Alan was making an article about console image quality. He had his monster cables and OEM s-video and composite cables. If he says "monster", that's what they are. The screenshots had to be labelled clearly. Seriously, what do you people expect? The most ambiguity possible? =/
You're getting off the point here. Alan paid for them himself. Nobody at FiringSquad got paid by monster or anyone who has a stake in monster's success.
Sorry man, you're mistaken. Alan payed for those cables out of his own pocket. We don't get them as "review material" or anything of that sort. He's our local audio/videophile, and he picked what fit his desires and student budget best. That's the reason we have only monster and 'generic' cables. It's a bit difficult to buy every other cable out there. As for them costing too much, I think you also understand that in all manner of technical obsessions, people will spend ten times more for something only 10% better.
I understand what the article looks like, but isn't it a bit obvious? I mean, if we were making an advertorial I hope you'd judge my editing skills sufficiently advanced to make it more subtle. The reason I left it as is, was in the hope that people would realize "wow, if they're pushing a product, maybe it's a little blatant."
Then the other person will wonder why you're covering up, it'll be rude if you can see him but not yourself. There's too much potential for miscommunication, while searching for privacy. More tedious etiquette would have to be developed, but quite frankly I don't want to be seen on the phone, ever. Not just occasionally, but ever.
I doubt most of you have worked in a union shop at any point in your lives.
Imagine the most incestuos, concentrated group of incompetents on charge of your job, your welfare and your career, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. The people who survive 30 years in a union shop to get the highest union positions are not the skilled, not the caring and not the intelligent - they are the stubborn, backstabbing, self-righteous oafs who push everyone out. They are encouraged to do so by management, which of course wants to break up a union and how else to do so but by making the union turn upon itself?
Unlike (I assume) most people who read slashdot, I've worked in "real" jobs that involve intense physical labor, and two of them were complete union shops. While I understand there being a need to protect employees from exploitation, do you think a programmer earning at least 2-3 times the gross national average needs protection? Even in extreme situations (coal mines, heavy labor factories), the union is a necessary evil, not a righter of wrongs.
With unions come politics, internal, external, and "fringe", as in Jimmy Hoffa "fringe". Blue collar workers have learned how to deal with the downsides of the union over the past century, they know how to prolong its usefulness. White collar workers have no such experience, they will have their unions manipulated and twisted into the personal tools of whoever happens to have the most influence in the union.
What will your union provide you with? Medical benefits? Job security? Work safety regulations? Don't make me laugh. You have all that and more, and it's NOT worth giving up a meritocratic system of advancement, peace of mind and your political views over.
I agree, it's my job to write game reviews, and what was posted is not one. It's one of many, endless rants you see on the internet because a user's configuration didn't happen to work with a piece of software. It's about as original as "pull my finger".
The reviewer does have some points, and he should mention that the game has technical problems - and if severe and widespread enough they should factor into the final score to warn off potential buyers - but you can't judge the game solely on its technical shortcomings. Organize a boycott, petition on message boards, email tech support, call tech support - fine. But don't pass off your bitch and whine as a review.
I actually had the Eye of the Beholder games in an earlier revision of the article. However, we needed to cut it down so that it's not too long. I guess it went out with the editing =]
The importance of Baldur's Gate is that it introduced real-time RPGing to this generation of gamers which wants real-time. Eye of the Beholder wasn't revolutionary for being real-time (Dungeon Master claims that title). Eye of the Beholder came too soon, in a sense - it came at a time when everyone was still used to and playing turn-based RPGs. BG came at a time when a game 'needed' to be real-time to be popular.
I can imagine a few licenses to games like Sonic, Ecco, and so on. Nintendo's big on "big license" games that they make themselves...
But really, since consoles are much more generational than PC hardware, you can't get that much of a benefit from bought technology. NVIDIA benefited from the 3dfx purchase by getting GigaPixel tech and they also managed to settle the lawsuits against them in that fashion. But how would Nintendo benefit from purchasing Sega?
Eudora Pro is an excellent example of this. It's far superior to Outlook or any other mail client out there. The ads there don't get in the way but are noticeable - I've even voluntarily clicked a few - and not out of guilt either. They had these World Wildlife Fund ads going which I had to check out. I haven't checked out Opera yet but I'll be willing to support it as long as it's better than Nutscrape.
I don't see much in the way of an advantage here. What do they possibly offer?
I'll concede perhaps a faster spinup time since they're lighter, but will these flimsy CDs be able to withstand rotations at 70X without deforming? What about scratches? Most of the thickness of current CDs and DVDs is a protective coating. The real disc itself is extremely thin. Anyone can remove lacquer, it's just making sure that the disc is still worth using afterwards that's important.
It's really nice to hear good news from time to time, especially on issues that really matter - like the environment. Media is so concerned with the negatives, just because they catch attention.
The only places I'd like to move to in the States are the ones with the problems I mentioned. The Bay area, LA, Houston and various cities along the East Coast...
If you're not paying out of your arse for rent, you're in the ghetto. Unfortunately that's where many of my career opportunities lie =\
You *CAN* get more expensive services, very easily. There are Home Business and Small Business (or larger) plans for every ISP.
I can get part of a T1 redirected to me with a Small Office plan (at least that's what it used to be). Or I can have the upload/download speed caps on my DSL raised to 4Mb/1.5Mb with the Home Business plan.
As for higher tax rates, I'll have you know that Alberta is moving to a 10.5% FLAT tax at the start of the new year. There will still be federal tax... but even at its worst, if you live in Alberta you won't pay more than 38% in taxes no matter how much you earn. And look at what you get - space, a clean environment, safety, cheap living expenses, etc.
As for the rather... pardon me... idiotic statement that "Monopolies are in some respects a different story, but keep in mind that the majority of monopolies are a product of government regulation, not of the free market." I'll just point to Standard Oil, US Steel and a multitude of other exampes of a 'free market' at work, which it was back then. Unrestrained competition and battle ultimately produces a winner, and his reward is monopoly up until he gets lazy and taken over by a younger, more dynamic enemy (ie, a new company with bright ideas, low overhead, etc.) Monopolies are hardly exclusively the product of government regulation... though they can be.
And no, I'm not some Canadian out on some crusade to prove that we're as good as Americans. I, and most other Canadians, don't need to prove anything to you. I'm just trying to argue your invalid points.
You do realize that a lot of companies know that competition hurts them both, so that's why so many of them create organizations and associations to help prevent 'destructive' competition - or at the very least exclude others. Look at the Big 3 auto makers and the Auto Pact. Look how happy utilities companies were when utility price standardization came in. Sure it didn't mean huge profits, but it meant consistent ones. RIAA? MPAA?
What MS and AOL are doing is starting the beginnings of another such association - they'll probably try and squeeze out smaller ISPs, likely with government help. When governments start demanding content control on the internet such as keeping porn away from kids, these guys will step up and use that as an excuse to squeeze out small companies. They'll use anything as an excuse. Look at the MPAA - if you're an independent film maker, just TRY and get a real rating on your film. Playboy had an interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone and they discussed how one of their films kept getting an NC-17 rating and they couldn't get it through... they got no help and no one would tell them which parts were offensive. But when they were making the South Park movie, the rules were bent for some parts of it, and they ALWAYS knew what to remove/edit.
I remember the days when monitors were the constant in computer evolution. You'd buy a monitor for $500 and 3 years later it'd be worth $350. As compared to any other computer part which would be worth $50.
Now? Jeez.
Anyway, I can imagine some crazy uses for this. MRIs come to mind first. Or even using it to display the internals of a human being where a surgeon can get a good look before meddling around.
I wonder when the first giant-floating-head image of the Emperor from SW will show up:D
From the "not funny" department:
Surrender!
No!
Look you bastard I just chopped your bloody armor off!
It's just a flesh wound... here, see, it clips right back on!
You need a hard copy as proof that you voted. It's easy to alter digital records if you know how, but to falsify 10,000 paper ballots is another story.
I think we should *always* have a physical record of a vote or any important action/transaction (like major bank transfers, pay stubs, credit card bills, etc.)
There are many valuable metals and alloys in a computer. Anything from small quantities of platinum and silver to stainless steel.
Finally, there are many re-usable parts in PCs. Sound card dead? Maybe, but not necessarily the amp or the connectors. The PCB can be recycled if you take off the chips, etc.
And you're PAYING for this. I remember a CNN report about a company in Switzerland that did this for free and made about $100 off every computer dropped off.
I think that governments should compete with private industry in pay scale. You don't want industries ever monopolozing something that a government needs - just think of all the ghastly consequences of that.
-*-*-*-
I'm a little segfault short and stout
this is my handle, this is my spout!
Just so you know, Anna Kang perfectly understands. She had final say on what gets posted. She knows John and what she got into - after all, she let him take a workstation to their honeymoon.
That's John for you right there - a completely dedicated and driven individual. Anna, on the other hand, is a tough, caring and understanding woman. He might come off as a prick there if you don't know him, but he's just dedicated.
-*-*-*- I'm a little segfault short and stout this is my handle, this is my spout!
In fact, the original story of Quake was supposed to be an RPG, well not an RPG exactly, but a fantasy game.
Heehee, think about how THAT would've changed the world of first person shooters as we know them today...
I read the story once behind it. CGW went to id to get a Doom II preview and got a few sneak peeks at Quake. Apparently you played a Thor-like being called "Quake" who went running around with a badass hammer. Among the planned features were realistic physics - ie, not only would you fall and take damage, but you'd roll on the ground (or down a hillside) from the momentum.
Scary, when you think of it. There'd probably be no huge sales, no Thresh, and I wouldn't have my job!
-*-*-*- I'm a little segfault short and stout this is my handle, this is my spout!
Slashdot Mirror
I beg to differ.
Alan was making an article about console image quality. He had his monster cables and OEM s-video and composite cables. If he says "monster", that's what they are. The screenshots had to be labelled clearly. Seriously, what do you people expect? The most ambiguity possible? =/
You're getting off the point here. Alan paid for them himself. Nobody at FiringSquad got paid by monster or anyone who has a stake in monster's success.
I understand what the article looks like, but isn't it a bit obvious? I mean, if we were making an advertorial I hope you'd judge my editing skills sufficiently advanced to make it more subtle. The reason I left it as is, was in the hope that people would realize "wow, if they're pushing a product, maybe it's a little blatant."
Then the other person will wonder why you're covering up, it'll be rude if you can see him but not yourself. There's too much potential for miscommunication, while searching for privacy. More tedious etiquette would have to be developed, but quite frankly I don't want to be seen on the phone, ever. Not just occasionally, but ever.
What a lightweight!
I doubt most of you have worked in a union shop at any point in your lives.
Imagine the most incestuos, concentrated group of incompetents on charge of your job, your welfare and your career, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. The people who survive 30 years in a union shop to get the highest union positions are not the skilled, not the caring and not the intelligent - they are the stubborn, backstabbing, self-righteous oafs who push everyone out. They are encouraged to do so by management, which of course wants to break up a union and how else to do so but by making the union turn upon itself?
Unlike (I assume) most people who read slashdot, I've worked in "real" jobs that involve intense physical labor, and two of them were complete union shops. While I understand there being a need to protect employees from exploitation, do you think a programmer earning at least 2-3 times the gross national average needs protection? Even in extreme situations (coal mines, heavy labor factories), the union is a necessary evil, not a righter of wrongs.
With unions come politics, internal, external, and "fringe", as in Jimmy Hoffa "fringe". Blue collar workers have learned how to deal with the downsides of the union over the past century, they know how to prolong its usefulness. White collar workers have no such experience, they will have their unions manipulated and twisted into the personal tools of whoever happens to have the most influence in the union.
