The author of the THIS IS TRUE ( http://www.thisistrue.com/ ) newsletter made these great takeoff of the Monopoly Get Out of Jail cards, called GET OUT OF HELL FREE cards. You can see them here: http://www.goohf.com/
There were 2 computer rooms built when TSR originally moved in. The first one was in the office area, way in the back on the side toward the warehouse (on the back wall).
The second room was on the 2nd floor of the warehouse area. The 1st floor of the warehouse building held the typesetting machines.
Later I think they added a room on the 2nd floor of the back office area for either artists or typesetters.
Their first building was the Sage St. house next to the laundrymat. Then they moved to downtown, but the Dragon magazine staff stayed in the house. I lived upstairs in the house for a while. Then they moved to the first Sheridan Springs RD building that was originally used by a Van Conversion Company (The car bays were the warehouse.) Then they got the building next door and moved in. This building had the tunnel (I thought it looked like the Time Tunnel myself). At that time I was in the business computer department and had to run all the cabling and support the Editors on our HP3000 computer system using the Edit2 word processing system.
I use to work for TSR (1979-1986) starting in the Dungeon Hobby Shop & Mail order business just after it moved into the building in downtown Lake Geneva. We would get many calls from people who thought we were the spawn of the devil and nightly sacrificed virgins. Being your typical overweight nerd/geek type I only wished I could have gotten that close to a virgin!
Anyway I had many of a talk with these people and they truely believe the game was bad. There is no logic or anything that can change their minds. So just present your points and let it go at that. If they accept it they accept it, if they don't they won't.
Quoting from the BBC website about host Charlie Dimmock: "Famed for her lack of supportive underwear, Charlie Dimmock is one of Britain's best-known gardeners. Ground Force wouldn't be the same without her."
Ground Force is a gardening show where they apparently fix up gardens. With her in the show, I might watch it.
If you are a Comcast subscriber, you are going to be moved to the NEW IMPROVED Comcast.net broadband network. I WAS a Roadrunner subscriber who was traded off to Comcast by ATT during the great Cable merger wars last year. Here is the Detroit area the just moved us off from RoadRunner and onto Comcast.Net. Soon the @home people are going over. And I imagine later the new ATT people being acquired now will get moved.
Here is the deal. THERE IS A 128kb CAP on uploads now. THERE ARE NO NEWSGROUP SERVERS as part of the new Comcast.net. If you want Newsgroups, ya gotta find someplace to get to them. Comcast is not going to supply them.
This is all in the new improved terms of service you get when you are moved over. By the way, they sent out CDs with their ISP software/spyware that poses as technical support stuff. As far as I know, nobody got their CD in one piece. That was at least something I could laugh at.
I gotta think that Road Runner is going to be hurting if Comcast is moving everyone over to their network. They are going to losing the AT&T people, the old Mediaone people, etc..
I agree that the Tax Structure hinders the company and its relationship with workers. When it is an advantage to buy equipment rather than retain or hire more help due to the tax code something is wrong.
Why cann't there be tax breaks for holding onto workers and creating employment?
With all the mega-mergers in the entertainment world it is a definate concern over fair reporting.
Disney does own ABC, but who owns NBC, CBS, UPN, etc..
The AOL-TIME/WARNER and now EMI mergers includes CNN. How is that going to effect real indepth coverage on the whole DVD issue.
I think we have two issues going on here 1) Reverse engineering/Trade Secrets 2) Fair Use/Copywrite/Digital Millenium Act use of DVD products
I hope the rest of the consumers get the word of what the usage restrictions for DVD really are for the home units. Can you imagine what people will think when they find out they can't leave a movie at grandma's house so she can watch it?
With mergers like Time-Warner+AOL+EMI how many news agencies are really going to report in-depth on the whole DVD controversy? Are we going to face an unresponsive news media because the bosses say stay away?
There appears to be several different issues coming to head here.
1) Reverse engineering. What can and can't be done? Could reverse engineering still be safe but what happened really was illegal? How much law does a 16yr old Norwegian (or US) boy really know?
