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jamotto

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Everything posted by jamotto

  1. Older than the hills and twice as dusty, but it is still funny
  2. link quote:The rules governing the use of most free software programs will be revised for the first time in 15 years, in an open process that began last week. Free software, once regarded as a tiny counterculture in computing, has become a mainstream technology in recent years, led by the rising popularity of programs like the GNU Linux operating system. Industry analysts estimate that the value of hardware and software that use the Linux operating system is $40 billion. And Linux has become a competitive alternative to Microsoft's Windows, especially in corporate data centers. So the overhaul of the General Public License, which covers Linux and many other free software programs, is an issue of far greater significance today than before. “The big boys, corporations and governments, have far more reason to be interested and concerned this time,” said Eben Moglen, general counsel to the Free Software Foundation, which holds the license, commonly known as the GPL The process will also be closely watched for how the new GPL will take account of software patents, which have exploded among commercial software developers since 1991, the last time the GPL was revised. A document that describes the principles and timeline for updating the GPL, as well as the process for public comment and resolving issues, was to be posted last week at www.gplv3.fsf.org. A first draft will be presented at a conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, scheduled for Jan. 16 and 17. A second draft is expected by summer. If a third draft is required, it should be completed by the fall of 2006. The process, Moglen said, could involve comments from thousands of corporations and individuals, but the Free Software Foundation will make the final judgments. The revision process promises to be intriguing because of the man behind the GPL, Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation. The GPL, according to Stallman, is an effort to use copyright law to protect what he calls the “four basic freedoms of software” — the unrestricted right to use, study, copy and modify software. The license also requires that any modifications be redistributed with the same unrestricted rights. Stallman is renowned as both a brilliant computer programmer and a person of emphatic views on matters of software. At the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT in the 1980s, Stallman began writing a free version of the proprietary Unix operating system, which he called GNU, and he distributed his work free. Stallman, working as a lone craftsman, wrote a huge amount of code for the operating system and software tools for building it. But he had not gotten around to designing the ‘kernel’ of the free operating system — the core of the program, controlling a computer's most basic functions. In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a university student in Finland, wrote a kernel and wrapped much of the GNU code around it. The completed operating system attracted a following of programmers, working collaboratively to debug and improve the program. Torvalds was the arbiter of changes and refinements to the software. The operating system became known as Linux, and the networked style of work was called open source. Stallman insists that the operating system should be called GNU Linux, in recognition of some of its code and its heritage. To Stallman, software is partly a matter of bits and engineering; there is also an ethical side to it. In Stallman's view, proprietary software is an unwarranted restriction on the freedom of information. The revision of the GPL, he said, is “part of something bigger —part of the long-term effort to liberate cyberspace.” Software patents, he said, are “utterly insane.” For Microsoft's part, Steven A. Ballmer, its chief executive, has called the GPL a ‘cancer.’ Yet in his way, Stallman is also quite pragmatic. Proprietary software applications can run on Linux without restrictions, which is important for the survival of Linux as a viable alternative to commercial operating systems.
  3. quote:Originally posted by Carl Burning: How souless do you have to be to turn away a little girl from seeing santa? Kids gotta be scarred for life.Couldn't agree more.
  4. Link quote:A mall in Massachusetts issued an apology after a 4-year-old girl was apparently told she was not allowed to sit on Santa’s lap unless she purchased a $21 picture of the meeting, according to a Local 6 News report. Maria Grigorian said she took her daughter, Michelle, to the North Shore Mall in Peabody to visit Santa Claus. According to Local 6, when the 4-year-old got to the front of the line, she was not allowed to sit on Santa’s lap because her mother did not have cash to pay for the picture. Grigorian said the least expensive photo offered was $21. “I am a single mom and don’t have that money right now,” Grigorian said. Michele was so upset over the incident that she burst into tears and left with her mother. “To see her crying and saying, ‘Mommy I just want to tell Santa what I want for Christmas,’” Grigorian said. “I was heartbroken, totally heartbroken.” An official with the Northshore Mall has apologized and said a meeting with Santa is free of charge.
  5. dragon scene was cool. Good helping of action, well paced, nothing to complain about.
  6. quote:Originally posted by Grizzle: With all due respect Derek, I find this a bit disturbing. Of the umpteen real sites that actually do bash you and your game you chose to pull the plug on IndieBC because you thought it might become one? Seriously, what more could be posted about you or your games that you haven't already heard a million times over? Was this really the straw that broke that camels back? I find that hard to believe. I have purchased and supported your games since the original BC3K was released. I understand the way you like this forum to be run and why you do so, but the downside of your stance is that it stifles honest and open discussion. Discussion that could possibly lead to your games being even better than they are. You deserve kudos for taking such an active role in supporting your product, but I can't tell you how many times I didn't post about an issue/bug or whatever because of the ruckus it would cause. So when my game crashes after a few hours of play and I lose all that time investment, I just walk away and hope that it somehow gets fixed. You know what? I'm still hoping. In any event, I've a suspicion this decision was primarily motivated by personal vendetta and the fear that certain notable personalities here at 3000AD *might* get offended at some of the things they *might* read at IndieBC. And to that I say, "If you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen", sound familiar? Couldn't have said it better!
