I went and saw Blair Witch project without knowing much about it except the basic plot. I did know it wasn't real though:)
At the beginning they tell you that you're viewing the footage found a year after the kids disappeared, so you KNOW that they died right from the beginning. I was wanting to find out WHAT killed them, and you never really do... it's still kind of a mystery at the end, and I was disappointed about that. It's kind of like Titanic, you know the ship is going to go down, but you're interested in finding out what happens to the people on it. BWP was kind of like Schindler's List to me... innovative, a must-see just once, but probably won't ever see it again.
Besides, I had a major headache and a sickness to my stomach by the time that it was over, I was ready to hurl.
But what is cool about the movie is that you know that no movie producer could do something similar again, because otherwise they will be just copying off of BWP. Reading the web page is also pretty interesting. At least you can keep the movie experience long after the movie is over, if you want to.
And, I have to admit, there was a really funny part - when we were discussing the movie after it was over, as we were walking out, I said I was kind of disappointed in it. My friend said "Well there was only so much they could do to the film, you know, once they found it in the woods. They got off real cheap making it too, since all they really had to do was edit it and pay off the families of the deceased."
I've found it's a Netscape thing... either the MSNBC folks don't know how to code for more than one browser or they do it purposely so if we're desperate to read that information we'll go install IE. It's a usual thing on there that I won't be able to see the "complete story" with Netscape. All I can say is, "figures."
Heh this is just what we need. Windows 2000(2050?) to spawn and take over computers run by Linux. It's the final step to world domination!!!! So, who is going to develop some digital Raid?
Not to start the whole OS war back up again, but that's exactly the reason that something needs to be done to Microsoft... so at least people can create emulators that WORK without them doing whatever they can to screw them up again (new APIs... whatever...). Maybe share that information in any new releases so the emulator developers can make their emulators continue to work with Windows programs.
Until, of course, OSs become obsolete when chips embedded in your brain let you play Quake XVIII or flight simulation games in real time, virtual reality. woohoo:)
Ummm what? NT doesn't run the games that you can run on 98. It's somewhat more stable than 98, but not nearly as stable as Linux or Unix. Remember the win2000test.com machine? heheheh
Oh, "You've got mail" was a huge marketing campaign for AOL... rather ingenious, I think, actually. Think of all the non-computer people who would watch that, see that the Internet is not just for geeks, or think that they'll meet Mr/Ms Right on AOL, and go sign up. The amount that AOL made from that sort of advertising/publicity is worth any amount of "royalties" they could ever try to get from usage of the phrase. In fact, I think that they probably paid a lot of cash to help fund the movie.
So does this mean I can legally say "xerox" now instead of "photocopy" and "kleenex" instead of "facial tissue"? "Magic markers" instead of the generic "permanent markers"? Can I sell some Band-aids now?
So now I suppose I can start up a content providing business and call it "NAOL" (North America Online" or "WOL" (World Online) and add in a nifty little program called NIM or WIM which has a "buddy list"? And when people get email, a nice happy voice of a guy from Orville can tell you "You've got mail!" Think of the possibilities...
Gawd, at a previous job they wanted me to either test or get a written statement from software companies that their programs were y2k. They had me test programs like Adobe Acrobat and Winzip, and I'm saying what the hell do dates have anything to do with an image of a document opens up and prints? What the hell does date processing have to do with opening up a.zip file???
And then trying to call the phone numbers listed for some obscure file compression utility that I'm sure some kid wrote in his basement... and getting his grandmother answering the phone, saying
"What? I ain't eva heard of that there company, that's not HERE!"
Um ok, so I take it that nobody there knows if this utility (that probably doesn't use dates anyways) is Y2k compliant?
*click*
I'm glad I'm not a y2k tester anymore... and I'll be really glad when it's Jan 3 and everyone sees that their alarm clock and household pets still work.
I think the whole idea of the low orbit satellites for communications is a good idea, but they should have planned ahead for this sort of thing. They can't expect everyone to drop their current cell phones and pick up an iridium one (assuming you can even find one at this point). If I recall, they're supposed to have 288 satellites to be accessible anywhere on earth, and they don't have nearly that many right now. While it's a lot more expensive than cellular, most people will opt for the much cheaper option. I think they planned on being ready and in full swing by 2003 (without getting much in the way of revenues in), so I guess the question is... it's only 1999, what happened?
