Well, I suppose that depends how you define "PC-type games". Is there a PC game genre (as apposed to franchise) that the Xbox and PS2 cover that the GameCube doesn't? (I don't profess to know the Xbox and PS2 offerings inside out).
Well, yes, fair enough - my poorly made point was more global "Nintendo profit, Microsoft loss" with the only exception being North America, but I know I'm digging my own hole here, so I'll stop.:)
In this particular context, it's an appropriate exclusion. When discussing playing games on a PC versus playing them on a console, the Gamecube simply doesn't belong because there is little significant crossover of games between PC and GC. Want to play Deus Ex: Invisible War? Not going to happen on Gamecube. GTA:3/Vice City? Ditto. Star Wars: KOTOR? Sorry. Halo? Well, owned by Microsoft so it hardly counts.
Why is it appropriate to exclude the GC? Aside from the fact that hardly anyone would buy a title for their PC and then buy the same title for their Xbox or PS2 (or maybe even favour buying the "next in series" for their console rather than their PC) the original article says, "If everybody turns to an Xbox or a PlayStation for entertainment, who's going to need new PC equipment?"
Well, I used to upgrade my PC all the time to keep up with games (I remember paying 150ukp for my Righteous 3D 3dfx card), and I'm as big a fan as any of Half-Life, Quake 3 etc. But I'm really fed up with the cost of upgrading and the pain of trying to get my older games to work with new hardware and new operating systems. So I decided to buy a console for my entertainment because it's a lot of hardware for the money, and guaranteed compatibility of old and new games. I chose the GameCube over the Xbox and PS2. Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker and Pikmin absolutely rock, to mention a few. Now I don't bother upgrading my PC and just buy GC games (of which there is a reasonable enough selection to keep me happy). This is entirely relevant to the original article and therefore not an "appropriate exclusion".
Actually, the Cube is in dead last in 3rd place in the US. Even at $99, it still cannot keep the pace with the Xbox with its recent price drop to $149.
As for the Japanese, fuck them. Who cares what they think anyways? Their games this generation have paled in comparison to the Western offerings.
My favourite trick is to wake people up with this cap I've got. It's 450VDC, 1000uF (that's 100J of energy). I charge it with some liberated PP3s (50 plugged end-on-end in series) and then sneak up behind a colleague half-dozing at his desk, carefully apply a screwdriver across the terminals and *CRACK!*. Watching the adrenaline rush combined with fight/flight reactions is very interesting and highly amusing. (Doesn't do the screwdriver much good though.)
I should point out that my victims always get me back, usually by spraying anti-static cleaner through the back of my desk fan when I'm not expecting it (instant winter wonderland), or by stamping "REFERENCE COPY ONLY" across my forehead with the drawing office stamp (permanent).
According to Eggebrecht, the only reason Factor 5 has stopped making GameCube games was that they've abandoned current-generation hardware altogether. "It is simply because we have moved into next-generation development," he said.
If I had mod points, I'd mod you to the roof for posting this before the usual "death of Nintendo" thread appears (no doubt see below). So they've stopped making games for the GameCube (or any other platform) because they're concentrating on the next generation. And they express an interest in Nintendo DS and GCNext. Where's the problem with that?
For gawds sake, I wish people would get the facts before panicking about some media spin.
I think our brains listen for patterns in the surrounding babble as part of the mechanism for discerning one conversation from another. A person speaking on a cellphone is especially annoying because it grabs our attention as though we should be participating in the conversation. Many times I've been on a packed train, casually thinking about something else, when half of a "How's it going?" conversation has nearly tripped my brain into automatically responding. It's an unnatural speech pattern that our brains aren't used to processing. It demands closer attention, making it harder to concentrate on other things, and is thus highly annoying.
Actually, the complete NIF will have an energy on target of about 2 megajoules.
That's about the same amount of energy as lifting a 1000kg car up by 200m, or accelerating it to 230kph, or by burning a 100W bulb for five and a half hours. Shifting 2MJ of energy around in 10ns is an incredible feat of engineering, whichever way you look at it.
... ST Microelectronics already supply devices that mix programmable logic, memory and IO from their Programmable System Device range. But there is something of a reluctance for commercial designs to incorporate them because they're single source components. Why risk being unable to make your product in the future because you've used a specialised component in your system which has gone obsolete - especially when there's a plethora of available direct drop-in replacements for a discrete solution (EG separate programmable logic and memory).
does it actually have nay insightfull comments, or things we havent heard of already or is it pretty much like the previous cpu review made:
This Just IN, NEW CPU FASTER THAN OLD CPU
Nothing exciting really. Summary is basically this: Amd for 3D games, Intel for MP3 and DivX encoding (and marginally for some scientific software). At the end of the day it all depends what software is running, so there's no clear way to define which is "better" for the masses.
