"Indeed; you felt you needed to legitimize the use of something that was high-end and expensive, most notably in hopes of distancing yourself from a stereotype you think you're better than."
Heh. Pity that wasn't what I was doing. Again, wrong zip code.
"I couldn't care any less how you used your resources; it's your computer."
Sure, you didn't care at all, that's why we're talking about this instead of the point I made.
"It is annoying when people casually demonstrate their ability to be elitist pricks, though."
MMm hmm. "Oops, he clarified what he said and destroyed my point. I better find something else to chew on!" Sorry man, it's really hard to take that comment seriously. You should find a stronger ground to stand on if you're going to continue to perpetuate this little battle.
"If it's for pleasure, then how is that a more valid excuse for purchasing a large amount of ram than playing games?"
Yeesh. Such a black and white world we live in.
That wasn't even in the same ZIP code with the point of my post, but I'll answer it anyway. Education. You know the old addage about finding a job you love and not working a day in your life? I'm a professional now, but before I was I was usually high-end in the RAM department. The 3D work I did for 'pleasure' landed me a career.
I love how I earned myself a RAM usage audit with this stupid thread. Heh.
"If that's the case, your original post was terribly worded:"
Yep. It was dumb of me to assume everybody would read the context of my post and work out what I was saying. I apologize.
"The first it is referring to "my computer" in the previous sentence, while the second it obviously refers to "a gig [of memory].""
Okie doke. Anyway, getting back on topic now that I've clarified, my point still stands. And just to cut off any further nitpicks to my post, I actually use all that RAM. Maya and Photoshop are both pigs. no need to worry that I'm an over-zealous UT fanboy with too much money in his pocket.
"Anyone want to bet that California will see $5/gal gas within 12 months?"
Funny? I've lived in Cali for 2 years and the price of gas has gone up at least over a dollar a gallon. Okay, $5 may not happen in 12 months without a few events to spark it, but it's easy to picture.
"Hate to tell you this but you know that tiny little operating system called Windows that takes up a GIG? Guess what preloads, is built in and cannot be separated from it? If you guessed IE then you win a footprint the size of New Hampshire."
Interesting. My computer has 4 gigs of RAM and uses only 200 megs or so at boot. Never had it use a gig, or close to it, even when IE was my primary browser. The pre-loaded DLLs don't store IE's cache.
The problem will be solved when either it's by default or they provide a clickie in the preferences panel to change it. In the mean time, it's simply a fix for those who know it's a configuration issue instead of a run-of-the-mill memory leak.
"Is there any outcome of this that would be considered good?"
Maybe we'll find out that the commercial skip rate isn't near as high as everybody imagines. "People still sit and watch the Office as soon as it's on TV." Or something like that.
There is the potential for this to bring good news. I have a feeling the big-wigs think TiVo kills commercials entirely. If reality tells a different story, it should be logged.
France is for sure not the only country in the world with regions where very fine wines are made. There are Italy, Spain and Chile, just to name some (and Germany for white wine). But by calling a good Bordeaux "engine de-greaser", you clearly display that you do not have a bit of a clue about good wine.
Man, I haven't had my coffee yet. I read that as 'wire', not wine. I sat here with an image in my head of France making their phone lines with 'fine wires' (i.e. 2.5gbs wires...). Then you mentioned Italy and Spain and I was all confused.
"I realize Myspace.com is a big website, but how is this news? If MySpace is down due to being bombed, then okay, I want to read about that. But otherwise, I don't really consider this newsworthy."
But... but.. but.. we all hate MySpace and want to read about every misstep it takes!
Sometimes I think of Slashdot as Jerry Springer for nerds.
"You heard me. I can't believe all of these losers. Its a freaking kiddie cartoon."
$5 says you creamed in your shorts over previews of Episode I, Matrix Reloaded, and Serenity. Even if I'm wrong about one of them, I'm still willing to bet you shouldn't be casting any stones.
