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New Year's Eve Wrap-Up of Wrap-Ups 136

Posted by timothy from the folded-spindled-and-mutilated dept.
spydink writes "The Radio Netherlands website http://www.rnw.nl has a good hour-by-hour listing of potential local time live webcasts from around the world. May be helpful for those who want to raise a glass to the New Year every hour on the hour." (And there's some good news about that, too.) Read on for a few more end-of-year items, which you'll no doubt be seeing more of besides.

SkeeterMac writes "CNN ran an article today listing the top dubious achievements in personal computing for the year... raising again the point that PC speed can not be measured only in megahertz! Too bad the author doesn't think so, because they slam Apple for pricing the iMac around $1,500 for "chugging along at 700 Mhz"..."

cwill1004 writes "Mary Jo Foley has written up a set of predictions for Microsoft in 2003. She suggests that the tablet PC will be a bust, MSN gaining on AOL, and Microsoft getting more flak for its DRM (digital rights management) offerings, much like it did for the Windows Product Activation. It's on Microsoft Watch."

angkor links to Shift's "stupid web moments of 2002."

And the good news -- sulli writes "Just in time for New Year's, the New York Times (register now, use a workaround, or forever hold your peace) discusses at length the health benefits of alcohol. Prevent heart attacks, not with drugs or diet, but with a good California Zinfandel! Avoid strokes with a Perfect Gin Martini! Just don't overdo it, and you'll be fine - too much alcohol, like too much caffeine, has well-known effects. But in moderation, bottoms up!"

Update: 01/01 01:07 GMT by T : Here's another. An anonymous reader submits: "The BBC News has an amusing article titled the 'E-cyclopedia's glossary of 2002'. One wonders what future generations will make of our 'Bollotics' and 'Euronating'... Even Slashdotting gets a mention."
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New Year's Eve Wrap-Up of Wrap-Ups More

New Year's Eve Wrap-Up of Wrap-Ups

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  • Now to see it in every timezone, does one dabble with the wee beverages, or just go on an all out binge for 25 or so hours?
  • I hadn't thought of that.

    *eyes the pack of Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade*

    Well, I'm late, I'm sure, but... why not? So... happy new year to the European folks out there, and to everyone else when it gets to them. :)

  • For Christ's Sake! (Score:5, Funny)

    by mathe_an ( 580461 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:06PM (#4991766)
    It's new years eve! Do you people really not have anything more exciting to be doing than reading Slashdot? You'd never catch me posting on a geek news site on the party night of the year. Ever.
    • "It's new years eve! Do you people really not have anything more exciting to be doing than reading Slashdot? You'd never catch me posting on a geek news site on the party night of the year. Ever."

      A user has given a Hypocrite (-1) moderation to your comment
    • Not only is it New Years, but I just wasted my 1,000th post on this. Talk about geek cred.
    • Well, I was going to celebrate New Year's wih a long-time friend at his family's house, but they kicked me out under two hours before the ball dropped for no apparent reason and without warning.

      They have this notion that they can call me up and get technical support from me for free. That notion went, well, down the tubes. I expect to be treated better for New Year's.

      This is the worse New Year's I have had since 1995, when I had to work at a lousy job which was giving me no hours, but expected me to work every holiday with them.

      Ugh.

      - Sam

  • Come again??? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Chris_Stankowitz ( 612232 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:08PM (#4991771)
    ...of potential local time live webcasts from around the world.

    What the hell does that mean? Oh, wait, you mean if it doesn't get /.ed first.

    May be helpful for those who want to raise a glass to the New Year every hour on the hour.

    I don't need a reason to raise my glass every hour. Its New Years Eve and I'm ranting on /. you better beleive I'm raising my glass every 2 mins.
    • you'd be chugging a can of [insert caffeinated beverage here] every two minutes. Real geeks don't have time for glasses.

      /me swallows two tins of penguin mints. Match this caffeine high!
    • What they mean by "potential" is that there will be live webcasts - until the Slashdot community gets a hold of them and beats them to death.