Anyone that's right-dragged a file in Win2k has probably seen the odd alpha-blending that Windows does. For those that aren't subjected to a dose of Microsoft at work, what it does it take the filename you've right-held on, invert the background (like normal selection in Win98) and then - this is the bit that gets me - alpha-blends it away from the point at which the mouse pointer "holds" the filename. And not just horizontally either, we're talking a full-on 2D alpha-blend. Ironically, I think it's supposed to make it look pretty, but with long filenames it tends to make the end furthest from the pointer unreadable.
Is Microsoft just adding twiddly bits and calling it innovation?
Yeah, I thought that too - went out last night (25th) for a look. There were quite a few people walking to and from the site, and local TV were there taping an interview. I took a few long exposure shots with the digital camera + tripod which came out OK.
The tubes were literally planted into the ground in neat rows, and it was quite surreal walking amongst them and seeing them turn off as I approached. Touching the tops seems to half-illuminate them again.
I must admit I was expecting it to be under one of those really high-current and high-voltage pylons that constantly hum and crackle, but it was all very quiet out there.
Damn! How can we objectively compare different 3D technologies by looking at 2D pictures on a screen? We need 3D monitors in order to see which one "looks" best, surely?
Fantastic. New users find the selection of different toolkits for X confusing and inconsistent both in appearance and behaviour. One standard toolkit will help with newbie usability greatly - though whether it will stand the test of time remains to be seen. Windows seems to be doing just fine with it's standards though, so I rather suspect the same will apply to Y.
There is nothing like a little competition to hot things up - perhaps this will also give the languid Xfree86 project the kick up the backside it needs.
They forget to mention projectors, you get a bigger image cheaper than plasma
True, but these transmissive technologies won't require you to draw the blinds and dim the room lights to see them.
Personally I'm up for skipping all this 2D crap and having scanning lasers shone directly onto my retinas, but then again I've read Snow Crash and that's put me off for a while.;)
I just wish thunderbird had a function for seperate users. (The hugely crappy) incredimail has this handy function, and it couldn't be that hard to integrate, could it? And yes - we could create different windows logins, but I happen to live in a house where the residents trust each other, and it's easier not to do this.
In that case, you might be pleased to find that there is a way to do this.
If you start ThunderBird with the -p switch, it will start the profile manager. Just create a seperate profile for each user - the next time ThunderBird runs it'll ask you which profile to use.
I have to say that I totally love Fire(bird/fox)'s tabbed browsing capabilities (I'd really miss it now if I had to do without it). The popup management and password management are features I've come to take for granted. IE has yet to integrate them in a usable way.
Also, Thunderbird answered so many of my mail problems - anyone else that's tried to find a client that works under Windows and Linux AND allows seperate POP3 accounts to be managed properly will appreciate what a boon Thunderbird is. The mailbox files can be copied straight from a Windows system into a Linux system, and with a bit of fiddling it's up and working in no time. This makes it very easy to move people from Windows to Linux and vice-verse.
In stark contrast to my real life, I'd love to be born rich and live off the interest. The hardest part of life would be deciding what to invest in for the best return. Mmm.... I could buy gadgets whenever I felt like it, work on projects whenever I wanted (with no deadline pressure). I'd still be a geek, don't get me wrong - I'd just have more stuff.:)
Knowing some assembler is great if you're programming embedded microcontroller applications where every cycle counts (for example, programming PICs). But when it comes to large scale processors it's almost entirely irrelevent, mainly because of their incredible comparative speed and complexity. While it's easy to optimise assembler for a simple PIC, optimising assembler for an Athlon XP would be mind-blowingly complicated, and hence best left to compilers. C translates fairly easily into assembler - most embedded software engineers can visualise how to implement for, while, if etc. constructs in assember. C just saves a lot of time and effort. "Computer Science" is all about layers of abstraction - there really is no need to understand every little detail in order to implement a modern application. Only us nerds take pleasure in knowing-it-all (tm).
Why is everyone so paranoid about being tracked with RFID? I've got nothing to hide, so I couldn't give a monkies if everyone knows where I am or if a store knows my purchase patterns. Heck, most of them already have this info thanks to my loyalty cards, and I don't see anyone making a big fuss about that!
