Well if you already own a PS2, than it's the
hands-down winner. Sony has had a year now to
sell, and it's out there. So all things being
so conveniently equalas you describe, the PS2
wins because it plays the same games, it's just
as good, and since people already own one, it's
cheaper.
I think the X-box is going to make an impact for different reasons. I look foward to offers of
getting an X-box for only 50 dollars when you buy
an MS Office suite at full price, or some silly
thing like that. MS is all about bundling...
Random idea - state sets up a secure site where people enter their drivers license number or whatnot and get a
"I can have porn" cookie put on their hard drive. State site is set up not to keep records of which license
numbers it was looking up. Porn sites, which of course NEVER try to get accidental visitors or mislead anyone
about their content, set it up so that anyone without the cookie who tries to enter their site gets dumped into the
authorization site. Parents have to decide if they want to veiw porn and risk their kids seeing it or remove it from
their house (just like the decision a parent can make about books or magazines.)
Great. Now I have the choice of getting adult pop-up spam EVERYWHERE I go because I identify myself to EVERYONE as over 18, or I don't sign
up and I suddenly can't read reviews of video
games that are rated M.
On a slightly different subject, why do they keep
trying to place the law on the net side? Why don't they place it on the user side? Make it illegal for anyone under 18 to use the net? The only thing out there is porn anyway, right? And we like arresting children, right?
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit silly, but think about it. If it's too dangerous for ME to drive before I'm sixteen, laws are made restricing ME from driving -- a federal 5mph law isn't passed. If it's too dangerous for ME to base jump from a skyscraper, laws are made restricting ME from jumping off buildings -- laws requiring airbags around all buildings over 50 feet aren't passed.
But when it comes to 'net law, suddenly it's reversed! If it's dangerous for someone to use the net, there are laws applied to providers of
net access, not to the users. Instead of
restricting US net users under 18, (which is a minority compared to the rest of the 'net) they attempt to restrict/filter/whatever literally the rest of the world.
Perhaps you were joking. In that case, well, get funnier.
In the case that you were not joking, the point of the robots playing soccer is to encourage the development of robot technology. What is learned now will make the robots of the future possible.
For example, one of the things that is arising out of robot soccer is artificial teamwork. Perhaps you think "so what?" to that, but consider this: perhaps a single piece of equipment that lays fiber would be too massive, to bulky and to expensive to ever be used. Perhaps the solution is to have a team of robots that can take on different tasks and work together. And if the flagman-bot gets run down, another can easily take it's place.
I was surprized at the lack of details. When I see them comparing this announcement to Kennedy's announcement, I think it must be a manned mission. But for 500M? The Apollo program cost BILLIONs in the 1960s. There's no way Canada will put a
person on Mars for 500M. When they talk about exploration they must be talking about probes and
surveyors.
This is too bad. Canada gets teased like all the time. They last thing they need is their space program making a statement that sounds like a
5-year-old saying, "I'm going to drive a truck like
daddy!" and pulling out a small plastic toy.
And I for one look forward to having kids, just so I can PING them all day long...
That's a scary thought. Think of what it says when the ping comes back: "Timmy is alive". The odd days when there's severe packetloss would give me heart attacks!
(If a Karma Whore posts to get Karma, I suppose a post in attempt to arrange for Karma Whoring is a Karma Pimp. But anyway...)
They have a long list of reasons why linux isn't
free. Well in the same respect (and in many
cases for the exact same reasons!) we could make
our own list of why Windows actually costs you
more than ten times the retail price you pay in
a store. (BSODs/reliability alone can inflate the price that you effectively pay.)
I'm no expert on this though. So can anyone else
produce a proper counter list to MS's list?
A fun form of security is good and all, but they
actually have higher aims than that. They want
to keep Big Brother busy by forcing him to read
spam that might contain whatever naughtiness
they're supposed to be watching for.
