HyBriD54

Stephen Conroy, the federal communications minister, has stated that the Australian federal government will begin censoring internet connections on December 24, 2008, despite strong opposition from experts and civilians alike. (http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/) This is supposedly being done to eradicate child pornography and other illegal material, but the filters that will be used have been tested to be flawed, blocking several websites that do not contain illegal material. (http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/) These filters are not only inadequate in law enforcement, but can also easily be used by the government to silence its opponents, something which Stephen Conroys office has already attempted. (http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/) This proposed move by the government has severe implications for freedom of speech and individual privacy, and would drastically hinder the progress of the information and communication technology revolution. I personally think that Stephen Conroy isn't sincerely keen about wanting the Australian public to be subjected to this kind of censorship, but pressured by the various political ties that are present within the government. It's still disgusting nonetheless. I really hope that this thing is stopped.

I know for a fact that some of my friends and family have a deep fear of certain numbers. 666 is considered to be the "number of the devil" and hence people seem to be afraid of it. Would you want to live on 666 Whatever Street? No, you probably wouldn't. But why not?Some people take it a step further, being reluctant to live in 6 Whatever Street either.There's also the fear of the number 13 (I believe it even had a long technical "-phobia" term) which I've never understood. Fear of 666, devil, sure. But what's wrong with 13? It's just a funny-looking prime number.In Chinese culture, there's a fear of the number 4, because it is pronounced similarly to the word "die" (as in death). This is similar to the fear of 6 or 666.Aren't these superstitions a huge practicality problem? Sometimes, it's taken too far. Some buildings don't have a 13th floor (or 6th or 4th) because of these superstitions. Why do we continue to fear these numbers? Is it because of some sort of social stigma, like the sleaziness that surrounds the number 69?On a related note - we have numbers we seem to see as "good" as well, like the number 7 (supposedly lucky) and even 42 (the meaning of life, the universe, and everything according to "The Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams).

When I'm bored, I go on this forum. After all, it's something I've got to do, and there's heaps & heaps of weird, wacky, interesting stuff here...?I also go around taking photos of random stuff. Amateur photography for the win!When you're bored, you're probably feeling lazy as well. Because everything you could possibly do seems to be tedious and, well, boring. You'd have to do something that doesn't take up much energy or is genuinely amusing. Which is why hobbies (like amateur photography) are useful.People all have different things to do when they are bored. For example, I have a friend who talks about her cat when she is bored. XD

Does anyone know how, in general, Canon cameras compare with Sony cameras?What about, specifically, Canon Powershot compared with Sony Cybershot for digital bridge cameras?In particular, I'm comparing PowerShot SX110 and Cybershot DSCH10 which have the same RRP in my country.PowerShot SX110 has 9 megapixels while Cybershot DSCH10 only has 8.1.PowerShot SX110 uses AA batteries while Cybershot DSCH10 uses a non-standard rechargeable Lithium ion battery.Both have 10x optical zoom.If one camera uses standard AA batteries and is advertised to be able to take ~140 photos after a full recharge, while another camera uses a non-standard rechargeable Lithium ion battery and is advertised to be able to take ~310 photos after a full recharge, which one is more practical? Even if you take along an extra pair of AA batteries for the first case, you'd still only be able to get ~280 photos - but then again, non-standard batteries often have degraded battery life after a few years... or is that more to do with the battery placeholder thing as opposed to the battery itself?Furthermore, I've heard that megapixels don't make much of a difference after 7 megapixels or so. Is 9.0 megapixels substantially better than 8.1 megapixels?

Do you use any antivirus software? I don't, for various reasons: Slows down performance Generally expensive Generally not very effective ... and most importantly: I don't see why I need it. I'm using Windows Vista, and I've never had any virus problems as far as I know. Still, everyone else goes on about how important it is to have antivirus software. Do you think that not having any antivirus software on my computer is a problem? (N.B. I don't really count Windows Defender as a antivirus. It's anti-spyware.) Does anyone have any suggestions for free, effective, preferably efficient (i.e. doesn't use too many system resources) antivirus software?

I find it rather interesting that I never knew about this; then again, it could just be my substandard knowledge of world geography. Until 1935, Iran was known as Persia. I'd heard about both Iran and Persia but never made the connection. Apparently, Persia was named by the Ancient Greeks but the actual Persians called their homeland Iran - "the land of Aryans". As for how the name change happened, well, I found out through every lazy person's favourite reference (which, by the way, has some pretty interesting stuff on this topic if you're interested): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_naming_dispute I think it's a nice thing that the rest of the world calls the nation - Iran - the same thing as the people of the nation identify their nation as. Could we soon be referring to Germany as Deutschland, China as Zhongguo, Japan as Nihon... etc?

Who knows, in the future science & technology might just bring along something new to help us live longer =)One can always hope, right? I think it's a bit morbid knowing when you'll die. I've heard that the worst way to die is to die knowing that you'll die, because you think of all the things you'll miss.

Doesn't Mac OS X already have something called Dashboard? There's a how-to here to keep widgets visible even when you're not in F12 mode: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ If that doesn't work out, I guess you could also try Yahoo Widgets engine (formerly Konfabulator)

I've heard that some people who go into space come back feeling like life is useless after seeing how insignificant our lonely little planet is...But (extremely huge costs aside), I think that would be pretty awesome! Except... wouldn't it be a bit... dodgy for untrained civilians to go into space? Still, if Stephen Hawking can do it, why can't we? =)

Thank you all for all your (very detailed) advice! :lol:dSLRs seem interesting, but I'm not really looking for something THAT professional. What do you people think of bridge digital cameras like Sony's DSC-H10?

