I remember why I gave up computer programming. My TRS-80 Model III became obsolete, and being in 8th grade, I didn't have $4,000 for an IBM-PC.
While I got to the point where I was programming my own games in BASIC, none of them were ever up to the quality standards of commercial software (although they were fun, if I do say so myself.)
If there really is a decline in kids' interest in computer programming, I'd guess that it was because there are so many programs out there that already do most anything kids would want, and they're so easily accessible. Games, CD-rippers, instant messaging, P2P networks, and even just browsing the web. Computers today provide a smorgasbord of options for kids who are, more often than not, conditioned to expect instant gratification. Learning a programming language takes time and effort, and why would anyone want to do that if their efforts would be far lamer than what could be had on a whim?
Back in my day (geez...and I'm only 35), if we wanted a computer to do neat stuff, we had to tell it what to do. Or try to find some other nerd to swap floppies with.
I just think you're foolishly, deliberately obtuse.
It's funny how the "Blame America!" crowd decries our nation's attempts at influencing the attitudes and actions of other countries, yet somehow believes that the world will follow our lead if we declare space off limits to military weapons. Or worse, believes that we should deliberately weaken ourselves while we watch our enemies grow stronger.
Do you really think the Chinese don't want space-based weapons? Do you think that North Korea wouldn't deploy space-based weapons, were they to obtain the technology to do so? Don't you think that Iran would assert its right to place weapons in orbit?
War was not invented by Americans. Nor will it end when we are gone. It is a simple fact of our human condition. It has been throughout our history, it is in our present, and will be in our future.
Personally, I think America ought to have space-based weapons, sooner and in greater numbers than any other nation. Because I can't think of a better country to have the upper hand in influencing world affairs.
I've been paying for the Rush Limbaugh podcast since June 2005, and the Dr. Laura podcast since January of this year.
Yes, I RTFA, and I'm still not sure what makes this newsworthy. To answer some of the rhetorical questions, yes, it's just a matter of time before iTunes incorporates "pay for podcasts." If people like the content enough, they'll buy it. And if enough people like the content, it will end up on P2P networks, DRM be damned.
Once again, a coward (anonymous or otherwise) demands that freedom of speech take a back seat to multiculturalism.
The right to share one's thoughts and opinions is a HUMAN right. It is not exclusive to any race, nationality, religion, political party, social class or sex, and there is no power under Heaven which possesses the moral authority to deny it to anyone.
That oppression makes for a "more peaceful society" is no defense. That is the rationalization used to justify female genital mutilation, denying literacy to certain classes, apartheid, the caste system, book burning, heretic burning, witch burning, the imprisonment of political dissidents, the murder of people who wear eyeglasses, the Spanish inquisition and genocide, just to name a few.
And you call yourself "educated." I only hope that you are not "educated" enough to begin espousing the lobotomization of all citizens, except a select few to serve as their overlords.
Seriously. I've owned several, and none of them has lasted very long.
Solution? Buy a mid-priced one at Best Buy, along with the extended warranty. If you're likely to need it (and you likely will), the extended warranty is a bargain. My first two Sony MiniDV cams both failed just after a year. The Best Buy extended warranty will cover it for four years.
Yes, you will have to let them repair it if it breaks, which can take a couple of weeks. But the $200 you spend on the extended warranty is less than the $260 that Sony will charge you for a repair after the first year. Also, you may be able to get the manager to simply replace the product with a new model that sells for the original purchase price--especially if you have to bring the camcorder back more than once. As an added bonus, the extended warranty does cover the battery, should it need replacing.
Yeah, yeah. I know there are a lot of people who hate Best Buy. And yeah, for the most part, the extended warranties are a rip off. But I've found that for some reason, MiniDV cameras are extremely prone to breaking, and this is the best solution that I've found for the problem.
No, it's not because the corporate board of Wal-Mart are a bunch of prudes.
It's because the average Wal-Mart customer tends to be rather conservative, or live in communities which are. And while I know several conservative, even Christian, Wal-Mart customers who own dildoes, none of them really wants to broadcast to their friends, family, neighbors and church social groups that they've finally gotten their twelve-inch vibrating jelly dildo out of layaway, and are picking up extra D-cells and anal lube to go with it.
If people won't buy the item there, or if carrying the item will drive away more customers than it creates, then Wal-Mart won't carry it. This is why they no longer carry handguns--because it creates an image problem and does not create enough customers. It's also the same reason that Wal-Mart does not carry sex toys.
This is called critical thinking, and is something I wonder if you learned out of school =).
...then they'll make all New Jersey law enforcement officers use them.
The fact is, while some LEO talking heads will parrot the politically correct line that armed citizens should migrate towards "smart gun" technology, they will make no serious effort to apply the same regulations to their officers.
