I wonder if playing Minesweeper is effective against boss-inflicted stress
Dunno, I find that game to be a stress-inducing process in and of itself. I wouldn't be lining up to recommend it to PTSD patients either for obvious reasons (even though in Vista you can optionally swap them out for flowers.
Exactly, and the DRM on iTunes ensured that you *must* use it with an iPod. That's why they never cared about profits from the itunes store. It's telling then that the removal of DRM goes hand-in-hand with a price hike (oops, I mean't "tiered pricing"). I'd wager that Apple gets a larger cut of the profits on the tracks now.
Since this was his goal from the beginning, I would say yes.
That's speculation. He stated that this was his goal only after the public outcry had spilled over into governments demanding that Apple license it's DRM to third parties.
When I see people with extreme body modifications like subdermal beads and spikes that protrude from the scalp, I wonder what their children of those people could possibly do to frustrate them.
This article gives me the answer: in 30 years teenagers will grow teeth all over their body.
Sunflow multi-threads quite well, but I've never compared it to anything else. Did you you have a chance in your testing to see how well it scaled vs. the c++ version as the number of cpu's goes up?
I can't gauge it's performance relative to a c-based raytracer, but you should really checkout Sunflow.
It can produce gorgeous results, and it'll use as many cpu's as you can throw at it. I'm not sure how much commercial use it enjoys, but it's well beyond the "ooh check out this glass sphere" java raytracer applets you typlically see.
And I can't even re-sell the game with those levels because they're not part of the physical media
Ironically, these levels arepart of the physical media. You didn't download them, you purchased the right to *unlock* them. I was furious when I found this out. I can't believe that NAMCO (and Microsoft) got away with this. I think you would have a legitimate case if you wanted to take them to court: nowhere on the packaging does it mention that disc you are purchasing contains data that is encrypted until you cough up even more money.
The discs only get scratched if you re-orient the console WHILE the disc is being USED.
Wrong. I can say from first-hand knowledge this is not true. I treated my 360 like a freaking museum piece - good ventilation, never moved or tilted the system while in-use, and always kept the discs in their cases and only touched the edges of the disc.
In spite of that, I still noticed radial scratches being etched in the disc. Every so often while playing the game, you'd hear a slight grinding sound occasionally followed by a disc-read error from the console. Convincing people that I wasn't somehow mishandling the system or the discs was a losing battle.
I think that this was a problem with 1st gen 360's and Microsoft has still not acknowledged the problem.
Unfortunately, this unsealed document is not the revelation people are claiming it to be. You are correct that most people know that you'll scratch a disc if you tilt the console during gameplay, and Microsoft's official line has always been that you shouldn't do it. This document only details the debate that Microsoft had internally about how proactive it should be in mitigating the problem.
The thing is, the act of tilting your game console while it is playing is a bad idea regardless of manufacturer. I don't think that this unsealed document is the smoking gun people are looking for.
I thought that this disc-scratching lawsuit was about games getting scratched even through normal, everyday use. I remember my 360 put so many scratches in my copy of Crackdown that it rendered it unusable. And I never tilted (or accidentally bumped) the system while it was turned on. Occasionally I'd be playing a game and you'd hear a grinding sound.
Why does it matter? If there are legitimate reasons to make a call while the car is moving, is it a good idea to block someone from *ever* doing it?
It matters because if it makes someone less safe 99% of the time and safer 1% of the time, you're still better off not making calls while driving. It's a game of numbers: there are situateions where your seat belt will make you less safe in a collision, but these situations are far outweighed be the likely scenario. So we require all cars to have seat belts and most states have laws requiring you to wear them at all times.
Then, when someone's following you through a rural area with no safe place to pull in, you can't call 411 to get connected to the local Sheriff.
So we're someplace where 911 is unavailable, but 411 is? No.
Or what if you're just lost? And, you happen to have gotten lost in Compton?
Okay, I've been in Compton and somehow managed to navigate it's labyrinthine system of roads without calling my mom -- but let's take your generic example of being in a Bad Neighborhood that you inexplicably can't get out of by going out the same way you came in or driving out the other end that also has no stoplights. Okay. In that case, yes, you would be screwed. You got me.
Now answer me this: out of all the teenagers that make calls while driving, what percentage of them are in this scenario that you describe?
I dunno, maybe it depends how we define "bad" and "good" but I think you'll find that the bad parents won't buy this device, and generally don't give a shit about what their kids do while driving.
However, I can see a good parent using this to complement their parenting skills. Every parent needs to strike the right balance between giving their kid enough freedom to learn for themselves while acknowledging the need to restrict choices where the consequences are too severe to learn from (dead people don't learn).
When I was in high school cell phones were still pretty much a novelty, and "texting" didn't exist at all. Being a kid today is different from how it was a generation ago. Parenting needs to be different too.
Jesus man, it's not like talking about some sort of vehicular Panopticon. It's an optional device for parents that prevents your kid from calling non-emergency numbers while driving.
