Hopefully, you have noticed my new (alien) avatar. I mention it because there is a story behind it that I am really excited about.
You have all seen the Mac laptops that feature a little apple that lights up on the back side of the screen. Well, I just got a new Alienware laptop and my avatar is a photo that I took of the cover light the new computer. Cool, eh?
You have all seen the Mac laptops that feature a little apple that lights up on the back side of the screen. Well, I just got a new Alienware laptop and my avatar is a photo that I took of the cover light the new computer. Cool, eh?
You got the extended warranty right? My two friends both got Alienware Laptops and had them crap out in a little over a year. One started showing lines of dead pixels that continue to show up, and the other one keyboard broke.
I'm not trying to discourage however, they are really swank machines. I'm sure that you will have no problems.
I'm not trying to discourage however, they are really swank machines. I'm sure that you will have no problems.
Travis Jacobs
"You might not sound so idiotic if there were at least something excitable in my post to begin with..." --Baf
"You might not sound so idiotic if there were at least something excitable in my post to begin with..." --Baf
Yes, I did get the extended warranty.You got the extended warranty right?
The main reason I went with Alienware is that I needed a laptop with lots of graphics power. Since Alienware primarily caters to gamers, fast graphics rendering is their specialty.
I will soon have to give some presentations of the new software I've been working on. Since the software demands a lot of real time 3D rendering with thousands of objects in the scene, I needed something portable that could handle the graphics effortlessly.
This thing has dual Pentiums @ 2GHz, a 256MB Nvidia GE Force 7600 graphics card, and 2GB RAM. Even at 1900 x 1200 resolution, it is fast and flawless. Not bad for a laptop.
Dear Dr. Paul
Are you you at liberty to disclose any part of the nature of your work, and if this is the case, would you be willing to do so?
Bests, Rockefeller
Are you you at liberty to disclose any part of the nature of your work, and if this is the case, would you be willing to do so?
Bests, Rockefeller
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"
Ok. I've been dying to share this with you guys, but since this is a public forum, I've been afraid to describe it here until it's ready to be released. I think that maybe I'm close enough. I'm just finishing up the help files and installers. Then I'm ready to launch.
I may leave this description up for just a few days and then delete it for security purposes. Depending on how smoothly the remaining work goes.
Part of my motivation was this: Computers nowadays have such big hard disks and high-speed internet, I often find myself saying, "I know I have a file about that on my computer, but I just can't find it." And no matter how well organized one makes one's directory tree, if you go down the wrong branch, you'll never find what you're looking for.
On the other hand, we've all had the experience of putting a book on a bookshelf, say, five years ago, but are still able to go immediately to it. We remember that it was a short, fat green book with a blue title, over here on the lower left side of the book case. Yep. There it is! Right? This is what I've tried to recreate on the computer.
What I've built is almost a 3D desktop. Some of my beta testers keep it in full-screen mode and use it as a desktop, but you can open it in any size window. Essentially, it is a three dimensional virtual library within which you can move freely about, much like you can move in a Tex Murphy game.
The 'books' on the shelves are links to anything your computer can access. Files, folders, programs, URLs, mp3s, videos,...anything. The files can reside on your hard disk, LAN, WAN, Internet, even a memory stick.
On first launch, the library is empty. You decide what books (which are actually links) to put in your library. You give each book a unique appearance and then put it where you choose on a shelf. This gives you a sense of space for where the file is, and also an appearance, much like the books on your real bookshelves.
It is advisable to organize your library much like a real library or bookstore. In this way, no matter how disorganized your hard disk is, or even if related files are scattered all over the LAN or the Internet, files of related content can all sit right next to each other on the same shelf (even though they're really scattered all over cyberspace.)
Virtually everything becomes one click away in an easy to navigate, easy to find environment. No more navigating and getting lost in multiple branching levels of folders. The linking books open the target file in the appropriate application. If it's a .doc file, it opens it in Word, if it's a webpage, it opens it in your browser, etc.
