Comment Re:How does this impact price? (Score 4, Insightful) 314
If you have to ask, you weren't going to buy one anyways.
Are DVDs Inconvenient On Purpose? 490
Slashdot contributor Bennett Haselton writes:
"Why do Netflix and a few other companies keep the DVD format alive, when streaming is more convenient for almost all users? The answer is not obvious, but my best theory is that it has to do with what economists call price discrimination. Netflix is still the cheapest legal way to watch a dozen recent releases every month — but only if you're willing to put up with those clunky DVDs."
Read on for the rest of Bennett's thoughts.
Comment Re:I have your conversion right here... (Score 1) 860
You're talking like half of that is a manual process (authenticate against the server? You mean click "I accept the ToS"?). The most folks ever do is download a newer graphics driver. That's a maybe, and the game will probably still run even if you don't do that. And most of the time the driver just downloads when you plug in the USB port. Your one button joystick may not have needed a driver, but your sound card certainly did. Forget about adding that throttle.
Uninstall those rose colored glasses bro, clicking "launch" on steam is far far easier than gaming in the DOS era ever was.
Comment Re:I have your conversion right here... (Score 1) 860
Totally. I know most of the games today require you to edit a special autoexec.bat, install drivers, himem, etc. just to get to the damn title screen. Not like the old days when you just installed them and ran.
Wait, I'm confused. Are you talking about gameplay?
Comment Re:Electric vs. Gas Powered (Score 1) 305
Guess what, even your gas powered car is still drawing battery power when "off".
Comment Re:SF is easier to hack than that (Score 1) 240
Not sure why you got modded troll, you speaketh the truth, and from a place of honesty at least. I had a buddy that came into town and crashed with me that rode to work every day. He legitimately thought you didn't pay going downtown, only back when had to go through a turnstile. That's how lax the enforcement is/was.
Of course, in the past two years (more?) they now have the "enforcement mob" of twenty or so dudes in orange vests waiting with a cop to hand out tickets. They go to different stops every day so a 100% evade rate is probably more unlikely now.
Comment Re:Go for it (Score 1) 240
No they don't, but you can use it within SF in conjunction with the local pass. They do have a bulk discount ticket at 6.25% and that in turn can be paid for with a pre-tax account, so if you're a frequent rider any edge (20% _might_ be ok) is erased. That and you're likely to be using a card, not a ticket, with an attached value. I guess if you wanted to wait at a machine every day to get the ticket, then find someone to swap with you could make something happen and save a few percent, which maybe gets you to a few tens of dollars a year.
This is a cool exercise in theory, but I don't think anyone is about to start doing this.
Comment Re:Sucks to your ass-mar! (Score 0) 93
Hear hear!
And correct me if I'm wrong, didn't the UI go through a major revision 6-7 years ago - what we're now calling
But please, continue with the 'revolt' - everyone is leaving to go to Kuro5hin anyways!
A New Use For Drones: Traffic Scouting 144
Nerval's Lobster writes "Renault's new concept car gives drivers an unusual companion: a small flying drone, controllable via tablet or preset GPS waypoints, which scans the area ahead for obstacles and traffic. The so-called 'flying companion' can exit the vehicle via a retractable hatch in the roof, and buzz around the immediate vicinity shooting video and photos; as this is a concept, actual hardware and software specs aren't available, although Renault's engineers envision something closer to the size of a small bird than some of the larger drones currently available. But how practical is a 'driving drone'? Considering all the accidents caused by people texting or Web-surfing while driving, it seems questionable to introduce a piece of hardware that could prove even more distracting—imagine trying to successfully guide a drone with touch-screen controls while navigating a fast-paced roadway, and you can see why the idea of a "flying companion" would raise the collective blood pressure of traffic-safety officials. Yes, it would be safer for a passenger to handle drone-flying duties while the driver concentrates on the road; but it's also a near-certainty, if such a concept ever went into production, that more than one driver would attempt to multi-task the navigation of two vehicles at once. Do you think this idea is feasible?"
