Contrary to popular belief, being 'old' does not instantly make you exploitable.

Its not like it runs Oracle Java (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't)

Its probably not LISTENing on the network, in which case its probably fairly safe, how many years has it been since theres been a remote kernel exploit of ANY kind, let alone one that'll get you some sort of access to run code?

Well, its ... a lot more complicated than that, but yes, except no one has made the large touch screen that you plugin to the LAN and it just does that ... yet.

Drawing on a computer is far slower than grabbing a marker and doing it on the whiteboard. You ever try writing text with a mouse?

Whiteboards are NOT FOR CODE, I think thats another problem you're having. You draw flowcharts and make notes on the whiteboard, not write down code that then gets transcribed and compiled.

A picture is worth a thousand words, FOR A REASON.

And you're an idiot.

I don't need to write a manuscript to describe an abstract problem when a couple boxes and some lines will do the same thing. That doesn't mean I've given exact specifications for a problem either.

Anyone who has worked with UML and thinks you convert that to code doesn't understand code, they've just bought into the UML hype (thats still happening? WTF I thought it died 15 years ago). You seem to think the drawing is the code, and again, you're an idiot. The drawing is a way to describe whats happening in an abstract way so others have a general idea of the concept. It IS NOT the code, its abstract logic.

UML and Java ... you pretty much showed in that little blurb you're not qualified to be part of this discussion. Go back to being a middle manager who doesn't know anything about software design or actually writing code.

And thats what he's asking for, but distributed.

This is not a new question, comes up in my office rather often as we have a lot of teams working from different parts of the world. I'm curious as to see what others have to say myself as we've considered a side project to create a distributed whiteboard that doesn't suck ourselves.

One that shares the display between more than one location, as well as does neat things like letting you export documents from the drawings such as flowcharts and things like that.

But that's just where the usefulness ends. Sure, you now appreciate rock music, but can you play it in real life on real instruments?

Umm, yeah, and how many video game skills do you apply to daily life?

Are you an awesome assassin? A race car driver? A pilot? A marine? Are you actually Batman?

It's a frickin game. It is play. Nobody gives a crap in this context about playing an actual instrument. It's frickin air guitar. It's intended to be fun.

Millions of kids bought Guitar Hero and Rock Band to realize their dreams of actually becoming ROCK MUSICIANS.

Horseshit. Millions of kids bought GTA and Saints Row to realize their dreams of become thugs, mac daddies, and pimps.

Do you think any of them actually expect to have that happen? (Well, I guess in some cases the just might.)

Sadly, all the games do is to train you to press colored buttons in sequence with colored lights. Those skills are not transferable to real instruments, and in fact, won't even get you an audition.

Dude, in the 80s there used to be this game called Simon. It had four colored lights to press. You can still buy it.

This is shared fun, with "press colored buttons in sequence with colored lights" but with music and animations. It's not sophisticated or real. It's not for hardcore gamers.

Most 'skills' you practice in video games will never translate into real world skills or get you an interview. So why is this any different?

You don't need to like it or understand it, but it's not completely without entertainment value to some people ... even if they don't actually become Rock Bands. Which, none of them actually expect to.

No more than any other game with a "make pretend" aspect to it.

Cheers

Have you tried to get a Windows machine without Windows Media Player?

Whats that? No?

Can you just delete iTunes, which is not integrated with the system and removing it from the system is just a simple matter of deleting the application?

You're seriously trying to compare iTunes to the bullshit that comes on any given Windows machine? That makes you look really really ignorant and/or stupid.

If you weren't so cheap, you could have been buying computers not covered in crap for years. Apple has never sold computers with crap like that on it.

The problem is, you want to pay $100 for a $2000 device and ignore the consequences.

Lenovo hasn't actually done this yet, and when they do, they won't be the first.

LOL ... I do now. Prior to rock band, absolutely not. Now based on drum rate I can tell old v new Metallica -- or at least know it's either Metallica or Anthrax (based on what else is in my collection that is).

And, obviously, I do not think real drumming is easy, not by a bloody long shot ... but she's hella good at it in the game. Way way better than I ever got. She was rocking it on expert and I was in awe.

But prior to that, it was all a blur of screeching noise that I couldn't stand.

Now? Metallica and a bunch of hard core punk are likely to be on my iPod.

As I said, my wife is eternally grateful for the game, as my musical horizons have blown past what they had been.

LOL ... well then, carry on by all means.

You know, my wife will be eternally grateful for Rock Band, et al.

I led a very, er ... musically sheltered life prior to Rockband and Guitar Hero. Wasn't a fan of most forms of rock, couldn't stand metal or punk. Like, at all.

The Rockbank type games taught me a LOT about the melody, structure, and musicality of them; sort of acted as a crash course in understanding why they didn't suck.

Since then I've bought well over a hundred punk albums (literally) and other stuff I previously didn't like since playing the game.

Say what you will about these games ... but in my direct experience, nothing teaches the structure and musicality of a broad range of music as well as these things.

For me and my wife? We'd buy this again in a heartbeat ... because it's a fun game to play in parties, and a friend's wife makes drumming on expert look easy.

So when I'm rocking out to Rise Against in the car, my wife is laughing and saying "Thank god for Rockband". Because without those games, I most certainly wouldn't have been.

It kind of tastes like gasoline but that's part of the appeal, along with pretending it was smuggled across the neutral zone after you've consumed too much of it.... ;)

LOL ... is this a thing? Like, an actual thing people do?

when you're trying to pretend you're in both places at the same time.

Your trying to say its hard to adjust to the Martian day ... while still living on Earth and being adjusted to the Earth day.

Thats fucking retarded to say the least. 40 minutes isn't that big of an issue any more than changing a SINGLE timezone is ... when you aren't still trying to stay on the old schedule as well.

Rover drivers have the problem of living on Earth, working on Mars ... THATs the problem, not the actual extra 40 minutes.

Honestly, yes, he died of smoking.

But he was 83. What is the median age of death?

It's like the great lines from George Burns:

"Is it true that you smoke eight to ten cigars a day?"
"That's true."
"Is it true that you drink five martinis a day?"
"That's true."
"Is it true that you still surround yourself with beautiful young women?"
"That's true."
"What does your doctor say about all of this?"
"My doctor is dead."