2)Conflict of the Digital Millenium Act and what it allows us to do in our own home with DVD's or CD's. Is it really illegal for me to lend my mother-in-law my copy of "On Golden Pond" for her to watch? I can't copy my old albums to cassette tape anymore?
3)The whole marketing scheme of the Movie Industry to control the distribution and playback of the movie industry. Why do we have region codes? What is the "carrot" being held out in front of the electronic industry that makes them voluntary subject themselves the DVD licensing program. (1 milion dollar penalty per person if more than 3 people know the info given your company providing you don't disclose it the licensor. Read the license which is in the court exhibits documents.)
The case needs to be put forth sanely, clearly, rationally, intelligently to drive the point home. The whole issue of not being able to lend a DVD to a friend, or playing a DVD you bought in Europe could become a rallying point that the normal consumer could embrace. A major consumer outpouring against this type of marketing could do much to help the cause. However if the news media is throttled by corporate bosses because they also own profitable movie studios we have a terrible problem. How do our brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers learn what is really going on if the news media is not reporting the story?
Scientific American had a an article by 5-7 years ago about having systems like the Paper PC. The idea that with very cheap system, you would have lots of them and stack them on your desk like you do your papers today. Once PC per topic and then leave them on your desk. If needed, up/download info to your desktop. Use several to track your hardware inventory, what ones are on contract,etc. As needed take it with you to your equipment closets, update the list, then download it back down. Put your Xmas list one, upload to others in your family and download theirs, take it to Kmart with you as you do your xmas shopping so you get everyone the right gift.
One idea is that people are used to filing things on their desk, so having these PC's lets them continue in that paradyne but with greater information density. (Let's see. The Smith contract from last month would be 4 inches down and over on the left side).
The Cross Tablets with the handwriting recognitiion and the paper tables where a good start, but way to expensive. Those should have been $50-60 bucks each.
One idea is to use the Paper PC to track bowling scores. When you rent a lane you get a unit, you enter in the names and then keep score. It can help make sure you don't make a mistake, and then download the results to the league secretary when you turn it back into the desk. Spill a litter beer on it, no problem because they are so cheap to replace.
I would like to know from an actual user of the product if you really can not swap flash cards. The Eiger Labs site said that the RIO formats the cards in such a way that it can't happen.
If there is software that can let you download MP3 files great! I just reported on what I learned regarding "official" product and it's software. While add-on software is generaly a good thing, if you can do it directly out of the box, that is even better.
I have been trying to compare the 3 MP3 portable players I have heard about and found some interesting information.
There are 3 players, the eiger labs MPMAN F20, the RIO and the Creative NOMAD.
The RIO allows you to download not only MP3 files but other files into its memory for storage. However you can NOT download MP3 files from the RIO to your PC. Also you can not load a flash card with music and let your friend listen to it in his RIO. Each RIO card is formated for that machine only.
The MPMAN F20 allows you to store all sorts of files, but also does not allow MP3 files to be downloaded from the flash card to your PC. However, unlike the RIO, you can swap flash cards with other MPMAN users. The flash card is still formated in a proprietary manner.
The Creative Nomad is so new I have not yet heard how it acts. I sent an email to their tech support but haven't gotten any reply yet. I am assuming that it will also prohibit the downloading of MP3 files from the NOMAD to your PC (easiest way to calm the music industry.) I hope you can swap flash cards with friends, but don't know for sure.
There are other feature differences between the devices, but none that refer to file security and how they can be accessed.
Most info was gotten from: http://www.eigerlabs.com go to the MPMAN section and look a product comparison or reviews. Don't remember which one.
I think the MPMAN F20 is the best for now. The future for these products are changing so quickly that buying cheap and good may be the best idea since what you buy may not be workable in a year!! However that $50 rebate for the RIO really makes the decision tough.
