Recent Posts

4326

Living Room / Re: Movies or films you've seen lately

« Last post by wraith808 on October 19, 2014, 01:29 PM »

Not to pick a fight, but I thought Lucy was just terrible.

-mouser (October 19, 2014, 11:37 AM)

I liked it, even if the science behind it was deplorable.  That 10% thing prevalent in the trailers was the reason a lot of people didn't give it a chance...

4327

Developer's Corner / Re: Patreon for software developers? (Crowd funding)

« Last post by wraith808 on October 18, 2014, 12:50 PM »

Yes, I support quite a few patreons myself, and had been thinking about creating my own- but more gaming related.  The programming idea is a different one...

And I don't look at this as "crowdfunding" as much as being a patron- like the museum memberships or having a patron as an artist.  Especially because you create the creation, and only at that point are the funds released.  And this can be on as periodic a schedule as can be managed- but only at those periods are the funds released.

4328

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 18, 2014, 12:42 PM »

"Your car needs to reboot to install updates" WTF!

-Carol Haynes (October 17, 2014, 07:31 PM)

Or worse, the Blue Windscreen of Death!

-Deozaan (October 17, 2014, 07:34 PM)

Especially because your car still has to have Windows.  The next great frontier for MS!

4329

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 17, 2014, 01:45 PM »

you who moan about driveless technology, you have already used it, if you have flied with an aeroplane

-kalos (October 17, 2014, 05:59 AM)

There's not a lot of cross traffic at 30,000 feet.

what is the possibility for aeroplane automatic pilot systems to fail?

-kalos (October 17, 2014, 05:59 AM)

Well... they do seem to make a point of having a someone sit there ready to take over in case an alarm goes off...and there a second someone there to back the first someone up if they're in the bathroom when the alarm goes off. So I'm guessing that somebody - who's willing to waste the money on paying all these people - thinks it is a possibility.

and how high would be the percentages of aircraft accidents if there weren't automatic pilot systems?

-kalos (October 17, 2014, 05:59 AM)

IIRC autopilot was added primarily as a convenience to mitigate the really boring parts. So outside of preventing the plane from wandering off course...(making them late)...it's not really a safety system.

-Stoic Joker (October 17, 2014, 06:59 AM)

All of the above.  And it's the pilots *job* to monitor, and be willing to take over.  If it is an ubiquitous technology on the streets... people can't even drive without being distracted.  You want to tell me that if something unforeseen happens they'll be paying enough attention to switch over?  Or even be able to react in time...

4330

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: SoftMaker Office HD, the only complete Office for Android tablets, free beta rev

« Last post by wraith808 on October 17, 2014, 01:42 PM »

All previously available office suites for Android have only basic features, more or less they are merely stripped down viewing tools. SoftMaker Office HD is the only office suite on the market with the same scope of features as a desktop Office. Everything you previously could do only on the PC or notebook can also be done by tablet now.

-CoolCat26 (October 17, 2014, 09:42 AM)

That is rather incorrect from what I've seen.  And I'm not even a big android user...  Of course you could say that feature X is missing in others and so since you have feature X you're the only one that has it.  But that still wouldn't make it disingenuous.

4331

DC Gamer Club / Re: GamerGate: 'Press must tackle misogyny,' says developer

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 06:52 PM »

Please.

I just had a very good conversation on this... I was wanting a place where I could conversate on questions I had, without the judgement that tends to follow because honest questions are asked.

On GamerGate - it was poisoned at the well, unfortunately, because it has some good points.  But the whole thing is a rather non-cohesive mess as it stands, with the good conflated with the bad.  And in the process, "GamerGate" has become something that makes no sense. 

I just saw a tweet: "#StopGamerGate2014 because #gamergate is using the defamation tactics I detail in this video against women right now. " and several others like it.

There are several surreal things wrong with that.  Who is acting badly?  gamergate is not a person.  But it is being treated as one.  And a hashtag to end a hashtag?

But the other side isn't any better... there's no cohesive statement- it's just a mess.  And there's no investment - gamergate is a just a hat.  And an ill-defined one at that.  One that you can put on, say bad things, and then take it off.  Because... gamergate will be blamed.   Were it better defined, then it could be more concretely defended. were it more substantial, there's be reason to.

But the part where it gets really poisonous is that the opportunists try to conflate gamergate identity with *gamer* identity.  And if I felt someone was attacking my identity as a gamer? Sure as hell I'd be up in arms.  But that is a conflation which only serves the people profiting from  the fight.  Sadly, that makes a poor soundbite.

