In the comment "If storytelling and character development mean as much to you as framerate... etc.", the mere mention of frame rates implies that this game would be playable on a computer where frame rates can get above meager NTSC rates. I was disappointed to see that it was a console game...
The first hit in the Google define result for "exclusive" is not divided or shared with others. Not shared with others huh? That is humorous from many angles...
You're totally right. That's something I've learned at my new job. I was always trying to do things perfectly, and I realized that it took too long to do them as well as I wanted, and even then they wouldn't be *perfect*. I thought back to my metals class when my teacher talked about the level of accuracy which is necessary for particular jobs, and how you wouldn't build a house while measuring lengths in micrometers just as you wouldn't build an engine while measuring in inches. (I forget the name of the principle, I was in Jr. High.)
What really drove that point home was when somebody plugged an ethernet switch into itself a few weeks after I'd done a moderately good wiring job in our closet and I had to tear it all out because I couldn't even get to our management console on the switch to see which port was causing the traffic storm. (Netgear FSM750S if you want to know.) So, just as many people had pointed out, my zip-tied bundle of cables did me no good and they are now hanging off the side of the switch in a mess, no longer matched up to the numbers on the patch panel.
I guess it really does matter what kind of job you're doing... If you're not going to be changing anything, zip tying it all up might make sense. They staple AC wires inside the walls of houses, so I'm sure we can find an instance where zipping up cables would be appropriate. For me though, I'll take velcro and a slight mess.
You're totally right, reflectors can't be replaced by LED's in function. I guess I should've explicitly pointed that out rather than expecting people to read the legal requirement for at least 4 different locations for reflectors in the link I included. However, I also expected people to be more constructive and add to my post rather than tear me down for leaving out valid details. I must have forgotten this is cynical, flaming slashdot.
I installed Vista RC1 on my main Windows workstation at work and one of the first things I noticed was how crappy the Control Panel layout was. It was even crappier than KDE or Gnome's control panels. Having an easy to use UI is a key part of being productive and enjoying your computer using experience, and in turn your OS.
A little background... I used to use KDE as my primary UI back in the Mandrake 7 or 8 days. Before that I didn't even know there was a difference in window management, and before that all I had was/bin/sh and I didn't even know there was a difference in shells. During my pre-Mandrake days though, I mainly used windows. After this I went back to just using windows for a while, then switched to using Gnome on Redhat. All this time in Gnome and KDE, the most infuriating thing was that options were not intuitively placed. Screensaver and Desktop were not placed together. Window decorations were not where I thought they'd be. There was no unified UI framework... It was OK that my network interfaces might shift if I tweaked sysconfig files or modules from the CLI, but the GUI needed to be sharp, and it wasn't. That pissed me off, and I often found myself simply opening a shell after login, rebooting into windows for non-server stuff, or using Windows for everything except SSH.
(So, as if I'm not asking for a flaming enough as it is, now I'm going to bring OS X into it) About the time I was on Mandrake, some Mac fanatic I knew was talking on and on about "Rhapsody", the new Mac OS. I didn't care one bit to hear about all that crap. Any OS that doesn't have a CLI is worthless to me, I'm a CLI freak. Pointy Clicky can go out the window and I'd be happy as a clam for half of what I do. The second he mentioned that it was built on unix technology my interest perked up. I knew Mac OS was simple, even if I hated using it. I dreamed that they might get it all right... the handling of the preferences and home folders how *nix does it rather than that retched registry. *Real* administration privileges (eg: deleting files that are currently being used). The security system that I'd grown to know... symbolic links, grep, perl, more extensive glob matching, correct URI slashing, regex, the init system I'd grown to love... yeah, I dreamed. Amazingly, they've done pretty much everything I had dreamed they'd do with a unix system, and more (except the linux init system, but hey, now I'm more familiar with BSD), however, that's not the point.
