rvalkass

Sorry, whole pile of unfortunate events delayed me. Here is my entry:

There's plenty of reasons not to go anywhere near anything produced by The Coca-Cola Company: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ least PepsiCo's list of criticisms is far shorter, and the allegations seem more trivial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PepsiCo which do I drink? Normally, neither - I'm happy with water, fruit juice and tea But if I do drink one, it's always Pepsi.

Make sure you have a decent CAPTCHA to prevent the spam posts being made in the first place. reCAPTCHA is a good choice, and I believe they have a Wordpress plugin that adds the CAPTCHA check to your comment forms automatically. You could also add the newer style "answer a question" CAPTCHAs that computers have trouble understanding. That should help to limit the volume of spam posts that make it onto your site. There is also a Wordpress option to limit the number of links in comments. As spammers, as you say, do it for the links, this should prevent them posting as they will see it's pointless.

Not necessarily negative, just sceptical. Remember that most people were making similar comments before the Wii was reviewed and released, and that turned out to work just fine and dispelled many of the fears people had over these motion tracking controllers. However, the Kinect just seems to go that little bit too far with today's technology, so it doesn't seem like it will work that well. Giving people that impression from the off, before they've even tried your product, is bad. At least with the Wii the technology already existed fairly cheaply, and just needed refining to make it work. Something like this shouldn't have a shaky start. As an idea, it is a big leap forwards. What matters is that it works in practise. Nintendo clearly put a lot of effort into testing the Wii and the games to make sure the technology worked in as many possible settings as it possibly could. Microsoft don't have that track record of testing things well (look at the overheating problems with original 360s for example) which makes problems with Kinect much more likely. A few bad reviews and it will never pick up steam, meaning games won't be developed for it and the price will remain high. Microsoft will need to make absolutely sure that the models they send out to reviewers are retail versions that will be in the shops and that they work flawlessly in every way. I just don't see Microsoft achieving that.

Or when Windows 98 was launched... http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ Not really a technology example, but it does happen in other markets, with devastating consequences: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/09/jason-plato-injured-when-caparo-t1-bursts-into-flames-at-150-mph/ There was also the example of "racist" digital camera face detection software, that couldn't detect black faces against dark backgrounds or in low light. An embarrassing PR gaffe that could have been avoided with a little more testing. Either companies rush into things and cut corners just so they can be first to get a press release out or something happens that they simply couldn't test for. It's impossible to test every eventuality, but you would have thought most of the bases would be covered.

If they knew of the issue, they wouldn't have picked that guy from the audience This is where the Wii and the Move have an advantage. Nintendo's use of infra-red means that not much can interfere with the motion detection, and Sony have a similar system with the Move, except the colour of the light changes to ensure it can't possibly clash with anything. The Kinect seems to rely on you not owning furniture or wallpaper that's the same colour as your trousers.

The forum's skin is fairly clean, elegant and understated. In my eye using a really busy, colourful logo just doesn't look quite right I originally had a question mark in the middle of the thing on the left, to represent knowledge/questions/problem solving/etc. but it didn't turn out that well. I shall have another go and post that version. Also, I picked that design as I think it represents people (the little circles) being drawn into a great community (the big circle), or possibly the notion of connecting ideas and thoughts, a bit like a spider diagram.

Exactly. I actually tried out a system at an exhibition in London a few years ago that claimed to do 3D tracking of players. The game was incredibly basic - throwing a ball between up to four people. It was so incredibly frustrating to get it to work, and the depth perception of the device was very limited and generally got it completely wrong. It was fun as a gimmick, but just wasn't reliable enough for use in games. Getting it to work in that situation was frustrating enough - can you imagine coming up to the last corner in a racing game, only for it to go haywire and interpret your motions as wanting to suddenly do a pirouette? The reason the Wii can get away with it is that it is reliable and accurate. Kinect just doesn't look like it will be. They could be trying another risky make-a-huge-loss-on-the-hardware-and-hope-software-sales-make-up-for-it tactic, like they did with the consoles (which have only just started to be sold at a profit). I just don't think it will have the same effect for Kinect. Most 'gamers' are happy with a controller, and would prefer it over the Kinect camera for most games.