The officers who actually patrol the streets overwhelmingly oppose having to use this technology, simply because increasing the complexity of their weapons increases the likelihood of malfunction. And when you happen to need a gun, you really need it to work. You do not want to be fighting for your life with a piece of hardware running Windows Firearms Edition.
...And not just with computer games. Nearly anything I obsess over (and I tend to obsess very easily) begins to affect the way I think about unrelated activities. Especially when my obsession leads to sleep deprivation.
This first happened to me as a kid, when I discovered the Dragonlance books. For a while, I'd spend nearly every spare waking moment reading and re-reading them. It got to the point where I was having lucid dreams about the land of Krynn...and then lucid daydreams.
I lay this obsession aside when I got my first computer (a Trash 80 Model III) and a floppy disk containing BASIC. I began to obsess with programming, and began to code my own games. This time, when I began having lucid dreams, I actually started working out bits of code in my sleep, which I'd implement when I woke up. I also started to put everyday activities in the context of BASIC programming. (10 input "What do you want for breakfast?", x$; 20 if x$="cereal" goto 40 else goto 30; 30 print "We don't have that. Choose something else."; 35 goto 10...)
Years and several obsessions later, the same thing happened when I bought the game Civilization. My first session went 72 hours straight, and ended when my friend kicked me out of his house. After a couple of days of plotting game strategy in my sleep, I couldn't look at the landscape around me without evaluating its merits as a place to found a city ("Yes! Open land for farms, proximity to a water source, forests and mountains for resources, and existing roads for a good economy bonus!")
The thing that frustrates me about this whole obsession thing is that I can't choose to obsess over something (although I can choose to avoid things I know I'd obsess over--which is why I don't yet own Half-Life 2, or even Unreal Tournament 2004.) I only wish that I could find an obsession that would have some practical application in real life--my wife will only permit me to obsess if it results in a paycheck.
Fine, so it detects the sound. Minimize the volume of the sound, or change the profile of that sound, and the shot becomes less-likely to be detected. A suppressor would help in the former, but I'm not sure about the latter (any experts?).
These are exactly the functions of a firearm sound suppressor--to reduce the volume of the shot, and to make a gunshot not sound like a gunshot. When you add a suppressor to a firearm, you not only get a softer sound, you get a different sound altogether.
If this system is listening for "the entire sound pattern," I wonder how it differentiates between a gun being fired and, say, a car backfiring, or fireworks. There are many different kinds of guns out there, and they each can shoot many kinds of bullets. Each combination will have its own unique sound signature. These sound signatures can be further altered by many other factors--shooting through a cushion, a 2-liter soda bottle, or in contact with the victim.
It seems to me that because there are too many factors for it to identify specific gun shots, it would have to recognize a broader range of sound patterns, and thus could easily be spoofed.
Oh, incidentally, it's not necessarily illegal to own a suppressor. I believe they're legal to own in 32 states. I plan on getting one for my Walther P22, as soon as I run out of other toys to spend my money on.
Without some method of monitoring each car, this monorail will degenerate into an expensive, high tech billboard for gang advertising that moves vomit, used prophylactics and fast food wrappers around the city.
The only way to stop this from happening is to be able to remotely monitor all activity in each car, and divert vandals to the local police station, and have attendants with the authority to fine people who leave litter behind.
Perhaps those convicted of vandalism could be sentenced to time cleaning out soiled cars. But then, the janitor's unions would probably prevent this from happening.
The Four...No, FIVE, Rules of Gun Safety
on
Internet Hunting
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Rule 1: Treat every gun as if it were loaded, even if you know that it's not.
Rule 2: Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Rule 3: Never let the gun point at anything you aren't willing to shoot.
Rule 4: Always identify your target, and if possible, know what is behind it.
Rule 5: Always unplug the ethernet cable before going downrange.
Who says that Chinese satellite technology can't monitor individuals? If the resolution from geosynchronous orbit is insufficient, they can just move the satellites closer. I'd say this distance should be sufficient.
You mean the American government may be able to get manned craft into space as early as late next year.
Remember, Scaled Composites, a private American company, has just recently completed two manned flights into space. And through a partnership with Virgin Atlantic, they've already pre-booked quite a few future flights.
If you really want America to take a commanding lead in orbital work and space exploration, close NASA. Within 12 months, every one of their scientists and engineers will be re-employed in the private sector, at companies that will find better and cheaper ways to do what NASA is doing today.
I wasn't lucky enough to have the TRS-80 Color Computer. My first PC was the TRS-80 Model III.
I played my first 3-D game on it. It was called "Asylum", and was really more like an Infocom game, in that you had to type in commands to perform actions. Still, you moved around in a low-res monochrome environment, finding keys, solving puzzles, avoiding guards, etc.
