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Quantum Mechanic relation? by Gunnery+Sgt.+Hartman · 2001-02-09 13:38 · Score: 2 · on Bonsaikitten Eaten By Carnivore

This looks an awfully lot like all the sites that have tried Schrödinger's Cat Experiment. Explained here and tested over there.

Re:How is that? by LocalH · 2001-02-08 19:45 · Score: 1 · on Record HDTV To A FireWire DV Deck

Quite frankly, I don't blame them, either. I wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars on a TV show just to have some punk kid record it and 'share' it with a few thousand of his closest friends. The copies that are now in peoples possession are lost income for the industry- they could have been sold to people for profit.

Oh, yeah. When was the last time you bought a show from the owner just because you missed it? You probably called up a friend and asked, "Hey, did you tape <whatever> last night? You did? Lemme borrow it!"

I guess that all free, unfettered, unsanctioned digital video tools should now be illegal, since I can use bbMPEG and VirtualDub to edit and recompress a show, all to send it out 'willy-nilly' over the net!
_______
Scott Jones
Newscast Director / ABC19 WKPT

New design = DEATH for me by X-Dopple · 2001-01-30 06:31 · Score: 1 · on Freshmeat II

Thanks, Freshmeat.

You've just made my character get slaughtered on Unweb

And I used to beat up on Freshmeat all of the time. sigh.

Re:a few tips.. by Johann · 2001-01-18 12:04 · Score: 1 · on Is There Still A Contract Market For Programmers?

Don't email me.... :-)

Visit this page for the example contract and additional information.

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life."

This worm *does* that... by Error27 · 2001-01-17 08:17 · Score: 2 · on Cracking All The Live Long Day & RH6/7 Worms

if you believe what this guy says on his summary of the worm.

here

Ugh. Should've read fizbin's post before. by JCCyC · 2001-01-17 02:23 · Score: 2 · on Cracking All The Live Long Day & RH6/7 Worms

In his analysis he says RH7's vulnerability comes from LPRng, not wu-ftpd. A patched version of LPRng is offered as an update by Red Hat here.

Analysis of Ramen worm by fizbin · 2001-01-17 01:57 · Score: 5 · on Cracking All The Live Long Day & RH6/7 Worms

This worm has been being discussed on the incidents (not bugtraq, as C|Net says) mailing list.

It's basically a bunch of existing tools snapped together by some brute-force driver scripts.

My analysis is at http://members.home.net/dtmartin24/ramen_worm.txt. Fifteen minutes of fame, here I come!

Re:I hope they continue devolopment by Tackhead · 2001-01-17 00:59 · Score: 1 · on DivX Going Open Source - Updated

>A while back, I wanted to roll my own TiVo, but got stuck on realtime compression. I looked into a couple of mpeg cards, but nothin in my price range went beyond quarter-frame mpeg-1.

Check out the ATI All-In-Wonder 128. The 32M version (as opposed to the 16M version) does real-time video capture in MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. I can vouch for that on a Celeron 366 overclocked to 550 with 128M on a Win98 box. And it's got a built-in TV tuner. Also has MPEG-2 with IDCT in hardware. The DVD playback is great. Card was about $200.

Only problem is I don't think any Linux video capture drivers have ever been released for it. I got those results using the bundled software for Windoze.

More info at this guy's site.

Note that I didn't look into it that much, but I suspect it's the guts of a TiVo. (A TiVo sounds an awful lot like my PC with all the stuff embedded onto the motherboard, frankly.)

It's also been a year or so since the card was released, so there should be even better hardware available now.

Here's the link to enable DC play on PC :-) by aqx_apoulos · 2001-01-11 02:47 · Score: 1 · on Dreamcast (Finally) Goes Broadband

Link

_Adam Poulos;

A different approach to analysis by prototype · 2001-01-09 23:31 · Score: 2 · on What is 'IT'?

Okay, there's been a million theories at to what IT is and why so how about a slightly different approach. Let's look at what is proposed as IT and see how well they mesh with what's been leaked so far as information goes.

Personal Helicopter
Personal helicopters are somewhat available today (Kamen uses one himself) so there's no real need to retro-fit a city or campus to accomodate one. Besides, I think humans have enough trouble navigating 2D space, let alone 3D space. And besides making leaps of technological advances in propulsion systems to support such a device, I sure wouldn't have a warm gushy feeling in my tummy that my neighbor could slice and dice me with his "transportation device". Gives a whole new meaning to road rage.

Modified iBOT (wheelchair)
Based on the fact that the first point in one of the articles says it is not a medical device, I think we can safeley rule out a wheelchair or wheelchair like device for getting around. Besides, I can't see the masses accepting this as an alternative to get to work in.

Personal Jetpack
I can't see a device like this sweeping the planet, even if it is cheap. It's hard enough to convince a business exec to strap on a helmet to ride a bike to work let alone a jetpack. Again we have the 3D space navigation problem and again, there's no retro-fitting needed for a device like this so I don't see it meshing with the info that's out there.

Scooter
Nothing fun here. These things are just as dangerous as current travel methods and I can't see anyone laughing if one of these (motorized or electronicized) was turned on. Also, these exist all over the place in non-motorized form and I don't see any city, campus or facility leaping to retro-fit their world.

Which leads to..

