EVE Online is a very different kind of MMO that has evolved significantly over time. I haven't played anything else quite like it. I played the beta for it (Armageddon day was so much fun) played a few months here and there over the years and more recently I redeem my 5 free days I get periodically to check out how things have changed how and diligently train some skills.
They have lessened the big startup curve (by eliminating the learning skills, which for players that had them had the skill points refunded for people to allocate into other skills) so you can get into the skills you want to use more quickly and you get a bit more of a skills push when you first start than when EVE first launched etc etc. There is the certificate planning system that helps new comers decide what skills they should be working on, and even veterans can benefit from this, since you can inspect what competencies pilots have before signing them up. The storyline missions structures put in also help pilots on their way getting them so good items and ships to give them a leg up.
Its one of those games that rewards a big investment and is ideal for those types of gamers that like lots of detail in a game. But it can also be punishingly gruelling. In the old days you could fly off exploring into low security space and see the sights, leaving your tin can at the EVE gate arrival system and hunting down that meddlesome Monolith. The people you encountered there as well were usually very nice too. Many a times they could of made life hell, but instead we would form up temporary groups, go exploring together and just have a good time. Nowadays your likely to get podded in next to no time unless you take very good precautions, thankfully however you don't need jump can maps anymore to get within jumping distance of a gate for a quick exit.
It could be said that EVE got off to a bit of a shaky start but they have worked hard and kept EVE evolving and growing its user base. The new expansion with the new character creation was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to the captains lounge that will be coming in the future (should net me another 5 free days).
I have a lot of nostalgia for EVE, even though I don't play it anymore. Its very good at what it does, but I just can't make that sort of investment for a game anymore. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and its nice for people to think twice about attacking me in low sec when they see the age of my character (though the recruiters come out to get me at every turn lol) but its just not for me anymore. I dabble and visit in EVE but thats all.
As someone that uses their iPad as an eReader, changing the iPad screen orientation lock was very VERY annoying. I knew it was coming back, however it would of been nice for the Apple "do you have a clue" department to of made the button configurable in the first place rather than letting the lawyers make the programming decisions.
It's also a good idea to configure iTunes so that it always asks to confirm when purchasing something rather than checkbox-ing that dialog away.
Whenever I am considering a purchase from the App store I read other users comments. There are endless complaints about apps that have micro payment systems installed, and about apps that are listed as free but require an in-app purchase to activate and use (that I consider most misleading and refuse to buy them just on principle).
The URL/Search bar is what I use most in Chrome because I hate using bookmarks. I would much rather spend a few seconds typing in part of the domain name and have it resolved to the website I want than trolling through a bunch of bookmarks looking for the site that I want to visit. I do bookmark hard to find things occasionally but they get deleted after a short while usually because I only need them for a short time.
Its how I use my Mac as well, using Spotlight to launch programs not on my Dock. I've just become sick to death of going through menu's to get to what I want.
Well I own an iPad, and while I can buy books from Apple and Amazon (which I have), I can also load on books and documents from other sources and read those too. In fact there is a document interface in iTunes that allows exactly that.
I don't sit around much in cafes reading books and the like, I usually get a coffee and such eat and drink with a few friends then be on our way, that is until I am out travelling to different cities for work or something. Then cafes become a nice escape from the hotel rooms when you don't have much else to look at or do in whatever place your in.
On one skiing trip the local Starbucks was just simply amazing. Great friendly people open fireplace and they didn't mind people sitting around reading and whatever for as long as they wanted. I'm not the sort of person that want's to be stuck in the hotel room all night nor out drinking every night in the party towns so a cafe can make a nice difference in burning away some time if its welcoming and friendly to peoples different needs.
As for that Starbucks, everyone just kept on coming back since it did a great job of keeping people happy in a relatively small tourist town without many options.
I played the original when it was released but unfortunately I don't remember it very well. Well I remember giving money to strippers and doing something with a toilet, but thats about it.
One funny side effect of having an iPad is that I automatically think every tablet like device I come across has a touch screen before my braid clicks into gear as to why my poking doesn't make things go.
I have an iPad so I can offer some enlightenment, at least from my perspective. I like having it as it's basically an always on computer that I can just pick up and use especially when I am traveling. I have a notebook as my main computer and I don't want to lug that around all the time when a much more portable solution exists. I also very much like the concept of eBooks and I choose an iPad as my reader because it allows me to do a whole lot more than just read books. I also rarely re-read books so it's nice not to have them lying around the house, and well eBooks are cheaper. It's priceless as a source of entertainment when flying (as I am so easily bored) thanks to it's movie playing capabilities, especially movie rentals.
I had an iPod Touch that I used in a similar way before that but the iPad offered more to me so I purchased one. I for one hope tablet PC's will stay around as I would hate to lose the convenience of them.
