here are old message board entries

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[2005-05-18 12:16:21] - mig:  you can buy them online (i did)  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:15:41] - paul:  are tickets still available for thursday? if so, can you get me one.  i have no time to get myself to reston today. - mig

[2005-05-18 12:15:02] - amy:  from ~amy/web/logs/error.log:  "Out of memory!"  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:14:00] - amy:  $_="aaa";s/a/ba/g;print $_, "\n"; prints out "bababa".  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:13:39] - amy:  that isn't what is infinite-looping (it must be something else).  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:12:17] - halp. i'm writing a dumb function to convert txt to html. this is infinite-looping: $string =~ s#\n#<br />\n#g;    ...any way to get it to not do that? ...without using two diff lines, i mean-amy

[2005-05-18 12:12:06] - heh.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:11:58] - unless . . . the electric engine can't provide as much power.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:11:46] - a: because you can't get enough power out fo the electrical ones at high speeds -dave

[2005-05-18 12:11:23] - if the combustion engine is less efficient than the electric engine, then why ever use the combustion engine for propultion?  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:10:13] - dave:  why wouldn't they just use the combustion engine to charge the battery on the highway?  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:09:51] - a: to charge the battery, the gas engine is run at a constant speed that is most efficient for the engine. When you have to use it for direct propulsion, you can't run it at a constant speed much less the speed that is most efficient -dave

[2005-05-18 12:09:10] - "because the electrical motors are more efficient than the normal combustion one"  ah that's the piece that i was missing.  thx.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:08:33] - a: in the city, the only reason the gas engine is used, is to charge the batteries -dave

[2005-05-18 12:08:09] - a: because the electrical motors are more efficient than the normal combustion one. and on the highway you have to use the combustion one -dave

[2005-05-18 12:07:58] - a: Well, it almost certainly uses the gas engine a little bit during city driving, so maybe that picks up the slack in terms of recharging the battery? -Paul

[2005-05-18 12:06:39] - at that offset only benifits city driving.  still, that offset wouldn't make (long term) city driving more fuel efficient than (long term) highway driving.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:05:42] - right.  well it can only use the electric battery as much as it's charging the electric battery (net gain = 0).  as i see it, the electric battery just offsets some of the loss that you have with regular cars.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:03:30] - a: Maybe that it has less pollutants? -Paul

[2005-05-18 12:02:44] - a: The way I understand it, the engine uses the electric motor more in the city and the gasoline engine more on the highway. I'm not sure why, and I don't know how it can afford to use electric so much in the city, but that's what I've heard as to why the Prius does better in the city. -Paul

[2005-05-18 12:01:26] - paul:  what does cleaner mean then?  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:00:34] - you're still going to do better NOT breaking.  ~a

[2005-05-18 12:00:26] - dave:  i understand how the hybrid technology works, but how can a car do better in the city than on the highway.  in the city, you're converting your kinetic energy to electric energy (when you need to break).  then back to kinetic energy (when you use the battery to accelerate).  even if you have 100% efficiency . . . ~a

[2005-05-18 11:59:54] - a: Cleaner doesn't necessarily mean healthier to breath. -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:58:54] - Dave: I'm not trying to convince you to stop, but I think I've already tried and not gotten anywhere with it. Just don't get discouraged. -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:58:28] - dave:  you're telling me if i go up and start breathing strait out of an exhaust pipe of a car in LA, that will be safer than just breathing air that's not out of an exhaust pipe?  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:57:05] - a: LA air is pretty bad -dave

[2005-05-18 11:56:56] - a: and I'm sorry, I meant LA air, not just air anywhere in CA -dave

[2005-05-18 11:56:17] - Paul: eh, my goal isn't really to convince  adrian, since I believe you are right, but more to present the opposite viewpoint so everyone else just doesn't take what he says without seeing the other side -dave

[2005-05-18 11:55:10] - a: I believe they get like 40 if it's highway, and 50+ in city. -dave

[2005-05-18 11:54:10] - a: really? my parents measure the amount of gas they put into the car and the amount of miles it goes (prius) and it does pretty well -dave

[2005-05-18 11:53:51] - Dave: No offense to anybody here, but I don't think you're going to be able to convince an SUV hater not to hate SUVs. -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:53:32] - a: I got it from my dad who did patent stuff for the emission systems -dave

