Agreed. Not just for his preference for plausible or hard science fiction, but also because of the imagery I still have in my head from Cradle Of Saturn. That's one book I would really like to see made into a movie.
Your freedom and privacy are secure. All you need to do is register for the DoNotWatchList and they are not allowed to watch you. I hear it's a $10,000 fine if you sign up for the do-not-watch-list and you catch them watching you anyway.
So... you mean they fine you $10,000 if you catch them watching you?
I've been licensed since 1993 and have enjoyed ham radio immensely. I've also enjoyed the growth of the Internet, the shrinking size of cellphones, and the ability to send mail via my computer. These technologies are NOT mutually exclusive, and I'm getting tired of people telling me ham radio is dying because the Internet made it superfluous, or that cellphones were the beginning of the end for this hobby/service.
Of course, if you hear something repeated enough times it starts to sound like the truth, so I decided to try and google some information. This is what I found:
I doesn't look to me like ham radio is dying at all. In fact it looks like it's growing - not as fast as the general US population, but it's not what I'd call dying, not by a long shot.
Put it this way: today's experiment was New Coke. When you're the number 1 brand, it's stupid to make your product taste more like the number 2 brand. I'm baffled why Google even tried this.
So they could switch the sugar in their search page with high fructose corn syrup without anyone noticing?
Thanks for the constructive criticism. Maybe I should have been more clear. Here's an example: I had a guy cut out in front of me from a driveway. He was looking the other way, and I would have t-boned him had I not been alert. As it was, I couldn't react quick enough to use the horn, but I was quicker on the brakes. I stopped with a loud screech, just short of hitting him, and his head snapped around to look at me. I still remember the shocked look on his face, and I'm sure he'll remember to make sure traffic is clear in *both* directions before pulling out into the road next time.
That's when I realized that people honk their horns for many different reasons - they're irritated, they're trying to flag down a friend, and sometimes it's to indicate danger - but screeching tires almost always mean danger. Maybe the horn would have had nearly the same effect, but there's also the fact that fumbling with the horn would have made swerving more difficult, had I needed to. And it's nice to think that that guy maybe has a clearer memory of the incident than he would have had otherwise, and will remember to be more careful next time.
I like the ability to lock my brakes on occasion. Most people just aren't too interested when they hear a car's horn honking, but the sound of screeching tires really turns heads.
"My wife and I were just discussing her the other evening; while watching WALL-E. Feeling sad that pixar didn't cast her as the voice of the ship's computer. Instead we got a vague homage to Alien in Sigourney Weaver."
Hmm. And Sigourney Weaver played the part of Gwen DeMarco in Galaxy Quest - a person who's job it was to repeat what the computer was saying.
Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA gets my vote. Though Stone's Ruination IPA is pretty good, too.
Two more fantastic beers. I also like Snake Dog IPA, and Loose Cannon Hop^3 Ale. And if you seriously like hops, try Bell's Hopslam - just a couple will "put you down", but they taste incredible.
Agreed. I remember several years ago there were some new vehicles on the road that featured a, for lack of a better term, "lane change notification system". I'm sure there was a fancy marketing name for it, but I never took the time to find out what they called it. I called it a really, really bad idea. Here's why: Whenever the vehicle was moving, and their turn signal was activated, say for a lane change, the vehicle would flash it's high beams. Sounds "safe", you know, like those cool guys on the Autobahn who go 150 mph and pass slower vehicles "safely" in a macho way by flashing their lights... But this isn't the Autobahn, and the ultimate effect was to distract the driver in front of you.
My experience with this comes from a near collision when I was approaching an intersection. The vehicle behind me decided to change lanes, and I looked up into the rear view mirror to see what was so important that they thought they needed to flash their lights at me. End result - I came within inches from rear-ending the car in front of me. I don't put much faith in systems like this.
BTW, I've been riding for > 2 decades, and also use the same system as P and GP: assume the worst regarding all obstacles.