(Now if I may try to reclaim some faith so the readers will put down their torches) The whole point here is that an OS is supposed to make you more productive. One way to do that is by making things easier. Unfortunately, with Vista, we've taken a step back to where most Linux distro's put you, with this non-unified control panel. Fortunately, some Linux distros seem to be putting things together in a more reasonable standpoint. I mean, honestly, I think Ubuntu has stuff laid out more sensibly by default than Vista does. (Plus compiz rules, their exposé knock-off smokes the Vista 3d-flip thingy... Katapult has the right idea too, we need more of the Launchbar knock-offs. Who cares if it's copying, it's good shizz.)
I seriously do think that Linux has better and better chances at getting in the Desktop market as each day goes by. I'm not yet recommending it to everyday people who stop by the IT department to ask what they should do about their next computer, but hopefully in the next year or so...
They were expert in the manipulation of existing mass media: print, graphic art, radio and film.
This is a perfect example of violence outside of video games. There are plenty of examples of video games outside of violence. As such, we can see that they can exist one without the other, and therefore are not directly caused by the other. However, your statements also make the underlying point that violence and hate can be propagated under the radar within the context of many enjoyable mediums, video games included.
That being said, there are several violent video games based on WWII, specifically the battle against the Nazi regime. These games are usually played from the Allied side, creating hero's in many of the people who play them. Our government took violent action, our video games relive that action. There were hero's in real life and there are hero's in the video games and by extension in the players. This is an example of violent video games being used as a method for teaching positive characteristics such as valiance and teamwork and standing up for what is right for mankind.
Violent video games can be used to teach hate, just like anything can be, but that does not make them inherently bad.
Anybody blaming violence on video games needs to watch Rebel Without A Cause. If there's a generation gap between the young video game playing people and the more seasoned folks, that movie should speak the language of the second group a bit better than video games.
If they still don't believe violence is in our nature, have them watch the discovery channel if they're more scientifically swayed or read Genesis if they're more religiously swayed. It's pretty evident though, any way you look at it.
If they bring up the whole "civilized world" thing, just quote Colonel William Ludlow at them: "Samuel, the word civilized has no place in any discussion of the affairs of this world."
There was an article about this a year and a half ago on El Reg. Surely there have been updates in that time, but this has also clearly been in the works for a long time.
We're not all cyclists, I know, but we're all geeks, we all use the roads, and of course nobody likes to see comrades die under any circumstances. I thought it would be appropriate to point out some cycling related tips to go along with the parent's "always wear a helmet" statement.
USE LIGHTS: Lights on your bike are to BE SEEN, even in daylight. Use them front and back, flashing. Many drivers subconsciously associate flashing lights with cars, and hence they will factor you into their driving logic, which in some cases means they'll notice you at all when they otherwise wouldn't have.
Back Roads: One thing about biking is that you can take back roads which are more direct but have slower speed limits, since you won't be hitting that 50mph expressway speed limit anyways. This puts you around far fewer cars which are also going slower, and often in neighborhoods where people are more aware things other than cars. I know two great sites to find bike routes: www.bikely.com and www.motionbased.com
Use Mirrors: There are a variety of mirrors, mostly cheap. You want a mirror which lets you see behind you without moving your head so that you don't swerve, even slightly, while glancing. One popular mirror which can be purchased off eBay for very ~$23 is the Italian Racing Mirror which mounts on end of the drop handlebars of a road bike.
Know the Rules of the Road: Other people in this thread have pointed out that it doesn't require a license to ride a bike in the street. All of us, even we cyclists, have been pissed off by somebody on a bike who was doing something stupid. The laws may be different in each state, but sensibility isn't. If you ride a bicycle, or drive a car, take even just a minute to skim over this link: CHP - Bicycle Riding. (I include drivers too because they probably don't know that "Bicycle riders and automobile drivers follow the same rules and have the same rights.")
Of course, this being the internet, there are plenty great resources to find information about cycling related stuff, including commuting, safety, etc.. bikeforums.net is a fantastic place to start.
