I know that we have tons and tons of methane gas mactories, particularly in recliner chairs near most big-screen TVs over the weekend, but I've never seen any that produce hydrogen. Although once those methane facilities start processing, they do get you to move away from them pretty quickly.
THAT'S the kind of engine we need! A Beer and Bratwurst Post-Production Methane engine! There's a virtually unlimited supply of that particular gaseous substance here in the States!
And the new, special proxies that/. has recently implemented even give you the ability to respond in the wrong thread! See? Your post is proof that it works... unless the Amish are really a wired bunch of people who send people who don't pay up for their Amish quilts to debt collectors.
That's VERY common around here. Many Amish barn/shed builders guarantee to have your entire structure built in a single day regardless (to a certain extent) of the size. Obviously a full-sized barn can't be done in a day, but there are many Amish builders who will guarantee that smaller barns and large sheds will be up before sundown. They're very, VERY skilled woodsmiths. Amish furniture is some of the most durable that you can purchase as well.
No, I don't work for any Amish marketing board. Really.:) When you live 30 minutes from Lancaster, you see these things frequently.
The main thing to remember about true Amish is that they're an orthodox branch of the Anabaptist church.
The Mennonites are a non-orthodox denomination; however, to see them on the street together you'd have no idea which is the Amish and which is the Mennonite. Mennonites still hold onto the traditions except that they accept "modern" lifestyles - they own cars, TVs, computers, and so forth, but still honor the traditional dress and religious beliefs. My wife works with a Mennonite at a local grocer, and he's always in his straw hat and overalls whenever he works. It was actually a shock to see him in a "regular" suit and tie at the company Christmas party last year.
I live about 45 minutes from Strasburg and go through that area often. There are Mennonite churches all over the place, even as far out as Carlisle and as far north as Selinsgrove (not that those names mean anything to people who are not from the area).
Basically, if they own a buggy, they're Amish. If they own a car, they're Mennonite.:) But if they're standing side by side on a sidewalk you'd never be able to tell who is who.
Are you kidding? I would think that Dickson City wold be the prime example, *especially* for the language!
"Hey, who closed the light? I was right in the middle of my sangwich, heyna? Where's that bah'el (bottle) of medsin? I got a sore troat! I got it when I went to Catlick church last week and I gotta go to da U (University of Scranton) for da Eetalyun (Italian) Festivahl!"
Sadly, those outside of the coal region can't understand, but if they did they'd know that this would be +5 Accurate.:)
In a free society, the parents should be the ones dictating what is indecent in their homes, not the government, no matter if it's local, state, or federal.
Whoa... Common sense does not belong on Slashdot or in the real world, young man! The gub'ment is telling you that playing violent games like GTA:SA is going to make you into a murderer, and this sex crack will turn you into a rapist as well! The gub'ment said it, so you better believe it! A DEMOCRAT from CALIFORNIA said it! GTA:SA is evil and vile, and this sex crack makes it even that much worse!
Feh! Parents taking responsibility for their children indeed!! What are you smoking and why aren't you sharing it with the rest of us?
(If I need to tell any mod that that was sarcasm, then we might as well just abolish the modding system entirely.)
No, it is not. The ESRB has clear guidelines on when a title must be AO, with clear criteria for meeting that standard.
My point was in reference to target audience. Kids are not supposed to be able to purchase M titles; kids are not supposed to be able to purchase AO titles. Regardless of which of the two a game has, the game is meant for adults. From that perspective, the difference between the two is based solely on the perception of the individual purchaser.
Anyone who buys PC games at Wal-Mart can't be considered to be a serious gamer anyway.;) (Yes, mods, that's a joke.)
There are no stronger rating in games or movies, so what exactly is the ESRB expected to do? Apologize saying, "Oh, we're sorry. That should have been Stronger Sexual Content"?
I forgot about the "AO" (Adults Only) rating, but effectively they're the exact same thing - both specifically stating that they're meant for adults. From the perspective of target audience, they're both at the exact, same audience. The difference between AO vs. M is purely perception.
