Hackers gone wild at Spring break Just what we need - a bunch of fluoro-bleached, scruffy-lookin' dudes hanging around on the beach, flashing us their ttys...
Seriously. Colleges, Universities, and "Training Colleges" will be moving to Vista. Not right away, but a lot sooner than most businesses.
The scenario: potential student wants to learn the latest in computer software (read: Office suite and apps) so that by the time they hit the workforce, they'll be trained on the latest and greatest.
The profs want to *teach* the latest and greatest for two reasons: 1) They feel that students (who don't always know what the latest software is) are clamouring to use the latest software. Therefore, they want to draw more students to the college by offering the latest apps and OS. 2) They figure that they can get free hardware upgrades and run better machines than everyone in the college because they "have" to have the same software that they're using in the labs "so that they can teach it more effectively".
After the political warfare, the IT dept. makes a single lab for the Office Admin profs to satisify their "need". Then a second lab follows. Maybe even a third.
Then the profs decide that since they're teaching it in the lab, they should have it on their machines. And since it now comes with all of the shiny new machines that IT is bringing in on evergreening, they should get them first and start running Vista (even if the college default image is still XP).
From the IT perspective, you've got people wanting to run out of spec and other people asking about upgrading because it's new and shiny. Due to your Campus Agreement, you can make a new image using Vista, test it, and push it to the newest machines. This becomes the new benchmark for every user in the college.
Congrats. You've just created several hundred new Vista users at the corporate level, and several thousand at the academic level.
Caveat: I've worked IT for two Colleges in Canada. I've seen this happen. A *lot*.
I ask the reader to suspend the belief that you can teach *any* office suite (OpenOffice included) and the user will still learn the basic functionality needed to use *all* office suites. The profs don't believe this; mostly because (a) they've taught a lot of students and know that's not always true, and (b) they themselves are not comfortable on anything but MS Office.
And remember what we've read on Slashdot before: "If you let someone pirate Adobe Photoshop for free when they're *learning* it, they'll push their employers into *buying* it when they get a job using those skills." Push Vista to your students, and they'll be pushing Vista in the companies they work for.
Hi. I have good credit. Never seen my credit report, but I never seem to have problems getting credit when I need it. Now, the following is going to seem selfish, but I think it illustrates another problem with this method.
What happens if I lose my current job? Well, I'll apply at multiple places, correct? It increases my chances of finding another job.
So I send out 30 or 40 resumes to different groups. Each one has this credit-check policy in place. So now, in the space of one month, I might have 30-40 credit checks performed against me. If my understanding is correct, *every* time you have a credit check performed, your credit rating decreases.
So essentially, even someone with good credit screws *themselves* looking for a new job. Be sure you get in quick with the first job you apply for, or else your credit will turn to garbage in a very short period of time.
What the hell kind of solution is this? Not only do applicants with poor credit histories get denied, but the applicants with good credit histories will suffer the same fate?
"After this induced frenzy has calmed, we Canadains will then politley bandaged any surviving Americans {not many}, administer Tim Horton's coffee and donuts to stablize them, and return them to their home state for medical care."
Ah, so by sending them back to the USA for medical care, that's how we finish them off?
Very cool. I have the same problem as both of you. I didn't think that I'd ever hear about another person with the same condition.
IIRC, the condition I have is called "isotropia", which is at odds with the name of the condition that another poster in this thred ("intermittant exotropia"). Maybe I have something different - who knows?
Anyway, I can also choose which eye to look through. For example, right now I'm using my left to try and peer around my cat who's sitting in the MIDDLE OF MY SCREEN! LAY DOWN! Thank you.
Makes for a fun trick at parties, though. When I look through the right (my dominant eye), the left eye turns in slightly - vice versa for the left. People will point out that my eyes are just slightly crossed, and so I play "camera 1, camera 2" until they freak out. After all, it's not normal. ^)_(^
Driving is a bitch, though. I got contacts at 22, making my left eye stronger. I'd already been driving through my right eye since I was 16, so now I had to adjust to everything being shifted around. To imagine what that is like, try covering one eye and walking around a bit until you're fairly used to it, then cover the other eye. And try not to break anything.
True. I already own "Barenaked for the Holidays" as it is, so I'm not exactly excited about that portion of the stick.
