Interesting Discovery...

[DaveW]

Ok, this will take some explaining: my mum's boyfriend is Arabic, and he wanted to browse some websites in arabic. Unfortunately, windows isn't particularly tailored for this, but we installed the new language packs and set it all up...but the keyboard was still in English. So, we got some stickers, cut them up, and stuck them to the keys. Then we opened up word, and with a pen, wrote the new symbols on each of the keys. This is what the end product looked like:


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/davew/P1020072.JPG

The interesting thing is that my keyboard broke the other day (I thought better of logitech...will have to try and fix it...) and I just grabbed the Arabic keyboard. I had a vague idea where the keys were, so I thought i would be allright: i was very surprised when i discovered that not only could I use the keyboard as normal, but i don't even have to look at the keyboard when i'm typing. I've not taken my eyes of the screen the whole time i've been typing this thread; at first, it was tricky, but then I learned to trust my fingers, and now i'm tapping away faster than i did when I had keys.

The keys on the keyboard were holding me back! So I encourage you to try this, cover you keys with stickers and see how much faster you'll become.

It reminded me of something I once saw on TV: Chinese children are sometimes sent to special "Abacus School" where they learn to use the abacus really, really, fast. They hold speed competitions, and teach them how to use the abacus to do complex arithmetic such as cube roots. Then, they just take the abaci away, and the kids just 'do the motions' in mid air, without an abacus, and write the correct answer down. Being able to do cube roots in your head is quite a skill :)

Anyone else had a similar experience? I wonder what else is holding me back...

-Dave

[The Modfather]

Wow, the Arabic language has a character that looks just like the Windows logo! Cool! What letter is that? <Smirk>

[xmastree]

Anyone else had a similar experience? I wonder what else is holding me back...Your monitor. Turn it off and use The Force. ;)

[DaveW]

What letter is that? <Smirk>

It's not a letter, it's a symbol, like the + or - keys. It basically means great evil.

-Dave

[Omega]

I am actually trying to paint a keyboard black so that there are no maked keys, and also so it's black.


Kind of like the Das keyboard.

[nil8]

If you had a decent typing teacher, you would have learned this already.
Every friday we would have a typing test where we would have a wooden box over our keyboards so we couldn't see our hands. Works well and you do learn how to type quickly and properly.
I think everyone should learn to type this way, but most people don't learn formally type at all.


For those of you who don't know about the Das Keyboard.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/7727/

If you want a cheap version of this, pick up a new hp/dell/gateway basic(104) keyboard and spraypaint the damn thing black. Tada.

[XcOM]

thats what i did with my Microsift keyboard, i don't even look at it, so it dosen't bother me, but the girl next door comes roun d now and again to do her A-Level work on the PC, and she needs me to help because the can't type on a keyboard without the letters, so i am currently teaching her touch typing, but it only comes with experience.

[DaveW]

I never got any typing classes, but it seems to be in my head now...i guess i should re-enforce this with a blank keyboard.

Or maybe a keyboard with some interesting symbols on it? The arabic symbols don't even register in my head, and a blank keyboard would sure stop annoying people (i.e. brothers) messing with my equipment.

Good find nil8, but you'd have to be crazy or filthy rich to spend that much on a keyboard...

-Dave

[Sudi]

If you want a cheap version of this, pick up a new hp/dell/gateway basic(104) keyboard and spraypaint the damn thing black. Tada.

Yeah, basically everybody has the das keyboard...it gets the "das" from black spray paint I suppose :D hehehe

[The Modfather]

Das Keyboard is a ripoff, if you've ever considered buying one, don't. It's a $19 Keytronic keyboard colored black with Metadot's badging. It's a scam. I exposed this one several months ago, tried to point it out to Maximum PC and CPU magazine but they shrugged it off and paid little or no attention to me. If you do some research with Google you'll find all the proof ya need for that. Complete scam outfit.

When I learned to type we had key caps, little caps that fit over the keyboard to black out the keys, worked fine.

[DaveW]

Hmm...you could paint the keys with UV paint, so that you can 'turn on' your letters with a UV lamp...

though you'd probably still be able to see it in the daytime...good theory though...

-Dave

[nil8]

I never thought about a UV keyboard. That would be kinda cool, although UV annoys my eyes after an hour or so.


Have you guys seen the laser keyboard?
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/8193/


Das Keyboard is a ripoff anyway. It's a freakin' keyboard.
Seriously, a 10 dollar keyboard and can of paint. Or eletrical tape.

[Cevinzol]

that laser VR keyboard looks neat but i read a review of it and it has some quirks. Mainly, you have no texture (so no home position) and you can't reast your fingers on the keyboard. So while its a novelty it would probably slow down any touch typer and fatigue them over a long period from holding their hands in mid air.