...by pardoning everyone who is charged with violating it.
The odds of this happening, of course, are highly improbable. Unless you're a huge campaign contributor, of course, and judging by precedent, you may still have to wait until the last hours of the president's final term...
Slashdot Mirror
One's soul? Sure, it sounds like a high price to pay. But the moment you become willing to sell it, it loses all its value.
Looks like you'll be able to choose either, if he shows up in this game...
While I got to the point where I was programming my own games in BASIC, none of them were ever up to the quality standards of commercial software (although they were fun, if I do say so myself.)
If there really is a decline in kids' interest in computer programming, I'd guess that it was because there are so many programs out there that already do most anything kids would want, and they're so easily accessible. Games, CD-rippers, instant messaging, P2P networks, and even just browsing the web. Computers today provide a smorgasbord of options for kids who are, more often than not, conditioned to expect instant gratification. Learning a programming language takes time and effort, and why would anyone want to do that if their efforts would be far lamer than what could be had on a whim?
Back in my day (geez...and I'm only 35), if we wanted a computer to do neat stuff, we had to tell it what to do. Or try to find some other nerd to swap floppies with.
It's funny how the "Blame America!" crowd decries our nation's attempts at influencing the attitudes and actions of other countries, yet somehow believes that the world will follow our lead if we declare space off limits to military weapons. Or worse, believes that we should deliberately weaken ourselves while we watch our enemies grow stronger.
Do you really think the Chinese don't want space-based weapons? Do you think that North Korea wouldn't deploy space-based weapons, were they to obtain the technology to do so? Don't you think that Iran would assert its right to place weapons in orbit?
War was not invented by Americans. Nor will it end when we are gone. It is a simple fact of our human condition. It has been throughout our history, it is in our present, and will be in our future.
Personally, I think America ought to have space-based weapons, sooner and in greater numbers than any other nation. Because I can't think of a better country to have the upper hand in influencing world affairs.
Yes, I RTFA, and I'm still not sure what makes this newsworthy. To answer some of the rhetorical questions, yes, it's just a matter of time before iTunes incorporates "pay for podcasts." If people like the content enough, they'll buy it. And if enough people like the content, it will end up on P2P networks, DRM be damned.
You'll probably need to hack these to keep them from messing up your equipment. Now where did I put my Scotch tape...
...I told them that building had bad Feng Shui.
The right to share one's thoughts and opinions is a HUMAN right. It is not exclusive to any race, nationality, religion, political party, social class or sex, and there is no power under Heaven which possesses the moral authority to deny it to anyone.
That oppression makes for a "more peaceful society" is no defense. That is the rationalization used to justify female genital mutilation, denying literacy to certain classes, apartheid, the caste system, book burning, heretic burning, witch burning, the imprisonment of political dissidents, the murder of people who wear eyeglasses, the Spanish inquisition and genocide, just to name a few.
And you call yourself "educated." I only hope that you are not "educated" enough to begin espousing the lobotomization of all citizens, except a select few to serve as their overlords.
Solution? Buy a mid-priced one at Best Buy, along with the extended warranty. If you're likely to need it (and you likely will), the extended warranty is a bargain. My first two Sony MiniDV cams both failed just after a year. The Best Buy extended warranty will cover it for four years.
Yes, you will have to let them repair it if it breaks, which can take a couple of weeks. But the $200 you spend on the extended warranty is less than the $260 that Sony will charge you for a repair after the first year. Also, you may be able to get the manager to simply replace the product with a new model that sells for the original purchase price--especially if you have to bring the camcorder back more than once. As an added bonus, the extended warranty does cover the battery, should it need replacing.
Yeah, yeah. I know there are a lot of people who hate Best Buy. And yeah, for the most part, the extended warranties are a rip off. But I've found that for some reason, MiniDV cameras are extremely prone to breaking, and this is the best solution that I've found for the problem.
It's because the average Wal-Mart customer tends to be rather conservative, or live in communities which are. And while I know several conservative, even Christian, Wal-Mart customers who own dildoes, none of them really wants to broadcast to their friends, family, neighbors and church social groups that they've finally gotten their twelve-inch vibrating jelly dildo out of layaway, and are picking up extra D-cells and anal lube to go with it.
If people won't buy the item there, or if carrying the item will drive away more customers than it creates, then Wal-Mart won't carry it. This is why they no longer carry handguns--because it creates an image problem and does not create enough customers. It's also the same reason that Wal-Mart does not carry sex toys.
This is called critical thinking, and is something I wonder if you learned out of school =).
...Ban the display of the Confederate flag.
...ban pictures of guns.
