Many of us held out for a while, but caved in when we saw how innovative the gameplay was. Yes, I absolutely detest Steam, and it CLEARLY gives Valve a stranglehold and the ability to charge for mods in the future. However, I do not mind giving a company my money for a game that good and that innovative, not to mention the replay value of it in the form of FREE mods. Think of it as the opposite of the Gillette business model.
The consumer rolled over because HL2 just rocked that much. Yes, Steam sucks, but until someone can pull off something better, I'm going to have lean towards them.
But it absolutely infuriates me that I need register to play the game, even in single player, which many other people found out the hard way when it first launched and Steam wasn't working properly.
While some people have pointed out that we are not hardwired for geometry but rather pattern recognition...I was wondering if someone could clarify on the left-brain vs right-brain aspects of it.
For example, I have been absolutely horrible at all forms of math throughout my entire life with the SOLE exception of geometry, which I never had to study for once, and got straight A's in. It just "made sense" to me on an intuitive level.
And apparently I'm not the only one. You see, I went to an art school, where a whopping 40% of people were left-handed and the vast majority of people at that school completely sucked at all forms of math....EXCEPT GEOMETRY! Now, it could just be that geometry is the easiest form of math, but I wonder how much of it has to do with pattern recognition, and how that might relate to kids at an art school where people have an inherently higher level of innate pattern recognition ability.
Now.....all of this is just me explaining my observations, but I was wondering if someone could shed some scientific light behind this. Is there any correlation between the two?
I'm sorry...I know its against the rules to bitch about modding...but how the hell is this overrated? Its relevant, and explains properties about the substance featured in the story that people might not have gathered from just reading the story. This is multipurpose material, and people should know that.
As a side note, for those wondering what else makes AeroGel so friggin cool...read some of the captions for the pictures in the link the parent provided. I forget the science behind it, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but basically these things are near perfect insulators. Not only that, but since they are made up of 99.8% air, they are basically immune to heat. And I remember someone once saying something to the extent of if you had a room covered in the stuff, and lit a single candle in the room...you would eventually burn alive in there since the stuff is such a good insulator that no heat would escape from the room, thus continually increasing the temperature. But I don't know the science behind it so that might be complete bullshit.
I assure you my posting about the same anime was purely coincidental. If I could I'd show you all the burned CDRs I have with the entire series.
As for the name of it...you are indeed correct. I think I called it that because I had seen it written that way before, and just kept calling it that. But you are definitely correct on the spelling and meaning. Thanks for clarifying. Hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did.
1. Take a bunch of violent and troublesome teens who have a lack of respect for authority. 2. Have them engage in a highly competitive video game tournament against other teens with similar issues that would in no way cause increased levels of aggression. 3.? ? ? 4. Hilarity ensues...err...PROFIT!!!
For any who are really interested in this, and want a peak at what the near future might hold in terms of space debris and cleaning it up...I HIGHLY recommend the anime series Planet ES. It is an anime about a group of space debris collectors who are essentially the trashmen of the near future where we have a functioning moonbase, space tourism, etc.
It is EXCELLENTLY written, and is great fun to watch even if you're not that interested in space trash. Great story, also deals a bit with global economics and what happens when you widen the development/financial gap between 1st and 3rd world countries even more by bringing the massive profits from space mining and tourism into play.
Ah...but when we progress a bit...and start mining the moon or something for major profits...how much money would it cost to lose a shipment due to damage from space debris? If the answer is: more than it would cost to clean it all up...then there is most definitely an economically viable way for going about it. Its just a part of securing your shipment. We're just not at that point in time yet where the rewards are worth the expense.
Excellent point. And since you informed me of something new I didn't know about, do you happen to know of any charities that work to solve the diarrhoea issue? I'm being completely serious...since rather than just donating money to AIDS research in the hope that something good comes of it, this would have a direct and noticeable impact on the problem at hand.
"Or is there such a premium on "new" drugs that they can't stay profitable without them? If that is the case, it sounds to me like there are some pretty unsustainable business models out there. "
Actually...I believe (though I don't have sources to cite) the answer is yes. Drug companies have become quite 'addicted' (pun intended) to the blockbuster-drug phenomenon. Having a new blockbuster is literally like winning a multi-BILLION dollar jackpot that then immediately.......
