Overall score for goodies: So far, I'd say the loot system in SWG is like seeing Kirsten Dunst naked: pretty mediocre. However, this is all pretty unconventional, and it may yet prove to be a decent system.
I would really like to see Kirsten Dunst naked. If the game is as good as that, I would buy it today.
Also- going back to the original subject- games in libraries.
Where do you think a child is more likely to pickup a taste for reading- at a library, or at home- where when the Playstation (I prefer Xbox, but I don't want to compete here) goes off, Ricki Lake comes on.
Getting their little butts in the door might be half the battle, one they (library people) are trying to win with a Playstation. Hey- ya gotta try something.
Go into almost any library today, and see what is drawing people in- for my local library the biggest draw is the Internet. The Internet may not be literature, but it is filled with facts (?!?!), communication, and interesting things to look at/read. In my town it also serves those who don't have a connection at home, keeping them somewhat up to date on what is happening out there on the great information superhighway.
Adding technology to the library is not the same as turning their back on the printed word, they are just trying to augment their services to bring people in.
Besides, one day some kid might be waiting for a Playstation, and pick up a book (possibly Treasure Island) maybe he will become a game designer, and create some game based on that one book he read way back when...
First of all chucklehead, I said 'figurine', not 'doll'.
And I would recommend that you learn something about copyright law before you post your ignorant statements. Yes, a figurine CAN be copyrighted- it falls into the 'statuary' category.
But of course, if you don't bother to educate yourself, then my comments would make no sense.
I still hold the same opinion. The copyrighted material is the artistic work (software/statue) The physical material you buy is the delivery system. Whether you break your Nintendo cartridge or break your figurine, the company is not liable for your loss. They did not guarantee your use of the product forever, they just sold you that one copy.
I don't really like copy protection, but a lot of the 'I was just making a backup' logic sounds a lot like the 'For Tobacco Use Only' signs that you see in headshops.
How many people are really making legitimate backup copies, and how many are pirating the software?
The companies MUST be able to protect their time, and effort in creating the software.
If there were no pirates, there would be no copy protection.
Let's say you buy some type of figurine (you know, the stupid little statues that fat ladies buy).
The design is copyrighted- you can't copy it. But, if you break the figurine, they don't replace it for you.
It is not the companies responsibility to ensure that you always have use of their product- it is their responsibility to make sure that the product they originally give to you is what you paid for.
And you can be damn sure that if you went around trying to duplicate and sell those figurines, you would hear from the company.
Hmm...it surprised me when I looked around and saw that my joystick, steering wheel, and gamepad are all Microsoft Sidewinders.
The joystick is/was perfectly fine- until I upgraded to a machine without a game port. But I don't play Mechwarrior anymore, so that was okay.
The steering wheel was pretty good- but the pedals were too light- I had to put something heavy behind them. The wheel itself was fine. But I STILL suck at Rallisport Challenge, so I never use that anymore.
The gamepad was fine- I mean, it is just a gamepad. But I suck at Madden football, so I never use that either.
Hmm...anyone know if you can use the steering wheel (usb) on an Xbox?
I've got a Microsoft (yeah, yeah, yeah) keyboard that does that.
The function keys have an extra modifier that is turned on by default. F6 is close and I've reconfigured F5 to minimize. Haven't thought about doing maximize. (Most programs remember the state of the last window you opened, and typically for me that was maximized, so this is not an issue)
These keyboards are actually pretty nice, with buttons for Windows Media Player on top, and a bunch of other gay little buttons I never use because I forget about them. But it is nice to have the 20 or so totally customizable buttons available when I need them. And for the other users on my computer, hitting the 'my documents' button is easier than finding their files any other way.
Of course, I always forget about the calculator button and that would actually be the one to save me the most time.
Keyboards are like a lot of other technology out there- you would be amazed at what exists, if you are willing to try it out.
As for quality- I've got no problems with this at all, in fact it has a good feel (in my opinion) it's also wireless, which was my number one requirement. I've got too many damn cords behind my computer!
The only complaint I have, is there is no caps-locks indicator. Maybe they were trying to save battery life or something, but it is nice to have the little light- at least when you are typing in passwords...
The brunette was hot. The blonde first of all, was not really a blonde (obviously), and secondly she looked too young. MOST chicks can be hot when they are 17-19. Show me the ones who are hot later on in life.
