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10701
Developer's Corner / Re: Programming Paradigms
« Last post by 40hz on February 02, 2009, 02:31 PM »
Excellent course!  :Thmbsup:

Here's the link BTW  ;):

http://see.stanford....55-9a3a-ca9d470755ee

Other Stamford Engineering courses can be found here:

http://see.stanford.edu/see/courses.aspx

I've did the Programming Methodology course as a 'refresher' last year.  Once I got into it, I was amazed how much I'd forgotten about programming since my college years. Guess I needed it more than I thought I did. :-[
10702
Living Room / Re: Can a Linux man survive in Windows Land?
« Last post by 40hz on February 01, 2009, 11:55 PM »
Thanks for the input, Paul. I think this is one of those "three pipe problems" I'm going to have to sit down and figure out. There's something about Windows that now has me seriously bugged despite my not knowing exactly what it is.

At least now I have something to ponder if a bout of insomnia hits me tonight.

Still, I hope this 'vibe' goes away. I can't afford the luxury of actively disliking Windows. Especially since a large portion of my livelihood comes from it.

 :o
10703
Living Room / Re: xp reports that my floppy disc needs formatted error
« Last post by 40hz on February 01, 2009, 11:34 PM »
I've had good luck with Jufsoft's BadCopy:

http://www.jufsoft.com/badcopy

It costs about $40. There is a evaluation download that won't recover anything - but it will let you know if it is possible to recover your files. To do actual recoveries you'll need to purchase the full product.

Not cheap, but it comes with a money-back guarantee:

Why does BadCopy Pro have limits in evaluation/trial version?


    Usually, most data recovery utilities are only used once. The BadCopy Pro evaluation version checks your disk and data to see whether the restoration is possible. If it is, then purchasing the product allows you to restore and save the recovered files.

    If you purchase the software, but it does not restore a file as the evaluation version indicates, we will refund your money or help you by providing a FREE manual fix on the file.

    Please note that once you purchase BadCopy Pro, you can use the product for an unlimited number of times. BadCopy Pro is not a one-time product. Also, you can get free upgrades for all BadCopy Pro v3.x releases. You may continue to use this powerful, smart utility to solve kinds of disk or data problems in the future.

Luck! :Thmbsup:


10704
Living Room / Re: Can a Linux man survive in Windows Land?
« Last post by 40hz on February 01, 2009, 11:10 PM »
And if your going for whats "new" and "hot", why not just hop on the Windows 7 wagon? It's relatively stable from what I've heard...
-wreckedcarzz (January 30, 2009, 04:32 PM)

Actually, Win7's remarkably stable from what I've experienced.

Got one oddball lockup (under 64-bit) shuffling multiple ISO images back and forth on a 500GB external hard drive. But other than that, no showstopper issues to date.

But here's something truly weird. (At least for me.)

After running Win7 as my primary OS since the 10th of this month, I finally switched back to WinXP-SP3 and Linux (UbuLTS v8.0.4-2) for day-to-day use on January 31st.

But once I did, I discovered that:

   1. I no longer like WinXP anywhere near as much as I used to.

   2. I now vastly prefer to use Linux as my primary OS to the exclusion of XP or Win7.

Prior to my 20-day trial of Win7, my 'affections' were divided equally between XP and Linux.

Now I find myself no longer wanting to use Windows (XP or Win7) at all. Suddenly, both are feeling stiff and inelegant.

Somehow I got turned off to the whole Windows 'experience' despite genuinely liking Win7.

Is that happening to anybody else?

10705
Living Room / Re: Meme time! Five Things People Don't Know About Me
« Last post by 40hz on February 01, 2009, 07:32 PM »
I flew the A-10 Warthog
-edbro (February 01, 2009, 04:12 PM)

Awesome! The finest close-support aircraft ever .

My hat's off.



10706
Living Room / Re: Meme time! Five Things People Don't Know About Me
« Last post by 40hz on February 01, 2009, 02:58 PM »
app: #4. You too? :)
10707
Living Room / Re: Meme time! Five Things People Don't Know About Me
« Last post by 40hz on January 31, 2009, 11:05 PM »
Trip to Mars, one-in-ten chance of survival... turn back now!
-cranioscopical (January 31, 2009, 02:57 PM)
With or without "coming back"?
-fenixproductions (January 31, 2009, 05:37 PM)

Dealer's choice.