Tell them the number they called you on is your mobile, whether it's true or not. They're not allowed to telemarket you on your mobile. Last time I tried this, which was a call I actually did receive on my mobile, the woman sounded like she was sincerely sorry, maybe even a little worried, and ended the call in about 2 seconds.
Does emailing someone your personal information act as an implicit waiver of your right to privacy?
This was the part that stood out most in my mind... After considering the fact that e-mail addresses in the current e-mail system are unverified destinations, I decided that the answer is yes**.
Who will assure you that the party you are replying to is a person at all? How do you know it's an e-mail address at all and not an entire mailing list? You have no assurance that you are dealing with a single person who is going to keep your information secret. You're essentially talking in the dark to an unknown number of listeners, but assuming that you are only talking to a single, honest person.
** I do think that any information you'd choose to send out in any e-mail in plaintext form is an inherent forfeit of privacy. This is why corporations have the intellectual property, copyright and privacy disclaimer at the bottom of corporate e-mails. I didn't see any of these disclaimers on the featured Encyclopedia Dramatica page. Perhaps if these people had used them they could sue for damages.
It's actually pretty sad that people would even have to question the legality of removing a logo from a product... that the thought would even enter our brains. The way corporations use their weight to twist moral principles seeds our thoughts with doubt about the other innocent things we're doing...
To take the matter even further to the opposing side, I quote the graffiti artist Banksy, as written in his book "Wall and Piece":
Brandalism
People abuse you every day. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They're on tv making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are the advertisers and they are laughing at you. However, you are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with impunity. Any advert in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. You especially don't we them any courtesy. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs.
...Why would someone go out of their way to continue to use it?......you can literally get systems for free (or next to nothing) that are capable of running various modern operating systems, including various versions of Windows, Mac OS and Mac OS X, myriad Linux distributions...
Why would you go out of your way to get another computer when a Commodore 64 is perfectly capable of running Linux?
I downloaded and tried compiling it in OS X and got some linux-specific build problems. I'm no code guru so I gave up as well. But then, even linux doesn't support the `make install` process, as claimed but the `./configure` script's output.
At least, that's the message I'm getting from this thread. Everything about this episode is obvious. Each contradicting story is just, like, so totally obvious.
It's also worked for Apple's OS X, which claims to be the most widely distributed desktop version of *nix ever.
I tend to agree that there needs to be somebody to make final decisions on matters of wide questionability. Just the other day I compiled an app on Ubuntu and moved it to RHEL3 only to find that the static libraries were in a different location. I praised Apple's build system as well as the efforts of LSB and gave up on my quest to run hacked code on RHEL3 since I'm nowhere near a guru developer. (The app compiled and ran flawlesly on OS X and Ubuntu using debian packages.)
That reminds me of when I was working at Actiontec and I'd be working on authoring a hybrid "Gold Master" release to go off to the duplicator for 100,000 copies, and then marketing would come down the hall and have some text changes and image changes 5 minutes before the FedEx guy was going to show up, 60 minutes before FedEx closed. I'd then have to manually insert these files (then rework CVS from the changes they had me put into the tree I had checked out), and this was "Golden Master R2". So, somebody would literally be waiting with a car ready to speed off to the nearest FedEx center to hand-deliver the CD to them for shipping. Then Marketing would come back and say "SHIT! We forgot something blatantly obvious that was decided 30 minutes ago between me and another clueless top-dog suits!! I'd have to author hybrid CD Golden Master R3 and upload the ISO to them, and they'd be finished downloading it before they even received Golden Master R2 from over-night FedEx. But an ISO wasn't enough, they also needed 5 copies of Golden Master R3 over-nighted too. Then the project would be put on hold for 2 months because of a hardware issue, which would give everybody time to slip in more fixes for the "New Golden Master", and the cycle would repeat. I tried to explain the principle of the release canidate, but they wouldn't hear it. Snafu, I tell you. I sure don't miss those days.
