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Anyway, cool experiments using a microwave oven, of course, include the grape experiment (leading to ball lightning, preferably), and the actual microwaved ball lightning experiments.

Also be sure to check out some of these other ones. I especially like the soap.

Be sure that you can defend yourself against the parents, though, as they will likely not be very pleased, and will want to rip your lungs out, or some such mischief.

Have a ball (lightning).

Doh! I did'nt include a cool link in the above post... A great site with videos of most of the reactions is available at http://members.tripod.com/~hochwald/microwave/micr o.html And what ever you do, try these out first (some experiments can actually cause explosions or fumes) Probably outside experiments are the best, possibly even destroying the light in the microwave and doing them at night (should put on a good show) Of course the damage done to the magnetio is definately a factor, so be sure to have a spare handy, but with the price of microwaves (used) at around 20 bux, that should'nt be a big problem.

http://members.tripod.com/~oldboard/assembly/hayes _modem_info.html


|7|6|5|4|3|2|1|0| S13 power up async data format
| | | | | | | `---- unused
| | | | | | `----- result code, 0=basic, 1=extended
| | | | | `------ parity, 0=disabled, 1=enabled
| | | | `------- parity, 0=odd ,1=even
| | | `-------- data bits, 0=7 bits, 1=8 bits
| | `--------- undefined
| `---------- buffer ovfw flag, 0=disabled,1=enabled
`----------- 8th bit, 0=space,1=mark (8 bit only)


Mileage may vary with non Hayes 1200 baud modems.

Cheers,

Mzilikazi

Hands Across America was an early trial for this technology. It was determined that fiber optics would be more cost effective for long haul data transmission.

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"Dude! That machine looks like it could do 2 gigahertz, easy!"

"No no... kilohertz..."

"Whoa..."

(source, since I don't know much about Univacs. 1905 instructions per second...)

Goodwin's Law.

The IBM PS/2 Model E was launched in 1993 as the 'green PC'. It has an LCD display which powers down when the machine isn't in use - amazingly, this was done by having passthrough connectors for keyboard and mouse hanging off the monitor, so it would know when there was user activity. The machine also supports the VESA power saving standard and its 2.5inch hard disk spins down when not in use. The PSU is a teeny 25 watts and there are no fans anywhere.

The single ISA slot is taken up with a PCMCIA adaptor, you can insert two PCMCIA cards in the front and two in the back. In fact the machine is really a laptop in a desktop case, but it makes a very cute (and very quiet) general purpose PC. The 486SLC2 processor won't win any performance awards, but with the onboard XGA-2 graphics hardware it's snappy enough. The machine can happily run Linux or NT, although limited by a maximum 16 megs memory.

And I don't think that IBM's effort was the first attempt at an energy-saving microcomputer, although it might have been the first hyped as 'green'. (The PS/2 E's case has a green stripe round the outside.)

There are so very many people who want a Mac exactly like that it makes my heart ache. Apple is missing out on a lot of unit sales.

Ditto. I remember first finding Chips and Dips when I followed a link from some applets site, since I was looking for a nice mixer type app for my Afterstep desktop.

I don't remember how long I waited to register after the account system was put into place, but it couldn't have been more than a day. I wasn't really thrilled about it at first, but I suppose even back then there were so many posters that things were getting out of hand without some kind of moderation in place.

Oh well. The ironic thing is that these days, I'm back to posting and reading UseNet far more than I ever do here.

Still, happy birthday.

Personally, I think of Kabbalah and numerology, but I guess I'm just weird for reading meaning into random numbers, aren't I?

There is a lot of software for the Ten-Tec RX320 computer-controlled HF receiver. Ten-Tec openly publishes the commands needed to control the receiver, which is controlled by a 9600bps serial connection, and even some example source code. My favorite software is by Gerd Niephaus. It isn't flashy, but it sure is functional. And this radio is darned good, too.

I think most of the shuttle traffic is done up around the 1.2Ghz now these days. But all over the USA mission control re-broadcast on the amateur frequencies. Some shortwave is use during launch and landing.

Is it just me, or does this guy pop into your head whenever the LaGrande technology is mentioned?

Better whip out that voodoo doll..

http://members.tripod.com/adam_r_drake/images/sell out.gif

Oh, and since Slashcode is tossing in a space, you need to remove it.

...looks like game companies aren't all that Microsoft has been able to buy.

For anyone joining us late in the broadcast!

