Slashback: Stapler, Interface, Gaming

Slashback tonight (read on below) has updates on next-generation aircraft, KDE user-interface improvements and suggestions, a special warning for those obsessed with Milton's stapler from Office Space, SmartFilter's attitude toward SourceForge, and more.

You've got to admit it's getting better all the time. Gentu writes: "In parallel to the KDE 3.1-alpha release today, OSNews published an interesting article discussing a number of User Interface issues found on KDE 3. The article suggests a number of changes, some small, some pretty drastic. Towards the end of the two-part article, the author discusses the 'integration' problem found in today's X11 desktop environments, and how fixing this issue would bring Unix closer to average Joe's desktop."

Yes, you're allowed to have more than one friend. A NuKeFaN writes: "Following the article titled Are you a Friend of GNOME I wanted to point you out that the most used GPL'd software for the Web, PHP-Nuke, also has a similar page/system for their friends. It's a Club (MandrakeClub like) where you can be a member for a little monthly fee and you can get some extra benefits. You can access the Club area to know more about it. This can be, maybe, another example of how to get some money to fund a free software project, the matter is if we, as users, will support those project's developers this way? I think we can."

Wait, the scam was to take just a few pennies from everyone! MrBlue VT writes "In reference to the previous Slashdot article about the red Swingline Staplers, I click on the add to cart button on the Swingline website, and it pops open an ordering window with a 4 staplers added to the shopping cart. Ok, I think it's a little strange, but change the quantity back to 1, and hit continue to checkout. Next thing I know, I'm looking at an order form with all the text boxes filled out with somebody else's personal information. He's from Bellvue, WA apparently (I'm in Virginia). It also has his credit card number and expiration date!

This has to be the worst security I've ever seen in an online shopping site. The company who apparently provides the online shopping service for Swingline appears to be an outfit called SureSource.

I just wanted to let anyone who happened to order from them know about this. Your credit card info could very well be compromised."

Please fasten your belts. hondo77 submitted this follow-up to this article about next-generation aircraft, writing "Boeing says that their blended-wing aircraft will be ready for test flights in 2006. The article also has a picture of a 3% scale model. See, it doesn't look like the B-2 at all."

But thanks anyhow. flonker writes "Smartfilter no longer lists sourceforge.net! Link for those who want to see for themselves."

Great at stealing them, too. MrDingusMcGee writes "After the recent posting about a study suggesting that video games decrease brain activity, I thought it would be interesting to read the results of another study which has shown that video game players score better on a range of attention tasks (mirror here)done by Shawn Green at the University of Rochester Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, and that this could possibly rate video game players as better drivers. Worth seeing the other side of the argument and having some validation for those hours of gaming."

Staplers

[Anonymous Coward]

You did order the man 4 staplers, right? And then another 4? And then 4 more, just to be nice?

Games and Driving

[URoRRuRRR]

this could possibly rate video game players as better drivers.

Except for those who learn everything from GTA. I can see them at the DMV...

Let's see.. When traffic backs up you should... A. Be patient B. Honk Horn C. Make a U-Turn D. Drive on the sidewalk then exit your vehicle and try to destroy the vehicles that held you up.

No purchase link at SwingLine

[peterdaly]

I just visited the SwingLine Red Stapler page. The link to purchase the Stapler is not either disabled...or very very hard to find. There is the "Purchase*" hading, which says you will be purchasing through a distributor, but no link beneath the heading.

They may be aware of the problem. I'd be scared sh*tless if I were in charge of their ecommerce right now. The whole site may have just been a slashdot credit card swap lovefest.

-Pete

Heh

[B3ryllium]

but, but ... somebody took my credit card ... i've already been defrauded three times ... but, but, if they take my credit card again, i might have to burn the building down ...

but, but ... i want my stapler back ... somebody took my stapler ...

(Oh my god I'm bored :)

Didnt take them long

[sargon666777]

It seems it didn't take them long at all after this went up to make the online ordering option... no longer an option, but you gotta give em one thing... it is the most convient online ordering system ever. After all not only do you not have to fill in your own forms. But its already paid for!

Re:Staplers

[unicron]

I..I um, I um..I believe you have my credit card.

