Recent Posts

1776

Living Room / Re: Help me build the ultimate metal playlist

« Last post by Edvard on May 27, 2009, 11:16 AM »

Speedy? OK.

• Slayer - Reign In Blood (hit random)
• Forced Entry - Anaconda
• Excel - Message in a bottle (trust me, this cover rules)
• Fishbone - Sunless Saturday
• Everything I've already mentioned, except for Raven, Iron Maiden and Trouble.

this isn't really my style of music but:
Hawkwind's Motorhead is pretty great and might qualify: http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=p6OuyJKnIyU

-mouser (May 27, 2009, 05:08 AM)

Aw man, Mouser you are going back...
For history's sake then, add these three:

• Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (Metallica's cover was good, NIN's remix was mind-boggling, but the original is madness...)
• Deep Purple - Highway Star
• Uriah Heep - Easy Livin'

1777

Developer's Corner / Re: New open source competitor to Adobe AIR for GUIS

« Last post by Edvard on May 22, 2009, 06:21 PM »

Make no mistake, Moonlight is just another way for Microsoft to get their tentacles inside Linux. THAT is why they're backing it.

1778

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by Edvard on May 22, 2009, 03:57 PM »

One way sounds almost socialist and the other way predatory.

-wraith808 (May 22, 2009, 02:41 PM)

Like I said... tentacles.
I rail at the methods of madness I know to be detrimental to my financial health... Even as I write out the check knowing it is my only recourse (aside from outright begging) when the fridge is empty. It is more than once I have seriously considered forgoing occasional meals out of concern for the thickness of my wallet rather than the thickness of my middle. 

Almost reminds me of sub-prime lending and we know the way that worked out.

-wraith808 (May 22, 2009, 02:41 PM)

I too, was trying to work my rant in that direction but couldn't quite make the connection. We bought our house a full two years before housing prices skyrocketed and banks started offering 0% down loans to many who (in the long-term view) could not afford them, and I'm not just talking about the interest rates...
 

1779

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by Edvard on May 22, 2009, 02:17 PM »

Good reply, Wraith808.
I've most often discovered that a positive attitude about the situation usually allows me to make better decisions to overcome it, although I'll confess to identifying quite gravely with most of the sentiments posted here.

In my family, we don't have cable or satellite TV service, the TV has a DVD player and we get our movies and stuff from the library. We don't have cell phones. Our internet is free dial-up (thank you, NoCharge!!) and all the computers that have been in the house have been second hand from my employer (thanks Boss!!).
We have a modest house payment because we bought it relatively inexpensively (and before the house pricing boom) from our landlord who wanted to get out of the renting business, which we refinanced for enough to pay off some bills and pay off the car.
We have some credit card debt from when my wife got quite ill but those accounts are closed and we have negotiated better terms as we pay them down.

Now for the rub...
I have a job. A fairly good job that pays around $1900 USD per month.
Yet I pay the house payment, utility bills, put some gas in the car and a few things in the pantry and my paycheck is gone or more, necessitating an overdraw or "payday loan" and reliance on the generosity of family some weeks.
(I do odd handy-man jobs for the in-laws and they pay whatever they feel like. They're generous, so it's all good.)

In some countries of this crazy world, I am fully aware that I would be considered a ridiculously rich man, and yet here in the fattest country in the world, I feel like I'm barely scraping.

I do not begrudge the rich their privilege, especially if they worked hard to get where they are. Ingrateful heirs and greedy ne'er-do-wells notwithstanding, there is nothing wrong with rewarding hard work and honest effort.
BUT...
The practice of businesses built on taking advantage of the less-than-fortunate seems like some sick kind of Schadenfreude that most in their right mind would find loathsome at best. I would support legislation to regulate and curb these kinds of practices to take away the advantage they cultivate at the expense of those they prey upon.
However I fear the real problem may be multi-headed and equipped with tentacles and therefore difficult to combat and remedy in an entirely practical manner.

*sigh*

1780

Living Room / Re: Historic Tale Construction Kit - Create a Medieval Tapestry Story Online

« Last post by Edvard on May 22, 2009, 12:01 PM »

hehe
Subject matter for a new LOLmouser thread...



 

1781

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 22, 2009, 11:22 AM »

Glad you like it.
It's been used to perpetuate a few of the more well-known memes.
Personally, I get a kick out of this one:



This one is an obvious:



And last but not least:

1782

Coding Snacks / Re: IDEA: Sex Sells Spider

« Last post by Edvard on May 21, 2009, 02:54 PM »

Perhaps this website would be of interest:

This site examines the cross-cultural trend of headset-wearing customer support representatives on corporate websites! While supplies last, we aim to provide 1 per workday for your entertainment and analysis.

