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Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP on Monday
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers Monday, despite protests from a slice of PC users who don't want to be forced into using XP's successor, Vista.
Once computers loaded with XP have been cleared from the inventory of PC makers such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., consumers who can't live without the old operating system on their new machine will have to buy Vista Ultimate or Vista Business and then legally "downgrade" to XP.
Microsoft will still allow smaller mom-and-pop PC builder shops to buy XP for resale through the end of January. A version of XP will also remain available for ultra-low-cost PCs such as the Asus Eee PC.
A group of vocal computer users who rallied around a "Save XP" petition posted on the industry news site InfoWorld had been clamoring for Microsoft to keep selling XP until its next operating system, Windows 7, is available. The software maker has said it expects to release Windows 7 sometime in 2009.
Last week, Microsoft said it would provide full technical support for six-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.
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UFO Catcher Tips
Frustrated by those dumb Claw Vending Machine (UFO Catcher) things you see at video game arcades? Here are a couple clips from Japanese TV in which experts explain how to win prizes!
Techniques shown in video clip #1:
- Targeting an object close to the pit and using one side of the claw to push the object sideways instead of picking it up.
- Other objects close to the pit can be pushed into each other to create a slide effect.
- Stuffed animals that are too large to simply slide into the pit should be gripped by the claw at a specific point, which is often the neck.
- Prizes that are inside boxes usually have an area on the box that is easily gripped by the claws. The figure shown in the video can only be properly picked up when it’s container is facing upright and the indentations on its side are targeted.
Technique shown in video clip #2:
- Certain types of UFO Catcher claws open and close in a way that is well suited for gripping cardboard boxes. If you encounter a machine with a claw like the one shown in the video, you can use it to pick up boxes by targeting the intentations or gaps in the box. The technique can even be used to pick up two boxes at once!
Stacker Secrets
Background
Not so long ago, a friend an I visited the arcade in Bugis and found out there was a new game I had never played before called stacker. It took several minutes to figure out how the game worked and at $1 per play I was in no rush to send in my wallet in to the stacker shredder, that was until I watched some other play and give me the general idea. It’s very simple, stack the boxes to the top, and win a prize.
So after watching two others toss nearly $20 in plays into the machine, I decided to try my hand at it. First time, I managed to get to the minor prize and then accidentally hit the accept minor prize button. Well I wasn’t going to settle with that… So I tried again, got to the top, and won myself an Nintendo DS Lite (Two $2 tries). Not a bad return. It was then that I realized that there are some Stacker tips you should notice next time you run into an arcade and are about to spend your entire allowance on a Stacker. I can’t guarantee that it will get you that prize, but it will certainly help if you want to learn how to win the Stacker Arcade Game.
Breakdown: Stacker
Easy right? Yep.
Addicting? Ridiculously addictive.
Fair? Hardly, here are a few tips I learned
Stacker is rigged
Just like any other arcade game, Stacker is built so that the arcade makes money- Period. No arcade is going to offer Nintendo Wiis, PS3, Ipods or anything else of considerable value if it is going to cause them to lose money. So you will need to face the fact that until the machine has met its quota, it will not dispense any prize, and so the arcade makes money. So here is an example:
A stacker machine contains a Handphone, Ipod, PSP, digital camera all rangin
g in the $250-$300 range. Thanks to all those spammers their stacker business is gradually growing rapidly. Hence some machines have better and more attractive prizes like a PS3.
The difficulty can be set so that 1 in 20 to 1 in 800 people actually can win.
The arcade sets it to be $2 per play and on 1 in 300 plays wins.
So 300 plays after the machine is first configured or since the last winner, a prize will be dispensed assuming the person playing has decent motor skills and hand/eye coordination. By the time that person wins, the 1 winner (hopefully) walks away with a good ‘return on investment’ for his gamble and the arcade (depending on the prize chosen) has made anywhere from $300-$350.
So How do I Win if it’s rigged?
It’s pretty easy to realize if you have good hand/eye coordination: If you can make it to at least just below the minor prize bar without dropping any boxes, you have decent hand eye coordination and should be able to pull off winning when the machine is ready to give you a prize. From the Minor bar up is the rigged area, it’s very, VERY easy to realize that you’ve been jyped from your win because by that point you know when to hit it. Even though it gets progressively faster, you should have no problems keeping up.
The key here is to play in moderation. Visit every couple of days and play two or three times MAX.
Additionally, if you really want to go hardcore on stacker, I hear that stoopid games has a flash practice version of stacker…
Quick Tips:
If you’re the kind of person who likes listed tips, here you go, this is a summary of the above:
* Play in moderation - Stacker will not give a prize if it’s not ready to give a prize (2-3 times a day MAX)
* Take your time when playing- you have 30 seconds each time you hit that button to go to the next level. Don’t feel rushed to rush through the levels. Take a breather after each level and then in your calm state of Zen, attempt the next one.
* Try to Figure out your odds - Don’t be afraid to curiously ask the attendant when the last time someone actually won a prize was. Also missing items from the game case is another indicator of whether or not someone has recently won. Do an estimation of the price per play and the prize values and give a rough estimation of odds.
* Don’t suck - Even if stacker met its quota and is ready to give you that brand new PSP, you’re not going to get it if you can’t even get up to the minor prize bar. Sorry, but you still have to earn the prize.
In Closing
On a final note keep in mind that I do not officially know anything about the inner workings of this game. I have based what I typed purely on what I have gained from experience. When I win anything else from these machines, I’ll be sure to post about them so subscribe to my RSS feed and you just may find some other things you may find interesting as I post about them
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Free Vista Theme for Windows XP
Windows Vista???
Nah its just the theme... =\
Download Vista Theme
Download Vista Sound Pack
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