F.E.A.R. was widely lauded for the ability of its soldiers (both singly and in squads) to flank the player. In reality, the AI wasn't flanking at all -- it was moving from one cover area to another cover area. Because of the skill exhibited by the level designers, that next cover area was to the side of the player's location (or where the designers assumed the player would be), so when the AI moved to that location, it created a seamless illusion of the enemy flanking you.
I would like that. I use my machine for a LOT of gaming, so for me, switching to another OS isn't worth the hassle. I've tried a lot of alternate shells, but I didn't really like them very much. They've always had issues. Sometimes they don't play nicely with fullscreen games that change the resolution. Sometimes, they're just plain buggy, or even simply incredibly ugly. I would LOVE to be able to run KDE.
You could probably heat one room with that system - a lot of electricity being turned into heat instead of processing power - I wonder how much is lost.
Well, I hate to be annoying, but electricity -> processing power is not a conversion that happens, because, obviously, 'processing power' is not a form of energy. ALL the electricity that your box consumes turns into heat, noise, and some light. In terms of energy, the processing is just a byproduct of the to-heat conversion.
I think it's silly to say that good sci-fi isn't still being made. What I see as a problem, though, is what people-at-large think when they hear 'sci-fi'. Nine out of ten people immediately think Star Wars, maybe Star Trek. Most people have never seen Blade Runner. I know that almost everybody here on/. has, but we're not a representative sample. People frequently ask me what kinds of books I like, because I'm an avid reader and I'm not afraid to show it. I say I like sci-fi, and they assume I'm talking about stuff with spaceships and explosions. I'm not talking about that at all, of course, I'm talking about Asimov and Dick and Bradbury.
I'll try to explain this to people, I'll try to tell them that science fiction is about future-based cautionary tales, or stories that take place in the (often exaggerated) future in order to give commentary on the world of today. I tell them that they take liberties and invent realities that can be used to deliver messages in more effective ways than strict realism allows. But they don't get it. Sci-fi is Star Wars, and Star Wars doesn't do any of these things. I seem to bespeaking nonsense and trying to justify my interest in a genre no more intellectually stimulating than romance novels. Frankly, I seem to be no different from those guys that sit in Borders reading manga. (I worked at Borders for a while, and if you do this, I'm sorry to say that you are almost certainly not looked at in a positive way.)
Sometimes, I can convince them, by mentioning specific works that they might not identify as sci-fi. Fahrenheit 451 can be a good one, but I've found that fewer people have read it than one might expect. THe one work I've had the most luck with is The Giver. I'm in my early 20's, and practically everybody I know around my age read it at some point in school, usually around 6th or 7th grade. It's a good example because the messages in it are really very obvious, it's a book for children, after all. Everybody gets it. Everybody sees the sci-fi aspects, and everybody sees that they help push the message.
neither blade runner or space odyssey portray what would a reflection of our current thoughts, emotions and fears be like in a futuristic/alternative timeline/future.
blade runner is too 'goth' and pessimist if you will, with almost no joy or happines within, and space odyssey is too detached and 'intelleftual' if you will.
You simply don't like those futures, and guess what -- that, partially, is the point.
I saw Bicentennial Man way before I read ANY Asimov. When I did finally read the story, I was stunned. That's the only piece of writing that ever brought a real tear to my eye. The movie didn't come close to doing so.
As for being a pain in the ass, aside from contempt I don't think so.
Luckily for right-thinking people, some of the shit he's pulled most definitely qualifies as contempt, as anybody who saw the videos of him bringing that hearing where he brought a giant poster knows.
He actually directly insulted the judge. What the hell?
I seriously doubt that. You've shown a link that proves that he thinks about those kinds of things, but 300 was published in 1998 -- well before people were talking about these things, and at a time when such a metaphor would have been so difficult to notice as to be pointless.
You are correct, certainly, in that it's quite a bit less ridiculous than it may first appear. However, with our without context, the whole thing is something a supposed 'scientist' should be trying to stay far, far away from. Science is about considering truths for which some evidence exists, not about considering truths that would be convenient.
It would be tough to make, actually, and harder to keep it working for any length of time. It would have to be a standalone piece of software, and it would have to get past Blizzard's anti-cheating software to access the character's name.
