If gun ownership in a society is as ubiquitous as in the United States then the police necessarily have to be at least as well armed and trained in military tactics.
Gun ownership is protected by law. And that is all the more reason that the police should behave in a calm and civil manner; they are creating the problem they fear by behaving like violent criminals themselves. "I have to to home at night" will never be an excuse for breaking into someone else's home and creating situations where people get murdered (and the murderers get off being put behind a desk, rather than behind bars).
If they get a warrant describing the specific place or persons to be searched, knock, and calmly identify themselves and their purpose before drawing arms (as they are expected to), they have nothing to fear from normal citizens.
As to the cases where there is genuine risk from armed criminals involved (which remains the case regardless of the legality of arms), well, quite frankly they were aware of that risk when they signed up. If they are not willing exercise more due diligence first or put their lives on the line to protect and serve, then they should find another line of work.
It strikes me as not unlikely, given the vehemence of their patent defense thus far, that they may deal with that 'problem' by reformulating Roundup itself so it kills the old variety but not the new one.
It seems just a little bit comical that someone whose livelihood lies in obtaining as much information as possible about people for profit is complaining about individuals having the ability to spy on others.
BTW - don't blame the application because every full screen application appears to be mishandled in that way.
All that requires is that the developers implement a borderless display-sized window option (aka fullscreen windowed or fullwindowed), which about half of them already do. I use this whenever available for reasons very similar to what you describe.
Windowed 3D apps will happily switch just like normal app windows do. As I understand it (I only develop business apps personally), Windows/DirectX full screen mode involves an enormous amount of additional resource management when relinquishing and re-assuming exclusive display control, and that's where the problems tend to occur.
I graduated in 2004 with an Electrical Engineering degree. The total I had in student loans was $0. (zero) Co-op paid for most of my expenses. Courses were about $400, six per term, a total of $2400 per semester. (I know, holy shit, right?) Books were the typical ass-rape, but in the non-lubed Canadian version. (A couple of books were $120, lots at $80, I eventually just gave 'em all away.) I was not living with my parents, and rent was about $500 a month.
If one has the sense to get a marketable degree from a state university in the US (as opposed to paying out the nose for a big name or a useless arts degree), the costs are pretty comparable here. And if you're single, employed, and actually competent at finances, that's actually affordable out-of-pocket as you go. Even if you can't get full-time work while in university, that's still in the neighborhood of only $30k for the whole degree (you'd have to pay housing regardless), so you could certainly put a big dent in that before graduation.
Did it myself--took two years of college on partial scholarship, then paid off the rest on my crap part time wage and found a full time job, took two years of university paying most of it as I went (could have done it all out of pocket but I opted to keep some savings back instead), then got a proper job in my field of study. A few months later (once I was able to do so without taking my savings lower than I was comfortable with), I paid off what little loans I did choose to take in a couple of lumps and was done with it.
It's mostly a matter of actually thinking ahead and learning to delay gratification. Both things that seem to be considered vices these days.
Interestingly, the other games I am more satisfied with are the Supreme Commander titles which are by Gas Powered games who provided the engine (at least) for Demigod.
GPG developed the entire game. Stardock published it and provided the Impulse Reactor overlay and the matchmaking/NAT-Traversal functions (via licensed code from RakNet initially, much of which has been replaced in the weeks since release). Once the NAT-T servers have connected the players together, they hand off to GPG's netcode for the actual gameplay.
People who bought Demigod at retail can actually return the game directly to Stardock, and we'll eat the difference. So yes, it really is that cut and dry;)
I should add that unresolved support/technical issues regarding GPG's previous work are related to their being limited by THQ's patch policies. That won't be an issue with Demigod.
Ack, thought this was a reply to my other comment about Impulse. Still, Chris Taylor is on board with the GBOR stuff as well. I'm not sure what you've got against GPG the company (not the same as the GPGnet app), but if you care to elaborate it may turn out to be something already addressed, or soon to be.
Their games require you to run "Impulse", and the "Impulse Dock"...
No, they don't. Impulse is used to get updates, but it isn't required to keep it running. In fact you can uninstall it after updating/downloading, and the games won't care one bit.
It's not. The beta policy is in reference to our preorder betas; preorder a major product (games generally) and you get beta access and the opportunity to give feedback to steer development.
Outside of a preorder, that exception is moot. If you bought a released product, then the standard policy applies, period. No "oh hey, try this beta patch, but if you do can't get a refund" bull as at AP's former employer. We don't like stupid gimmicks like that any more than you do.
I think he should offer refunds if you "don't like it", but your logic doesn't support anything.
We do. It's just that in that case, since it's your fault for not playing the demo first, etc., rather than any fault of ours, you're only going to get 75% back. Still, that's a heck of a lot better than the 0% you'll get elsewhere.
