Domain: amazon.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to amazon.com.
Comments · 40,271
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Re:"Science"?
Re: "object-oriented computer science" -- Where is the "science"? Where are the theories, the metrics, and the independent repeats to verify?
Here is the theory. Co-author Luca Cardelli is also a winner of the Dahl-Nygaard Prize.
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Re:Where can I buy a good trackball?
Logitech also makes their quite excellent ones: http://smile.amazon.com/Logite...
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Re:Performance Mouse MX
Can't recommend enough the Performance Mouse MX enough.
While it does have the middle button integrated into the scroll wheel, once used to it you will find it completely intuitive. I middle click hundreds of times a day and only found it difficult during the first two weeks of owning the mouse. 5 years later I still prefer the Performance MX over anything else.
To middle click I typically shift my index finger over a centimeter or two. My hands are slightly above average size and ergonomically the PerfMX is perfect for me.
Logitech Anywhere MX is similar except it actually has a separate button for the middle mouse button. The wheel click is changed to be the free-wheeling lock which makes much more sense.
Also, free wheeling for the win.
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Check Amazon lately?
Link 3 on the Google search for "3 button mouse without scroll wheel"
http://www.amazon.com/HP-Optic...
Plus the 2 new models you found there does not really seem to be a real shortage of your niche product. -
Performance Mouse MX
Can't recommend enough the Performance Mouse MX enough.
While it does have the middle button integrated into the scroll wheel, once used to it you will find it completely intuitive. I middle click hundreds of times a day and only found it difficult during the first two weeks of owning the mouse. 5 years later I still prefer the Performance MX over anything else.
To middle click I typically shift my index finger over a centimeter or two. My hands are slightly above average size and ergonomically the PerfMX is perfect for me.
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Welcome to the Party
Sorry, Schalage already ate all the the cheese dip.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UT...
In addition to the Z-Wave solutions (coupled with iVera for mobile access / refined control including locking and unlocking your door from anywhere) there are tons of existing WiFi, programmable and god why do I still comment on slashdot seriously I'm typing and I can't muster any more smug I'll probably run out of steam midsente..
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Re:Parcel Lockers
Amazon Lockers is something similar. There's a bunch of caveats (it has to be ordered from Amazon, not a partner, etc.) but my roomate used it recently and it worked fine.
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Re:Translation:
RT has desktop mode.
It's patently untrue that the web is the future for "the kinds of apps that made windows dominant"
Actually, windows was dominant for every kind of app. The growth in apps of all sectors - LOB, entertainment, etc -- is on devices, and people regularly pan device apps that are just thin shells around a browser control.
People want native apps on their devices. MDD (multi-device-development) is something enterprise is very interested in -- they need to deal with a BYOD workforce, and they always want to economize on IT spend.
If it had been feasible to make Win32 apps run well on ARM, don't you think we would have done that?
The most insightful thing you wrote is this:
"But yes, Intel hasn't been asleep, and ARM is no longer as much of a requirement for mobile devices"
Consider the following -- and note that while I work at MS, I am neither privy to, nor attempting to disclose -- any high level strategy
1) Microsoft delivers a lot of value to enterprise customers because of app compat
2) think back a few years at what the CPU landscape looked like -- think about the power consumption of Intel's offerings. Remember, there was no ATOM yet.
3) app compat, battery life, performance -- if you don't have a low-power native x86 processor, you can only get two of these at a time.
4) Enterprise customers want all three
5) Intel, years ago, didn't appear to have any intention to deliver a low-cost, low power x86 part
6) this meant that MS would be unable to deliver low cost, new form factor mobile devices that could still run legacy software
7) this would force a wedge between new form factors and the Microsoft platform advantages (great compatability)Clearly, what needed to happen is that something had to convince intel to develop a low cost, low power, good performing x86 chip
Based on 20+ years history, considering ARM, AMD, dec Alpha, etc, what makes intel innovate well and do its best work?
A credible marketplace threat to Wintel.
