I don't own a TiVo but I have friends who do. I'm glad that people find it useful. I, myself, don't really have much time to watch TV and won't go shit crazy if I miss an episode of Battlestar Galactica. When I'm actively watching a show at my friend's place, we always skip the commercials. However, you are right, if you want some background noise while you work, you probably won't care if it's commercials or not.
I guess modelines would help if I was running XFree86. Strangely, the system works fine after bootup (except for the 480p mode) until it switches from 2D to 3D, e.g. 3D screensaver, and then back to 2D (Desktop). For all I know, it could be the TV not being to synch properly. Being a person who lacks the knowledge, I don't have a whole lot of time to mess with it. I think I'm gonna stick with the Crescendo PCI card and component cables since it works well for many people on the HTPCNews forum. the card handles all synching.
Also, I have several component connectors on the TV but only 1 HDMI. I might save that slot for something better in the future.
I have my Win MCE 2005 hooked up to my Sony KDF-55WF655 with a DVI-HDMI from Monster through an ATI 9250 card.
When I first boot up the computer, it is always starts in 4:3 ratio 640x480. I have to tweak my ATI settings in order for it to show up in 1280 x 720 which is perfect for 720p. I can't get it display in 1080i. So, every time I boot up, I'll have to reconfigure to get my desktop to display in full 55". I think it's a catch-22 situation. TV needs to detect incoming signal to figure out if it's 480p, 720p or 1080i. Video card needs to detect TV to figure out what is the optimum resolution.
Also, the image seems to be chopped off on all sides. It looks like the desktop is a little too large for the TV. I can either have my Start button or the time on the right but not both. Tweaking the image with Powerstrip will only result in a blank screen coz the synch goes out of whack.
Finally, switching from 2D to 3D and then back to 2D causes the TV to go blank. I think it's a synch issue again. I can go from Desktop to Media Center but going back to Desktop will result in a blank TV screen and I cannot get the screen back up. I can't even switch back to Media Center and get my screen back. The only option is to reboot the machine.
I think I'm going to use a transcoder to link my box to the TV. I am leaning towards the PCI solution from Crescendo, available HERE. It uses a passthrough cable from VGA to the PCI Card and then converts it to Component. It only uses the PCI slot to draw power. The card handles the synching and everything. HTPCNews.com has a review on the PCI card HERE.
My daydream came from Q2CTF. After many countless late hours of CTF, I eventually started to look at tall buildings and wondered if I could grapple onto the ledge. Also, during college, I would wish for a grapple when I'm late for class. Those were the days... Now I just wish for a girl with a very high polygon count. Don't give me no bumpmapped nipples either! I want real 3D modelled nipples!
I was hooked(addicted?) on Q2 for a long time because of CTF. Then in Q3 it was DM, Instagib, Rocket Arena. Then it was UT and its mods. However, that is slightly different because it's community supported, even the servers. It doesn't require Id to support. Id said "Here's the game, go have fun". It took a life of its own and off it went.
MMORPGs on the other hand, the server(s) and the game is run by a company or a group of people. They do have limited resources compared to a FPS community. They do solicit the assistance of their community to keep the game in check. However, if you get bored of the game, you can't look for another mod to play. It's either wait for an expansion or move on to another MMORPG. It's not like the company can produce 2 or 3 expansions concurrently and let the players choose which one they want to play. Not very cost effective on their part.
What it boils down to, with respect to the MMORPG, is the company's bottom line. Since they run the servers and the game, they must make sure they make enough to keep the servers up, the employees well fed and the community happy. Id doesn't have to worry about servers or hiring a large number of people to keep the servers running all the time. So, cost is low. In other words, it's not really apples to apples comparison. How about an MMORPG that lets the community set up their own servers and run their own games? How about the ability to link several servers together from different communities to create a much larger playing field/map?
I do agree that the MMOs (or any other game companies for that matter) need to do a better job at patching. The patching thing after the game is released is getting to be tiresome. I'm not talking minor tweaks, I'm talking about major fixes coz the network code wasn't working properly *cough*Doom*cough*3*cough*. But whatever, to each his/her own. Everything has its pros and cons. IMHO, MMORPGs' cons outweigh its pros. So there.
I had tried several, including Neocron and Eve Online. I was a beta tester for several and all I can say is, other than meeting interesting people, I have nothing to show for it.
