Kardus

There has been a tutorial released on how to convert an actual guitar into a GH controller (even if you aren't technically inclined, it's still worth looking at).

Eagadget link: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

You know Yngwie isn't playing messing around with some plastic toy, so it's a good thing Toolmonger has an in-depth guide to turning a real guitar into a proper Guitar Hero controller. The whole project will set you back a staggering 75 hours or so, but that's a small price to pay to do some virtual shredding on a real Strat or Flying V, right?

Official Tutorial site:
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

I myself run on a PC. I like the potential to upgrade and a variety of drivers/support, etc. It CAN be a hassle at times, but that more depends on your operating system. I was never one to like proprietary things, so PC's just suit me. I enjoy building/modding 'em- it's a hobby of mine.

I used to do lots of work in photoshop back in the day, but I lost interest after I became half-decent at it. I first started on photoshop 6, and quickly updated to 7. The next version I tried was CS2. After using that and weighing the pros and cons of both, I decided 7 was the way to go. Not many more visible features, plus it runs much smoother in my opinion! I have a pretty decent system, so have photoshop 7 fully load in about 2-3 seconds is great

This is definately scary, and I don't condone this. Whether you believe in a higher power,or not (i.e. evolution), humans are meant to be humans,and human genes areintended for humans. Humans have dominion over the world, and if you believe inevolution, evolution should occur over time and in natural course.

Have you heard of filtering spam with another email address? I use Gmail and it really helps. The method can be found here:

Gmail allows you to forward incoming messages to any other e-mail address. Go to the Settings page and then to the Forwarding and POP tab. In the Forwarding option, set Gmail to forward all incoming mail to your regular e-mail account, and keep a copy in Gmailâs inbox.
Once that forwarding rule is set on Gmail, all incoming mail to user@gmail.com will get spam filtered and anything left over will be forwarded to user@domain.com, with a copy left at Gmail. But that doesnât help you much yet, because people are still sending spam directly to your user@domain.com account.

Now, over at your user@domain.comâs mail server, create a server-side filter to check the headers of any incoming e-mail. Have it forward to your Gmail account if it does not find the following in the header:

X-Forwarded-For: user@gmail.com user@domain.com

In English, the filter would be written: âAny mail that does not contain âX-Forwarded-For: user@gmail.com user@domain.comâ in the mail header should be forwarded to user@gmail.comâ.

Once this server-side filter is in place, only mail on its way back from user@gmail.com (already filtered for spam) will be passed to your user@domain.com account's inbox. Everything else will be forwarded on to user@gmail.com to be filtered and forwarded back.

I agree that the 1-2% tax drop was pure BS. Canada is already in debt- the government NEEDS money gained from taxes. The economy is not going to boom with this minute change. The only people benefiting are the conservative tycoons that controll the big businesses. Whoop-de-do.

Read up specifically on Time Dilation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation)

Time dilation would make it possible for passengers in a fast moving vehicle to travel into the further future while aging very little, in that their great speed retards the rate of passage of onboard time. That is, the ship's clock (and according to relativity, any human travelling with it) shows less elapsed time than stationary clocks. For sufficiently high speeds the effect is dramatic. For example, one year of travel might correspond to ten years at home. Indeed, a constant 1 g acceleration would permit humans to circumnavigate the known universe (with a radius of some 13.7 billion light years) in one human lifetime. The space-travellers could return to earth billions of years in the future (provided the Universe hadn't collapsed and our solar system was still around, of course). A scenario based on this idea was presented in the novel Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle.
A more likely use of this effect would be to enable humans to travel to nearby stars without spending their entire lives aboard the ship. However, any such application of time dilation would require the use of some new, advanced method of propulsion. A further problem with relativistic travel is that at such velocities dispersed particles in the rarefied interstellar medium would turn into a stream of high-energy cosmic rays that would destroy the ship unless extraordinary radiation protection measures were taken.

Current space flight technology has fundamental theoretical limits based on the practical problem that, per other aspects of Einsteinian relativity affecting mass, an increasing amount of energy is required for propulsion as a craft approaches the speed of light. The likelihood of collision with small space debris and other particulate material is another practical limitation. At the velocities presently attained, however, time dilation is not a factor in space travel.

So basically, it theoretically "could" be possible, but it's called a theory for a reason. It's impossible to reach the speed of light, but reaching near the speed of light is possible based on these theories. Can it be applied any time soon? Probably not. We first need a method of gaining these speeds first.