I tried learning Dvorak by loading the driver once. It was nice. I'm not a touch typist and my fingers didn't do so much traveling. However I didn't have the patience to relearn the layout. I figured it would just slow me down on every other machine I ever tried to use that was still in QWERTY.

[DaveW]

Hmm...I can feel myself on the edge of some huge peice on inspiration, but i'm not quite there yet...the laser keyboard? Blank keys? There must be a more interesting way to get keys to turn blank and not blank...Something that would be completely invisible till you turned it on...

-Dave

[The Modfather]

Well, if you get a Logitech G15, when you turn off the backlighting the keys are almost invisible in a dimly lit room.

[xmastree]

There must be a more interesting way to get keys to turn blank and not blank...Something that would be completely invisible till you turned it on...There is, but it's expensive.

Watch this space while I find the link...

Here ya go:the most beautiful keyboard in the world (http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/). Ever.

[DaveW]

Oh my GOD!!!

I WANT ONE!!!

-Dave

[xmastree]

Be sure to get the matching mouse...
http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/mus2/hi-res/bw.jpg (http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/mus2/hi-res/mus2_bw.tif)

[nil8]

That's an impressive keyboard, but it would be wasted on 99% of the people who could afford it.

[The Modfather]

It isn't real. That guy's been trying to scam people for over a year now with his 3D renders of this OLED keyboard. He's even gotten some idiots at magazines convinced that it's for real. It's not. The patent for OLED keyboard technology is held by someone else, here in the U.S. and that guy is just making money off of scaming people with pre-orders of this Optimus keyboard and his 3 button version. The release date for it just keeps getting pushed ahead a couple of months, it's been going on for over a year now. I found out about this guy's scam around the same time I exposed Metadot for their bullkaka Das Keyboard.

[nil8]

Well Modfather, sounds like you're the keyboard detective.
What keyboard would you suggest for standard 104 operation?
How about the split design?

[DaveW]

Holy crap Modfather, sometimes you scare me! You wouldn't know what's really going to happen with Fallout 3 would you? Or would the info cost me more than it's worth?

-Dave

[Omega]

Your monitor. Turn it off and use The Force. ;)
this post has been typed while looking at my moniter, which is off. i am staring at a black moniter, while not looking at my fingers asi type. if there are any errors in this typing, then i apologize, but this is my first time doing this.

[Cevinzol]

this post has been typed while looking at my moniter, which is off
Nice job Skywalker :)

I kinda like the looks of these keyboards
http://www.deckkeyboards.com/index.php
But I think I could have a lot of fun with this thing DX1 Input System (http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/77ba/).

[onelegout]

I just got a 'saitek gaming keyboard' The backlit one, it's awesome!
I learnt to touchtype by changing all the letters around on my old keyboard (R.I.P.) so that the top line read 'lololpwn3d' :D
I still type with two fingers though....
This post is dedicated to my old keyboard; How I miss thee.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7765/mypoordyingkeyboard1hp.jpg
KB-187, 1997-2006, R.I.P

[DaveW]

What did you do to it? It looks like you burned it, burried it, then dug it up to show us!

-Dave

[The Modfather]

For a backlit keyboard with a smaller footprint, yes, the Saitek Eclipse has a great feel to it, but if you want bells & whistles, I like the Logitech G15, the only drawback to that is that the keys have a tendency to "rub off". The solution, goofy as it sounds, is to put clear nailpolish over the keys every few months to protect them. Logitech will RMA out a new board if your keys wipe off though as they're very much aware of this problem. It's a lot more than 104 keys though and has a built in LCD which is really handy.

I guess I have become a keyboard/mouse expert over the years. Having such big hands I really tend to go through input devices like candy and replace 'em on average once every three or four months, so I've tried a whole lot of them. I can't think of a brand I haven't owned or at least used for a while. I'm a touch typist, so the feel of the board is important, and being a digital artist and gamer, the mouse has to have the right feel too. So I probably do a stupid amount of research on these things. Plus being a reviewer I have to look into all the details on anything I might be reviewing and for modding, well we all know what that takes. So anyway, what's yer keyboard budget? The Saitek is less expensive and smaller, the G15 is around $70-80 and has a lot more bells and whistles and they both have a similar feel.

If you have the money, what I did for a "blackout" board was this... I bought a G15 knowing about the key wipoff problem and just let that start to happen then RMA'd for a new one. Logitech is cool about it, they don't ask for the old one back so I then removed the rest of the black on the tops of the keys so rather than it being "blacked" out, all the keys are lit up blue. Looks pretty cool.

[Dr. Kamolly]

It's not a letter, it's a symbol, like the + or - keys. It basically means great evil.