True for a C band LNB, but assuming you have a dual (C and Ku) band LNB the problem then is not resonance, it's selectivity. Most C band dishes have a fine enough mesh to reflect Ku band signals, but at Ku frequencies BUDs are not always directional enough to keep signals from adjacent satellites from interfering. You'll still get most of the Ku channels, but every once in a while you'll find one that you know you should be able to receive but can't. I had this problem with ktwo. I knew it was there, Lyngsat told me so, but I just couldn't pick it up until I installed a dedicated Ku band dish.
A 36-inch Ku-band dish will get anything you need
I agree - if you're in the continental US and don't have anything getting in the way like tree branches, a 36 inch dish is all you need for Ku.
After five years of dissatisfaction with Dish Network
Last fall, my parents decided they couldn't afford to pay their near $60 per month DirectTV bill, so they called and asked to be bumped down to a cheaper package. DirectTV said "sure, no problem - that will bring your bill down to $55 per month". Problem is, this package was offered for $29/mo on their website. DirectTV's reaponse: "that's only for new subscribers". I told them to cancel their subscription, then bought them a $200 free-to-air system as an early Christmas present.
My parents never really cared for HBO or any of the other major channels, so they don't miss DirectTV in the least. Now they're happy with the hundreds of free channels they can receive, like White Springs TV, the Retro Television Network, PBS, dozens of individual TV stations, news stations, wild feeds, etc.
This is all possible using a small Ku band dish, about the same size as a DirectTV or Dish Network dish. If you add a C band BUD to the mix, there's hundreds more channels to watch, including the NASA channel, BBC World News, The Soundtrack Channel, Deutsche Welle, China Central Television, and much much more. There's a lot of life left in that C band BUD.
I tend to leave the TV on when I'm at home working on my computer. Commercials are too distracting though, so I usually mute the sound when they come on. Without audio, you tend see things from a different perspective: On first seeing the butterfly commercial mentioned above, I got the impression (without sound) that this creature was a small, winged Angel of Death, magically sucking the life out of it's victims. It would flutter in the window, land near a victim, and slowly their eyes would close as they drifted off into everlasting repose.
BEWARE THE BUTTERFLY ON YOUR WINDOWSILL!
(BTW, I choose to believe that the word "buttflies" in the parent was an accidental mis-spelling...)
Boy, you're right about the quotas. I'm not much of a gamer, but I go into Gamestop occasionally to buy used DVDs. Every time I'm in there one of the employees is always pleading with the boss about one thing or another. Usually it's about not meeting his quota, but sometimes it's about working hours, etc. It makes for a distasteful shopping environment, and I always purchase my DVDs and get the hell out of there before the urge to throttle the manager gets too great.
I am just wondering when there will be a bipartisan legislative effort to institute mandatory minimums for violation of the constitution by congress or the executive.
I'm not clear on this: Do you mean "minimum punishment for violations", or "minimum number of violations required to be committed"?
Slashdot Mirror
Agreed. Not just for his preference for plausible or hard science fiction, but also because of the imagery I still have in my head from Cradle Of Saturn. That's one book I would really like to see made into a movie.
Your freedom and privacy are secure. All you need to do is register for the DoNotWatchList and they are not allowed to watch you. I hear it's a $10,000 fine if you sign up for the do-not-watch-list and you catch them watching you anyway.
So... you mean they fine you $10,000 if you catch them watching you?
I've been licensed since 1993 and have enjoyed ham radio immensely. I've also enjoyed the growth of the Internet, the shrinking size of cellphones, and the ability to send mail via my computer. These technologies are NOT mutually exclusive, and I'm getting tired of people telling me ham radio is dying because the Internet made it superfluous, or that cellphones were the beginning of the end for this hobby/service.
