::chuckles::
trying to fit in eh? I honestly think thats the first time that paricular phrase has ever been applied to me. I support the point of view I wrote in my post becuase thats what I honestly believe. My comments about history come straight from growing up in a house that has literally thousands of history books which I read my way through. I'm also considering doing a history major in college in addition to the (nope not comp sci) marine science major I'm doing.
certainly not evry thing I wrote in that post is 100% original some of it is in fact cliche which I used both because it happens to be (IMO) true, and becuase its 5am and I'm tired. Do I honestly believe everything I wrote in that post might have been a better question to ask and the answer is yes, I do. As for subscribing to a philosophy...::shrug:: I incorporate into my own philisophical leanings that which makes sense to me and I agree with. There is a difference between following the herd blindly and agreeing with what happens to be the thought of those in the community (in this case slashdot) that ones belongs. I dont follow blindly my anonymous friend, I question everything (as any good student of history does) and it happens that I agree with some at least of what you call "slashdot groupthink". As you say, "you dont have to think different, just think". I do think, and I choose to think this way.
as for using someone else words to make an argument, well think of history as a continuos and repeating loop (the best example I have ever heard is tom stoppard's reference in arcadia to the parade of history, where nothing is lost its just dropped and picked up again somewhere else). Understanding the past is truly a great way to understand the future and the present, it can grant you insight into the workings of society that simply observing without context cannot. In the case of politics, the words of a pivotal political figure 200 yrs ago can add a great deal of meaning to an argument about current society (such as freedoms and the harm posed by reducing them in the name of security). Thus, using the words of someone long dead (say ben franklin) to make a point is useful and sensible.
since you are posting anon I dont know if you'll read this or not, but I hope if you do that you can understand that agreement with an argument does not constitute blind acceptance, and I hope you can understand that using someone else words to make a point doesnt neccessarily mean that they are used as a crutch. Anyway, I'm off to bed, so think on what I've said, I dont ask you to agree with me on my philosophy, I just ask you to think....
so you're saying that the ideals that founded the US should have no place in its running now? tell me, without history, how can we understand the present. To use another quote "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it".
Benjamin franklin made his warning in response to the threats of his time, the threas have changed but the principle stands. The US was founded on a promise of freedom, a promise which has been shaped into a nation that has continually through its history attempted to strive for greater freedom. The dangers ben franklin saw were not simply the dangers of his time, but the danger that any free society faces.
By understanding this we can continue to strive for greater freedom and continue to live the promise of this country. If we forget our ideals, let our freedoms fall by the wayside, eventually a tyrrany will form. There is no excuse for the sacrifice of freedoms save when they impinge on another's freedom, security is no exscuse. Technology does not change the fundamental rights of freedom this country was founded on, the answer to technology is to adapt to the technology while retaining our freedom, not to end freedom because of technological advancement.
Massacres, wars, and terrorist acts are nothing new, the scale has changed, but the principle remains the same. and as always, cowing to terrorists by lessening our freedom means they have won, for they have accomplished their prupose, to destroy our society and its freedom, that which they despise...
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security."
- Benjamin Franklin
IMHO 'nuff said
Re:Microsoft CES Torrent
on
CES Tidbits
·
· Score: 1
I'm going to reply to you because you didnt post anon unlike the others who responded...
your point,is well taken, as are the others made, and to be honest I have no idea why nvidia doesnt just allow the driver installer to change the X config file for you (i.e. I'm going to modify your **insert config file name here** please type your root password) or why it doesnt restart X on its own, its a design flaw I think should be addressed. Of course on many commercial distros this doesnt occur (for example AFAIK you can install the nvidia drivers through yast on suse without the pain in the ass config or manually stopping/starting X).
Re:Microsoft CES Torrent
on
CES Tidbits
·
· Score: 1
its funny 'cause the only real difference is changing 3 lines of a text file (which anyone is capable of doing). Its a TUI instead of a GUI on the installer, but the installer is smooth and works like a charm, so you're still simply executing and clicking next a couple times.....
Re:Microsoft CES Torrent
on
CES Tidbits
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
put in UT2004 disc, run the install on linux script (its an executable, just click on it), play game.....
if you need 3d drivers and you're using an nvidia card (which you should if you're using linux) d/l nvidia's drivers, stop X, install, follow instructions to modify your X config, restart X (even easier than windows, don't even need to restart your machine and all instructions are available from nvidia website in great detail).
I don't know why I even try, feeding trolls is so tiresome......
