The MUD I still play was where Brad McQuaid played before he created EverQuest. He used a lot of content from it in EQ. Fortunately, the MUD was mentioned in at least two published books and a published interview with Brad, so it's got citations enough to stay alive. I'm just wondering what other MUDs out there don't have such citations, but still have the history. Where did the EQ devs play?
Interestingly, Windows 7 asked me to upload this file along with a couple others for further analysis by Microsoft. Perhaps Windows Defender flagged it as well.
Maybe they're also counting machines with intellectual property thefted (so much easier to say 'pirated..') XP on them. I've definitely heard of lots of people buying these little machines and then throwing on the "free" version of XP...
My brother, who isn't very tech savvy, came to me and asked me to build him a new computer for his birthday. I spec'd it out from component parts and managed to keep it all inside his price range. Then I spent about 3 weeks debating between Windows XP and Windows Vista. I eventually sided with Vista Home Premium OEM, for a few primary reasons.
1) He's a gamer. Like it or not, DirectX 10 is only available on Vista. This gives him the ability to play newer games with more 'flashy' graphics - and yes, when it comes to game, looks matter quite a bit.
2) The price was not significantly different. We needed to stay inside the budget, and if we're going to spend the same amount of cash on an OS, then it might as well be the one that's going to be around longer, to prolong the life of the machine (by the time the hardware needs upgrading, the OS will too).
3) Media Center features and other eye candy. Vista looks nice. This is universally agreed upon. And so long as you don't use the built-in applications (Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, etc), everything works and functions very well. Yes, you can use the alternatives on other platforms as well, but the full effect won't be there.
4) Security. XP has been hacked all to the nine hells by now. He generally knows not to click stuff and just install it, but he does partake of some of the seedier things the internet has to offer, so it's always best to be on something more secure that can play all his games, even if it's only a little more secure.
5) He really doesn't care. He is Average Joe. He hasn't had a single complaint since I set it up, other than his rear speakers not working, and after 30 minutes of research, I got that fixed. All his peripherals work. All his games work. All the videos and music and whatever else he wants to do, he hasn't had an issue with.
In the end, you have to decide on the right tool for the right job. At home, I use a MacBook for my laptop, a refurb $250 Dell with Debian as my server, a custom-built XP Pro rig for my desktop that also dual-boots Ubuntu. Sometimes, Vista is the right answer.
People are already trying to solve this problem. They're working to create Friendly AI, not through technology, but through definition of the human brain and our thought processes. Check out some of their work at: http://www.singinst.org/
If they succeed, they hope to create a Singularity, a point at which we have no ability to predict what lay beyond, sheerly due to the intelligences involved.
I had a legal copy of Trillian installed, and it crashes every time I try to load the new v3.0:( Very unhappy, especially considered I paid for the damn thing when there are plenty of free clients around.
Volunteer work might not pay as much, but it does give you experience, and usually has very flexible hours. Over 90 million people are volunteers of some sort or another, and every organization can use extra hands, if they're from a skilled and intelligent person. Offer to write something for a few small local places, get in touch with volunteer groups in your area (there's usually a listing of organizations), and suddenly you have a work history, instead of paying for all that hardware and tinkering at home yourself.
Having recently been hired into the IT industry straight out of college, I can say that it wasn't my programming skills that got me the job, even though I'm excellent at that.
During the interview, they asked me all the languages I knew. Then they asked me which one I liked most, and why. I said PHP, because it's web integrated, high level, and easy to link to backend databases. Then they asked me which one I disliked most, and why. I said C++, because it's got all the "codey bits." I ended by saying, "It's more for a CS major," as if it was something I wouldn't do. They agreed.
Programming is the monotonous drudgework of the wave that's passing us by - Agriculture, Industry, and now Information. The next level is Knowledge. Understanding the processes, and linking it all together. We've just got to keep climbing the ladder faster than anyone else.
Slashdot Mirror
The MUD I still play was where Brad McQuaid played before he created EverQuest. He used a lot of content from it in EQ. Fortunately, the MUD was mentioned in at least two published books and a published interview with Brad, so it's got citations enough to stay alive. I'm just wondering what other MUDs out there don't have such citations, but still have the history. Where did the EQ devs play?