"You really can't dictate innovation... unless of course, someone starts designing new diseases so you can then trot out the cure to them as a new product..."
...gets sunk right back into R&D and testing. Their thinking is that...while you can't dictate innovation, throwing billions of dollars at a disease certainly gives you a better shot at finding SOMETHING useful. Not to mention how ungodly expensive FDA testing is.
As for the designing diseases...I agree that they do that. Not so much in the scientific sense as much as in the social engineering sense. For example, a lot of guys with erectile dysfunction can't get it up because they've been drinking...they're tired...stressed...or any myriad of reasons. I seriously doubt that most viagra takers have real defined medical disease that prevents them from getting hard (if someone has numbers to prove me wrong, by all means please do cuz I'd love to be wrong about this one). But now society has come to the majority consensus that, if for whatever reason a guy can't get it up (nevermind the circumstances), then he has a medical problem that needs to be cured.
Now...do you think that myth is one the drug companies would work to fight? Hell no. These feed the flames with commercials showing how much happier both you and your loved one will be with the new fix to your imaginary disease.
*Note - I've never used viagra, but I work in advertising which is why this is such a frustrating issue for me.
"What about Docs who enroll marginally qualified patients into a study to collect the cash from the drug companies?"
Or...how about the moral flip-side...doctors who enroll marginally qualified patients into a study because they feel the experimental drug is the person's best chance for a cure/survival/a better quality of life? Remember, there's two sides to every coin.
"But without the FDA, what exactly would be the difference between drug companies and your local ketamine peddler down the street?"
Well...for starters the K dealer down the street probably has lower prices, not to mention he'd probably be more forward about what the drug did to you than Big Pharma would.
I, for one, welcome our new Ketamine Dealer Overlords...
"At $15 each, you could buy 285 DVDs. I can guarantee that when you pay for entertainment you're a lot more choosy about what you watch. It reminds me of software pirates who spend so much time and energy collecting software (or porn fanatics, too, I guess) but never actually enjoy what they've collected."
Part of the point of this, and the reason why illegal downloading of video content has taken off (and music too I guess) is that people don't want to be FORCED to be choosy about what they watch simply because of financial contraits. Many people, myself included, enjoy sampling all the random media out there in hopes of discovering a gem that we would not have otherwise found if we had to plop down $15 to sample it.
Now, to your other point about collectors...did you ever stop to think that many the act of collecting itself was enjoyable for them? I mean, why limit it to software and porn...people all around the world enjoy collecting things, often times just for the sake of collecting. And while I try not to collect things that I haven't viewed or enjoyed...as a packrat, I can easily see why someone else would.
So while I follow your logic in your post, I have to say I find it a bit trollish since there are plenty of reasons someone might find it useful to spend godawful amounts of money on hardware and electricity. It seems as though you just wanted to take a jab at people who choose not to pay for their media rather than try to really address the point at hand.
Just out of curiosity...I'm interested in setting up a system to stream around the house with the touch of a remote...preferably all wireless...so what kind of setup are you using, and can you recommend one for my needs?
I don't really know linux or how to program, so I'm looking for a somewhat easy to setup system.
You actually bring up a good point...although probably didn't realize it. The point is...are PVRs used primarily for temporary storage of shows/movies? Or are they used primarily as permanent media storage? While I tend not to watch a series over and over...there are a few I do occasionally rewatch (Scrubs anybody?). For now, since I download all my tv, I just burn to disc...but I'm curious what peoples thoughts are on permanent video storage for this sort of thing. Is a beefy PVR really the best way to go for easy access and long lasting storage?
Amen. I don't like living in a world where when I travel abroad and people ask if I'm American, I have immediately follow my answer with "yes, but I hate Bush and don't believe in the war in Iraq"
In less than a decade, we've gone from a country who...while we had our rough spots, was still a pretty decent country who was a good solid ally. Now we're suddenly the black sheep of the world. And this is AFTER people flew jets into our buildings. Makes me wish I had dual-citizenship.