It would be far easier (and not much more difficult to use) to make a small program that you would have to type the character's name into.
You're assuming that the people who will choose to vote will constitute a random sample. I'm not convinced. I think the group that will choose to vote probably has some bias. Maybe a lot of bias.
I think this IS related to the current (and increasing) oversupply. They can (and should, considering the costs involved) slow down their PS3 production, and ceasing internal production of Cell is part of that.
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It just says something about our national priorities that the only way a lot of these things could get researched is if they have some sort of potential military application.
I think it says more about...uh...all life on earth. Most significant growth is through hardship and competition.
I have to agree with that 'infectious' thing. I've been a big Nintendo fan since I started getting into consoles, just before the N64 came out, and I've wanted a Wii from the beginning. Still, I'm not going to wait in line, or actually run around LOOKING for them, I have better things to do and at the moment money's a little tight.
But then I played Wii Tennis with a couple friends.
I want one now. I do have some self-control, and I'm still going to wait it out. I think there are a LOT of people waiting it out just like me. At current production rates, I'm not sure how long it'll be before these things start taking up shelf space. I still know more people that WANT one than actually have one...by a ratio of, oh, off the top of my head, 8:1. Maybe higher.
From what I've seen, a cracked LCD screen is anything but 'usable.' Those things do look ridiculously heavy-duty, but in my experience the screen is usually the weak point in laptops/notebooks. It takes way too little force to crack them, if the force is at the right angle -- drop an open laptop on the corner of the screen to test that, if you only get one crack on a standard, non-heavy-duty screen, it's a miracle that will STILL render it unusable -- and they're frequently the hardest (and often most expensive) part to replace, as well.
I'm not counting on continued exclusivity for any of PS3's big brands. The fact that the games are so expensive to make, combined with the possibility of demand fizzling out very soon (unconfirmed reports say some regions have units sitting on shelves) means that it may not be cost effective to release PS3 exclusives. In fact, it's possible that some developers will actually find it easier to just release on the X360 or the Wii or both, skipping the PS3 release. From what I've heard, it seems like that might be the best way to make the biggest profit. I can't wait to see what happens.
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I would like that. I use my machine for a LOT of gaming, so for me, switching to another OS isn't worth the hassle. I've tried a lot of alternate shells, but I didn't really like them very much. They've always had issues. Sometimes they don't play nicely with fullscreen games that change the resolution. Sometimes, they're just plain buggy, or even simply incredibly ugly. I would LOVE to be able to run KDE.
Well, I hate to be annoying, but electricity -> processing power is not a conversion that happens, because, obviously, 'processing power' is not a form of energy. ALL the electricity that your box consumes turns into heat, noise, and some light. In terms of energy, the processing is just a byproduct of the to-heat conversion.
I think it's silly to say that good sci-fi isn't still being made. What I see as a problem, though, is what people-at-large think when they hear 'sci-fi'. Nine out of ten people immediately think Star Wars, maybe Star Trek. Most people have never seen Blade Runner. I know that almost everybody here on /. has, but we're not a representative sample. People frequently ask me what kinds of books I like, because I'm an avid reader and I'm not afraid to show it. I say I like sci-fi, and they assume I'm talking about stuff with spaceships and explosions. I'm not talking about that at all, of course, I'm talking about Asimov and Dick and Bradbury.
I'll try to explain this to people, I'll try to tell them that science fiction is about future-based cautionary tales, or stories that take place in the (often exaggerated) future in order to give commentary on the world of today. I tell them that they take liberties and invent realities that can be used to deliver messages in more effective ways than strict realism allows. But they don't get it. Sci-fi is Star Wars, and Star Wars doesn't do any of these things. I seem to bespeaking nonsense and trying to justify my interest in a genre no more intellectually stimulating than romance novels. Frankly, I seem to be no different from those guys that sit in Borders reading manga. (I worked at Borders for a while, and if you do this, I'm sorry to say that you are almost certainly not looked at in a positive way.)
