Absolutely, the PC will be around for a long time due to its extreme flexibility if nothing else.
However, I believe that we'll see many more games that work on the console and work incredibly well on the PC as well... kind of a "yes, the 'rabble' can play, too" in a way, although I have a feeling the consoles will be catered to more and more over time. After all, one must follow the money.
Still, I believe that as long as PC's are appreciably faster and featureful (and of course they will be- it takes more effort to stay ahead of the curve, and greater flexibility) all will be well.
My vision is that long-term OS game engines supporting multiple platforms including consoles will take over the world, and that those of us with PC's will be able to "run games" much like MUDS of the 90's and today but with rich 3d and eventually VR-like capabilities.
Who knows, with Maya et al, maybe that day will be sooner than I had thought.:)
My wife and I like to play together online, both of us have computers that keep us perpetually in need of upgrades for just this reason.
Unfortunately, of the 16 hours we spent playing the game total, only 1 of them was as a group- basically what we found was that it might as well have been a single player game with an IRC client built in so you can chat with other people on a channel devoted to the game. Maybe a little trading going on- mostly seemed to be "I'll give you a bunch of credits if you'll say I got you to sign up".
The concept was cool, but I think they did this without involving any actual MUD developers- Note to future MMORPG people, grab some people (especially women these days, if you can) with MUD experience for your dev team.
Nah, the one with the "Worm-Cam" where he develops a means of increasing the size of wormholes to allow information transmission, eventually creating open-ended (no receiver required) cameras that can see anywhere, anytime.
Later the "anytime" becomes literal as the wormholes can potentially (according to some) exist anywhere and literally anywhen at either end.
Not saying the story is plausible or even possible, but they do a great job of exploring the sociological impacts of such a discovery. Stuff like "what was really like?" and "How did really happen?".
Hell, we've already got 'em (webcams)... and in our phones. And we're doing it to ourselves! Microsoft even wants to sell us a cool toy to make it easier.
Some people are even using 'em to record themselves performing illegal acts. I'm against further invasion of privacy, but if we continue in this declared war without a visible end we'll see more and more of this. At no time in the US does the Executive Branch of government have more time than when the country is at war- hence the "war on drugs" and "war on terror" which cause people to let their common sense blow away on the winds of excessive brain-dead so-called patriotism.
Blech. Ok- now for the backlash!
Turn on those webcams! Stream video of everyone's life into the public domain! Record EVERYTHING YOU SEE and do! The information glut we could generate would overwhelm any monitoring system that could come out, I'm thinking.:) With the increased visibility of conduct and day-by-day infractions, maybe we could effect some reforms. Kind of hard to complain about the splinter in someones eye when you can see the timber in your own on HDTV.
An interesting novel, "Light of Other Days" by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter, explores the ramifications of such a system- most painful, but generally positive.
Makes ya think, which is almost never a bad thing.:)
I love your screen-saver idea... my 1.5 year old (can ya tell I'm a geek?) LOVES to play at the computer, wiggling the mouse and hitting keys.
While in a screen saver there are some keystrokes that are going to have an effect regardless, maybe just run an app that hogs the screen when the api detects idle time (kind of a back-door override screensaver?). If done in DirectX I know you'd be able to override a LOT of the built-ins like alt-tab, etc.
Damned good idea- load baseline drivers for key OS's and have 'em appear as if on an attached flash drive to compatible software. Windoze,Linux,OS/X could be set up to grab this info as long as a standard was forthcoming...
Has this already been done? If so, why not? There's a gold mine here...
I'd go for this if the equipment were designed by mothers, not just women in general. The reason is simple: I have kids, and kids get into things, even the computer room you've worked very hard to be sure they stay OUT of. Perhapse I should say especially the room you've worked very hard to be sure they stay out of.
I would shell out some serious bucks for a printer that had a super-easy-to-clean paper path, that was liquid resistant (ever try to get orange juice or peanut butter out of a laser printer?!!) with liquid resistant ink.
Hrm... also maybe retractable cords, bluetooth to the computer, anything else that can keep kids from getting tangled in the wire jungle at the back of a PC.
