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User: Nick_Allain

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  1. You can view our Ralph Baer Interviews on Videogames Turn 40 · · Score: 5, Informative

    My buddy recently interviewed Ralph Baer at his home in NH. The interviews are online at http://blip.tv/file/158121/ and http://blip.tv/file/188528/. He's definitely an old school computer guy who would take designing circuits over programming any day.

  2. There are several reasons - here they are... on Ohio University Blocks P2P File Sharing · · Score: 1

    1) Bandwidth. College students think Universities have infinite bandwidth. The fact is that they don't. I went to a small college (1000 students + 200 faculty) and they both shared a max bandwidth T3 line. They used a network analysis tool to auto-turn off the connection to any computer (tracked by MAC address) that was using "excessive bandwidth" which was determined by a sliding scale based on time of day and overall network activity. The system could detect bittorrent and people were constantly kicked off for days at a time for using torrents. The point is, they needed the system. Without it, legit users were only getting download rates around 1.5 kb/sec with pings reaching over 1000ms. It was unusable. However, a system like this is rigid and requires constant administration from non-rigid IT. False positives occur (programs that auto-update - including Windows) were known to cause issues. IT needs to be flexible.

    2) RIAA subpoenas. My former college sent responses to every request for information from the RIAA they received by telling them that they would handle the matter internally. That numbered hundreds. The school enforced penalties. If things are they way they were then, a large school would need to hire people who would stuff RIAA envelopes all day.

    3) Network Worms. If I had a nickel for every college computer without a an up to date copy of Windows XP or virus scanner I'd be right next to Oprah Winfrey on the list of Billionaires.

    4) Open P2P is a security risk. It causes havoc for IT. IT costs money.

  3. Re:Error Message on Radical Transparency at NASA Via Second Life · · Score: 1

    The real error here is human - especially when we ship even more goods that aren't complete at point of sale. "Apply the patch before first use? You mean the X-ray machine wasn't supposed to do that?" The biomed implications of this kind of architecture are limitless!

  4. Re:110 wins? A Safe bet? on Mathematician Predicts Yankees To Dominate · · Score: 1

    Not a safe bet at all. Especially considering that the AL East is fairly strong this year. It seems april fools day comes 4 days late for baseball fans... The prediction is a joke. While math can certainly be applied to predict things like this, it fails to take into account that yankees overspend on old players. A more accurate prediction would be that by the end of the season, the cumulative number of years that yankees players are past their primes is about 110.

  5. Re:"Looks To..." on Samsung's UpStage Looks To Trump iPhone · · Score: 1

    I love her response to using the mp3 player and the phone at the same time. A glib and quick: "You wouldn't want to". Boy, it really sells me on these things when I get told what I wouldn't and wouldn't want to do.

  6. Re:Let's hope on SpaceX to Attempt Launch of Falcon 1 Today · · Score: 1

    I thought my feed was messed up when I saw that but then I realized that they chose an island for launch. Those islands are known for a constant breeze which can likely be accounted for with a little simply rocket science mathematics. I don't think they would have chose an island if they didn't expect some wind. Besides, it's not likely windy up above. On another note, the wonderful blue sky - island paradise webcam is a stark contrast to the 2 inches of snow falling outside my own window at the present.

  7. Re:Admitting it now on GoDaddy Bobbles DST Changeover? · · Score: 1

    My hosting has been down all day. Still is.

  8. Re:I can't help but be unimpressed on Sony Keynote Offers Hope For PlayStation 3 Fans · · Score: 1

    It's entirely different to add functionality because people assume it should be there than to add functionality because you came a year late and dollar short to the party just find out what other people are wearing so you can go out, copy them, and come back like you invented the latest fashions. LAME.

  9. Who Cares about how long they last... on Doomsday Seed Vault Design Unveiled · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The real question is whether they'll bury to Doomsday Porn Vault next to it. If we provide porn, it would practically double the incentive to find this thing! Sex and Food!