Claim: The purpose of Windows+ARM was to force intel to develop a low-power, low-cost x86 chip. If Windows+ARM took off in its own right, great. But the main purpose has been to secure a $99 x86 windows tablet -- which means that enterprises have the price points and form factors they want, and the app compat they need.
Exhibit A:
http://www.amazon.com/HP-Strea...I happen to like my RT tablet -- but the Surface Pro is a credible do-it-all device, and now software that runs on the Pro is the same software that runs on your $99 HP tablet and your $4999 gaming rig.
Back when windows+ARM started, the intel hardware to allow that continuum didn't exist.
As I said -- nobody at MS tells me how things really go down. But this is a high stakes game. The people at MS aren't stupid.
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Re:There is no anonymity
Barret Brown didn't do any hacking. He's a reporter. Reporters are fucking supposed to report the news, not keep it secret. This was just an example of the fact if the Feds want to get you, they have criminal code base so large, nobody can even count crimes let alone fit all of that knowledge into a single brain. Of course, not knowing the law is no excuse (unless you are cop), and having no intent to break the is irrelevant. What this boils down to, is the Feds can fuck you up any time they want if they don't like you. It's called tyranny.
[In 1998, the ABA tried to count crimes contained in Federal statutes but gave up estimating the number to be in excess of 3000.]
* * *
None of these studies broached the separate -- and equally complex -- question of crimes that stem from federal regulations, such as, for example, the rules written by a federal agency to enforce a given act of Congress. These rules can carry the force of federal criminal law. Estimates of the number of regulations range from 10,000 to 300,000. None of the legal groups who have studied the code have a firm number.
"There is no one in the United States over the age of 18 who cannot be indicted for some federal crime," said John Baker, a retired Louisiana State University law professor who has also tried counting the number of new federal crimes created in recent years. "That is not an exaggeration."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB...
See also, "Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent" http://www.amazon.com/Three-Fe...
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Great book of the story behind the repair mission
A photographer was given broad access across all of NASA years before the mission launched to fix the Hubble, and he put together an book of amazing photos and stories behind the mission:
Infinie Worlds by Michael Soluri. They have a hardcover and a Kindle version, not sure how the pictures would come out in the Kindle version but the hardcover is pretty large and the photos look great.
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Re:c++11 does it in
These just came out, so I haven't read them, but you can't go wrong with these authors:
A Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup (the original creator of C++)
Effective Modern C++ by Scott Meyers
Dr Dobbs journal is always good.
Microsoft's Channel 9 has a lot of good talks like these and these.
The ISO C++ committee has a great website. -
Re:c++11 does it in
These just came out, so I haven't read them, but you can't go wrong with these authors:
A Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup (the original creator of C++)
Effective Modern C++ by Scott Meyers
Dr Dobbs journal is always good.
Microsoft's Channel 9 has a lot of good talks like these and these.
The ISO C++ committee has a great website. -
Everything you need to know
j/k
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Re:Now if I could just type...
Instead of moaning how bad of an idea this is, YOU make something that you think would work.
it already has been made. USB stick computers. plug it into the HDMI slot where it doesn't move. bluetooth mouse, keyboard. done.
http://www.amazon.com/Hossen-M... -
Re:Size
Does that really address the problem? People don't like the idea that Google Glass can be used to record them covertly, so your solution is to make it more covert?
I haven't seen any of them yelling about all the other camholes out there (anyone using a camera to record anything, especially those with pinhole cams, or actual secret cameras). If you want glasses that'll record stuff fairly discreetly, you can even get this toy (ages 8+) for $25: http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Gear...
That looks like fairly normal pair of sunglasses, and probably takes a better pic than google glass. There's TONS of similar things out there that are readily avaialble, and no ones really yelling about those. -
Re:Android on Intel is Unstable Crap, or not?
Apparently, this product has real stability issues potentially related to the upgrade to KitKat, or related to only 1 gb of RAM (which seems odd because there are a multiple of tablets (see iPad) that function well with only 1 gb of RAM).
