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Comment: Re:Why not just 0? (Score 1) 985

In Australia we have a 0.05 limit on BAC plus a 0 limit on provisional (usually under 21) drivers. 0.08 is the point where you are obviously going to fail at driving. 0.05 is where you think you can do it but more likely than not cannot.

After seeing how friends dealt with the 0 limit on provisional drivers and in light of the fact I don't drive myself, I'd support a 0 limit - it encourages a lot of caution and forethought, particularly the morning after when you can still be drunk and might think it's just a hangover.

I don't disagree with the sentiment that people who are intoxicated should get the fuck off the road. There are other distractions drivers have to worry about, but drinking and driving is unnecessarily lowering your awareness, negatively impacting your response time and making your large heavy vehicle a hazard to everyone else.

At the same time, a 0 limit means you'd pretty much have to avoid all substances with trace amounts of alcohol, which would be difficult from a practical standpoint. Start looking at how many brands of mouthwash and similar products contain alcohol, and you'll see what I mean.

Comment: Re:An Extremely Decent video on the subject (Score 3, Insightful) 135

by pegasustonans (#43705877) Attached to: How Facebook Ruined Comments (at Least For One Writer)

We get it, you don't have Facebook and feel the need to tell the world they don't need it either so that you can feel superior by being different.
I don't have cable TV, but I at least understand that some people feel that TV has value and thus subscribe to it so I'm not going to go around telling everyone that because I don't want TV they shouldn't want it either.

Clearly, people see value in communicating with friends/family in a casual environment. I understand that.

The issue for me is, to use the TV example, my TV doesn't compromise the privacy of my neighbors and acquaintances, Facebook does. I'm not on Facebook because the potential value there is outweighed by my privacy concerns with the service.

Unfortunately, my friends and family *are* on Facebook. This means, as family members share private photographs of me and talk about me on Facebook, my privacy is compromised even though I never agreed to it. This is the real issue here.

Comment: Re:Steam (Score 1) 553

by pegasustonans (#42139591) Attached to: New Humble Bundle Is Windows Only, DRM Games

Good to know. Now tell me, which is the best sexual violation? Which is the best form of murder?

Of course I'm being facetious, but the point remains; The best of a bad thing does not make it good.

I don't know, but I can say with certainty that you're the best comedian in this thread.

My vote will shift, however, as soon as someone inevitably compares DRM to Hitler and/or raping children.

Comment: Re:Not good (Score 2) 553

by pegasustonans (#42139451) Attached to: New Humble Bundle Is Windows Only, DRM Games

Reply to self....

Rather than complain here. I sent them an Email:

"I have purchased several Humble Bundles over the years and also promoted it to others. I bought some where I never even
played most of the games. Why? Because I believed in what you were doing. But I think you have betrayed your mission with this THQ stuff:

* It is not multi-platform, leaving Linux and Mac users out in the cold.
* It is not direct download, eaving non-Steam users out in the cold.
* It is not from indie developers.
* It is not DRM-free.

I am very disappointed in what you did, and, to me, it severely taints your name and brand. I think you should be ashamed and hopefully you will get back on track."

Not to nit-pick, but you may come off as slightly dismissive in that e-mail.

Did you consider the cost and manpower it would take to port those games to Mac/Linux? Did you take into account the infrastructure, cost and services necessary if Humble Bundle provided direct downloads for all of those games? Did you include in your estimations the fact that THQ is on the verge of bankruptcy? What do you consider an indie developer, because you don't really make that clear, either.

Why are you against Steam as a form of DRM? Being against DRM is fine, but you should have a well-reasoned explanation if you don't want to give the impression of being a bit single-minded.

I feel you address your personal concerns and sense of effrontery very well, but you don't express your understanding of how their business works to an extent that would make your voice more likely to be heard. Just my two cents, best wishes and I hope you get a thorough response from the HB people.

Comment: Re:Why is this bad? (Score 2) 553

by pegasustonans (#42138079) Attached to: New Humble Bundle Is Windows Only, DRM Games

THQ has been struggling, so they're trying something new. That's a good thing. If you don't want to buy it, don't. I did, as did many of my friends, and I'm quite happy with it.