As an arab, I find it a little insulting that you said that, but maybe you didn't know, there are no symbols in the arabic language that mean great evil, or any other great things.

The arabic language is basically group of letters that are aligned after each other to give words that bear different meanings - just like English or any other language.

Hope I've been helpful.

[Rankenphile]

As an arab, I find it a little insulting that you said that, but maybe you didn't know, there are no symbols in the arabic language that mean great evil, or any other great things.

The arabic language is basically group of letters that are aligned after each other to give words that bear different meanings - just like English or any other language.

Hope I've been helpful.

It was a joke - he was referring to the Windows logo button, which pretty much means Great Evil in just about any language - at least to most mac and Linux geeks.

[Dr. Kamolly]

:D :D :D :D , sorry for the misunderstanding, I didn't know that.
:redface:

Thanks for clearing that up.

[Rankenphile]

No problem, hehe.

Out of curiosity, where are you from? Saudi Arabia, or another arabic country? Or are you just of arabic descent and living elsewhere?

[Dr. Kamolly]

I'm from and live in Egypt.

[The Modfather]

Oh, man, that's one place I want to visit before I die... There are only a few, England and Egypt are the two most important ones. I'm fascinated with ancient Egyptian culture, religion and architecture.

[Dr. Kamolly]

Well you're more than welcome!! I recommend Luxor and Aswan. You'll go crazy!! Great places for a vacation.

[onelegout]

Oh, man, that's one place I want to visit before I die... There are only a few, England and Egypt are the two most important ones.
You don't want to visit england. Trust me. Here's the weather forecast for my city.
http://uk.weather.com/weather/local/PO19?x=0&where2=code&y=0

[xmastree]

Typical Brit, always talking about the weather...

Chichester, BTDT. Used to have relatives there. Anyway, Modfather, why England? Scotland is nicer, Edinburgh in particular. how many cities have a castle built on the core of an extinct volcano?

[DaveW]

Xmastree, you just became my fave person. You used to live in Scotland, didn't you?

I was avoiding this thread because i get a little...over patriotic. Actually, most guys here are fairly well educated on Geography; don't take it the wrong way, but most Americans think Scotland 'belongs to England', and that we ALL wear kilts. And surprisingly many think that the Haggis is a 3-legged animal that we hunt in the highlands.

...must...leave...thread...thanks xmastree for not letting that England comment pass...

PS: Try Glasgow. City of Architecture and design, considered a very cultural place. It really is though, and the hills are just to the north.

-Dave

[Dr. Kamolly]

I've to been to Edinburgh when I was like 6 or 7, something like that. From what I recall, it has nice bridges! Or maybe that was Glasgow, anyway, Scotland is great, but isn't it cold?? I mean London in the middle of June rains heavily, how is the weather up there??

[DaveW]

Well yeah, it is pretty cold. I can't deny that. Both Glasgow and Edinburgh have nice bridges, but you were probably in Edinburgh, Glasgow's nice bridges are all fairly recent affairs.

-Dave

[nil8]

mmmm...cold. I wish it was that cold here.

Americans don't learn world geography because it's not really required and we have such a big country that we don't have to. Not a lot of countries can claim a 3rd of a continent.

Stupid people get confused by Europe. Don't ask me why.

There are some of us that learn it on our own.

Haggis isn't bad, I don't get the stigma. It's not like everyone eats it every day or anything.

[DaveW]

Haggis isn't bad, I don't get the stigma. It's not like everyone eats it every day or anything.

It would probably be better if we did, it's got all your body needs to survive, although it's probably a bit low on vitamin C. Scurvy, anyone?



Stupid people get confused by Europe. Don't ask me why.

Don't worry, I work in a Resteraunt. I get all the feckwits on the Planet. In fact, the other day, i had an American who was actually surprised she could buy toothpaste in Scotland. Her exact words were something along the lines of "Well i packed toothpaste and soap and things, but you got all that here!" I don't know, maybe she wanders into the airport and jumps on the first plane leaving. Or was thrown on it.

-Dave

[nil8]

I feel sorry for anyone in the service industry.
I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with tourists.
I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with food.

Wow, you just hit the top of my list Dave. =P

Chicken sexing is pretty bad too.


Potatoes and peas can sustain life too, but I wouldn't want to. Diversity in food is a wonderful modern thing and should be praised and enjoyed. Eat bananas in winter, huzzah!

As for the caliber of people we're talking about, look at three dead trolls in a baggie. Their helpdesk routine is awesome and describes the nitwits mentioned.

[xmastree]

maybe she wanders into the airport and jumps on the first plane leaving. Or was thrown on it.I was visiting the UK once, I was at my sister's near Stanstead, but my flight was from Heathrow. There's a shuttle bus runs between the two, so sis dropped me at Stanstead and I got the bus.
Half way along the journey, a tourist approached the driver and informed him she had forgotten her luggage! :eek:

HTF?

