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Comment Re:He's not a fucking troll (Score 3, Interesting) 185

by jtheisen (#29780171) Attached to: Arrested IBM Exec Goes MIA On the Web
You also do almost 100% of the world's innovation and produce the vast majority of art and culture. Within the last 100 years, you saved us from the Nazis, fascist Japan and International Communism and you're the only power who could save the world again if another threat comes up. Yes, the US appears to be mean and cold - but I shudder to think where the world would be without you. I believe that these things are unfortunately two sides of the same coin.

Comment Re:Yes (Score 1) 460

by jtheisen (#29717419) Attached to: Linux Games For Non-Gamers?
I don't know about the others, but Urqan Masters is a Star Control II port/remake (proprietary dos game) with courtesy of the producers, Toys for Bob. Story-wise, it's the greatest game I've ever played, it even tops the old Lucas Arts and Sierra adventures in that regard. This is a real gem.

Comment Re:Nature Online (Score 1) 253

by jtheisen (#29717079) Attached to: The Problem of Shards, Servers, and Queues In MMOs
Though meant humorously, I think that sounds like a good gaming idea. You live a live, find a partner and are supposed to mentor new players into your gaming situation before your natural end. Success would have to be measured at least in part through the success of your children (ie other players).

Comment Re:lowest common denominator (Score 1) 244

by jtheisen (#29672547) Attached to: How Video Games Reflect Ideology
Interestingly, the German games market is different from the international market. There are a number of titles which are popular here, like "Die Siedler" and "Anno" which don't have a similar success in the US or England. I believe this to be an instance of ideology in games. A significant number of Germans tend to like relatively peaceful logistic / planning games, rather than aggressiv war games. A similar difference can be seen in TV productions or novels, and this reflects the political attitude of current German society. Note that over here there is also a political debate of criminalizing war game titles which fits the picture too.

Comment Re:Do we have to bring this up over and over again (Score 2, Informative) 611

by jtheisen (#28751309) Attached to: Best Home Backup Strategy Now?

So can anybody say something to rsync-like features in other backup software? Surely there should be loads of commercial ones that do this differential copying thing?

Just googled for it and at least found DeltaCopy, a Windows wrapper around rsync incorporating a scheduler. If that's done properly, it should be alright for the average Windows user.

Comment Re:Do we have to bring this up over and over again (Score 0, Offtopic) 611

by jtheisen (#28751281) Attached to: Best Home Backup Strategy Now?

Ok, that covers the <5% of users who can set up and maintain a backup systems based on rsync. What about the other 95%?

As an interface to set up a backup system for a moderately adept geek with sufficient focus to set up and maintain a recurring rsync backup, an above average grasp of the layout of their filesystem, and the presence of mind to alter their rsync script as their computer changes over time, rsync is extremely powerful. For everyone else, it's next to useless.

So can anybody say something to rsync-like features in other backup software? Surely there should be loads of commercial ones that do this differential copying thing?
Input Devices

Can New Game Control Schemes Hope To Match the PC Keyboard? 202

Posted by Soulskill from the precision-and-complexity dept.
An opinion piece on Gamasutra discusses how, in spite of the fancy new motion control systems that have come to console gaming, the PC's keyboard and mouse setup is still unreplaceable for many titles and genres. Quoting: "With over 100 keys to choose from (back of the box quotation right there), the possibilities are near endless, if you start to think of shift and control functions altering the purpose of keys. It means that, when the developers start to make their game, they don't have to worry about the limitations of the interface, knowing that, if all else fails, they can always assign the compass to K, even if that's a bit of a stretch to all but the pianists. The keyboard is the friend of ambition, and ArmA 2 is the testament to that, in all its surrealist, broken glory. ... It's the same reason RTS games have found a home on the PC for so long, able to use the skills people accumulate moving around windows and clicking on icons to command troops and manipulate their battle lines. Developers taking advantage of what we already know to teach us something we don't is what gaming is all about."

Comment German ID cards (Score 1) 167

by jtheisen (#28710741) Attached to: India To Issue Over a Billion Biometric ID Cards
I have to mention this every time German ID cards are mentioned (as in the article): In Germany, there is no central database with all citizens recorded. The federal press is printing them for the local authority issuing the card, but it isn't keeping the record. A copy of the ID card is kept at the local authority. It's a decent system. I'm against a central database, but no identifictation system at all like the US and the UK is just a mess.

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