RE: Your Order

[tedDancin]

TO: MrBlue VT
RE: Your Order

Dear MrBlue,

We have shipped [1] x Swingline Stapler to you.

Along with you order, we have automatically opted you into our "Loyalty Program": each order placed online will be processed with a random user's credit card.

Thankyou for your ordering online with Swingline.

:)

Do your civic duty!

[Kredal]

Click here [securecomputing.com] and change the category from "none" to "criminal skills". Don't let your children (or cow-orkers) visit a criminal orgainization!

Newton's 3rd Law of Studies

[prockcore]

For every study, there is an equal and opposite study.

Re:fax-something-unique-to-8889771577 ?

[peterdaly]

They will hate me for putting this idea into people's minds...but everyone I explain this to gets a kick out of it, so here goes.

1. Take 5 sheets of black construction paper.
2. Scotch tape them into a single 5 sheet long sheet.
3. Place start of "page" into fax machine.
4. Dial the "recipient".
5. Watch sheet start going into the fax machine with glee.
6. Once out the other side, Scotch Tape beginning of "sheet" to end of sheet forming a giant black loop.
7. Giggle like a teenage girl and show your co-workers. Trust me, the showing co-workers step is needed for the full satisfaction. Choose co-workers carefully.
8. You Are Done! Not only that, but the recipient is now out of ink or toner.

Not that I have ever done this...but I know someone who has done this to someone who kept sending them spam faxes.

I hold no responsibility for your actions yada yada...

-Pete
BTW - comment posting is screwed.

driving games

[jcsehak]

It's true!

Mushrooms make me drive a lot faster, just like in Mario Kart.

Driving...

[thelinuxking]

This article is so true! Even though I don't have my license yet, all that time playing Crazy Taxi will finally pay off!

Re: Your Order

[Jonny Ringo]

It makes you wonder if they asked themselves:

"Is this good for the company?"

Re:Do your civic duty!

[VRisaMetaphor]

Damn cow-orkers can visit goatse for all I care! If I ever catch them orking my cows again, I will shoot them, I swear.

While Your're generous

[asv108]

Can you please donate to my charity. [amazon.com]

Yeah, no murders ever before video games.

[Blaede]

I wish we could go back to era before Pong came out. No one ever murdered anyone. Drugs, crime, nothing like that ever existed. It was Utopia. Then that dreaded Pong arrived. Damn you, Nolan Bushnell!

Smartfilter categories

[doublem]

Uhm... NO categories for most of the web sites I visit. Nothing about technology sites, hardware reviews, computer programming...

I half expected to see Tom's Hardware listed as a porn site.

Even More Shawn Green Info

[KanSer]

62 Runs 26 HR's 68 RBI's and 4 Stolen bases. He is batting .280 and has really come on of late :D
Since may he has hit the most home runs in the majors. (More then Sosa too... ooooohh aaaaah)

(Yes, much trolling but c'mon... It's shawn Green.)

Re:Yeah, no murders ever before video games.

[duckpoopy]

Pong is still a gateway game. After Pong I started playing table tennis. Thank god my parents intervened after I experimented with raquetball.

Re:fax-something-unique-to-8889771577 ?

[orthogonal]

But you're not really 133t until you twist the fifth sheet through 180 degrees before attaching it to the first. For best results, fax from 662-487... (MOBIUS).

Re:Staplers Now Off-Line

[acoustiq]

it appears they just commented out the html. seems like a quick hack, but who views source anyway?

Hey! You found an Easter egg!

Re:Grand Theft Auto III

[Telecommando]

Yeah!

We need to stop letting our kids play these unrealistic, mind warping games. None of that escapism stuff for us, no sirree.

What we need are REALISTIC games! Games that teach kids a thing or two. Games like these:

"Looking for a Parking Space" Where you drive endlessly around and around the parking lot looking for a space only to have the stores close before you can get there.

Or how about "Traffic Jam"? Sit behind the wheel, inching forward at a snail's pace while watching your engine temperature rise. Will you make it home before the engine overheats? Wheel gripping inaction!

