and just about 99% of the population is still using the QWERTY layout.
if you're talking about the basic QWERTY layout vs. Dvorak or some other funky set up, this may be true, but for those of us in foreign countries not so much. After living in europe for almost 7 years now i've grown very attached to my german style QWERTZ keyboard, and have trouble going back. If you've never seen one, the letter layout it basically the same, but the Z and the Y are reversed. Additionally there are the Ö, Ü, Ä, and ß keys, and almost none of the symbols are in the same place. There is an ALT key on the left side of the spacebar, but on the right is the ALT GR key which gives access to symbols like @, ~, and (euro symbol, which I've noticed doesn't show up) which are the *third* character on some of the keys.
I'm not sure of any specifics, but I would bet that most countries and/or language regions have their own keyboard layout for their own efficiency. Ever seen a Hebrew layout, or a Chinese one? Saying 99% of the population uses QWERTY is a bit near-sighted.
Maybe I'm not totally up to date on this technology, but there's a few things I don't understand.
1. What exactly does "non removeable" mean? Grafted to the bone? Will he die if it is removed? It will be deactivated after he retires, which is understandable, but why couldn't they remove it if it's not going to functioning anymore anyway?
2. The chip gives him access to a crime bank... how? Does he have a USB port in his finger now? Bar code? Magnetic strip?
3. The chip also allows him to be tracked throughout the country. This would imply he is a target, in danger of being kidnapped, held for ransom, murdered, etc etc... was it really such a wise idea to tell the world that he has such a tracking devise on him, and where it is? If he was to be kidnapped, the arm could be removed to throw authorities off the trail. Or maybe the secret is WHICH arm it's in?
Maybe I'm getting paranoid, but I don't find this technolocy very desirable or even very useful. What's next? Explosive implants (ala The Fortress) on inmates to prevent jailbreak? Trackers implanted on registered sex offenders? How long before implants are mandatory?
Apaprently, the next Venus transit after this one will be in 2012, but the next two after that won't be until 2117 and 2125. Looks like a once in a lifetime deal.
i don't know about you, but i plan on living until 2012... so i guess that makes it a twice in a lifetime deal.
...no one is going to invade them, no one is even going to get close to invading and occupying them.
They don't need a military any more!!
Uh, think about this a minute. The reason no one is going to invade or occupy the USA is BECAUSE of our military, and the fact that so many of our youth voluntarily join the armed forces, for whatever reason. I agree that the purpose of the military is to protect US soil and citizen, and not to meddle in affairs of other countries, but to say that the US doesn't need a military anymore is absurd. I think recent world events are proof enough of that.
I bet this chamber would add a whole lot of value to game play as well. Hook your PC up to that mother and let fly with some battlefield or UT2004... give rocketjumping a new aspect of reality, your couch will be bouncing with every explosion.
having worked in two major grocery chains in the US and having spent three years in management with an international chain in europe, i know a few things about timecard manipulation. my last position, after getting fed up with the whole business and quitting end of 2003, was store manager. not only did we cheat on the time clock, it was encouraged by my manager, at least in certain circumstances. some examples:
timeclock regulation concerning apprentices, employees under 18, and pregnant women are stricter than for normal employees. a normal employee can work a max of 10 hours a day, for these three groups the limit is 9. but if i need to schedule an apprentice 10 hours one day and 6 the next, i go back and change it to 9 and 7. this is to cover my butt in case the department of labor decides to check my computer to determine if i'm following the rules. if not, i, the manager personally, get to pay some hefty fines. so the hours are there, just spread over different days.
another problem that frequently arose was employees forgetting to punch the clock when leaving. the next morning, i would get an error on the computer, and would check the plan and manually enter the scheduled quitting time. if the employee worked overtime that day, and didn't tell me about it, then the time was gone.
i don't want to get into any more depth, but more opportunities to manipulate minutes and hours arise during vacation, sick leave, maternity leave, internal schooling, etc etc... it's quite a horrible mess. one tries to stay as honest as one can, but with pressure from upper management to meet these goals and shave this many hours, some store managers start justifying the little things, and soon the big rip-offs don't seem as bad any more either.
one of the many reasons i got sick of the business.
Slashdot Mirror
But with a few more pullys and strings, perhaps they could create 3D pong, which i'm sure is much more playable IN 3D as opposed to simulated.
actually, there is already a version of this without pullies or strings. it's called ping pong.