I would love to do some scientific research, so I could predict which ones will be hot all their lives. This way you don't get married in your 20's to someone who looks good, but ends up being an ugly beast. (It happened to me once) This is information that could be very very valuable. Although the 'look at her mother' advice is probably good. I didn't meet the mother until much later, I think she was blocking it from happening in order to keep up the charade.
Just to let you know, that painful 13.7 years of my life ended a few years ago and I have since made much wiser decisions.
Hmm....ever go bikini shopping with your girlfriend?
Bikini shopping is the most difficult/painful experience in the world. You spend the entire time attempting to tell her that she DOES look good, and yes this one is good. Even saying "I like that one the most" (Translation- the all look good...lets get the fuck outta here) Brings up the question of "what is wrong with the other ones". It's difficult.
So, I wanna say that there are a few big differences between these and Walmart. They cost $149 and they are not at Walmart. That is goooooood. A bikini is all about the woman feeling good about herself. She isn't going to feel good in this year's Walmart special, or god-forbid last year's Walmart special.
Spend the money on the more expensive bikini- she'll feel good, and she'll make you feel good.
Additional note- bikini's are NOT all about women feeling good, they are about guys checking them out. But, guys don't really care what the bikini looks like- just the smaller, the better. When I was younger, 'french cut' was all the rage- now it is the low-rider effect. I like them both, as long as I get to see a lot of titty and ass. But really- if you are buying it, spend the extra dough- it will go a long way. And if you are shopping with her, don't make her pay for it- you benefit from it too.
I have never purchased a hardcover book for full price. I've always waited for soft-cover, or found a hard-cover book on sale. This is because books are not usually the hype machines that movies are- I don't NEED to read them right now, because there are other things to read to fill the time before the book comes out. Hard-cover buyers are just suckers, who subsidize the industry for the rest of us.
This was true until I found myself paying full price $29.99 for the latest Harry Potter.
The last book (#4) was the best in the series so far, and I hope this just comes close. I haven't been able to read it yet though- there are two women in the house, so that makes me last in line....
I do buy music- and I hate it. I would love to see something like iTunes on the Windows platform. The only thing that scares me about it though, is that people will only buy the 'hits'. Everyone I know has the same experience with music- you buy the album 'just for this one song', but USUALLY the depth of the album surprises you, and the song you initially liked ends up being the one you hate the most.
So if we only buy the ones we like, a lot of music will never get noticed...
Kid Rock's album (don't remember the name, but the one with 'Cowboy' on it) was actually a fairly solid album. Songs like 'Got One For Ya' and 'Black Chick White Guy' weren't played on the radio, that I heard, but they ended up being some of my favorites. Also, Uncle Kracker (hey, if you didn't like Kid Rock, you probably didn't buy this either) had a hit with 'Follow Me', but in my mind the rest of the album was much better.
There are a lot of cases though were I know I don't want the whole album- usually older songs from one-hit-wonders that I want to put on some party CD or something like that. I mean, do I really want to purchase the entire Rose Royce collection, just to get 'Car Wash'? Although Rose Royce does have at least 5 different 'best of' albums, but I really don't want to pay for the rest of their music. (Interesting note, I saw Rose Royce at the Asparagus Festival in Stockton, CA. They played at 12:00 Noon...it was pretty sad..maybe I should buy their albums just so they don't have to do that again)
Another example is the band Orgy. These guys are horrible- but they did a real good cover of New Order's 'Blue Monday'. I bought the CD...it was one of those rare occurances when I threw the CD away....even with one good song, it wasn't worth the piece of plastic it came on.
So- when do I know the album has depth, and when do I know that I really do only want one song? I guess I will need to rely more on reviewers, and try to make better decisions. So I don't waste money.
My problem with books is actually more complicated. If I don't like a book, I have usually spent quite a few hours to find out. I hate that waste of time- and of course reviews are only for hard-cover, so I never really catch on to those. I end up buying a lot of books I don't really like.
Some good books though:
Hole in the Head Slab Rat Carter Beats the Devil The Straw Men
Cate Archer from No One Lifes Forever (especially 2) was the hottest digital character I have ever seen. NOLF2 site at Sierra This chick is awesome!
I love the shots of her in her cute little snow suit, the one with the fuzzy stuff around her wrists. And what about those sweet gloves?
Cate is a hottie, and I wish there was more of her. Too bad the game is an FPS- even though I hate third-person perspectives, this is one game where it would work. Or, maybe they could have had a lot of mirrors in the game.