[2005-05-18 11:53:16] - dave:  hubrid technology is over reported.  when it comes to hybrid cars, EPA gas mileage is like double actual gas mileage.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:51:57] - "The cars in CA actually output cleaner air then they take in"  do you have a reference?  that sounds kind of unrealistic.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:51:49] - http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/05/17/microsoft_searches_for_web_nasties_with_honey_monkeys/ woah, this is pretty cool. Microsoft building a system of a million XP clients that will crawl the net looking for unreported vulnerabilities to Windows. -dave

[2005-05-18 11:46:18] - a: and then you have hybrid SUVs, which will probably consume less gas than some cars. And how about high-performance sports cars? they probably get the same gas mileage as SUVs, mebbe have same emissions as well since they consume as much gas -dave

[2005-05-18 11:45:19] - a: well, in any case, I believe that the emission reqs alone aren't enough to hate SUVs. If you get that worked up about it, have them change the emission reqs. The cars in CA actually output cleaner air then they take in, so clearly you can do stuff like that if you want -dave

[2005-05-18 11:39:13] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_utility_vehicle Interestingly, emissions are not listed as a criticism of SUVs on wiki. -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:36:28] - aaron:  having three plugs on the dance pad might be a little much.  but then again, it's only a 50% increase (in number of plugs)  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:35:29] - paul:  i know.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:34:11] - dave:  SUVs most certainly do not have the same emission reqs of regular cars.  yes, they also consume more gas.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:32:24] - amy: And the Taiko No Tetsujin controllers. USB-out seems like another logical addition - aaron

[2005-05-18 11:32:18] - a: it's all right, i probably didn't want to see the movie anyway. i mean, the only reason why i'd go is because that's what everybody i know will be doing on thurs, but i don't think that's reason enough for me to spend $10 and 3 hrs. at a movie i probably wouldn't like and certainly wouldn't comprehend -amy

[2005-05-18 11:31:22] - aaron: if i were RO, i'd wait to see how popular the game was before bothering. *shrug* but then again, they came out with the donkey konga controllers pretty quickly didn't they? -amy

[2005-05-18 11:30:13] - a: emission reqs rather -dave

[2005-05-18 11:30:00] - a: why would SUVs be bad for the environment? Because they consume more gas? I believe they have the same exhaust reqs as normal cars. -dave

[2005-05-18 11:27:49] - fyi - my email has died.  I'll let everyone know my new addy asap - but until then please send things to adrian and hope he tells me  - lori

[2005-05-18 11:20:51] - a: I think you might get disagreement that SUVs = terrorism. -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:20:07] - amy: I saw that. I wonder if that means RedOctane will start supporting GC as well. - aaron

[2005-05-18 11:15:27] - paul:  well i think it's kind of stretching the definition (of terrorism).  at the very least i think SUVs are pretty bad for the environment, but i wouldn't get much disagreement there, would i?  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:14:39] - amy:  i'm sorry, i should have mentioned it sooner.  if you change your mind, though, you still might be able to buy tickets.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:14:38] - a: Which isn't too much of a stretch, eh? -Paul

[2005-05-18 11:13:59] - paul:  it's ok, he'll just think that i think that SUVs = terrorism.  ~a

[2005-05-18 11:08:39] - the screen shots look cute, but the way they're describing it, it looks like the game will be too "story"-oriented, rather than about getting good at the actual gameplay, which i'm not at all surprised about coming from the mario series -amy

[2005-05-18 11:07:21] - this is hilarious: http://www.nintendo.com/gamemini?gameid=da13646e-ee66-443f-b53d-b759a2cd20ca&link=side& DDR mario mix! the story line involves somebody stealing "music keys." it's so mario -amy

[2005-05-18 11:06:55] - a: uh-oh. i guess i'm the only one? .) i didn't think it'd make sense to have seen only ep. 4, and then go see 3... esp. i didn't like 4 that much -amy

[2005-05-18 11:01:36] - amy:  you're not going to star wars?  ~a

[2005-05-18 10:30:25] - a + lori: are you going to DDR tomorrow? apparently we are getting ditched for star wars... or potentially it is just me that is getting ditched -amy

[2005-05-18 10:21:06] - a: I'm not sure if Dave was around for that conversation. It might go totally over his head. -Paul

[2005-05-18 10:20:02] - dave:  right.  all i'm saying is that SUVs = terrorism.  ~a

[2005-05-18 10:15:56] - Dave: Right. I guess a lot of people were just assuming they were going to use a plain DVD drive since they hadn't made a big deal about it supporting next generation DVD standards. -Paul