Slashdot Mirror
In the comment "If storytelling and character development mean as much to you as framerate ... etc.", the mere mention of frame rates implies that this game would be playable on a computer where frame rates can get above meager NTSC rates. I was disappointed to see that it was a console game...
The first hit in the Google define result for "exclusive" is not divided or shared with others. Not shared with others huh? That is humorous from many angles...
I doubt there are any commercial simulations of the metropolitan possibilities of Fayetteville Arkansas.
You're totally right. That's something I've learned at my new job. I was always trying to do things perfectly, and I realized that it took too long to do them as well as I wanted, and even then they wouldn't be *perfect*. I thought back to my metals class when my teacher talked about the level of accuracy which is necessary for particular jobs, and how you wouldn't build a house while measuring lengths in micrometers just as you wouldn't build an engine while measuring in inches. (I forget the name of the principle, I was in Jr. High.)
What really drove that point home was when somebody plugged an ethernet switch into itself a few weeks after I'd done a moderately good wiring job in our closet and I had to tear it all out because I couldn't even get to our management console on the switch to see which port was causing the traffic storm. (Netgear FSM750S if you want to know.) So, just as many people had pointed out, my zip-tied bundle of cables did me no good and they are now hanging off the side of the switch in a mess, no longer matched up to the numbers on the patch panel.
I guess it really does matter what kind of job you're doing... If you're not going to be changing anything, zip tying it all up might make sense. They staple AC wires inside the walls of houses, so I'm sure we can find an instance where zipping up cables would be appropriate. For me though, I'll take velcro and a slight mess.
...Can one create a duplicate within the same submission.
You're totally right, reflectors can't be replaced by LED's in function. I guess I should've explicitly pointed that out rather than expecting people to read the legal requirement for at least 4 different locations for reflectors in the link I included. However, I also expected people to be more constructive and add to my post rather than tear me down for leaving out valid details. I must have forgotten this is cynical, flaming slashdot.
Boy I'm gonna get flamed for this one...
/bin/sh and I didn't even know there was a difference in shells. During my pre-Mandrake days though, I mainly used windows. After this I went back to just using windows for a while, then switched to using Gnome on Redhat. All this time in Gnome and KDE, the most infuriating thing was that options were not intuitively placed. Screensaver and Desktop were not placed together. Window decorations were not where I thought they'd be. There was no unified UI framework... It was OK that my network interfaces might shift if I tweaked sysconfig files or modules from the CLI, but the GUI needed to be sharp, and it wasn't. That pissed me off, and I often found myself simply opening a shell after login, rebooting into windows for non-server stuff, or using Windows for everything except SSH.
I installed Vista RC1 on my main Windows workstation at work and one of the first things I noticed was how crappy the Control Panel layout was. It was even crappier than KDE or Gnome's control panels. Having an easy to use UI is a key part of being productive and enjoying your computer using experience, and in turn your OS.
A little background... I used to use KDE as my primary UI back in the Mandrake 7 or 8 days. Before that I didn't even know there was a difference in window management, and before that all I had was
(So, as if I'm not asking for a flaming enough as it is, now I'm going to bring OS X into it) About the time I was on Mandrake, some Mac fanatic I knew was talking on and on about "Rhapsody", the new Mac OS. I didn't care one bit to hear about all that crap. Any OS that doesn't have a CLI is worthless to me, I'm a CLI freak. Pointy Clicky can go out the window and I'd be happy as a clam for half of what I do. The second he mentioned that it was built on unix technology my interest perked up. I knew Mac OS was simple, even if I hated using it. I dreamed that they might get it all right... the handling of the preferences and home folders how *nix does it rather than that retched registry. *Real* administration privileges (eg: deleting files that are currently being used). The security system that I'd grown to know... symbolic links, grep, perl, more extensive glob matching, correct URI slashing, regex, the init system I'd grown to love... yeah, I dreamed. Amazingly, they've done pretty much everything I had dreamed they'd do with a unix system, and more (except the linux init system, but hey, now I'm more familiar with BSD), however, that's not the point.
