Recent Posts

626

Living Room / Re: Can we stop with the diagonal screen length thing?

« Last post by nudone on January 09, 2011, 05:00 PM »

okay, i'll admit (and sorry this is going off topic) i'm not too annoyed about 720 HD. i'm just very annoyed at how the whole HD thing was introduced (in the UK, at least). it just all seemed very cynical. selling TV sets that had "HD" under one label or another - and all largely meaningless to the average customer at the beginning because they couldn't watch a HD signal. we just had the promise that one day HD would no longer be a dream.

so, we'd be told 720p was good for watching sport, because it was progressive, but you could have 1080i which was good for... I can't even remember what that was good for, it just sounded like they could mention interlace as being worse than progressive - so maybe it was better to buy 720 rather than 1080i. now 1080p is here, oh what a surprise that was to be released after everyone has bought inferior HD 1080i.

i don't even own a HD tv out of principal. i hate the b*stards that make them because i know just around the corner they'll be releasing super-duper-HD. and that 3Dtv rubbish. hate that too. hate it all.

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Living Room / Re: Can we stop with the diagonal screen length thing?

« Last post by nudone on January 09, 2011, 08:06 AM »

good point. 720 is HD, and also crap. i'm just thankful we've now got something like a standard with 1080p. which should have been the standard right at the beginning - not "ready".

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Living Room / Re: Can we stop with the diagonal screen length thing?

« Last post by nudone on January 09, 2011, 08:01 AM »

well, yeah, i know what HD Ready means - because i went out my way to find out when i first saw it. but as "HD Ready" has been around for several years, way before you could even view any HD material (here in the UK) it just seems like a blatant marketing/sales ploy.

if i'd asked anyone back then what HD Ready means they'd have replied "it means it's a HD TV, OBVIOIUSLY". and that is exactly the response i did get - and still get to this day. back then, i'd even get it from "helpful" sales staff.

i've seen people now selling their old CRT TVs that are about 10 years old stating they are HD Ready and DVB Ready - because you can still view HD and DVB on the tv set - IF you plug a device in that can first handle HD and DVB. it's total nonsense.

i'm obviously Olympic 2012 "Ready" for the Men's 100 Meter Sprint.

this new "technical" definition of "ready" really ought to be changed to "rubbish". it would be a lot more honest, i think.

629

Living Room / Re: Can we stop with the diagonal screen length thing?

« Last post by nudone on January 09, 2011, 07:16 AM »

this is kind of a side issue, but remember "HD Ready" (which still persists). what GOOD reason is there for creating such a label and then sticking it on a TV that won't actually display images in HD; other than to fool potential customers into thinking they are buying a "HD" TV when they aren't.

that is one of the most cynical acts i've seen by the major brands against us. if they are happy to do that i'm prepared to believe they'll do anything to increase sales with little regard to the customer.

so, yeah, i buy into the theory of displaying the biggest number they can get away with to make the screen sound bigger.

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General Software Discussion / Re: FolderSize o DirectorySize with rules or filters

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 10:05 PM »

i think something like Directory Opus could be used or any other decent file manager program.

you would do it be viewing the parent folder in "flat view" mode. this kind of view reveals all sub folders and files (within the parent folder).

the normal "tree" parent/child view becomes "flat" so you see everything together.

after that, you could list the folders by name and easily select the ones you want to know the sizes of (or deselect the ones you don't).

631

Living Room / Re: My 'LOL' alternative

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 01:37 PM »

ah, right. i definitely wouldn't have guessed that. all this hip cool jive talk goes over my head, erm, daddio.

erm, LOL.

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Living Room / Re: Can we stop with the diagonal screen length thing?

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 01:24 PM »

with widescreen monitors, the height is very important.
Mine is 16:10, I already miss the height - if it were 16:9 I'd need another one on top...

-tomos (January 08, 2011, 12:10 PM)

16:9 should never have been allowed to make its way into the computer world.

633

Living Room / Re: My 'LOL' alternative

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 01:21 PM »

what does the "uwt" part represent?

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Living Room / Re: My 'LOL' alternative

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 09:54 AM »

(i've edited my typo of "if" to "is".)

635

Living Room / Re: My 'LOL' alternative

« Last post by nudone on January 08, 2011, 03:50 AM »

I've only had one friend in life who could make me laugh that much.. I miss hanging out with him.

-mouser (January 07, 2011, 09:22 PM)

ooh. that's a good point. i've known about three or four people that would regularly make me laugh until i was doubled over with tears in my eyes. AND, i nolonger see any of them. i miss them too. it's like they've died.

as for capturing it again, superboyac, i know what you mean. i think a few stand-up comedians make me laugh out loud. that's about it.

but, nothing ever makes me go LOL. i'd rather type out haha or heh.