Is this an Android on Intel problem?Until last year, I used an old Galaxy S (yes, the first one) with just 512 MB of RAM. I upgraded it to Jelly Bean, then Kit Kat via Cyanogenmod. Never had any stability issues. The only problem was that about 400 MB of the RAM gets used by the OS, so Android starts playing whack-a-mole killing background tasks after you use more than about 3 apps. (Android kills task to free up memory, task says "wait I need to be running" and restarts itself, Android kills different task, that task says "wait I need to be running" and restarts itself, repeat. and everything bogs down.)
The Asus MeMo Pad 7 has very similar specs to the Dell Venue 7 (Intel CPU, 1 GB RAM, Android 4.4), and I don't see reviewers complaining about stability. So maybe a Dell problem? -
Re:real question
Off topic but I hope this helps:
Powerful magnetic stud finder. Works better than just a magnet, and better than any kind of auto sensing electronics or something. I have inch thick lathe and plaster walls so the studs are waaaaay back there but this works really well. It takes a little practice to get used to the very subtle pull but once you get the touch it works wonders. -
Re:GeekDesk!
My monitor is attached to this arm
Slightly off-topic but how sturdy is that arm? Could I attach a keyboard to it? Would it be stable enough to type on without jumping all around?
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Re:I thought
I bought a Netgear AC1450-100NAR Dual Band Slim Gigabit Smart WiFi Router.
The instructions specifically state that it would be a bad idea to change the SSID and password. I did anyways, of course, but was surprised to read this advice.
http://ww.amazon.com/gp/produc... -
Even simpler: check out Roborally board game
http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-...
"A frenzied race filled with computer driven chaos! At the far end of the galaxy lies a fully automated grid-widget factory. As one of the factory's eight redundant super computers, you have a lot of responsibility and even more free time. When boredom creeps into your circuits, you and the other computers have a little fun at the factory's expense. Pulling defective robots out of the maintenance bay, you pit them against one another in a destructive race across the dangerously cluttered and ever-changing factory floor. One robot will wind up in the winner's circle the rest go on the scrap heap. The game is for 2 to 8 players. It takes about an hour to play. "I agree with this comment on Amazon by Laszlo: "There is a place in our lives that is rarely spoken of and even less often brought to life with such perfection and beauty - that overlap between the strict von Neumann architecture that has defined our modern computer technology, and just plain silliness! Robo Rally is simple enough for many pre-teens to play, yet complicated enough for professional software engineers (such as myself) to really enjoy! It teaches the ultra-basics of computer programming in a very fun manner, while letting experts laugh at themselves and each other for silly mistakes or elements of chance and competition. While I think this game would be great for anyone who is vaguely interested in the subject matter, speaking as a software developer I can't stress enough that this game, for its unique combination of technical aspects and sheer silliness, is an absolute MUST for all nerds, geeks, hackers, and the like.
..."Just played it for the first time on Sunday, and it was a lot of fun. Simplifying, it is a bit like a board game version of turtle graphics, where on each round you get dealt nine cards and choose five of them to make a "program" for your bot (move forward 1, turn left, move backwards, etc). Your objective is to move your robot to a set of locations in order, while other players are doing the same. There are a lot of extra complexities of course (locked registers, laser guns, pits, conveyor belts, special abilities, etc.) that require a lot of thinking. There are no explicit conditionals, but it still would get anyone thinking about the basics of programming in a fun way. And maybe one could add conditional instructions somehow with new cards?
I've also heard it said that the best way to get a kid ready to learn programming is to learn to play a musical instrument, especially the reading music part.
Anyway, your solution of something like QBasic is very practical of course. I'd also suggest learning JavaScript because it is so ubiquitous and easy to get started for most people. Better yet, you could build something like QBasic on top of JavaScript that has the features you want. I've seen a couple (including from Slashdot articles). They often have a Scratch-like graphical programming element, but there is no reason they could not be more text-oriented from the start.
