Tad Williams' Message Board

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'
-    Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007

Welcome to the message board for tadwilliams.com. All comments are welcome, whether kudos or brickbats. However, please bear in mind that Tad would like this to be a friendly, civil message board, at least in the relations between users. We reserve the right to remove postings, or even ban postings, from anyone who crosses the boundary of reasonable taste. Basically, you can argue vigorously with someone, but watch your language, okay? We have a lot of young readers as well as grown-ups, so please show them some respect.

But the main requirement here is: have fun.


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#451 2007-09-05 05:16:00

Genisis X
Pilgrim
From: Canberra
Registered: 2005-05-08
Posts: 12426
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

*bumps last post off AT*

-X


Cyan on the merits of Dubstep: "That's not music. That's a patchwork quilt made by a blind iron worker."

My new webcomic of sarcasm and profanity!

 

#452 2007-10-10 16:46:00

mabinogi
Pilgrim
From: Canberra, Australia
Registered: 2001-07-26
Posts: 10086
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

*brushes enough cobwebs away from one of the walls of the tower to let him stick a printout of today's xkcd on it*

brillant!
BWAHAHAHA!!!


..and then one day you find, ten years have got behind you,
no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..

My Musical Experimentations

 

#453 2007-10-10 19:40:00

Genisis X
Pilgrim
From: Canberra
Registered: 2005-05-08
Posts: 12426
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Yea, Its a good one thats for sure ;)

Also: Joost, an internet tv program thingymawhatsit, has gone public.
http://www.joost.com/

I've been playing around with it for about a week. Its pretty cool. And has some stuff that is actually worth watching. Other stuff that isn't, of course, but there ya go.

-X


Cyan on the merits of Dubstep: "That's not music. That's a patchwork quilt made by a blind iron worker."

My new webcomic of sarcasm and profanity!

 

#454 2008-01-22 12:50:49

Earthmanu
Pilgrim
From: France - near PARIS - Marly-le
Registered: 2002-01-13
Posts: 291

Re: Chaven's tower

*the shiny tv program brings a strange mirror back to life*


- My former pseudo in the french minitel roleplaying community AKELA
was "GAG THE FOOL" , for about one thousand hours ...
- I wish to share experience about
1/writing rpg-scenarii in Tolkien's Beleriand ... 2/teaching roleplay and impro to disabled adolescents ... 3/simulations of acrobatic kites flying

 

#455 2008-01-22 13:45:02

Aan`allein
Hierarch
From: The Netherlands - occasionally
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 5636
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Genisis X wrote:

Also: Joost, an internet tv program thingymawhatsit, has gone public.
http://www.joost.com/

Despite Joost being based partly on Mozilla-technology, being headquartered in my home-city, and employing several people I know, I highly recommend anyone interested in online television to skip straight past Joost and on to Miro.
Where Joost is a closed platform full of DRM and lock-in (being everything the big content providers want them to be), Miro is completely open and has way more content available to it. (Full comparison here.)

(Note, I don't bother with moving images overly much myself, and haven't watched TV in 6+ years, so I don't have personal experience with either program. I just know that I always want the open vision to win out, because in the long run, that's how this world gets better.)


Mozilla developer comment of the however long it'll be this time:
<Mossop> run for the hills!
<Boriss> i can't, i'm at a local maximum!


Just Imagine...

 

#456 2008-02-25 04:17:07

Genisis X
Pilgrim
From: Canberra
Registered: 2005-05-08
Posts: 12426
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Aan`allein wrote:

Genisis X wrote:

Also: Joost, an internet tv program thingymawhatsit, has gone public.
http://www.joost.com/

Despite Joost being based partly on Mozilla-technology, being headquartered in my home-city, and employing several people I know, I highly recommend anyone interested in online television to skip straight past Joost and on to Miro.
Where Joost is a closed platform full of DRM and lock-in (being everything the big content providers want them to be), Miro is completely open and has way more content available to it. (Full comparison here.)

