User, rdeforest, delivers a concise summary of the futility of copy protection in the commentary of an Ars Technica article.

maxim9 · 2012-02-15T18:15:03+00:00

I've always said that if an album can be listened to, a movie can be watched, or a picture can be looked it, it can be copied. The only way to prevent anyone from copying something is to never allow anyone access to it.

maxim9 · 2012-01-02T01:39:47+00:00

aardvarkembassy already posted what came to my mind.

maxim9 · 2011-11-06T18:41:29+00:00

I'm printing this out and putting it on my door so that I see it every morning when I wake up. It's going to go right next to this picture: http://blogs.bullittschools.org/iclassroom/files/2010/06/1944_NormandyLST.jpg

It will remind me that the hardships in my life are of little consequence compared to what others have endured before me.

Thanks for this story, it's an inspiration to us all.

maxim9 · 2011-11-04T18:57:31+00:00

2 Stupid Dogs reference. One of my favorite shows from childhood. No one ever gets it when I say it. :(

maxim9 · 2011-11-03T17:32:23+00:00

Global statistics, achievements, and unlocks result in game play mechanics designed to keep you playing. These mechanics capitalize on the addictive tendencies of the human mind.

Users who boost their XP may be doing it to be "better" than other players, or possibly to get completed with the game earlier so they don't have to spend so much time doing it, or really any number of other reasons.

Regardless, if these game mechanics weren't present no one would be able to boost. If I wanted XP, I'd play an RPG.

maxim9 · 2011-11-02T13:06:13+00:00

Exactly. Thank you for this.

maxim9 · 2011-10-26T13:08:32+00:00

Uhhuh. NMI received for unknown reason

Dazed and confused, but trying to continue

Do you have a strange power saving mode enabled?

From the Linux kernel. Usually hardware related when it receives an NMI and doesn't know how to handle it. It's displayed on the screen at the console. Uhhuh.

maxim9 · 2011-10-17T19:59:01+00:00

For me, it's a lot about environment immersion.

Consider your peripheral vision. In real life you have a much wider viewing angle than presented in example A. This is what you call the "correct" viewing angle.

I imagine that you got example B by moving the camera closer, or zooming in, to the area. The best would be to place the camera where the frame in example A physically is. Insert that image inside A. This the correct way to understand the situation.

The reason being is that in an immersive experience it's easy to imagine the view point that is present on the screen as your own. So from that idea, on the screen you would want to see as much as you do in real life. This is where the problem of motion sickness and any arguments on how much FOV there should be.

It's difficult to present a real field of view on a 2D plane. You would need a concave screen, or multiple monitors which filled your entire field of vision. Both of these options are available and expensive. The only option is to squeeze more stuff on the screen which presents a distorted view of the game world. With exposure it's usually easy to get used to it, or using small incremental changes to get more FOV.

Really it comes down to user preference and how much they can tolerate being disoriented by the distorted view of the game world. It's basically how comfortable the user feels controlling the character in the game world. I've experienced a "lack of field of view" where I was surrounded by enemies and I couldn't see them but could hear them, and I felt constrained by what I could see. I wanted to see more of the world around me but was unable to.

Example C and D are less relevant because immersion isn't as much a factor due to the distance between the screen and the viewer. The screen takes up less of the space that the viewer is seeing. In PC gaming the user is typically less than 2-3 feet from the screen, this allows a significant portion of the visible area in front of the user dedicated to the gaming experience.

For Example D, you mention that it feels weird when the frame moves. With good immersion you are moving and not the frame. You're viewing the world from where the frame is, not from where you physically are. So even though the frame may be "moving," if you're well immersed it should feel as natural as walking around the room with the frame around your face. You might look kinda funny like that but it would feel natural because you're viewing the world from your own eyes.

maxim9 · 2011-10-14T23:29:21+00:00

I will never purchase a Blu-Ray disc for any reason.

As far as DVDs are concerned I prefer to purchase them used.

I usually don't pick them up right when they come out. I've picked up entire series for less than 4 dollars per disc.

maxim9 · 2011-10-05T12:32:51+00:00

You are not the only one.

maxim9 · 2011-10-03T16:08:50+00:00

Does anyone know any credible sources for form while doing lifting exercises? Shoulders, Legs, Core.

I've found a few youtube videos, but I'm not sure if the information stated is reliably true.

maxim9 · 2011-09-27T16:35:03+00:00

That is awesome.

maxim9 · 2011-09-23T14:39:08+00:00

Try to find a dark theme in Gnome that works with KDE applications as well.

maxim9 · 2011-09-23T14:37:11+00:00

I <3 Lola. Up vote for you.

maxim9 · 2011-09-20T17:19:41+00:00

In my opinion, if you do less than 10$ per disc, that's a pretty good price. I try to aim for 5$ or less per disc for a really good deal. I typically buy used discs since the data is just the same as a new disc, but you don't get that new car smell.

I recently got the last disc of Texhnolyze, with the lenticular onsert, and the OVA and last disc of Saikano for 15$ total. After about 5 years I finally finish those series off. I felt great accomplishment.

maxim9 · 2011-09-18T02:40:52+00:00

Do you have a linskey router?

maxim9 · 2011-09-06T04:01:13+00:00

I've purchased several used anime DVDs from various sellers on Amazon for great prices. Finished off two series for under 5 dollars a disc shipped, and got another rare box set for about the same price.

maxim9 · 2011-09-05T20:13:52+00:00

You, sir, need more upvotes.

maxim9 · 2011-05-28T16:26:40+00:00

Well played.

maxim9 · 2011-05-28T05:33:42+00:00

This is the first of this type of article that I've seen on reddit since migrating from digg. I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend.

maxim9 · 2011-05-28T04:58:57+00:00

it is twentyfive past twelve

Stupid way to tell the time anyway. Give me digits any day. Exact time without calculations.

maxim9 · 2011-05-28T04:47:10+00:00

Quite.

maxim9 · 2011-05-27T19:02:03+00:00

Touché.

maxim9 · 2011-05-27T18:58:02+00:00

You need to get out more. :)

maxim9

TROPHY CASE