Personally, I also like the CARDIAC pen-and-paper method, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
"CARDIAC (CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation) was a learning aid developed by David Hagelbarger and Saul Fingerman for Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1968 to teach high school students how computers work. The kit consisted of an instruction manual and a die-cut cardboard "computer". The computer "operated" by means of pencil and sliding cards. Any arithmetic was done in the head of the person operating the computer. The computer operated in base 10 and had 100 memory cells which could hold signed numbers from 0 to +/-999. It had an instruction set of 10 instructions which allowed CARDIAC to add, subtract, test, shift, input, output and jump."But then no one else back then my age seemed to get it... It probably helped that I had a KIM-1 I'd been playing with...
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Re:Locked Homes are Next?
Metallic foil "radiant barrier" insulation is already a thing:
http://www.amazon.com/EcoFoil-...
Just make sure to cross-connect the pieces, so they form a single ground plane.
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Re:GeekDesk!
This is why I got my department to buy me a GeekDesk a couple of years ago.
Instead of paying $979 for that desk, I use a regular $39 table, and bought four sections of PVC pipe for $0.79 each, and extended the legs.
My monitor is attached to this arm, so I can swing it between my standing desk and a full recliner. So I work about half the time standing, and half the time laying down. The only time I sit, is in meetings.
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Sit on an exercise ball
That would be my recommendation. It takes as little space as a chair. I have a dark gray one that blends nicely in the office environment, and I didn't need to change anything -- I even kept my chair for visitors.
Does sitting on a ball helps your health? I don't know of any studies, but speaking for myself, when I sit on a regular chair for more than a couple of hours I get low back pain. With a ball I can work 10-12 hour days without any pain. (My theory is that's because the pressure point is constantly moving a little.) I'm constantly making little movements so I don't feel stuck. It works the abs for sure. It's fun -- when I'm thinking about a problem I can roll on my back and be lying on it and it definitely helps. I also bounce on it when I'm thinking or do balancing poses. I can do situps to shake up a little. When I'm tired I can lean on it at 45 degrees angle and it feels restful. It helps straighten my posture.
The downside is the posture -- I tend to slouch if I can't lean on something. To prevent that, I wear shoulder support straps when I work. That's why it improves my posture, otherwise would degrade it.
Another upside -- I can carry my "chair" with me anywhere (e.g. when I'm going overseas for a month). In that sense it's the opposite of a standing desk. I used a standing desk for about four years, but started having back pains with those as well. Similar reason I guess -- not much change in the pressure point.
I've been sitting on the ball for about 7 months now. It took me about a month or two to break in completely, during which I'd sometimes switch to the regular chair. Now it feels great and my body always prefers the ball.
You need the right size ball; they come in 75, 65, and 55cm diameter. I'm 6'0 and I use the 75cm. They are probably all similar in quality, but this is the one I use and can recommend: http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-75.... I have one for the office and one for home. For shoulder support I use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CM..., size Large (even though I wear mostly Medium for regular clothing). Hope it helps.
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Sit on an exercise ball
That would be my recommendation. It takes as little space as a chair. I have a dark gray one that blends nicely in the office environment, and I didn't need to change anything -- I even kept my chair for visitors.
Does sitting on a ball helps your health? I don't know of any studies, but speaking for myself, when I sit on a regular chair for more than a couple of hours I get low back pain. With a ball I can work 10-12 hour days without any pain. (My theory is that's because the pressure point is constantly moving a little.) I'm constantly making little movements so I don't feel stuck. It works the abs for sure. It's fun -- when I'm thinking about a problem I can roll on my back and be lying on it and it definitely helps. I also bounce on it when I'm thinking or do balancing poses. I can do situps to shake up a little. When I'm tired I can lean on it at 45 degrees angle and it feels restful. It helps straighten my posture.
The downside is the posture -- I tend to slouch if I can't lean on something. To prevent that, I wear shoulder support straps when I work. That's why it improves my posture, otherwise would degrade it.
