So the PS3 isn't an overpriced console anymore it's just a cheap(-ish)computer. I'm implying the cheap bit because they seem to be justifying the cost now by saying it's a computer (actually they imply it's far more than a computer but anyways) and for that price a computer is a deal.
Am I the only one that gets troubled with a statement like this?
We'll want to upgrade the HDD size very soon
Pardon me but if you try to sell me a computer and told me that I'll want to upgrade any piece of it soon, I would be inclined to tell you you're crazy and buy a computer that doesn't needs an immediate upgrade. But then again I could be the one that's crazy. I also forsee a version problem of sorts. With multiple versions of the PS3 due to configuration it will only be a matter of time before something meant to work with the PS3 (software or hardware) will turn up an incompatibility with one of these configurations. PC's have that problem after all and that's what drives some of us to get software updates. I wonder how that would pan out on a PS3??
Oh and a last thing, I'll bet that these "upgrades" are not going to be cheap...
Sharepoint seems a bit heavy duty for something like that. I realize it's intended for this but in working with it I can't help but to feel that it does way more than anyone probably needs.
I'll be honest my POV is slanted because I recently had to set up Team Foundation Server and part of it requires Sharepoint Services... I did not enjoy it one bit. That's getting off topic though.
For someone using M$ Word why not just use Track Changes? You can keep your file on a network share and word will take care of the rest. After all, the file is basically locked when you open it on the share. I know there's flaws (dropped network connections and such) with that idea but it's a thought.
But all that said I have found then when you show folks the benefits of version control and work on perception of it that they do buy in and find the value in it. Check in and check out shouldn't be alien concepts but something that gives you a sense of security. I think using whatever version system you might have for your developers could work you just have to get around the learning curve. (I imagine if you had some type of an IDE that lets you do WYSIWYG editing while versioning behind the scenes with your repository that would make life simple. But I don't know of such thing.)
Don't take this as stomping on Sharepoint; if the poster has it and it works for them then they should use it. But sometimes you can turn up an effective option without having to implement a major tool.
I forgot about the descriptions on the back; my kid is too young for games yet so I still only buy for myself.
Looking at the website and the descriptions there it always feels like there is a subjective element that comes in with the ratings. I guess that's always going to be the case since context/culture/maturity seem to change the severity of an "act". So what one person finds is Mild Violence might not be to another. I just wish there could be a better measure but I guess this is a subjective matter in the end.
I guess this leads to your point about the text and screenshots on the box. It really does come down to a parent looking into something thoroughly before you let your kids consume it.
I am a parent and I plan to be as active as I can in the media that my kids will enjoy.
That said, I think ratings are a critical tool to help a parent but the current rating systems suck. There really needs to be something more along the lines of an indicator of what the content is rather than some arbitrary scale that means nothing to me. It goes without saying that I do not agree with censorship at all but there should be something to help us understand what the content is so a parent can choose how a child digests it (if at all).
Good point, but then wouldn't we have the problem of trying to get everyone to suppy a wap._____.___? I keep thinking it should be up to the providers to warn the user to when they put in a site name that doesn't have mobile friendly content. But then I imagine there's issues there as well.
Ah, give it enough time and we won't have to worry about it at all as our mobile devices will send content to a cybernetic implant...:D
Funny thing I disabled my XP "Non-technical Wife access Services" and I did just fine until she enabled something that came out of the box with my HP which led to 180search which far too many of us have learned leads to misery... kind of like how fear leads to the darkside.
I'm planning on ditching Norton (don't shoot me, it came out of the box and my brother bought me a six month subscription so it was kind of free and I thought it would be ok on a faster computer) for AVG (because Norton eventually made me crazy). I have this vague recollection of hating Norton's uninstall from the last time it made me crazy.
Enough commentary and to a question: How configurable did you find the real time scanning to be?
I would say they need to be taught both. The IDE conceals certain activities (checkin/checkout/version control/branching) that students should become familiar with and the also need to function without these. I work in Configuration Management and I've seen people come in fresh into the field that have no understanding of even version control (or builds, shudder)... that's a bit rough.