  7. Link quote:LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73. Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy." In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills. Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me." He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields." (Watch a profile of Morita -- 2:10) For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina." "The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young Hilary Swank. Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998. Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II. "One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece." After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons. Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age 30 he entered show business full time. "Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. " Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery. He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.
  8. I would of thought they would have learned from the first Xbox which also had problems when it was launched.
  9. Link quote:SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) - A night of drinking left a man so disoriented that he hopped into a police patrol car thinking it was a taxi, police said.The 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday soon after he let himself into Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Deputy Esther Beckman's car while she was out of the vehicle questioning a bicyclist. The suspect's name was not available Tuesday. Officers let the bicyclist go, but the man in search of a ride was taken to jail on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.Tries to do the right thing and ends up getting arrested anyways.
  10. Yes this is great news! quote:John Calvert, an attorney and managing director of the Intelligent Design Network in Johnson County, Kansas, said Mirecki will go down in history as a laughingstock.I think he has it all
  11. Not sure we have enough instructors to train all the recruits that we would get.
  12. quote:Screen Digest's analysis shows that in the U.S. in 2004, titles based on licensed IP, such as Madden NFL 2005, sold 23% more units than titles based on original content.Now that's just sad.
  13. He is probably one of the few lucky soul's out there that are lacking the correct receptors on his T-Cells that the virus needs to infect the cell.
  14. It was bound to happen eventually. Hopefully he allows them to do furthur tests so a possible cure can be found.
  15. Link quote:A MAN who tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes Aids, has subsequently shown up negative for the disease in a case that has mystified doctors. It was claimed last night that Andrew Stimpson, 25, may have shaken off the virus with his own immune system after contracting HIV in 2002. If proved, the NHS has said the case would be “medically remarkable”. It could provide vital information to researchers looking into treatments for HIV and Aids, which has killed about 3,800 people in Britain since the 1980s. The worldwide annual death toll is more than 3m. The Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS trust, which treated Stimpson, has said he needs to undergo more tests before it can be established how he apparently conquered HIV. “These tests were accurate and they were his, but what we don’t know at the moment is why that has happened, and we want him to come back in for more tests,” said a spokeswoman. “It is potentially a fantastic thing.” Stimpson was tested three times in August 2002 at the Victoria clinic for sexual health in central London and the results showed he was producing HIV antibodies to fight the disease. Stimpson, originally from Largs in Ayrshire, contracted the virus from his boyfriend, Juan Gomez, 44. He began taking vitamins and other dietary supplements to keep his body healthy in the hopes that this might fend off the development of full-blown Aids. In October 2003, after impressing doctors with his good health, Stimpson was offered a new test, which came back negative. Further tests in December 2003 and March last year also proved negative. “It was the last thing I expected. I was astonished. I was baffled too,” he told the News of the World. “I couldn’t understand how anyone could cure themselves of HIV . . . I thought it had to be wrong because no one can recover from HIV, it just doesn’t happen.” The tests were re-checked by the Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust when Stimpson threatened litigation believing there must be a mistake, but the results confirmed all the tests had been accurate. In a letter understood to be from the NHS Litigation Authority in October this year, Stimpson was told: “The fact you have recovered from a positive antibody result to a negative result is exceptional and medically remarkable.” The trust said there had been several other cases of claimed “spontaneous clearance” of the virus worldwide, although it is not believed any have been proved. A spokeswoman added that the trust had urged Stimpson to return for tests, but that so far he had not done so.
  16. Link quote:Our goal here is simple: the release of King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining. King's Quest IX was a fan game that had been in the works since 2002. It was being made by fans for fans, and was going to be made available to all as a free download. Unfortunately, Vivendi Universal Games, which owns the rights to King's Quest, has recently issued a cease and desist letter to the fans making the game -- essentially shutting it down. We, as King's Quest fans, have joined together to try to convince Vivendi to change their mind. We need YOUR help to make this happen! If we can show Vivendi that there are enough people who want to play King's Quest IX, we may be able to persuade them to allow the game to be released. Whether for free as a fan game (as originally intended), or as an official title under the Vivendi banner, our goal is to convince Vivendi that King's Quest IX should be finished and made available to gamers worldwide.I hope they can get Vivendi to change it's mind.