"Well upgrading an operating system is never easy, and usually wiping out the hard drive altogether or getting a nice fresh one might have solve your installation problems."Definitely agree with that. Try a fresh install if it's not too much of a hassle - it'll probably solve your problem. Get yourself some place to put all your stuff (DVDs, CDs, portable hard drives, other computers are really good) and then format your hard drive.

Has anyone here tried Ubuntu 8.10 yet? It's the latest release, and it's supposed to have various subtle minor improvements, a Live USB creator, possibly a new theme, and guest accounts.I'd really like to try the Live USB creator. Although... wouldn't that stuff up your USB eventually from too many read/write cycles?

Interestingly, I agree more with the "if it loses your mail it's your problem" disclaimer idea. Google's products are generally very very stable but Google puts themselves in a position where they technically don't have to have stable products. I hope they don't discontinue Gmail, but I guess that's another possibility. They put an end to Hello - but admittedly that got replaced by Picasa.

I currently have a 3.2 megapixel Cybershot.I'm interested in buying a professional camera with a huge lens because they seem to take really high quality photos, but all the extra stuff (and the sheer size of the camera) really put me off.I've seen some cameras which have a huge lens but aren't as gigantic. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with these? Do they take photos that have the 'professional' feel to them?

An admin on our Xisto hosted forum wrote this. We thought we'd like to share it with you. ---------------- He is thin; pale like the snow covering the delicate branches of the trees in winter, with a grim expression on his elongated face. Mercy is something unfamiliar to this man sitting at a desk in front of and away from me, with his fingers typing away on a loud keyboard, and his eyes focused on the display screen feeding his complex brain. But no matter how complex he may be, I know exactly what he is thinking. He is wondering what to take away from me next. How I even got to this abominable place, I do not know. All I know is that I am sitting in a windowless room behind someone who is slowly demolishing every memory I have ever possessed. I do not know how far he has gone and I pray for someone to save me. My very life is being wrestled out of me? I am lying on a hospital bed. The searing pain in my waist is starting to fade, but I keep on screaming. Lights above my closed eyelids flash rapidly, and the cold metal object at my feet sends a frozen shockwave through my entire body. My breathing slows down, and the lights turn off. The object is removed, and someone calls my name. A warm embrace from my parents smothers the icy tingle still rushing through my body. I can hear them sigh with relief, and I do the same. My body still aches from the operation, but at least my soul is at ease. My eyes widen with fear. The vision was ridiculously clear. I was reliving my past; every single physical and emotional sensation was real. The sinister man at the table turns around on his swivelling chair and stares at me. He knows exactly what has just happened. He made it happen. ?Ready?? he asks with a bitter voice. It is a rhetorical question and I do not respond. His finger strikes the Enter key on his keyboard with one quick movement; violently, like a deranged woodpecker. The machine sitting behind me starts to rumble. While I do not know what it looks like, I can work out enough from what I hear. It is large, loud, and above all, capable of inflicting pain. Whatever it is doing sends me into a fit of involuntary spasms. The pain is not physical; it is psychological. My mind is being crippled and I am unable to think? It feels like hours before I am able to gather myself again. I gaze ahead at the man, who is still not moving away from his display screen. He surprises me by turning around, and beckoning me towards him. I come forward and he opens a file on his computer. It is a photo of two strange people holding me ? friendly and loving, but I cannot say who they are. ?Do you recognise them?? the man asks me, forcing yet another question on me. I shake my head furiously. I can deduce what has happened. He has obliterated an entire block in my city of memories, sparing nothing. ?Why are you doing this?? I demand. ?I need to know what is going on. You have nothing to lose by telling me ? it seems that you are in control anyway.? ?I am looking for a particular memory to destroy,? he replies calmly. ?There is something that you know about me which no one must ever know. It is a secret which I will keep until I am cold, dead, and buried. But in the process of finding it, I might have to step on a few stray memories. It is like digging for buried treasure?? A smile forms on my face. This will be the last time we will see each other for a very long time. As much as I hate to say goodbye, I know that we won?t forget each other - something this important cannot be forgotten. As we embrace, I whisper a promise. ?I won?t forget you?. Fury boils up inside me, drowning out my fear. How dare he attempt to violate that part of my memories? I made a promise and I will keep it. Ignoring the fact that I am essentially held at gunpoint by the contraption behind me, I stand up threateningly. ?I wouldn?t do that if I were you,? he warns me. ?One single command and I could make your brain forget how to function. I could kill you. I don?t want to kill you; I am not a murderer. But you must understand that this is more important than you are. I will kill you if I have to. If you die, then at least the memory dies with you.? I am disarmed, and I sit down quietly. He hits the keyboard once again, but this time I am ready. The memory is still fresh in my mind, and I play it over and over again. I feel the happiness of the scene, and the happiness of everything it represents. I feel the warmth. I hear my own voice? ?I won?t forget you.? It resonates like a bell in a tunnel. ?I won?t forget you? I won?t forget?? ------------ In every living person there is a section of the mind that holds a vast city. Major roads from other parts of the mind send in supplies every day to keep the citizens happy, but also bring in countless tourists, coming to visit the renowned attractions of this city. This is the city of memories. The streets turn erratically, for the city is designed without logic of any sort. There are no maps to help you if you decide to visit and incidentally get lost, for a new landmark is being built every single day. Some places are very well taken care of, for they are recognised for being eternally important. Of these, many are regarded for being vital to the survival of the person?s mind, but others are respected for bringing joy. For every bank, there is an art gallery. For every police station, there is a theatre. For every factory, there is a public park. Memories have the practical use of helping us retain important information. A name, a face, a place, a phone number. At the same time, however, they bring cheer when we most need it. The next time you lie awake at night, plagued by insomnia, remember that there is a place you can visit at your leisure. Visit the city of memories?