The way forward in my opinion is for someone to step forward and define something separate from the gamergate tag... preferably something with substance instead of a pithy meme-worthy phrase.  And just let gamergate die as a cause... and champion this instead.  And be very willing to separate the aims from the individual people behaving badly.

But that won't happen.

4332

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 05:48 PM »

You might want to be able to take over when the computer says "Not my job man!"

-MilesAhead (October 16, 2014, 04:26 PM)

Is it OK if I image "The Dude" saying that?

4333

Developer's Corner / Re: Service: Proof of Existence

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 10:28 AM »

Well of course I'd have revised my brilliant plan over the years... And dangit-all! When I updated Adobe PDF Maker/Microsoft Word it saved it in a new format that changed the hash! And when I opened the file on Linux it changed the line endings, too!

But I swear it was all in the document I hashed 5 years ago! Promise!

-Deozaan (October 16, 2014, 01:49 AM)

Hahaha! Yeah, that won't fly. You need to keep proper records. Which isn't hard. You simply archive it and back it up.

-Renegade (October 16, 2014, 02:20 AM)

And as it changes, you have to do it again, and again.  There are already manual services that do this- and it costs a pretty penny.  I used to contract as an auditor for lawyers that did this very thing; I'd have to audit the code to make sure it did what they said it did... and then it was certified.  It was expensive for the people having it done, and lucrative for me.  This would take that costly human effort out of the middle.

4334

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: SoftMaker Office HD, the only complete Office for Android tablets, free beta rev

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 10:25 AM »

What is the criteria for saying that it's the only complete office suite for android tablets?

4335

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 10:20 AM »

Oh thank God, this is so great news! Can't wait to have them!

-kalos (October 16, 2014, 04:03 AM)

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not... 

-Renegade (October 16, 2014, 07:27 AM)

ofcourse not! we are in a technology forum and I can't believe people are so much afraid of technological advancements!

-kalos (October 16, 2014, 08:46 AM)

Technology is never the answer.  It's a tool, like any other, and we as people that are on a technology forum must have a much greater scrutiny of the uses and abuses of such things, IMO.  That old chestnut about when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail?  That applies to technology, also.

It's very easy to fall into as a developer- using the latest features of development platforms just because it's cool.  But that makes a bad developer, and a client that's not well served.

This technology is not ready for prime-time.  That's the only thing we're saying.  Not that it will never be.  But that it's not currently.  And Google agrees.  And Elon Musk seems to agree.  So what's so wrong with us applying our scrutiny and agreeing?  Because it seems pretty obvious to me that it has a long way to go before its ready- and that it shouldn't be the default state until it is ready, and that the standards should be a lot higher than for a human driver.

4336

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 16, 2014, 10:14 AM »

I'm not ready to put my life in their hands.  Either as the passenger, or another driver on the streets.

-wraith808 (October 14, 2014, 02:14 PM)

But you're already doing that as another driver on the streets, since these vehicles are out there, and have been for years.

-Deozaan (October 16, 2014, 01:46 AM)

I answered that above.  And besides that, a controlled set is different from every driver.

4337

Living Room / Re: SSL broken, again, in POODLE attack

« Last post by wraith808 on October 15, 2014, 10:42 PM »

From my understanding, it's only SSLv3... right?  Which shouldn't really be in use?

https://securityblog...ility-cve-2014-3566/

4338

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by wraith808 on October 15, 2014, 12:26 PM »

but for home use, I don't see any advantage.

-xtabber (October 15, 2014, 12:02 PM)

My wife likes cappuccino.  It's definitely a lot easier for her to make it every morning in a Keurig than not.  And though I like the taste of coffee/tea prepared in other fashions better, it's definitely more convenient... which is the reason that the reusable pods I discarded the use of a while ago.  Because it took out the convenience.  There's also the ability to get hot water on tap a lot faster than I would otherwise even when I use some other method of preparation.

So IMO there are reasons.  I was skeptical until I started using it- I bought it for my wife mostly.  But after I started using it... yes, there are definite advantages.

4339

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 15, 2014, 12:23 PM »

but you already put your life in other drivers' hands

-kalos (October 15, 2014, 11:00 AM)

SJ addressed the other part... so I'll address this.

Hell no, I don't.  I don't trust other drivers any farther than I can throw their car.  That's what I don't understand about a lot of drivers today.. they trust other drivers.  And they give them leeway.  I plan, assess, and stay alert- especially when there are other drivers around or I'm going through an area where there is the chance that other drivers have a window in which they could do something especially stupid because you're supposedly 'in the right'.  It's not perfect... but its a sight better than putting my trust in them.