I am rather irked that no one is seeing that there is any compatibility between OS's and handhelds before one handheld totally triumphs over all the others and gains a 95% market share *cough*windows*cough*. Palm is trying to keep their stuff proprietary, just like Microsoft does (who then cries "standards!" when they try to enter a market where they have.005% market share). But then the DaVinci people are then selling their handheld for $99... either it's one of those "you get what you pay for" or they are pulling the eMachine stunt and selling at below cost. (prob to gain market share...). I don't think either companies are quite playing the fair competition game here.
I think it has something to do with Silicon Valley... you would think the computer industry capital of the U.S. would have better internet connections. When I traveled there last week my modem on my laptop went from 50k connect speed at home in the midwest to 26k plus boatloads of lag from Palo Alto.
I haven't quite figured this one out. My roommate and I go out to the local bar/club and these are the kinds of guys that we find:
1) Geek from out of town who is in town on business and looking to get some before he heads home. Has buddies mention his salary in passing. Thinks that geek girl (aka "me") will be impressed and really care.
2) Non-geeks. May be cute or not so cute, but usually have occupations such as car salesman or roofer and hobbies such as football and picking up chicks. Usually get a blank look and a comment such as "so you're pretty smart, huh" when the topic of occupations comes up.
Of course, being in the realm of IT you would think that the IT office would be the ideal ground for the Geek Chick to find Geek Boy. I say, it isn't so. At my office, there are 2 kinds of men:
1) Much older 2) Married
(and usually both apply) Good thing that I've got my array of local friends not from work or I'd have no social life.
And then there is the eversopopular Internet. There is a plethora of Geek Boys to be found, and they usually propogate in areas such as Slashdot. However, finding the Mr. Ideal Geek Man through these methods can be described as arduous and slow. This is because of the types of men found on the Internet.
Type 1. Far away Type 2. In the same town Type 3. In a different town but close enough that I might drive by there sometime.
Obviously, type 2 is the ideal to find, although there have been many couples who found romance with type 3 or even type 1. Once a guy is found who is type 2, then they fall into these categories:
A) The I don't get any normally, so if you're cute wanna come over? The answer: bzzt no. I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
B) The I'm married but unhappy so looking for some extra loving. The answer: bzzt no. Geek chicks with jobs don't need a sugar daddy, and again - I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
C) The geek at first but after he finds out that Geek Chick is cute, turns into type A. What happened to the Microsoft/Linux debates? The interesting discussions on the current techie news?
D) The sickening sweet romantic geek who is in desperate search for a girlfriend, but is actually just looking for someone to follow like a puppy dog. Will joyfully send romantic little text pages back and forth all day, but eventually becomes a little too clingy. Usually passes the intelligence test and half the personality test, but usually fails the "little something extra special, that is usually a combination of the personality/intelligence/looks". Usually ends up as "just a geek friend".
E) The hardcore geek man. Will joyfully discuss anything computer related, and strike awe in the hearts of anyone aspiring to be a True Geek. Unfortunately, the hardcore geek man strives only to be Mega-geek and has forgotten the female side of the species. All sexual hormones have transfered into the computer hardware somewhere and are probably residing in the form of binary code at http://www.sex.com.
Obviously, if the only way to meet Mr Ideal Geek is through the Internet, the single Geeks need to get out a little more. Geek Chicks ARE out there, searching for the Geek Man, but are failing to find them. Not all Geek Chicks are ugly or taken! Some are just a little pickier and are trying to find the right combination of Geek.
It is the movie theater telling you what you can or cannot watch. The theaters decide to not allow kids under 17 in, not the board, who gives the rating.
Barney doesn't have any bad words or naughty body parts, but there is no way I'd sit through a movie with him. If the kids are old enough to be dropped off at the movie, they're old enough to sit through a movie alone. Hell, if they're old enough to DRIVE to the movie, they should be able to watch it without their parents with them on that hot date.
About the screwiest thing though, is that (in my experience) you can't buy more than 1 ticket for a rated R movie if you are under 21. I tried to buy tickets ahead of time for myself and my friends when I was about 19 (since the movie would no doubt be sold out later) and they wouldn't let me.
When I was a teenager they didn't enforce the "no one under 17 admitted rule" and it was the parents who decided if their kid could go watch it or not. I don't know why they suddenly decided that my generation was so terrible that enforcing that rule is going to really change anything and make the world a better place. Besides, once kids reach the age of 15-16 years old, watching a dirty movie isn't going to suddenly make them axe murderers. Any kids that are going to try to set farts on fire (or whatever:) by that age would probably try to do it anyways, without the help from a movie. It shouldn't be the movie theater's job (or government's) to try to teach values to kids or shield them from Bad Things. It should be the parent who decides if the kid is mature enough to watch a rated R (or PG-13, or NC-17 -- which these days seems to have little difference from rated R) movie...