What about a Cate Archer dance party? That would be good...
This is sick- but I really do dig her. I was obsessed with her, the same way this guy ( Scary Dude ) is obsessed with Peter Pan. (No, I didn't dress up) Okay, on second thought, I don't want to be associated with that guy- he scares me.
They *should* make a Cate Archer movie though...mmm...mmmmmm
(just so you know, I have a fiance (a real woman) and we have sex regularly)
Betamax can be converted to an analog signal then another format.
Word can be converted to HTML. Or, PDF- or RTF. Or printed out. You're not losing any 'data' when you do this, you are only losing some formatting (and in the case of printing or PDF you probably aren't losing that).
I'm wondering why people expect Microsoft to operate in completely open manner, when having 'trade secrets' has been a cornerstone of the business world forever. Hey KFC! What's on that damn chicken! I want to be able to duplicate it at my fried chicken shack!
Did the public try to get legislation forcing Beta to work with VHS? No- we just chalked it up to 'bad luck' if you bought the wrong format. Yeah, some guys were showing us the cool little 'jog' button, and the better quality- but could I go to my corner store and rent "Xanadu" (with Olivia Newton-John)? If we wanted to see Olivia dancing on roller skates, we had to get a new machine (VHS). If we wanted to sit around and tell people our machine was better, that was great- as long as you liked watching the same twenty movies over and over.
Of course there are still people out there who think they made the right choice, and are happy using a product that will not interact with the de facto standard, and is only used by 2-3% of the population. I think there might be a few of those people here on Slashdot.
Whatever happened to 'adapt or die'? Our society is becoming more and more slanted toward the 'fringe'. The rights of the few are beginning to outweigh the rights of the many- it's like evolution in reverse. We'll all end up being fat, weak, and un-attractive, because there will end up being some law against mating by natural choice or something.
Well, I don't want to attempt to force the public to upgrade their browser. I need to make MY SITES work on their computer. We WANT them to come to our sites, it is how we stay in business. (Well, that and hundreds of millions of dollars from the taxpayers)
I can recommend that people internal to my organization 'upgrade' but we don't force that. (Academic freedom and all that stuff) We don't set limits on operating systems, or anything else. Some people think that Netscape 4 is the be-all and end-all, so they stick with it. And if one of those people happens to be above me in the ladder of power, god-forbid our public site doesn't look perfect on their monitor. We allow Linux on the desktop, or whatever else people want to use. It's our job (IT) to make it happen. (Mentioning Linux on the desktop is supposed to be a positive comment- please don't skew it otherwise)
Now on the other hand, if their secretary has to look at text without any formatting while generating reports, I can tell him/her (but in reality we don't have any male secretaries, I was just being PC) that they should upgrade- otherwise it will look like dung. Sure, go ahead and print it this way, but negative numbers won't be red, and totals won't be bold..etc., etc.
But for the public- we bend over backwards, and do what it takes to make things right. I believe that is part of my job- not telling them to upgrade.
I develop a lot of web applications- and just about every other web designer I know has the same problem that I do- Netscape 4.x.
Netscape 4 was horrible at rendering CSS- an absolute piece of crap. I still have to take it into consideration when creating pages, but it adds a lot of time to my work.
For anything that I do that is INTERNAL to my organization, I tell them right up front -"Use IE", because in reality that is the easiest way to say "don't use Netscape 4". Most of the cube dwellers have no idea there is anything else- and people that do know there are other choices ignore my suggestions anyway- which is fine.
Since I started doing this, I have only had one non-Netscape 4 person who had a problem. He was using a very early version of Opera, all he had to do was upgrade.
But on our public sites, I need to fully support Netscape 4, while it is breathing its last dying breath.
I don't care what browser people use, as long as it has good CSS support!
Because I am an idiot who will spend $500 to get 10fps more in UT2K3 (not Quake- any Quake game is old enough that nobody is still spending the money) I having a screaming machine.
Yes, I spent money to play games. (Actually it was far more than $500) But, everything else I do benefits from it. Compiling is almost instantaneous (I do get to watch the status bar, but only for a second or two) and everything else is quicker. Open a huge PDF? No problem. Have 15 different programs running at once, while burning a CD, and watching videos on-line? No big deal.