Of course, if you hear something repeated enough times it starts to sound like the truth, so I decided to try and google some information. This is what I found:
http://kb6nu.com/ham-census/
http://www.ah0a.org/FCC/Licenses.html
I doesn't look to me like ham radio is dying at all. In fact it looks like it's growing - not as fast as the general US population, but it's not what I'd call dying, not by a long shot.
73 de KG8KS
I guess this means they're more likely to say yes when asked to install a trojan?
Put it this way: today's experiment was New Coke. When you're the number 1 brand, it's stupid to make your product taste more like the number 2 brand. I'm baffled why Google even tried this.
So they could switch the sugar in their search page with high fructose corn syrup without anyone noticing?
"tubal litigation"
Now that's a scary thought. Is there nothing a lawyer won't do?
or add a lot of DRM
If they do, it will be the end of Civilization as we know it.
... but how do I go about collecting /gold? Can I (data) mine archived posts? Combat Trolls? Auction new memes to the highest bidder?
/auction house anyway? I can't find the link...
And just where is the
Thanks for the constructive criticism. Maybe I should have been more clear. Here's an example: I had a guy cut out in front of me from a driveway. He was looking the other way, and I would have t-boned him had I not been alert. As it was, I couldn't react quick enough to use the horn, but I was quicker on the brakes. I stopped with a loud screech, just short of hitting him, and his head snapped around to look at me. I still remember the shocked look on his face, and I'm sure he'll remember to make sure traffic is clear in *both* directions before pulling out into the road next time.
That's when I realized that people honk their horns for many different reasons - they're irritated, they're trying to flag down a friend, and sometimes it's to indicate danger - but screeching tires almost always mean danger. Maybe the horn would have had nearly the same effect, but there's also the fact that fumbling with the horn would have made swerving more difficult, had I needed to. And it's nice to think that that guy maybe has a clearer memory of the incident than he would have had otherwise, and will remember to be more careful next time.
I like the ability to lock my brakes on occasion. Most people just aren't too interested when they hear a car's horn honking, but the sound of screeching tires really turns heads.
"My wife and I were just discussing her the other evening; while watching WALL-E. Feeling sad that pixar didn't cast her as the voice of the ship's computer. Instead we got a vague homage to Alien in Sigourney Weaver."
Hmm. And Sigourney Weaver played the part of Gwen DeMarco in Galaxy Quest - a person who's job it was to repeat what the computer was saying.
Well, at least this type of DRM is effective. As for the other type, she couldn't be more wrong.
The brewer posted the recipe online some time ago (Free as in Beer Speech) so you can always make your own:
THANK YOU! I'm a homebrewer, so there's a chance I can make this myself. Very impressive list of hops...
FYI, Two Hearted is heavy on the Centennial, but due to the hops shortage I substituted Chinook - turned out really well.
Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA gets my vote. Though Stone's Ruination IPA is pretty good, too.
Two more fantastic beers. I also like Snake Dog IPA, and Loose Cannon Hop^3 Ale. And if you seriously like hops, try Bell's Hopslam - just a couple will "put you down", but they taste incredible.
Ahh. Damn hops shortage...
Just in case you hadn't heard - Pliny the Elder is now available in bottles. Yay!
I googled it, and it sounds very good, but I haven't seen it in Michigan yet. (Drat!)
This is a REALLY, REALLY bad idea.
Agreed. I remember several years ago there were some new vehicles on the road that featured a, for lack of a better term, "lane change notification system". I'm sure there was a fancy marketing name for it, but I never took the time to find out what they called it. I called it a really, really bad idea. Here's why: Whenever the vehicle was moving, and their turn signal was activated, say for a lane change, the vehicle would flash it's high beams. Sounds "safe", you know, like those cool guys on the Autobahn who go 150 mph and pass slower vehicles "safely" in a macho way by flashing their lights... But this isn't the Autobahn, and the ultimate effect was to distract the driver in front of you.