[2005-05-18 10:08:29] - Paul: well, here's the MS release I found. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/may05/05-12360MTVUnveilPR.asp all it says is that it has the progressive dvd movie etc playback ability, which I imagine HD-DVD and Blu-Ray drives would have as well -dave

[2005-05-18 10:05:08] - Dave: Yeah, I was just surprised because everything I read before seemed to imply that MS was probably going to use a regular DVD drive. Using HD-DVD or Blue-ray would definitely be a good thing though. -Paul

[2005-05-18 10:04:33] - a: 0_o you mean that Toyota is a Japanese company? I believe the cars were sold in the US -dave

[2005-05-18 10:02:59] - Paul: I dunno, but that's what the article said, that it would probably be using HD-DVD or Blu-Ray (shrug) -dave

[2005-05-18 10:01:22] - http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7857151/site/newsweek/?GT1=6542 Burger King getting a make-over. -Paul

[2005-05-18 09:56:16] - Dave: I thought the Xbox 360 was going to be using a plain DVD drive. -Paul

[2005-05-18 08:53:38] - dave:  what a surprise, 90% of those SUVs sold by toyota IN JAPAN are being used in america.  ~a

[2005-05-18 08:02:27] - http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/17/peta.lab/index.html PETA accuses lab of animal cruelty -dave

[2005-05-18 08:00:33] - http://www.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/05/18/toyota.recall.reut/index.html Toyota recalling 880k SUVs and pickups -dave

[2005-05-18 07:50:08] - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050517-4917.html more on DVD format war. Article mentions that Microsoft has not said what DVD format Xbox will use, presumably HD-DVD or Blu-Ray -dave

[2005-05-18 07:47:43] - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050517-4915.html Nintendo announces Game Boy Micro. "4" x 2" x 0.7" and weighs less than 3 ounces" -dave

[2005-05-17 16:43:38] - haha.  actually, w.w comes from something very different than www and i actually didn't think it would be confusing until you said something.  w.aporter.org is my wildcard dns entry and w is short for wiki.  so w.w.aporter.org  ~a

[2005-05-17 16:40:27] - a: Why is it at http://w.w.aporter.org/mediawiki/ and not www?? - aaron

[2005-05-17 16:19:53] - a: that's being read from a file. also that link may break at any moment, as i am currently editing the script .p -amy

[2005-05-17 16:19:29] - a: your way works fine. http://www.diotrans.us/cgi-bin/music2.cgi?page=submit -amy

[2005-05-17 16:15:46] - amy:  sorry.  i fixed it  ~a

[2005-05-17 16:15:31] - there are other ways.  like:  open("infile","filename"); @_=<infile>; close("infile"); also works, but in certain situations uses more memory.  ~a

[2005-05-17 16:14:50] - a: whoah where did the winky face go O_o -amy

[2005-05-17 16:14:27] - a: how do you do the winky-face in the text editor??? jk. thanks ,) -amy

[2005-05-17 16:13:04] - open("infile","filename"); while(<infile>) {chomp; print $_, "\n";} close("infile");  ~a

[2005-05-17 16:12:48] - *** dave does not know perl

[2005-05-17 16:10:13] - hey does anyone know off the top of their head... the syntax for opening a file and reading from it and closing it, in perl? -amy

[2005-05-17 15:59:36] - a: I guess I'm confused then. -Paul

[2005-05-17 15:54:49] - paul:  nope.  ~a

[2005-05-17 15:35:46] - Holy crap, are you trying to start your own wiki? -Paul

[2005-05-17 15:32:12] - put stuff here

[2005-05-17 15:16:01] - Dave: Good luck finding many women dressed up as Leia waiting in line to see the Star Wars movie. -Paul

[2005-05-17 15:05:07] - http://motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0504_flightclub/index.html TopGun pilots testdrive the Mustang, Viper, and Corvette -dave

[2005-05-17 14:49:12] - "suggestion about ways to annoy people waiting in line for "Star Wars": "Ask anyone dressed as Princess Leia who they're supposed to be. When she answers, say 'Aren't you supposed to be wearing that metal bikini?' " -dave