The Southern Policy Law Center helps victims of hate crimes (such as the relatives of blacks brutally tortured and murdered by Neo-Nazi and "Aryan" groups) obtain legal representation.

The SPLC sponsors the Intelligence Report, which monitors the activities of violent hate groups - most of which are religious and/or racist. They also run the Teaching Tolerance project, which supplies school teaching materials to help fight entrenched racism through peaceful means.

The previous poster (who likes to post numbers that attempt to contradict the generally accepted view that fiscal irresponsibility was the hallmark of US President Reagan's administration) has characterized the SPLC as a "hate group" promoting "hatred of the rich" - which is, apparently, "politically correct".

Many (if not most) of the SPLC's contributors and lawyers are quite rich; especially when compared to the people the SPLC is typically trying to help.

So the only question in my mind is - Moron or Nazi?

I'm thinking Moron.

He didn't even build a good case, as far as can be told by that article. Maybe a good looking case, but if he didn't design the cabinet using simulation software, it's very unlikely that it's a good sounding case.

In case you're thinking of a similar project, a good page with all kinds of information and links for designing and building your own subwoofers that actually sound good is here.

Here is a page of freeware loudspeaker design software and links to more. And another such page of speaker design software is here.

While government and corporations working together against consumers is HIGHLY undesirable, it's not like they are GASSING us

Well, OK here's a quote from this article, my attempt to stick a crowbar between your eyelids and prise them open just a little so you see a glimpse of the *real* world.

Testimony from Nicaragua highlighted how "development," foreign investment and the debt have been used as tools by the North to control and exploit Southern nations, their natural resources, and their workforce. In addition, the jury heard that between 1980 and 1988 the US, despite international rulings against such interference, financially propped up the illegal Contra forces and engaged in "low-intensity warfare" by providing them with more than $100 million dollars, thereby contributing to an extensive armed conflict that cost over 50,000 lives and inflicted a high ecological cost. In 1983 oil deposits in Benjamin Zeledon Port were bombed creating huge contamination areas. Moreover Contra forces placed 81, 626 anti-personal mines between 1982 and1989, creating not only a huge danger to local communities but also inhibiting potential local agricultural production.

Testimony from Angola noted that Angola is a resource-rich country being a producer of oil, diamonds and minerals. Alongside this wealth, the country has suffered four wars in the last 40 years, with the last war creating an unprecedented military debt which was illegally financed by governments and multinationals. Today 60 percent of the country's budget goes to service the debt and keep the war machine functioning. Ironically, the G8 countries sold weapons to both sides in the conflict, all the while imposing adjustment policies which left the Angolan people to bear the brunt of both military and economic warfare. The testimony concluded by lamenting that Angola is now considered the worst country for a child to be born in. In the capital city, every 100 metres you'll find a child on the street who is either orphaned or mutilated by one of the landmines financed by the very same countries which house the major creditor institutions.

Illegitimacy of Debt based on the Nature of Contracting Parties, Processes, Terms and Usage Three sub-categories of illegitimate debt were introduced: debt amassed through fraudulent means and operations such as embezzlement; odious debts; and the illegitimacy of usurious interest rates.

Fraud
Debt incurred through fraud, including fraudulent operations and terms between transnational banks and Southern elites whereby some entrepreneurs or speculators contracted loans and deposited the money in external banks instead of investing in their own countries. Other loans simply disappeared or could not be accounted for. Many times 'private' loans wound up being converted into public loans, placing an unjust burden on the people of the South.

Odious Debts
The legal doctrine of odious debts as part of international law, is understood to be debts contracted for illegitimate purposes by illegitimate parties. This debt becomes odious for the entire population, it is not an obligation of the state, but rather "a regime's debt, a personal debt of the power that has incurred it, consequently it falls with the fall of this power." (Adams, Patricia: 1991) International Financial Institutions (IFIs), transnational banks and Northern governments knowingly provided support for military dictators by propping them up financially and through loose lending restrictions. For example, under the International Convention on the Repression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, and the UN General Assembly adopted sanctions against the regime and yet, in flagrant violation of these mechanisms, the World Bank and the IMF continued to lend money to the South African regime.

As a result, the people of South Africa are being revictimized by apartheid as they are forced to bear the apartheid regime's unlawful debt. M.P. Giyose of South Africa asserted that, "No foreign loan granted to South Africa during the apartheid years could have been legitimate because the apartheid state was itself illegitimate; and any attempt to claim ignorance of this fact would not be credible. This single circumstance means that no lender would have a valid claim against democratic South Africa for any loans outstanding from the apartheid years."