(Note, I don't bother with moving images overly much myself, and haven't watched TV in 6+ years, so I don't have personal experience with either program. I just know that I always want the open vision to win out, because in the long run, that's how this world gets better.)

I have Miro as well, but atm it is more of a podcast/vodcast client than an internet TV... thingus.

Yes, Joost does have the evil DRM and whatnot, but until I find out that it is installing hidden device drivers on my PC *shakes fist at starforce* I'm okay with it. When Miro streams it will be great.

Also: DRM isn't necessarily bad. It usually is, but in some cases it can be done properly. Like Steam. I buy cheap games, can play then wherever I want, on any pc I want. I am all for handing over money to the content providers, just as long as they are not complete douchebags (Here's looking at you, Apple).

-X


Cyan on the merits of Dubstep: "That's not music. That's a patchwork quilt made by a blind iron worker."

My new webcomic of sarcasm and profanity!

 

#457 2008-11-22 01:43:43

Sahi
Mantis
From: Assendelft (the Netherlands)
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 37878
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Help wanted!

I need a new virus scanner/firewall. Most of my computers have McAfee, but I'm starting to dislike it. Not to mention that with five computers we can't registered McAfee on all of them apparently.

So what do you all have? (And is it Open Source?)


"I'm a much nicer person online" - Aan'Allein

First member of the Shadowmarch Council of Sages, Official Quiller's Mint Historian
You may call me the Porcupine Lady, or if you are feeling generous the Erinaceous One.

 

#458 2008-11-22 01:56:22

Hiragana
Pilgrim
Registered: 2003-02-07
Posts: 9121

Re: Chaven's tower

I've been using AVG free for the past few years and I'm quite happy w/ it. I combine it w/ Zone Alarm (they have the free edition but I managed to get the Pro for free because I signed up for quickflix) and spybot search and destroy for additional protection.

http://free.avg.com/

 

#459 2008-11-22 02:37:27

mabinogi
Pilgrim
From: Canberra, Australia
Registered: 2001-07-26
Posts: 10086
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

I use AVG too, though it's gone a little downhill lately.
It's not open source though.
I don't think there is any open source windows desktop anti-virus.
ClamWin would be the closest, but it doesn't have an on-access scanner - you have to either do a full scan, or manually check a suspect file.

I don't use any firewall software out of principle.  I have connected my computers to a network because they are network devices  I don't need some stupid piece if software popping up a confirmation dialogue every time I use a network application.
All software firewalls are crap anyway - I'd just use the Windows one if I had to use something, it's no worse than the rest.
I won't ever go near ZoneAlarm again - we had their enterprise product - ZoneAlarm Integrity - as a requirement for using our VPN, and it universally broke anyone's computer that installed it.

Of course, these days the computers I use most of the time, both at work and at home, have no virus protection or firewall whatsoever. But that's because I only use Windows for music now.


..and then one day you find, ten years have got behind you,
no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..

My Musical Experimentations

 

#460 2008-11-22 02:41:33

Hiragana
Pilgrim
Registered: 2003-02-07
Posts: 9121

Re: Chaven's tower

Linux is way more secure, I take it...?

 

#461 2008-11-22 02:50:26

mabinogi
Pilgrim
From: Canberra, Australia
Registered: 2001-07-26
Posts: 10086
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

well, there aren't any significant viruses for it.
There's been one or two worms in the past, but only really one or two.
I don't truly believe it's fundamentally more secure - but I think that it's different enough to Windows that some of the approaches used by virus and trojan writers there just don't tend to work, even if they were to target the platform.


..and then one day you find, ten years have got behind you,
no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun..

My Musical Experimentations

 

#462 2008-11-22 02:51:09

Hiragana
Pilgrim
Registered: 2003-02-07
Posts: 9121

Re: Chaven's tower

That's reassuring to know.

 

#463 2008-11-22 08:17:59

Sahi
Mantis
From: Assendelft (the Netherlands)
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 37878
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Good, I've already downloaded Free AVG. I thought I remembered my colleagues mentioning something like that. We've also turned on the Windows Firewall.