One way to keep her memories intact would be to have her cryonically preserved through the Alcor Life Extension Foundation or a similar organization.
The Unix philosophy is to name things as if you were throwing up? *UZBL* *wipes mouth*
Interestingly, Windows 7 asked me to upload this file along with a couple others for further analysis by Microsoft. Perhaps Windows Defender flagged it as well.
Maybe they're also counting machines with intellectual property thefted (so much easier to say 'pirated..') XP on them. I've definitely heard of lots of people buying these little machines and then throwing on the "free" version of XP...
I'd love to use VLC legally in the US, but that doesn't seem like it'll happen any time soon.
VLC FAQ
My brother, who isn't very tech savvy, came to me and asked me to build him a new computer for his birthday. I spec'd it out from component parts and managed to keep it all inside his price range. Then I spent about 3 weeks debating between Windows XP and Windows Vista. I eventually sided with Vista Home Premium OEM, for a few primary reasons.
1) He's a gamer. Like it or not, DirectX 10 is only available on Vista. This gives him the ability to play newer games with more 'flashy' graphics - and yes, when it comes to game, looks matter quite a bit.
2) The price was not significantly different. We needed to stay inside the budget, and if we're going to spend the same amount of cash on an OS, then it might as well be the one that's going to be around longer, to prolong the life of the machine (by the time the hardware needs upgrading, the OS will too).
3) Media Center features and other eye candy. Vista looks nice. This is universally agreed upon. And so long as you don't use the built-in applications (Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, etc), everything works and functions very well. Yes, you can use the alternatives on other platforms as well, but the full effect won't be there.
4) Security. XP has been hacked all to the nine hells by now. He generally knows not to click stuff and just install it, but he does partake of some of the seedier things the internet has to offer, so it's always best to be on something more secure that can play all his games, even if it's only a little more secure.
5) He really doesn't care. He is Average Joe. He hasn't had a single complaint since I set it up, other than his rear speakers not working, and after 30 minutes of research, I got that fixed. All his peripherals work. All his games work. All the videos and music and whatever else he wants to do, he hasn't had an issue with.
In the end, you have to decide on the right tool for the right job. At home, I use a MacBook for my laptop, a refurb $250 Dell with Debian as my server, a custom-built XP Pro rig for my desktop that also dual-boots Ubuntu. Sometimes, Vista is the right answer.
Sometimes the desire to do what's right gets in the way of doing what's practical.
People are already trying to solve this problem. They're working to create Friendly AI, not through technology, but through definition of the human brain and our thought processes. Check out some of their work at: http://www.singinst.org/
If they succeed, they hope to create a Singularity, a point at which we have no ability to predict what lay beyond, sheerly due to the intelligences involved.
I had a legal copy of Trillian installed, and it crashes every time I try to load the new v3.0 :( Very unhappy, especially considered I paid for the damn thing when there are plenty of free clients around.
Volunteer work might not pay as much, but it does give you experience, and usually has very flexible hours. Over 90 million people are volunteers of some sort or another, and every organization can use extra hands, if they're from a skilled and intelligent person. Offer to write something for a few small local places, get in touch with volunteer groups in your area (there's usually a listing of organizations), and suddenly you have a work history, instead of paying for all that hardware and tinkering at home yourself.
Having recently been hired into the IT industry straight out of college, I can say that it wasn't my programming skills that got me the job, even though I'm excellent at that. During the interview, they asked me all the languages I knew. Then they asked me which one I liked most, and why. I said PHP, because it's web integrated, high level, and easy to link to backend databases. Then they asked me which one I disliked most, and why. I said C++, because it's got all the "codey bits." I ended by saying, "It's more for a CS major," as if it was something I wouldn't do. They agreed. Programming is the monotonous drudgework of the wave that's passing us by - Agriculture, Industry, and now Information. The next level is Knowledge. Understanding the processes, and linking it all together. We've just got to keep climbing the ladder faster than anyone else.