I think to survive programming in the industry you need to know how to function with the IDE for larger shops with detailed processes and for smaller teams or environments where none would exist. Now that said, I think even the smallest of development requires some type of version control by a repository it should be something everyone knows how to do. That said, I wouldn't expect anybody trained in programming to come right out of school knowing how to implement a development process integrated with version control, QA, and software builds. But you should have some understanding how this all impacts your day to day work.
Oh and FYI if you look at doing this with Visual Studio 2005 and Team Foundation, you should introduce your students to defect tracking and QA processes to because it's all integrated there. Anyways, just my 2 cents.
Better yet, make the robot surgeons web accessible.
Nurse: "Doctor the robo-surgeon seems to have crashed."
Doctor: "Look on the display it says, nothing for you to see? What's going on"
In bursts the network admin exclaiming: "The surgeon he's been... slashdotted!"
I must admit I'd be getting a Wii and then I can play Pokemon! *sputter cough* I mean Resident Evil...
On the serious side though, I'm in that group of "buy another console? Over my dead body!" I pinch pennies all the time now and I don't get to buy/play what I want anymore. Part of me actually wants all these consoles to undersell their expectations and then maybe just maybe these consoles will stop being pushed out so frequently.
Great post, I think you're fairly bang on. This retelling of Columbine in this medium isn't any more harmful than other exposure that it had. I think there should still be a concern over glamourizing what they did and turning them into heroes. We don't need another kid out there doing something like this again and I hope we all agree on that.
Now that said, it's a bit tasteless and a bit too soon but it's allowed right? You can say or express yourself however you want and it's the rest of the public that needs to not pay more attention than is necessary to this. However, let's make sure that we aren't giving attention to attention-seekers and not ignoring what still is an important and still taboo topic (bullying/school violence).
BTW, if you haven't read the kotaku interview with a Columbine survivor that plays the game you should check it out. It's an interesting perspective to say the least. Again, great post.
Yeah, but Portuguese love to point out how Brazilians are usually oversexed and crazy and the rest are criminals (who are either oversexed or crazy).:D C'mon, you have your fair share of Manuels and Marias too; I've watched Brazilian Novellas before! (Not by choice, my grandmother and aunts love them.)
Oh and yes, Americans joke about Canadians... a lot.
I can say all of this as I am a Portuguese-Canadian... but I'm a Luis so I'm not less-than-intelligent.;)
Being Canadian, I don't always see eye to eye with some of the posters here but I worry lately when I look down south. I remember looking at the US being this amazing forward-thinking state that was really influencing the world to look twice on issues like equality and fairness. Then something happened and Americans are scared and that fear allows them to give up their freedoms in ways that scare me!
Democracy is a difficult, slippery thing for it to work you have to participate and be willing to listen to everyone involved. It's slow and cumbersome and hard and sometimes bureaucratic but when all is said and done you as a citizen felt empowered because you had your say and you participated and you influenced the outcome.
That's why I agree with you. If you're not willing to participate in Democracy then why live in one? Voter turnout in Canada has been pretty pathetic and now it gives us our own version of George W. This shouldn't have happened in the Canada I know but it did because people don't care. I sometimes think that democratic countries would be different if people who didn't vote were revoked their citizenship and kicked out of the country.
Anyways, I didn't intend to rant but what you said struck a cord and you're right.
And to all those who think all this wiretapping, big brother and pseudo-fascist alignment in the US is a good thing... There are plenty of fascist regime's out there already. Move and try it out for awhile!
You're absolutely right, unions are the wrong fit for the IT (or software development) workspace. I would never have been able to progress in my career as quickly as I have in a union regulated environment. I've advanced because I do good work and it gets recognized. I can also advance by taking a job elsewhere or internally. That's not easy to do in a Union shop, positions go by seniority and that doesn't reward effort. Now Union environments do make sense for certain jobs like assembly lines and I'd say even call center workers should be unionized but not sys admins/programmers/dbas/QA/etc... there would be no movement between related jobs.
However, I do believe that IT and development needs some type of professional organization to set standards for all of us and act as a lobby to governments regarding legislation in our field. (I don't necessarily mean by adding legislation just in acting as our voice in that process.) Also, I don't think any of us should be working more than 40 hours and not get compensated for it. I know you're happy working 60 hours but you should get paid for it; unless of course, you're contracted to do a piece of work by a certain date, which is fine by me. But, just because you're salaried doesn't mean there should be an expectation for to work like that. When you sign a contract to deliver some work, you agree you can do the job by that time. That is our responisbility when we act as contractors. Those of us that are salaried to fill a position in a company and are then worked into the ground to meet deadlines and expectations that are beyond control are the ones that need protection and the only way I can think of that happening is to have some type of organization (but not a union!) act in that interest.
