I went to RPI, so let me offer some insight on the campus.
Computers Per Student -- Mobile computing is a requirment for students. Every student is required to have a laptop computer. Each year the 'tute offers some flavor of IBM Thinkpad. In classes such as Comp Sci, and CAD, the student does all of his/her work on their own computer. Additionally, many students have desktop computers because the older laptops sucked for games.
Campus Network -- Probably pretty standard. Connections in every dorm room and lounge in the dorms. Each building on campus has laptop computer labs and often many classes take place in these labs. Counter-Strike in Chem Mat, no problem!
Wireless Network -- As far as I remember, the only public wireless was in the student union and the DCC (where the largest lecture halls were). A year or two ago, they restricted these connections to VPN access. With regard to that other dude who had issues, the cisco linux client never worked for me either:-(.
Remote Access -- Getting e-mail from off campus was not a problem.
Provide Web Pages -- I think there is 10 MB of space for each student. Many students got static IP addresses and hosted their web sites off their own computers. (This is RPI after all) The space offered by RPI was normally used for classwork.
Online Courses -- I never took any, but I think they are offered. One room in the DCC has video camera's to transmit to other locations, although this might just be the Hartford campus.
Registration -- Registration is online -- Unless there is some kind of restriction on the class, then you have to get some paperwork filled out.
Online Administrative Functions -- You can see your transcripts and outstanding bills online in addition to the registration process.
Ownership Requirements -- As before, laptops are required, but ownership is not. You can lease your laptop if you choose.
Computer Purchase -- The laptops are IBMs top of the line T series laptop at the time. Usually about 3000 grand which probably covers the software licensing more than it covers the cost of the hardware.
Handheld Computing -- If you count laptops, as before, they are required in class for some classes.
Dorm Access -- Yes, already covered.
Lounge Access -- ditto.
Ethics -- There might be a policy, but maybe I shouldn't indicate if it was widely followed or not... Do a Google search on Phynd...
Usenet -- I don't know.
Computers Provided -- Some students, not myself, are special. They received a free laptop as incentive to come to RPI. This one really steams me as I got much better grades then some of my "slacker" friends. Sorry guys, nothing personal. Many female students were given their laptops as well, but there may be other reasons for this.
Multimedia Equipment -- I don't know if its available for general use, but the EMACs majors could borrow equipment whenever. Of course, many of them needed this equipment for their schoolastics.
Emerging Curricula -- Intro to Cognition and Gaming (Some students said this class was better than sex -- Again, this is RPI) and Game Development. Need I say more?
Looking at the big picture, the bad thing about prequels is the fact that they need to fit into a universe which we know so much about already. Anything that slightly diverges from what we all know becomes blasphemy. If Enterprise came after TOS instead of TNG we might be viewing it differently.
Taking the fact that it came after 3 concurrent sequels into account, a new prequel would have been better if it didn't actively follow the formation of the Federation. How awesome would a series about the rise of the Klingons or the Romulans be? There's so much there that's never been explained and it would be DIFFERENT. The whole feel of a Klingon or Romulan show would peak new interest because we'd see the Federation from a different light. That would be fresh, that would be new.
The point I was trying to make is that it seems like the average person is always supposed to be blown away by articles like this, but how big is this discovery?
Let me clarify. I'm not saying that understanding the building blocks of our universe is not important. However, it seems everybody is automatically supposed to be awed by any discovery like this and they're all just as important as the next. Granted this is a press release, and its not really supposed to explain the whys and hows, but who read this release and new immediately knew exactly what the authors were trying to convey? I sure as hell didn't.
If they really want to express the importance of their work, include some resources about quarks, about mesons, their discovery, stuff like that. Things which are intangible like this need to be well explained to the everyday person.
It's come to the point where this stuff is ridiculous. What everyday person, even/. readers, has any remote idea what the hell these guys are talking about? They mind as well be telling me that my car needs a new Johnson Rod.
That's what they do. They can make up anything. Nobody knows. "By the
way, you need a new Johnson rod in there." "Oh, a Johnson rod. Yeah, well, you better put one of those on."
At the time that Halo came out, it was the next Goldeneye. Who wasn't excited. Intelligent enemies, sweet multiplayer options, "I can drive this hum vee while you shoot people with the minigun!?" -- KICK ASS. Halo gave the Xbox its biggest breath of life. Maybe its only breath of life. What other "must have" games are there for the Xbox? The kind of games that those of us without an Xbox know about and can say "That game is amazing."
Look at Sony and Nintendo, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, and Grand Theft Auto (before it came to Xbox) are more than enough to justify the purchase of a PlayStation. And there will always be people in line to buy the next Zelda, the next Metroid, and the next Mario.
Microsoft's problem is not developing/licensing enough cutting edge "must have" games for the Xbox rather than just a sequel to it's flagship title. Unless they release mindblowing titles along with the launch of the Xbox 2, its doomed to follow the same path.
