"Perhaps the ISP shouldn't oversell their bandwidth? It would result in higher prices, but it would be more honest."
Mmm.. though I agree, I think he has a point... although his approach didn't quite nail it. It all comes down to a matter of whether or not it's 'abuse'. I don't really see P2P downloading as abuse, but I could see how beancounters could interpret it that way. Their infrastructure wasn't built to support it. So, people are working outside of the bounds they set, and it's interferring with them. (Ermmm.. Alledgedly, I should say. My bad.) Suppose the next great bandwidth sharing really saturates the pipe, what then?
Anyway, I'm not saying I agree with his point, I'm just having a little fun entertaining it. This sort of system really cannot be built in such a way to prevent unintended usage. We can expect bs mumblings like this as new technologies become ubiquitous. It's sad, but I doubt it's preventable.
While you were at MST3K, was there ever a mis-interpreted gag that caused an uproar with some of the fans? Maybe something that sounded unintentionally naughty? Just curious. I remember all those nice letters that were read at the end of each show. Made me wonder if you ever got nastygrams.
"signals to me that the format is in deep trouble. If they didn't feel this move could be interpreted as being a negative for UMD, they wouldn't have defended it."
Either that or they know that people are confusing UMD Movies and UMD Games...
"materialism is fucking retarded. why do we worship things that end up in junkyards?... i can see it for what it is, and yet in combating it you become a lunatic by 'the standard'."
Um.... yeah.. if you fling words like 'retarded' and 'worship' around, you're gonna get treated as a 'lunatic'. If this post is any indication, your problems getting anybody to see eye to eye with you are your own doing.
"It looks like they have the price per book to a reasonable level, but everything about paper books is perfect for me."
Mm. I dunno. One thing I *hate* about books is that I'm spoiled by the 'find' feature in apps like Adobe Reader. Also, I think unlimited access to Wikipedia from this device is f'n sweet. If that caught on.. well imagine having books that are always up to date.
If it were $200, I'd have it right now. At $300... I'd probably do it. $400... well.. it's still tempting, but I can understand the hesitation.
And this is news? There was someone in the UK who converted his entire apartment to the bridge of the Enterprise. a.) His entire apartment wasn't converted into the bridge of the Enterprise. Take another look at the photos.
b.) It was not a theater.
Slashdot...news from half a decade ago, today. c.) That was years ago. This story has a 2007 date on it. It goes in a very different direction from our friend in the UK.
The devil's in the details, my friend. You should take a stab at reading both stories. At the moment, you sound like somebody bitching about Slashdot covering Leopard when it had already done OSX years ago.
The idea of the authentication system being two devices being shaken together seems like a weak idea. There are plenty of times when multiple devices will undergo the same accelerations as each other, and the owners of the respective devices do not necessarily intend for them to be paired. For example, sit next to someone on a bus. That's easy enough to solve. Have the shaking happen at a faster interval than a bus ride. That isn't hard to do.
"The movie came out in 1984. It's the end of 2007 now. Are they hurting that badly for material?"
There was a surge in popularity for a Ghostbusters game when that demo video flew around the web about a year ago. Ghostbusters is not 'bottom of the barrel', and though the hurting for new material bit may be true, this is hardly proof of it.
Save this meme for when they announce the Filmation Ghostbusters game.:P
"Nintendo and the Wii found a way to charge us $5-$10 for games we purchased 15-20 years ago."
That's odd. I've purchased games on the VC and never once have I been asked to show proof I've paid for it before. I think their proof-of-purchase system is busted!
"Because they want a good quality camera, phone, PDA, laptop, etc. not a all-in-one gadget with a mediocre everything?"
a.) A phone with all that doesn't prevent them from buying a camera, pda, laptop, etc.
b.) If all you have is your phone... and let's be serious, nobody's going everywhere carrying a phone, pda, laptop, camera, video camera, psp, etc.... then a cell phone picture is infinitely better than a 0 x 0 picture. A slow net connection on a small screen is better than a 0kbps connection on a non-existent laptop. 320 by 240 heavily compressed video is better than 0 x 0 video at 0 kbps. And so on. If the phone doesn't suit you, hey, that's fine, no problemo. It makes sense not to buy it. But multiplying the value of a phone by 0 because dedicated hardware that costs a great deal more is better...? No, that's not a sensical decision. That hardware's only useful when you have it with you.
"I just don't see how NBC could have fucked up more."
They could have supported only Konqueror on Linux, spooked the big-wigs funding it by not using DRM, and made it ad-free so they don't generate revenue from it.
"You can not, for example, have two different images on different screens. Or multiple views of the same image across the different screens. Photoshop itself is limited to a single monitor."
This hasn't been true for years. Photoshop is not trapped inside of the parent window. It actually works quite well across multiple displays. (Yes, I'm talking about Photoshop for Windows.)
"The Gimp, by the way, doesn't have this issue."
That reminds me of a nasty GIMP issue. If you go into 'fullscreen' mode, the tool windows are obscured. Oops.