What I'm talking about specifically is the marketing *gimmick*. Include a blank CD with BNL-specific artwork (even if it doesn't pertain to the actual *album*) and the user can burn their own copy of the album - or *any* album. Hell, you could make a mix disc of all sorts of stuff and use that blank, if the urge struck you. At that point, you potentially have (tens of) thousands of customers, all with the same "disc" but with radically different music on it. You could end up driving around town with your buddies and pop in one of his discs - one that you recognize as the BNL blank CD. Does it contain the album? Does it contain extra tracks, other than the album? Does it contain your buddy's own mix? Part of the fun would be finding out.
Just kind of a fun, goofy thing that really is indicative of BNL. People on Slashdot have already mentioned the "Napster tracks", where BNL did voice-overs as part of the song, asking you to purchase the music instead of downloading it. That's a *fantastic* marketing gimmick, because to some people, it actually adds value to the track that you download. Plus, because it made headlines for a brief period of time, it may have spurred more people to download the Napster tracks (just to hear what they said) and then actually buy the real deal.
OK, big BNL fan here, but...
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· Score: 2, Interesting
This sounds like a unique idea for releasing an album and if they pack it with goodies, I certainly won't complain. Including in-concert banter is a great idea, as that's always one of the things I've missed when I listen to a recording - there's less energy in the studio than there is live. They do offer downloads or CDs of most of their live concerts, for a price, which is a fantastic offer I've yet to actually *try*.
What worries me is that it'll be a little too easy to *lose* your music from that drive. Maybe that's a small worry, since you'll *probably* be able to back the music up on your own. Still, it just means that now I have to create a CD of it in order to listen to it in my car. Too many "ifs" to make me feel totally comfortable with purchasing this (even though I totally will). Plus, it'll look like hell on my CD rack. ^)_(^
Heh. I suppose what would've been an even better gimmick would be if they had released this USB drive in a package that includes a blank CD with artwork specific to this album. Then you could record it yourself, or even use the disc to record your own mixes. Include a little album artwork on the USB stick (front/back covers) and you can print out a pretty CD for your shelves if you wanted.
This reminds me of the movie "Basic Instinct", with Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone (the movie where she shows her twat). Anyways, some lesbian-homo weirdo group, in protest that the movie makes lesbians look like werdios, decided to leak the ending. They group had people go to movie theaters and talk about the ending of the movie, while people waited in line to buy the tickets.
What does this have to do with anything?
I like lesbians. ^)_(^
Re:Debian can be thought of as 3 parts...
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Updates From Debian
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· Score: 2, Informative
I think that the order is actually:
stable ("gold") testing ("RC") unstable ("beta")
That's why "testing" generally gets put under a freeze and then bumped down to the new "stable". "Unstable" is always "unstable" and packages are generally floated down to "testing" after a predetermined grace period - just to be sure they didn't break anything. If you run "unstable", you're running the bleeding edge.
From what I've heard, there's also experimental branches as well, but I know nothing about it.
If Denmark's law is anything like Canadian law, then there is a provision that allows for this.
In Canada (as I understand it), Alice can lend a CD to Bob, who is permitted to make a copy of the original for himself. However, Bob cannot lend Alice's CD (the original) or his CD (the copy) to Carol for her to make a copy. However again, *Alice* can lend her original CD to Carol to be copied.
Twisted, I know. But if Danish law is the same way, then it's certainly feasible for someone to borrow a CD form a friend, and then make a "copy" on to their iPod. That is, if ripping an MP3 is understood to be a copy.
And one off-topic idea, haven't we always been told that the *real* problem with piracy lay with 100% identical digital copies? Since an MP3 is not 100% identical (and loses some information from the original recording), isn't this akin to recording stuff off of TV onto a VCR? Then again, that American right is supposed to be undergoing some "alteration"...
A device that converges some of the best things about my HandEra 330, an iPod, and a cell phone. I don't own a cell phone or an iPod, mostly because I don't have enough pocket space for everything. But I've been looking for a device that'll fill the role of all three. For example: - Reasonable-sized screen (4" 640x480?), and colour would be nice (especially for watching videos) - SD/CF slots, for greater choice in expansion - Portrait/landscape mode, combined with... -... a good jog dial (and a real *dial* or *toggle*, not two damn buttons), so that I can turn it sideways and read e-Books (my HandEra is a dream for this, and I almost bought a Tungsten T3 as it seemed the most logical successor). - 4 GB of space for media files (minimum) (MP3, OGG, DivX, etc) - Wi/Fi, Bluetooth (why both? See below...) - runs Linux, just because it'd be kinda cool. But I do like the PalmOS, so I can take that too. - decent voice recorder - don't need a camera but hell, everything's got one these days. Shove one in! Doesn't have to be great quality - just enough to grab nice little snaps of random stuff from time to time. - output to an external monitor/TV. So VGA/S-Video/Composite - any of those. VGA would be nice for most projectors, though. - at least one USB port. 'Cause you never know...
