...they can only do what other countries haven't done.
So, um... Has anyone invaded Finland while wearing Mexican* Party Hats? The Florida Keys went to war with the US but they only threw bread. If that hasn't been done, I'm gonna call my congress critter AND write them a bunch of emails. Pfft... I might even set it up so it's a script and sends 'em out every five minutes based on a cron task.
You're probably kidding and, per the person below you, it was indeed mandated. The new font will also be mandated. This is for FEDERAL highways. It's not unpaid for. It is mandated. It is mandated only for FEDERAL highways - but optional to license for the States. There is no requirement that the STATES (or TOWNS/COUNTIES OMGBBQ) use it, just an option to do so. Where it is mandated, it is paid for.
It's not even mandated on signs on those highways that are not federally funded. That's why you sometimes see mixed fonts when you're driving down a Federal highway - like the Interstate 95 in GA, PA, NY, FL, ME, NH, and VA. (Those are the ones I can think of.) Even as you go through a different town - you will (maybe) see the municipalities signs with a different font, the State with yet another, and the Feds with a third.
I'd suspect, now that I think about it, most people don't notice it. Do not try to notice it. It will annoy you forever. However, some careful observation will show you the differences. Also, it is not an unfunded mandate by any stretch of the imagination. It's fun to pick on the Republicans, and there's a lot to pick on, but this is not their doing because it's simply not true.
I met a young Republican not too long ago. Not only was he young, he was gay. Well no, he is gay, but you get the idea.
No, I have still not figured out why that person is a Republican and I'm not going to speculate. He was kind of proud of being both and was happily holding a sign up and telling people about the two traits. (His age was not on the sign.) I'd guess that he was in his mid-20s.
If I had to speculate? Hmm... No, I will not speculate. I will point out that I'm wintering in the panhandle of Florida and let you speculate all you want.
No. It's the standard. It's used on *all* (ideally and per rule) federally funded, interstate, highways - namely those with the funny looking logo around their signs that do not, in fact, have a state shape overlaid on 'em. That's why the federal highways all have the same font - no matter what State you go to. States often have their own font and some municipalities have their own font. The Federal highways are all the same. The States have no say in the matter.
At least that's the way it was. After this, it may be different and there will be a period of fluctuation. There may even be an education campaign. Yup... I am not kidding. There not even *may* be one, there probably *will* be one. It may not be big and only have a few pamphlets and a small site (with a contact form for more information) but it will almost certainly exist if they change the fonts on all the highway signs. No, I shit you not. They'll probably only be a few pamphlets that are distributed to driver's ed classes and the State's DMV buildings (in several languages with help to translate them into your language, if needed) and requisition forms to get the pamphlets placed into those slots at the DMV. Note that the DMV is not the same as the Highway Department.
No, changes will effect the entirety of the Federal highway signage. It may not reflect State choices. It may not reflect smaller municipality changes. No, I did not bother reading the article. I've just done a whole lot of work where traffic modeling is concerned. With that, comes a whole lot of work with, or in, other industries - including chemistry, physics, and psychiatry types of fields. It's actually more complicated than it looks on paper. Well, no... It should be, if it is done properly.
Err... If I may interject, and it is only tangentially related, I'd like to point out that you might actually be surprised at the amount of time that they already put into arguing about the fonts used. Yup... There are a group of people, as you read this, who are being paid to argue about the fonts used on signs.
It's a whole industry and discussed far more often than some people might think. It might appear that they don't discuss it but they do. They discuss it all the time (as near as I can tell). However, also as near as I can tell, they spend so much time arguing about it that they just recommend most anything as they know the municipality isn't going to change it or they've run out of time to actually make a good recommendation.
It turns out, you don't just (generally) change the fonts willy-nilly. They want someone, an expert, to tell them that the new font is provably better than the old font. They may even have transition phases and government sponsored learning to bring these new fonts into fruition. Fonts on signs are serious business, to a very small group of people who are surprisingly well paid.
Anyhow, now back to your regularly scheduled program. I've personally had business interactions, involving giving them a whole lot of money, so I've got a little bit of experience with 'em. I am not an expert but I'm gonna guess that I've probably bumped into more of them than most of us have. They take their fonts seriously. I've even gone drinking with a couple of 'em. They're more than happy to tell you about their job. I presume it's because nobody seems to know that they exist.
Hmm... I dunno if I should laugh or cry. I took a break between this and my earlier post - to answer some questions, and figured I'd check back.
Now, Joe... Do you mind if I call you Joe? (This applies to at least a couple of people above you, as well as you.) See, I don't know how to tell you this but I kind of doubt you have the capacity to do what you're suggesting. Oh, I'm sure you're very skilled - do not take me wrong.
Imagine, if you will, having to satisfy ALL of Slashdot so that they don't bitch. Now, imagine that lives depend on that. That's what goes into making a font for signage.
Before someone says, "Oh but they're changing it! You're wrong, they suck!" Yes, yes they are. Strangely enough, things improve over time as does our understanding. Even stranger, and I know this is a tough concept, there are actual experts in this industry. Yup. There are people out there, right now, making a living at figuring out the font on signs. I know - I've paid some of them some pretty damned good money.