1)there's expensive and then there's expensive when it comes to cars. For example, a corvette is a gastly overpriced POS. OTOH a jaguar (any jaguar) is a very nice car, with a smooth ride, a comfortable interior, lots of perks, etc. The same's true of LCD TVs, some are just overpriced POSs and some are really worth the money you pay for them
2)space is important, and it becomes more evident the larger the TV. For example the TV in my dorm at school is a 14 inch flat-screened CRT sitting on mine and my rommate's fridge, replacing it with an LCD would make no sense since the space saved would be particulary usable. OTOH, my friends 50-something inch LCD (dont ask me how much he paid for it, I declined to ask because it's prolly more than I make in a year) takes up considerably less space than a equivalent sized CRT and looks really nice to boot. As for price.... let's put it this way, if you have the money to splurge on a several thousand dollar TV you're probly looking for a nice looking piece as well as functionality
I notice you're a subscriber to slashdot. Do you have these same arguments about slashdot (bought by corporation, lots of adverts, etc). This is just like when/. was bought by OSDN, and just like slashdot, LJ is and will remain open source. Why are the two any different....
I can tink of two reasons other than hype why flat-panel tvs are selling like hotcakes
1)they take up far less space, its a big deal believe it or not. Its why I got a flat panel for my computer and why many people buy flat-panel tvs. The less space a device takes up, the more space there is for other things and the less cramped the room looks. and speaking of looks....
2)They look damn sexy. Remember, these are living room pieces and you want them to look good. This isnt a piece of hardware you stuff under the desk, its displayed prominently in most peoples living rooms. In short its like furniture and people want it to look good.
3)The awe value, i.e. your friends walk in and go ohhhhh-ahhhhh.
I replaced my 21 inch HP CRT monster with a syncmaster 910T 19 inch flat panel earlier in august 2004. Best decision I ever made, my 21 inch I recycled as a monitor for another comp, and when I'm home as a second monitor for my main machine (KVM switches are great and wonderful devices), but normally my main machine now has the 910t (btw, I needed an lcd for college, there is no way the HP monster that my gf calls gigantor would have fit on my college desk).
The screen is bright, responsive (no ghosting), and looks damn sexy too. Samsung btw now has a zero dead pixel policy on newer monitors so no need to worry about that problem if you buy their stuff now. The 910t is avail for like 450USD from newegg, check it (or its larger bretheren) out, they may convince you to switch.
--Anubis
Average Joe would not only benefit greatly by not needing to connect cables to the computer to transfer files, this is likely to open up a digital convergence gateway where cameras, computers, and phones can transfer photos to each other. We all know that media sharing has become the next big thing, not just in P2P, but in a hardware sense, too.
wasnt this supposed to be the purview of bluetooth. Wifi wasnt designed for this particular application, bluetooth however was and most new phones, laptops, etc have it built in. For what you're describing bluetooth would make a hell of a lot more sense.
This wifi ability makes more sense if you want to drop the pics directly onto your server at home (for storage, web display, etc) than it does for a wireless HD in you pocket or laptop in your bag.
on my linux system it was d/l, execute, tell comp to use nvidia driver, reboot, not much difference (and if you really dont know how to comment or change a couple lines in XF86Config or Xorg's config nvidia's documentation could prolly walk you through it in about 5 secs, my computer illiterate friends and perfectly capable of doing it)....Oh, and No need for worrying about kernel dependancies either btw, nvidia's binary takes care of that.
oh and btw, linux preformance kicks window's ass on any game that runs natively (UT2004 for example) and runs comparable speeds to windows when I ran games under wine (machine used to be dual boot so I was running these on the same hardware. no windows anymore, crossover office's support of itunes rid me of my last possible reason to boot windows:-) )
specs btw are AMD XP2800, 1 gig ram, nVidia geforce FX 5200 with 128mb ram
Point taken, and you're point makes sense when you're talking about local travel. This highway OTOH is another story. Here we're talking about a long (hopefully) highspeed link across the southwest with few exits and entrances (to facilitate speed). In a case like this I think that a highspeed train line would be far more efficient. I realize that trains are included in this plan, but I think that more trains and less cars would be better.... I might be wrong, I just hope that if texas is seriously considering this plan (as opposed to it being a political thing to get the comittee members investigating it spotential money) they are considering the possibility perhaps using a lot of mass transit in it. As I said, I might be wrong, it might not be as efficient, but I hope the idea is at least being entertained.