Constant revisions must be hurting the video industry. I haven't bought a DVD since Princess Mononoke because I'm constantly afraid that I'll
just end up wanting a better, more complete, more
features, version of the same film later down the line. Why didn't I wait for the Criterion edition
of Monty Python's Life of Brian? Why, gods, why!?!
The music industry is okay with this? Don't the have any idea how consumers think?
Right now I use Napster to explore new music,
and I usually end up buying CDs of the stuff I
like. But if I have to pay for the service,
suddenly I'm interested in "getting my money's
worth". Now I'll want to use Napster more often
because I'm paying for it. In addition, I'm not
going to want to buy CD's. Why? Because I already paid for the music once. Why would I want to pay again?
No one really knows how much Napster actually
helped the sale of CDs. But whatever it is, after
fees it'll probably go down.
I wonder if there's anyone who'll START using
Napster because of the fees? Perhaps they'll be more comfortable now that it seems more legal...
The coolest thing about Pluto is the name of it's moon Charon. Mythically speaking, Charon is the name of the ferryman who takes you across the river styx when you die. As cool as astro naming gets.
J
Re:Easy to see now why this never launched.
on
Space Diving
·
· Score: 1
Jump with gyros maybe? They're heavy by nature,
but could be jettisoned when deeper into the
atmosphere...
Born and raised in CA, I've always been jealous
of kids elsewhere in the US who could always look
forward to a few random days off each year -- snow
days. The potential for blackouts makes me feel
like a kid again! I cross my fingers when they
begin, and hope I'll get to go home and play in
the rain!
Let's try implementing things like solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal power on a large scale before we conclude nuclear
fission is environmentally friendly.
Uh, well we have. Technology hasn't advanced
enough to make solar practical (like destroying
desert eco systems by covering them with solar
collectors is anymore friendly), California has
hundreds of motionless windmills in the altamonts,
(we tried, we really did!). Let's see. Geothermal. I'm willing to give it a try. Ship us a volcano and we'll hook it up. Tidal power.
Now this hasn't been tried on a large scale, true,
but whether it's successful or not, the marine
life is going to want to have a word with you.
I'm not a nuclear avocate (yet) but I get tired
of people assuming those in favor of nuclear power
are not ecologically conscious or informed.
Slashdot Mirror
Hehehe. I liked it, but I gotta admit I kept expecting Paul to whine to uncle owen that he wanted to go into town to get some power converters. =)
J
Well if you already own a PS2, than it's the hands-down winner. Sony has had a year now to sell, and it's out there. So all things being so conveniently equalas you describe, the PS2 wins because it plays the same games, it's just as good, and since people already own one, it's cheaper.
I think the X-box is going to make an impact for different reasons. I look foward to offers of getting an X-box for only 50 dollars when you buy an MS Office suite at full price, or some silly thing like that. MS is all about bundling...
J
Great. Now I have the choice of getting adult pop-up spam EVERYWHERE I go because I identify myself to EVERYONE as over 18, or I don't sign up and I suddenly can't read reviews of video games that are rated M.
On a slightly different subject, why do they keep trying to place the law on the net side? Why don't they place it on the user side? Make it illegal for anyone under 18 to use the net? The only thing out there is porn anyway, right? And we like arresting children, right?
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit silly, but think about it. If it's too dangerous for ME to drive before I'm sixteen, laws are made restricing ME from driving -- a federal 5mph law isn't passed. If it's too dangerous for ME to base jump from a skyscraper, laws are made restricting ME from jumping off buildings -- laws requiring airbags around all buildings over 50 feet aren't passed.
But when it comes to 'net law, suddenly it's reversed! If it's dangerous for someone to use the net, there are laws applied to providers of net access, not to the users. Instead of restricting US net users under 18, (which is a minority compared to the rest of the 'net) they attempt to restrict/filter/whatever literally the rest of the world.
Just seems backwards.
J
Perhaps you were joking. In that case, well, get funnier.
In the case that you were not joking, the point of the robots playing soccer is to encourage the development of robot technology. What is learned now will make the robots of the future possible.
