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this ain't a dream (at least I hope not)

Why don't you have it on ThinkGeek yet? Still selling the old stale cappucino there.... Methinks the marketroids didn't plan this well, and instead are just annoying would-be-news-readers.

Oh yes, cmdrtaco and freinds, they are all fat lummoxes all trying to fit in to their Slashdot uniforms Yes, even with XXL they are too big.

This is the only tool I've needed in a long time... Cybertool 41. It even has interchangeable sockets on the screw driver including torx®. And the socket fits most videocard/printer cable locking nuts. Plus you get all the other good stuff that comes on a regular swiss army knife.

Here are some great uses:

1. socket screwdriver - case/card screws and sockets

2. knife - cardboard boxes / shrink wrap

3. pen - yup, that's right a pen to write down serial numbers, etc.

4. pliers - tighten/loosen bolts or fix bent pins

5. scissor - cut cable/ strip cable/ cut wire ties

6. tweasers - set dip switches, pickup screws in tight spots

7. etc... all the way to 41.

I use my knife at least 50 times perday. It has come in handy quite a bit

Time to stock up caffine from thinkgeek.com! Hey, if the hours get too bad you can bring Caffinated Soap for your on the job showers.

The above not endorsed by thinkgeek.com or the OSDN network, but they might like the extra sales.

You mean this T-shirt?

I just bought this Green Laser Pointer at Think Geek. Now I anxiously await the moment during which I can trump the unenlightened and their pitiful red lasers that can't be seen for nearly 2 miles like my superior green one. Thank you. You may mod me down now ^__^

Damn all you insensitive people with window offices. I work in the basement. I have noticed that the flat pannel monitor I use does a good job of cutting down on the glare from the florecent bulbs. Which brings me to my point. Roomer has it(according to the best buy salesman) that a flat screen TV cuts glare by 60-80%. I would imagine the same would hold true to a flatscreen monitor or flat pannel monitor.
I too have to work in a basement with only a sliver of a window to provide natural light. The only light I use in the room is an Eclipse Light. These things absolutely rock. They eliminate glare completely and light up the work area perfectly. And they look cool too (although the older ones were cool looking IMO).

For those, like myself, who find energy drinks a great way to stay awake until silly-o-clock in the morning, there are websites out there that are for us. Thinkgeek has a great selection of caffeinated and herbal products, from drinks to mints to chai a flavoring syrup called Skyrocket that contains 100 mg of caffeine per ounce!!!

As for drinks, their selection includes Red Bull, Bawls, 7 types of Jolt (including Jolt Espresso), and XTZ Tea (includes some herbal ingredients - very tasty), to name a few.

Reason I post this site is that their selection is nice, they have sampler packages, and they have all manner of goodies there that aren't food/drink-related. Also because I've spent a paycheck or two at that site.

Well, if I REALLY need to stay awake/alert, a nice 20 oz bottle of Jolt with some Sky Rocket caffeinated syrup (100 mg caffeine and 18 g of sugar per ounce... YOWZA!) in it does the trick nicely.

You have to be careful though. This combination will wire you hot enough to pitch a Chevy. The first time I tried it, I didn't really know how much to use, and I think I ended up putting like 6 ounces of Sky Rocket into the mix. I was so hyper, I actually had to resist the urge to go leapfrogging around the office over people's desk chairs at 9 am. You would be surprised at what seems like a good idea when seen through 700 mg of caffeine that is ingested in under 5 minutes.

Sometimes recommended serving sizes are there for a reason...


Mechanik

Soft drinks range from anywhere between 35 (Pepsi light) to 71 mg of caffeine per 12 oz. Also, most of them add sugar for an enhanced energy kick. Sugar highs are short-time, meaning you get power for only a few minutes, but with caffeine, which works long-term, that's quite okay. Except for getting fat, there are no real side effects. Depending on your constitution, age and weight, you'd need to drink between 4 and 8 litres of this stuff to get caffeine shock. (Please don't try this at home, kids, I know the feeling, and it's not good.)