that said, I think the money for this project would be much better used for researching alternate fuel sources, as you pointed out, the areas this highway would serve arent densely populated, do they really need a highway on this scale?
perhaps we should be considering better mass transit instead of finding new ways to allow people to drive their gas-guzzling SUVs around? I live in NYC and most people take the subway unless they absolutely have to drive (particulary in manhattan, no-one wants to drive in manhattan). It much more efficient than building more roads, pollutes less, etc. Many people here don't own crs (my grandmother and grandfather didnt for example). The answer to all this traffic isnt more raods, its more and better mass transit.
for those of you who havent had the forune of seeing a truly good mass transit system in action, let me put it this way: There is pretty much no-where in NYC that one cant get to on the train, 2 bucks will get you anywhere in the city, and you dont have the stress of sitting in traffic. Oh, and the subway's open 24/7/365 so no need to worry about not being able to get home. For the few places that the subway isnt useful, there are the buses, still more eficient than cars. For getting out to long island there's the LIRR and for upstate there's metro-north. The path and NJTransit connect in NJ. So yeah, more public transportation, not more cars.
My friends literally just stare when they come into my room: it looks like a library and computer center had wild sex and my room was the result. At last count I had in the vicinity of a thousand books, 6 working comps and enough parts for at least 3 more.
the only problem I have with noise is when my g/f sleeps over, then I have to turn off all but the quitest comps 'cause she can't sleep with the loud ones on.
nobody wants an oddball CPU like the G5 when x86 is faster
it's very very difficult to do speed comparisons between archs. However, on a purely subjective comparison, my friend's 2.5ghz powermac certainly runs just as fast, if not faster (subjectvely) as the 3ghz amd64 that I'm sitting at right now. For that matter my 1.5ghz powerbook g4 runs just as fast (again subjectively) as my amd xp 2800 running at 2.1ghz with same amount and speeds of ram.
However, as I said before inter-arch comparison are tricky, the chips happen to be better at different things, thats why the for example peter jackson used g5s on lotr's graphics work.
Slashdot Mirror
::chuckles::
::shrug:: I incorporate into my own philisophical leanings that which makes sense to me and I agree with. There is a difference between following the herd blindly and agreeing with what happens to be the thought of those in the community (in this case slashdot) that ones belongs. I dont follow blindly my anonymous friend, I question everything (as any good student of history does) and it happens that I agree with some at least of what you call "slashdot groupthink". As you say, "you dont have to think different, just think". I do think, and I choose to think this way.
trying to fit in eh? I honestly think thats the first time that paricular phrase has ever been applied to me. I support the point of view I wrote in my post becuase thats what I honestly believe. My comments about history come straight from growing up in a house that has literally thousands of history books which I read my way through. I'm also considering doing a history major in college in addition to the (nope not comp sci) marine science major I'm doing.
certainly not evry thing I wrote in that post is 100% original some of it is in fact cliche which I used both because it happens to be (IMO) true, and becuase its 5am and I'm tired. Do I honestly believe everything I wrote in that post might have been a better question to ask and the answer is yes, I do. As for subscribing to a philosophy...
as for using someone else words to make an argument, well think of history as a continuos and repeating loop (the best example I have ever heard is tom stoppard's reference in arcadia to the parade of history, where nothing is lost its just dropped and picked up again somewhere else). Understanding the past is truly a great way to understand the future and the present, it can grant you insight into the workings of society that simply observing without context cannot. In the case of politics, the words of a pivotal political figure 200 yrs ago can add a great deal of meaning to an argument about current society (such as freedoms and the harm posed by reducing them in the name of security). Thus, using the words of someone long dead (say ben franklin) to make a point is useful and sensible.
since you are posting anon I dont know if you'll read this or not, but I hope if you do that you can understand that agreement with an argument does not constitute blind acceptance, and I hope you can understand that using someone else words to make a point doesnt neccessarily mean that they are used as a crutch. Anyway, I'm off to bed, so think on what I've said, I dont ask you to agree with me on my philosophy, I just ask you to think....
so you're saying that the ideals that founded the US should have no place in its running now? tell me, without history, how can we understand the present. To use another quote "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it".
Benjamin franklin made his warning in response to the threats of his time, the threas have changed but the principle stands. The US was founded on a promise of freedom, a promise which has been shaped into a nation that has continually through its history attempted to strive for greater freedom. The dangers ben franklin saw were not simply the dangers of his time, but the danger that any free society faces.
