I have pretty much zero concern that Torment: Tides of Numenera will be anything less than awesome. They did a Kickstarter for Wasteland 2 before this and Inexile have been very transparent about the development of that game and the early game play video looks great.
What made Planescape:Torment one of the best games ever wasn't something that would ever show in a gameplay video. It was the story and character development that kept you desperate to keep uncovering more. I think that was the only game I've ever played where I went straight through from Friday night to 3 am Monday morning with nothing but bathroom breaks and a snack or two. Not even Fallout was that good. I think part of the reason was that the story was a very personal struggle, and really got you emotionally invested in the outcome, rather than the standard "time to go save the world" plot.
It sounds like they're trying to head that direction again, but the only way to tell will be to play through... Definitely hoping they can do it, though.
If that were to happen Prenda Law (http://wefightpiracy.com/) would fold, declare bankruptcy with no assets available to their creditors and simply start a new corporation.
I'm truly sorry you thought there was a possible outcome of justice.
So, the judge says "post a bond to cover the defendants' legal fees and massive fine I'm most likely about to slap you with, or this goes nowhere."
the problem is the alternative: a world where a self-appointed subclass has deemed that they are more worthy than the people themselves to decide what is good for you.
This is pretty much what we have in the US... It's just that the subclass in this case pays the complete morons that get elected to decide what's good for us by proxy.
To produce a high quality game it takes tens of millions of dollars, and when you add in marketing that can get up to 100+ million
All the high quality games (defined as the ones I have the most fun with) that I've played lately have come out of indie studios and didn't cost nearly so much to make.
Only the rehashed crap coming out of the major studios costs that much, because they have to spend so much on marketing and shinys to hoodwink people into buying it.
The one spot it ends up landing happens to be on the multi million dollar mars rover. That would be something.
Well, I hope it won't, because if it hits, it might make for some really interesting changes in weather for the (surviving) rover to observe:
With the current estimate of the absolute magnitude of the nucleus M2 = 10.3, which might indicate the diameter of over 50 km, the energy of impact might reach the equivalent of staggering 2×10 megatonnes! This kind of event can leave a crater 500 km across and 2 km deep. (link)
But it's quite sure to say that witnessing such impact is just wishful thinking.
Well, if it does hit Mars, you can bet we'll be sending another rover to check it out. We can call it "Morbid Curiosity."
Here's a good reason why: What happens when someone manages to steal your password? You change it. What happens when someone managed to recreate your DNA or other biological identifier used for authentication? Good luck getting new DNA or fingerprints.
A fingerprint is also something convenient that most people have with them at all times that can be used as a second factor for authentication.
If a PIN/password is good enough, than PIN/password+print would be better in virtually all cases. Same for a credit card with no additional checks vs. a card+print
Has there ever, in the history of the modern Internet, been a proven case of someone "sniffing" something from "the Internet" (defined for this to be beyond the first provider and not as a part of the last provider), aside from government nodes? You might as well be afraid that the aliens are reading your thoughts from orbit.
Given how sleazy most of the large ISPs are, I wouldn't put it past them to sniff email addresses and sell the list, especially if you're using their outbound relay.
Just don't buy a bunch of expensive stuff right away, and leave visible evidence (boxes at the curb, many visits by UPS/FedEx). A burglar with half a brain that just stole all that might be keeping an eye out to score a haul of brand new stuff now that they know you had a ton of electronics you'll probably be replacing.
There is no reason whatsoever for a youth culture in IT and programming, experience is more valuable than anything else in this business, moreso than most other businesses.
Exactly... and they don't want to have to pay for it
Hmm. $999 (2013) for 4.5 TF/s vs. $15 million (1984) for 400 MF/s from Cray-XMP. Hard to believe.
This is why I've stopped buying hardware altogether and am simply saving up for a time machine... Importing technology from the future is, by far, the most economically sensible decision one can make.
You're modded funny, but you don't need a time machine. I've been going through some older games (generally much better in terms of fun/gameplay) and indies, and by "importing" this tech from the past, I'm saving a bundle. And having a lot more fun than I used to with the big AAA titles.
Wouldn't it be much more efficient (and cheaper) to just use mirror arrays to focus the sunlight directly, rather than use expensive and inefficient solar panels to process the sunlight into a laser first?
Then, instead of sitting uselessly in space 99.999% of the time (or maybe 100%, even), they could focus sunlight onto ground-based power stations (or space-based, if we actually get mining operations going up there), and help pay for themselves.
It would also be a bit harder to weaponize. A DE(ath)-STAR in orbit? What could possibly go wrong?
