I still haven't upgraded because of it. When it first arrived, I did give it an honest try - for about two weeks, but I didn't find that it 'adjusted' to my activity at all. The oldbar extension wasn't the same as the old location bar either, so I eventually downgraded. Since I probably spend most of my time using a browser, it is a real dealbreaker for myself. I'm guessing that since this most recent change isn't offering a retro-alternative to the awesomebar I won't have to repeat the experiment.
While I agree with you on most points you bring up, I have to ask the question of just what groundbreaking innovation can be brought about at this point? Duke Nukem 3d was groundbreaking because it WAS 3d, and one of the few/first(?) at the time that came about. I can't think of another paradigm-shifting change in video games that has come along since. I saw nothing special in Halo, GOW or many of the games which have come along recently. Sure, some were fun and enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. I'm not all that fond of motion control like the WII, but it's an effort. What astounds me is that there hasn't been a real 'jump' in the AI of video games. Personally I'd trade all the shiny reflections and shadows for an ordinary soldier in one of these games that would take half an hour to kill, and not from the usual boss-battle outrageous hit points kind of difficulty, but from tactics and strategy. Of course, I would imagine that this is more to do with the limits of computer science when it comes to 'realistic' AI, and we simply aren't there yet. I think the next 'big' change in video games will arrive when we crack those problems. Until then, more pretty graphics, shiny reflections and the need for outrageously-priced video cards in order to run them.
As much as I love Slack, and for as long as I've used it, I would never recommend it to anyone I know... just imagine the questions! My God, there wouldn't be enough hours in the day. That being said, I love Slack and likely won't be using anything else in the near future. Mind you, I've always wanted to know how everything works 'under the hood', and that's ultimately what keeps me using Slackware. I've best heard it described as being 'as user-friendly as a coiled rattlesnake.' It does nearly nothing for you, and you're expected to go it alone for the most part. Personally I love it, but for a first-time linux user? Clear your schedule.
More on topic, why not a BSD box? FreeBSD is the only one I can recommend from personal usage, but I've read good reviews about PCBSD. Linux-wise, if you're a new user nowadays I'd wholeheartedly recommend Ubuntu. It didn't end up staying on any of my computers, but it was the most user-friendly linux distro I'd ever used.
If you stand on principle, you may cost Microsoft a few bucks, but in the process you will end up costing yourself a few bucks too. It's hardly worth it since it's really a drop in the bucket for MS whereas it's probably a real cost to you.
Uh, how would not paying a Microsoft tax end up costing myself a few bucks?
Look at it this way, every voice probably counts for something, but in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter all that much what you as an individual do, so why go out on a limb and do something that is going to directly harm yourself?
What limb? I can't think of anything negative that could happen to anyone if they dared not to choose windows on their new computer purchase.
Whatever money MS gets will go into coming out with a better competitor to Linux, and that perpetuates the good positive feedback cycle that competition is supposed to spur.
Ahahahahaha! Now I know you've been joking! Sorry I didn't pick up on the sarcasm sooner...
I second the motion. I'm so sick of commercials appearing more than once during the same commercial break. I'm sick of promising shows being cancelled before their time and replaced with more 'reality-tv' type stuff. (The show that immediately comes to mind is Fox's 'Drive', cancelled after just 3 episodes! I haven't watched any reality tv since the first season or two of survivor.) I'd gladly pay an similar monthly fee for commercial-free programming and an uninterrupted run of a show with no threat of premature cancellation or extended abscences from the air due to 'sweeps'. I like a good story, and more than that, I expect a logical and fitting ending to a story. But maybe that's just me, but I really don't think so. I should think that satellite radio owes at least some of its success to the fact that there aren't any commercials in its broadcasting. So why can't television be based on a similar model? As it is, I've cancelled my cable and gone back to reading books, while waiting to download the entire seasons of the shows I wanted to watch, and enjoying them as I'd like.
They refused to update any of the computers and as such I was using the same tactic till the day I graduated."