What will your union provide you with? Medical benefits? Job security? Work safety regulations? Don't make me laugh. You have all that and more, and it's NOT worth giving up a meritocratic system of advancement, peace of mind and your political views over.
I agree, it's my job to write game reviews, and what was posted is not one. It's one of many, endless rants you see on the internet because a user's configuration didn't happen to work with a piece of software. It's about as original as "pull my finger".
The reviewer does have some points, and he should mention that the game has technical problems - and if severe and widespread enough they should factor into the final score to warn off potential buyers - but you can't judge the game solely on its technical shortcomings. Organize a boycott, petition on message boards, email tech support, call tech support - fine. But don't pass off your bitch and whine as a review.
I actually had the Eye of the Beholder games in an earlier revision of the article. However, we needed to cut it down so that it's not too long. I guess it went out with the editing =]
The importance of Baldur's Gate is that it introduced real-time RPGing to this generation of gamers which wants real-time. Eye of the Beholder wasn't revolutionary for being real-time (Dungeon Master claims that title). Eye of the Beholder came too soon, in a sense - it came at a time when everyone was still used to and playing turn-based RPGs. BG came at a time when a game 'needed' to be real-time to be popular.
I can imagine a few licenses to games like Sonic, Ecco, and so on. Nintendo's big on "big license" games that they make themselves...
But really, since consoles are much more generational than PC hardware, you can't get that much of a benefit from bought technology. NVIDIA benefited from the 3dfx purchase by getting GigaPixel tech and they also managed to settle the lawsuits against them in that fashion. But how would Nintendo benefit from purchasing Sega?
So many mobile devices are at least 32 bit, nevermind 16 or 8. This seems like a wasted effort - an effort that could have gone to better things.
Speaking of which, do 8 bit machines actually have enough memory and speed to handle Java code? It's not exactly the fastest code in the world...
...as long as they don't get in the way.
Eudora Pro is an excellent example of this. It's far superior to Outlook or any other mail client out there. The ads there don't get in the way but are noticeable - I've even voluntarily clicked a few - and not out of guilt either. They had these World Wildlife Fund ads going which I had to check out. I haven't checked out Opera yet but I'll be willing to support it as long as it's better than Nutscrape.
I don't see much in the way of an advantage here. What do they possibly offer?
I'll concede perhaps a faster spinup time since they're lighter, but will these flimsy CDs be able to withstand rotations at 70X without deforming? What about scratches? Most of the thickness of current CDs and DVDs is a protective coating. The real disc itself is extremely thin. Anyone can remove lacquer, it's just making sure that the disc is still worth using afterwards that's important.
It's really nice to hear good news from time to time, especially on issues that really matter - like the environment. Media is so concerned with the negatives, just because they catch attention.
does anyone know if the defunct Iridium network could have been used for this?
Just where in the States do you live?
The only places I'd like to move to in the States are the ones with the problems I mentioned. The Bay area, LA, Houston and various cities along the East Coast...
If you're not paying out of your arse for rent, you're in the ghetto. Unfortunately that's where many of my career opportunities lie =\
You *CAN* get more expensive services, very easily. There are Home Business and Small Business (or larger) plans for every ISP.
I can get part of a T1 redirected to me with a Small Office plan (at least that's what it used to be). Or I can have the upload/download speed caps on my DSL raised to 4Mb/1.5Mb with the Home Business plan.
As for higher tax rates, I'll have you know that Alberta is moving to a 10.5% FLAT tax at the start of the new year. There will still be federal tax... but even at its worst, if you live in Alberta you won't pay more than 38% in taxes no matter how much you earn. And look at what you get - space, a clean environment, safety, cheap living expenses, etc.
As for the rather... pardon me... idiotic statement that "Monopolies are in some respects a different story, but keep in mind that the majority of monopolies are a product of government regulation, not of the free market." I'll just point to Standard Oil, US Steel and a multitude of other exampes of a 'free market' at work, which it was back then. Unrestrained competition and battle ultimately produces a winner, and his reward is monopoly up until he gets lazy and taken over by a younger, more dynamic enemy (ie, a new company with bright ideas, low overhead, etc.) Monopolies are hardly exclusively the product of government regulation... though they can be.