"Oh, and stop using the word "professional" in that condescending way. It makes you sound like an elitist moron - only "professional" graphics guys could possibly know anything about GUI design, after all."
The 'professional' graphics guys are the paying customers that you don't want to impede. If that's elitist, you need to grow a thicker skin.
Re:3 million dollars per year is a pittance
on
Is SETI Worth It?
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
"Three million dollars a year is a small price to pay for the chance at discovering another sentient race in the galaxy, even if it is a longshot. It is one cent per year per individual."
I have a similar opinion. I'm a big fan of diversity when it comes to programs like this. Challenges bring innovation, right? They didn't have a lot of money, SETI@Home is born. It becomes popular, we start seeing more distributed computing apps like Folding@Home. Would that have come about anyway? That's possible. Heck, I may not even be correct about Folding@Home's origins. But I do wonder how many people picked up Folding@Home after playing around with SETI@Home. If I'm right that one influenced the other, then it stands to reason that investment in SETI also indirectly supported cancer and disease research. You never know when an advancement in one field will cause an advancement in another.
So I say yes, it is worthwhile. Money can always be 'better spent', but hindsight is 20/20. Never know until you try.
"Why do they say BK invented "coupled avatars" when I'm sure DKC came out first?"
The difference between Diddy and Donkey in DKC wasn't very big. I don't recall any specific reason to use one over the other. It's possible that in BK, the two characters were so different that you needed to switch between them to actually win. I dunno, though, since I never played BK.
"How many of those were people who downloaded it, gave it a listen and then went back and paid for it after they decided it was worth some cash."
I wonder how many people download music illegally, then find out they'd never have purchased that song in the first place. I never cared for the RIAA's "Open Your Mouth and Close Your Eyes" business strategy. I hope they don't panic at the percentage because it's not 100.
Producers do the editing. The same "clean" version you get from Wal-Mart is the same thing you hear on the radio. Ever heard a DMX song on the radio? Every other word has to be censored, it's hilarious. But it's done using sound effects and such. However, there are also other artists / producers that will just create a "clean" (radio edit) version of the song. Replacing "bitch" with "girl" or "ass" with "thang", whatever it takes to get it played on as many stations as possible. Sometimes singles even include both the original and the radio edit. Probably for DJ types who may need to occasionally play the "clean" version of the song. (Right, like telling a girl to rub her "thang" on you instead of her "ass" is soooo much more PG). At any rate, I can guarantee you that no artist would want the likes of Wal-Mart doing their editing for them. What's weird is Wal-Mart also carries DVDs of the show Oz. I'd love to see the look on a Soccer Mom's face when she realizes that's not a TV series starring Dorothy and Toto.
Slashdot Mirror
"Perhaps the ISP shouldn't oversell their bandwidth? It would result in higher prices, but it would be more honest."
Mmm.. though I agree, I think he has a point... although his approach didn't quite nail it. It all comes down to a matter of whether or not it's 'abuse'. I don't really see P2P downloading as abuse, but I could see how beancounters could interpret it that way. Their infrastructure wasn't built to support it. So, people are working outside of the bounds they set, and it's interferring with them. (Ermmm.. Alledgedly, I should say. My bad.) Suppose the next great bandwidth sharing really saturates the pipe, what then?
Anyway, I'm not saying I agree with his point, I'm just having a little fun entertaining it. This sort of system really cannot be built in such a way to prevent unintended usage. We can expect bs mumblings like this as new technologies become ubiquitous. It's sad, but I doubt it's preventable.
"Current incarnations lack the resolution of a cheap laser printer..."
Heh so's your monitor. But that's despite the point: It's 150 DPI, that's definitely more than adequate for reading.
I agree with your other points (although I find the wireless bit debatable... wireless access to Wikipedia? w00t!) but the DPI one? Sorry.
While you were at MST3K, was there ever a mis-interpreted gag that caused an uproar with some of the fans? Maybe something that sounded unintentionally naughty? Just curious. I remember all those nice letters that were read at the end of each show. Made me wonder if you ever got nastygrams.
"So, has /. fully changed over to infomercial stories already? never heard of this show, or the movie, and frankly don't care"
Your ignorance is not Slashdot's fault.
"signals to me that the format is in deep trouble. If they didn't feel this move could be interpreted as being a negative for UMD, they wouldn't have defended it."
Either that or they know that people are confusing UMD Movies and UMD Games...
"Try double-man sized. That thing must weigh 4 times what a man weights. 2 times what an American weighs."
Man.. it's ugly, too. Still, though, if they ever came back, they could easily get jobs as French movie stars!
"materialism is fucking retarded. why do we worship things that end up in junkyards? ... i can see it for what it is, and yet in combating it you become a lunatic by 'the standard'."
Um.... yeah.. if you fling words like 'retarded' and 'worship' around, you're gonna get treated as a 'lunatic'. If this post is any indication, your problems getting anybody to see eye to eye with you are your own doing.
"It looks like they have the price per book to a reasonable level, but everything about paper books is perfect for me."