This sounds awfully familiar. My University's residence had their internet connection supplied to us via 'Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0', which was completely intolerant of any operating system other than Windows. (Webtraffic was available for alt-OS'es, and not much else.) I tried like hell to convince the IT dept to upgrade their network or at least alter their settings to incorporate other OS'es, but like most bureaucratic entities change comes at a glacial pace and I had no success in 'asking' for help. Eventually I bought a second computer and used it to circumvent the shortcomings of the MS proxy. Personally my opinion is that I didn't do anything wrong in doing so, as the school's IT department wasn't able/were unwilling to help, and since part of the Universities' residence agreement was to supply me with a working internet connection, I don't view similar strategies as subverting the Uni's authority or attempting to break the law. Overt attempts to hack the Uni's network or server would have likely resulted in suspension or expulsion, and justifiably so, as such practices were clearly forbidden and explained to each student before any network connection was activated.
Just my 2 cents...
For myself, it was the original syphon filter for the PSX. I remember one evening where a roommate of mine was stuck at one point in the game in a narrow hallway, with two 'bad guys' a little further off in a larger room. For whatever reason, the (sometimes) flaky AI was at its pinnacle at that point, and managed to keep him occupied for god-know-how-many retries. One kept him buttoned down with gunfire, and the other tossed grenades if he tried to get closer. All in all, it took him about an hour to get past that point in the game... personally I found it hilarious. I don't find that a lot of games have 'impressive' AI, and that most developers tend to rely on complex level designs in the attempt to make up for a lack in AI. (Mind you, I couldn't do any better myself, so until the field of artificial intelligence undergoes a major breakthrough I don't think we can blame the programmers.)
Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I envision the following coming out of this...
We succeed in diverting it, and 15 years later we all sigh in relief as the asteroid passes by. The same year, we experience first contact, and realize where the asteroid is now headed.
You're partly right. It was in 1981 when the disease was discovered/recognized. It was 1982 when the CDC renamed the disease 'AIDS'. Before that, it was known as GRID. (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) The causitive virus itself wasn't discovered until 1983, and wasn't renamed 'HIV' until 1986.
(Splitting hairs, I know, but it's early and I haven't had my coffee yet...)
I'm so sick of advertising. I'm coming close to wearing out my 'mute' button on my television remote from keeping myself from hearing a commercial for the 10th time in an hour-long program. I'm sick of silly little tunes and flashy pop-ups when visiting websites. I'm sick of seeing billboards with stupid themes designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. To get back on topic, I was excited a few months ago for the release of Battlefield 2142, and had occasionally kept an eye on it through its development process. About a week before its release I read about the new in-game advertising that had to be running in order to play the game. (In my mind, this speaks to the knowledge that advertisers know how much their advertisements annoy people) I go to great lengths to keep popups off of my computer, and annoying scripts and flash-crap from running. Why would I go out and buy a game that does the same? Answer: I didn't, and I won't. I understand some people's viewpoint that it increases the 'immersive' quality of the game, but personally I don't think that the advertising has to be 'real-world' advertising to do that. If I saw an ad for Coca-Cola or Pepsi in a Final Fantasy game I'd be sorely disappointed. And I'm pretty damn sure that unless I win a 'millionaire for life' lottery I won't be cruising around in a Ferrari any time soon, so would the fact that I'm driving on 'Acme' tires rather than 'Goodyear' matter all that much, or is it the gameplay itself that draws one in? I guess the point I'm trying to make is that a game doesn't have to have real-life advertisements in order for it to be immersive. Done correctly I think that spoof ads are even more entertaining than the real ones. Who wouldn't want to see the Pillsbury doughboy skewered on a shish kabob stick just once? 'Hee-hee' indeed! To each their own, I suppose, but any videogame that forces more advertising on me is a game that I will refuse to buy and/or play. I'm voting with my wallet.
I didn't google for it myself, I spent enough years in Uni for my Bio degree studying similar topics to know. But if you're interested in this kind of thing, a great book on the subject is "The life and death of planet earth" by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee. It's been some time since I first read it, but it covers a lot of ground regarding the various theories surrounding global warming, etc. There's a fair amount of information about the CO2 levels trapped in arctic ice as well, and the probably effects if the ice were to actually melt as well. The truth is, there's so much disinformation and contradictory opinions out there regarding global warming that it's tough to find anything that one could consider 'solid' evidence on the subject, much less than google (not to besmirch the almighty google, mind you!) would be able to find. One must make up one's own mind after going over the evidence. Personally, I think it's already too late and that we're all way past the tipping point at any rate. A good book, well worth picking up for a read, though...