Energy drinks, like Red Bull, XTC, etc. contain about 100mg caffeine per 8 oz, with additons such as guarana, ginseng or taurine. Because of the higher doses, it's generally not smart, though widespread, to mix those with alcohol. Remember, caffeine may enance the effects of any other drugs you consume.

Coffee, the allmighty coffee. From a low 65 mg in instant coffee to a nice 175 in drip per 8 oz, it is easy to get, tastes okay, and will give you heart and stomach diseases. 2 cans of strong drip coffee will make you shake like a boogie dancer.
I put tea in this category (yes, tea also containes a form of caffeine), strong black tea has 50-80mg per 8 oz, while iced tea and fruit tea range from nada to 15mg. Not quite the kick, but your digestive organs will be much more happy.

Tabs. The all time favorite would be NoDoz, with eiter 100mg in the standard or 200mg in the shiny "kill your brains" edition. Also, you can get various caffeine tablets at your local pharmacy, with different names, those will mostly contain 100mg per tab. Also, many painkillers use caffeine as an ingredience. Your doc will probably tell you that you should not consume more than 500mg of caffeine per day. Understand that 500mg may be enough for the non-coders and non-gamers out there. Real hax0r doods swallow half a gram for breakfast ;)

Speed. The common name for Amphetamines and Metaamphetamines, at least you can hope that they are inside the stuff. Usually snorted or swallowed, sometimes injected or smoked. Speed is avaiable from your friendly neighbourhood dealer(tm), ILLEGAL, and can be very dangerous to your health. One dose will keep you awake for 6 to 24 hours, in this time you will expirience a "brain high", and a lack of emotions. When getting stoned, you'll be dead tired, will sleep for a long time (12+ hours), and have a serious hangover afterwards. Physical addition is possible, but it's more likely that you'll take downers afterward to sleep, followed by more speed when you wake up, and the cycle is finished. May cause seizures, heart strokes, and other nasty things you want to avoid. Just say know.

Crack. Leave your hands of it. 'nuff said.

Well kids, that concludes today's lesson. The next time, you'll learn where /. posters get all the free time to write up useless postings like this one!

Links of interest :

caffeine content of food and drugs
Amount of caffeine in drinks
a salute to caffeine
thinkgeek : caffeine
amphetamine facts

What is Guarana?

Guarana (Paullina Cupana) is nut-like seed of a climbing vine that grows in the Amazon basin in Brazil just south of the equator. Guarana has been used for centuries by the indigenous people of this area as natural energy supplement and today over 25% of the soft drinks on the market in Brazil contain Guarana as a main ingredient.

The Guarana berry contains a naturally-occurring form of caffeine which is 2.5 times stronger than the caffeine found in coffee, tea, and soft drinks. In the United States Guarana holds a GRAS-status (Generally Regarded As Safe). However, as with any other form of caffeine, individuals with heart problems or high blood-pressure should use caution when consuming large quantities of Guarana. The recommended daily dose of caffeine is 35 mg., but keep in mind that most coffees and teas can contain anywhere from 2 to 5 times this amount. So BAWLS® Guarana, with its 80mg/12 oz.. is no more caffeine than a cup of coffee.

What is Guarana used for?

Guarana is used as a natural aid to increase performance. Be it physical or mental. Guarana is also said to help after strenuous exercise by cleansing the body of lactic acid buildup and thus bringing energy levels back to normal. Keep in mind that Guarana, as any caffeine, is a natural diuretic, and you should not drink Guarana in liquid form (such as BAWLS® Guarana) as a substitute for water, but rather as a pre- or post-work out supplement.

For most people, a lethal dose is somewhere in the range of 3 to 4 grams. A 250 mL can of Red Bull contains 100 mg; likewise for an average cup of coffee. Even espresso rarely breaks 200 mg per serving. Unless you go for Sky Rocket, it'll take a bit of effort to overdose on Caffeine.

