I don't know how to get there, but users/people want computers to behave like toasters. They want very simple, limited-option and intuitive behaviors. Not all software lends itself to those but I think there is a much happier in between, and the group that can move is the programming group. I don't think the general population will ever educate itself about the differences between relational/hierarchical databases, the differences between NTFS and VFAT file systems, nor do I think they should be asked to know.
That's all good and fine, but there are cases, many, many cases, where users aren't able to use even the simplest interfaces. This can be expected of them, as the people unable to use these interfaces tend to be old people, while younger people immediately know how to use them regardless of previous training because they are at least used to the idea of an interface.
I used to work at wawa, and I can't even tell you how many people used to complain about how the touch screen ordering system was oh so complicated. The entire thing was self-explanatory. You touch what type of food you want, then touch the ingredients then hit complete. Not exactly rocket science. For these people even using a touch screen to manipulate words is something they are uncomfortable with. We cannot stoop to this type of illiterate and design software to accommodate them. They simply cannot be accommodated. People need to learn to read and interact with a basic interface, if they can't, then they will get left in the dust, same as other dinosaurs.
Now, now, let's give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the "polution" severed a limb or something. Yeah, that pretty much makes as much sense as the entirety of their argument anyway.
Um, except, VHS became the dominant format for many years, until (the more draconian) DVD unseated it. So the Betamax/VHS issue doesn't really serve to predict the failure of both formats, nor the rise of a new format which is more open.
Yes, but I guess nowadays most people are assuming that consumers won't want to get involved in a corporate battle for format control like they did not then, not knowing that their newly purchased betamax machines would be shiny pieces of garbage as they had to buy a second VCR. I think acknowledging this as Betamax/VHS is to acknowledge the fact that it's wise not to get involved while the two respective companies duke it out. Which is exactly what a lot of people will do, while continuing to buy DVDs.
I may be wrong, but I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the best flow occurs when the traffic does merge at the pinch point (where one of the lanes physically can no longer be used and a single lane continues), one vehicle from each lane in turn (ideally, as they head towards the pinch point, the vehicles should match speed with each vehicle next to a gap so that a smooth merge is effected: just like a couple of cogged wheels).
I was honestly waiting for a response like this, and the idea had crossed my mind that perhaps this is more optimal. However, in many cases this isn't what's going on even when people refuse to merge. In many cases, people could easily find a merge point without anyone changing speeds due to pre-existing gaps in the traffic flow (such as I, not really liking to force my way into a merge, like to do). Resulting in essentially zero overall shift in speed for the lane. Prior notice is given, sometimes in excess of 5 miles, but nobody heeds the warnings. In 5 miles, if everyone made a real attempt to find a comfortable merging point without disrupting the lane's flow, I don't think there would be any real slowing at all, or at least only the slowing to the slowest car ahead in the lane (as in a regular one lane road). The time goes by fast for the assholes who will force their way in, but the ordinary people who are already doing as they are told are forced to be assholes themselves and cut off the lane attempting to merge, or enjoy a long delay. Being as they are in the passive lane to begin with, most just choose the second and let people merge in front of them, causing the lane to slow down dramatically as they have to grind to a halt to allow traffic to continue ahead of them.
I've noticed that despite best efforts (sign after sign), etc. people simply will not merge into lanes before they are forced to by the lane cutting off. While driving out to the western portion of PA I encountered numerous delays along construction points, every single one followed the same pattern: 1) Sign says "right lane ending in __ miles, merge left" 2) As I go into the left lane, people continue to pass me on my right at egregious speeds. 3) The traffic (except for in some proportion the ending right lane) slows to a crawl. 4) Upon encountering the source of the delay, it turns out the people in the right lane, refusing to merge for miles and miles, instead have slowed everyone else down in their attempts to merge at the last minute. 5) After the merger is over, traffic then continues normally.
Which leads me to say, as always, wow, people are stupid.