She then asked him if he could go back for it... :rolleyes:

Yeah, right. Make a busload of passengers miss their flights because she's a f$ckwit.

What he did do was radio the bus coming the other way and agreed to transfer her to it when they met on the route. Which was about all he could be expected to do under the circumstances.

As for the England, Scotland, Europe thing, a lot of people get confused between England, Britain and the United Kingdom. I bought a shirt the other day, it said England, but had the British flag on it, not the English one.
The stickers on my car say England, and have the English flag.

There's another thread around here where I made a friendly poke at an American, and the assumption that nothing else exists (Mongolia?). Not sure it was understood as such though, too subtle perhaps. :rolleyes:

[The Modfather]

Well damn, this is nice, people from different countries talking NICE to each other on the internet. Do you know how RARE that is these days? :)

Yeah, Scotland would be on my agenda if I ever got to England, as would Ireland and Wales. The whole U.K. is a destination I want to get to some day. England most because of my interest in my own ancestry (but to be fair I should also include Ireland, I'm English/Irish/German and Cherokee). I would definatly want to visit every Castle I could get to, I love castles and well, as you can imagine we don't have many here in the U.S. (Though we do have some, brought over stone by stone and rebuilt. One isn't too far from me, it's used as a women's college now). But I definately want to see Stonehenge. My fascination with Arthurian legend has me drawn to that bit of real estate as well as a few other obvious locales. :)

As for Egypt, Luxor would be one of the first places I'd want to see. I'd wanna hit all the places that have archeological and historical connections. I know people who have been to Egypt and they've all warned me the same thing, it's HOT AS HELL there. And I've always had a problem handling the heat. So before I go I'll have to invent a portible air conditioner. :) I'd want to get to see inside the Great Pyramid of course but at 7' tall I'm told I would have a very hard time fitting in the passageways. Damned short Pharoahs! :)

Oddly enough I don't have much of a desire to see any other places in Europe, except maybe Romania/Wallachia, because of my sterotypical interest in the lore of that area. (Brought on of course by a fascination with Vampire tales which lead me to read about the history of the region... I highly recommend the book _The Historian_ by the way). :)

As for the rest of the world... Eh, maybe Japan and parts of China. Australia to meet some of the friends I've met online from there, but somehow I just get the impression visiting Australia would be like visiting the next state over. :)

[xmastree]

Oddly enough I don't have much of a desire to see any other places in Europe, except maybe Romania/Wallachia,Paris is nice, as is Prague, apparently. I haven't been there. Done Paris a few times though, bu motorbike.

[DaveW]

I'd love to go to Japan. I'd also like to spend some time in America. Both some of the most expensive places to visit from the UK.

-Dave

[Dr. Kamolly]

I've been to Paris last year, I've seen the louvre, but I find it a little over-rated. I had just finished Da Vinci's Code so it was interesting to find the paintings mentioned in the book. If you like Egypt, you'll love the egyptian section, a third of the museum or something.

Eiffel Tower is a must, as well as Notredame, other than that, its pretty much the same, Champs-Elysees is recommended at night.

I'd like to go to Malaysia, I've seen commercials on TV about it and it looks nice.

NYC, I'd like to go there also, London looks a little like New York except in a smaller size, don't you think?? I mean the Oxford Street/Picadilly Circus area.

[xmastree]

I'd like to go to Malaysia, I've seen commercials on TV about it and it looks nice.Truly Asia, eh? Everywhere looks good in TV commercials, even the Philippines. ;)
Let's face it, they're not going to show snot-nosed urchins begging for a bowl of rice, are they? They'll show the white sandy beaches and palm trees, caves and waterfalls. Because that's what you want to see.

This:

http://www.lotechdesigns.com/host/thumbs/2605magnaga_sunset.jpg (http://www.lotechdesigns.com/host/images/2605magnaga_sunset.jpg)

One of the local beaches. 8)

Or this:

http://www.lotechdesigns.com/host/thumbs/9467tyres.jpg (http://www.lotechdesigns.com/host/images/9467tyres.jpg)
That guy on the right makes his living cutting up the tyres on the left to make those suspension bushes etc. hanging up right of centre.
He probably lives there too.

[tybrenis]

I'd want to get to see inside the Great Pyramid of course but at 7' tall I'm told I would have a very hard time fitting in the passageways. Damned short Pharoahs! :)


:eek: :eek: :eek:

I wish I was 7 foot! Are you really 7 feet tall? That's actually pretty cool... I wonder what percentage of the population ever makes it to that height.