Besides aching fingers and an almost defunct mouse button from the constant "click click click reward" motion. Perhaps that's what these researchers should call the addiction... CCCR syndrome coz that's all MMORPG is about. The higher you go, the more clicks you have to make in order to get a reward.
It's obvious that you have priority issues. If you favor a game over someone who dedicates a significant amount of her time/emotions to you then you might want to re-evaluate the direction that your life is heading to.
Is this "Stuff That Matters" or is Slashdot just running out of articles?
1. A naive female scientist who writes her formula on post-it notes
2. A Russian scientist who is forced to decipher the formula on said post-it notes
3. An international spy that uses names of saints as a disguise
Yup, the FBI wanted to charge foreign students $65 so that the FBI could track them. When they convert that into their own currency, that was a lot of money. Not to mention that some universities charge 3 times as much per credit hour compared to in-state fees. Also, the number of credit hours for EE and CS is way more than say, Liberal Arts (this depending on the university). So, it all boils down to money! I have friends who have chosen Australia and New Zealand over US to further their education because it was cheaper. One friend learned Japanese so that he could study in Japan.
One thing that I've learned after graduating with a degree in computer engineering is that one geniunely need to have an interest in the field to succeed. What they teach in school is not enough. Schools only teach you the basic fundamentals. It's how you apply the fundamentals that makes you better than the person sitting beside you. It's how you apply the fundamentals that make you more likely to get a job. My lecturer once told me that during his job interview at Intel, he was asked to draw out a plan for a program to control an elevator system. They weren't interested in his degrees or his GPA. They were more interested in his thought process and analytical skills.
This is good news indeed. Now the industry will be filled with people who work because they love the work. It reminds of a post I read in an article on Slashdot a while back, one reader said something similiar to "you either love what you do or be forced to love what you do".
Btw, I graduated and went straight into web development. So most of what I learned in school is now rarely applied to my work. It was great course though. I learned a lot about CPUs, Hardware programming and the fact that finding a female student in Computer Engineering in my school was like winning the state lottery. We had rumors that a girl enrolled in the Comp. Eng. but we never saw proof of it.
The comparison here is more of direct cause. IT people do not directly cause people to die but based on what they've designed, could cause accidents that may lead to deaths. It's easier to relate and understand a situation where a fireman fails to put out a fire in time which leads to loss of lives than it is to a programmer that writes code to round down instead of round up, thus causing a miscalculation in the software that eventually leads to a disaster that claims lives. Granted that at that point in time, the programmer does not realize their mistake because it's too far into the future and difficult to foresee and thus does not cause him stress directly. What about the supposedly computer glitch that failed to set off alarms that eventually led to the East Coast blackout? No deaths reported directly though.
Anyhoo, this could be a small example of The Butterfly Effect perhaps? (The theory not the movie).
But technology that doesn't work like it should is stressful. Technology that is poorly designed and implemented is stressful. People who don't know how to use technology is stressful. People who shouldn't be using technology is stressful. Guns don't kill people...
Really simple, all I used was a soldering iron, solder, blue LED. You can pick everything up at the local Radio Shack. The Radio Shack I visited had 3000mcd super bright blue LEDs. I eventually bought a 9000mcd super bright blue LEDs but I found out later that it's super bright coz the manufacturers tighten the angle of projection meaning brighter center spot thus higher mcd. 3000mcd still works well. My first concern was whether the LED was brighter than the normal red LEDs since they are on different ends of the wavelength and red is easier to pick up. Didn't really matter if you have a good enough pattern or surface, like a mouse pad made for optical mice.
I modded my blue Logitech Optical Mouse (USD$20 the last time I checked). Removed the regular red LED and replaced with the blue LED. Now my mouse glows blue. Looked kinda weird previously coz the mouse was blue, with semi-transparent blue plastic but glowed red underneath.
Easy modding... takes less than 15 minutes, unless you lose a spring or something.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't own a TiVo but I have friends who do. I'm glad that people find it useful. I, myself, don't really have much time to watch TV and won't go shit crazy if I miss an episode of Battlestar Galactica. When I'm actively watching a show at my friend's place, we always skip the commercials. However, you are right, if you want some background noise while you work, you probably won't care if it's commercials or not.
My bad, I must have skipped that part. I would curious to know how they came to that conclusion though.
and skipping them when they view it at a later date. That's what my friends do with their TiVo.