Another upside -- I can carry my "chair" with me anywhere (e.g. when I'm going overseas for a month). In that sense it's the opposite of a standing desk. I used a standing desk for about four years, but started having back pains with those as well. Similar reason I guess -- not much change in the pressure point.
I've been sitting on the ball for about 7 months now. It took me about a month or two to break in completely, during which I'd sometimes switch to the regular chair. Now it feels great and my body always prefers the ball.
You need the right size ball; they come in 75, 65, and 55cm diameter. I'm 6'0 and I use the 75cm. They are probably all similar in quality, but this is the one I use and can recommend: http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-75.... I have one for the office and one for home. For shoulder support I use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CM..., size Large (even though I wear mostly Medium for regular clothing). Hope it helps.
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Re:Limited power to change working situation...If you have some control over your cube... All I used was a shoe rack and desk mount stand: http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMa... and http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...
Others where I work went cheaper and just used two shoe racks.
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Re:Limited power to change working situation...If you have some control over your cube... All I used was a shoe rack and desk mount stand: http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMa... and http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...
Others where I work went cheaper and just used two shoe racks.
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Re:Standing desks
I purchased this desk (Amazon.com) for $286 (with a Prime membership).
I wanted to get a relatively inexpensive standing desk to see how I'd like it. I've been using the desk for two months now and love it. I'm sure it doesn't have all the adjustments more expensive desks have but I feel very comfortable working all day.
It took almost two weeks to adjust to standing all day long, but now I cannot imagine not working at a standing desk. I think part of the aforementioned comfort is due to all the movements my body is now making. I do find myself unconsciously stepping back, moving my arms around and other movements that are recommended periodically while sitting all day. I even find myself swaying side to side while I'm thinking through a process and stop as I continue to type away.
The improvement in how my back and shoulders feel is great.
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Re:Spoofing!
After all, it's dangerous to debug while driving.
Ah, then I suggest you consider using an AutoExec Wheelmate Steering Wheel Attachable Work Surface Tray. Over 1,100 reviewers can't be wrong!
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Anyone else remimded of Steven Gould's Reflex?
In the sequel to Jumper, the bad guys control people with an implanted device that incapacitates them by stimulating their vagus nerves to make them throw up.
Enough that it could kill them, since it doesn't have to stop, ever.
No, thank you.
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Re:Time to abandon normal phones?
Get one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/PRO-Call-Blocker-Incoming-Telephone/dp/B00AZ43MGU/ref=pd_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J6JDGKBWXFNN580TVKMThis device appears to use a blacklist only, not a whitelist. According to the reviews, quite a few people are unhappy with it. Most junk calls seem to come from random numbers, so a blacklist is not an effective way to stop them. Blocking all non-caller-id is not effective either because many junk calls spoof CID, while many of my friends and relatives don't use CID out of privacy concerns.
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Re:Time to abandon normal phones?
Get one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/PRO-Call-Blocker-Incoming-Telephone/dp/B00AZ43MGU/ref=pd_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J6JDGKBWXFNN580TVKM
The only downside is that if you enable blocking of no caller ID, Unknown, 000-000-0000, etc, it will block legit calls if the caller ID doesn't show up fast enough. I LOVE mine. I was getting 2-3 calls per night with 5ish more per day on the machine. This stopped them. All of them. If one gets through, I push the big red button and it hangs up and adds them to the block list. -
Re:"AI" vs Strong AI
I've read that plot somewhere.
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Ubiquiti; it's what you really want...
http://www.ubnt.com/products/#...
For $99 it's hard to beat:
http://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/ed...
http://www.amazon.com/EdgeRout... -
Re:Indian market is very strange
Decent LG Android handset you can get right now, unlocked, for 40 bucks.
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Re:Which is stupider, the book or the game?
Is he the same guy that created that How to Avoid Huge Ships book? (Wow, it is only a $57 paperback now, it was several hundred when it became a meme.)
