"with the ability to listen to the full track of any song you receive up to 3 times within 3 days...then flag the songs you like, and easily buy them next time you sync up!"
If it took them this long to reverse-engineer an ancient calculator with 30 gears, imagine how long it's gonna take them to reverse engineer that crashed alien ship in Area 51.
No wonder they're keeping everyone out- they're embarrassed.
Uhhhh, since this is a point of sale purchase, maybe you could use your actual, physical credit card in an actual, physical reader and enter your PIN on an ATM type keypad before going in and nabbing your purchase.
It's a sign of how well Nintendo have made, marketed and managed the launch of the Wii that, PS3 fanboys and 7 year olds aside (aren't those the same thing?;), practically no-one who is a bit into gaming is genuinely sneering at the name or the product.
Now everyone might not make it our top priority gaming purchase (I am!), but no-one can ignore the games lineup, the innovation and the quality of service that Nintendo are offering.
What would be 100x more impressive is a drug that will eradicate the need for waking, that's when I'll sit up and take notice! (or, rather, wake up and take some).
Where exactly do you see a place for your contextual list of commands that start with CTRL on this interface.
This was my interface just before I checked my mail. I'm running at 1680*1050 on a 24" Dell and I barely, barely have room for everything (I'd be running at 1080p but my video card hasn't got a big enough frame buffer).
Keyboard shortcuts and the means to remember (or quickly refrence) them are a fact of life, and solve numerous interface problems. You'd be making the same type of baseless argument if you suggested that the GUI is the only means that we should be able to interface with the computer, or that the console should be the only means of issuing system commands.
The optimus *is* different because it puts the shortcuts right there, and allows immediate customisation of those shortcuts. It beats the heck out of any type of F-Keys or alternate bindings, and is a whole lot better than sticker sets (I've spent enough of my life sticking on labels with tweezers, thanks very much).
This type of keyboard has little to do with typing, and more to do with keyboard shortcuts and custmisablity.
As an example of how useful a KB like this is for multimedia developers, have a look at these keyboards and accessoris; they're an intuitive but sometimes expensive way to have your shortcuts laid out in front of you for just one application. With a keyboard like the Optimus, users can apply schemes that change between apps, or that even change when you hold down the CTRL, CTRL-ALT, or CTRL-ALT-SHIFT keys on the keyboard.
It'd even be useful for novice users getting used to the usual cut/copy/paste routine, or might for example teach them about the uses of the windows key; [win]-d for desktop, [win]-L to log off.
The potential gaming uses are there, too, I suppose. The killer app for the Optimus(within the gaming world) is perhaps a flight sim, where you have 300-400 keyboard shortcuts at your command ( I'm not joking ) and learning the most useful ones is a real pain in the ass.
Unfortunately not... I'm just hoping that these guys have the balls to ask their question of something animate. It ain't a microwave but it's a close second (^^)
Yea, and I predict that the current DVD standard won't die for another 7-8 years, not 3. Those things are everywhere, and they'll be popular for a bloody long time yet. Look at CDs- still the best way to buy your music.
"The argument that the money could be better spent on relieving poverty..."
The thing about it is, the act of providing the laptop is the very thing that will help relieve poverty. These guys are playing the long game by providing an educational resource to people below the poverty line, and in doing so improving their chances of getting a job and being able to work their way out of poverty.
There's the old line about 'you can give a man some grain, and he can feed his family for a day, but give him seeds and tools and he can do so for a lifetime'. It's this type of thinking that we're talking about.
The person debunking the idea doesn't recognise the true value of the laptop, and it's his loss not ours.
China is not a communist country in anything other than name, nor has it ever been. It was a brutal stalinist dictatorship, then just lurched into totalarian regime that deals with capitalists because it suits them.
I was just looking that up last week in a nostalgic mood.
Lord almighty what a game- I used to play it obsessively at school when I was 13 or 14, even sneaking in at lunch time to play. I remember doing stuff like seeing if I could reach the ground before a bomb I dropped( I could, given altitude), flying under that bridge in that mission where you have to bomb it, seeing what airspeed I could get up to in a dive.
Then the Leyte gulf missions came out. Shooting bombers out of the air with rockets has never been so much fun:D
I was just looking around on ye olde interwebbe for someone knowledgeable on knives and techniques for forging them- and I think I might have stumbled across the right person;)
I was given a knife as a gift for helping someone out (he's a Blacksmith and made it for me ^^ ), and he set me the challenge of finding out what was special about the material in the blade.
I suspect it may be Damascus steel or a related technique........... the pattern in the steel resembles the type of pattern I've seen in those blades, though it's nowhere near as dense and I personally think it actually resembles wood grain..... anyway here's macro shot of the blade I hope you can help- mail me if you need more info:)
Slashdot Mirror
From the link:
"with the ability to listen to the full track of any song you receive up to 3 times within 3 days...then flag the songs you like, and easily buy them next time you sync up!"
I just threw up a little in my mouth.
If it took them this long to reverse-engineer an ancient calculator with 30 gears, imagine how long it's gonna take them to reverse engineer that crashed alien ship in Area 51.
No wonder they're keeping everyone out- they're embarrassed.
Uhhhh, since this is a point of sale purchase, maybe you could use your actual, physical credit card in an actual, physical reader and enter your PIN on an ATM type keypad before going in and nabbing your purchase.