Sometimes, I can convince them, by mentioning specific works that they might not identify as sci-fi. Fahrenheit 451 can be a good one, but I've found that fewer people have read it than one might expect. THe one work I've had the most luck with is The Giver. I'm in my early 20's, and practically everybody I know around my age read it at some point in school, usually around 6th or 7th grade. It's a good example because the messages in it are really very obvious, it's a book for children, after all. Everybody gets it. Everybody sees the sci-fi aspects, and everybody sees that they help push the message.
You simply don't like those futures, and guess what -- that, partially, is the point.
I saw Bicentennial Man way before I read ANY Asimov. When I did finally read the story, I was stunned. That's the only piece of writing that ever brought a real tear to my eye. The movie didn't come close to doing so.
The subset of people who actually know CPR are probably going to be a little more knowledgeable about HIV than the general population.
Me, I'd be more concerned about catching a cold.
Luckily for right-thinking people, some of the shit he's pulled most definitely qualifies as contempt, as anybody who saw the videos of him bringing that hearing where he brought a giant poster knows.
He actually directly insulted the judge. What the hell?
I seriously doubt that. You've shown a link that proves that he thinks about those kinds of things, but 300 was published in 1998 -- well before people were talking about these things, and at a time when such a metaphor would have been so difficult to notice as to be pointless.
You are correct, certainly, in that it's quite a bit less ridiculous than it may first appear. However, with our without context, the whole thing is something a supposed 'scientist' should be trying to stay far, far away from. Science is about considering truths for which some evidence exists, not about considering truths that would be convenient.
Well, you mention Pascal, who made (in my estimation) one of the most idiotic statements on religion, ever.
It would be tough to make, actually, and harder to keep it working for any length of time. It would have to be a standalone piece of software, and it would have to get past Blizzard's anti-cheating software to access the character's name.
It would be far easier (and not much more difficult to use) to make a small program that you would have to type the character's name into.
Ah, yes, the series that requires you to level up your acrobatics skill by jumping thousands of times. Super.
Mmmm. Yes. I am blind.
You're assuming that the people who will choose to vote will constitute a random sample. I'm not convinced. I think the group that will choose to vote probably has some bias. Maybe a lot of bias.
I think this IS related to the current (and increasing) oversupply. They can (and should, considering the costs involved) slow down their PS3 production, and ceasing internal production of Cell is part of that.
Vaporators. Vaporizers are something else.
Most everybody IS good -- saying that they aren't is an error of limited perspective.
I think it says more about...uh...all life on earth. Most significant growth is through hardship and competition.
I have to agree with that 'infectious' thing. I've been a big Nintendo fan since I started getting into consoles, just before the N64 came out, and I've wanted a Wii from the beginning. Still, I'm not going to wait in line, or actually run around LOOKING for them, I have better things to do and at the moment money's a little tight.
But then I played Wii Tennis with a couple friends.
I want one now. I do have some self-control, and I'm still going to wait it out. I think there are a LOT of people waiting it out just like me. At current production rates, I'm not sure how long it'll be before these things start taking up shelf space. I still know more people that WANT one than actually have one...by a ratio of, oh, off the top of my head, 8:1. Maybe higher.
Either you're missing the point, or you're one of the few remaining Lamarkians.
But...but...earthworms are far, far more essential to the ecosystem than cows or chickens.
From what I've seen, a cracked LCD screen is anything but 'usable.' Those things do look ridiculously heavy-duty, but in my experience the screen is usually the weak point in laptops/notebooks. It takes way too little force to crack them, if the force is at the right angle -- drop an open laptop on the corner of the screen to test that, if you only get one crack on a standard, non-heavy-duty screen, it's a miracle that will STILL render it unusable -- and they're frequently the hardest (and often most expensive) part to replace, as well.
I think it'll take a little bit more than that before we're able to hold our own in a war against the Klingons.
I'm not counting on continued exclusivity for any of PS3's big brands. The fact that the games are so expensive to make, combined with the possibility of demand fizzling out very soon (unconfirmed reports say some regions have units sitting on shelves) means that it may not be cost effective to release PS3 exclusives. In fact, it's possible that some developers will actually find it easier to just release on the X360 or the Wii or both, skipping the PS3 release. From what I've heard, it seems like that might be the best way to make the biggest profit. I can't wait to see what happens.