With the UK numbering system we have variable length area codes (!) and subsequently variable length local codes (to make them up to 11 digits).
As Lord Pixel said, London is currently the only one with a three-digit area code (020). The four-number codes are easy enough to identify if you know the pattern (01x1, eg 0151 for Liverpool, 0161 for Manchester etc). The rest are 5-digits.
I've personally taken to writing numbers "(xxx) yyyy yyyy" where (xxx) is the area code, but this doesn't work. (It should. All the 019xx codes, for example, should be grouped together to form one local area, but that would make a call from Warwickshire (01926 - more or less in the south) to Newcastle (0191 - way up north, near the Scottish border) a local call. Can't see that happening.)
Our system, however, does seem to have finally sorted itself out; numbers beginning with 00 indicate an international call, 01 or 02 indicates a national call, 03 thru 06 are reserved for expansion (ooh, look, forward planning), 07 are solely for mobiles, pages and the like, 08 are freecall and special rate, and 09 are premium rate (adult chatlines, 60p/min calls etc). (Admittedly, these aren't all up and running yet, as they're being implemented in a step-by-step crossover method to prevent numbers from just suddenly not working, but it's a start.)
I can't be sure if the USA phone structure is similarly divided into mobile numbers, premium rate, land lines etc so I won't make some ill-informed hypothesis on the topic. (Hey, stop laughing at the back.) From what I gather, however, the American system dictates that numbers beginning with 0 are toll free, and numbers beginning with 1 are...uh, something else. (No idea what, but I'm guessing they're "special rate" like 50/min or something, like our 09*.* range.)
Personally, I have to admit I prefer having the numbers all split up like the UK system; at least when I see "01" or "02" at the start of a number, I know it's a land line.
Even if the two or three digits following it are a bit of a lottery.
When I was tied down to a 56k connection, I hardly shared any of my MP3s over Napster; now I have cable modem, I'm happy to share my entire collection - over 1700 of 'em. =)
And, for the record, I've bought more CDs since I started using Napster than I'd ever bought before I'd heard of it.
(and the mouse is NOT a good tool for drawing! Get digital pen)
This is the point that clinches it, IMHO. You don't use your hands to talk to people in general. People use sign language, tho, and many people gesticulate to illustrate a point or fill in the gaps where language fails them.
You don't use your voice to draw a diagram. However, people give verbal descriptions of, say, people's faces all the time, or describe changes to a logo or photo to a graphic artist for them to carry out.
There are many different ways to communicate an idea or an intention, but some are invariably better than others. If the interface is to be truly effective, as many methods of input as possible need to be available; graphic tablet, mouse, voice input. At the very least.
Perhaps someday computers will even be able to recognise that the user probably means "no, that's not right" when he places his hand over his eyes and shakes his head.:)
There's that term again. "Geek". And, as usual, everyone assumes it means "tech geek" or "computer geek" or "coding geek".
I have an alternative definition. "Geek" is a reference to a very strong (ie beyond the norm... whatever encompasses that hackneyed term) interest in a particular field. This definition is used more than you'd think.
How many times have you heard someone referred to as a "sports geek"? (I believe the phrase has even been used in this discussion a few times.)
I am, personally, proud to be geeky. All that means is I have strong interests in one field of interest or more. That's all it takes, after all, to be a geek.
I'm a bit more than that, tho... I consider myself to be:
sci-fi geek (I watch Stargate, ST:TNG/DS9/Voy, The X Files - I even used to watch Sliders and Quantum Leap)
music geek (I analyse music; I look at the percussive flow, the chord structure, the bassline, the melody, the harmonies...)
Slashdot geek:) (I have an account, I take part in the discussions, I've moderated (don't shoot! Don't shoot!@#)... I've got 575's user info page and the CYOA page in my bookmarks...:) )
Net geek (I freely admit I spend too much time on the net. I really must remember to go shopping for groceries tonight...)
To horribly misquote Larry Wall (ooh, does that make me a Perl geek too?) - "there's more than one way to be a geek". =) It's just a question of how geeks are viewed. Personally, I wear my geekhood like a badge. I'm considering printing myself a "Glad To Be Geek" t-shirt.:)
I don't suppose anyone fancies organising a Geek Pride rally?;)
Thus about two years from now, Intel will have reached the point of the Pentium 110-- which they will name the Pentium CX [roman numerals!] -- and register the domain pentium.cx for it, to commemorate the Pentium CX's simultaneous release with "Windows ME harder"!
That got me thinking... and a very scary thought occurred to me. Imagine M$ and AOL joining forces...
Yes, it's funny, I'll concede that. But when you think about it, it's the ideal acronym.
Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol. That looks like BEEP to me. It's easier to pronounce than "ay she cheat chee peep" or however you end up mispronouncing "HTTP".
And as for "beex"... "bee ix bix"... "beep ex pexip"... ah, screw it, I'm calling it beep anyways! You can't make me call it "bxxp"!