I hate to ask this, but why is the vanilla coke considered an energy drink? It's coke with vanilla flavor. Now before we get into bashing things, let it be known that I have a case of vanilla coke sitting next to me here at work. When people talk about "energy drinks", I think bawls, red-bull, adreneline and things of that nature. The drinks sooo potent they'll keep you up for a few good weeks. Maybe I'm just missing something here. Personaly, If I have to stay awake, I'd avoid all of these and go right for the Coffee

I hate to ask this, but why is the vanilla coke considered an energy drink? It's coke with vanilla flavor. Now before we get into bashing things, let it be known that I have a case of vanilla coke sitting next to me here at work. When people talk about "energy drinks", I think bawls, red-bull, adreneline and things of that nature. The drinks sooo potent they'll keep you up for a few good weeks. Maybe I'm just missing something here. Personaly, If I have to stay awake, I'd avoid all of these and go right for the Coffee

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.

And to think, I laughed at Caffeinated Soap the first time I saw it...

The advertising model COULD have been made to work. Perhaps it would never work quite as well as some had hoped for, but I do believe it can work better than some are now claiming.

One of the ways it failed is due to an expectation that wasn't realistic. Unlike other forms of advertising, such as radio spots, TV commercials, and blocks or pages in a newspaper or magazine, the web/internet came with technology that could gauge a response when people clicked on the ads. The reason this fails is because too many people just don't click on the ads. Now I have clicked on a few, even here on Slashdot, but that was only when it was a combination of something I was really intersted in, and I happened to be bored at the time. When I'm not bored, I have goals, such as reading the interesting article. I still see the ads, but I move on.

The brightest green laser pointer around is now at ThinkGeek.

The correct way to do advertising on the web, and the way it will work, is to expect them to work the same way they work in other media ... make impressions. Banner ads, and even the hated big box ads can have that effect. And small text ads can have that effect, too. But what the ads writers/creators have to do is make the ads impressionable. The ones that say "Click here for the best home mortgages" don't do any good to create a brand impression. Instead it should give the mortgage company name along with words that say what is being offered, e.g. lower rates, loans to those with poor credit, no down payment loans, or whatever. Don't depend on people to click through today, but make sure they know your name so they will seek you out when they are in the need for your product or service.

integrate. collaborate. accelerate. SourceForge 3.1, from VA Software.

Because advertising and marketing executives were so interested in this new technology to allow them to track click throughs, they forgot about what makes advertising work in the first place, which is a combination of simple information and brand recognition. Making them obtrusive may have some negative impact, but when advertising is done on the old tradition impression basis (which is still going to work because the audience is still the same species that it has worked on before), even small text blocks used to separate sections or stories can have as good an impression as that big annoying box, and work out as a better compromise between an advertiser seeking more returns for a smaller investment, and a publisher seeking larger revenues while retaining and growing an audience to deliver to that advertiser.

Smart mass putty. Bounce, stretch, contort, relieve stress. At ThinkGeek.

The advertising model COULD have been made to work. Perhaps it would never work quite as well as some had hoped for, but I do believe it can work better than some are now claiming.

One of the ways it failed is due to an expectation that wasn't realistic. Unlike other forms of advertising, such as radio spots, TV commercials, and blocks or pages in a newspaper or magazine, the web/internet came with technology that could gauge a response when people clicked on the ads. The reason this fails is because too many people just don't click on the ads. Now I have clicked on a few, even here on Slashdot, but that was only when it was a combination of something I was really intersted in, and I happened to be bored at the time. When I'm not bored, I have goals, such as reading the interesting article. I still see the ads, but I move on.

The brightest green laser pointer around is now at ThinkGeek.

