I've wondered about this for awhile. Why don't the companies that make gambling machines make voting machines. From a technology stand point they are very similar and these companies already have the know how. From what I've seen of people, the average person cares a lot more about a slot machine screwing up then a presidential election getting screwed up. So why not hold elections to the higher standard of gambling? (Wow, that sounds funny!)
You may be right, but this whole "the employee should just bend over and take it" attitude is not something people want to do or hear about it. Just the other day here on SlashDot we were reading about how the brain is wired to ENJOY revenge of various sorts.
On the last day of high school we "over clocked" the classroom's clock while the teacher was back in the dark room. Got to leave an hour early that day...
I call BS on this. I've not been a fan of MS for years, but recently I had to write a business plan and due to decisions out of my control I had to do it in Word and Excel. I am quite good with both but have generally avoided using them since my previous job of training others to use them. After extensive use I can tell you that they are NOT better, people just are willing to put up with more shit from MS. If it's not from MS it has to be perfect, just to be considered. All MS's hand waving about being able to conviently put Excel charts and such in Word documents is BS. It can be done, but not with out a lot of effort to make it worthwhile. I prefer OpenOffice and am more then willing to admit it has issues. However, whenever I have to choose between the two, I'll take the latest version OpenOffice.
Moller Corp is working on their Skycar project, with specifications here. According to their page they will be getting about 20 mpg, which as far as I know is better then most SUVs on the ground. I'm sure that will be tweaked after extensive flight testing, but that testing isn't scheduled to take place for at least a few more months.
1962 - Dr. Moller makes the XM2 1966 - Moller makes the XM3 1970 - Moller makes the XM4 which is probably the device you remember. 1989 - Moller makes the M200X. Between the XM3 and XM4 they did more engine work then flying car work. Present - Moller has been working on the M400, a 4 passenger Skycar. This model has undergone significant changes in the past 8+ years and now is near a final design. They recently held a press conference where they demoed it flying and have videos of it on there site here. They are working on completing a second test vehicle before extensive flight tests are started.
They have in the recent past completed deals with other companies for the manufacture of the final product and also become a publicly traded company (not sure on the reasoning for this, but companies without products don't typcially go public). I hope this is helpful.
They're not quite for sale yet. They have built one prototype for testing but won't start extensive testing until a second one is near completion. They've been moving pretty slow over the past several years but have been making steady progress. They are taking preorders, but nothing will ship for several years at least.
How about being able to click just one button, and having a log of your IM stored in your GMail account? Maybe take it one step further and have it automactically pull some relavant parts too and put them at the top. For example, any IM with a link in it could be copied to the top with surrounding context, so you don't have to go hunting for it later.
Another feature I would like to see is have Google run queries in the background on my IMs, and at the bottom of the IM window show a few links, say one to a web search, one to an image search, one to a news search and one to a GMail search (if I'm talking about it now, I'm likely to have before too). That would help tremendously in actually finding information. It's nice that I can go search for the info, but having an automated process going and finding what I'm currently chatting about and displaying it to my friend and myself would be quite a feature.
How is a patent system in any way capitalistic? All patents do is restrict use to a very limited group. It seems to me that this is a way of eliminating competition, an essential feature of capitalism.
It probably probably sounds simple to you because it is. However, this professor said that pyschology was his field, not computer science or programming. I personally think it's great that someone that far out of a tech field has found an useful application for modern technology AND that he decided to check with those most likely to understand the finer details of the techonology. Maybe/. isn't the best place, but I think it's great that he's trying to combine a couple of fields of study to develop something new.
I always thought the Tablet PC should be something of a large PDA, but with some of the benefits of a laptop. Maybe Apple has figured out how to do this. The Vadem Clio (ebay link) always seemed to be a good physical design, wonder why it failed. Maybe it was just too early.
I'm not so concerned about corporations swallowing other corporations. This seems to be a normal and reasonably stable business practice, given certain conditions. What concerns me is the current trend in IP laws, and how they are getting much more restrictive. Talent to come up with new ideas can be found in old, new, big and small companies, but if you're legally forbidden from developing something you thought of, or someone can easily start a fake IP lawsuit to sue you into the ground (and later say, opps we were wrong); that is a problem. The last thing we need is more restrictive laws and to make it easier for lawyers to get and stay rich.
