So you claim that the looks are disgusting but not bad like MySpace (which is possibly the most successful social site so far) but bad like "My first attempt at HMTL"... like all the customized pages on MySpace? I'm so confused, if you're going to knock them for bad looks, don't compare them to the top dog. Obviously looks don't make or break a social networking site. In fact, I would wager that marketing (movies have their own MySpace pages now, what?) has much more to do with it than usability or functionality. I use Facebook and not MySpace because Facebook is pretty and MySpace is hideous. In my opinion, it is the biggest selling point of Facebook. Just because the most popular social networking site is ugly doesn't mean we should make that some sort of standard.
If it's remotely anything like Oblivion, except for the fact that it's first person, it will have failed miserably as a Fallout game.
You mean, if Fallout 3 has a wide open world where you explore a vast world mostly on your own, where you quest at your own pace, and where you can play using stealth/violence/etc at your own discretion, then it will have failed as a Fallout game?
Seriously, Fallout and Oblivion are very different games (c.f. their combat systems, for instance), but they have many, many similarities in structure and game flow. Why will being "remotely" like Oblivion ruin Fallout 3 when Fallout 1 and 2 are already "remotely" like Oblivion as it stands?
There is a simple reason for a lot of this confusion. In Japan, circle means "correct" and x means "wrong", so circle is often used as the "select" button, and x as the "back" button. Meanwhile, in the US, most developers use the x button to select. Furthering the confusion is the fact that, sometimes, when games are localized, the switch the x and cricle functions to better suit US sensibilities.
Jesus. That's the dumbest argument I've heard all day, and I've just come from the WoW forums. The idea that the words "shit" and "poo" are linguistically equal is just mind-boggling to me. "Shit" is not equivalent to "poo". "Shit" is more vulgar. It's vulgarity is what makes it different! Our language allows us to speak in varying degrees of politeness and formality depending on the situation. A word may not be intrinsically "bad", at least in the moral sense, but it can certainly be impolite or rude. As a matter of fact, the presence of a euphemism of substitute for a word is a great indication that it might not be appropriate for all audiences.
I love to swear as much as the next guy, but you're overlooking a great deal of the richness of our language if you think swear words are interchangeable with their less offensive brethren. There is a time and a place for both. Let's not pretend otherwise.
It's no surprise that healthy people want the same advantage, but just like with the extra time for the learning disabled and the kids on ADHD drugs, the real losers will be the students who would have done well on their own whose scores are now deflated compared to the enhanced population.
Pardon me if I'm mistaken, but did you just suggest that providing LD students with accommodations deflates the scores of other students?
Accommodations do not devalue test scores. If anything, it makes the test scores a more accurate comparison, because the students who would normally be discounted for external reasons (that is, reasons outside of the knowledge being tested) are now being fairly measured.
The use of psychotropic drugs by healthy individuals is all kinds of stupid, and they are, in a sense, deflating scores. But let us not suggest for a moment that allowing students with learning disabilities or ADHD to compete fairly is somehow ruining it for the rest of you. It is that kind of thinking that perpetuates the myth that ADHD is "just laziness" or that LD kids "just need to try harder".
Disclaimer: I am a Texan Democrat who had a government teacher who loved to rant about Texas politics. For this, I apologize.
OK, it isn't really as simple as a Democrat/Republican thing. Texas tax politics are an icky morass from whence the few who enter seldom return. First of all, because almost all of the state's revenue comes from sales taxes (like this one), the state budget is incredibly sensitive to flucuations in the economy. This problem would be abated if Texas lowered sales taxes and implemented a income tax or state property tax. Even if you aren't from Texas, you should be able to guess that the chances of this are low.
Now, the main way the state government saves money in a crunch is by shifting costs from the state to local level. Hence, most schools in Texas are funded by local property taxes. This is fine for richer neighborhoods (like the one I grew up in), but does nothing to help poorer parts of the state.
What is really needed is a complete overhaul of the tax system. Even if there was the political will to do this, it would be a huge, painful process that would be difficult to design correctly and even more difficult to sell to the public.
Now, I think this is a stupid piece of legislation, and I don't think it's going to pass, and even if it passes, I don't imagine it will do much at all for Texas schools. But let's not be so quick to accuse Republicians, conservatives, Democrats, or even Texans for not caring about education. This is a very difficult problem that is difficult to fix.
To petition (a court) for redress of grievances or recovery of a right.
To institute proceedings against (a person) for redress of grievances.
To carry (an action) through to a final decision.
To court; woo.
Obsolete. To make a petition to; appeal to; beseech.
Suing != Asking the court for money. Suing == Asking the court for something that is rightfully yours, such as basic civil rights (or, in some cases, money).
It doesn't seem likely that Target is being sued for damages. More likely, they are being sued to comply with the law. So the end result would be that the courts force Target to change their website.