My experience with this comes from a near collision when I was approaching an intersection. The vehicle behind me decided to change lanes, and I looked up into the rear view mirror to see what was so important that they thought they needed to flash their lights at me. End result - I came within inches from rear-ending the car in front of me. I don't put much faith in systems like this.
BTW, I've been riding for > 2 decades, and also use the same system as P and GP: assume the worst regarding all obstacles.
FWIW, my favorite beer of all time is Pete's Wicked Ale.
Bell's Two Hearted. Fantastic stuff, especially if you're an IPA fan.
(Laptops! Laptops! Get your cheap Laptop here!, Laptops!)
In most libraries, the majority of computers are desktops. If you want laptops I think you need to impersonate a customs agent...
you can't use a BUD C-band for Ku-band reception
True for a C band LNB, but assuming you have a dual (C and Ku) band LNB the problem then is not resonance, it's selectivity. Most C band dishes have a fine enough mesh to reflect Ku band signals, but at Ku frequencies BUDs are not always directional enough to keep signals from adjacent satellites from interfering. You'll still get most of the Ku channels, but every once in a while you'll find one that you know you should be able to receive but can't. I had this problem with ktwo. I knew it was there, Lyngsat told me so, but I just couldn't pick it up until I installed a dedicated Ku band dish.
A 36-inch Ku-band dish will get anything you need
I agree - if you're in the continental US and don't have anything getting in the way like tree branches, a 36 inch dish is all you need for Ku.
After five years of dissatisfaction with Dish Network
Last fall, my parents decided they couldn't afford to pay their near $60 per month DirectTV bill, so they called and asked to be bumped down to a cheaper package. DirectTV said "sure, no problem - that will bring your bill down to $55 per month". Problem is, this package was offered for $29/mo on their website. DirectTV's reaponse: "that's only for new subscribers". I told them to cancel their subscription, then bought them a $200 free-to-air system as an early Christmas present.
My parents never really cared for HBO or any of the other major channels, so they don't miss DirectTV in the least. Now they're happy with the hundreds of free channels they can receive, like White Springs TV, the Retro Television Network, PBS, dozens of individual TV stations, news stations, wild feeds, etc.
This is all possible using a small Ku band dish, about the same size as a DirectTV or Dish Network dish. If you add a C band BUD to the mix, there's hundreds more channels to watch, including the NASA channel, BBC World News, The Soundtrack Channel, Deutsche Welle, China Central Television, and much much more. There's a lot of life left in that C band BUD.
"the buttflies helping you sleep"
I tend to leave the TV on when I'm at home working on my computer. Commercials are too distracting though, so I usually mute the sound when they come on. Without audio, you tend see things from a different perspective: On first seeing the butterfly commercial mentioned above, I got the impression (without sound) that this creature was a small, winged Angel of Death, magically sucking the life out of it's victims. It would flutter in the window, land near a victim, and slowly their eyes would close as they drifted off into everlasting repose.
BEWARE THE BUTTERFLY ON YOUR WINDOWSILL!
(BTW, I choose to believe that the word "buttflies" in the parent was an accidental mis-spelling...)
But what would really be fun would be to tie in real-time sounds from such things as the gunshot camerals in LA, for example: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/01/23 2248, or maybe the mics from surveilance cameras in London: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/25/05 4246.
Boy, you're right about the quotas. I'm not much of a gamer, but I go into Gamestop occasionally to buy used DVDs. Every time I'm in there one of the employees is always pleading with the boss about one thing or another. Usually it's about not meeting his quota, but sometimes it's about working hours, etc. It makes for a distasteful shopping environment, and I always purchase my DVDs and get the hell out of there before the urge to throttle the manager gets too great.
I am just wondering when there will be a bipartisan legislative effort to institute mandatory minimums for violation of the constitution by congress or the executive.
I'm not clear on this: Do you mean "minimum punishment for violations", or "minimum number of violations required to be committed"?
Does anyone find it ironic that the related story links to Drinking Alcohol May Extend Your Life?