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User: tkdog

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Comments · 46

  1. Which Google is doing this? on How Google's Autonomous Vehicles Work · · Score: 1

    The "totally locked down search with a solid product" Google? Or the "randomly starts projects, fiddles with them for awhile then leaves them to mold or randomly kills them" Google? Not trying to flame, honest, but this company has some seriously spotty reliability issues when you take their whole portfolio into consideration. We're Google, we do search. And maps. And email. And social networks (not really). And....driverless cars?

  2. Incremental change on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    Just over 1/3 (33.9%) of my households electrical power has been generated on our own roof this year. With tax rebates and installation credits our solar array should break even about 3 years after installation.

  3. Re:Yup, and it's hit or miss on Ask Slashdot: Are You Streaming-Only For Home Entertainment? · · Score: 1

    I'm now cable-free, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Whether it's right for you comes down to one question: What do you want to watch?

    For most broadcast networks, streaming is great. I use Boxee on my Mac, which aggregates a lot of shows from a lot of sources, just not Hulu. Combine that with the Hulu desktop app, and voila. Most of the shows I watch.

    But not all. HBO, for instance, is (last time I checked) still aggressively married to the subscription-cable model. You can get their content on their website, if you are an HBO subscriber through the traditional means. I would have no problem paying for HBO, but I don't know of any cable provider that offers JUST HBO. So I have to pay for a package of nonsense like the Food Network and whatever's become of the History Channel. I want to give HBO my money, but they don't want to take it. Showtime is the same way.

    I don't know what FX's current attitude towards streaming is, but I'll look into it before Rescue Me starts back up again.

    But, for specific shows you can buy them from iTunes (or probably other places) in many cases. Probably cheaper than a cable subscription that you're not really using.

  4. OK - I know this headline sounds bad on Pub Patrons Down Under Subject To Biometric Datamining · · Score: 1

    Let's remember this is *Australia* so some points to consider 1) It is a penal colony. If these people weren't guilty, their ancestors wouldn't have been sent there; 2) Australia happens to be the richest sources of vital biometrics available - we have to mine it somewhere people; 3) Have you ever been to a bar with an Australian?

  5. Re:Corporate sponsorship for elections on Australian State Govt. To Fund iPads For Doctors · · Score: 1

    Well, any doctor that wants to use enterprise software probably does have an IT team to fall back on. This actually seems pretty straightforward and usable. They (doctors) are going to need to have a system with a traceable security path so having applications with signed certs is needed. Otherwise, it looks like a fairly simple method of distributing software across many "workstations".

  6. Re:Next step? on Word Processors — One Writer's Further Retreat · · Score: 1

    Yes. I do technical writing using both Framemaker and, gasp, Word. With either of them, or most any other writing program, you can push the distracting bits out of the way. Granted, they use a lot more resources than vi. But Word in full screen mode, with spell check off if that's your thing, is pretty much a blank sheet of paper. Well, one does have to wrestle the auto-magic self correcting stuff under control, and I don't like the new ribbon. Oh, and of course if I it wasn't for the foul overlords in IT at work I'd use Open Office. :) I do have to a plug Framemaker though. For large documents the ability to smoothly break everything out by chapters and then apply all your formatting is wonderful.

  7. Re:Breaking news! on Flash On Android Is 'Shockingly Bad' · · Score: 1

    Flash on any platform is shockingly bad.

    I tend to agree, but then every once in awhile I run into a site where it works pretty darn well. So, not being a programmer, is it Flash or poor execution of Flash? I'm actually looking for a real answer.....

  8. Re:Auto-car. on Building the Zero-Fatality Car · · Score: 1, Informative

    But Seumas - isn't data the plural of anecdote?

  9. Re:On the bright side... on Mars Rover Spirit May Never Wake From Deep Sleep · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeah, "ill fated" indeed. How about "amazingly resilient and long lived" instead? These two missions have been amazing, lasting well beyond what they could have possibly hoped for at launch.

  10. Re:depends on Your Commuting Costs By Car Vs. Train? · · Score: 1

    Hmm - totally not my experience in Portland. For $19/month (subsidized by my employer) I have a 15-25 minute door to door commute by MAX. It costs $5/day to park near the office and about 15 minutes to drive in through morning traffic past 3 school zones. So on my fourth work day of the month I'm ahead. With Portland it all depends on 1) understanding the system and how to use Google Transit and 2) living someplace near a MAX stop. We paid a bit more for our house and sold one car - basically a wash over the long haul.

  11. Re:cat's in the cradle on Child-Suitable Alternatives To Passwords? · · Score: 1

    Exactly. I have an eight year old. He has access to his own account on our Mac and (at least partial) internet access via the Wii. Mac OSX comes with a variety of parental controls, some of which are enabled on his account. I've explained what the controls are, what they do, and why - about 20% of which he probably understands. I've not limited the Wii with the understanding that if he misuses it (buys games without permission) that it can be locked down. The idea is to let him run till he pushes the limits - then expand them in a rational way. If he wants to exceed the boundaries he knows that he can ask. I'm setting up a couple of old computers with linux and we're planning to explore that together. Basically, until he's ready to wander around town on his own he's not ready to wander the Internet without some filtering.