So that's basically what I built. What do you think?
Do any of you guys have experience with setting up an e-commerce web site? That's my next road-block.
I may leave this description up for just a few days and then delete it for security purposes. Depending on how smoothly the remaining work goes.
Part of my motivation was this: Computers nowadays have such big hard disks and high-speed internet, I often find myself saying, "I know I have a file about that on my computer, but I just can't find it." And no matter how well organized one makes one's directory tree, if you go down the wrong branch, you'll never find what you're looking for.
On the other hand, we've all had the experience of putting a book on a bookshelf, say, five years ago, but are still able to go immediately to it. We remember that it was a short, fat green book with a blue title, over here on the lower left side of the book case. Yep. There it is! Right? This is what I've tried to recreate on the computer.
What I've built is almost a 3D desktop. Some of my beta testers keep it in full-screen mode and use it as a desktop, but you can open it in any size window. Essentially, it is a three dimensional virtual library within which you can move freely about, much like you can move in a Tex Murphy game.
The 'books' on the shelves are links to anything your computer can access. Files, folders, programs, URLs, mp3s, videos,...anything. The files can reside on your hard disk, LAN, WAN, Internet, even a memory stick.
On first launch, the library is empty. You decide what books (which are actually links) to put in your library. You give each book a unique appearance and then put it where you choose on a shelf. This gives you a sense of space for where the file is, and also an appearance, much like the books on your real bookshelves.
It is advisable to organize your library much like a real library or bookstore. In this way, no matter how disorganized your hard disk is, or even if related files are scattered all over the LAN or the Internet, files of related content can all sit right next to each other on the same shelf (even though they're really scattered all over cyberspace.)
Virtually everything becomes one click away in an easy to navigate, easy to find environment. No more navigating and getting lost in multiple branching levels of folders. The linking books open the target file in the appropriate application. If it's a .doc file, it opens it in Word, if it's a webpage, it opens it in your browser, etc.
So that's basically what I built. What do you think?
Do any of you guys have experience with setting up an e-commerce web site? That's my next road-block.
jk..... well, I mean I would, but not if I knew it was yours.Whow!
That's utterly amazing doc! It sounds like something that would come out of the HCI (Human-Computer-Interaction) department at a school of Informatics - is this where your specialty lies? In HCI?
I think it's great that you're bringing visual usability to computers - which platforms will it be compatible with? And are you developing this on your own, for an organization, or academically?
Bests, Rockefeller
That's utterly amazing doc! It sounds like something that would come out of the HCI (Human-Computer-Interaction) department at a school of Informatics - is this where your specialty lies? In HCI?
I think it's great that you're bringing visual usability to computers - which platforms will it be compatible with? And are you developing this on your own, for an organization, or academically?
Bests, Rockefeller
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"
I'll take that as a compliment.Sounds really interesting Doc Sounds like something I would surely pirate Wink jk..... well, I mean I would, but not if I knew it was yours.
Rockfeller,
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
No. My specialty is Physics. I have never heard of HCI, but it sounds like fun.It sounds like something that would come out of the HCI (Human-Computer-Interaction) department at a school of Informatics - is this where your specialty lies? In HCI?
I've written the program in Java, specifically with the intention of providing Windows, Mac and Linux versions. I only have a Windows version at the moment. Mac will probably be next.which platforms will it be compatible with? And are you developing this on your own, for an organization, or academically?
I am developing this completely on my own. I even had to teach myself Java to do it. I have taken two years leave of absence to do this.
Yes - It is utterly incredible that you've dedicated your time to doing this - and your own time on top of it - you don't have to answer this, but when you say you're taking a leave of absence, then I'm assuming you still have a position wherever you 'used' to work - so I guess my question is: What did you do previously, and is your current work contracted?
Bests, Rockefeller
Bests, Rockefeller
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"
"ERROR: Error Code Does Not Indicate An Error"