The correct way to do advertising on the web, and the way it will work, is to expect them to work the same way they work in other media ... make impressions. Banner ads, and even the hated big box ads can have that effect. And small text ads can have that effect, too. But what the ads writers/creators have to do is make the ads impressionable. The ones that say "Click here for the best home mortgages" don't do any good to create a brand impression. Instead it should give the mortgage company name along with words that say what is being offered, e.g. lower rates, loans to those with poor credit, no down payment loans, or whatever. Don't depend on people to click through today, but make sure they know your name so they will seek you out when they are in the need for your product or service.

integrate. collaborate. accelerate. SourceForge 3.1, from VA Software.

Because advertising and marketing executives were so interested in this new technology to allow them to track click throughs, they forgot about what makes advertising work in the first place, which is a combination of simple information and brand recognition. Making them obtrusive may have some negative impact, but when advertising is done on the old tradition impression basis (which is still going to work because the audience is still the same species that it has worked on before), even small text blocks used to separate sections or stories can have as good an impression as that big annoying box, and work out as a better compromise between an advertiser seeking more returns for a smaller investment, and a publisher seeking larger revenues while retaining and growing an audience to deliver to that advertiser.

Smart mass putty. Bounce, stretch, contort, relieve stress. At ThinkGeek.

The advertising model COULD have been made to work. Perhaps it would never work quite as well as some had hoped for, but I do believe it can work better than some are now claiming.

One of the ways it failed is due to an expectation that wasn't realistic. Unlike other forms of advertising, such as radio spots, TV commercials, and blocks or pages in a newspaper or magazine, the web/internet came with technology that could gauge a response when people clicked on the ads. The reason this fails is because too many people just don't click on the ads. Now I have clicked on a few, even here on Slashdot, but that was only when it was a combination of something I was really intersted in, and I happened to be bored at the time. When I'm not bored, I have goals, such as reading the interesting article. I still see the ads, but I move on.

The brightest green laser pointer around is now at ThinkGeek.

The correct way to do advertising on the web, and the way it will work, is to expect them to work the same way they work in other media ... make impressions. Banner ads, and even the hated big box ads can have that effect. And small text ads can have that effect, too. But what the ads writers/creators have to do is make the ads impressionable. The ones that say "Click here for the best home mortgages" don't do any good to create a brand impression. Instead it should give the mortgage company name along with words that say what is being offered, e.g. lower rates, loans to those with poor credit, no down payment loans, or whatever. Don't depend on people to click through today, but make sure they know your name so they will seek you out when they are in the need for your product or service.

integrate. collaborate. accelerate. SourceForge 3.1, from VA Software.

Because advertising and marketing executives were so interested in this new technology to allow them to track click throughs, they forgot about what makes advertising work in the first place, which is a combination of simple information and brand recognition. Making them obtrusive may have some negative impact, but when advertising is done on the old tradition impression basis (which is still going to work because the audience is still the same species that it has worked on before), even small text blocks used to separate sections or stories can have as good an impression as that big annoying box, and work out as a better compromise between an advertiser seeking more returns for a smaller investment, and a publisher seeking larger revenues while retaining and growing an audience to deliver to that advertiser.

Smart mass putty. Bounce, stretch, contort, relieve stress. At ThinkGeek.

The advertising model COULD have been made to work. Perhaps it would never work quite as well as some had hoped for, but I do believe it can work better than some are now claiming.

One of the ways it failed is due to an expectation that wasn't realistic. Unlike other forms of advertising, such as radio spots, TV commercials, and blocks or pages in a newspaper or magazine, the web/internet came with technology that could gauge a response when people clicked on the ads. The reason this fails is because too many people just don't click on the ads. Now I have clicked on a few, even here on Slashdot, but that was only when it was a combination of something I was really intersted in, and I happened to be bored at the time. When I'm not bored, I have goals, such as reading the interesting article. I still see the ads, but I move on.

The brightest green laser pointer around is now at ThinkGeek.