Of course, I had to have RAID too- and once again everything benefits from that. A gig of fast memory was the bare minimum that I would accept- and I have a super-clear/fast monitor (CRT...LCD's not fast enough)
So- gaming was the impetus, but once you have a top-of the line computer, it is really hard to look back. Kinda like broadband at home- I would never go back to a modem, and I'm willing to pay for it....currently looking for upgrades...gotta get 160 fps...
Almost every FPS I have played in the last 3-4 years has forced me into some sort of training mode- with military boot camp being the most common. Half-Life (Opposing Forces), Medal of Honor, etc, etc. This is where you learn to play the game, not become indoctrinated in the Army mentality.
It's a good idea to have people learn to move, and shoot on their own time- not in a real game, with 19 other people wondering what the heck their problem is.
(I did the real thing twice...and it actually was pretty fun..)
AOL sees WASTE (and a few other Nullsoft products) as something that:
A- Doesn't provide them with a revenue stream.
B- Could bring on lawsuits
C- Competes with their other products.
AOL is a huge company, with lots of money. They could get sued for *real* money, not just Napster money. Also, the fact that they own a lot of media might cause them problems.
We are on the cusp of a new era of 'authorized' file downloads (iTunes). Finally big business is learning how to make money from music on the web, and letting another free service rear it's free little head isn't part of their plans.
It seems like Nullsoft is forgetting who butters its bread.
So what if this amounts to Microsoft saying there is problems with their code. Everyone knows there are problems, so admitting it doesn't hurt them.
Now they are telling the world they want to clean it up. They have a team on it.
Corporate buyers want to hear this. They like to know that the dollars they are spending are going into making the product better. Knowing that they software will be better/more secure in the next revision keeps them from making the choice to move to a different platform.
In business, money talks. They understand the concept that Microsoft NEEDS to do this, to keep making money. It's hard to understand the driving factor that causes people to spend time inproving Linux- in general it isn't dollars.
That's the marketing portion, and it really does make sense.
Of course, they will need to deliver the goods too- and Windows users will benefit from that.
So by announcing to the world that they are working on it- they get a big marketing push. By actually doing the job, their products will get more and more secure. It may take a while, but as long as they are working on it, people will continue to buy.
Most of the anecdotes on Slashdot have to do with Windows 95, 98 (ME!) and NT. 2000 and XP are not perfect, or even wonderful, but the amount of improvement in stability is amazing. If this trend continues, their efforts will have paid off- and there will be a lot less reason to switch over to a different operating system.
I was talking to a friend about games yesterday, and he was asking me if a certain game was 'good'. I told him "yes, it is good- but ask me if it is FUN".
As I talked to him, I realized that a lot of games are good, solid games. Very few flaws in the gameplay. They are getting more complex, and more challenging.
But when I thought of FUN, I realized that a lot of them are not fun. To me, having fun while playing a game, is 4 people sitting around playing against each other. Yelling, screaming, hitting each other when we win or lose (console style). The arcade was fun, because you had a few buddies behind you, hoping that you didn't beat their high score- hoping you lose, so they get a turn.
When you watch someone else play, you learn their techniques. You get to repeatedly say "you're gonna die, you're gonna die, you're gonna die" during the boss levels. Sometimes its even okay to poke them when things get really tense, just to add a little more drama to the situation. And hell, they have money riding on it, so the excitement is enhanced by that.
Usually in an on-line situation, you are sitting by yourself, typically silent, but with Xbox live you can talk (never used it). Playing games by yourself is a lot like playing golf. Nice challenge, pretty things to look at, but not FUN. Basketball is fun...because of the interaction. (Yes, you can interact in golf...but its more like masturbating in the same room, than having a big orgy together..)
So- are arcades dying? Yes, obviously- visit any arcade around and you can see that. My system at home has better games, better graphics, etc. etc. But, video games will be losing a valuable element- social interaction- when they are gone.
Slashdot Mirror
Overall score for goodies: So far, I'd say the loot system in SWG is like seeing Kirsten Dunst naked: pretty mediocre. However, this is all pretty unconventional, and it may yet prove to be a decent system.
I would really like to see Kirsten Dunst naked. If the game is as good as that, I would buy it today.
Also- going back to the original subject- games in libraries.
Where do you think a child is more likely to pickup a taste for reading- at a library, or at home- where when the Playstation (I prefer Xbox, but I don't want to compete here) goes off, Ricki Lake comes on.
Getting their little butts in the door might be half the battle, one they (library people) are trying to win with a Playstation. Hey- ya gotta try something.
