but damit - don't you have any romance in your soul? are the games you play only about getting a high score? beating the next guy? how do they make you feel? am i the only person who has an emotional connection to my games? they make me happy or sad, are a source of fun and extreme frustration.
i don't think it is easy to take in all that multi-national-companies-just-want-my-money attitude when you get emotionally attached to something...
i'm sure someone will correct me if i am wrong, but don't flash devices have a finite life cycle - and one shorter than say a cd/dvd? it's bad enough worrying about trashing original cd's, let alone a USB dongle. i don't know if this applies to flash simply when reading, or if it is a write-cycle thing...
exactly - now we only pay about £80 more than our state-side friends. lets be honest, it was getting a bit silly when, correct me if i am wrong, (and i am sure someone will as this is/.) you could buy in the US with the same number of dollars as pounds in the UK. (i.e. $400 or £400...)
does anyone think the drop in price is anything to do with the sucess of iTMS in europe? or is it just apple being nice to us?
The user to my understanding still has to accept the incomming file
as far as i know, it is possible to display a message on someone's phone without them giving consent. the trick is to create a bogus name in your phone book, and then send that. alot of phones will display a message like
"Buisness card recieved from Jon Smith - save y/n?"
however, to spook someone out (which is really the ultimate goal of bluejacking) you create a 'name' like
"is that a nokia?"
or when the beeps and bemused looks let you work out which poor sucker you have snagged something like
"Nice t-shirt - blue is your colour:D"
i guess it would be possible to get something nasty into someone's phone, but even with the vcards, it's only the name that gets displayed. although i admit it's mean to tease people with impunity from the other side of the tube train; it could be very useful on a long journey with one of those people that we all love - you know the ones who have a long conversation with a friend for a few hours. of course, when i say conversation, i mean monologue...
...vulnerabilities discovered and promptly fixed. Not weeks and months from their publication...
it's a good job i read slashdot and find out about these things. i don't check the mozilla page very often, and wouldn't have known about this problem except for slashdot.
me thinks telling users about availible critical updates automatically is not always a bad thing...
The images are usually at least two of the following: Blocky, poor quality, jerky, black and white, dirty
yes, some of the images are rubbish. but some are crystal. i know a store detective in a large department store - i have seen cctv pictures that are extremely clear, and have resulted in serveral convictions.
despite all these cameras we keep getting installed, mugging are _increasing_.
are muggings increasing because more people are being mugged, or because more people are reporting it?
with the way people tend to insure more of their personal items these days (like mobile phones) and because you need a crime reference to claim on the insurance, is it not possible that people are simply reporting more crime?
maybe they believe that there is a better chance of catching someone if there was a camera nearby.
As a UK resident i find the attitude of americans slightly odd with regard to CCTV. i guess it's just a throwback to the whole independance / freedom thing, and it makes you feel nervous that someone could be watching you. it's ok to feel nervous, but i really think that there is nothing to worry about. (by the way, i'm not getting at americans, and yes i have read 1984)
i really feel that the benefits outweigh the costs - 99% (or probably more) of the time the CCTV oporators are looking for specific activities, or wanted people. if any of you campaign for more officers on the street (as many people here do) then you can't complain about this - it's like having an officer keep an eye on several areas at once, and gathering virtually conclusive evidence at the same time.
it's only the very paranoid who worry about people building up large profiles on them - just think of the amount of time that would take! (but then, this is slashdot...)
i feel safe around CCTV, it doesn't bother me, and it never stopped me stealing roadcones when i was at university, i seriously doubt the police really care about small things like this. on the other hand, if you were mugged, and it was caught on CCTV they would not only have have evidence of the incident, but probably a good picture of the criminal's face. quality CCTV can really put a dent in crime, granted, it tends to shift it around a bit, but then you can adjust the police accordingly
as for allowing non-professional people to view the streams, well, i can't say i'm surprised the US Gov felt forced to include this. like i already said, i know what the americans can be like for surveillance. In the UK, if you are concerned about people watching you on CCTV you are able to request (and the appropriate authourities are forced to supply) a copy of ALL CCTV FOOTAGE CONTAINING YOU.