As in, I have personally paid them a shitton of money because that's kind of what I did. People expected me to be able to offer an opinion on signage and the very fonts used on them. Yes, I was as startled as you might be, Joe. I too had no fucking clue. They have fancy names and everything - like kerning and reflectivity and some odd measurement for reflected brightness, special lights to mimic traffic, special filters to examine weather conditions, and a whole host of people who genuflect to the God of Fonts and spit out a reasoned answer.
See, Joe, I know I'm not an expert. I also know that I sure as fuck do not know more than the experts. It's a damned strange field to find experts in but, alas, I was hired (by your representatives) to forward their opinion. Do you know how hard it was to find those experts before the internet? No, Joe... You don't know that, more likely than not.
What I'm getting at, and this is the crux of the matter, is that you probably don't have the skills required to make these fonts. Oh, you might. You might even do a fine job. Then they're going to ask you why your fonts are better and to have you prove it. Yes, prove it. See, you're gonna have to show that your fonts are provably better than the fonts in use now.
Do you have the lab to mix the special paints required and to do the printing, Joe? 'Cause I sure as fuck don't have one of those labs. I don't even KNOW what percentage of reflective materials go into the paint and what the parts are just to make the base color. I don't even know what filters, lighting, angles, and exposures to use to take the pictures needed to present these fonts. I sure as hell don't have the lab to make 'em. I don't know if they're still using glass fragments in some and not in others or what the reflective paint is currently. Did you know they had experts in that field too, Joe? No? Neither did I. I nearly shit a brick when I found out that they actually have regulations about the exact reflectivity required, at certain distances and in certain conditions, for a damned sign. In hindsight, it makes some sense.
Yes, it turns out that quite a fuck of a lot goes into the damned fonts used on signs. I am not making this up - this question pops up, they want expert opinions, they then decide to use the standard (which is listed here) or to go with what they've been using for years. Do you want to have to try to satisfy all of Slashdot - enough so that they only bitch quietly or not at all? Do you *really* think you can? I know I can't. I know that I'd not even try. That's why we paid experts, Joe. That's why they get the big bucks and drive nice cars.
They've got whole labs dedicated to this. They use special paints and strange lighting - I've seen it in person. They not only have special paints, they have combinations of 'em so that they can do the same for varied jurisdictions. There's actually a fairly limited supply for these paints, to the point where some municipalities make their own. Because this is just
They've got enough cash to make that last for generations of people. They literally have more money than some nations have for a GDP. Hell, I seem to recall someone's list as having quite a few nations on that list. It is BILLIONS of dollars.
Not that they can't get screwed up - it's just going to take a very long time to do so.
How to put it in Slashdot terms? Oh... It'd be like killing a Terrasque (spelling?). You gotta whack on that forever and then you still need to wish it dead.
That's Apple's financial position, right now. Not to mention, which private equity firm can buy them? Apple still has controlling interests in their company. They still own the majority of shares. Even if they did buy those shares AND find some way to do a hostile takeover - at least of the board - they'd still not be able to pound Apple into the ground for generations and generations. They've got that much money just in the assets on-hand.
Oh, they definitely don't actually want to understand that. They might claim to want an answer and they might even think they want to understand but they're just fooling themselves. It's not always a bad thing. However, I fully expect they do not actually want to understand. Hell, I'd even wager on it.
That's... That's kind of crazy. I live in Maine. We have frost-heaves while there's still going to be (not might be) feet worth of snow dropped at one time. That'll then not only be happily covered in ice but Mother Nature will wait until it's plowed and then cover it in ice - just to screw with you. We use plows that also drop sand on the road. The sand is either full of salt (intentionally, it melts the ice but you know that) or has calcium chloride sprayed on it. It might even have some of both!
The plows often take off their shoes. This means they can get lower and actually plow closer to the surface - but damage the roads more often and more severely. Our roads get so bad that we actually have a weight limit on them (for part of the year - it's a lot of them) and need to do so because we've got a bunch of giant pulp trucks driving down the road, weighted down with logs, and they wreck the roads. I mean they wreck 'em. Man, do they wreck 'em. It's a major fine if they're caught on a weight limited road during a certain time of the year. Towns go along and "post the roads" that are the most vulnerable (wealthy people live on them or they're horrible roads) and that lasts through all of "mud season."
Yet, they let us have studded tires. Well, within certain limits. I have a couple of sets that are not legal for road use and thus the vehicle must be towed. Fortunately, I have not one but three car trailers. Why? Well, I like doing stupid stuff that might get me hurt. Somewhere, for that aforementioned Saab, I have a set of "picks" that are meant for ice racing. They are not the same as one would use when rally racing. I've only used them a few times, I am not an ice racer. I do like to go out and play and try new things and someone was selling them cheap. So, somewhere, I have a set.
They are not the kinds of things you put on and leave on. You put them on for a day (maybe even at your destination) and use them there. Those should probably not be allowed for road use.
The ones allowed for road use are pretty minimal. They're a great advantage. They're almost a requirement for a 2 wheel drive pickup truck - if you want to make it up my driveway, all the way, in one go. In other words, I'm kind of surprised that they're not lawful in your area. I'm pretty sure they'd help.
I was kind of hoping you'd overlooked something. Nope. All indicators are that you can't use 'em. That REALLY kind of sucks. I guess a non-resident can have 'em for 30 days. It looks like rural mailmen get to have them from November 1st until April 15th. You don't even get to use the rubber ones. That's okay, I guess. The rubber ones are not that good and are designed for very different terrain such as deep, unplowed, snow but mostly you use 'em in the mud.
Yeah, that's just about the very last State in the entire Union that I'd have expected to hear about a prohibition on tire studs. It's Minnesota. They get snow there. They've got hills there. Yes, the studs damage the road but not too bad when compared to the accidents. We just take 'em off at tax time and put 'em on when snow flies. I believe it's a small fine and they can tow the vehicle if you're caught with 'em out of season. I've mostly lived on the East Coast, I think all the cold ones are like that - though I think I recall a blurb about MA changing the laws but I forget how. No studs? Not even "street legal" studs? That's crazy talk.
I'm not actually sure how many more I'd like enabled. Do we really need a pile of poop or a hot dog? There's gotta be a limit, somewhere. Right? Do we need the emoji part of Unicode? ÷ × Hmm... It looks like some mathematics symbols are included.
It turns out, that is a.txt file. No big deal. There's a rules and a settings backup. They are in this zip file: http://www.filedropper.com/uma...
I just made that one. It doesn't have that particular site in it.;-) I did have to edit it to enable the scripting on that page.
You are technically correct but making it sound harder than it is. You can use that file until you get your own going. Meaning, you'll just edit my file. You don't edit it personally or by hand. It is done by GUI. When you find a site that doesn't work, start clicking stuff. It changes colors to indicate that it is blocking stuff. There's green (go) and red (stop) and a few things to block or unblock.
It does have a learning curve. It is not too hard. It's like an old-school Windows firewall, software based, except it's just for your browser. One of the best things is that I can share the settings file. I've actually automated this (thus I never see it and had forgotten it is.txt). I simply place it on a network share and have it grabbed and copied with a cron job. (Yes, I have nothing better to do. Retirement is awesome like that.)
So, that should get you started. The rules are pretty straight forward. You can just use mine. They work well enough - edit as needed. The settings for sites is pretty straight forward but it takes some getting used to. Go ahead and use mine, that should give you the gist of it and a good leg-up. I've had that file for... Hmm... A while? I've been using it and migrating it for quite a while. I also have different preferences than you. So, you might want to take a peek. Often times, I've just decided to go for bare functionality - you may want to adjust that.
After you've loaded the file(s), just refresh this page. That'll give you a good example of what I've done - it works for me. If you've got any questions, I'll do what I can to help.
My work desk used to be one that I picked up at auction. Oh, you know the exact type. It was a government worker's desk (probably secretarial) made during WWII. It had the slide out parts (in the center and on the right) and drawers on both sides. One drawer is a bit different in height. It has a rack for holding folders. It has to be 500 pounds worth of steel.
It was *at least* owned by a government official and a school system before I owned it. It took three men and a boy to move it. If you could use it as a weapon, you'd be a bad ass. It still had its original paint job. Some stupid kid (presumably named TIMMY - and not the same one as our dear Timmy - again, a presumption) etched his name INSIDE the center drawer. I presume they were caught and punished for their behavior. If you're gonna do bad things, sign it with someone else's name.
You'd probably have to hit it with a Yugo to make something fall off it or even move. You might even need to get that Yugo up to speed. If I had to pick between riding the desk or riding in the Yugo, for this accident, I'd probably pick to be strapped onto the desk. It was made at a time that the people seemed inclined to think that they'd be using them as shields vs. automatic rifles. I own a lot of firearms. Some rounds would, in fact, be stopped by this desk at certain angles. If you're gonna hide behind a desk during a firefight, this might be the desk to do so.
I did not take my desk with me. I was not going to move my desk. I never, ever, changed offices after that desk was moved into the office. I do not know if that desk is still in that office - the building is still there. Somewhere, I do not know where, this desk surely still exists. The only way to destroy this desk involves heavy duty cutting material and a bunch of heat. I'm still not sure that the desk won't hold out for quite some time.
As far as I know, no. In theory? Yes, absolutely. If you had the specs, you could virtualize any hardware (I think?) and then test against it. As you do not have the specs, well... Of course, with that information - we'd probably have the liberated drivers.
That said, I've tried some of them on bare metal. So far, mostly so good. I've had good luck with sound and/working/ video. (I did not say optimized. I did not say fully feature compliant. I do get video that is watchable/usable.) In all of those specific instances (but not in others), I have used a desktop. I can't speak to hardware support other than that in older desktops - about three years old was/is my latest test-bed until someone comes and picks them up from me. (I think I found a home for them. A good home. They're only a few years old, have all the peripherals, SSDs, 8 to 16 GB of RAM, etc... I actually had to find someone to take them.)
So, I can't say that they'll work on a laptop and that you'll have wireless, support for the cell modem, or even touchpad support. I simply do not know and would not swear to it. I also don't know but you might be able to achieve the same thing, during the install of an official Ubuntu flavor, by unticking the box to enable third-party/closed software and drivers.
Why don't I know that? I am not a crazy zealot. I don't use Linux because of any idealism. I don't even, normally, read the code unless there's a problem. Even if there is a problem, I'm probably not the one you *want* to have reading that code. I will... I'll even "help out" if you want. I repeat, you probably don't want me to do so (but it's nice that I offered).
I just so happen to be able to check. I just went and plugged in a Belkin-something-or-other wifi dongle. It works in gNewSense. Note: The dongle is not the same as is in a laptop. Yes I carry a dongle. No, I am not making any claims other than that one worked, in that one distro, at that one time.
You know... I've actually had serious conversations with serious people about the font used on signs. It is not, technically, my area of expertise but I'm expected to know it, have hired someone familiar with it, or to have a consultant on hand for it. Well no, now I'm expected to be retired...
While I realize you were joking... How familiar are people with it? How well is its contrast with the various lighting expectations? How much information can be conveyed in the same space?
Given my druthers, and not being an expert, I'd like to see Helvetica be tested for use. So long as certain highways (namely those that are federally owned and under their authority) meet a minimal criteria, the municipality is allowed to enact most anything it wants. Of course, wide variations would be bad as they would lead to confusion and unfamiliarity.
For the English language, Helvetica seems to be a good choice. If, on the off chance, you're interested - there's actually a movie by that name. It's a documentary (of course, that's all I watch) and surprisingly interesting and informative. I watched it because I knew a bit about it but it turned out to be much better than one might expect. (A documentary about fonts???)
I'm also partial to some of the Ariel (or is it Arial) fonts. I'm not sure that they'd make good signage due to their width of the letter body (those crazy bastards have a specific name for all that stuff - including stuff like serifs, kerning, etc) and I'm not sure about Helvetica - I am not an expert. I have hired and consulted with experts and passed their recommendations along. (Usually it's basically, "How the hell should I know and it's not like they're actually going to listen. Go with the default. At least it works.) So, my suggestion is that they look into it. I'd hate to make an authoritative statement when I am not, in fact, an authority.
In the course of my professional career, I've had many discussions about signs and their fonts. No, I did not recommend the font you hate. That was some other guy or they didn't listen to me. It's never my fault, after all. I did not, however, expect to see it on Slashdot - ever. I didn't even submit this. So, if you have any questions about fonts and signage, I'm sure plenty of people here have an opinion on the matter. Me? I've really only got suggestions. There exist actual experts on this topic. I kind of doubt any of us are. I'm moderately familiar so I'm sure I'll be amused by the contents of the thread.
I got so sick of my Android that I asked around Slashdot and finally went with a Windows phone. I have no shame... None... So far, I've spent zero time, relatively, screwing with it. I don't have to worry about apps stealing my information - it doesn't have any apps. Well, not any that didn't come installed. I've added zero apps. It actually updates itself when needed. I don't have to worry about the OEM, the cell company, or a strange guy named Ralph who works in accounts receivable. Nope, updates come from (for better or worse) Microsoft. It's never even offered me Windows 10 but I believe I can install it - if I want.
I don't have a Windows computer. I do have a Windows phone. I'm pretty sure that, at this point, it's just the planet fucking with me. I don't have a giant ego but it sure seems like it's conspiring to fuck with me. Truth be told, I'm kind of happy with my Windows phone. It's snappy, has a fine battery life, and seems to get the job done. It looks like all the apps I could want are out there or in the store and most are even free (as in beer). So far? No issues. Yes, yes I said that about a Window-based phone.
I go through a lot of hardware. Linux works on all of it. Well, all of it that I've tried. I have hardware that I've never actually turned on. I have hardware that is still in unopened boxes. I suspect Linux works on them all. If it doesn't work by default (and it generally does) then I can usually find someone else who has made it work. Sometimes, I'm the guy who makes it work and sometimes I'm the one who asks for help. Usually, it just works.
Ha! I so gotta learn to scroll down before posting.:/
It's worth setting up. It is a whitelist approach. It works. It's just a bit of a pain in the ass to get set up. I'd send you the JSON that I have saved but, alas, that'd reveal too much about me and I'm too lazy to fix that. Hmm... Well, I guess... It'd reveal the only porn site I have in my record is 4cam and that I took enough time to configure it to, umm... Watch. If you can get past that, I'd probably be willing to share. It's got mostly geek sites loaded. Some video sites. I'd make your own, it's worth the time investment.
Look at uMatrix. It's available for Firefox now. It's so free, the author won't even let me send him money. However, it is a bit much at first. Once you get the hang of it, and save your settings, things go quite well. No, Google has no idea what I'm here. Yes, I can still use Maps.
Hey now, it's not our fault. We don't get to control the language or how it is used. It was probably the grammarians or the econ-guys that did it. I'd have used nanometer.
Umm... I'd watch those? They'd be an interesting change in pace and I don't actually watch anything but documentaries - at least most of the time, that's what is on if there's something on at all. Assuming those were fairly well made, I'd watch 'em. I don't have television, normally, so I might not see them for a while (until someone mentions them and they're online) but I'd certainly give them a shot.
Hmm... My current series is The Century of Warfare. I've been watching it for two nights now. So, yeah, I'd watch those. They might be interesting. Hell, the series that I'm watching now is one that I've seen a bunch of times and isn't even all that detailed. I like the stuff with a narrow focus a bit more. I'd certainly watch the ones you mentioned, at least once.
Slashdot Mirror
...they can only do what other countries haven't done.
So, um... Has anyone invaded Finland while wearing Mexican* Party Hats? The Florida Keys went to war with the US but they only threw bread. If that hasn't been done, I'm gonna call my congress critter AND write them a bunch of emails. Pfft... I might even set it up so it's a script and sends 'em out every five minutes based on a cron task.
I'm David and I support the invasion of Finland while wearing Mexican* Party Hats movement. Because nobody else has done it and it's the Good American© way of believing.
* Mexican Party Hats may not actually be made in Mexico but made in China, Taiwan, India, or the Philippines.**
** Not to be confused with Philistines. That makes them angry.
You're probably kidding and, per the person below you, it was indeed mandated. The new font will also be mandated. This is for FEDERAL highways. It's not unpaid for. It is mandated. It is mandated only for FEDERAL highways - but optional to license for the States. There is no requirement that the STATES (or TOWNS/COUNTIES OMGBBQ) use it, just an option to do so. Where it is mandated, it is paid for.
It's not even mandated on signs on those highways that are not federally funded. That's why you sometimes see mixed fonts when you're driving down a Federal highway - like the Interstate 95 in GA, PA, NY, FL, ME, NH, and VA. (Those are the ones I can think of.) Even as you go through a different town - you will (maybe) see the municipalities signs with a different font, the State with yet another, and the Feds with a third.
I'd suspect, now that I think about it, most people don't notice it. Do not try to notice it. It will annoy you forever. However, some careful observation will show you the differences. Also, it is not an unfunded mandate by any stretch of the imagination. It's fun to pick on the Republicans, and there's a lot to pick on, but this is not their doing because it's simply not true.
I met a young Republican not too long ago. Not only was he young, he was gay. Well no, he is gay, but you get the idea.
No, I have still not figured out why that person is a Republican and I'm not going to speculate. He was kind of proud of being both and was happily holding a sign up and telling people about the two traits. (His age was not on the sign.) I'd guess that he was in his mid-20s.
If I had to speculate? Hmm... No, I will not speculate. I will point out that I'm wintering in the panhandle of Florida and let you speculate all you want.
No. It's the standard. It's used on *all* (ideally and per rule) federally funded, interstate, highways - namely those with the funny looking logo around their signs that do not, in fact, have a state shape overlaid on 'em. That's why the federal highways all have the same font - no matter what State you go to. States often have their own font and some municipalities have their own font. The Federal highways are all the same. The States have no say in the matter.
At least that's the way it was. After this, it may be different and there will be a period of fluctuation. There may even be an education campaign. Yup... I am not kidding. There not even *may* be one, there probably *will* be one. It may not be big and only have a few pamphlets and a small site (with a contact form for more information) but it will almost certainly exist if they change the fonts on all the highway signs. No, I shit you not. They'll probably only be a few pamphlets that are distributed to driver's ed classes and the State's DMV buildings (in several languages with help to translate them into your language, if needed) and requisition forms to get the pamphlets placed into those slots at the DMV. Note that the DMV is not the same as the Highway Department.
No, changes will effect the entirety of the Federal highway signage. It may not reflect State choices. It may not reflect smaller municipality changes. No, I did not bother reading the article. I've just done a whole lot of work where traffic modeling is concerned. With that, comes a whole lot of work with, or in, other industries - including chemistry, physics, and psychiatry types of fields. It's actually more complicated than it looks on paper. Well, no... It should be, if it is done properly.
Err... If I may interject, and it is only tangentially related, I'd like to point out that you might actually be surprised at the amount of time that they already put into arguing about the fonts used. Yup... There are a group of people, as you read this, who are being paid to argue about the fonts used on signs.
It's a whole industry and discussed far more often than some people might think. It might appear that they don't discuss it but they do. They discuss it all the time (as near as I can tell). However, also as near as I can tell, they spend so much time arguing about it that they just recommend most anything as they know the municipality isn't going to change it or they've run out of time to actually make a good recommendation.
It turns out, you don't just (generally) change the fonts willy-nilly. They want someone, an expert, to tell them that the new font is provably better than the old font. They may even have transition phases and government sponsored learning to bring these new fonts into fruition. Fonts on signs are serious business, to a very small group of people who are surprisingly well paid.
Anyhow, now back to your regularly scheduled program. I've personally had business interactions, involving giving them a whole lot of money, so I've got a little bit of experience with 'em. I am not an expert but I'm gonna guess that I've probably bumped into more of them than most of us have. They take their fonts seriously. I've even gone drinking with a couple of 'em. They're more than happy to tell you about their job. I presume it's because nobody seems to know that they exist.
Hmm... I dunno if I should laugh or cry. I took a break between this and my earlier post - to answer some questions, and figured I'd check back.
Now, Joe... Do you mind if I call you Joe? (This applies to at least a couple of people above you, as well as you.) See, I don't know how to tell you this but I kind of doubt you have the capacity to do what you're suggesting. Oh, I'm sure you're very skilled - do not take me wrong.
Imagine, if you will, having to satisfy ALL of Slashdot so that they don't bitch. Now, imagine that lives depend on that. That's what goes into making a font for signage.
Before someone says, "Oh but they're changing it! You're wrong, they suck!" Yes, yes they are. Strangely enough, things improve over time as does our understanding. Even stranger, and I know this is a tough concept, there are actual experts in this industry. Yup. There are people out there, right now, making a living at figuring out the font on signs. I know - I've paid some of them some pretty damned good money.
As in, I have personally paid them a shitton of money because that's kind of what I did. People expected me to be able to offer an opinion on signage and the very fonts used on them. Yes, I was as startled as you might be, Joe. I too had no fucking clue. They have fancy names and everything - like kerning and reflectivity and some odd measurement for reflected brightness, special lights to mimic traffic, special filters to examine weather conditions, and a whole host of people who genuflect to the God of Fonts and spit out a reasoned answer.
See, Joe, I know I'm not an expert. I also know that I sure as fuck do not know more than the experts. It's a damned strange field to find experts in but, alas, I was hired (by your representatives) to forward their opinion. Do you know how hard it was to find those experts before the internet? No, Joe... You don't know that, more likely than not.
What I'm getting at, and this is the crux of the matter, is that you probably don't have the skills required to make these fonts. Oh, you might. You might even do a fine job. Then they're going to ask you why your fonts are better and to have you prove it. Yes, prove it. See, you're gonna have to show that your fonts are provably better than the fonts in use now.
Do you have the lab to mix the special paints required and to do the printing, Joe? 'Cause I sure as fuck don't have one of those labs. I don't even KNOW what percentage of reflective materials go into the paint and what the parts are just to make the base color. I don't even know what filters, lighting, angles, and exposures to use to take the pictures needed to present these fonts. I sure as hell don't have the lab to make 'em. I don't know if they're still using glass fragments in some and not in others or what the reflective paint is currently. Did you know they had experts in that field too, Joe? No? Neither did I. I nearly shit a brick when I found out that they actually have regulations about the exact reflectivity required, at certain distances and in certain conditions, for a damned sign. In hindsight, it makes some sense.
Yes, it turns out that quite a fuck of a lot goes into the damned fonts used on signs. I am not making this up - this question pops up, they want expert opinions, they then decide to use the standard (which is listed here) or to go with what they've been using for years. Do you want to have to try to satisfy all of Slashdot - enough so that they only bitch quietly or not at all? Do you *really* think you can? I know I can't. I know that I'd not even try. That's why we paid experts, Joe. That's why they get the big bucks and drive nice cars.
They've got whole labs dedicated to this. They use special paints and strange lighting - I've seen it in person. They not only have special paints, they have combinations of 'em so that they can do the same for varied jurisdictions. There's actually a fairly limited supply for these paints, to the point where some municipalities make their own. Because this is just
They've got enough cash to make that last for generations of people. They literally have more money than some nations have for a GDP. Hell, I seem to recall someone's list as having quite a few nations on that list. It is BILLIONS of dollars.
Not that they can't get screwed up - it's just going to take a very long time to do so.
How to put it in Slashdot terms? Oh... It'd be like killing a Terrasque (spelling?). You gotta whack on that forever and then you still need to wish it dead.
That's Apple's financial position, right now. Not to mention, which private equity firm can buy them? Apple still has controlling interests in their company. They still own the majority of shares. Even if they did buy those shares AND find some way to do a hostile takeover - at least of the board - they'd still not be able to pound Apple into the ground for generations and generations. They've got that much money just in the assets on-hand.
Oh, they definitely don't actually want to understand that. They might claim to want an answer and they might even think they want to understand but they're just fooling themselves. It's not always a bad thing. However, I fully expect they do not actually want to understand. Hell, I'd even wager on it.
That's... That's kind of crazy. I live in Maine. We have frost-heaves while there's still going to be (not might be) feet worth of snow dropped at one time. That'll then not only be happily covered in ice but Mother Nature will wait until it's plowed and then cover it in ice - just to screw with you. We use plows that also drop sand on the road. The sand is either full of salt (intentionally, it melts the ice but you know that) or has calcium chloride sprayed on it. It might even have some of both!
The plows often take off their shoes. This means they can get lower and actually plow closer to the surface - but damage the roads more often and more severely. Our roads get so bad that we actually have a weight limit on them (for part of the year - it's a lot of them) and need to do so because we've got a bunch of giant pulp trucks driving down the road, weighted down with logs, and they wreck the roads. I mean they wreck 'em. Man, do they wreck 'em. It's a major fine if they're caught on a weight limited road during a certain time of the year. Towns go along and "post the roads" that are the most vulnerable (wealthy people live on them or they're horrible roads) and that lasts through all of "mud season."
Yet, they let us have studded tires. Well, within certain limits. I have a couple of sets that are not legal for road use and thus the vehicle must be towed. Fortunately, I have not one but three car trailers. Why? Well, I like doing stupid stuff that might get me hurt. Somewhere, for that aforementioned Saab, I have a set of "picks" that are meant for ice racing. They are not the same as one would use when rally racing. I've only used them a few times, I am not an ice racer. I do like to go out and play and try new things and someone was selling them cheap. So, somewhere, I have a set.
They are not the kinds of things you put on and leave on. You put them on for a day (maybe even at your destination) and use them there. Those should probably not be allowed for road use.
The ones allowed for road use are pretty minimal. They're a great advantage. They're almost a requirement for a 2 wheel drive pickup truck - if you want to make it up my driveway, all the way, in one go. In other words, I'm kind of surprised that they're not lawful in your area. I'm pretty sure they'd help.
I was kind of hoping you'd overlooked something. Nope. All indicators are that you can't use 'em. That REALLY kind of sucks. I guess a non-resident can have 'em for 30 days. It looks like rural mailmen get to have them from November 1st until April 15th. You don't even get to use the rubber ones. That's okay, I guess. The rubber ones are not that good and are designed for very different terrain such as deep, unplowed, snow but mostly you use 'em in the mud.
Yeah, that's just about the very last State in the entire Union that I'd have expected to hear about a prohibition on tire studs. It's Minnesota. They get snow there. They've got hills there. Yes, the studs damage the road but not too bad when compared to the accidents. We just take 'em off at tax time and put 'em on when snow flies. I believe it's a small fine and they can tow the vehicle if you're caught with 'em out of season. I've mostly lived on the East Coast, I think all the cold ones are like that - though I think I recall a blurb about MA changing the laws but I forget how. No studs? Not even "street legal" studs? That's crazy talk.
If you don't tell too many people how to do it, they'll think you're brilliant for doing it. You'll be The Wizard!© (Property of Substandard Adventures, Inc.®)
Use the Keyboard, Luke.
I'm not actually sure how many more I'd like enabled. Do we really need a pile of poop or a hot dog? There's gotta be a limit, somewhere. Right? Do we need the emoji part of Unicode? ÷ × Hmm... It looks like some mathematics symbols are included.
It turns out, that is a .txt file. No big deal. There's a rules and a settings backup. They are in this zip file:
http://www.filedropper.com/uma...
I just made that one. It doesn't have that particular site in it. ;-) I did have to edit it to enable the scripting on that page.
You are technically correct but making it sound harder than it is. You can use that file until you get your own going. Meaning, you'll just edit my file. You don't edit it personally or by hand. It is done by GUI. When you find a site that doesn't work, start clicking stuff. It changes colors to indicate that it is blocking stuff. There's green (go) and red (stop) and a few things to block or unblock.
It does have a learning curve. It is not too hard. It's like an old-school Windows firewall, software based, except it's just for your browser. One of the best things is that I can share the settings file. I've actually automated this (thus I never see it and had forgotten it is .txt). I simply place it on a network share and have it grabbed and copied with a cron job. (Yes, I have nothing better to do. Retirement is awesome like that.)
So, that should get you started. The rules are pretty straight forward. You can just use mine. They work well enough - edit as needed. The settings for sites is pretty straight forward but it takes some getting used to. Go ahead and use mine, that should give you the gist of it and a good leg-up. I've had that file for... Hmm... A while? I've been using it and migrating it for quite a while. I also have different preferences than you. So, you might want to take a peek. Often times, I've just decided to go for bare functionality - you may want to adjust that.
After you've loaded the file(s), just refresh this page. That'll give you a good example of what I've done - it works for me. If you've got any questions, I'll do what I can to help.
My work desk used to be one that I picked up at auction. Oh, you know the exact type. It was a government worker's desk (probably secretarial) made during WWII. It had the slide out parts (in the center and on the right) and drawers on both sides. One drawer is a bit different in height. It has a rack for holding folders. It has to be 500 pounds worth of steel.
It was *at least* owned by a government official and a school system before I owned it. It took three men and a boy to move it. If you could use it as a weapon, you'd be a bad ass. It still had its original paint job. Some stupid kid (presumably named TIMMY - and not the same one as our dear Timmy - again, a presumption) etched his name INSIDE the center drawer. I presume they were caught and punished for their behavior. If you're gonna do bad things, sign it with someone else's name.
You'd probably have to hit it with a Yugo to make something fall off it or even move. You might even need to get that Yugo up to speed. If I had to pick between riding the desk or riding in the Yugo, for this accident, I'd probably pick to be strapped onto the desk. It was made at a time that the people seemed inclined to think that they'd be using them as shields vs. automatic rifles. I own a lot of firearms. Some rounds would, in fact, be stopped by this desk at certain angles. If you're gonna hide behind a desk during a firefight, this might be the desk to do so.
I did not take my desk with me. I was not going to move my desk. I never, ever, changed offices after that desk was moved into the office. I do not know if that desk is still in that office - the building is still there. Somewhere, I do not know where, this desk surely still exists. The only way to destroy this desk involves heavy duty cutting material and a bunch of heat. I'm still not sure that the desk won't hold out for quite some time.
As far as I know, no. In theory? Yes, absolutely. If you had the specs, you could virtualize any hardware (I think?) and then test against it. As you do not have the specs, well... Of course, with that information - we'd probably have the liberated drivers.
That said, I've tried some of them on bare metal. So far, mostly so good. I've had good luck with sound and /working/ video. (I did not say optimized. I did not say fully feature compliant. I do get video that is watchable/usable.) In all of those specific instances (but not in others), I have used a desktop. I can't speak to hardware support other than that in older desktops - about three years old was/is my latest test-bed until someone comes and picks them up from me. (I think I found a home for them. A good home. They're only a few years old, have all the peripherals, SSDs, 8 to 16 GB of RAM, etc... I actually had to find someone to take them.)
So, I can't say that they'll work on a laptop and that you'll have wireless, support for the cell modem, or even touchpad support. I simply do not know and would not swear to it. I also don't know but you might be able to achieve the same thing, during the install of an official Ubuntu flavor, by unticking the box to enable third-party/closed software and drivers.
Why don't I know that? I am not a crazy zealot. I don't use Linux because of any idealism. I don't even, normally, read the code unless there's a problem. Even if there is a problem, I'm probably not the one you *want* to have reading that code. I will... I'll even "help out" if you want. I repeat, you probably don't want me to do so (but it's nice that I offered).
