If you don't like it, change it. No commercial software is required.
I'm running a sci-fi-esque shiny black theme right now, and it works perfectly. It even replaced the huge Start menu button with one that's much more manageable.
Yeah, like in the amount of junk mail and telemarketing calls you receive.
Back when Emperor Dubyah sent out his $300 bribe to the citizens of the US, I thought I'd do a bit of good and donate it to a few worthy causes.
Now I'm on just about every junk mail list that exists. I get voicemails left on my phone while I'm at work from commercial companies and other charities asking for donations. For a year after my donations, I got mail at least twice a week from the organizations I donated to telling me my membership was about to expire (even though it was weeks old at that point) and that I needed to send more money.
...unlike at least 97% of the posters in this thread. I bought it for fun when I replaced my motherboard about six months ago.
I like the way it looks, which is important since it's sitting in front of me whenever I do any computer-related work at home.
I probably wouldn't buy one again though, because it's a hassle to keep clean, and I haven't found a way to keep the cabling looking neat since there's nowhere to hide the excess. Also, because the expansion card mounting bracket is Lucite like the rest of the case, it's kind of fragile. I think Soyo makes a case with a metal bracket, but they hadn't released it when I got this one.
I haven't experienced any EMR issues either for the internal components or the external ones.
It stretches, pulls, fractures from within. And that's if it is kept perfectly dry every single day that it exists.
Yeah, no kidding.
I visited Alcatraz last October, and almost all of the exposed concrete was like that. It's less than fifty years old, and already totally falling apart.
This really sounds like the business equivalent of a pyramid scam.
The motivation behind cutting costs in things like IT is so that the business as a whole (and particularly the execs) can have more money.
However, in order to *make* that money, customers need to be able to afford the product. If no one is making a decent salary (by which I mean at least $40k for a household), no one is going to be able to afford the products at their current prices. The only alternative will be to cut the selling price, which eliminates the original reason for the outsourcing. Either that or continue the pyramid and find an even cheaper country to do the work, and temporarily make money off of today's India and China.
I am also curious as to the long-term results of basically removing increasingly skilled jobs from western countries. It's not like we can *all* be fast food cooks.
Re:mirror of screenshot
on
Opencroquet
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· Score: 1
It's not too spectacular, if you ask me.
It reminds me of TurboGopher on the Mac, circa late 1990s. If you ever want a good laugh, track down a Mac and this app for some high-tech VR Gopher browsing. You can even jump around.
In any case, I'll believe it when I see it. Popular Mechanics is always reporting technological breakthroughs that are always allegedly just around the corner. I rarely see them materialize.
I guess this place [defcon.org] counts as a parallel universe?
Maybe if you provided a link to a page on that site that actually mentioned EMP weapons I could provide a balanced opinion on it.
Hackers and computer dorks have loved the idea of portable EMP weapons for as long as I can remember. They're like a holy grail for technophiles. They show up all over the place in entertainment targeted at us - The Matrix, Cryptonomicon, et cetera.
That doesn't mean that anyone in the real world has an operational model.
IMO they're kind of modern-day equivalent of "if only I could cast Magic Missile in *real life*!" Although of course since you *can* create an EM pulse with a nuclear weapon they're a little more realistic.
it will come down to who has the bigger board with bigger nail.
IMO it's more like who has the board with the big nail and who has the supernova-inducing solar system destroyer.
The chances of an alien race developing at about the same time as us (thereby giving them technology that's only a bit better than ours) are essentially nonexistent. Aliens are most likely to either be way behind us or way ahead of us.
On MS OSes, having some sort of feature to disallow exceedingly weak passwords wouldn't be too hard to implement and could do a lot for the security of the system . ..
It's already there:
Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy -> Account Policies -> Password Policy -> Take your pick
Now, it would make sense to turn these options up high... for advanced users. The average home user would freak out if they had to deal with this kind of complexity, and not buy 2k/XP/whatever. Or they'd forget the admin password and have to reinstall Windows, and not buy the next version.
It's always important to remember that most computer users are not anywhere near as technical as the vast majority of people who read sites like Slashdot.
that required the VGS adapter, which was an entire 2600 on a chip
Actually, it didn't. The 7800 is fully 2600 compatible with no add-ons. You might be thinking of the 5200, the Colecovision, or the Intellivision, which all had 2600 adapters like you describe.