The popularity of “Headset Hotties” is fascinating to view them from both the perspective of someone who is familiar with their widespread use and as an internet viewer with fresh eyes. While they can be a comforting face in a confusing online world, they are just as often a default design component. This website celebrates the former and challenges the latter.

We examine this balance with a scale of “Perceived Helpfulness,” which is admittedly unscientific, but nonetheless cuts to the essence of why they appear so frequently, peppered throughout corporate customer support pages.

http://www.headsethotties.com/

from God knows where...

1783

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 21, 2009, 12:19 PM »

(in reference to my sig...)

1784

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 21, 2009, 11:30 AM »

i love the stichings one.. i'm a sucker for anytime a modern joke can be retrofitted to something from the distant past. 

-mouser (May 21, 2009, 10:38 AM)

Then you muste hie thee to yon tapestrie generatore:
http://www.adgame-wo...d.de/type/bayeux.php
 

1785

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 21, 2009, 10:17 AM »

Not mine, found on the intertubes.
"This looks shopped" is a meme all it's own.

Updated second post. 

1786

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 20, 2009, 04:41 PM »

1787

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 20, 2009, 01:37 PM »

1788

General Software Discussion / Re: What makes an application "useful"?

« Last post by Edvard on May 19, 2009, 05:37 PM »

I think App and Mouser hit it on the head...

1- Necessity
2- Practicality

Whenever I've had to reinstall a Windows, I always install at least 4 apps:

• xPlorer²
• Firefox
• XnView
• PDFCreator

Everything else comes as the job calls for it, but ultimately, I end up installing OpenOffice, Gimp, Inkscape, VLC and Filezilla as well.

On my Linux boxes, I have a list of about 35 apps that are absolutely necessary and about 25 more that are just plain nice to have.
Not that my Linux is less complete, I just do more on it and therefore I need more tools.

 

1789

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Edvard on May 15, 2009, 12:09 PM »

f0dder: I agree it doesn't fit the meme exactly, but as you well know, the rules of many memes are frequently bent to the dismay of a thousand 4channers...
For example, try to use ellipsis at the end of a Candlejack thread post 

You're just mad cause it's a fanboi shirt

EDIT: Did I just say Candleja

1790

Living Room / Re: OSS for Macintosh

« Last post by Edvard on May 11, 2009, 02:22 PM »

2 things off the top of my head...

Apple has their own freeware/open source software portal:
http://www.apple.com...sx/unix_open_source/

The Fink Project makes a large portion of the Linux/Unix goodies available for Mac OSX:
http://www.finkproject.org/

As far as support, I have no clue what the best would be.

1791

Living Room / Re: it's been a while since i said those special words...

« Last post by Edvard on May 08, 2009, 01:31 PM »

Sad to hear, but I've seen the same sort of things happen, and it's what keeps me here on DC time after time.

Now, if folks posted here like they do on donationcoder IRC... *shivers*
 

1792

Living Room / Re: The Geek's "100 things to do before you die" list

« Last post by Edvard on May 08, 2009, 11:08 AM »

I don't like 'top lists'... but the bulk of these things are things normal (l)users would do. not geeks.... the first things that come to mind would be inventing a time machine, a warp drive, and stuff like that...

-Gothi[c] (May 06, 2009, 11:35 PM)

Sooooo... We need a new geek list?

OK, I'll start (tip of the hat to Gothi[c]):

1- Come up with a practical design (as in, something actually possible to build with ordinary materials) for one of the following, assuming an adequate power supply (which is usually why these things don't exist outside of sci-fi movies). From what I've been able to gather, the physics for all of them are possible, they just need a big enough battery...

• Time Machine (constraints: bigger than a phone booth, smaller than a supercollider)
• Warp Drive
• Light Saber (you know I want this...)
• Anti-Gravity (constraints: scalable, for everything from civilian applications like hovercraft vehicles to big military/industrial projects like rocket-less spacecraft launches)

Next...

1793

Living Room / Re: The Geek's "100 things to do before you die" list

« Last post by Edvard on May 06, 2009, 07:34 PM »

Must...
Resist...
...
AAAAUUUGGGHHH!

Okay, where were we?

