For all that people would probably joke about making a donation to a church for "services rendered" by God if they won a game show or lottery or so on, I wonder how many people would actually do so. *wry grin* Human nature being what it is, they'd probably notice that that's 80,000 greenbacks they'd be giving and make up a loophole in their mind as to why they wouldn't have to donate. (Well, game shows really aren't my job so it wouldn't be wages... Besides which, God obviously wants me to keep the money.) OTOH, it could come in handy come tax time.
Personally, I tithe 10% of my paycheck, but I've yet to have a windfall like this. *shrug* I hope that I do as well as him at handling it.
[In another room two other fratbots sit at a table with a chessboard. The room is a mess, littered with empty pizza boxes, cans and books. A sock hangs over the moose head and there is a dartboard hanging on a door with darts jabbed in the wall around it. There is a pin-up of a Fembot and a Löbrau poster with a human woman on it on another wall. One of the other fratbots looks like he has glasses painted onto his face and the other one is very fat. The glasses one looks at the chessboard. The game hasn't begun.]
Actually, I had at least one professor in school who felt the opposite way and enforced it. In his class, no tabs were allowed, the reason being that different editors would display different tab levels. With spaces for indents and monospaced font, everything was guarenteed to line up. Since he was the same professor who took off a point every time you used a single character variable name that was not a counter for a loop (i, j, or k) or a position (x, y, or z), we obeyed him. *shrug* To each their own, I guess. Most decent editors freely convert between the two.
While I think they severely overcharge for movies still, I'd say that part of it is indeed supporting the non-blockbusters. But to some degree, it's not necessarily the ones that will suck, but the ones that risk sucking. It allows them to go out on a limb with movies that don't have a precedent or movies which don't necessarily target a core demographic. Sometimes such movies catch on. As often as not, they fall to obscurity and live their life as cult movies found only on VHS tapes and DVDs. Now do they actually support such experimental films with their proceeds? Fat chance, I suspect, but one can hope, neh?
Heavy water... wasn't that the stuff that was used to rehydrate the dehydrated thugs in the Batman Movie, producing thugs who "were made of anti-matter" and therefore disappeared when struck? ^_^ Yet another instance of misuse of science in comic book movies, although the campy Batman series back then could be forgiven given as the abuse of science was a large part of the show.
"We will put the dust into the Bat Dust Analyzer to sort out the dehydrated UN Members" (likely not a correct quote... IMDB doesn't have it listed and it's been a while since I saw the movie)
Indeed. I should have clarified when I spoke. I have read the books for both. Honestly, I think that the book is closer to a parallel to current films on genetic engineering in that the monster is essentially faster and stronger than most human beings. As for intelligence... that was slightly vague. He did pick up English fairly quickly once he decided to learn and he seemed quick-thinking by the end. I would definitely put him at a human level of intelligence but past that, I'm not sure.
While it's not exactly what you're asking for, a movie detailing someone trying to prove a technology despite beauracracy and technophobia, the case of Dracula makes an interesting counterpoint. I can't remember where I read it, but there was an interesting comparison I read of Frankenstein and Dracula embodying opposing views of nature and technology. In Frankenstein, you have the monster created by technology essentially defeated by animalistic rage and primitive weapons (rampaging peasants with pitchforks / torches) whereas in Dracula, you have a monster of primitive and animal power who is defeated via applied science and human ingenuity. To some degree, you see the same thing in the Aliens movies. While the movies depict it as a somewhat losing battle, human beings are using higher technology to defeat and defend against an animalistic threat. That said, I think that your idea of a lone inventor trying to prove his technology could be an interesting movie plot.
More on-topic for the discussion of Spiderman 2, I don't think that it was necessarily a demonization of fusion. Honestly, I think that if you asked a sample of movie-goers what kind of energy was being generated, they may not even remember that it was called fusion, let along how it functions. Essentially, it's a plot point, a random technological device that is intended to bring great good, but has its dangers.
