Here's a recent and very striking example of fitting data to preconceived notions: zepplin backwards (flash link)... As with all of these things, the trick is that you're shown the message while listening to it, and you tend to make it fit. It's even more convincing after a few listens -- it really sounds like, "There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan." Almost poetic.
Hi, this is Satan. Yeah, you're wrong on this one. It's real. Oh, yeah, and I totally tortured Zepp in a toolshed for a while, but it's HARDLY a little toolshed. It's like 16 x 25. I'm still pissed at Jimmy for that one. I mean, I might not have Led Zeppelin-size money, but I do okay for myself. That "little" thing was just insulting. So to get revenge, I made Page do the Death Wish soundtrack and Plant ended up fronting the HoneyDrippers. That'll show 'em who's boss. One more crack and they're backing Christina Aquilera.
"Windows Users Fear Korgo Virus" screams the headline, reading not so much like news as just another WindowsXP sales pitch. Yes, it's true -- Windows users DO fear the Korgo virus, while the insignificant and ostracized Mac and Linux users of the world are left, yet again, fearing only the sheer and utter BOREDOM of not having any viruses or trojans to fix due to their curious choice of OS. In the area of viruses, trojans, and worms, Linux and the Mac really do stand out as being "second class citizens", trapped in a virus-free ghetto with no salvation in sight. The discrepancy is so obvious, the ultra-competitive Microsoft doesn't even feel the need to buy themselves an Official Gartner Group Research Study to prove that Windows is light-years ahead in this area. Even the most staunch Linux or Mac advocate is forced to admit it -- off the record, of course. Virus writers, known to be excellent coders who take pride in their tight, bugfree code, have overwhelmingly standardized on Microsoft Windows as their targeted system of choice in the deployment of their ongoing suite of virus applications.
And it doesn't look like the situation is going to get better any time soon.
One bearded Linux coder, who refused to be identified publicly, confessed "we just don't have the selection -- or quality -- of viruses on our platform that is available to Windows users free of charge. And it's tearing us up inside knowing that the battle is over, and Microsoft has clearly won." Similarly, a guy with an Apple logo shaved into the back of his head admitted the following once we turned off the cameras. "I don't mean to break ranks and insult our software selection," he whispered furtively, "but usually if we DO manage to get a virus that will even install on OS X, it's not that great, and we're left... disappointed, realizing that if we had simply stuck with the unwashed smelly masses, we too could be enjoying a daily barrage of free software delighting us by installing itself on our computers as a surprise gift. Instead, I'm stuck with the weak consolation prize of 40 Academy Awards for my work on Lord Of The Rings. But it's not the same. No amount of awards or million dollar paycheques can heal the feelings of neglect or massive abandonment issues this whole thing has given me."
"Is this the reason so many people choose Windows?", his innocent young son, Moof, asked me, looking like the kid off the Dave software box.
"What do you think, little one? Look at the Windows dominance in the virus field, then look at the marketshare of Windows. That ain't no coincidence, Moof. The other guys just can't keep up with the Microsoft Juggernaut. Microsoft is fighting hard to keep themselves Number One, just like the Titanic was the biggest and bestest ship, or the Hindenberg was the coolest and most flammable Zeppelin, or the dinosaurs were the toughest animals ever. How do you compete with that?"
=============
Yes, sitting here at my desk 16 hours later, WindowsXP Restore Disks in hand, I can't help but let a little smile shine across my face. Those poor fools, I think, using a non-Microsoft OS really does take away most of the joy of computing and replaces it with all that productivity and recreation crap. And where's the challenge in that?
Please insert Microsoft Windows XP Restore Disk 2
Ahhh, I sigh contentedly. It's gonna be a long night.
...*Dell* wanted to install BeOS alongside Windows...
Hmmm. Maybe Dell, or more likely IBM, can be convinced to install Linux alongside Windows....