Mm. I dunno. One thing I *hate* about books is that I'm spoiled by the 'find' feature in apps like Adobe Reader. Also, I think unlimited access to Wikipedia from this device is f'n sweet. If that caught on.. well imagine having books that are always up to date.
If it were $200, I'd have it right now. At $300... I'd probably do it. $400... well.. it's still tempting, but I can understand the hesitation.
"I'll take real books please. No batteries required."
No search function for YOU!
b.) It was not a theater. Slashdot...news from half a decade ago, today. c.) That was years ago. This story has a 2007 date on it. It goes in a very different direction from our friend in the UK.
The devil's in the details, my friend. You should take a stab at reading both stories. At the moment, you sound like somebody bitching about Slashdot covering Leopard when it had already done OSX years ago.
"The movie came out in 1984. It's the end of 2007 now. Are they hurting that badly for material?"
:P
There was a surge in popularity for a Ghostbusters game when that demo video flew around the web about a year ago. Ghostbusters is not 'bottom of the barrel', and though the hurting for new material bit may be true, this is hardly proof of it.
Save this meme for when they announce the Filmation Ghostbusters game.
"Nintendo and the Wii found a way to charge us $5-$10 for games we purchased 15-20 years ago."
That's odd. I've purchased games on the VC and never once have I been asked to show proof I've paid for it before. I think their proof-of-purchase system is busted!
"Re:He said something nice about PS3???
Who are you, and what have you done with Zonk?"
Snopes should cover the urban legend that Sony's PR trouble was the result of Zonk relaying Sony stories written by other people.
"There is flash you want?"
YouTube and a few games I play.
"Because they want a good quality camera, phone, PDA, laptop, etc. not a all-in-one gadget with a mediocre everything?"
a.) A phone with all that doesn't prevent them from buying a camera, pda, laptop, etc.
b.) If all you have is your phone... and let's be serious, nobody's going everywhere carrying a phone, pda, laptop, camera, video camera, psp, etc.... then a cell phone picture is infinitely better than a 0 x 0 picture. A slow net connection on a small screen is better than a 0kbps connection on a non-existent laptop. 320 by 240 heavily compressed video is better than 0 x 0 video at 0 kbps. And so on. If the phone doesn't suit you, hey, that's fine, no problemo. It makes sense not to buy it. But multiplying the value of a phone by 0 because dedicated hardware that costs a great deal more is better...? No, that's not a sensical decision. That hardware's only useful when you have it with you.
"I just don't see how NBC could have fucked up more."
They could have supported only Konqueror on Linux, spooked the big-wigs funding it by not using DRM, and made it ad-free so they don't generate revenue from it.
"You can not, for example, have two different images on different screens. Or multiple views of the same image across the different screens. Photoshop itself is limited to a single monitor."
This hasn't been true for years. Photoshop is not trapped inside of the parent window. It actually works quite well across multiple displays. (Yes, I'm talking about Photoshop for Windows.)
"The Gimp, by the way, doesn't have this issue."
That reminds me of a nasty GIMP issue. If you go into 'fullscreen' mode, the tool windows are obscured. Oops.
"Oh, and stop using the word "professional" in that condescending way. It makes you sound like an elitist moron - only "professional" graphics guys could possibly know anything about GUI design, after all."
The 'professional' graphics guys are the paying customers that you don't want to impede. If that's elitist, you need to grow a thicker skin.
"Three million dollars a year is a small price to pay for the chance at discovering another sentient race in the galaxy, even if it is a longshot. It is one cent per year per individual."
I have a similar opinion. I'm a big fan of diversity when it comes to programs like this. Challenges bring innovation, right? They didn't have a lot of money, SETI@Home is born. It becomes popular, we start seeing more distributed computing apps like Folding@Home. Would that have come about anyway? That's possible. Heck, I may not even be correct about Folding@Home's origins. But I do wonder how many people picked up Folding@Home after playing around with SETI@Home. If I'm right that one influenced the other, then it stands to reason that investment in SETI also indirectly supported cancer and disease research. You never know when an advancement in one field will cause an advancement in another.
So I say yes, it is worthwhile. Money can always be 'better spent', but hindsight is 20/20. Never know until you try.
"Planned obsolescence should be punishable by some sort of recursive punishment."
rm -f -r?
"Enormous demand equals lower prices?"
Enormous demand + high competition = lower prices.
Not unpossible.
"Are there sharks there or something?"
It's good to know that the writers involved in the WGA strike are coming to Slashdot to expand on their art form.
"Why do they say BK invented "coupled avatars" when I'm sure DKC came out first?"
The difference between Diddy and Donkey in DKC wasn't very big. I don't recall any specific reason to use one over the other. It's possible that in BK, the two characters were so different that you needed to switch between them to actually win. I dunno, though, since I never played BK.
"How many of those were people who downloaded it, gave it a listen and then went back and paid for it after they decided it was worth some cash."
I wonder how many people download music illegally, then find out they'd never have purchased that song in the first place. I never cared for the RIAA's "Open Your Mouth and Close Your Eyes" business strategy. I hope they don't panic at the percentage because it's not 100.