Just wanted to get that in before someone else tries to be semantic at my inital post.:)
Exactly. This is like getting all high and mighty because an NC-17 movie has unadvertised sex in it that was left on a master replication print that differed from a screener print. There are no stronger rating in games or movies, so what exactly is the ESRB expected to do? Apologize saying, "Oh, we're sorry. That should have been Stronger Sexual Content"?
The game is not directed at kids and should not be purchased by kids. It says so right on the damned box!
Adding a topless woman in a frame of The Rescuers (Disney)... okay, I could understand why certain people were upset by that incident. But in this case it's nothing more than the Indecency Policeman getting on his moral high horse in order to make it seem as though he's oh-so-very-worried about the delicate values of the people that he so caringly represents. {/SARCASM}
Wait a minute... Yee's a D-California??? And he's worried about indecency? Wow! Who would have thought! (Yes, humorless mods, that's a joke.)
Once again, a politician is out to make a huge fuss to prove to his constituency that he's worthy of re-election. "Molehill, I'd like you to meet your replacement, Mountain. Mountain is going to be my new Public Relations chief and head of my re-election campaign."
Unfortunately, Linux's success doesn't depend upon market share among grandmothers, but has rather more to do with mindshare among developers [insert picture of big ape screaming: developers! developers! developers!]. For some reason, these people have very different needs, and some of the different OSes cater to these different needs.
Sorry, but I have to disagree very strongly. It will require the average Joe User and his grandmother to get Linux to the desktop in tangible amounts to make it a viable, desktop-for-the-home operating system. Not catering to these people will keep Linux in the niche category, even more so than Apple, and I see no reason why Linux should not expand as much as possible. Being a developer is one thing, but what good is being a developer if there is not a lot of demand for what you're developing? Sure, there will always be those who do it for the love of doing it; but restricting Linux to developers is incredibly short-sighted.
Linux is extrememly flexible. With the number of Linux applications that are coming out not to mention WINE and other tools for those who must use the occasional Windows app, there is absolutely no reason why it should not be set up to increase its market share among grandmothers, developers, and everyone in between.
For some reason, these people have very different needs, and some of the different OSes cater to these different needs.
I see no reason why Linux can't cater to just about everyone. It's got the power; it's got the developers; it's got the increasing number of apps and utilities; it's got the easy-to-use desktops; and so forth. If Windows can be accepted as the de facto operating system for the home user, why are you so quick to dismiss Linux as a viable competitor?
If anything, the opposite should be true: the OS should become more intelligent, taking care of the tedious stuff so the user can concentrate on doing his job.
..which from an end-user standpoint is "dumbing down" because they don't have to do as much on their part. "Dumbing down" is not necessarily derogatory, you know. Make it easy enough for the new user to do everything he needs to do while leaving the command line for the power user. That's still "dumbing down", but that's not an insult to Linux to refer to it as such.
Oh, yes, any opinion that dares to criticize Linux, even if it's meant to be constructive by pointing out shortcomings that could hinder its adoption, is automatically bashing and worthy of derision.
Sadly, you and I are probably going to get nailed with "flamebait" or "troll", but you are essentially correct. If we were still in the day of DOS where we have to fight with IRQs and DMAs, what you mention would probably be more tolerated by new users. When I taught Solaris, I found that the people who adjusted to it the easiest were (no surprise here) mainframe users! I even taught one lady who was in her 70s how to use Solaris, and she did better than most of the rest of the class!
As would be expected, the Windows generation had the most difficulty converting. Thanks to Windows' dumbing down of the interface, people have come to expect the simplicity of throwing in a disc, letting it install, reboot if necessary, and the app is there. Issues like permissions, libraries, kernels, and so forth are going to be completely foreign concepts to the last majority of computer users that are out there.
And can you imagine what most people will think when you tell them that Linux runs X? "You mean, Linux is pornographic?!!" (That's called humor. I know that that's a foreign concept to many Slashdot mods.)
Obviously, education is the key, but that also assumes that the user is willing to learn. Not all of them are, and that's fine. Let them eat Windows. But until Linux does dumb itself down for those who fear the command line, people will look at it, them look at Windows, and switch back to Windows because of the sake of simplicity.