Damn right! It's like naming your game DOA! Oh wait...
Obviously. You know she feels cold. That's why she's conjuring up a fireball thingy like Ryu/Ken in Street Fighter 2... duh!
If you are interested in start up times, dpreview.com has a chart detailing response time of the Canon 20D. You can find it here:
2 .asp
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos20d/page1
I guess modelines would help if I was running XFree86. Strangely, the system works fine after bootup (except for the 480p mode) until it switches from 2D to 3D, e.g. 3D screensaver, and then back to 2D (Desktop). For all I know, it could be the TV not being to synch properly. Being a person who lacks the knowledge, I don't have a whole lot of time to mess with it. I think I'm gonna stick with the Crescendo PCI card and component cables since it works well for many people on the HTPCNews forum. the card handles all synching. Also, I have several component connectors on the TV but only 1 HDMI. I might save that slot for something better in the future.
I have my Win MCE 2005 hooked up to my Sony KDF-55WF655 with a DVI-HDMI from Monster through an ATI 9250 card.
When I first boot up the computer, it is always starts in 4:3 ratio 640x480. I have to tweak my ATI settings in order for it to show up in 1280 x 720 which is perfect for 720p. I can't get it display in 1080i. So, every time I boot up, I'll have to reconfigure to get my desktop to display in full 55". I think it's a catch-22 situation. TV needs to detect incoming signal to figure out if it's 480p, 720p or 1080i. Video card needs to detect TV to figure out what is the optimum resolution.
Also, the image seems to be chopped off on all sides. It looks like the desktop is a little too large for the TV. I can either have my Start button or the time on the right but not both. Tweaking the image with Powerstrip will only result in a blank screen coz the synch goes out of whack.
Finally, switching from 2D to 3D and then back to 2D causes the TV to go blank. I think it's a synch issue again. I can go from Desktop to Media Center but going back to Desktop will result in a blank TV screen and I cannot get the screen back up. I can't even switch back to Media Center and get my screen back. The only option is to reboot the machine.
I think I'm going to use a transcoder to link my box to the TV. I am leaning towards the PCI solution from Crescendo, available HERE. It uses a passthrough cable from VGA to the PCI Card and then converts it to Component. It only uses the PCI slot to draw power. The card handles the synching and everything. HTPCNews.com has a review on the PCI card HERE.
My daydream came from Q2CTF. After many countless late hours of CTF, I eventually started to look at tall buildings and wondered if I could grapple onto the ledge. Also, during college, I would wish for a grapple when I'm late for class. Those were the days... Now I just wish for a girl with a very high polygon count. Don't give me no bumpmapped nipples either! I want real 3D modelled nipples!
What are your favorite comics and which comic(s)/artist(s) have been the most influential in your style when drawing PA?
I was hooked(addicted?) on Q2 for a long time because of CTF. Then in Q3 it was DM, Instagib, Rocket Arena. Then it was UT and its mods. However, that is slightly different because it's community supported, even the servers. It doesn't require Id to support. Id said "Here's the game, go have fun". It took a life of its own and off it went.
MMORPGs on the other hand, the server(s) and the game is run by a company or a group of people. They do have limited resources compared to a FPS community. They do solicit the assistance of their community to keep the game in check. However, if you get bored of the game, you can't look for another mod to play. It's either wait for an expansion or move on to another MMORPG. It's not like the company can produce 2 or 3 expansions concurrently and let the players choose which one they want to play. Not very cost effective on their part.
What it boils down to, with respect to the MMORPG, is the company's bottom line. Since they run the servers and the game, they must make sure they make enough to keep the servers up, the employees well fed and the community happy. Id doesn't have to worry about servers or hiring a large number of people to keep the servers running all the time. So, cost is low. In other words, it's not really apples to apples comparison. How about an MMORPG that lets the community set up their own servers and run their own games? How about the ability to link several servers together from different communities to create a much larger playing field/map?
I do agree that the MMOs (or any other game companies for that matter) need to do a better job at patching. The patching thing after the game is released is getting to be tiresome. I'm not talking minor tweaks, I'm talking about major fixes coz the network code wasn't working properly *cough*Doom*cough*3*cough*. But whatever, to each his/her own. Everything has its pros and cons. IMHO, MMORPGs' cons outweigh its pros. So there.
