I've been boycotting the music industry for a 6 months now (although I haven't bought an album in years). Besides, every time I buy a blank CD, I'm subsidizing the RIAA (welcome to Canada -- we'll see your crazy laws and raise you a ridiculous levy:P ). I've essentially payed for music I download anyway. So screw them.
I can't believe that governments don't care that the MPAA is cementing the Microsoft monopoly. It just proves that western politicians have lost their balls. Thank goodness for DeCSS.
An OS can have a great UI (like Windows), but still be terrible in most other ways (like Windows).
Microsoft Windows is the bimbo that everyone wants to date -- great looking exterior, but nothing underneath the surface. It's it only real purpose is to fuck you over.
Linux is like the mousy looking girl who works at the library. Smart and fun as all get-out, but not necessarily as pretty as the bimbo.
Now Sun is trying to offer a library girl with bimbo good-looks. I say more power to them.
Game complexity itself isn't necessarily a problem; it's where the complexity lies.
Ever played a modern fighting game? They're WAY too complicated, just to have some simple combat.
Comparitively, a "complex" game like Morrowind or Neverwinter Nights is actually pretty easy to play.
Civilizations is a very complex game, but it's complex in an appealing way. But some RTS games are overly complex these days, for something that's supposedly point-and-click.
The point is that complexity can be a boon, depending on where it lies. It can also be a game-killer. Who would have enjoyed Impossible Creatures, if it hadn't involved complex strategy and gameplay? On the other hand, no one would have played Diablo or Dungeon Siege if they'd made you spend hours designing and levelling your avatar.
I wish someone would post a good article about the various instant messaging networks, and their pros and cons. I've been using MSN, but only because I recently switched from Windows and it's all I know.:)
So, what are the respective advantages and disadvantages of Jabber, AOL, ICQ, and all the others? Which offer encryption and authentication? Which have the best uptime and response time? Which have the best sets of graphical emoticons? And most importantly, how well supported are they by Gaim?
Wasn't this how viruses were "invented"? To perform upgrades? Some network admin had the bright idea of performing maintenance by having a process that jumped from system to system, updating as it went. Unfortunately, it did so in a very non-deterministic and incorrect way, and the entire network had to be taken down so that individual computers could be disinfected in isolation. Several years later, the event inspired the first research into computer viruses.
PLEASE let me know if I've horribly botched this tale -- I'd hate to sound like a fool.
Anyway, I'd say that the whole idea of eliminating a worm with a worm is akin to infecting someone with malaria to cure the Plague.
Boy, tell me about it. I'm sure I've badmouthed Ham Radio on at least a few occasions over the last few years. It never really occurred to me that it could have such utility anymore. Next thing you know I'll find out that Vinyl LPs save lives, and have to stop badmouthing those too! Damn, what'll I put down to prop up my self-esteem now?:P
On the other hand, the fact that volunteers would be necessary to ensure basic communications during a disaster speaks volumes to the ridiculous unpreparedness of Canada and the US to deal with these kinds of crises. We're just lucky that there are so many people willing to step up and help out in these kinds of situations, with their obscure-yet-necessary technical knowhow and tools.
Although I don't know whether the Russians can actually pull this off, it does demonstrate a very good idea.
Send the equipment ahead.
When the US sends a manned probe (unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that anyone else can do it, let alone do it first; only the US has the resources, finances, and expertise available to perform these feats of super-engineering), how much easier will the mission be if most of their cargo is already there ahead of them? Everything they'd need to build a base station and perform experiments would be ready and waiting, greatly simplifying the task of getting the astronauts there in the first place.
It's almost certainly a lot easier to get astronauts to Mars than it is to get astronauts and 100 tonnes of non-spaceflight equipment to Mars.
Since when has SCO been at all consistent? This is marbles next to their continued distribution of Linux for a month after launching their suit. I've even heard that it's still available on their FTP server!
SCO stopped needing to be consistent right around the time McBride decided to just pump the industry for lawsuit money and then run for hills with it. All that matters to SCO now is to seem sufficiently credible that they can dupe a judge.
Their excellent only in the way that purebred dogs are excellent -- an inbred, homogenous excellence.
Sadly, console games have rarely demonstrated any innovation. The high cost of licenses and the restrictions on use mean that developers usually "play it safe", and stick with cookie cutter games that they know will make money.
The US isn't really primarily capitalist at all -- although it is more so than most other industrialized nations.
Think about it -- the US has anti-trust laws; a welfare system; a public education system; if not a public health care system, then at least a great deal of regulation to ensure that basic medical is available to everyone; and so one.
The US is a welfare state -- a very different thing than a capitalist state.
Imagine all schools being private schools, and having no guarantee of the poor getting ANY education. Imagine is the jobless simply starved and died with no support. Imagine if the poor couldn't even get emergency medical services, and were turned away from hospitals. Sound strange? That's what true capitalism looks like.
Ahh, the oligopoly. The great lie of the twentieth century. They create the illusion of competition where it doesn't exist, and thus de-rail the free market.