      Think about it - we can track the new year by watching the slashdot effect track its way around the globe in real-time. This is an unprecedented opportunity to see how the backbones hold up br region...
    • and how could we possibly enjoy the /. effect without the internet? Happy 20th anniversary, kinda.
      http://www1.ietf.org/mail-archive/ietf/Cur rent/msg 18554.html
  • I won't be online at midnight, GMT-9, so I'll just say it now: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    May we survive this one, too.

  • A courtesy, please (Score:5, Funny)

    by Thatmushroom ( 447396 ) <Thatmushroom@mil ... ue.edu minus cat> on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:12PM (#4991788) Homepage
    I noticed that there were 1991 bytes in the full article. Could the /. editors raise that to 2003 bytes by adding a few spaces, spelling errors, etc.? It'd be a small touch that the whole community would appreciate.

  • Last post? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Iscariot_ ( 166362 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:13PM (#4991791)
    We're all always competing for first post, but should we have a last post contest this year?

    Just a thought :)

    • EST, MST, or PST? Or should there be division champions?
      • Gee wilickers 011000100110000101110100011011010110000101101110, it seems that the joker has dehydrated the mayor into a fine powder!

        Because binary is just funnier!
    • How about some slashdot hangover remedies for those of us that will need them tomorrow. The tried and true remedy is to sleep until January 3rd, but what about for those of us that have to get up tomorrow?
  • Much like the arrow that is shot from a bow, and is 1/2 way from the target, then is half of that (1/4), then half of that.....the arrow never gets to the target! If you apply this to the point on earth where it is midnight, you can toast the new year forever!

    I hope you have your Fosters Oil Can and a Funnel!

    For the new year, take a hint from our President! If you get pulled over, pass your alcohol poisoned self off as 'recovering from choking on a pretzel!' Watch the chucklefest begin!

    (Drink safely, and don't drive wasted! What would I do without -1 Overrated and -1 Troll mods? I'd be unstoppable! So take care, you drunk bitches!)

    • It's 12:01 at the exact same time everywhere in my timezone at least
    • Not quite, there are a finite number of timezones, which the time is split, otherwise your house and someone else's house (to the east or west) would be several minutes apart...but that's just not how it works.....
      • I'm afraid the government has been lying to you again my child, and you've bought it, hook, line and sinker. Well, it'll make you a happy little timeclock puncher so I guess I should just leave you alone.

        x,y,z,t. Not just a good idea. It's the law.

        KFG
        • More or less that's true.

          It used to be that each town had their own "official clock" for the town, kept usually at Town Hall or the biggest employeer, and all other clocks in that town were synced to that master clock. At that point, as you moved east or west the times between the towns would change gradually based on how far apart they were. Basically, there were an infinite number of time zones.

          It wasn't until trains came along that "railroad time" became an issue... and the rest is history. Instead of having analog accuracy in our time zones anymore, we've gone digital.
          • a clear distinction between the reality and the *model.* A clock may be analog or digital. A clock, or a time zone, is just a model of time. In fact, analog *means* model. *Time* is neither analog nor digital. It's reality. Time existed long before clocks. Plants can tell time. There is no such thing as a time "zone." x,y,z,t is literally true. Take one step to the left in space and you also "travel" in time.

            For that matter, clocks don't even really measure what time it *is,* they really just measure the passage of time as a dynamic entity.

            If you *really* want to know what "time" it *is* the best you can do is look up.

            KFG
    • I seem to have made the same mistake as everyone who thought the new millenium started on Jan 1st, 2000. (really 2001)

      Let the vast right-wing conspiracy begin! ;)

  • Lets face it, the jellybean IS overpriced... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nweaver ( 113078 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:13PM (#4991797) Homepage
    The Imac looks really cool, but damn it is overpriced. With PC prices dropping like a stone, and even clever integrated PCs starting at $1000 (eg, Gateway's) and barebone PC chassis like the shuttle Cubes & motherboard for $300, the Jellybean is just not cost-effective unless you Gotta Have A Mac.
    • People have been pointing to cost as Apple's Achilles heel for decades now.

      Apple knows their machines are more expensive. They always have been, and probably always will be.

      People buy them anyway.

      People who are buying Macs are willing to pay more because they believe they're getting their money's worth.

      Why is this so hard to understand?

      • Re:when have they ever been cost effective? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        You can cost more and STILL be cost effective. If the Apple is more reliable, and you're able to get more work done, the added initial cost may be outweighed by the lifetime of added productivity. Even if it saves you 15 minutes a day, that's 300 minutes a month (5 hours), and 60 hours a year. If you make $30 an hour, that's $1800 or roughly the cost of the machine! (Okay, so it's a bit of a stretch, but it's important to take these things into account.)
      • People who are buying Macs are willing to pay more because they believe they're getting their money's worth.

        Well, there are two types of Mac user. Type A are like Unix workstation users, they don't really care very much about computers for their own sake, they just want something to run their one or two key apps on.

        Type B, easily recognized by their black polo-neck sweaters and overwhelming sense of smugness, are the other kind. They self-consciously buy Macs for the express purpose of sneering at PC users or indeed, anyone else they can.

        Type A are Apple's cash cows, but Type B's are responsible for all the bad press Mac users get, even tho' they are the minority.
    • Ten years ago, most of us paid well over $1500 for machines that do a hell of a lot less than they do now. The machines are worth a lot more than we pay for them. As for Apple...

      Apple has trained people to trust their Macs, and they've done a great job of it too. It's like speaking a different language. If they can maintain the illusion that "learning the PC language" is tough and unrewarding, they will continue winning the minds of people who will then pay an arbitrarily high price to keep speaking Mac-ese.

      What's your computer worth to you? How much would you pay for it if there was no other way to get one?

      • If they can maintain the illusion that "learning the PC language" is tough and unrewarding, they will continue winning the minds of people who will then pay an arbitrarily high price to keep speaking Mac-ese.
        Amazing how even many of us who "speak the PC language" find that Macs just work better.

    • Re:Lets face it, the jellybean IS overpriced... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      gotta tell yah, paying extra for something nice is well worth it, if that's your thing. for instance:

      my imac (it's a gumdrop, not shaving mirror) fits together. I mean if you run your fingers over the seams, they are smooth and fit tightly.

      My $150+ Antec case RATTLED like a bitch. The door doesn't fit right. I put some rubber in strategic places, and now it just annoyingly buzzes. Not to mention all the components in there are a slightly different shade of beige which screams "budget PC" to most people, even though it's definitely not that (at least when I built it a while ago).

      Not to mention the noise.. my iMac is silent ..

      the Mac is nice and soothing. the GUI is smooth and never has junk like incompletely drawn controls or bizarre 1x1 pixel windows or any of the other random junk that KDE pulls on me.

      I figure, that's what I'm paying for, and I feel like I got my money's worth. Can't wait to get my Mac laptop next year.. been saving up for it.

      The Gateway all-in-one is a joke though.. it dances around in the commercials but it can't be adjusted in any way except moved around on the desk. what the hell. light and flimsy two-tone plastic.

      now, I hear yah, that shit doesn't matter on a computer.. well to some it does.. I know my rattler PC is under my desk out of sight while the iMac sits on top.
    • With PC prices dropping like a stone, and even clever integrated PCs starting at $1000...
      Yeah, paying 20% more ($1199) for an iMac with more features than those all-in-one PCs really sucks.
      the Jellybean is just not cost-effective...
      What jellybean? Oh,you mean the old version of CRT iMacs that you can get for $800?

      Yeah, whatever.

    • OK, I'm using a Mac 5400/180.

      This particular Mac was made in 1996.

      It has 16MB of RAM and runs at 180Mhz.