Interesting, but I wasn't referring to the rise in sea levels. (I don't live near the coast, so self-servingly I wouldn't consider the melting of the arctic to be the most 'significant' factor in the eventual demise of the human race. Besides, a rise in sea level would be gradual, and one would have enough forewarning to be able to run away from it.) What concerns me most regarding the prospect of a melting arctic is the release of millions of tons of CO2 trapped in the ice. CO2, as I'm sure you know, is the 'leading' greenhouse gas, and the release of that much CO2 would undoubtedly shift the planet's climate far past the tipping point, sending the planet into a 'runaway' greenhouse effect.
From reading a few of the comments I think that some posters are missing the point. First off, the idea is not to save a few seeds in the hopes that those seeds will feed the 'entire' population of earth after planting just one crop. The idea is to preserve the overall agricultural diversity of our 'future' ecosystem. As one particular species of plant (or whatever) goes extinct, the proposed seed bank would (hopefully) ensure that our future ancestors could reintroduce the species back into the ecosystem, assuming that whatever caused the species to go extinct was no longer present, be it nuclear war, climatic changes, etc. As for the location, well, I imagine that it makes more financial sense to keep them in a place where you won't have to foot the air-conditioning bill. Sure, it would be great to have these 'master-backup' seed banks all over the earth to prevent a wayward disaster from wiping out the whole stock, but I'd guess that the cost of building a cold-storage facility for an indefinite period of operation in Nairobi would be much more costly. (Not to mention that if the arctic DOES melt, we're all probably done for anyways...) And the article does mention that there are several seed banks already in existence, and that this facility is to be a more secure backup to the existing banks. Just my 2 cents...
Thanks! If it's possible that you could send me an invitation, it would be greatly appreciated. As I said, I've been waiting to dump my hotmail accounts for some time, and gmail appears to fit the ticket nicely. Thanks again in advance...
capebretonsux@hotmail.com
All I get is the standard invitation-only page, with no sign-up links. I realize from reading other posts that North America isn't included in the non-invitation sign-ups yet, but I don't even have the option to use a mobile phone either. At least the page doesn't allow for my carrier (Rogers) and I don't see 'Canada' as an option under the mobile sign-up page. It's a pity, really, because I've been waiting for a long time to get a gmail account and dump my hotmail account forever. Guess I have to be patient...
Heh, heh....
My ip is the same as everyone else's, methinks... 127.0.0.1 Have at it! And good luck!
All kidding aside, who installs linux without doing a little post-install maintenance? Shutting ports and services that aren't in use, etc. I don't believe I've ever had to install a security-related app on any of my systems AFTER the initial installation process. I don't bother with antivirus, I've run various flavors of linux for quite a while now without ever being infected with anything. I run a linksys router w/ basic firewall for my home network, but aside from that I don't bother much with ultra-paranoia levels of security. That being said, I change my passwords on a regular basis and make sure they aren't simple or too short. As far as AVG for windows goes, there are periodic popups 'encouraging' users to pony up cash for the non-free version (At least on the computers my non-computer-literate family runs) Same thing for zonealarm, etc. So the 'free' apps that you can use with windows DO come with the hidden expense of being annoyed from time to time. Now maybe I'm just overly sensitive to popups and the like, but being in complete control over my comp is a large part of what led me to convert to linux. Windows, in my opinion, is either for people who don't want/need to know much about the nitty-gritty about their computers. Or those who are required/forced to due to their occupation.
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I still haven't upgraded because of it. When it first arrived, I did give it an honest try - for about two weeks, but I didn't find that it 'adjusted' to my activity at all. The oldbar extension wasn't the same as the old location bar either, so I eventually downgraded. Since I probably spend most of my time using a browser, it is a real dealbreaker for myself. I'm guessing that since this most recent change isn't offering a retro-alternative to the awesomebar I won't have to repeat the experiment.