It seems I've almost found the perfect device in the guise of the Sharp Zaurus 6000, though the cost is somewhat high. Get the model with the built-in WiFi and Bluetooth and then plug in one of those 4 GB CF cards, and I'm mostly set.
What I find interesting is the possible application of such a device at *work*, rather than at play. Sure, being able to watch my own movies or listen to my own music on my semi-monthy 5 hour bus trip would be nice, but at work, I can see great possibilities...
I work Help Desk at a college and we're discussing a move to VOIP for our phone services. If we did that, and add widespread Wi-Fi coverage throughout the campus, I could do Help Desk remotely. Don a Bluetooth headset, connect an RDP or VNC session back to my desktop where my Help Desk software is running, and take trouble calls on the go while logging new calls for other staff. Of course, the hardware, software, and bandwidth logistics of that may be difficult to meet. But hey, anything I can do to get the College to write off most of my purchase. ^)_(^
Additionally, if there was a method to use it as a cell phone (some sort of GSM SD or CF card), I could use it for quick phone calls that way.
Gaming options would be nice, but not necessary (kind of like having the camera). Having MAME available would certainly cut down on the boredom of some long trips and I can see it having easy appeal for commuters.
Anyway... just a dream. A very *expensive* dream, but it certainly seems possible these days...
Just a quick note, really. Get yourself a good opthamologist and get a set of corneal maps done. I have reasonably bad astigmatism in both eyes and the maps (along with careful study of the eyes themselves) revealed that I have several clinical symptoms for keratoconus.
Simply described, keratoconus is when your cornea decides (for whatever reason) that it'd be happier in a cone shape rather than a spherical shape.
After I found out about this, my opthamologist, optometrist, and optician all agreed that there is no way in Hell I should be having lasre eye surgery to correct my vision. I've seen my maps and instead of a smooth, hill-like surface, each eye resembles a mountain range - steep on one side, with a big drop off towards the centre, with a large smooth portion along half of my eye. Pretty bizarre.
Fortunately, my opthamologist (Dr. Joseph Leong-Sit of Edmonton, AB) and optician (Jim Thompson of Edmonton, AB), had worked with keratoconus cases before. Thanks to their combined experience, I'm wearing Rose-K RGP contact lenses that have given me 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/15 vision in the other. Sure, it's a little blurry and "halo-y" at times, but it was the best option. At least until I turn 45-50 years old and the gradual deterioration of my cornea becomes so bad that I'll need a corneal replacement. Yep, looking forward to that! ^)_(^
I'm glad I had the maps done and I think it's a worthwhile expense for anyone looking to get this type of surgery.
I used Cinelerra for a project in my Japanese theatre class and it was a *very* steep learning curve. Of course, it was also the first time I had done any sort of non-linear video editing, so that is probably paritally to blame.
After I got used to the interface and the specific methods of inserting transitions and whatnot, I found it pretty simple to add in voice-over tracks and sound/video effects. I was also using it on a Duron 933 w/ 512 MB RAM - not at all a powerhouse video-editing workstation by any stretch of the imagination (check the recommended system on the Cinelerra home page).
I basically just imported clips from a FireWire digicam, spliced in some clips from some anime to illustrate my points, and added effects to clean up the transitions. I didn't get the project done, but I did find that learning the software was a fun experience. I'll probably try it again someday, but this time, I'll be using a better class of system.
I would definitely recommend that people at least *try* Cinelerra when they have some time to spare to learn the interface. Having not tried Kino for some such forgotten reason, I can't compare the two. --
Caveat: I'm not a programmer, and the little that I did in university has convinced me that other people are better off writing software, as mine sucks. And for that, I have the utmost respect for anyone who can program.
Is there a reason that you can't do both? Can you not do as many other people have surely done and get a job working for The Man, but then also code your OSS project at home for free? Is there a reason why this might not work? Better yet, are there *several* reasons why this might no work?
I realize that some contracts put forth by employers contain clauses that retain rights to all the work that you do connected with the company, but as long as you work on your own project at home and not use company resources, it seems to me that you should be allowed to license *that* code however you want. If you can't (for whatever bizarre reason), then you should be able to negotiate those rights prior to signing the contract.