Hover Device
This is my choice for what I think it could be. Why? Simple. Imagine a simple device that would be personal and compact. No real big change in how cities operate but you could alter sidewalks to accept these much like walking paths are now altered to accept bikes and humans. Getting to work would be just like walking, except you wouldn't be walking but sitting down and navigating. The execution could be simple through the use of Kamens previous patents. He has a device to adjust trim via a joystick device. So what's easier to use than that? Tilt forward to move forward, left to move left, right to move right. Trim is automatically adjusted to the terrain (and you're only a few inches/feet off the ground so it's not a lot of adjustment). The device could be assembled quickly from a compact set of bags, no argument there (see images below on how compact it would be). It certainly would be fun because its just like riding bumper cars at the fair (hopefully without the bumper aspect though). I sure would laugh seeing one fired up as it lifts off the ground. Are people going to be allowed to use it? This is an interesting controversy. Why can't they use it? Licensing? A bike/car/helicopter would certainly need some kind of licensing if it follows the rules of the road. A hover device wouldn't since it really is just an alternate to walking and thus is executed on the streets and takes up no less space than a human being. The restricted use might be imposed at an age level. Not available for people under 16 much like mopeds are now. An alternate to [cars] especially for people in cities. Well, I can tell you that I would jump at the chance to save the $15/day parking if I could get to work using such a device and I'm sure others would agree. If that's all you use your car for, why not? It certainly wouldn't put automakers out of business but it would affect them greatly. Imagine you still have a car but only use it 2 or 3 times a month for large hauls or long trips. Otherwise you get around with your IT. Maintenance, oil and gas costs would be reduced. The life of the car would be extended and automakers would see less people buying cars less frequently.

I've included a sketch here of what it might look like and how it would be constructed (this is really rough but you should get the idea).

liB

Darn, they should've used my idea! by Anonymous Coward · 2001-01-06 13:59 · Score: 1 · on First Looks At XBox

Oh man, my mock-up Xbox was so close! If only I'd thought of using a low profile case and not a minitower. :-) My Xbox mockup My PS2 will eat this hideous thing alive. :-)

Re:Irix is a good example of a pretty unix boot by Nehemiah+S. · 2001-01-04 00:39 · Score: 1 · on Making Linux Booting Pretty

Speaking of irix... Check this out. Very pretty irix-like desktop for linux on intel.

BTW Irix does most of it's pretty stuff in prom, which unfortunately makes it almost completely un-customizable. Gets old fast if you reboot a lot (as in, a dozen times a night to test I2 scsi adapters).

Neh

AMEX? I'd rather be in the pan than in the fire! by phillymjs · 2000-12-22 23:30 · Score: 2 · on Caveat Emptor: Egghead.com Credit Records Nabbed

AMEX isn't so great, either. I spent the better part of a year trying to get them to remove over US$12,000 in bogus balance transfers to my "Blue" account.

These transfers were not authorized by me, were from accounts that didn't belong to me, and went through before I had received the card in the mail, or indeed even knew the account number.

AMEX, when I finally rattled enough cages to get them to look into the matter, removed the charges as 'Fraud'. They refused to explain to me how this fraud occurred, without being subpoenaed. But you figure it out. It was either an inside job, or there was some hacking involved somewhere.

They pissed me off so badly, I did up an entire website about their piss-poor customer service, and I got threatened by their lawyers over the domain name. The site has been down since the problem was finally fixed, but I just threw it back up into my webspace for anyone who's interested in reading it (there are a few things that need to be changed before I make it a permanent part of my forthcoming personal site).

~Philly

Re:I just don't get X-10 by Ricochet · 2000-12-07 06:52 · Score: 1 · on Wired Homes of the Rich

Yeah it's neat and everything, but the protocol it runs on is like NetBEUI for Home Automation.

The reason X10 still exists is that it is cheap and semi reliable (ie I can make it work). I feel that it will go away one day but I'm hoping it will not be replaced by closed systems (closed via excessive developemnt tools or NDA's). The other technologies that are available are hardwire, LONWorks and CEBus. The last 2 tend to be very expensive and very little of it is available for the DIYer. The markets are set up for large developers and not the smaller ones such as myself.

The Hardwire method tends to use RS485 (multidrop) and a baud rate of 1200, 9600 or 19200. You can go higher but this tend to be overkill. If the price of microcontrollers w/ethernet contiunes to drop we'll probably see a lot more ethernet in use. But it does bring added expense. The Linux Home Automation project intends on using the currently available products to pull together the appropriate system to intergate them all.

I went on an EBAY binge this summer and spent ~$700 (US) on terminal servers, a router, parts for my Sun IPX, a Vax Station 3100, network hubs, electronic parts etc. All of this can be used to put together an HA system. Mike Baptiste (of Creative Control Concepts) just released version alpha code for an ethernet to RS232 converted to use the Dallas Semi TINI board. I'm working on doing the same thing with Linux (should work on any modern Unix) serial port and ethernet.

I currently have a Weather station (sensors off line, house was resided), a set of Dallas Semi onewire chips for temperature sensing, an HCS II (HA controller), an Ocelet (HA controller), a couple of X10 CM11A's, a LynX10 board, an X10 CP290, several Dallas TINI boards, a bunch of microcontrollers, HTH's 2400 baud power line controllers and lots of X10 and RS485.

There is too much to list here (and explain what it will do). The best place for this discussion is online in the comp.home.automation newsgroup or on my Linux Home Automation project mail list (see below). You can also email me if you wish to ask HA related questions.
--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
Linux Home Automation and Linux Home Automation II
The The Linux Home Automation project (SourceForge)

RAM and CPU Price Indexes by Synonymous+Coward · 2000-11-29 08:22 · Score: 1 · on Online History Of Computer Component Prices?

Check out http://members.home.net/smsperling/ for RAM and CPU price indexes. The indexes are price per megabyte and price per megahertz using prices from online vendors.

Re:Not that unusual by 6j3 · 2000-11-27 15:17 · Score: 1 · on The Ultimate Video Game Library up for Auction

collection closet 3

Man, I miss KABOOM! Not only was it intense play, it was also fun to watch.