In a 100% free market, NO ONE regulates business. But monopolies do exactly that -- they regulate business, and they do it to a far greater extent than any government ever could. By preventing anyone else from competing, they effectively have complete control over an industry. They can charge any price for any level of service that the market will bear.
Historically, monopolies have been terrible. The American war of independence was fought primarily to escape the power of British monopolies. Many of the worst despotisms of the last few centuries were created by monopolies to protect their interests abroad.
Yeah, pure communism -- much like pure capitalism -- isn't really a feasible economy. But hey, it's hard to do much better than the welfare state -- combining the best features of capitalism and communism.
Ironic, isn't it? A communist nation is doing more to protect the free market (by fighting a monopoly) than any of the supposedly capitalistic nations.
Seriously, when did we all hand our collective balls over to the monopolies and give up the whole idea of a "free market" and "encouraging competition"?
Your post cracked me up. China's government is relatively benign compared to the dozens and dozens of horrible South American, African, and East Asian governments. When was the last time you heard about genocide in China?
"One of the last"? There's still plenty of repressive dictatorial governments, don't you worry about that.
I was totally jealous of butt-ugly iMacs before, but this just takes it! Now there are butt-ugly desks to go with them.
These desks are just like the iMac -- small, fruity, and with no space to get real work done.
Please let this signal the increased availability and competiveness of wireless keyboards, mice, computer speakers, digital cameras, and so on. It looks like a big family of garter snakes lives behind my computer right now.
And no more of this antenna crap either -- what the hell is the point of wireless if you still have wires AND AN EXTRA FRICKIN' DEVICE ON YOUR DESKTOP! Damn, do I ever hate the current generation of RF devices.
It's nice to see Sco getting it's ass handed to it, but the patent move is so counterproductive. It goes against everything that Linux stands for. It may be the lesser of two evils, but lets not forget that it's still an evil. And once IBM starts attachking, who knows when they'll stop?
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There has been a rash of illegal organ thefts. Numerous American lawmakers were discovered to be missing their testicles.
There was also a disturbing incident in which the American constitution was passed around as toilet paper by MPAA members.
I've been boycotting the music industry for a 6 months now (although I haven't bought an album in years). Besides, every time I buy a blank CD, I'm subsidizing the RIAA (welcome to Canada -- we'll see your crazy laws and raise you a ridiculous levy :P ). I've essentially payed for music I download anyway. So screw them.
I can't believe that governments don't care that the MPAA is cementing the Microsoft monopoly. It just proves that western politicians have lost their balls. Thank goodness for DeCSS.
An OS can have a great UI (like Windows), but still be terrible in most other ways (like Windows).
Microsoft Windows is the bimbo that everyone wants to date -- great looking exterior, but nothing underneath the surface. It's it only real purpose is to fuck you over.
Linux is like the mousy looking girl who works at the library. Smart and fun as all get-out, but not necessarily as pretty as the bimbo.
Now Sun is trying to offer a library girl with bimbo good-looks. I say more power to them.
Game complexity itself isn't necessarily a problem; it's where the complexity lies.
Ever played a modern fighting game? They're WAY too complicated, just to have some simple combat.
Comparitively, a "complex" game like Morrowind or Neverwinter Nights is actually pretty easy to play.
Civilizations is a very complex game, but it's complex in an appealing way. But some RTS games are overly complex these days, for something that's supposedly point-and-click.
The point is that complexity can be a boon, depending on where it lies. It can also be a game-killer. Who would have enjoyed Impossible Creatures, if it hadn't involved complex strategy and gameplay? On the other hand, no one would have played Diablo or Dungeon Siege if they'd made you spend hours designing and levelling your avatar.
I wish someone would post a good article about the various instant messaging networks, and their pros and cons. I've been using MSN, but only because I recently switched from Windows and it's all I know. :)
So, what are the respective advantages and disadvantages of Jabber, AOL, ICQ, and all the others? Which offer encryption and authentication? Which have the best uptime and response time? Which have the best sets of graphical emoticons? And most importantly, how well supported are they by Gaim?
Wasn't this how viruses were "invented"? To perform upgrades? Some network admin had the bright idea of performing maintenance by having a process that jumped from system to system, updating as it went. Unfortunately, it did so in a very non-deterministic and incorrect way, and the entire network had to be taken down so that individual computers could be disinfected in isolation. Several years later, the event inspired the first research into computer viruses.
PLEASE let me know if I've horribly botched this tale -- I'd hate to sound like a fool.
Anyway, I'd say that the whole idea of eliminating a worm with a worm is akin to infecting someone with malaria to cure the Plague.