Exactly. If this helps save THQ, it helps maintain the diversity of the marketplace, similar to how helping indie developers find success makes it possible to enjoy games we'd never experience otherwise.

Personally, I like the Saints Row series and wouldn't want someone like EA buying THQ and taking it over. This bundle is a great deal and money well-spent IMO.

Cloud

Kurzweil: The Cloud Will Expand Human Brain Capacity 267

Posted by samzenpus
from the big-bigger-and-biggest-head dept.
Nerval's Lobster writes "Futurist and author Ray Kurzweil predicts the cloud will eventually do more than store our emails or feed us streaming movies on demand: it's going to help expand our brain capacity beyond its current limits. In a question-and-answer session following a speech to the DEMO technology conference in Santa Clara, California last week, Kurzweil described the human brain as impressive but limited in its capacity to hold information. 'By the time we're even 20, we've filled it up,' he said, adding that the only way to add information after that point is to 'repurpose our neocortex to learn something new.' (Computerworld has posted up the full video of the talk.) The solution to overcoming the brain's limitations, he added, involves 'basically expanding our brains into the cloud.'"
NASA

NASA Voyage To Explore Link Between Sea Saltiness and Climate 44

Posted by Soulskill
from the another-climate-thing-to-argue-about dept.
DevotedSkeptic sends this excerpt from NASA: "A NASA-sponsored expedition is set to sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet. The research voyage is part of a multi-year mission, dubbed the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS), which will deploy multiple instruments in different regions of the ocean. ... They will return with new data to aid in understanding one of the most worrisome effects of climate change — the acceleration of Earth's water cycle. As global temperatures go up, evaporation increases, altering the frequency, strength, and distribution of rainfall around the planet, with far-reaching implications for life on Earth."
DRM

Ubisoft Ditches Always-Online DRM Requirement From PC Games 218

Posted by Soulskill
from the they-can-be-taught dept.
RogueyWon writes "In an interview with gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Ubisoft has announced that it will no longer use always-online DRM for its PC games. The much-maligned DRM required players to be online and connected to its servers at all times, even when playing single-player content. This represents a reversal of Ubisoft's long-standing insistence that such DRM was essential if the company were to be profitable in the PC gaming market." The full interview has a number of interesting statements. Ubisoft representatives said the decision was made in June of last year. This was right around the time the internet was in an uproar over the DRM in Driver: San Francisco, which Ubisoft quickly scaled back. Ubisoft stopped short of telling RPS they regretted the always-online DRM, or that it only bothers legitimate customers. (However, in a different interview at Gamasutra, Ubisoft's Chris Early said, "The truth of it, they're more inconvenient to our paying customers, so in listening to our players, we removed them.") They maintain that piracy is a financial problem, and acknowledged that the lack of evidence from them and other publishers has only hurt their argument.
Patents

Victory For Apple In "Patent Trial of the Century," To the Tune of $1 Billion 1184

Posted by timothy
from the still-unfolding-though dept.
pdabbadabba writes "The jury is in in the epic patent dispute between Apple and Samsung and Apple appears to be coming out on top. The court is still going through the 700+ items on the verdict form, but things seem to be going Apple's way so far. In the case of Apple's various UI patents, the jury is consistently ruling that Samsung not only violated Apple's patent, but did so willfully." Reader bob zee also points to the AP's story, as carried by Breitbart.com, and Charliemopps adds Reuters' take. Reader Samalie contributes a link to a live blog of the (at this writing) ongoing recitation of the verdict. Whether you like it or not, even this verdict won't be the last word.

Comment: Re:Meta (Score 1) 84

Gartner Buzzword Tracker Says "Buzzword" Still On Hype Wave

Is a term used in an advertisement descriptive of a specific technology, item or service you can learn more about? If not, it's probably a buzzword.

Is a term used to describe things for which there is no set beginning and no creator or founder? If so, it's probably a buzzword.

It's not perfect, but it seems to me buzzword has a relatively specific (and useful) definition. I suppose we could all say "horseshit" instead of "buzzword," but that might not go over as well at the next all hands meeting...

In the long run, every program becomes rococco, and then rubble. -- Alan Perlis

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