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User: adamofgreyskull

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Comments · 1,092

  1. Re:Eh on Inside the TRS-80 Model 100 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Only Schneier knows why the parent isn't modded funny. And He's not telling.

  2. Fixed it for you.... on Twitter Not Rocket Science, but Still a Work in Progress · · Score: 1, Funny

    "No offence to the people at Twitter, and maybe not the people who recently migrated there. But am I alone in being hesitant to welcome people who formerly worked at IBM, et al, and even Google?

    Granted, they seem to be more directed at the physical performance of the system, but I see this as somewhat of an inroad to Twitter actually working, thereby requiring me to acknowledge its existence. And I would much rather have some no-name website, where people living in their mother's basements come to tell a world that would rather ignore them that they just had a shit, go under, than sap the life-blood of a decent technology company.

    I have no idea what Twitter could be useful for, but I just find having big boys come in and having control over something that's (potentially, and already has been) so useless, uh...kind of boring."

    Honestly though, what? They hired some people from real technology companies who might have the first clue of how to do what they should already have been doing. I have only the vaguest idea of what Twitter is, based on this and having checked it out, have had my suspicions confirmed. Call me a curmudgeon, but they just sound like they're trying desperately to survive in a marketplace already brimming with (better) competition by hiring experienced technologists. Seriously, how long before 'phones that can handle Facebook are the norm?

  3. Re:Imaginary Property on Would You Rent a Song For a Dime? · · Score: 2, Informative

    Short answer....no.

    "Fiat S.p.A. (Fiat Group) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin, Northern Italy."

  4. Carmack? on Shigeru Miyamoto, The Walt Disney of Our Time · · Score: 1

    Not too sure if John Carmack belongs on a list of game designers. Of the two Johns, I've only ever thought of Romero as a designer. Certainly Romero, Tom Hall et al. dominate the design credits of id's games.

    Interestingly Commander Keen, id's first game has it's origins as a *Mario clone. They even went so far as to replicate SMB3 in it's entirety, and took it to Nintendo.
    * Cite of a cite as I can't be arsed to get up and get Masters of Doom off the shelf...

  5. Re:It's only a matter of time.... on Microsoft Prefers Flash To Silverlight · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can't seem to install the exe. Anyone know how to get it working on FF + GNU/Linux? No?

    Until then I guess I'll just have to make do without the undoubtedly awesome hardrock cafe memoribilia website. Undoubtedly, because their RL establishments are just so great...

  6. The "For" Side... on Gaming Gear Showdown, Simplicity vs. Hype · · Score: 1

    ...mit apo-logies to Gary Larson

    My Razer Lachesis(the one in the article) is leaps and bounds ahead of the Logitech 3-buttoned PS2 ball mouse it replaced, though obviously any optical/laser mouse would be better.
    It's comfortable to use for long periods, has just enough buttons without being ridiculous about it. It's twitchy as all get-out when I want it to be, and I can use the buttons just behind the wheel to decrease sensitivity on the fly for tricky headshots (or even just for link-clicking:)

    I won't sit here and expound on how it's increased my Frag to Death ratio and it certainly isn't the limiting factor for this Fragger but I just wanted to say,for all those people likening "gaming" mice to quadruple gold-plated audio interconnects, that I bought it, for 30 GBP (900 USD??;), with my eyes wide open, and haven't been disappointed with it yet. Incidentally,

  7. Re:Why does Qt get such kudos? on In-Depth With Qt 4.4 · · Score: 1

    FUD about licensing aside (dealt with already by another poster)...what do you think Qt is?

    In all seriousness, I was under the impression that Qt was a cross-platform graphical widget toolkit*. I didn't realise Microsoft had a cross-platform widget toolkit. All I could find was this and this in this list of widget toolkits and they both seem to be Windows only?? But then I only have wikipedia to go by. I don't have an MSDN subscription.

    *Yah, I know it also does a lot of other nifty non-graphical stuff.