[2005-05-17 12:39:05] - I thought it was kinda clever. -Paul

[2005-05-17 12:31:10] - I prefer sux=lobxsy. - pierce

[2005-05-17 12:15:30] - ok, nevermind.  finally got it.  ~a

[2005-05-17 12:15:16] - a: No, solve for u first so you get 'u = 53xy'... -Paul

[2005-05-17 12:14:03] - paul:  i don't get it.  sux = lobxsy?  ~a

[2005-05-17 12:10:16] - a: Leet speak? -Paul

[2005-05-17 12:07:30] - paul.  i don't get it.  53xy?  ~a

[2005-05-17 11:24:29] - "2ux = 106(x^2)y    Solve for u." From a livejournal icon. -Paul

[2005-05-17 11:13:31] - thanks!  fraxy.  she does pull it off though.    -  aba

[2005-05-17 11:13:06] - dave:  microsoft exec "reiterated that features such as tabbed browsing are not important to IE users."    ~a

[2005-05-17 11:08:48] - aba: if you're talking about Portman, another picture can be seen from Paul's link at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C156585%2C00.html -dave

[2005-05-17 11:07:28] - aba:  http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/16/technology/personaltech/e3_sony/index.htm?cnn=yes  ~a

[2005-05-17 11:07:19] - aba: (at least, i think that's what you/they were talking about?) -amy

[2005-05-17 11:06:56] - aba: http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_1397627.html?menu=entertainment.celebrities -amy

[2005-05-17 11:05:47] - aba: of what? the PS3? -dave

[2005-05-17 10:57:51] - paul/dave: link me to a picture?  -  aba

[2005-05-17 10:37:47] - except that it won't be out for awhile, even after the PS3 -dave

[2005-05-17 10:18:17] - Aaron: I don't think anybody has heard much of anything about Nintendo's next console. -Paul

[2005-05-17 10:08:25] - vinnie: I hope the new nintendo product supports wireless controllers as well. I still haven't heard a thing about it - has anyone else? - aaron

[2005-05-17 10:01:28] - Paul: Yeah, I still think she looks good  -dave

[2005-05-17 09:55:41] - Vinnie: I posted that article before and nobody commented on it. -Paul

[2005-05-17 09:55:28] - Dave: Yeah, I saw the pictures. Kinda weird looking, but I think she still looks good. -Paul

[2005-05-17 09:37:27] - mig: because instead they think that grouping all the IE icons in the taskbar (so that you have to first click on the icon, and then choose which browser you were in [based on the HTML title tag?]) is a good idea? -amy

[2005-05-17 09:29:51] - dave:  wow.  finally ie takes a step forward.  i have no idea why it took them this long to realize tabbed browsing is a good idea. - mig

[2005-05-17 09:20:44] - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/opensource/43109.html IBM to use Firefox and offer Help Desk support for it -dave

[2005-05-17 09:18:54] - http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/15/news_6124592.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6124592 Halo 3 to be released simultaneously with PS3 -dave

[2005-05-17 09:17:30] - http://www.anandtech.com/news/shownews.aspx?i=24252 IE7 to have tabs -dave

[2005-05-17 09:10:48] - dave:  "endless debate" rules!  (as long as it keeps government power from increasing). - mig

[2005-05-17 08:57:53] - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/05/13/notes051305.DTL tmi makes you stupid. - mig

[2005-05-17 08:55:17] - vinnie: yeah, it really does, although I remember thinking the same of the new Xbox too -dave

[2005-05-17 08:55:14] -  ~a

[2005-05-17 08:55:10] - sweet.  ~a

[2005-05-17 08:54:37] - a: I think the Norfolk Naval base is supposed to close, but all in all, I think it increases the number of people at the bases in our general area -dave

[2005-05-17 08:53:49] - a: although I agree that privacy discussion is good, I can also understand the desire to not have something caught up in debate for forever. From their perspective, they are tasked with this difficult job of protecting people, and then when they think they find something to do it, then it takes forever for them to get it -dave

[2005-05-17 08:53:39] - dave:  there are no bases near here that are closing right?  FOR!  (qed)  ~a

[2005-05-17 08:51:38] - do people have opinions on the base closings? For? Against? -dave

[2005-05-17 08:51:08] - vinnie:  i thought that was a funny quote too.  if you don't want an endless debate, then maybe you should employ violence to get what you want  maybe dictatorship?  ~a

[2005-05-17 08:49:57] - dave: supports up to seven wireless controllers? seems an odd choice. otherwise, damn that looks sleek - vinnie

