As long as you get good scheduling responsiveness, C is entirely fine.
Yes; GCC and ICC are quite good at optimizing SSE intrinsics, to the point that hand-coded asm can be largely avoided. I have heard otherwise for Visual Studio; fortunately, Intel's compiler works on Windows as well. As to the rest of the code, well... just keep an eye on the assembler output from every. single. build.
...the jitter that garbage collection introduces makes it hugely unpredictable... you're far better off going to C/C++.
Unfortunately, when you really get down to it you will have similar problems in C or C++. You cannot allocate memory from the system heap (malloc or operator new) in the critical path of real-time code. That means everything is preallocated. That means you could have been using Java anyways, with GC disabled. There may be other reasons to use C or C++ for these systems, but the nondeterminism of dynamic memory allocation really applies across the board. It just hits Java users earlier.
The role of government here is supposed to be that government imposes regulations, the industry follows the regulations, and then nobody sues anybody as long as everyone was following the regulations. Or if you are really a believer in big government, you might think that government inspectors prevent accidents. That works until it doesn't; BP leaked a bunch of oil into the gulf, and government inspectors didn't prevent it.
Even believers in big goverment must acknowledge that regulatory inspection can never achieve 100% coverage. The presence of regulation also provides a framework for punishment after a failure. Search for "BP gross negligence" to see this in action (I don't want to link to any one particular article, there are many).
Somehow, I just don't think support calls are great 'sales moments'.
I can think of a few that might work on the average joe:
My wireless keeps disconnecting.
You're probably just getting reduced signal because of walls and nearby interference. Buy this wireless range extender and/or booster antenna!
My laptop is slow in the evenings when the TV is on.
It's probably getting hot on your lap. Buy this ventilated lap desk with a mini fan!
My keyboard is covered in beer!
Sorry, spills are not covered by the warranty. Here's the model number for the replacement keyboard. Buy a spill-proof cover while you're at it! Also, have you seen this nifty new bluetooth mouse?
They may be recompressed and muxed, but that's not at all the same thing as downconverting from one format to another.
GP may have been incorrect about 720p vs. 1080i, but I think you're missing the forest for the trees. Compression kills the signal, so a TV upscaling a compressed (720p|1080i) to output on a 1080p screen is necessarily going to output artifacts. 1080p is overkill in this situation, you'd probably be better off using 720p with a better (read: more expensive in transistors) decompression algorithm.
My next TV was 60Hz, because it doesn't make every movie look like a soap opera.
Have you tried disabling the motion estimation algorithm on your TV? On Samsung IIRC it's called AutoMotion+, but every brand has its own name (presumably for trademark). Just look for some "Motion" jibberjabber that asks you about optimizing for clear/smooth, and KILL IT.
Samsung makes some of the highest quality displays around. And if anyone were to come out with something better, there's a pretty good chance it'd be... Panasonic
FTFY. Panasonic has the Plasma TV equivalent of the Knights of the Roundtable: the Pioneer Kuro engineers. Many people already consider the Panasonic VT series to be superior to the Samsung offerings. But in all honesty, even second place in the world is still pretty good.
...Harmony varieties (which though they are coming down in price, are still a lot more than $10).
Harmony >> other universal remotes (at least, those that I have seen). If your friend can afford the gear to require 5 remotes, he can probably also afford a harmony. And yeah, having a rechargeable internal battery is nice.
I have a simple HTPC setup with a Harmony remote that control everything through a single 'activity' button press, and I still need to go "fix it" once a week. PC freezes, XBMC hangs, IR signals have no 'ack' protocol so they get missed...
I hear you. I don't have the HTPC (nor the associated problems), but I have a Harmony. The wife took a few months to get adjusted, but now she has no trouble with it. The mother-in-law is the one who starts pushing buttons at random instead of hitting "Help" and following the step-by-step instructions. She would never go out and buy herself an Apple TV, but I'm sure she would love one if it meant less gadgets.
PC freezes, XBMC hangs, IR signals have no 'ack' protocol so they get missed...
HDMI handshake fails poorly-duped CD starts skipping indefinitely, PS3/XBox360 hangs on latest AAA game (or worse, in a tight audio loop), cat bumps a cable loose somewhere... all of that is gone if all of your activities fit into a single device. Though, I suppose you won't see AAA games for an AppleTV, so that aspect is moot. You also probably won't see powerful amplifiers inside an AppleTV (too big, too heavy, too hot), so I guess you're still up to TV + receiver + game console. Man, don't tell my wife about this "one box" concept, I don't want her to get any crazy ideas.
(looking at you, teens and young twenty-somethings who grew up saying "That's Gay" when you meant wrong, bad, or odd)
Hey, that's me! I kicked the habit cold-turkey when a gay coworker hired on. I still occasionally have trouble with "retarded", and South Park certainly doesn't make it easier.
I dunno, that's kinda like saying a politician supports rape because he thinks prisons are a good idea.
Well, it's not like the Guantanamo detainees are waterboarding each other... or... ARE THEY?
Re:This is why a flat tax will not work.
on
The Zuckerberg Tax
·
· Score: 1
It your wealth was in financial instruments like stock, and it appreciates, no tax on the increase.
Until you sell that stock you own, it's just a piece of paper[1]. As soon as you sell it, you are already going to be taxed on any gains from the tax. The only reason that Jobs avoided this is by dying, which is cold consolation. If you think there is a problem with this, it's probably better to be solved by reducing loopholes on the inheritance side, rather than by adding new taxes (and therefore loopholes).
The proposal is not to tax the value of the stock (which is the parallel to "taxing your bank balance") - just the increase.
The proposal of "mark-to-market taxation" is not only to tax the increase, but to do so before the increase has been realized. This can lead to some pretty silly situations for assets that are illiquid or volatile. It also increases the tax burden on the average Joe much more than the average Zuckerberg, because the latter already has tax experts and the former will probably miss some deductions on bear years.
[1] As pointed out in TFS, capital invested in stock can be used as collateral for a loan. I'm not sure how much of a problem this is, but I sure as hell wouldn't try to "solve" it by introducing a tax on fiction. Which is exactly what unrealized gains are. If Big Zuck dumps his shares into the secondary market, he's sure to depress the price. It's like the Heisenberg principle.
IPOs become less about acquiring funding and more about cashing out.
True, this type of behavior requires and benefits from the "sucker born every minute" adage. However, this only screws the segment of John Q. Public that invests into the stock market without understanding how the stock market works. Every forum I have seen discussing the Facebook IPO compares it to other tech companies and highlights the absurd price-to-earnings ratio, leaving the buyers on IPO day as pure speculators. I understand the pain if someone's only 401k (or otherwise pre-tax retirement fund) option is high-risk funds that would invest in such an IPO, but I must question how common that is.
Otherwise it sounds like a shameless marketing plug and just short of announcing an office party to celebrate.
As a publicly-traded company with news like this coming out on a Friday afternoon, I doubt they are celebrating. But maybe their PR arm is attempting some damage control.
all your internal organs rip loose from their mountings inside your torso, and your brain busts down thru the base of your skull and thru roof of your mouth as the sudden stop G-forces hit at the end of the ride
... relatively small enviromental impact of buying bags
You are giving me misplaced credit. I find disposable bags a major nuisance because they take up storage space somewhere in the house, they can be lost, and sometimes they run out and need to be re-purchased. I'm motivated by laziness.
In regard to weight - my wife has the same issue, she doesn't like to carry the thing up the stairs - is the dyson really less heavy then all of the models from other vendors ?
It is most definitely lighter than any of the vacuum cleaners I have personally used in the last few years. Despite the "futuristic" look, it is reasonably minimalistic in terms of excess material (plastic casing, heavy attachments and hoses, etc.), so I expect it would beat all but the higher-end models of other vendors' vacuum cleaners. The good balance is what's really kicker. The entire device is about as compact as they can get it (extension hosed is sheathed into the handle column instead of wound around the back). The carrying handle is near the center of mass and eliminates the bulkiness/clumsiness that many people associate with weight, as if someone actually designed it for usability instead of manufacturing cost.
I set up a package deal with camera, lenses, bag, SD card, etc. for about 3% more than the best NYC camera shop deal and I could pick my stuff up locally (and return it locally if necessary) and I didn't have to worry about getting grey-market stuff.
Out of curiosity, did you look at B&H Photography as well? I visited that store when I was in NYC, as they have a stellar reputation (both online and local). I would expect most/.'ers to be happy to pay a 3% premium to avoid Best Buy, but maybe you had a different/nonexistent experience?
why on earth would you buy a vacumn with a plastic thing you have to empty, spreading dust everywhere, as opposed to a dispo bag ?