Thanks for the tips.


"I'm a much nicer person online" - Aan'Allein

First member of the Shadowmarch Council of Sages, Official Quiller's Mint Historian
You may call me the Porcupine Lady, or if you are feeling generous the Erinaceous One.

 

#464 2009-11-17 18:49:49

strangeshe
Hierarch
From: Texas
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 11251

Re: Chaven's tower

Okay, so does anyone have any recommendations for online collaboration sites or 'ware? Free would be a good price ;)

I know it largely depends on the project, so what I'm looking for is a site which can be used for reviewing vids and other new content bits that are slated to show up on the website here.

One of the site's deficiencies (of which there are many) is that Baytech did not provide a 'testing' area, and Deb and Steve (the video guy) are wanting to see stuff and collaborate (review, comment, edit, etc.) before taking it "live" on the 'net.

I know we can set up something like that on our server, but right now that would be beyond my skills.

So, any help would be appreciated: either some sort of online site that's very affordable that we can use to that purpose --- OR, I'll entertain any offers of help to set up a site of our own on our server. \

Thanks for any help!

 

#465 2010-09-22 02:34:21

Stuart
Pilgrim
From: Yorkshire
Registered: 2002-07-08
Posts: 3736

Re: Chaven's tower

Hello, yes it's me, long time no post but a friend has asked for some help with Windows Vista and I haven't ever use it so here goes.

Can you assign a different desktop with shortcuts specific to that person's account?

Are you all well by the way?

Please resist the temptation to simply wonder why anyone is still using Vista

Stuart

Last edited by Stuart (2010-09-22 02:36:57)


...- --- - . / .-.. .. .-.. -.-- !

 

#466 2010-09-22 03:02:48

Genisis X
Pilgrim
From: Canberra
Registered: 2005-05-08
Posts: 12426
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Stuart wrote:

Hello, yes it's me, long time no post but a friend has asked for some help with Windows Vista and I haven't ever use it so here goes.

Can you assign a different desktop with shortcuts specific to that person's account?

Are you all well by the way?

Please resist the temptation to simply wonder why anyone is still using Vista

Stuart

I'm pretty sure every user account has a unique desktop so yes, you can.

The desktop folders are located at C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Desktop which is how you modify another users desktop.

-X


Cyan on the merits of Dubstep: "That's not music. That's a patchwork quilt made by a blind iron worker."

My new webcomic of sarcasm and profanity!

 

#467 2010-09-22 04:50:42

Sahi
Mantis
From: Assendelft (the Netherlands)
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 37878
Website

Re: Chaven's tower

Stuart! *pouncyhuggles*

Like Gen said, your desktop is stored under your profile, so if you create another user, they will have another desktop too.


"I'm a much nicer person online" - Aan'Allein

First member of the Shadowmarch Council of Sages, Official Quiller's Mint Historian
You may call me the Porcupine Lady, or if you are feeling generous the Erinaceous One.

 

#468 2010-09-22 07:46:08

Stuart
Pilgrim
From: Yorkshire
Registered: 2002-07-08
Posts: 3736

Re: Chaven's tower

Thank you!  I know it is a lame excuse but I've been unfeasibly busy for what feels like forever.  The last two months topped it with the organisation of a Beer Festival to raise funds for our village hall, I should really take it down a gear and spend more time doing what I like doing; mostly talking rubbish but I'm going to do some more painting and maybe try a bit of writing for my own personal amusement.

You never know what might happen.

Thanks again, Stuart.


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#469 2010-10-06 09:36:11

Stuart
Pilgrim
From: Yorkshire
Registered: 2002-07-08
Posts: 3736

Re: Chaven's tower

Another silly question.

I want to do a usability assessment of a control panel.  It has a 3 position rotary switch, a single push button and 9 indicators that have up to 3 colour states and can flash?

Any idea if there is simulator software that I can easily use to create an image of the control panel with working switches and logic that can be programmed to make the indications work as they would in the real world?

Stuart


...- --- - . / .-.. .. .-.. -.-- !

 

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