The TNG finale moved me.
The DS9 finale touched me.
The Voyager finale made me glad it was all over.
The Enterprise finale made me think "Ewww."
I thought that both Archer and Trip were very out of character. Trip's not the type to beg and whine when faced with danger. Archer normally doesn't worry so much about formalities.
This episode also demeans Riker, making him look indecisive and insecure. I still don't see how watching a holodeck program would help Riker decide whether or not he should defy his former CO.
I don't know about Porsche, but he briefly did voiceover for the Pontiac SSEi cars several years ago.
More recently, he narrated a rhyming ad for the cholestorol-lowering drug Crestor. The ad was later pulled because the FDA felt it (the TV spot) didn't do an adequate job explaining the potential risks and side effects of taking Crestor.
Long before that, Microsoft bundled a crippled version of Norton AntiVirus with one of the DOS versions...DOS 6.0, I think. This was crippled in that you couldn't download virus signature updates.
A lot of the same anti-monopoly arguments presented in this discussion were heard back then too.
...is using actual car to surround you. I used to have a ColecoVision game system (early '80s) which had a steering wheel attachment and accelerator pedal. You would snap the joystick into a slot on the steering wheel console to use as a gearshift.
True, the steering wheel didn't have force-feedback, but there are a number of real cars that don't give adequate feedback through the steering wheel, to my taste.
The F-117 is deployed when the B-2 is not for several reasons, mostly logistical.
The details you provide fit in with what I've heard about the B-2 being deployed at very few bases around the world. I remember something about B-2s flying from the central US to Iraq and back. That doesn't sound like something you would want to do frequently.
Caveat: I don't watch 24, so I didn't see the aircraft involved.
"Stealth fighter" is the term commonly used to refer to the F-117 (I think that's the number) plane, that oddly wedge-shaped aircraft which is reminiscent of a diamond. It has lots of unusual angular surfaces.
It's also strictly a subsonic aircraft and not really intended to battle other planes. It was used in the first Gulf War, and probably the second, as a way to drop bombs without being detected. I don't think it has air-to-air missiles. Just a couple of guns if I remember correctly.
There is a supersonic fighter which is also stealth capable but I don't think it's in production yet. You can see it* at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport.
I have no idea what the reasoning is behind using an F-117 versus the more domelike B-2 stealth bomber.
* There was a bidding competition between two companies to develop a stealthy, supersonic fighter plane, and I forget whether the museum is displaying the winner of the government bid, or the loser.
The grandparent post is simultaneously funny and informative.
Other computer software companies would do well to follow Microsoft's lead and use naming schemes based on mythology (Cyclops, Phoenix), natural phenomena (Storm, Sunspot not an X-man last time I checked, many years ago ) and as someone else said, animals.
Microsoft could have picked some really off the wall names from comic books...Galactus or the Silver Surfer.
iTunes 4.7.1 (and maybe prior versions as well) can show QuickTime music videos from the iTunes store, but I don't know offhand if it's making a call to the QuickTime program or processing the QT file itself. I know that there are AppleScripts that will let you save iTunes music videos to your hard drive.
You can play a local QuickTime file with iTunes 4.7.1 but you'll only hear the audio content. Doing so also makes a copy of the QT file in your Music folder.
Ah yes, the Apple II. I had an Apple II once, but it was the later, smaller variant, the Apple IIc. I think one of the reasons why I chose to get it rather than an Atari 400, Commodore Vic-20 or TI-whatever, is that the Apple IIc was so small.
Apple kept promising that they would release a small LCD screen that would attach to the back of the computer. Imagine the prospect of having a (semi)portable computer in the early '80s! The LCD screen as pictured in magazines must have been capable of showing just 10 or so lines of text vertically. I never did get to see one of those screens in person.
I know that the personal computers of that era were primitive in comparison to what we have today, but back then there was a certain thrill in using a personal computer. A feeling of exploring new possibilities. Computers were still fairly exotic creatures at the time.
The software was primitive as well, but evocative in its own way: Lemonade Stand (I kid!), Bard's Tale, Zork! I also remember the hours spent in laboriously typing in programs from magazines and books, and hoping that I didn't make a typo somewhere.
It's amazing how much nostalgia you can feel for something which was in every objective way inferior to what you have now.
Sadly, half the people watching Enterprise at this time don't know what a 'good show' is.
What are you trying to say? Enterprise is the best show on TV today. Why even qualify my statement--Enterprise is the best show ever. If not for Enterprise, they would never have made ST:TOS.
The one I use even has the warning "NOT FOR CLIMBING" molded on the surface.
Another advantage in using a carabiner as a keychain is that you can keep your car key on yet another ring. That way, when you go have your car serviced, you don't have to risk getting your house keys duplicated behind your back. Or your flash drive.
I put my flash drive on one ring and my keys on another ring. Both rings are on a small version of those devices used in rock climbing (I forget the name) where one side is spring loaded and opens under pressure.