I think there should also be mention and hints of a mech all over the movie and it makes an appearance for all of 2 minutes.
Then only way the movie could be better if there is a directors-import-hack edit that redoes all the dialog in Japanesse and forces you to read sub-titles!!!!! Muhahahaha!
Come on, I can't be the only one who'd pay for that!
Cthefuture, I had to chime in because I think you've taken too many unfair comments on the chin. So let me show some support.
To anyone who thinks "Well I don't see what the problem is; I don't work that hard." - you're in the minority. Count yourselves lucky, the majority of us are bound in contracts that don't allow overtime and have management that simply expects us to work late to hit deadlines. Management sets the deadlines and we have to get them done and if you can't get it done during work hours in most offices in North America you get it done on your own time. I know a hell of a lot of people in Software Dev and IT and they all share the same story I have.
I'm lucky right now, I don't have to work as hard as I used to but I still have OT and I still work late, just not as often. So detractors, give it a rest with the "Well just change jobs!" and "I wouldn't take that from my manager!" because you have it made now, but for how long?
I'm glad someone brought this up. I'm a little choked that this pen and paper update had no mention of the Palladium news. Mind you, I have severe misgivings about Palladium and their lack of response (and sometimes abuse) to fans. So I took this whole thing with a grain of salt. I also wouldn't pay that much for the art print regardless.
The sad part about the Palladium is how it shows how mismanaged it's become.. Anyways, RPGNow has a huge forum on this topic and let me tell you that this has been discussed to death there!
Well from what they say in the article it must be a problem with your system because...
"our releases are not even beta, they are perfectly stable"
Someone get these guys in marketing, that's where they should really be! Either that or it might remotely be possible that they have a different understanding of the term stable compared to others.
In some places it's nearly impossible to work hourly in the tech field. The real problem with unpaid overtime with salaried employees is that it generates abuse. A project sets an arbitrary deadline that can't be met. Tech-worker joe never saw the plan, never could contest the estimates, never sees a proper scope set for the work to be done; scope creaps, estimates are ignored and the plan is thrown out the window. But that's ok, everyone will work 60 hours a day for 2 weeks so a Project Manager can hit his bonus.
It's not fair, it's not right but it is legal and it really sucks for those folks who have an aptitude in this field.
Oh and don't get me started on how this is keeps new jobs from being formed because so many people are getting overworked.
You've go my vote!... requiring certifications in a field where you have expertise is annoying. My years in the field are worth plenty and I can't stand this move towards hiring people with the alphabet soup on their resumes. Mind you I also can't stand job postings that list skills that aren't directly relavent to the job but they'll still ignore your resume if you don't have 2+ years of experience with it!
But remember what we all thought about Halo when that first video from bungie came out? That was years ago.
If Halo came out when it should have for the PC ages ago I think we might have been happier than with the pile of crap that it is today. I tried Halo for the PC when it was finally available and it looked like an older game at the time. It just didn't hold a candle to other games at the time (I was really enjoying Medal of Honor around then) and in some ways it looked like crap. There was some really cool game play that was interesting but when Half Life 2 came out it turned into nothing special.
What I'm trying to say is that the game overall should be better because it bloody well should have come out for the PC ages ago but no, MS wanted a flagship game to launch their console. I boycotted buying an Xbox just because of that fiasco alone. But we all seem to forget when the media machine plugs these games don't we?
But this kind of thing can be shot down if enough people send the message to their politicians. If I was American I would use every avenue available to me to communicate how distasteful this act is.
In fact I might be sending some stuff anyways to them to show that I want no such legislation like this to affect any Canadian net-caster and to ensure they are protected.
I must say this is the most moronic thing I've heard in a long time. "We will protect artists by adding a middle man!" Look what that did to radio.
Slashdot Mirror
Am I the only one that gets troubled with a statement like this?