surprisingly, not many people bother, as, shock horror, getting the images shows you doing such crazy things as walking, maybe talking to someone, and possibly shopping. really, it is just dull.
i find it very strange however, that a society which is able to randomly check the criminal records of a person, and which seems to have much looser data protection controls than europe, is concerned over this.
as for the system crashing in the first place, it's unfortunate, but a good thing that they were able to cope and keep everyone safe - that's the main thing, right? (it's certainly my main concern)
and as for the software not being up to the job, it may well not be. after all, air traffic has increased ever so slightly since the 1970's - is it reasonable to expect a program presumably designed for 70's hardware, and 70's air traffic loads to cope with heathrow in 2004?
this XNA thing does concern me a bit, as there is always the fear that MS will us their other markets to barge into a new one.
but i really feel that the console market is different to the PC one in alot of ways, and maybe MS (having not done so well in it) are trying to change it into something they think they know, and have more experience in (i.e. the PC market). all the way that article, that is what was running through my mind.
the thing about the console market is that there is more soul in the games than you will find in PC's (as a rule).
i sometimes feel that console games are more like a collection than pc games - in the same way that a music collector will pay a premium for a rare cd, a games collector will pay for a rare game. good examples of this would some classics for that most ill-fated of consoles, the saturn. you can't pick up
Panzer dragoon saga or
Radiant silvergun for 5 in a bargin bin.
the point is, there is more to games than just the number of polygons that can be generated, or the crispness of the graphics - it's hard to define, but in some ways i think that the more experienced console game makers have it in spades. AFAIK, gamecube is much less powered than PS2 or XboX, but has still done well enought to lead to talk of GC2
oh, and did you notice that at E3, sony made a big thing about how PSP would be so powerful it could do all this shiny stuff, whereas nintendo tended to focus more on the games they had created. the specs of the DS weren't as important as the software - all sony seemed to promote was the spec.
i must admit that i like the current method of them suggesting relevant links, as they normally ARE relevant - so they get more click throughs from me than any other site.
do people really mind Google suggesting relevant sponsered links, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the others?
it's funny, but reading through these i see a bit of a pattern.
someone wants a phone with a good addressbook, another with bluetooth, polyphonic / mp3 ringtones, another with email access, and yes, some of us want cameras too - even if the quality isn't great.
how do you expect the manufacturers to please all the people all the time?
you just have to take the good with the bad, and realise that the killer function you want is worthless to someone else.
Re:Camera phones are silly
on
Camera Phone Tips
·
· Score: 3, Informative
i'm sorry, but AFAIK, text messages really are not a fad. i suspect you are from the US, i heard that text messaging hadn't caught on there, but in the UK it is very popular. as for WAP - it's not perfect but it is very useful for some things, like checking the train times, or cinema times etc.
some things are fads, but text mesages (and to a lesser extent WAP) are not
Re:Want high-quality? Get a real camera!
on
Camera Phone Tips
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
i agree, if you want some good quality images go for a single function device - i.e. a digital camera.
but for mobility, i love my camera phone. the number of times i have my phone but no other camera seems to increase. but the real bonus of having a camera in my phone is that i get a good insurance policy from my phone company (orange) so i am never afraid to take it out with me when i go drinking. i'd never be that fearless with a camera costing lots more.
oh - and lets not forget that it's probably only a matter of time before mobile phones get camera compnents the quality of a good digital camera - it'll only get better!
i agree - i love playing some games on my pc, and others on a console (gamecube). i think it's as much to do with the interface style as anything else. driving games lend themselves to analogue joystick / pad controls, rts games can only really be played with a mouse, whereas fighing style games need a pad or stick, and fps can be either...