... dissent on widely held scientific theories.
...write speech codes that severely penalize students for voicing their opinions.
...and a legion of similar examples.
If the American judiciary can't understand the First Amendment, how the hell are America's students supposed to?
No CD has a hole large enough.
Zap! Zap!
"Inform Lord Vader we have something that will look great on his lawn."
The fact is, while some LEO talking heads will parrot the politically correct line that armed citizens should migrate towards "smart gun" technology, they will make no serious effort to apply the same regulations to their officers.
The officers who actually patrol the streets overwhelmingly oppose having to use this technology, simply because increasing the complexity of their weapons increases the likelihood of malfunction. And when you happen to need a gun, you really need it to work. You do not want to be fighting for your life with a piece of hardware running Windows Firearms Edition.
This first happened to me as a kid, when I discovered the Dragonlance books. For a while, I'd spend nearly every spare waking moment reading and re-reading them. It got to the point where I was having lucid dreams about the land of Krynn...and then lucid daydreams.
I lay this obsession aside when I got my first computer (a Trash 80 Model III) and a floppy disk containing BASIC. I began to obsess with programming, and began to code my own games. This time, when I began having lucid dreams, I actually started working out bits of code in my sleep, which I'd implement when I woke up. I also started to put everyday activities in the context of BASIC programming. (10 input "What do you want for breakfast?", x$; 20 if x$="cereal" goto 40 else goto 30; 30 print "We don't have that. Choose something else."; 35 goto 10...)
Years and several obsessions later, the same thing happened when I bought the game Civilization. My first session went 72 hours straight, and ended when my friend kicked me out of his house. After a couple of days of plotting game strategy in my sleep, I couldn't look at the landscape around me without evaluating its merits as a place to found a city ("Yes! Open land for farms, proximity to a water source, forests and mountains for resources, and existing roads for a good economy bonus!")
The thing that frustrates me about this whole obsession thing is that I can't choose to obsess over something (although I can choose to avoid things I know I'd obsess over--which is why I don't yet own Half-Life 2, or even Unreal Tournament 2004.) I only wish that I could find an obsession that would have some practical application in real life--my wife will only permit me to obsess if it results in a paycheck.
These are exactly the functions of a firearm sound suppressor--to reduce the volume of the shot, and to make a gunshot not sound like a gunshot. When you add a suppressor to a firearm, you not only get a softer sound, you get a different sound altogether.
If this system is listening for "the entire sound pattern," I wonder how it differentiates between a gun being fired and, say, a car backfiring, or fireworks. There are many different kinds of guns out there, and they each can shoot many kinds of bullets. Each combination will have its own unique sound signature. These sound signatures can be further altered by many other factors--shooting through a cushion, a 2-liter soda bottle, or in contact with the victim.
It seems to me that because there are too many factors for it to identify specific gun shots, it would have to recognize a broader range of sound patterns, and thus could easily be spoofed.
Oh, incidentally, it's not necessarily illegal to own a suppressor. I believe they're legal to own in 32 states. I plan on getting one for my Walther P22, as soon as I run out of other toys to spend my money on.
Shh...not so loud! The military is probably planning to outsource the manufacture of these robots to China.
The only way to stop this from happening is to be able to remotely monitor all activity in each car, and divert vandals to the local police station, and have attendants with the authority to fine people who leave litter behind.
Perhaps those convicted of vandalism could be sentenced to time cleaning out soiled cars. But then, the janitor's unions would probably prevent this from happening.
Rule 2: Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Rule 3: Never let the gun point at anything you aren't willing to shoot.
Rule 4: Always identify your target, and if possible, know what is behind it.
Rule 5: Always unplug the ethernet cable before going downrange.
Who says that Chinese satellite technology can't monitor individuals? If the resolution from geosynchronous orbit is insufficient, they can just move the satellites closer. I'd say this distance should be sufficient.
Will consumers outside the American market protest the importation of genetically modified cocaine?
No, no. It's District of Columbia.
Remember, Scaled Composites, a private American company, has just recently completed two manned flights into space. And through a partnership with Virgin Atlantic, they've already pre-booked quite a few future flights.
If you really want America to take a commanding lead in orbital work and space exploration, close NASA. Within 12 months, every one of their scientists and engineers will be re-employed in the private sector, at companies that will find better and cheaper ways to do what NASA is doing today.
I played my first 3-D game on it. It was called "Asylum", and was really more like an Infocom game, in that you had to type in commands to perform actions. Still, you moved around in a low-res monochrome environment, finding keys, solving puzzles, avoiding guards, etc.
The odds of this happening, of course, are highly improbable. Unless you're a huge campaign contributor, of course, and judging by precedent, you may still have to wait until the last hours of the president's final term...