"I don't get it. What's so special about transformers? I remember as kid it just another gimmicky, poorly animated cartoon show designed to market little robot cars and other toys. There was certainly nothing memorable the show that would create a fan following, I don't think. Maybe I'm missing something."
I think the first thing you're missing is that you didn't look at it through the eyes of an 8 year old. Yes, you're right,it was gimmicky and yes it was designed to market toys to kids. Nobody's kidding you about that. The toys were cool. Back then, you had GI Joes, Hot Wheels, and Star Wars. Transformers were new, and they were different. Heck, even my parents like getting me the toys because this was back in the day when die-cast metal was still being used. They would 'last' longer than my other toys. They were also intriguing because I had no problem transforming them, but my parents couldn't. Heh.
Then the movie came out. Oh man. That was a trip. The movie was MUCH larger than the TV series aspired to be. Not only did it add to the mythos of the Transformers, but it also featured a much stronger drama than we had seen on the small screen. Main characters died. That's a shock when you're 10 years old. Suddenly the battle for energon turned into a galaxy saving event, and many characters we loved paid the ultimate price for it.
Then there was the comic books. I cannot talk with authority about the quality of the comics because I never had the chance to read them. I did, however, catch up on the summary of them on Wikipedia and found that they had developed a rather strong sci-fi story around the existence of these machines. From a scifi point of view, there's a very interesting tale about how these guys came into being and their significance in the universe. I think a lot of people would agree with me that if this franchise were taken to an 'adult' level, something very rich could be made of it. Head on over to Wiki and you may see what I mean.
As for being memorable, the Transformers helped define a generation. It's hard to look at it today without experiencing it in your youth. Take any 25-30 year old, male or female, and mention the Transformers, and they'll go "oh.. yeah! I remember those!" After missing this, I can understand your point of view. It took a lot to make the Transformers popular.
I have to say, though, that I'm worried about the movie. This is one of those franchises that the fans will nitpick to death. Normally I wouldn't fear this too much because the hard-core fan base is usually pretty small, but considering who the movie is aimed at and how many people actually watched this cartoon, I'm not even sure there's a 'right' way to do it in order to make the fans happy. We've all got our own ideas about what it was that made the Transformers fantastic. Myself included. There are two details that I feel they should incorporate into this movie that, without them, I'll have a hard time accepting. I'm embarrased to admit this because it reveals me to be one of those obsessed detail-oriented nerds with all of the social charm of the Comic Store Guy in the Simpsons. But maybe it'll give you a little clue into why this movie is contraversial.
In the cartoon, the Transformers made a dinstinctive CHUK-CHUK-CHUK-CHUK sound when they transformed. In later attempts to revive the franchise (Beast Wars, for example...) they tossed the sound and made the transforming sequence slower. The reason for this change isn't a bad one. As mentioned before, the original cartoon was poorly animated. To simplify those shots, they transformed them quickly and dubbed in the sound. In the latter cartoons, the animation quality was higher, so they showed the more elaborate transforming sequence. Not a bad reason, right? Afterall, the fans want to see how these transformations work, right? This little difference, though, made the original Transformers seem more advanced and alien. Well... magical is a better word. The slower transform
"The track still seems like a derivative work to me."
Nope. But others have explained that.
I just wanted to nitpick on the bit you quoted. There are worries about copyright, just not about paying fees for that particular movie. One of the reasons that Tom didn't sing as much in the MST3K movie is that they had to pay for the rights for him to sing that little blurb of the song. (This is tougher in movies than it is for TV, but I don't know why so if somebody else could chime in I'd be very interested in hearing about it.) This may not affect Mike's performance as much considering he's not the singer Tom is, but it's still something they'll probably have to be mindful of.
Hmm.. I should go back and rewrite that so it's less delcarative, but my attention span's too short.:)
"why should we pay MORE for the mp3 when just above they said DRM has a cost, if I can get a protected DRM file right now for $0.99, shouldn't I be able to get the mp3 for less?"