Lastly, I personally rather liked the movie for all its technical silliness. *shrug* It's a comic book movie. If we're going to accept people in the same Marvel Universe being able to generate huge amount sof energy in the form of eye-beams, or instantly transumte themselves into metal, let along some of the occult figures, we can accept the science being a little skewed. Heck, who says that their physics is exactly the same as ours?
Given that the current trend towards lighter, more advanced cars to comply with emissions standards had resulted in current cars being more expensive to repair than to replace, I'm not sure I'm all that thrilled about these supposed cars of the future. Is it me, or have we lost something from those days when a kid could buy his first car with the wages of a summer job and repairs could be done in the garage?
Or you could call the forward slashes "virgules." Not only will they not make the mistake, but they'll likely have no idea what you're talking about and will stop talking to you.:)
The Air Force documentation around here often refers to them as virgules and it generally confuses people at first.
The problem with your comment is that Parker's wisecracks were, to a large degree, how he covered his insecurities. He was laughing at the darkness with his one-liners. I'm sure you've known people who are pretty straight-laced, but put them under pressure and they're constantly cracking jokes. It's how they remain sane. Honestly, I cannot state for certain that they said as much at any point in the series, but it seems reasonable enough to me.
Try water rockets. Yes, it's basically air pressure. Admittedly, they can explode, but the risk is a bit less and I don't think the ATF has caught on to them yet.
I should have known better than trying to provide specific hotkeys while at work without the browser in front of me. {wrinkles brow} I could have sworn I tried those and they didn't work. But that could have simply been from when I tried out Opera. Honestly, I'm not sure anymore. I apologize for being misrepresentive. As penance, as soon as I get home, I will spend no less than 30 minutes learning how to use the Mozilla browser, assuming it takes that long.
Deal?
*shudder* I absolutely hated the companies that specifically targetted answering machines when I was in California. Not only did the house I was living in average 10+ messages a day of them, but there were some downright fraudulent ones.
"Mr. Barnard. This is Telly Salvias at 5th-3rd bank and there's a problem with your account. Call back immediately" *wry grin* Credit card scheme. Were it not that every bank used the exact same message with their name substituted...
Honestly, I've not really made the switch myself. The main reason is actually kind of petty, hotkeys. I've become very used to things like shift-clicking a link to bring up extra pages or hitting ctrl-enter after typing in a word to add the http://www. and.com to it. I've been working with IE for long enough that it's second nature to use those keys. Yes, I'm sure that other browsers have ways to do these things, but one gets used to not having to think browsing the web, so learning new keys feels like a fair burden.
My second problem is games. ^_^ I play Robo Runner, an online game similar to Robo Rally. Yes, there are some browser modifications to run this via Mozilla, but it doesn't work straight out of the box, something which is probably even more inexplicable to the average user who never messes with their settings.
Meh, mainly it's laziness. IE works. I haven't had spyware in ages between my anti-virus program and occasionally running Ad-Aware. Probably helps that I (almost) never blindly click yes to dialog boxes which pop up...
I have not looked at the picture myself (at work, generally not a good idea to click on picture links at Slashdot at work I've found), but it'[s recognized that until puberty, most children look female in their body shape when other clues are not present. That's one of the reason there are very few male gay pedophiles. The body shape simply doesn't appeal to them. Or at least so the psychology books say...
There are definite trespassing laws for you transgressing on my living room when I have tried to kick you out. PCs yet to have such trespassing laws set upon them.
*wry grin* Sure, and spark an investigation where they'll be paying evaluators $100 an hour to investigate it. In the end, some people who weren't really involved will get sacked or demoted and a new supplier will be found. Sure, they cost a bit more but this one's reputable, right? *sigh* I try to trust human nature, but they're just too good at proving me wrong.
I know that it's all too popular to point fingers at Microsoft, but as the article says, Microsoft is developing the competitor in the "smart phones" category. Wouldn't it be terribly convenient if their competitor's OS was plagued with viruses and not theirs?