"Rattling off OS X and beta X.org releases beacuse they use the GPU..."
Microsoft has a long and illustrious history of making announcements of great impending features (and programs) that never seem to make it into the final product, or that are so weak and broken by the time they get there that one has trouble recognizing them. Comparing what Microsoft might do in a version of Windows that is more then a year off to what Apple has already done and what X.org is currently doing is hardly useful.
I'll bite on number 4. The whole world doesn't want to move to a "modern, 3D-based compositing architecture". Until recently I was a very poor college student (and still have my crappy college job) and couldn't afford to upgrade my hardware to run the latest and greatest bloatware from whichever company was peddling it. I find that my old P2-266 gets significantly more use then my desktop, as a linux based server, firewall and other misc. box. XFCE lets me have a clean light weight graphical system when I need it. It does the job very well and with few or no frills. The Windows XP box I have at work, a P4 with 512MB RAM responds much more slowly. (I turned off all the extras and that helps a lot, but still, it is comparable in performance to a computer that is two processor generations older, and clocked 10 times slower.) I use my computers for nearly every task imaginable, but I find that at least 80% or so of my time is spent on tasks such as webbrowsing, reading email, and IMing friends and family. I truely fail to see how a desktop with 3D bloat will help over one with simple and fast 2D drawing. That said, I'm all for developing a 3D desktop as I think someone could do some very cool things with it, but it's not the way the rest of the world wants to move. The world wants fast and stable computers that do what the user whats it to.
There are many "elitist Slashdot snobs" here but somehow I think you would make your point much better if you left the snide remarks out and addressed the actual ideas presented.
I think you might be confusing your agenda with John Carmack's. I'm not saying you're wrong or that I disagree with you, but you make it sound like because he didn't make fight your battle for you that he may have done something wrong. I don't think people have an obligation, social or otherwise, to do this.
Slashdot Mirror
BUSH BUSH BUSH is a jackpot? Depends on your view I guess ;) George, W and Jeb all as President, now that's a scary thought!
I've wondered about this for awhile. Why don't the companies that make gambling machines make voting machines. From a technology stand point they are very similar and these companies already have the know how. From what I've seen of people, the average person cares a lot more about a slot machine screwing up then a presidential election getting screwed up. So why not hold elections to the higher standard of gambling? (Wow, that sounds funny!)
You may be right, but this whole "the employee should just bend over and take it" attitude is not something people want to do or hear about it. Just the other day here on SlashDot we were reading about how the brain is wired to ENJOY revenge of various sorts.
On the last day of high school we "over clocked" the classroom's clock while the teacher was back in the dark room. Got to leave an hour early that day...
I call BS on this. I've not been a fan of MS for years, but recently I had to write a business plan and due to decisions out of my control I had to do it in Word and Excel. I am quite good with both but have generally avoided using them since my previous job of training others to use them. After extensive use I can tell you that they are NOT better, people just are willing to put up with more shit from MS. If it's not from MS it has to be perfect, just to be considered. All MS's hand waving about being able to conviently put Excel charts and such in Word documents is BS. It can be done, but not with out a lot of effort to make it worthwhile. I prefer OpenOffice and am more then willing to admit it has issues. However, whenever I have to choose between the two, I'll take the latest version OpenOffice.
Moller Corp is working on their Skycar project, with specifications here. According to their page they will be getting about 20 mpg, which as far as I know is better then most SUVs on the ground. I'm sure that will be tweaked after extensive flight testing, but that testing isn't scheduled to take place for at least a few more months.
1962 - Dr. Moller makes the XM2
1966 - Moller makes the XM3
1970 - Moller makes the XM4 which is probably the device you remember.
1989 - Moller makes the M200X. Between the XM3 and XM4 they did more engine work then flying car work.
Present - Moller has been working on the M400, a 4 passenger Skycar. This model has undergone significant changes in the past 8+ years and now is near a final design. They recently held a press conference where they demoed it flying and have videos of it on there site here. They are working on completing a second test vehicle before extensive flight tests are started.
They have in the recent past completed deals with other companies for the manufacture of the final product and also become a publicly traded company (not sure on the reasoning for this, but companies without products don't typcially go public). I hope this is helpful.
Funny enough Moller's Skycar get's better milage flying then most SUVs on the ground.
