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User: presidentbeef

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  1. I learned to program on Inside the TRS-80 Model 100 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    on one of these that my uncle gave me. Pretty much changed my life.

    What this article really failed to mention was the software side. You could program anything on the computer in BASIC and the LCD screen made it easy to create and position graphics (no need to worry about resolution - each pixel is always in exactly the same place and precisely the same number characters will always fit on the screen.) Made for years of writing games and applications on that thing. This is really something the "laptops for kids" people should be thinking about.

  2. Re:It would be nice if it could be better... on Do the Blind Deserve More Effort on the Web? · · Score: 1

    This comic puts a descriptive transcript under each comic. That seems like the best approach to me.

  3. Hacked? on Facebook Interviewer Heckled at Web Conference · · Score: 1

    I read the headline several times and still thought it said "hacked" and was confused why the summary didn't seem to mention it. I figured the conference attendees hacked his computer and made his presentation say "All Your Faces Are Belong to Us" or something.

  4. Re:A big IF on Cyberwarfare in International Law · · Score: 1

    Hey! Die Hard 4 is a great movie if you watch it with the understanding that it is a comedy.

  5. Re:stupid.com on The Curious Histories of Generic Domain Names · · Score: 1

    ARG! MY EYEBALLS!!

  6. Re:great flyby animation on Messenger Flies by Mercury · · Score: 1

    That was sweet! I thought it was going to crash there for a moment, but they pulled up just in time...

  7. Re:Is *that* what that was? on Facebook Beacon Privacy Issues Worse Than Previously Thought? · · Score: 1

    I had to go several menus deep in Facebook to figure out how to opt-out of this crap. I haven't been back to kongregate since. Absolute crap.
    Privacy -> External Websites ?

    Privacy Settings for External Websites

    Show your friends what you like and what you're up to outside of Facebook. When you take actions on the sites listed below, you can choose to have those actions sent to your profile.

    Please note that these settings only affect notifications on Facebook. You will still be notified on affiliate websites when they send stories to Facebook. You will be able to decline individual stories at that time.

    No sites have tried sending stories to your profile
  8. Re:Improvements? on Mandriva Linux 2008 Now Available · · Score: 1

    Agreed. And I still haven't gotten completed used to the new layout for adding/removing/updating software.

  9. Re:legality on The Pirate Bay Files Suit Against Big Media · · Score: 1

    You, sir or madam, have just made my day. That is hilarious.

  10. Don't lasers on Detecting Cancer Without Drawing Blood · · Score: 1

    ...cause cancer?

  11. So, 2010 would be on The Desktop -- Time to Start Saying Goodbye? · · Score: 5, Funny

    the year of Linux on the...laptop?

  12. Re:Why? on Microsoft Announces OOXML-UOF Project with China · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because for the average user, Microsoft products (at least Office) do the job required, and do it fairly well, and no one is providing anything that, despite file format incompatibility, provides a compelling reason to change aside from "we're a bit cheaper". Without that, no one is going to get up in arms.

    Well...a couple hundred bucks for most home users is a lot just to do word processing, spreadsheets, etc. Compare that to OpenOffice, which is free. That is a huge savings.

    I'd say it's more likely that most users don't know the difference between Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, don't know there are alternatives, and assume that "free" means cheap and worthless.

    It's different for businesses, but, if we assume there is an exact clone of Office which is completely free...I think most people would switch rather than to continually pay Microsoft for new licenses and upgrades which are practically forced.
  13. Re:Whaaaaaa? on Samsung to Launch Dual Blu-ray HD DVD Player · · Score: 1

    "Our main concern is with the consumer and not a particular technology"

    I expect the MPAA Enforcement Squad to soon pay them a visit to correct this dangerous and subversive kind of slander.

    No kidding! Won't someone think of the corporations????
  14. Re:attempted translation on EFF Jumps in Against RIAA for Copyright Misuse · · Score: 1

    But aren't they still suing the person who provided the downloads?

  15. Re:attempted translation on EFF Jumps in Against RIAA for Copyright Misuse · · Score: 1

    Hi Mr. Coward,

    You are quite right, IANAL. Sorry for the lack of disclaimer above.