LOL is for LOLcats and that's about it.

636

Living Room / Good Code diagram by XKCD

« Last post by nudone on January 07, 2011, 01:53 AM »

very appropriate for DC. from XKCD...

http://xkcd.com/844/

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Living Room / Re: Link: Why Google does not qualify for searching the web anymore

« Last post by nudone on January 07, 2011, 01:49 AM »

oh dear. i didn't realise that. that is terrible. what a load of b*stards.

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Living Room / Re: Link: Why Google does not qualify for searching the web anymore

« Last post by nudone on January 07, 2011, 01:42 AM »

You know how we can filter stuff with Adblock plus (or whatever you may use), is there something similar that could be done with google search results - like a blacklist of "splog" (good word) sites?

These sites must be well known and there must be enough interest to keep a compiled list going.

Or is this the kind of feature already built in to something like copernic?

639

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

« Last post by nudone on January 06, 2011, 05:22 PM »

I'm right handed, but to eat, always use a fork in my right hand, knife in my left. Living in the UK this makes me some kind of vulgar freak. I say "living in the UK" as I assume other countries don't expect every right handed person to eat using a fork in their left hand.

I've never understood this bizarre tradition. Let's teach everyone to use a fork in their left hand if they are right handed - what lunatic decided that was the right thing to do.

640

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

« Last post by nudone on January 06, 2011, 04:22 PM »

The question is. Do I now hunt for a second used MX Revolution on eBay (to use on my secondary pc), pay more than it's worth, and then decide I don't like it - again, and finally end up getting a trackball or something else I'll worry about.

-nudone (January 06, 2011, 05:12 AM)

Although I don’t use the MX Revo anymore - too damned many have failed on me - I always had a few on hand at my house. I used Web Site Watcher to keep an eye on pricing at Amazon, Newegg, and a couple other sites and only purchased one when the price went below $50. This was back when it was fairly new and very popular and sold normally for ~$90 new. Every once in a while one shop or another would have a sale and I would pick up one or two, depending on how low the price was.

Thanks!

Jim

-J-Mac (January 06, 2011, 01:10 PM)

That's a very good idea, J-Mac. Maybe I'll try something similar, hunting for a cheap(er) Logitech MX Performance mouse.

641

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

« Last post by nudone on January 06, 2011, 10:02 AM »

You mean this...

642

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

« Last post by nudone on January 06, 2011, 09:03 AM »

You could always hack your PC to accept input from a Kinect... 

-Darwin (January 06, 2011, 07:36 AM)

oh dear. you've just described the future (not for me, of course, but someone has got to do it - if they haven't done so already).

643

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

« Last post by nudone on January 06, 2011, 05:12 AM »

I (almost) can't believe I'm saying this. It's enough to make me think I should never post on a forum ever again...

I've now got the MX Revolution and the M500 side-by-side so I can really, really, REALLY, notice the differences. And, I prefer the Revolution. It's the heaviest but other than that it feels the best. It glides better and fits under my hand better as it's slightly higher and shorter.

So, it looks like I'm sticking with the MX Revolution after all (the second M500 that arrived this morning can sit on the desk reminding me not to order things that I don't need, just like the three tablet pcs that I've yet to use). I really shouldn't be allowed to buy things online.

The question is. Do I now hunt for a second used MX Revolution on eBay (to use on my secondary pc), pay more than it's worth, and then decide I don't like it - again, and finally end up getting a trackball or something else I'll worry about.

644

Living Room / Re: What would it look like if all DC visitors were gathered in one place?

« Last post by nudone on January 04, 2011, 09:31 AM »

I must visit the DC forum about 50,000 times a day.

-nudone (January 04, 2011, 04:40 AM)

So you're the one responsible for preventing the other 27,623 from logging in!

-cranioscopical (January 04, 2011, 07:59 AM)

sorry, I thought the new server setup could handle it.

645

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

« Last post by nudone on January 04, 2011, 06:31 AM »

Okay, I exaggerated (a little). I don't lift the mouse every time I move it; just a lot of times.

This can't be that uncommon? My wrist tends to stay fixed, acting as the pivot for my hand. So that means lifting the mouse a lot to get the cursor to travel plenty of distance. This just feels a lot less trouble than moving my whole arm to get the same cursor movement.

Oh, and another thing I've not realised. This MX Revolutions "thumb" button thing is really annoying and in the way. No wonder that they've removed on the updated Logitech Performance mouse.

646

Living Room / Re: What would it look like if all DC visitors were gathered in one place?