Why don't we go the *other* way and make no effort to ensure safety whatsoever. No drivers license, no age requirement, no laws prohibiting drinking while driving either. Then you can happily drive your libertarian ass all around town, and we can all take bets on how long you'll survive.
Even if 911 is allowed, other highly relevant calls cannot be made.
Please cite some examples of situations where 911 is not appropriate but yet you must make a phone call while driving? A call so important (but not important enough for 911) that it will actually make you safer if you do it while you are still driving instead of pulling to the side of the road or waiting for a stoplight.
How about facing the reality that bad things happen to stupid people doing stupid things, and teach kids to not be stupid?
That's all fine and good until stupid people start killing innocent people. The problem is that they often bring other people into the equation.
I don't really think publishers are "The Bad Guys" either. When publishers read stories of un-DRM'ed titles like World of Goo having a 90% piracy rate, I imagine they feel justified.
Did you even read my post? You know, the one where I mentioned that Vista sucks?
Have you sent MS a letter complaining about their multi million dollar advertising campaigns using has been stars like Seinfeld?
Wow, you got me. I don't send Microsoft letters telling them how much I hate them, so I am therefore a fanboy. I was planning on sharing that I run windows, macosx, and ubuntu at home but now that I see what a simplistic world you live in I'm afraid it might short-circuit your brain.
Look, I know this is Slashdot and all, but honestly I'm starting to get microsoft-vista-embarassing-email-story fatigue. Ever since the Vista class-action exposed all of these internal Microsoft emails, people have been cherry-picking emails and making them into full-blown stories for months it seems.
I'm no Microsoft apologist, it's just that it's starting to get old. Yes, we know Vista sucks. We know Microsoft felt the same way. We get it!! Please stop beating us over the head with it already.
What makes it fair for him to be charged twice for the same crime?
RTFA - he's not being charged twice for the same crime. He is being added as a defendant to another, seperate crime. What's unfair about being charged for every crime you commit?
My employer has already blocked access to Google Docs due to fear of storing confedential data at a third party. Without weighing in on whether this fear is well-placed or not, it is a fear that I expect many medium-to-large businesses have.
That said, I'm surprised that they don't sell a version of Google Mini that has a Google Docs suite. It seems like that would be the best of both worlds from a corp IT perspective: no need to install on individual clients, but no need to worry about outsourcing your data storage.
...but experience has shown that whenever someone starts a sentence with the word "Umm", odds are 96.3% they will be a total asshole in the rest of the post.
Umm encoding is not all CPU and application dependent. Maybe you forgot what an OS does.
I see you are no exception. Kudos for making a good point, but you still come off like a total douche.
And why do people type out the word "umm"? Are you trying to compose your thoughts but your backspace key is broken?
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No worries there, friend. It's got USB ports, so you could easily plug a keyboard into your keyboard. I sense a "yo dawg" joke coming on.
Dunno, I find that game to be a stress-inducing process in and of itself. I wouldn't be lining up to recommend it to PTSD patients either for obvious reasons (even though in Vista you can optionally swap them out for flowers.
Exactly, and the DRM on iTunes ensured that you *must* use it with an iPod. That's why they never cared about profits from the itunes store. It's telling then that the removal of DRM goes hand-in-hand with a price hike (oops, I mean't "tiered pricing"). I'd wager that Apple gets a larger cut of the profits on the tracks now.
That's speculation. He stated that this was his goal only after the public outcry had spilled over into governments demanding that Apple license it's DRM to third parties.
When I see people with extreme body modifications like subdermal beads and spikes that protrude from the scalp, I wonder what their children of those people could possibly do to frustrate them.
This article gives me the answer: in 30 years teenagers will grow teeth all over their body.
Sunflow multi-threads quite well, but I've never compared it to anything else. Did you you have a chance in your testing to see how well it scaled vs. the c++ version as the number of cpu's goes up?
I can't gauge it's performance relative to a c-based raytracer, but you should really checkout Sunflow.
It can produce gorgeous results, and it'll use as many cpu's as you can throw at it. I'm not sure how much commercial use it enjoys, but it's well beyond the "ooh check out this glass sphere" java raytracer applets you typlically see.
Ironically, these levels are part of the physical media. You didn't download them, you purchased the right to *unlock* them. I was furious when I found this out. I can't believe that NAMCO (and Microsoft) got away with this. I think you would have a legitimate case if you wanted to take them to court: nowhere on the packaging does it mention that disc you are purchasing contains data that is encrypted until you cough up even more money.
Wrong. I can say from first-hand knowledge this is not true. I treated my 360 like a freaking museum piece - good ventilation, never moved or tilted the system while in-use, and always kept the discs in their cases and only touched the edges of the disc.
In spite of that, I still noticed radial scratches being etched in the disc. Every so often while playing the game, you'd hear a slight grinding sound occasionally followed by a disc-read error from the console. Convincing people that I wasn't somehow mishandling the system or the discs was a losing battle.
I think that this was a problem with 1st gen 360's and Microsoft has still not acknowledged the problem.