The theory is that non-DRM means easier to pirate, so prices go up to compensate for this. So, the crippled version ends up being cheaper. I agree with you, though, that this would make more sense if the non-DRM came first at $2 and the DRM version came out cheaper. The reality is that they're charging you more for a percieved improvement in their offerings. (Yes, I agree with you, it's silly.)
It's nice to see, at least, that the term 'protection' is being used to describe protecting Yahoo's wallet instead of protecting the customers. You don't see that often. I was annoyed at MS's insistance on their stupid ass activation scheme that was supposed to reduce piracy and increase profits, but they didn't lower the price to make up for it. A pre-emptive anti-piracy discount would have made that go down a little smoother. Oh well. Maybe one day businesses and customers will co-exist on the same planet.
WTF? Being a good slashdotter, I did not read the article before checking out the posts... Maybe having her titties embedded in my face, I might throw down $2, but after reading the two links, I still don't see what the extra $1 gives me over a standard $1 track."
Being a good Slashdotter, I have to ask if maybe the extra $1 will offer any tentacle interaction.
Sources indicate that OSX users only noticed because their computer started to "crash a lot". "I didn't even notice the change to be quite honest," an anonymous user explained. "Only that the buttons moved to the other side of the window."
Users further complained that their productivity shot way down when a number of games mysteriously started working.
"If the PS3 is facing doom, why isn't there a sharp spike in 360 sales? Everyone who thinks the PS3 is crap but wants power should be flocking to Microsoft's banner."
A.) Nintendo's the popular rival right now. B.) The 360's library isn't exactly stunning right now. Part of the hooplah over the PS3 is the expectation it'll have the same sort of library the PS2 did.
It isn't just a matter of temperature, pressure, moisture content, UV radiation, and infrared radiation, which are the main variables your local forecaster uses to try and predict weather trends. Solar wind, ground cover, cloud formation, cosmic rays, vulcanism, atmospheric electrodynamics: these are extra variables that influence the weather in ways we can't understand. And just to screw up the mixture a bit more, add global warming.
That's true. Do you think they're going to install GPS trackers on all the butterflies in the world?
Slashdot Mirror
Heh. Pity that wasn't what I was doing. Again, wrong zip code.
Sure, you didn't care at all, that's why we're talking about this instead of the point I made.
MMm hmm. "Oops, he clarified what he said and destroyed my point. I better find something else to chew on!" Sorry man, it's really hard to take that comment seriously. You should find a stronger ground to stand on if you're going to continue to perpetuate this little battle.
"If it's for pleasure, then how is that a more valid excuse for purchasing a large amount of ram than playing games?"
Yeesh. Such a black and white world we live in.
That wasn't even in the same ZIP code with the point of my post, but I'll answer it anyway. Education. You know the old addage about finding a job you love and not working a day in your life? I'm a professional now, but before I was I was usually high-end in the RAM department. The 3D work I did for 'pleasure' landed me a career.
I love how I earned myself a RAM usage audit with this stupid thread. Heh.
"If that's the case, your original post was terribly worded:"
Yep. It was dumb of me to assume everybody would read the context of my post and work out what I was saying. I apologize.
"The first it is referring to "my computer" in the previous sentence, while the second it obviously refers to "a gig [of memory].""
Okie doke. Anyway, getting back on topic now that I've clarified, my point still stands. And just to cut off any further nitpicks to my post, I actually use all that RAM. Maya and Photoshop are both pigs. no need to worry that I'm an over-zealous UT fanboy with too much money in his pocket.
"Anyone want to bet that California will see $5/gal gas within 12 months?"
Funny? I've lived in Cali for 2 years and the price of gas has gone up at least over a dollar a gallon. Okay, $5 may not happen in 12 months without a few events to spark it, but it's easy to picture.
"Why did you buy 4 gig if you've never even used 1 gig?"
Never said I never even used 1 gig. The 'it' I was referring to was Internet Explorer.
"Hate to tell you this but you know that tiny little operating system called Windows that takes up a GIG? Guess what preloads, is built in and cannot be separated from it? If you guessed IE then you win a footprint the size of New Hampshire."