« Last post by nudone on January 04, 2011, 04:40 AM »

Is that the unique visitor count for DC or the return visitors (or both) and is it just for the main site, not the forum. I'm just wondering as I must visit the DC forum about 50,000 times a day.

647

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

« Last post by nudone on January 04, 2011, 04:23 AM »

Earlier, I said I'd post back with my thoughts on the Logitech M500 "corded" mouse.

I've been using the m500 for a few days (on a secondary pc), nothing really standing out as exceptional or unusual with it. It's only a mouse after all. The cord didn't get in the way, I didn't accidentally keep hitting the right button, no real complaints anywhere.

So, it didn't have me doing cartwheels around the room with excitement. But...

I've just come back to my main machine that uses a wireless Logitech MX Revolution which now feels horrible in comparison to the m500. It's like using a brick. The weight difference is immediately noticeable, so much so that I've ordered another m500 to take over the mouse duties with my main/work pc.

Admittedly, I lose a few mouse buttons with the m500 but I think the truth is that I never used them all on the MX Revolution.

My advice, if you don't need wireless - stick with (or go back to) a corded mouse. I never really bought into the wireless idea; I just had to accept it to get the mouse I wanted. Now I can go back to a lovely long cable, no more flat battery delays and no more pushing a brick around the table.

The Logitech M500 was the perfect choice for me, as it closely resembles the shape of the MX Revolution. The button layout is pretty much the same, so it's like using the same mouse - except for when you lift them off the mouse pad.

(If you never lift the mouse of the pad then I appreciate that a heavy wireless mouse won't be an issue. I seem to constantly lift the mouse with almost every movement.)

648

Living Room / Re: RedLetterMedia Reviews Star Wars and more

« Last post by nudone on January 04, 2011, 03:10 AM »

seemed a lot like shooting fish in a barrel to me. so there are lots of plot holes and pointless story events in the Star Wars films. really? so they aren't comparable to the classic works of Shakespeare. who ever would have thought that.

the reviews are funny but shoot at easy targets. i'd be interested to see in depth reviews of the more accepted movie "classics". using Star Wars/Trek is obviously the best way of bringing in a large crowd - reviewing Citizen Kane won't give you so many hits - i assume.

if you didn't sit through all three Star Wars prequels thinking "this plot is total nonsense" then you must have left your brain at home. that didn't stop me enjoy the films though.

complaining about all the greenscreen cgi is a bit b*llocks too. you've always had to suspend your disbelief when watching a movie. we didn't have trouble watching the old Ray Harryhausen stop-animation films, the monsters were obviously not in the live scene - same applies to today's effects. use your imagination and blend the real and fake together, believe me, it will help you enjoy the film a lot more.

i do agree with his comments about direction though. Lucas has lost it. or maybe he's the complete master at it - the prequels are there to keep the franchise going; films that will look pretty on your 50 inch plasma for years to come - just very expensive adverts with similar direction, plot and editing to any other clever advert.

i actually thought "Attack of the Clones" was the best out of the prequels. yeah, even the crappy love story element. the battle scenes were fantastic; i can't remember now what else i liked - oh, that bit when Yoda started fighting with his Light Saber, intellectually it was embarrassing to see, but my heart was pounding and i nearly had tears in my eyes because i allowed it to move me. that's what you have to do sometimes - like experiencing any kind of "art", you have to make a few allowances and try and get into the mind of the artist that created the work.

649

Living Room / Re: Anyone want to write an eBook in 2011?

« Last post by nudone on January 03, 2011, 10:56 AM »

You could write the book

Hehe.  In this particular case, I am quite certain that nudone, timns, and you Mouser (or surely at least two of the three) have coding experience/expertise surpassing my own.  Is the book going to cover C++ (in which I have zero background), or Java (in which I have even less), or C# (in which I have considerable background, but am not yet an expert)?

Or is it, rather, going to cover general programming principles, with examples from multiple languages?

I have, to be honest, been giving serious consideration to writing a mid-length book on programming, from scratch, a text-adventure game in C#.  Seems like books on programming games sell like hot-cakes.  However, I'm thinking about putting that off another year or two, until I get "C# 3.0 Design Patterns" and "C# Game Programming for Serious Game Creation" under my belt.

-kyrathaba (January 03, 2011, 07:24 AM)

I believe mouser's original idea was to do it in a kind of user friendly pseudocode - it is a introductory book about programming after all. Probably aimed at children.

650

Living Room / Re: iPhone Alarms Don't Work

« Last post by nudone on January 03, 2011, 10:50 AM »

"Minnellium Bug"

-timns (January 03, 2011, 08:37 AM)

Ah, that explains it - it was the "Minnellium" Bug that threatened the world. I presume something to do with Liza Minnelli. Are we all still at risk I wonder?