Usury The charge of usury and usurious interest rates was introduced as a source of illegitimate debt. The interest payments charged on much of the Southern debt are much higher than normal levels which has led to continuous increases of external debt rather than decreases. In addition, excessive and disproportionate commissions and costs were charged. Between 1985 and 1989 the real long term interest rate in six Northern countries was on average 4.35% compared to the average real rate of interest paid on the external debt by 6 Southern countries which was 16.8% (UNDP 1992)

Evidence from Testimony: Testimony from Nigeria that had little or no external debt prior to the mid-eighties, attested to how the debt problem was aggravated by mismanagement and wide-scale corruption. Before the military took over power in 1983, Nigeria's external debt was $8.93 billion dollars. By 1985 it had risen dramatically to $19.55 billion and by 1995 to $34.1 billion dollars. The testimony carefully details close to 30 different loans and projects that cannot be accounted for such as: the "Arochukwu-Ohafia Water Scheme, Warri Farm Project" and the "Kaduna bus project" where state officials claim no knowledge of the loan

Shell has blood on its name in Nigeria. Shell has a drilling operation in Nigeria, and half of the oil produced in Nigeria is produced by Shell. Oil makes up 80% of the government revenue and 90% of Nigeria's exports, so the country is very economically dependent on Shell. For years, the Ogoni people who worked for Shell and lived near the land being drilled witnessed their land and communities being polluted by levels of toxins 700 times higher than emissions allowed in Europe and dealing with Shell-hired Nigerian military forces that prevented them from protesting the exploitation (Shell has officially admitted to this, even!). In the early nineties, the Ogoni people rebelled led by Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 other Ogoni leaders and succeeded in driving Shell off of 404 square miles of their homeland (power to the people!). However, about 3,000 Ogoni people died and 30,000 were internally displaced in this struggle (estimate from the World Council of Churches), all because of Shell. However, in 1994 the leaders were arrested and in late 1995, after a trial that was considered by many to be a farce, were hanged. Since then the struggle has died out as Shell and the Nigerian military are together keeping strict tabs over the people and the area in order to prevent further uprising and continue with oil operations. This has resulted in fatal military raids on communities, resulting in the death of innocent Ogoni people. Nigeria is run by a military dictator who generally squanders the profits from oil and uses it to fund his military to continue to persecute the Nigerian people. Shell has still not changed their policies in Nigeria despite worldwide protest.

As if Nigeria wasn't enough, Shell is also exploring drilling sites in Peru and Colombia in remote areas inhabited only by the native people of these nations. Finding themselves helpless next to the corporate power of Shell, the people are witnessing their land and way of life being destroyed by the rapid construction of oil drilling sites. Shell obviously does not care for the welfare of the people and their land in its oil endeavors and as Nigeria shows there's no limit to how far they'll take it in order to make profit! So, boycott Shell! For more information, check out CorpWatch, which keeps a keen eye on all shady corporate activity, at www.corpwatch.org and Project Underground, a site dedicated to exposing the exploitation of oil companies and protecting communities from it, at www.moles.org.

That's nothing special is it?
You can buy your own plans for tubes or boxes all over the place.

A subwoofer is the actual speaker which he just popped into place right?

You can even download software to help you download dimensions:
subwoofer enclosure software

I knew open source peeps were all punks. See, Plan 9 is a punk band!

TiVo+DirecTV combination, which is what put it over the top for me

Unfortunately you can't get a lifetime subscription for a DirecTiVo, which means paying whatever the current monthly fee is forever (and that fee can go up).

We have two TiVo's, both with lifetime subs. One has already paid for itself, the other will do so within a few months.

I may finally be able to get DirecTV, since I think that the tree that was blocking my view of the satellite fell on my house last weekend (hint - this is not a good way to get DirecTV), but I'm not real interested in DirecTiVo's because of the ongoing cost.

