In short
In other words, this *can* be used as an example of how the *current patent system" is wrong.
122 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Jun 2009
"Dull people will always cheer a bold experiment that goes wrong."
Hey, I'll cheer for anything that delivers a change from the tedium of daily life. :) And I like a cool concept, especially when it's doomed. So of course I liked the cube. But, of course, I didn't buy one. Duh!
I wouldn't say I'm dull, exactly; I'm just getting an early start on the weekend. This round's on me!
OK, so while the very first Lego Star Wars was pretty good, everything that has happened since Lucas noticed that it existed can be described in one word. However, I don't know the reg policy on one-word comments, so I've explained myself here. Oh, that word?
Yaaaaaawn.
So maybe, possibly, there might be a melt-through. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/08/3238720.htm Sounds like they're trying not to give us the bad news all at once.
Fukushima is still a good example of how good engineering not only attempts to minimize the chance of failure, but also set up failure modes to mitigate the effects of worst-case scenarios. As events unfold, it is also becoming a reminder of what is at risk.
There are three parts to risk management: 1) the odds, 2) what you have to gain, and 3) what you risk losing. The problem with nuclear power is not 1 or 2, it's 3. If I wasn't addicted to cheap, plentiful electricity, I'd probably be against it...
"Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced full meltdowns at three reactors in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in March, the country's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters said Monday."
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/06/japan.nuclear.meltdown/index.html
Oh well.
It doesn't matter what you do, your STUPID friends will still upload pictures of you, tag you in them, and share them with the world, along with some helpful comments about the easiest way to break into your basement and your home address. But I suppose you're still asking for it, right? Better if you don't have any friends...
I know it's trendy to blame the victim, but it's still weak.
I still don't quite understand why the first version of Windows Phone is called 7.
Well, that's not true... I *do* understand: they're ashamed of version 1 because of past performance. Everyone knows that version 1 of anything Microsoft releases is incomplete and generally to-be-avoided, version 2 is probably useful but not complete, and version 3 is probably worth buying. So they call it "7" to confuse us and give us the impression that it's somehow as mature as Windows 7. But of course that doesn't work. All this means is that we will wait for Windows Phone 10 and then go queue up to buy one. It's not difficult math. What, do they think consumers are stupid?
Oh, right. Never mind.
If you've never downloaded a no-CD (or no-dongle) hack to use with software you legally purchased, you're a square. Illegal does not necessarily mean immoral. And it doesn't always mean stealing.
Granted, it's getting hard to find clean wares these days. Trojans everywhere. Where is the love?
However, the Ergodex is missing the "feature" of allowing you to put a trackpad anywhere you want on the board. (Since I hate trackpads, I can't help thinking of a giant trackpad as an antifeature but...)
As all of the pictures feature "laptop" style computers, I find myself imagining the ability to put short-throw keys with edges that grab my fingertips in any layout I can imagine. Joy!
Which is why I don't own one. I really just want a book.
I hate when the author "revises" a book and the original edition is no longer available[*]. Of course, you need a replacement copy because you loved that book so much you loaned it out until, inevitably, it didn't come back. Now...that book has changed. It's "available" but completely different. It's no longer the book you love, and because the "new edition" exists, you can't get the original at all.
My nightmare: your favorite book gets "revised" by the author and you no longer have the original copy. Because it is an e-book controlled by the publisher, you do not have control over the book, you don't even have the right to read the original version any more. For a list of other ways in which technology has failed to improve your quality of life, press 2 now.
* - Treason and A Planet Called Treason by Orson Scott Card. The original edition had magic, the revised edition does not. His writing went into the toilet when he started letting fans tell him what should be in the books. See also Star Wars Episode IV.
"He racks the gun twice." When gun fanatics use this highly technical gun jargon like "rack", it totally leaves me behind. How do you rack a gun, and why would you do it twice?
It doesn't look like the camera was hit, it looks like maybe its brightness auto adjusted after the muzzle flash. Or maybe it's one of those self-healing video cameras I've heard so much about lately.
TV news. *sigh*
I noticed that Mr. Page's series of articles defending nuclear power stopped. When is there going to be another followup?
I actually was influenced positively by the previous articles, but I'm curious what takeaways *he* will have in light of new developments. Most of his points are still valid, but the current situation highlights how his analysis sidesteps the negative consequences of failure. Risk management involves both 1) risk, and 2) consequences. Considering that we are a long way from the worst place scenario, the consequences still look, how can I say this, yucky?
We need another update on the situation from a Page perspective. Don't wuss out; follow through!
I'll take "Forever Delayed" any day, over some^H^H^H^H most game releases that are barely playable. Seems like about half the recently released games require 12 months of patching before they reach a playable state, but by then the reputation of the game is so sullied that sales are in the toilet, and the developer abandons support to instead make their next game.
I'd rather have $60US in my pocket waiting for a game that is never released, than an on-time release of another turd sandwich.
I may never forgive El Reg for posting this video, or myself for clicking on it.
Calling this track "derivative" would be like calling the music it copies "derivative." In fact, trying to describe the lameness of this track is as pointless as the track itself.
Oh man, that one stung.
I Heart My DT880s! (insert multiple exclamation points here)
You can order them in custom colors too. If you live in the right country. :(
Great for music *and* gaming. Sure, a street price of about $200 (us) is a bit high, but compared to about $160 for Razer's crappy surround headphones, it's not bad. Which is exactly what I compared them to.
Incidentally, my Razer crappy surround headphones are going on eBay this afternoon...you should be able to get them for under $50. So if "three figures" seems like too much, buy my crappy phones instead
"...claim that prosecutors must charge him with an offence, and therefore disclose the evidence against him, in order to qualify for extradition."
No, that's not true. We can just send him to Guantanamo any time we... wait, did you say EXTRAdition? I thought you said RENdition, because here in the US, we routinely disappear people to other countries without any kind of due process. It's practically legal if they've been publicly accused of terrorism.
I get those two things confused all the time! Of course you can't extradite someone without some sort of reason. Heh, silly me. Is it beer time yet?
Authority figure has plan to "deal with those sneering punks on the corner once and for all" and ends up in way over their heads. It's like a sitcom. (Except that it's funny.)
The assumption that Anonymous had (or has) shown their strength, considering the organization name, seems pretty poor.
I had to check the reviews again after reading the developer response. I don't see his complaint, as the few comments seem to be pretty helpful:
* It is not convenient to slide to get to the characters/symbols
* People still need some form of auto correct, which is not supported (?)
* Runs very slow on HTC Hero
And an average score of 3 stars (no pun intended) speaks for itself.
With only four comments and 16 ratings, the app is already on track for a big slice of failure. It looks like some good research went into the idea, and I find it appealing. But, making good software is harder than it sounds. The concept is great, but the reviews say, clearly, "stay away!"
When you say "Top App", I assume that you mean "two out of five stars" based on AndroidPIT users, or 3/5 in the Marketplace.
Let's see what people have to say about it. "Almost unusable." One star from a user angry that it's non-refundable. "Stock keyboard is much more friendly."
Top shelf!
Now I want to hear the joke and decide for myself. If I was a survivor of something awful, and I was described as unlucky, I would simply agree. On the other hand, if the surrounding tirade was coarsely constructed and insensitive, I would probably decide whether it was insensitive based on whether or not I hurt myself laughing.
(Beer, because, uh, because I like beer?)
It's a depressing result--as a gamer I already have several games that support 3D, but I also probably won't be buying a 3D setup until at /least/ next summer, probably more like a year. Because they're so expensive! I love gaming but where am I supposed to get the money to afford it? Heck, my cat needs dental work; as much as my geeky self is ashamed to admit it, my cat's teeth may actually be more important than 3D. I suppose that puts things in perspective a bit. (ooh, did you see the joke I made there?)
The same applies to 3D on the PC, actually. I'd have gone 3D a long time ago if I could afford a high-scan-rate monitor. But... ouch!