Kind of a flip-flop from the Linux/Windows situation...
I can't swear to it, not being in such a business myself, but I remember it being widely reported that in the 3rd Matrix Movie (Revolutions?), the method they use to hack into the Electricity company is a legit method/exploit.
Note true. Read the distribution terms
on
POV-Ray 3.6 Released
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Rules on distribution found inside the license page, or here.
Basically, they require you to get permission to distribute it commercially, or even as a file posted on your webpage or P2P software, but you're free to give it out to your students, your peons, or your friends.
I'd like to provide text, but the formatting they have there... it would likely come out horribly mangled here. But follow the link and look at section 3.1
In a game, you invariably respawn or reload from an earlier point. Sure, some people play "iron man" games where there is no saving, but that's rare, I suspect. Heck, most FPSes will currently save your game automatically before you run into a dangerous spot.
I can personally attest to the odd mindset that can leave. I was working with some electronics at one point, shortly after a long gaming session. As I was reaching for some components, I realized I'd better first check to be sure everything was turned off and unplugged. THe thought right afterwards of, "Eh, I can always restore a save point" caused me sober up immediately and put off that work until I'd some sleep under my belt. *shrug* Or maybe I've just got a weak grasp of reality.
I don't have cites on hand and the studies were done years ago, so they've probably been disproven and labelled as propaganda, but I seem to remember one study showing that homosexuality increased as a population became more crowded, rabbits in this case. Another popular study showed a high correlation between homosexuality and a certain late rush of horomones while in the womb. Even if the second one is right, I don't think it would be accepted as it suggests a physical link, and one that could be correctable.
Personally, I figure there's some degree of genetics and/or environmental triggers that leave us with a certain predisposition towards varying levels of heterosexuality and homosexuality and after that, a lot of people pick one side or the other from social pressure and a belief that you're either one or the other.
I know that you posted about the Special Olympics as a joke, but it really is a highly competitive arena. People train hard for amazing results there. There is a sense of everyone being winners for being there, but isn't that true for the International Olympics too?
Slashdot Mirror
For all that people would probably joke about making a donation to a church for "services rendered" by God if they won a game show or lottery or so on, I wonder how many people would actually do so. *wry grin* Human nature being what it is, they'd probably notice that that's 80,000 greenbacks they'd be giving and make up a loophole in their mind as to why they wouldn't have to donate. (Well, game shows really aren't my job so it wouldn't be wages... Besides which, God obviously wants me to keep the money.) OTOH, it could come in handy come tax time.
Personally, I tithe 10% of my paycheck, but I've yet to have a windfall like this. *shrug* I hope that I do as well as him at handling it.
During the episode 2.2: Mars University courtesy of The Neutral Planet
Actually, I had at least one professor in school who felt the opposite way and enforced it. In his class, no tabs were allowed, the reason being that different editors would display different tab levels. With spaces for indents and monospaced font, everything was guarenteed to line up. Since he was the same professor who took off a point every time you used a single character variable name that was not a counter for a loop (i, j, or k) or a position (x, y, or z), we obeyed him. *shrug* To each their own, I guess. Most decent editors freely convert between the two.
But the quoted poem line on there is incorrect. The Gertrude Stein line is "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." as seen here and other places.
While I think they severely overcharge for movies still, I'd say that part of it is indeed supporting the non-blockbusters. But to some degree, it's not necessarily the ones that will suck, but the ones that risk sucking. It allows them to go out on a limb with movies that don't have a precedent or movies which don't necessarily target a core demographic. Sometimes such movies catch on. As often as not, they fall to obscurity and live their life as cult movies found only on VHS tapes and DVDs. Now do they actually support such experimental films with their proceeds? Fat chance, I suspect, but one can hope, neh?