However, in the immortal words of Bilbo Baggins to Gandalf in the movie version of The Fellowship of the Ring

...I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin...sort of stretched. Like butter scraped over too much bread.

I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return.

In fact, I mean not to!   

10708
Living Room / Re: Meme time! Five Things People Don't Know About Me
« Last post by 40hz on January 31, 2009, 02:59 PM »
6. I often enjoy disregarding written instructions. ;)
-40hz (January 31, 2009, 02:51 PM)

You rebel, you!

Trip to Mars, one-in-ten chance of survival... turn back now!


-cranioscopical (January 31, 2009, 02:57 PM)

Sign me up. I'm there! :D
10709
Living Room / Re: Meme time! Five Things People Don't Know About Me
« Last post by 40hz on January 31, 2009, 02:51 PM »
1. I'm addicted to fabulist literature

2. I think Neil Gaiman's Sandman is a great work of fiction, even if it is a graphic novel

3. I can come up with a decent original bass line for anything

4. The first woman I ever had a major crush on was Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in The Avengers.

diana850.jpg

(mmm...those sexy-brainy English-types <sigh!>) ;)

5. If someone were to offer me the chance to go to Mars or another planet (but with only 1 chance in 3 of surviving the trip) I'd still go in a heartbeat.

6. I often enjoy disregarding written instructions. ;)

10710
Living Room / Re: Going Into Frugality Mode -- What are your Tricks and Tips
« Last post by 40hz on January 31, 2009, 02:21 PM »
If you can't avoid spending money, at least spend it wisely.

For the record, I'd rather not own a car. As the matter of a fact, I don't even really care to drive. My girlfriend and I share one car. We always have. And we've never paid more than $21K for one even when we could afford it.

But cars are pretty much a necessity where we live. Public transportation does not exist in many areas of CT. And where it is available, it's frequently a joke.

Unfortunately, our 2000 Altima has reached an 'epic fail.' It now has 200K+ miles on the odometer and major engine issues. And based on the repair quotes we received ($5K :tellme:), we've finally been forced to concede it's not worth fixing.

So if you're in the position (like us) of having to buy a car sometime this year, scoot on over to www.carbuyingtips.com and read some of what they have to say about how to do it.

The site format and design looks like something off an infomercial. But the articles are great reading, and they pack a lot of solid useful information. I especially enjoyed the Top Scams and  insurance buying articles, but all of it is worth checking out IMHO.

10711
DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Fundraiser discussion.. again.. need help with ideas
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 07:10 PM »

Now I completely understand that DC is different from c-base
-housetier (January 30, 2009, 01:57 PM)

Sure is. You guys have plane seats!  8) That is very very cool. :Thmbsup:
10712
Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 01:19 PM »
This might work for you.

It's small, ( rechargeable!) battery powered, made by Metro, and costs about $30.

Dataavac DVR1 Desktop Shuttle Vacuum/ Blower

1426580.jpg

http://www.cdw.com/s...ult.aspx?EDC=1426580
10713
Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 01:02 PM »
I've used the Metro DataVac Pro for years. Kind of pricey for individual use however. A small hand held hair dryer works well as long as it allows you to completely shut off the heat. Stand back about 2 feet and use a sweeping motion. (You might also want to wear a dust mask if it's really cruddy. Doing it out on the porch, or in your garage, is also a good idea.)

The thing you need to be careful of is using too much air pressure when you vac or blow computer components. Hard air streams can dislodge or damage small electronic components and mechanical devices. Under certain conditions, they can also generate potentially harmful static charges. Moderate air flow is the safest bet. A little dust is far less likely to damage your system than and overly an aggressive cleaning will.

f0dder and Mouser's canned air warnings are spot on. I've seen chips damaged or fried from condensation due to careless use of DustOff. Don't use canned air. It's bad for the environment anyway.

10714
DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Fundraiser discussion.. again.. need help with ideas
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 12:43 PM »
Having been involved in many fundraising efforts over the years, here are a few suggestions:

1. Ask. Don't be bashful or timid about asking for donations. If you are providing a worthwhile service (which you are!), it is perfectly reasonable to ask people to support it. People respect legitimate requests for donations.