The only reason I can think for a company to restrict your rights in this fashion would be that they are worried about you taking what you have learned, turning it into your own product, quitting the business, and selling yours for oodles of cash. But if your project is not similar to theirs (for example, you code an audio-manipulation program at home, and embedded heart-monitor apps at work), you shouldn't be restricted by a non-compete clause.
To me, it seems like the letter's arguments are black and white. You can code Open, or you can code Closed. You can't do both. The world is not made up of only black and white situations, though.
But hey - if the situation is different, please fill me in.
Thanks very much to everyone that posted. I figure since this story's moved off the main page, I'm probably not going to see too many more comments. In reading the comments, I noticed that a few people were wondering about my specific conition, so I thought I'd just quickly jot it down here.
I have what I believe my optician called "asymptomatic Keretoconus", meaning that I exibit some of the clinical signs of keretoconus, but not all of them. I have severe astigmatism in my left eye, but just a small amount in my right. My opthamologist has confirmed this condition - ditto with two optometrists.
I also have isotropia, which is a condition where I don't see through both eyes at the same time (thus I have no depth perception). Due to this, I can switch the eye that I look through and the eye I am not using will turn in to assist the eye that I am using. It's a fun trick to play at parties. ^)_(^ As a result, though, I've been told wearing rigid contacts may be "interesting"... I'll probably do it anyway, though.
I currently have 20/30 or 20/40 vision (I can't remember my last eye exam) when I'm wearing my glasses. My ocular degeneration is proceeding fast enough that I need to update my lenses every three to four months. I'll probably look at getting rigid contacts to help the astigmatism and see if I can pair up glasses to reduce my nearsightedness... I have no idea if that is possible, though.
I'm using a 15" Sceptre D54 as my monitor, with a Matrox G450 running at 1024x768 85Hz. My OS? Linux, of course. ^)_(^ It's getting harder to focus and I consistantly surf using Mozilla at 150% text size. I don't need images to be big - I can just Ctrl-Alt-+/- to change resolutions if I *need* to.
I'm not a coder - I'm an MIS student almost out of university looking to do network admin and eventually move into being an IT manager. As a result, I don't have much money right now to purchase the best monitor out there, but I am looking at getting either an LG 995FT (like the 915FT+ but no USB) or an NEC MutilSync FE950+ BK (I've used them at school and I like them).
Bottom line: my condition right now is not bad enough that I consider myself eligible for assistance from service clubs or NPOs. I'll still talk to the Lions' Club and the CNIB in Canada (where I live) for any help or advice they may have.
I figured since I had not had any success searching on the Web for monitor reviews, display technologies, and the like with respect to the visually impaired, I thought the obvious place to go for tech advice from young geeks like myself would be Slashdot. Thanks very much to the Editors here for posting my question. I've got a lot of use out of the comments and it'll give me a few more things to research with my doctors.
And again, thanks to all who posted comments or wrote me personal e-mail. Very cool stuff I received and I hope it'll be helpful to others out there with similar problems.
I've already seen several optometrists and opthamologists about my condition, including an optician in Edmonton who is well-known in the community for handling people with keretoconus. With over 30 years of experience, I trust him for helping me make good decisions about my eyesight. Unfortunately, he had no suggestions about display technologies that are easier on the eyes.
My interest here is *not* in asking people for medical advice - that's why we have doctors. I wanted to find out if anyone had seen studies or had suggestions for display technologies that would be easier on my eyes. Since I had not found anything on my own, I posted the question here, since I believed there's probably a lot of people in the tech community who are young, have bad eyesight, and are seeking the same kind of solutions I am.
You're aboslutely right, though - don't take any medical advice from a forum. Always take that advice to your doctor and get their opinion. Then get *another* opinion. Especially when it comes to your eyes. We only get two, and we don't get any more.
Just some extra info that some of you may (or may not) find interesting about Lain: - According to my Mac-using buddy, the OS all of the Navis use is/would-have-been the Copeland OS (sp?). Not sure of the backstory behind it, but IIRC it was supposed to be released for Macs but was scrapped. I must say, if someone could get a similar setup/GUI going on a Linux box, I'd love to give that a go... - The OP song is called "Duvet" and is performed by Boa. Again, IIRC, Boa is an Australian group with at least one CD out (The Race of a Thousand Camels). They also do another great song called "Deeply", which is a little harder than Duvet. - If you've got a Mac, use the Whisper voice in SimpleText to play back your own "Layer" titles. (Each episode in Lain is called a "Layer").
-- Brendan "Beej" Dery President, Banzai Anime Klub of Alberta (BAKA)
Slashdot Mirror
You don't need mod points to know which way the wind blows. I'm surprised it didn't come out:
You don't need mod points to denigrate Windows(TM).