...and I'm just a 30ish male geek. Imagine what a few moms could come up with!:)
*heh* Yeah... I guess it's down to how good our "intelligent agents" are- humans are durned chaotic in their article submissions.
I had given up on Scaled for a while after the landing gear issue- I checked faithfully every day, then every week hoping to get some news, afraid something had gone disastrously wrong.
My guess is they're going to do a flight or three with burn (with the new heatproofing) before the actual suborbital flight. Somebody ought to start a pool. $5.00 says they've 100km by July 4:)
Soon to be followed by the death of popular fiction.
Come on! People will continue to shell out the $$ to see the same hackneyed games with the serial numbers filed off, just like they continue to buy movie tickets and the latest "Star Wars" novel.
And, on a more hopeful note, there will probably always be inovators who push the envelope and expand horizons. Just because a medium is maturing doesn't mean it's dead!
I wonder what the result of having already ubiquitous cell phones acting as ad-hoc-mode repeaters to extend a cell would be.
Of course, users of such a system would need backpack-sized batteries to get through the day, still cells could be extended in an almost "natural" manner. Maybe the repeater mode would only work when plugged in.
In case you didn't RTFA, they mentioned they can extrude copper, etc too. I'd imagine you could also make a concrete conduit of a sort and snake wires in afterwards.
It may not be complete yet, but this WILL be a major force in years to come!
How likely are you to get ambushed by RIAA (or European equivalent) goons?
Since you aren't planning to distribute the MP3's, IMHO you are ethically free to record them again in the medium of your choice.
So- obtain a (legal) copy of software than can record from your sound card's Line In jack, then play the CD into it, convert the stream to MP3, then save it on your device. This way (passing through an analogue phase) you loose a tiny bit of quality but effectively strip copy protection.
That is, of course, if your question is as it seems. If instead you're trying to point out how stupid and counterproductive such things as the DMCA and its ilk are, I wholeheartedly agree, but you're preaching to the choir (as no doubt the other responses will confirm).
At least 90% of most human brains is completely unused, flabby grey matter. If you can firm and tone just half of that you will have a brain that is firmer and better toned than the rest of the human population!
That is why I recommend the BrainFlex 2000* brain excercise program. Simply insert the BrainFlex' high voltage electrodes into your nasal or occipital cavities and press the button. I recommend at least 30 repetitions.
There you have it! Less than 10 minutes a day... it's the last mental excercise program you'll ever use!
*which bears a remarkable resemblance to a cattle prod...
I would sure hate to be a geologist, prospector, or hermit in the desert that day.
Gelogist: [mumbling to himself] Finally! Proof that the formation of this arroyo was caused by--
[Geologist is flattened by an army of driverless cars driving at upwards of 60 mph, one of which detects the collision too late and actually backs up, running over him again, as failing avoidance mechanisms kick in]
I agree that Hubble is still the best system out there, and probably the best thing for optical astronomy since the reflector telescope was invented. However, at what expense should it be maintained?
If the hard, cold, budgetary facts state clearly that we can't replace it with an even better (non-flawed) solution unless we discontinue support of the old one first, isn't the decision pretty simple?
Since I have the dubious honor of being the resident egghead in my clan, I'm often asked to help support systems for relatives--
If at all possible, over the phone anyway, I have 'em drop to a command line. It's MUCH easier to diagnose/remedy problems when you can clearly and concisely convey exactly what to do:
"OK, type C:, that's Charlie, colon"
"No, I didn't know that about Uncle Charly. I hope they can fix that..."
You're correct- should be "toed". She toed the line of the law, keeping her site and her impact true to her aim. Now Darl & co (er, scumsucking litigious bastards wasn't it?) have no amunition.
Thank you for towing the line, keeping your site "unmonetized", your tireless work, your insight and frankly wonderful genius!
I just have to cheer- that letter is full of soul-satisfying smackdown.:)
GrokLaw is definitely a zeitgheist (sp?), it embodies the spirit of the Open Source movement and quite frankly is an example to all of us as to what we should be doing if we aren't already.
BIG standing O from the peanut gallery! I know my next charitable contribution is going to Ibiblio, and I know our hero(ine) will be well rewarded!