The correct way to do advertising on the web, and the way it will work, is to expect them to work the same way they work in other media ... make impressions. Banner ads, and even the hated big box ads can have that effect. And small text ads can have that effect, too. But what the ads writers/creators have to do is make the ads impressionable. The ones that say "Click here for the best home mortgages" don't do any good to create a brand impression. Instead it should give the mortgage company name along with words that say what is being offered, e.g. lower rates, loans to those with poor credit, no down payment loans, or whatever. Don't depend on people to click through today, but make sure they know your name so they will seek you out when they are in the need for your product or service.

integrate. collaborate. accelerate. SourceForge 3.1, from VA Software.

Because advertising and marketing executives were so interested in this new technology to allow them to track click throughs, they forgot about what makes advertising work in the first place, which is a combination of simple information and brand recognition. Making them obtrusive may have some negative impact, but when advertising is done on the old tradition impression basis (which is still going to work because the audience is still the same species that it has worked on before), even small text blocks used to separate sections or stories can have as good an impression as that big annoying box, and work out as a better compromise between an advertiser seeking more returns for a smaller investment, and a publisher seeking larger revenues while retaining and growing an audience to deliver to that advertiser.

Smart mass putty. Bounce, stretch, contort, relieve stress. At ThinkGeek.

From: patl@athena.mit.edu (Patrick J. LoPresti)
Subject: The True Path (long)
Date: 11 Jul 91 03:17:31 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs,alt.slack

When I log into my Xenix system with my 110 baud teletype, both vi *and* Emacs are just too damn slow. They print useless messages like, 'C-h for help' and '"foo" File is read only'. So I use the editor that doesn't waste my VALUABLE time.

Ed, man! !man ed

ED(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual ED(1)

NAME
ed - text editor

SYNOPSIS
ed [ - ] [ -x ] [ name ]
DESCRIPTION
Ed is the standard text editor.
---

Computer Scientists love ed, not just because it comes first alphabetically, but because it's the standard. Everyone else loves ed because it's ED! "Ed is the standard text editor." And ed doesn't waste space on my Timex Sinclair. Just look:

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root 24 Oct 29 1929 /bin/ed
-rwxr-xr-t 4 root 1310720 Jan 1 1970 /usr/ucb/vi
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root 5.89824e37 Oct 22 1990 /usr/bin/emacs

Of course, on the system *I* administrate, vi is symlinked to ed. Emacs has been replaced by a shell script which 1) Generates a syslog message at level LOG_EMERG; 2) reduces the user's disk quota by 100K; and 3) RUNS ED!!!!!!

"Ed is the standard text editor." Let's look at a typical novice's session with the mighty ed:

golem$ ed

?
help
?
?
?
quit
?
exit
?
bye
?
hell o?
?
eat flaming death
?
^C
?
^C
?
^D
?

---
Note the consistent user interface and error reportage. Ed is generous enough to flag errors, yet prudent enough not to overwhelm the novice with verbosity. "Ed is the standard text editor." Ed, the greatest WYGIWYG editor of all.

ED IS THE TRUE PATH TO NIRVANA! ED HAS BEEN THE CHOICE OF EDUCATED AND IGNORANT ALIKE FOR CENTURIES! ED WILL NOT CORRUPT YOUR PRECIOUS
BODILY FLUIDS!! ED IS THE STANDARD TEXT EDITOR! ED MAKES THE SUN SHINE AND THE BIRDS SING AND THE GRASS GREEN!!

When I use an editor, I don't want eight extra KILOBYTES of worthless help screens and cursor positioning code! I just want an EDitor!!
Not a "viitor". Not a "emacsitor". Those aren't even WORDS!!!! ED! ED! ED IS THE STANDARD!!! TEXT EDITOR.

When IBM, in its ever-present omnipotence, needed to base their "edlin" on a UNIX standard, did they mimic vi? No. Emacs? Surely you jest. They chose the most karmic editor of all. The standard.