I would guess that at least 10-15% of Windows users would switch to Linux if it came installed on their Hard Drive and was set up for them in advance -- honestly, every app I use has an open-source counterpart that isn't drastically different from the Windows app that performs the same function. For me (and many others), Mozilla, the Gimp, MPlayer, VLC, XMMS, etc. cover all the functionality we "need" Windows for anyway, with a lower cost, better "cool" factor, and less viruses/spyware/trojans/backdoors. I haven't bought an app for years (that wasn't bundled with an OS). Everything I do is either interacting with the net or is an open-source and free app!
And if Linux got some mainstream (dual-boot) support from a big company, you can be sure drivers for cameras, etc. would be sure to follow -- as would the other big companies (HP, etc.).
Maybe Dell, not IBM, will prove to be Linux' "saviour". Linux becoming mainstream (and eventually dominant) is only one business decision away.
The big companies don't give a damn and we're being trained to pay more for less service, or at best, greater convenience with lesser quality. Aren't backups like insurance? If you don't have a guaranteed backup what's the point? How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing I MIGHT have my files backed up? This reminds me of Ceridian, who cold called our office offering to do our payroll for us. They would cut the cheques and pay the government the taxes and send us a report, all for pennies per employee. The only problem is they wouldn't guarantee the cheques would be correct, or the taxes would actually be filed with the government -- and if the government came after me they weren't liable in any way -- we were. Needless to say we still do our own payroll.
Take me for instance: I do a 100% guaranteed backup of the server files at work every day. I even burn them to DVD in case an EMP Blast or magnetic solar flare wipes out my hard drive backups.
Okay okay, so I'm in the Pr0n industry... and I'm not the official backup guy... and I'm not even allowed in the Server Room... but trust me, 100% reliable backups are possible if you are dedicated enough.
LOL! Love the brutally obvious mod bias here. Every time I even HINT at questioning the inflated speed claims of the Mac, I get modded down. It's obvious that the guys modding me down have no sense of humour about Apples whatsoever (*cough*paidshills*cough*). Hell, I though this was funny, insightful, true, and not mean-spirited at all, but the official Slashdot Astroturf team thought otherwise. Sales first, truth second!
As a Mac gamer, I can tell you that Macs really ARE in a game ghetto. Period. Even if the games are out there, they're a) ports that are rarely as good, and b) not available in a store near you. Order online and wait a few weeks -- at best.
I've learned a few good lessons here on Slashdot: I can flame RMS or Bill Gates all I want, but Steve Jobs is off limits. I can tell the truth about Linux useability or Windows viruses all I want, but Apple products are "hands off".
There's a pretty big bias, and sadly, it smacks of desperation. I can understand, with Apple being down to 1.7% of the market, their switcher campaign being a total failure, and new competition for the iPod on the way. I can understand WHY Apple fanatics would be desperate, but I don't support their desperate techniques. And yes, I'm a long-time Mac user, and yes, I love my computer, but to be perfectly honest, a young person "switching" based on the hype, propaganda, and "protectionist defenses of everything Apple" in this forum will be sorely disappointed. Because half of the stuff on here is VERIFIABLY NOT TRUE, and the moderation seems intent on suppressing dissent. Nice. Reading most posts, I'd think buying an Apple was a spiritual decision rather than a technological one. Jeezus, what a crock.
And NO, you mods can't hurt my feelings by moderating me down. This post is ASKING FOR IT, and do I care? No. I care that you're being unfairly critical, because you're doing a disservice to others, but personally, I don't give a goddamn. The more you mod me down, the less I promote Apple products in my own life and business, and the more I recommend something else to everybody who asks me. In short, you only hurt your "cause" by being a dickhead and attacking harmless jabs.
While the magazine claimed to have my location it actually was a picture of my uncle's house half a mile down the road. Guess my privacy is safe for a while longer;).
What's even scarier is that Reason says my location is supposedly the Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp. Hold on, there's someone banging on my front door. Back in a minu-
Which distro are you using? Have you been able to get Airport Extreme base station running with it? I can install Debian on it without too much hassle, but their apt-get lists are definitely shorter on the PPC. The worst part is the Airport. The rest of it is functional but limited compared to x86. AFAIK, the Airport Extreme Base Station is hostile. Any help getting AE Base Station set up is much appreciated....
