Agreed, real guitar and Guitar Hero are different skillsets. I've played the guitar for more than 5000 hours over a period of almost 18 years, and I suck at Guitar Hero. I can do the easy numbers pretty well because I have a good sense of rhythm and I can anticipate most of what's coming at me. But Reign In Blood ? I would have to unlearn the real guitar version and practice for days.
[...] I wouldn't be surprised if they insist on the One True Baguette Recipe.[...]
Yes, there actually is something like that. The "Baguette de Tradition Française" (French Tradition Baguette) is a protected denomination since 1993. The ingredients and the preparation are heavily regulated (only wheat flour, water and salt, no additives, no freezing, long fermentation process...). This law actually helps our local bakeries against industrial bakeries and supermarkets, because in effect, only the local bakers can make and sell this kind of bread. There are 5 bakeries in my neighbourhood, all seem to be thriving. The baguettes cost about 0.40€ more (1.10€) than the regular kind (0.70€) but they are unquestionably tastier and they last longer. Three hours after buying, the regular baguettes can be used as blunt weapons. But to use a Tradition baguette in battle, you have to leave it for 2 days at least.
Neither by the public, nor by those who have the care of public monuments, is the true meaning of the word restoration understood. It means the most total destruction which a building can suffer: a destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered: a destruction accompanied with false description of the thing destroyed. Do not let us deceive ourselves in this important matter; it is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture.
French typography rules don't mandate the use of accented capitals, it's just arguably more readable (and a little nicer to people called Émile;) ). I use a bepo keyboard layout (Dvorak-like layout for French) which gives me instant access to accented capitals. It took me one month to get comfortable with it, I haven't looked back at azerty since.
I'm right-handed but I use my mouse my the left hand. That way it's closer to the keyboard, I mean, the part of the keyboard I use all the time, the letter keys of course. And I can reach it with only a minor movement of my left arm instead of having to go aaaall the way to the right, past the arrows and the numpad.
Combined with a bit of knowledge about keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl-Ins : Copy, Shift-Del : Cut, Shift-Ins : Paste) and drag and drop (select some text, drag it with Ctrl key pressed : easy copy-paste), I find it a very ergonomic disposition. And it didn't take very long to learn to use the mouse left-handed (my right hand is still more precise though).
I haven't inverted the mouse buttons though, because I like to use it with the right hand from time to time.
Yeah, I'd like to read the transcripts from the competition, if any are available. If humans have tried to fool the judges into thinking they are machines or have just made small talk without any objective, then the test is flawed. The test as described by Turing is that the computer (A) has to fool the judge into thinking it's human, but the human (B) has to *help* the judge in making the good decision. I think we are still far away from seeing a computer win the Imitation Game if this rule is respected.
What if the Bible had half the pages missing ? What if it was printed in Chinese, or in Braille ? What if it was a Chinese Braille Bible with half the pages missing ? At what point does the symbolic value of the book break down into stupid bullshit ?
I read "A Brief History Of Time" and Hawkings' views are nothing new to me.
Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe
That's not what I understood from reading the book. Sure, there's this sentence about knowing the mind of God, but you have to read it in the context of the book. In it, he pounds on the idea of a Creator until it's quark-thin (and even thinner than that) and the rest is just physics. Anyway, "what was there before time" is not a question for a physicist, it would be like asking him the square root of a pork chop. It's a question for philosophers.
Also, the "But the fantastic thing is: This is what you get to do" part sounds to me like a lovely way to say "We old geezers couldn't figure it out. You young ones are our only hope, and you better not f*ck up"
I checked a map and you're right, but it's a pretty damn small border and the region is very mountainous, with peaks in the 3000 to 8000 meters range. Not the easiest access to the country.
Indeed, that kind of persistence can lead to great things, see Ferdinand Cheval who spent 33 years of his life single-handedly building the "Palais Idéal", from 1879 to 1912. He wanted to be buried in it, but the clergy wouldn't have it ; so he spent another 8 years building his own mausoleum.
I am French and the "Freedom Fries" debacle is such an old story nowadays... there's no point in being insulted by that anymore, or in rekindling the debate. Do Americans still label their fries like that ? Don't answer that, I actually don't care if some Americans are still silly enough to do so. From my point of view, the reaction in France at the time was a collective "Meh. Those silly Américains again." It's never been a big deal. The big deal at the time was the USA waging an unnecessary war against Irak, not what some people wanted to call their fried bits of potato.
Slashdot Mirror
What about a bed that eats bed bugs?
Already "invented", it's called washing your goddamn sheets / replacing your 20 year old mattress / NOT making your bed right after getting up
it'd be a shame if something happened to it.
Agreed, real guitar and Guitar Hero are different skillsets. I've played the guitar for more than 5000 hours over a period of almost 18 years, and I suck at Guitar Hero. I can do the easy numbers pretty well because I have a good sense of rhythm and I can anticipate most of what's coming at me. But Reign In Blood ? I would have to unlearn the real guitar version and practice for days.
