most cars won't start unless the shift selector is in Park
I believe allowing ignition while in Neutral is also in the majority of cars, both automatic and manual transmission. It's useful if your engine dies while in motion.
Meanwhile I've been mailing all my bills in with a stamp depicting the US flag, with it adhered to the envelope such that the flag is displayed upside-down. No one has ever attempted to contact me to determine the source of my distress.
But then a letter isn't a seafaring vessel, and besides it isn't a recognized maritime signal anymore.
If they can't track down what player key was disclosed, they'll flood the underground market with bogus title keys while also making multiple yet visually indistinguishable parallel runs of the same release with different title keys to frustrate the market of title key sharing (multiple pressers manufacturing differently keyed masters of the same title). The more valuable the content, the more masters they'll make with different title keys. If the movie is crap, they only make one master.
That's one way to frustrate the piracy market. And they don't even have to wait for a player key to be broken to implement it.
That could only happen if there was a race condition over when keys get revoked by different manufacturers, or if a revoked key becomes reauthorized. Having a single authority establish the key with which the title key is encrypted prevents that.
That is unless someone decides to create a player that refuses to play discs lacking any encryption (my bet is on Sony).
I had an S-VHS VCR as well. Unfortunately it doesn't play back very well anymore. I think there's a problem with the tape feed.
Despite having multiple TiVos and DVD players, I still found myself having to buy a VCR to transfer tapes to DVD for a friend. You can't get a VCR with S-Video out at a reasonable price anymore. Even decks that have VHS and DVD in the same case, the S-Video out is only active for the DVD side. Due to decreased demand, S-VHS decks now cost around $300. D-VHS decks won't play S-VHS tapes at anything better than standard VHS quality.
And the Sony C6 Betamax recorder, given a decent aerial, could record the Teletext signal along with the picture (even if your set was non-Teletext, since it's being picked up by the recorder's internal receiver). I never even realised VCRs weren't supposed to be able to do that. All those old Betamax cassettes in lofts and cupboards are hiding not only subtitles, but little vignettes of the news and sporting events of the day they were recorded.
Over here even VHS VCRs can record closed captioning information, including all modes. I'm sure I have a lot of closed caption news for the deaf recorded on my tapes of UK sci-fi aired on local PBS channels. TiVos also record this information, except they decode it when recorded and regenerate it in the VBI on playback (saves disk space).
Now if only they could record the SAP signal at the same time as the regular audio.
I really don't start to feel better till I've beat up five hookers and run over a cop in an ambulance.
Damn, that's a hard goal. Just how many rescue operations do you have to go through just to pick a cop by chance with an ambulance(*), and still get him to where you have a tank parked just so you could run the ambulance-with-cop-inside over with it?
(*) Those paramedics sure can do wonders! They can revive any non-dismembered cop in the field, fully healed and ready to chase you down again, and never take them away in an ambulance no matter how many times you shoot them.
But for a state to enact a law requiring that resellers put M rated games behind a counter and demand ID, like is as done with cigarettes and alcohol is fine by me.
So would you be fine with the same being done for R-rated (or, *gasp* UNRATED director's cut) DVDs?
And hey, some of these kids aren't yet teenagers; better put the T-rated games and PG-13 movies behind the counter too, right?
(And where do you live where alcohol is behind the counter? Utah?)
They should sell adult games the same way they sell adult magazines -- clearly labelled and with a wrapper around them
What store are you buying your games in where the cases aren't covered in shrink-wrap or displaying only the empty cases, the game disks kept behind the counter?
The adult magazines are similarly covered in clear plastic, and that's just to keep people from reading them in public. They employ opaque panels only if the cover art is too revealing of the naughty bits for your community's standards.
There's not much risk in some kid carrying his XBOX 360 or PS3, a battery pack to power them, a pocket TV, controller, and cables popping a copy of GTA4 in and playing it in the isle at Best Buy! And even if they release versions for the PSP or NDS or other portable system, there's still that shrink-wrap in the way.
The content in magazines is readily accessible to the unaided eye. The same is not true of a CD or DVD unless you're a Roswell alien.
Actually, my first thought was "quad-damage" accompanied by a heavily distorted electric guitar chord.