It's a sign of how well Nintendo have made, marketed and managed the launch of the Wii that, PS3 fanboys and 7 year olds aside (aren't those the same thing? ;), practically no-one who is a bit into gaming is genuinely sneering at the name or the product.
Now everyone might not make it our top priority gaming purchase (I am!), but no-one can ignore the games lineup, the innovation and the quality of service that Nintendo are offering.
What would be 100x more impressive is a drug that will eradicate the need for waking, that's when I'll sit up and take notice! (or, rather, wake up and take some).
:)
We can all live in hope
Mmmm, not in a scenario where there is a finite supply of food; the reduced demand means you've actually got enough.
Just as long as they don't use the Doom 3 engine. We won't be able to find astronauts still brave enough to actually go on a real mission.
*shifts uncomfortably in seat*
Well it's about time they got some probing action.... my doctor says the cream is helping though.
Thank goodness for small blessings and all that.
Declare a War on Martians, probably, followed by a swift invasion.
I call dibbs on slashdöt.org
Blending, the ultimate test of a console.
Oh, great comic site...! I've never seen vgcats.com before...
*drags into comics folder on bookmarks toolbar*
Thankee ^^
*takes bait*
Maybe it's low 'cause they've got some decent launch titles
Spinning rings would be funny, an actual giant sandworm in Second Life would have been much more satisfying. No way would anyone want to go over and touch that.
Where exactly do you see a place for your contextual list of commands that start with CTRL on this interface.
This was my interface just before I checked my mail. I'm running at 1680*1050 on a 24" Dell and I barely, barely have room for everything (I'd be running at 1080p but my video card hasn't got a big enough frame buffer).
Keyboard shortcuts and the means to remember (or quickly refrence) them are a fact of life, and solve numerous interface problems. You'd be making the same type of baseless argument if you suggested that the GUI is the only means that we should be able to interface with the computer, or that the console should be the only means of issuing system commands.
The optimus *is* different because it puts the shortcuts right there, and allows immediate customisation of those shortcuts. It beats the heck out of any type of F-Keys or alternate bindings, and is a whole lot better than sticker sets (I've spent enough of my life sticking on labels with tweezers, thanks very much).
This type of keyboard has little to do with typing, and more to do with keyboard shortcuts and custmisablity.
As an example of how useful a KB like this is for multimedia developers, have a look at these keyboards and accessoris; they're an intuitive but sometimes expensive way to have your shortcuts laid out in front of you for just one application. With a keyboard like the Optimus, users can apply schemes that change between apps, or that even change when you hold down the CTRL, CTRL-ALT, or CTRL-ALT-SHIFT keys on the keyboard.
It'd even be useful for novice users getting used to the usual cut/copy/paste routine, or might for example teach them about the uses of the windows key; [win]-d for desktop, [win]-L to log off.
The potential gaming uses are there, too, I suppose. The killer app for the Optimus(within the gaming world) is perhaps a flight sim, where you have 300-400 keyboard shortcuts at your command ( I'm not joking ) and learning the most useful ones is a real pain in the ass.
I'd have said heathen! but I think you were closer to the mark ^^
Unfortunately not... I'm just hoping that these guys have the balls to ask their question of something animate. It ain't a microwave but it's a close second (^^)
Yea, and I predict that the current DVD standard won't die for another 7-8 years, not 3. Those things are everywhere, and they'll be popular for a bloody long time yet. Look at CDs- still the best way to buy your music.
"The argument that the money could be better spent on relieving poverty..."
The thing about it is, the act of providing the laptop is the very thing that will help relieve poverty. These guys are playing the long game by providing an educational resource to people below the poverty line, and in doing so improving their chances of getting a job and being able to work their way out of poverty.
There's the old line about 'you can give a man some grain, and he can feed his family for a day, but give him seeds and tools and he can do so for a lifetime'. It's this type of thinking that we're talking about.
The person debunking the idea doesn't recognise the true value of the laptop, and it's his loss not ours.
China is not a communist country in anything other than name, nor has it ever been. It was a brutal stalinist dictatorship, then just lurched into totalarian regime that deals with capitalists because it suits them.
Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats! Hellcats!
:D
I was just looking that up last week in a nostalgic mood.
Lord almighty what a game- I used to play it obsessively at school when I was 13 or 14, even sneaking in at lunch time to play. I remember doing stuff like seeing if I could reach the ground before a bomb I dropped( I could, given altitude), flying under that bridge in that mission where you have to bomb it, seeing what airspeed I could get up to in a dive.
Then the Leyte gulf missions came out. Shooting bombers out of the air with rockets has never been so much fun
I don't think anyone has produced a game with a better polycount:fun ratio.
That should be enough to earn me the secondary reward (I was promised some sort of alcoholic beverage * 6 if I got the answer from somewhere)
:D
I was going to thank you in words, but the good karma points got there first.
Thanks!
I was just looking around on ye olde interwebbe for someone knowledgeable on knives and techniques for forging them- and I think I might have stumbled across the right person ;)
:)
I was given a knife as a gift for helping someone out (he's a Blacksmith and made it for me ^^ ), and he set me the challenge of finding out what was special about the material in the blade.
I suspect it may be Damascus steel or a related technique........... the pattern in the steel resembles the type of pattern I've seen in those blades, though it's nowhere near as dense and I personally think it actually resembles wood grain..... anyway here's macro shot of the blade I hope you can help- mail me if you need more info
"I estimate current DVDs will die in 3 years"
:)
2010 called, they want their comment back