Slashdot Mirror
However, I believe that we'll see many more games that work on the console and work incredibly well on the PC as well... kind of a "yes, the 'rabble' can play, too" in a way, although I have a feeling the consoles will be catered to more and more over time. After all, one must follow the money.
Still, I believe that as long as PC's are appreciably faster and featureful (and of course they will be- it takes more effort to stay ahead of the curve, and greater flexibility) all will be well.
My vision is that long-term OS game engines supporting multiple platforms including consoles will take over the world, and that those of us with PC's will be able to "run games" much like MUDS of the 90's and today but with rich 3d and eventually VR-like capabilities.
Who knows, with Maya et al, maybe that day will be sooner than I had thought. :)
Unfortunately, of the 16 hours we spent playing the game total, only 1 of them was as a group- basically what we found was that it might as well have been a single player game with an IRC client built in so you can chat with other people on a channel devoted to the game. Maybe a little trading going on- mostly seemed to be "I'll give you a bunch of credits if you'll say I got you to sign up".
The concept was cool, but I think they did this without involving any actual MUD developers- Note to future MMORPG people, grab some people (especially women these days, if you can) with MUD experience for your dev team.
Later the "anytime" becomes literal as the wormholes can potentially (according to some) exist anywhere and literally anywhen at either end.
Not saying the story is plausible or even possible, but they do a great job of exploring the sociological impacts of such a discovery. Stuff like "what was really like?" and "How did really happen?".
Fun stuff!
Some people are even using 'em to record themselves performing illegal acts. I'm against further invasion of privacy, but if we continue in this declared war without a visible end we'll see more and more of this. At no time in the US does the Executive Branch of government have more time than when the country is at war- hence the "war on drugs" and "war on terror" which cause people to let their common sense blow away on the winds of excessive brain-dead so-called patriotism.
Blech. Ok- now for the backlash!
Turn on those webcams! Stream video of everyone's life into the public domain! Record EVERYTHING YOU SEE and do! The information glut we could generate would overwhelm any monitoring system that could come out, I'm thinking. :) With the increased visibility of conduct and day-by-day infractions, maybe we could effect some reforms. Kind of hard to complain about the splinter in someones eye when you can see the timber in your own on HDTV.
An interesting novel, "Light of Other Days" by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter, explores the ramifications of such a system- most painful, but generally positive.
Makes ya think, which is almost never a bad thing. :)
...in about 3 or 4 years.
:)
Still, like VRML, it's a beginning. At least now we have some standards to build on.
Looking forward to wrestling this beasty to the ground and looking for applications in my own work.
I love your screen-saver idea... my 1.5 year old (can ya tell I'm a geek?) LOVES to play at the computer, wiggling the mouse and hitting keys.
While in a screen saver there are some keystrokes that are going to have an effect regardless, maybe just run an app that hogs the screen when the api detects idle time (kind of a back-door override screensaver?). If done in DirectX I know you'd be able to override a LOT of the built-ins like alt-tab, etc.
Damned good idea- load baseline drivers for key OS's and have 'em appear as if on an attached flash drive to compatible software. Windoze,Linux,OS/X could be set up to grab this info as long as a standard was forthcoming... Has this already been done? If so, why not? There's a gold mine here...
I would shell out some serious bucks for a printer that had a super-easy-to-clean paper path, that was liquid resistant (ever try to get orange juice or peanut butter out of a laser printer?!!) with liquid resistant ink.
Hrm... also maybe retractable cords, bluetooth to the computer, anything else that can keep kids from getting tangled in the wire jungle at the back of a PC.
I had given up on Scaled for a while after the landing gear issue- I checked faithfully every day, then every week hoping to get some news, afraid something had gone disastrously wrong.
My guess is they're going to do a flight or three with burn (with the new heatproofing) before the actual suborbital flight. Somebody ought to start a pool. $5.00 says they've 100km by July 4 :)
He's probably doing the same thing I am- hitting their site periodically for an update.
WOOHOO!!!
Check out the test updates here.
AFAIK, these guys are the closest to winning the X-Prize- go team!!!
Yeah.. Vishnu and I were talking about this one just the other decade. What a coincidence!
Soon to be followed by the death of popular fiction.