Just because they have 25 million owners doesn't mean none of us want some upgraded technology for our spoiled lifestyles.
They're up to 50 million now =).
Now what percentage of those 50 million have HDTVs or are going to buy them in the next two years? I bet with the US economy in its current state, the answer is "not enough to matter."
Anyhow, I disagree with your assertion that consoles always outstrip the current offerings of computers.
Except for screen resolution, IMO the original poster is totally correct. PC game makers have to assume that most of their customers are not going to be using high-end hardware.
I play both types of games, and I see all kinds of visual effects in games like Steel Battalion that aren't on the PC.
The cost factor is also important - a PS2 is $200. Are you going to be able to play something with the same visual quality as Devil May Cry on a $200 PC? No.
Must you accept that for every copy of software sold that two will be pirated?
Draconian copy proiection does nothing to solve this - it just punishes legitimate users.
If you don't believe me, try going on Overnet (or eDonkey, Kazaa, etc.) and search for "turbo tax." I just turned up 13 hits for the full program, and about 60 hits for cracks for it.
Software companies learned back in the 80s that extreme copy protection just drives buyers away. That's why games don't come with those ridiculous code wheels and text-lookups-in-the-instruction-manual protection schemes any more.
I think it captures the design and mechanics of the others in the series well, but I agree that it doesn't go in enough of its own directions. When I found the crashed frigate, I immediately thought "hey, am I playing a new game or a remake of Super Metroid?"
I also *really* wish that they'd spent some of the obviously high production budget on some better writing. For a game with literally no spoken dialogue, the written text that explains what's going on is kind of weak IMO. Maybe leaving it out entirely would have been best.
OTOH, it *is* a lot of fun to play, other than not having a way to turn down the difficulty of the bosses.
So I assume these videos are rated R by the MPAA? Maybe their testers are encouraged to bottle up their true feelings, but if *I* were starring in one it would be the dorky game equivalent of King of New York.
I also like the cartridge idea, since it reduces scratches and other potential damage. In fact, the lack of a cartridge was one of the biggest complaints about DVD.
That is really excellent news. I'm surprised I hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere else until now.
The lack of a protective cart for the disc is my only complaint about DVDs. I care more about that than the upgraded video quality, since I can't afford a display that will make it noticeable anyway.
I've had too many DVDs come loose inside the packaging while getting shipped to me, and I hate having to treat them like some kind of ancient irreplaceable artifact in between the case and the tray.
Using statistics, it's possible to predict that - for example - next year around X number of people will die in highway accidents in Washington State. However, that doesn't mean that it's possible to predict exactly when and where those accidents will take place. Sometimes X will be higher, and sometimes lower, depending on other variables.
Similarly, it's possible to build up statistics about the average frequency of earthquakes for a given area. This will give you data like "there is generally a large-scale earthquake in the Seattle area once every 50 years." This doesn't mean that there is guaranteed to be an earthquake every 50 years, or even every 40-60.
Part of the reason that earthquakes are so unpredictable is that (contrary to popular belief) they aren't caused by a long-term build up of pressure along the fault line. They happen when the plates suddenly catch on each other, then break free.
As much as I dislike the console pirating scene, this is a really bad turn of events.
I have my PS2 chipped, and I'm going to do the same to my XBox. Not so I can pirate games, but so I can play imports, access savegame files on the hard drive, and so on. If I *can't* add that capability to a console with a mod chip, I'm much less likely to buy them in the first place.
Slashdot Mirror
The key thing to observe is that such an action is not harming the person being hired; it is helping him or her.
Yes, I'm sure that Sun's execs were thinking of how many Indian workers they could improve the situations of when they fired their American employees.
If you don't like it, change it. No commercial software is required.
I'm running a sci-fi-esque shiny black theme right now, and it works perfectly. It even replaced the huge Start menu button with one that's much more manageable.
If you could clone physical objects (something like the replicators on Star Trek), then would it be a crime to clone yourself a copy of that t-shirt?
Obviously. Why do you think it's illegal to sell unlicensed merchandise?
such donations truly can "make a difference."