Can't find the damn thing anyway.
did you try running a search for it?
and just about 99% of the population is still using the QWERTY layout.
if you're talking about the basic QWERTY layout vs. Dvorak or some other funky set up, this may be true, but for those of us in foreign countries not so much. After living in europe for almost 7 years now i've grown very attached to my german style QWERTZ keyboard, and have trouble going back. If you've never seen one, the letter layout it basically the same, but the Z and the Y are reversed. Additionally there are the Ö, Ü, Ä, and ß keys, and almost none of the symbols are in the same place. There is an ALT key on the left side of the spacebar, but on the right is the ALT GR key which gives access to symbols like @, ~, and (euro symbol, which I've noticed doesn't show up) which are the *third* character on some of the keys.
I'm not sure of any specifics, but I would bet that most countries and/or language regions have their own keyboard layout for their own efficiency. Ever seen a Hebrew layout, or a Chinese one? Saying 99% of the population uses QWERTY is a bit near-sighted.
~hed~
Maybe I'm not totally up to date on this technology, but there's a few things I don't understand.
1. What exactly does "non removeable" mean? Grafted to the bone? Will he die if it is removed? It will be deactivated after he retires, which is understandable, but why couldn't they remove it if it's not going to functioning anymore anyway?
2. The chip gives him access to a crime bank... how? Does he have a USB port in his finger now? Bar code? Magnetic strip?
3. The chip also allows him to be tracked throughout the country. This would imply he is a target, in danger of being kidnapped, held for ransom, murdered, etc etc... was it really such a wise idea to tell the world that he has such a tracking devise on him, and where it is? If he was to be kidnapped, the arm could be removed to throw authorities off the trail. Or maybe the secret is WHICH arm it's in?
Maybe I'm getting paranoid, but I don't find this technolocy very desirable or even very useful. What's next? Explosive implants (ala The Fortress) on inmates to prevent jailbreak? Trackers implanted on registered sex offenders? How long before implants are mandatory?
~hed~
or the inevitable all your base are belong to us
what will Guile say then? poor guy only ever had 2 special moves and now you take one away...
Apaprently, the next Venus transit after this one will be in 2012, but the next two after that won't be until 2117 and 2125. Looks like a once in a lifetime deal.
i don't know about you, but i plan on living until 2012... so i guess that makes it a twice in a lifetime deal.
They don't need a military any more!!
Uh, think about this a minute. The reason no one is going to invade or occupy the USA is BECAUSE of our military, and the fact that so many of our youth voluntarily join the armed forces, for whatever reason. I agree that the purpose of the military is to protect US soil and citizen, and not to meddle in affairs of other countries, but to say that the US doesn't need a military anymore is absurd. I think recent world events are proof enough of that.
we all know what they say.
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US
every... friggin... billboard... in the country... finally, my lifelong goal will be complete.
how typically slashdot. i had no problem reading the article itself, but the "babe" link is slashdotted.
~hed~
Badgers?
BADGERS?
We don't NEED no stinking (linux) BADGERS!
I bet this chamber would add a whole lot of value to game play as well. Hook your PC up to that mother and let fly with some battlefield or UT2004... give rocketjumping a new aspect of reality, your couch will be bouncing with every explosion.
having worked in two major grocery chains in the US and having spent three years in management with an international chain in europe, i know a few things about timecard manipulation. my last position, after getting fed up with the whole business and quitting end of 2003, was store manager. not only did we cheat on the time clock, it was encouraged by my manager, at least in certain circumstances. some examples: timeclock regulation concerning apprentices, employees under 18, and pregnant women are stricter than for normal employees. a normal employee can work a max of 10 hours a day, for these three groups the limit is 9. but if i need to schedule an apprentice 10 hours one day and 6 the next, i go back and change it to 9 and 7. this is to cover my butt in case the department of labor decides to check my computer to determine if i'm following the rules. if not, i, the manager personally, get to pay some hefty fines. so the hours are there, just spread over different days. another problem that frequently arose was employees forgetting to punch the clock when leaving. the next morning, i would get an error on the computer, and would check the plan and manually enter the scheduled quitting time. if the employee worked overtime that day, and didn't tell me about it, then the time was gone. i don't want to get into any more depth, but more opportunities to manipulate minutes and hours arise during vacation, sick leave, maternity leave, internal schooling, etc etc... it's quite a horrible mess. one tries to stay as honest as one can, but with pressure from upper management to meet these goals and shave this many hours, some store managers start justifying the little things, and soon the big rip-offs don't seem as bad any more either. one of the many reasons i got sick of the business.
are you sure this is a movie based on anime? i didn't see a single person with blue hair...
... and for some reason, i got blue hair. ya gotta have blue hair!
Strong Bad: