Recent Posts

3351

Screenshot Captor / Feature Request: Search text notes in screenshots

« Last post by Renegade on March 14, 2013, 10:15 AM »

I often find that I want to find a specific screenshot, but they just get lost in the many, many screenshots that I take. They're miserable to find.

However, I know the site or something about the screenshot that is automatically recorded in the text notes. If I could search that, it would save a lot of time.

3352

Living Room / Re: Gameforge: Nothing but a scam.

« Last post by Renegade on March 14, 2013, 09:21 AM »

Remember...This is NOT a complaint about the game, but instead, about Gameforge.

-Stephen66515 (March 13, 2013, 04:07 PM)

+1 there!

The game company is Bluehole Studio:

http://www.bluehole....et/english/main.html

I've actually done a lot of work for them on Tera, so I'm kind of biased. However, I must say that they have their act together very well, and I've done a lot of work for a lot of other game companies.

But, if anyone wants to give up on Tera, please do consider Cabal Online:

http://www.cabalonline.net/
http://www.cabalonline.com/

And yeah, I own stock in the company that produces it~! And, I used to work for the company! So I'm rooting for Cabal all the time!  

http://www.estsoft.com/

3353

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on March 14, 2013, 12:56 AM »

I'm worried about a bunch of worry-warts getting all psychotic and doing crazy stuff.

-Renegade (March 13, 2013, 11:44 PM)

isn't that what the postal service is for?

-Target (March 13, 2013, 11:59 PM)

Hahahaha~!

But hey, I called it!

Dan Sperber - Social and Cognitive Scientist; CEU Budapest and CNRS Paris; Co-author (with Deirdre Wilson), Meaning and Relevance
Misplaced Worries

Worrying is an investment of cognitive resources laced with emotions from the anxiety spectrum and aimed at solving some specific problem. It has its costs and benefits, and so does not worrying.

Continued

Worrying for a few minutes about what to serve for dinner in order please one's guests may be a sound investment of resources. Worrying about what will happen to your soul after death is a total waste. Human ancestors and other animals with foresight may have only worried about genuine and pressing problems such as not finding food or being eaten. Ever since they have become much more imaginative and have fed their imagination with rich cultural inputs, that is, since at least 40,000 years (possibly much more), humans have also worried about improving their lot individually and collectively—sensible worries—and about the evil eye, the displeasure of dead ancestors, the purity of their blood—misplaced worries.

A new kind of misplaced worries is likely to become more and more common. The ever-accelerating current scientific and technological revolution results in a flow of problems and opportunities that presents unprecedented cognitive and decisional challenges. Our capacity to anticipate these problems and opportunities is swamped by their number, novelty, speed of arrival, and complexity.

Every day, for instance, we have reasons to rejoice in the new opportunities afforded by the Internet. The worry of fifteen years ago that it would create yet another major social divide between those with access to the internet and those without is so last century! Actually, no technology in human history has ever spread so far, so fast, so deep. But what about the worry that by making detailed information about every user available to companies, agencies and governments, the internet destroys privacy and threatens freedom in much subtler ways than Orwell's Big Brother? Is this what we should worry about? Or should we focus on making sure that as much information as possible is freely accessible as widely as possible, forsaking old ideas of secrecy and even privacy and trusting that genuine information will overcome misinformation and that well-informed people will be less vulnerable to manipulation and control, in other words that, with a much freer access to information, a more radical kind of democracy is becoming possible?

Genetic engineering promises new crops, new cures, improvement of the human genome. How much should we be thrilled, how much frightened? How much and how should the development of genetic engineering itself be controlled, and by whom?

New arms of destruction— atomic, chemical, biological— are becoming more and more powerful and more and more accessible. Terrorist acts and local wars of new magnitude are likely to occur. When they do, the argument will be made even more forcefully than it was in the US after 9/11 that powerful states should be given the means to try and prevent them including in ways that curtail democratic rights. What should we worry most about, terrorism and wars or further limitations to rights?

Looking further into the future, human will soon be living with, and depending on intelligent robots. Will this develop into a new kind of masters-servant dialectic, with the masters being alienated by their servants? Will in fact the robots themselves evolve into masters or even into intelligent, purposeful beings with no use for humans? Are such worries sound or silly?