Yeah, like in the amount of junk mail and telemarketing calls you receive.
Back when Emperor Dubyah sent out his $300 bribe to the citizens of the US, I thought I'd do a bit of good and donate it to a few worthy causes.
Now I'm on just about every junk mail list that exists. I get voicemails left on my phone while I'm at work from commercial companies and other charities asking for donations. For a year after my donations, I got mail at least twice a week from the organizations I donated to telling me my membership was about to expire (even though it was weeks old at that point) and that I needed to send more money.
Next time I'm not even going to bother.
...unlike at least 97% of the posters in this thread. I bought it for fun when I replaced my motherboard about six months ago.
I like the way it looks, which is important since it's sitting in front of me whenever I do any computer-related work at home.
I probably wouldn't buy one again though, because it's a hassle to keep clean, and I haven't found a way to keep the cabling looking neat since there's nowhere to hide the excess. Also, because the expansion card mounting bracket is Lucite like the rest of the case, it's kind of fragile. I think Soyo makes a case with a metal bracket, but they hadn't released it when I got this one.
I haven't experienced any EMR issues either for the internal components or the external ones.
It stretches, pulls, fractures from within. And that's if it is kept perfectly dry every single day that it exists.
Yeah, no kidding.
I visited Alcatraz last October, and almost all of the exposed concrete was like that. It's less than fifty years old, and already totally falling apart.
Americans just need to find something that they do well.
There are a finite number of things to do for money. Like I said, we can't all be fast food chefs and parking lot attendants.
This really sounds like the business equivalent of a pyramid scam.
The motivation behind cutting costs in things like IT is so that the business as a whole (and particularly the execs) can have more money.
However, in order to *make* that money, customers need to be able to afford the product. If no one is making a decent salary (by which I mean at least $40k for a household), no one is going to be able to afford the products at their current prices. The only alternative will be to cut the selling price, which eliminates the original reason for the outsourcing. Either that or continue the pyramid and find an even cheaper country to do the work, and temporarily make money off of today's India and China.
I am also curious as to the long-term results of basically removing increasingly skilled jobs from western countries. It's not like we can *all* be fast food cooks.
It's not too spectacular, if you ask me.
It reminds me of TurboGopher on the Mac, circa late 1990s. If you ever want a good laugh, track down a Mac and this app for some high-tech VR Gopher browsing. You can even jump around.
An EMP bomb is not a handheld weapon.
In any case, I'll believe it when I see it. Popular Mechanics is always reporting technological breakthroughs that are always allegedly just around the corner. I rarely see them materialize.
I guess this place [defcon.org] counts as a parallel universe?
Maybe if you provided a link to a page on that site that actually mentioned EMP weapons I could provide a balanced opinion on it.
Hackers and computer dorks have loved the idea of portable EMP weapons for as long as I can remember. They're like a holy grail for technophiles. They show up all over the place in entertainment targeted at us - The Matrix, Cryptonomicon, et cetera.
That doesn't mean that anyone in the real world has an operational model.
IMO they're kind of modern-day equivalent of "if only I could cast Magic Missile in *real life*!" Although of course since you *can* create an EM pulse with a nuclear weapon they're a little more realistic.
you could get a handheld emp gun and zap their entire store rendering all their rfid tags useless.
This assumes the ability to travel to a parallel universe or future time where handheld EMP guns actually exist.
it will come down to who has the bigger board with bigger nail.
IMO it's more like who has the board with the big nail and who has the supernova-inducing solar system destroyer.
The chances of an alien race developing at about the same time as us (thereby giving them technology that's only a bit better than ours) are essentially nonexistent. Aliens are most likely to either be way behind us or way ahead of us.
On MS OSes, having some sort of feature to disallow exceedingly weak passwords wouldn't be too hard to implement and could do a lot for the security of the system . . .
It's already there:
Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy -> Account Policies -> Password Policy -> Take your pick
Now, it would make sense to turn these options up high... for advanced users. The average home user would freak out if they had to deal with this kind of complexity, and not buy 2k/XP/whatever. Or they'd forget the admin password and have to reinstall Windows, and not buy the next version.