I had tried several, including Neocron and Eve Online. I was a beta tester for several and all I can say is, other than meeting interesting people, I have nothing to show for it.
Besides aching fingers and an almost defunct mouse button from the constant "click click click reward" motion. Perhaps that's what these researchers should call the addiction... CCCR syndrome coz that's all MMORPG is about. The higher you go, the more clicks you have to make in order to get a reward.
If you are talking about going to a specific line number, it is: Ctrl W T
It's obvious that you have priority issues. If you favor a game over someone who dedicates a significant amount of her time/emotions to you then you might want to re-evaluate the direction that your life is heading to.
Is this "Stuff That Matters" or is Slashdot just running out of articles?
1. A naive female scientist who writes her formula on post-it notes
2. A Russian scientist who is forced to decipher the formula on said post-it notes
3. An international spy that uses names of saints as a disguise
Don't believe me? Here's proof!
"Snipers" will now be known as "camping whores"
WUUSSSSSSB!
Sitting around, surfing the net.
True... true..
Is it powerful enough to power a flux capacitor?
Dr.Brown? Your thoughts please...
Yup, the FBI wanted to charge foreign students $65 so that the FBI could track them. When they convert that into their own currency, that was a lot of money. Not to mention that some universities charge 3 times as much per credit hour compared to in-state fees. Also, the number of credit hours for EE and CS is way more than say, Liberal Arts (this depending on the university). So, it all boils down to money! I have friends who have chosen Australia and New Zealand over US to further their education because it was cheaper. One friend learned Japanese so that he could study in Japan.
This is good news indeed. Now the industry will be filled with people who work because they love the work. It reminds of a post I read in an article on Slashdot a while back, one reader said something similiar to "you either love what you do or be forced to love what you do".
Btw, I graduated and went straight into web development. So most of what I learned in school is now rarely applied to my work. It was great course though. I learned a lot about CPUs, Hardware programming and the fact that finding a female student in Computer Engineering in my school was like winning the state lottery. We had rumors that a girl enrolled in the Comp. Eng. but we never saw proof of it.
Here's the link to Dolby.com, it has a very good explanation for both dolby pro logic and dolby pro logic II.
http://www.dolby.com/tech/#head2
or an air traffic controller, who didn't do their job correctly, people died. Which may have led to his death. Miscalculations in programming too can cause computer error which can lead to problems.
The comparison here is more of direct cause. IT people do not directly cause people to die but based on what they've designed, could cause accidents that may lead to deaths. It's easier to relate and understand a situation where a fireman fails to put out a fire in time which leads to loss of lives than it is to a programmer that writes code to round down instead of round up, thus causing a miscalculation in the software that eventually leads to a disaster that claims lives. Granted that at that point in time, the programmer does not realize their mistake because it's too far into the future and difficult to foresee and thus does not cause him stress directly. What about the supposedly computer glitch that failed to set off alarms that eventually led to the East Coast blackout? No deaths reported directly though.
Anyhoo, this could be a small example of The Butterfly Effect perhaps? (The theory not the movie).
But technology that doesn't work like it should is stressful. Technology that is poorly designed and implemented is stressful. People who don't know how to use technology is stressful. People who shouldn't be using technology is stressful. Guns don't kill people...
Really simple, all I used was a soldering iron, solder, blue LED. You can pick everything up at the local Radio Shack. The Radio Shack I visited had 3000mcd super bright blue LEDs. I eventually bought a 9000mcd super bright blue LEDs but I found out later that it's super bright coz the manufacturers tighten the angle of projection meaning brighter center spot thus higher mcd. 3000mcd still works well. My first concern was whether the LED was brighter than the normal red LEDs since they are on different ends of the wavelength and red is easier to pick up. Didn't really matter if you have a good enough pattern or surface, like a mouse pad made for optical mice.
I modded my blue Logitech Optical Mouse (USD$20 the last time I checked). Removed the regular red LED and replaced with the blue LED. Now my mouse glows blue. Looked kinda weird previously coz the mouse was blue, with semi-transparent blue plastic but glowed red underneath.
Easy modding... takes less than 15 minutes, unless you lose a spring or something.
An electronic malfunction in his BMW locked him and his driver inside. This happened back in May 2003.
CNET Asia has more on that or you can google it HERE