I don't mind in-game ads, until they become too intrusive as TV ads are. As for their effect, they might, if they gel with the game and are properly placed. (IMO) Like If (hypothetically) I have to pick a bike in HalfLife or Halo and, I get to choose from some branded ones!:) cheers
Oh, have no doubt, they will eventually become as intrusive as TV. We already have forced advertising on DVDs that you paid for and it's only a matter of time before games become just like that format. The idea is to do a slow grow on you, first hit you with normal and subjective advertising, and then eventually make it more and more intrusive until you don't even realize you are paying for the privilege to be advertised to.
Everyone complains about Google's products being permanently in beta, but at least in some cases, the term is largely justified. For instance: docs and spreadsheets is in beta. This is well deserved, the online word processor still can't handle enter presses adequately and screws up the formatting when trying to edit online. In my opinion, Google moves products out of beta when they are ready for general consumption. The only difference is that they aren't worried about having the whole of the audience for their products be beta testers, because, frankly, they only get money through ad traffic. In effect, it works well on both ends, because we can start to see which services Google will have finalized, used the products before they are really ready to be used and then have a final product eventually.
Real motorsport doesn't just have trackside adverts, but sponsorship on the cars, too. If the rear bumper of the opposition has a big Bosconian logo like in Ridge 6, I'm rather more likely to notice it when trying to get past him.
Please, please, don't give them any free ideas. I'd rather have them pay for those in marketing research, at least then I can be spared the advertisements that are intrusive and effective for a few years.
I've personally passed my saturation point on advertising and I've become entirely sick of it altogether. It's to the point now where if there were products that simply DIDN'T advertise as a stated goal in their mission, I would purchase those products, even if it cost a little more.
I'm simply sick to death of being accosted by advertising, spam, advertisers for schools disguised as job opportunities, telemarketers, TV commercials with volume higher than the rest of the channel's programming, internet ads, stupid boxes with "BUY NOW" flashing over my webpage when I'm trying to read a fucking article, names on the beginning of college football bowl games, names on the front of stadiums we as taxpayers practically paid for, billboards, viral marketing, junk mail, ads on the front of home movies posted to the web, credit card applications and astroturfing. When you look at the perverse lengths that these companies will go to to further "spread" a brand that's already well-known (I guess to squeeze an extra.0001% out of the market), it just makes you wonder if we'll ever be able to have anything without ads invading ever again. Where the hell can you retreat to when you are simply sick of the advertising? I'd build a cabin in the woods, but they just sold part of the lot to a billboard company, they are gonna use the space to erect a 50' LCD which will flash messages about what to do when you feel that "not so fresh" feeling. Where can someone who is tired of being sold to go nowadays? Is it necessary that they exploit every square inch of real and virtual America with advertising? Ads in video games = me not buying said video game. Can't you keep BK and McDonalds from exploiting every single type of entertainment? We've paid our $60, now leave us alone.
Just saying most of the posts here seem to be knocking HD-DVD, but with the audio/video quality it provides - and there are a handful of good HD-DVDs out, I'm with it.
There's a lot of knockers on here because hollywood and its respective industries spend too much time developing better visual and audio reproduction technologies when they make no more movies worth reproducing. You show me the most crystal clear version of some comic book knockoff/video game knockoff/remake and I'll show you one guy that isn't interested, whether I can see clearly enough into Vinn Diesel's nose that I can see the boogers hanging in his nostrils or not.
The original King Kong was filmed in black and white with claymation and such. Don't you think if the writers of that original script had the technology we have today, they would be able to do something better than it than make explosions and effects take over acting and a decent script? This generation of script writers needs to be beaten over the head with a blu-ray player until they can figure out something worth writing.
Re:We keep hearing rumors!
on
The Google Phone?
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· Score: 0, Redundant
While we're at it, I'm still waiting for my flying car.
Yeah, and I'm still waiting for Duke Nukem Forever and the new Guns and Roses album.
Important point, my grandmother, as my mother would say, would never bleed, she'd hemorrhage, she'd never get a papercut, it would be a laceration. Frame of mind has a lot to do with how you designate what's wrong with you.
I personally hardly notice or care when most colds come or go because I don't dwell on them. There's people who seem to be always sick, just because they can always find some symptom to complain about. Happy people could've just not even noticed their symptoms, because they aren't in a "woe is me" frame of mind.
People looking for a tragedy in their own lives always find one.