  17. The movie is doing well at the box office so far being top dog this week.
  18. Link quote:JACKSBORO, Tenn. - A teenager shot and killed an assistant principal and seriously wounded two other administrators at a high school on Tuesday, officials said. The student was arrested. "I don't know what he was thinking or what his motives were," Sheriff Ron McClellan said. Campbell County High School Assistant Principal Ken Bruce was shot in the chest just after 2 p.m. and died soon after at a hospital, law enforcement and school officials said. The suspect, Ken Bartley Jr., 15, was grazed in the hand by a bullet fired from his own .22-caliber handgun during a scuffle with the administrators and an unidentified teacher who helped wrestle the gun away, the sheriff's department said. No other students were injured. Principal Gary Seale was shot in the lower abdomen, and Assistant Principal Jim Pierce was shot in the chest. Seale was in serious condition and Pierce in critical condition at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, spokeswoman Lisa McNeal said. School will be closed the rest of the week, and counselors will be available to help students and teachers on Monday, schools director Judy Blevins said. "This situation could have gotten much worse. It did not because our staff followed the (emergency) plan in place," said Mark Wells, vice chairman of the Campbell County Board of Education. Authorities were unsure if the suspect would be charged as a juvenile or an adult. He was being held in a juvenile detention facility in nearby Scott County. The 1,400-student school, located about 30 miles northwest of Knoxville, was locked down after the shooting. Students said Seale was able to get to the school intercom and order the lockdown after being shot. "Knowing him, he probably did," the sheriff said. "He is a tough fellow and a great individual. That sounds like him. Whoever did it, he did the right thing." Clifford Kohlmeyer, a former assistant principal at the school, said the three victims were dedicated educators and family men. Both Seale and Pierce have been educators more than 30 years, he said. "Mr. Bruce, the one who got killed, had been a lieutenant colonel in the Army and came back to teach about eight years ago," Kohlmeyer said. "We shared an office for two years. He was very dedicated to the students." Pierce was a longtime physical education teacher and cross country team coach before moving into administration, Kohlmeyer said. All three men have children, he said. The incident caused a huge traffic jam at the school as bus drivers and parent rushed to remove students from the campus closed by police to the public. "It is scary, it is terrifying," said Darren Davidson, waiting for his son Justin to come through the school's gates. "I thought I would have a heart attack before I got here," added his wife, Kizzie Davidson. Roger Wallace, a driver at a pizza restaurant near the school, said he saw the students being evacuated from the high school and loaded onto buses. "They are searching each student as they are getting on the buses," he said. Tuesday's shooting is the second fatal shooting of a school employee in Tennessee this year. Stewart County school bus driver Joyce Gregory, 47, was killed as she stopped to pick up a student on her route on March 1. Jason Clinard, 15, is charged with murder in the case and will be tried as an adult. In August a boy was accidentally shot in the leg in a middle school restroom in Jefferson County. The investigation into that incident led police to charge two students in a plot to kill a teacher at Maury Middle School
  19. quote:Originally posted by LostInSpace: Soon there will be just a Walmart style Publisher.I think there is already one, it's name is EA.
  20. link quote:WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers expressed concern Sunday that the FBI was aggressively pushing the powers of the anti-terrorist USA Patriot Act to access private phone and financial records of ordinary people. "We should be looking at that very closely," said Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Delaware), who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It appears to me that this is, if not abused, being close to abused." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, agreed, saying the government's expanded power highlights the risks of balancing national security against individual rights. "It does point up how dangerous this can be," said Hagel, who appeared with Biden on ABC's This Week. Under the Patriot Act, the FBI issues more than 30,000 national security letters allowing the investigations each year, a hundredfold increase over historic norms, The Washington Post reported Sunday, quoting unnamed government sources. The security letters, which were first used in the 1970s, allow access to people's phone and e-mail records, as well as financial data and the internet sites they surf. The 2001 Patriot Act removed the requirement that the records sought be those of someone under suspicion. As a result, FBI agents can review the digital records of a citizen as long as the bureau can certify that the person's records are "relevant" to a terrorist investigation. Calling the recent growth in the number of letters a "stunner," Biden said. "Thirty thousand seems like an awful, awful stretch to me." Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Sunday he could not immediately confirm or dispute the 30,000 figure, but he said the power to use the security letters was justified. "The Department of Justice inspector general in August 2005 found no civil rights violations with respect to the Patriot Act," he said. Issued by the FBI without review by a judge, the letters are used to obtain electronic records from "electronic communications service providers." Such providers include internet service companies but also universities, public interest organizations and almost all libraries, because most provide access to the internet. Last September in an ACLU lawsuit, a federal judge in New York struck down this provision as unconstitutional on grounds that it restrains free speech and bars or deters judicial challenges to government searches. That ruling has been suspended pending an appeal to the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a hearing last week the court suggested it might require the government to permit libraries, major corporations and other groups to challenge FBI demands for records. The Patriot Act provision involving national security letters was enacted permanently in 2001, so it was not part of Congress' debate last summer over extending some Patriot Act provisions. As the Dec. 31 deadline has approached for Congress to renew provisions of the act, the House and Senate have voted to make noncompliance with a national security letter a criminal offense. The ACLU did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Sunday
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