I think that the eBook market is going to help tablets to be a sustainable piece of technology. I got an iPad as an eBook reader for the fact that I don't get locked in to a single eBook service and so that I can do other things with it, not just read books. eBook providers like Amazon (though they have readers of their own) don't get all huffy and say its either their way or the highway and make apps for other platforms so people use their service that otherwise wouldn't. I suppose time will tell:)
I'll start giving Australian retailers some sympathy when they stop supporting the monopolistic practices of overseas companies that see our region get charged more for goods than they do in other "markets" overseas. In my opinion these artificial markets have no place in the Internet economy and I will happily buy things from overseas from other regions if its cheaper. Good old US dollar parity.
I'm an iPad user and I went into JB HiFi to have a look at the Galaxy and see what it was like. I pressed 15 different icons and all of them brought up a web browser stating that the service was unavailable. If Samsung wants to sell some Galaxy tablets it might be a good idea to make them do something useful in a store demo before potential buyers get frustrated and walk away.
I once worked for a Defense contractor and we handed over ruggedised hard drives along with various other things that won't be mentioned. One of the ruggedised hard drives came back because it stopped working. It was bent. I didn't notice it at first, until I tried to plug it in to work out what was wrong. What was wrong was that it couldn't be slid into its slot at all for the equipment it was supposed to in. We had a good laugh imagining the ways that they could manage to actually bend it.
The moral of this story, if there is a way for the military to break it, they will.
Or perhaps we could all win, by not buying the junk they are currently pumping out and not pirating it either. That way bodies like the RIAA might actually have to listen to what the consumer wants and face reality instead of the one they keep on trying to create for us. I know, I know... wishful thinking wont get us anywhere.
Yes, it's those shades that keep the blinding light of the sun out of my eyes when flying above the clouds. I imagine only the floor would be transparent one would hope so that passengers could actually enjoy a comfortable flight without worry about having to suffer permanent blindness. The article however has other ideas.
But reading the article its all about some design concepts that will not see reality without some heavy tech investment into material manufacturing et all. I prefer the holographic projection of the outside option myself so that the sun can be filtered out by a computer, else the fuselage would have to be very smart to keep the big burning ball of fire causing discomfort or harm to passengers.
Slashdot Mirror
I guess you haven't been to the App store for a while then :)
EVE Online is a very different kind of MMO that has evolved significantly over time. I haven't played anything else quite like it. I played the beta for it (Armageddon day was so much fun) played a few months here and there over the years and more recently I redeem my 5 free days I get periodically to check out how things have changed how and diligently train some skills.
They have lessened the big startup curve (by eliminating the learning skills, which for players that had them had the skill points refunded for people to allocate into other skills) so you can get into the skills you want to use more quickly and you get a bit more of a skills push when you first start than when EVE first launched etc etc. There is the certificate planning system that helps new comers decide what skills they should be working on, and even veterans can benefit from this, since you can inspect what competencies pilots have before signing them up. The storyline missions structures put in also help pilots on their way getting them so good items and ships to give them a leg up.
Its one of those games that rewards a big investment and is ideal for those types of gamers that like lots of detail in a game. But it can also be punishingly gruelling. In the old days you could fly off exploring into low security space and see the sights, leaving your tin can at the EVE gate arrival system and hunting down that meddlesome Monolith. The people you encountered there as well were usually very nice too. Many a times they could of made life hell, but instead we would form up temporary groups, go exploring together and just have a good time. Nowadays your likely to get podded in next to no time unless you take very good precautions, thankfully however you don't need jump can maps anymore to get within jumping distance of a gate for a quick exit.
It could be said that EVE got off to a bit of a shaky start but they have worked hard and kept EVE evolving and growing its user base. The new expansion with the new character creation was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to the captains lounge that will be coming in the future (should net me another 5 free days).
I have a lot of nostalgia for EVE, even though I don't play it anymore. Its very good at what it does, but I just can't make that sort of investment for a game anymore. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and its nice for people to think twice about attacking me in low sec when they see the age of my character (though the recruiters come out to get me at every turn lol) but its just not for me anymore. I dabble and visit in EVE but thats all.
As someone that uses their iPad as an eReader, changing the iPad screen orientation lock was very VERY annoying. I knew it was coming back, however it would of been nice for the Apple "do you have a clue" department to of made the button configurable in the first place rather than letting the lawyers make the programming decisions.
It's also a good idea to configure iTunes so that it always asks to confirm when purchasing something rather than checkbox-ing that dialog away.
Whenever I am considering a purchase from the App store I read other users comments. There are endless complaints about apps that have micro payment systems installed, and about apps that are listed as free but require an in-app purchase to activate and use (that I consider most misleading and refuse to buy them just on principle).
If you want to stop them then you must stop consuming from them, both through legitimate purchasing and piracy.
The URL/Search bar is what I use most in Chrome because I hate using bookmarks. I would much rather spend a few seconds typing in part of the domain name and have it resolved to the website I want than trolling through a bunch of bookmarks looking for the site that I want to visit. I do bookmark hard to find things occasionally but they get deleted after a short while usually because I only need them for a short time.