Alternately, I wish that more companies would offer PCs with Linux preinstalled right there in the store with a Linux desktop right there. Let the people see what Linux can do; let them get a feel for it in the store. Maybe they wouldn't feel so afraid of it. The Linux desktop is very nice as of late. MEPIS Linux v3.3.1 has one of the best desktops I've seen when it comes to user friendliness. I've actually been able to convert a few people to give Linux a try because of it. (Not many, mind you, but it's better than none.)
At the current 4.1 KB/sec on a 4-6 MB/sec cable connection, it would probably be faster for me to go out, buy the CDs, and rip them! The Sixth Symphony will take over three hours to download at the current rate.:)
Ah, well. If it helps to give credibility to legal music downloading, I'll wait for the transfers.
A site gets slashdotted when it has nothing to do with geeks, gadgets, or gizmos. Who would have thought it?
The issue is gaining momentum, with several bipartisan proposals aimed at restricting the use of Social Security numbers and creating a new cyber-security center. The latest bill would require companies that collect data to tighten controls and tell customers how that information is used.
Good! It's by no means the silver bullet in identity theft, but I really get sick of having companies ask for my SSN when it's none of their goddamned business! Even when I took Sun certifiation exams, the unique identifier that they wanted to use was my SSN! Exactly what business is it of a certification examination center to have my (or anyone's) SSN?
The problem, however, is one that government will never be able to fix - consumer stupidity. It's staggering that people are so shocked when they find out that their identity was stolen, yet they will look at you dumbfounded if you ask them:
* Do you shred all of your mail, bank statement, receipts, and so forth before throwing them away?
* Do you make sure to never purchase from e-mails that you didn't ask for?
* Do you make sure to purchase on-line through secure, HTTPS connections?
* Do you willingly give out information to people on the phone who claim to be from one business or another?
I'm sure that the government will do what it can (even if it further tramples on our individual rights one way or another) but until the general public stops their carelessness with personal information or materials that contain personal information, identity theft will keep going and going just like that damned rabbit.
But you're assuming that a new company cannot possibly make a console cheaper that is as good as the others. I guess that I have more faith in human ingenuity than most.
But they're still not locking anybody out due to pricing that's lower than it should be. You're making a blanket assupmtion that just because Sony and Microsoft are taking billon dollar hits up front every potental console manufacturer will have to do the same in order to compete. That's a rather wild assumption to make. Just because the big three can and do take up-front hits of a billion does not autoamtically mean that all other potential console makers will or must have to make the same kind of up-front hit in order to enter the market.
I'm forced to think about a certain, rather large company that started with two guys in their garage. They didn't take a billion-dollar up front hit to make their company what it is now.
...and get a black mark on their credit rating as a result. Besides, most bad debt is pursued by collection agencies, not the companies themselves. The collection agencies then keep a portion of what is recovered to cover their costs. Sony would most likely not do anything and instead tell a collection agency, "Here's the data. Get what you can." Very few companies actually do their own negligent payment pursuits. Bad debt is also a tax writeoff, so it's not a total loss.
Not downplaying what you've said as you are correct, but it's not as much of a financial loss to Sony as you are implying. And there are far more people who do honor their debt agreements than those who don't.
Granted, but could you imagine if they offered a card with the terms that if you have a job or if you are a student, you get the card regardless of credit history or lack thereof at some excrucitingly high rate meant specifically for PlayStation, its games, and its accessories? People will go for it in DROVES because it will help them to avoid the huge $400 one-time purchase. You can't tell me that their current card can be acquired by anyone who asks.
Slashdot Mirror
tons and tons of methane gas mactories
Oh, it's going to be one of those days, I see. What a hell is a "mactory"? *sigh* Where's a FireFox spell checker when you need one?
I know that we have tons and tons of methane gas mactories, particularly in recliner chairs near most big-screen TVs over the weekend, but I've never seen any that produce hydrogen. Although once those methane facilities start processing, they do get you to move away from them pretty quickly.