Not that unusual by The+Optimizer · 2000-11-27 07:32 · Score: 5 · on The Ultimate Video Game Library up for Auction

A few other posters here mentioned they have seen collections that dwarf that one. I'm one of those people with such a collection. Alibet the focus of mine has been mostly pre-NES games. In fact, I have a few pictures of my "core" collection up on my web space.

collection closet 1
collection closet 2
collection closet 3

A rough inventory, not counting the consles themselves:
Atari 2600: 475+ different games, 1000+ "extra" (duplicate) cartridges
Atari 5200: 60+ released games. 100+ extras
Atari 7800: Everything ever Released (60+ titles), shrinkwrapped, times 3. 150+ extras
Colecovision: ~100 different titles, 300 extras
Intellivsion: ~85 different titles, 100 extras
APF M-1000/Imagination Machine: 10 of 12, released,5 extras
Fairchild Channel F: 23 of 26 released, 20 extras
Vectrex: 15 games, Multicart
Emerson Arcadia: 10 games
RCA Studio II: 8 games, 6 extras
Magnavox Odyssey: 5 complete games, 20 circuit boards
Magnavox Odyssey 2: all 50 US released titles, complete, 150+ extras
Phillips Videopac: 66 of 70 releases, Complete Chess and MS Basic modules, 30 extras.
and some more recent items:
Sega Master System + 40 games
NEC Turbographics 16 & Turboexpress + 20 games
Sega Game gear + 20 games
Sega Genesis + 80 games
JVC X'eye + 15 CD games
Atari Jaguar: All cart & CD releases through '99, complete.

and I am sure I forgot something there.

Oddly enough: not a single Nintendo until the N64.

In some ways, collecting for these systems is harder as I wasn't able to uses places like Funcoland and Blockbuster to get the collections going. Instead I've picked them up from flea markets, garage sales, and lots of trades and ebay.

What gets interesting about collecting pre-NES games is the distribution curve. The first 70% of the released games catalog isn't too hard to come by.. Then it starts getting progressivly harder and hard to find the more rare items. For example, Most Atari 2600 games can be had for a few dollars, but recently a boxed complete "Chase the Chuckwagon" went for over $1,000 on eBay. For collectors like myself, things slow down after a while as items you don't have don't come available very often, and when they do, you are bidding against other collectors in the same boat.

The ones that are the rarest are usually the ones that (a) sucked and didn't sell well, or (b) were released late, near the video game crash of 1983.

And that doesn't even begin to take into account unreleased and prototype games. For example, I own two unreleased Atari 7800 games: KLAX and (NTSC) Sentinel. A total of 9 and 8 copies respectively are known to exist. In 5 years only 1 of the 17 has been known to change hands.

After the NES era, companies like Nintendo and Sega exerted much more control over the manufacture and distribution of games for their consoles, and as a result you have fewer unbelievably rare released games like 'Chase the Chuckwagon' and 'Quadrun'. The few unlicensed NES games such as the color dreams stuff and tengen tetris are there though and command the rare premium.

For me it has been more fun colelcting pre-NES games because the industry was so new and didn't have the rules that it has now.

Finally, There are days I am tempted to turn my back on my collections and sell it all off. I can't help but wonder what sort of adventure that would be, and just wast sort of price it would fetch.

.sig? I don't need no stinkin' .sig

Not that unusual by The+Optimizer · 2000-11-27 07:32 · Score: 5 · on The Ultimate Video Game Library up for Auction

A few other posters here mentioned they have seen collections that dwarf that one. I'm one of those people with such a collection. Alibet the focus of mine has been mostly pre-NES games. In fact, I have a few pictures of my "core" collection up on my web space.

collection closet 1
collection closet 2
collection closet 3

A rough inventory, not counting the consles themselves:
Atari 2600: 475+ different games, 1000+ "extra" (duplicate) cartridges
Atari 5200: 60+ released games. 100+ extras
Atari 7800: Everything ever Released (60+ titles), shrinkwrapped, times 3. 150+ extras
Colecovision: ~100 different titles, 300 extras
Intellivsion: ~85 different titles, 100 extras
APF M-1000/Imagination Machine: 10 of 12, released,5 extras
Fairchild Channel F: 23 of 26 released, 20 extras
Vectrex: 15 games, Multicart
Emerson Arcadia: 10 games
RCA Studio II: 8 games, 6 extras
Magnavox Odyssey: 5 complete games, 20 circuit boards
Magnavox Odyssey 2: all 50 US released titles, complete, 150+ extras
Phillips Videopac: 66 of 70 releases, Complete Chess and MS Basic modules, 30 extras.
and some more recent items:
Sega Master System + 40 games
NEC Turbographics 16 & Turboexpress + 20 games
Sega Game gear + 20 games
Sega Genesis + 80 games
JVC X'eye + 15 CD games
Atari Jaguar: All cart & CD releases through '99, complete.

and I am sure I forgot something there.

Oddly enough: not a single Nintendo until the N64.

In some ways, collecting for these systems is harder as I wasn't able to uses places like Funcoland and Blockbuster to get the collections going. Instead I've picked them up from flea markets, garage sales, and lots of trades and ebay.

What gets interesting about collecting pre-NES games is the distribution curve. The first 70% of the released games catalog isn't too hard to come by.. Then it starts getting progressivly harder and hard to find the more rare items. For example, Most Atari 2600 games can be had for a few dollars, but recently a boxed complete "Chase the Chuckwagon" went for over $1,000 on eBay. For collectors like myself, things slow down after a while as items you don't have don't come available very often, and when they do, you are bidding against other collectors in the same boat.

The ones that are the rarest are usually the ones that (a) sucked and didn't sell well, or (b) were released late, near the video game crash of 1983.

And that doesn't even begin to take into account unreleased and prototype games. For example, I own two unreleased Atari 7800 games: KLAX and (NTSC) Sentinel. A total of 9 and 8 copies respectively are known to exist. In 5 years only 1 of the 17 has been known to change hands.