Hello... They guy isn't going to jail for the rest of his life, it's 90 days. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
Jail sentence notwithstanding, I was making the point that because Enron executives committed "white-collar" crime and were a danger to society that doesn't mean that this guy is a danger to society for having committed a so-called "white-collar" crime. I said nothing about his jail sentence.
I was pointing out a common logical fallacy:
Some P are Q therefore all P are Q.
I do think it's a little harsh to put someone in jail for sharing bad movies, but that's another topic.
What I find is a cool way to do passwords is to use first letters and/or numbers of a phrase. Something that means something to you but is unlikely to mean anything to anyone else. Example: December 25th is the birth date of Christ supposedly.
"adklfjsldfjsdf" is 15 in length and alpha characters only (26^15)
"adklf123dfjsdf" is 15 in length and alphanumeric (36^15)
You *kind of* have a point. However, if you consider the possibility that the hacker doesn't *know* that the password is easier to attack because he/she is using a brute force attacker and doesn't know that the password is all alphabetic or alphanumeric. The only thing the hacker knows if doing a blind cracking of the password is the password field's limits. If the password field uses alphanumeric, then if he conducts a search using only alphabetical characters and comes up with no results after the 18,000 hours that takes to run, don't you think he'd be more inclined to use alphanumeric as a character set to attack with to begin with?
You can look at a password and tell it's less secure, but that requires knowledge of the password. Unless it's a dictionary word, how would the hacker know the difference between you choosing alphanumeric or choosing alphabetic characters only? He wouldn't.
You try telling anyone whose life savings were vaporized by the fallout from Enron and such that white-collar criminals aren't dangerous.
Embezzlement and the complete destruction of a company along with pensions, savings, stocks and lives is hardly comparable to sharing a couple copies of some terrible movies with people on the Internet. That the people may or may not have even bought/watched if they weren't free.
I disagree. It's not fair for anyone to be pressured by censors. But maybe that's because I don't believe in revenge.
It is unfair, but if they do it to everyone else, I think it's just deserves that they get it in return. Maybe this will be modded flamebait as well, but it's the truth. They shouldn't censor anything, but I have a feeling the same groups backing this game would be happy to do the same to anything that didn't happen to be their cup of tea.
Maybe we can think first before we whine for something to be yanked off shelves is my point. But I guess we can't.
You know that this is probably violating someone's patent. Probably MULTIPLE patents!
The article is about manipulating items you bought to make something new, that's like saying making a ball of rubber bands out of rubber bands is violating patent. It's not a commercially marketed device yet, so patents are a non-issue.
The bubble-era vision of a Utopian ocean is dented and dirty...The white dolphin has collided with the olive tree, and its crumpled hulk spins in a ditch as the orchard smolders.
Slashdot Mirror
That's all good and fine, but there are cases, many, many cases, where users aren't able to use even the simplest interfaces. This can be expected of them, as the people unable to use these interfaces tend to be old people, while younger people immediately know how to use them regardless of previous training because they are at least used to the idea of an interface.
I used to work at wawa, and I can't even tell you how many people used to complain about how the touch screen ordering system was oh so complicated. The entire thing was self-explanatory. You touch what type of food you want, then touch the ingredients then hit complete. Not exactly rocket science. For these people even using a touch screen to manipulate words is something they are uncomfortable with. We cannot stoop to this type of illiterate and design software to accommodate them. They simply cannot be accommodated. People need to learn to read and interact with a basic interface, if they can't, then they will get left in the dust, same as other dinosaurs.
Now, now, let's give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the "polution" severed a limb or something. Yeah, that pretty much makes as much sense as the entirety of their argument anyway.
Yes, but I guess nowadays most people are assuming that consumers won't want to get involved in a corporate battle for format control like they did not then, not knowing that their newly purchased betamax machines would be shiny pieces of garbage as they had to buy a second VCR. I think acknowledging this as Betamax/VHS is to acknowledge the fact that it's wise not to get involved while the two respective companies duke it out. Which is exactly what a lot of people will do, while continuing to buy DVDs.
