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Comment: Re:$11K? Another sites says $14K (Score 4, Insightful) 804

by WMD_88 (#45793307) Attached to: What Would It Cost To Build a Windows Version of the Pricey New Mac Pro?

Apple then holds onto the original specs for years (the last Mac Pro being a perfect example), until they are forced to retool. I'll even go out on a limb and predict a five year interim before we see another significant revision.

The Mac Pro was updated every year from 2006-2010; it was only the 2010 version that was stuck in place, probably in part due to the development of this new machine.

Comment: Re:I loved those games (Score 3, Interesting) 374

by WMD_88 (#44943197) Attached to: <em>Myst</em> Was Supposed To Change the Face of Gaming. What Is Its Legacy?




Comment: Re:Strange situation (Score 1) 224

by WMD_88 (#43449573) Attached to: Some States Dropping GED Tests Due To Price Spikes

Not really. It depends on the state you live in; in my state, there was an exam you had to take in order to graduate, but it was given in 10th grade instead of at the end - didn't make much sense, except maybe to allow those who didn't pass the first time to re-take it without graduating late. So overall, I'm not aware of the US having anything similar to the GED that students take while actually in school. So there isn't anything to pull from, in that sense.

Of course, your original question was: why privatize it? They probably did it because the college/university entrance exams have been privatized for a long time, and those seem to be okay, so why not? Sounds kind of lazy, but I don't have any better ideas :)

Comment: Re:I'm Optimistic (Score 1) 816

by WMD_88 (#41827201) Attached to: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm, <em>Star Wars</em> Episode 7 Due In 2015

Not quite. They are taken from the same master tapes, but are not direct transfers of the LD video. The LD contained much more noise reduction (at the expense of detail). A few other sources were used for some things, too: the opening crawl and first shot of Episode IV (Tatooine and the ships flying in) are taken from a separate, higher-quality source; and the entire audio track of Episode V is taken from a different source (possibly a VHS master). It's not clear why the latter was changed, although, doing this did fix one audio glitch from the LD towards the end of the movie.

Of course, they are still 4:3 matted widescreen, with everything that entails. But they do look better than any other release of the unaltered trilogy, and in some cases, they actually look better than the SE (blue tint, anyone?).


by WMD_88 (#39639657) Attached to: Hybrid Car Owners Not Likely To Buy Another Hybrid

I came from Norway, with 35 people per square mile, to Connecticut, with 739 people per square mile. Please explain that one to me again!

Well, most of Norway is desolate Arctic wasteland. The populated parts of Norway are more densely populated than the United States.

Yes, mass transit was better there. Given that this lowers demand without changing the supply, that should make the gas prices cheaper, not more expensive.

The mass transit is paid for from very high gasoline taxes, without which gasoline there would actually be pretty cheap.
