Okay, I've come up with a solution to all of the hurdles this horrid article is making you jump.
Step 1: Close your browser.
Step 2: Shut off your computer if the temptation is too great.
Step 3: Find something better to do.
If you've seen footage of the Hindenberg and seen hydrogen burn, you'd know that what happened to the Hindenberg was _definitely_ something other than the hydrogen. Hydrogen is all gas, and it does _not_ burn long when exposed to heat and oxygen. The whole mass lights up for however long it takes the reaction to spread through (not very long) and poof! That's the end of it.
It's actually a lot safer than petroleum, all things considered. It can pack more concussive force when it lights, but its low mass (it floats away quickly, in other words) and lack of remaining liquid for any decent amount of time once exposed to the outside make for a very, very short danger-period. Meanwhile, a petroleum fire will just keep on burning until the last of the liquid finally evaporates.
Indeed. The reality was that Microsoft beat Apple to building a modern OS for consumers.
No.
Microsoft managed to make deals with the major players in the x86 world, and thusly got their operating systems pre-installed on most x86 machines. Microsoft Corp. did a damn good job selling their software, but it has little to do with the actual quality of the software.
This has been pointed out time and time again, but just in case you missed it: x86 machines are cheaper than macs. It's a fact of life. And what operating system comes pre-installed on most x86 machines? Windows.
Once more, just to be clear, the reason Windows is in such wide use has fuck-all to do with how 'good' the operating system is. It's because it comes pre-installed on cheap computers. And when the average consumer wants a new computer, which are they going to get? The $1000+ macintosh, or the $500 Windows PC?
...would be a regular backpack--cheap as possible without being too shoddy--with a good amount of stains/scuffing, in conjunction with a solid, padded, but small laptop case. If you wish, use a pack with multiple compartments, or attach straps (backpack modding! Ha!) to the inside of the pack so you can stabilize the laptop.
Whatever you do, do _not_ travel with a laptop bag/backpack. The less it looks like you have a laptop, the better. (I know from experience. I've accidentally left my beaten-up backpack lying around with an iBook in it in college, and no one stole the laptop, in a college infamous for laptops being jacked in. Inconspicuous = good.)
Though be careful with the inconspicuous look. Dress causually in slightly worn clothing too when carrying the laptop. As long as people don't think you have anything worth stealing, they tend to leave you (and your stuff) alone.
Doesn't work well, because then if people get bored and leave, that's x potential revenue lost. It would be _nicer_ if companies did that, but it's not really economically feasible.
To me, it is ridiculous that they make you pay for the original game media and then ALSO charge you a monthly fee! And then keep grabbing for your money with expansion packs, ugh.
Unfortunately, it kind of needs to be done if they're going to make any money off it. The first buy is because a lot of work went into making the software, the monthly fee is necessary to maintain the servers, pay the GMs, etc., and the expansion packs cost money for the same reason the main software does. TANSTAAFL.
...didn't get screwed-over because of the hydrogen, it got screwed-over because the paint used on it was highly flammable. Hydrogen is actually pretty safe, especially compared to petrol. Though hydrogen can have a stronger concussive blast when ignited, it goes 'foom' and that's it, the danger is gone. Petrol in liquid form doesn't burn, its fumes do, so it takes quite a lot time for a petrol fire to go out.
I'm not kidding. Watch geese make a whole lot of noise when they spot an intruder, and they're aggressive, too. They also have the effect of confusing the hell out of some would-be criminals.
Civ 3 has been out for Mac for a while now.
Also, if you're a hardcore gamer, use Windows. I say this, being a Mac user myself. Most game devs code for Windows, and most use DirectX. Much as I dislike seeing MS gain more power, I'm not going to deny that a well-built Windows box is far better for gaming than a Macintosh. Macintoshes are just better for providing a stable platform for 'normal stuff' and professional 2D design, audio, and video, and other things. Having the gaming capability we do is just an added bonus.
...they should have a Darwin Awards for getting fired instead of diving. Installing spyware on a coworker's comp, for legitimate reasons or no, strikes me as a bloody stupid thing to do.
"Oh, hey, this guy is playing games with his time instead of working. Please ignore the fact that I compromised security to get the evidence."
Sorry to plug so shamelessly, but I've found that not only are their games absolutely amazing storyline and interface-wise, but they also are great for playing when you might easily be interrupted. You can save them at any time, and should you be interrupted in combat, you don't even need to pause. I've been playing Geneforge for quite some time now, and it's never bored me, which is saying a lot, considering how much I dislike most modern games. If you're obsessed with eye-candy, Spiderweb's stuff is not for you, but if 'bad' graphics don't bother, these may just be the right games for the working class.
Did you RTFA? In the legal sense, they are criminals, but it's not like punching someone in the nose at all. It doesn't do any harm to those they hack--except, perhaps, in some of the virus cases--and they're doing people a favor of showing them the security holes are there before someone less kind uses them to do actual damage. People get _paid_ by network owners to hack into the networks and find exploits. These people are doing it for free. Good for network owners, bad for paid hackers.