Pardon me but if you try to sell me a computer and told me that I'll want to upgrade any piece of it soon, I would be inclined to tell you you're crazy and buy a computer that doesn't needs an immediate upgrade. But then again I could be the one that's crazy. I also forsee a version problem of sorts. With multiple versions of the PS3 due to configuration it will only be a matter of time before something meant to work with the PS3 (software or hardware) will turn up an incompatibility with one of these configurations. PC's have that problem after all and that's what drives some of us to get software updates. I wonder how that would pan out on a PS3??
Oh and a last thing, I'll bet that these "upgrades" are not going to be cheap...
Sharepoint seems a bit heavy duty for something like that. I realize it's intended for this but in working with it I can't help but to feel that it does way more than anyone probably needs.
I'll be honest my POV is slanted because I recently had to set up Team Foundation Server and part of it requires Sharepoint Services... I did not enjoy it one bit. That's getting off topic though.
For someone using M$ Word why not just use Track Changes? You can keep your file on a network share and word will take care of the rest. After all, the file is basically locked when you open it on the share. I know there's flaws (dropped network connections and such) with that idea but it's a thought.
But all that said I have found then when you show folks the benefits of version control and work on perception of it that they do buy in and find the value in it. Check in and check out shouldn't be alien concepts but something that gives you a sense of security. I think using whatever version system you might have for your developers could work you just have to get around the learning curve. (I imagine if you had some type of an IDE that lets you do WYSIWYG editing while versioning behind the scenes with your repository that would make life simple. But I don't know of such thing.)
Don't take this as stomping on Sharepoint; if the poster has it and it works for them then they should use it. But sometimes you can turn up an effective option without having to implement a major tool.
I forgot about the descriptions on the back; my kid is too young for games yet so I still only buy for myself.
Looking at the website and the descriptions there it always feels like there is a subjective element that comes in with the ratings. I guess that's always going to be the case since context/culture/maturity seem to change the severity of an "act". So what one person finds is Mild Violence might not be to another. I just wish there could be a better measure but I guess this is a subjective matter in the end.
I guess this leads to your point about the text and screenshots on the box. It really does come down to a parent looking into something thoroughly before you let your kids consume it.
I am a parent and I plan to be as active as I can in the media that my kids will enjoy.
That said, I think ratings are a critical tool to help a parent but the current rating systems suck. There really needs to be something more along the lines of an indicator of what the content is rather than some arbitrary scale that means nothing to me. It goes without saying that I do not agree with censorship at all but there should be something to help us understand what the content is so a parent can choose how a child digests it (if at all).
HAHAHAHAHA! I can just see it now!
"Clippy are you with us?"
"It's focused on the help ribbon! It means he wants our help!"
Good point, but then wouldn't we have the problem of trying to get everyone to suppy a wap._____.___? I keep thinking it should be up to the providers to warn the user to when they put in a site name that doesn't have mobile friendly content. But then I imagine there's issues there as well.
:D
Ah, give it enough time and we won't have to worry about it at all as our mobile devices will send content to a cybernetic implant...
Funny thing I disabled my XP "Non-technical Wife access Services" and I did just fine until she enabled something that came out of the box with my HP which led to 180search which far too many of us have learned leads to misery... kind of like how fear leads to the darkside.
I'm planning on ditching Norton (don't shoot me, it came out of the box and my brother bought me a six month subscription so it was kind of free and I thought it would be ok on a faster computer) for AVG (because Norton eventually made me crazy). I have this vague recollection of hating Norton's uninstall from the last time it made me crazy.
Enough commentary and to a question: How configurable did you find the real time scanning to be?
I would say they need to be taught both. The IDE conceals certain activities (checkin/checkout/version control/branching) that students should become familiar with and the also need to function without these. I work in Configuration Management and I've seen people come in fresh into the field that have no understanding of even version control (or builds, shudder)... that's a bit rough.
I think to survive programming in the industry you need to know how to function with the IDE for larger shops with detailed processes and for smaller teams or environments where none would exist. Now that said, I think even the smallest of development requires some type of version control by a repository it should be something everyone knows how to do. That said, I wouldn't expect anybody trained in programming to come right out of school knowing how to implement a development process integrated with version control, QA, and software builds. But you should have some understanding how this all impacts your day to day work.
Oh and FYI if you look at doing this with Visual Studio 2005 and Team Foundation, you should introduce your students to defect tracking and QA processes to because it's all integrated there. Anyways, just my 2 cents.