Come on! People will continue to shell out the $$ to see the same hackneyed games with the serial numbers filed off, just like they continue to buy movie tickets and the latest "Star Wars" novel.
And, on a more hopeful note, there will probably always be inovators who push the envelope and expand horizons. Just because a medium is maturing doesn't mean it's dead!
I wonder what the result of having already ubiquitous cell phones acting as ad-hoc-mode repeaters to extend a cell would be.
Of course, users of such a system would need backpack-sized batteries to get through the day, still cells could be extended in an almost "natural" manner. Maybe the repeater mode would only work when plugged in.
Something to think about, anyway.
Ah, but how much do 100 Amish carpenters cost, and could you get 'em to come out to your place in California?
:)
The ox-drawn supply lines would get a bit problematic.
In case you didn't RTFA, they mentioned they can extrude copper, etc too. I'd imagine you could also make a concrete conduit of a sort and snake wires in afterwards.
It may not be complete yet, but this WILL be a major force in years to come!
How likely are you to get ambushed by RIAA (or European equivalent) goons?
Since you aren't planning to distribute the MP3's, IMHO you are ethically free to record them again in the medium of your choice.
So- obtain a (legal) copy of software than can record from your sound card's Line In jack, then play the CD into it, convert the stream to MP3, then save it on your device. This way (passing through an analogue phase) you loose a tiny bit of quality but effectively strip copy protection.
That is, of course, if your question is as it seems. If instead you're trying to point out how stupid and counterproductive such things as the DMCA and its ilk are, I wholeheartedly agree, but you're preaching to the choir (as no doubt the other responses will confirm).
Good luck and happy listening!
At least 90% of most human brains is completely unused, flabby grey matter. If you can firm and tone just half of that you will have a brain that is firmer and better toned than the rest of the human population!
That is why I recommend the BrainFlex 2000* brain excercise program. Simply insert the BrainFlex' high voltage electrodes into your nasal or occipital cavities and press the button. I recommend at least 30 repetitions.
There you have it! Less than 10 minutes a day... it's the last mental excercise program you'll ever use!
*which bears a remarkable resemblance to a cattle prod...
I would sure hate to be a geologist, prospector, or hermit in the desert that day.
Gelogist: [mumbling to himself] Finally! Proof that the formation of this arroyo was caused by--
[Geologist is flattened by an army of driverless cars driving at upwards of 60 mph, one of which detects the collision too late and actually backs up, running over him again, as failing avoidance mechanisms kick in]
I agree that Hubble is still the best system out there, and probably the best thing for optical astronomy since the reflector telescope was invented. However, at what expense should it be maintained?
If the hard, cold, budgetary facts state clearly that we can't replace it with an even better (non-flawed) solution unless we discontinue support of the old one first, isn't the decision pretty simple?
Since I have the dubious honor of being the resident egghead in my clan, I'm often asked to help support systems for relatives--
If at all possible, over the phone anyway, I have 'em drop to a command line. It's MUCH easier to diagnose/remedy problems when you can clearly and concisely convey exactly what to do:
"OK, type C:, that's Charlie, colon"
"No, I didn't know that about Uncle Charly. I hope they can fix that..."
It would never happen to other proprietary sources of information, such as technical manuals or computer programs.
Give people a way to pay money for something that's available now for free and they'll pay every time!
Just maybe it's possible that people aren't complete idiots after all!
Oh. Never mind...
Bah. Humbug! One of these days I will master my native tongue... :)
You're correct- should be "toed". She toed the line of the law, keeping her site and her impact true to her aim. Now Darl & co (er, scumsucking litigious bastards wasn't it?) have no amunition.
Thank you for towing the line, keeping your site "unmonetized", your tireless work, your insight and frankly wonderful genius!
:)
I just have to cheer- that letter is full of soul-satisfying smackdown.
GrokLaw is definitely a zeitgheist (sp?), it embodies the spirit of the Open Source movement and quite frankly is an example to all of us as to what we should be doing if we aren't already.
BIG standing O from the peanut gallery! I know my next charitable contribution is going to Ibiblio, and I know our hero(ine) will be well rewarded!
</soapbox>