Go into almost any library today, and see what is drawing people in- for my local library the biggest draw is the Internet. The Internet may not be literature, but it is filled with facts (?!?!), communication, and interesting things to look at/read. In my town it also serves those who don't have a connection at home, keeping them somewhat up to date on what is happening out there on the great information superhighway.
Adding technology to the library is not the same as turning their back on the printed word, they are just trying to augment their services to bring people in.
Besides, one day some kid might be waiting for a Playstation, and pick up a book (possibly Treasure Island) maybe he will become a game designer, and create some game based on that one book he read way back when...
I was wondering when/if someone was going to mention Nforce 2.
Here is a page with good info about the sound on an Nforce 2 motherboard. http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/nforce2/nforce_2 .htm
All of that looks impressive for ON BOARD sound, and I really think that 99.9% of the people out there would find that this is good enough.
Ahfoo-
First of all chucklehead, I said 'figurine', not 'doll'.
And I would recommend that you learn something about copyright law before you post your ignorant statements. Yes, a figurine CAN be copyrighted- it falls into the 'statuary' category.
But of course, if you don't bother to educate yourself, then my comments would make no sense.
I still hold the same opinion. The copyrighted material is the artistic work (software/statue) The physical material you buy is the delivery system. Whether you break your Nintendo cartridge or break your figurine, the company is not liable for your loss. They did not guarantee your use of the product forever, they just sold you that one copy.
I don't really like copy protection, but a lot of the 'I was just making a backup' logic sounds a lot like the 'For Tobacco Use Only' signs that you see in headshops.
How many people are really making legitimate backup copies, and how many are pirating the software?
The companies MUST be able to protect their time, and effort in creating the software.
If there were no pirates, there would be no copy protection.
I hate to be picky, but-
It is not "university of Berkley"
It is the University of California at Berkeley.
Just like Michigan State University is not East Lansing University.
Let's say you buy some type of figurine (you know, the stupid little statues that fat ladies buy).
The design is copyrighted- you can't copy it. But, if you break the figurine, they don't replace it for you.
It is not the companies responsibility to ensure that you always have use of their product- it is their responsibility to make sure that the product they originally give to you is what you paid for.
And you can be damn sure that if you went around trying to duplicate and sell those figurines, you would hear from the company.
Hmm...it surprised me when I looked around and saw that my joystick, steering wheel, and gamepad are all Microsoft Sidewinders.
The joystick is/was perfectly fine- until I upgraded to a machine without a game port. But I don't play Mechwarrior anymore, so that was okay.
The steering wheel was pretty good- but the pedals were too light- I had to put something heavy behind them. The wheel itself was fine. But I STILL suck at Rallisport Challenge, so I never use that anymore.
The gamepad was fine- I mean, it is just a gamepad. But I suck at Madden football, so I never use that either.
Hmm...anyone know if you can use the steering wheel (usb) on an Xbox?
I've got a Microsoft (yeah, yeah, yeah) keyboard that does that.
The function keys have an extra modifier that is turned on by default. F6 is close and I've reconfigured F5 to minimize. Haven't thought about doing maximize. (Most programs remember the state of the last window you opened, and typically for me that was maximized, so this is not an issue)
These keyboards are actually pretty nice, with buttons for Windows Media Player on top, and a bunch of other gay little buttons I never use because I forget about them. But it is nice to have the 20 or so totally customizable buttons available when I need them. And for the other users on my computer, hitting the 'my documents' button is easier than finding their files any other way.
Of course, I always forget about the calculator button and that would actually be the one to save me the most time.
Keyboards are like a lot of other technology out there- you would be amazed at what exists, if you are willing to try it out.
As for quality- I've got no problems with this at all, in fact it has a good feel (in my opinion) it's also wireless, which was my number one requirement. I've got too many damn cords behind my computer!
The only complaint I have, is there is no caps-locks indicator. Maybe they were trying to save battery life or something, but it is nice to have the little light- at least when you are typing in passwords...
Oh and I would like to add-
The brunette was hot. The blonde first of all, was not really a blonde (obviously), and secondly she looked too young. MOST chicks can be hot when they are 17-19. Show me the ones who are hot later on in life.
I would love to do some scientific research, so I could predict which ones will be hot all their lives. This way you don't get married in your 20's to someone who looks good, but ends up being an ugly beast. (It happened to me once) This is information that could be very very valuable. Although the 'look at her mother' advice is probably good. I didn't meet the mother until much later, I think she was blocking it from happening in order to keep up the charade.