Re:Big screens == large power bills
on
Plasma or LCD?
·
· Score: 1
I don't live in pitch black conditions.
So do you sleep with a night-light or do you resurrect every morning?
In fact in order to see things I generally need some sort of light source to illuminate my surroundings.
That source of light would be the projector, selectively illuminating the screen so that the black parts of the image don't get lit, thus remaining black.
I put him in a glass box in the front yard, myself.
Attired as a mime I hope.
Re:Big screens == large power bills
on
Plasma or LCD?
·
· Score: 1
Actually, a projector doesn't just emit a solid beam of light. Some areas in the projection path do not get struck by photons which are not reflected back to your eye, thus those areas remain as dark as they would be if the projector was not on. Or at least, very little light falls on those areas.
Re:Big screens == large power bills
on
Plasma or LCD?
·
· Score: 1
A projector can by the laws of physics only be as dark as a white surface is in your room.
As dark as a white surface in a dark room. Remember, most walls only reflect light and do not emit light unless they're on fire.
If you can't make a suitable room dark enough that the white wall can be perceived as suitably black, then maybe the problem is with the house and not the projector.
I also use a USB-enabled KVM, but it is all USB, no PS/2. I've used it with both Windows PCs and Macs. However, I can't use the keyboard through the KVM's dedicated keyboard port since it won't let me hold down a key for gaming. I just plug in a keyboard I don't like to use into its keyboard port to keep it from complaining. It's the 4-Port SOHO USB and VGA KVM with audio in/out by Belkin.
I'm now looking for a better one that can handle two displays across four or more machines where the physical displays could be dual-link DVI, regular DVI, or DVI adapted to VGA, possibly such that each display is individually switchable (because not all of my systems use or are capable of using all the display types).
Slashdot Mirror
Titanium huh? What is it that makes this metal more valuable Silver, Gold, and Platinum editions of various products?
It is more suitable for bio-implantation and has the virtually unique property of osseointegration.
most cars won't start unless the shift selector is in Park
I believe allowing ignition while in Neutral is also in the majority of cars, both automatic and manual transmission. It's useful if your engine dies while in motion.
E4L
Or perhaps they've dedicated the mainframe to running P2P applications sharing copyrighted media over the Internet.
What, isn't that what everyone does when finding an old forgotten idle mainframe connected to the Internet at their workplace?
So, Mary Poppins was right! A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down! And in a most delightful way, too!
Meanwhile I've been mailing all my bills in with a stamp depicting the US flag, with it adhered to the envelope such that the flag is displayed upside-down. No one has ever attempted to contact me to determine the source of my distress.
But then a letter isn't a seafaring vessel, and besides it isn't a recognized maritime signal anymore.
I agree, it shouldn't count.
I thought they did this already anyway? i wonder what they would do if i sent all my letters PGP'd :)
Presumably hold you in foreign custody while they demand you show them how to decrypt a dead tree.
I've changed it for you to reflect his usage of the language. (It's scarier that way.)
If they can't track down what player key was disclosed, they'll flood the underground market with bogus title keys while also making multiple yet visually indistinguishable parallel runs of the same release with different title keys to frustrate the market of title key sharing (multiple pressers manufacturing differently keyed masters of the same title). The more valuable the content, the more masters they'll make with different title keys. If the movie is crap, they only make one master.
That's one way to frustrate the piracy market. And they don't even have to wait for a player key to be broken to implement it.
That could only happen if there was a race condition over when keys get revoked by different manufacturers, or if a revoked key becomes reauthorized. Having a single authority establish the key with which the title key is encrypted prevents that.
That is unless someone decides to create a player that refuses to play discs lacking any encryption (my bet is on Sony).
I had an S-VHS VCR as well. Unfortunately it doesn't play back very well anymore. I think there's a problem with the tape feed.
Despite having multiple TiVos and DVD players, I still found myself having to buy a VCR to transfer tapes to DVD for a friend. You can't get a VCR with S-Video out at a reasonable price anymore. Even decks that have VHS and DVD in the same case, the S-Video out is only active for the DVD side. Due to decreased demand, S-VHS decks now cost around $300. D-VHS decks won't play S-VHS tapes at anything better than standard VHS quality.