2- Done. Leaflinux, you're a peach!
3- Does a shared file on the main folder count?
4- More times than I can shake a stick at.
9- Does a floppy count?
10- The only thing standing between me and 1337 is this one. I WILL compile my own kernel one day... (evil laughter, lightning bolts, etc.)
12- Done it. For money.
14- 3 down, 2 to go.
20- Every other day.
21- Many, many sad attempts that will one day bear misshapen fruit, I assure you.
22- In my sleep. With a pencil and graph paper.
24- Done.
25- Wait... What??
26- Phfft... Next...
29- It's been years, but I'm sure I could do it again.
32- Just out of curiosity.
34- One of these days, I'll have WiFi, and I'll use this.
38- They come up with new ones every freekin' day, how we supposed to memorize them all?
39- That guy and that girl. On that show. With the ufo's.
43- I've got one better... How about CONVERT x264 INTO SOMETHING SANE!!
47- Took a year and a half with Windows 95, but once I was there, buddy I was THERE!
48- Squirt gun. Salt water. Motherboard. You do the math...
53- And taught my son at the same time.
65- Ah yes, but did you power it with 1 battery cell?
69- ROFL. |\|3X7...
71- That's how me and my son play checkers anymore...
78- Done. Qemu, you're a peach!
89- Survived? Debatable. Land some delicious suckerpunches on an overzealous fanboi? You betcha!
94- ROFL'd the first time. "Oh, Toto!..."

So I'm somewhere around 25% done, 50-60% do-able and the rest require investing in stuff I have no need for (Un-brick an iPhone? How 'bout you pick it out of the concrete I'm going to "accidentally" drop it in...).

1794

General Software Discussion / Re: Virtual text printer?

« Last post by Edvard on May 05, 2009, 12:33 PM »

2Edvard
Isn't it the same what I've adviced?

-fenixproductions (May 01, 2009, 08:23 PM)

Oops, yes it is, just a few differences in the directions. Kartal noted that some part of the tutorial was missing, and the article I referenced was a little more verbose.

Edvard, thanks  but for some reason that printer does not let you choose where to save. Second I cannot find the files it prints kind of weird. I managed to find 1 of them but the formatting is not something I can trust either. it is just a printer in disguise in my view.

-kartal (May 01, 2009, 08:05 PM)

Try this: Open the pdf, hit Ctrl-A, then Ctrl-C, then open your favorite word processor and Ctrl-V?
I just tried it and while it doesn't reproduce the formatting exactly, it retains the font formatting such as type, bold, italics, etc.
Not as elegant as you might need, but it may get the job done.

1795

Living Room / Re: Help me build the ultimate metal playlist

« Last post by Edvard on May 05, 2009, 11:42 AM »

Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand (I'm not kidding, listen and you'll see that it's the prototype for later thrash)

-CWuestefeld (May 05, 2009, 08:45 AM)

You sir, are correct.

You've reminded me to dig a little further in the roots...

• Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
• Raven - Break the Chain
• Talas - High Speed on Ice
• Tank - Run Like Hell

I hope that does it...

1796

Living Room / Re: Help me build the ultimate metal playlist

« Last post by Edvard on May 04, 2009, 06:34 PM »

I'm a bit on the old-school side, but these were my favorites from 'back then'...

• Iron Maiden - The Trooper,Run to the Hills
• Testament - Curse of the Legions of Death
• Death Angel - Kill as One,Thrashers
• Metallica - Metal Militia (who am I kidding, just hit 'Random' from the first 3 albums)
• Anthrax - Indians,Time
• Stormtroopers of Death - Kill Yourself
• Manowar - Blood of the King
• Corrosion of Conformity - Damned for All Time
• Trouble - Black Shapes of Doom

I know there'll be more, but I'll stop for now

1797

Living Room / Re: Best forums for....

« Last post by Edvard on May 04, 2009, 06:09 PM »

we should have a contest to find the *most* niche forum in existence.. i.e. the forum that is the most specific and narrow and would be useful for the fewest number of people on the planet.

-mouser (May 04, 2009, 10:16 AM)

The Ovation Breadwinner fanpage message board.
A message board dedicated to the Breadwinner model solid-body electric guitars made by Ovation 
http://www.doremi.co...nnerboard_config.cgi



(hint: click "set preferences" and under "List messages" select "Posted within the last 10 years.")

I think the boards at OvationFanClub.com have superseded this one, which is why nobobdy has posted lately.

Do I win?

1798

Living Room / Re: Interesting Discovery Involving Rented Servers

« Last post by Edvard on May 04, 2009, 10:31 AM »

Oh, I didn't mean just overwriting the MBR, I meant "place a disk-wiping tool in the MBR bootstrap code"

-f0dder (May 01, 2009, 10:23 AM)

Ooh, now that would be cool... 

1799

General Software Discussion / Re: Virtual text printer?

« Last post by Edvard on May 01, 2009, 07:15 PM »

http://windowsitpro....ascii-text-file.html
 

1800

General Software Discussion / Re: managing file permissions under windows (madness?)

« Last post by Edvard on May 01, 2009, 07:09 PM »

@f0dder: in ubuntu, one sudo leaves you with admin rights for a few mins. So you can install a bunch of stuff with one authentification. In windows server 2008, every new thing you want to install will ask you for a passwd. It adds up.

And 'sudo bash' gives you an entire session to root around in (pun intended)...