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Mod parent up insightful!
Well said, turbidostato, well said!
See also a book by a founder of MasterCard which even included a section on the importance of "open books [for accounting]" that can be inspected by all employees and customers:
"Honest Business" By Michael Phillips
http://www.amazon.com/Honest-B...
"An inspirational guide to ethical business practice explains how to create and manage a small business that emphasizes openness, personal integrity, and community involvement as the keys to success."Another related thing is Dee Hock's (founder of Visa) work on the Chaordic Commons as value, purpose, and principles-driven fractally-organized organizations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
http://www.griequity.com/resou...That said, I have a lot of respect for Bruce Schneier, especially for writing stuff like this:
"The War on the Unexpected"
https://www.schneier.com/blog/...
"We've opened up a new front on the war on terror. It's an attack on the unique, the unorthodox, the unexpected; it's a war on different. If you act different, you might find yourself investigated, questioned, and even arrested -- even if you did nothing wrong, and had no intention of doing anything wrong. The problem is a combination of citizen informants and a CYA attitude among police that results in a knee-jerk escalation of reported threats...." -
Re:That's a different skill-set
If your do-it-yourself skills are a little weak, the annoyatron
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Re:Makes sense.
I wish I'd realize they were phasing out the iPod Classic, because since it wasn't running iOS it didn't need to worry about an OS upgrade making it useless. I'd have bought another one.
Now that there are 128 GB iPod Touches, there is less need for the iPod Classic (yes, I know it is (or rather was) 160 GB).
And you must not have looked too hard for an iPod Classic; they are still in the Distribution Chain, and will likely be available as "refurbs" for some time to come.
Here's one on Amazon
And another on Amazon
And Fry's -
Re:Makes sense.
I wish I'd realize they were phasing out the iPod Classic, because since it wasn't running iOS it didn't need to worry about an OS upgrade making it useless. I'd have bought another one.
Now that there are 128 GB iPod Touches, there is less need for the iPod Classic (yes, I know it is (or rather was) 160 GB).
And you must not have looked too hard for an iPod Classic; they are still in the Distribution Chain, and will likely be available as "refurbs" for some time to come.
Here's one on Amazon
And another on Amazon
And Fry's -
more of the same
the article doesn't mention stereo 3D at all
I didn't say it did. TFA (and TFS) title is: " 3D cameras are about to go mainstream. "
3D (X, Y and Z; or width, height, and depth) data is not acquired by these cameras. Therefore, these are not 3D cameras. Therefore 3D cameras are not "about to go mainstream."
It mentions Realsense and Kinect sensors, but it fails to mention how they work.
They work by acquiring stereo 2D data from a fixed viewing angle. That's two acquisitions from almost the same vantage point, which provides a static illusion of depth via capture of parallax. It does not actually contain depth information on a per-frame basis. They are not 3D cameras.
So naturally those depth cameras can't sense the depth of surfaces that are visually obscured, and no, they can't see the back of your cube
Yes, that's exactly what I said.
:)but couple them with accelerometers (for dead reckoning of position & orientation), colour[sic] cameras and machine vision algorithms (for refining that reckoning), and walk around the cube
You can do this with one 2D camera. However, in order to do this, the reconstructed frame rate goes from acceptable to pitiful -- No one is going to be interested in a playback of the Bar Mitzvah that proceeds at one frame per walk-around. A "3D camera" would capture 3D information. Just as an infrared camera captures infrared, a 2D camera captures 2D information, and an ultraviolet camera captures ultraviolet information. It is absurd to characterize a stereo camera pair as a "3D camera", even without considering the bewilderment that will ensue when they actually arrive due to the dimwitted hijacking of the term "3D" by marketing buffoons.
"3D" is short for "three dimensions." That's what it means; that's what it's always meant; that's what it should mean. Suppose I sold you a "3D rendering system" that turned out to only let you specify X and Y co-ordinates for your objects. And when you complained, as you surely would, I tried to feed you a line about how "look, if you simply build, and then render, 2D models of the same object as it would appear from every possible viewing angle, and then display them one at a time, it's almost the same!" your next phone call would probably be to the better business bureau.
chances are you'll actually own (and find a few uses for) such a device yourself in the next few years.