With this setup, it's easy to separate the flash drive from the keys and plug it into a computer.
I sure do wish I could remember the name of that device. It has a vaguely triangular shape.
I would be very concerned about the potential abuse of this type of technology. Imagine the following scenarios:
1. Immature person tries out the emergency call just to see what happens or if it really works.
2. Creative but malicious person writes virus that triggers this technology.
3. Someone triggers the emergency call in one place, using this as a distraction away from where a real emergency (burglary, for example) is taking place.
4. Creative but malicious person writes program that blocks this technology.
These are just a few random things that come to mind. Numbers 1 and 3 can be done today using a regular phone, but numbers 2 and 4 are what concern me--the idea that someone could potentially make it look like you or I were "prank-calliing" the police or fire station, or interfere with a real-life emergency.
If the forum posts at IpodLounge are any indication, many people will buy some sort of case to protect their iPod from accidental drops. Other people just want to protect their iPod from scratches (especially the screen) and they will buy something thinner than a regular case.
Again, judging from the forum posts, FM transmitters seem like common buys. I don't know about more esoteric add-ons like the laser pointer.
I like to make Windows look a little like NeXTStep, using mostly greys and blacks, and using a splash of color to make the active window really stand out.
The XP default color scheme just irritates me. I find the liberal use of bold colors too distracting for my taste.
I don't know about computer generated random music, but there are a number of composers who have experimented with introducing random elements in their music. John Cage, for one.
I can't speak for how it sounds, I just know that it exists.
The "Sherlock" application in Panther (maybe earlier versions too) offers a flight tracker and language translator, though you do need to be online to use either function.
Slashdot Mirror
The TNG finale moved me.
The DS9 finale touched me.
The Voyager finale made me glad it was all over.
The Enterprise finale made me think "Ewww."
I thought that both Archer and Trip were very out of character. Trip's not the type to beg and whine when faced with danger. Archer normally doesn't worry so much about formalities.
This episode also demeans Riker, making him look indecisive and insecure. I still don't see how watching a holodeck program would help Riker decide whether or not he should defy his former CO.
I think Jolene Blalock said it best: "Appalling."
Not to mention "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
"Picture yourself...in a boat!"
"On a river! With...TANgerine trees and MARmalade skies!"
"Somebody calls you"[anguished voice]"you answer"
[normal voice]"quite sloooowly"
[growl]"A GIRL!"
[normal voice rising in pitch]"with kaleidoscope eyes."
Awful. Simply awful. Funny, but still awful.
I don't know about Porsche, but he briefly did voiceover for the Pontiac SSEi cars several years ago.
More recently, he narrated a rhyming ad for the cholestorol-lowering drug Crestor. The ad was later pulled because the FDA felt it (the TV spot) didn't do an adequate job explaining the potential risks and side effects of taking Crestor.
Long before that, Microsoft bundled a crippled version of Norton AntiVirus with one of the DOS versions...DOS 6.0, I think. This was crippled in that you couldn't download virus signature updates.
A lot of the same anti-monopoly arguments presented in this discussion were heard back then too.
...is using actual car to surround you. I used to have a ColecoVision game system (early '80s) which had a steering wheel attachment and accelerator pedal. You would snap the joystick into a slot on the steering wheel console to use as a gearshift.
True, the steering wheel didn't have force-feedback, but there are a number of real cars that don't give adequate feedback through the steering wheel, to my taste.
The F-117 is deployed when the B-2 is not for several reasons, mostly logistical.
The details you provide fit in with what I've heard about the B-2 being deployed at very few bases around the world. I remember something about B-2s flying from the central US to Iraq and back. That doesn't sound like something you would want to do frequently.
That sounds better, but I don't agree with the thought.
Sorry, it had to be said!
Sorry, I usually think of the F-22 when I hear Stealth Fighter [...] I'm pretty sure it's designed to fire air-to-air missiles.
In any case, they probably don't open up the cockpit and fire pistols at enemy targets. Some of the earliest dogfights were fought just that way.
Caveat: I don't watch 24, so I didn't see the aircraft involved.
"Stealth fighter" is the term commonly used to refer to the F-117 (I think that's the number) plane, that oddly wedge-shaped aircraft which is reminiscent of a diamond. It has lots of unusual angular surfaces.
It's also strictly a subsonic aircraft and not really intended to battle other planes. It was used in the first Gulf War, and probably the second, as a way to drop bombs without being detected. I don't think it has air-to-air missiles. Just a couple of guns if I remember correctly.
There is a supersonic fighter which is also stealth capable but I don't think it's in production yet. You can see it* at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport.
I have no idea what the reasoning is behind using an F-117 versus the more domelike B-2 stealth bomber.
* There was a bidding competition between two companies to develop a stealthy, supersonic fighter plane, and I forget whether the museum is displaying the winner of the government bid, or the loser.
