that the original DN3D was open-sourced, possibly even released free. Not sure about Keen, but I think it might be now abandonware.
The relation, take a look at the comment about MAME and emulation:
people have done it just for the love of the old games, so, in a sense, they've done a tremendous public service in preserving the old games to be played and enjoyed today
It's nice to see an artist (video-game artist) who understands what this is about. Old movies, old music, old games... it's not about theft in many cases, it's about preservation. It's about the game you can't play anywhere, or the movie that you won't find in any Blockbuster nearby.
I wonder about 10 years from now though. Will people bother swapping around copies of GTA: VC, or will it fade into oblivion as the next dismember-head-in-a-baggie game comes around. Games like Defender etc had lasting appeal... even ones like Keen and DN3D did (humour in DN3D). I wonder how today's games will measure up.
Yes, I probably spelled this one wrong, possibly even got the name wrong...but I think that was the name of the game. Basically the premise was the sexual expoitation of a native indian.
Current-day graphics and sound etc may have brought more realism to today's games, thus making them more disturbing, but the poor content has been there for a long time.
Does anyone know if there is a bias to horizontal spin. Spinning the coin with its side on a flat surface works more-or-less as well as a coin-flip, and it's probably fairly random as to which side it finally settles on when it loses momentum.
From my understanding, which was also my original thought in the first place, EV1 "bought" SCO "licenses" because of the concern some of their customers had about the Linux servers.
Now this wasn't because EV1 particularly wanted to bend over to SCO, but because they'd rather do so that alienate the idiots. For those that know the situation, think of it something like doing something you know is rather useless/stupid for a boss or important client (many of us have been there).
Explaining exactly what was "bought" isn't going to help much, because those who are clueless enough to press for a "license" never understand that it wasn't needed in the first place. I'm just hoping that any excess costs due to this (though EV1 might just take a bite if it's small enough) get passed on to the stupid customers who wanted the license rather than those who saw it for the BS that it is.
Actually, if they go up against good as an end-user, or anyone else for that matter... it's more like "oh shit yourself laughing" time.
I work for schools. Yes, I collect a paycheque, as do those above me... but we also use open source because, as a school, we could not afford to equip hundreds or even thousands of computers with Windows XP and fast CPU's.
You might argue that we're benefitting from that, but really without OS we'd just have to do without, and the students would be the ones that get screwed.
Writing free software doesn't help people improve their lives. It helps big corporations turn a profit.
That assumes that only big corporations use free software.
I run a webserver, which uses linux, apache etc etc. My desktop also uses a lot of linux GPL'ed software. I use open office. Am I a corporation? No, I'm just somebody who has benefitted from "free" software.
The idea is that everyone can use it. So you use free software, I do... doesn't that mean that it's making a different to somebody? And it's making my life better by making it easier, as well as cheaper...
Caldwell said he expected to see devices and services supporting the protected MP3 format by the end of 2004
But, will the new devices support the old format (and if not, why would those with massive Mp3 collections buy them), and will the new format work on old devices (again, why would those with old devices use this format).
It seems really that they're shooting themselves in the foot, but I'll be glad when that means my next deck for the car should support OGG.
Yes, but sometimes it just pays to take your time and enjoy yourself...
And if you're on dial-up, then is 10 times worse than that. My parents' ISP recently started blocking measures, but up to then it was 20-30 idiotic spam messages, sometimes with graphics. Of course, those stupid chain-letters are even worse...
Being able to set off some explosives etc along the fault-line and CAUSE an earthquake. Not sure if it would fly in the anti-terrorist US, but it would somewhat fit in with the GTA theme of mayhem and mass-destruction.
Or will the previous poster's prediction hold true and we'll be inundated by more crappy fantasy?
Sorry, but this has already happened
I think that while a lot of geeks are happy to see a Fantasy movie do well, they forget that there already has been significant fantasy crud in the past (some of which probably being the reason that it wasn't well esteemed in movies). However, I'm hlook at the current fads and I'm thinking that we'll probably see a lot of either ("Hulk" variety movie Vs X-men or Spider Man).
I guess we'll just have to pick/choose our way though what's good and what's not, but that's usually the way it goes, isn't it?
It wasn't that he wasn't able to restrain his "manly urges" so much as the fact that he wasn't supposed to be able to have any. That particular part of his anatomy, as well as a lot more, was rendered ineffective due to his disease (leprosy). Suddenly, he's thrust into what appears to be a "place" where all his bits and pieces start working as normal... the quick assumption is that he is having a dream and rather than be tormented by the fact that he knows he will awaken to find his body a useless husk again, he decides to fight the dream and/or also get something out of it while he can.
It's actually a rather human reaction. Throughout the series you also see how this one particular act of unrestraint comes back to bite him in the backside several times.
TC isn't supposed to be a hero at the start. He's supposed to be a less-than-average-Joe character who is on the edge of oblivion. He's got a degenerative disease which everyone fears/hates him for, and thus becomes a bitter and almost sinister scrooge-like character. It's then up to the author to redeem this character and somehow turn him into something of a hero.
But really, in the first series TC isn't really much of a hero at all. Though he does do some selfless things (saving a snakebitten girl), it's more about how he - despite being as low as he his - spurs hope in those around him which more allows them to save themselves. Not really a bad read if you can get through it and some of the odd language/twists, not sure if it's movie material though (certainly hard to do on film for some things).
Yes, but do you qualify terrorism as the desire to incite terror, the incitement of terror, or other definitions. It still doesn't fit as terrorism to me, but it was an attempted attack (whether through stupidity or not) against a important/critical safety system.
If this accident had disabled the 9-1-1 system during a critical accident, would it then be terrorism? Maybe it doesn't fit an exact definition, but it definately was an attack against a critical infrastructure.
Perhaps multiple charges (sabotage, reckless endangerment, vandalism, and I'm sure many others) would fit better than a terrorism charge though, certainly they might be easier to make stick...
Because I've done a lot of "desktop" as opposed to server machines recently, here are some pointers.
/dev/psaux, serial is /dev/ttyS01 (serial port 1), and USB requires some extra kernel modules and then /dev/input/mice
/dev/mouse and symlink it to the appropriate place.
Want to find out what your video card is without cracking the case (or another AGP/PCI device), "lspci"
Mouse? PS/2 is generally
Personally I just prefer to use
The monitor settings, I usually use the lowest for a monitor's resolution capabilities and thus far haven't had anything explode.
Soundcards can be a biatch at times, check the rights for non-root users and grab some of the ALSA tools seperately from the kernel.
there's something in human nature that rebels at the thought of someone else getting ahead of you in line.
Around here (especially in winter/rainy conditions), it's more the concept that the idiot passing me at 20kph over the limit on the gravelly side is probably going to launch a nice big rock at my windshield.
Not so bad in the city where the speed limits are lower, but you still get rocks and lots of mud etc when the weather is bad.