You should have got your cat to accept for you.
While I agree with you on most points you bring up, I have to ask the question of just what groundbreaking innovation can be brought about at this point? Duke Nukem 3d was groundbreaking because it WAS 3d, and one of the few/first(?) at the time that came about. I can't think of another paradigm-shifting change in video games that has come along since. I saw nothing special in Halo, GOW or many of the games which have come along recently. Sure, some were fun and enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. I'm not all that fond of motion control like the WII, but it's an effort. What astounds me is that there hasn't been a real 'jump' in the AI of video games. Personally I'd trade all the shiny reflections and shadows for an ordinary soldier in one of these games that would take half an hour to kill, and not from the usual boss-battle outrageous hit points kind of difficulty, but from tactics and strategy. Of course, I would imagine that this is more to do with the limits of computer science when it comes to 'realistic' AI, and we simply aren't there yet. I think the next 'big' change in video games will arrive when we crack those problems. Until then, more pretty graphics, shiny reflections and the need for outrageously-priced video cards in order to run them.
...will it work with thrown shoes?
if it collided with a $100,000 toolbag....
...and they could include a free...
And that's where you lost me... This is Microsoft we're talking about, right?
As much as I love Slack, and for as long as I've used it, I would never recommend it to anyone I know... just imagine the questions! My God, there wouldn't be enough hours in the day. That being said, I love Slack and likely won't be using anything else in the near future. Mind you, I've always wanted to know how everything works 'under the hood', and that's ultimately what keeps me using Slackware. I've best heard it described as being 'as user-friendly as a coiled rattlesnake.' It does nearly nothing for you, and you're expected to go it alone for the most part. Personally I love it, but for a first-time linux user? Clear your schedule.
More on topic, why not a BSD box? FreeBSD is the only one I can recommend from personal usage, but I've read good reviews about PCBSD. Linux-wise, if you're a new user nowadays I'd wholeheartedly recommend Ubuntu. It didn't end up staying on any of my computers, but it was the most user-friendly linux distro I'd ever used.
If you stand on principle, you may cost Microsoft a few bucks, but in the process you will end up costing yourself a few bucks too. It's hardly worth it since it's really a drop in the bucket for MS whereas it's probably a real cost to you.
Uh, how would not paying a Microsoft tax end up costing myself a few bucks?
Look at it this way, every voice probably counts for something, but in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter all that much what you as an individual do, so why go out on a limb and do something that is going to directly harm yourself?
What limb? I can't think of anything negative that could happen to anyone if they dared not to choose windows on their new computer purchase.
Whatever money MS gets will go into coming out with a better competitor to Linux, and that perpetuates the good positive feedback cycle that competition is supposed to spur.
Ahahahahaha! Now I know you've been joking! Sorry I didn't pick up on the sarcasm sooner...
You wouldn't have to download all those viruses and malware separately!
What troubles did Vista cause you?
I had to erase it before linux would run...
I second the motion. I'm so sick of commercials appearing more than once during the same commercial break. I'm sick of promising shows being cancelled before their time and replaced with more 'reality-tv' type stuff. (The show that immediately comes to mind is Fox's 'Drive', cancelled after just 3 episodes! I haven't watched any reality tv since the first season or two of survivor.) I'd gladly pay an similar monthly fee for commercial-free programming and an uninterrupted run of a show with no threat of premature cancellation or extended abscences from the air due to 'sweeps'. I like a good story, and more than that, I expect a logical and fitting ending to a story. But maybe that's just me, but I really don't think so. I should think that satellite radio owes at least some of its success to the fact that there aren't any commercials in its broadcasting. So why can't television be based on a similar model? As it is, I've cancelled my cable and gone back to reading books, while waiting to download the entire seasons of the shows I wanted to watch, and enjoying them as I'd like.
I wouldn't last very long at Microsoft, by the sounds of it.
"that's the dumbest fucking idea I've heard since I've been at Microsoft."
And 'Clippy' was a great idea?
They refused to update any of the computers and as such I was using the same tactic till the day I graduated."
