i know my generic 9600 isn't going to cut it, and SLI isn't really an option on my board, so i've been looking for a good 8x AGP card that won't kill my wallet. would a 6600 or 6600gt be worth the cash, or should i just wait until i've got the money to put together a half-decent SLI system?
whether microsoft can or can't fix the basic structure of windows, its pretty clear that doing so is not the most marketable option. a "secure OS" is always going to be less trustworthy than a separate, identifiable, specialized program designed to fix a problem that's been given a name. i think most people who don't know about the nuts'n'bolts of computing (and, more importantly, don't care) need a ritual, like washing your hands, when it comes to keeping computers clean; something reassuring and visible in the GUI. people need to know that their OS comes with a crusading anti-evil-things champion. it may not be the smartest way to do it, but it's what people want.
hell, it'd be a shrewd move on the part of MS if they were to build their own virus/spyware protection, but package it as a separate module--say, building MSAS into the core of Vista, but keeping the name and the interface. a shady move, but a shrew one.
i spent a semester at the university of auckland in new zealand, and their in house IT services included a web-based classroom management system called Cecil in the exact niche filled by Blackboard and webCT commercially here in the states. it was enormously popular at the UofA, and it seems to have been developed, managed, and serviced almost entirely in-house by the University. i used it myself for classes that semester, and have used Blackboard at my home university, and i thought Cecil was remarkably reliable in comparison, if a tad less intuitive.
point is, while most schools are not likely to have the resources to do something like this so completely in house, many do have at least some in-house IT staff who would be able to administer a project like this. not only is in-house development a good alternative for schools that have the means, but it also might be a way for entrepeneurs (like the parent) to approach universities with their own systems. a system developed partially in-house is by default custom-built, and probably most useful and intuitive for users in that environment.
business as usual on/.--open-source or proprietary non-commercial development looks like the way to go.
the issue here is the depth of the obsession, and that's hardly linked to intelligence or tech-savvy. you could definitely argue that intelligence certainly helps one have perspective about what to kill someone over, but it isn't necessary, and intelligence doesn't guarantee that kind of common sense.
the expansion of gaming beyond an elite group of intelligentsia has certainly changed what games are, but it's really only the increased size of the gaming community that makes it more likely that people will become obsessed and kill each other over in-game items or events. fewer people playing = fewer bad eggs. simple statistics, nothing to do with the type of people playing and any particular flaws that may or may not be associated with a particular demographic playing.
hell, you could even argue to the contrary that the very commitment and dedication involved in being a true dork predisposes one to a certain kind of obsession with imaginary things, but i think most self-declared geeks might take issue with that.
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i know my generic 9600 isn't going to cut it, and SLI isn't really an option on my board, so i've been looking for a good 8x AGP card that won't kill my wallet. would a 6600 or 6600gt be worth the cash, or should i just wait until i've got the money to put together a half-decent SLI system?
...define mid-range system. i've got a p4 2.6, 1gb pc3200, and a radeon 9600se. does that cut it for the kind of down tweaking you're talking about?
mainly floppy disks and compaq laptops. against walls and/or out of windows, whichever happens to be closest.
thwarted by alta vista.
grabbing "booty," not asses.
losing the whole noodle issue?
try "failing to sweep it under the rug that they stole the whole business from china in the first place."
marco! [cups hand to ear]
whether microsoft can or can't fix the basic structure of windows, its pretty clear that doing so is not the most marketable option. a "secure OS" is always going to be less trustworthy than a separate, identifiable, specialized program designed to fix a problem that's been given a name. i think most people who don't know about the nuts'n'bolts of computing (and, more importantly, don't care) need a ritual, like washing your hands, when it comes to keeping computers clean; something reassuring and visible in the GUI. people need to know that their OS comes with a crusading anti-evil-things champion. it may not be the smartest way to do it, but it's what people want.
hell, it'd be a shrewd move on the part of MS if they were to build their own virus/spyware protection, but package it as a separate module--say, building MSAS into the core of Vista, but keeping the name and the interface. a shady move, but a shrew one.
i spent a semester at the university of auckland in new zealand, and their in house IT services included a web-based classroom management system called Cecil in the exact niche filled by Blackboard and webCT commercially here in the states. it was enormously popular at the UofA, and it seems to have been developed, managed, and serviced almost entirely in-house by the University. i used it myself for classes that semester, and have used Blackboard at my home university, and i thought Cecil was remarkably reliable in comparison, if a tad less intuitive.
/.--open-source or proprietary non-commercial development looks like the way to go.
point is, while most schools are not likely to have the resources to do something like this so completely in house, many do have at least some in-house IT staff who would be able to administer a project like this. not only is in-house development a good alternative for schools that have the means, but it also might be a way for entrepeneurs (like the parent) to approach universities with their own systems. a system developed partially in-house is by default custom-built, and probably most useful and intuitive for users in that environment.
business as usual on
the issue here is the depth of the obsession, and that's hardly linked to intelligence or tech-savvy. you could definitely argue that intelligence certainly helps one have perspective about what to kill someone over, but it isn't necessary, and intelligence doesn't guarantee that kind of common sense.
the expansion of gaming beyond an elite group of intelligentsia has certainly changed what games are, but it's really only the increased size of the gaming community that makes it more likely that people will become obsessed and kill each other over in-game items or events. fewer people playing = fewer bad eggs. simple statistics, nothing to do with the type of people playing and any particular flaws that may or may not be associated with a particular demographic playing.
hell, you could even argue to the contrary that the very commitment and dedication involved in being a true dork predisposes one to a certain kind of obsession with imaginary things, but i think most self-declared geeks might take issue with that.
i know i would.