  8. X-Handed Mouse on Hands-On With SteelSeries Ikari Mouse and New 7G Gaming Keyboard · · Score: 1

    Is it me, or does the mouse look like it's designed to be used with a specific hand? Whether it's right or left I don't know...but example..

    I indulged myself and picked up a Razer Lachesis mouse not long ago and it's pretty much symmetrical. I'm a right-y, so I don't *need* to pay particular attention to these things but do they produce two versions, one for right-handed people and one for left? Or what?

  9. Re:System Requirements on Slackware 12.1 Released · · Score: 1

    No. Last time I installed Slack on a machine it was from a CD.
    I suppose it's just listed there as an absolute minimum requirement, e.g. if that's all you have, you can still install Slackware.
    (Similarly, you don't need a 486 processor, but if that's all you have, it will run :)*

    * Slackware is installed on my main machine, an Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (2GHz),2Gb RAM,GeForce 8600GT,Dual Monitor-ed monstrosity.
    It's also on my wee internal test web-server, a Pentium MMX 166MHz with 16Mb RAM :D

  10. Analagous on Google Earth 4.3 Offers a Number of New Features · · Score: 1

    Building a kennel doesn't make you a dog.

    Or if you're a fan of the ubiquitous car analogy, "Building a garage doesn't make you a car."

  11. Re:Ummm, I don't get it. on Psychologists Don't Know Math · · Score: 1

    The way I understand it is based on an article published in Linux Format (UK) a couple of years ago... "Monty" knows which doors have goats, and which has the car, so Monty will never pick the door with the car. Thus, the chance of you winning the car after switching increases from 1/3 to 2/3, as below:

    Door 1: Goat
    Door 2: Goat
    Door 3: Car

    Scenario 1: You pick door 1 (Goat), Monty reveals the other Goat, behind door two. You switch to the other unopened door, door 3. You get the Car.
    Scenario 2: You pick door 2 (Goat), Monty reveals the other Goat, behind door one. You switch to the other unopened door, door 3. You get the Car.
    Scenario 3: You pick door 3 (Car), Monty reveals the Goat behind door one. You switch to the other unopened door, door 2. You am teh fail.

    It seems counter-intuitive at first, but search your feelings, you know it to be true..

  12. Re:what was that dude's name on G-Archiver Harvesting Google Mail Passwords · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Ken Thomson?
    The actual bug I planted in the compiler would match code in the UNIX "login" command. The replacement code would miscompile the login command so that it would accept either the intended encrypted password or a particular known password. Thus if this code were installed in binary and the binary were used to compile the login command, I could log into that system as any user.

    Such blatant code would not go undetected for long. Even the most casual perusal of the source of the C compiler would raise suspicions.

    (...)

    The final step is represented in Figure 7. This simply adds a second Trojan horse to the one that already exists. The second pattern is aimed at the C compiler. The replacement code is a Stage I self-reproducing program that inserts both Trojan horses into the compiler. This requires a learning phase as in the Stage II example. First we compile the modified source with the normal C compiler to produce a bugged binary. We install this binary as the official C. We can now remove the bugs from the source of the compiler and the new binary will reinsert the bugs whenever it is compiled. Of course, the login command will remain bugged with no trace in source anywhere.
  13. Re:Linux users are used to free software on Why Aren't More Linux Users Gamers? · · Score: 2, Informative

    Insightful? I've _bought_ Doom 3, Unreal Tournament 2003, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, UT3 and Quake 3. All of which have native Linux binaries. I've bought many other games without native binaries that I've only ever played on Linux, including HL2 AND The Orange Box, Painkiller, Hitman, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts etc etc. If a game is worth playing, I don't begrudge paying for it.

    I would prefer all the software I use to be Free (with a capital F), but I'm somewhat pragmatic when it comes to games. The misguided notion that all Linux users are only using Linux and Free/open source software because it is free, as in beer, is, at best, dubious.