Throw that sig in, and the fight would go like this:
Linus: "Surely void main(void) since you've got no return, and you forgot to include your IO libraries for printf!" Bill: "Arrgghh - fire the secret weapon! #pragma align -0.5"
(At this point Linus core dumps and Bill locks solid in the same position for 5 minutes until the referee resets him. Linus just gets on with it, but Bill returns to his corner to scandisk and blame the referee for not shutting him down properly).
...it's just that older systems were less open to one weakness making a massive difference to the outcome.
Even electronic banking (trusted by the masses) isn't utterly secure - just look at all the e-mail scams purporting to be a bank asking to confirm details (social hacking, if you like).
Unfortunately there will always be those in society that wish to cheat and are willing to invest the time, money and effort to do it.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, I suppose that depends how you define "PC-type games". Is there a PC game genre (as apposed to franchise) that the Xbox and PS2 cover that the GameCube doesn't? (I don't profess to know the Xbox and PS2 offerings inside out).
Well, yes, fair enough - my poorly made point was more global "Nintendo profit, Microsoft loss" with the only exception being North America, but I know I'm digging my own hole here, so I'll stop. :)
Why is it appropriate to exclude the GC? Aside from the fact that hardly anyone would buy a title for their PC and then buy the same title for their Xbox or PS2 (or maybe even favour buying the "next in series" for their console rather than their PC) the original article says, "If everybody turns to an Xbox or a PlayStation for entertainment, who's going to need new PC equipment?"
Well, I used to upgrade my PC all the time to keep up with games (I remember paying 150ukp for my Righteous 3D 3dfx card), and I'm as big a fan as any of Half-Life, Quake 3 etc. But I'm really fed up with the cost of upgrading and the pain of trying to get my older games to work with new hardware and new operating systems. So I decided to buy a console for my entertainment because it's a lot of hardware for the money, and guaranteed compatibility of old and new games. I chose the GameCube over the Xbox and PS2. Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker and Pikmin absolutely rock, to mention a few. Now I don't bother upgrading my PC and just buy GC games (of which there is a reasonable enough selection to keep me happy). This is entirely relevant to the original article and therefore not an "appropriate exclusion".
You dolt. Read this and get a clue.
Electrical Engineer? I wasn't aware that my computer had any household wiring in it. Perhaps you mean Electronics Engineer? ;)
I should point out that my victims always get me back, usually by spraying anti-static cleaner through the back of my desk fan when I'm not expecting it (instant winter wonderland), or by stamping "REFERENCE COPY ONLY" across my forehead with the drawing office stamp (permanent).
If I had mod points, I'd mod you to the roof for posting this before the usual "death of Nintendo" thread appears (no doubt see below). So they've stopped making games for the GameCube (or any other platform) because they're concentrating on the next generation. And they express an interest in Nintendo DS and GCNext. Where's the problem with that?
For gawds sake, I wish people would get the facts before panicking about some media spin.
Or is that just me?
That freekin' badgerbadgerbadger.com is addictive, I say!
That's about the same amount of energy as lifting a 1000kg car up by 200m, or accelerating it to 230kph, or by burning a 100W bulb for five and a half hours. Shifting 2MJ of energy around in 10ns is an incredible feat of engineering, whichever way you look at it.
... ST Microelectronics already supply devices that mix programmable logic, memory and IO from their Programmable System Device range. But there is something of a reluctance for commercial designs to incorporate them because they're single source components. Why risk being unable to make your product in the future because you've used a specialised component in your system which has gone obsolete - especially when there's a plethora of available direct drop-in replacements for a discrete solution (EG separate programmable logic and memory).
This Just IN, NEW CPU FASTER THAN OLD CPU
Nothing exciting really. Summary is basically this: Amd for 3D games, Intel for MP3 and DivX encoding (and marginally for some scientific software). At the end of the day it all depends what software is running, so there's no clear way to define which is "better" for the masses.
Nothing changes there, I guess.
1. Convert Xbox to run Linux
2. Convert games developers to Linux
3. ???
4. PROFIT!
Anyone that's right-dragged a file in Win2k has probably seen the odd alpha-blending that Windows does. For those that aren't subjected to a dose of Microsoft at work, what it does it take the filename you've right-held on, invert the background (like normal selection in Win98) and then - this is the bit that gets me - alpha-blends it away from the point at which the mouse pointer "holds" the filename. And not just horizontally either, we're talking a full-on 2D alpha-blend. Ironically, I think it's supposed to make it look pretty, but with long filenames it tends to make the end furthest from the pointer unreadable.