The grandparent post is simultaneously funny and informative.
/. :
Other computer software companies would do well to follow Microsoft's lead and use naming schemes based on mythology (Cyclops, Phoenix), natural phenomena (Storm, Sunspot not an X-man last time I checked, many years ago ) and as someone else said, animals.
Microsoft could have picked some really off the wall names from comic books...Galactus or the Silver Surfer.
Oh, here's one that would strike a chord on
Penguin.
iTunes 4.7.1 (and maybe prior versions as well) can show QuickTime music videos from the iTunes store, but I don't know offhand if it's making a call to the QuickTime program or processing the QT file itself. I know that there are AppleScripts that will let you save iTunes music videos to your hard drive.
You can play a local QuickTime file with iTunes 4.7.1 but you'll only hear the audio content. Doing so also makes a copy of the QT file in your Music folder.
Ah yes, the Apple II. I had an Apple II once, but it was the later, smaller variant, the Apple IIc. I think one of the reasons why I chose to get it rather than an Atari 400, Commodore Vic-20 or TI-whatever, is that the Apple IIc was so small.
Apple kept promising that they would release a small LCD screen that would attach to the back of the computer. Imagine the prospect of having a (semi)portable computer in the early '80s! The LCD screen as pictured in magazines must have been capable of showing just 10 or so lines of text vertically. I never did get to see one of those screens in person.
I know that the personal computers of that era were primitive in comparison to what we have today, but back then there was a certain thrill in using a personal computer. A feeling of exploring new possibilities. Computers were still fairly exotic creatures at the time.
The software was primitive as well, but evocative in its own way: Lemonade Stand (I kid!), Bard's Tale, Zork! I also remember the hours spent in laboriously typing in programs from magazines and books, and hoping that I didn't make a typo somewhere.
It's amazing how much nostalgia you can feel for something which was in every objective way inferior to what you have now.
Sadly, half the people watching Enterprise at this time don't know what a 'good show' is.
What are you trying to say? Enterprise is the best show on TV today. Why even qualify my statement--Enterprise is the best show ever. If not for Enterprise, they would never have made ST:TOS.
Wait a minute, this isn't a mirror universe.
Remove "Enterprise" from the mix, and can you even name a single UPN show?
I can name one, "Veronica Mars", and that's only because UPN seems to have an ad for it whenever I do decide to watch Enterprise.
One recognizable show does not a network make.
A carabiner! Thanks for the name!
The one I use even has the warning "NOT FOR CLIMBING" molded on the surface.
Another advantage in using a carabiner as a keychain is that you can keep your car key on yet another ring. That way, when you go have your car serviced, you don't have to risk getting your house keys duplicated behind your back. Or your flash drive.
I put my flash drive on one ring and my keys on another ring. Both rings are on a small version of those devices used in rock climbing (I forget the name) where one side is spring loaded and opens under pressure.
With this setup, it's easy to separate the flash drive from the keys and plug it into a computer.
I sure do wish I could remember the name of that device. It has a vaguely triangular shape.
I would be very concerned about the potential abuse of this type of technology. Imagine the following scenarios:
1. Immature person tries out the emergency call just to see what happens or if it really works.
2. Creative but malicious person writes virus that triggers this technology.
3. Someone triggers the emergency call in one place, using this as a distraction away from where a real emergency (burglary, for example) is taking place.
4. Creative but malicious person writes program that blocks this technology.
These are just a few random things that come to mind. Numbers 1 and 3 can be done today using a regular phone, but numbers 2 and 4 are what concern me--the idea that someone could potentially make it look like you or I were "prank-calliing" the police or fire station, or interfere with a real-life emergency.
This is all hypothetical, of course.
If the forum posts at IpodLounge are any indication, many people will buy some sort of case to protect their iPod from accidental drops. Other people just want to protect their iPod from scratches (especially the screen) and they will buy something thinner than a regular case.
Again, judging from the forum posts, FM transmitters seem like common buys. I don't know about more esoteric add-ons like the laser pointer.
I like to make Windows look a little like NeXTStep, using mostly greys and blacks, and using a splash of color to make the active window really stand out.
The XP default color scheme just irritates me. I find the liberal use of bold colors too distracting for my taste.
I don't know about computer generated random music, but there are a number of composers who have experimented with introducing random elements in their music. John Cage, for one.
I can't speak for how it sounds, I just know that it exists.
The "Sherlock" application in Panther (maybe earlier versions too) offers a flight tracker and language translator, though you do need to be online to use either function.
If I could mod that reputation system message up, I would. That's a pretty good idea.
I couldn't believe that I, a mere foreigner, seemed to know more about the local currency than the locals
I've met a few non-native English speakers whose command of the language was nonetheless better than that of some native English speakers.
A few years ago, the SBA dollar coins were used as tokens for Boston's T rail system. I don't know if that's still the case.