Boy, tell me about it. I'm sure I've badmouthed Ham Radio on at least a few occasions over the last few years. It never really occurred to me that it could have such utility anymore. Next thing you know I'll find out that Vinyl LPs save lives, and have to stop badmouthing those too! Damn, what'll I put down to prop up my self-esteem now? :P
On the other hand, the fact that volunteers would be necessary to ensure basic communications during a disaster speaks volumes to the ridiculous unpreparedness of Canada and the US to deal with these kinds of crises. We're just lucky that there are so many people willing to step up and help out in these kinds of situations, with their obscure-yet-necessary technical knowhow and tools.
That's some fine thinking you're doing there.
Although I don't know whether the Russians can actually pull this off, it does demonstrate a very good idea.
Send the equipment ahead.
When the US sends a manned probe (unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that anyone else can do it, let alone do it first; only the US has the resources, finances, and expertise available to perform these feats of super-engineering), how much easier will the mission be if most of their cargo is already there ahead of them? Everything they'd need to build a base station and perform experiments would be ready and waiting, greatly simplifying the task of getting the astronauts there in the first place.
It's almost certainly a lot easier to get astronauts to Mars than it is to get astronauts and 100 tonnes of non-spaceflight equipment to Mars.
Since when has SCO been at all consistent? This is marbles next to their continued distribution of Linux for a month after launching their suit. I've even heard that it's still available on their FTP server!
SCO stopped needing to be consistent right around the time McBride decided to just pump the industry for lawsuit money and then run for hills with it. All that matters to SCO now is to seem sufficiently credible that they can dupe a judge.
I wonder if SCO is realizing yet that they've burnt ALL their bridges?
Ah heck, I'm sure they know. It's just too bad their investors don't know it yet. They ought to be fleeing from SCO like rats from a sinking ship.
Consider this: no genre of video games (outside of the fighting game) has its origin on a console system.
You'll never ever see a radical advance in gameplay style or features on a console system. The PC is where those things happen.
Their excellent only in the way that purebred dogs are excellent -- an inbred, homogenous excellence.
Sadly, console games have rarely demonstrated any innovation. The high cost of licenses and the restrictions on use mean that developers usually "play it safe", and stick with cookie cutter games that they know will make money.
The US isn't really primarily capitalist at all -- although it is more so than most other industrialized nations. Think about it -- the US has anti-trust laws; a welfare system; a public education system; if not a public health care system, then at least a great deal of regulation to ensure that basic medical is available to everyone; and so one. The US is a welfare state -- a very different thing than a capitalist state. Imagine all schools being private schools, and having no guarantee of the poor getting ANY education. Imagine is the jobless simply starved and died with no support. Imagine if the poor couldn't even get emergency medical services, and were turned away from hospitals. Sound strange? That's what true capitalism looks like.
What kind of fool buys a piece of equipment that includes draconian restrictions on what you can do with it?
Pah. Game consoles. Give me a PC or give me death. And none of that Palladium crap either. And you'll have to put DRM into my cold dead hands.
Ahh, the oligopoly. The great lie of the twentieth century. They create the illusion of competition where it doesn't exist, and thus de-rail the free market.
In a 100% free market, NO ONE regulates business. But monopolies do exactly that -- they regulate business, and they do it to a far greater extent than any government ever could. By preventing anyone else from competing, they effectively have complete control over an industry. They can charge any price for any level of service that the market will bear. Historically, monopolies have been terrible. The American war of independence was fought primarily to escape the power of British monopolies. Many of the worst despotisms of the last few centuries were created by monopolies to protect their interests abroad.
Abortions for a few reproductively irresponsible individuals are very different than wiping out entire ethnic groups.
Yeah, pure communism -- much like pure capitalism -- isn't really a feasible economy. But hey, it's hard to do much better than the welfare state -- combining the best features of capitalism and communism.
Ironic, isn't it? A communist nation is doing more to protect the free market (by fighting a monopoly) than any of the supposedly capitalistic nations.
Seriously, when did we all hand our collective balls over to the monopolies and give up the whole idea of a "free market" and "encouraging competition"?
Your post cracked me up. China's government is relatively benign compared to the dozens and dozens of horrible South American, African, and East Asian governments. When was the last time you heard about genocide in China?
"One of the last"? There's still plenty of repressive dictatorial governments, don't you worry about that.
I was totally jealous of butt-ugly iMacs before, but this just takes it! Now there are butt-ugly desks to go with them. These desks are just like the iMac -- small, fruity, and with no space to get real work done.
Please let this signal the increased availability and competiveness of wireless keyboards, mice, computer speakers, digital cameras, and so on. It looks like a big family of garter snakes lives behind my computer right now. And no more of this antenna crap either -- what the hell is the point of wireless if you still have wires AND AN EXTRA FRICKIN' DEVICE ON YOUR DESKTOP! Damn, do I ever hate the current generation of RF devices.
It's nice to see Sco getting it's ass handed to it, but the patent move is so counterproductive. It goes against everything that Linux stands for. It may be the lesser of two evils, but lets not forget that it's still an evil. And once IBM starts attachking, who knows when they'll stop?
Most of the great art in history was created by artists who lived and died in obscure poverty (excluding a few wierd exceptions like Andy Warhol).