[opengswede]

I'd recommend Australia, especially Sydney. Wonderful city, lots to do, brilliant people.
I've been in both USA and Oz and it's different, very different, go see it. Prague is beautiful, especially during spring (bring girlfiend, perfect getaway - romantic thing).

Italy is cool to. Fav place there is Toscana (good food, nice scenary). Rent a car though.

Interestingly Norway is a pretty good place to go to too. Especially the northern parts: good diving in the fiords. Bring your own food though... they can't cook to save lives.

Iceland is the place I want to go to. The nightlife in Reykjavik is supposed to be amazing.

Traveling in general is cool, although long flights have started to wear me out a bit... 12h on a plane bugs me now-adays. I must be getting old. ;)

Top 5 reasons why I love Scotland
1. Laphroaig (any)
2. Talisker double matured 18yrs
3. Glengoyne Scottish Oak
4. Oban cask strength
5. Ardbeg (any)

-.erik

[DaveW]

Erik, you've done your reasearch-i haven't got a clue what you're talking about! Are these whiskeys? Because they might have different names abroad.

-Dave

[xmastree]

<Gobsmacked>What? Call yerself a Scot? And you don't recognise those names? And you work in a restaurant too?</Gobsmacked>

[Rankenphile]

Man, I hate to admit it, but I've never left the west coast of the US. I live in an astoundingly beautiful part of the US - the Pacific Northwest, and the Skagit Valley especially, is amazing in that it is an extremely stable climate, although rainy, but it is absolutely stunningly green - I have a friend from England and a friend from Ireland who each moved to the US, travelled all over it, and ended up settling here because it felt the most like home.

Within an hour and a half drive, I have access to deserts, mountains, open ocean, world-class scuba diving in the Puget Sound, the Canadian border, Seattle, old-growth federally-protected forests, incredible hot springs, a rain forest and a volcano.

If anyone gets a chance, I cannot recommend highly enough spending a week driving a car down the west coast - starting from Astoria, Oregon and driving Highway 101 all the way down the coast to San Fransisco is an incredible experience. The ocean on your right, beautiful forests and fantastic little coastal towns all the way down, along a lazy little highway that works it's way through Tillamook (incredible cheese factory), Napa Valley (such great wines, and it just feels like Steinbeck's California - smelling the sun-warmed grapes on the breeze - unforgetable), the Redwood Forest (walking among the largest, tallest organisms on Earth is truly humbling), creeping along the Highway 1 - it has to be one of the strangest drives in the world, and watching the coast change as you go down it until you finally arrive in San Fransisco or Santa Cruz. You just can't beat it.

That said, there are a lot of places I mean to see, and haven't yet. Upstate New York in fall. The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park. Ayres Rock in Australia. Tokyo. London. Amsterdam. Paris. Rome. Athens.

Some day soon, I plan on doing a lot more travelling, but with my fiance in school and my job being so demanding at the moment, it is hard to escape. I'll be travelling to Boston in October, which will be cool, and may get to go back to Vegas in November, but these are work trips - hardly the lazy sight-seeing I hope to do soon.

[DaveW]

Well xmastree, I don't drink. So the names of alchohols aren't something i use often: and TGI Fridays really only normally sells cocktails.

That being said, they may be being sold under different names, because i don't think i recognise them.

Ironically the most popular Whisky (although i'm told it's a Bourbon) in Scotland is Jack Daniels. This is probably because of Slash from Guns N' Roses.

-Dave

[opengswede]

Erik, you've done your reasearch-i haven't got a clue what you're talking about! Are these whiskeys? Because they might have different names abroad.

-Dave

Like xmastree, I'm chocked... CHOCKED! Step into a liqour store of choice and have a quick browse. Last time in E-burgh I chose the one on the royal mile (touristy yes, but I was there off season and the staff was really friendly, not to mention understandble).


Ironically the most popular Whisky (although i'm told it's a Bourbon) in Scotland is Jack Daniels. This is probably because of Slash from Guns N' Roses.

Price might have something to do with it, too? Personally, I wouldn't touch JD with a stick, perhaps diluted with coke but that's as far as I'll stretch.


Sorry to drift off topic, but I just wrote these last lines while looking at a diffrent screen.... ;)

-.erik

[The Modfather]

Is 101 the PCE? I always get confused, but I've heard lots of tales about the Pacific Coast Highway and how dangerous but beautiful the drive can be. I've never been off the east coast myself. Been up to Canada and down to the Gulf of Mexico but never west of the Mississippi or east of, well, er, the ocean. :)

We should all plan to meet somewhere and do a "Modders World Tour", we can finance it by showing all of our best mods at art galleries around the world. <Laughs>. Think any museiums would take us seriously? :)

I'm not so sure Paris would be a good option at this point in history for an American to visit. Relations between our countries aren't the best and us regular folks wind up having to deal with resentment because our stupid governments can't manage to play nice.