Do Hypersonic Missiles Make Defense Systems Obsolete? 365
An anonymous reader writes "The Diplomat's Zachary Keck wonders why the U.S. government is doubling down on missile defense systems even as hypersonic missiles threaten to render them obsolete. Keck notes that hypersonic missiles pose two distinct challenges to current missile defense systems. First, they travel far faster than the missiles the defense systems are designed to intercept. Second, they travel at lower altitudes and possess greater maneuverability than the missiles the current systems have been built to destroy. Nonetheless, the U.S. was planning on spending $2 billion a year on missile defense through 2017, and now the Pentagon is asking for an additional $4.5 billion over the next five years."
How Adobe Got Rid of Traditional Stack-Ranking Performance Reviews 175
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Bob Sutton reports that in 2012 Adobe moved from yearly performance rankings to frequent "check-ins" where managers provide employees targeted coaching and advice. There is no prescribed format or frequency for these conversations, and managers don't complete any forms or use any technologies to guide or document what happens during such conversations. They are simply expected to have regular check-ins to convey what is expected of employees, give and get feedback, and help employees with their growth and development plans. 'The aim is to give people information when they need it rather than months after teachable moments have passed,' writes Sutton. Donna Morris, Adobe's senior vice president for People and Places, says her team calculated that annual reviews required 80,000 hours of time from the 2000 managers at Adobe each year, the equivalent of 40 full-time employees. After all that effort, internal surveys revealed that employees felt less inspired and motivated afterwards—and turnover increased. According to Sutton, Adobe's bold move seems to be working. Surveys indicates that most Adobe managers and employees find the new system to be less cumbersome and more effective than the old stack-ranking system where managers must divide employees into groups — for example, maybe 15 percent of people can be assigned the highest rating. 'That goes against our core value of being genuine,' says Ellie Gates, director of management effectiveness at Adobe. 'Our goal should be to inspire people to do their best work.' Since the new system was implemented, voluntary attrition has decreased substantially, while involuntary departures have increased by 50% because the new system requires executives and managers to have regular 'tough discussions' with employees who are struggling with performance issues—rather than putting them off until the next performance review cycle comes around. 'It is reducing unnecessary cognitive load, while at the same time, nudging managers to engage more often and more candidly with direct reports to help them develop their skills and plan their careers,' concludes Sutton. 'It also bolsters accountability because managers have far more responsibility for setting employee compensation than under the old system.'"
Comment Re:Range anxiety isn't really rational (Score 1) 357
Why does it have to be gas stations? If they're really serious, have every McDonalds & Walmart install 3-4 charging stations at their stores. Then you at least have a place to sit or something to do for the half hour the super charger takes. Its not like you specifically have to be a gas station with all the associated hardware to install these things, its much much simpler than burying a giant tank and coming up to code and all that.
Comment Re:Applications? (Score 1) 114
No I understand it I assure you. Again, why would you want to block the airplane sound coming in but not going out? Is there a specific reason you'd need to not hear the engines but hear what's going on outside form within the engine? Or from outside the cockpit but not vice versa? Neither of those are a good reason. And there's no way a sound damper wall or insulating material is more expensive than something filled with tiny fans.
Comment Applications? (Score 4, Insightful) 114
Music studios yes, but why would airplanes want to transmit sound from inside to outside, or vice-versa? Same with motorways. You definitely want to block traffic noise from adjacent buildings, but why would you care that folks in the cars can hear whats coming from the buildings? Just block it all.
Startup Out of MIT Promises Digital Afterlife — Just Hand Over Your Data 241
v3rgEz writes "A new startup out of MIT offers early adopters a chance at the afterlife, of sorts: It promises to build an AI representation of the dearly departed based on chat logs, email, Facebook, and other digital exhaust generated over the years. "Eterni.me generates a virtual YOU, an avatar that emulates your personality and can interact with, and offer information and advice to your family and friends after you pass away," the team promises. But can a chat bot plus big data really produce anything beyond a creepy, awkward facsimile?"