  14. Re:I tried to get more people into it. on Why Aren't More Linux Users Gamers? · · Score: 1

    Hunting drivers? Wha? I remember doing that on Windows with 98SE and XP, when I had to re-install every 3 months or so. I have a pretty standard set up now, NVidia graphics, Soundblaster sound card, Dual 19" widescreen monitors and the only driver "hunting" I do is following a link from the Linux Games box on the right-hand-side of my Slashdot page, to get the new NVidia drivers whenever a new one is released. ---->

    The main barrier to Linux gaming is that it lacks a user base. If developers thought they could make more money by either developing a native linux port or co-operating with Transgaming to help fix issues with Cedega's "emulation", then they would. Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle. People won't choose Linux as a gaming platform until they can play all the games they like on it. Not to mention the problems in gauging the size of the Linux gaming market...

    I'm running what was originally a Slackware 8 distribution, but is now running a 2.6 kernel and a more up to date KDE. Over the past 7 or 8 years I've run Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Quake 3,Half-life and Half Life 2, Portal,Counter Strike, Max Payne and Max Payne 2, All the Hitman series, Painkiller, Soldier of Fortune, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Doom 3. Some with native Linux binaries, some through ScummVM/Wine/Winex/Cedega. I've bought copies of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and UT 3 which both have native Linux binaries, but haven't had a chance to install and play them yet. I obviously have very narrow tastes in games, but I've never had *that* much trouble getting games to work...so maybe I'm just lucky in that 99% of all the games I want to play are either available natively, or work exactly as well on Linux as they do on Windows.

  15. Re:Let's Ask the Lawyer! on US Air Force Issues DMCA Takedown Notice · · Score: 1
    IANAL (ASTYAE - And Suspect That You Aren't Either)
    When I refer to "they", "them" etc. I refer to the US Government and not the Illuminati or the Bilderberg Group ;)

    1) If GPL Code is merely "used" by the US Government, who cares? According to 0th term of the GPL

    (...)Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted (...)

    2) As I understand it, as a non-lawyer, if the government then tried to redistribute GPL'ed code verbatim without changing it, the 1st term comes into play, i.e. they are allowed to re-distribute it verbatim keeping all copyright notices/license terms etc. intact. They have no claim to remove already existing copyright on anything that they are redistributing.

    3) If they were to modify the source, then try and redistribute the resulting code..they could NOT remove the copyright of the original holders. How could they possibly do this? I think the following passage from the GPLv2 would apply, but again, IANAL

    6. Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions.(...)
    There's a distinct possibility that section 7 also applies:

    7. If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Program.(...)
    Is anyone able to offer more valuable insight on this matter than a UKian programmer on a hungover Sunday morning?
  16. Re:Irony? on The Benefits of 'Vendor-Free' Open Source IT · · Score: 1

    Yeah, it's like raaaaaain on your wedding day alright.

  17. Re:UK Status on Where are Wii? · · Score: 1

    My brother, thinking about buying a Wii from a younger family friend, asked me, a Wii owner who paid £179 GBP on launch what I would pay for a Wii with Wii Sports. Aware of it's desirability I said £100-£150 GBP, not wanting to screw the youngster out of his dues...but since then I've been in an Entertainment Exchange* (T. Wells)..but GAME there is always RAMMED with people and I can only assume that its not able to keep up with demand.

    (*They are like a pawn shop in that they buy for much much less than cost and sell for just less than cost)

  18. Re:Buzzlight year on Where are Wii? · · Score: 1

    I have a Gamecube, but also have had a Wii almost since launch...birthday fortunately close to the UK release date and a very cool girlfriend...:o), but I agree wholeheartedly. The Gamecube has so many great games for it its unreal, Resident Evil 4, Ikaruga, Killer7, Animal Crossing, Super Paper Mario: The Thousand Years Door, etc, etc, etc...If you want to operate on a budget and don't mind staying behind the curve slightly then it's a brilliant choice.

