Messages

51

Site/Forum Features / Re: Shortcomings of DC and How to Improve

« on: February 28, 2011, 09:29 AM »

to:lotusrootstarch - i see a subtext in many of your comments. it says you have a problem with the number of non-programming things that get talked about here. also the number of members who have little interest in writing programs. because somehow it *dilutes* the site. is that what you're hinting lies at the root of this problem as you call it? :-)

52

General Software Discussion / Re: Most Pirated Software?

« on: February 24, 2011, 12:42 PM »

this is getting very heavy.

53

General Software Discussion / Re: Instantly Increasing Password Strength

« on: February 24, 2011, 09:53 AM »

Anything else done to reduce the complexity or length in order to make it more suitable for human use will reduce the level of security.

Not necessarily.

-Paul Keith (February 24, 2011, 09:36 AM)

i'm not a mathematician or a cryptography expert. but i think the experts disagree with you on that point based on what i've read and do understand ;-)

54

General Software Discussion / Re: What does it mean when I say "successful freeware"?

« on: February 14, 2011, 06:42 AM »

if it's freeware it's successful once it's finished and it works. :-))

55

Living Room / Re: Naming and Shaming Bad Forums with Bad Ethics

« on: December 29, 2010, 03:28 PM »

40hz neglected to mention that the forum i lord it over is for the employee association of the company i work for. being 'work related' changes the whole social contract. as such, it allows me to enforce a stricter set of rules than someone who is running a public space could likely get away with. it also permits me to fannysmack miscreants without coming off as being too much of a martinet.

#

@40hz- re: bunch of lungs

don't even *think* of trying it.  :-))

56

Living Room / Re: complete 180 on mouse preference - what's the best cheap mouse?

« on: December 28, 2010, 11:58 AM »

i've got one of those inexpensive logitech trackman "marble" jobbies on my desk and i really like it. it's especially nice for me because it's symmetrical and i'm a lefty. i mostly use a mouse but have found i greatly prefer the trackball when i'm working on a spreadsheet. haven't been able to get comfortable browsing with it however.

in our server area it's all trackball since there's no room to roll a mouse over by the main operator remote console. the keyboards that connect to our kvm switches all have integrated trackballs too.

57

Living Room / Re: Naming and Shaming Bad Forums with Bad Ethics

« on: December 28, 2010, 11:37 AM »

some things i try to remember when participating in a forum:
_______

- not everything i read requires a response from me

- when in doubt, grant the benefit of same.

- when lacking something useful or nice to say, refrain.

- don't try to play the cop. that's the job of the forum moderators.

- don't respond to rudeness with rudeness. that's the exclusive prerogative of the forum host. he or she sets the tone and is judged by it.

- if regularly affronted, don't argue. go elsewhere.

- ridicule is not an effective teaching method.

- be aware that english is not everyone's first - or preferred - language.

- don't nit-pick grammatical details when the meaning is clear. and when it isn't, seek clarification before taking offense.

- if you must rant or flame, don't 'go live' immediately after the spellcheck. compose offline and let it sit for a few hours. then delete it.

_____

can't speak for all, but it works for me.

58

Living Room / Re: Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas

« on: December 27, 2010, 06:54 AM »

@40hz: oh I got caps just fine.  

i'm just too lazy to use them when i'm on my blackberry.

BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND CHRISTMAS WISH!!!

(now aren't you glad i mostly stick to lc? even using parentheses and emoticons is a major concession afaic.)

##
p.s. you left a netbook in our server room last time you were in. i have it at my desk - so better be nice to me! ;-))

59

Living Room / Re: Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas

« on: December 27, 2010, 06:39 AM »

a child's Christmas poem
================

i didn't get one.

but I don't care.

i didn't want it anyway.

so there!

:-))

60

Living Room / Re: Need Help Finding a Domain Name

« on: December 12, 2010, 08:14 AM »

last i looked rant-page.com was still unclaimed.

so was rantpage.me and rantpage.info - but sorry, not rantpage.com

just out of curiosity, do you ever find yourself personally identifying with Hunter S. Thompson?

or possibly the Spider Jerusalem character in Transmetropolitan? :-))

61

Living Room / Re: I figured something out about Apple's device restrictions: file management.

« on: December 08, 2010, 06:25 PM »

i'm going to have to side with fellow member stoic joker's feelings.

i somehow can't get myself to the point were i can adopt the "just lie back and enjoy it" mindset.

