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7276

General Software Discussion / Re: Help! Ideas for software aimed at 'learning'

« Last post by Renegade on June 20, 2011, 08:37 AM »

I think you will have a very hard time finding it.

What you're asking for is for a program to steal focus, which is generally considered evil. Pure evil. Evil as in the Devil would shun it.

I can see the point to it, but really, I think you're going to need some luck in finding it.

If you have some code handy for someone, or if you have some VERY specific format ready that can be implemented quickly, then I think you can see if someone will build it for you.

The basics for it aren't very hard. It is however... esoteric.

If you know XML, that would be very good. XML is very easy to create and consume, so it would be an ideal format to contain the questions/answers.

Don't expect anyone to input data for you, but that's a good study exercise, so it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

(I'm interested, so do post back. I may be able to help out, but no promises.)

7277

Living Room / Re: BitTorent sued yet again - this time for patent infringement

« Last post by Renegade on June 20, 2011, 07:54 AM »

Some things make me want to SCREAM~!

Most of the illustrations in the patent are hand drawn even...

I'd love for the web to find out who is behind all this. All we know is that the company is supposed to have an office at 500 Pine St., San Francisco, CA 94108, at phone number 415-263-0949. Google Maps shows and empty lot at this location, but of course, Google Maps could be outdated.

Y'know... They'd be a good target for LulzSec to forward their phone number on~! Muahahahahah~!

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Living Room / Re: A New Twist in Wikipedia?

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 09:24 PM »

Isn't democracy a grand thing?

(But what is 'democracy' other than a form of government where rule by 400 craven idiots is considered to be vastly preferable to rule by one mad king...)

-40hz (June 19, 2011, 12:03 PM)

Hahaha~!

I listen to Australian parliament on the radio quite often, and wow... They're more than capable of proving that democracy can be just as <insert something about diminished mental capacity here /> as anywhere else.

(Skipping the part about exactly how democratic democracy actually is...)

7279

Living Room / Re: SSD Drives - something to consider before taking the plunge

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 08:33 PM »

I had a TI 99/4A, and the hard drives at one point were dropped  from $2k to $1k. My parents weren't going to spend that much on it, so I was stuck with a tape drive. Those were slooooooooowwww...

http://en.wikipedia....Instruments_TI-99/4A

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Living Room / A New Twist in Wikipedia?

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 11:52 AM »

I saw this on a Wikipedia page, but haven't seen it since:



Has anyone seen that?

I think it's a fantastic addition as I've seen some Wikipedia articles that have been flat out dominated by massively slanted views.

7281

Living Room / Re: XBOX 360 with Kinect or Wii?

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 11:20 AM »

I could be barking up the wrong tree:

http://www.medicinen...key=90064&page=3

Bryant agrees, although he is quick to praise Nintendo for its ability to use technology in a positive manner. He just doesn't want people to use Wii Fit as an alternative to actual fitness activities.

But compared to now, anything is an improvement.

7282

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 11:00 AM »

Tech note: when my current ADSL connection was first installed, speeds were higher (up to 12Mb/s) but unreliable. Generally speaking, ADSL2 networks will do everything they can to maximise your speed, but if you have a noisy line that can work against you. So I got my ISP to "lock" my speed at a much lower level, and my connection has been rock solid ever since (not a single problem in two years). I can download at 7Mb/s all day long. Worth bearing in mind if you have a dodgy ADSL connection.

-johnk (June 19, 2011, 10:22 AM)

Interesting. I didn't know that. Thanks for mentioning it.

7283

Living Room / Re: A rant on religiousness about OSes

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 10:57 AM »

The mac religion topic just had a revive last week 

-iphigenie (June 19, 2011, 10:41 AM)

WWDC?

7284

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 08:10 AM »

Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.

-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM)

Actually not quite true - I subscribe to the DIgital Concert Hall (basically all of the concerts from the Berlin Philharmonic) and that works great. You watch either using you browser on your computer or I watch it on my Sony Bravia TV. The streaming content works really well on this site so some people can get it right.

-Carol Haynes (June 19, 2011, 07:03 AM)

It's true and not true.