  12. Re:Leave it Forbes... on What Bugs Apple Fans About Apple · · Score: 1

    I stopped getting their ads when I moved, but there is/was at least one reseller that was selling systems with Windows preinstalled via boot camp. As I recall it was slightly more than the Apple store and you either got that or a "free" printer or some such thing. For PR reasons I don't see Apple shipping Windows machines anytime soon. Back to the topic, as a Mac user I do get frustrated at the lack of options in the desktop arena.

  13. Re:Not public domain on New Hope for Jackson Hobbit Film? · · Score: 1

    It may possibly mean that the poem is still their "property" or it may just mean that Joni is polite. I mean, really, they should only say "thanks" if they are forced to do so?

  14. Re:MS Tax? on Falling Hardware Prices Favor Linux · · Score: 1

    "Could you point me to the laptop or desktop I can buy that doesn't have Windows on it?" Well, I was going to suggest www.mammals.org, but it seems the site is down. Must have sold the company and given the money to the stockholders, sigh.

  15. Not so new, but what's new about that? on Scientists Create Artificial Blood · · Score: 1

    This isn't really news. There has been gradual progress towards artificial blood products for years. It will be a great thing when it is widely available. Blood banks are expensive, difficult to manage and carry hazards of their own (disease, mismatching).

  16. Re:I'm not surprised... on Europe's Galileo Program In Serious Trouble · · Score: 1

    Which is exactly what we're doing, cutting our (USA) spending in Europe. Blaming "Europe" for the cold war doesn't hold water. Churchill saw it coming, but that is *way* of topic. The fact of the matter is that the EU is still a very young organization. It may become a "country" and it may remain the multi-national pseudo-corporation that it is now. In any case these sorts of contracting disasters are hardly limited to the EU. I'd think that here in the land of open-source the idea of a competing standard, though still not open, would be a seen as a step in the right direction.

  17. Re:Ok, how does this apply to patents? on Grid Computes 420 Years Worth of Data in 4 Months · · Score: 1

    This is offtopic, but. H5N1 aka "bird flu" - the problem isn't finding a cure. We can and do make effective influenza vaccines all the time. The problem is that if or when a strain with a high mortality rate that is also easily spread presents itself we likely won't have time to make enough vaccine - or effective antivirals (which we can also already make) and distribute them to everyone that needs them. So millions of people get sick and some percentage die mostly because the health care system has collapsed under the weight of the pandemic. That's what the concern is.

  18. Re:Malaria? on Grid Computes 420 Years Worth of Data in 4 Months · · Score: 1

    You're a troll. But for the record millions of people have malaria right now, there aren't easy cures especially for certain strains and the economic toll is huge.

  19. Re:Why would anyone want to do this? on The Prospects For Virtualizing OS X · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The "hardware benefit" of a Mac is indirect. It is actually the benefit of having the company build "the whole widget" which allows them to have full control of drivers, etc. etc. Whether that is a benefit or a limitation to you is a major factor in whether you would be pleased owning/using a Mac. I agree that Apple is only going to care if it looks as if it might cost them money or damage their "it just works" reputation. Geeks can hack all they want as long as they pay for it first.

  20. Re:What is the story? on Running Your Electric Meter Backwards · · Score: 4, Informative

    Indeed, Make magazine had an article in one of their first issues about this. Including how to make your own wind generator. There are a variety of ways to create and/or reduce the amount of power you use. Make magazine is worth a look anyhow - http://www.makezine.com/.

  21. Same old drivel on Beware the Apple iPhone iHandcuffs · · Score: 1

    Or take your itunes track and burn it CD and it plays anywhere. Is it the same quality, no. Is it what you bought, yes. If you don't want to buy it, then don't. A great histrionic article is not needed or helpful.

  22. Re:But... on Firefly MMORPG Announced · · Score: 1

    Yes, I think that was the strange Earth-thing called humor. As is this, ;)

  23. Re:WinXP/2K 'incubation'? on Vista — CIOs' First Impressions · · Score: 1

    Wow - now we see the real reason OS X doesn't gain business share!

  24. Next up on Will the iPod Ever Die? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Will the automobile ever die, will toasters ever die, will stupid pointless articles written just to make ad money ever die? Stupid, stupid article.

  25. Re:A Lesson for Late Comers? on Dell Quietly Leaves MP3 Market · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Except I think Apple would take the view that they did stick to their core competency - making hardware and software blend into a useful appliance. The iPod has less of a range of functions than the things they typically make (Macs) but I think they see it as a "post-PC" gadget. A device that fits in your hand (or pocket) and allows you to do stuff - listen to music, watch video, carry files, some light PDA stuff so far. But there is a potential for them to build from what they have. The idea that all Apple is interested in is personal computers I don't think is valid. They were limited to that by a combination of available technology, money issues and inertia but I wouldn't be surprised if they released additional non-Mac "appliances", and considered them to be core products.