    That being said, I guess a lot of parents will be feeling pressured to get Wiis for their children for Christmas. Even though the Gamecube is a lot of fun, I suspect that this will not appease a cantankerous youngster on Christmas morn.. :-/

  19. I conquer... aka: Bitter? Not me... on Where are Wii? · · Score: 1

    My original Wii controller has never come off my wrist, barely even come out of my hand.

    However, I can attest to it's robustness. Late one night when playing Call of Duty 3, I decided to get up and take a break from grappling a Nazi on a silo gantry to grab a beer. I got to the cupboard...reached out to get a can of bitter, but mindful of the Wiimote dangling from my wrist, I reached awkwardly.

    Everything that follows happened in the same slow motion that affects car accidents and "rm -rf *"s:
    The beer can fell over onto its side in the cupboard. It rolled forward, dropped onto the counter-top, exploded, span round and round like a punctured gas cannister in Max Payne, covering me, the walls, the wiimote, the fridge, the toaster and everything within sight with sticky bitter-juice and then came to rest on the floor.

    The Wii-mote still works. The A and B buttons occasionally stick, but other than that, it works just fine. I still have an original NES in fine working order, a working, relatively pristine DS Lite that's been dropped more often than I care to admit...

    In my personal experience, Nintendo manufactures it's systems as if a drunken 3 year old with a penchant for striking things with hammers will be using them. Fortunately, even I, who am slightly less spatially aware than the afore-mentioned 3 year old have never managed to kill a Nintendo console. Ever. This is one thing they do, and do well.

  20. My Wii is almost a year old... on Where are Wii? · · Score: 1

    I love gaming and I love Nintendo. I have a DS Lite, a NES, a Gamecube, (and have owned a Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Advance SP, Playstation, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive) and last year, shortly after launch...I got my Nintendo Wii. Actually I pre-ordered it about 3 months before UK release at my local GAME store and my girlfriend bought it for me for my birthday (16th December). I love it. At release I bought Red Steel and Call of Duty 2..but to be honest, I spent most of my time playing Wii Sports :o) The cost at launch... for the console, controller, nunchuk and Wii Sports, if I remember correctly was £179 GBP

    Now. Nearly a year later I walk into an "Entertainment Exchange", where they will buy anything back for cash and then sell it on...usually considerably cheaper...and they were selling a Wii console, with a Wii controller, no nunchuk, no Wii Sports, FOR £299 GBP! For you United States-ians, that's about $600 USD. I just can't believe that nearly a year after launch, that Nintendo are still having these horrendous supply problems. Fair enough, they were outselling PS3s in Japan 6 to 1 for a time, 2 to 1 overall I believe...but this is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo. They, as far as I know, are the only 3rd gen console manufacturer who are making a respectable profit on the console hardware...so I would have thought that they would focus all their efforts on getting as many consoles as possible on the streets. Virtual console titles, web browsers etc etc etc are all very well..but when there's obviously such high demand for the hardware itself.

    The mind boggles.

  21. Damn Canucks on Ten Strangely Cruel Science Experiments · · Score: 1

    Even earlier than this, in the 40s, the Canadian government experimented on James Howlett amd Wade Wilson, in the first case bonding molten metal to his skeleton and in the second, causing severe disfigurement.

  22. Oblig. Simpsons Allusion on Wal-Mart's Terrible Nintendo Wii Knock-Offs · · Score: 1

    Next week at Walmart: GENUINE Sorny Playstation 3s!

  23. El Plagiarismo? on Rockstar/EA Tit for Tat in GTA/Simpsons Feud · · Score: 1

    Or American Dad fa...no wait..where is my head...

  24. ...but will it run Vista? on Review of Asus Linux-Based Eee PC 701 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seeing as everything from a battleship to your grandparent's electric blanket will run Linux, I think we need a new meme...

  25. Re:Is MS buying the new dot com bubble? on Three Reasons Microsoft Paid So 'Little' For Facebook · · Score: 1

    YES! As much rabbit as you can download!