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User: Fastball

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Comments · 624

  1. Re:rampage killers on 27 Reported Killed In Connecticut Elementary School Shooting · · Score: 1

    Why should a discussion about one matter (mental health) exclude discussion about another matter (gun violence/access/control) or vice versa? Police detectives don't go looking for motive and call it a day nor do they locate a murder weapon and stamp a file folder "case closed."

    Mental health and easy access to guns are all on the table as far as I'm concerned.

  2. Re:why phase out DVI? on VGA and DVI Ports To Be Phased Out Over Next 5 Years · · Score: 2

    No where near as bad as optical SPDIF cables. Whoever designed those should be poisoned, shot four times, stabbed, beaten, rolled up in carpet, and thrown into a freezing river.

  3. Nuke it from orbit on Ask Slashdot: How Do I Scrub Pirated Music From My Collection? · · Score: 1

    It's the only way to be sure.

  4. Almost there with their keyboards on Could Apple Kill Off Mac OS X? · · Score: 2

    I figured this might be coming. Between Windows 8 trying to become a cell phone UI and Apple's brilliant idea to place an eject key on its keyboards instead of a forward delete key, it won't be long before a PC is completely gimped and useless to anyone that produces anything. Apple hit it big with its touch screen UI. So big that they're going to impale themselves on it.

  5. Re:Build up in Brazil on Foxconn International Removed From Hang Seng Index · · Score: 1

    And Brazilian labor is already pushing back. Interesting to see how this plays out over time and which culture ultimately wins out. If only the Chinese had a Great Artist they could dispatch to culture bomb Rio De Janiero.

  6. Re:Improved tablets on MS Global Strategy Chief: Tablets Are a Fad · · Score: 1

    There's already a concept for this: the cloud. Folks already have a range of devices that scale as you describe. It's just that they all need access to the data and content universally. While the hardware is having it's day right now, it's the access to relevant zeroes and ones that makes any of it worth a hoot.

  7. Re:All this effort, just to avoid the real problem on US Contemplating 'Vehicle Miles Traveled' Tax · · Score: 2, Informative

    Raising taxes from historically low, unsustainable levels? Preposterous!

  8. Re:Wouldn't play on The Saturn Fly-By · · Score: 1

    Same for me. The vimeo link worked. Using Chrome 10.0.648.133 on Mac OS X 10.6.6.

  9. Re:Microsoft is really a bunch of tech companies on Ballmer Turns To Geeks For Salvation · · Score: 1

    Yes, conglomerates are going out of style lately. Investors have good reason, because the sum of the parts would be worth more instead of languishing under the same roof. You've got MSFT split out similarly to how I see them. Some of the businesses (desktop and business) are mature cash cows with good cash flows and should have rich dividends. Others (consumer products and internet) should be freed from the conservative yoke and strive for accelerated growth. All would get a boost from an announcement that Ballmer was stepping down to "spend more time with his family."

    $41 billion in cash and short term investments and no material debt. Love 'em or hate 'em, they have considerable resources to make gains for consumers and investors alike.

  10. Re:Forget the bonus... why is he drawing salary? on Ballmer Turns To Geeks For Salvation · · Score: 2

    Wish I had mod points. As concise an assessment of Ballmer's M.O. as has ever been written.

  11. Opulence on ATMs That Dispense Gold Bars Coming To America · · Score: 1
  12. Re:Long Live Crony Capitalism on Former HP CEO Selected As Oracle Co-President · · Score: 1

    Looks like if you are well connected you can get away with anything and land up plum jobs.

    Or, you know, just run for the U.S. Senate.

  13. MOD PARENT UP on Why Computer Science Students Cheat · · Score: 1

    The freshman and especially sophomore level courses I took were far and away the most difficult. They also caused me to pursue a minor in C.S. as opposed to majoring.

    This includes curriculum requirements where grading on the curve meant scoring 40 on a test was an A. Yes, I'm staring at you sophomore physics. After my sophomore year, I didn't know up from down.

    Challenging coursework should still be engaging and stoke a young mind. Unfortunately, mine was more of the demoralizing kind.

  14. Re:Still Overpriced? on New MacBook Pros Launched · · Score: 1

    1. Buy equivalently spec'd PC.
    2. Put savings into investment instrument of choice.
    3. When the time comes to upgrade, repeat.
    4. Profit!

  15. Re:DTA do not get full payed for line up / CSN CHI on Comcast Disables VCR Scheduling In New Guide · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sure sentence somewhere there. But not able +.

    Seriously, put the mobile down, and keep your hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road when you're driving.

  16. Re:Reduce the debt via... on After Discovery's Launch, What's Left For the Shuttle? · · Score: 1

    Any discount for local pickup?