Better yet, make the robot surgeons web accessible.
Nurse: "Doctor the robo-surgeon seems to have crashed."
Doctor: "Look on the display it says, nothing for you to see? What's going on"
In bursts the network admin exclaiming: "The surgeon he's been... slashdotted!"
I must admit I'd be getting a Wii and then I can play Pokemon! *sputter cough* I mean Resident Evil...
On the serious side though, I'm in that group of "buy another console? Over my dead body!" I pinch pennies all the time now and I don't get to buy/play what I want anymore. Part of me actually wants all these consoles to undersell their expectations and then maybe just maybe these consoles will stop being pushed out so frequently.
Oh well, I can always play on my computer.
Great post, I think you're fairly bang on. This retelling of Columbine in this medium isn't any more harmful than other exposure that it had. I think there should still be a concern over glamourizing what they did and turning them into heroes. We don't need another kid out there doing something like this again and I hope we all agree on that.
Now that said, it's a bit tasteless and a bit too soon but it's allowed right? You can say or express yourself however you want and it's the rest of the public that needs to not pay more attention than is necessary to this. However, let's make sure that we aren't giving attention to attention-seekers and not ignoring what still is an important and still taboo topic (bullying/school violence).
BTW, if you haven't read the kotaku interview with a Columbine survivor that plays the game you should check it out. It's an interesting perspective to say the least. Again, great post.
Yeah, but Portuguese love to point out how Brazilians are usually oversexed and crazy and the rest are criminals (who are either oversexed or crazy). :D C'mon, you have your fair share of Manuels and Marias too; I've watched Brazilian Novellas before! (Not by choice, my grandmother and aunts love them.)
;)
Oh and yes, Americans joke about Canadians... a lot.
I can say all of this as I am a Portuguese-Canadian... but I'm a Luis so I'm not less-than-intelligent.
When I last checked the truth wasn't wrong.
Being Canadian, I don't always see eye to eye with some of the posters here but I worry lately when I look down south. I remember looking at the US being this amazing forward-thinking state that was really influencing the world to look twice on issues like equality and fairness. Then something happened and Americans are scared and that fear allows them to give up their freedoms in ways that scare me!
Democracy is a difficult, slippery thing for it to work you have to participate and be willing to listen to everyone involved. It's slow and cumbersome and hard and sometimes bureaucratic but when all is said and done you as a citizen felt empowered because you had your say and you participated and you influenced the outcome.
That's why I agree with you. If you're not willing to participate in Democracy then why live in one? Voter turnout in Canada has been pretty pathetic and now it gives us our own version of George W. This shouldn't have happened in the Canada I know but it did because people don't care. I sometimes think that democratic countries would be different if people who didn't vote were revoked their citizenship and kicked out of the country.
Anyways, I didn't intend to rant but what you said struck a cord and you're right.
And to all those who think all this wiretapping, big brother and pseudo-fascist alignment in the US is a good thing... There are plenty of fascist regime's out there already. Move and try it out for awhile!
You're absolutely right, unions are the wrong fit for the IT (or software development) workspace. I would never have been able to progress in my career as quickly as I have in a union regulated environment. I've advanced because I do good work and it gets recognized. I can also advance by taking a job elsewhere or internally. That's not easy to do in a Union shop, positions go by seniority and that doesn't reward effort. Now Union environments do make sense for certain jobs like assembly lines and I'd say even call center workers should be unionized but not sys admins/programmers/dbas/QA/etc... there would be no movement between related jobs.
However, I do believe that IT and development needs some type of professional organization to set standards for all of us and act as a lobby to governments regarding legislation in our field. (I don't necessarily mean by adding legislation just in acting as our voice in that process.) Also, I don't think any of us should be working more than 40 hours and not get compensated for it. I know you're happy working 60 hours but you should get paid for it; unless of course, you're contracted to do a piece of work by a certain date, which is fine by me. But, just because you're salaried doesn't mean there should be an expectation for to work like that. When you sign a contract to deliver some work, you agree you can do the job by that time. That is our responisbility when we act as contractors. Those of us that are salaried to fill a position in a company and are then worked into the ground to meet deadlines and expectations that are beyond control are the ones that need protection and the only way I can think of that happening is to have some type of organization (but not a union!) act in that interest.