I just so happen to be able to check. I just went and plugged in a Belkin-something-or-other wifi dongle. It works in gNewSense. Note: The dongle is not the same as is in a laptop. Yes I carry a dongle. No, I am not making any claims other than that one worked, in that one distro, at that one time.
You know... I've actually had serious conversations with serious people about the font used on signs. It is not, technically, my area of expertise but I'm expected to know it, have hired someone familiar with it, or to have a consultant on hand for it. Well no, now I'm expected to be retired...
While I realize you were joking... How familiar are people with it? How well is its contrast with the various lighting expectations? How much information can be conveyed in the same space?
Given my druthers, and not being an expert, I'd like to see Helvetica be tested for use. So long as certain highways (namely those that are federally owned and under their authority) meet a minimal criteria, the municipality is allowed to enact most anything it wants. Of course, wide variations would be bad as they would lead to confusion and unfamiliarity.
For the English language, Helvetica seems to be a good choice. If, on the off chance, you're interested - there's actually a movie by that name. It's a documentary (of course, that's all I watch) and surprisingly interesting and informative. I watched it because I knew a bit about it but it turned out to be much better than one might expect. (A documentary about fonts???)
I'm also partial to some of the Ariel (or is it Arial) fonts. I'm not sure that they'd make good signage due to their width of the letter body (those crazy bastards have a specific name for all that stuff - including stuff like serifs, kerning, etc) and I'm not sure about Helvetica - I am not an expert. I have hired and consulted with experts and passed their recommendations along. (Usually it's basically, "How the hell should I know and it's not like they're actually going to listen. Go with the default. At least it works.) So, my suggestion is that they look into it. I'd hate to make an authoritative statement when I am not, in fact, an authority.
In the course of my professional career, I've had many discussions about signs and their fonts. No, I did not recommend the font you hate. That was some other guy or they didn't listen to me. It's never my fault, after all. I did not, however, expect to see it on Slashdot - ever. I didn't even submit this. So, if you have any questions about fonts and signage, I'm sure plenty of people here have an opinion on the matter. Me? I've really only got suggestions. There exist actual experts on this topic. I kind of doubt any of us are. I'm moderately familiar so I'm sure I'll be amused by the contents of the thread.
I got so sick of my Android that I asked around Slashdot and finally went with a Windows phone. I have no shame... None... So far, I've spent zero time, relatively, screwing with it. I don't have to worry about apps stealing my information - it doesn't have any apps. Well, not any that didn't come installed. I've added zero apps. It actually updates itself when needed. I don't have to worry about the OEM, the cell company, or a strange guy named Ralph who works in accounts receivable. Nope, updates come from (for better or worse) Microsoft. It's never even offered me Windows 10 but I believe I can install it - if I want.
I don't have a Windows computer. I do have a Windows phone. I'm pretty sure that, at this point, it's just the planet fucking with me. I don't have a giant ego but it sure seems like it's conspiring to fuck with me. Truth be told, I'm kind of happy with my Windows phone. It's snappy, has a fine battery life, and seems to get the job done. It looks like all the apps I could want are out there or in the store and most are even free (as in beer). So far? No issues. Yes, yes I said that about a Window-based phone.
I go through a lot of hardware. Linux works on all of it. Well, all of it that I've tried. I have hardware that I've never actually turned on. I have hardware that is still in unopened boxes. I suspect Linux works on them all. If it doesn't work by default (and it generally does) then I can usually find someone else who has made it work. Sometimes, I'm the guy who makes it work and sometimes I'm the one who asks for help. Usually, it just works.
Ha! I so gotta learn to scroll down before posting. :/
It's worth setting up. It is a whitelist approach. It works. It's just a bit of a pain in the ass to get set up. I'd send you the JSON that I have saved but, alas, that'd reveal too much about me and I'm too lazy to fix that. Hmm... Well, I guess... It'd reveal the only porn site I have in my record is 4cam and that I took enough time to configure it to, umm... Watch. If you can get past that, I'd probably be willing to share. It's got mostly geek sites loaded. Some video sites. I'd make your own, it's worth the time investment.
Look at uMatrix. It's available for Firefox now. It's so free, the author won't even let me send him money. However, it is a bit much at first. Once you get the hang of it, and save your settings, things go quite well. No, Google has no idea what I'm here. Yes, I can still use Maps.
> CSI: Cyber.
Ha! I Googled. That actually exists!
Err... I don't get out much.
I actually had to read it twice. I was really confused.
Hey now, it's not our fault. We don't get to control the language or how it is used. It was probably the grammarians or the econ-guys that did it. I'd have used nanometer.
If it helps, my first thought was CDN.
And they say Windows is easier.
Umm... I'd watch those? They'd be an interesting change in pace and I don't actually watch anything but documentaries - at least most of the time, that's what is on if there's something on at all. Assuming those were fairly well made, I'd watch 'em. I don't have television, normally, so I might not see them for a while (until someone mentions them and they're online) but I'd certainly give them a shot.
Hmm... My current series is The Century of Warfare. I've been watching it for two nights now. So, yeah, I'd watch those. They might be interesting. Hell, the series that I'm watching now is one that I've seen a bunch of times and isn't even all that detailed. I like the stuff with a narrow focus a bit more. I'd certainly watch the ones you mentioned, at least once.
Now, there's no need to go off on a tangent!