The X-Box is strangely reminiscent of 3DO. When I worked for 3DO, five years ago, we were still making consoles and licensing any title that came to our offices. The only requirement for a license was $3 per unit sale, and a fairly precise format restriction (meaning how the data is laid onto the CD). There was nothing about content or quality.
As a result, the market was quickly flooded with mediocre games and Japanese "Strip" titles ranging from the traditional mah-jongg to (I kid you not) *two* versions of rock-paper-scissors.
Most of these were from production houses that we nicknamed "One-Take Video", for the incredibly shoddy camerawork and the lack of talent beyond "80cm, 55cm, 78cm". And did I really need to know my opponent's blood type?:)
But 3DO's market wasn't destroyed by smut. Poor as the quality may have been, these titles shone like the moon compared to titles like "Plumbers Don't Wear Ties" (an American attempt at erotic gaming), "Virtuoso" (a heavy-metal guitarist picks up sawed-off shotguns and fights aliens from Dimension Dope-Ass), and "Shadow: War Of Succession" (imagine Street Fighter with sub-South-Park graphics where the first player who presses "Kick" wins).
Consumers were confronted with absolutely awful games for an overpriced system. "But wait!" I hear you cry, "Isn't it the *great* titles that get attention?"
It would be, if anyone knew about them. 3DO spent next to nothing on advertising. 3DO's affiliates, partners, and licensees spent even less. Virtually all of 3DO's exposure came from trade shows and industry magazine articles, written by people with no vested interest in the company's success.
So how will the X-Box be different?
Money. Cash money. Fat Sacks Full of Cash Money. Microsoft cannot run out of money. Nothing they can legally do could possibly break them. They currently maintain so many products that will never earn them money that one more isn't even going to show up on the balance sheet.
"Expenditures (in gazillions):"
"Overhead: X-Box 0.034"
So in this humble gamer's opinion, the X-Box is going to lose money for a very long time, embarrassing everyone who looks its way.
The more I learn about how nanotechnology is actually happening, the less concerned I am about a "Gray Goo" scenario.
Nanotechnology, as it is currently designed (and in very few cases, implemented), is incapable of self-replication. The von Neumann "Universal Constructor" is sufficiently distant from present technology as to remain essentially fictitious. Additionally, the von Neumann model relies on both an independant instruction-control system (microcumputer or otherwise), and a supply of prefabricated components. Want to stop a von Neumann? Stop making parts.
The Drexler architecture, using chemical rather than mechanical manipulators, is closer to modern theory, as it mimics the effects of current biotechnology and organic chemical manufacturing, but still relies on an independant instruction-control system.
In both cases, the instruction-control system (referred to in the link above as a "universal computer") must be capable of infinitely variable tasks for the device to be useful. It must have the instruction set necessary to create another example of itself, and any instructions required by its target manufacturing process. It only requires sufficient memory to replicate, as any manufacturing process can be broken down sufficiently to use subprocesses infinitely simpler than self-replication
Regardless, the "universal computer" is unnecessary to the end goal of nanorobotics. A localized instruction-broadcast system can direct the nanorobots in any tasks relevant to their location, and would prevent any manufacturing, self-replicative or otherwise, while out of range of this signal.
Redundant means it's the same post, over and over again right?
What he meant, I believe, is that your response is entirely too common among domain administrators. Further, I believe his comment was primarily meant in jest, rather than a serious impulse to reduce the rating of your message...
I will *not* use smileys in this message. I think if you don't get the joke without them, you won't get it with them, either.:)
I don't know exactly where Mr. Blick obtained his programmer or the microprocessor, but he mentions that the component he acquired from a dead VCR was an electric motor.
Mind you, I get my electric motors from CD-ROM drives. The worm drive shaft from the tray shuttle motor made the ideal axle for a paddle wheel on a balsa wood boat.
What you did with the 800 number is illegal in most states.
It would be, but he is calling them to make a legitimate business request. When that request is not honored, he has the right to phone again, and restate the request. There is no legally mandated delay between such requests, and until he has an indication that the request has been honored (or at least acknowledged), he may continue to restate that request using whatever communications technology makes his task more convenient. The expense of receiving that request repeatedly is simply an inevitable consequence of ignoring the consumer's desire.
I telecommute regularly, and I encountered a rather startling effect when I first started.
My home system has never been particularly ergonomic. I've never done much beyond surfing and gaming, so it didn't have to be. Suddenly, I was coding on my home system -- for hours at a sitting.
Within three weeks, I had a soft tissue injury in my right wrist that required an arm brace to heal. I bought the arm brace, and I bought a new mouse pad with an integral wrist rest, and a couple of wrist rests for work, just to be safe.
Not only did my employer pay for those materials, they wouldn't allow me to work until I had acquired them. The potential liability for aggravating a known injury was not something they cared to face.
This may be a rare example, but I somehow doubt it. In the technology industries, employees are the second scarcest commodity, with time taking the top spot. Companies which once fought to maintain a good reputation with customers now must also face the effects of their reputations with the labor force. --
It seems this is exactly the sort of information which is relevant to this discussion -- how to use this service to its greatest personal benefit while incurring none of its disadvantages.
I personally will not subscribe to any service, DSL, dialup, or otherwise, which limits the uses to which I may put my own resources. --
And for all you dufae who complain about the inclusion of the electric hand dryer over the plow, lightbulb, internal combustion engine, or transcapacator...
...Anyone who takes this article (or this reply, for that matter) seriously, deserves to.:) --
Where I work, ongoing education is always a priority. However, we tend to favor the three to five day "High Intensity" courses over the Distance Learning courses. One employee tried a web-based Perl course, and completed it with a less-than-adequate understanding of the language. Now it's my turn to learn Perl, and I'm not even considering an online course.