I was honestly waiting for a response like this, and the idea had crossed my mind that perhaps this is more optimal. However, in many cases this isn't what's going on even when people refuse to merge. In many cases, people could easily find a merge point without anyone changing speeds due to pre-existing gaps in the traffic flow (such as I, not really liking to force my way into a merge, like to do). Resulting in essentially zero overall shift in speed for the lane. Prior notice is given, sometimes in excess of 5 miles, but nobody heeds the warnings. In 5 miles, if everyone made a real attempt to find a comfortable merging point without disrupting the lane's flow, I don't think there would be any real slowing at all, or at least only the slowing to the slowest car ahead in the lane (as in a regular one lane road). The time goes by fast for the assholes who will force their way in, but the ordinary people who are already doing as they are told are forced to be assholes themselves and cut off the lane attempting to merge, or enjoy a long delay. Being as they are in the passive lane to begin with, most just choose the second and let people merge in front of them, causing the lane to slow down dramatically as they have to grind to a halt to allow traffic to continue ahead of them.
I've noticed that despite best efforts (sign after sign), etc. people simply will not merge into lanes before they are forced to by the lane cutting off. While driving out to the western portion of PA I encountered numerous delays along construction points, every single one followed the same pattern:
1) Sign says "right lane ending in __ miles, merge left"
2) As I go into the left lane, people continue to pass me on my right at egregious speeds.
3) The traffic (except for in some proportion the ending right lane) slows to a crawl.
4) Upon encountering the source of the delay, it turns out the people in the right lane, refusing to merge for miles and miles, instead have slowed everyone else down in their attempts to merge at the last minute.
5) After the merger is over, traffic then continues normally.
Which leads me to say, as always, wow, people are stupid.
Oh, have no doubt, they will eventually become as intrusive as TV. We already have forced advertising on DVDs that you paid for and it's only a matter of time before games become just like that format. The idea is to do a slow grow on you, first hit you with normal and subjective advertising, and then eventually make it more and more intrusive until you don't even realize you are paying for the privilege to be advertised to.
Everyone complains about Google's products being permanently in beta, but at least in some cases, the term is largely justified. For instance: docs and spreadsheets is in beta. This is well deserved, the online word processor still can't handle enter presses adequately and screws up the formatting when trying to edit online. In my opinion, Google moves products out of beta when they are ready for general consumption. The only difference is that they aren't worried about having the whole of the audience for their products be beta testers, because, frankly, they only get money through ad traffic. In effect, it works well on both ends, because we can start to see which services Google will have finalized, used the products before they are really ready to be used and then have a final product eventually.
Please, please, don't give them any free ideas. I'd rather have them pay for those in marketing research, at least then I can be spared the advertisements that are intrusive and effective for a few years.
I've personally passed my saturation point on advertising and I've become entirely sick of it altogether. It's to the point now where if there were products that simply DIDN'T advertise as a stated goal in their mission, I would purchase those products, even if it cost a little more.
I'm simply sick to death of being accosted by advertising, spam, advertisers for schools disguised as job opportunities, telemarketers, TV commercials with volume higher than the rest of the channel's programming, internet ads, stupid boxes with "BUY NOW" flashing over my webpage when I'm trying to read a fucking article, names on the beginning of college football bowl games, names on the front of stadiums we as taxpayers practically paid for, billboards, viral marketing, junk mail, ads on the front of home movies posted to the web, credit card applications and astroturfing. When you look at the perverse lengths that these companies will go to to further "spread" a brand that's already well-known (I guess to squeeze an extra .0001% out of the market), it just makes you wonder if we'll ever be able to have anything without ads invading ever again. Where the hell can you retreat to when you are simply sick of the advertising? I'd build a cabin in the woods, but they just sold part of the lot to a billboard company, they are gonna use the space to erect a 50' LCD which will flash messages about what to do when you feel that "not so fresh" feeling. Where can someone who is tired of being sold to go nowadays? Is it necessary that they exploit every square inch of real and virtual America with advertising? Ads in video games = me not buying said video game. Can't you keep BK and McDonalds from exploiting every single type of entertainment? We've paid our $60, now leave us alone.