Just to let you know, that painful 13.7 years of my life ended a few years ago and I have since made much wiser decisions.
This explains all the damn fur-in-ers on America's Army.
You wanna know why the non-American's annoy me so much on that game?
Because a bunch of jackass American's always want to say "this is our game, go away and have your country make thier own.." Now THAT is annoying.
Hmm....ever go bikini shopping with your girlfriend?
Bikini shopping is the most difficult/painful experience in the world. You spend the entire time attempting to tell her that she DOES look good, and yes this one is good. Even saying "I like that one the most" (Translation- the all look good...lets get the fuck outta here) Brings up the question of "what is wrong with the other ones". It's difficult.
So, I wanna say that there are a few big differences between these and Walmart. They cost $149 and they are not at Walmart. That is goooooood. A bikini is all about the woman feeling good about herself. She isn't going to feel good in this year's Walmart special, or god-forbid last year's Walmart special.
Spend the money on the more expensive bikini- she'll feel good, and she'll make you feel good.
Additional note- bikini's are NOT all about women feeling good, they are about guys checking them out. But, guys don't really care what the bikini looks like- just the smaller, the better. When I was younger, 'french cut' was all the rage- now it is the low-rider effect. I like them both, as long as I get to see a lot of titty and ass. But really- if you are buying it, spend the extra dough- it will go a long way. And if you are shopping with her, don't make her pay for it- you benefit from it too.
I have never purchased a hardcover book for full price. I've always waited for soft-cover, or found a hard-cover book on sale. This is because books are not usually the hype machines that movies are- I don't NEED to read them right now, because there are other things to read to fill the time before the book comes out. Hard-cover buyers are just suckers, who subsidize the industry for the rest of us.
This was true until I found myself paying full price $29.99 for the latest Harry Potter.
The last book (#4) was the best in the series so far, and I hope this just comes close. I haven't been able to read it yet though- there are two women in the house, so that makes me last in line....
I do buy music- and I hate it. I would love to see something like iTunes on the Windows platform. The only thing that scares me about it though, is that people will only buy the 'hits'. Everyone I know has the same experience with music- you buy the album 'just for this one song', but USUALLY the depth of the album surprises you, and the song you initially liked ends up being the one you hate the most.
So if we only buy the ones we like, a lot of music will never get noticed...
Kid Rock's album (don't remember the name, but the one with 'Cowboy' on it) was actually a fairly solid album. Songs like 'Got One For Ya' and 'Black Chick White Guy' weren't played on the radio, that I heard, but they ended up being some of my favorites. Also, Uncle Kracker (hey, if you didn't like Kid Rock, you probably didn't buy this either) had a hit with 'Follow Me', but in my mind the rest of the album was much better.
There are a lot of cases though were I know I don't want the whole album- usually older songs from one-hit-wonders that I want to put on some party CD or something like that. I mean, do I really want to purchase the entire Rose Royce collection, just to get 'Car Wash'? Although Rose Royce does have at least 5 different 'best of' albums, but I really don't want to pay for the rest of their music. (Interesting note, I saw Rose Royce at the Asparagus Festival in Stockton, CA. They played at 12:00 Noon...it was pretty sad..maybe I should buy their albums just so they don't have to do that again)
Another example is the band Orgy. These guys are horrible- but they did a real good cover of New Order's 'Blue Monday'. I bought the CD...it was one of those rare occurances when I threw the CD away....even with one good song, it wasn't worth the piece of plastic it came on.
So- when do I know the album has depth, and when do I know that I really do only want one song? I guess I will need to rely more on reviewers, and try to make better decisions. So I don't waste money.
My problem with books is actually more complicated. If I don't like a book, I have usually spent quite a few hours to find out. I hate that waste of time- and of course reviews are only for hard-cover, so I never really catch on to those. I end up buying a lot of books I don't really like.
Some good books though:
Hole in the Head
Slab Rat
Carter Beats the Devil
The Straw Men
Blah blah blah
Actually, there were at least 7 service packs.
Service pack 6 wasn't very good, so they added 6a.
Just about everything that I installed in the last 2 years required 6a- and wouldn't run under 6. I believe that SP6 was one of their early disasters.
This is a roll-up. So, this is the only service pack/patch they will need to install. It should speed up an install.