I have yet to see a cutting-edge component in Radio Shack, and we all know the Windows 95/98/2000 kernel is older than Dirt (Dirt, of course, having been invented in 1994, just after MS-DOS 6.0). This will make Radio Shack the national clearinghouse for outdated technology.
"EGA cards! Getcher EGA cards here!" "Available now! 64-bit encryption! Show your proof of US Citizanship, these babies can't go overseas!"
Slashdot Mirror
As a result, the market was quickly flooded with mediocre games and Japanese "Strip" titles ranging from the traditional mah-jongg to (I kid you not) *two* versions of rock-paper-scissors.
Most of these were from production houses that we nicknamed "One-Take Video", for the incredibly shoddy camerawork and the lack of talent beyond "80cm, 55cm, 78cm". And did I really need to know my opponent's blood type? :)
But 3DO's market wasn't destroyed by smut. Poor as the quality may have been, these titles shone like the moon compared to titles like "Plumbers Don't Wear Ties" (an American attempt at erotic gaming), "Virtuoso" (a heavy-metal guitarist picks up sawed-off shotguns and fights aliens from Dimension Dope-Ass), and "Shadow: War Of Succession" (imagine Street Fighter with sub-South-Park graphics where the first player who presses "Kick" wins).
Consumers were confronted with absolutely awful games for an overpriced system. "But wait!" I hear you cry, "Isn't it the *great* titles that get attention?"
It would be, if anyone knew about them. 3DO spent next to nothing on advertising. 3DO's affiliates, partners, and licensees spent even less. Virtually all of 3DO's exposure came from trade shows and industry magazine articles, written by people with no vested interest in the company's success.
So how will the X-Box be different?
Money. Cash money. Fat Sacks Full of Cash Money. Microsoft cannot run out of money. Nothing they can legally do could possibly break them. They currently maintain so many products that will never earn them money that one more isn't even going to show up on the balance sheet.
"Expenditures (in gazillions):"
"Overhead: X-Box 0.034"
So in this humble gamer's opinion, the X-Box is going to lose money for a very long time, embarrassing everyone who looks its way.
-c.
--
Nanotechnology, as it is currently designed (and in very few cases, implemented), is incapable of self-replication. The von Neumann "Universal Constructor" is sufficiently distant from present technology as to remain essentially fictitious. Additionally, the von Neumann model relies on both an independant instruction-control system (microcumputer or otherwise), and a supply of prefabricated components. Want to stop a von Neumann? Stop making parts.
The Drexler architecture, using chemical rather than mechanical manipulators, is closer to modern theory, as it mimics the effects of current biotechnology and organic chemical manufacturing, but still relies on an independant instruction-control system.
In both cases, the instruction-control system (referred to in the link above as a "universal computer") must be capable of infinitely variable tasks for the device to be useful. It must have the instruction set necessary to create another example of itself, and any instructions required by its target manufacturing process. It only requires sufficient memory to replicate, as any manufacturing process can be broken down sufficiently to use subprocesses infinitely simpler than self-replication
Regardless, the "universal computer" is unnecessary to the end goal of nanorobotics. A localized instruction-broadcast system can direct the nanorobots in any tasks relevant to their location, and would prevent any manufacturing, self-replicative or otherwise, while out of range of this signal.
"Don't worry, be nano." :)
-c.
--
What he meant, I believe, is that your response is entirely too common among domain administrators. Further, I believe his comment was primarily meant in jest, rather than a serious impulse to reduce the rating of your message...
I will *not* use smileys in this message. I think if you don't get the joke without them, you won't get it with them, either. :)
Dammit!!
-c.
--
Mind you, I get my electric motors from CD-ROM drives. The worm drive shaft from the tray shuttle motor made the ideal axle for a paddle wheel on a balsa wood boat.
-c.
--
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2000-09 -20&res=l
--
From one who will emulate
Brin's clever dolphins
-c.
--
Careful, now, or the New York Times may file a lawsuit alleging a violation of the DMCA. It's been known to happen. ;) -c.
--
It would be, but he is calling them to make a legitimate business request. When that request is not honored, he has the right to phone again, and restate the request. There is no legally mandated delay between such requests, and until he has an indication that the request has been honored (or at least acknowledged), he may continue to restate that request using whatever communications technology makes his task more convenient. The expense of receiving that request repeatedly is simply an inevitable consequence of ignoring the consumer's desire.
-c.
--
My home system has never been particularly ergonomic. I've never done much beyond surfing and gaming, so it didn't have to be. Suddenly, I was coding on my home system -- for hours at a sitting.
Within three weeks, I had a soft tissue injury in my right wrist that required an arm brace to heal. I bought the arm brace, and I bought a new mouse pad with an integral wrist rest, and a couple of wrist rests for work, just to be safe.
Not only did my employer pay for those materials, they wouldn't allow me to work until I had acquired them. The potential liability for aggravating a known injury was not something they cared to face.
This may be a rare example, but I somehow doubt it. In the technology industries, employees are the second scarcest commodity, with time taking the top spot. Companies which once fought to maintain a good reputation with customers now must also face the effects of their reputations with the labor force.
--
It seems this is exactly the sort of information which is relevant to this discussion -- how to use this service to its greatest personal benefit while incurring none of its disadvantages.
I personally will not subscribe to any service, DSL, dialup, or otherwise, which limits the uses to which I may put my own resources.
--
By far, the greatest invention of all time.
And for all you dufae who complain about the inclusion of the electric hand dryer over the plow, lightbulb, internal combustion engine, or transcapacator...
--
Just thought I'd get two cents in early... :)
-c.
--
"EGA cards! Getcher EGA cards here!"
"Available now! 64-bit encryption! Show your proof of US Citizanship, these babies can't go overseas!"
-c.
--