This sounds awfully familiar. My University's residence had their internet connection supplied to us via 'Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0', which was completely intolerant of any operating system other than Windows. (Webtraffic was available for alt-OS'es, and not much else.) I tried like hell to convince the IT dept to upgrade their network or at least alter their settings to incorporate other OS'es, but like most bureaucratic entities change comes at a glacial pace and I had no success in 'asking' for help. Eventually I bought a second computer and used it to circumvent the shortcomings of the MS proxy. Personally my opinion is that I didn't do anything wrong in doing so, as the school's IT department wasn't able/were unwilling to help, and since part of the Universities' residence agreement was to supply me with a working internet connection, I don't view similar strategies as subverting the Uni's authority or attempting to break the law. Overt attempts to hack the Uni's network or server would have likely resulted in suspension or expulsion, and justifiably so, as such practices were clearly forbidden and explained to each student before any network connection was activated. Just my 2 cents...
Thanks for all the books, Mr. Vonnegut. Rest in peace.
For myself, it was the original syphon filter for the PSX. I remember one evening where a roommate of mine was stuck at one point in the game in a narrow hallway, with two 'bad guys' a little further off in a larger room. For whatever reason, the (sometimes) flaky AI was at its pinnacle at that point, and managed to keep him occupied for god-know-how-many retries. One kept him buttoned down with gunfire, and the other tossed grenades if he tried to get closer. All in all, it took him about an hour to get past that point in the game... personally I found it hilarious. I don't find that a lot of games have 'impressive' AI, and that most developers tend to rely on complex level designs in the attempt to make up for a lack in AI. (Mind you, I couldn't do any better myself, so until the field of artificial intelligence undergoes a major breakthrough I don't think we can blame the programmers.)
Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I envision the following coming out of this...
We succeed in diverting it, and 15 years later we all sigh in relief as the asteroid passes by. The same year, we experience first contact, and realize where the asteroid is now headed.
First message: "You assholes."
You're partly right. It was in 1981 when the disease was discovered/recognized. It was 1982 when the CDC renamed the disease 'AIDS'. Before that, it was known as GRID. (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) The causitive virus itself wasn't discovered until 1983, and wasn't renamed 'HIV' until 1986.
(Splitting hairs, I know, but it's early and I haven't had my coffee yet...)
I'm so sick of advertising. I'm coming close to wearing out my 'mute' button on my television remote from keeping myself from hearing a commercial for the 10th time in an hour-long program. I'm sick of silly little tunes and flashy pop-ups when visiting websites. I'm sick of seeing billboards with stupid themes designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. To get back on topic, I was excited a few months ago for the release of Battlefield 2142, and had occasionally kept an eye on it through its development process. About a week before its release I read about the new in-game advertising that had to be running in order to play the game. (In my mind, this speaks to the knowledge that advertisers know how much their advertisements annoy people) I go to great lengths to keep popups off of my computer, and annoying scripts and flash-crap from running. Why would I go out and buy a game that does the same? Answer: I didn't, and I won't. I understand some people's viewpoint that it increases the 'immersive' quality of the game, but personally I don't think that the advertising has to be 'real-world' advertising to do that. If I saw an ad for Coca-Cola or Pepsi in a Final Fantasy game I'd be sorely disappointed. And I'm pretty damn sure that unless I win a 'millionaire for life' lottery I won't be cruising around in a Ferrari any time soon, so would the fact that I'm driving on 'Acme' tires rather than 'Goodyear' matter all that much, or is it the gameplay itself that draws one in? I guess the point I'm trying to make is that a game doesn't have to have real-life advertisements in order for it to be immersive. Done correctly I think that spoof ads are even more entertaining than the real ones. Who wouldn't want to see the Pillsbury doughboy skewered on a shish kabob stick just once? 'Hee-hee' indeed! To each their own, I suppose, but any videogame that forces more advertising on me is a game that I will refuse to buy and/or play. I'm voting with my wallet.