Someone mentioned Malaysia? (Or did I misread) I have a friend who worked for the Peace Corps and spent several years there. He had a lot of interesting stories about the place. I've got another friend who lives in the Maldives, when the Tsunami hit his area was one of the places involved but luckily he lived on higher ground. Some of the pictures he's sent of where he's from have been quite breathtaking. Of course if you're from the U.S. one destination that's usually on everyone's agenda in their life is Hawaii. We owned a timeshare there for a while and I never had a chance to go. That would have been nice but I understand the suicide rate there is very high, something to do with people who live there feeling depressed because they've achieved paradise and can't imagine how to improve things. Seems goofy to me. :)

As for New York being like London, I just can't imagine that. Maybe like London covered in a thick coating of urine with bums on every corner and muggers trying to kill you around each bend. But yeah, maybe, in that they're both, er, cities. :) Sorry, been to New York many times and each time I've had the same impression, it's opressive, depressing and dangerous. Of course I'm talking about the less popular areas, not the more touristy places. New York is a bit like Philadelphia (Where I live) only darker and more opressive and overall dirtier. Though we certanily have our areas that you wouldn't want to walk through in broad daylight let alone at night.

[Rankenphile]

Is 101 the PCE? I always get confused, but I've heard lots of tales about the Pacific Coast Highway and how dangerous but beautiful the drive can be. I've never been off the east coast myself. Been up to Canada and down to the Gulf of Mexico but never west of the Mississippi or east of, well, er, the ocean. :)

101 is the highway that runs along the coast from the tip of the Washington penninsula to Los Angeles. Once you get into Oregon, it is a pretty winding highway that goes through a lot of lazy coastal towns, as well as the tourist-y resort towns like Seaside, OR. It is an incredible drive, though, that is very frequently right over the open ocean. I don't know how dangerous it is, though... I've done the drive a number of times without incident.


I'm not so sure Paris would be a good option at this point in history for an American to visit. Relations between our countries aren't the best and us regular folks wind up having to deal with resentment because our stupid governments can't manage to play nice.

There is a big difference between the governments and the citizens. If you're not being a dick most people in Paris will treat you just fine. Just like most people in the US will treat a French tourist just fine. We're all just people caught up in a stupid political game. As long as you don't go to the Louvre wearing a "Don't Mess with Texas" T-shirt and walk aorund trying to order "Freedom Fries", or acting like the typical "Ugly American" tourist by asking for French bread (hint: in France, it's all French bread.) you'll be fine. If you're that worried about it, just tell people you're Canadian. Nobody hates Canadians, they're just so damned... Canadian.

[DaveW]

Nobody hates Canadians, they're just so damned... Canadian.

Plus, if you've ever seen Due South, then you'll know you don't want to mess with them. They have Mounties-the only thing that makes Robocop wet his metal panties.

-Dave

[Dr. Kamolly]

:p Won't his panties catch rust that way??

[DaveW]

Henceforth he shall be known as Rustocop.

-Dave

[The Modfather]

Ok so I'm still confused about the 101, is it the Pacific Coast Highway or isn't it?

As for France, dude, I'm an Ugly American no matter where I go, I can't help that. You mean they discriminate against ugly people too? :)

Never been to Texas but Ozzy's pee'd on the Alamo so, does that mean I can pee on Big Ben? :)

Have been to Canada though (Montreal) and can SOMEBODY from Canada tell me something. Does cotton grow in Montreal? I have this memory of a field of cotton growing in Canada during our trip up there but I was, like, I think 9 years old so it was so long ago that I can't be sure but my mother, who was of course there with us, says I have to be goofy because cotton doesn't grow in Canada. I think that's gotta be wrong, I mean, cotton grows everywhere doesn't it?

[DaveW]

You can pee on big ben all you want. Hell, have you seen V for vendetta? We even tried to blow it up at one point. The houses of Parliment represent a system that only just serves the needs of the people.

Oh, while you're peeing on stuff, make a trip to the Palace. Don't get me started on how counter-productive a Royal family is.

-Dave

[blue73]

I've been to Dieppe in France! Thats the furthest I've been. It's like Southport but with less Scousers and more French. he he

I'd still love to go to Oz though. Very cool (well not cool but err cool):rolleyes:

[blue73]

Oh and on the original sub. Isn't there a keyboard You can get that has no symbols on it, none at all. I'm sure it was on the Gadget Show (UK) a few weeks ago?

[Rankenphile]

Ok so I'm still confused about the 101, is it the Pacific Coast Highway or isn't it?