(Now if I may try to reclaim some faith so the readers will put down their torches) The whole point here is that an OS is supposed to make you more productive. One way to do that is by making things easier. Unfortunately, with Vista, we've taken a step back to where most Linux distro's put you, with this non-unified control panel. Fortunately, some Linux distros seem to be putting things together in a more reasonable standpoint. I mean, honestly, I think Ubuntu has stuff laid out more sensibly by default than Vista does. (Plus compiz rules, their exposé knock-off smokes the Vista 3d-flip thingy... Katapult has the right idea too, we need more of the Launchbar knock-offs. Who cares if it's copying, it's good shizz.)
I seriously do think that Linux has better and better chances at getting in the Desktop market as each day goes by. I'm not yet recommending it to everyday people who stop by the IT department to ask what they should do about their next computer, but hopefully in the next year or so...
This is a perfect example of violence outside of video games. There are plenty of examples of video games outside of violence. As such, we can see that they can exist one without the other, and therefore are not directly caused by the other. However, your statements also make the underlying point that violence and hate can be propagated under the radar within the context of many enjoyable mediums, video games included.
That being said, there are several violent video games based on WWII, specifically the battle against the Nazi regime. These games are usually played from the Allied side, creating hero's in many of the people who play them. Our government took violent action, our video games relive that action. There were hero's in real life and there are hero's in the video games and by extension in the players. This is an example of violent video games being used as a method for teaching positive characteristics such as valiance and teamwork and standing up for what is right for mankind.
Violent video games can be used to teach hate, just like anything can be, but that does not make them inherently bad.
Anybody blaming violence on video games needs to watch Rebel Without A Cause. If there's a generation gap between the young video game playing people and the more seasoned folks, that movie should speak the language of the second group a bit better than video games.
If they still don't believe violence is in our nature, have them watch the discovery channel if they're more scientifically swayed or read Genesis if they're more religiously swayed. It's pretty evident though, any way you look at it.
If they bring up the whole "civilized world" thing, just quote Colonel William Ludlow at them: "Samuel, the word civilized has no place in any discussion of the affairs of this world."
I don't even play violent video games.
There was an article about this a year and a half ago on El Reg. Surely there have been updates in that time, but this has also clearly been in the works for a long time.
We're not all cyclists, I know, but we're all geeks, we all use the roads, and of course nobody likes to see comrades die under any circumstances. I thought it would be appropriate to point out some cycling related tips to go along with the parent's "always wear a helmet" statement.
USE LIGHTS: Lights on your bike are to BE SEEN, even in daylight. Use them front and back, flashing. Many drivers subconsciously associate flashing lights with cars, and hence they will factor you into their driving logic, which in some cases means they'll notice you at all when they otherwise wouldn't have.
Back Roads: One thing about biking is that you can take back roads which are more direct but have slower speed limits, since you won't be hitting that 50mph expressway speed limit anyways. This puts you around far fewer cars which are also going slower, and often in neighborhoods where people are more aware things other than cars. I know two great sites to find bike routes: www.bikely.com and www.motionbased.com
Use Mirrors: There are a variety of mirrors, mostly cheap. You want a mirror which lets you see behind you without moving your head so that you don't swerve, even slightly, while glancing. One popular mirror which can be purchased off eBay for very ~$23 is the Italian Racing Mirror which mounts on end of the drop handlebars of a road bike.
Know the Rules of the Road: Other people in this thread have pointed out that it doesn't require a license to ride a bike in the street. All of us, even we cyclists, have been pissed off by somebody on a bike who was doing something stupid. The laws may be different in each state, but sensibility isn't. If you ride a bicycle, or drive a car, take even just a minute to skim over this link: CHP - Bicycle Riding. (I include drivers too because they probably don't know that "Bicycle riders and automobile drivers follow the same rules and have the same rights.")