Slashdot Mirror
The author of the THIS IS TRUE ( http://www.thisistrue.com/ ) newsletter made these great takeoff of the Monopoly Get Out of Jail cards, called GET OUT OF HELL FREE cards. You can see them here: http://www.goohf.com/
There were 2 computer rooms built when TSR originally moved in. The first one was in the office area, way in the back on the side toward the warehouse (on the back wall).
The second room was on the 2nd floor of the warehouse area. The 1st floor of the warehouse building held the typesetting machines.
Later I think they added a room on the 2nd floor of the back office area for either artists or typesetters.
Oh, you were one of the "newer" TSR employees.
Their first building was the Sage St. house next to the laundrymat. Then they moved to downtown, but the Dragon magazine staff stayed in the house. I lived upstairs in the house for a while. Then they moved to the first Sheridan Springs RD building that was originally used by a Van Conversion Company (The car bays were the warehouse.) Then they got the building next door and moved in. This building had the tunnel (I thought it looked like the Time Tunnel myself). At that time I was in the business computer department and had to run all the cabling and support the Editors on our HP3000 computer system using the Edit2 word processing system.
I use to work for TSR (1979-1986) starting in the Dungeon Hobby Shop & Mail order business just after it moved into the building in downtown Lake Geneva. We would get many calls from people who thought we were the spawn of the devil and nightly sacrificed virgins. Being your typical overweight nerd/geek type I only wished I could have gotten that close to a virgin!
Anyway I had many of a talk with these people and they truely believe the game was bad. There is no logic or anything that can change their minds. So just present your points and let it go at that. If they accept it they accept it, if they don't they won't.
Thats just the way it is.
Olliver J. Dragon
Quoting from the BBC website about host Charlie Dimmock: "Famed for her lack of supportive underwear, Charlie Dimmock is one of Britain's best-known gardeners. Ground Force wouldn't be the same without her."
Ground Force is a gardening show where they apparently fix up gardens. With her in the show, I might watch it.
I would recommend it as well. It's the best theater in the state. The lobby motif is excellent.
Here is the deal. THERE IS A 128kb CAP on uploads now. THERE ARE NO NEWSGROUP SERVERS as part of the new Comcast.net. If you want Newsgroups, ya gotta find someplace to get to them. Comcast is not going to supply them. This is all in the new improved terms of service you get when you are moved over. By the way, they sent out CDs with their ISP software/spyware that poses as technical support stuff. As far as I know, nobody got their CD in one piece. That was at least something I could laugh at.
I gotta think that Road Runner is going to be hurting if Comcast is moving everyone over to their network. They are going to losing the AT&T people, the old Mediaone people, etc..
I use Netscape for getting POP3 mail. This means I can't even use QWEST from Windows!
It seemed to me that the Hunter Seeker, Worms, and Thopters were similar in design to what you see on Sci/Fi's Lexx series.
The Hunter Seeker looked like a flying sperm cell, the Worms like giant dildo's when raised to the sky, and the thopters like household flies.
These design elements seemed to have been designed by the same people who do the series LEXX (although toned down a bit).
Anyone else notice this???
I agree that the Tax Structure hinders the company and its relationship with workers. When it is an advantage to buy equipment rather than retain or hire more help due to the tax code something is wrong.
Why cann't there be tax breaks for holding onto workers and creating employment?
With all the mega-mergers in the entertainment world it is a definate concern over fair reporting.
Disney does own ABC, but who owns NBC, CBS, UPN, etc..
The AOL-TIME/WARNER and now EMI mergers includes CNN. How is that going to effect real indepth coverage on the whole DVD issue.
I think we have two issues going on here
1) Reverse engineering/Trade Secrets
2) Fair Use/Copywrite/Digital Millenium Act use of DVD products
I hope the rest of the consumers get the word of what the usage restrictions for DVD really are for the home units. Can you imagine what people will think when they find out they can't leave a movie at grandma's house so she can watch it?
With mergers like Time-Warner+AOL+EMI how many news agencies are really going to report in-depth on the whole DVD controversy? Are we going to face an unresponsive news media because the bosses say stay away?
There appears to be several different issues coming to head here.