The code, before being released as a software release, is studied by loads of people. If security problems are spotted, they're fixed before the code is marked as released. If, at that stage, someone malicious spots a problem with the code then the developers are also incredibly likely to spot the same problem, and fix it, so there is no risk. If problems manage to sneak through to code that gets released then they're usually spotted quickly and fixed quickly. For example, someone recently tried to release a screensaver (if I recall correctly) that contained malicious code. Within a few minutes of its release, people had spotted the problem. Then they fixed it. All in under an hour I think. Pretty impressive! And the Russian secret service, don't forget! https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/07/09/0042238/Microsoft-Opens-Source-Code-To-KGBs-Successor-Agency?art_pos=1 It seems they just didn't believe it was secure, and demanded to inspect the source before they would consider using it.

I decided to see how something very simple would look. Here it is: And here it is in place:

I know everyone said the same thing when the Wii was announced, and that turned out fine, but this seems like a step beyond our capabilities with today's technology. They're trying to combine too much at too high a level. Something tells me that this really won't work that well at all For example, voice recognition is generally worse than useless. Considering the wide array of accents just in the UK, let alone in the world as a whole, this is hardly surprising. I find it hard to believe that Microsoft will have managed to overcome this hurdle so easily and so cheaply. The reason the Wii works so well is because it is an incredibly simple setup. Kinect is far more complex, and that just leaves more space for things to go wrong. Also, there could be a practical problem with detecting up to 6 people, as Microsoft claims. To fit 6 people in the shot of the camera would require you to be quite a distance from the TV, allowing for space between people for you to move, too. There's also the problem of fitting people in vertically; most people have their TV fairly low to the ground, and the camera is fitted below the TV, meaning it should get lovely shots of your knees, but little else. According to the data, the camera can only sense you at distances of 4-11 feet, and it has an angular field of view of 43 degrees vertically. This is just enough to fit a 6 foot tall person in view if they stand at the furthest reaches the camera can detect. The list of games does look rather limited and "family-friendly" at the moment. That's fine, considering Microsoft's claims that Kinect is meant to attract different players to the Xbox, rather than placate existing players. Titles such as "Forza with Kinect" also worry me slightly - a racing game controlled by a motion detecting camera just seems odd...

I've got a few phone books, and still get a new one delivered each year. And, remarkably, I still use them I find it a lot easier to open the phone book and look up someone's name and number, or a business name and number, than start my PC, load BT's website and search there. While they do use up a lot of paper, they are very useful, and they get recycled afterwards. Making it possible to opt-out of receiving one, or make it an opt-in service, could be a good idea. However, me and many others would still be requesting them.

I remember reading about this quite a while ago, though at the time I can't remember how official the rumours were. Still, if it's true, it's nice to see that large companies are waking up to the fact that Windows is not secure and is unreliable. There are security flaws in pretty much all code. The difference with Linux (and open source code generally) is that you have thousands of people looking at the code who can say "Hang on, that doesn't look right..." or "I think this could be a security hole..." and then trying to fix it. Problems are found quicker and fixed quicker. Also, the huge public effort in reviewing code before it enters release versions of software ensures a large number of security problems (and general bugs) are fixed before the code reaches a release version.

Yeah, that just strikes me as a pointless purchase I can't see anyone going to buy a film and thinking "I'll get the higher quality version, but what I also need is a version that is slightly lower quality bundled with it." Even if you have a Blu-rayTM player in your living room and a DVD player in your bedroom, for example, with the high costs charged for films it's probably cheaper to buy a second Blu-rayTM player than buy all the films twice.

Although the tutorial was designed for AdobeTM PhotoshopTM, you could create a similar tutorial using The GIMP. It has most of the same features, although some of them are in different locations or under slightly different names. The GIMP is completely free, and there are also loads of tutorials written specifically for it if you want to get to grips with it.