I'm not too fond of the guitar, but this site IS good. I did try guitar for awhile and I used it..it's a good resource for news, tabs, etc.Gave my friend his link and it's not his homepage. Heh.

Batch files were great. I remember when I was younger I used to try and teach myself how they worked by editing them/making my own. Typically they are now used for installers, etc. Most virus scanners DO however pick up non-system batch files, as they can be programmed for malicious purposes.I remember my friend didn't want his younger brother on his computer, so he made a batch file that shut down the computer when executed. Lets just say he put it in his brother's startup folder and his brother was pretty pissed.They can, however, be used to complete simple everyday tasks without extensive programming knowledge.

I honestly don't use the password manager...I feel it compromises security too much. If 'wasting' 1-3 seconds typing in your password is too much work, I don't know what's anyones problem. Technology is great, but something as trivial as this are making people lazy. Nothing is more safe than your brain.

The only rap/hiphop I actually like is old school stuff. Citizen Kane, Run DMC, Ice Cube, etc etc. Anything before the early 90's was pretty decent. Now, the only substance in rap is glorifying violence, drugs, and sex. Of course not all rap/hiphop today is like that, but I'm sure I won't be lying if my generalizations can be attached to 90% or more of rap artists.

Grand Turismo 4, probably. The physics and realism behind it as actually impressive coming from a sony game *snigger*. Handling, traction, ect. are very realistic. I'd say I probably improved my own driving skills from playing it!

I wouldn't say there is a "best" distro of *nix. There's different distros for a reason, as people release them according to specific needs. Of course there are some with more features or ones that are easier to use for beginners. Ubuntu and Gentoo are two of my favourites. Gentoo for more advanced users, and Ubuntu for simplicity and ease.

Has anyone tried the Wii/Wii sports that comes free with the console? Honestly I find the animation is a bit lame, but the concept and game play are decent. It includes baseball, tennis, golf, boxing, and bowling. By far, baseball and tennis are the best. Even for a Wii game, the depth of interactivity is a bit low, but it leaves for a fun time with friends or family. I found that the sensors were pretty accurate, and did appropriate actions according to your motion. Only minor moves of the Wiimote are required, but it adds to the fun if you actually get up and play like a real game.As mentioned previously, the depth is quite limited. In tennis, your character auto-runs to the ball which leaves you only the option of swing type (smash, back hand, volley, chip). This makes the primary skill in the game more technical- choosing certain shots, speed, placement, etc. are what separates a good player from the not so good. Getting in the game, bouncing, and moving about like an actual tennis player leaves for a fun and exhausting experience. Baseball is also quite fun. The actual technicalities of the game are not dwelt upon, but it focuses more on the players (pitcher and batter). Depending on what your likings, this could be a pro or a con. A variety of pitches can be chosen by holding A or B, with a corresponding directional button (forwards for a faster, straight-forward pitch, right for a right-leaning pitch, left for a left-leaning pitch, and back for a slightly slower one). A and B both modify that type/style of pitching. After holding your desired pitch, you can either have some fun and take a big wind up (what I like to do) and release...or a boring flick of the wrist will do. The skill of pitching is more of a mind-game. Knowing your opponent('s) weaknesses, or quickly changing your common style will be sure to freak them out. Batting by far is more fun in my opinion. I love to hold the Wiimote like a real bat (be sure to use the controller strap for your wrist while doing this...I already demolished a controller). I was impressed with the accuracy of the motion sensor- where ever I held the Wiimote adjacent to my body, it would appear in the exact same spot on my character. The skill when batting is based on timing, technique, and aim. Boxing would have to be the next best for me. It's a pretty decent concept, but less developed and harder to get used to. Your Wiimote is you right punch, while your Nunchaku attachment acts as your left punch (Yes. The Nunchaku attachment DOES has motion sensing). You punch forward by extending your Wiimote like an actual punch, and for the left punch, it's the same except with the Nunchaku attachment. You can block by holding both parts of the controller closer towards your body, and dodge/move from side to side by moving both parts of the controller in the respecting direction. The skill in boxing revolves around looking for openings in your opponent's stance, and attacking them with the appropriate hand at the appropriate height (low, middle, high attack). Golf and bowling are also decent, but less fun in my opinion. Bowling simply requires a steady hand and aim which is developed by the use of the Wiimote, while golf is similar to other golf games- strategic choice of positioning the ball, along will decent aim will get you far.One feature that I really liked was the implementation of "Mii" characters in the game. For those who don't know, from the Wii menu, you can create profiles known as "Mii" characters. They can be named, and have a variety of skin tones, hair styles, hair colours, facial features, and clothing that can be applied to your character. Me and my friends set these characters to look like ourselves. In Wii sports, you can choose your premade characters as the characters you actually play with. This enhances the fun and makes it easier to play your own character, but in reality, it makes for a more interactive experience where you can can congratulate and mock your opponents with more satisfaction. To sum it up, Wii Sports is a decent game that will leave you some memorable experiences with friends/family. It also comes with the console for free (at least in North America), so what are you complaining for? Not really recommended for die-hand sports fans, but will be sure to occupy anyone for at least a few minutes to an hour (good for breaks between game sessions if you're bored of a particular game). Enjoy.-Kardus

