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User: ByteMangler_242

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  1. Xbox should have been named "Wii" on Nintendo Revolution Renamed 'Wii' · · Score: 1

    >>>Shareholders will eventually get upset with all the money being pissed away.

    So it should have been named the Xbox Wii?
    I think the shareholders will agree...

  2. Use ZoneAlarm before connecting on How Long is Too Long to Update? · · Score: 1

    1) Use a different computer
    2) go to http://www.zonelabs.com/
    3) resist the many links to ZoneAlarm Pro that you will be offered
    4) Get standard ZoneAlarm which is free
    5) Burn installer to CD or use USB stick to transfer to laptop
    6) Install on laptop
    7) Connect to web, and be paranoid about what you allow to connect, Deny most everything, but do not choose "always do this".
    8) If something vital fails to work, it needed the Internet. Since you did not check "always do this", you can do the same thing again and be asked again about connecting. Let it through this time.
    9) Download your updates with relative security.

    Works for me anyway, the one time I skipped ZoneAlarm before connecting, I got a OS dialog informing me my "registry was corrupt" and they could fix it if only I visited their site. This was XP SP1 and about 12 minutes online while I was downloading patches from M$...

    PS - Thanks for your service. You fought for me, the least I can do is help you fight spyware and other digital nastiness...

  3. Re:Just call it Firefox X on Firefox 1.1 Scrapped · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but each major revision after must be only a 0.1 update. You could just release the new version about once a year, add 0.1 to the version number, and charge $129...

    Oooops, wrong software company, Firefox is free.
    To the zelots which will flame me, this post was made with Firefox on mac os 1.4, so I am a sucker for apple updates. They're so shiny...

  4. Re:at what point will free cost money? on Firefox 1.1 Scrapped · · Score: 1

    Build in a Bittorrent client which activates when you click the "download latest version" warning page any time a new version is released. This is similar to Azureus's update mechanism.
    Have those on broadband support the cause. Hey, you could even stop the torrent engine when the user is present, so it only slows it down when idle. Stop seeding when say 10x upload is achieved.

  5. ^^ MOD THIS UP ^^ on U.N. To Govern Internet? · · Score: 1

    [include mod_point_excuse]

    Most of the world does not share our love of freedom of speech. Bash the US all you want, just remember that you can feel free to bash it precisely because of the first amendment. A value the UN sorely lacks

  6. China would get a vote on U.N. To Govern Internet? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think we need to remember that the internet, although global, has many freedom based goals inherent to it. Just remember, /.s favorite internet blocking country China would now have a say in the final product. If that idea fails to scare you, then I can't reach you.

    Call us cowboys, but a lot of the world doesn't want our freedoms, and would be more than happy to stop them for all of us. I don't think the spirit of the internet could survive a bunch of unelected corrupt dictators setting the rules.

  7. Switching - Why I quit on Back and Forth Between Qwerty and Dvorak? · · Score: 1

    I took a keyboard and switched the keys around, learned to switch layouts in Mac OS X (web designer/developer).
    Positives-It does really cut back on strain, it feels like you never need to leave home row almost, and the reduced movement makes for less wrist stress. Great for typing english words Why I quit - Most of my interaction with the keyboard is not to type english. The brackets keys are even MORE inconvienent, bad if you are doing PHP or other lang. which uses them a fair bit. I also use the command shortcuts quite often, and they are no longer placed so that the most used ones are under your left hand (command z, x,c,v), so you have to take your hand off the mouse more, slowing me down.
    I got to thinking about re-maping the keys back to QWERTY when command is down, then realized I type so litte actual english, I gave up and stayed with QWERTY.

    I know you did not metion this, but do you game often, esp. First Person Shooters? My wrists hurt the big one for a month after I get addicted to a new shooter. I have to play in moderation now. :( Althogh switching to a tablet (Wacom) can help that if you need an alternative input, unless you are a vi user, in which case you have been shaking your head at my GUI -based mouse here, click there foolishness all along...

  8. BizRate.com on Shopping Online · · Score: 1

    I like meta-site BizRate.com, since the customer ratings and predicted shipping cost will assure I get a good price and customer service. It lets you quantify the experience along with price. Froogle is great, but is a disorganized mess, no ranking system and no idea what shipping will be.

  9. Re:how could they stop it? on Apple May be Intel Show Pony · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Off the top of my head, Apple will use some propritary chip on their motherboard, and an OS hook to check for it. Use the DMCA to prevent reverse-engineering it, cease - and - desist any website posting it. Bittorent will keep it alive, but the illegality under the DMCA and non-joe sixpack nature of the install will keep it relatively underground for quite a while. Apple will fight back with breaking compatability with each x.0.1 update, much like iTunes and DVD-Jon (fairtunes?)

    If you read ./, the above won't stop you anyway.

  10. Re:What!? on MS Unveils Beta of New Image Editing Program · · Score: 1

    Well, it is good for being able to run in 640K. It's enough for anybody, you know...

  11. Re:32 bit or 64? on Apple Switching to Intel · · Score: 1

    Warning: Post contains rampant speculation, but that should get me modded up on ./ :)

    I was a bit suprised about the 32 bit chip, but it makes sense to me. Apple has invested a lot of work into making xcode work well for compiling with Intel chips, a long term project, most likely begun before 64 bit was fully mature. I would not be surprised if we see 64 bit in xcode in short order.

  12. Try Irate radio on Portable Internet Radio to take on XM? · · Score: 1

    I think you need to check out Irate radio, it's similar to your idea. If you had a portable that ran Java and had WiFi, this would be your idea, for the most part. It might not gracefully recover if you changed wireless hotspots, lost connection, etc.