but it's also a social thing. the amount of effort required to set up a 4-player session of mario kart double dash, or timesplitters 2 is nothing compared to the time and effort required to set up even a small LAN party - even though they are great fun.
i had to buy a pc for work from dell in the uk - and at the end of the order process there were some amazing checkboxes including (and i promise i am NOT joking)
Do You intend to use this equipment to:
Develop Nuclear Chemical or Biological weapons? Y [] N []
Do you intend to use this equipment to develop ballistic technologies? Y [] N []
(ok - i admit the phrasing isn't exact - this was about 3 years ago after all, but the message was there. Would anyone actually check those boxes??)
i think the slashbots would be amazed as to how many people rely on MSN for everything - just like I rely on google for everything - sure, I think to myself WTF?? but changing the homepage for the average user is not an option.
If we have all decided that integrating the browser into the OS to the level at which it cannot be removed (MSIE) is wrong, and we have apparantly decided that it is not legal to tie in the media player (WMP) how does the automatic setting of a browser homepage fit in? i KNOW that it is easy to change, but tell that to so many of the users i know who leave it default. how many hits (and thereofre ad-revenue!) must MSN get just through users who don't know how to change their homepage, or dare i say it don't know they CAN change their homepage? does this not tend to a kind of MS-is-the-internet kind of attitude in joe 6-pack?
(i really am thinking lowest common denominator here)
and will the legislation stop here - should microsoft / apple / anyone be allowed to set the homepage for a browser? if you aren't allowed a link in the OS to a store the OS manufacturer runs (as i suspect most slashdotters would get upset about) then why should you be allowed to set the homepage?
is this not the way to go? i mean responsible downloading would be downloading unavailable tracks (like some live stuff or remixes)or downloading a couple of tracks off the album, and then buying it if you liked it, and wanted more.
in fact, i have 'discovered' several bands by simply typing their name into KaZaA and subsequently bought their cds.
if the BPI/RIAA/whoever get upset at people downloading whole albums, i an understand it, particularly if they would have bought the album.
and that is the problem, they need to work out who is stealing by downloading an album they would otherwise be prepared to buy, and those exploring music by downloading something random they have never heard of before.
last year, i downloaded some Fountains of Wayne tracks, because one of my mates was wearing an FoW t-shirt, and i liked their name. i liked the music. so did my girlfriend, and some of my housemates. i bought a couple of their albums, as did a house mate, and we saw them on tour.
we would never have done any of this if i hadn't downloaded the original tracks.
can someone please explain how (at least in the long-run) i/we damaged the music industry by this horrific infringement of copyright?
i downloaded Float's Mobile Agent and noticed that with the bluetooth connection, there is an option to automatically lock the workstation when your phone is out of (bluetooth) range. i haven't used it myself, but it looks kinda handy - the number of times i have remembered to pick up my mobile, but not lock the workstation.
and if you really want to make your pc hardware secure, have you tried padlocking it to the wall?:)
..will it change anything?
after all, if MS are forced to sell 2 versions of the OS, then is there anything to stop them selling XP Pro full (with WMP etc) for 150 and the 'XP cripple' for 155?
MS surely cannot afford to pull out entirely of the EU. i admit that they have alot of cash, but ALL the member states - now that's alot of people, and alot of money....
Slashdot Mirror
they are big companies, we are customers.
but damit - don't you have any romance in your soul? are the games you play only about getting a high score? beating the next guy? how do they make you feel? am i the only person who has an emotional connection to my games? they make me happy or sad, are a source of fun and extreme frustration.
i don't think it is easy to take in all that multi-national-companies-just-want-my-money attitude when you get emotionally attached to something...
just a thought..
does anyone think the drop in price is anything to do with the sucess of iTMS in europe? or is it just apple being nice to us?
as far as i know, it is possible to display a message on someone's phone without them giving consent. the trick is to create a bogus name in your phone book, and then send that. alot of phones will display a message like
however, to spook someone out (which is really the ultimate goal of bluejacking) you create a 'name' like
or when the beeps and bemused looks let you work out which poor sucker you have snagged something like
i guess it would be possible to get something nasty into someone's phone, but even with the vcards, it's only the name that gets displayed. although i admit it's mean to tease people with impunity from the other side of the tube train; it could be very useful on a long journey with one of those people that we all love - you know the ones who have a long conversation with a friend for a few hours. of course, when i say conversation, i mean monologue...