  17. Re:What does PhysX do anyways? on Game Devs Only Use PhysX For the Money, Says AMD · · Score: 1
  18. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED on Funeral Being Held Today For IE6 · · Score: 1

    Major web development projects with IE6 have ended. In the Battle of the Internet, Mozilla Firefox and our Webkit competitors have prevailed. And now our team is engaged in programming and redesigning that site.

  19. Mosquito Sausagefest on Directed Energy Weapon Downs Mosquitos · · Score: 1

    Name for a metal band or an emerging trend in entomology? Let's go to our roundtable...

  20. Re:Why redirect them? on Is Internet Explorer 6/7 Support Required Now? · · Score: 1

    Also, telling the user that you as the developer (and therefore face of whatever organization you represent) are "lacking patience, time and motivation" to support their browser tells them that you don't care about them, which is obviously a huge turn-off and likely to drive them away permanently, not encourage them to upgrade.

    You cannot expect developers to waste time to support edge cases like this. Because while it isn't hard per se to test and get a site functioning across all browsers, it can take considerable time. Even the smallest quirks can take days to iron out. It's a huge source of frustration.

    It isn't ideal to shun folks using a shitty browser, but at what point does the pendulum swing the other way? I don't see how pissing away man hours to support IE6 is going to compel those users to upgrade.

    As I see it, we do care about these folks, because if we can finally drop support for a dated, incapable browser, then we can finally focus on delivering solid browsing experiences quicker and more effectively.

    It's a thin line. Nobody wants to wall off visitors from their content, but at some point, the folks who can't be bothered to switch to free, widely available alternatives should be left behind.

  21. Re:Who cares? on FCC May Pry Open the Cable Set-Top Box · · Score: 1

    I do, and since cable providers have to carry the local networks' digital broadcasts via Clear-QAM, I even watch them in HD. If I were really frugal (i.e. not married), I could ditch my cable subscription altogether and fetch those Clear-QAM broadcasts OTA with an antenna. Live sporting events are the easiest to enjoy without submitting to the cable company.

    Yes, I can do without if the game isn't on a major network. A man's got to know his limitations.

  22. Re:Recording HD? on Best PC DVR Software, For Any Platform? · · Score: 1

    I've done it successfully before, but it required a custom built version of LIRC and some hacking at shell scripts. Not impossible or difficult, but even with a MythTV installation, I just wanted a straightforward setup without the additional STB profaning my TV cabinet.

    Hence, I gave up on HD from the cable company save for the Clear-QAM channels recorded with my HDHomerun. We get all of the major broadcast networks and several PBS stations, and that seems to gratify my wife and me. Everything else is standard definition. Not gorgeoous but cheap and malleable from an end-user standpoint.

    Digital cable is a no go until we can plug the cable into the device of my choice (w/ assistance from a CableCard if necessary) and peruse as we see fit. Simplicity trumps value, AV quality, and all other incentives to upgrade for us.

  23. Re:Impossible on The Irksome Cellphone Industry · · Score: 2, Informative

    demonlapin probably uses AT&T. My wife and I just bought her mother a cell phone. AT&T is the carrier that most folks in her small town in a hilly part of the country use, so we opted to get a plan with them.

    We check her bill a week after getting the plan and there were several text message charges. A real headscratcher, because her mom is a major technophobe. No way she sent any text messages.

    Turns out AT&T sends your phone text messages when you make changes to your plan/profile online which my wife did. Bizarre, but you get charged for those text messages from AT&T. Had to call them to get that sorted out.

    Insane. My wife and I are going to get new cell phones and ditch the landline (hers, I moved in, I swear) in the next couple of months. This experience has us looking elsewhere than AT&T for our service.

  24. Re:On-Topic on Best Mouse For Programming? · · Score: 2, Informative

    I actually prefer the Logitech Marble Mouse, because the trackball is controlled by my index and (to a lesser extent) middle fingers. Considerably faster and more precise than with the thumb controlled ball.

    Big drawback is the lack of a scroll wheel on the Marble Mouse though. Best paired with a keyboard that has a scroll wheel on the left side. Best I ecame across in that regard was a Logitech Internet Navigator, but it had unforgiveable function keys that were programmed for weird functions rather than the standard F1-F12 keys. Had to hit a function-lock button every time I booted.

    If anyone has a recommendation for a keyboard with scroll wheel (preferrably on the left side of the keyboard so it can be used with the non-mouse hand), I'll friend you.

  25. Cloud on How Do You Sync & Manage Your Home Directories? · · Score: 1

    I have been considering this more of late as I utilize my new netbook. It's my first portable computer ever; I've clutched to my desktop since the beginning of time.

    My comfort with this is directly related to who I can trust to store my data with. Right now, it's not a big enough need, so I'm reluctant. However, I can see my needs growing to a point where I'm going to take the plunge.

    Any recommendations or horror stories anyone wants to share are welcome here.