      Oh, and the OS is System 7.6.1.

      OK, So I can't (currently) run Mozilla. On the other hand, iCab, Opera, IE 5 (ugh) and Netscape 4.7 (ugh) run JUST FINE. As does Eudora 4.3.3. As does Graphic Converter, Adobe Acrobat 4, et al, etc.

      My Apple LaserWriter 4/600PS works just fine on this old, slow computer. My Apple Color OneScanner works just fine, as does the OCR software I use with it.

      I could go on.

      The point is, this 7+ year old computer works just fine as it is. Were I to load it up with RAM, 128MB or so, OS9 would be just fine on it. I could even run OSX on it. It'd be slow as all get out, but it would run.

      Apple hardware does have a higher initial cost. But, consider the useful working life of that hardware.

      I can drop $60 or so of RAM into this, borrow the OS 9 install CDs from someone, install the Carbon libraries, and get another 4-5 or more years of useful life out of this old Mac, and than, instead of throwing it away, it'll become the backup computer to whatever Mac I'll have by then, as my Mac Performa 6300CD is now the backup to this Mac. (and the ancient Mac IIsi in the closet is the last resort backup machine. Eudora 3 and the current 68K version of iCab work just fine on it.)

      So, if you want to buy a $300 MB or a kilobuck Gateway, where will it be in in 7 years? Will you be using it for anything other than a doorstop? WIll it still even boot?

      Remember, you really DO get what you pay for.

      • In 1996 you could get a Pentium 150 mhz and later on in the year a 200 mhz. You could still use that today with Windows 98 and IE or Linux and whatever. (My grandmother uses a 150 mhz with Windows 95 for her Internet. It works fine.) It's just that when you go the x86 way you can actually afford to upgrade, so you don't have to rationalize using a six year old computer.

        Tim
        • So, Tim sez:

          "In 1996 you could get a Pentium 150 mhz and later on in the year a 200 mhz. You could still use that today with Windows 98 and IE or Linux and whatever. (My grandmother uses a 150 mhz with Windows 95 for her Internet. It works fine.) It's just that when you go the x86 way you can actually afford to upgrade, so you don't have to rationalize using a six year old computer"

          Tim, I don't NEED to upgrade the hardware or OS on this old Mac of mine. 180Mhz, 16MB of RAM and System 7.6.1 is still working just fine, and it's working just fine with software more intended for much newer Macs.

          For example, I'm using the latest version of iCab to view and interact with websites. When this Mac I'm using rolled off the assembly line, iCab hadn't even been thought of.

          This Mac platform, 7 years later, is still working just fine. I might spend the money this year to install 128MB of RAm, OS 8 or OS 9 and possibly a USB 2/FireWire card in the PCI slot, as I'd like to mess around with digital photography, and a USB port is needed.

          Now, Pay Attention! At the VERY MOST, I'll spend maybe $150 or so to do all that. A very modest sum of money, indeed, to dramatically increase the capabilities of this old computer. If I choose to do so. If I don't choose to do so, and stay at 16MB of RAM, this computer still works just fine and will continue to work just fine for the foreseeable future.

          I don't need to upgrade to continue to do useful work with this computer.
  • It's 12:09pm 1/1/2003 here. This story is about 15 hours overdue.
    • A wee bit late.... (Score:1)
      by lgftsa (617184) Alter Relationship on 2002.12.31 17:14 (#4991804)
      It's 12:09pm 1/1/2003 here. This story is about 15 hours overdue.

      Nope, you are 6+ hours early.

      Adjusted for my timezone that is....

  • Health benefits of alcohol (Score:5, Interesting)

    by corebreech ( 469871 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:22PM (#4991848) Journal
    The really sobering news in that article was that they knew in 1972 that alcohol could help people at risk for cardiovascular disease but the government forbid publication of the study.

    In other words, they suppressed information that would have reduced the number of people who died from this disease.

