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User: TheModelEskimo

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  1. Not quite cupcakes...here, have some tags on MI6 Swaps Bomb Making Info With Cupcake Recipe On al-Qaeda Website · · Score: 1

    instead of instructions about how to “Make a bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom” by “The AQ Chef” they were greeted with garbled computer code. The code, which had been inserted into the original magazine by the British intelligence hackers, was actually a web page of recipes

    So it sounds like this was an attempt at inserting recipes, and the result was actually raw HTML. Still accomplishes the DELETE PIPE BOMBS mission, but probably didn't get much more than an eyebrow-raise from the readership...

  2. Already out of date on Book Review: Professional Mobile Web Development · · Score: 1

    Along with the missing Drupal 7 module, I see no mention of the DataZombies jQTouch fork, which has been a really popular alternative to jQTouch. Not to bash the book, but the mobile web story is being revised a bit every day. I purchased a mobile theme from a major theme vendor recently, and I was amazed at how obsolete it was, having only been put on the market a year ago. I stuck with it because I liked the stock graphics, but ended up wondering how long it'll be relevant.

    Also I find it pretty funny that people are using Drupal, Wordpress, and Joomla! to power mobile sites. It's like using nuclear fuel to power a Mini. Drupal is probably the best match of the three, but then it sounds like 7 is missing some technology that could be helpful. I have a client who is in the middle of a move away from Joomla! (and Wordpress 2 years ago) because they realized that their business workflow can be very simply expressed within a web application, and the front end for that ideal application looks nothing like what you see when you log into Joomla! or Wordpress. For many, the budget just isn't there to afford something nicer than an off-the-shelf CMS though, so they get one of these monstrosities that was designed for someone else's workflow.

  3. Operation Yashima on The Quake Through Eyes of Slashdot Japan · · Score: 1

    However, websites such as “”Operation Yashima ” (the power conservation strategy depicted in the popular Japan Anime “Next Generation of Evangelion”) spread out the idea of power conservation and helped to keep the rolling blackout to a minimum.

    Well, if that isn't the coolest thing I've read all day.

  4. Cue GIMP-style questions on DraftSight 2D CAD For Linux Beta Available · · Score: 2

    "Can I use this to create an animation of, say, a 3D car jumping off a ramp through a ring of fire? If not, can somebody explain what this software is good for???"

  5. FreeDesktop.org is probably the way to go on Has GNOME Rejected Canonical Help? Shuttleworth Responds · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Shuttleworth suggests that building development around FreeDesktop.org specs (as suggested by Aaron Seigo) is probably a good route to take, especially since Ubuntu is NOT just GNOME, but also KDE (Kubuntu), etc.

    I heartily agree with that. I want to see Unity come out and kick butt, and it sounds like as good as GNOME Shell might be, GNOME people are forcing this into a you-vs.-us fight.

    (It doesn't help to see Jeff Waugh being all complainy on Mark's blog, either.)

  6. Re:this is all patently untrue on Kepler Finds Bizarre Systems · · Score: 1

    Of course there's not. Kepler wasn't launched until almost 2000 years after the last book of the Bible was wrapped up.

    If you want more on Kepler ST, but want it blended with bible-believing religious types, you already missed one event but you can probably still join the conversation now from the comfort of your armchair...

  7. Re:What Happens After You Slice Your Design? on Book Review: Inkscape 0.48 Essentials for Web Designers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As far as full web interactivity goes, you'd probably call it just a mockup tool. But then, you'd have to say the same for Photoshop or Illustrator; even though it provides lots of web export options, you'd have to be a moron to plan a website around their exported HTML.

    So, most designers who use tools like these aren't thinking of them as "just for mockups." They're thinking "this is really how I want it to look, now let's slice this up into its component images and put together the HTML/CSS in a proper editor."

    It's probably most common for Inkscape web designers to export as PNG and then do slicing or other edits in GIMP, although Inkscape does have some helpful tools for web export.

  8. It's definitely up to the task on Book Review: Inkscape 0.48 Essentials for Web Designers · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've used Inkscape for web design work as well as general design/illustration tasks. I use it alongside other tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, though I end up using Inkscape more often when I'm working in Linux; it's a bit of a pain to start up a Virtualbox instance of Windows just to use Illustrator.

    The first site I used it for turned out pretty well, but after that I decided it'd be best to combine it with GIMP, doing a sort of "detailed mockup" in Inkscape and finishing up in GIMP for slicing up imagery and more advanced/controllable texture effects. I got funny looks from my Photoshop students when I told them which website I made in Inkscape/GIMP but I explained that my workflow varies from project to project and it's not wise to thoughtlessly rivet yourself to someone else's technology before embarking on a career in design. They got the point.

    So Inkscape is great! I appreciate the review, as I've been known to buy up books on FOSS just for the novelty factor, but I am curious about working more with its XML output. Getting at whatever maths are involved is fascinating, as I've learned with 3D graphics (and GIMP's procedural tools as well).

    Can't wait for the upcoming book for illustrators.

  9. It's a long way on Drupal Competes As a Framework, Unofficially · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...from the elephantine Drupal to a use-as-you-need-it framework like Zend. So, "use the right tool for the job" is a huge part of this. Personally I err on the side of "less is more" and look at my local Drupal community and see people who are picking a kitchen sink tool because they have limited time and resources. Not the sort of example I race to follow.

    My experience with another large CMS/CMF taught me that maintenance costs (which have to be passed on to clients) really start to add up quickly with the behemoth-sized packages, if you have a very active client. And if you're developing a small site with Drupal, and think of yourself as a moderately technical person, I sincerely ask you why you're not using something like Processwire instead. The last three people I saw do this did it because Drupal was "what they knew." That's uh...interesting. Why not just learn several tools that can fit into a more flexible toolchain? Drupal has one heck of a footprint!