After the NES era, companies like Nintendo and Sega exerted much more control over the manufacture and distribution of games for their consoles, and as a result you have fewer unbelievably rare released games like 'Chase the Chuckwagon' and 'Quadrun'. The few unlicensed NES games such as the color dreams stuff and tengen tetris are there though and command the rare premium.

For me it has been more fun colelcting pre-NES games because the industry was so new and didn't have the rules that it has now.

Finally, There are days I am tempted to turn my back on my collections and sell it all off. I can't help but wonder what sort of adventure that would be, and just wast sort of price it would fetch.

.sig? I don't need no stinkin' .sig

Not that unusual by The+Optimizer · 2000-11-27 07:32 · Score: 5 · on The Ultimate Video Game Library up for Auction

A few other posters here mentioned they have seen collections that dwarf that one. I'm one of those people with such a collection. Alibet the focus of mine has been mostly pre-NES games. In fact, I have a few pictures of my "core" collection up on my web space.

collection closet 1
collection closet 2
collection closet 3

A rough inventory, not counting the consles themselves:
Atari 2600: 475+ different games, 1000+ "extra" (duplicate) cartridges
Atari 5200: 60+ released games. 100+ extras
Atari 7800: Everything ever Released (60+ titles), shrinkwrapped, times 3. 150+ extras
Colecovision: ~100 different titles, 300 extras
Intellivsion: ~85 different titles, 100 extras
APF M-1000/Imagination Machine: 10 of 12, released,5 extras
Fairchild Channel F: 23 of 26 released, 20 extras
Vectrex: 15 games, Multicart
Emerson Arcadia: 10 games
RCA Studio II: 8 games, 6 extras
Magnavox Odyssey: 5 complete games, 20 circuit boards
Magnavox Odyssey 2: all 50 US released titles, complete, 150+ extras
Phillips Videopac: 66 of 70 releases, Complete Chess and MS Basic modules, 30 extras.
and some more recent items:
Sega Master System + 40 games
NEC Turbographics 16 & Turboexpress + 20 games
Sega Game gear + 20 games
Sega Genesis + 80 games
JVC X'eye + 15 CD games
Atari Jaguar: All cart & CD releases through '99, complete.

and I am sure I forgot something there.

Oddly enough: not a single Nintendo until the N64.

In some ways, collecting for these systems is harder as I wasn't able to uses places like Funcoland and Blockbuster to get the collections going. Instead I've picked them up from flea markets, garage sales, and lots of trades and ebay.

What gets interesting about collecting pre-NES games is the distribution curve. The first 70% of the released games catalog isn't too hard to come by.. Then it starts getting progressivly harder and hard to find the more rare items. For example, Most Atari 2600 games can be had for a few dollars, but recently a boxed complete "Chase the Chuckwagon" went for over $1,000 on eBay. For collectors like myself, things slow down after a while as items you don't have don't come available very often, and when they do, you are bidding against other collectors in the same boat.

The ones that are the rarest are usually the ones that (a) sucked and didn't sell well, or (b) were released late, near the video game crash of 1983.

And that doesn't even begin to take into account unreleased and prototype games. For example, I own two unreleased Atari 7800 games: KLAX and (NTSC) Sentinel. A total of 9 and 8 copies respectively are known to exist. In 5 years only 1 of the 17 has been known to change hands.

After the NES era, companies like Nintendo and Sega exerted much more control over the manufacture and distribution of games for their consoles, and as a result you have fewer unbelievably rare released games like 'Chase the Chuckwagon' and 'Quadrun'. The few unlicensed NES games such as the color dreams stuff and tengen tetris are there though and command the rare premium.

For me it has been more fun colelcting pre-NES games because the industry was so new and didn't have the rules that it has now.

Finally, There are days I am tempted to turn my back on my collections and sell it all off. I can't help but wonder what sort of adventure that would be, and just wast sort of price it would fetch.

.sig? I don't need no stinkin' .sig

Re:The Ballot *was* confusing! by frankie · 2000-11-09 00:46 · Score: 2 · on Statistics, Elections, Frustration

A friend of mine lives in Palm Beach county, and he agreed that the ballot was confusing and difficult. He spent a good long time looking it over in the voting booth before he stabbed it with the little toothpick thingy that they used.

Is it reasonable to pick the most powerful job in the world because a minor clerk didn't understand good user interface design?

This could be stuck in the courts for months. If it takes until New Year's, I hope Gore will gracefully concede rather than force a national crisis. I'd rather have a calm nation grumbling about President Nitwit than risk rioting and martial law and whatever else could happen.

I've collated several links and images about this on my personal pages:

p.s. Having half the candidates in a second row may be a violation of Florida election laws. I've heard that mentioned several times on NPR but unfortunately don't have a link.

Re:boogle.com - Typosquatters are Great! by aint · 2000-10-31 01:51 · Score: 1 · on TypoSquating == CyberSquating

True. An argument could be that if the "victom" owned the misspelled domain in question, they'd route it to their given site and the user would indeed find it. But it's hard to define a misspelling in somes cases. For example, would you believe I registered boogle.com before I had even heard of google? It's true, about two years ago or so. Originally I thought "Online Boggle!" but wasn't sure, seemed like a cool name to say. This was back in the day when Network Solutions (tm) allowed for unlimited "free" registrations. Finally after much time passed I put it online and could not believe all the immediate traffic! Initially I couldn't figure where it was coming from until a few google type urls showed up in the logs. I stuck a link to google and noticed most went to it. You wouldn't believe all the crazy versions of boogle.com that have existed, many tests to see what these people want! Some still are looking for boggle.com even, some the game boogle and who knows what else. The way I figure, everyone can find what they want trough the google search box :-)

Eventually google started an affiliate program and so I gave that a try. At first I earned like $2.00 a day (it used to be three cents per use, not it is one) then it grew and grew and I'd watch a few favicons popping up in my logs - I love those!