Ed is for those who can *remember* what they are working on. If you are an idiot, you should use Emacs. If you are an Emacs, you should not be vi. If you use ED, you are on THE PATH TO REDEMPTION. THE SO-CALLED "VISUAL" EDITORS HAVE BEEN PLACED HERE BY ED TO TEMPT THE FAITHLESS. DO NOT GIVE IN!!! THE MIGHTY ED HAS SPOKEN!!!

"My system" is technical purity incarnate and the embodiment of all that is good in the universe. "Your system" is a loose collection of hacks done by experimental gerbil subjects on amphetamines. Remember those two constants in any debate of this nature and much of what gets said will come into the proper perspective. -- John Hubbard, in c.o.l.m

Maybe we can just replace the human Board with a little script that trundles the web automatically..

They have.

Something feels wrong when I'm seeing posts on /. trying to stop kids from playing video games and encouraging them to go out drinking.

Ok, so let me get this straight. Instead of building up important hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and problem-solving skills, he should instead kill off as many brain cells as possible in order to be socially acceptable to jock-like peers. Well we all know how being socially accepted and having everyone like you while you puke in the back of a VW is important, so I guess you're sorta right...

GAME ON!

BTW, if you're trying to carry a flat screen LCD for use with a computer during a weekend event, essentially any plain ol' brown box will work as long as you don't step on and/or puncture it. (previous experience). Also you should check out that neat mini-pc that's the size of a cdrom drive at think geek

ThinkGeek carries a CRT carrier, and I have seen one made for LCDs with nice neoprene padding around, particularly in the june issue of "Computer Shopper"

Stay home and get yourself One o' these systems from thinkgeek.
Realistically, go w/ the Rio 600.

Which is when Dell introduce windows on all their pcs. That would be kinda cool.

Buy current hardware while it's still available! Get the DVD-R drive, even if it is expensive, and the PVR Card, even if you don't think you need it now.

--
Internet users are all potential outlaws. Everyone told me it was important to live up to my potential.

or... you could buy rounded cables. Guarantee it'll cost less :)

The system, with woofer, midrange, and tweeter harddisks, lying on my favourite stolen cafeteria tray:

Ha! I can make the same quality sound using ONLY the cafeteria tray! Just use my Magic Wand!

I got one of those Electra Lamps from ThinkGeek and ran a metal slinky over the top of the tube. When turned on, electricity would arc about half an inch from the slinky. Great for burning french fries, CDs, business cards, sales guys, etc.

this is a very geek unfriendly story. i myself need the drug-like crutch of a gallon of sugary soda to keep my mental juices flowing while i program every day, all day. i have a feeling i am not alone.

sure, the sugar spike of modern soft drinks is completely unnatural for a human body evolved to deal with the slow rise and fall of digesting complex carbohydrates, but so what? and no, i won't become a diabetic because i run every day too. calories in, calories out. and yes, as i admitted, it's a drug-like crutch, but in the larger scheme of things, i can forgive myself my dependence upon sugar to get me through the day. surely there are greater addictions and crimes out there we can all worry about, no? (yes, i am aware the micromanaging moralizers amongst us have something to say here, but we don't care, k?)

programming may not be as calorie-intensive a process as say, the iron man competition, but the brain still eats calories. and is there a single programmer out there who doesn't appreciate the idea of getting into a mental zone and getting their most productive efforts out of that zone? do most of us prop up that zone with comfort-producing stimuli? music, furniture, toys, lighting, etc... but sweets and stimulants top the list. just go visit thinkgeek if you don't believe me and see what kind of stuff they hawk over there. if you've ever drank coca cola while at the keyboard, you have to admit the bonus it produces. what greater comfort-producing aid can there be than something that gives the brain what it naturally craves?

keep the brain sutffed with oxygen and glucose and it will reward you with good code! don't let the guilt-mongers get at you, fellow programmers, enjoy your code red big gulp, and have one every day. (just make sure you exercise too... don't become another stupid fat american. ;-)

It's interesting that the Crazy Aaron thinking putty has the same pictures on their site of how to tear it as Thinkgeek does. It's $12.00 at Thinkgeek and $7 at Crazy Aaron's.