Is Microsoft just adding twiddly bits and calling it innovation?
Yeah, I thought that too - went out last night (25th) for a look. There were quite a few people walking to and from the site, and local TV were there taping an interview. I took a few long exposure shots with the digital camera + tripod which came out OK.
The tubes were literally planted into the ground in neat rows, and it was quite surreal walking amongst them and seeing them turn off as I approached. Touching the tops seems to half-illuminate them again.
I must admit I was expecting it to be under one of those really high-current and high-voltage pylons that constantly hum and crackle, but it was all very quiet out there.
Definitely worth a visit.
Damn! How can we objectively compare different 3D technologies by looking at 2D pictures on a screen? We need 3D monitors in order to see which one "looks" best, surely?
Fantastic. New users find the selection of different toolkits for X confusing and inconsistent both in appearance and behaviour. One standard toolkit will help with newbie usability greatly - though whether it will stand the test of time remains to be seen. Windows seems to be doing just fine with it's standards though, so I rather suspect the same will apply to Y.
There is nothing like a little competition to hot things up - perhaps this will also give the languid Xfree86 project the kick up the backside it needs.
I wish the Y project the best of luck!
True, but these transmissive technologies won't require you to draw the blinds and dim the room lights to see them.
Personally I'm up for skipping all this 2D crap and having scanning lasers shone directly onto my retinas, but then again I've read Snow Crash and that's put me off for a while. ;)
In that case, you might be pleased to find that there is a way to do this.
If you start ThunderBird with the -p switch, it will start the profile manager. Just create a seperate profile for each user - the next time ThunderBird runs it'll ask you which profile to use.
I have to say that I totally love Fire(bird/fox)'s tabbed browsing capabilities (I'd really miss it now if I had to do without it). The popup management and password management are features I've come to take for granted. IE has yet to integrate them in a usable way.
:)
Also, Thunderbird answered so many of my mail problems - anyone else that's tried to find a client that works under Windows and Linux AND allows seperate POP3 accounts to be managed properly will appreciate what a boon Thunderbird is. The mailbox files can be copied straight from a Windows system into a Linux system, and with a bit of fiddling it's up and working in no time. This makes it very easy to move people from Windows to Linux and vice-verse.
Way to go mozilla.org.
In stark contrast to my real life, I'd love to be born rich and live off the interest. The hardest part of life would be deciding what to invest in for the best return. Mmm.... I could buy gadgets whenever I felt like it, work on projects whenever I wanted (with no deadline pressure). I'd still be a geek, don't get me wrong - I'd just have more stuff. :)
Knowing some assembler is great if you're programming embedded microcontroller applications where every cycle counts (for example, programming PICs). But when it comes to large scale processors it's almost entirely irrelevent, mainly because of their incredible comparative speed and complexity. While it's easy to optimise assembler for a simple PIC, optimising assembler for an Athlon XP would be mind-blowingly complicated, and hence best left to compilers. C translates fairly easily into assembler - most embedded software engineers can visualise how to implement for, while, if etc. constructs in assember. C just saves a lot of time and effort. "Computer Science" is all about layers of abstraction - there really is no need to understand every little detail in order to implement a modern application. Only us nerds take pleasure in knowing-it-all (tm).
Why is everyone so paranoid about being tracked with RFID? I've got nothing to hide, so I couldn't give a monkies if everyone knows where I am or if a store knows my purchase patterns. Heck, most of them already have this info thanks to my loyalty cards, and I don't see anyone making a big fuss about that!
Throw that sig in, and the fight would go like this:
Linus: "Surely void main(void) since you've got no return, and you forgot to include your IO libraries for printf!"
Bill: "Arrgghh - fire the secret weapon! #pragma align -0.5"
(At this point Linus core dumps and Bill locks solid in the same position for 5 minutes until the referee resets him. Linus just gets on with it, but Bill returns to his corner to scandisk and blame the referee for not shutting him down properly).
...it's just that older systems were less open to one weakness making a massive difference to the outcome.
Even electronic banking (trusted by the masses) isn't utterly secure - just look at all the e-mail scams purporting to be a bank asking to confirm details (social hacking, if you like).
Unfortunately there will always be those in society that wish to cheat and are willing to invest the time, money and effort to do it.