For example, one of the things that is arising out of robot soccer is artificial teamwork. Perhaps you think "so what?" to that, but consider this: perhaps a single piece of equipment that lays fiber would be too massive, to bulky and to expensive to ever be used. Perhaps the solution is to have a team of robots that can take on different tasks and work together. And if the flagman-bot gets run down, another can easily take it's place.
JThis is too bad. Canada gets teased like all the time. They last thing they need is their space program making a statement that sounds like a 5-year-old saying, "I'm going to drive a truck like daddy!" and pulling out a small plastic toy.
J
And I for one look forward to having kids, just so I can PING them all day long...
That's a scary thought. Think of what it says when the ping comes back: "Timmy is alive". The odd days when there's severe packetloss would give me heart attacks!
J
(If a Karma Whore posts to get Karma, I suppose a post in attempt to arrange for Karma Whoring is a Karma Pimp. But anyway...)
They have a long list of reasons why linux isn't free. Well in the same respect (and in many cases for the exact same reasons!) we could make our own list of why Windows actually costs you more than ten times the retail price you pay in a store. (BSODs/reliability alone can inflate the price that you effectively pay.)
I'm no expert on this though. So can anyone else produce a proper counter list to MS's list?
J
A preemptive slashback -- please go and report from the future!
Pretty boring. Discussion didn't get anywhere, just like here.
However, I can tell you that the winner in next week's poll is Hemos the Hampster. I don't know. Didn't think his legs were that great.
JWhat about folding/portable/travel ergo keyboards?
J
I would have been happier to read of a penguin invasion of Seattle. They probably get enough rain to not need to worry about cleanup.
J
What about business cards that played your radio commercial on command?
Greeting cards, of course. This has already been done, but I'm sure it'll be done again.
And finally, in my case, a credit card that screams in pain and curses me violently every time I use it.
Hey! Don't give them any ideas!
Nice, but let me know when I can delete files in real time with a rocket launcher. Would make Virus sweeps more interesting as well. =)
J
A fun form of security is good and all, but they actually have higher aims than that. They want to keep Big Brother busy by forcing him to read spam that might contain whatever naughtiness they're supposed to be watching for.
Their site continues, linking to: Jam Echelon Day and Jam Echelon Day descends into spam farce
J
J
The music industry is okay with this? Don't the have any idea how consumers think?
Right now I use Napster to explore new music, and I usually end up buying CDs of the stuff I like. But if I have to pay for the service, suddenly I'm interested in "getting my money's worth". Now I'll want to use Napster more often because I'm paying for it. In addition, I'm not going to want to buy CD's. Why? Because I already paid for the music once. Why would I want to pay again?
No one really knows how much Napster actually helped the sale of CDs. But whatever it is, after fees it'll probably go down.
I wonder if there's anyone who'll START using Napster because of the fees? Perhaps they'll be more comfortable now that it seems more legal...
JJ
Jump with gyros maybe? They're heavy by nature, but could be jettisoned when deeper into the atmosphere...
Only if you have a gem of an OS!
J
...everyone's brand-new UPSs storing up their charge. =)
Born and raised in CA, I've always been jealous of kids elsewhere in the US who could always look forward to a few random days off each year -- snow days. The potential for blackouts makes me feel like a kid again! I cross my fingers when they begin, and hope I'll get to go home and play in the rain!
No luck yet...
J
Uh, well we have. Technology hasn't advanced enough to make solar practical (like destroying desert eco systems by covering them with solar collectors is anymore friendly), California has hundreds of motionless windmills in the altamonts, (we tried, we really did!). Let's see. Geothermal. I'm willing to give it a try. Ship us a volcano and we'll hook it up. Tidal power. Now this hasn't been tried on a large scale, true, but whether it's successful or not, the marine life is going to want to have a word with you.
I'm not a nuclear avocate (yet) but I get tired of people assuming those in favor of nuclear power are not ecologically conscious or informed.
J
Uh, lemme try that again:
http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php3?date=2000-09-
http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php3?date=2000-09-