[2005-05-17 08:48:27] - dave: yes, it's a very interesting debate (for us not to have ) I am definitely mixed on it as well - vinnie

[2005-05-17 08:47:28] - http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/16/technology/personaltech/e3_sony/index.htm?cnn=yes PS3 Debuts, won't sell till spring 2006. 7 wireless controllers, 2 HDTV outputs. -dave

[2005-05-17 08:44:22] - vinnie: hmmm, I'm not sure whether I think they should be used or not -dave

[2005-05-17 08:43:10] - this quote is hilarious: "[the Homeland Security Secretary said] he wants to employ the technology and doesn't want an 'endless debate' over privacy issues" - vinnie

[2005-05-17 08:41:19] - http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-05-15-airport-xray-bottomstrip_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA - x-ray vision being used for purposes other than seeing people naked? - vinnie

[2005-05-17 08:38:57] - Pierce: tho one wonders, as Paul is usually a good candidate as well -dave

[2005-05-17 08:38:12] - Pierce: the quietness must'a been because I wasn't around to beat up on -dave

[2005-05-17 08:35:44] - Paul: woah, Portman with a shaved head -dave

[2005-05-17 08:30:33] - http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/17/Autos/camry_hybrid/index.htm?cnn=yes Hybrid version of Toyota Camry -dave

[2005-05-16 18:17:40] - 8c4205ec33d8f6caeaaaa0c10a14138c

[2005-05-16 17:05:10] - Pierce: I guess I understand. Seems like an entirely too long and drawn out way of saying that you aren't stuck with the education/income/occupation/wealth that you were born with. -Paul

[2005-05-16 16:58:45] - Paul: no, they're saying your initial hand is (from your perspective) random.  You don't control whether you were born into an affluent or impoverished family or anything like that.  But you can play your hand and improve it, with skill and luck.  Basically, they're not saying anything revolutionary. - pierce

[2005-05-16 16:56:57] - aba: I'm not sure I understand their "being dealt four cards" metaphor. Are they saying that a person's success is determined randomly? -Paul

[2005-05-16 16:49:13] - aba: interesting article, though kind of academic.  one thing that the article touched upon, but didn't quite say was that it seems like incidental properties (religion, race, etc) have less of an impact than they once did.  Not that they don't have an impact, just less so. - pierce

[2005-05-16 16:46:04] - Paul: I don't think it's at all related to my presence, and here are three supporting pieces of evidence. - pierce

[2005-05-16 16:43:50] - Pierce: I'm not sure if today is really quieter than usual. Although when you're on the board I guess there is usually one point of disagreement which shakes things up. -Paul

[2005-05-16 16:29:44] - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/national/class/OVERVIEW-FINAL.html?pagewanted=1    -  aba

[2005-05-16 16:25:43] - quiet day... is it the rapture or something? - pierce

[2005-05-16 15:39:03] - does ti even make either of the cpus that they put in their calculators?  kind of weird that an international ic maker wouldn't even use their own ics in their calculators.  ~a

[2005-05-16 15:37:35] - pierce:  yeah, the 68000 series.  ~a

[2005-05-16 15:23:38] - a: the cpu in the ti-89 was the same family of cpus as my old Macintosh LC that I got in fifth grade. - pierce

[2005-05-16 15:12:51] - heh.  the cpu in the pacman arcade game is the same cpu that's in most ti calculators (z80)    ~a

[2005-05-16 14:21:11] - hmmm, what about when the presumed father isn't the husband?  ~a

[2005-05-16 14:03:18] - we could just establish every paternal relationship as "adoptive"... then the presumed father would just get an instant-adoption at the time of birth. - pierce

[2005-05-16 13:50:46] - pierce:  hmmm.  not sure.  i guess yeah.  when a child is born, they put the mother and child down on paper.  so if something horible hapens to that child, they know who to come after.  without doing a paternity test or recognizing a spouse, they have no record of a father.  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:45:40] - pierce:  lol.  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:45:28] - a: I meant write them up in wikipedia. Writing them up here doesn't do any good. -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:45:07] - paul:  like, i know most legal benifits of marriage are bogus because they're things that the govt shouldn't be regulating ANYWAYS.  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:44:13] - a: what do you mean?  are you saying that because it's more difficult to prove paternity ("these genes are a 98.2% match") than maternity ("yep, this one came out of that one")? - pierce