;)
THAT'S the kind of engine we need! A Beer and Bratwurst Post-Production Methane engine! There's a virtually unlimited supply of that particular gaseous substance here in the States!
For those not in the know, Blackpool is in England, as is (another) Lancaster.
And the new, special proxies that /. has recently implemented even give you the ability to respond in the wrong thread! See? Your post is proof that it works ... unless the Amish are really a wired bunch of people who send people who don't pay up for their Amish quilts to debt collectors.
That's VERY common around here. Many Amish barn/shed builders guarantee to have your entire structure built in a single day regardless (to a certain extent) of the size. Obviously a full-sized barn can't be done in a day, but there are many Amish builders who will guarantee that smaller barns and large sheds will be up before sundown. They're very, VERY skilled woodsmiths. Amish furniture is some of the most durable that you can purchase as well.
:) When you live 30 minutes from Lancaster, you see these things frequently.
No, I don't work for any Amish marketing board. Really.
The main thing to remember about true Amish is that they're an orthodox branch of the Anabaptist church.
:) But if they're standing side by side on a sidewalk you'd never be able to tell who is who.
The Mennonites are a non-orthodox denomination; however, to see them on the street together you'd have no idea which is the Amish and which is the Mennonite. Mennonites still hold onto the traditions except that they accept "modern" lifestyles - they own cars, TVs, computers, and so forth, but still honor the traditional dress and religious beliefs. My wife works with a Mennonite at a local grocer, and he's always in his straw hat and overalls whenever he works. It was actually a shock to see him in a "regular" suit and tie at the company Christmas party last year.
I live about 45 minutes from Strasburg and go through that area often. There are Mennonite churches all over the place, even as far out as Carlisle and as far north as Selinsgrove (not that those names mean anything to people who are not from the area).
Basically, if they own a buggy, they're Amish. If they own a car, they're Mennonite.
Political affliation is irrelevant. Don't forget that it was Tipper Gore who brought us the RIAA advisory "EXPLICT LYRICS" labels.
Touché.
Are you kidding? I would think that Dickson City wold be the prime example, *especially* for the language!
:)
"Hey, who closed the light? I was right in the middle of my sangwich, heyna? Where's that bah'el (bottle) of medsin? I got a sore troat! I got it when I went to Catlick church last week and I gotta go to da U (University of Scranton) for da Eetalyun (Italian) Festivahl!"
Sadly, those outside of the coal region can't understand, but if they did they'd know that this would be +5 Accurate.
They're only breasts. Religious half-wits should just get a grip.
Oh, the irony of those statements! I think that you might have found out why they act the way that they do!
In a free society, the parents should be the ones dictating what is indecent in their homes, not the government, no matter if it's local, state, or federal.
... Common sense does not belong on Slashdot or in the real world, young man! The gub'ment is telling you that playing violent games like GTA:SA is going to make you into a murderer, and this sex crack will turn you into a rapist as well! The gub'ment said it, so you better believe it! A DEMOCRAT from CALIFORNIA said it! GTA:SA is evil and vile, and this sex crack makes it even that much worse!
Whoa
Feh! Parents taking responsibility for their children indeed!! What are you smoking and why aren't you sharing it with the rest of us?
(If I need to tell any mod that that was sarcasm, then we might as well just abolish the modding system entirely.)
No, it is not. The ESRB has clear guidelines on when a title must be AO, with clear criteria for meeting that standard.
;) (Yes, mods, that's a joke.)
My point was in reference to target audience. Kids are not supposed to be able to purchase M titles; kids are not supposed to be able to purchase AO titles. Regardless of which of the two a game has, the game is meant for adults. From that perspective, the difference between the two is based solely on the perception of the individual purchaser.
Anyone who buys PC games at Wal-Mart can't be considered to be a serious gamer anyway.
There are no stronger rating in games or movies, so what exactly is the ESRB expected to do? Apologize saying, "Oh, we're sorry. That should have been Stronger Sexual Content"?
:)
I forgot about the "AO" (Adults Only) rating, but effectively they're the exact same thing - both specifically stating that they're meant for adults. From the perspective of target audience, they're both at the exact, same audience. The difference between AO vs. M is purely perception.