I did some quick research (read:Google search) and found this quote from a DoJ letter, circa 1996:
Covered entities under the ADA are required to provide effective communication, regardless of whether they generally communicate through print media, audio media, or computerized media such as the Internet. Covered entities that use the Internet for communications regarding their programs, goods, or services must be prepared to offer those communications through accessible means as well.
More recently, the DoJ filed this brief which asserts the ADA covers even buisinesses that soley exist online. Websites, particuliarly websites offering goods and services, should offer accessibility options, and it's not unreasonable to ask for them. It's not like there aren't websites out there to help you out.
So, even though videogames are not covered (an assertion I agree with), websites most certainly are.
Yes, but there are programs that read websites aloud, allowing blind people to access them. So it's more like banning deaf people from a Greatful Dead concert, even if they have hearing aids that would allow them to enjoy the show.
It is not hard to write webpages that can be read by these programs. Web standards were specifically designed to allow for it, so all you have to do is write standards compliant XHTML, which you should be doing anyways. It falls upon the creators of the web site to ensure that their page is at least usable by these sorts of programs. This is not hard or complicated, people.
Actually, it's simple. Use standards compliant XHTML and CSS. The standards are designed with accesibility in mind. A website needn't provide an identical experience to a blind person. It just has to offer access to the same content and services.
I disagree. I know for a fact that government websites are covered under the ADA, and I suspect that if the website provides a service, like, say, on-line shopping, then it would be required to provide accomedations, as well. And, honestly, it's not like they are asking for anything unreasonable.
And while we're at it, I think you're wrong about the courts, too. The legal system is often critical for proving points. A lot of disabilities don't get accomedated until the courts rule one way or the other on it. Plus, I can think of a couple times (e.g. Brown vs Board of Education) where the lawsuits were instrumental in enforcing civil rights.
This isn't some guy suing McDonalds for not putting "HOT!" on his coffee. These are people with real disabilities who just want equal access that is (in my opinion) provided to them under law.
Actually, the process of listening, converting what you hear into your own words, and writing those words down can be a very effective method of learning. Notes are less of a reference and more of way to cement what you are hearing into your mind. Getting notes from a professor (or from a fellow student, for that matter) sort of short-circuits the process. Kind of like how taking an elevator with get you to the top of the building, but it won't get you the excercise that taking the stairs will.
Actually, the movie implies that Luke has met Obi-Wan. After all, Luke quickly recognizes the name "Kenobi" when he hears it, and knows where his house is. Luke is just unaware of the connection between Kenobi and his father and all that.
I don't mean to imply that this makes the show's concept any better. Just trying to keep our facts straight.
A story: I went to a school for students with ADHD and learning disabilities. In one of our classes, our teacher asked us if there was a surgical option, where they could just go into our brains and turn the ADHD off, would we do it?
Not a single person in the class said they would.
Now, I'm not going to jump on the "don't call it a disorder" bandwagon just yet. (I mean, it sure as Hell isn't helping me get through college). But it does have some positive aspects, and I think a lot of ADHD people are afraid that a cure will take away the good and the bad.
I have ADHD. You are wrong. Allow me to help you understand. The mistake you make, which is a common misconception, is that ADHD is actually a deficit of attention. That's not exactly correct. ADHD is more like an inability to control and regulate your attention. Most people with ADHD have the ability to hyperfocus. That is, when you will focus on something to the point of being unable to focus on anything else. Unfortunately, this isn't something ADHD can trigger at will. As I said, ADHD is the inability to control attention.
There is quite a bit more to ADHD than just short attention spans. It has many other far-reaching effects beyond the stereotypical loopy behavior most people think of, such as persistant problems with time management, task prioritization, motivation, and other executive brain functions.
Sugar and caffine are not the causes of ADHD. (In fact, before methyphenidate, caffine was used as a treatment for ADHD). Dietary treatments for ADHD have had mixed results at best. Medication for ADHD is not a cure, by any stretch of the mind, but it can dramaticaly help. Please do not dismiss something just because of what you have heard on TV. Just a little bit of research would teach you a lot, I think.
Well, you do that, and I do that, but a lot of my friends don't care enough to read the reviews, especially if the game has been heavily hyped beforehand. And for all the times I tell them to wait, and I'm right (Episode III, Path of Neo, etc), it only takes one game to live up to its promise, and they're right back to buying games without waiting again.
Remember, (and I'm not being sarcastic) not everyone is as smart as you.
A preview doesn't need to trash a game to be journalisticly sound. A simple "The gameplay is good but hopefully the developer will do some serious work on the framerate and loading times." would go a long way.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that previews really shouldn't be positive or negative. They should be an objective look at how far the game has come along, and how far it still needs to go.
My outstanding memory of Daggerfall is finding out it had corrupted all of my save games after an all night session with the game. After I stopped screaming, I booted up the game again, and started playing a new character.