Cate Archer from No One Lifes Forever (especially 2) was the hottest digital character I have ever seen. NOLF2 site at Sierra This chick is awesome!
I love the shots of her in her cute little snow suit, the one with the fuzzy stuff around her wrists. And what about those sweet gloves?
Cate is a hottie, and I wish there was more of her. Too bad the game is an FPS- even though I hate third-person perspectives, this is one game where it would work. Or, maybe they could have had a lot of mirrors in the game.
What about a Cate Archer dance party? That would be good...
This is sick- but I really do dig her. I was obsessed with her, the same way this guy ( Scary Dude ) is obsessed with Peter Pan. (No, I didn't dress up) Okay, on second thought, I don't want to be associated with that guy- he scares me.
They *should* make a Cate Archer movie though...mmm...mmmmmm
(just so you know, I have a fiance (a real woman) and we have sex regularly)
Betamax can be converted to an analog signal then another format.
Word can be converted to HTML. Or, PDF- or RTF. Or printed out. You're not losing any 'data' when you do this, you are only losing some formatting (and in the case of printing or PDF you probably aren't losing that).
I'm wondering why people expect Microsoft to operate in completely open manner, when having 'trade secrets' has been a cornerstone of the business world forever. Hey KFC! What's on that damn chicken! I want to be able to duplicate it at my fried chicken shack!
Did the public try to get legislation forcing Beta to work with VHS? No- we just chalked it up to 'bad luck' if you bought the wrong format. Yeah, some guys were showing us the cool little 'jog' button, and the better quality- but could I go to my corner store and rent "Xanadu" (with Olivia Newton-John)? If we wanted to see Olivia dancing on roller skates, we had to get a new machine (VHS). If we wanted to sit around and tell people our machine was better, that was great- as long as you liked watching the same twenty movies over and over.
Of course there are still people out there who think they made the right choice, and are happy using a product that will not interact with the de facto standard, and is only used by 2-3% of the population. I think there might be a few of those people here on Slashdot.
Whatever happened to 'adapt or die'? Our society is becoming more and more slanted toward the 'fringe'. The rights of the few are beginning to outweigh the rights of the many- it's like evolution in reverse. We'll all end up being fat, weak, and un-attractive, because there will end up being some law against mating by natural choice or something.
On the other hand- should the VHS industry be paying Sony because Betamax didn't work out? (Or maybe the other way around)
My family movies are on Beta, and I can't play them on VHS devices which have a monopoly. SOMEBODY FREAKIN' OWES ME!
Well, I don't want to attempt to force the public to upgrade their browser. I need to make MY SITES work on their computer. We WANT them to come to our sites, it is how we stay in business. (Well, that and hundreds of millions of dollars from the taxpayers)
I can recommend that people internal to my organization 'upgrade' but we don't force that. (Academic freedom and all that stuff) We don't set limits on operating systems, or anything else. Some people think that Netscape 4 is the be-all and end-all, so they stick with it. And if one of those people happens to be above me in the ladder of power, god-forbid our public site doesn't look perfect on their monitor. We allow Linux on the desktop, or whatever else people want to use. It's our job (IT) to make it happen. (Mentioning Linux on the desktop is supposed to be a positive comment- please don't skew it otherwise)
Now on the other hand, if their secretary has to look at text without any formatting while generating reports, I can tell him/her (but in reality we don't have any male secretaries, I was just being PC) that they should upgrade- otherwise it will look like dung. Sure, go ahead and print it this way, but negative numbers won't be red, and totals won't be bold..etc., etc.
But for the public- we bend over backwards, and do what it takes to make things right. I believe that is part of my job- not telling them to upgrade.
I develop a lot of web applications- and just about every other web designer I know has the same problem that I do- Netscape 4.x.
Netscape 4 was horrible at rendering CSS- an absolute piece of crap. I still have to take it into consideration when creating pages, but it adds a lot of time to my work.
For anything that I do that is INTERNAL to my organization, I tell them right up front -"Use IE", because in reality that is the easiest way to say "don't use Netscape 4". Most of the cube dwellers have no idea there is anything else- and people that do know there are other choices ignore my suggestions anyway- which is fine.
Since I started doing this, I have only had one non-Netscape 4 person who had a problem. He was using a very early version of Opera, all he had to do was upgrade.
But on our public sites, I need to fully support Netscape 4, while it is breathing its last dying breath.
I don't care what browser people use, as long as it has good CSS support!