I recently decided, to fill the time, that I would try to make a small device that flashed LEDs in response to sound or music. This should be a helpful guide to the components and circuit to build the same device. It's also fairly easy to adapt to different sound sources or light outputs. It has two sockets, one for audio input and one for audio output, so you can connect your speakers to the device and still hear your music/sound. Bill of Materials Codes refer to Maplin product codes. Stripboard / Veroboard - N95CF - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=47480& 2xAA battery holder - YR60Q - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=31427& SPST rocker switch - YX64U - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=2365& Blue LEDs (x9) - JA24B - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=12703& 3.5mm stereo jack sockets (x2) - FK03D - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=1189& TIP31C NPN transistor - UM82D - http://www.maplin.co.uk/?ModuleNo=19066& I sourced all of the components from my random collection of electronics parts I've gathered over the years except for the jack sockets and the veroboard (as I'd run out). Both of those were purchased from eBay very cheaply. I have also seen the jack sockets on sale in Maplin (although at a slightly higher price). Circuit Diagram NB: Not shown - connect the input left channel to the output left channel too. How it Works As the sound level varies on the input, the signal reaching the base of the transistor varies. This causes the current flowing from the collector to the emitter to vary with it, causing the LEDs to blink along with the music. They switch on with loud base nots, and switch off for quiet sections. Improvements As the LEDs I used were rated 25mA@3V I connected them in parallel with 2 AA batteries. This allows the device to work with no external power source, so it's useful with portable music players when out and about, for example. However, these LEDs are not bright enough to really stand out (I also only had water clear ones rather than diffusing ones to hand). I also intend to fit the device into a case, mounting the switch and audio sockets so it looks much neater and is easier to move around, but that will have to wait until I have access to a drill again. If people are interested I can put my veroboard layout up, and a video of the device in action

My phone is a Samsung SGH-E250V. I was given it to replace my previous phone because that was playing up and simply couldn't be relied upon in an emergency. At the moment I have the phone on contract with O2 for ?10 a month after a falling out with Vodafone pay-as-you-go.

HP have Microsoft Windows 7 drivers available for your printer here: http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=429040〈=en&cc=uk Make sure you have those installed and up to date to eliminate the possibility of a driver issue.It may sound obvious, but also check the printer out for any loose or stuck bits of paper if it has been used previously. A lot of printers are over sensitive and complain at the tiniest bit of paper trapped inside them.

I feel somewhat obliged to put this video in now:http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ check out all the related videos for other classic games in their orchestral goodness

I haven't yet seen anywhere selling a combination of DVD and Blu-ray? of the same film together. Like you say, it seems pointless - it'd be like buying the same music on CD and cassette at the same time. I especially can't understand it if the movie studios are charging more for the combination than for Blu-ray? on its own. If the DVD version was chucked in free, fine, but I can't see why anyone would pay for the two together. Then again, Blu-ray? hasn't really taken off in the UK as much as in the US. The prices for the players and the films are just so high that people are happy to stick with cheap DVD players and cheap DVDs.

The choice of tracks for the original Saints Row game was pretty good, and each track fitted its respective radio station very well, as well as being a good track on its own merits. Most other games these days don't seem to pay that much attention to the soundtrack, which is unfortunate. Going for older games, the music for Lemmings was fantastic, even if it did sound like it was played on a stylophone And of course who can forget PacMan's iconic "wakka-wakka-wakka..."

I believe Microsoft have taken the original servers offline, and did so quite a while ago (2005 according to reliable sources), as the game was released back in 1999. Microsoft recommend a few alternative services through which you can play Age of Empires online. Gamespy Arcade and Gameranger seem to be the recommended services. You will need the game patched to the last release to be able to play though. Also bear in mind that, being a fairly old game, the online community will have shrunk somewhat since it was first released - finding players could be tricky.

And there was me thinking you'd specifically left me out Good to see the system up and running again - hopefully we'll see a boost to people posting and new members arriving. Good work OpaQue

If the monitor completely switches off (all lights off, screen off (rather than displaying black)) then it is likely a loose power cable, or a damaged power cable. If the monitor just seems to go into standby mode (displaying a screen of black, rather than switching the screen off) then it could be losing its connection to the PC. As a general rule, I'd avoid converting the signal between one form and another wherever possible, although theoretically it shouldn't make any difference. I'd therefore go for the DVI-DVI cable. The difference is that HDMI can carry an audio signal too, although I doubt that's really something you need when outputting to your monitor, and would be lost in the conversion to DVI anyway. They're the same (assuming it's a male HDMI plug and a male DVI plug). You can plug either end into either device and it should work. Single link has a maximum resolution of 1920x1200. Dual link has a maximum resolution of 2560x1600. This is because dual link, as the name suggests, has twice the bandwidth of single link. If your display supports higher resolutions than 1920x1200 get the dual link cable. Otherwise the single link cable will be fine.

The voltage marking is the maximum working voltage for the capacitor. Above that voltage the capacitor will break down or even explode. After charging, the capacitor will decay from that voltage downwards (if it had a higher voltage, energy would have been created, which is impossible).