Ahem. It's been a lot of fun.

-- .sig --

Re:Open Source solution? by SubtleNuance · 2000-10-17 19:49 · Score: 1 · on Linux-Based Home Services Server

Im currently renovating a +100 townhouse. I intend to do up the X10/Distributed IR/Terminals ect as you described. (What did you decide to use for distributed IR. I havnt seen anything jump at me as being the obvious best choice). I will be using Linux. You may want to see this link on Linux home automation. If you havnt seen this already here is MisterHouse probably the coolest Automated home Ive ever read about - and the developer (homeowner) uses Perl a lot. If you have more money than brains you will want to see former IBM Home Director products. I saw a $20K (CDN) display at a Toronto Home Show recently - very clean system. Not alot in the way of customization (software control) but very nice NTSC interface and remote. Turn to the 'home channel' on any TV in the house and you have all the Home Automation 'online'. I would like to do something like that (TV interface) but I dont know that much about AV equipment & computer integration.

Linux Home Automation project by Ricochet · 2000-10-17 07:54 · Score: 2 · on Linux-Based Home Services Server

I started the Linux Home Automation project (LHA project) to accomplish something very similar. Currently I have more of a collection of various software (my Linux Home Automation pages). I've just finished collecting a ton of hardware and getting info on the various software needed. I hope to have non-beta base software within the month. For most, the current stage of the project won't be usable. But for the tinker'r it will at least be interesting.

For those who don't mind getting their hands dirty with software they can try Mr. House (I'll correct my pages, sorry). It's written in Perl and is very functional.

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

Linux Home Automation project by Ricochet · 2000-10-17 07:54 · Score: 2 · on Linux-Based Home Services Server

I started the Linux Home Automation project (LHA project) to accomplish something very similar. Currently I have more of a collection of various software (my Linux Home Automation pages). I've just finished collecting a ton of hardware and getting info on the various software needed. I hope to have non-beta base software within the month. For most, the current stage of the project won't be usable. But for the tinker'r it will at least be interesting.

For those who don't mind getting their hands dirty with software they can try Mr. House (I'll correct my pages, sorry). It's written in Perl and is very functional.

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

Re:Move along... by Ricochet · 2000-10-17 07:37 · Score: 1 · on Linux-Based Home Services Server

Not if I get my way! I run the Linux Home Automatin project and most of this stuff can be had and run free! I don't like the idea that the controller for my home is not under my complete control.

Come Pinky, let us take over the world ... (Brain, from Pinky & the Brain)

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

Don't try this at home by jrobertray · 2000-10-16 12:40 · Score: 1 · on Deja For Sale

http://www.home.net/aup/

The Usenet news service included with an @Home residential service account is provided for
interactive use by the subscriber, using a commonly-available NNTP client such as Netscape
Communicator. Non-interactive clients which download Usenet articles in bulk are prohibited.

...

Users must ensure that their activity does not improperly restrict, inhibit, or degrade any other
user's use of the Services, nor represent (in the sole judgment of @Home) an unusually large
burden on the network itself.
--
Why Ah Must Scribble GNU

Re:what's a 'mipmap' by UnknownSoldier · 2000-10-16 00:05 · Score: 2 · on 3dfx/NVidia Lawsuit Continues

> Making Incredible Profits from MisAplied Patents, perhaps

Hehe. Nice try. Funny, but no.

Here's a short summary.

Mipmap comes from latin: "multum in parvo" meaning many things in a small place.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, just look at the pictures here:
Gamasutra article on mipmapping, and Mipmapping pictures and theory

I won't discuss Isotropic or Anisotropic texture filtering, since the pictures can convey the concept clearer then my mangled descriptions. :-)

Although I will leave with:
- Tri-linear filtering is bilinear filtering (2x2 texels) applied between 2 mipmaps.
- You will also (rarely) see the term 'ripmaps' which I beleive the RGB components are stored seperately (instead of interleaved.)

Hope that helps.

Re:Cube War by JanKotz · 2000-10-12 19:35 · Score: 3 · on Cubicle Blues Blamed On IT

If you really want to get into cube warfare, you have to try this prank while your victim is away.
--

I've purchased from Zebra ... by Ricochet · 2000-10-05 12:24 · Score: 1 · on Timex Sinclair ZX81 Back On the Market

I've purchased from Zebra, about a year or 2 ago. The ZX81 was less expensive then ($30) but if the demand is enough I can't see anything wrong with his pricing. I mean has has kept them for a while!

BTW, there is a project out there to build a new ZX/TS version of the Z80 with the latest and greatest technology. I can't find the link but I did backup the notes. Very cool to be able to run a ZX81 at 33MHz with up to 1 Meg of ram (not very useful with the way the ZX's ram addressing was set up).

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

Re:Not yet... by Anonymous Coward · 2000-08-30 00:26 · Score: 3 · on More Threats From The MPAA

Re:I have yet to find a use for my barcode reader. by Sinistar2k · 2000-08-23 01:24 · Score: 1 · on Free Barcode Reader From Radio Shack

Send it my way, then. The first thing I thought of when I picked up the CueCat today was to use it in conjunction with my Quake 3 Linux server.

Print out a template containing common commands needed to run a Q3 game and then just scan them in instead of using a keyboard. You could create bar codes for login, game launch, map changes, frag limits, et cetera.

If I need to do anything more complex than that, I could just telnet in. Otherwise, it's a nice bit of cool factor.

Why kill VPN? by _Sprocket_ · 2000-08-14 00:57 · Score: 2 · on @Home Stops Allowing VPNs

So we've established that a VPN isn't NAT. It isn't a home network. Its an encrypted connection often used by telecommuters. So why ban it?