Unfortunately, this unsealed document is not the revelation people are claiming it to be. You are correct that most people know that you'll scratch a disc if you tilt the console during gameplay, and Microsoft's official line has always been that you shouldn't do it. This document only details the debate that Microsoft had internally about how proactive it should be in mitigating the problem.
The thing is, the act of tilting your game console while it is playing is a bad idea regardless of manufacturer. I don't think that this unsealed document is the smoking gun people are looking for.
I thought that this disc-scratching lawsuit was about games getting scratched even through normal, everyday use. I remember my 360 put so many scratches in my copy of Crackdown that it rendered it unusable. And I never tilted (or accidentally bumped) the system while it was turned on. Occasionally I'd be playing a game and you'd hear a grinding sound.
It matters because if it makes someone less safe 99% of the time and safer 1% of the time, you're still better off not making calls while driving. It's a game of numbers: there are situateions where your seat belt will make you less safe in a collision, but these situations are far outweighed be the likely scenario. So we require all cars to have seat belts and most states have laws requiring you to wear them at all times.
So we're someplace where 911 is unavailable, but 411 is? No.
Okay, I've been in Compton and somehow managed to navigate it's labyrinthine system of roads without calling my mom -- but let's take your generic example of being in a Bad Neighborhood that you inexplicably can't get out of by going out the same way you came in or driving out the other end that also has no stoplights. Okay. In that case, yes, you would be screwed. You got me.
Now answer me this: out of all the teenagers that make calls while driving, what percentage of them are in this scenario that you describe?
I dunno, maybe it depends how we define "bad" and "good" but I think you'll find that the bad parents won't buy this device, and generally don't give a shit about what their kids do while driving.
However, I can see a good parent using this to complement their parenting skills. Every parent needs to strike the right balance between giving their kid enough freedom to learn for themselves while acknowledging the need to restrict choices where the consequences are too severe to learn from (dead people don't learn).
When I was in high school cell phones were still pretty much a novelty, and "texting" didn't exist at all. Being a kid today is different from how it was a generation ago. Parenting needs to be different too.
Jesus man, it's not like talking about some sort of vehicular Panopticon. It's an optional device for parents that prevents your kid from calling non-emergency numbers while driving.
Why don't we go the *other* way and make no effort to ensure safety whatsoever. No drivers license, no age requirement, no laws prohibiting drinking while driving either. Then you can happily drive your libertarian ass all around town, and we can all take bets on how long you'll survive.
Please cite some examples of situations where 911 is not appropriate but yet you must make a phone call while driving? A call so important (but not important enough for 911) that it will actually make you safer if you do it while you are still driving instead of pulling to the side of the road or waiting for a stoplight.
That's all fine and good until stupid people start killing innocent people. The problem is that they often bring other people into the equation.
You raise great points, but I have I disagree on a point:
Wouldn't the rise of the used-game market indicate that people aren't willing to pay $50-$60 for games?
People that hate perl and people that hate windows can *finally* find some common ground!
Honestly, even a shop teacher can count the number of users that care about this on one hand.
I don't really think publishers are "The Bad Guys" either. When publishers read stories of un-DRM'ed titles like World of Goo having a 90% piracy rate, I imagine they feel justified.
Did you even read my post? You know, the one where I mentioned that Vista sucks?
Wow, you got me. I don't send Microsoft letters telling them how much I hate them, so I am therefore a fanboy. I was planning on sharing that I run windows, macosx, and ubuntu at home but now that I see what a simplistic world you live in I'm afraid it might short-circuit your brain.
Nice. I'd have modded your previous insightful if I could.
Look, I know this is Slashdot and all, but honestly I'm starting to get microsoft-vista-embarassing-email-story fatigue. Ever since the Vista class-action exposed all of these internal Microsoft emails, people have been cherry-picking emails and making them into full-blown stories for months it seems.
I'm no Microsoft apologist, it's just that it's starting to get old. Yes, we know Vista sucks. We know Microsoft felt the same way. We get it!! Please stop beating us over the head with it already.
Yes, you are absolutely right. But does this piece of Star Trek minutiae mean it will be a terrible movie?
RTFA - he's not being charged twice for the same crime. He is being added as a defendant to another, seperate crime. What's unfair about being charged for every crime you commit?
My employer has already blocked access to Google Docs due to fear of storing confedential data at a third party. Without weighing in on whether this fear is well-placed or not, it is a fear that I expect many medium-to-large businesses have.
That said, I'm surprised that they don't sell a version of Google Mini that has a Google Docs suite. It seems like that would be the best of both worlds from a corp IT perspective: no need to install on individual clients, but no need to worry about outsourcing your data storage.
...but experience has shown that whenever someone starts a sentence with the word "Umm", odds are 96.3% they will be a total asshole in the rest of the post.
I see you are no exception. Kudos for making a good point, but you still come off like a total douche.
And why do people type out the word "umm"? Are you trying to compose your thoughts but your backspace key is broken?