90% burns... username "DavidV"...
You're not David, are you?
Colleges.
Seriously. Colleges, Universities, and "Training Colleges" will be moving to Vista. Not right away, but a lot sooner than most businesses.
The scenario: potential student wants to learn the latest in computer software (read: Office suite and apps) so that by the time they hit the workforce, they'll be trained on the latest and greatest.
The profs want to *teach* the latest and greatest for two reasons:
1) They feel that students (who don't always know what the latest software is) are clamouring to use the latest software. Therefore, they want to draw more students to the college by offering the latest apps and OS.
2) They figure that they can get free hardware upgrades and run better machines than everyone in the college because they "have" to have the same software that they're using in the labs "so that they can teach it more effectively".
After the political warfare, the IT dept. makes a single lab for the Office Admin profs to satisify their "need". Then a second lab follows. Maybe even a third.
Then the profs decide that since they're teaching it in the lab, they should have it on their machines. And since it now comes with all of the shiny new machines that IT is bringing in on evergreening, they should get them first and start running Vista (even if the college default image is still XP).
From the IT perspective, you've got people wanting to run out of spec and other people asking about upgrading because it's new and shiny. Due to your Campus Agreement, you can make a new image using Vista, test it, and push it to the newest machines. This becomes the new benchmark for every user in the college.
Congrats. You've just created several hundred new Vista users at the corporate level, and several thousand at the academic level.
Caveat: I've worked IT for two Colleges in Canada. I've seen this happen. A *lot*.
I ask the reader to suspend the belief that you can teach *any* office suite (OpenOffice included) and the user will still learn the basic functionality needed to use *all* office suites. The profs don't believe this; mostly because (a) they've taught a lot of students and know that's not always true, and (b) they themselves are not comfortable on anything but MS Office.
And remember what we've read on Slashdot before: "If you let someone pirate Adobe Photoshop for free when they're *learning* it, they'll push their employers into *buying* it when they get a job using those skills." Push Vista to your students, and they'll be pushing Vista in the companies they work for.
Hi. I have good credit. Never seen my credit report, but I never seem to have problems getting credit when I need it. Now, the following is going to seem selfish, but I think it illustrates another problem with this method.
What happens if I lose my current job? Well, I'll apply at multiple places, correct? It increases my chances of finding another job.
So I send out 30 or 40 resumes to different groups. Each one has this credit-check policy in place. So now, in the space of one month, I might have 30-40 credit checks performed against me. If my understanding is correct, *every* time you have a credit check performed, your credit rating decreases.
So essentially, even someone with good credit screws *themselves* looking for a new job. Be sure you get in quick with the first job you apply for, or else your credit will turn to garbage in a very short period of time.
What the hell kind of solution is this? Not only do applicants with poor credit histories get denied, but the applicants with good credit histories will suffer the same fate?
"After this induced frenzy has calmed, we Canadains will then politley bandaged any surviving Americans {not many}, administer Tim Horton's coffee and donuts to stablize them, and return them to their home state for medical care."
Ah, so by sending them back to the USA for medical care, that's how we finish them off?
Very cool. I have the same problem as both of you. I didn't think that I'd ever hear about another person with the same condition.
IIRC, the condition I have is called "isotropia", which is at odds with the name of the condition that another poster in this thred ("intermittant exotropia"). Maybe I have something different - who knows?
Anyway, I can also choose which eye to look through. For example, right now I'm using my left to try and peer around my cat who's sitting in the MIDDLE OF MY SCREEN! LAY DOWN! Thank you.
Makes for a fun trick at parties, though. When I look through the right (my dominant eye), the left eye turns in slightly - vice versa for the left. People will point out that my eyes are just slightly crossed, and so I play "camera 1, camera 2" until they freak out. After all, it's not normal. ^)_(^
Driving is a bitch, though. I got contacts at 22, making my left eye stronger. I'd already been driving through my right eye since I was 16, so now I had to adjust to everything being shifted around. To imagine what that is like, try covering one eye and walking around a bit until you're fairly used to it, then cover the other eye. And try not to break anything.
JFK's assassination was a Cuban plot. Apparently some anti-Castro pigeons were seen talking in a bar, saying 'coup, coup'...
I'll give the credit for that joke to Bill Hicks, as it should be.
True. I already own "Barenaked for the Holidays" as it is, so I'm not exactly excited about that portion of the stick.
