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Comment Re:Personalization (Score 1) 301

Uniqueness only really counts for how something looks, when using a computer, you just want it to work. If you want a custom looking laptop, actually the easiest way to do that with is a Mac because there's less bumps and crud molded into the design so you can easily apply decals, get it custom etched, etc.

Comment Pixar has which not too many studios have... (Score 2, Insightful) 379

...creative integrity. These movies stand a great chance of being awesome because the back-story has already been told. A movie spends a fair amount of time establishing context and character... they get to get straight into it, which is what helped ToyStory 2. Sequels can be great when they've been done properly with the right amount of creative integrity.

Ratatouille was just about complete and it wasn't what they were after. They brought in Brad Bird who re-wrote it and did it right. If they have the creative integrity to do things like this, then I'm fully looking forward to these movies.

Pixar really do deserve people giving their projects the benefit of the doubt at least until they make a dud. Their creativity and originality have been amazing; a step above of any other studio in the industry.

Comment I must be missing something... (Score 3, Interesting) 239

...but I can't understand how a glorified logger can be this far off. With hand-shaking and all the rest of it, it just staggers me that something this simple is so hard. If our systems or audit logging were off by more than 5k, our nuts would be in a sling, and our projects sure as heck aren't as big as these puppies.

Comment What about Metastream?... (Score 2, Interesting) 191

Unsure how well this will go, maybe it'll work just because it's google. But there was an *awesome* 3D plugin ages ago called Metastream. It was by the group that made Kai's Power Tools (the first set of photoshop plugins that really got the plugins thing moving along). What made it awesome was that you could model the one model with as much detail as you wanted and then export it for Metastream. In the webpage you could just call the server and say that you wanted a little low-res version to show as a thumbnail, but if you wanted a product detail you simply call for the same thing but with more detail. The Metastream plugin changed the geometry detail and image mapping to whatever was needed to get it done... just like progressive images, but better and more complete (would be the exact same if you could tell a progressive image you just wanted it really small).

Anyways... Metastream didn't take off, but it was certainly an example of it done really well with a lot of possibilities. Because it was so good, it makes me doubt as to whether it'll be cool when google does it. Metastream was awesome.

Comment Re:No surprise (Score 1) 371

If you're good, you can always find a new job.

...by definition 95% of people don't know what it's like to be the top 5%. The truer version of this that does apply to most people is that you can typically find a job if you take the pay grade of someone with less experience. If you're a coder with 5 years experience, you'll always be able to find a job because if you're at the bottom of the barrel you're going to bump out any newbies trying to get a newbie wage paying job...

...the 5% will remain relatively unharmed, but the further you are from that the bigger the cut you may have to take. Point is though, if you have experience, you can trade some of that in to ensure you always have food on the table.

Comment Re:missing the point (Score 1) 507

Seems like people just want semi-instant gratification these days. Games used to be tough to get through, when you said you clocked a game it really meant you knew it because you had to get through all these "time sinks" and problems to get to the end. The upshot was that when you got to the end and beat it, you really beat it.

"Time-sinks" may not be wanted in this new wipe-my-ass world, but being punished and set back in a game is a large part of accomplishment it takes to clock the game. It's all analogous though to the people that go to the arcade with a pile of money and just continue until the game is done... they spend more money and wont have the same satisfaction of clocking it without continuing. It's a good metaphor because these "no time sink" people will spend more on games as they finish them faster.

But it's all fine as long as there are products for everyone, and that anyone looking for old-school challenges can find games like Ikaruga
The Almighty Buck

New York State Budget Relies On Entertainment Tax 655

einer writes "Facing a budget shortfall, New York State Governor David Paterson crafts a budget that taxes iPod music downloads and other 'digitally delivered entertainment services.' On the chopping block is $700 million in school aid and $3.5 billion in health care subsidies."

Comment Re:Of Course.... (Score 1) 1123

On the other hand, I turned down a job offer from Google, because their mentality there is such that you can't have a career there without a Ph.D.

...if Google don't want people without a PhD, why did they extend you a job invitation for you to turn down?...

User Journal

Journal Journal: A Briticsim I Like 3

Bollocks. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Unless you have a deep southern drawl, it sounds a lot better than "Bullshit" (for the Southerner, it's "Boolsheeuht."). I propose we adopt it as an American expression, and besides you can sort of say it in polite company. "That's a lot of bollocks."

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