    FORTUNATELY, I can read. So, I read the documents you linked. Nowhere does it say that the person receiving the copies is in any way guilty of anything. Only the person who copies and/or distributes the infringing articles is guilty.

    While it has not been proven in court, if if I were a lawyer, I bet I could argue that the person receiving the downloaded materials is not the one producing or providing the copy.

  16. Re:attempted translation on EFF Jumps in Against RIAA for Copyright Misuse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    nycl, a question: if i were to go online now and, using a well-known, well-trafficked file sharing site, downloaded a well-known track, and this were to attract the attention of the riaa driftnets, is it safe to say that i could survive the legal attack

    Golly, how many times must this be said?

    No one gets sued for downloading. The illegal activity is distributing copyrighted materials without consent of the copyright holder. So, go download as many songs you would like, you are not going to be sued unless you also redistribute those files.

    The people who are getting in trouble are those who are (at least allegedly) sharing out a massive amount of songs, very possibly without even realizing it. It is the default (and, rightly so, it's the point) for most P2P applications to share whatever you download. BitTorrent explicitly makes this a necessity. The RIAA is not going to send you a cease and desist letter for downloading a song off of a website (standard HTTP or FTP connection). However, the person operating the website can be sued...because they are distributing the materials.

    Not to be too hard on the OP, but this is what they (the *AA) want you to think: downloading is evil, morally wrong, and illegal. That is not the case (at least not the illegal part).

  17. Re:T-mobile acting sys-admin on T-Mobile Bans Others' Apps On Their Phones · · Score: 2, Informative

    I have a T-Mobile Dash and I live in the LA area. Google Maps stopped working over the weekend, and, strangely enough, even Internet Explorer isn't working(?!) The only thing that does work is getting email.

    The sweet thing about T-Mobile was having Google Maps and an Internet connection (nearly) all the time for just $5.99/month. Now I can't even browse the Internet? Lame. Super lame.

  18. Re:When you know so little about TOR... on University Professor Chastised For Using Tor · · Score: 1

    The creators of TOR couldn't have possibly missed this, and anyone who complains should remember that when you lie with dogs, you may wake with fleas. You're going to have to take the bad with the good.

    I can't tell if you are saying that they are purposefully ignoring the possibility or what, but take a look here: http://tor.eff.org/faq-abuse.html.en

    They are clearly aware of what Tor could be used for.

  19. Re:Don't seem too excited on Largest Twin Prime Yet Discovered · · Score: 1

    Hahahaha! :D
    Thanks.

  20. Don't seem too excited on Largest Twin Prime Yet Discovered · · Score: 1

    The website announcement doesn't seem all that excited about the discovery.

    Odd?

  21. Re:Is it possible... on iPhone Faces Uncertain Market · · Score: 1

    Lots of other college students with disposable income will be early adopters too.

    Please tell me your secret.

  22. Re:uh oh, there goes wikipedia on Wikipedia Used for Artificial Intelligence · · Score: 1

    super-filter every e-mail that comes out of South Korea, Indonesia, and especially Nigeria, etc.

    That's funny, I did as you suggested. I see no spam coming out of Nigeria. Just to be sure, I took a trip to Postini and checked. Nope. There is a tiny bit from Egypt, but otherwise I don't see any spam originating from the entire African continent.
    That doesn't mean you are wrong about spam being from very specific areas, but Nigeria just isn't supported by the evidence you mention.

  23. Re:Grr on Birth of an Island · · Score: 3, Funny

    "So" is not a synonym of "very".

    I think you meant: "So" is so not a synonym of "very".

  24. Supercool on Birth of an Island · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I hope scientists can get some cool information out of his. And perhaps footage of the island forming...maybe some time-lapse photography or something. That would be neat-o.

  25. Re:Not likely... on Criminals Target Tech Students With Job Offers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I kind of see your point...but doesn't the military already do this? They offer to pay for college, you agree to serve for 6 years or whatever. Does it make a difference if it's a private company?
    I know that some companies will help pay for your education if you agree to continue working for them for a certain amount of time after your education is complete. It's not so different, right? This is just getting them younger.

    Of course, my original comment was more of a joke :)