Interesting. My computer has 4 gigs of RAM and uses only 200 megs or so at boot. Never had it use a gig, or close to it, even when IE was my primary browser. The pre-loaded DLLs don't store IE's cache.
"Problem solved."
The problem will be solved when either it's by default or they provide a clickie in the preferences panel to change it. In the mean time, it's simply a fix for those who know it's a configuration issue instead of a run-of-the-mill memory leak.
"Is there any outcome of this that would be considered good?"
Maybe we'll find out that the commercial skip rate isn't near as high as everybody imagines. "People still sit and watch the Office as soon as it's on TV." Or something like that.
There is the potential for this to bring good news. I have a feeling the big-wigs think TiVo kills commercials entirely. If reality tells a different story, it should be logged.
"I know JMS won't dilute the franchise the wat Star Trek has been reduced to pitiful ruins."
Like Third Space and Rangers? Heh.
Man, I haven't had my coffee yet. I read that as 'wire', not wine. I sat here with an image in my head of France making their phone lines with 'fine wires' (i.e. 2.5gbs wires...). Then you mentioned Italy and Spain and I was all confused.
"How long till Bush tries to stick a goddamned american flag on that rock ?"
Though I get the political commentary here, but wouldn't we all be happy if Bush funded a mission to stick a rock on that moon?
" but I would argue that doing anything to *encourage* someone to be on their phone while driving wouldn't fall under the mantra 'Dont be evil'."
Try living in L.A.. If you're pulling out your phone to get a traffic update, the odds are pretty darned good you're already stopped.
"Without a Linux port I will not be buying a copy."
Why do Linux gamers conjure up the word 'masochistic' in my mind?
"I realize Myspace.com is a big website, but how is this news? If MySpace is down due to being bombed, then okay, I want to read about that. But otherwise, I don't really consider this newsworthy."
But... but.. but.. we all hate MySpace and want to read about every misstep it takes!
Sometimes I think of Slashdot as Jerry Springer for nerds.
"a Type Ia supernova would have to be closer than 1000 parsecs (3300 light years) to affect the Earth."
So... it's roughly 83 trips in the Millineum Falcon.
"You heard me. I can't believe all of these losers. Its a freaking kiddie cartoon."
$5 says you creamed in your shorts over previews of Episode I, Matrix Reloaded, and Serenity. Even if I'm wrong about one of them, I'm still willing to bet you shouldn't be casting any stones.
"I don't get it. What's so special about transformers? I remember as kid it just another gimmicky, poorly animated cartoon show designed to market little robot cars and other toys. There was certainly nothing memorable the show that would create a fan following, I don't think. Maybe I'm missing something."
I think the first thing you're missing is that you didn't look at it through the eyes of an 8 year old. Yes, you're right,it was gimmicky and yes it was designed to market toys to kids. Nobody's kidding you about that. The toys were cool. Back then, you had GI Joes, Hot Wheels, and Star Wars. Transformers were new, and they were different. Heck, even my parents like getting me the toys because this was back in the day when die-cast metal was still being used. They would 'last' longer than my other toys. They were also intriguing because I had no problem transforming them, but my parents couldn't. Heh.
Then the movie came out. Oh man. That was a trip. The movie was MUCH larger than the TV series aspired to be. Not only did it add to the mythos of the Transformers, but it also featured a much stronger drama than we had seen on the small screen. Main characters died. That's a shock when you're 10 years old. Suddenly the battle for energon turned into a galaxy saving event, and many characters we loved paid the ultimate price for it.
Then there was the comic books. I cannot talk with authority about the quality of the comics because I never had the chance to read them. I did, however, catch up on the summary of them on Wikipedia and found that they had developed a rather strong sci-fi story around the existence of these machines. From a scifi point of view, there's a very interesting tale about how these guys came into being and their significance in the universe. I think a lot of people would agree with me that if this franchise were taken to an 'adult' level, something very rich could be made of it. Head on over to Wiki and you may see what I mean.