;-)

62

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Stylizer 5.1 - a sophisticated CSS editor

« on: December 07, 2010, 10:10 AM »

fyi: current 'new license' price is $79.99 (not $59.99) per their website on 07-Dec-2010.  :-0

https://www.skybound.ca/buy/default.aspx

63

Living Room / Re: A NAS server for my home

« on: December 07, 2010, 06:59 AM »

The next problem I have is how to convince my wife that I need to buy one  

-dluby (December 07, 2010, 03:15 AM)

i suggest you try, as best you can, to think like a woman:

first, contemplate why you need a new server. come up with sufficient reason to buy a new NAS.

next, convince yourself it is something that absolutely needs to be done in order to make things better and happier for everyone in your home. take your time getting there. this step is absolutely crucial so make sure you are completely convinced of the 'rightness' of what you want to do.

next, try having a rational discussion about the merits of upgrading and see if you can get her on the same page as you.

if that fails, wait a week...

then unplug it.

tell her it's broken.  ;-)

p.s. i own two pogoplugs. i can very much recommend them. one gets used for its intended purpose  the other has been rooted and reconfigured as a LAMP server. this way i can experiment with all my wordpress things before i use them to break my real website.  :-))

64

General Software Discussion / Re: Advice Needed: Optical Storage

« on: November 24, 2010, 09:18 AM »

why not use a usb flash drive? you can find 8Gb versions at any major office discount outlet for around $12. ordering online is cheaper still. i just bought three name-brand "eights" on 'special' for $8 each.

65

Living Room / Re: Talk Radio... good or bad?

« on: November 08, 2010, 10:16 AM »

do you also lump curated "talk show" format interview shows in with that?

although it's become stylish to slag NPR, i've found Diane Reem and Talk of the Nation (when Juan Williams hosted) to be very good at getting to the bottom of some pretty tough topics. Reem and Williams were also very good at keeping the discussions on topic and not allowing guests and callers to become evasive or change the subject when caught out in a misrepresentation (i.e. lie), exaggeration, or blatant misunderstanding. and it was always enlightening to see how they could cut thru the "talking points" mindset and get to the real issues beneath them.

thoughts? :-)

66

Living Room / Re: Truely awesome 404 page!

« on: November 06, 2010, 01:29 PM »

i want a pair of sneakers like the girl that's taking the pictures is wearing! ;-))

67

Living Room / Re: Desktop Linux: The dream is dead

« on: October 18, 2010, 10:24 AM »

linux primarily failed at desktop success because it refused to knuckle under and accept being loaded with DRM enforcement software? and the public would rather live with DRM than force the media giants to rethink their strategies?

that's about the conclusion you might expect from a *pc* focussed website like pcworld/uk. :-))

i think the general public's indifference about which os it's using combined with the inertia of sticking with what you already know best has more to do with it. otherwise there wouldn't be half so many win xp holdouts.

68

Living Room / Re: How will the Earth end?

« on: October 16, 2010, 10:23 AM »

in silence.

69

Living Room / Re: Why do we go out of our way to be unhelpful in forums?

« on: September 28, 2010, 05:37 PM »

@superboyac

re: ultra-efficient no-nonsense website for just accurate information

try www.quora.com

(hope you don't mind the 'weblink' answer.  ;-))

p.s.  despite the "prima donna," or whatever else you may call yourself, I will continue to think of you as a very nice person. i'm sure many others also think the same.     

70

Living Room / Re: Why do we go out of our way to be unhelpful in forums?

« on: September 28, 2010, 02:47 PM »

i look at it from the opposite side of the schoolyard.

one of the reasons i so seldom participate in forum discussions is because of the number of times i tried to be helpful but got my face handed back to me. usually it was because my posting wasn't *exactly* what the querent was looking for.

altogether too much "me! Me!! ME!!!" for my comfort level. hence i tend to be a chronic lurker in most places i visit. 

i see less of it happening at this website. but it's not completely absent. :-(  

71

General Software Discussion / Re: forward email?

« on: September 27, 2010, 03:06 PM »

what cellphone brand and os are you using?

72

General Software Discussion / Re: what's wrong with my PC? (it's often soooo slow)

« on: September 22, 2010, 11:43 AM »

install mouser's process tamer app and note what process gets tamed when it cuts in. you can also check its log file for clues.   

you'll have a better idea what to do next once you've identified your resource hog.  

73

Living Room / Re: Does anyone actually use the Scroll Lock key?

« on: September 20, 2010, 09:55 AM »

re:scroll lock key- i use it as a soft key to toggle my kvm switch.

re:being weird - true. but not for that reason :-))

74

General Software Discussion / Re: What HTML5 can do -- cool site

« on: September 08, 2010, 05:35 PM »

won't even load in safari on my cubical-neighbor's iphone.

little wheel just keeps spinning round and round...

which is funny considering apple is supposedly so big on html5 and so down on flash. :-))

75

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« on: September 02, 2010, 08:07 PM »

i've been generally happy with comodo's offering provided all you use it for is the firewall.

the rest of the "internet security" features comodo bundles in cause more headaches than they're worth imho.

however, if you're sitting behind a hardware home router with basic security features there's also good argument that the built-in firewall that comes with Windows is more than adequate.