Dekar - Slashdot User

Comment Re:Unfortunately, it's in 3D (Score 1) 599

by Dekar on Friday December 14, 2012 @02:43PM (#42289427) Attached to: Why The Hobbit's 48fps Is a Good Thing

I would be willing to see it in 48fps (as a second viewing), but likely never will get the chance to see it, because that version is only offered in 3D. Beyond the fact that I don't see any benefit to 3D, it gives me a massive headache within minutes.

I still don't understand the industry's obsession with 3D. Even my young nieces and nephews don't care about it. Never mind...I do understand. They get more money for it. I wonder if that actually makes 3D a boon for theaters too small to afford the new projectors.

3D gives me headaches at crappy theaters too, but a good 3D movie at a good theater (iMax in my case) is wonderful.
It's very distracting in a movie like Transformers, however, where most scenes are cheap fake 3D, but scenes that are purely CGI (mainly robot fights) look very nice.

I'll watch The Hobbit there, and meanwhile, I hope the fake 3D crap and cheap "3D" theaters die out.

Comment Re:Does this mean... (Score 1) 108

by Dekar on Thursday August 30, 2012 @04:29AM (#41176139) Attached to: Harvard Creates Cyborg Tissues

I think you've just discovered a new method of contraception. Well done!
Now, to the patent office, and I doubt there will be any prior art in this case.

Comment Re:Day Traders (Score 1) 200

by Dekar on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @09:29AM (#34099984) Attached to: Developing StarCraft 2 Build Orders With Genetic Algorithms

Bots perform a ton better at day trading, and in the stocks market in general, than they currently do at games like Starcraft or poker. I'd say it's an entirely different set of skills.

Besides, day trading really doesn't contribute more to society than playing SC2 does, it might actually be the other way around. The only change would be his personal wealth and overall happiness, which are in no way proportional.

Comment Re:DOOMED I say... DOOMED! (Score 1) 677

by Dekar on Tuesday February 09, 2010 @01:19AM (#31069016) Attached to: Verizon Blocking 4chan

Just don't bother with Quebec. Even though we do have delicious poutine, our ISPs are generally terrible, and the future does not look any brighter.

Scientists Say a Dirty Child Is a Healthy Child 331

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 24, 2009 @07:07PM from the snack-is-going-to-be-on-the-floor-today dept.

Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California have shown that the more germs a child is exposed to, the better their immune system in later life. Their study found that keeping a child's skin too clean impaired the skin's ability to heal itself. From the article: "'These germs are actually good for us,' said Professor Richard Gallo, who led the research. Common bacterial species, known as staphylococci, which can cause inflammation when under the skin, are 'good bacteria' when on the surface, where they can reduce inflammation."

The State of Ruby VMs — Ruby Renaissance 89

Posted by Soulskill on Sunday November 22, 2009 @11:59AM from the take-your-pick dept.

igrigorik writes "In the short span of just a couple of years, the Ruby VM space has evolved to more than just a handful of choices: MRI, JRuby, IronRuby, MacRuby, Rubinius, MagLev, REE and BlueRuby. Four of these VMs will hit 1.0 status in the upcoming year and will open up entirely new possibilities for the language — Mac apps via MacRuby, Ruby in the browser via Silverlight, object persistence via Smalltalk VM, and so forth. This article takes a detailed look at the past year, the progress of each project, and where the community is heading. It's an exciting time to be a Rubyist."

Comment Re:MMO? (Score 1) 154

by Dekar on Tuesday September 01, 2009 @03:14PM (#29277051) Attached to: Xbox 360 Version of Champions Online Being Held Back By MS

Just like RTS stands for Real-Time Strategy.

Comment More profitable venues.... (Score 2, Insightful) 116

by Dekar on Saturday April 11, 2009 @01:05PM (#27542853) Attached to: Does Professional Gaming Have a Future?

A lot of them seem to be turning to online poker, which is obviously more profitable but requires similar skills.

If there was a way to play Counter-Strike for 1$ a kill, then you'd have professional gamers.

Does Professional Gaming Have a Future? 116

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday April 11, 2009 @06:41AM from the fatal-one-thank-you dept.

mr_sifter writes "Three years ago, celebrity gamers such as Fatal1ty were bagging millions in prizes, and TV channels were queuing up to broadcast games on TV. Professional gaming looked set for the big time. It never happened, and in the current economic crisis, sponsors and media organizations are cutting costs, resulting in the closure of many pro gaming competitions (as we recently discussed) and a down-scaling in prize money. This feature looks at whether pro gaming can bounce back, and whether it will always be a PC sport, or if pro gaming on consoles is the future."

Comment Poker players knew it (Score 2, Insightful) 309

by Dekar on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @12:49PM (#24585631) Attached to: Inferring Personality From Email Addresses

We've been using nickname tells in online poker for years now. Poker is a game of imperfect information, so any little edge is good.

Obviously, someone like ShipItThx will usually be much better than jimmy35 or CIVIC4LIFE. Good players have even started to use reverse nickname tells, always thinking one step ahead.

These days, we usually look at the nicknames only to know in what range a player will be. Some names tell us he'll be an average player at best, while others tell us he'll either be a very good player or a complete donkey, but rarely just a semi-decent guy.

Next time a chunk of money comes aroun for random researches, give your fellow poker players a call. We know a thing or two about gaining information from pretty much anything.

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