Of course, this being the internet, there are plenty great resources to find information about cycling related stuff, including commuting, safety, etc.. bikeforums.net is a fantastic place to start.
As gas prices rise I have hope that bicycling will get increasing positive attention from people who would otherwise not have considered us cyclists.
The bicycle, not the automobile, is the most popular vehicle in the world. http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/maps/transportation. html
Downloading pr0n is not CPU intensive, it's network intensive.
Tell them the number they called you on is your mobile, whether it's true or not. They're not allowed to telemarket you on your mobile. Last time I tried this, which was a call I actually did receive on my mobile, the woman sounded like she was sincerely sorry, maybe even a little worried, and ended the call in about 2 seconds.
Who will assure you that the party you are replying to is a person at all? How do you know it's an e-mail address at all and not an entire mailing list? You have no assurance that you are dealing with a single person who is going to keep your information secret. You're essentially talking in the dark to an unknown number of listeners, but assuming that you are only talking to a single, honest person.
** I do think that any information you'd choose to send out in any e-mail in plaintext form is an inherent forfeit of privacy. This is why corporations have the intellectual property, copyright and privacy disclaimer at the bottom of corporate e-mails. I didn't see any of these disclaimers on the featured Encyclopedia Dramatica page. Perhaps if these people had used them they could sue for damages.
To take the matter even further to the opposing side, I quote the graffiti artist Banksy, as written in his book "Wall and Piece":
I downloaded and tried compiling it in OS X and got some linux-specific build problems. I'm no code guru so I gave up as well. But then, even linux doesn't support the `make install` process, as claimed but the `./configure` script's output.
At least, that's the message I'm getting from this thread. Everything about this episode is obvious. Each contradicting story is just, like, so totally obvious.
Much more humorous than what I was going to say on the topic. ;-)
The user will be happy.
Google will protect you from the terrible secret of space.
Do you have stairs at your house?
Google is here to protect you.
The user will be happy at the top of the stairs.
Google will protect you from the terrible secret of space.
Please go stand by the top of the stairs.
It's also worked for Apple's OS X, which claims to be the most widely distributed desktop version of *nix ever.
I tend to agree that there needs to be somebody to make final decisions on matters of wide questionability. Just the other day I compiled an app on Ubuntu and moved it to RHEL3 only to find that the static libraries were in a different location. I praised Apple's build system as well as the efforts of LSB and gave up on my quest to run hacked code on RHEL3 since I'm nowhere near a guru developer. (The app compiled and ran flawlesly on OS X and Ubuntu using debian packages.)
That's not Bush, it's the Safety is Not Guaranteed guy!
That reminds me of when I was working at Actiontec and I'd be working on authoring a hybrid "Gold Master" release to go off to the duplicator for 100,000 copies, and then marketing would come down the hall and have some text changes and image changes 5 minutes before the FedEx guy was going to show up, 60 minutes before FedEx closed. I'd then have to manually insert these files (then rework CVS from the changes they had me put into the tree I had checked out), and this was "Golden Master R2". So, somebody would literally be waiting with a car ready to speed off to the nearest FedEx center to hand-deliver the CD to them for shipping. Then Marketing would come back and say "SHIT! We forgot something blatantly obvious that was decided 30 minutes ago between me and another clueless top-dog suits!! I'd have to author hybrid CD Golden Master R3 and upload the ISO to them, and they'd be finished downloading it before they even received Golden Master R2 from over-night FedEx. But an ISO wasn't enough, they also needed 5 copies of Golden Master R3 over-nighted too. Then the project would be put on hold for 2 months because of a hardware issue, which would give everybody time to slip in more fixes for the "New Golden Master", and the cycle would repeat. I tried to explain the principle of the release canidate, but they wouldn't hear it. Snafu, I tell you. I sure don't miss those days.