Ya know, Daniel, after 10 seconds of watching your computer virus scanner banner and a blank page, I kinda lost interest and wandered on over to Think Geek and induldged in their cube goodies. I tell ya though, you almost got me with the fitness pop-up It was close... Think Geek or Scrub site... Think Geek or Scrub site... Choices, choices.

Hey that depends on what time zone your in, ehh! For me it was posted at about 10pm, so I'm full up with caffeine ready to do about 5 hours of University assignments. So I think I'm triping out at the moment, ooh look at the pretty colours. Geez my hand is twitching so much I can hardly type. Getting back on topic (sorry), it is certainly an interesting bit of coding. It would be pretty cool as a screen saver (preferably using OpenGL or god forbid DX) for a bit more performance. Do you think they'll GPL the source?

I can't stop shaking. I just gulped down 2 cups of cold dark coffee. I just sold my 486 dx4 file server on eBay. It isn't the Cappacino computer that has me shaken... It's just...the DEC Alpha 21364 ev8 is the last design of my favorite platform. Why in Christ's holy name can't the Alpha platform go out in a bang integrated in somthing like this "cappacion" computer? why? oh why? i don't want to live. That cappacino computer is all my dreams except a 3dlabs wildcat. Why can't the manufacturers just build one freaking nice system like think geek's cappacino?

i don't want to live.

I can't stop shaking. I just gulped down 2 cups of cold dark coffee. I just sold my 486 dx4 file server on eBay. It isn't the Cappacino computer that has me shaken... It's just...the DEC Alpha 21364 ev8 is the last design of my favorite platform. Why in Christ's holy name can't the Alpha platform go out in a bang integrated in somthing like this "cappacion" computer? why? oh why? i don't want to live. That cappacino computer is all my dreams except a 3dlabs wildcat. Why can't the manufacturers just build one freaking nice system like think geek's cappacino?

i don't want to live.

I can't stop shaking. I just gulped down 2 cups of cold dark coffee. I just sold my 486 dx4 file server on eBay. It isn't the Cappacino computer that has me shaken... It's just...the DEC Alpha 21364 ev8 is the last design of my favorite platform. Why in Christ's holy name can't the Alpha platform go out in a bang integrated in somthing like this "cappacion" computer? why? oh why? i don't want to live. That cappacino computer is all my dreams except a 3dlabs wildcat. Why can't the manufacturers just build one freaking nice system like think geek's cappacino?

i don't want to live.

I think you should put a Cappuccino mini-PC inside of a nice small refridgerator that runs on 12v, and drill a hole through the side and run the cables through, and then seal the opening with some expanding foam or something.

You would want to use some sort of external CD-Rom/DVD drive rather than the internal one, though, that you could replace when the salt water eats it. And of course seal your keyboard in a plastic bag or something to keep the salt water out.

I just returned from the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco, CA to Kaneohe, HI and was in charge of the computers. We carried two laptops primarily as backup and to use with the Iridium phone but the main computer was a Capuccino from Think Geek.

We mounted a Tote Vision monitor on an adjustable arm at the nav station and controlled it with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. The Tote also includes a TV receiver so you can eliminate one other piece of equipment.

For our use we needed more serial ports so we got a USB-serial converter box which gave us a total of one on the PC plus 4 external. For the race we collected HF weatherfax using mScan meteo software. The software controlled an ICOM PCR-1000 general coverage receiver via. the serial port and used the internal sound card to receive the weatherfax data.

Another serial port was dedicated to the B&G tactician software to B&G instrument connection.

The next port provided NMEA GPS input to the Nobletec navigation program and another provided general NMEA instrument data to Nobletec (the Nobletec software can display maps as well as a console with wind info, boat speed, heading, water temperature and whatever else your instruments collect).