    Nearly one million people died in 1999 from cardiovascular disease. [americanheart.org]

    That's one in every 2.5 deaths.

    Fucking unbelievable.

    This goes well with the news that the government suppressed research into the marijuana's effectiveness in treating cancer. [projectcensored.org] Since the 1973 study talked about in the linked story, there have been three separate studies demonstrating that THC holds promise in reducing or eradicating tumors, but still the government virtually prohibits the research.

    The total number of dead worldwide may be in the hundreds of millions.

    I'm glad to see the slashdot editors consider this news, even if they didn't bother giving it its own berth. Good thing nobody introduced a new MP3 player today.

  • May be helpful for those who want to raise a glass to the New Year every hour on the hour.

    Slashdot are a little late on this then. I'm in Sydney and we have been in 2003 for the last 12 hours.

  • Mary Jo Foley's article [microsoft-watch.com] is worth a read, and free too! (You don't to know how much the Microsoft Watch Newsletter will cost you, trust me, it'll make your eyes water). And the predictions look to be spot-on too.

    The E-cyclopedia [bbc.co.uk] is worth a read too, although some of the words probably won't make sense if you don't live in the UK (eg. 'archery' refers to Jeffrey Archer, sent down last year for perjury).

    PS. 2003 in da house! (UK)

  • amputated limbs?!? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Teach ( 29386 ) <graham AT grahammitchell DOT com> on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:42PM (#4991912) Homepage

    From the NYT article on the beneficial health effects of moderate alcohol consumption:

    Moderate drinking can help prevent strokes, amputated limbs and dementia.

    I'm sorry, for a second there I thought that said... AMPUTATED LIMBS?!? I'd think the correlation between alcohol consumption and severed limbs would run the other direction. I mean, I grew up in white-trash East Texas and an informal study of most of my classmates seemed to indicate that those who had the highest alcohol consumption also tended to accidentally lose or damage appendages. Whereas I, who drank virtually none, still have... um... "all the parts God gave me."

    • I think they must mean the use of alcohol after you get into a situation requiring the amputation of limbs. Maybe pouring/injecting alcohol into the site of a wound lowers the chance you need to amputate.

      Then again, I could just be talking out of my hat.
  • My favorite year-in-review so far is the one put up by news parody site Ridiculopathy-Dot-Com.

    Blah blah blah, they're not The Onion. Blah Blah blah, mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. Blah blah blah, shut up and read it [ridiculopathy.com].

  • 2003 will be Metric Time! (Score:3, Funny)

    by teamhasnoi ( 554944 ) <teamhasnoi@yahoA ... inus threevowels> on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @08:48PM (#4991933) Journal
    At 12:00 am you will need new clocks! Thats right! Metric Time is here! The day will be 10 hours long, each hour containing 100 minutes, each minute composed of 100 seconds!

    Metric Time will herald a new dawn of productivity and quick figuring of time sheets.

    Janet from Allentown says, "I've been waiting for metric time for 25.35 Decamonths! TeeHee!"

    Let the celebration begin! (At exactly 0.01 days!) Metric Time is here!

  • It's not even 9:00 p.m. here in Toronto, I have friends here and broadband, where can I find some REALLY cool cams this fine evening?

    let's keep each other posted.. I know I'm not the only geek with a keyboard within reach from my seat at the couch.

    Happy New Year everyone, I'll be here all night, haha
  • It turned 5763 nearly four months ago. Is this some sort of new thing that someone forgot to tell me about?

    Sheesh, I just can't keep up with the rate of social change these days.

    KFG

  • wow (Score:1)

    by pummer ( 637413 )
    macs chug along at 700 mhz?? that's like saying, compared to an athlon 1600, a P4 2000 chugs along

    oh wait
  • I don't know why you would need help. I just drink every time its *:00.

    Okay.. I'm lying.