And, you can't really compare a theater experience to a home theater/DVD experience. Most theaters use actual film, whereas DVD is digital, so the bigger the image gets, the more pixellated it'll be. Until we get some HD-TV, the theater experience will always be superior. There's also fewer distractions in the theater (even with the babies and kids) so I tend to enjoy the movie there more because I'm able to concentrate on it 100% rather than having to answer the phone, stop halfway through to move laundry, etc. When I get really comfortable on the couch at home, I'll usually fall asleep during a movie whereas it's hard to get that comfortable in the theater.:)
It's ok. I would say "mediocre". The only reason that it doesn't get a "bad" score is when I type my name in, it brings up right at the very top some pages from my website. I don't know what kind of search it uses, but if I type in "Sun Microsystems" or "Dana Corporation".. I kind of expect to get the company's web site right at the top. But mostly what I see are news articles with the companys' names within them. Also, when I type my name in, I get the really obscure pages on my website.
But, if I do the same thing on Yahoo/Infoseek/Lycos/Altavista, I either get nothing that pertains to me with my name or another different, obscure page on the website. When I type in the companys' names I may or may not get the company's website at the top.
What is more important to me than how many pages it returns is how many RELEVANT pages it returns. And yes, it is supposed to read my mind to some extent and know what I want.:)
Do you have any little decorations around your computer (like beanie babies, stress balls shaped like a globe or a computer, penguin stickers, and/or your favorite Dilbert/User Friendly cartoons) and if so, what are they?
Actually, Jini is open source... anyone can create a Jini device to use or sell. Java is a programming language... anyone can write a program in Java. It's like C++ or Delphi or any of the other programming languages. These are not "one company does everything" technologies.
By hardwiring aspects of the JVM, the Java programs will run faster. This is nothing new, the CISC and RISC chips all have various functions hardwired in.
Slashdot Mirror
I can see it now Msg: "Help! I'm out of toilet paper!!!" That might actually be useful... :)
Hmmmm well AOL could add MS's protocols into AIM so AIM people can communicate with MSIM but not vice versa. HAHAHAH :)
I went and saw Blair Witch project without knowing much about it except the basic plot. I did know it wasn't real though :)
At the beginning they tell you that you're viewing the footage found a year after the kids disappeared, so you KNOW that they died right from the beginning. I was wanting to find out WHAT killed them, and you never really do... it's still kind of a mystery at the end, and I was disappointed about that. It's kind of like Titanic, you know the ship is going to go down, but you're interested in finding out what happens to the people on it. BWP was kind of like Schindler's List to me... innovative, a must-see just once, but probably won't ever see it again.
Besides, I had a major headache and a sickness to my stomach by the time that it was over, I was ready to hurl.
But what is cool about the movie is that you know that no movie producer could do something similar again, because otherwise they will be just copying off of BWP. Reading the web page is also pretty interesting. At least you can keep the movie experience long after the movie is over, if you want to.
And, I have to admit, there was a really funny part - when we were discussing the movie after it was over, as we were walking out, I said I was kind of disappointed in it. My friend said "Well there was only so much they could do to the film, you know, once they found it in the woods. They got off real cheap making it too, since all they really had to do was edit it and pay off the families of the deceased."
*laugh*
I've found it's a Netscape thing... either the MSNBC folks don't know how to code for more than one browser or they do it purposely so if we're desperate to read that information we'll go install IE. It's a usual thing on there that I won't be able to see the "complete story" with Netscape. All I can say is, "figures."
Heh this is just what we need. Windows 2000(2050?) to spawn and take over computers run by Linux. It's the final step to world domination!!!! So, who is going to develop some digital Raid?
Not to start the whole OS war back up again, but that's exactly the reason that something needs to be done to Microsoft... so at least people can create emulators that WORK without them doing whatever they can to screw them up again (new APIs... whatever...). Maybe share that information in any new releases so the emulator developers can make their emulators continue to work with Windows programs.