Not many games can have you coming back after that kind of abuse.
I would suggest Python as a good beginner language. It's simple, easy to learn, but it also holds up well as you become more skilled. Best of all, its sytax enforces a lot of good programming habits that will carry on even if you move to other languages.
And with IronPython, you can even take advantage of all the.Net libraries, if that's what you're after.
Re:Perl is not too loose and messy
on
Beyond Java
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· Score: 1
Somehow you managed to write clear and understandable English, a language that 14 year olds all over the world use to write text messages and argue on message boards.
It's not my code I'm worried about understanding. It's the 14-year-old's.
Slashdot Mirror
Paladin? A DPS class? Only in their own twisted, plate-covered heads, dear.
You mean, if Fallout 3 has a wide open world where you explore a vast world mostly on your own, where you quest at your own pace, and where you can play using stealth/violence/etc at your own discretion, then it will have failed as a Fallout game?
Seriously, Fallout and Oblivion are very different games (c.f. their combat systems, for instance), but they have many, many similarities in structure and game flow. Why will being "remotely" like Oblivion ruin Fallout 3 when Fallout 1 and 2 are already "remotely" like Oblivion as it stands?
There is a simple reason for a lot of this confusion. In Japan, circle means "correct" and x means "wrong", so circle is often used as the "select" button, and x as the "back" button. Meanwhile, in the US, most developers use the x button to select. Furthering the confusion is the fact that, sometimes, when games are localized, the switch the x and cricle functions to better suit US sensibilities.
Jesus. That's the dumbest argument I've heard all day, and I've just come from the WoW forums. The idea that the words "shit" and "poo" are linguistically equal is just mind-boggling to me. "Shit" is not equivalent to "poo". "Shit" is more vulgar. It's vulgarity is what makes it different! Our language allows us to speak in varying degrees of politeness and formality depending on the situation. A word may not be intrinsically "bad", at least in the moral sense, but it can certainly be impolite or rude. As a matter of fact, the presence of a euphemism of substitute for a word is a great indication that it might not be appropriate for all audiences.
I love to swear as much as the next guy, but you're overlooking a great deal of the richness of our language if you think swear words are interchangeable with their less offensive brethren. There is a time and a place for both. Let's not pretend otherwise.
I haven't.
Says "Digg will be down for a brief period, while we make some changes."
Hm.
Pardon me if I'm mistaken, but did you just suggest that providing LD students with accommodations deflates the scores of other students?
Accommodations do not devalue test scores. If anything, it makes the test scores a more accurate comparison, because the students who would normally be discounted for external reasons (that is, reasons outside of the knowledge being tested) are now being fairly measured.
The use of psychotropic drugs by healthy individuals is all kinds of stupid, and they are, in a sense, deflating scores. But let us not suggest for a moment that allowing students with learning disabilities or ADHD to compete fairly is somehow ruining it for the rest of you. It is that kind of thinking that perpetuates the myth that ADHD is "just laziness" or that LD kids "just need to try harder".
Disclaimer: I am a Texan Democrat who had a government teacher who loved to rant about Texas politics. For this, I apologize.
OK, it isn't really as simple as a Democrat/Republican thing. Texas tax politics are an icky morass from whence the few who enter seldom return. First of all, because almost all of the state's revenue comes from sales taxes (like this one), the state budget is incredibly sensitive to flucuations in the economy. This problem would be abated if Texas lowered sales taxes and implemented a income tax or state property tax. Even if you aren't from Texas, you should be able to guess that the chances of this are low.
Now, the main way the state government saves money in a crunch is by shifting costs from the state to local level. Hence, most schools in Texas are funded by local property taxes. This is fine for richer neighborhoods (like the one I grew up in), but does nothing to help poorer parts of the state.
What is really needed is a complete overhaul of the tax system. Even if there was the political will to do this, it would be a huge, painful process that would be difficult to design correctly and even more difficult to sell to the public.
Now, I think this is a stupid piece of legislation, and I don't think it's going to pass, and even if it passes, I don't imagine it will do much at all for Texas schools. But let's not be so quick to accuse Republicians, conservatives, Democrats, or even Texans for not caring about education. This is a very difficult problem that is difficult to fix.
You just have to look at the bright side. At least there won't be any dupes!
My school uses a lot of waterless urinals, and they may be a great idea, but when they get clogged, it's not pretty.
My computer can't even run the panorama at a stable framerate. This doesn't bode well for the actual game.
Suing != Asking the court for money. Suing == Asking the court for something that is rightfully yours, such as basic civil rights (or, in some cases, money).
It doesn't seem likely that Target is being sued for damages. More likely, they are being sued to comply with the law. So the end result would be that the courts force Target to change their website.