And yeah, even without DRM. If someone wanted pirated the stuff, they'd just download it anyway. Allowing refunds or not isn't going to make a difference with those people, but it does give the honest folks some peace of mind, and make them more willing to buy.
We've offered to buy back *retail* copies of Political Machine 2008 if it didn't run on someone's machine, since it was released early this summer.
Got an issue with a direct-download game that's keeping you from playing it and support can't get you fixed up? Full refund. Yes, that's right, a refund on a download, and you've got three months to figure out if you need one. That part's not a new policy at all.
That there is right #1, already in action well before the gamer's bill of rights was announced.
Because translations are frequently paid for by (and as a result owned by) the regional distributor.
Unless the developer or home-region publisher specifically gets rights to take back the translations (and distributors are generally not eager to do that), or pays to have them done themselves, they can't distribute them.
Indeed, Stardock's system has most all of the benefits of Steam, with a lot fewer drawbacks. Particularly, one-time activation upon install (or first update of a retail copy). After that, you don't need internet or even SDC installed on the machine. You just play the games and that's it.
If the closet is adjacent to a bathroom, you can do what a friend of mine did--cut a hole in the wall and pipe the exhaust heat from the closet server into the hollow area behind/beneath the shower/bathtub. Not only does his server stay nice and cool, but his wife never complains about a cold bathtub again!
How exactly is this new? I've been using a fixed wireless ISP for well over a year now, and they've been in the area for at least two or three years before I started. Right now, I'm at 12km+ range from the main antenna and getting speeds comparable to local DSL at moderate range from a switch.
Unless this new system is *dramatically* faster than what I've got now (Motorola Canopy), there's really no point.
Oh really? Would YOU believe that someone... who replies to your question with a generic response that seems to be only a way to wriggle out of the question, was a human?
This article sounds like its stretching the truth. How can a couple of chips make an air conditioner last 20 to 30 years longer, and make it not use Freon (R12)
A Peltier device, when supplied electricity, transfers heat from one surface to the other. As such, there is no need for coolant, compressors, or any of that. They are solid state devices, and as such *should* last longer than anything with moving parts.
All you really need to build an A/C yourself is a few peltiers, a couple of fans, and some heatsinks to improve heat conduction to/from the peltiers.
Why wait for code updates to block new types of popups? Just get Adblock and use it to block any offending scripts for 100% impenetrable popup-blocking, now and forever.
Slashdot Mirror
If gun ownership in a society is as ubiquitous as in the United States then the police necessarily have to be at least as well armed and trained in military tactics.
Gun ownership is protected by law. And that is all the more reason that the police should behave in a calm and civil manner; they are creating the problem they fear by behaving like violent criminals themselves. "I have to to home at night" will never be an excuse for breaking into someone else's home and creating situations where people get murdered (and the murderers get off being put behind a desk, rather than behind bars).
If they get a warrant describing the specific place or persons to be searched, knock, and calmly identify themselves and their purpose before drawing arms (as they are expected to), they have nothing to fear from normal citizens.
As to the cases where there is genuine risk from armed criminals involved (which remains the case regardless of the legality of arms), well, quite frankly they were aware of that risk when they signed up. If they are not willing exercise more due diligence first or put their lives on the line to protect and serve, then they should find another line of work.
It strikes me as not unlikely, given the vehemence of their patent defense thus far, that they may deal with that 'problem' by reformulating Roundup itself so it kills the old variety but not the new one.
It seems just a little bit comical that someone whose livelihood lies in obtaining as much information as possible about people for profit is complaining about individuals having the ability to spy on others.
All that requires is that the developers implement a borderless display-sized window option (aka fullscreen windowed or fullwindowed), which about half of them already do. I use this whenever available for reasons very similar to what you describe.
Windowed 3D apps will happily switch just like normal app windows do. As I understand it (I only develop business apps personally), Windows/DirectX full screen mode involves an enormous amount of additional resource management when relinquishing and re-assuming exclusive display control, and that's where the problems tend to occur.
If one has the sense to get a marketable degree from a state university in the US (as opposed to paying out the nose for a big name or a useless arts degree), the costs are pretty comparable here. And if you're single, employed, and actually competent at finances, that's actually affordable out-of-pocket as you go. Even if you can't get full-time work while in university, that's still in the neighborhood of only $30k for the whole degree (you'd have to pay housing regardless), so you could certainly put a big dent in that before graduation.
Did it myself--took two years of college on partial scholarship, then paid off the rest on my crap part time wage and found a full time job, took two years of university paying most of it as I went (could have done it all out of pocket but I opted to keep some savings back instead), then got a proper job in my field of study. A few months later (once I was able to do so without taking my savings lower than I was comfortable with), I paid off what little loans I did choose to take in a couple of lumps and was done with it.