And no, I'm not some Canadian out on some crusade to prove that we're as good as Americans. I, and most other Canadians, don't need to prove anything to you. I'm just trying to argue your invalid points.
Monopoly anyone? Unfair trade practices?
You do realize that a lot of companies know that competition hurts them both, so that's why so many of them create organizations and associations to help prevent 'destructive' competition - or at the very least exclude others. Look at the Big 3 auto makers and the Auto Pact. Look how happy utilities companies were when utility price standardization came in. Sure it didn't mean huge profits, but it meant consistent ones. RIAA? MPAA?
What MS and AOL are doing is starting the beginnings of another such association - they'll probably try and squeeze out smaller ISPs, likely with government help. When governments start demanding content control on the internet such as keeping porn away from kids, these guys will step up and use that as an excuse to squeeze out small companies. They'll use anything as an excuse. Look at the MPAA - if you're an independent film maker, just TRY and get a real rating on your film. Playboy had an interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone and they discussed how one of their films kept getting an NC-17 rating and they couldn't get it through... they got no help and no one would tell them which parts were offensive. But when they were making the South Park movie, the rules were bent for some parts of it, and they ALWAYS knew what to remove/edit.
$2500 down the drain. ;) (I wish :)
:D
I remember the days when monitors were the constant in computer evolution. You'd buy a monitor for $500 and 3 years later it'd be worth $350. As compared to any other computer part which would be worth $50.
Now? Jeez.
Anyway, I can imagine some crazy uses for this. MRIs come to mind first. Or even using it to display the internals of a human being where a surgeon can get a good look before meddling around.
I wonder when the first giant-floating-head image of the Emperor from SW will show up
I don't think anyone cares about Star Wars since The Jar Jar Menace appeared =[
From the "not funny" department: Surrender! No! Look you bastard I just chopped your bloody armor off! It's just a flesh wound... here, see, it clips right back on!
You need a hard copy as proof that you voted. It's easy to alter digital records if you know how, but to falsify 10,000 paper ballots is another story. I think we should *always* have a physical record of a vote or any important action/transaction (like major bank transfers, pay stubs, credit card bills, etc.)
There are many valuable metals and alloys in a computer. Anything from small quantities of platinum and silver to stainless steel. Finally, there are many re-usable parts in PCs. Sound card dead? Maybe, but not necessarily the amp or the connectors. The PCB can be recycled if you take off the chips, etc. And you're PAYING for this. I remember a CNN report about a company in Switzerland that did this for free and made about $100 off every computer dropped off.
I think that governments should compete with private industry in pay scale. You don't want industries ever monopolozing something that a government needs - just think of all the ghastly consequences of that.
-*-*-*-
I'm a little segfault short and stout
this is my handle, this is my spout!
Just so you know, Anna Kang perfectly understands. She had final say on what gets posted. She knows John and what she got into - after all, she let him take a workstation to their honeymoon.
That's John for you right there - a completely dedicated and driven individual. Anna, on the other hand, is a tough, caring and understanding woman. He might come off as a prick there if you don't know him, but he's just dedicated.
-*-*-*-
I'm a little segfault short and stout
this is my handle, this is my spout!
In fact, the original story of Quake was supposed to be an RPG, well not an RPG exactly, but a fantasy game.
Heehee, think about how THAT would've changed the world of first person shooters as we know them today...
I read the story once behind it. CGW went to id to get a Doom II preview and got a few sneak peeks at Quake. Apparently you played a Thor-like being called "Quake" who went running around with a badass hammer. Among the planned features were realistic physics - ie, not only would you fall and take damage, but you'd roll on the ground (or down a hillside) from the momentum.
Scary, when you think of it. There'd probably be no huge sales, no Thresh, and I wouldn't have my job!
-*-*-*-
I'm a little segfault short and stout
this is my handle, this is my spout!