IANAL, and I assume parent is not either since that logic seems somewhat flawed. If someone puts illegal content on your computer, without your knowledge or consent, with the sole intent of trying to get you in legal trouble by doing so...I have a hard time believing our courts would find you guilty provided you had sufficient evidence to prove that you had nothing to do with this and it was forced upon you.
This would be like planting drugs or weapons in someones home and then getting them raided. If they somehow had evidence to prove it was planted, it would be thrown out of court and most likely action would be taken against the person responsible for putting it there in the first place.
I seem to recall you making a post in your "fire-side chat" recently about how you don't like it when the meta-discussion takes over the story thread and drowns out any interesting posts about the story.
In this case, where people spent the entire discussion joking and talking about how this is a triplicate posting (ok, so technically not a triplicate since it has more actual research data than the first, not that anybody else noticed)....IT IS ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE!
It's one thing to not be a perfect speller, but posting the same content multiple times within just a couple of days is inexcusable. It is sloppy, and really a slap in the face to subscribers, for whom it diminishes the value of their subscription.
Please don't take this as a flame...I am just a loyal Slashdot reader who is trying to make the site I love even better. But its these sort of things that are making some of your more insightful posters head over to Digg for their news.
Sorry if this is a little off-topic, but can anybody give some comments on the book/movie parent mentioned? It is called "What the bleep do we know" and seems kind of interesting...I'm just wondering how much of it is solid science versus science fluff.
Yes, more data in this case is better than less. But that doesn't address my point. My point was...it wouldn't make sense for a company to just pay you for your anonymous data versus paying you for data with your personal information in it.
With that personal information, they can target you directly and have a better chance of properly targeting ads to you. In addition, they can sell your info to people looking for mailing lists, etc.
I'm sorry, but as someone in advertising who deals with this on a daily basis, what you said has no relation to my previous point.
You're joking, but people license information like that all the time.
For example, if you were to do a direct mail advertising campaign, and needed a list of people to send it to, companies would be more than happy to get you that information. However they will not sell it to you, they will only lease it. Which seems kinda pointless, but it gives them legal ground to sue your ass if you use it after the lease period.
Its kind of like creating an artificial reason to have recurring charges.
Slashdot Mirror
The consumer rolled over because HL2 just rocked that much. Yes, Steam sucks, but until someone can pull off something better, I'm going to have lean towards them.
But it absolutely infuriates me that I need register to play the game, even in single player, which many other people found out the hard way when it first launched and Steam wasn't working properly.
Of course no company in their right mind would release the ACTIVE subscriber numbers first...because it would give them a disadvantage.
For example, I have been absolutely horrible at all forms of math throughout my entire life with the SOLE exception of geometry, which I never had to study for once, and got straight A's in. It just "made sense" to me on an intuitive level.
And apparently I'm not the only one. You see, I went to an art school, where a whopping 40% of people were left-handed and the vast majority of people at that school completely sucked at all forms of math....EXCEPT GEOMETRY! Now, it could just be that geometry is the easiest form of math, but I wonder how much of it has to do with pattern recognition, and how that might relate to kids at an art school where people have an inherently higher level of innate pattern recognition ability.
Now.....all of this is just me explaining my observations, but I was wondering if someone could shed some scientific light behind this. Is there any correlation between the two?
As for the name of it...you are indeed correct. I think I called it that because I had seen it written that way before, and just kept calling it that. But you are definitely correct on the spelling and meaning. Thanks for clarifying. Hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did.
1. Take a bunch of violent and troublesome teens who have a lack of respect for authority.
2. Have them engage in a highly competitive video game tournament against other teens with similar issues that would in no way cause increased levels of aggression.
3.? ? ?
4. Hilarity ensues...err...PROFIT!!!
It is EXCELLENTLY written, and is great fun to watch even if you're not that interested in space trash. Great story, also deals a bit with global economics and what happens when you widen the development/financial gap between 1st and 3rd world countries even more by bringing the massive profits from space mining and tourism into play.
Actually...I believe (though I don't have sources to cite) the answer is yes. Drug companies have become quite 'addicted' (pun intended) to the blockbuster-drug phenomenon. Having a new blockbuster is literally like winning a multi-BILLION dollar jackpot that then immediately.......
"You really can't dictate innovation... unless of course, someone starts designing new diseases so you can then trot out the cure to them as a new product..."