Quick. Lets get out our conspiracy hats. Its either money or power. Corporate greed or government subversion of our privacy. Which could it be?

rc-flyer was nice enough to call up the Comcast folks and get clarification. Encryption for consumer use such as shopping and banking? OK. Telecommuters? No way.

Aha. While it might be more exciting to strain for the sounds of black helicopters and carnivorous black boxes, greed wins out. A look at the @Work site gushus:

End-To-End Security
@Work Remote eliminates the risks associated with sending critical information over the Internet by providing the privacy of a secured data network via encrypted "tunnels." In addition, our 5Gbps fiber-optic IP network is continuously monitored by the @Work Network Operations Center, and managed at the most secure level possible using a combination of cryptographic techniques, packet filters, passwords, and secure configurations. @Work provides subscriber PC security options for remote users, as well as gateway security for the corporate connection.

It would seem that telecommuters are finding it easy to do their own "@Work" solution and aren't interested in the undoubtfully higher price tag of @Work over @Home service.

Re: Don't Run Copper (Think: Lightening) by InitZero · 2000-07-15 08:47 · Score: 2 · on On Networking Two (Or More) Houses?

Couldn't one just have good quality surge protectors on both ends, ie APC, etc?

One of my friends is an airline pilot and a ham radio operator. Given his obscene pilot's salary, he has collected $250,000 or so worth of radio gear.

When he installed his 120-foot commercial grade tower, he looked into lightening protection. Did I mention that Florida is the lightening capitol of the world?

The local utility (Florida Power and Light) gave him the most detailed and helpful advice. Namely, unless you run your grounding rod to bedrock (which is what the local utility does with its poles), you can't even pretend that you could take a direct hit.

The $7.95, three-foot copper rods you get from radio shack do two things for you. First, they drain whatever charge you have in the structure so that it is electrically neutral. That means the structure is less likely to attract lightening. Second, they give you a false sense of security. The fact of the matter is, a three foot rod going into sand (as is the case here) or even good soil can't dissipate the energy from a direct lightening strike.

Same goes for your surge protector. Cheap ones will protect you to 500 or so volts. More expensive ones will protect you to ten times that. None will protect your computer from a direct lightening strike which we know from seeing Back to the Future carries 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.

So, to answer the question directly, no, good surge protectors won't save you. Neither will gas lightening traps though that's better than nothing, I guess. (I've never use them on ethernet.)

As I said before, wireless or fiber are the only real options if you want to directly link the two homes at high speed. If less speed is needed, VPN over DSL would be a good alternative. Just stay away from copper.

InitZero

A possible reason and solution by seth · 2000-07-03 07:45 · Score: 3 · on Fixing Bad SSH Connections?

I found that with ipmasq, my ssh connection would close unless I was in a program such as mutt or screen. I did further research and found this link which mentions that ipmasq connections will die after a timeout period. The solution (which I haven't actually tested, 'cause I'm almost always in mutt or screen) is to set a longer timeout.

Re:If it's not AIR COOLED, it's not a bug. by 72beetle · 2000-06-08 11:49 · Score: 1 · on EU Web Tax Proposed

I like the cut of your gib. Come on down and join your peers!

the Society for the Preservation of Aircooled Machinery

Re:VW Bugs by 72beetle · 2000-06-08 01:05 · Score: 1 · on EU Web Tax Proposed

Oh man, I could go on for days on this topic - suffice it to say that anyone who would buy a car online, without ever test-driving it or even seeing it in person, deserves to own a new 'Beetle'.

I have no doubt I'll get trolled for pushing this link - but it's my website devoted to what's wrong with the new 'Beetle' and the people who love them: the Society for the Preservation of Aircooled Machinery

AIRCOOLED FOREVER

May I suggest the RAM price index: by Wakko+Warner · 2000-05-28 00:52 · Score: 4 · on RAM Prices Expected To Skyrocket This Week

Go here to see if prices really do go up. This page tracks and graphs the prices of CPU, SDRAM, and RDRAM and has done so for a couple of years now. Very interesting site.

- A.P.
--

"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

Finally... a story where this is *not* offtopic... by Anonymous Coward · 2000-05-19 20:38 · Score: 5 · on Oxford Yanks Student Page Over Spoof DeCSS

and I'm asleep at the keyboard. Doh!

Oh well... here it is.
Add your own, and spread this far and wide:

This announcement brought to you by the DeCSS Polar Bear.

Other X10-Like Products by Andrew+Dvorak · 2000-05-03 03:56 · Score: 4 · on Interfaces For The Handicapped?

I must make mention of other products much like those X10 produces to keep things fair ;)

Home Director, by Home Director, Inc. is a nifty set of tools much like X10's.
HomeToys Home Automation Links many links to various products having to do with home automation -- even has some things on voice recognition.
Linux Home Automation
DMOZ's Home Automation Section
There are many more, so I'll just point you to Google (Home Automation Search)

That's all, not much, but a start :-)

Pictures of the PDP 11 by Money__ · 2000-04-21 06:53 · Score: 5 · on UNIX Advertising From Way-back-when

This page has some wonderfull pictures of the "Digital PDP-11/20".

Specs:" My PDP-11/20 was, like many machines, sold to me via the University of Wisconsin surplus program. This particular machine happened to be originally located in the Electrical Engineering Department real-time control lab that was sponsered by Professor Richard Marleau. Inside the panel, just above the CPU, is an RC11 disk drive. The RC11 is a 65K word (128 K byte) fixed head disk drive. After all these years (the system was first purchased around 1970) it still works!"