Unfortunately, consolidation often leads to far more problems than one might think. In about as close to ideal in a given social system (yes, an industry is a social system) the safest system is one in which there is little, if any consolidation. It leaves room for differences, such as varying music styles. However, once people start consolidating under major groups, something interesting starts to happen.
The smaller entities start getting shoved out of the big picture. You are no longer dealing with the industry as a whole unless you go digging to find the smaller labels, and thusly those who prefer the types of music these smaller labels produce have much more trouble finding what they want because of the overbearing Main Groups.
Now, most of this is based on my studies of web-society and the parallels to real-life society (it's really quite fascinating; I recommend it to anyone who enjoys understanding groups of people better) and I've seen these things happen over and over, and there's something else I've seen as well, which is the main point of this post.
When the smaller entities stay apart, the larger entity will only try to surpass them. The larger does not view them as a threat. However--I've seen this time and time again--when the smaller entities try to form a large consolidation of their own, and actually succeed... then they become a threat. Not only do they become a threat, but the larger entity may feel them dangerous enough to warrant attacking them in various ways until they've been brought down. (And they almost always succeed in such ventures. It's very rare the people in power don't neutralize threats completely.)
I do not believe that the consolidation of indie lables at this time would be a good idea. The big companies have to be drastically weakened before they could stand a chance of surviving the attacks... and if they consolidate, it is more than likely they will end up going the same way the other record companies did: clinging to a small face of music, and shafting everyone else.
Perhaps they could encourage the US to conform to more sane standards that benefit the people instead of the big corporations who want to milk a dead man's music for all the profit they can get out of it.
Actually, that's not quite the best analogy, though it would work rather well if someone invented a way to choose one's skin-color and racial features.
*hands you a gun*
Go for it. I'm standing right here. Pull the trigger and become a man, because everyone knows the only way to become a man is to shoot someone who hasn't done you any harm, but is different. While you're at it, you'd better find a homosexual and a person of another skin color than your own too.
Normally I don't respond to stuff like this, but I'm kind of tired of the BS. Even from trolls on/. I'd expect better.
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, I've come up with a solution to all of the hurdles this horrid article is making you jump. Step 1: Close your browser. Step 2: Shut off your computer if the temptation is too great. Step 3: Find something better to do.
If you've seen footage of the Hindenberg and seen hydrogen burn, you'd know that what happened to the Hindenberg was _definitely_ something other than the hydrogen. Hydrogen is all gas, and it does _not_ burn long when exposed to heat and oxygen. The whole mass lights up for however long it takes the reaction to spread through (not very long) and poof! That's the end of it.
It's actually a lot safer than petroleum, all things considered. It can pack more concussive force when it lights, but its low mass (it floats away quickly, in other words) and lack of remaining liquid for any decent amount of time once exposed to the outside make for a very, very short danger-period. Meanwhile, a petroleum fire will just keep on burning until the last of the liquid finally evaporates.
Indeed. The reality was that Microsoft beat Apple to building a modern OS for consumers.
No.
Microsoft managed to make deals with the major players in the x86 world, and thusly got their operating systems pre-installed on most x86 machines. Microsoft Corp. did a damn good job selling their software, but it has little to do with the actual quality of the software.
This has been pointed out time and time again, but just in case you missed it: x86 machines are cheaper than macs. It's a fact of life. And what operating system comes pre-installed on most x86 machines? Windows.
Once more, just to be clear, the reason Windows is in such wide use has fuck-all to do with how 'good' the operating system is. It's because it comes pre-installed on cheap computers. And when the average consumer wants a new computer, which are they going to get? The $1000+ macintosh, or the $500 Windows PC?
Once more, people are overlooking an oft ignored market base:
Masochists.
...would be a regular backpack--cheap as possible without being too shoddy--with a good amount of stains/scuffing, in conjunction with a solid, padded, but small laptop case. If you wish, use a pack with multiple compartments, or attach straps (backpack modding! Ha!) to the inside of the pack so you can stabilize the laptop.
Whatever you do, do _not_ travel with a laptop bag/backpack. The less it looks like you have a laptop, the better. (I know from experience. I've accidentally left my beaten-up backpack lying around with an iBook in it in college, and no one stole the laptop, in a college infamous for laptops being jacked in. Inconspicuous = good.)
Though be careful with the inconspicuous look. Dress causually in slightly worn clothing too when carrying the laptop. As long as people don't think you have anything worth stealing, they tend to leave you (and your stuff) alone.
Doesn't work well, because then if people get bored and leave, that's x potential revenue lost. It would be _nicer_ if companies did that, but it's not really economically feasible.
To me, it is ridiculous that they make you pay for the original game media and then ALSO charge you a monthly fee! And then keep grabbing for your money with expansion packs, ugh.
Unfortunately, it kind of needs to be done if they're going to make any money off it. The first buy is because a lot of work went into making the software, the monthly fee is necessary to maintain the servers, pay the GMs, etc., and the expansion packs cost money for the same reason the main software does. TANSTAAFL.