"other means"... why do i have images in my head of dark alleys and baseball bats?
me thinks telling users about availible critical updates automatically is not always a bad thing...
yes, some of the images are rubbish. but some are crystal. i know a store detective in a large department store - i have seen cctv pictures that are extremely clear, and have resulted in serveral convictions.
are muggings increasing because more people are being mugged, or because more people are reporting it?
with the way people tend to insure more of their personal items these days (like mobile phones) and because you need a crime reference to claim on the insurance, is it not possible that people are simply reporting more crime?
maybe they believe that there is a better chance of catching someone if there was a camera nearby.
i really feel that the benefits outweigh the costs - 99% (or probably more) of the time the CCTV oporators are looking for specific activities, or wanted people. if any of you campaign for more officers on the street (as many people here do) then you can't complain about this - it's like having an officer keep an eye on several areas at once, and gathering virtually conclusive evidence at the same time.
it's only the very paranoid who worry about people building up large profiles on them - just think of the amount of time that would take! (but then, this is slashdot...)
i feel safe around CCTV, it doesn't bother me, and it never stopped me stealing roadcones when i was at university, i seriously doubt the police really care about small things like this. on the other hand, if you were mugged, and it was caught on CCTV they would not only have have evidence of the incident, but probably a good picture of the criminal's face. quality CCTV can really put a dent in crime, granted, it tends to shift it around a bit, but then you can adjust the police accordingly
as for allowing non-professional people to view the streams, well, i can't say i'm surprised the US Gov felt forced to include this. like i already said, i know what the americans can be like for surveillance. In the UK, if you are concerned about people watching you on CCTV you are able to request (and the appropriate authourities are forced to supply) a copy of ALL CCTV FOOTAGE CONTAINING YOU.
surprisingly, not many people bother, as, shock horror, getting the images shows you doing such crazy things as walking, maybe talking to someone, and possibly shopping. really, it is just dull.
i find it very strange however, that a society which is able to randomly check the criminal records of a person, and which seems to have much looser data protection controls than europe, is concerned over this.
as for the system crashing in the first place, it's unfortunate, but a good thing that they were able to cope and keep everyone safe - that's the main thing, right? (it's certainly my main concern)
and as for the software not being up to the job, it may well not be. after all, air traffic has increased ever so slightly since the 1970's - is it reasonable to expect a program presumably designed for 70's hardware, and 70's air traffic loads to cope with heathrow in 2004?
but i really feel that the console market is different to the PC one in alot of ways, and maybe MS (having not done so well in it) are trying to change it into something they think they know, and have more experience in (i.e. the PC market). all the way that article, that is what was running through my mind.
the thing about the console market is that there is more soul in the games than you will find in PC's (as a rule).
i sometimes feel that console games are more like a collection than pc games - in the same way that a music collector will pay a premium for a rare cd, a games collector will pay for a rare game. good examples of this would some classics for that most ill-fated of consoles, the saturn. you can't pick up Panzer dragoon saga or Radiant silvergun for 5 in a bargin bin.
the point is, there is more to games than just the number of polygons that can be generated, or the crispness of the graphics - it's hard to define, but in some ways i think that the more experienced console game makers have it in spades. AFAIK, gamecube is much less powered than PS2 or XboX, but has still done well enought to lead to talk of GC2
oh, and did you notice that at E3, sony made a big thing about how PSP would be so powerful it could do all this shiny stuff, whereas nintendo tended to focus more on the games they had created. the specs of the DS weren't as important as the software - all sony seemed to promote was the spec.