By understanding this we can continue to strive for greater freedom and continue to live the promise of this country. If we forget our ideals, let our freedoms fall by the wayside, eventually a tyrrany will form. There is no excuse for the sacrifice of freedoms save when they impinge on another's freedom, security is no exscuse. Technology does not change the fundamental rights of freedom this country was founded on, the answer to technology is to adapt to the technology while retaining our freedom, not to end freedom because of technological advancement.
Massacres, wars, and terrorist acts are nothing new, the scale has changed, but the principle remains the same. and as always, cowing to terrorists by lessening our freedom means they have won, for they have accomplished their prupose, to destroy our society and its freedom, that which they despise...
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security."
- Benjamin Franklin
IMHO 'nuff said
I'm going to reply to you because you didnt post anon unlike the others who responded...
,is well taken, as are the others made, and to be honest I have no idea why nvidia doesnt just allow the driver installer to change the X config file for you (i.e. I'm going to modify your **insert config file name here** please type your root password) or why it doesnt restart X on its own, its a design flaw I think should be addressed. Of course on many commercial distros this doesnt occur (for example AFAIK you can install the nvidia drivers through yast on suse without the pain in the ass config or manually stopping/starting X).
your point
its funny 'cause the only real difference is changing 3 lines of a text file (which anyone is capable of doing). Its a TUI instead of a GUI on the installer, but the installer is smooth and works like a charm, so you're still simply executing and clicking next a couple times.....
put in UT2004 disc, run the install on linux script (its an executable, just click on it), play game.....
if you need 3d drivers and you're using an nvidia card (which you should if you're using linux) d/l nvidia's drivers, stop X, install, follow instructions to modify your X config, restart X (even easier than windows, don't even need to restart your machine and all instructions are available from nvidia website in great detail).
I don't know why I even try, feeding trolls is so tiresome......
while you're right for the most part, 2 things:
1)there's expensive and then there's expensive when it comes to cars. For example, a corvette is a gastly overpriced POS. OTOH a jaguar (any jaguar) is a very nice car, with a smooth ride, a comfortable interior, lots of perks, etc. The same's true of LCD TVs, some are just overpriced POSs and some are really worth the money you pay for them
2)space is important, and it becomes more evident the larger the TV. For example the TV in my dorm at school is a 14 inch flat-screened CRT sitting on mine and my rommate's fridge, replacing it with an LCD would make no sense since the space saved would be particulary usable. OTOH, my friends 50-something inch LCD (dont ask me how much he paid for it, I declined to ask because it's prolly more than I make in a year) takes up considerably less space than a equivalent sized CRT and looks really nice to boot. As for price.... let's put it this way, if you have the money to splurge on a several thousand dollar TV you're probly looking for a nice looking piece as well as functionality
woops, meant /. bought by OSTG
I notice you're a subscriber to slashdot. Do you have these same arguments about slashdot (bought by corporation, lots of adverts, etc). This is just like when /. was bought by OSDN, and just like slashdot, LJ is and will remain open source. Why are the two any different....
I call hypocrite...
--Anubis
oops, meant three reasons :-P
I can tink of two reasons other than hype why flat-panel tvs are selling like hotcakes
1)they take up far less space, its a big deal believe it or not. Its why I got a flat panel for my computer and why many people buy flat-panel tvs. The less space a device takes up, the more space there is for other things and the less cramped the room looks. and speaking of looks....
2)They look damn sexy. Remember, these are living room pieces and you want them to look good. This isnt a piece of hardware you stuff under the desk, its displayed prominently in most peoples living rooms. In short its like furniture and people want it to look good.
3)The awe value, i.e. your friends walk in and go ohhhhh-ahhhhh.
make sense now?
--Anubis
I replaced my 21 inch HP CRT monster with a syncmaster 910T 19 inch flat panel earlier in august 2004. Best decision I ever made, my 21 inch I recycled as a monitor for another comp, and when I'm home as a second monitor for my main machine (KVM switches are great and wonderful devices), but normally my main machine now has the 910t (btw, I needed an lcd for college, there is no way the HP monster that my gf calls gigantor would have fit on my college desk).
The screen is bright, responsive (no ghosting), and looks damn sexy too. Samsung btw now has a zero dead pixel policy on newer monitors so no need to worry about that problem if you buy their stuff now. The 910t is avail for like 450USD from newegg, check it (or its larger bretheren) out, they may convince you to switch.