No site in the world can fix the problem. Even Microsoft with an Akamai CDN can't fix it.

The problem is that every link in the path is a point for failure, and if you live somewhere with poor Internet infrastructure, then you're hosed. (I'm having yet another assie shiternet day.)

But for streaming? A movie? You need seriously SICK speeds to be able to seek. And Flash doesn't cut it. Only raw power from a real, compiled client can deliver. Browsers are flaky at best with stability, and just can't compare to the pristine experience you get in a real media player. (Not "Real Media Player". ) Silverlight delivers the best video experience, but, it's not got the wide adoption for video, and Novell has basically killed any last hope of that unless Miguel can pull a rabbit out of his hat.

If the site works well, and the Internet infrastructure is there, AND the ISP is decent, then it can work. I just don't think that we're anywhere near "there" yet though. Acceptable broadband is in a few locations, but they're not representative.

7285

Living Room / Re: SSD Drives - something to consider before taking the plunge

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 04:04 AM »

Imagine the time you waste actually doing things! You could cut it all out! Save even more!

If you cut out everything, in an average life of 75 years, you'd save 75 years!

7286

Living Room / Re: XBOX 360 with Kinect or Wii?

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 04:01 AM »

I thought about the Sony thing for the entire 2 seconds it took me to think "rootkit douchebags get rooted regularly". I then moved on.

What I was thinking

With the way Sony behaves, I figured I'd rather support another company. I don't think they really have anything that is so good that it overshadows their despicable behavior.

Still, looking at the PlayStation(R)Move, they seem to have ripped off both Nintendo and Microsoft in a spectacular way. Get the best of the Wii and the XBOX 360? Tempting... Very tempting...

I added it as an option.

At $200 for the Wii here, it's tempting just for that. Not sure. I just need to lose weight...

7287

Living Room / XBOX 360 with Kinect or Wii?

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 12:33 AM »

Well, I'm thinking about getting an XBOX 360 with Kinect or a Nintendo Wii. I really don't care about games, but hopefully it will help me get some exercise. So, that's my #1 and only goal - EXERCISE.

Which would you recommend?

The last gaming console I had was an Atari 2600... It's been a while...

I am NOT interested in any online gaming accounts. I do not want one. For the primary reason that I am not interested in giving my personal details and credit card information to a bunch of criminals or LulzSec.

Sony has been hacked umpteen times. SEGA just got hacked. Wii? Nintendo is just another gaming company like Sony and Sega. It's only a matter of time until they get hacked. While Microsoft takes security pretty seriously, and has improved tremendously in the last number of years, I'm still skittish about things there. I think they're less likely to get hacked, but... Where there's a will, there's some prick looking to destroy stuff and ruin the fun for everyone.

So, the less information I need to use the console, the better. I'm really only interested in playing/exercising -- not in any kind of online interaction or accounts or whatever.

Edit: I'm not worried about price. I'm worried about it being fun. If it's fun, I'll stick with it and I'll lose my gut.

7288

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by Renegade on June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM »

Kind of related, I came across this:



Looks pretty cool. And, "Watch it any way you like". That sounds good...

1) XBOX 360

Don't have one. Next...

2) iTunes

Ummm... Sorry. I'm not a crack addict. My Mac is already infected with iTunes. I don't want to infect my main machine with it.

Next...

3) BigPond

WTF? Huh? TV?

4) FetchTV

Again, WTF? TV?

5) FoxTel OnDemand

Huh? TV? No thanks. Don't have it, and don't want it.

6) Austar

Huh? WTF? TV? Again?

Where's the download? If it's any way I like, then I like to watch videos in a normal media player that I know works properly. My personal preference is ALPlayer, or maybe VLC in a pinch. But certainly not some junk that I'd bet won't work properly.

Here are a few of the things I like:

1) Pause
2) Resume
3) Stop
4) Fast forward
5) Rewind
6) Seek
7) Watch whenever I darn well feel like
Stop. Do the dishes. Come back. Watch.
9) Stop. Eat dinner. Come back.
10) Stop. Do work. Watch the rest tomorrow.
11) Watch while I work. Realize that I never actually watched it, so watch it in a few days when I have time.

Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.

Downloads in solid, third party media players work.

And these guys wonder why The Pirate Bay is so popular. Duh! It's called having a superior product...

It's a shame, because the film looks good, and I'd certainly be up for buying a copy if I could do it reasonably. I guess that's too much to ask.

7289

Living Room / Encouraging Piracy - Piracy as a Tool for Promotion

« Last post by Renegade on June 18, 2011, 10:39 PM »

Someone pointed me to this video:

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=MwiirwO_Q7A

At about 1:07:00 (and 1:52:30) the fellow in there takes a break to encourage people to go to the web site, buy a copy of the DVD, and COPY it to give to friends and family! HE ENCOURAGES PIRACY OF HIS VIDEO!

If I recall properly, the film "Sicko" hit the Internet with the tag "Steal this movie":

http://en.wikipedia....rg/wiki/Sicko#Piracy

Perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong there.

Still, Michael Moore had this to say:

When asked about the leak, Moore said, "I'm just happy that people get to see my movies. I'm not a big supporter of the copyright laws in this country...I don't understand bands or filmmakers...who oppose sharing, having their work being shared by people, because it only increases your fanbase."

For revenues, Sicko did very well:

The film is currently ranked the fourth highest grossing documentary of all time...

(Source)

The recent "Go the F**k to Sleep" episode seems to support that piracy can be used as a tool to increase revenue.

There are a few films that have been aired for free on the Internet that I've subsequently gone out and bought (quite a few actually - 4 times that I can remember off the top of my head). I don't know, but it just seems to me that when a film puts itself out there, and then asks for my support, I'm very willing to reciprocate their good will. They've taken a step of faith and demonstrated their good will towards their potential customers, and I appreciate that. Too many companies/corporations/organizations show nothing but contempt for their audience/customers.

I just had a mini-rant about that exact issue:

Melbourne Public Transportation: Contempt for Customers

I don't think that will go away either. Apple is a shining example of how a company can have nothing but contempt for their customers and succeed wildly. So in that environment, the potential for people to show good will/faith up front is never going to disappear, and it seems to me like that can work very well to increase popularity and/or revenues.

Now, flat out, that's basically the "donation" model applied to films. Film and software are very different markets and behave differently, so the general failure of the donation model in software doesn't mean that it can't work for films.

But whether it's "donation" or "piracy" is really only a matter of the original author labeling it.

In any event, submitted for your (dis)approval...

7290

General Software Discussion / Re: graphs software

« Last post by Renegade on June 18, 2011, 09:30 PM »

Excel or, as widgewunnder notes above, Calc (NB - OpenOffice has been rebranded LibreOffice) work well. There are also SoftMaker Office and Kingsoft Office, both of which have spreadsheet programs and both of which will graph data.

Standalone, dedicated graphing software, I'm not so aware of. I DO know that above and beyond Excel's built-in graphing capabilities there are a myriad of third-party add-ins for Excel that expand upon it.

-Darwin (October 24, 2010, 05:49 PM)

+1

Excel/Calc are mature products with massive functionality. They've got years of improvements, so probably anything you want to do, they can do it and more.

7291

Living Room / Re: SSD Drives - something to consider before taking the plunge

« Last post by Renegade on June 18, 2011, 08:51 AM »

They really are much faster. Since installing one, Visual Studio is WAY faster. It's really that good.

Now, $1,000? Dunno. I have a cheapo 128 GB SSD for something like $200 or $220 (I forget). The next step up here was a grand for a 256 GB drive. Ummm... I'll skip that.

7292

Living Room / Re: SSD Drives - something to consider before taking the plunge

« Last post by Renegade on June 17, 2011, 09:55 PM »

According to this talk, you are wasting your life if you don't own a SSD: http://www.livestrea...19-8aaf-35a839b6ecaa

-mouser (June 17, 2011, 09:03 PM)

That was sexcellent~!