DS all the way.

It's innovative

No loading times

No moving parts in system

Longer battery life

System chassis is more durable

Looks much sleeker and is smaller (DS lite)

Nintendo has better customer support

The DS screens have much better FPS (frames per second)

I find Wi-Fi on DS is much smoother and faster than PSP

Sony are greedy scoundrels

So far, the game rating average of ds games vs. psp games reveals ds games are much better

Games themselves are chips, meaning they are less easy to damage

Of course the PSP is better spec wise, but things such as music and movies on a gaming device is futile. Proprietary UMD movies are a terrible idea. If you want a decent amount of songs or movies stored on a memory stick, you end up paying more than the cost of a PSP itself. The DS has a browser (already released in japan- unsure of the state in north america).

 

Seriously, I don't know why people adore the PSP so much. My friend has one, and all he uses it for are emulators/roms. I remember playing a game on my friend's PSP, and the loading time was >1 minute, and the FPS looked like it was one of those little " flip book movies" (you know, those ones you did when you were a kid, and animated by flipping though the papers quickly).

It honestly depends on what suits YOU. If you require the portability most of the time, you're always on the go, and you're willing to shell out some more money for a good system, you might lean towards a laptop. Don't forget that you'll also want to get more batteries if you're actually going to use a laptop THAT much. An AC adapter takes away from the mobility :)If you want for "bang for your buck," and don't need to do extensive computing on the road, consider purchasing a good ol' desktop. On the plus side, the option to upgrade in a desktop is great if you're a computer buff. If you do require to check/send e-mails and the like, a good PDA combined with a good desktop will last for a very long time.

AMAZING! The very first game I played was C&C: Red Alert and continued to play through the series all the way to Generals and Zero Hour.The potential of graphics today really puch the limit on RTS games- they actually look like the real thing.This looks even better than Company of Heroes, which I was extremely impressed with.Definate buy for sure if the game play looks as vivid as it's portrayed.

Notice how the size of the console corresponds with the amount of bleeding-edge technology implemented :)Great review comparing the technical aspects of the consoles, although I feel these technicalities are not that important (from a gaming point of view). In my opinion, even though it's not as outstanding spec wise, the Wii would have to be the most promising console because of it's innovation. Sure, more powerful technology is nice, but it depends what you do with it! Most people already have 10 devices that can play DVDs already, who needs one in a console? Personally, the small size and sleekness of the Wii is also an eyecatcher, as it makes less noise and takes up less space as it's next-generation competitors.

Tried signing up again and got this:

 

 

 

Did the account check thing, got this:

 

 

Any input appreciated.

Hello, thank you for accepting me. While creating my account (as per provided instructions), I encountered an error. Here is a screenshot for reference:

 

 

I am not in any rush to get my account set up, but would appreciate any help/feedback when it's convienient for you.

I literally laughed out loud at this. Very funny:pHonestly never liked the guy though- don't really like his style and he has too much of a temper.

Opera is definately the second choice for me, but I continue to use firefox because of the valuable extentions and support. IE compromises security too much. Furthermore, Firefox is open source which gives experienced users the ability to tweak it to their likings.

Great guide. Thanks. Ducting your CPU fan firectly out of your case also helps a lot.

Maybe I should quit World of Warcraft :)It is a bit addicting, but I think playing for over 10 hours at a time is really pushing it.

Creating a game is more intricate than it seems. Even with very user friendly game engines, it's very hard to customize things and add new things in if you don't have any programming experience. If you really want to persue, I suggest you teach yourself c++ and research on game engines- and which one would fot your needs.