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Comment Re:Tech (Score -1) 201

by UbuntuDupe (#24000793) Attached to: Most Irritating Industry

Reminds me of the time I asked the Ubuntu community for help with the ultra-user-friendly, ultra-well-designed, ultra-well-deserving of dominance in home OS market Breezy Badger.

me: I can't get into any OS when I tried to dual boot. On startup, the bootloader, GRUB, throws error 25 at stage 1.5 and locks up, preventing further input. I've tried this several times and reinstalled several times and have gotten the same result.
forum: What other OS are you using?
me: what does that have to do with the bootloader error?
forum: moron, we need to know before we are mentally capable of thinking of what could cause that error.
me: no, you don't.
forum: go away.
forum: Oh, I know!!!! Try re-installing!
forum: Oh, I know!!!! It must be a download error even though it's virtually impossible to have gotten to this point if there were any problem with the download!
forum: Oh, I know!!!! Try typing in ...
forum: Oh, I know!!!! Go into the Linux OS that you can't even access and post your menu.1st file!
forum: Oh, I know!!!! Go burn a new CD with strictly less functionality than one you used to do this, from one of the OSes you can't access which was the whole reason you came here!
forum: Here, follow the instructions on the website that we don't understand ourselves or expect to be useful or will follow up on if you do try!
forum: Hey, we're trying to be helpful, what's the problem?
me: Wow, I have never seen a group more worthy of the title "doesn't get it".
Robotics

Submission + - Robotic Ecologies

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "The University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture has started a new program about 'robotic ecologies' which wants to answer the question: Will robots take over architecture? As said the program leader, 'This research is not just about architectural machines that move. It is about groups of architectural machines that move with intelligence.' Apparently, buildings tracking our movements and adapting their shape or texture according human presence are not far fetched. Maybe one day, we'll talk to our homes and they'll answer... Read more for additional details and a picture of Super Galaxy, 'a high-rise apartment complex that's constantly in motion and responds to the needs of its inhabitants.'"
Announcements

Submission + - Cell Phones aren't killing bees after all

Submitted by
radioweather
radioweather writes: "A couple of weeks ago, there was a nutty idea discussed in The Independent that claimed the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones was causing bees to become disoriented, which prevented them from returning to the hive, and they died. The flimsy cell phone argument was used to explain Colony Collapse Disorder.

Today the LA Times reports that researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered what they believe to be the real culprit: a parasitic fungus. Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country."
Quickies

Submission + - 65%Americans Spend More Time With Their PC Than SO

Submitted by
Ant
Ant writes: "PR Newswire reports that 65 percent of consumers are spending more time with a computer than with their significant other (SO), according to new independent research commissioned by support.com. Conducted by independent research firm Kelton Research, the "Cyber Stress" study confirmed consumers' growing relationship with technology in their everyday lives. In fact, more than 8 out of 10 Americans (84%) say they are more dependent on their home computer now than they were just three years ago. Like any relationship, the test comes not when things are going well but when times are tough. And unfortunately in the case of their computers, things aren't going so well for Americans... Seen on Blue's News. Well, SO is my computer. [grin]"
Software

Journal Journal: Why "C:\Program Files\" ?!? 2

Journal by ChezWhiz
I've always installed software to the default location authored by the vendor, usually somewhere under "c:\Program Files\". Most installation software vendors (InstallShield, Wise, etc.) tout that location as an "industry standard best practice" for installing software on Windows systems and point to Microsoft's Application Development Guidelines. Now I'm working on the next release of some software that has been installed to a folder on the root of the hard drive for 25 years (that's not a ty
Operating Systems

Submission + - Why Do Computers Take Thirty Seconds to Boot Up?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Computers take too long to boot up, and it doesn't make sense to me. Mine takes around 30 seconds; it is double or triple that for some of my friends' computers that I have used. Why can't a computer turn on and off in an instant just like a TV?

99% of boots, my computer is doing the exact same thing. Then I get to WindowsXP with maybe 50 to 75 megs of stuff in memory. My computer should be smart enough to just load that junk into memory and go with it. You could put this data right at the very start of the hard drive. Whenever you do something with the computer that actually changes what happens during boot, it could go through the real booting process and save the results.

Doing this would also give you instant restarts. You just hit your restart button, the computer reloads the memory image, and you can be working again.
Games

Submission + - Third Place is Fine by Nintendo

Submitted by anaesthetica
anaesthetica writes: The New Yorker writes that Nintendo is fine with third place. Between Sony and Microsoft both trying to build the most comprehensively next-generation console, and barely breaking even in their efforts, Nintendo decided to go a different route. Wii doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it focuses on simple fun playing games--a strategy which turns out to be much better for Nintendo's bottom line and stock prices. From the article:
A recent survey of the evidence on market share ... found that companies that adopt what they call "competitor-oriented objectives" actually end up hurting their own profitability. In other words, the more a company focuses on beating its competitors, rather than on the bottom line, the worse it is likely to do.

This sounds like the strategy that Apple adopted out of necessity a few years back.
Wii

Submission + - Wii Aches: Couch Potatoes Working it Up

Submitted by Genocaust
Genocaust writes: While the new controller on the Wii is proving to be a success, it's turing out to be more effort than some die-hard couch potatoes bargained for.
In Rochester, Minn., Jeremy Scherer and his wife spent three hours playing tennis and bowling, two of the games included with the Wii. Mr. Scherer says he managed to improve his scores — at the cost of shoulders and back that were still aching the next day. "I was using muscles I hadn't used in a while," says Mr. Scherer, a computer programmer who describes himself as "not very active." Mr. Scherer is vowing nightly "Wii workouts" to get in better shape.
Wireless Networking

Submission + - School Bans WiFi due to Health Concerns

Submitted by Mantrid42
Mantrid42 writes: Schools in the UK are getting rid of their WiFi network, citing health concerns from parents and teachers. One grandparent of the students said, I did not want Sebastian exposed to a wireless computer network at school. No real evidence has been produced to prove that this new technology is safe in the long term. Until it is, I think we should take a precautionary approach and use cabled systems.

It should be noted that most wireless routers output less energy than most cell phones.

Classic Games (Games)

Submission + - Best 2+ Player Games?

Submitted by
Twinbee
Twinbee writes: "I was wondering what you lot would consider the best 2+ player games of all time. Apart from games for mixed skill players, this has never been asked on Slashdot before, so it would be interesting to see. From my own experience and research, it looks as though a top 50 would include games such as Streetfighter 2, World of Warcraft, Speedball 2, Super Mario Kart, SWIV, Ikaruga, Stunt Car Racer, Super Monkey Ball, Puzzle Fighter, and Mario Party. Whether they are competitive or cooperative, Slippery slope or Perpetual comeback, 2-player or multiplayer, retro or cutting edge, I want to hear them! I would prefer MMOG games not to be included, unless there is a good deal of interaction between the people in the 'same house' (e.g. perhaps they can team up and play against the world)."

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