7293

Living Room / Re: Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 11:36 AM »

http://www.youtube.c...fREUujocYik&NR=1

-Gothi[c] (June 16, 2011, 10:26 AM)

Very cool.

-superboyac (June 16, 2011, 10:54 AM)

+1

It was stunning to see the very low view count. More people should see that.

When he went on about military spending and what that could do... Shameful...

7294

Living Room / Re: Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:54 AM »

* Gothi[c] waits for dc to be flagged as terrorist organisation

watch all the paypal funds be frozen

-Gothi[c] (June 16, 2011, 10:48 AM)

tearurrizin' da interwebz since 2005!

7295

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

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:53 AM »

The Straight Dope site is worth checking out as well - http://straightdope.com/

-tomos (June 10, 2011, 02:44 AM)

Ahem... This is a NSFW thread, so...

http://www.straightd...d-sex-with-an-animal

Has 1 in 8 people had sex with an animal?

Ahem...

According to Alfred Kinsey — you knew I was going to drag him into this — "some 17 percent of the farm boys in our sample had had some sexual contact with farm animals to the point of orgasm, while half or more of the boys from certain rural areas of the United States had had such experience." Kinsey later alludes to the greater tolerance for such things in the west. I take this to mean that in Kinsey's day, when you saw a happy couple walking down the aisle in Wyoming, it was better than even money that the groom had had sex with a sheep.

IT GETS WORSE~!

Bwahahahaha~! 

7296

Living Room / Re: Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:47 AM »

Well, Stoic Joker has his guns, time for the rest of us to stock up~!

-Renegade (June 16, 2011, 10:10 AM)

Shopping List:
Bullets
Bullets
Bullets
 ...

-Stoic Joker (June 16, 2011, 10:20 AM)

I want some of these:

http://www.barrett.net/

Any of them. It doesn't matter.

This one would do nicely:

7297

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

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:43 AM »

loop
{

How do you keep coders in suspense?

-TaoPhoenix (June 12, 2011, 03:15 PM)

} until (...

7298

Living Room / Re: Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:10 AM »

Things won't get really bad until you either get a climate change; or a prolonged drought/flood situation that takes out most of the US export food surplus. There's about a 20% chance of that happening sometime during the next 25 years give or take.

Once you start seeing a global food shortage people will stop worrying about things like DRM and hedge funds. Because things will get very ugly very fast once that happens.

If you can sell otherwise civilized nations on the benefits of 'ethnic cleansing' for political or religious reasons, imagine how much easier it will be to get them to do it once those bloody "outsiders" are accused of "taking" the dominant tribe's food!

I can hear it now: "My fellow (insert collective name)! The time has come to make hard decisions and stand firm in a course of action. We do this, not by choice or out of malice, but to ensure the survival of our people. We do this not for ourselves. We do this for our children!" (Then comes a meaningful pause as the speaker closes his eyes, and appears to gather strength. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the somber crowd for a long poignant moment. Then, with a sad but resolved sigh, he raises his eyes towards the heavens.) "May god forigive us - and let history judge us." he intones. There is a silent moment before the cheering begins - and then grows louder.

Heck, an argument like that works even when there's not a real crisis diving it!

Imagine how well it's gonna play once people feel the pinch from something at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Now that's what I'd call having a bad day!

And the reason why I pay so much attention to global weather forecasts and the statistics tracking the annual diminishment of arable lands.

-40hz (June 16, 2011, 09:53 AM)

 


I fear you are far too smart, and far too likely to be correct...

The speech was too close...

Well, Stoic Joker has his guns, time for the rest of us to stock up~! 

7299

General Software Discussion / Re: DOS Batch Functions Tutorial

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 10:06 AM »

You might want to look into PowerShell as it has largely replaced batch files for a lot of admins.

But, batch files do have their appeal still! (I use some batch commands in build processes and whatnot.) Those look like some nice tuts!

7300

Living Room / Re: Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

« Last post by Renegade on June 16, 2011, 02:31 AM »

On the happy topic of China... If you've been following their expansion over the last, oh, 50 years or whatever...





Here's one of their current issues:

http://thejournal.eu...-in-south-china-sea/