There's a lot of knockers on here because hollywood and its respective industries spend too much time developing better visual and audio reproduction technologies when they make no more movies worth reproducing. You show me the most crystal clear version of some comic book knockoff/video game knockoff/remake and I'll show you one guy that isn't interested, whether I can see clearly enough into Vinn Diesel's nose that I can see the boogers hanging in his nostrils or not.
The original King Kong was filmed in black and white with claymation and such. Don't you think if the writers of that original script had the technology we have today, they would be able to do something better than it than make explosions and effects take over acting and a decent script? This generation of script writers needs to be beaten over the head with a blu-ray player until they can figure out something worth writing.
Yeah, and I'm still waiting for Duke Nukem Forever and the new Guns and Roses album.
Important point, my grandmother, as my mother would say, would never bleed, she'd hemorrhage, she'd never get a papercut, it would be a laceration. Frame of mind has a lot to do with how you designate what's wrong with you.
I personally hardly notice or care when most colds come or go because I don't dwell on them. There's people who seem to be always sick, just because they can always find some symptom to complain about. Happy people could've just not even noticed their symptoms, because they aren't in a "woe is me" frame of mind.
People looking for a tragedy in their own lives always find one.
Jail sentence notwithstanding, I was making the point that because Enron executives committed "white-collar" crime and were a danger to society that doesn't mean that this guy is a danger to society for having committed a so-called "white-collar" crime. I said nothing about his jail sentence.
I was pointing out a common logical fallacy:
Some P are Q therefore all P are Q.
I do think it's a little harsh to put someone in jail for sharing bad movies, but that's another topic.
What I find is a cool way to do passwords is to use first letters and/or numbers of a phrase. Something that means something to you but is unlikely to mean anything to anyone else. Example: December 25th is the birth date of Christ supposedly.
D25itBDoCS
Try that one on for size.
Why do people keep making this point, as if a cracker's dictionary doesn't include slang and l33tspeak? They make the dictionaries themselves...
You *kind of* have a point. However, if you consider the possibility that the hacker doesn't *know* that the password is easier to attack because he/she is using a brute force attacker and doesn't know that the password is all alphabetic or alphanumeric. The only thing the hacker knows if doing a blind cracking of the password is the password field's limits. If the password field uses alphanumeric, then if he conducts a search using only alphabetical characters and comes up with no results after the 18,000 hours that takes to run, don't you think he'd be more inclined to use alphanumeric as a character set to attack with to begin with?
You can look at a password and tell it's less secure, but that requires knowledge of the password. Unless it's a dictionary word, how would the hacker know the difference between you choosing alphanumeric or choosing alphabetic characters only? He wouldn't.
Embezzlement and the complete destruction of a company along with pensions, savings, stocks and lives is hardly comparable to sharing a couple copies of some terrible movies with people on the Internet. That the people may or may not have even bought/watched if they weren't free.
But nice try linking the two.
Can you just imagine what it would be like to be in the big house on this charge?
Cellmate: "Whatcha in for man?"
Nai-ming: "Miss Congeniality and Daredevil, how about you?"
Cellmate: "Double-murder, you're a Daredevil huh? well you'll be Miss Congeniality tonight."
It is unfair, but if they do it to everyone else, I think it's just deserves that they get it in return. Maybe this will be modded flamebait as well, but it's the truth. They shouldn't censor anything, but I have a feeling the same groups backing this game would be happy to do the same to anything that didn't happen to be their cup of tea.
Maybe we can think first before we whine for something to be yanked off shelves is my point. But I guess we can't.
The article is about manipulating items you bought to make something new, that's like saying making a ball of rubber bands out of rubber bands is violating patent. It's not a commercially marketed device yet, so patents are a non-issue.
But thanks for playing.
Ah, you must be new here. It's not that it wouldn't work, it just doesn't, you dig? No? Well, here's a Vista t-shirt.
You must be new here. And by here I mean to organized government.
...it's good for the Christian community to get a taste of its own methods for once.
Maybe next time they'll leave the Snoop Dogg CDs alone.
Huh? Sorry, I'm not into Pokemon.
The bubble-era vision of a Utopian ocean is dented and dirty...The white dolphin has collided with the olive tree, and its crumpled hulk spins in a ditch as the orchard smolders.
There's a lot of evidence that I don't give a shit, because he would've never won in court anyway.