2. Briefly explain what you are trying to accomplish with the fund raiser. Nothing too elaborate. Just saying something like "To help defer our annual operating expenses of $xxxx, etc." is plenty.

3. Stay away from gimmicks. I've found every fundraiser I was involved with that got into prizes, or gifts, or 'special thank-yous' wound up turning off a lot of the people we were trying to get to contribute.

4. By the same token, don't underestimate the importance of people feeling the need to belong to something worthwhile. Being able to call yourself " a member" packs a lot of punch for many people. A simple token or badge a contributor can somehow display is usually all the thanks they expect or want. I think Darwin had a good idea above - maybe even some sort of 'merit badge' type thing where each contributed year had it's own badge that got displayed.

5. Do your fundraiser once - or at the most, twice per year. Don't do the PBS/NPR mini-drive thing. It just gets people pissed off.

6. In the USA, the best times (so I've been told by the pros) are the spring (US Tax Refund Season!!!) and right around Thanksgiving when people are feeling generous but haven't gone completely broke buying Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule/Durin's Day presents yet.

7. The thermometer idea is great. Always let the people who contributed know how it is going. It builds involvement.

8. Lastly, whatever you do, see if you can find a way to give Curt that third gold box he wants so badly? ;D
10715
General Software Discussion / Re: PlayOnLinux might be what the Linux world needs to succeed
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 06:10 AM »
Now I plan to stick with SUSE so I am wondering about
- native linux games
- ports to linux (I know there were some eg: Kohan and Myth)
- emulation via wine or other tools
-iphigenie (January 30, 2009, 04:08 AM)

I'm partial to simulation-type games that don't require a 500-page manual. LinCity is a nice native one.

http://lincity-ng.be.../index.php/Main_Page

LinCity-NG is a city simulation game. It is a polished and improved version of the classic LinCity game. In the game, you are required to build and maintain a city. You can win the game either by building a sustainable economy or by evacuating all citizens with spaceships.

Lincity-ng-2.0.png
10716
General Software Discussion / Re: WINDOWS 7 THREAD (ongoing)
« Last post by 40hz on January 30, 2009, 05:59 AM »
find out which file is launched from the DVD when it is inserted and double click that - it should allow you launch the installer
-Carol Haynes (January 30, 2009, 05:25 AM)

Windows 7 still uses setup.exe for the installer.
10717
General Software Discussion / Re: The Difference between Anonymity and Privacy
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 06:53 PM »
Spider Robinson once observed that "Nothing good ever survives being discovered."

-or- as Yogi Berra so aptly put it: It got so popular that nobody goes there anymore.

Interesting notion. I wonder why that seems, so often, to be true...

10718
General Software Discussion / Two in-depth articles for developers and open source enthusiasts
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 06:48 PM »
Once again the folks over at Heise Online have come through with two articles of interest to developers and open source enthusiasts.

The first is an interesting look at the state of the Perl language The second addresses issues surrounding Open Office and related spin-offs.The articles have the metatitle of Healthcheck, and it appears Heise will be doing more of them down the road.

Excellent reading. Check them both out :Thmbsup:

Healthcheck: Perl - The Perl Future (12.01.2009, djwm)

 In our first Healthcheck, Piers Cawley explains how Perl is more than just the language of one liners and why Perl is in rude health

http://www.heise-onl...re--/features/112388

     
Healthcheck: OpenOffice (29.01.2009, trk)
     
 Open Office has come a long way since Sun Microsystems purchased StarOffice in 1999, is Sun's tight grasp on the code base gradually draining the life from the open source MS Office alternative?

http://www.heise-onl...ce--/features/112512

10719
General Software Discussion / Re: The Difference between Anonymity and Privacy
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 12:42 PM »
Depending on the community is a false hope, unfortunately there is no wisdom in the masses, only a false sense of security because the crowd depends on each other
-Paul Keith (January 28, 2009, 11:33 PM)

I think there's a significant difference between the concept of community vs the notion of "The Masses."

A 'mob' and a 'community' are not one and the same.

I have no faith in mass behaviors or beliefs. I merely live and deal with them as best I can. But I have relied upon communities I belong to from time to time. And to date, I've neither been disappointed, nor have my hopes been dashed.