Heavy water... wasn't that the stuff that was used to rehydrate the dehydrated thugs in the Batman Movie, producing thugs who "were made of anti-matter" and therefore disappeared when struck? ^_^ Yet another instance of misuse of science in comic book movies, although the campy Batman series back then could be forgiven given as the abuse of science was a large part of the show.
"We will put the dust into the Bat Dust Analyzer to sort out the dehydrated UN Members" (likely not a correct quote... IMDB doesn't have it listed and it's been a while since I saw the movie)
Indeed. I should have clarified when I spoke. I have read the books for both. Honestly, I think that the book is closer to a parallel to current films on genetic engineering in that the monster is essentially faster and stronger than most human beings. As for intelligence... that was slightly vague. He did pick up English fairly quickly once he decided to learn and he seemed quick-thinking by the end. I would definitely put him at a human level of intelligence but past that, I'm not sure.
While it's not exactly what you're asking for, a movie detailing someone trying to prove a technology despite beauracracy and technophobia, the case of Dracula makes an interesting counterpoint. I can't remember where I read it, but there was an interesting comparison I read of Frankenstein and Dracula embodying opposing views of nature and technology. In Frankenstein, you have the monster created by technology essentially defeated by animalistic rage and primitive weapons (rampaging peasants with pitchforks / torches) whereas in Dracula, you have a monster of primitive and animal power who is defeated via applied science and human ingenuity. To some degree, you see the same thing in the Aliens movies. While the movies depict it as a somewhat losing battle, human beings are using higher technology to defeat and defend against an animalistic threat. That said, I think that your idea of a lone inventor trying to prove his technology could be an interesting movie plot.
More on-topic for the discussion of Spiderman 2, I don't think that it was necessarily a demonization of fusion. Honestly, I think that if you asked a sample of movie-goers what kind of energy was being generated, they may not even remember that it was called fusion, let along how it functions. Essentially, it's a plot point, a random technological device that is intended to bring great good, but has its dangers.
Lastly, I personally rather liked the movie for all its technical silliness. *shrug* It's a comic book movie. If we're going to accept people in the same Marvel Universe being able to generate huge amount sof energy in the form of eye-beams, or instantly transumte themselves into metal, let along some of the occult figures, we can accept the science being a little skewed. Heck, who says that their physics is exactly the same as ours?
Given that the current trend towards lighter, more advanced cars to comply with emissions standards had resulted in current cars being more expensive to repair than to replace, I'm not sure I'm all that thrilled about these supposed cars of the future. Is it me, or have we lost something from those days when a kid could buy his first car with the wages of a summer job and repairs could be done in the garage?
Or you could call the forward slashes "virgules." Not only will they not make the mistake, but they'll likely have no idea what you're talking about and will stop talking to you. :)
The Air Force documentation around here often refers to them as virgules and it generally confuses people at first.
The problem with your comment is that Parker's wisecracks were, to a large degree, how he covered his insecurities. He was laughing at the darkness with his one-liners. I'm sure you've known people who are pretty straight-laced, but put them under pressure and they're constantly cracking jokes. It's how they remain sane. Honestly, I cannot state for certain that they said as much at any point in the series, but it seems reasonable enough to me.
A lottery is a tax on people who can't do math.
Try water rockets. Yes, it's basically air pressure. Admittedly, they can explode, but the risk is a bit less and I don't think the ATF has caught on to them yet.
I should have known better than trying to provide specific hotkeys while at work without the browser in front of me. {wrinkles brow} I could have sworn I tried those and they didn't work. But that could have simply been from when I tried out Opera. Honestly, I'm not sure anymore. I apologize for being misrepresentive. As penance, as soon as I get home, I will spend no less than 30 minutes learning how to use the Mozilla browser, assuming it takes that long.
Deal?
*shudder* I absolutely hated the companies that specifically targetted answering machines when I was in California. Not only did the house I was living in average 10+ messages a day of them, but there were some downright fraudulent ones.