Moller Skycars
They're not quite for sale yet. They have built one prototype for testing but won't start extensive testing until a second one is near completion. They've been moving pretty slow over the past several years but have been making steady progress. They are taking preorders, but nothing will ship for several years at least.
How about an anatomy lesson explaining how penis enlargement can or cannot work?
How about being able to click just one button, and having a log of your IM stored in your GMail account? Maybe take it one step further and have it automactically pull some relavant parts too and put them at the top. For example, any IM with a link in it could be copied to the top with surrounding context, so you don't have to go hunting for it later.
Another feature I would like to see is have Google run queries in the background on my IMs, and at the bottom of the IM window show a few links, say one to a web search, one to an image search, one to a news search and one to a GMail search (if I'm talking about it now, I'm likely to have before too). That would help tremendously in actually finding information. It's nice that I can go search for the info, but having an automated process going and finding what I'm currently chatting about and displaying it to my friend and myself would be quite a feature.
Ummm, wouldn't they have gotten it right then?
How is a patent system in any way capitalistic? All patents do is restrict use to a very limited group. It seems to me that this is a way of eliminating competition, an essential feature of capitalism.
Why does this seem absurdly simple to me?
/. isn't the best place, but I think it's great that he's trying to combine a couple of fields of study to develop something new.
It probably probably sounds simple to you because it is. However, this professor said that pyschology was his field, not computer science or programming. I personally think it's great that someone that far out of a tech field has found an useful application for modern technology AND that he decided to check with those most likely to understand the finer details of the techonology. Maybe
I always thought the Tablet PC should be something of a large PDA, but with some of the benefits of a laptop. Maybe Apple has figured out how to do this. The Vadem Clio (ebay link) always seemed to be a good physical design, wonder why it failed. Maybe it was just too early.
I'm not so concerned about corporations swallowing other corporations. This seems to be a normal and reasonably stable business practice, given certain conditions. What concerns me is the current trend in IP laws, and how they are getting much more restrictive. Talent to come up with new ideas can be found in old, new, big and small companies, but if you're legally forbidden from developing something you thought of, or someone can easily start a fake IP lawsuit to sue you into the ground (and later say, opps we were wrong); that is a problem. The last thing we need is more restrictive laws and to make it easier for lawyers to get and stay rich.
"Rattling off OS X and beta X.org releases beacuse they use the GPU..."
Microsoft has a long and illustrious history of making announcements of great impending features (and programs) that never seem to make it into the final product, or that are so weak and broken by the time they get there that one has trouble recognizing them. Comparing what Microsoft might do in a version of Windows that is more then a year off to what Apple has already done and what X.org is currently doing is hardly useful.
I'll bite on number 4. The whole world doesn't want to move to a "modern, 3D-based compositing architecture". Until recently I was a very poor college student (and still have my crappy college job) and couldn't afford to upgrade my hardware to run the latest and greatest bloatware from whichever company was peddling it. I find that my old P2-266 gets significantly more use then my desktop, as a linux based server, firewall and other misc. box. XFCE lets me have a clean light weight graphical system when I need it. It does the job very well and with few or no frills. The Windows XP box I have at work, a P4 with 512MB RAM responds much more slowly. (I turned off all the extras and that helps a lot, but still, it is comparable in performance to a computer that is two processor generations older, and clocked 10 times slower.) I use my computers for nearly every task imaginable, but I find that at least 80% or so of my time is spent on tasks such as webbrowsing, reading email, and IMing friends and family. I truely fail to see how a desktop with 3D bloat will help over one with simple and fast 2D drawing. That said, I'm all for developing a 3D desktop as I think someone could do some very cool things with it, but it's not the way the rest of the world wants to move. The world wants fast and stable computers that do what the user whats it to.
There are many "elitist Slashdot snobs" here but somehow I think you would make your point much better if you left the snide remarks out and addressed the actual ideas presented.
I think you might be confusing your agenda with John Carmack's. I'm not saying you're wrong or that I disagree with you, but you make it sound like because he didn't make fight your battle for you that he may have done something wrong. I don't think people have an obligation, social or otherwise, to do this.
Super 8 is using Open Linux 1.1, which is good. The program that we're forced to use though is worse then sitting in Los Angeles traffic at rush hour.
Michael, ex desk clerk.