Hope the same has been true for you. :)
10720
Living Room / Re: Gadgets that make you look like a jerk
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 09:36 AM »
Segway[/b]: I've only seen these things in movies. People actually use them for day-to-day use? I can understand their use but they seem bulky to me. I'd rather go for an electric scooter, as in a relatively normal sized scooter (that you move by pushing your foot across the ground) but with a small electric motor on it. That way it's more compact and you don't run people off the sidewalk.
-Deozaan (January 24, 2009, 12:54 PM)

I always wondered if they actually sold any of these things until I almost got run over by one coming out of a music club in the Black Rock section of Fairfield CT.

Very strange. Black Rock is a pretty funky area to begin with. And the Segway was being driven (operated?) by a guy who looked like he was either in a rehab program, or had just stepped off a commune back in the 70's. Quite a few people out on the sidewalk seemed to know who he was, and didn't seem the least surprised to see him tooling along on his 2-wheeled contraption.

Now, I always thought one of the reasons Segway never got off the ground was because of its high price tag.

So...what was a Segway doing in Black Rock? And how did that guy manage to get his hands on one?

Weird night. And I hadn't even been drinking...

10721
General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Songsmith
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 08:58 AM »
Remember "Band in a Box"? This seems similar to that, except this appears to fill in a harmony based on the melody of your voice.
-CWuestefeld (January 13, 2009, 08:32 PM)

Band-in-a-Box goes way beyond what MS is doing. BIAB is a marvelously useful app for music composition education. It also has sufficient depth that it frequently finds a role in professional settings.

But BIAB's best feature (and biggest selling point) is that it's fun to play with. I think Microsoft realized the importance of that when they created Songsmith.

After looking at the advert video, I wouldn't be at all surprised that MS is licensing some of the technology used in Band-in-a-Box.

---

P.S. I don't know who wrote that ad, but whoever did really needs to get out of marketing. I have seldom sat through something quite so painful as that. One minute into it and I was actually cringing with embarrassment for the actors. Hope they got paid well. :down:
10722
General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Songsmith
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 08:48 AM »
Isn't this sort of thing pretty prevalent already?
-Xenonym (January 29, 2009, 06:11 AM)

It dates back before the advent of the personal computer. Algorithmic composition and creativity was one of the earliest topics for research in the mainframe computer era.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Algorithmic_music

http://www.thinkarti...tificial-creativity/

http://en.wikipedia..../wiki/Computer_music

And this is the link for much of what's going on in research today:

http://www.flexatone...t/algoNet/index.html

This site provides a comprehensive research resource for computer aided algorithmic music composition, including over one-thousand research listings, over one hundred system listings, cross referenced links to research, links to software downloads and documentation, and web-based tools for searching and filtering the complete lexicon.

Browse systems
Browse resources
Search algorithmic.net
Learn more about algorithmic.net

10723
General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Home Server or stick with Windows Server 2003?
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 08:31 AM »
Fogot to mention earlier that Microsoft will let you evaluate their Home Server for 120 days free of charge.

No point in taking anybody's word for how good or bad it is when you can just see for yourself. 8)
 (Maybe even do a review of it for DoCo while you're at it?) 8) 8) 8)

Info & download links: http://www.microsoft...homeserver/eval.mspx

Direct download link: http://www.microsoft...a&displaylang=en

 :Thmbsup:
10724
General Software Discussion / Re: How would you market Windows 7?
« Last post by 40hz on January 29, 2009, 08:20 AM »
Hire George Clooney and have him say : "Windows 7, what else !"
and Mila Jovovitch would say "Because you deserve IT..."
-MerleOne (January 29, 2009, 03:21 AM)
I thought it was Milla who deserved IT? :-[

-f0dder (January 29, 2009, 07:48 AM)

True.

Still...if Milla were to drop by my place, and whisper 'it' in my ear, I'd be very much inclined to listen, along with some other activities. ;)

Delightful little creature, that one.

multipass2.jpg

10725
General Software Discussion / Re: WINDOWS 7 THREAD (ongoing)
« Last post by 40hz on January 28, 2009, 09:53 PM »
Don't really know if this is on-topic or not, but Ubuntu 8.04-2 installs and peacefully coexists with Windows 7.

The Grub configuration script (bless it's pointy little head) identifies Win7's loader just fine and installs to the MBR without incident.

(I'm composing this in Ubu as we speak. :))

Hope this continues when the final MS code gets released.

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