[2005-05-16 13:38:20] - how do you know a father has any right/responsability to a child if you don't recognize his relationship with the mother?  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:37:38] - paul:  hmm.  i guess i can think of some.  like . . . stuff regarding postmortem, or stuff regarding children.  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:35:54] - Pierce: I really don't have strong feelings either way about the incident, I just thought it was an interesting situation and I liked the questions. -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:34:40] - i would if i knew what they were.  can somebody tell me?  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:34:18] - a: Maybe you should write up some supports of state-sanctioning of marriage? -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:32:24] - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C156585%2C00.html Cannes 'Star Wars' Premiere Sparks Debate -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:31:40] - Plus, as an extension of that, (on a very pavlovian level) it gives them a reward (the "a-ha!" feeling) for coming up with clever, inoffensive responses. - pierce

[2005-05-16 13:31:24] - Stupid slow internet. -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:29:41] - a: Interesting. Where did you read that? -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:29:40] - ...and the test would probably have the admirable effect of making them think of alternatives to "shock" responses in real life. - pierce

[2005-05-16 13:29:14] - Paul: good article about the teacher.  I'm ever so slightly torn on the issue, because in reality it's not her job to be clever, and the test was very suggestive.  But then I snap out of it and realize that there was no "suggested" answer that these kids didn't certainly already know... - pierce

[2005-05-16 13:29:02] - i like how they don't have arguments in support of state-sanction of marriage  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:27:26] - from wikipedia, of course.  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:26:13] - "They are not necessarily opposed to the idea of a same-sex wedding itself, only that the government should not have any role in the event, nor for that matter should government approval be sought for opposite-sex marriages."  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:26:04] - paul:  heh.  "Some libertarians object to same-sex marriage because they are opposed to any form of state-sanctioned marriage, including opposite-sex unions."  ~a

[2005-05-16 13:07:46] - http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-05-15-airport-xray-bottomstrip_x.htm Air travelers stripped bare with X-ray machine -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:05:37] - http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44281 Teacher of the year fired over '4-letter-word' quiz. I thought the questions were very clever. -Paul

[2005-05-16 13:04:35] - http://www.trixieupdate.com/  geeky dad keeps detailed logs of his daughter's feeding/sleeping schedule.  I thought it was cool.  -mel

[2005-05-16 12:57:11] - Now, I admit that censorware companies that list "attack based on sexual orientation" as a "block" indicator are technically incorrect about their filtering rules, but some imperfection is inevitable because of my two earlier points. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:54:28] - So in other words, Focus on the Family is not hate speech because their primary message is not hateful... only the "supporting arguments".  But if you take those arguments out of the nonhateful context, and put them on a page by themselves, then the message is different and is more clearly hateful. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:52:55] - While I think the sites Bait and Switch listed are bigoted, the fact remains that most people don't because they're considered "moral" groups... they supposedly have a larger moral message of family unity which is notably not hate speech; it's only the local definitions to support that message that blur the lines. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:50:07] - damn... quotes like "extending marriage to same-sex couples undercuts the conventional meaning of marriage" from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage#Arguments_in_opposition_to_same-sex_marriage , but that would lose the larger scope of the site.  My page could reasonably be considered hate speech, but wikipedia certainly isn't. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:49:18] - In any event, it was still a falacious test.  I could compose a page based on quotes like

[2005-05-16 12:48:37] - The fundamental problems are (1) that you can't conclusively define "offensive" for everybody, and (2) that you couldn't feasibly classify every site based on that criterion even if 1 wasn't the case.  Those two points are the reason censorware shouldn't be government-mandated, but for private use they're just business variables. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:46:56] - Small sites get little scrutiny, and if they look offensive they probably get a knee-jerk "block" mark until/unless someone complains.  Large sites, especially well-known ones like the ones they listed, get a lot of scrutiny (and a lot of complaints if they're blocked), so they get an "unblock" mark. - pierce

[2005-05-16 12:45:19] - a: I don't really think the bait and switch link made a compelling argument.  Censorware companies are trying to run a business... the business is selling products that prevent people from seeing "offensive" sites and allow them to see "inoffensive" sites.  However, they have finite resources that they can devote to classification... - pierce

[2005-05-16 11:50:36] - lalalala - aba

[2005-05-16 09:46:47] - http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1397334.html?menu= dear god... german restaurant serves maggots, is booked for weeks