What interests me the most here is why wasn't this all over the news? We see posts about twice a year talking about the next "near miss" we're going to have. So what happened with this one? Didn't they catch it? Or did they catch it, realize it was going to hit, and decide not to tell anybody? It would be a lot more interesting to find out details on it being known, covered up, and an intercept attempted. (and possibly successfully)
Well, TFS says it's not related to 2012DA14, but maybe if everyone wasn't fixated on that one, someone might have seen this one...
Surround Monsanto's corporate headquarters, drag all the top execs out, cut their heads off, stick them on pikes as a warning to all other corporations?
IMO, it's only a matter of time before some small farmer/group of farmers that have had their livelihoods ruined do something like this.
I own a farm. I do not buy seed from Monsanto. Never have. I refuse to on moral grounds. Yet I am sued by Monsanto every 2 to 4 years. Their "inspectors" trespass on my property, collect samples from 50 to 200 plants, and if only ONE has their GMO dna, I get sued. The farmer next to me buys exclusively Monsanto seed.
You figure it out. I have.
In the near future, anyone found on my property that doesn't have permission to be there... well, it won't be pretty.
Wouldn't any "evidence" they collect and present in court also prove that they trespassed and committed theft and/or vandalism?
By the time State Authorities and the Feds arrive, the situation is totally out of hand anyway. The demand on state and fed resources is probably such that their arrival with drones in hand is less likely.
Or MORE likely, if they can just send a cheap drone instead of expensive people.
Indeed. This is an incredibly stupid article and the implication that this is some inherit law of math is outrageous... Somehow the missile defense installations have a fixed amount of resources but the enemy doesn't? Come on!
One of the most basic rules of warfare is this: a strategy if a winner if it costs them more than it costs you. A missile defense is still a valuable tool if interceptors cost less than what they're intercepting regardless of whether or not what they're intercepting would do any damage because the enemy still had to build the thing. And from the same perspective if an enemy is going to build a missile why not just put a ton of TNT on it and point it in the general direction of a city? Even without guidance (which would add meaningful cost, unlike the TNT) a city is a big enough target that it presents a credible threat anyways and so needs to be intercepted.
Arg, this is just ridiculous!
Basically, math, schmath... this whole thing is just another way to say that wars are won by logistics, which we've known forever...
I wonder how difficult it would be to upload copyrighted content and then file a complaint about it...
Should have seen that coming and had a statement on the upload area to the effect that "any content uploaded to this site found to be from copyright holders, organizations or employees of those, relinquish any copyrights on said material in perpetuity."
Well, no one would use it for anything legitimate at all if that was the case. Better would be "by uploading content you hold the copyright to, you grant us a license to make copies as required for proper storage, and to distribute to anyone who can access it based on the permissions you set."
That's just bizarre. Regulatory agencies don't want to run companies, they want the companies to run themselves in a responsible way. They are not in the investing game and should never be put in a position where they have an incentive to favor one company over another.
Of course they don't - and probably wouldn't. The point is that the fact that they *could* should scare the shit out of the board and shareholders, so that they don't have to.
I'm so sure that will get them to shape up right away...
Maybe it's time to start enforcing corporate fines as a percentage of current market cap, payable by newly issued stock to the regulatory agencies. That would deflate the value of the existing stock, getting the shareholders to whip the company into line (hopefully). Also, too many repeat offenses would give the regulators increasing control over the company itself. After 5-10 years, allow the company to buy the stock back.
Something that is likely most relevant to Slashdot's user base is society's expectation that men drive the entire courtship process, and suffer countless painful rejections by women.
Actually, this means that as a man, I get to be in control of the process. I (usually!) don't have to deal with random creepy women coming on to me at all times, but only the ones I want to deal with (a beautiful woman acting aloof usually isn't because she's a bitch, it's a time management technique). I can schedule dates at times and places convenient to me (especially important on the first few, since there's a risk of her not showing up). There are thousands of reasons a woman might "reject" you that have nothing to do with them thinking that you're a loser (maybe she's late for something, and doesn't have time to talk?).
Yep... first it was our PC games' interfaces getting dumbed down due to console cross-development, and now the same thing is happening for regular applications.:(
I think even employees that didn't look for new jobs should be part of the class. After all, if the companies knew they'd have a hard time leaving, it would allow them to keep they wages of ALL employees lower.
Yes, and the angry people are going to say thank you and walk away. Completely believing your story.
These people are not like your average girl scout. They are mad, and they want their damn phone back. They will not be walking away when you give them your polite response. You thinking so, means you haven't thought this through.
I'll tell them I don't have their phone. If they don't leave, I take out MY phone and start the video. Then I'll tell them to leave. If they don't, I call the police and have them arrested for criminal trespass.
That said, I'd be more suspicious if they did just leave. "My phone tracker said my phone was here" sounds like a good excuse for being there, when in reality they'd have kicked in the door if no one answered.
Slashdot Mirror
I have pretty much zero concern that Torment: Tides of Numenera will be anything less than awesome. They did a Kickstarter for Wasteland 2 before this and Inexile have been very transparent about the development of that game and the early game play video looks great.
