"looking into how the food inventory ended up being tracked so poorly"
Two words:
Space Weed.
Someone has been putting that hydroponics rig to use up there me thinks.
As a former Volkswagen/Audi/Porsche cert. mechanic, and restorer of vintage Porsche and Volkswagen automobiles, I see this type of evolution as an excellent course.
Even the newly encased engine compartments of most modern vehicle have their "end-user" items accessible.
The post below in regards to the Audi exemplifies the type of old-school mentality that's so prevalent in the automotive service industry; an industry where the logic and problem solving skills needed are less "oh, the jetting is off, I need to adjust this screw" and more "the idle is off, let me check the EMS readout and verify the throttle position sensor's algorithms"... since batteries are sealed and maintenance free now, and when exposed the terminals are prone to buildup of caustic and corrosive byproduct, new vehicles that are engineered "smartly" place terminals for jump starting in a separate location on a shielded circuit that has no chance at zapping any of the car's multiple computer systems. If the tow truck guy was up on the technology of the products that it is his job to service, he would have known where to look and what to do.
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't drive my wife's car very often, sometimes not for months. Even though she loves her car and knows more about how it works than the average/. reader I imagine, sometimes a problem can go on for quite a while before she or I realize that there is a problem.
If the car could shoot me and our mechanic an e-mail when something needs to be checked out, that would be excellent. With our busy lifestyles, this would not only save us time but self diagnostics also saves money. The average cost of diagnostic work on modern cars is about $70/ hr. If the car can handle the diagnostics itself, all the better for the consumer.
As for snitch switches or whatever, I haven't run into one, nor heard of any being implemented. Besides, if you're doing heavy work on a car under warranty, you're just ripping yourself off. And if you're in there mucking around without knowing what you're looking at, you're more likely to do more harm than good.
That being said, the simplicity of a flathead Ford V8 or a Triumph's parallel twin is a thing of beauty...
I wasn't having any luck at all backing up my DVDs as ISO images w/o running them through a DeCSS program...
The files wouldn't play through any codec or player.
I finally said F-It, since I own the movies and I'm not sharing them off my network, screw CSS.
The benefit then is being able to strip out redundant files from the dvd like non-widescreen formats or BS preview files, etc., as well as being able to re-size the files to maximize HDD space.
Oh, if you spend some time sifting through all the BS on http://www.dvdrhelp.com there is actually some worthwile info there...
I use Mac the Ripper and Panther's DVD Player...
I also process the entire DVD w/ DVD Requantisizer down to 4.1 gigs for the average movie. Quality is totally your decision; higher quality takes longer to re-master, but as an example the newly remastered Indiana Jones titles ripped gave me a 7.2 gig packet. Remastered at highest quality setting w/ DVD Requantisizer it took about 2 hours to get it down to 4.1 gigs. Pumped through s-video to my widescreen TV it's indistinguishable from the original DVD when the DVD is pumped through an s-video cable... of course component is preferable, but from my current media server it's not an option.
My approach to ripping my DVDs has been similar to my approach to ripping my music collection... most movies are perfectly fine to have ripped to a HD, but just like some LPs are better left to listen to on vinyl, some DVDs are better left to view from the original discs.
The Indiana Jones DVDs were my benchmark, but when it's time to watch them, I always go back to the original discs.
The programs are out there, and they're cheap shareware titles or freeware in most instances.
What I really want is an iTunes type front end for movie files, complete with artwork, genres, and ratings...
Hell yeah!
That would be a PERFECT progression of the game, and one I was hoping would be incororated into the upcoming release of Mafia.
Frankly the gameplay in GTA 2 and Vice City is getting boring, especially with all teh follower games like True Crime, Simpsons HaR, etc.
The only way to really improve on that structure and make GTA3 really worthwhile would be to open it up to online play...and your suggestion of a massive multiplayer would ROCK, and actually live up to the tag line of "changing the face of gaming" that has been tied to the GTA games.
DO IT Take Two!
So as someone who has waited, why haven't you opted for one of the now reletively cheaper first generation iPods?
I paid $160 for my 5 gb first gen, and only $210 for my 10 gb second gen.
.....for at least 6 or 7 months now places have been selling the 5gb first generation iPods for ~170 bucks...deals are already out there if you've been waiting.
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As his older brother, I'd have to kick his ass if he did... And didn't make one for me ;)
"looking into how the food inventory ended up being tracked so poorly" Two words: Space Weed. Someone has been putting that hydroponics rig to use up there me thinks.
