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Comment: Re:Dogs eat hearing aids - seriously! (Score 1) 727

by xlv (#31474298) Attached to: Why Are Digital Hearing Aids So Expensive?

It's also possible that the dog liked the way the hearing aid tastes.

Yes, I believe that's the case. Ever noticed how dogs will also sniff around the ears when they meet new dogs. I know that my dog likes to smell the tissues I use to clean his ears and he also chewed the ear plugs my girlfriend left on a bed pillow once... and he's not really the type of dog that will eat anything he can get to.

Classic Games (Games)

What Made Those Old, 2D Platformers So Great? 249

Posted by Soulskill
from the simple-yet-entertaining dept.
TheManagement writes "Many current developers of web games seem to have a fondness for 2D platformers. However, their desire to capture what made Sonic and Mario games so great is rarely achieved. In an attempt to breach that gap, Significant Bits takes a look at three common design principles that made those classic titles so enjoyable. 'To start off, the interface needs to be quick and responsive. Input should have an immediate effect on the character in order to foster a sense of full control. Granularity and different control techniques, i.e., pressing, tapping and holding, are also important as they provide a level of precision to the movement. ... Now, as far as the environments themselves, it's not a coincidence that they're often filled with all sorts of slides, bridges, trampolines, ladders, etc. In a way, they're simply playgrounds for the player, both literally and figuratively. They're catered to the moveset, and they enhance the flow of the game.'"

Comment: Re:Sad code, sad article (Score 5, Funny) 465

by xlv (#26324157) Attached to: The Exact Cause of the Zune Meltdown

for (;;) {
        int daysInYear = IsLeapYear (year) ? 366 : 365;
        if (day = daysInYear) break;
        day -= daysInYear; year += 1;
}

This is what Knuth called an "N + 1/2" loop

No, this is what Knuth would call an infinite loop as there's no way to terminate the loop except on the last day of each year...

Portables

OpenMoko - Not Only an Open Phone Platform

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The OpenMoko open phone project has announced the release dates of not only their first hardware releases (October for $450 for the public release), but also that they will be forming a company which designs and sells hardware and Free software in conjunction with FIC and the Open Source community. It appears that hackers will get first crack at the Neo1973, with widespread release before the end of the year including Wi-Fi and accelerometers. 'Hacker Lunchboxes' will be available for those hardcore projects that need a bit more access to the hardware inside.

With the Neo1973's release, other, more iexpensive, iclosed, itouchscreen phones will have some competition. My bet is on the ilocked phone to win... initially.

OpenMoko wiki http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Main_Page
Announcement http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/announce/2007- June/000013.html"
Power

Scientist: Feds are blocking hydrogen fuel

Submitted by
Lucas123
Lucas123 writes "A Purdue University engineer and National Medal of Technology winner says the federal government is blocking development of a new method of creating hydrogen fuel as a clean energy alternative to gasoline. The professor is claiming the government won't fund the research of a process already proven to work. '"Egos" at the U.S. Department of Energy, a key funding source for energy research, "are holding up the revolution,"' Professor Jerry Woodall said. The method uses an aluminum alloy to extract hydrogen from water — a process that he thinks could replace gasoline as well as its pollutants and emissions tied to global warming. The hydrogen is generated on demand, so you only produce as much as you need when you need it.'"

Don't hit me!! I'm in the Twilight Zone!!!