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Comment Is it enough? (Score 1) 229

I know the library has DVDs and some music for free, but with Redbox having the newest movies for $1 and other game rental services out there, it is almost as expensive driving there with gas as doing something else almost free.

Not sure this is the best idea but what do I know?

Comment Re:Why MS failed. (Score 1) 422

Don't expect a particular version of FF to get entrenched and pose an obstruction in the way of newer versions that will follow. The notorious lock-in around IE6 is a microsoft-only disease.

Because FF is so emphatically standard-conforming, whatever works in version X is bound to work in version X+1. Yes, extensions need to be kept up-to-date with every new release, but no site (well, except quakelive.com :) relies on a particular extension installed.

Wrt plugins, Mozilla plugin API is fairly stable and well-rounded. The same Flash plugin works with FF 1.5 all through 3.5.

Note how (relatively) abrupt was the decline of FF2.0 neatly matched by the increase in version 3.0 share, and, later, 3.0 promptly giving way to 3.5. That's just people upgrading, and most of the time, automatically either through built-in Firefox updater or via general distro upgrade.

Comment Re:Digital medical records (Score 1) 553

The physiological data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor" it is so mind bogglingly privacy invasive that truly only M$ could have come up with it, especially for that line alone.

Your tin-foil hat is showing. I especially like the part where you assume that Microsoft is going to do this all, oh, I dunno, without your permission.

I'd imagine this could be utilised in positive ways, for example, if someone puts themselves (or if parents put their child) on a diet, and try and forgo gaming until they reach a milestone, the sensor could bar you from using your Xbox 360 until such a time. The other obvious application is something like Wii Fit, where the avatar would resemble your actual... er, rotundness. (No one said this would be used on your Xbox Live avatar, merely that your in-game representation could now resemble you.)

"In addition, the physical characteristics can include psychological and demographic information such as education level, geographic location, age, sex, intelligence quotient, socioeconomic class, occupation, marital/relationship status, religious belief, political affiliation, etc. Such information can be useful in enhancing social interaction as well as adjusting how an avatar performs in a competitive virtual environment." you really couldn't make up a story where a company would be stupid enough to put that into a patent.

I dunno, it could just mean they're covering all the bases. The fact is, you're assuming this will be used for PURE EVIL MWAHAHAHA!!!

Geographical information could be useful for rerouting you to local servers, and age could be used to seperate the LOLZ !#$% YEAH I AM TEH AWESOEM tweens from the older people, or to enforce parental control systems. Other information could be used if you wish to set up a game with only like-minded people (for example, only atheists or only LGBT).

Just because you don't see a use doesn't mean it's not useful.

Comment Re:No worries, mate. Unless you're not a fascist. (Score 1) 225

The domain name owners should contact Erhan Karabardak from http://www.coopermills.com.au/

He's the Au lawyer who really knows domain name law and has previously taken on AuDA. He's also the guy who can authorize [authorise] whatever information deserves to be public.

E
Full disclosure: I don't work for Erhan, CooperMills Lawyers, AuDA nor am I involved in any current aspect.

Comment Re:IE6? Really? (Score 1) 422

Yea, I realized a while back that for a travel site anyone using IE6 was either too technologically backwards to do online businesses or too cheap to have any money to do it. The remaining people are on corporate networks, and just wasting company time wishing they were somewhere else (big spikes around 4-5 PM from each time zone) or wishing they had a real browser.

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