As a former Volkswagen/Audi/Porsche cert. mechanic, and restorer of vintage Porsche and Volkswagen automobiles, I see this type of evolution as an excellent course. Even the newly encased engine compartments of most modern vehicle have their "end-user" items accessible. The post below in regards to the Audi exemplifies the type of old-school mentality that's so prevalent in the automotive service industry; an industry where the logic and problem solving skills needed are less "oh, the jetting is off, I need to adjust this screw" and more "the idle is off, let me check the EMS readout and verify the throttle position sensor's algorithms"... since batteries are sealed and maintenance free now, and when exposed the terminals are prone to buildup of caustic and corrosive byproduct, new vehicles that are engineered "smartly" place terminals for jump starting in a separate location on a shielded circuit that has no chance at zapping any of the car's multiple computer systems. If the tow truck guy was up on the technology of the products that it is his job to service, he would have known where to look and what to do. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't drive my wife's car very often, sometimes not for months. Even though she loves her car and knows more about how it works than the average /. reader I imagine, sometimes a problem can go on for quite a while before she or I realize that there is a problem.
If the car could shoot me and our mechanic an e-mail when something needs to be checked out, that would be excellent. With our busy lifestyles, this would not only save us time but self diagnostics also saves money. The average cost of diagnostic work on modern cars is about $70/ hr. If the car can handle the diagnostics itself, all the better for the consumer.
As for snitch switches or whatever, I haven't run into one, nor heard of any being implemented. Besides, if you're doing heavy work on a car under warranty, you're just ripping yourself off. And if you're in there mucking around without knowing what you're looking at, you're more likely to do more harm than good.
That being said, the simplicity of a flathead Ford V8 or a Triumph's parallel twin is a thing of beauty...
I wasn't having any luck at all backing up my DVDs as ISO images w/o running them through a DeCSS program... The files wouldn't play through any codec or player. I finally said F-It, since I own the movies and I'm not sharing them off my network, screw CSS. The benefit then is being able to strip out redundant files from the dvd like non-widescreen formats or BS preview files, etc., as well as being able to re-size the files to maximize HDD space. Oh, if you spend some time sifting through all the BS on http://www.dvdrhelp.com there is actually some worthwile info there...
I use Mac the Ripper and Panther's DVD Player... I also process the entire DVD w/ DVD Requantisizer down to 4.1 gigs for the average movie. Quality is totally your decision; higher quality takes longer to re-master, but as an example the newly remastered Indiana Jones titles ripped gave me a 7.2 gig packet. Remastered at highest quality setting w/ DVD Requantisizer it took about 2 hours to get it down to 4.1 gigs. Pumped through s-video to my widescreen TV it's indistinguishable from the original DVD when the DVD is pumped through an s-video cable... of course component is preferable, but from my current media server it's not an option. My approach to ripping my DVDs has been similar to my approach to ripping my music collection... most movies are perfectly fine to have ripped to a HD, but just like some LPs are better left to listen to on vinyl, some DVDs are better left to view from the original discs. The Indiana Jones DVDs were my benchmark, but when it's time to watch them, I always go back to the original discs. The programs are out there, and they're cheap shareware titles or freeware in most instances. What I really want is an iTunes type front end for movie files, complete with artwork, genres, and ratings...
Thanks man!
When and where? Google isn't giving up any info, sounds like a good time!
The beagle team response: I feel your pain
Best pop-up book ever? The Pop-Up Book of Phobias by Gary Greenberg
Hell yeah! That would be a PERFECT progression of the game, and one I was hoping would be incororated into the upcoming release of Mafia. Frankly the gameplay in GTA 2 and Vice City is getting boring, especially with all teh follower games like True Crime, Simpsons HaR, etc. The only way to really improve on that structure and make GTA3 really worthwhile would be to open it up to online play...and your suggestion of a massive multiplayer would ROCK, and actually live up to the tag line of "changing the face of gaming" that has been tied to the GTA games. DO IT Take Two!
So as someone who has waited, why haven't you opted for one of the now reletively cheaper first generation iPods? I paid $160 for my 5 gb first gen, and only $210 for my 10 gb second gen.
.....for at least 6 or 7 months now places have been selling the 5gb first generation iPods for ~170 bucks...deals are already out there if you've been waiting.