And the Sony C6 Betamax recorder, given a decent aerial, could record the Teletext signal along with the picture (even if your set was non-Teletext, since it's being picked up by the recorder's internal receiver). I never even realised VCRs weren't supposed to be able to do that. All those old Betamax cassettes in lofts and cupboards are hiding not only subtitles, but little vignettes of the news and sporting events of the day they were recorded.
Over here even VHS VCRs can record closed captioning information, including all modes. I'm sure I have a lot of closed caption news for the deaf recorded on my tapes of UK sci-fi aired on local PBS channels. TiVos also record this information, except they decode it when recorded and regenerate it in the VBI on playback (saves disk space).
Now if only they could record the SAP signal at the same time as the regular audio.
Anyone ever seen an AO video game, btw? (outside Japan?)
GTA San Andreas, before re-release.
I really don't start to feel better till I've beat up five hookers and run over a cop in an ambulance.
Damn, that's a hard goal. Just how many rescue operations do you have to go through just to pick a cop by chance with an ambulance(*), and still get him to where you have a tank parked just so you could run the ambulance-with-cop-inside over with it?
(*) Those paramedics sure can do wonders! They can revive any non-dismembered cop in the field, fully healed and ready to chase you down again, and never take them away in an ambulance no matter how many times you shoot them.
So would you be fine with the same being done for R-rated (or, *gasp* UNRATED director's cut) DVDs?
And hey, some of these kids aren't yet teenagers; better put the T-rated games and PG-13 movies behind the counter too, right?
(And where do you live where alcohol is behind the counter? Utah?)
There are no laws in place to prohibit the sale of tickets to R rated movies to minors either.
They should sell adult games the same way they sell adult magazines -- clearly labelled and with a wrapper around them
What store are you buying your games in where the cases aren't covered in shrink-wrap or displaying only the empty cases, the game disks kept behind the counter?
The adult magazines are similarly covered in clear plastic, and that's just to keep people from reading them in public. They employ opaque panels only if the cover art is too revealing of the naughty bits for your community's standards.
There's not much risk in some kid carrying his XBOX 360 or PS3, a battery pack to power them, a pocket TV, controller, and cables popping a copy of GTA4 in and playing it in the isle at Best Buy! And even if they release versions for the PSP or NDS or other portable system, there's still that shrink-wrap in the way.
The content in magazines is readily accessible to the unaided eye. The same is not true of a CD or DVD unless you're a Roswell alien.
"Your mistletoe is no match for my TOW missile!"
Actually, my first thought was "quad-damage" accompanied by a heavily distorted electric guitar chord.
I don't live in pitch black conditions.
So do you sleep with a night-light or do you resurrect every morning?
In fact in order to see things I generally need some sort of light source to illuminate my surroundings.
That source of light would be the projector, selectively illuminating the screen so that the black parts of the image don't get lit, thus remaining black.
I put him in a glass box in the front yard, myself.
Attired as a mime I hope.
Actually, a projector doesn't just emit a solid beam of light. Some areas in the projection path do not get struck by photons which are not reflected back to your eye, thus those areas remain as dark as they would be if the projector was not on. Or at least, very little light falls on those areas.
A projector can by the laws of physics only be as dark as a white surface is in your room.
As dark as a white surface in a dark room. Remember, most walls only reflect light and do not emit light unless they're on fire.
If you can't make a suitable room dark enough that the white wall can be perceived as suitably black, then maybe the problem is with the house and not the projector.
I also use a USB-enabled KVM, but it is all USB, no PS/2. I've used it with both Windows PCs and Macs. However, I can't use the keyboard through the KVM's dedicated keyboard port since it won't let me hold down a key for gaming. I just plug in a keyboard I don't like to use into its keyboard port to keep it from complaining. It's the 4-Port SOHO USB and VGA KVM with audio in/out by Belkin.
I'm now looking for a better one that can handle two displays across four or more machines where the physical displays could be dual-link DVI, regular DVI, or DVI adapted to VGA, possibly such that each display is individually switchable (because not all of my systems use or are capable of using all the display types).