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Comment Re:This Is A Bad Idea (Score 2) 516

Our GPS unit (TomTom) has the option of turning off the moving map above a certain speed (user defined) and replacing it with a static image indicating the type of turn (highway exit, cloverleaf, etc) and updated information on time/distance/etc. to the next waypoint. It works well for me, as when I'm in-town I really need to see when that next turn is coming. On the highway, you've got more lead time to prepare for merging/lane changes/etc. And centering the map on the car seems much more intuitive than moving the car around on the map. Again, our stand-alone GPS has the option to either orient the map in direction of travel or orient the map towards North. The latter is bloody confusing and not preferred.

Comment Re:Alternative ending in Max Payne 2 (Score 1) 73

Well, that's the whole (game|film) noir thing in a nutshell -- there IS no Happy Ending for our hero. The best he can expect is to break even. I'm not surprised that Max will be back in the thick of things, railing against fate and the unthinking cruelty of life. If things turned out all spiffy and neat, it wouldn't be Max Payne and it wouldn't be as interesting a story.
Games

Max Payne 3 Announced For Next Winter 73

tordavis writes with news that Rockstar Games has announced Max Payne 3 is in the works for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It's currently planned for this coming winter. Quoting the news release: "'We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game,' said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. 'This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation.' Since leaving the NYPD and New York itself behind, Max has drifted from bad to worse. Double-crossed and a long way from home, Max is now trapped in a city full of violence and bloodshed, using his weapons and instincts in a desperate search for the truth and a way out."
Power

Distributed "Nuclear Batteries" the New Infrastructure Answer? 611

thepacketmaster writes "The Star reports about a new power generation model using smaller distributed power generators located closer to the consumer. This saves money on power generation lines and creates an infrastructure that can be more easily expanded with smaller incremental steps, compared to bigger centralized power generation projects. The generators in line for this are green sources, but Hyperion Power Generation, NuScale, Adams Atomic Engines (and some other companies) are offering small nuclear reactors to plug into this type of infrastructure. The generator from Hyperion is about the size of a garden shed, and uses older technology that is not capable of creating nuclear warheads, and supposedly self-regulating so it won't go critical. They envision burying reactors near the consumers for 5-10 years, digging them back up and recycling them. Since they are so low maintenance and self-contained, they are calling them nuclear batteries."

Comment It's all about legitimacy (Score 2, Informative) 656

Let's face it -- if it isn't something that comes in a colorful box with a nice shiny-paged booklet and screenprinted CD, some folks won't touch it. Case in point is my uncle. He's somewhat computer savvy but doesn't trust anything that you can "just download off the intarnets" -- to his way of thinking it's not legitimate software unless it comes in a professionally produced package.

I "get it" of course (and have since 1998... :) ), but that mythical "average computer user" we keep hearing about will probably find it comforting to get their dose of Ubuntu through a "legitimate" source, like Best Buy (meh).

Frankly, anything that will show the suits that Linux (pick your flavor) has sufficient market-share and penetration on the desktop is a Good Thing -- sales equals maturity/legitimacy.

Cheers,

BeerGeek

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