As for being memorable, the Transformers helped define a generation. It's hard to look at it today without experiencing it in your youth. Take any 25-30 year old, male or female, and mention the Transformers, and they'll go "oh.. yeah! I remember those!" After missing this, I can understand your point of view. It took a lot to make the Transformers popular.
I have to say, though, that I'm worried about the movie. This is one of those franchises that the fans will nitpick to death. Normally I wouldn't fear this too much because the hard-core fan base is usually pretty small, but considering who the movie is aimed at and how many people actually watched this cartoon, I'm not even sure there's a 'right' way to do it in order to make the fans happy. We've all got our own ideas about what it was that made the Transformers fantastic. Myself included. There are two details that I feel they should incorporate into this movie that, without them, I'll have a hard time accepting. I'm embarrased to admit this because it reveals me to be one of those obsessed detail-oriented nerds with all of the social charm of the Comic Store Guy in the Simpsons. But maybe it'll give you a little clue into why this movie is contraversial.
In the cartoon, the Transformers made a dinstinctive CHUK-CHUK-CHUK-CHUK sound when they transformed. In later attempts to revive the franchise (Beast Wars, for example...) they tossed the sound and made the transforming sequence slower. The reason for this change isn't a bad one. As mentioned before, the original cartoon was poorly animated. To simplify those shots, they transformed them quickly and dubbed in the sound. In the latter cartoons, the animation quality was higher, so they showed the more elaborate transforming sequence. Not a bad reason, right? Afterall, the fans want to see how these transformations work, right? This little difference, though, made the original Transformers seem more advanced and alien. Well... magical is a better word. The slower transform
"The track still seems like a derivative work to me."
:)
Nope. But others have explained that.
I just wanted to nitpick on the bit you quoted. There are worries about copyright, just not about paying fees for that particular movie. One of the reasons that Tom didn't sing as much in the MST3K movie is that they had to pay for the rights for him to sing that little blurb of the song. (This is tougher in movies than it is for TV, but I don't know why so if somebody else could chime in I'd be very interested in hearing about it.) This may not affect Mike's performance as much considering he's not the singer Tom is, but it's still something they'll probably have to be mindful of.
Hmm.. I should go back and rewrite that so it's less delcarative, but my attention span's too short.
"why should we pay MORE for the mp3 when just above they said DRM has a cost, if I can get a protected DRM file right now for $0.99, shouldn't I be able to get the mp3 for less?"
The theory is that non-DRM means easier to pirate, so prices go up to compensate for this. So, the crippled version ends up being cheaper. I agree with you, though, that this would make more sense if the non-DRM came first at $2 and the DRM version came out cheaper. The reality is that they're charging you more for a percieved improvement in their offerings. (Yes, I agree with you, it's silly.)
It's nice to see, at least, that the term 'protection' is being used to describe protecting Yahoo's wallet instead of protecting the customers. You don't see that often. I was annoyed at MS's insistance on their stupid ass activation scheme that was supposed to reduce piracy and increase profits, but they didn't lower the price to make up for it. A pre-emptive anti-piracy discount would have made that go down a little smoother. Oh well. Maybe one day businesses and customers will co-exist on the same planet.
Being a good Slashdotter, I have to ask if maybe the extra $1 will offer any tentacle interaction.
Users further complained that their productivity shot way down when a number of games mysteriously started working.
"If the PS3 is facing doom, why isn't there a sharp spike in 360 sales? Everyone who thinks the PS3 is crap but wants power should be flocking to Microsoft's banner."
A.) Nintendo's the popular rival right now.
B.) The 360's library isn't exactly stunning right now. Part of the hooplah over the PS3 is the expectation it'll have the same sort of library the PS2 did.
That's true. Do you think they're going to install GPS trackers on all the butterflies in the world?
"Adding it to the UI would just increase bloat because eventually they would have to add every obscure option."
?? They'd add an option to fix a problem that LOTS of people complain about! There's no need to worry about the other stuff, this one's a biggie.
(I totally agree with what you said about the default, though. Probably a better suggestion than mine.)