Linux on the Apples is highly overrated. It's not NEARLY as good as Linux on x86 for a number of reasons -- more hardware choice on x86 being one of them. I have the misfortune of having an Airport Extreme Base Station -- there is NO WAY IN HELL I'll get it running with Linux. I can't even get my Win2000 box on it, and that's plugging directly into the ethernet port! So now running linux will cost me to get a new router, and I haven't even gotten my laptop running yet.
There are more people working on x86, so it's generally better supported. My PowerBook doesn't have any sleep mode under linux, the AirPort doesn't work, the backlit keyboard I paid extra for doesn't work, and many apps have to be recompiled under PPC with fixes made to the code beforehand.
All in all, if you buy a Mac, you WILL end up using it ONLY for OS X. The barriers to Linux on that platform are too great for 99/100 users. And you are one of them. Trust me.
If you want to run Linux, or are considering running linux, do NOT buy a Mac. I've been there, done that, and it's a royal pain in the ass for the quality of the results. Nice computers overall, but designed for OS X, and very unfriendly to anything but.
I've already decided; my next computer will be an IBM ThinkPad running Debian. Doc Searls has mentioned a rumor about IBM releasing Linux-only ThinkPads which have the G5 as their processor. If this arrives, I'm selling my PowerBook and all associated accessories PDQ.
I hate that DVD region encoding CRAP as much as anybody, but you gotta have cajones to take on Hollywood. This likely means they're going to be focusing on Chinese movies as opposed to American movies as well.
Won't these guys let us keep ANY of our monopolies intact? It's like they refuse to roll over and let us 0wn them or something.
A really, really, stinking rich friend of my father's called me over to look at his droolable Dual Xeon Workstation maxed out with 4 Gigs of RAM. Having acquired my ethics from a sick cocktail of Slashdot, Survivor, and hentai comics, I looked at it for half an hour, unplugged the hard drive, and told him it was an incurable virus and he'd be needing to buy a new one.
I am typing this from my new PC which I received as payment for the advice of buying a G5. I'm happy, Apple's happy, he's happy! It was the right thing to do!
C'mon you guys! Don't look at me like that! Evil is the new Good! Jump on in, the water's fine!
This sounds a lot like Keith Richards' early morning wakeup drink -- but if I remember, he's got an aspirin or two and a handful of vitamin C's thrown in his as well (and probably some more ingredients he wouldn't admit in public), but basically it's the same drink.
I'm going to try this drink tomorrow, see how quickly I can mummify myself into a shambling dead like Keith "the human spliff" Richards.
I guess I knew this already, but looking at this subpoena and accompanying article, it really struck me: SCO doesn't ever expect to sell a product to anyone ever again. They've completely given up trying to compete fairly, and are nothing but a corpse being propped up by Microsoft as an undead attack dog.
That's actually kind of sad. I'd have a moment of silence for Caldera's OpenLinux, if I wasn't still bitter about it smoking my hard drive about 6 or 7 years ago, causing me to switch to RedHat instantly.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's a recent and very striking example of fitting data to preconceived notions: zepplin backwards (flash link)... As with all of these things, the trick is that you're shown the message while listening to it, and you tend to make it fit. It's even more convincing after a few listens -- it really sounds like, "There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan." Almost poetic.
Hi, this is Satan. Yeah, you're wrong on this one. It's real. Oh, yeah, and I totally tortured Zepp in a toolshed for a while, but it's HARDLY a little toolshed. It's like 16 x 25. I'm still pissed at Jimmy for that one. I mean, I might not have Led Zeppelin-size money, but I do okay for myself. That "little" thing was just insulting. So to get revenge, I made Page do the Death Wish soundtrack and Plant ended up fronting the HoneyDrippers. That'll show 'em who's boss. One more crack and they're backing Christina Aquilera.
