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The Ratt

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Posts posted by The Ratt

  1. Um, do you mean figuring out the devices on their own or figuring them out at all? Because my dad works at a library and he has had a lot of older folks coming with their new-fangled iPads and Kindles hoping someone could teach them how to use them.

  2. I don't think we'll have to worry about AI's that become hostile (not including ones that started out hostile) unless we manage to perfect computers/robots that can alter their own programming and/or machine learning (not sure where the line is there). Otherwise, if you don't put it in the code, there's an almost impossible chance of that happening.

  3. Originally Posted By: Nioca
    Re-railing for a second here: Holy. Freaking. Crap.

    Why the hell don't they bring this guy up on charges? (It's rhetorical, but feel free to answer anyway)
    So I did some quick googling, and I can't seem to find any video of Chris Dodd actually saying that, in that context, on the news. The closest I came was a Fox news video of Dodd saying they won't be giving as much money to... someone. Fox news implied it was Obama, but, with some further examination, that fits perfectly in the quotes on various websites, so it is quite probably that Dodd really did threaten politicians, especially since Fox news supports the SOPA legislation and has a history bias.
  4. Of the republicans, I like Ron Paul the most, which I think has to do with he doesn't seem to be acting super-conservative to get the nomination and he seems to be socially more liberal. My biggest problem with several of the republican candidates is that they are religious. Not that they practice religion, but that they are in your face or shove it down your throat religious. I believe it was Rick Santorum who was criticizing Obama for not donating government funds to Catholic charities, but I doubt that he would give government funds to Muslim charities. There is a reason that the founding fathers separated church from state, and a good reason it should stay that way.

  5. Quote:
    Bear in mind that TV news has given zero coverage to SOPA and Protect IP. The media conglomerates support the legislation, but are wise enough to realize that an informed public will not.

    SOPA and Protect IP are unworkable and need to be scrapped. Problems include ineffectiveness against pirates, interference with legitimate uses of the internet, bias towards the well-heeled, security issues with DNS, and lack of due process. There is a preferable (but still flawed) alternative, the OPEN act.
    I feel like the bill itself is a prime example of the US government being heavily influenced by the wealthy; sort of what the Occupy movement is all about. This is also an example of why I don't like mass media; you only see what they want you to see.
  6. Originally Posted By: Actaeon
    I've been a shameless fanboy for a local band, lately (www.facebook.com/AllThePrettyHorses).

    I would love to expand my horizons. Can anyone suggest tolerable Baroque (besides Bach), solid bluegrass, rap that doesn't sample better artists, or any modern jazz that isn't too avant-garde or just dull?

    Well, for rap I would suggest looking into Macklemore, Dylan Owen, and Chiddy Bang. I think Chiddy is the only one of the three that samples other songs. Also, if you aren't against drug references, you could check out Skizzy Mars. Note that these artists are not like "mainstream" rap so I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for.
  7. ... (This is italic)

    ... (This is regular)

    ... (This is bold)

     

    Hmmm. On first examination it seems an italics and regular ellipse is identical, but on closer examination it appears there is a slight color shift. On even closer examination each set has a different number of pixels per period and a color shift.

  8. Originally Posted By: Polaran
    What on Earth do you put in a $2000 desktop? My last one cost barely $500 (sans TFT screen, but including two HDDs and SSD) and about the only thing it lacked to be game-worthy (when I put it together in '09, mind you; it's a bit old now) was a dedicated GPU.

    Have you considered putting together a custom machine with Linux, and leaving the old system as it is? You can build a decent (non-gaming, but great for power users) desktop on a fairly small budget. The drawback would be being stuck with an older machine for your non-Linux usage for the time being.
    Originally Posted By: The Ratt

    ...build info...

    for about $1200.
  9. Well, thank you everyone for your thoughts. After consideration and research I have decided that I'm going to build my own computer. The build is as follows:

     

    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68xp-ud4

    Processor: Intel core i5-2500K

    RAM: Corsair Vengeance Blue 16GB RAM

    Optical Drive: Sony Optiarc DVD drive

    PSU: OCZ Fatal1ty 750W

    HD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB

    Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 6870

    Case: Cooler Master HAF 912

     

    Add on a couple fans and a monitor, and you get a nice computer setup for about $1200.

  10. So, I am thinking about buying a second computer. I currently have a laptop that is adequate for everything that I do. However, being a computer science major it is almost expected that I run a Linux system. To accommodate this expectation I am considering purchasing a desktop, to which I would migrate my current system, and turning my laptop into a dual boot machine.

     

    Pros of buying the desktop include better performance of my current software (games), having a linux system available, and having a desktop and laptop for after college.

     

    The only real thing that's stopping me from buying the desktop is money. The computer in question would cost close to $2000. I have the funds, and enough extra to continue my current style of living, but I'm not sure if the $2000 would be severely missed within the next year or so; I might be studying abroad next year.

     

    Cons of buying the desktop besides the cost would include transporting the computer (I will probably be flying home for summer break), and the concern that I wouldn't actually use the laptop that much.

     

    So what is your opinion? Should I buy the desktop? Why, or why not? Are there other pros or cons you can think of? Do you need more information before you make a decision? Let me know.

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