Because I am an idiot who will spend $500 to get 10fps more in UT2K3 (not Quake- any Quake game is old enough that nobody is still spending the money) I having a screaming machine.
...currently looking for upgrades...gotta get 160 fps...
Yes, I spent money to play games. (Actually it was far more than $500) But, everything else I do benefits from it. Compiling is almost instantaneous (I do get to watch the status bar, but only for a second or two) and everything else is quicker. Open a huge PDF? No problem. Have 15 different programs running at once, while burning a CD, and watching videos on-line? No big deal.
Of course, I had to have RAID too- and once again everything benefits from that. A gig of fast memory was the bare minimum that I would accept- and I have a super-clear/fast monitor (CRT...LCD's not fast enough)
So- gaming was the impetus, but once you have a top-of the line computer, it is really hard to look back. Kinda like broadband at home- I would never go back to a modem, and I'm willing to pay for it.
Almost every FPS I have played in the last 3-4 years has forced me into some sort of training mode- with military boot camp being the most common. Half-Life (Opposing Forces), Medal of Honor, etc, etc. This is where you learn to play the game, not become indoctrinated in the Army mentality.
It's a good idea to have people learn to move, and shoot on their own time- not in a real game, with 19 other people wondering what the heck their problem is.
(I did the real thing twice...and it actually was pretty fun..)
AOL sees WASTE (and a few other Nullsoft products) as something that:
A- Doesn't provide them with a revenue stream.
B- Could bring on lawsuits
C- Competes with their other products.
AOL is a huge company, with lots of money. They could get sued for *real* money, not just Napster money. Also, the fact that they own a lot of media might cause them problems.
We are on the cusp of a new era of 'authorized' file downloads (iTunes). Finally big business is learning how to make money from music on the web, and letting another free service rear it's free little head isn't part of their plans.
It seems like Nullsoft is forgetting who butters its bread.
So what if this amounts to Microsoft saying there is problems with their code. Everyone knows there are problems, so admitting it doesn't hurt them.
Now they are telling the world they want to clean it up. They have a team on it.
Corporate buyers want to hear this. They like to know that the dollars they are spending are going into making the product better. Knowing that they software will be better/more secure in the next revision keeps them from making the choice to move to a different platform.
In business, money talks. They understand the concept that Microsoft NEEDS to do this, to keep making money. It's hard to understand the driving factor that causes people to spend time inproving Linux- in general it isn't dollars.
That's the marketing portion, and it really does make sense.
Of course, they will need to deliver the goods too- and Windows users will benefit from that.
So by announcing to the world that they are working on it- they get a big marketing push. By actually doing the job, their products will get more and more secure. It may take a while, but as long as they are working on it, people will continue to buy.
Most of the anecdotes on Slashdot have to do with Windows 95, 98 (ME!) and NT. 2000 and XP are not perfect, or even wonderful, but the amount of improvement in stability is amazing. If this trend continues, their efforts will have paid off- and there will be a lot less reason to switch over to a different operating system.
I was talking to a friend about games yesterday, and he was asking me if a certain game was 'good'. I told him "yes, it is good- but ask me if it is FUN".
As I talked to him, I realized that a lot of games are good, solid games. Very few flaws in the gameplay. They are getting more complex, and more challenging.
But when I thought of FUN, I realized that a lot of them are not fun. To me, having fun while playing a game, is 4 people sitting around playing against each other. Yelling, screaming, hitting each other when we win or lose (console style). The arcade was fun, because you had a few buddies behind you, hoping that you didn't beat their high score- hoping you lose, so they get a turn.
When you watch someone else play, you learn their techniques. You get to repeatedly say "you're gonna die, you're gonna die, you're gonna die" during the boss levels. Sometimes its even okay to poke them when things get really tense, just to add a little more drama to the situation. And hell, they have money riding on it, so the excitement is enhanced by that.
Usually in an on-line situation, you are sitting by yourself, typically silent, but with Xbox live you can talk (never used it). Playing games by yourself is a lot like playing golf. Nice challenge, pretty things to look at, but not FUN. Basketball is fun...because of the interaction. (Yes, you can interact in golf...but its more like masturbating in the same room, than having a big orgy together..)
So- are arcades dying? Yes, obviously- visit any arcade around and you can see that. My system at home has better games, better graphics, etc. etc. But, video games will be losing a valuable element- social interaction- when they are gone.