Finally, another port sent NMEA navigation info back from Nobletec to the onboard instruments for display to the driver (range/bearing to waypoint, cross track error, etc.)

The whole thing worked great (we won our division!).

The advice is somewhat obvious - keep the computer dry. We mounted the PC and Icom behind the breaker panel as electrical areas are generally pretty dry on a boat. The whole thing runs on 12v so we didn't need to run the ship's inverter. (Capuccino uses a 12v-18v adapter, Tote is 12v native. The Canon printer is 13.6v and worked great only when the batteries were fully charged).

Heat build-up is a problem on hot days or in the tropics so we added a fan to pull air through the instrument/electrical compartments. This solved our heat-related crashes.

Access to the computer requred twisting two screw latches so it was pretty easy but not convenient if you need to access the CD a lot. It's likely that you could find a spot near your nav table to mount the mini-PC where you could access the disk easily.

I know many people who live and work on their boats. Most use laptops but one uses regular PCs with a huge LCD monitor. None have really had any trouble but they don't leave the computers where they are exposed to the elements. Usually a boat that is large enough to live on has some dry areas.

As to the other question, you need industrial electronic enclosures. I don't recall which companies make them but my former roommate worked on systems that were used in food packing and they used standard enclosures designed to withstand the 180 degree 1000psi pressure wash that they used to clean the processing equipment. Google??

I just returned from the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco, CA to Kaneohe, HI and was in charge of the computers. We carried two laptops primarily as backup and to use with the Iridium phone but the main computer was a Capuccino from Think Geek.

We mounted a Tote Vision monitor on an adjustable arm at the nav station and controlled it with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. The Tote also includes a TV receiver so you can eliminate one other piece of equipment.

For our use we needed more serial ports so we got a USB-serial converter box which gave us a total of one on the PC plus 4 external. For the race we collected HF weatherfax using mScan meteo software. The software controlled an ICOM PCR-1000 general coverage receiver via. the serial port and used the internal sound card to receive the weatherfax data.

Another serial port was dedicated to the B&G tactician software to B&G instrument connection.

The next port provided NMEA GPS input to the Nobletec navigation program and another provided general NMEA instrument data to Nobletec (the Nobletec software can display maps as well as a console with wind info, boat speed, heading, water temperature and whatever else your instruments collect).

Finally, another port sent NMEA navigation info back from Nobletec to the onboard instruments for display to the driver (range/bearing to waypoint, cross track error, etc.)

The whole thing worked great (we won our division!).

The advice is somewhat obvious - keep the computer dry. We mounted the PC and Icom behind the breaker panel as electrical areas are generally pretty dry on a boat. The whole thing runs on 12v so we didn't need to run the ship's inverter. (Capuccino uses a 12v-18v adapter, Tote is 12v native. The Canon printer is 13.6v and worked great only when the batteries were fully charged).

Heat build-up is a problem on hot days or in the tropics so we added a fan to pull air through the instrument/electrical compartments. This solved our heat-related crashes.

Access to the computer requred twisting two screw latches so it was pretty easy but not convenient if you need to access the CD a lot. It's likely that you could find a spot near your nav table to mount the mini-PC where you could access the disk easily.

I know many people who live and work on their boats. Most use laptops but one uses regular PCs with a huge LCD monitor. None have really had any trouble but they don't leave the computers where they are exposed to the elements. Usually a boat that is large enough to live on has some dry areas.

As to the other question, you need industrial electronic enclosures. I don't recall which companies make them but my former roommate worked on systems that were used in food packing and they used standard enclosures designed to withstand the 180 degree 1000psi pressure wash that they used to clean the processing equipment. Google??

Yes.

Mod Me up Taco!! im doing advertising for your boss.

Incidentally I don't fear for my 4096/1024 bit ElGamal/DSA gpg key in the near future. I am confident that installing a keyboard sniffer without me noticing is far easier than breaking that key.

I concur. I find this device far more threatening than any cluster of machines at the NSA.