Or you could always play "Road Construction Ahead". Try to pick the correct lane to be in only to have it suddenly come to a halt once you get into it. Grit your teeth as idiots try to squeese in ahead of you. It's frustration for the whole family!

If those sound too exciting for you there's always,

"Balancing Your Checkbook" Spend endless hours trying to read scrawled figures and cryptic bank statements in an attempt to see if there's still enough money left at the end of the month for pizza, or will it be ramen again tonight?

Now those are some happening games, man!

Excuse me, I gotta get coding. I'm gonna be RICH!

Re:Games and Driving

[spoco2]

Instructor: "OK Jim, please slowly pull away from the curb and start driving down the road."
I: "Good."
I: "Ok, now please take a right here"
I: "Excellent"
I: "Please accellerate hard towards that delivery truck with the fish symbol on the side, attempt to sideswipe it, and preferably block it's escape"
I: "Very nice"
I: "Now, please exit the car, and beat the be-gesus out of the driver of the truck"
I: "Oh dear"
I: "It appears you've been Wasted Jim"

viewing source is dangerous to your mental health

[Erris]

I'm just dying at this [suresource.com] silly page, where the sure source dopes think people want to steal their "photos and art". Who realy wants to publish pictures of Todd [suresource.com], or the cubes he commands [suresource.com] or of their building [suresource.com]?!

Have some respect, now, and don't be a pirate for the mighty security firm might come get you. Tee-heee! Oh wait, I'm not a news organization and I don't have their permision to download, or did I because they sent it to me when I requested without asking who I was? Did I violate their silly text telling me that the pictures are " for exclusive use by members of the news media. These items may not be downloaded or reproduced by other individuals or organizations without the express permission of SureSource."? Or did they realy mean that I should, "Please click on the desired image to enlarge & download." Don't forget to check out the purple warehouse here, a DEEEEEEEEEEEP DEVILISH LINK. [suresource.com] Please click to enlarge! Please click to Download! Wheeee! Wizards of Web! Untitled Document Creators? What awsome d000ds they are! Function MM_JumpMenu seems to come from Dreamweaver [k12.ut.us], but I doubt that firm wants to take credit. Note, when making simple static pages use a text editor or something simple like Bluefish. When you want to make complicated Flash stuff, please don't. When you use a big giant flash making editor to design simple static pages, sigh, I give up. It was funny at first but the more I look into it the dumber it gets. I'm embarased for them.

Re:fax-something-unique-to-8889771577 ?

[evilempireinc]

while it very well might be easier to just use a fax modem, I just don't think it would provide the same level of satisfaction that you would get from watching the black paper loop through the machine over and over again until you are disconnected. It also beats pasting that same black tiff into a document till it 1000 pages long

Re:Do your civic duty!

[cant_get_a_good_nick]

OK, so I can classify www.microsoft.com, but what category?

Cults/Occult
The cult of Bill is strong in this one my master.
Criminal Skills
Microsoft has stolen more of my time than you will ever believe.
Drugs
Many things from there seem to be designed with the aid of drugs
Entertainment
Ha! IE crashed again and took out my shell, FUNNY!!!!
Extreme
Prices, yes.
Gambling
20-1 Blue Screen of death on next restart...
Hate Speech
Read the opinions on Sun, or Linux, or MacOS, or Java, or...
Humor
"We only do things to help our customers, we like innovating, not squelching competition".. Hilarious
Investing
I Invest too much time in MS crap.
Job Search
Can i find a job that doesn't require Exchange and Outlook on the desktop?
MP3
After the new MS patch erases all of yours, you'll be looking for more.
Mature
I'll grow old before this works
Nude
YIKES! A bunch of large gutted psty faced, large gutted engineers, I'd rather look at goatse.cx
Politics/Religion
Billy has bought a bunch of politicians, and it the cult of MS certainly is a religion.
Self Help
They sure ain't helping ya.
Sports
Monitor chucking? Or shotgun blasts (keeping with the Office Space [slashdot.org] theme)
Travel
"Calgon, take me away!!!!

No trolls were harmed in the making of this message.

Re:While Your're generous

[jimbolaya]

You know what? I think I will donate! Let me just grab a credit card number off the Swingline site...