These are just some examples. Scientific and technical developments introduce novel opportunities and risks that we had not even imagined at a faster and faster pace. Of course, in most cases, you and I form opinions as to what we should really worry about. But how confidently can we hold these opinions, pursue these worries?

What I am particularly worried about is that humans will be less and less able to appreciate what they should really be worrying about and that their worries will do more harm than good. Maybe, just as on a boat in rapids, one should try not to slowdown anything but just to optimize a trajectory one does not really control, not because safety is guaranteed and optimism is justified—the worst could happen—, but because there is no better option than hope.

3354

Living Room / Re: What *Should* We Be Worried About?

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 11:44 PM »

I'm worried about a bunch of worry-warts getting all psychotic and doing crazy stuff.

3355

Living Room / Re: I am so very very sick of copyright issues.

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 08:05 PM »

Another example of how paying, law-abiding users are harmed by the copyright fascists.

 

Yuppers.

One fellow who always has something interesting to say on the topic:

http://falkvinge.net/

Everyone pretty much knows about the EFF, Tech Dirt and Torrent Freak, but Falkvinge is another there with some very insightful things to say.

3356

Living Room / Re: What are your favorite movies?

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 09:49 AM »

I saw a Jean-Claude Van Damme flick - or maybe it was Stephen Segal - same stuff, different name ---- it was on a train. Pretty bad movie. Good for 14 year old boys though.

3357

Living Room / Re: Judge skeptical of "torrent chaser" law firm's antics. Jail time threatened.

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 08:44 AM »

Well this weird thing called "sanity" would seem to say that, but this disturbing world of IP seems to involve strange phone calls on the "turquoise line" that suddenly makes impossible things happen. (See the ACTA-CISPA thread where the stomping on rights just won't quit.)

-TaoPhoenix (March 13, 2013, 05:52 AM)

Interesting. I wonder how much the idea that these ideas have no physical manifestation has to do with it. After all, we're just talking about ideas... and you can't touch or feel an idea.

Just musing a bit there.

3358

Living Room / Re: What are your favorite movies?

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 08:30 AM »

3:10 to Yuma was great! Both the original and the remake.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here...


I liked watching Zardoz!!!


I really did.

However, I watched it knowing the philosophy and ideology that it put forward. I'd read about it and the metaphor that it uses. So, when I went to watch it, I had that 20/20 hindsight already there. That made the movie different for me and actually enjoyable.

3359

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

« Last post by Renegade on March 13, 2013, 07:10 AM »

Do you get paid more if you sharpen the blade?

3360

Living Room / Re: Internet freedoms restrained - SOPA/PIPA/OPEN/ACTA/CETA/PrECISE-related updates

« Last post by Renegade on March 12, 2013, 08:55 PM »

From the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation):
US Trade Office Calls ACTA Back From the Dead and Canada Complies

-IainB (March 02, 2013, 09:33 AM)

I'm tempted to say something very rude that involves a choice of one of several words, some of which are "gobbler" and "chokes".

3361

Living Room / Re: Linked In... too linked in?

« Last post by Renegade on March 12, 2013, 08:30 PM »

Why can't companies just stick to doing things well rather than trying to play underhanded tactics?

-wraith808 (March 12, 2013, 09:29 AM)

Because there are NO consequences for their actions, except positive ones. It doesn't matter how unethical or illegal something is -- there's always an upside. The only decision to be made is weighing the risk of getting caught, and weighing the cost of potential fines against profit. e.g. A pharmaceutical company profits to the tune of $12 billion when it knows its drug is killing people. When they are caught, they pay just under $1 billion in fines for a tidy profit of $11 billion. Nobody ever goes to jail. There are numerous examples of outright illegal/immoral actions by companies and in pretty much every case it's better for them to be criminals as it's always profitable and there are no personal consequences. HSBC laundering drug money anyone? The examples go on forever.

There's a special term... "too big to jail."

Why should companies be ethical when it's profitable to be criminal with no negative consequences?

3362

Living Room / Re: What are your favorite movies?

« Last post by Renegade on March 12, 2013, 08:32 AM »

Movies with Sean Connery are practically all in the same league as the Clint Eastwood movies. 'In the Name Of The Rose' is a great movie from S.C.

-Shades (March 12, 2013, 07:44 AM)

*cough* Zardoz *cough*

 

-4wd (March 12, 2013, 08:26 AM)

Hahahahahah~! 