To say nothing of a FAILED terrorist attack last year where the plane landed safely, with a terrorist who had only succeeded in burning his groin.
[...] I wouldn't be surprised if they insist on the One True Baguette Recipe.[...]
Yes, there actually is something like that. The "Baguette de Tradition Française" (French Tradition Baguette) is a protected denomination since 1993. The ingredients and the preparation are heavily regulated (only wheat flour, water and salt, no additives, no freezing, long fermentation process...). This law actually helps our local bakeries against industrial bakeries and supermarkets, because in effect, only the local bakers can make and sell this kind of bread. There are 5 bakeries in my neighbourhood, all seem to be thriving. The baguettes cost about 0.40€ more (1.10€) than the regular kind (0.70€) but they are unquestionably tastier and they last longer. Three hours after buying, the regular baguettes can be used as blunt weapons. But to use a Tradition baguette in battle, you have to leave it for 2 days at least.
John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture
Wow, just an off-hand reply about my keyboarding habits and I get a cool history lesson ! Thank you sir.
I stand corrected. All the more reason to keep using my keyboard layout !
THIS_IS_A_PREPROCESSOR_SYMBOL
Typed in no time holding the shift key with my left pinky and using the remaining 7 fingers (thumbs are only for the space bar)
French typography rules don't mandate the use of accented capitals, it's just arguably more readable (and a little nicer to people called Émile ;) ). I use a bepo keyboard layout (Dvorak-like layout for French) which gives me instant access to accented capitals. It took me one month to get comfortable with it, I haven't looked back at azerty since.
I'm right-handed but I use my mouse my the left hand. That way it's closer to the keyboard, I mean, the part of the keyboard I use all the time, the letter keys of course. And I can reach it with only a minor movement of my left arm instead of having to go aaaall the way to the right, past the arrows and the numpad.
Combined with a bit of knowledge about keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl-Ins : Copy, Shift-Del : Cut, Shift-Ins : Paste) and drag and drop (select some text, drag it with Ctrl key pressed : easy copy-paste), I find it a very ergonomic disposition. And it didn't take very long to learn to use the mouse left-handed (my right hand is still more precise though).
I haven't inverted the mouse buttons though, because I like to use it with the right hand from time to time.
What's up with the red-colored links ? I do my first ever search on Blekko, and it looks like I've already visited all the pages...
Yeah, I'd like to read the transcripts from the competition, if any are available. If humans have tried to fool the judges into thinking they are machines or have just made small talk without any objective, then the test is flawed. The test as described by Turing is that the computer (A) has to fool the judge into thinking it's human, but the human (B) has to *help* the judge in making the good decision. I think we are still far away from seeing a computer win the Imitation Game if this rule is respected.
Sega has done it right only once. The six-button controller for the Megadrive (Genesis) was the best I ever played with.
Where's the +6 Funny ?
What if the Bible had half the pages missing ? What if it was printed in Chinese, or in Braille ? What if it was a Chinese Braille Bible with half the pages missing ? At what point does the symbolic value of the book break down into stupid bullshit ?
c-c-c-combo breaker !
I read "A Brief History Of Time" and Hawkings' views are nothing new to me.
That's not what I understood from reading the book. Sure, there's this sentence about knowing the mind of God, but you have to read it in the context of the book. In it, he pounds on the idea of a Creator until it's quark-thin (and even thinner than that) and the rest is just physics. Anyway, "what was there before time" is not a question for a physicist, it would be like asking him the square root of a pork chop. It's a question for philosophers.
Such A Shame, Talk Talk. It's My Life, you Dum Dum Girl !
Also, the "But the fantastic thing is: This is what you get to do" part sounds to me like a lovely way to say "We old geezers couldn't figure it out. You young ones are our only hope, and you better not f*ck up"
I checked a map and you're right, but it's a pretty damn small border and the region is very mountainous, with peaks in the 3000 to 8000 meters range. Not the easiest access to the country.
STFU spammer !
*looks at parent's UID*
*gasps*
A 4-digit prime UID !
*slowly backs away from parent's lawn, sweating profusely*
Ha ha, my mistake, carry on...
If they don't want to be recorded, they may be hiding something.
Now now, be careful with that sword, it's double-edged.
Indeed, that kind of persistence can lead to great things, see Ferdinand Cheval who spent 33 years of his life single-handedly building the "Palais Idéal", from 1879 to 1912. He wanted to be buried in it, but the clergy wouldn't have it ; so he spent another 8 years building his own mausoleum.
I am French and the "Freedom Fries" debacle is such an old story nowadays... there's no point in being insulted by that anymore, or in rekindling the debate. Do Americans still label their fries like that ? Don't answer that, I actually don't care if some Americans are still silly enough to do so. From my point of view, the reaction in France at the time was a collective "Meh. Those silly Américains again." It's never been a big deal. The big deal at the time was the USA waging an unnecessary war against Irak, not what some people wanted to call their fried bits of potato.