I'm not really opposed to them collecting that kind of information. I'm opposed to collecting information without people knowing about it. I think you'd agree that if they said "Hey, we're logging your gaming activity," most people wouldn't care. But if they went ahead and logged it without clearly notifying you, you'd probably be a little pissed.
Granted the example I gave isn't really that intrusive, but it was just a thought. You do bring up a valid point, information like that can be used to make better games... especially when people stop playing the ones that are riddled with bugs because they were forced to meet some deadline... but that was covered in another article.
While this all sounds cool, I'm going to burst the bubble a little bit. My thought is what else will X-Box Live Aware games do beneath the surface? Will they log user habits? Such things as "(User) played (game) for 23 minutes before being invited into (live game) by (other user)." I mean I guess they can't do much more than this... can they?
How is the RIAA finding out who's sharing what on Kazaa? Are they using Kazaa to do it? And if they are, by simply using the Kazaa software are they killing their own case?
The thing that we all need to realize, like Napster and Morpheus, Kazaa is essentially dead now. Let it go. Nobody wants to share on it now for fear of being caught. So the real question is where's the next filesharing service? The one that we can all use for another year or two until legal action is taken against it and we move on to the next one?
Considering you have until October 15th to get the license at the "discounted" price, it would be much smarter to wait until around that time to see how this all plays out. Besides if SCO is just being a bully, and a court of law decides that the Linux kernel has none of SCO's code in it, do you get your money back? It would be a good thing to look into.
This is 100% correct. I went out and bought a GameCube for two reasons: Zelda and Metroid Prime. Neither one of them dissapoints, but this isn't a game review. The important fact is that Nintendo has the best proprietary games out there. And Nintendo has made sure that with each successive console release these games are as strong as ever. The hardest thing for Nintendo is introducing new players to these titles at a time when most people value pretty graphics over good gameplay.
As an avid programmer I believe there is no excuse for major bugs in console games because they can't be patched. This doesn't mean that its allowable for PC games to have major bugs either, but at least those can be fixed. Console games need to have an even more rigorous testing process then their PC counterparts for that very reason.
I've had my own experience with defective console software: NBA 2k3 for the GameCube. 2k3 freezes without warning in the middle of a game. The worst part about it is that the freeze is so severe that the reset button on the cube doesn't even work. While Sega has acknowledged the problem they can't seem to figure it out. And curiously they aren't developing anymore sports games for the GameCube. I've resolved never to buy a sega product again because of it.
Slashdot Mirror
I went to RPI, so let me offer some insight on the campus.
:-(.
Computers Per Student -- Mobile computing is a requirment for students. Every student is required to have a laptop computer. Each year the 'tute offers some flavor of IBM Thinkpad. In classes such as Comp Sci, and CAD, the student does all of his/her work on their own computer. Additionally, many students have desktop computers because the older laptops sucked for games.
Campus Network -- Probably pretty standard. Connections in every dorm room and lounge in the dorms. Each building on campus has laptop computer labs and often many classes take place in these labs. Counter-Strike in Chem Mat, no problem!
Wireless Network -- As far as I remember, the only public wireless was in the student union and the DCC (where the largest lecture halls were). A year or two ago, they restricted these connections to VPN access. With regard to that other dude who had issues, the cisco linux client never worked for me either
Remote Access -- Getting e-mail from off campus was not a problem.
Provide Web Pages -- I think there is 10 MB of space for each student. Many students got static IP addresses and hosted their web sites off their own computers. (This is RPI after all) The space offered by RPI was normally used for classwork.
Online Courses -- I never took any, but I think they are offered. One room in the DCC has video camera's to transmit to other locations, although this might just be the Hartford campus.
Registration -- Registration is online -- Unless there is some kind of restriction on the class, then you have to get some paperwork filled out.
Online Administrative Functions -- You can see your transcripts and outstanding bills online in addition to the registration process.
Ownership Requirements -- As before, laptops are required, but ownership is not. You can lease your laptop if you choose.
Computer Purchase -- The laptops are IBMs top of the line T series laptop at the time. Usually about 3000 grand which probably covers the software licensing more than it covers the cost of the hardware.
Handheld Computing -- If you count laptops, as before, they are required in class for some classes.
Dorm Access -- Yes, already covered.
Lounge Access -- ditto.
Ethics -- There might be a policy, but maybe I shouldn't indicate if it was widely followed or not... Do a Google search on Phynd...
Usenet -- I don't know.
Computers Provided -- Some students, not myself, are special. They received a free laptop as incentive to come to RPI. This one really steams me as I got much better grades then some of my "slacker" friends. Sorry guys, nothing personal. Many female students were given their laptops as well, but there may be other reasons for this.
Multimedia Equipment -- I don't know if its available for general use, but the EMACs majors could borrow equipment whenever. Of course, many of them needed this equipment for their schoolastics.
Emerging Curricula -- Intro to Cognition and Gaming (Some students said this class was better than sex -- Again, this is RPI) and Game Development. Need I say more?