I have owned a Kinect since just about day one. And I am well aware of its nature -- which is not 3D.
The degree of disingenuous wool-pulling over the eyes here is on a level with someone selling you an RGB camera that only captures red and green channels. There's no possible justification for it. None. The resistance to the facts brought about by personal investment in the marketing claptrap is an amazing thing to see -- something that is essentially a particularly rabid form of confirmation bias, where victims of misinformation deny reality because they are unable to admit they've been hoodwinked -- it is one of the things to look for any time propaganda has been drilled into gullible consumers:
o "Hey, bought a new car audio amp, I see!"
x "Yes, it's a Pyle. It's 4000 watts!"
o "No. Dude. It isn't 4000 watts. Someone at Pyle is laughing their head off at you right now."
x "bitch, it says RIGHT HERE that it's 4000 watts!"
o "Sigh."Essentially the same conversation:
o "Hey, bought a new game motion controller accessory, I see!"
x "Yes, it's a Kinect. It's a 3D motion controller!" -
more of the same
the article doesn't mention stereo 3D at all
I didn't say it did. TFA (and TFS) title is: " 3D cameras are about to go mainstream. "
3D (X, Y and Z; or width, height, and depth) data is not acquired by these cameras. Therefore, these are not 3D cameras. Therefore 3D cameras are not "about to go mainstream."
It mentions Realsense and Kinect sensors, but it fails to mention how they work.
They work by acquiring stereo 2D data from a fixed viewing angle. That's two acquisitions from almost the same vantage point, which provides a static illusion of depth via capture of parallax. It does not actually contain depth information on a per-frame basis. They are not 3D cameras.
So naturally those depth cameras can't sense the depth of surfaces that are visually obscured, and no, they can't see the back of your cube
Yes, that's exactly what I said.
:)but couple them with accelerometers (for dead reckoning of position & orientation), colour[sic] cameras and machine vision algorithms (for refining that reckoning), and walk around the cube
You can do this with one 2D camera. However, in order to do this, the reconstructed frame rate goes from acceptable to pitiful -- No one is going to be interested in a playback of the Bar Mitzvah that proceeds at one frame per walk-around. A "3D camera" would capture 3D information. Just as an infrared camera captures infrared, a 2D camera captures 2D information, and an ultraviolet camera captures ultraviolet information. It is absurd to characterize a stereo camera pair as a "3D camera", even without considering the bewilderment that will ensue when they actually arrive due to the dimwitted hijacking of the term "3D" by marketing buffoons.
"3D" is short for "three dimensions." That's what it means; that's what it's always meant; that's what it should mean. Suppose I sold you a "3D rendering system" that turned out to only let you specify X and Y co-ordinates for your objects. And when you complained, as you surely would, I tried to feed you a line about how "look, if you simply build, and then render, 2D models of the same object as it would appear from every possible viewing angle, and then display them one at a time, it's almost the same!" your next phone call would probably be to the better business bureau.
chances are you'll actually own (and find a few uses for) such a device yourself in the next few years.
I have owned a Kinect since just about day one. And I am well aware of its nature -- which is not 3D.
The degree of disingenuous wool-pulling over the eyes here is on a level with someone selling you an RGB camera that only captures red and green channels. There's no possible justification for it. None. The resistance to the facts brought about by personal investment in the marketing claptrap is an amazing thing to see -- something that is essentially a particularly rabid form of confirmation bias, where victims of misinformation deny reality because they are unable to admit they've been hoodwinked -- it is one of the things to look for any time propaganda has been drilled into gullible consumers:
o "Hey, bought a new car audio amp, I see!"
x "Yes, it's a Pyle. It's 4000 watts!"
o "No. Dude. It isn't 4000 watts. Someone at Pyle is laughing their head off at you right now."
x "bitch, it says RIGHT HERE that it's 4000 watts!"
o "Sigh."Essentially the same conversation:
o "Hey, bought a new game motion controller accessory, I see!"
x "Yes, it's a Kinect. It's a 3D motion controller!" -
Re:Availability
You can order subscriptions on Amazon.com or on viapresse.com.