3363

Living Room / Re: Google Glasses BANNED!

« Last post by Renegade on March 12, 2013, 07:33 AM »

A wise old college professor of mine once said that when people demand new laws, it's invariably with the intent of regulating somebody else's actions or beliefs. Never their own. Because rules are for other people.

-40hz (March 12, 2013, 07:08 AM)

+1

The most dangerous people are the ones that KNOW what right/wrong is and what you *should* and *shouldn't* do. They're invariably out to save the world because nobody else is capable of running their own life without "guidance".

3364

Living Room / Re: Offline Tracking

« Last post by Renegade on March 12, 2013, 07:23 AM »

Aren't there anti-stalking laws?

Hint

What's illegal for individuals is perfectly fine if you can turn it into a business.

3365

Living Room / Re: Left-handed help needed !

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 09:52 AM »

Got it!

A very long time ago I temporarily lost the use of my right hand for a few weeks in a comparable situation.

Some things that worked for me were using my right elbow/forearm as pressure to hold things or using my legs to hold things while my left hand did the work, or at least tried. That's not much help though as I'm sure you've already been doing that.

I don't know of any technology to help there, though I dimly recall about some herbs or essential oils helping in recovery - don't hold me to anything - that's just a dim memory that you might want to check into.

Sorry. I wish I could help more. I do hope that you get better soon.

I currently have a smaller injury than yours on my thumb and cannot write properly or do simple things like peel a price tag off of something or open a jar... It's bloody frustrating.

3366

Living Room / Re: What are your favorite movies?

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 09:19 AM »

Hang'em High

-kilele (March 11, 2013, 08:09 AM)

MAJOR ASS-KICKING FLICK! 

I used to have the sound track to that. Great music and amazing film!

High Plains Drifter
A Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY <<<< Damned if that's not one of the best flicks ever!
The Outlaw Jose Wales

The Clint spaghetti westerns are just fantastic! Huge fan of them here!  

As for "Sniper", I really liked that when I first saw it, but I'm not sure that I'd like it if I saw it again. I think I've changed a lot, and that would colour my view of it.

"Gattaca" - Great flick!  Same for "Inkheart".

Too many other good movies mentioned above... I need to get back to drinking then sleeping.

3367

Living Room / Re: Amazon creepy ...

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 09:03 AM »

What worries me most about all this Big Data stuff is companies selling or swapping data. I don't really mind Amazon giving me offers based on my browse/purchase history at amazon, but I don't want that data going anywhere, and I don't want any outside data effecting those suggestions.

-f0dder (March 11, 2013, 08:02 AM)

Worry. Worry a lot. Because Big Data are an incestuous bunch that spill their data loads all over each other in an orgasmic frenzy of marketing... Ummm... I'm starting to become a bit obscene. But I think I've nailed the point. (I really meant that stuff above -- it's coming.)

(A part of the work I do involves Big Data and profitability on a very large scale.)

3368

Living Room / Re: "Half of our users block ads. Now what?"

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 08:55 AM »

Quite if you believe Hollywood everything from medical research to national defence is run on iMacs!

-Carol Haynes (March 11, 2013, 04:22 AM)

Almost, but not quite.

NCIS is a Microsoft show. I remember one episode where the boss and the computer geek are talking and one says something like, "Oh, I just stored it all securely on my SkyDrive blah blah blah *chokes on MS c*** in mouth*."

I just about wanted to vomit.

Opinion about TV

Anyone that thinks that TV is anything more than entertaining propaganda that you pay for is a blithering idiot.

The great feat in Hollywood is that they have turned entertainment into propaganda, and people swallow it hook, line and sinker and refuse to believe that it is propaganda.

Anyone interested can look up LRPS (long range penetration strain). It's not a new idea and has been around for decades.

Any further comment belongs in the Basement with a few beer and a sense of humour!

Oh, and there are other MS shows out there as well. Apple just understands propaganda better and does a better job of it.

3369

Living Room / Re: Left-handed help needed !

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 08:48 AM »

OUCH! Sorry to hear that. I hope you heal soon!

A friend of mine used to type one-handed all the time. Mind you, he used his primary hand (right), however, the technique might work for you.