What made Planescape:Torment one of the best games ever wasn't something that would ever show in a gameplay video. It was the story and character development that kept you desperate to keep uncovering more. I think that was the only game I've ever played where I went straight through from Friday night to 3 am Monday morning with nothing but bathroom breaks and a snack or two. Not even Fallout was that good. I think part of the reason was that the story was a very personal struggle, and really got you emotionally invested in the outcome, rather than the standard "time to go save the world" plot.
It sounds like they're trying to head that direction again, but the only way to tell will be to play through... Definitely hoping they can do it, though.
If that were to happen Prenda Law (http://wefightpiracy.com/) would fold, declare bankruptcy with no assets available to their creditors and simply start a new corporation.
I'm truly sorry you thought there was a possible outcome of justice.
So, the judge says "post a bond to cover the defendants' legal fees and massive fine I'm most likely about to slap you with, or this goes nowhere."
the problem is the alternative: a world where a self-appointed subclass has deemed that they are more worthy than the people themselves to decide what is good for you.
This is pretty much what we have in the US... It's just that the subclass in this case pays the complete morons that get elected to decide what's good for us by proxy.
To produce a high quality game it takes tens of millions of dollars, and when you add in marketing that can get up to 100+ million
All the high quality games (defined as the ones I have the most fun with) that I've played lately have come out of indie studios and didn't cost nearly so much to make.
Only the rehashed crap coming out of the major studios costs that much, because they have to spend so much on marketing and shinys to hoodwink people into buying it.
The one spot it ends up landing happens to be on the multi million dollar mars rover. That would be something.
Well, I hope it won't, because if it hits, it might make for some really interesting changes in weather for the (surviving) rover to observe:
With the current estimate of the absolute magnitude of the nucleus M2 = 10.3, which might indicate the diameter of over 50 km, the energy of impact might reach the equivalent of staggering 2×10 megatonnes! This kind of event can leave a crater 500 km across and 2 km deep. (link)
But it's quite sure to say that witnessing such impact is just wishful thinking.
Well, if it does hit Mars, you can bet we'll be sending another rover to check it out. We can call it "Morbid Curiosity."
Here's a good reason why: What happens when someone manages to steal your password? You change it. What happens when someone managed to recreate your DNA or other biological identifier used for authentication? Good luck getting new DNA or fingerprints.
A fingerprint is also something convenient that most people have with them at all times that can be used as a second factor for authentication.
If a PIN/password is good enough, than PIN/password+print would be better in virtually all cases.
Same for a credit card with no additional checks vs. a card+print
Has there ever, in the history of the modern Internet, been a proven case of someone "sniffing" something from "the Internet" (defined for this to be beyond the first provider and not as a part of the last provider), aside from government nodes? You might as well be afraid that the aliens are reading your thoughts from orbit.
Given how sleazy most of the large ISPs are, I wouldn't put it past them to sniff email addresses and sell the list, especially if you're using their outbound relay.
Just don't buy a bunch of expensive stuff right away, and leave visible evidence (boxes at the curb, many visits by UPS/FedEx). A burglar with half a brain that just stole all that might be keeping an eye out to score a haul of brand new stuff now that they know you had a ton of electronics you'll probably be replacing.
to "Police_Have_Been_Contacted" or something like that, and see if it stops.
There is no reason whatsoever for a youth culture in IT and programming, experience is more valuable than anything else in this business, moreso than most other businesses.
Exactly... and they don't want to have to pay for it
Hmm. $999 (2013) for 4.5 TF/s vs. $15 million (1984) for 400 MF/s from Cray-XMP. Hard to believe.
This is why I've stopped buying hardware altogether and am simply saving up for a time machine... Importing technology from the future is, by far, the most economically sensible decision one can make.
You're modded funny, but you don't need a time machine. I've been going through some older games (generally much better in terms of fun/gameplay) and indies, and by "importing" this tech from the past, I'm saving a bundle. And having a lot more fun than I used to with the big AAA titles.
Wouldn't it be much more efficient (and cheaper) to just use mirror arrays to focus the sunlight directly, rather than use expensive and inefficient solar panels to process the sunlight into a laser first?
Then, instead of sitting uselessly in space 99.999% of the time (or maybe 100%, even), they could focus sunlight onto ground-based power stations (or space-based, if we actually get mining operations going up there), and help pay for themselves.
It would also be a bit harder to weaponize. A DE(ath)-STAR in orbit? What could possibly go wrong?
What interests me the most here is why wasn't this all over the news? We see posts about twice a year talking about the next "near miss" we're going to have. So what happened with this one? Didn't they catch it? Or did they catch it, realize it was going to hit, and decide not to tell anybody? It would be a lot more interesting to find out details on it being known, covered up, and an intercept attempted. (and possibly successfully)
Well, TFS says it's not related to 2012DA14, but maybe if everyone wasn't fixated on that one, someone might have seen this one...
what can we do?