It's so that the enlightened geeks of Slashdot can give these books to their not-so-geeky frie...
Never mind.
Wouldn't caution entail _not_ attacking a country for extremely questionable motives and alienating most of the world?
I'd rather see more of these things applied to infants.
So would I, though I still think a dog would be more useful.
...didn't get screwed-over because of the hydrogen, it got screwed-over because the paint used on it was highly flammable. Hydrogen is actually pretty safe, especially compared to petrol. Though hydrogen can have a stronger concussive blast when ignited, it goes 'foom' and that's it, the danger is gone. Petrol in liquid form doesn't burn, its fumes do, so it takes quite a lot time for a petrol fire to go out.
...have all the judges be programmers from AOL and Microsoft. The less it looks like their own code, the higher the score.
What could be better than winning a gold in the Geek Olympics?
Having a girlfriend.
I'm not kidding. Watch geese make a whole lot of noise when they spot an intruder, and they're aggressive, too. They also have the effect of confusing the hell out of some would-be criminals.
Civ 3 has been out for Mac for a while now. Also, if you're a hardcore gamer, use Windows. I say this, being a Mac user myself. Most game devs code for Windows, and most use DirectX. Much as I dislike seeing MS gain more power, I'm not going to deny that a well-built Windows box is far better for gaming than a Macintosh. Macintoshes are just better for providing a stable platform for 'normal stuff' and professional 2D design, audio, and video, and other things. Having the gaming capability we do is just an added bonus.
Python is not the kind of language that lands you a job like Java
Because otherwise, the business world would be that much less bass-ackwards.
Er, not really. It's more like the system in Greg Bear's "Eon" if anything. Storing one's mind for immortality is not a new concept in SF.
...they should have a Darwin Awards for getting fired instead of diving. Installing spyware on a coworker's comp, for legitimate reasons or no, strikes me as a bloody stupid thing to do. "Oh, hey, this guy is playing games with his time instead of working. Please ignore the fact that I compromised security to get the evidence."
http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/
Sorry to plug so shamelessly, but I've found that not only are their games absolutely amazing storyline and interface-wise, but they also are great for playing when you might easily be interrupted. You can save them at any time, and should you be interrupted in combat, you don't even need to pause. I've been playing Geneforge for quite some time now, and it's never bored me, which is saying a lot, considering how much I dislike most modern games. If you're obsessed with eye-candy, Spiderweb's stuff is not for you, but if 'bad' graphics don't bother, these may just be the right games for the working class.
Did you RTFA? In the legal sense, they are criminals, but it's not like punching someone in the nose at all. It doesn't do any harm to those they hack--except, perhaps, in some of the virus cases--and they're doing people a favor of showing them the security holes are there before someone less kind uses them to do actual damage. People get _paid_ by network owners to hack into the networks and find exploits. These people are doing it for free. Good for network owners, bad for paid hackers.
Unfortunately, consolidation often leads to far more problems than one might think. In about as close to ideal in a given social system (yes, an industry is a social system) the safest system is one in which there is little, if any consolidation. It leaves room for differences, such as varying music styles. However, once people start consolidating under major groups, something interesting starts to happen.
The smaller entities start getting shoved out of the big picture. You are no longer dealing with the industry as a whole unless you go digging to find the smaller labels, and thusly those who prefer the types of music these smaller labels produce have much more trouble finding what they want because of the overbearing Main Groups.
Now, most of this is based on my studies of web-society and the parallels to real-life society (it's really quite fascinating; I recommend it to anyone who enjoys understanding groups of people better) and I've seen these things happen over and over, and there's something else I've seen as well, which is the main point of this post.
When the smaller entities stay apart, the larger entity will only try to surpass them. The larger does not view them as a threat. However--I've seen this time and time again--when the smaller entities try to form a large consolidation of their own, and actually succeed... then they become a threat. Not only do they become a threat, but the larger entity may feel them dangerous enough to warrant attacking them in various ways until they've been brought down. (And they almost always succeed in such ventures. It's very rare the people in power don't neutralize threats completely.)
I do not believe that the consolidation of indie lables at this time would be a good idea. The big companies have to be drastically weakened before they could stand a chance of surviving the attacks... and if they consolidate, it is more than likely they will end up going the same way the other record companies did: clinging to a small face of music, and shafting everyone else.
Perhaps they could encourage the US to conform to more sane standards that benefit the people instead of the big corporations who want to milk a dead man's music for all the profit they can get out of it.
Actually, that's not quite the best analogy, though it would work rather well if someone invented a way to choose one's skin-color and racial features.
*hands you a gun* Go for it. I'm standing right here. Pull the trigger and become a man, because everyone knows the only way to become a man is to shoot someone who hasn't done you any harm, but is different. While you're at it, you'd better find a homosexual and a person of another skin color than your own too. Normally I don't respond to stuff like this, but I'm kind of tired of the BS. Even from trolls on /. I'd expect better.
Look what Apple comes out with on its resources. What does that say of other companies' R&D?