Also this PDP-11/45 sports such wonderfull specs as:"The PDP-11/45 is of approximately the same vintage as the PDP-11/20, but is a much more sophisticated machine. For one thing, it was a micro-coded CPU. It had robust memory management, not seen in microcomputers from Intel until the 80386. It could also support two separate buses: one primarily intended for memory, and the second generally used for peripherals. This is not unlike today's "local bus" PC's. I cut my teeth on Unix on a PDP-11/45 system at the University of Wisconsin in 1976 along with my friends Paul and Hannes (among others)."

This PDP-11/05 graphics system. " The GT40 was a graphic system, often used as a graphic terminal for DEC's PDP-10 and PDP-20 mainframe systems. The CPU was a PDP-11/05, but used the green color scheme of DEC's graphic systems rather than the magenta color scheme normally found on PDP-11's. The GT-40's main claim to fame is probably the famous Lunar Lander game, written by Jack Burness, as a consultant to Digital at the time."
___

Pictures of the PDP 11 by Money__ · 2000-04-21 06:53 · Score: 5 · on UNIX Advertising From Way-back-when

This page has some wonderfull pictures of the "Digital PDP-11/20".

Specs:" My PDP-11/20 was, like many machines, sold to me via the University of Wisconsin surplus program. This particular machine happened to be originally located in the Electrical Engineering Department real-time control lab that was sponsered by Professor Richard Marleau. Inside the panel, just above the CPU, is an RC11 disk drive. The RC11 is a 65K word (128 K byte) fixed head disk drive. After all these years (the system was first purchased around 1970) it still works!"

Also this PDP-11/45 sports such wonderfull specs as:"The PDP-11/45 is of approximately the same vintage as the PDP-11/20, but is a much more sophisticated machine. For one thing, it was a micro-coded CPU. It had robust memory management, not seen in microcomputers from Intel until the 80386. It could also support two separate buses: one primarily intended for memory, and the second generally used for peripherals. This is not unlike today's "local bus" PC's. I cut my teeth on Unix on a PDP-11/45 system at the University of Wisconsin in 1976 along with my friends Paul and Hannes (among others)."

This PDP-11/05 graphics system. " The GT40 was a graphic system, often used as a graphic terminal for DEC's PDP-10 and PDP-20 mainframe systems. The CPU was a PDP-11/05, but used the green color scheme of DEC's graphic systems rather than the magenta color scheme normally found on PDP-11's. The GT-40's main claim to fame is probably the famous Lunar Lander game, written by Jack Burness, as a consultant to Digital at the time."
___

Pictures of the PDP 11 by Money__ · 2000-04-21 06:53 · Score: 5 · on UNIX Advertising From Way-back-when

This page has some wonderfull pictures of the "Digital PDP-11/20".

Specs:" My PDP-11/20 was, like many machines, sold to me via the University of Wisconsin surplus program. This particular machine happened to be originally located in the Electrical Engineering Department real-time control lab that was sponsered by Professor Richard Marleau. Inside the panel, just above the CPU, is an RC11 disk drive. The RC11 is a 65K word (128 K byte) fixed head disk drive. After all these years (the system was first purchased around 1970) it still works!"

Also this PDP-11/45 sports such wonderfull specs as:"The PDP-11/45 is of approximately the same vintage as the PDP-11/20, but is a much more sophisticated machine. For one thing, it was a micro-coded CPU. It had robust memory management, not seen in microcomputers from Intel until the 80386. It could also support two separate buses: one primarily intended for memory, and the second generally used for peripherals. This is not unlike today's "local bus" PC's. I cut my teeth on Unix on a PDP-11/45 system at the University of Wisconsin in 1976 along with my friends Paul and Hannes (among others)."

This PDP-11/05 graphics system. " The GT40 was a graphic system, often used as a graphic terminal for DEC's PDP-10 and PDP-20 mainframe systems. The CPU was a PDP-11/05, but used the green color scheme of DEC's graphic systems rather than the magenta color scheme normally found on PDP-11's. The GT-40's main claim to fame is probably the famous Lunar Lander game, written by Jack Burness, as a consultant to Digital at the time."
___

Pictures of the PDP 11 by Money__ · 2000-04-21 06:53 · Score: 5 · on UNIX Advertising From Way-back-when

This page has some wonderfull pictures of the "Digital PDP-11/20".

Specs:" My PDP-11/20 was, like many machines, sold to me via the University of Wisconsin surplus program. This particular machine happened to be originally located in the Electrical Engineering Department real-time control lab that was sponsered by Professor Richard Marleau. Inside the panel, just above the CPU, is an RC11 disk drive. The RC11 is a 65K word (128 K byte) fixed head disk drive. After all these years (the system was first purchased around 1970) it still works!"

Also this PDP-11/45 sports such wonderfull specs as:"The PDP-11/45 is of approximately the same vintage as the PDP-11/20, but is a much more sophisticated machine. For one thing, it was a micro-coded CPU. It had robust memory management, not seen in microcomputers from Intel until the 80386. It could also support two separate buses: one primarily intended for memory, and the second generally used for peripherals. This is not unlike today's "local bus" PC's. I cut my teeth on Unix on a PDP-11/45 system at the University of Wisconsin in 1976 along with my friends Paul and Hannes (among others)."

This PDP-11/05 graphics system. " The GT40 was a graphic system, often used as a graphic terminal for DEC's PDP-10 and PDP-20 mainframe systems. The CPU was a PDP-11/05, but used the green color scheme of DEC's graphic systems rather than the magenta color scheme normally found on PDP-11's. The GT-40's main claim to fame is probably the famous Lunar Lander game, written by Jack Burness, as a consultant to Digital at the time."
___

Re:Fast processor but slow busses. by Ricochet · 2000-04-06 00:02 · Score: 1 · on 1.4-1.6 GHz Alphas

Is the memory access switched also? I'm going to guess it wouldn't be. The memory it self is the slow down. You can fly with the computational speed but when you need to slow down for access to memory we begin to lose the speed (I know that cache helps this somewhat).