Just wanted to get that in before someone else tries to be semantic at my inital post.
Exactly. This is like getting all high and mighty because an NC-17 movie has unadvertised sex in it that was left on a master replication print that differed from a screener print. There are no stronger rating in games or movies, so what exactly is the ESRB expected to do? Apologize saying, "Oh, we're sorry. That should have been Stronger Sexual Content"?
... okay, I could understand why certain people were upset by that incident. But in this case it's nothing more than the Indecency Policeman getting on his moral high horse in order to make it seem as though he's oh-so-very-worried about the delicate values of the people that he so caringly represents. {/SARCASM}
... Yee's a D-California??? And he's worried about indecency? Wow! Who would have thought! (Yes, humorless mods, that's a joke.)
The game is not directed at kids and should not be purchased by kids. It says so right on the damned box!
Adding a topless woman in a frame of The Rescuers (Disney)
Wait a minute
Once again, a politician is out to make a huge fuss to prove to his constituency that he's worthy of re-election. "Molehill, I'd like you to meet your replacement, Mountain. Mountain is going to be my new Public Relations chief and head of my re-election campaign."
Yeah, right, and an instant +5.
The day's not over yet.
Unfortunately, Linux's success doesn't depend upon market share among grandmothers, but has rather more to do with mindshare among developers [insert picture of big ape screaming: developers! developers! developers!]. For some reason, these people have very different needs, and some of the different OSes cater to these different needs.
Sorry, but I have to disagree very strongly. It will require the average Joe User and his grandmother to get Linux to the desktop in tangible amounts to make it a viable, desktop-for-the-home operating system. Not catering to these people will keep Linux in the niche category, even more so than Apple, and I see no reason why Linux should not expand as much as possible. Being a developer is one thing, but what good is being a developer if there is not a lot of demand for what you're developing? Sure, there will always be those who do it for the love of doing it; but restricting Linux to developers is incredibly short-sighted.
Linux is extrememly flexible. With the number of Linux applications that are coming out not to mention WINE and other tools for those who must use the occasional Windows app, there is absolutely no reason why it should not be set up to increase its market share among grandmothers, developers, and everyone in between.
For some reason, these people have very different needs, and some of the different OSes cater to these different needs.
I see no reason why Linux can't cater to just about everyone. It's got the power; it's got the developers; it's got the increasing number of apps and utilities; it's got the easy-to-use desktops; and so forth. If Windows can be accepted as the de facto operating system for the home user, why are you so quick to dismiss Linux as a viable competitor?
If anything, the opposite should be true: the OS should become more intelligent, taking care of the tedious stuff so the user can concentrate on doing his job.
..which from an end-user standpoint is "dumbing down" because they don't have to do as much on their part. "Dumbing down" is not necessarily derogatory, you know. Make it easy enough for the new user to do everything he needs to do while leaving the command line for the power user. That's still "dumbing down", but that's not an insult to Linux to refer to it as such.
So it's linux bashing season.
:/
Oh, yes, any opinion that dares to criticize Linux, even if it's meant to be constructive by pointing out shortcomings that could hinder its adoption, is automatically bashing and worthy of derision.
*sigh* Welcome to Slashdot.
Sadly, you and I are probably going to get nailed with "flamebait" or "troll", but you are essentially correct. If we were still in the day of DOS where we have to fight with IRQs and DMAs, what you mention would probably be more tolerated by new users. When I taught Solaris, I found that the people who adjusted to it the easiest were (no surprise here) mainframe users! I even taught one lady who was in her 70s how to use Solaris, and she did better than most of the rest of the class!
As would be expected, the Windows generation had the most difficulty converting. Thanks to Windows' dumbing down of the interface, people have come to expect the simplicity of throwing in a disc, letting it install, reboot if necessary, and the app is there. Issues like permissions, libraries, kernels, and so forth are going to be completely foreign concepts to the last majority of computer users that are out there.
And can you imagine what most people will think when you tell them that Linux runs X? "You mean, Linux is pornographic?!!" (That's called humor. I know that that's a foreign concept to many Slashdot mods.)