Its how I use my Mac as well, using Spotlight to launch programs not on my Dock. I've just become sick to death of going through menu's to get to what I want.
That just happens when you forget it's in there.
Well I own an iPad, and while I can buy books from Apple and Amazon (which I have), I can also load on books and documents from other sources and read those too. In fact there is a document interface in iTunes that allows exactly that.
I don't sit around much in cafes reading books and the like, I usually get a coffee and such eat and drink with a few friends then be on our way, that is until I am out travelling to different cities for work or something. Then cafes become a nice escape from the hotel rooms when you don't have much else to look at or do in whatever place your in.
On one skiing trip the local Starbucks was just simply amazing. Great friendly people open fireplace and they didn't mind people sitting around reading and whatever for as long as they wanted. I'm not the sort of person that want's to be stuck in the hotel room all night nor out drinking every night in the party towns so a cafe can make a nice difference in burning away some time if its welcoming and friendly to peoples different needs.
As for that Starbucks, everyone just kept on coming back since it did a great job of keeping people happy in a relatively small tourist town without many options.
I played the original when it was released but unfortunately I don't remember it very well. Well I remember giving money to strippers and doing something with a toilet, but thats about it.
One funny side effect of having an iPad is that I automatically think every tablet like device I come across has a touch screen before my braid clicks into gear as to why my poking doesn't make things go.
I have an iPad so I can offer some enlightenment, at least from my perspective. I like having it as it's basically an always on computer that I can just pick up and use especially when I am traveling. I have a notebook as my main computer and I don't want to lug that around all the time when a much more portable solution exists. I also very much like the concept of eBooks and I choose an iPad as my reader because it allows me to do a whole lot more than just read books. I also rarely re-read books so it's nice not to have them lying around the house, and well eBooks are cheaper. It's priceless as a source of entertainment when flying (as I am so easily bored) thanks to it's movie playing capabilities, especially movie rentals.
I had an iPod Touch that I used in a similar way before that but the iPad offered more to me so I purchased one. I for one hope tablet PC's will stay around as I would hate to lose the convenience of them.
I think that the eBook market is going to help tablets to be a sustainable piece of technology. I got an iPad as an eBook reader for the fact that I don't get locked in to a single eBook service and so that I can do other things with it, not just read books. eBook providers like Amazon (though they have readers of their own) don't get all huffy and say its either their way or the highway and make apps for other platforms so people use their service that otherwise wouldn't. I suppose time will tell :)
Oh don't worry, the actual article wasn't much longer than the summary anyway.
That doesn't sound like a modern, built in obsolescence, business model where they would rather have you buy new than upgrade....
You mean a group of handset manufacturers outsold a single manufacturer of handsets.
I'll start giving Australian retailers some sympathy when they stop supporting the monopolistic practices of overseas companies that see our region get charged more for goods than they do in other "markets" overseas. In my opinion these artificial markets have no place in the Internet economy and I will happily buy things from overseas from other regions if its cheaper. Good old US dollar parity.
I'm an iPad user and I went into JB HiFi to have a look at the Galaxy and see what it was like. I pressed 15 different icons and all of them brought up a web browser stating that the service was unavailable. If Samsung wants to sell some Galaxy tablets it might be a good idea to make them do something useful in a store demo before potential buyers get frustrated and walk away.
To the cloud! ...oh wait a sec.
Perhaps they could talk to Australia Post about how they achieved a profit in these challenging times.
I once worked for a Defense contractor and we handed over ruggedised hard drives along with various other things that won't be mentioned. One of the ruggedised hard drives came back because it stopped working. It was bent. I didn't notice it at first, until I tried to plug it in to work out what was wrong. What was wrong was that it couldn't be slid into its slot at all for the equipment it was supposed to in. We had a good laugh imagining the ways that they could manage to actually bend it.
The moral of this story, if there is a way for the military to break it, they will.
Or perhaps we could all win, by not buying the junk they are currently pumping out and not pirating it either. That way bodies like the RIAA might actually have to listen to what the consumer wants and face reality instead of the one they keep on trying to create for us. I know, I know... wishful thinking wont get us anywhere.
But there is a cultural perception that it is.
And thats the reason why I don't buy anything from Hong Kong or Asia in general from eBay.
Yes, it's those shades that keep the blinding light of the sun out of my eyes when flying above the clouds. I imagine only the floor would be transparent one would hope so that passengers could actually enjoy a comfortable flight without worry about having to suffer permanent blindness. The article however has other ideas.
But reading the article its all about some design concepts that will not see reality without some heavy tech investment into material manufacturing et all. I prefer the holographic projection of the outside option myself so that the sun can be filtered out by a computer, else the fuselage would have to be very smart to keep the big burning ball of fire causing discomfort or harm to passengers.