:)
Until, of course, OSs become obsolete when chips embedded in your brain let you play Quake XVIII or flight simulation games in real time, virtual reality. woohoo
Ummm what? NT doesn't run the games that you can run on 98. It's somewhat more stable than 98, but not nearly as stable as Linux or Unix. Remember the win2000test.com machine? heheheh
Oh, "You've got mail" was a huge marketing campaign for AOL... rather ingenious, I think, actually. Think of all the non-computer people who would watch that, see that the Internet is not just for geeks, or think that they'll meet Mr/Ms Right on AOL, and go sign up. The amount that AOL made from that sort of advertising/publicity is worth any amount of "royalties" they could ever try to get from usage of the phrase. In fact, I think that they probably paid a lot of cash to help fund the movie.
So does this mean I can legally say "xerox" now instead of "photocopy" and "kleenex" instead of "facial tissue"? "Magic markers" instead of the generic "permanent markers"? Can I sell some Band-aids now?
So now I suppose I can start up a content providing business and call it "NAOL" (North America Online" or "WOL" (World Online) and add in a nifty little program called NIM or WIM which has a "buddy list"? And when people get email, a nice happy voice of a guy from Orville can tell you "You've got mail!" Think of the possibilities...
Gawd, at a previous job they wanted me to either test or get a written statement from software companies that their programs were y2k. They had me test programs like Adobe Acrobat and Winzip, and I'm saying what the hell do dates have anything to do with an image of a document opens up and prints? What the hell does date processing have to do with opening up a .zip file???
And then trying to call the phone numbers listed for some obscure file compression utility that I'm sure some kid wrote in his basement... and getting his grandmother answering the phone, saying
"What? I ain't eva heard of that there company, that's not HERE!"
Um ok, so I take it that nobody there knows if this utility (that probably doesn't use dates anyways) is Y2k compliant?
*click*
I'm glad I'm not a y2k tester anymore... and I'll be really glad when it's Jan 3 and everyone sees that their alarm clock and household pets still work.
Yeah, but if you really want games, get a Gameboy... there's lots of games for it, it fits in your shirt pocket, and they're cheap.
I think the whole idea of the low orbit satellites for communications is a good idea, but they should have planned ahead for this sort of thing. They can't expect everyone to drop their current cell phones and pick up an iridium one (assuming you can even find one at this point). If I recall, they're supposed to have 288 satellites to be accessible anywhere on earth, and they don't have nearly that many right now. While it's a lot more expensive than cellular, most people will opt for the much cheaper option. I think they planned on being ready and in full swing by 2003 (without getting much in the way of revenues in), so I guess the question is... it's only 1999, what happened?
I am rather irked that no one is seeing that there is any compatibility between OS's and handhelds before one handheld totally triumphs over all the others and gains a 95% market share *cough*windows*cough*. Palm is trying to keep their stuff proprietary, just like Microsoft does (who then cries "standards!" when they try to enter a market where they have .005% market share). But then the DaVinci people are then selling their handheld for $99... either it's one of those "you get what you pay for" or they are pulling the eMachine stunt and selling at below cost. (prob to gain market share...). I don't think either companies are quite playing the fair competition game here.
I think it has something to do with Silicon Valley... you would think the computer industry capital of the U.S. would have better internet connections. When I traveled there last week my modem on my laptop went from 50k connect speed at home in the midwest to 26k plus boatloads of lag from Palo Alto.
I haven't quite figured this one out. My roommate and I go out to the local bar/club and these are the kinds of guys that we find:
1) Geek from out of town who is in town on business and looking to get some before he heads home. Has buddies mention his salary in passing. Thinks that geek girl (aka "me") will be impressed and really care.
2) Non-geeks. May be cute or not so cute, but usually have occupations such as car salesman or roofer and hobbies such as football and picking up chicks. Usually get a blank look and a comment such as "so you're pretty smart, huh" when the topic of occupations comes up.
Of course, being in the realm of IT you would think that the IT office would be the ideal ground for the Geek Chick to find Geek Boy. I say, it isn't so. At my office, there are 2 kinds of men:
1) Much older
2) Married
(and usually both apply) Good thing that I've got my array of local friends not from work or I'd have no social life.
And then there is the eversopopular Internet. There is a plethora of Geek Boys to be found, and they usually propogate in areas such as Slashdot. However, finding the Mr. Ideal Geek Man through these methods can be described as arduous and slow. This is because of the types of men found on the Internet.
Type 1. Far away
Type 2. In the same town
Type 3. In a different town but close enough that I might drive by there sometime.
Obviously, type 2 is the ideal to find, although there have been many couples who found romance with type 3 or even type 1. Once a guy is found who is type 2, then they fall into these categories:
A) The I don't get any normally, so if you're cute wanna come over? The answer: bzzt no. I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
B) The I'm married but unhappy so looking for some extra loving. The answer: bzzt no. Geek chicks with jobs don't need a sugar daddy, and again - I can get banged any day of the week, you're nothing special.
