No. I did not go out and 'buy xboxes'.
I have probably $200 tied up in all my xboxes.
(they were all broken and just needed some TLC).
The software didn't cost me anything.
I already have had to purchase WinXP Pro and Win2000 for test PCs (and they also became gaming PCs when not in use).
Hardware I don't need?
I also have over 60 complete PCs downstairs and interesting tech hardware rarely seen.
If I didn't fill in the blanks for you, don't go ASSuming anything.;)
Yes, it is a learning curve to adapt to new hardware (or buy a premodded box with >=120GB drive for $350 from a number of sources).
There are a LOT of options! It does take some time, but I think anyone could appreciate trying them out. It is much the same thing when you _seriously_ purchase a car. (Do NOT trust the salesman, personally run the car through the paces, read consumer reports, ask shadetree mechanics (hackers)).
Once Gentoo is run, controls from my bluetooth media control pad is cake and does not tie up a good PC. (Which I also have an FC3/XP Pro PC with the Logitech media desktop hooked through Svideo and MSI capture card--it feeds movie titles through to my LCD on the remote.)
Oh, and I spent more time studying business than assembly. Especially when my MBA work was in Strategic Management. (and we could speak at length of the marketing genius of Gates--but no cases of invention or ingenuity. ).
You think it's kewl that you spend $900 on PC hardware, $130 on WinXP Pro (OEM) and $160 on Windows Media Center????
And now you want to throw more money at it to 'extend' the features?
Take off the blinders and wakeup! You sound like a 15 year old virgin who just made out with the old lunch lady, saying "WOW! That's the best sex I ever had!"
I know it must be exciting to uncover a 'new' technology, but it is old news and has been done more ways than Paris Hilton.
If you are going to share a single experience, don't pass it off as 'the best thing out there'. At least look at what has been on the shelves for the past couple of years (and the current stuff too) for comparison.
First off, more has been accomplished on way less money a couple of years ago (and is better now). Microsoft has NEVER been the leader of any technology and is NOT starting now.
Look at the TiVo for one. (a Linux pc in micro form factor). You don't want to spend the money? Fine. Build a FreeVo box.
If you want to use your PC as a media center, than you can use one of the Knoppix distributions.
(and I think I can go out on a wing here, since I more than just 'dabble' in technology).
For me, it made sense to convert some of my unused Xboxes into Gentoo Linux media servers. It didn't cost me anything (well, I bought a couple of mod chips for testing, but those can be pulled out thanks to flashing the TSOP) since I have spare hardware sitting unused.
I can play videos (of almost ANY codec), rip DVD's, view photo albums, web browse, catch weather (and all from just the Xbox without a PC).
I actually have been discussing creating a similar venture for movie pulling for a couple of months now, simply because the Xbox and miniITX pcs are dirt cheap and the audience is there.
They thought that by leaking the source code, they could pull a Microsoft stunt (http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/biztech/02/13/micros oft.source/)
in the hopes that the open source stance would help their product development.
Then claim the proposed changes to be trade secret violation, suing all contributor while secretly rolling them into the next version.
(somehow BSD kernel developers would be accused and then SCO would file suit to Cisco claiming that SCO invented limits.h )
I have been consulting for almost 10 years and to this day (ok, it was yesterday) I take checks to the bank that do not have my name on them.
Some have my company name, some my name, or it could be the name of a canvas-backed waterfowl. If I deposited it to an account, they never checked.
I wish that they WOULD check. That could help cut down on check fraud (people harvesting checks from mailboxes and cashing outright or washing them).
The Patriot Act is getting alot of air time out there, but you need to do some research. Every presidential administration has been issuing executive orders (that gave power without consent of House or Senate).
George W Bush replaced a couple with the Patriot Act (which had to go before Congress first).
President Clinton's 1995 executive order 12958 was one that was expired (whose intent was to declassify secret documents quickly which was reverse of Reagan's order 12356).
Do you realize how long the FBI Carnivore network has been up? or the Echelon network?
We are still BUSINESS AS USUAL. (at least with Dems and Republicans passing baton back an forth).
See "The Patriot Act's Impact on the Government's Ability to Conduct Electronic Surveillance of Ongoing Domestic Communications" by Nathan C. Henderson, Duke Law Journal, October 2002:
http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?52+Duke+L.+J.+179
I migrated a Fortune500 division off OS/2 to NT4.
At that same time, we connected to the 'net on a dedicated T1. I had submitted a request and proposal for a Raptor/NT4.0 based firewall on Compaq hardware (around $15,000).
I didn't have time to wait as committees batted it back and forth not understanding the 'Internet' or what we were doing with it.
I didn't have time to play corporate bureacracy.
I grabbed an old 486 off the shelf and threw 2 token ring cards and an ethernet card in it. I put Linux on it. With the help of a local LUG, I got it running and secured. Total cost $0.
It was my first Linux box and ran for over 3 years in the bottom of on of the wiring closets without a reboot, being hacked or any downtime. They pulled it out of commission a little over a year after I left because no one knew what it did or how it worked.
(and if you want to talk about embedded Linux, look at which high profile companies sell wireless access points/switches that are on BestBuy shelves)
hey, just use the ultimate mirror: google.
http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Awhoot.org+l ego&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
I found the articles and pics. Sweet.
(I would throw it on my own server, but not ready for getting slashdotted myself).
Slashdot Mirror
(further clarification- that's $200 for 13 xboxes so you don't assume something else again.)