4340

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 07:58 PM »

Of the two, one (being rear-ended) is clearly not the fault of the driverless car.

-Deozaan (October 14, 2014, 05:36 PM)

That is true legally.  The truth of rear-ended being not your fault is a little bit murkier.

I think the driverless cars have more to "fear" from other drivers/humans than we have to fear of them.

-Deozaan (October 14, 2014, 05:36 PM)

As long as we're driving in optimal conditions where there is no construction nor snow nor heavy rain?  Nor anything unexpected that a driver would be able to deal with?

Even google admits that we're not there (in that second part of my post), so why would we think that we are?

4341

Living Room / Re: driveless cars

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 02:14 PM »

Google has been testing driverless cars for years. On real streets. In real traffic.  As far as I know, there have been no accidents/collisions.

(Though the law requires a human in the vehicle, behind the wheel in case anything goes wrong.)

-Deozaan (October 14, 2014, 01:15 PM)

http://en.wikipedia....oogle_driverless_car

There have been incidents.  And though they state that they were not the fault of the car.. what else would you expect them to say when there is doubt?

I'm not ready to put my life in their hands.  Either as the passenger, or another driver on the streets.

http://mashable.com/...cars-safer-than-you/

So Google has good reason to be proud; it is bringing us closer to the day when we'll be able to sit back, relax and do the crossword during our commute. But the company also admits it has a long way to go.

"To provide the best experience we can, we’ll need to master snow-covered roadways, interpret temporary construction signals and handle other tricky situations that many drivers encounter," writes Chris Urmson, the driverless car team's Engineering Lead, in a blog post. "For now, our team members will remain in the driver’s seats and will take back control if needed."

So if people are driving in these conditions- and those statistics are in the 'safer than you' calculation... things become a lot less clear.

4342

Activation/License/Language Help / Re: License Key

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 02:06 PM »

which program are you utilizing?

4343

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 02:05 PM »

That build up... to the end.  It's long, but very much worth it!

4344

N.A.N.Y. 2015 / Re: NANY 2015 - NEW APPS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2015 - START YOUR ENGINES!

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 10:50 AM »

But I don't think it would be quite suitable for NANY. It really is designed purely for Coding Snacks.

-app103 (October 13, 2014, 07:57 PM)

It could with very few tweaks be perfect for NANY.

"Now that NANY is done... what do you celebrate with after the long deadline night?"

4345

Living Room / Re: Dropbox and privacy (or lack of)

« Last post by wraith808 on October 14, 2014, 10:45 AM »

Dropbox also has two-factor authentication- which you should turn on, no matter what.

4346

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by wraith808 on October 13, 2014, 08:42 PM »

One word: boycott.

-40hz (October 12, 2014, 08:16 AM)

One word: buyarealdamncoffeemakerferpeteseverlovingsake

-Edvard (October 13, 2014, 08:36 PM)

I have one.  And I prefer the Keurig for a quick cup of coffee in the morning.  Is that a crime?

4347

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by wraith808 on October 12, 2014, 03:58 PM »

Interesting comment:

You can get around the compatible cup issue by simplifying placing the foil of an approved cup over the unapproved cup.

And the funny part about it is that I've tried the others... and tried the reusable pods.  I'd decided that the keurig cups were the best way to go- both for taste and convenience.  But now...

4348

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind Mapping Software - What are the current top players now?

« Last post by wraith808 on October 10, 2014, 02:07 PM »

Yes, it integrates with Scrivener... but I haven't seen an integration with Evernote.

4349

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind Mapping Software - What are the current top players now?

« Last post by wraith808 on October 10, 2014, 11:13 AM »

Will probably end up buying Scapple, if only because of integration with Evernote

-Dormouse (October 10, 2014, 04:27 AM)

... what integration?  I looked it up after I saw your post, thinking I'd missed something.  I don't see anywhere that it integrates with Evernote...?

4350

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind Mapping Software - What are the current top players now?

« Last post by wraith808 on October 09, 2014, 03:03 PM »

Lately I've been using Gingko App - https://gingkoapp.com/app.  Free for 3 trees, but you can upgrade for unlimited trees.  It's a little bit different take on organization- not rightly a mind-map, but more of a mind-tree.

Two statements from the developer that show the aim of the application:

What goes in each column?
The principle is:
Left → Right = General → Specific.
There is no wrong way to use Gingko, and you can always drag things around later.
What can I use it for?
Short answer is: anything.
Use Gingko any time you want to write or organize something hard.

They have an introduction on youtube:

And a couple of articles:
http://www.makeuseof...e-the-way-you-write/
https://gingkoapp.com/p/future-of-text/