1) Reverse engineering. What can and can't be done? Could reverse engineering still be safe but what happened really was illegal? How much law does a 16yr old Norwegian (or US) boy really know?
2)Conflict of the Digital Millenium Act and what it allows us to do in our own home with DVD's or CD's. Is it really illegal for me to lend my mother-in-law my copy of "On Golden Pond" for her to watch? I can't copy my old albums to cassette tape anymore?
3)The whole marketing scheme of the Movie Industry to control the distribution and playback of the movie industry. Why do we have region codes? What is the "carrot" being held out in front of the electronic industry that makes them voluntary subject themselves the DVD licensing program. (1 milion dollar penalty per person if more than 3 people know the info given your company providing you don't disclose it the licensor. Read the license which is in the court exhibits documents.)
The case needs to be put forth sanely, clearly, rationally, intelligently to drive the point home.
The whole issue of not being able to lend a DVD to a friend, or playing a DVD you bought in Europe could become a rallying point that the normal consumer could embrace. A major consumer outpouring against this type of marketing could do much to help the cause. However if the news media is throttled by corporate bosses because they also own profitable movie studios we have a terrible problem. How do our brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers learn what is really going on if the news media is not reporting the story?
My thoughts.
Scientific American had a an article by 5-7 years ago about having systems like the Paper PC. The idea that with very cheap system, you would have lots of them and stack them on your desk like you do your papers today. Once PC per topic and then leave them on your desk. If needed, up/download info to your desktop. Use several to track your hardware inventory, what ones are on contract,etc. As needed take it with you to your equipment closets, update the list, then download it back down. Put your Xmas list one, upload to others in your family and download theirs, take it to Kmart with you as you do your xmas shopping so you get everyone the right gift.
One idea is that people are used to filing things on their desk, so having these PC's lets them continue in that paradyne but with greater information density. (Let's see. The Smith contract from last month would be 4 inches down and over on the left side).
The Cross Tablets with the handwriting recognitiion and the paper tables where a good start, but way to expensive. Those should have been $50-60 bucks each.
One idea is to use the Paper PC to track bowling scores. When you rent a lane you get a unit, you enter in the names and then keep score. It can help make sure you don't make a mistake, and then download the results to the league secretary when you turn it back into the desk. Spill a litter beer on it, no problem because they are so cheap to replace.
I would like to know from an actual user of the product if you really can not swap flash cards. The Eiger Labs site said that the RIO formats the cards in such a way that it can't happen.
If there is software that can let you download MP3 files great! I just reported on what I learned regarding "official" product and it's software. While add-on software is generaly a good thing, if you can do it directly out of the box, that is even better.
Good luck on your flash card test.
I have been trying to compare the 3 MP3 portable players I have heard about and found some interesting information.
There are 3 players, the eiger labs MPMAN F20, the RIO and the Creative NOMAD.
The RIO allows you to download not only MP3 files but other files into its memory for storage. However you can NOT download MP3 files from the RIO to your PC. Also you can not load a flash card with music and let your friend listen to it in his RIO. Each RIO card is formated for that machine only.
The MPMAN F20 allows you to store all sorts of files, but also does not allow MP3 files to be downloaded from the flash card to your PC. However, unlike the RIO, you can swap flash cards with other MPMAN users. The flash card is still formated in a proprietary manner.
The Creative Nomad is so new I have not yet heard how it acts. I sent an email to their tech support but haven't gotten any reply yet. I am assuming that it will also prohibit the downloading of MP3 files from the NOMAD to your PC (easiest way to calm the music industry.) I hope you can swap flash cards with friends, but don't know for sure.
There are other feature differences between the devices, but none that refer to file security and how they can be accessed.
Most info was gotten from: http://www.eigerlabs.com go to the MPMAN section and look a product comparison or reviews. Don't remember which one.
I think the MPMAN F20 is the best for now. The future for these products are changing so quickly that buying cheap and good may be the best idea since what you buy may not be workable in a year!!
However that $50 rebate for the RIO really makes the decision tough.