It's always important to remember that most computer users are not anywhere near as technical as the vast majority of people who read sites like Slashdot.
that required the VGS adapter, which was an entire 2600 on a chip
Actually, it didn't. The 7800 is fully 2600 compatible with no add-ons. You might be thinking of the 5200, the Colecovision, or the Intellivision, which all had 2600 adapters like you describe.
Just because they have 25 million owners doesn't mean none of us want some upgraded technology for our spoiled lifestyles.
They're up to 50 million now =).
Now what percentage of those 50 million have HDTVs or are going to buy them in the next two years? I bet with the US economy in its current state, the answer is "not enough to matter."
Anyhow, I disagree with your assertion that consoles always outstrip the current offerings of computers.
Except for screen resolution, IMO the original poster is totally correct. PC game makers have to assume that most of their customers are not going to be using high-end hardware.
I play both types of games, and I see all kinds of visual effects in games like Steel Battalion that aren't on the PC.
The cost factor is also important - a PS2 is $200. Are you going to be able to play something with the same visual quality as Devil May Cry on a $200 PC? No.
Must you accept that for every copy of software sold that two will be pirated?
Draconian copy proiection does nothing to solve this - it just punishes legitimate users.
If you don't believe me, try going on Overnet (or eDonkey, Kazaa, etc.) and search for "turbo tax." I just turned up 13 hits for the full program, and about 60 hits for cracks for it.
Software companies learned back in the 80s that extreme copy protection just drives buyers away. That's why games don't come with those ridiculous code wheels and text-lookups-in-the-instruction-manual protection schemes any more.
I say sue 'em and sue 'em good.
Yeah, that's great. Make everyone equal by stopping non-disabled people from doing something they like.
Do you think swimming pool owners should be sued if they don't provide flotation devices for wheelchairs too?
I'm almost to the end of Metroid Prime.
I think it captures the design and mechanics of the others in the series well, but I agree that it doesn't go in enough of its own directions. When I found the crashed frigate, I immediately thought "hey, am I playing a new game or a remake of Super Metroid?"
I also *really* wish that they'd spent some of the obviously high production budget on some better writing. For a game with literally no spoken dialogue, the written text that explains what's going on is kind of weak IMO. Maybe leaving it out entirely would have been best.
OTOH, it *is* a lot of fun to play, other than not having a way to turn down the difficulty of the bosses.
So I assume these videos are rated R by the MPAA? Maybe their testers are encouraged to bottle up their true feelings, but if *I* were starring in one it would be the dorky game equivalent of King of New York.
I also like the cartridge idea, since it reduces scratches and other potential damage. In fact, the lack of a cartridge was one of the biggest complaints about DVD.
That is really excellent news. I'm surprised I hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere else until now.
The lack of a protective cart for the disc is my only complaint about DVDs. I care more about that than the upgraded video quality, since I can't afford a display that will make it noticeable anyway.
I've had too many DVDs come loose inside the packaging while getting shipped to me, and I hate having to treat them like some kind of ancient irreplaceable artifact in between the case and the tray.
IMO, this is kind of misleading.
The way my geology professor put it was this:
Using statistics, it's possible to predict that - for example - next year around X number of people will die in highway accidents in Washington State. However, that doesn't mean that it's possible to predict exactly when and where those accidents will take place. Sometimes X will be higher, and sometimes lower, depending on other variables.
Similarly, it's possible to build up statistics about the average frequency of earthquakes for a given area. This will give you data like "there is generally a large-scale earthquake in the Seattle area once every 50 years." This doesn't mean that there is guaranteed to be an earthquake every 50 years, or even every 40-60.
Part of the reason that earthquakes are so unpredictable is that (contrary to popular belief) they aren't caused by a long-term build up of pressure along the fault line. They happen when the plates suddenly catch on each other, then break free.
As much as I dislike the console pirating scene, this is a really bad turn of events.
I have my PS2 chipped, and I'm going to do the same to my XBox. Not so I can pirate games, but so I can play imports, access savegame files on the hard drive, and so on. If I *can't* add that capability to a console with a mod chip, I'm much less likely to buy them in the first place.
It's an oversized mess with lousy games and decent graphics
Two words: Steel Battalion.
Of course, if you think the XBox is oversized, you probably couldn't stand the custom controller =).