Just my 2 cents.
Oh sir, you made my day with this!
I think there should also be mention and hints of a mech all over the movie and it makes an appearance for all of 2 minutes.
Then only way the movie could be better if there is a directors-import-hack edit that redoes all the dialog in Japanesse and forces you to read sub-titles!!!!! Muhahahaha!
Come on, I can't be the only one who'd pay for that!
Cthefuture, I had to chime in because I think you've taken too many unfair comments on the chin. So let me show some support.
To anyone who thinks "Well I don't see what the problem is; I don't work that hard." - you're in the minority. Count yourselves lucky, the majority of us are bound in contracts that don't allow overtime and have management that simply expects us to work late to hit deadlines. Management sets the deadlines and we have to get them done and if you can't get it done during work hours in most offices in North America you get it done on your own time. I know a hell of a lot of people in Software Dev and IT and they all share the same story I have.
I'm lucky right now, I don't have to work as hard as I used to but I still have OT and I still work late, just not as often. So detractors, give it a rest with the "Well just change jobs!" and "I wouldn't take that from my manager!" because you have it made now, but for how long?
I'm glad someone brought this up. I'm a little choked that this pen and paper update had no mention of the Palladium news. Mind you, I have severe misgivings about Palladium and their lack of response (and sometimes abuse) to fans. So I took this whole thing with a grain of salt. I also wouldn't pay that much for the art print regardless.
The sad part about the Palladium is how it shows how mismanaged it's become.. Anyways, RPGNow has a huge forum on this topic and let me tell you that this has been discussed to death there!
Well from what they say in the article it must be a problem with your system because...
"our releases are not even beta, they are perfectly stable"
Someone get these guys in marketing, that's where they should really be! Either that or it might remotely be possible that they have a different understanding of the term stable compared to others.
In some places it's nearly impossible to work hourly in the tech field. The real problem with unpaid overtime with salaried employees is that it generates abuse. A project sets an arbitrary deadline that can't be met. Tech-worker joe never saw the plan, never could contest the estimates, never sees a proper scope set for the work to be done; scope creaps, estimates are ignored and the plan is thrown out the window. But that's ok, everyone will work 60 hours a day for 2 weeks so a Project Manager can hit his bonus.
It's not fair, it's not right but it is legal and it really sucks for those folks who have an aptitude in this field.
Oh and don't get me started on how this is keeps new jobs from being formed because so many people are getting overworked.
You've go my vote! ... requiring certifications in a field where you have expertise is annoying. My years in the field are worth plenty and I can't stand this move towards hiring people with the alphabet soup on their resumes. Mind you I also can't stand job postings that list skills that aren't directly relavent to the job but they'll still ignore your resume if you don't have 2+ years of experience with it!
Bleh my head is full of rocks, thanks the mental jog! See what I mean about the memory?
Now it all comes back, I forgot grumbling about that. It was still unfair that it was held back the way that it was.
But remember what we all thought about Halo when that first video from bungie came out? That was years ago.
If Halo came out when it should have for the PC ages ago I think we might have been happier than with the pile of crap that it is today. I tried Halo for the PC when it was finally available and it looked like an older game at the time. It just didn't hold a candle to other games at the time (I was really enjoying Medal of Honor around then) and in some ways it looked like crap. There was some really cool game play that was interesting but when Half Life 2 came out it turned into nothing special.
What I'm trying to say is that the game overall should be better because it bloody well should have come out for the PC ages ago but no, MS wanted a flagship game to launch their console. I boycotted buying an Xbox just because of that fiasco alone. But we all seem to forget when the media machine plugs these games don't we?
But this kind of thing can be shot down if enough people send the message to their politicians. If I was American I would use every avenue available to me to communicate how distasteful this act is.
In fact I might be sending some stuff anyways to them to show that I want no such legislation like this to affect any Canadian net-caster and to ensure they are protected.
I must say this is the most moronic thing I've heard in a long time. "We will protect artists by adding a middle man!" Look what that did to radio.
Markus, you get my vote to become America's Next Top Medievalist and Feminist Film Critic! If you're not American... you still have my vote!
Seriously, brilliant observation... That's really why we like Lara Croft! She's a badass geek!
Smart man, it's tougher to bring about in the larger population centers but heck, I'll give it a try in my city.