What I'm talking about specifically is the marketing *gimmick*. Include a blank CD with BNL-specific artwork (even if it doesn't pertain to the actual *album*) and the user can burn their own copy of the album - or *any* album. Hell, you could make a mix disc of all sorts of stuff and use that blank, if the urge struck you. At that point, you potentially have (tens of) thousands of customers, all with the same "disc" but with radically different music on it. You could end up driving around town with your buddies and pop in one of his discs - one that you recognize as the BNL blank CD. Does it contain the album? Does it contain extra tracks, other than the album? Does it contain your buddy's own mix? Part of the fun would be finding out.
Just kind of a fun, goofy thing that really is indicative of BNL. People on Slashdot have already mentioned the "Napster tracks", where BNL did voice-overs as part of the song, asking you to purchase the music instead of downloading it. That's a *fantastic* marketing gimmick, because to some people, it actually adds value to the track that you download. Plus, because it made headlines for a brief period of time, it may have spurred more people to download the Napster tracks (just to hear what they said) and then actually buy the real deal.
This sounds like a unique idea for releasing an album and if they pack it with goodies, I certainly won't complain. Including in-concert banter is a great idea, as that's always one of the things I've missed when I listen to a recording - there's less energy in the studio than there is live. They do offer downloads or CDs of most of their live concerts, for a price, which is a fantastic offer I've yet to actually *try*.
What worries me is that it'll be a little too easy to *lose* your music from that drive. Maybe that's a small worry, since you'll *probably* be able to back the music up on your own. Still, it just means that now I have to create a CD of it in order to listen to it in my car. Too many "ifs" to make me feel totally comfortable with purchasing this (even though I totally will). Plus, it'll look like hell on my CD rack. ^)_(^
Heh. I suppose what would've been an even better gimmick would be if they had released this USB drive in a package that includes a blank CD with artwork specific to this album. Then you could record it yourself, or even use the disc to record your own mixes. Include a little album artwork on the USB stick (front/back covers) and you can print out a pretty CD for your shelves if you wanted.
I like lesbians. ^)_(^
I think that the order is actually:
stable ("gold")
testing ("RC")
unstable ("beta")
That's why "testing" generally gets put under a freeze and then bumped down to the new "stable". "Unstable" is always "unstable" and packages are generally floated down to "testing" after a predetermined grace period - just to be sure they didn't break anything. If you run "unstable", you're running the bleeding edge.
From what I've heard, there's also experimental branches as well, but I know nothing about it.
Ja ne, eh?
For those who checked the screenshots in the article, doesn't that second one look suspiciously like a certain motorcade route in Dallas?
If Denmark's law is anything like Canadian law, then there is a provision that allows for this.
In Canada (as I understand it), Alice can lend a CD to Bob, who is permitted to make a copy of the original for himself. However, Bob cannot lend Alice's CD (the original) or his CD (the copy) to Carol for her to make a copy. However again, *Alice* can lend her original CD to Carol to be copied.
Twisted, I know. But if Danish law is the same way, then it's certainly feasible for someone to borrow a CD form a friend, and then make a "copy" on to their iPod. That is, if ripping an MP3 is understood to be a copy.
And one off-topic idea, haven't we always been told that the *real* problem with piracy lay with 100% identical digital copies? Since an MP3 is not 100% identical (and loses some information from the original recording), isn't this akin to recording stuff off of TV onto a VCR? Then again, that American right is supposed to be undergoing some "alteration"...
Ja ne, eh?
Greetings, eh?
... a good jog dial (and a real *dial* or *toggle*, not two damn buttons), so that I can turn it sideways and read e-Books (my HandEra is a dream for this, and I almost bought a Tungsten T3 as it seemed the most logical successor).
A device that converges some of the best things about my HandEra 330, an iPod, and a cell phone. I don't own a cell phone or an iPod, mostly because I don't have enough pocket space for everything. But I've been looking for a device that'll fill the role of all three. For example:
- Reasonable-sized screen (4" 640x480?), and colour would be nice (especially for watching videos)
- SD/CF slots, for greater choice in expansion
- Portrait/landscape mode, combined with...
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- 4 GB of space for media files (minimum) (MP3, OGG, DivX, etc)
- Wi/Fi, Bluetooth (why both? See below...)
- runs Linux, just because it'd be kinda cool. But I do like the PalmOS, so I can take that too.
- decent voice recorder
- don't need a camera but hell, everything's got one these days. Shove one in! Doesn't have to be great quality - just enough to grab nice little snaps of random stuff from time to time.
- output to an external monitor/TV. So VGA/S-Video/Composite - any of those. VGA would be nice for most projectors, though.