Is this one of the reasons why the US DOJ recently announced it is going to be taking a closer look at the porn industry?
Well, it would be a wise decision. They have to make their money *somehow* and this taxation thing just ain't bringin' it in like it used to.
Ba-DAH-bump!
"Windows Users Fear Korgo Virus" screams the headline, reading not so much like news as just another WindowsXP sales pitch. Yes, it's true -- Windows users DO fear the Korgo virus, while the insignificant and ostracized Mac and Linux users of the world are left, yet again, fearing only the sheer and utter BOREDOM of not having any viruses or trojans to fix due to their curious choice of OS. In the area of viruses, trojans, and worms, Linux and the Mac really do stand out as being "second class citizens", trapped in a virus-free ghetto with no salvation in sight. The discrepancy is so obvious, the ultra-competitive Microsoft doesn't even feel the need to buy themselves an Official Gartner Group Research Study to prove that Windows is light-years ahead in this area. Even the most staunch Linux or Mac advocate is forced to admit it -- off the record, of course. Virus writers, known to be excellent coders who take pride in their tight, bugfree code, have overwhelmingly standardized on Microsoft Windows as their targeted system of choice in the deployment of their ongoing suite of virus applications.
And it doesn't look like the situation is going to get better any time soon.
One bearded Linux coder, who refused to be identified publicly, confessed "we just don't have the selection -- or quality -- of viruses on our platform that is available to Windows users free of charge. And it's tearing us up inside knowing that the battle is over, and Microsoft has clearly won." Similarly, a guy with an Apple logo shaved into the back of his head admitted the following once we turned off the cameras. "I don't mean to break ranks and insult our software selection," he whispered furtively, "but usually if we DO manage to get a virus that will even install on OS X, it's not that great, and we're left... disappointed, realizing that if we had simply stuck with the unwashed smelly masses, we too could be enjoying a daily barrage of free software delighting us by installing itself on our computers as a surprise gift. Instead, I'm stuck with the weak consolation prize of 40 Academy Awards for my work on Lord Of The Rings. But it's not the same. No amount of awards or million dollar paycheques can heal the feelings of neglect or massive abandonment issues this whole thing has given me."
"Is this the reason so many people choose Windows?", his innocent young son, Moof, asked me, looking like the kid off the Dave software box.
"What do you think, little one? Look at the Windows dominance in the virus field, then look at the marketshare of Windows. That ain't no coincidence, Moof. The other guys just can't keep up with the Microsoft Juggernaut. Microsoft is fighting hard to keep themselves Number One, just like the Titanic was the biggest and bestest ship, or the Hindenberg was the coolest and most flammable Zeppelin, or the dinosaurs were the toughest animals ever. How do you compete with that?"
=============
Yes, sitting here at my desk 16 hours later, WindowsXP Restore Disks in hand, I can't help but let a little smile shine across my face. Those poor fools, I think, using a non-Microsoft OS really does take away most of the joy of computing and replaces it with all that productivity and recreation crap. And where's the challenge in that?
Please insert Microsoft Windows XP Restore Disk 2
Ahhh, I sigh contentedly. It's gonna be a long night.
I thought the "Free" in "Free Software" was meant as "Free Speech"?
Yeah, that's ONE of the two meanings, the other representing "Free Beer". And until Bill Gates buys me and my pals a beer or two, I don't like him.*
*Oh my god, I just realized how easy I am to buy off. I sicken myself.
...*Dell* wanted to install BeOS alongside Windows...
Hmmm. Maybe Dell, or more likely IBM, can be convinced to install Linux alongside Windows....
I would guess that at least 10-15% of Windows users would switch to Linux if it came installed on their Hard Drive and was set up for them in advance -- honestly, every app I use has an open-source counterpart that isn't drastically different from the Windows app that performs the same function. For me (and many others), Mozilla, the Gimp, MPlayer, VLC, XMMS, etc. cover all the functionality we "need" Windows for anyway, with a lower cost, better "cool" factor, and less viruses/spyware/trojans/backdoors. I haven't bought an app for years (that wasn't bundled with an OS). Everything I do is either interacting with the net or is an open-source and free app!