No. I did not go out and 'buy xboxes'. I have probably $200 tied up in all my xboxes. (they were all broken and just needed some TLC). The software didn't cost me anything. I already have had to purchase WinXP Pro and Win2000 for test PCs (and they also became gaming PCs when not in use). Hardware I don't need? I also have over 60 complete PCs downstairs and interesting tech hardware rarely seen. If I didn't fill in the blanks for you, don't go ASSuming anything. ;)
Yeah, that would be 'special'.
No, the Titles of the movie appear on the remote while the movie is playing, along with time stats.
Yes, it is a learning curve to adapt to new hardware (or buy a premodded box with >=120GB drive for $350 from a number of sources).
There are a LOT of options! It does take some time, but I think anyone could appreciate trying them out. It is much the same thing when you _seriously_ purchase a car. (Do NOT trust the salesman, personally run the car through the paces, read consumer reports, ask shadetree mechanics (hackers)).
Once Gentoo is run, controls from my bluetooth media control pad is cake and does not tie up a good PC. (Which I also have an FC3/XP Pro PC with the Logitech media desktop hooked through Svideo and MSI capture card--it feeds movie titles through to my LCD on the remote.)
Oh, and I spent more time studying business than assembly. Especially when my MBA work was in Strategic Management. (and we could speak at length of the marketing genius of Gates--but no cases of invention or ingenuity. ).
You think it's kewl that you spend $900 on PC hardware, $130 on WinXP Pro (OEM) and $160 on Windows Media Center????
And now you want to throw more money at it to 'extend' the features?
Take off the blinders and wakeup! You sound like a 15 year old virgin who just made out with the old lunch lady, saying "WOW! That's the best sex I ever had!"
I know it must be exciting to uncover a 'new' technology, but it is old news and has been done more ways than Paris Hilton.
If you are going to share a single experience, don't pass it off as 'the best thing out there'. At least look at what has been on the shelves for the past couple of years (and the current stuff too) for comparison.
First off, more has been accomplished on way less money a couple of years ago (and is better now). Microsoft has NEVER been the leader of any technology and is NOT starting now.
Look at the TiVo for one. (a Linux pc in micro form factor). You don't want to spend the money? Fine. Build a FreeVo box.
If you want to use your PC as a media center, than you can use one of the Knoppix distributions.
(and I think I can go out on a wing here, since I more than just 'dabble' in technology).
For me, it made sense to convert some of my unused Xboxes into Gentoo Linux media servers. It didn't cost me anything (well, I bought a couple of mod chips for testing, but those can be pulled out thanks to flashing the TSOP) since I have spare hardware sitting unused.
I can play videos (of almost ANY codec), rip DVD's, view photo albums, web browse, catch weather (and all from just the Xbox without a PC).
I actually have been discussing creating a similar venture for movie pulling for a couple of months now, simply because the Xbox and miniITX pcs are dirt cheap and the audience is there.
They thought that by leaking the source code, they could pull a Microsoft stunt (http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/biztech/02/13/micros oft.source/)
in the hopes that the open source stance would help their product development.
Then claim the proposed changes to be trade secret violation, suing all contributor while secretly rolling them into the next version.
(somehow BSD kernel developers would be accused and then SCO would file suit to Cisco claiming that SCO invented limits.h )
I have been consulting for almost 10 years and to this day (ok, it was yesterday) I take checks to the bank that do not have my name on them. Some have my company name, some my name, or it could be the name of a canvas-backed waterfowl. If I deposited it to an account, they never checked. I wish that they WOULD check. That could help cut down on check fraud (people harvesting checks from mailboxes and cashing outright or washing them).
The Patriot Act is getting alot of air time out there, but you need to do some research. Every presidential administration has been issuing executive orders (that gave power without consent of House or Senate).
J .+179
George W Bush replaced a couple with the Patriot Act (which had to go before Congress first).
President Clinton's 1995 executive order 12958 was one that was expired (whose intent was to declassify secret documents quickly which was reverse of Reagan's order 12356).
Do you realize how long the FBI Carnivore network has been up? or the Echelon network?
We are still BUSINESS AS USUAL. (at least with Dems and Republicans passing baton back an forth).
See "The Patriot Act's Impact on the Government's Ability to Conduct Electronic Surveillance of Ongoing Domestic Communications" by Nathan C. Henderson, Duke Law Journal, October 2002:
http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?52+Duke+L.+
I migrated a Fortune500 division off OS/2 to NT4. At that same time, we connected to the 'net on a dedicated T1. I had submitted a request and proposal for a Raptor/NT4.0 based firewall on Compaq hardware (around $15,000). I didn't have time to wait as committees batted it back and forth not understanding the 'Internet' or what we were doing with it. I didn't have time to play corporate bureacracy. I grabbed an old 486 off the shelf and threw 2 token ring cards and an ethernet card in it. I put Linux on it. With the help of a local LUG, I got it running and secured. Total cost $0. It was my first Linux box and ran for over 3 years in the bottom of on of the wiring closets without a reboot, being hacked or any downtime. They pulled it out of commission a little over a year after I left because no one knew what it did or how it worked. (and if you want to talk about embedded Linux, look at which high profile companies sell wireless access points/switches that are on BestBuy shelves)
Seriously, blasting away figures without facts to back it up is...well..so Microsoft FUD and SCO-esk.
hey, just use the ultimate mirror: google. http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Awhoot.org+l ego&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
I found the articles and pics. Sweet.
(I would throw it on my own server, but not ready for getting slashdotted myself).