[2005-05-13 16:50:40] - and thanks.  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:50:34] - aaron:  done.  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:46:45] - a: Yesssss $400 woo hoo. I'll write you a check and mail it to you, since i did a really bad job giving it to you last time. Can you e-mail your home address to my VT account? - aaron

[2005-05-13 16:43:31] - aaron:  did you open the relocation letter?  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:41:32] - Aaron: Ok, sounds good. Will do. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:38:10] - Aaron: Ok, be right back. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:37:50] - mig: I have issues with both the Xbox and PS2 controllers for different reasons. I don't know if I've found the "perfect" controller yet. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:36:47] - paul: Check your cell phone - aaron

[2005-05-13 16:19:09] - mig:  then why would the censorware products block anti-gay websites in the first place?  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:18:02] - a:  well it makes sense business-wise.  i'm venturing a guess that most of these censorware customers are conservatives.  it wouldn't make sense to block out prominent conservative sites. - mig

[2005-05-13 16:15:39] - Aaron: Most of the games I play are ideally suited for a mouse and keyboard. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:15:26] - (pretty old study)  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:14:13] - http://www.peacefire.org/BaitAndSwitch/  censorware products block "hate speech" on small websites, but not large websites.  ~a

[2005-05-13 16:12:58] - d to get used to it. - mig

[2005-05-13 16:12:52] - the ps controller quite frankly i've never had issues with.  the n64 controller was laid out fine but it's analog was horrible.  sometimes the gc controller feels a little awkward, especially when i'm playing the metroid games.  xbox controller is just not good, even the smaller one.  Of course i don't play much x-box so it just might be that i nee

[2005-05-13 16:12:17] - pierce: like I'm thinking it would have to be positioned in a place like the d-pda on the Gamecube controller. and that thing is a bitch to control - vinnie

[2005-05-13 16:11:11] - pierce: no easy place for it? - vinnie

[2005-05-13 16:10:06] - paul: I agree to an extent - aspects of the playstation controller don't translate at all into 99% of the games i play. The analog buttons thwart rhythm games, the analog digital thwarts puzzle games (not that i've played a lot on the PS) - aaron

[2005-05-13 16:08:14] - aba: Whereas I think the more hardcore gamers have gotten used to more buttons and so don't find the new controllers as overly complex. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:08:11] - is there a good reason why console controllers don't have trackballs?  It seems like that would be a good addition, especially for games like FPSs where quick analog movement is necessary. - pierce

[2005-05-13 16:07:45] - Pierce: I know at least one person agreed with me. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:07:29] - vinnie: I mean like in Super Smash Bros, where you use the Z button, the A/B buttons, the R trigger, and the analog - aaron

[2005-05-13 16:07:29] - aba: You've probably hit on something there. The casual gamer who doesn't spend a lot of time playing games would probably prefer something simple that they can pick up an easily get into. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:06:50] - Paul: do I need to tell you that you were an outlier? - pierce

[2005-05-13 16:05:36] - we both definitely agree there's a ton of games nowadays that don't need a controller so big and would be better off with a two-button one. but then you have some games that genuinely need the buttons. has anyone ever played Smash TV for Nintendo? what a mess of a game - vinnie

[2005-05-13 16:04:41] - Pierce: Your HCI presentation also should note that I felt that the N64 was a better controller than the PS2. -Paul

[2005-05-13 16:04:05] - the simplicity of the Nintendo controller (usually) translated into simplicity in games too, which is a good and bad thing (aaron and I have discussed this at much length) - vinnie

[2005-05-13 16:03:11] - aba: in a way, I kind of agree with you. there's something nice about the simplicity of the Nintendo controller. easy to understand. but I definitely prefer the feel of newer controllers at lthe least. analog sticks are a wonderful addition too, for more realistic movement - vinnie

[2005-05-13 16:01:30] - aaron: the digital pad, the analog, and the right-side buttons? how can you use those simultaneously (unless I'm missing your point) - vinnie

[2005-05-13 15:42:38] - needing to use all four seems like overkill to me.  it makes the games way too complicated for just the casual gamer who doesnt have the time/inclination to invest in memorizing combinations.  -  aba

[2005-05-13 15:33:50] - pierce: The playstation tries, but I can't think of any game which I actually use all four implements (both thumbs + fingers) simultaneously (not just switching between them often, like frequency) - aaron

[2005-05-13 15:32:54] - pierce: In the N64 controller's defense, I've never had any other controller make allow for more comfortable simultaneous use of both hands, thumbs, and both index fingers - aaron