And if Linux got some mainstream (dual-boot) support from a big company, you can be sure drivers for cameras, etc. would be sure to follow -- as would the other big companies (HP, etc.).
Maybe Dell, not IBM, will prove to be Linux' "saviour". Linux becoming mainstream (and eventually dominant) is only one business decision away.
The big companies don't give a damn and we're being trained to pay more for less service, or at best, greater convenience with lesser quality. Aren't backups like insurance? If you don't have a guaranteed backup what's the point? How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing I MIGHT have my files backed up? This reminds me of Ceridian, who cold called our office offering to do our payroll for us. They would cut the cheques and pay the government the taxes and send us a report, all for pennies per employee. The only problem is they wouldn't guarantee the cheques would be correct, or the taxes would actually be filed with the government -- and if the government came after me they weren't liable in any way -- we were. Needless to say we still do our own payroll.
Take me for instance: I do a 100% guaranteed backup of the server files at work every day. I even burn them to DVD in case an EMP Blast or magnetic solar flare wipes out my hard drive backups.
Okay okay, so I'm in the Pr0n industry... and I'm not the official backup guy... and I'm not even allowed in the Server Room... but trust me, 100% reliable backups are possible if you are dedicated enough.
And I do it for free.
Add RAM -- Works for me everytime.
But the whole purpose of wanting to live as long as I can is so I can eat more yummy MacDonalds!
you are a pompous fucktard.
As expected, yet another poster tells me Apple is perfect, then disappears when I want more than shiny happy advertising copy thrown my way.
LOL! Love the brutally obvious mod bias here. Every time I even HINT at questioning the inflated speed claims of the Mac, I get modded down. It's obvious that the guys modding me down have no sense of humour about Apples whatsoever (*cough*paidshills*cough*). Hell, I though this was funny, insightful, true, and not mean-spirited at all, but the official Slashdot Astroturf team thought otherwise. Sales first, truth second!
As a Mac gamer, I can tell you that Macs really ARE in a game ghetto. Period. Even if the games are out there, they're a) ports that are rarely as good, and b) not available in a store near you. Order online and wait a few weeks -- at best.
I've learned a few good lessons here on Slashdot: I can flame RMS or Bill Gates all I want, but Steve Jobs is off limits. I can tell the truth about Linux useability or Windows viruses all I want, but Apple products are "hands off".
There's a pretty big bias, and sadly, it smacks of desperation. I can understand, with Apple being down to 1.7% of the market, their switcher campaign being a total failure, and new competition for the iPod on the way. I can understand WHY Apple fanatics would be desperate, but I don't support their desperate techniques. And yes, I'm a long-time Mac user, and yes, I love my computer, but to be perfectly honest, a young person "switching" based on the hype, propaganda, and "protectionist defenses of everything Apple" in this forum will be sorely disappointed. Because half of the stuff on here is VERIFIABLY NOT TRUE, and the moderation seems intent on suppressing dissent. Nice. Reading most posts, I'd think buying an Apple was a spiritual decision rather than a technological one. Jeezus, what a crock.
And NO, you mods can't hurt my feelings by moderating me down. This post is ASKING FOR IT, and do I care? No. I care that you're being unfairly critical, because you're doing a disservice to others, but personally, I don't give a goddamn. The more you mod me down, the less I promote Apple products in my own life and business, and the more I recommend something else to everybody who asks me. In short, you only hurt your "cause" by being a dickhead and attacking harmless jabs.
mange moi,
BFG9000
Jeez, here it comes -- someone's gonna tell me Colossus is faster than my Mac. Gentlemen, warm your PCs! It's BENCHMARK TIME!!!
heroine habit
I have a bad heroine habit. I'm jonesing for Wonder Woman right now.
While the magazine claimed to have my location it actually was a picture of my uncle's house half a mile down the road. Guess my privacy is safe for a while longer ;).