Also a tiny bit like QNX (see "Launch" menu)

Monkeys with four asses
Woman with two asses
And, finally,
God with two asses

Anyway, there was a page about emoticons, listing a bunch of variations on the smiley. It's quite amusing. I was going to put them all here, but the lameness filter isn't letting me, so I'll just post a few highlights to whet your appetite and look for a link (here's one; click Internet in the left frame then search the right frame for "smiley"):

:-)~ I'm drooling.
:-)-8 I have big breasts.
:*) I'm drunk.
%-) I'm dizzy from staring at the screen too long.
|-O I'm yawning.
|^O I'm snoring.
[:-) I'm wearing a Walkman.
{:-) I wear a toupee,
}:-) but the wind is blowing it off.
[:] I'm a robot.
}:-> I'm being devilish,
>;-> and lewdly winking.
E-:-) I'm a ham radio operator.
C=:-) I'm a chef.
=|:-)= I'm Uncle Sam.

Of course, we all know that the Moon landing was a fake! Just ask Buzz Aldrin, he'll set you straight (though he might also break your nose).

--Jim

Will the stolen moon rock madness ever end?

In a related note, did anyone else see the story about Buzz Aldrin punching that flat-earther in the nose? Oh, sorry, my mistake. He wasn't a flat-earther, he was one of those nuts who say that the Moon landing was faked. Seems this clown approached Buzz in public and asked him to swear on a Bible that he walked on the moon. Buzz put up with him briefly, then popped in the snout.

The Moon landing was a fake? No, actually it was a feint and a jab! Hey, Buzz, smack him once for me, would you?

--Jim

I've been using the poorly named blog for places where I have ftp access only.

"Has frozen methane ever been released before? 55 million years ago, 20% of the world's frozen methane reserves melted. This sparked cataclysmic changes in the atmosphere: global temperatures rose by 13 degrees Fahrenheit, melting the ice cps and forcing many species to extinction. 80% of all deep-sea creatures became extinct, and there were severe consequences for land animals. If vast amounts of methane were released, the highly explosive gas would be ignited by lightning, scorching huge area in a fiery hell-on-earth."

Now, do you want them to touch it? :))

It might be a new world order but what ever gave them the idea to use such a screwy extension?

Laying on his deathbed King Brak of the Oggs called for his military advisors to warn them that his two enemies were sure to attack all Ogg islands once he passed away. Brak and his advisors came up with a plan to organize and train the Ogg tribesmen to use weapons for the defense of thier villages.

Meanwhile Nanny Ogg can tell us whether MP3's are best served at weddings, Dinner or Audio Compression Victory parties in her cookbook.

I mean there's nothing like launching a new world order when it comes to audio compression using an extension whose browsing can find you great Poinsettias at www.ogg.com

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefor, is not an act but a habit.

... supposedly go "hundreds of miles" at speeds over 100MPH without stopping to recharge

Linkin Park apparent got on appropriate IRC and other IM/Chat channels where music was being discussed, and pretended they weren't in the band and told people to go check them out. See this article, taken from Time Magazine Jan 28 2002.

Get some of your music on a p2p service. Some people think it helps.

Get yourself a Soundscan barcode, and start tracking sales with it religiously. Labels notice if your soundscan numbers jump.

Finally, ask yourself what's really important to you. Labels will try to make you famous if they think it's a good investment that fits with their concept. They'll take your art and most of the money from the resulting fame, though. If your desire is to be huge, go the label route. If your desire is simply to make music and make a living, re-read the article I linked to above. That artist is making a living in Utah, a place with nearly no real local music venues or radio support. Several others are too. They had something in them that appealed to a large enough audience, and word got out. That's the real trick.

check out This ad that has a picture of young BILL GATES in an APPLE AD!!!!. Check out all the other cool Mac ads avail. Here Anyone remember any of these?

check out This ad that has a picture of young BILL GATES in an APPLE AD!!!!. Check out all the other cool Mac ads avail. Here Anyone remember any of these?

Read this article for more info.

FP?

$900 for a G4 with an open bay and AGP. That's what I want.

Some more info here.

Clearly, these humans are destined for pig transplants in the next life!

My God! Would you hire me?

Absolutely! Anyone who can create a sophisticated web page like yours is a shoe-in at any tech company. I mean, it not only has a link labelled "Test", but clicking on that link brings you a message of "Hello World." Wow!

Let me pay for what I watch. Problem solved. Basic cable service is already at a ridiculous $30. Who out there really thinks they use $30 worth of Basic cable!? Screw that. I watch like 5 shows. Let me pay per show and then not only will the medium not be beholden to external commerical interests (and the wealth of good that brings), the consumer will actually feel like they get their money's worth, instead of having to chug down 20% commercials and filler mind-numbing sitcoms. Hey, maybe the consumer might find they watch MORE now that shows which they like are accessible to them (instead of having to double or triple their monthly bill just to get that one show they like).