i must admit that i like the current method of them suggesting relevant links, as they normally ARE relevant - so they get more click throughs from me than any other site.
do people really mind Google suggesting relevant sponsered links, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the others?
someone wants a phone with a good addressbook, another with bluetooth, polyphonic / mp3 ringtones, another with email access, and yes, some of us want cameras too - even if the quality isn't great.
how do you expect the manufacturers to please all the people all the time?
you just have to take the good with the bad, and realise that the killer function you want is worthless to someone else.
some things are fads, but text mesages (and to a lesser extent WAP) are not
but for mobility, i love my camera phone. the number of times i have my phone but no other camera seems to increase. but the real bonus of having a camera in my phone is that i get a good insurance policy from my phone company (orange) so i am never afraid to take it out with me when i go drinking. i'd never be that fearless with a camera costing lots more.
oh - and lets not forget that it's probably only a matter of time before mobile phones get camera compnents the quality of a good digital camera - it'll only get better!
i agree - i love playing some games on my pc, and others on a console (gamecube). i think it's as much to do with the interface style as anything else. driving games lend themselves to analogue joystick / pad controls, rts games can only really be played with a mouse, whereas fighing style games need a pad or stick, and fps can be either...
but it's also a social thing. the amount of effort required to set up a 4-player session of mario kart double dash, or timesplitters 2 is nothing compared to the time and effort required to set up even a small LAN party - even though they are great fun.
jus' a thought
i had to buy a pc for work from dell in the uk - and at the end of the order process there were some amazing checkboxes including (and i promise i am NOT joking)
Do You intend to use this equipment to:
Develop Nuclear Chemical or Biological weapons? Y [] N []
Do you intend to use this equipment to develop ballistic technologies? Y [] N []
(ok - i admit the phrasing isn't exact - this was about 3 years ago after all, but the message was there. Would anyone actually check those boxes??)
i can see the shippng label now...
(i really am thinking lowest common denominator here)
and will the legislation stop here - should microsoft / apple / anyone be allowed to set the homepage for a browser? if you aren't allowed a link in the OS to a store the OS manufacturer runs (as i suspect most slashdotters would get upset about) then why should you be allowed to set the homepage?
just a thought.
[/paranoid-rant]
is this not the way to go? i mean responsible downloading would be downloading unavailable tracks (like some live stuff or remixes)or downloading a couple of tracks off the album, and then buying it if you liked it, and wanted more.
in fact, i have 'discovered' several bands by simply typing their name into KaZaA and subsequently bought their cds.
if the BPI/RIAA/whoever get upset at people downloading whole albums, i an understand it, particularly if they would have bought the album. and that is the problem, they need to work out who is stealing by downloading an album they would otherwise be prepared to buy, and those exploring music by downloading something random they have never heard of before.
last year, i downloaded some Fountains of Wayne tracks, because one of my mates was wearing an FoW t-shirt, and i liked their name. i liked the music. so did my girlfriend, and some of my housemates. i bought a couple of their albums, as did a house mate, and we saw them on tour.
we would never have done any of this if i hadn't downloaded the original tracks.
can someone please explain how (at least in the long-run) i/we damaged the music industry by this horrific infringement of copyright?
i downloaded Float's Mobile Agent and noticed that with the bluetooth connection, there is an option to automatically lock the workstation when your phone is out of (bluetooth) range. i haven't used it myself, but it looks kinda handy - the number of times i have remembered to pick up my mobile, but not lock the workstation.
:)
and if you really want to make your pc hardware secure, have you tried padlocking it to the wall?
..will it change anything? after all, if MS are forced to sell 2 versions of the OS, then is there anything to stop them selling XP Pro full (with WMP etc) for 150 and the 'XP cripple' for 155?
MS surely cannot afford to pull out entirely of the EU. i admit that they have alot of cash, but ALL the member states - now that's alot of people, and alot of money....
"This proved we could browse the Web without touching a keyboard."
NASA - Making one-handed typing a thing of the past