What's even scarier is that Reason says my location is supposedly the Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp. Hold on, there's someone banging on my front door. Back in a minu-
Does this CD work for you? It won't boot for me...
Hallllooo-ooo? Anybody there?
How about Pixar versus 3D Realms?
I'll admit, 3D Realms has quite a head start, and yet I'd still put my money on Pixar in this one.
Which distro are you using? Have you been able to get Airport Extreme base station running with it? I can install Debian on it without too much hassle, but their apt-get lists are definitely shorter on the PPC. The worst part is the Airport. The rest of it is functional but limited compared to x86. AFAIK, the Airport Extreme Base Station is hostile. Any help getting AE Base Station set up is much appreciated....
Linux on the Apples is highly overrated. It's not NEARLY as good as Linux on x86 for a number of reasons -- more hardware choice on x86 being one of them. I have the misfortune of having an Airport Extreme Base Station -- there is NO WAY IN HELL I'll get it running with Linux. I can't even get my Win2000 box on it, and that's plugging directly into the ethernet port! So now running linux will cost me to get a new router, and I haven't even gotten my laptop running yet.
There are more people working on x86, so it's generally better supported. My PowerBook doesn't have any sleep mode under linux, the AirPort doesn't work, the backlit keyboard I paid extra for doesn't work, and many apps have to be recompiled under PPC with fixes made to the code beforehand.
All in all, if you buy a Mac, you WILL end up using it ONLY for OS X. The barriers to Linux on that platform are too great for 99/100 users. And you are one of them. Trust me.
If you want to run Linux, or are considering running linux, do NOT buy a Mac. I've been there, done that, and it's a royal pain in the ass for the quality of the results. Nice computers overall, but designed for OS X, and very unfriendly to anything but.
I've already decided; my next computer will be an IBM ThinkPad running Debian. Doc Searls has mentioned a rumor about IBM releasing Linux-only ThinkPads which have the G5 as their processor. If this arrives, I'm selling my PowerBook and all associated accessories PDQ.
I hate that DVD region encoding CRAP as much as anybody, but you gotta have cajones to take on Hollywood. This likely means they're going to be focusing on Chinese movies as opposed to American movies as well.
Won't these guys let us keep ANY of our monopolies intact? It's like they refuse to roll over and let us 0wn them or something.
A really, really, stinking rich friend of my father's called me over to look at his droolable Dual Xeon Workstation maxed out with 4 Gigs of RAM. Having acquired my ethics from a sick cocktail of Slashdot, Survivor, and hentai comics, I looked at it for half an hour, unplugged the hard drive, and told him it was an incurable virus and he'd be needing to buy a new one.
I am typing this from my new PC which I received as payment for the advice of buying a G5. I'm happy, Apple's happy, he's happy! It was the right thing to do!
C'mon you guys! Don't look at me like that! Evil is the new Good! Jump on in, the water's fine!
Lemme see your firmware -- I've got a lotta RAM, but all I got right now is a 3 1/2" Floppy.
This sounds a lot like Keith Richards' early morning wakeup drink -- but if I remember, he's got an aspirin or two and a handful of vitamin C's thrown in his as well (and probably some more ingredients he wouldn't admit in public), but basically it's the same drink.
I'm going to try this drink tomorrow, see how quickly I can mummify myself into a shambling dead like Keith "the human spliff" Richards.
... I'd sell it and buy an Aston Martin. I'm not THAT much of a geek -- big routers just don't attract the babes the way I'd like.
SCO is over, and they know it.
I guess I knew this already, but looking at this subpoena and accompanying article, it really struck me: SCO doesn't ever expect to sell a product to anyone ever again. They've completely given up trying to compete fairly, and are nothing but a corpse being propped up by Microsoft as an undead attack dog.
That's actually kind of sad. I'd have a moment of silence for Caldera's OpenLinux, if I wasn't still bitter about it smoking my hard drive about 6 or 7 years ago, causing me to switch to RedHat instantly.