Not sure about single issues. There's some discussion on Reddit for London...
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Umm, no.
An Indian website hosts an article about an Indian mathematician who asks, "Did India discover Pythagoras theorem? A top mathematician answers" Gee, I wonder what his conclusion will be?
It seems the cradle of western civilization isn't close enough to India's back yard for most Indian's tastes. Given the opportunity, they'd re-write history. Anti-American sentiment, along with anti-western sentiment, runs deep, and maybe for good reason. But whatever that reason, Indian's perpetual desire to re-write history ad nauseam is growing a bit old. What next, an article about how an Indian, not a Greek documented and used calculus in the 3rd century BC, long before Newton?
It would be delightful if India could point to an original Indian version of Euclid's Elements, the oldest continuously used textbook in history. Such books shape minds for, well, eons, by teaching logical & rational thought. Seemed to work well for Abraham Lincoln, he carried around a copy in his saddle bag and studied it while traveling.
Instead of self-glorifying episodic re-writes, how about discussing continuous, progressive and well reasoned contributions to culture and civilization?
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Vera and Z-Wave
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, buit you should look into Vera and Z-Wave protocol.
These videos are old, but they give you an idea of the possibilities.
Devices to get started with:
VeraEdge Home Controller
GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control and Appliance Module
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-watt Wall Mount Dimmer Switch
2gig CT100 Z-Wave Programmable Thermostat (White) These are basic.
Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat Much better choice. -
Vera and Z-Wave
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, buit you should look into Vera and Z-Wave protocol.
These videos are old, but they give you an idea of the possibilities.
Devices to get started with:
VeraEdge Home Controller
GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control and Appliance Module
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-watt Wall Mount Dimmer Switch
2gig CT100 Z-Wave Programmable Thermostat (White) These are basic.
Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat Much better choice. -
Vera and Z-Wave
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, buit you should look into Vera and Z-Wave protocol.
These videos are old, but they give you an idea of the possibilities.
Devices to get started with:
VeraEdge Home Controller
GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control and Appliance Module
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-watt Wall Mount Dimmer Switch
2gig CT100 Z-Wave Programmable Thermostat (White) These are basic.
Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat Much better choice. -
Vera and Z-Wave
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, buit you should look into Vera and Z-Wave protocol.
These videos are old, but they give you an idea of the possibilities.
Devices to get started with:
VeraEdge Home Controller
GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control and Appliance Module
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-watt Wall Mount Dimmer Switch
2gig CT100 Z-Wave Programmable Thermostat (White) These are basic.
Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat Much better choice. -
Vera and Z-Wave
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, buit you should look into Vera and Z-Wave protocol.
These videos are old, but they give you an idea of the possibilities.
Devices to get started with:
VeraEdge Home Controller
GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control and Appliance Module
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-watt Wall Mount Dimmer Switch
2gig CT100 Z-Wave Programmable Thermostat (White) These are basic.
Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat Much better choice. -
Thanks for the informative link on PLATO hw!
William Norris, the founder of the company behind PLATO, was ahead of his time in other ways, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...
"He is famous for taking on IBM in a head-on fight and winning, as well as being a social activist who used Control Data's expansion in the late 1960s to bring jobs and training to inner cities and disadvantaged communities."See also:
http://www.cbi.umn.edu/hostedp...
http://www.amazon.com/William-... -
Re:SSD endurance testing
OCZ guarantees over 100TB of write cycles before failure on some of their basic performance drives. Their cheap drives guarantee about 40TB (20GB/day for 5 years), and the model that costs $10 more for 120GB guarantees 50GB/day for 5 years.