...gets sunk right back into R&D and testing. Their thinking is that...while you can't dictate innovation, throwing billions of dollars at a disease certainly gives you a better shot at finding SOMETHING useful. Not to mention how ungodly expensive FDA testing is.
As for the designing diseases...I agree that they do that. Not so much in the scientific sense as much as in the social engineering sense. For example, a lot of guys with erectile dysfunction can't get it up because they've been drinking...they're tired...stressed...or any myriad of reasons. I seriously doubt that most viagra takers have real defined medical disease that prevents them from getting hard (if someone has numbers to prove me wrong, by all means please do cuz I'd love to be wrong about this one). But now society has come to the majority consensus that, if for whatever reason a guy can't get it up (nevermind the circumstances), then he has a medical problem that needs to be cured.
Now...do you think that myth is one the drug companies would work to fight? Hell no. These feed the flames with commercials showing how much happier both you and your loved one will be with the new fix to your imaginary disease.
*Note - I've never used viagra, but I work in advertising which is why this is such a frustrating issue for me.
Or...how about the moral flip-side...doctors who enroll marginally qualified patients into a study because they feel the experimental drug is the person's best chance for a cure/survival/a better quality of life? Remember, there's two sides to every coin.
Well...for starters the K dealer down the street probably has lower prices, not to mention he'd probably be more forward about what the drug did to you than Big Pharma would.
I, for one, welcome our new Ketamine Dealer Overlords...
Part of the point of this, and the reason why illegal downloading of video content has taken off (and music too I guess) is that people don't want to be FORCED to be choosy about what they watch simply because of financial contraits. Many people, myself included, enjoy sampling all the random media out there in hopes of discovering a gem that we would not have otherwise found if we had to plop down $15 to sample it.
Now, to your other point about collectors...did you ever stop to think that many the act of collecting itself was enjoyable for them? I mean, why limit it to software and porn...people all around the world enjoy collecting things, often times just for the sake of collecting. And while I try not to collect things that I haven't viewed or enjoyed...as a packrat, I can easily see why someone else would.
So while I follow your logic in your post, I have to say I find it a bit trollish since there are plenty of reasons someone might find it useful to spend godawful amounts of money on hardware and electricity. It seems as though you just wanted to take a jab at people who choose not to pay for their media rather than try to really address the point at hand.
I don't really know linux or how to program, so I'm looking for a somewhat easy to setup system.
In less than a decade, we've gone from a country who...while we had our rough spots, was still a pretty decent country who was a good solid ally. Now we're suddenly the black sheep of the world. And this is AFTER people flew jets into our buildings. Makes me wish I had dual-citizenship.
This would be like planting drugs or weapons in someones home and then getting them raided. If they somehow had evidence to prove it was planted, it would be thrown out of court and most likely action would be taken against the person responsible for putting it there in the first place.
I seem to recall you making a post in your "fire-side chat" recently about how you don't like it when the meta-discussion takes over the story thread and drowns out any interesting posts about the story.
In this case, where people spent the entire discussion joking and talking about how this is a triplicate posting (ok, so technically not a triplicate since it has more actual research data than the first, not that anybody else noticed)....IT IS ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE!
It's one thing to not be a perfect speller, but posting the same content multiple times within just a couple of days is inexcusable. It is sloppy, and really a slap in the face to subscribers, for whom it diminishes the value of their subscription.
Please don't take this as a flame...I am just a loyal Slashdot reader who is trying to make the site I love even better. But its these sort of things that are making some of your more insightful posters head over to Digg for their news.
Sincerely,
A concerned Slashdotter.
With that personal information, they can target you directly and have a better chance of properly targeting ads to you. In addition, they can sell your info to people looking for mailing lists, etc.
I'm sorry, but as someone in advertising who deals with this on a daily basis, what you said has no relation to my previous point.
For example, if you were to do a direct mail advertising campaign, and needed a list of people to send it to, companies would be more than happy to get you that information. However they will not sell it to you, they will only lease it. Which seems kinda pointless, but it gives them legal ground to sue your ass if you use it after the lease period.
Its kind of like creating an artificial reason to have recurring charges.