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Programming

The Technologies Changing What It Means To Be a Programmer 294

Posted by samzenpus from the keeping-up-with-the-times dept.
snydeq writes Modern programming bears little resemblance to the days of assembly code and toggles. Worse, or perhaps better, it markedly differs from what it meant to be a programmer just five years ago. While the technologies and tools underlying this transformation can make development work more powerful and efficient, they also make developers increasingly responsible for facets of computing beyond their traditional domain, thereby concentrating a wider range of roles and responsibilities into leaner, more overworked staff.

Comment Re:Netflix Time Now? (Score 1) 252

by Plumpaquatsch (#47643215) Attached to: <em>Babylon 5</em> May Finally Get a Big-Screen Debut

It looks pretty awful on anything with a HD resolution these days so that probably wouldn't help it.

So does Star Trek (TOS, heck even some of TNG) but people still love watching them for the stories and they always make the Netflix most-popular lists.

Depends on what you are looking at - both B5 and the older ST shows were filmed on film, and the FX for ST TOS and most for TNG were also done on film, while those for B5 were digital and rendered to be good enough (if that) for analog TV resolution.

The resolution of film is good enough to at least look better on HD than on SD - but the digital effects will show the pixels.

And that's ignoring that for both TOS and TNG Paramount has released HD versions with "better" FX.

Comment Re:Netflix Time Now? (Score 2) 252

by Plumpaquatsch (#47643083) Attached to: <em>Babylon 5</em> May Finally Get a Big-Screen Debut

Unfortunately, there isn't anything they can do about that without a huge infusion of money. Basically, they lost all of the FX material and it would all have to be redone from scratch. That's the problem with a relatively low-budget production.

Even if they still had the material it would have to be redone - low polygon count models and low res textures don't make good HD images.
Television

Add a TV Tuner To Your Xbox (In Europe) 81

Posted by timothy from the americans-don't-watch-tv dept.
jfruh (300774) writes "The Xbox one isn't just a game console: it's also a nifty media set-top box, and it interacts very well with your TV service — as long as you have cable. Cord-cutters will soon be able to attach their Xbox to an antenna — but only in Europe." The peripheral that Microsoft will soon release allows you to integrate over-the-air content into the Xbox One system. From the images Microsoft released it looks like the tuner is a small box with a port for an antenna cable on one end, and the USB cable on the other. Unfortunately for my readers in North America, as of now, the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner is only scheduled to release in Europe. Microsoft says it supports DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C television channels, which I hope means something to my European readers; Wikipedia tells me these are European over-the-air cable standards. The TV Tuner will be available in late October for 24.99 in the UK, and for €29.99 in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Comment Re:Why would you expect that they would? (Score 1) 256

by Plumpaquatsch (#47631027) Attached to: 40% Of People On Terror Watch List Have No Terrorist Ties

Spoilers: everyone in the USA who isn't on the 'safe list' is already treated as a suspect and a terrorist in matters of law.

In order to be on the safe list, you need to be one or more of the following:

1. wealthy 2. a member of law enforcement 3. a judge or prosecutor 4. a politician

Bloody Ted Kennedy was on the list - well, a "T Kennedy" was, enough to delay an acting US Senator named Edward entering a plane several times. Nobody is safe.

Comment Re:So 40% dwarfs 60%? (Score 1) 256

by Plumpaquatsch (#47630049) Attached to: 40% Of People On Terror Watch List Have No Terrorist Ties

How many of those people up in Dearborn Heights that can't travel are actually just being declared terrorists for having a funny name and living down the street from someone interesting?

Probably not many. There are plenty of crazy looking, crazy sounding Muslims in Dearborn. Just watch the Youtube videos of the response to Christian provocateurs who protest during the yearly Arab culture festival there. Most of the Muslims in those videos should be on watchlists.

As should be the Christians.

Comment Re:High success rate or lots of unknowns? (Score 1) 256

by Plumpaquatsch (#47624341) Attached to: 40% Of People On Terror Watch List Have No Terrorist Ties

If they are on the list for a good reason, why are they not in jail, or dropped from the list, by now? It's been ten years, and the government has watched their every step. Surely they would have done something illegal by now.

It'*s the Gitmo dilemma. Most people in Guantanamo where innocent, but one guy who was released after a couple of years turned terrorist (which of course had nothing to do with being tortu.., sorry, enhanced interrogated for years). Or like one intelligence expert said in an interview: "When you put a name on the list, you did work. When you remove a name from the list you are endangering America." Not to mention that you potentially put your agency in a bad light because you "already knew about the guy".

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