- at least one USB port. 'Cause you never know...
It seems I've almost found the perfect device in the guise of the Sharp Zaurus 6000, though the cost is somewhat high. Get the model with the built-in WiFi and Bluetooth and then plug in one of those 4 GB CF cards, and I'm mostly set.
What I find interesting is the possible application of such a device at *work*, rather than at play. Sure, being able to watch my own movies or listen to my own music on my semi-monthy 5 hour bus trip would be nice, but at work, I can see great possibilities...
I work Help Desk at a college and we're discussing a move to VOIP for our phone services. If we did that, and add widespread Wi-Fi coverage throughout the campus, I could do Help Desk remotely. Don a Bluetooth headset, connect an RDP or VNC session back to my desktop where my Help Desk software is running, and take trouble calls on the go while logging new calls for other staff. Of course, the hardware, software, and bandwidth logistics of that may be difficult to meet. But hey, anything I can do to get the College to write off most of my purchase. ^)_(^
Additionally, if there was a method to use it as a cell phone (some sort of GSM SD or CF card), I could use it for quick phone calls that way.
Gaming options would be nice, but not necessary (kind of like having the camera). Having MAME available would certainly cut down on the boredom of some long trips and I can see it having easy appeal for commuters.
Anyway... just a dream. A very *expensive* dream, but it certainly seems possible these days...
Ja ne, eh?
Greetings, eh?
Just a quick note, really. Get yourself a good opthamologist and get a set of corneal maps done. I have reasonably bad astigmatism in both eyes and the maps (along with careful study of the eyes themselves) revealed that I have several clinical symptoms for keratoconus.
Simply described, keratoconus is when your cornea decides (for whatever reason) that it'd be happier in a cone shape rather than a spherical shape.
After I found out about this, my opthamologist, optometrist, and optician all agreed that there is no way in Hell I should be having lasre eye surgery to correct my vision. I've seen my maps and instead of a smooth, hill-like surface, each eye resembles a mountain range - steep on one side, with a big drop off towards the centre, with a large smooth portion along half of my eye. Pretty bizarre.
Fortunately, my opthamologist (Dr. Joseph Leong-Sit of Edmonton, AB) and optician (Jim Thompson of Edmonton, AB), had worked with keratoconus cases before. Thanks to their combined experience, I'm wearing Rose-K RGP contact lenses that have given me 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/15 vision in the other. Sure, it's a little blurry and "halo-y" at times, but it was the best option. At least until I turn 45-50 years old and the gradual deterioration of my cornea becomes so bad that I'll need a corneal replacement. Yep, looking forward to that! ^)_(^
I'm glad I had the maps done and I think it's a worthwhile expense for anyone looking to get this type of surgery.
Ja ne, eh?
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Beej
I used Cinelerra for a project in my Japanese theatre class and it was a *very* steep learning curve. Of course, it was also the first time I had done any sort of non-linear video editing, so that is probably paritally to blame.
After I got used to the interface and the specific methods of inserting transitions and whatnot, I found it pretty simple to add in voice-over tracks and sound/video effects. I was also using it on a Duron 933 w/ 512 MB RAM - not at all a powerhouse video-editing workstation by any stretch of the imagination (check the recommended system on the Cinelerra home page).
I basically just imported clips from a FireWire digicam, spliced in some clips from some anime to illustrate my points, and added effects to clean up the transitions. I didn't get the project done, but I did find that learning the software was a fun experience. I'll probably try it again someday, but this time, I'll be using a better class of system.
I would definitely recommend that people at least *try* Cinelerra when they have some time to spare to learn the interface. Having not tried Kino for some such forgotten reason, I can't compare the two.
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Greetings, eh?
Caveat: I'm not a programmer, and the little that I did in university has convinced me that other people are better off writing software, as mine sucks. And for that, I have the utmost respect for anyone who can program.
Is there a reason that you can't do both? Can you not do as many other people have surely done and get a job working for The Man, but then also code your OSS project at home for free? Is there a reason why this might not work? Better yet, are there *several* reasons why this might no work?
I realize that some contracts put forth by employers contain clauses that retain rights to all the work that you do connected with the company, but as long as you work on your own project at home and not use company resources, it seems to me that you should be allowed to license *that* code however you want. If you can't (for whatever bizarre reason), then you should be able to negotiate those rights prior to signing the contract.