"Mr. Barnard. This is Telly Salvias at 5th-3rd bank and there's a problem with your account. Call back immediately" *wry grin* Credit card scheme. Were it not that every bank used the exact same message with their name substituted...
Honestly, I've not really made the switch myself. The main reason is actually kind of petty, hotkeys. I've become very used to things like shift-clicking a link to bring up extra pages or hitting ctrl-enter after typing in a word to add the http://www. and .com to it. I've been working with IE for long enough that it's second nature to use those keys. Yes, I'm sure that other browsers have ways to do these things, but one gets used to not having to think browsing the web, so learning new keys feels like a fair burden.
My second problem is games. ^_^ I play Robo Runner, an online game similar to Robo Rally. Yes, there are some browser modifications to run this via Mozilla, but it doesn't work straight out of the box, something which is probably even more inexplicable to the average user who never messes with their settings.
Meh, mainly it's laziness. IE works. I haven't had spyware in ages between my anti-virus program and occasionally running Ad-Aware. Probably helps that I (almost) never blindly click yes to dialog boxes which pop up...
I have not looked at the picture myself (at work, generally not a good idea to click on picture links at Slashdot at work I've found), but it'[s recognized that until puberty, most children look female in their body shape when other clues are not present. That's one of the reason there are very few male gay pedophiles. The body shape simply doesn't appeal to them. Or at least so the psychology books say...
There are definite trespassing laws for you transgressing on my living room when I have tried to kick you out. PCs yet to have such trespassing laws set upon them.
*wry grin* Sure, and spark an investigation where they'll be paying evaluators $100 an hour to investigate it. In the end, some people who weren't really involved will get sacked or demoted and a new supplier will be found. Sure, they cost a bit more but this one's reputable, right? *sigh* I try to trust human nature, but they're just too good at proving me wrong.
I know that it's all too popular to point fingers at Microsoft, but as the article says, Microsoft is developing the competitor in the "smart phones" category. Wouldn't it be terribly convenient if their competitor's OS was plagued with viruses and not theirs?
Kind of a flip-flop from the Linux/Windows situation...
I can't swear to it, not being in such a business myself, but I remember it being widely reported that in the 3rd Matrix Movie (Revolutions?), the method they use to hack into the Electricity company is a legit method/exploit.
Rules on distribution found inside the license page, or here.
Basically, they require you to get permission to distribute it commercially, or even as a file posted on your webpage or P2P software, but you're free to give it out to your students, your peons, or your friends.
I'd like to provide text, but the formatting they have there... it would likely come out horribly mangled here. But follow the link and look at section 3.1
In a game, you invariably respawn or reload from an earlier point. Sure, some people play "iron man" games where there is no saving, but that's rare, I suspect. Heck, most FPSes will currently save your game automatically before you run into a dangerous spot.
I can personally attest to the odd mindset that can leave. I was working with some electronics at one point, shortly after a long gaming session. As I was reaching for some components, I realized I'd better first check to be sure everything was turned off and unplugged. THe thought right afterwards of, "Eh, I can always restore a save point" caused me sober up immediately and put off that work until I'd some sleep under my belt. *shrug* Or maybe I've just got a weak grasp of reality.
I don't have cites on hand and the studies were done years ago, so they've probably been disproven and labelled as propaganda, but I seem to remember one study showing that homosexuality increased as a population became more crowded, rabbits in this case. Another popular study showed a high correlation between homosexuality and a certain late rush of horomones while in the womb. Even if the second one is right, I don't think it would be accepted as it suggests a physical link, and one that could be correctable.
Personally, I figure there's some degree of genetics and/or environmental triggers that leave us with a certain predisposition towards varying levels of heterosexuality and homosexuality and after that, a lot of people pick one side or the other from social pressure and a belief that you're either one or the other.
I know that you posted about the Special Olympics as a joke, but it really is a highly competitive arena. People train hard for amazing results there. There is a sense of everyone being winners for being there, but isn't that true for the International Olympics too?