I know on the standard Intel setup the memory is one of the slow downs (~100MHz speed, though I believe there maybe 133MHz available).

BTW, my particular need is in the area of I/O and prcessing. The server is processing user reequests (usually from an ehternet) and the either accessing a slow speed device (serially attached) or is hitting a network to attach to the low speed device (uController w/ethernet).

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

Time for Slashdot to take a stand... by Anonymous Coward · 2000-04-05 03:12 · Score: 4 · on MPAA Files Another Injunction Against 2600

The following is a list of all the mirrors from the 2600 site.

Some more ideas... by Ricochet · 2000-03-24 20:48 · Score: 1 · on The Home Of The Future

I've given a bit more thought to the "Home of the Future" and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of this stuff just isn't going to be in there. Such as the toilet (I hope that this company who intends to make this isn't the same company whose toilets caught fire :-) and 'frig with internet access. Now a frig with a virtual view of what's in the 'frig might be a good idea. Keeps me from open the 'frig and gawking. If I want to view the internet I would watch it on the best monitor in the house (or maybe my cell phone, ok maybe not). Now carring on a conversation with a computer about something I'm cooking could be useful (Hal, how much salt did I add the last time I made this....). And maybe some sensors in the bathroom which can determine that I'm taking a shower and the air is too humid. But I don't want a type of vision in the bathrooms. I can see it now, while at work at Big Bad Corp. (don't read anything into the initials I don't work for them) I get called down to security and reprimanded for have the Pot Roast and the glass of milk because it raised the time I spent in the bathrooms from 15 minutes/day to 25 minutes/day. And That I might want to have my colon inspected because it's getting a bit large.

It'll come down to economics, I can spend $500 (US) for a high quality toilet or $1000 (a guess) for a new fancy I-toilet. When the items get added up for the final bill and things need to get trimmed because I've gone with too much quality the I-toilet will be the first off the list. Of course the projection system and surreal sound system will have to stay and maybe even upgraded, after all I did trim the I-toilet off the list ;-).

I think it will come down to this, a lot of this stuff is resolving a problem that doesn't exist. It's a really neat idea but not much else going for it. Fads come and go. The stuff that will stay and work is something that we can set and forget.

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

My ideas... by Ricochet · 2000-03-24 11:31 · Score: 1 · on The Home Of The Future

Warning: I was tired when I wrote this so it may jump around and skip lots of details. For that I apologize.

I think we'll see home automation within the next 10 years. Despite one poster's assertation that no one can not afford a thermostat in every room (bi-metallic switches are cheap, small processors are becoming just as cheap).

Let's imagine my home, you walk through the front door and it appears to be a normal un-automated home. All the automation is unseen, no wires, no buttons, no mic's, no speakers. Lights go on when appropriate (depending on ambiant light) and go off when appropriate (you're no longer there). The home temperature, humidity and air flow are just right (this is rather kludgy in today's un-automated systems). The audio system works via voice or a remote. When you ask or select an item the appropriate devices go on. Choose the TV, then the TV goes on (maybe the surround sound system also), want to listen to CD's, fine, the TV will go off and the stereo stays on. The system will need to learn as it goes but should have some kind of initial programming with a simple to use interface (that's currently the voodoo). The system will know you are there (or out) and it won't need badges or pins. It will be able to select the correct settings for your bath/shower and it will be able not waste energy by heating the water all day waiting for someone to use the hot water.

Other things that can be automated, tracking of energy usage and monitoring various things. The kitchen stove should know when food is going to burn and avoid it, the 'frig should also know when things are going bad and warn about them. You'll have the system inventory items, order stock and bid for the best price (these last parts begin to make me nervous) and obviously security, physical as in intruder and fire, and as in predictive break down. Everything has to have a manual over ride and the system/owner/user has to have a way of checking authenticity.

The problem are many such as internet access but the technology will be available. The biggest problem I have is permitting automated systems to take full control. I really don't like that idea but there are something I want the automated systems to handle. Such as garden watering and fertilizing. But I don't want my home to order more milk without consulting me. I also find it very scary to have my whole home available via the net. I design networks for a living and know and understand most of the technology. My leariness towards this is because the potential for abuse is extremely high and I expect the real problems will be corporations and not hackers trying the gain control not of my home but of my buying power.

Currently there are a lot of problems that need to be resolved before such systems can be accepted. I just hope the hardware/software community can resolve them before the sales/marketing community can pitch them.

--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)

out of date by Anonymous Coward · 2000-03-18 02:09 · Score: 0 · on Bell Labs Achieves 3.28Tbps Over Fiber

@Work is busy advertising their 5GBps network while this company is coming out with one nearly 1000 times faster. Muhahaha.

Re: "how about an open-source version?" freepascal by Chrismo · 2000-03-09 21:01 · Score: 1 · on Is Linux Ready For Delphi? -- Delphi R&D Answers

Free Pascal. I wrote a cheesy command-line util in Delphi and ported it to Linux using the FPC.

PETRIFIED SITES by Anonymous Coward · 2000-03-07 07:15 · Score: 0 · on Diablo II Collector's Edition

The Hall of Statuary

The Medusa Realm

Statuephiles

Studs in Stone

Maki's House of Petrification

ASFR Master List

Mannequin Lover's

Kimy's House of Living Mannequins

The Flat Philes

The Living Mannequin Circle

Alt.sex.fetish.robots

The Cobalt Jade Website

The Mad Scientists's Lair

Pop's Transformation Art

In Praise of Golder Women

Golder Women Yahoo Club

Frozen Statue Yahoo Club

Slashdot Mirror

Domain: home.net

Comments · 134