The only reason I can think for a company to restrict your rights in this fashion would be that they are worried about you taking what you have learned, turning it into your own product, quitting the business, and selling yours for oodles of cash. But if your project is not similar to theirs (for example, you code an audio-manipulation program at home, and embedded heart-monitor apps at work), you shouldn't be restricted by a non-compete clause.
To me, it seems like the letter's arguments are black and white. You can code Open, or you can code Closed. You can't do both. The world is not made up of only black and white situations, though.
But hey - if the situation is different, please fill me in.
Greetings, eh?
Thanks very much to everyone that posted. I figure since this story's moved off the main page, I'm probably not going to see too many more comments. In reading the comments, I noticed that a few people were wondering about my specific conition, so I thought I'd just quickly jot it down here.
I have what I believe my optician called "asymptomatic Keretoconus", meaning that I exibit some of the clinical signs of keretoconus, but not all of them. I have severe astigmatism in my left eye, but just a small amount in my right. My opthamologist has confirmed this condition - ditto with two optometrists.
I also have isotropia, which is a condition where I don't see through both eyes at the same time (thus I have no depth perception). Due to this, I can switch the eye that I look through and the eye I am not using will turn in to assist the eye that I am using. It's a fun trick to play at parties. ^)_(^ As a result, though, I've been told wearing rigid contacts may be "interesting"... I'll probably do it anyway, though.
I currently have 20/30 or 20/40 vision (I can't remember my last eye exam) when I'm wearing my glasses. My ocular degeneration is proceeding fast enough that I need to update my lenses every three to four months. I'll probably look at getting rigid contacts to help the astigmatism and see if I can pair up glasses to reduce my nearsightedness... I have no idea if that is possible, though.
I'm using a 15" Sceptre D54 as my monitor, with a Matrox G450 running at 1024x768 85Hz. My OS? Linux, of course. ^)_(^ It's getting harder to focus and I consistantly surf using Mozilla at 150% text size. I don't need images to be big - I can just Ctrl-Alt-+/- to change resolutions if I *need* to.
I'm not a coder - I'm an MIS student almost out of university looking to do network admin and eventually move into being an IT manager. As a result, I don't have much money right now to purchase the best monitor out there, but I am looking at getting either an LG 995FT (like the 915FT+ but no USB) or an NEC MutilSync FE950+ BK (I've used them at school and I like them).
Bottom line: my condition right now is not bad enough that I consider myself eligible for assistance from service clubs or NPOs. I'll still talk to the Lions' Club and the CNIB in Canada (where I live) for any help or advice they may have.
I figured since I had not had any success searching on the Web for monitor reviews, display technologies, and the like with respect to the visually impaired, I thought the obvious place to go for tech advice from young geeks like myself would be Slashdot. Thanks very much to the Editors here for posting my question. I've got a lot of use out of the comments and it'll give me a few more things to research with my doctors.
And again, thanks to all who posted comments or wrote me personal e-mail. Very cool stuff I received and I hope it'll be helpful to others out there with similar problems.
Ja ne, eh?
I've already seen several optometrists and opthamologists about my condition, including an optician in Edmonton who is well-known in the community for handling people with keretoconus. With over 30 years of experience, I trust him for helping me make good decisions about my eyesight. Unfortunately, he had no suggestions about display technologies that are easier on the eyes.
My interest here is *not* in asking people for medical advice - that's why we have doctors. I wanted to find out if anyone had seen studies or had suggestions for display technologies that would be easier on my eyes. Since I had not found anything on my own, I posted the question here, since I believed there's probably a lot of people in the tech community who are young, have bad eyesight, and are seeking the same kind of solutions I am.
You're aboslutely right, though - don't take any medical advice from a forum. Always take that advice to your doctor and get their opinion. Then get *another* opinion. Especially when it comes to your eyes. We only get two, and we don't get any more.
Just some extra info that some of you may (or may not) find interesting about Lain:
- According to my Mac-using buddy, the OS all of the Navis use is/would-have-been the Copeland OS (sp?). Not sure of the backstory behind it, but IIRC it was supposed to be released for Macs but was scrapped. I must say, if someone could get a similar setup/GUI going on a Linux box, I'd love to give that a go...
- The OP song is called "Duvet" and is performed by Boa. Again, IIRC, Boa is an Australian group with at least one CD out (The Race of a Thousand Camels). They also do another great song called "Deeply", which is a little harder than Duvet.
- If you've got a Mac, use the Whisper voice in SimpleText to play back your own "Layer" titles. (Each episode in Lain is called a "Layer").
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Brendan "Beej" Dery
President, Banzai Anime Klub of Alberta (BAKA)