(Hell, you can't even help me call it that... I'd rather dictate a thesis on the merits of Peter Piper picking pickled peppers.:) )
There once was a Nanotech fair For which people weren't quite prepared The boffins were skilled Such that they could build Machines that were almost not there!
Rambus is faster, albeit more expensive, I think we all know that.
I've never believed that, especially with proof to the contrary. "I think we all know that" almost sounds arrogant, by the way.
Almost. Just don't assume what I "know", please.
The specs I've seen...
Please provide a link, or some evidence, next time you put forward something as fact, otherwise it's going to be pretty difficult to believe. And it'll never be enough to build an argument on.
Now I myself would love to get my hands on some RDRAM, but I simply don't have the money.
That's one of the issues that makes RDRAM look like, quite frankly, the bad choice.
If they don't sit still and stagnate technology...
Stagnate? I personally believe (note, I'm not putting forward facts, although I'd suggest reading this article) that DDR-SDRAM will win the day over RDRAM. If RDRAM struggles over SDRAM, it doesn't stand a chance against DDR.
It would seem their technology has stagnated already.
I eagerly await proof to the contrary. Please, don't hold back.
Perhaps it's my interpretation, but I see another point in Katz's article:
People are scared to discuss things they don't like.
Personally, I'm hopeless at engaging in live debate, but I can articulate well when I have the time to stop and think about points raised. E-mail has allowed this, and I probably wouldn't be able to even take part in a discussion without it given the likelihood of being ignored or shouted down.
The internet, and all the technologies it encapsulates, permits reflective, reasoned discussion. Most of the time, I see that on Slashdot. It's one of the reasons I enjoy the site so much - reasoned discussion about points you probably wouldn't see in "mainstream" media.
I guess the fact that I'm not afraid to discuss anything helps too.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm a bit torn on this one.
...uh, something else. (No idea what, but I'm guessing they're "special rate" like 50/min or something, like our 09*.* range.)
With the UK numbering system we have variable length area codes (!) and subsequently variable length local codes (to make them up to 11 digits).
As Lord Pixel said, London is currently the only one with a three-digit area code (020). The four-number codes are easy enough to identify if you know the pattern (01x1, eg 0151 for Liverpool, 0161 for Manchester etc). The rest are 5-digits.
I've personally taken to writing numbers "(xxx) yyyy yyyy" where (xxx) is the area code, but this doesn't work. (It should. All the 019xx codes, for example, should be grouped together to form one local area, but that would make a call from Warwickshire (01926 - more or less in the south) to Newcastle (0191 - way up north, near the Scottish border) a local call. Can't see that happening.)
Our system, however, does seem to have finally sorted itself out; numbers beginning with 00 indicate an international call, 01 or 02 indicates a national call, 03 thru 06 are reserved for expansion (ooh, look, forward planning), 07 are solely for mobiles, pages and the like, 08 are freecall and special rate, and 09 are premium rate (adult chatlines, 60p/min calls etc). (Admittedly, these aren't all up and running yet, as they're being implemented in a step-by-step crossover method to prevent numbers from just suddenly not working, but it's a start.)
(To see these in better detail, take a look here.)
I can't be sure if the USA phone structure is similarly divided into mobile numbers, premium rate, land lines etc so I won't make some ill-informed hypothesis on the topic. (Hey, stop laughing at the back.) From what I gather, however, the American system dictates that numbers beginning with 0 are toll free, and numbers beginning with 1 are
Personally, I have to admit I prefer having the numbers all split up like the UK system; at least when I see "01" or "02" at the start of a number, I know it's a land line.
Even if the two or three digits following it are a bit of a lottery.
I agree with this; in fact, it's what I'm doing.
When I was tied down to a 56k connection, I hardly shared any of my MP3s over Napster; now I have cable modem, I'm happy to share my entire collection - over 1700 of 'em. =)
And, for the record, I've bought more CDs since I started using Napster than I'd ever bought before I'd heard of it.
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Now topple them, one by one:
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/||
/||
/||
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/|
/|
/__|__
You don't use your voice to draw a diagram. However, people give verbal descriptions of, say, people's faces all the time, or describe changes to a logo or photo to a graphic artist for them to carry out.
There are many different ways to communicate an idea or an intention, but some are invariably better than others. If the interface is to be truly effective, as many methods of input as possible need to be available; graphic tablet, mouse, voice input. At the very least.
Perhaps someday computers will even be able to recognise that the user probably means "no, that's not right" when he places his hand over his eyes and shakes his head. :)
I have an alternative definition. "Geek" is a reference to a very strong (ie beyond the norm... whatever encompasses that hackneyed term) interest in a particular field. This definition is used more than you'd think.
How many times have you heard someone referred to as a "sports geek"? (I believe the phrase has even been used in this discussion a few times.)
I am, personally, proud to be geeky. All that means is I have strong interests in one field of interest or more. That's all it takes, after all, to be a geek.