Then again, your television might not be revolutionized.

I've mirrored the U o W page here complete with comments(don't shoot me, it's free).

The text of the main article is below:

At 10:00 today Microsoft Canada Co. President Frank Clegg announced $2.3 million funding that will facilitate three projects in the areas of academic research, education solutions, and curriculum integration. UW President David Johnston, UW's Director of ICR Vic DiCiccio, and MS Canada's Director of Education Sector George Kyriakis spoke as part of the announcement.

The aim of the research project is to develop equation recognition for new Tablet PCs that, in addition to having the functionality of laptops, have a screen which is touch sensitive to styli.

Clegg said that Tablet PCs are set to be released 7 November this year. He said he couldn't say for sure what the retail price will, "It would be great if we could get it down to the price of of a regular laptop."

Clegg and Dr. Dave discussing the Tablet PC The education solutions project will allow students to access lab equipment and simulators. A press release says that 8,000 course students in E&CE will benefit from this.

Under curriculum integration, first-choice applicants to UW's E&CE program will be allowed to take a new pre-university programming course in C#, E&CE 050. Completion of this course will be mandatory for students entering the E&CE program. C# is a new programming language developed by Microsoft.

The existing course E&CE 150, an introductory course to programming, will change from using C++ to C#.

DiCiccio commented on changing curriculum under the agreement, "E&CE weighed all the aspects of it and was comfortable with the change...UW is really sensitive to curriculum decisions it makes." He also joked, "$2.3 million isn't enough to sacrifice curriculum."

DiCiccio, Johnston, Clegg and Kyriakis At the end of the press conference, Clegg and President Johnston signed the agreement using an Acer Tablet PC. The announcement was made at UW in the Davis Centre's ICR Corporate Partner Lounge, which is also known as the fishbowl or the wine-and-cheese lounge. About 100 people attended.

The funding is part of the Microsoft Canada Academic Innovation Alliance, a $10 million dollar fund administered over five years that will accept proposals from acredited universities. A press release describes the four categories of the fund, academic research, education solutions, curriculum integration and industry outreach.

Kyriakis said, "We believe we should create ties between the business community and the academic community to ensure that innovation happens into the future." He added, "What we're doing at Waterloo is just fantastic."

All projects under the alliance will incorporate Microsoft technology. Clegg said, "We think that is the value that we provide."

Microsoft Canada President Frank Clegg has agreed to answer the 10 best questions posed by uws readers about the Microsoft Canada Academic Innovation Alliance, and its impact at UW. So, post your questions. uws editors will select the 10 best and send them to Mr. Clegg, then post his responses.

Hrmmm, I presume you haven't read Alton Brown's new book and contributed a question, as if you had you'd clearly know that Kingsford charcoal is made out of wood.

Wish granted

Or maybe this one (watch out for the popups)

Or you could go search for even other options

I know that most of the chili cook offs that I've seen, there are no beans allowed.

Oh, and as my mom's placed first a few times at some local contents, I'll give you all a little secret -- alcohol helps to meld the flavors faster, for those times when you don't have a week to let it sit in the fridge. Add a beer into your next 2 gallons of chilli. [As you're putting it in a slow cooker, you might want to back off whatever other liquids you're using, to make sure you cook off the alcohol].

I'm not really sure exactly what they are talking about here.

I am trying to get a new career started doing animation (wishful thinking, probably) since I can't find employment in the Uber-geek field anymore.....

Anyway, here is the link to a tripod page with 2 of my animations on it; the first listed is 3 minutes, and took me about 3 weeks to do; It takes a AMD XP1700+ about 6 hours to render 180 frames at 704x480 res, and any decent animation is going to be at that level or better.

I've worked with professional rendering farms, that employ multiple network linked PC's each doing a little bit of the job...and you get a direct linear reduction in time for each CPU involved. How is it possible that a single graphic processor can do all this work?

and if it IS possible, where do I get one?

P.S. if you think the animations are decent, I would love the feedback. If you think they suck, well, shut the fuck up, ok?

Enjoy Freenet & Frost while you can.

a frickin' CROSSBOW that shoots sucker darts

I have some GPL'ed 3-D Anaglyphic code here if anyone wants to play with this sort of 3-D rendering. Of course, you could also use jad to decompile that applet if you feel randy.

-- MarkusQ

P.S. Seriously though, what about A Canticle for Leibowitz?