Obviously, education is the key, but that also assumes that the user is willing to learn. Not all of them are, and that's fine. Let them eat Windows. But until Linux does dumb itself down for those who fear the command line, people will look at it, them look at Windows, and switch back to Windows because of the sake of simplicity.
Alternately, I wish that more companies would offer PCs with Linux preinstalled right there in the store with a Linux desktop right there. Let the people see what Linux can do; let them get a feel for it in the store. Maybe they wouldn't feel so afraid of it. The Linux desktop is very nice as of late. MEPIS Linux v3.3.1 has one of the best desktops I've seen when it comes to user friendliness. I've actually been able to convert a few people to give Linux a try because of it. (Not many, mind you, but it's better than none.)
At the current 4.1 KB /sec on a 4-6 MB/sec cable connection, it would probably be faster for me to go out, buy the CDs, and rip them! The Sixth Symphony will take over three hours to download at the current rate. :)
Ah, well. If it helps to give credibility to legal music downloading, I'll wait for the transfers.
A site gets slashdotted when it has nothing to do with geeks, gadgets, or gizmos. Who would have thought it?
The issue is gaining momentum, with several bipartisan proposals aimed at restricting the use of Social Security numbers and creating a new cyber-security center. The latest bill would require companies that collect data to tighten controls and tell customers how that information is used.
Good! It's by no means the silver bullet in identity theft, but I really get sick of having companies ask for my SSN when it's none of their goddamned business! Even when I took Sun certifiation exams, the unique identifier that they wanted to use was my SSN! Exactly what business is it of a certification examination center to have my (or anyone's) SSN?
The problem, however, is one that government will never be able to fix - consumer stupidity. It's staggering that people are so shocked when they find out that their identity was stolen, yet they will look at you dumbfounded if you ask them:
* Do you shred all of your mail, bank statement, receipts, and so forth before throwing them away?
* Do you make sure to never purchase from e-mails that you didn't ask for?
* Do you make sure to purchase on-line through secure, HTTPS connections?
* Do you willingly give out information to people on the phone who claim to be from one business or another?
I'm sure that the government will do what it can (even if it further tramples on our individual rights one way or another) but until the general public stops their carelessness with personal information or materials that contain personal information, identity theft will keep going and going just like that damned rabbit.
But you're assuming that a new company cannot possibly make a console cheaper that is as good as the others. I guess that I have more faith in human ingenuity than most.
But they're still not locking anybody out due to pricing that's lower than it should be. You're making a blanket assupmtion that just because Sony and Microsoft are taking billon dollar hits up front every potental console manufacturer will have to do the same in order to compete. That's a rather wild assumption to make. Just because the big three can and do take up-front hits of a billion does not autoamtically mean that all other potential console makers will or must have to make the same kind of up-front hit in order to enter the market.
I'm forced to think about a certain, rather large company that started with two guys in their garage. They didn't take a billion-dollar up front hit to make their company what it is now.
...and get a black mark on their credit rating as a result. Besides, most bad debt is pursued by collection agencies, not the companies themselves. The collection agencies then keep a portion of what is recovered to cover their costs. Sony would most likely not do anything and instead tell a collection agency, "Here's the data. Get what you can." Very few companies actually do their own negligent payment pursuits. Bad debt is also a tax writeoff, so it's not a total loss.
Not downplaying what you've said as you are correct, but it's not as much of a financial loss to Sony as you are implying. And there are far more people who do honor their debt agreements than those who don't.
Oh, and that's NOT going to raise some eyebrows at the FTC????
Until Intel is no longer allowed to lock AMD out of fair competition, perhaps? Gee, that seemed to be pretty obvious to me. :)
Granted, but could you imagine if they offered a card with the terms that if you have a job or if you are a student, you get the card regardless of credit history or lack thereof at some excrucitingly high rate meant specifically for PlayStation, its games, and its accessories? People will go for it in DROVES because it will help them to avoid the huge $400 one-time purchase. You can't tell me that their current card can be acquired by anyone who asks.