    *:*
  • Who else remembers wehavethewayout.com? The anti-Unix site that was hosted on Unix?
  • It's Not 2002, it's really the year 6007, since, as we all (should) know, the Earth, the universe, and everything else was created in 4004 B.C. [theadvocate.com]

    tee hee, tee hee.

    • The article you link claims that "Many conservative Christians follow a dating system developed in the 1600s that places Earth's birthday at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, 4004 B.C.".

      As a Christian with numerous conservative fundamentalist friends and relatives, and who manages to keep straight the bizarre proclamations coming from the Big Hair Preacher Crowd, let me assure you that no conservative Christian believes this. You might find a few kneejerk populist readers of the National Enquirer that believe this, but they're a different kettle of fish.

  • $1499 iMac? (Score:4, Informative)

    by elemental23 ( 322479 ) on Tuesday December 31, 2002 @11:08PM (#4992342) Homepage Journal
    The DLAPAPA (Designed Like A Picasso And Priced Accordingly) award goes to Apple Computer for the design of its latest iMac, the one that looks like half a round melon impaled with a bent easel. You have to shell out $1,499 to get one with a CD-RW drive, chugging along on a 700-megahertz processor.

    Oh yeah, this iMac [apple.com] is a total rip off at $1,499.00... Wait, you mean the 700 MHz model is actually only $1,199.00 including CD-RW? Way to go, CNN.

  • IN ZEALOT SLASHDOT (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    LAID GETS YOU!
  • Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 01, @12:59PM

    That's NZST, dontchya know.

  • OK, this is incredibly geeky, but.. At 11:59:59, I said "Foo." When people asked why, I told them I wanted to be the last person to say "Foo" in 2002.

    In my time zone, at least.

    Doesn't seem nearly as profound now that my buzz has worn off.
    Justin
  • Prevent heart attacks, not with drugs or diet, but with a good California Zinfandel! Do my eyes betray me or did that actually imply taht there's a such thing as a good Californian wine, and then go further to suppose that a Zinfandel, whatever its origin, could be included in the list of "good" wines? My eyes bleed to see such horrific lies. ;)
  • Could we please keep the original conspiracy that alcohol is bad for you? This article blows my whole excuse that I use for not drinking. Do I give a rat's fuzzy posterior about my health? Not really - but saying I don't drink for reasons of my health WAS an excuse that was hard to refute. Sheesh, now I'll have to go through the long process of explaining how I don't like the taste of alcohol. Sure, there's acquired tastes, and then there's camping stove fuel.

    As I've learned from experience, the "I don't like the taste of alcohol." excuse is usually met with "Well, neither do I, but I love how it makes me feel.". Well, guess what - it makes me feel light-headed and nauseous. Kudos to you if you enjoy that feeling - I don't.

    As you can imagine, I'm not much for social gatherings where drinking is the primary activity. I honestly wish more people were mature enough to find better social common grounds than the vile substances they're putting into their bodies. Pop culture says otherwise.

    You smoke, I smoke, I drink, me too, well good
    Cause we gon get high tonight     - Cam'ron "Hey Ma"

    Screw pop culture. I'm a geek.
  • I know that several countries have timezones on the half-hour relative to GMT, such as Iran, so you should be able to get at least 26 celebrations in!
  • And the next time you consider complaining that running Lucid Emacs
    19.05 via NFS from a remote Linux machine in Paraguay doesn't seem to
    get the background colors right, you'll know who to thank.
    -- Matt Welsh

    - this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...
  • The ark lands after The Flood. Noah lets all the animals out. Says he, "Go
    and multiply." Several months pass. Noah decides to check up on the animals.
    All are doing fine except a pair of snakes. "What's the problem?" says Noah.
    "Cut down some trees and let us live there", say the snakes. Noah follows
    their advice. Several more weeks pass. Noah checks on the snakes again.
    Lots of little snakes, everybody is happy. Noah asks, "Want to tell me how
    the trees helped?" "Certainly", say the snakes. "We're adders, and we need
    logs to multiply."

    - this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...

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