Posts by Bluto Nash 230 publicly visible posts • joined 8 Jan 2015
My Kuka Titan has those nice, big rounded bearings and that perky little tail on it - I mean, who can resist? Good looking piece of equipment, eh? EH? I get all greasy just THINKING about it. Nod's as good as a wink and all that? Say no more...
Really? I guess that downvote was for not yelling "EVERYTHING MS touches becomes crap" like I'm supposed to? Geez. My point was that it would be nice to use a product that was comparatively easy to use AND cross platform. Skype filled that need - my kids already know how to use it, and at this point it DOES WORK. Yes, I could go through writing a doc on how to set up a SIP account and use Jitsi, or go through the authentication processes to get qTox working. However, the fact remains that they use Skype to talk to each other as well as other relatives (that are all Win users). I'M the one that's using Linux on a couple of regularly used boxes, and I was bemoaning the fact that MS is indeed "fragmenting and effectively killing off the platform," because that's the result. Will my kids see any difference? Nope, because they and their friends (and grandparents, etc.) are still on the fully supported MS platform.
When possible, I still try to use Skype. Why? Because two of my kids live a few states away and it's nice to video chat with them. Hearing them, while always a treat, really can't compare to seeing them as welI. We can voice chat any number of other ways, but have yet to find another common application that will work on multiple platforms reliably. Add to this the fact that THEY know how to use Skype, so there's no learning curve. It's regrettable that MS is fragmenting and effectively killing off the platform, especially for Linux users, as it at least used to be one of the things that worked properly most of the time, regardless of OS.
It’s like a car designer creating a feature that ejects all the wheels for maintenance, and then installing the button directly next to the on-off switch for the radio.
I submit as an example the web configuration interface of the HP 54xxzl line of switches, where the "Logoff" text link is located RIGHT BY the "Reboot Switch" link. I'm VERY careful when logging off.
Perhaps it was the drive of, you know, a WAR, along with:
a) The ability and willingness for the entire populace to get behind a common cause
b) The resources of the entire country and economy thrown at it, because, you know, possible death and all
c) They could be build by various levels of skilled workers using hand tools, not necessarily CAD/CAM/CNC operators, programmers, etc. Far easier to throw manpower at it.
And yes, the F35 et. al. are all vastly more complex, though it makes one wonder if perhaps a larger number of non-multirole flyers might be a better bet, as we could turn them out quickly, in different versions (see F14) for different uses, possibly populating those barren Brit carriers somewhat sooner.
Please understand that I have nought but the utmost respect to those that answered the call to produce these and other machines on both sides of the pond.
As to the Apollo program, replace WAR and DEATH with "COMMIE BASTIDGES."
As relatively n00b Mint user (still working on the transition), I was able to muddle through Brother's installation instructions for my recent wired network MFP purchase without too much trouble. Works fine. As did the HP 4600 it replaced, but that's older hardware, so there's that. It would be really, REALLY nice if manufacturers would actually acknowledge that there are other machines aside from Windows and put together support for a generic Linux installation for their devices. Brother's a step ahead on that front IMO - at least they provide something, so hopefully others will follow suit.
Started using Chantix originally and it kinda helped, but only reduced the craving a bit. However, the subsequent heart attack and resultant four stents that were inserted allowed me to quit cold fill-in-name-of-meat-here the same night and I've never looked back.
Can't say I recommend the method, but the results were both immediate and permanent for the last 4-5 years.
My record stopped at 55 minutes with two callbacks from them, including a "manager" that sounded very much like the original caller. Mint VM and IBM Model M stymied them rather well, especially as "my son built this for me and I simply click the picture that says 'internet' on it," and other slower-downers. The keyboard is usually the best though. "Okay, look at the bottom left of your keyboard." "Yes, there's a Cee-Tee-Ar-Ell key there." "What's next to it?" "A blank space, then an Ay-Ell-Tee" button." "There must be a button between them!" etc., etc., etc. Couple that with FF and NoScript, and that kills most of their web buttons as well. Fun for all, usually resulting in the aforementioned cursing and questioning the heredity of myself and relatives.
Check all the normal CB channels...
("CB" for those not in the know or not children of the 70's and 80's, was "Citizen's Band" mobile radio in the USA for consumers to use to talk to each other, bother commercial truckers and generally act like twats whilst driving. Kind of like old skool cell phones)
Dunno about "simpler," but it's certainly working pretty well for me in most cases. I've moved to Mint 17.3 and it's been pretty good so far. The ONLY issue I've had since starting down the tuxedoed path has been that of connecting to network shares hosted on Windows boxes in a workgroup. If I could hammer that out and stabilize it, I'd be a happy camper. It's just "iffy" sometimes, when for no apparent reason it decides that itcan no longer validate against the workgroup.
Most annoying thing so far. Everything else is just fine. Fast, stable, updates without reboots, all of the nifty things that've been said over time. Even for this numpty.
She named a number of nine initial "partners" that Google is working with: Chimani, Daily Horoscope, Gormey, Hotel Tonight, My Horoscope, New York Subway, Visual Anatomy Free, Useful Knots, and Weather
That's a rather diverse and eclectic selection of initial partners there. Nearly everything you'd need to commit the perfect crime:
First, you'll need to check your
Daily/My horoscope - to see if the proper planets are aligned. If so, you may need a
Hotel Tonight - to stay in before you get on the
New York Subway - to go to the restaurant you found on
Gormey - where they have a nice fava bean and Chianti dish. Check the
Weather - to see if you'll leave footprints in the park you looked up on
Chimani - after using the
Useful Knots - and knowledge gleaned from
Visual Anatomy Free - to bind your victim for transport and dispatch once at your destination.
Hm.
How odd, since I was the same way, constantly fiddling with it, until I got a Nexus 5 and after updating to 5.1.1 and loading the Apex launcher on it (and rooting for Titanium Backup), haven't looked back. I'd had a few other Androids as well - Skyrocket 2, Note 1, some Motorola thing - but I haven't felt the need to futz about with this one like the rest. I just use it. Decent screen, decent camera, decent battery life (for my use case), decent phone, wireless charging. Overall a winner in my book.
I have a feeling that I'll be in the same situation as time goes on - a Mint laptop for "work," and a Win box for gaming. There's no doubt in my mind that <u>at this point in time,</u> a Windows box is superior to a Linux machine for most / high end gaming, though that may change as time goes by. However, for "real work," such as web browsing, office-type apps, balancing my check (-que?) book and other mundane day-to-day tasks, the Mint box does exactly what I want, without the faffing about of the tiles, weird interface (compared to 7) and other humbuggery that WX brings to the table. My PC is a tool, not a plaything for MS to muck about with as they see fit. The rest of the household is perfectly happy with their Windows 8.1 machines - but they've no updated to 10 yet. Nor will they until there's no choice.
An MP also has constituents, who have a right to bring grievances to their representative, without their evidence being snorted up by GCHQ (who may well be the subject of that grievance
Fine that the MP doesn't have his email snaffled, but what of the aggrieved constituent who's emailing them? Their email isn't exempt from being hoovered, is it? I'm failing to see the protection being afforded the "little guy" in this scenario.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