Surround Monsanto's corporate headquarters, drag all the top execs out, cut their heads off, stick them on pikes as a warning to all other corporations?
IMO, it's only a matter of time before some small farmer/group of farmers that have had their livelihoods ruined do something like this.
I'd never convict them...
I own a farm. I do not buy seed from Monsanto. Never have. I refuse to on moral grounds. Yet I am sued by Monsanto every 2 to 4 years. Their "inspectors" trespass on my property, collect samples from 50 to 200 plants, and if only ONE has their GMO dna, I get sued. The farmer next to me buys exclusively Monsanto seed.
You figure it out. I have.
In the near future, anyone found on my property that doesn't have permission to be there... well, it won't be pretty.
Wouldn't any "evidence" they collect and present in court also prove that they trespassed and committed theft and/or vandalism?
By the time State Authorities and the Feds arrive, the situation is totally out of hand anyway. The demand on state and fed resources is probably such that their arrival with drones in hand is less likely.
Or MORE likely, if they can just send a cheap drone instead of expensive people.
Indeed. This is an incredibly stupid article and the implication that this is some inherit law of math is outrageous... Somehow the missile defense installations have a fixed amount of resources but the enemy doesn't? Come on!
One of the most basic rules of warfare is this: a strategy if a winner if it costs them more than it costs you. A missile defense is still a valuable tool if interceptors cost less than what they're intercepting regardless of whether or not what they're intercepting would do any damage because the enemy still had to build the thing. And from the same perspective if an enemy is going to build a missile why not just put a ton of TNT on it and point it in the general direction of a city? Even without guidance (which would add meaningful cost, unlike the TNT) a city is a big enough target that it presents a credible threat anyways and so needs to be intercepted.
Arg, this is just ridiculous!
Basically, math, schmath... this whole thing is just another way to say that wars are won by logistics, which we've known forever...
I wonder how difficult it would be to upload copyrighted content and then file a complaint about it...
Should have seen that coming and had a statement on the upload area to the effect that "any content uploaded to this site found to be from copyright holders, organizations or employees of those, relinquish any copyrights on said material in perpetuity."
Well, no one would use it for anything legitimate at all if that was the case. Better would be "by uploading content you hold the copyright to, you grant us a license to make copies as required for proper storage, and to distribute to anyone who can access it based on the permissions you set."
That's just bizarre. Regulatory agencies don't want to run companies, they want the companies to run themselves in a responsible way. They are not in the investing game and should never be put in a position where they have an incentive to favor one company over another.
Of course they don't - and probably wouldn't. The point is that the fact that they *could* should scare the shit out of the board and shareholders, so that they don't have to.
I'm so sure that will get them to shape up right away...
Maybe it's time to start enforcing corporate fines as a percentage of current market cap, payable by newly issued stock to the regulatory agencies. That would deflate the value of the existing stock, getting the shareholders to whip the company into line (hopefully). Also, too many repeat offenses would give the regulators increasing control over the company itself. After 5-10 years, allow the company to buy the stock back.
Something that is likely most relevant to Slashdot's user base is society's expectation that men drive the entire courtship process, and suffer countless painful rejections by women.
Actually, this means that as a man, I get to be in control of the process. I (usually!) don't have to deal with random creepy women coming on to me at all times, but only the ones I want to deal with (a beautiful woman acting aloof usually isn't because she's a bitch, it's a time management technique). I can schedule dates at times and places convenient to me (especially important on the first few, since there's a risk of her not showing up). There are thousands of reasons a woman might "reject" you that have nothing to do with them thinking that you're a loser (maybe she's late for something, and doesn't have time to talk?).
Where's the downside again?
Yep... first it was our PC games' interfaces getting dumbed down due to console cross-development, and now the same thing is happening for regular applications. :(
If we're talking robot miners, Post Terran Minerals Corporation is most likely. :)
I think even employees that didn't look for new jobs should be part of the class. After all, if the companies knew they'd have a hard time leaving, it would allow them to keep they wages of ALL employees lower.
Yes, and the angry people are going to say thank you and walk away. Completely believing your story.
These people are not like your average girl scout. They are mad, and they want their damn phone back. They will not be walking away when you give them your polite response. You thinking so, means you haven't thought this through.
I'll tell them I don't have their phone. If they don't leave, I take out MY phone and start the video. Then I'll tell them to leave. If they don't, I call the police and have them arrested for criminal trespass.
That said, I'd be more suspicious if they did just leave. "My phone tracker said my phone was here" sounds like a good excuse for being there, when in reality they'd have kicked in the door if no one answered.