Digital Streaming -- I don't know. Sorry.
Looking at the big picture, the bad thing about prequels is the fact that they need to fit into a universe which we know so much about already. Anything that slightly diverges from what we all know becomes blasphemy. If Enterprise came after TOS instead of TNG we might be viewing it differently.
Taking the fact that it came after 3 concurrent sequels into account, a new prequel would have been better if it didn't actively follow the formation of the Federation. How awesome would a series about the rise of the Klingons or the Romulans be? There's so much there that's never been explained and it would be DIFFERENT. The whole feel of a Klingon or Romulan show would peak new interest because we'd see the Federation from a different light. That would be fresh, that would be new.
The point I was trying to make is that it seems like the average person is always supposed to be blown away by articles like this, but how big is this discovery?
Let me clarify. I'm not saying that understanding the building blocks of our universe is not important. However, it seems everybody is automatically supposed to be awed by any discovery like this and they're all just as important as the next. Granted this is a press release, and its not really supposed to explain the whys and hows, but who read this release and new immediately knew exactly what the authors were trying to convey? I sure as hell didn't.
If they really want to express the importance of their work, include some resources about quarks, about mesons, their discovery, stuff like that. Things which are intangible like this need to be well explained to the everyday person.
It's come to the point where this stuff is ridiculous. What everyday person, even /. readers, has any remote idea what the hell these guys are talking about? They mind as well be telling me that my car needs a new Johnson Rod.
That's what they do. They can make up anything. Nobody knows. "By the way, you need a new Johnson rod in there." "Oh, a Johnson rod. Yeah, well, you better put one of those on."
Halo
At the time that Halo came out, it was the next Goldeneye. Who wasn't excited. Intelligent enemies, sweet multiplayer options, "I can drive this hum vee while you shoot people with the minigun!?" -- KICK ASS. Halo gave the Xbox its biggest breath of life. Maybe its only breath of life. What other "must have" games are there for the Xbox? The kind of games that those of us without an Xbox know about and can say "That game is amazing."
Look at Sony and Nintendo, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, and Grand Theft Auto (before it came to Xbox) are more than enough to justify the purchase of a PlayStation. And there will always be people in line to buy the next Zelda, the next Metroid, and the next Mario.
Microsoft's problem is not developing/licensing enough cutting edge "must have" games for the Xbox rather than just a sequel to it's flagship title. Unless they release mindblowing titles along with the launch of the Xbox 2, its doomed to follow the same path.
I'm not really opposed to them collecting that kind of information. I'm opposed to collecting information without people knowing about it. I think you'd agree that if they said "Hey, we're logging your gaming activity," most people wouldn't care. But if they went ahead and logged it without clearly notifying you, you'd probably be a little pissed.
Granted the example I gave isn't really that intrusive, but it was just a thought. You do bring up a valid point, information like that can be used to make better games... especially when people stop playing the ones that are riddled with bugs because they were forced to meet some deadline... but that was covered in another article.
While this all sounds cool, I'm going to burst the bubble a little bit. My thought is what else will X-Box Live Aware games do beneath the surface? Will they log user habits? Such things as "(User) played (game) for 23 minutes before being invited into (live game) by (other user)." I mean I guess they can't do much more than this... can they?
How is the RIAA finding out who's sharing what on Kazaa? Are they using Kazaa to do it? And if they are, by simply using the Kazaa software are they killing their own case?
The thing that we all need to realize, like Napster and Morpheus, Kazaa is essentially dead now. Let it go. Nobody wants to share on it now for fear of being caught. So the real question is where's the next filesharing service? The one that we can all use for another year or two until legal action is taken against it and we move on to the next one?
Considering you have until October 15th to get the license at the "discounted" price, it would be much smarter to wait until around that time to see how this all plays out. Besides if SCO is just being a bully, and a court of law decides that the Linux kernel has none of SCO's code in it, do you get your money back? It would be a good thing to look into.
This is 100% correct. I went out and bought a GameCube for two reasons: Zelda and Metroid Prime. Neither one of them dissapoints, but this isn't a game review. The important fact is that Nintendo has the best proprietary games out there. And Nintendo has made sure that with each successive console release these games are as strong as ever. The hardest thing for Nintendo is introducing new players to these titles at a time when most people value pretty graphics over good gameplay.
As an avid programmer I believe there is no excuse for major bugs in console games because they can't be patched. This doesn't mean that its allowable for PC games to have major bugs either, but at least those can be fixed. Console games need to have an even more rigorous testing process then their PC counterparts for that very reason.
I've had my own experience with defective console software: NBA 2k3 for the GameCube. 2k3 freezes without warning in the middle of a game. The worst part about it is that the freeze is so severe that the reset button on the cube doesn't even work. While Sega has acknowledged the problem they can't seem to figure it out. And curiously they aren't developing anymore sports games for the GameCube. I've resolved never to buy a sega product again because of it.