--Anubis
Average Joe would not only benefit greatly by not needing to connect cables to the computer to transfer files, this is likely to open up a digital convergence gateway where cameras, computers, and phones can transfer photos to each other. We all know that media sharing has become the next big thing, not just in P2P, but in a hardware sense, too.
wasnt this supposed to be the purview of bluetooth. Wifi wasnt designed for this particular application, bluetooth however was and most new phones, laptops, etc have it built in. For what you're describing bluetooth would make a hell of a lot more sense.
This wifi ability makes more sense if you want to drop the pics directly onto your server at home (for storage, web display, etc) than it does for a wireless HD in you pocket or laptop in your bag.
is it X entirely or gnome only, if its X you might want to check on the .Xauthority files....
on my linux system it was d/l, execute, tell comp to use nvidia driver, reboot, not much difference (and if you really dont know how to comment or change a couple lines in XF86Config or Xorg's config nvidia's documentation could prolly walk you through it in about 5 secs, my computer illiterate friends and perfectly capable of doing it)....Oh, and No need for worrying about kernel dependancies either btw, nvidia's binary takes care of that.
:-) )
oh and btw, linux preformance kicks window's ass on any game that runs natively (UT2004 for example) and runs comparable speeds to windows when I ran games under wine (machine used to be dual boot so I was running these on the same hardware. no windows anymore, crossover office's support of itunes rid me of my last possible reason to boot windows
specs btw are AMD XP2800, 1 gig ram, nVidia geforce FX 5200 with 128mb ram
Thats ok, /. recycles /. too!!! :-P
Point taken, and you're point makes sense when you're talking about local travel. This highway OTOH is another story. Here we're talking about a long (hopefully) highspeed link across the southwest with few exits and entrances (to facilitate speed). In a case like this I think that a highspeed train line would be far more efficient. I realize that trains are included in this plan, but I think that more trains and less cars would be better.... I might be wrong, I just hope that if texas is seriously considering this plan (as opposed to it being a political thing to get the comittee members investigating it spotential money) they are considering the possibility perhaps using a lot of mass transit in it. As I said, I might be wrong, it might not be as efficient, but I hope the idea is at least being entertained.
that said, I think the money for this project would be much better used for researching alternate fuel sources, as you pointed out, the areas this highway would serve arent densely populated, do they really need a highway on this scale?
perhaps we should be considering better mass transit instead of finding new ways to allow people to drive their gas-guzzling SUVs around? I live in NYC and most people take the subway unless they absolutely have to drive (particulary in manhattan, no-one wants to drive in manhattan). It much more efficient than building more roads, pollutes less, etc. Many people here don't own crs (my grandmother and grandfather didnt for example). The answer to all this traffic isnt more raods, its more and better mass transit.
for those of you who havent had the forune of seeing a truly good mass transit system in action, let me put it this way: There is pretty much no-where in NYC that one cant get to on the train, 2 bucks will get you anywhere in the city, and you dont have the stress of sitting in traffic. Oh, and the subway's open 24/7/365 so no need to worry about not being able to get home. For the few places that the subway isnt useful, there are the buses, still more eficient than cars. For getting out to long island there's the LIRR and for upstate there's metro-north. The path and NJTransit connect in NJ. So yeah, more public transportation, not more cars.
great list, but you forgot:
running a webserver capable of handling slashdotting admirably
on the gripping hand
ahhh, another nivenite
heh, sounds like my room now
My friends literally just stare when they come into my room: it looks like a library and computer center had wild sex and my room was the result. At last count I had in the vicinity of a thousand books, 6 working comps and enough parts for at least 3 more.
the only problem I have with noise is when my g/f sleeps over, then I have to turn off all but the quitest comps 'cause she can't sleep with the loud ones on.
it has to do with a bug in slashcode or a problem with the /. servers I think, ppl cant log in and now it seems the main page is intermintently down
true here too, looks like we are the only ones on slashdot, stranded on one page and nowhere to go :-P
yep, you can also it seems log in now by posting, wonder what the bug was
I'll give you most of this buuuuuut...
nobody wants an oddball CPU like the G5 when x86 is faster
it's very very difficult to do speed comparisons between archs. However, on a purely subjective comparison, my friend's 2.5ghz powermac certainly runs just as fast, if not faster (subjectvely) as the 3ghz amd64 that I'm sitting at right now. For that matter my 1.5ghz powerbook g4 runs just as fast (again subjectively) as my amd xp 2800 running at 2.1ghz with same amount and speeds of ram.
However, as I said before inter-arch comparison are tricky, the chips happen to be better at different things, thats why the for example peter jackson used g5s on lotr's graphics work.