    The summary mentions a GUI, so it's probably worth bringing up Django -- an otherwise all-code framework that comes with its own admin panel GUI already built.

  10. Re:Wasn't the Buran autonomous...? on USAF's Robotic X-37B Orbiter Launched For Test Flight · · Score: 3, Funny

    And undoubtedly it's also the easiest alphabet with which to spell "cyrillic?"

  11. Re:Space without astronauts on USAF's Robotic X-37B Orbiter Launched For Test Flight · · Score: 1

    Astronauts belong in elementary schools, urging kids to study science and engineering! (At least until we can get some robots that are more spitball-resistant)

  12. Wasn't the Buran autonomous...? on USAF's Robotic X-37B Orbiter Launched For Test Flight · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is autonomous tech really that difficult now? At the very least couldn't it fall back to remote control? I could swear the Sovs did some work like this back in the 70s.

  13. Re:It's Just A Table on The $8,500 Gaming Table You Want · · Score: 1

    I know a family who would have no problem spending the money on a table like this. They play games all the time, and $8500 for an heirloom-quality piece is nothing to them. They spend about that much on computer hardware every year anyway.

    I don't think the owners of this company -- like any other company -- really care that there is an enthusiast market out there that is more than willing to build its own gaming tables. They probably would never match this table, feature-for-feature, anyway.

  14. Re:Bummer... on New Crossover Release With Improved Compatibility · · Score: 1

    Re: ditching windows...I suppose if you REALLY want to ditch windows, you wouldn't use Virtualbox. But seriously, it's better than using Windows full-time, believe me :-)

  15. Re:Bummer... on New Crossover Release With Improved Compatibility · · Score: 1

    Just run it natively in VirtualBox...am I missing something here? I do that with Flash CS4 and Netflix online streaming, a flight simulator, and even a commercial video editor (don't have Vegas, but I'm sure it'd work)...

  16. Re:Cheaper than the Kindle, and OPEN. on Freescale's Cheap Chip Could Mean Sub-$99 E-Readers · · Score: 1

    Look on eBay and you'll find some pretty awesome little game systems that are cheap and open. Problem is, they come from HK stock with gazillions of pirated game ROMs...heh

  17. Re:Heh on New "Spear Phishing" Attacks Target IT Admins · · Score: 1

    Your dumb ISP: "OK sir, thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this issue for you. Sir, next can you please tell me what happens when you open your firewall?"

  18. Re:WARNING I have a friend on What You Get When You Buy a $40 iPhone In a Bar · · Score: 1

    This reminds me of when Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern merged.

  19. WARNING I have a friend on What You Get When You Buy a $40 iPhone In a Bar · · Score: -1, Troll

    One of my colleagues in China recently bought one of these for his college-age daughter, as a sort of joke. OK, so in the first 10 minutes of owning it he finds this app with the lady...not so good. But still maybe worth gifting to SOMEBODY as a joke. So he puts it in his pants pocket, gets back to his hotel, and falls asleep watching TV.

    Next day he comes into work with a strange rash on his neck. He looks surprised, says something about it being the same undershirt he wore yesterday. Somebody says, "hey Len take your shirt off," so he does, and LO AND BEHOLD the rash is like 50x worse down by his belt. He takes his trousers off, peeks beneath his boxers and sort of yelps.

    There the "iphone" he bought had partially merged into his leg -- he now has a touch screen in his lower hip. Freaking disgusting.


    Alright, so I made that whole story up. But man, if Chinese technology isn't so exciting and freaking scary at the same time!!!! Let that be a lesson to you.

  20. Re:Lack of professionalism on Linux Action Show Returns · · Score: 1

    Nah, I wasn't talking about people who are so much like myself ;-)

  21. Re:Lack of professionalism on Linux Action Show Returns · · Score: 1

    Right, but presumably when you're NOT MAKING A WEBSITE, "don't do an intro, I hate Flash intros on websites" may not be the most appropriate thing to say...

  22. Re:Lack of professionalism on Linux Action Show Returns · · Score: 3, Interesting

    To my surprise, most Linux-related podcasts are really, really bad.

    This surprises you how exactly? Linux users are almost never involved in media production, most coming from orthodox IT-related areas. I do a lot of creative production work, and I have to laugh every time I talk to somebody who is both a Linux user (as I am), really into tech, and somehow passionate about getting something produced. They really have no clue what is up or down, and most of their anecdotes come from being really pissed off by Flash-driven websites, even when they ARE dealing with time-bound, linear media where something like an "animated intro" is considered a staple of production. I still chuckle about it.

  23. Re:Tutorials? on 20 Years of Photoshop · · Score: 1

    More structure = paid = lynda.com

    More free = various collections = here

  24. Re:Keyboard shortcuts are better than scroll wheel on 20 Years of Photoshop · · Score: 1

    That's what I do when I use Photoshop. :-) Still not the same though.

  25. Re:Sort of a weird feeling about it on 20 Years of Photoshop · · Score: 1

    This is the first time I've actually heard of people complain about actual lose-your-work crashes.

    Actually I think most of the lost work in our case comes from factors external to Photoshop. In our labs, we usually see hardware problems crop up and cause loss of work long before a Photoshop stability problem occurs.

    However, if Adobe kept a big Trac or Bugzilla site somewhere, and even if it just showed bugs from labs where I teach, I think the reliability point would get across. There are just some awful bugs in the software, and as you mentioned, Photoshop is complex enough that workarounds aren't hard to find once the issue has been isolated. But man, you should see some of my students when they lose work. I think this is why Adobe provide versioning software now. Support can say, "so do your backups not work then?" [long pause, phone line goes dead] ;-)