I did some quick research (read:Google search) and found this quote from a DoJ letter, circa 1996:
More recently, the DoJ filed this brief which asserts the ADA covers even buisinesses that soley exist online. Websites, particuliarly websites offering goods and services, should offer accessibility options, and it's not unreasonable to ask for them. It's not like there aren't websites out there to help you out.
So, even though videogames are not covered (an assertion I agree with), websites most certainly are.
Yes, but there are programs that read websites aloud, allowing blind people to access them. So it's more like banning deaf people from a Greatful Dead concert, even if they have hearing aids that would allow them to enjoy the show.
It is not hard to write webpages that can be read by these programs. Web standards were specifically designed to allow for it, so all you have to do is write standards compliant XHTML, which you should be doing anyways. It falls upon the creators of the web site to ensure that their page is at least usable by these sorts of programs. This is not hard or complicated, people.
Actually, it's simple. Use standards compliant XHTML and CSS. The standards are designed with accesibility in mind. A website needn't provide an identical experience to a blind person. It just has to offer access to the same content and services.
I disagree. I know for a fact that government websites are covered under the ADA, and I suspect that if the website provides a service, like, say, on-line shopping, then it would be required to provide accomedations, as well. And, honestly, it's not like they are asking for anything unreasonable.
And while we're at it, I think you're wrong about the courts, too. The legal system is often critical for proving points. A lot of disabilities don't get accomedated until the courts rule one way or the other on it. Plus, I can think of a couple times (e.g. Brown vs Board of Education) where the lawsuits were instrumental in enforcing civil rights.
This isn't some guy suing McDonalds for not putting "HOT!" on his coffee. These are people with real disabilities who just want equal access that is (in my opinion) provided to them under law.
Actually, the process of listening, converting what you hear into your own words, and writing those words down can be a very effective method of learning. Notes are less of a reference and more of way to cement what you are hearing into your mind. Getting notes from a professor (or from a fellow student, for that matter) sort of short-circuits the process. Kind of like how taking an elevator with get you to the top of the building, but it won't get you the excercise that taking the stairs will.
Actually, the movie implies that Luke has met Obi-Wan. After all, Luke quickly recognizes the name "Kenobi" when he hears it, and knows where his house is. Luke is just unaware of the connection between Kenobi and his father and all that.
I don't mean to imply that this makes the show's concept any better. Just trying to keep our facts straight.
A story: I went to a school for students with ADHD and learning disabilities. In one of our classes, our teacher asked us if there was a surgical option, where they could just go into our brains and turn the ADHD off, would we do it?
Not a single person in the class said they would.
Now, I'm not going to jump on the "don't call it a disorder" bandwagon just yet. (I mean, it sure as Hell isn't helping me get through college). But it does have some positive aspects, and I think a lot of ADHD people are afraid that a cure will take away the good and the bad.
I have ADHD. You are wrong. Allow me to help you understand. The mistake you make, which is a common misconception, is that ADHD is actually a deficit of attention. That's not exactly correct. ADHD is more like an inability to control and regulate your attention. Most people with ADHD have the ability to hyperfocus. That is, when you will focus on something to the point of being unable to focus on anything else. Unfortunately, this isn't something ADHD can trigger at will. As I said, ADHD is the inability to control attention.
There is quite a bit more to ADHD than just short attention spans. It has many other far-reaching effects beyond the stereotypical loopy behavior most people think of, such as persistant problems with time management, task prioritization, motivation, and other executive brain functions.
Sugar and caffine are not the causes of ADHD. (In fact, before methyphenidate, caffine was used as a treatment for ADHD). Dietary treatments for ADHD have had mixed results at best. Medication for ADHD is not a cure, by any stretch of the mind, but it can dramaticaly help. Please do not dismiss something just because of what you have heard on TV. Just a little bit of research would teach you a lot, I think.
Well, you do that, and I do that, but a lot of my friends don't care enough to read the reviews, especially if the game has been heavily hyped beforehand. And for all the times I tell them to wait, and I'm right (Episode III, Path of Neo, etc), it only takes one game to live up to its promise, and they're right back to buying games without waiting again.
Remember, (and I'm not being sarcastic) not everyone is as smart as you.
A preview doesn't need to trash a game to be journalisticly sound. A simple "The gameplay is good but hopefully the developer will do some serious work on the framerate and loading times." would go a long way.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that previews really shouldn't be positive or negative. They should be an objective look at how far the game has come along, and how far it still needs to go.
My outstanding memory of Daggerfall is finding out it had corrupted all of my save games after an all night session with the game. After I stopped screaming, I booted up the game again, and started playing a new character.
Not many games can have you coming back after that kind of abuse.
I would suggest Python as a good beginner language. It's simple, easy to learn, but it also holds up well as you become more skilled. Best of all, its sytax enforces a lot of good programming habits that will carry on even if you move to other languages.
And with IronPython, you can even take advantage of all the .Net libraries, if that's what you're after.