[2005-05-13 15:31:57] - a:  i do not know. - mig

[2005-05-13 15:28:27] - I like it because it could simultaneously be used as a blunt and a sharp instrument for attacking people you're playing with if they use cheap tactics. - pierce

[2005-05-13 15:27:33] - Paul: I don't think it's fair to compare it to the N64 controller, which was crappy in so many ways (for reference, see travis's and my HCI presentation on the subject).  More fair would be to compare it to the PS2 controller, which most people seem to think is the best. - pierce

[2005-05-13 15:20:00] - a: Although, if you're going to be playing a game like SMB3, it might be best to use an NES controller instead of something complicated like an N64 controller. -Paul

[2005-05-13 15:15:47] - although i agree their simplicity was what they had going for them (i.e. compared to the xbox), simplicity isn't everything.  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:57:58] - a: they were awesome!  simplicity in design.  controllers these days have too many buttons to keep track of.  -  aba

[2005-05-13 14:55:40] - mig:  do you know how to tell apt-get to show a changelog between versions?  like it says that it's upgrading iptables, but i don't know what it's changing without going to iptables's website.  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:54:13] - aba:  i'd hardly call that proper.  have you used those controllers recently?  man, did they suck.  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:44:09] - aba: I guess that's a stupid question. Nevermind. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:42:04] - aba: Even better. Do you own an NES and SMB3? -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:40:11] - paul: or i could dust off my nintendo and play it the proper way.    -  aba

[2005-05-13 14:20:24] - a: Besides, most of those 72x drives never really achieve that speed because (like you said) the CD needs to accelerate to those max speeds which they hardly ever do. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:19:30] - a: I think they can make the CD spin faster but at those speeds, it gets too unstable to make reliable reading of the CD possible. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:17:02] - a: might be the specs on the cd itself for how fast you can stably spin it. Or mebbe it's just the reading capabilities of the laser -dave

[2005-05-13 14:16:43] - hah.  interesting.  remember how cds used to speed up and slow down as you used them.  that's called CLV.  recently, they've made DVDs use CAV instead (which means the dvd is always spinning at the same speed)  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:14:33] - why can't they spin cds faster?  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:13:42] - ~a

[2005-05-13 14:13:40] - dave;ah.  i missed paul's comment.

[2005-05-13 14:11:53] - Dave: Right, and I imagine the spin speed for DVDs hasn't gotten to the level of CDs yet so that's probably not a problem. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:10:19] - a: yeah I know, but paul was talking about the max spin speed -dave

[2005-05-13 14:10:01] - dave:  i'm not referring to rpm, i'm referring to bits/s  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:09:06] - paul: the spin speed for the blu-ray is probably a lot slower. The laser technology allows reading / writing a lot more in the same area -dave

[2005-05-13 14:09:04] - a: Of course, there are other ways to increase speed. For instance, I bought a CD-Rom drive which basically used more than one beam to read multiple tracks off a CD at a time. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:08:17] - a: yeah, throughout the lifetime of any of the media (cd, dvd, etc) they always start at 1x and increase it as they go along -dave

[2005-05-13 14:08:05] - a: I don't know if this applies to DVDs (or blu-ray), but I think that engineers had pretty much reached the limit to how fast they could spin CDs to increase read speed. -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:06:02] - right.  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:05:49] - mbits/s:  1x dvd = 10.  1x blue ray = 36/54.  16x dvd = 168.  2x blue ray = 72.  ~a

[2005-05-13 14:05:18] - a: Oh, oh. I gotcha. That makes sense. I was thinking of comparing 1x to 1x whereas you were comparing the currently available (16x) to the currently available (1x blu-ray). -Paul

[2005-05-13 14:03:40] - paul:  no no . . . you only need like a 1x dvd player to watch dvd video.  a 1x blue ray is MUCH faster than a 1x dvd and can therefore play HD video.  the problem is they don't even have consumer 2x blue ray but they already have 16x dvd players.  ~a

[2005-05-13 13:53:21] - a: Well, I can't imagine it being a lot slower in absolute terms or else you wouldn't be able to watch any HD material off a Blu-ray disc. -Paul

[2005-05-13 13:52:52] - aba: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Player_Super_Joy_III Something like this, which I've seen at Springfield Mall before. -Paul

[2005-05-13 13:52:11] - if so, then it seems like blue ray is MUCH slower than dvd.  ~a

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