As for France, dude, I'm an Ugly American no matter where I go, I can't help that. You mean they discriminate against ugly people too? :)

Never been to Texas but Ozzy's pee'd on the Alamo so, does that mean I can pee on Big Ben? :)

Have been to Canada though (Montreal) and can SOMEBODY from Canada tell me something. Does cotton grow in Montreal? I have this memory of a field of cotton growing in Canada during our trip up there but I was, like, I think 9 years old so it was so long ago that I can't be sure but my mother, who was of course there with us, says I have to be goofy because cotton doesn't grow in Canada. I think that's gotta be wrong, I mean, cotton grows everywhere doesn't it?

As far as I know, yes, 101 is the Pacific Coast Highway. I've just never heard it referred to as that, but it isn't part of my regular conversation, so who knows?

As for the Ugly American thing, it's actually a title of a book, I think, that basically was written to teach Americans how to act in foreign countries - for a while us Americans had the nasty reputation of being the sorts of fellows that would just somehow expect everyone to speak English to us, regardless of what country we were in, treat us special since we were "on vacation" in someone else's home towns, and generally being rather rude tourist types. Of course, not every American who travels abroad is like this. Many are smart enough to understand that when you are in Rome, people are quite likely to speak Italian, and may not necessarily agree with you that "USA is the best god-damned country in the world", and so on and so forth. A new title was given to these sorts of tourists - Ugly Americans. Most people in foreign countries are smart enough to understand that, yes, I agree with you, my President is sort of a dick, many things in the world are messed up, what can you do, yadda yadda yadda. Of course, there are always Ugly Italians, and Ugly Spaniards, and Ugly whatever nationality you want to name. A border means nothing to the overwhelming power of Dumbass.

Speaking of peeing on national landmarks, if you're ever in Ireland, I really would recommend not kissing the Blarney Stone. The locals get a kick out of peeing on it on a regular basis, so when the tourists come to kiss it for luck... well, you get the picture.

Cotton growing in Canada? Dunno about that. I always thought cotton needed a fairly hot climate to thrive.

[blue73]

There's nothing wrong, ugly or bad about America or Americans. The World is painted very differently by others and they tend to stick with that opinion. Doesnt make it right, I know, It just is.. So lets get hammered and talk moddin and show the World we can all get on...

Plus its nearly the WEEKEND!!!! Bank Holiday Weekend too..

Bye the way is it bank holiday in The States or do You'se call it sommat else?

[Rankenphile]

In the US this weekend is Memorial Day. In observance of the memory of our honored dead. Sort of like Veteran's Day, but for those that didn't make it back.

I'm looking forward to it. I've got a free hotel room waiting for me in Victoria, B.C. Beautiful, fun city.

[Cannibal23]

thats what i did with my Microsift keyboard, i don't even look at it, so it dosen't bother me, but the girl next door comes roun d now and again to do her A-Level work on the PC, and she needs me to help because the can't type on a keyboard without the letters, so i am currently teaching her touch typing, but it only comes with experience.

if you want to get really awesome at typeing then get rid of windows and install linux but without the gui. thats right ladies and gents. console mode all the way for a few months and you should be touch typeing like your life depended on it

[nil8]

Cotton doesn't grow everywhere. It needs a warm, moderately humid climate to thrive. Most types of cotton prefer loose soil, often a mix between dirt and sand so their roots can grow properly.

Toronto is a fun city, I go up there every few years and absorb the differences between Canada and America.

Oregon and Washington are beautiful and very relaxing places to be. I haven't found anything like it yet. I live in the midwest, in Missouri and have for my entire life. I enjoy it, but it's changing into a hotter climate, and I like my cold winters and forests.

I will eventually move out to Oregon after I get done with my education.

Maine is beautiful in the summer time and fall. Go hiking the last 100 miles of the Appalachian trail in September and you will not want to leave.

I should travel outside of North America, but I'm lazy and it's expensive.
Maybe to Japan in a few years.

Oh, and tourists and tourism sucks. Learn to interact with the people and pick up culture. Not stand there and take pictures of it, act like an idiot, and demand other people to serve you.

[The Modfather]

Ranken: I knew what the term Ugly American meant, but thanks for the explanation just the same, maybe some didn't. :)

I should have just googled, yes, 101 is the PCH. I'm surprised you've not heard it refered to as that.

I have no plans to pee on any national landmarks in the immediate future but should the need arise, I'll try to keep those things in mind. As for kissing the Blarney Stone, how could someone pee on it, you have to get on your back and lean over and all that to kiss it. Somebody'd have to be a serious kind of contortionist to pull off peeing like that. :)

Yep, Monday is Memorial day here in the U.S., we have a very nice parade in my home town (not the city itself, just our town in the city) which I would like to get to but I'm a night owl and it's in the AM. Then we have the family over for one of our famous cookouts. (Yeah, funny how so many holidays come down to food isn't it?)