I'm a bit more than that, tho... I consider myself to be:
- sci-fi geek (I watch Stargate, ST:TNG/DS9/Voy, The X Files - I even used to watch Sliders and Quantum Leap)
- music geek (I analyse music; I look at the percussive flow, the chord structure, the bassline, the melody, the harmonies...)
- Slashdot geek
:) (I have an account, I take part in the discussions, I've moderated (don't shoot! Don't shoot!@#)... I've got 575's user info page and the CYOA page in my bookmarks... :) ) - Net geek (I freely admit I spend too much time on the net. I really must remember to go shopping for groceries tonight...)
To horribly misquote Larry Wall (ooh, does that make me a Perl geek too?) - "there's more than one way to be a geek". =) It's just a question of how geeks are viewed. Personally, I wear my geekhood like a badge. I'm considering printing myself a "Glad To Be Geek" t-shirt.I don't suppose anyone fancies organising a Geek Pride rally?
Talk about a no-brainer...
The one with the prettiest logo, obviously! Duh!
Thus about two years from now, Intel will have reached the point of the Pentium 110-- which they will name the Pentium CX [roman numerals!] -- and register the domain pentium.cx for it, to commemorate the Pentium CX's simultaneous release with "Windows ME harder"!
That got me thinking... and a very scary thought occurred to me. Imagine M$ and AOL joining forces...
Imagine... Windows "Me Too"
Yes, it's funny, I'll concede that. But when you think about it, it's the ideal acronym.
:) )
Blocks
Extensible
Exchange
Protocol.
That looks like BEEP to me. It's easier to pronounce than "ay she cheat chee peep" or however you end up mispronouncing "HTTP".
And as for "beex"... "bee ix bix"... "beep ex pexip"... ah, screw it, I'm calling it beep anyways! You can't make me call it "bxxp"!
(Hell, you can't even help me call it that... I'd rather dictate a thesis on the merits of Peter Piper picking pickled peppers.
If you insist... :)
There once was a Nanotech fair
For which people weren't quite prepared
The boffins were skilled
Such that they could build
Machines that were almost not there!
Almost. Just don't assume what I "know", please.
Please provide a link, or some evidence, next time you put forward something as fact, otherwise it's going to be pretty difficult to believe. And it'll never be enough to build an argument on.
That's one of the issues that makes RDRAM look like, quite frankly, the bad choice.
Stagnate? I personally believe (note, I'm not putting forward facts, although I'd suggest reading this article) that DDR-SDRAM will win the day over RDRAM. If RDRAM struggles over SDRAM, it doesn't stand a chance against DDR.
It would seem their technology has stagnated already.
I eagerly await proof to the contrary. Please, don't hold back.
It's arbitrary. :P
They count, and not, as required.
How convenient.
Coder's get-out clause:
"Pronounce the symbols... or not"
That's just cheating, right?
No, moderate down!
First line has six syllables!
HERESY, I say!
Haiku VBS
Outlook Express sends prose spam
Be very afraid.
Holy crap. If that's what cellphones do to you, I'm handing mine back!
I said "no".
It is now... not my default mp3 player. (Hurrah!) I recall doing much the same thing with QT4; it asks, I say no. It really is that simple.
Or did I download the "Friendly Well-Behaved" edition of each by accident?
Wow, Gwalla, you've brought him down a rung.
Has his poetic license expired?
Still, his haiku exploits are unsung;
I say he should not yet be retired.
Rhyming is a tricky thing to do
Not to mention counting syllables
When you get it wrong (I often do),
Each verse comes out sounding terrible. *cough*
I expect, by now, my name is mud.
Anonymous Cowards everywhere
Will, most likely, holler for my blood.
This post is off-topic; I don't care!
I'll shut up now, at least for a while.
Hopefully, this sonnet made you smile. =)
Sonnets, not quatrains. I'm dumb.
I feel a moderator pointing his/her "Off-topic" gun at me...
Haiku are more fun.
Limericks, too, entertain.
Quatrains? They take time.
He's a Bud man, eh?
In that case, I must proclaim
to the guy: "WAZZZZUUUUUUUUP!"
OI! Five seven five!
:) )
NO! That haiku's final line
has six syllables!
(note: 575 spelt, to avoid confusion and a holy war about pronunciation.
Perhaps it's my interpretation, but I see another point in Katz's article:
People are scared to discuss things they don't like.
Personally, I'm hopeless at engaging in live debate, but I can articulate well when I have the time to stop and think about points raised. E-mail has allowed this, and I probably wouldn't be able to even take part in a discussion without it given the likelihood of being ignored or shouted down.
The internet, and all the technologies it encapsulates, permits reflective, reasoned discussion. Most of the time, I see that on Slashdot. It's one of the reasons I enjoy the site so much - reasoned discussion about points you probably wouldn't see in "mainstream" media.
I guess the fact that I'm not afraid to discuss anything helps too.