I didn't google for it myself, I spent enough years in Uni for my Bio degree studying similar topics to know. But if you're interested in this kind of thing, a great book on the subject is "The life and death of planet earth" by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee. It's been some time since I first read it, but it covers a lot of ground regarding the various theories surrounding global warming, etc. There's a fair amount of information about the CO2 levels trapped in arctic ice as well, and the probably effects if the ice were to actually melt as well. The truth is, there's so much disinformation and contradictory opinions out there regarding global warming that it's tough to find anything that one could consider 'solid' evidence on the subject, much less than google (not to besmirch the almighty google, mind you!) would be able to find. One must make up one's own mind after going over the evidence. Personally, I think it's already too late and that we're all way past the tipping point at any rate. A good book, well worth picking up for a read, though...
Interesting, but I wasn't referring to the rise in sea levels. (I don't live near the coast, so self-servingly I wouldn't consider the melting of the arctic to be the most 'significant' factor in the eventual demise of the human race. Besides, a rise in sea level would be gradual, and one would have enough forewarning to be able to run away from it.) What concerns me most regarding the prospect of a melting arctic is the release of millions of tons of CO2 trapped in the ice. CO2, as I'm sure you know, is the 'leading' greenhouse gas, and the release of that much CO2 would undoubtedly shift the planet's climate far past the tipping point, sending the planet into a 'runaway' greenhouse effect.
From reading a few of the comments I think that some posters are missing the point. First off, the idea is not to save a few seeds in the hopes that those seeds will feed the 'entire' population of earth after planting just one crop. The idea is to preserve the overall agricultural diversity of our 'future' ecosystem. As one particular species of plant (or whatever) goes extinct, the proposed seed bank would (hopefully) ensure that our future ancestors could reintroduce the species back into the ecosystem, assuming that whatever caused the species to go extinct was no longer present, be it nuclear war, climatic changes, etc. As for the location, well, I imagine that it makes more financial sense to keep them in a place where you won't have to foot the air-conditioning bill. Sure, it would be great to have these 'master-backup' seed banks all over the earth to prevent a wayward disaster from wiping out the whole stock, but I'd guess that the cost of building a cold-storage facility for an indefinite period of operation in Nairobi would be much more costly. (Not to mention that if the arctic DOES melt, we're all probably done for anyways...) And the article does mention that there are several seed banks already in existence, and that this facility is to be a more secure backup to the existing banks. Just my 2 cents...
Thanks! If it's possible that you could send me an invitation, it would be greatly appreciated. As I said, I've been waiting to dump my hotmail accounts for some time, and gmail appears to fit the ticket nicely. Thanks again in advance...
capebretonsux@hotmail.com
All I get is the standard invitation-only page, with no sign-up links. I realize from reading other posts that North America isn't included in the non-invitation sign-ups yet, but I don't even have the option to use a mobile phone either. At least the page doesn't allow for my carrier (Rogers) and I don't see 'Canada' as an option under the mobile sign-up page. It's a pity, really, because I've been waiting for a long time to get a gmail account and dump my hotmail account forever. Guess I have to be patient...
("Unless we've done something stupid to ourselves prior to lunar tourism.)"
My bet's on the 'something stupid' happening first...
Heh, heh.... My ip is the same as everyone else's, methinks... 127.0.0.1 Have at it! And good luck! All kidding aside, who installs linux without doing a little post-install maintenance? Shutting ports and services that aren't in use, etc. I don't believe I've ever had to install a security-related app on any of my systems AFTER the initial installation process. I don't bother with antivirus, I've run various flavors of linux for quite a while now without ever being infected with anything. I run a linksys router w/ basic firewall for my home network, but aside from that I don't bother much with ultra-paranoia levels of security. That being said, I change my passwords on a regular basis and make sure they aren't simple or too short. As far as AVG for windows goes, there are periodic popups 'encouraging' users to pony up cash for the non-free version (At least on the computers my non-computer-literate family runs) Same thing for zonealarm, etc. So the 'free' apps that you can use with windows DO come with the hidden expense of being annoyed from time to time. Now maybe I'm just overly sensitive to popups and the like, but being in complete control over my comp is a large part of what led me to convert to linux. Windows, in my opinion, is either for people who don't want/need to know much about the nitty-gritty about their computers. Or those who are required/forced to due to their occupation.