C) The geek at first but after he finds out that Geek Chick is cute, turns into type A. What happened to the Microsoft/Linux debates? The interesting discussions on the current techie news?
D) The sickening sweet romantic geek who is in desperate search for a girlfriend, but is actually just looking for someone to follow like a puppy dog. Will joyfully send romantic little text pages back and forth all day, but eventually becomes a little too clingy. Usually passes the intelligence test and half the personality test, but usually fails the "little something extra special, that is usually a combination of the personality/intelligence/looks". Usually ends up as "just a geek friend".
E) The hardcore geek man. Will joyfully discuss anything computer related, and strike awe in the hearts of anyone aspiring to be a True Geek. Unfortunately, the hardcore geek man strives only to be Mega-geek and has forgotten the female side of the species. All sexual hormones have transfered into the computer hardware somewhere and are probably residing in the form of binary code at http://www.sex.com.
Obviously, if the only way to meet Mr Ideal Geek is through the Internet, the single Geeks need to get out a little more. Geek Chicks ARE out there, searching for the Geek Man, but are failing to find them. Not all Geek Chicks are ugly or taken! Some are just a little pickier and are trying to find the right combination of Geek.
:)
It is the movie theater telling you what you can or cannot watch. The theaters decide to not allow kids under 17 in, not the board, who gives the rating.
Barney doesn't have any bad words or naughty body parts, but there is no way I'd sit through a movie with him. If the kids are old enough to be dropped off at the movie, they're old enough to sit through a movie alone. Hell, if they're old enough to DRIVE to the movie, they should be able to watch it without their parents with them on that hot date.
About the screwiest thing though, is that (in my experience) you can't buy more than 1 ticket for a rated R movie if you are under 21. I tried to buy tickets ahead of time for myself and my friends when I was about 19 (since the movie would no doubt be sold out later) and they wouldn't let me.
When I was a teenager they didn't enforce the "no one under 17 admitted rule" and it was the parents who decided if their kid could go watch it or not. I don't know why they suddenly decided that my generation was so terrible that enforcing that rule is going to really change anything and make the world a better place. Besides, once kids reach the age of 15-16 years old, watching a dirty movie isn't going to suddenly make them axe murderers. Any kids that are going to try to set farts on fire (or whatever :) by that age would probably try to do it anyways, without the help from a movie. It shouldn't be the movie theater's job (or government's) to try to teach values to kids or shield them from Bad Things. It should be the parent who decides if the kid is mature enough to watch a rated R (or PG-13, or NC-17 -- which these days seems to have little difference from rated R) movie...
:)
And, you can't really compare a theater experience to a home theater/DVD experience. Most theaters use actual film, whereas DVD is digital, so the bigger the image gets, the more pixellated it'll be. Until we get some HD-TV, the theater experience will always be superior. There's also fewer distractions in the theater (even with the babies and kids) so I tend to enjoy the movie there more because I'm able to concentrate on it 100% rather than having to answer the phone, stop halfway through to move laundry, etc. When I get really comfortable on the couch at home, I'll usually fall asleep during a movie whereas it's hard to get that comfortable in the theater.
It's ok. I would say "mediocre". The only reason that it doesn't get a "bad" score is when I type my name in, it brings up right at the very top some pages from my website. I don't know what kind of search it uses, but if I type in "Sun Microsystems" or "Dana Corporation" .. I kind of expect to get the company's web site right at the top. But mostly what I see are news articles with the companys' names within them. Also, when I type my name in, I get the really obscure pages on my website.
:)
But, if I do the same thing on Yahoo/Infoseek/Lycos/Altavista, I either get nothing that pertains to me with my name or another different, obscure page on the website. When I type in the companys' names I may or may not get the company's website at the top.
What is more important to me than how many pages it returns is how many RELEVANT pages it returns. And yes, it is supposed to read my mind to some extent and know what I want.
Do you have any little decorations around your computer (like beanie babies, stress balls shaped like a globe or a computer, penguin stickers, and/or your favorite Dilbert/User Friendly cartoons) and if so, what are they?
Actually, Jini is open source... anyone can create a Jini device to use or sell. Java is a programming language... anyone can write a program in Java. It's like C++ or Delphi or any of the other programming languages. These are not "one company does everything" technologies.
By hardwiring aspects of the JVM, the Java programs will run faster. This is nothing new, the CISC and RISC chips all have various functions hardwired in.