His strategy was to position and hover his hand in the middle of the keyboard, then from there he worked out what was fastest. I can't really tell you much more, but he was up to a respectable typing speed. He did have large hands though, which certainly help there. I think he used the ridges on the J and F keys to help orient his hand.

3370

Living Room / Re: "Half of our users block ads. Now what?"

« Last post by Renegade on March 11, 2013, 01:57 AM »

It's actually not different on the internet.  TV is having a hard time with DVRs and such that effectively are Ad-Blockers.  Adapt or die.

-wraith808 (March 11, 2013, 12:35 AM)

Or do the shameless product placements and dialog plugs that you see on NCIS, CSI, etc. etc. etc.

3371

Living Room / Re: Google Glasses BANNED!

« Last post by Renegade on March 10, 2013, 11:20 PM »

Mr. Meinert has an interest in several Seattle businesses--at least two of which are limited liability corporations.  However, it's not clear to me whether he's avoided enough personal responsibility to forfeit his right to ban Google Glasses at the 5 Points Cafe.  Just not sure how to measure that....   

-cschw (March 10, 2013, 11:09 PM)

Get a dart board, a piece of paper, thick magic marker, a tack, and a blindfold. That's a good start! (A friend to spin you around a bit is optional, but they should point you at the board to avoid any injury.) i.e. I don't have perfect answers, but I can still smell smoke.

3372

Living Room / Re: Google Glasses BANNED!

« Last post by Renegade on March 10, 2013, 10:24 PM »

So, for the person that owns that bar, I'd say he's well within reasonable expectations about what he allows inside of his bar.

I wouldn't say the same for a TGI Fridays though as that's a corporate entity and doesn't have human rights like you or I do.

-Renegade (March 10, 2013, 09:06 PM)

So...if Dave Meinert owns the 5 Points Cafe as a sole proprietor, then he has standing to ban things in his establishment?

What if he has the 5 Points Cafe organized as an LLC (limited liability corporation)...or what if its a partnership--or a limited partnership?  At what point along the spectrum of legally-recognized business entities is the right to ban things gained or lost?   

-cschw (March 10, 2013, 10:03 PM)

When shrugging off personal responsibility, rights are similarly shrugged off. Why should corporate legal fictions be different? Because they have enough money to purchase whatever legislation they want? I'll leave it at that and let people paint in whatever shades of grey they find most appealing.

3373

Living Room / Re: Google Glasses BANNED!

« Last post by Renegade on March 10, 2013, 10:02 PM »

So... continuing to be Mephistopheles

-wraith808 (March 10, 2013, 09:20 PM)

Please allow wraith to introduce himself, he's a man of wealth and taste~!

These glasses have applications and implications far outside of being a simple device of entertainment, even if not in that particular form.  So what happens then?

-wraith808 (March 10, 2013, 09:20 PM)

The glasses haven't been around for a long, long time, though those thugs tried to steal them off his face.

3374

Living Room / Re: Google Glasses BANNED!

« Last post by Renegade on March 10, 2013, 09:06 PM »

To take the devil's advocate stance here- so we're banning things based on what others *might* do with them?  That seems a bit draconian...

-wraith808 (March 10, 2013, 08:39 PM)

It's not the tool that's the problem - it's who is using it. So, yeah, you're bang on there about a legal banning.

But still, if I own a bar or whatever (as a person - I would exclude corporate entities as I don't believe in HUMAN rights for legal fictions), then I think it's really up to me if I want to establish a set of ground rules for behaviour in my establishment. e.g. If you own a brothel, then there are certain things that would be perfectly fine there that wouldn't be ok in a normal pub.

So, for the person that owns that bar, I'd say he's well within reasonable expectations about what he allows inside of his bar.

I wouldn't say the same for a TGI Fridays though as that's a corporate entity and doesn't have human rights like you or I do.

3375

Living Room / Re: "Half of our users block ads. Now what?"

« Last post by Renegade on March 10, 2013, 07:08 PM »

Sounds like you're trying to point out the sense of entitlement from publishers. "Since I made this, I must be paid for it whether you like it or not." It works both ways there.

-Renegade (March 10, 2013, 06:49 PM)

Sorry Ren, but that's not what I'm saying at all. 

-40hz (March 10, 2013, 07:04 PM)

Got it. Didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Guess I was just reading into it what wasn't there.

FWIW, I still think that you're pretty much bang on there. I've always thought ads as a revenue source were pretty lame.