It's mostly a matter of actually thinking ahead and learning to delay gratification. Both things that seem to be considered vices these days.
Interestingly, the other games I am more satisfied with are the Supreme Commander titles which are by Gas Powered games who provided the engine (at least) for Demigod.
GPG developed the entire game. Stardock published it and provided the Impulse Reactor overlay and the matchmaking/NAT-Traversal functions (via licensed code from RakNet initially, much of which has been replaced in the weeks since release). Once the NAT-T servers have connected the players together, they hand off to GPG's netcode for the actual gameplay.
People who bought Demigod at retail can actually return the game directly to Stardock, and we'll eat the difference. So yes, it really is that cut and dry ;)
I should add that unresolved support/technical issues regarding GPG's previous work are related to their being limited by THQ's patch policies. That won't be an issue with Demigod.
Ack, thought this was a reply to my other comment about Impulse. Still, Chris Taylor is on board with the GBOR stuff as well. I'm not sure what you've got against GPG the company (not the same as the GPGnet app), but if you care to elaborate it may turn out to be something already addressed, or soon to be.
We're not using GPGnet for Demigod either.
The problem is that they're making a game with GPG that afaik will work on GPGnet.
Demigod won't be using GPGnet.
Their games require you to run "Impulse", and the "Impulse Dock"...
No, they don't. Impulse is used to get updates, but it isn't required to keep it running. In fact you can uninstall it after updating/downloading, and the games won't care one bit.
It's not. The beta policy is in reference to our preorder betas; preorder a major product (games generally) and you get beta access and the opportunity to give feedback to steer development.
Outside of a preorder, that exception is moot. If you bought a released product, then the standard policy applies, period. No "oh hey, try this beta patch, but if you do can't get a refund" bull as at AP's former employer. We don't like stupid gimmicks like that any more than you do.
I think he should offer refunds if you "don't like it", but your logic doesn't support anything.
We do. It's just that in that case, since it's your fault for not playing the demo first, etc., rather than any fault of ours, you're only going to get 75% back. Still, that's a heck of a lot better than the 0% you'll get elsewhere.
And yeah, even without DRM. If someone wanted pirated the stuff, they'd just download it anyway. Allowing refunds or not isn't going to make a difference with those people, but it does give the honest folks some peace of mind, and make them more willing to buy.
Where are you getting that from?
We've offered to buy back *retail* copies of Political Machine 2008 if it didn't run on someone's machine, since it was released early this summer.
Got an issue with a direct-download game that's keeping you from playing it and support can't get you fixed up? Full refund. Yes, that's right, a refund on a download, and you've got three months to figure out if you need one. That part's not a new policy at all.
That there is right #1, already in action well before the gamer's bill of rights was announced.
Because translations are frequently paid for by (and as a result owned by) the regional distributor.
Unless the developer or home-region publisher specifically gets rights to take back the translations (and distributors are generally not eager to do that), or pays to have them done themselves, they can't distribute them.
Indeed, Stardock's system has most all of the benefits of Steam, with a lot fewer drawbacks. Particularly, one-time activation upon install (or first update of a retail copy). After that, you don't need internet or even SDC installed on the machine. You just play the games and that's it.
Sony is indeed involved--SecuROM (the protection Bioshock uses) is made by a Sony division.
If the closet is adjacent to a bathroom, you can do what a friend of mine did--cut a hole in the wall and pipe the exhaust heat from the closet server into the hollow area behind/beneath the shower/bathtub. Not only does his server stay nice and cool, but his wife never complains about a cold bathtub again!
How exactly is this new? I've been using a fixed wireless ISP for well over a year now, and they've been in the area for at least two or three years before I started. Right now, I'm at 12km+ range from the main antenna and getting speeds comparable to local DSL at moderate range from a switch.
Unless this new system is *dramatically* faster than what I've got now (Motorola Canopy), there's really no point.
Oh really? Would YOU believe that someone... who replies to your question with a generic response that seems to be only a way to wriggle out of the question, was a human?
No, I'd believe they're a politician.
This article sounds like its stretching the truth. How can a couple of chips make an air conditioner last 20 to 30 years longer, and make it not use Freon (R12)
A Peltier device, when supplied electricity, transfers heat from one surface to the other. As such, there is no need for coolant, compressors, or any of that. They are solid state devices, and as such *should* last longer than anything with moving parts.
All you really need to build an A/C yourself is a few peltiers, a couple of fans, and some heatsinks to improve heat conduction to/from the peltiers.
http://proxify.com/ is pretty decent, but they often restrict free access during peak usage times.
Why wait for code updates to block new types of popups? Just get Adblock and use it to block any offending scripts for 100% impenetrable popup-blocking, now and forever.
Spawning has not been supported since Starcraft, and even then, a spawned copy does not require a disc to run.