    It's a great alternative to streaming if you have a high latency connection, since you keep your downloads, and the client plays only songs that have finished downloading. Note that the artists will be unknowns 99.9% of the time, due to the licensing issues.

    Best of all, it tries to learn from your preferences and download music you would like.

  13. Re:ahem on Apple and MS Battle For Desktop Search Supremacy · · Score: 1

    That's never works
    My 35 y.o. unmarried sister-in-law claims that will always fail.

  14. Re:Good thing... on Best Buy Has Man Arrested for Using $2 Bills · · Score: 1

    No,
    the cashier would take it and say "That's still $1.75 you owe me..."

    When I was a cashier, more than once I was handed a Susan B. Anthony dollar as a quarter. When you are a starving college student, a $.75 tip for replacing it with one of your quarters can be quite nice.

    Don't get me into the funny looks I got when I had to spend the 7 new gold dollar coins the one time I made the mistake of buying stamps from the post office machine in their lobby. I think most of them I kept for collector's items rather than face the Nth degree like the best buy chap.

  15. Do you know her username? on GTA3 and Vice City now Online Multiplayer · · Score: 1

    If so, I could get behind this. Too bad it would only be a game...

  16. Re:Live, with a webcam? on Fun With Transparent Screen Backgrounds · · Score: 2, Funny

    Quoth: You smoke marijuana, don't you?

    Mod -1, redundant
    Yes, an earlier thread already confirmed this is a Mac thing. :)

  17. It's available! on New Photoshop Details Leaked · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't worry, there will be a new "Enhance" menu. It will have sub-items "zoom in on that", "Can you see what's behind that", "What is that a reflection?" and "Clear that up". These commands only work if someone is looking over your shoulder, never alone. It has been rumored that there will be a "run through APHIS" command, but this may be disabled in the consumer edition. Myself, I would rather add "Undo stupid changes" to Edit, but that's just me.

  18. FireWire target disk mode explained on Forbes Predicts 5% Desktop Share for Apple in 2005 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Apple has this wonderful mode you can use your mac in called FireWire target disk mode. Simply start up the machine while holding down the T key and your mac's internal hard drive(s) become firewire disks. Essentially your mac becomes a very expensive firewire enclosure. Has saved me much time backing up, makes me love my Powerbook like the child I'll never have :)

  19. Re:CSS2 or Fight! on IE7 Details Emerge · · Score: 1

    After the cat is kidnaped, mail bits of the cat back on the hour, every hour. Show them we are not to be trifled with!
    My first idea was to send a crack suicide squad, but this sounds better. I hope nobody has beaten us to the idea...

  20. Re:Patents on Stem Cells Cultivated Free of Animal Contaminants · · Score: 1

    ...be prepared to pay an arm and a leg.

    Yeah, but with stem cells, you can afford it. Just grow a new arm and leg later. It's like a payment plan!

  21. Re:sell space station on eBay on Astronauts Face Bleak Odds For Spaceflight · · Score: 1

    Great, now online casinos will move into space gambling too.

    New gameplan:
    1) Spraypaint ISS exterior with GoldenPalace.com
    2) Move virgin Mary grilled cheese to space station, just in case earth gets destroyed. Must protect investment!
    3) Bring lots of food too. Must not let scientists eat grilled cheese in desperate hunger.
    4) Spread rumor about #3 anyway, it's sure to make headlines like all this other stuff!
    5) Profit!!!

  22. Poor search engine placement too... on Flash Developers Fear Spectre of Spyware · · Score: 2, Informative

    Not only are the blind not seeing your flash site, (well, hearing via screen reader, and yes, there are some workarounds) but search engine bots are skipping it too. Text in a webpage automatically gets included, Flash content and everything it links to is a black hole, the spidering stops. This means your site is irrelevent in search engine results, and you don't contribute to the web in a meaningful way. Add a 10% chance your viewer needs the plugin and will never return, a higher development cost, and a "broken" back button (last html page, not last flash screen) and I rarely recommend the use of Flash, and never for textual information sites.

  23. Re:What? on Face Recognition Comes to Cameraphones · · Score: 1

    I think Paris Hilton will disagree with you. Or at least those in her phonebook.

    Now that I think about it, Paris is the ultimate user for this. Too vapid to remember a keycode, but still possibly smart enough to point the camera at herself before using it. Why can't I come up with this first! I was so close to...
    3. Profit!!!!

  24. Re:Not sure I buy all of these arguments... on In Which OS Do You Feel More Productive? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Mac OS X is made for graphics pros first and foremost. We recognize things by sight. I look for icons first, then read second. Windows icons are not as clear, forcing me to read the text labels. Think of the Dock. No text labels, unless you roll over the icon.

    On a related pet peeve, Windows dialog boxes all have a "yes" and "no" button, whereas Mac guidelines say to use verbs in buttons, such as "save" and "Don't save". You never need to read Mac dialog box text, but you are forced to in Windows. The yes/no makes no sense until you read "Do you wish to save?"

    I am literate, I do multiple platforms, but I just hate taking more of my time than needed.

  25. Use QT for MPG on Video Formats for non-Windows Users? · · Score: 3, Informative

    I would go with QuickTime created .mp4 files. They have excellent quality for the file size, play well in QuickTime, and can be viewed in VLC on most platforms if you object to the QuickTime player. Or don't have it, in the case of Linux. The size/quality is better in my estimation than the DivX codec.
    YMMV, but I do know that this will work multi-platform.