Still don't know if it was possible that I saw cotton in Montreal but it sounds unlikely now, so what the heck was that white puffy stuff growing in that field then?

[DaveW]

what the heck was that white puffy stuff growing in that field then?

Marshmallow vines.

-Dave

[xmastree]

Dandelion clocks.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xmastree/103386900/

[opengswede]

if you want to get really awesome at typeing then get rid of windows and install linux but without the gui. thats right ladies and gents. console mode all the way for a few months and you should be touch typeing like your life depended on it

Well, you'd learn where <tab> is... :D


Oh, and tourists and tourism sucks. Learn to interact with the people and pick up culture. Not stand there and take pictures of it, act like an idiot, and demand other people to serve you.

Take pictures, otherwise you don't have anything to prove where you've been when you come home... Personally, I hate taking pictures so I have lots of memories that slowly fades... It would be great to have pictures of the stuff I did... bummer, really. So, for anyone else: take pictures. Don't know about video though...

[The Modfather]

No No, it wasn't dandelion, I'd recognize that, we've got plenty of those growing around here. :) And I doubt it was marshmallow vines. But now that you mention it, there was this girl with kalidescope eyes who kept following us around. :)

[Dr. Kamolly]

Somebody mentioned how holidays end up with food, what are your specials or delicacies in your countries??

[d_stilgar]

Rankenphile, I totally missed that you are from Washington! I assume you are from the west side? Seattle Tacoma area? I'm from the tri-cites (east side). We should have a meet sometime with any of the other NW US guys.

I liked the comment earlier too about this being a thread where we are all talking nicely. This being a thread where we've talked about people's counties and stereotypes, it would be easy for someone to get offended and an argument start. So, woohoo! guys for being cool and an awesome worldwide community.

[crenn]

This is relating back to the first post. But most of the time I don't look at the keyboard while typing. I prefer to watch the screen. But at 3AM in the morning.... I do tend to look at the keys.

[The Modfather]

This is relating back to the first post. But most of the time I don't look at the keyboard while typing. I prefer to watch the screen. But at 3AM in the morning.... I do tend to look at the keys.

That would be as opposed to, say, 3AM in the night? <Smirk>...

I only look at the keyboard when I place my fingers on the home row, after that, I don't look.

Local delicases(sp) here: Cheese Steaks, Soft Pretzles, Scrapple, etc.

That's not national, that's just Philadelphia.

[xmastree]

That's not national, that's just Philadelphia.Wot? just Philadelphia?

I challenge anyone outside the UK to place that quote... :D

[crenn]

How come everyone makes a comment about me saying 3AM in the morning? It's correct, it's not funny in anyway......

[xmastree]

How come everyone makes a comment about me saying 3AM in the morning? It's correct, it's not funny in anyway......
It's a tautology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_%28rhetoric%29)
Either 3 a.m. or 3 in the morning would convey the same information.

[crenn]

I know, and I have always said it like that.

[xmastree]

I know, and I have always said it like that.
That's probably why everyone makes a coment then. :D

Just because you think it's not funny... :rolleyes:

[Rankenphile]

Rankenphile, I totally missed that you are from Washington! I assume you are from the west side? Seattle Tacoma area? I'm from the tri-cites (east side). We should have a meet sometime with any of the other NW US guys.

I liked the comment earlier too about this being a thread where we are all talking nicely. This being a thread where we've talked about people's counties and stereotypes, it would be easy for someone to get offended and an argument start. So, woohoo! guys for being cool and an awesome worldwide community.

Actually, you know where Mount Vernon is? I'm from... well, near there. Small town called Sedro Woolley.

Anyway, I'm looking into trying to organize some stuff at some local LANs - looking into Case Mod contests and such, maybe trying to organize some prizes and stuff to get a little more attention to the site.

[d_stilgar]

Mt. Vernon is a cool place. I went through there when I went sea-kayaking. I have the coolest story about it too. My group was encountered by a huge pod of Orcas. There were about 20 individual ones, the nearest only 10 yards from us. The biggest had a dorsil fin that was 4-6 ft tall. It was amazing. After we went to shore to eat at a park and a photographer who had been taking pictures (duh) said she goes to that park a few times a week to take pictures and she has never seen anything like that before. It was incredile to say the least.

I won't be back in the tri-cities until December though. You should try getting over to Rad-Con. It's in Pasco and they have a lan room. It's hosted by Nvidia. If you want to pretty much sweep the competition and take home all the prizes, I'd say go. It's a small event and mostly just a goth fest, but the LAN room is pretty decent.

I forgot to say that it happens February, President's Day weekend.

[d_stilgar]

Eh, Radcon is weird. And there is no guarantee on givaways and prizes even being there. We should still have a meetup though.