For starters, because it is relatively light and the handle is extremely well-balanced (my wife couldn't move our old vacuum cleaner up/down stairs). Also, the weird ball thing actually does seem to help with maneuvering around tight corners. Also also, the "dust storms" don't really seem to be a problem in practice, but the plastic thing saves me from buying disposable replacement crap.
If it's a $1000 electronic item, you can easily save $100-200 by buying from Amazon.
I bought a high-end HDTV from a B&M store recently. The sales guy was able to offer me a discount in-person that was forbidden from advertising by the manufacturer, which more than made up for the sales tax. I also got free shipping from the store itself (not contracted/outsourced), which dovetails quite nicely into your next comment:
Why would you want to return an electronic product anyway? If you've done your research, you should get something you like, unless it breaks, but that's not that common with modern quality control
Plasma TVs are notorious for getting damaged in transit. You may not even see cracks until you turn it on. Getting the store to deliver it—and set it up—saves a lot of grief in the edge cases.
OTOH, I buy small-ticket items like CDs almost exclusively from Amazon. I can't preview music at most stores, but Amazon's 30-second previews and some !yt browsing let me try before I buy.
About 2 seconds after they figure out this isn't working for them.
What makes you think it won't work, when it's very clearly already a common practice? Target, Wal-mart, and Costco all carry custom HDTV models. All department stores do this with home product lines; for an example see the recent Macy's/Martha Stewart dispute. This tactic is old news, and Target is merely issuing a call-to-arms to step it up.
I also asked "Why should I buy this from you instead of Amazon?" The ONLY store that had a value proposition same or better than Amazon was HH Gregg, and their poor employee could not give me a single reason why I should buy it from him.
I bought an HDTV from Abt, another mega-electronics store that seems to cater to gearheads. Aside from the usual "showroom" benefits of B&M, I noticed a few benefits to going into a place like this. First, the TV manufacturer has rules in place for advertised prices, but of course every in-person sale can be talked down ~10% (effectively, Amazon was blocked from selling at the market price, which more than accounted for sales tax and shipping). Second, Abt does their own delivery and basic setup for local addresses, which really reduces the risk for such a big, expensive, and fragile purchase. Third, the delivery guys threw in a free wi-fi adapter, which was quite generous. Fourth, stores full of high-end TVs and speakers (no demo loops) are just... mmm....
Here in Canada we are free to donate to any charity of our choosing, and that money is tax deductible.
This is the same in the states. "Tax deductible" means that funneling money into a charity will always decrease my take-home, just by a lesser amount. However, my argument in Romney's case (or anyone else's whose income is primarily long-term capital gains) is that charitable contributions above the LTCG tax rate are still free relative to the marginal income tax rate. Yet they get spun as "knight in shining armor" benevolence.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes; GCC and ICC are quite good at optimizing SSE intrinsics, to the point that hand-coded asm can be largely avoided. I have heard otherwise for Visual Studio; fortunately, Intel's compiler works on Windows as well. As to the rest of the code, well... just keep an eye on the assembler output from every. single. build.
Unfortunately, when you really get down to it you will have similar problems in C or C++. You cannot allocate memory from the system heap (malloc or operator new) in the critical path of real-time code. That means everything is preallocated. That means you could have been using Java anyways, with GC disabled. There may be other reasons to use C or C++ for these systems, but the nondeterminism of dynamic memory allocation really applies across the board. It just hits Java users earlier.
Even believers in big goverment must acknowledge that regulatory inspection can never achieve 100% coverage. The presence of regulation also provides a framework for punishment after a failure. Search for "BP gross negligence" to see this in action (I don't want to link to any one particular article, there are many).
I can think of a few that might work on the average joe:
My wireless keeps disconnecting. You're probably just getting reduced signal because of walls and nearby interference. Buy this wireless range extender and/or booster antenna! My laptop is slow in the evenings when the TV is on. It's probably getting hot on your lap. Buy this ventilated lap desk with a mini fan! My keyboard is covered in beer! Sorry, spills are not covered by the warranty. Here's the model number for the replacement keyboard. Buy a spill-proof cover while you're at it! Also, have you seen this nifty new bluetooth mouse?Etc.
Huh, I have a 900. I did not even know what I was missing!
GP may have been incorrect about 720p vs. 1080i, but I think you're missing the forest for the trees. Compression kills the signal, so a TV upscaling a compressed (720p|1080i) to output on a 1080p screen is necessarily going to output artifacts. 1080p is overkill in this situation, you'd probably be better off using 720p with a better (read: more expensive in transistors) decompression algorithm.
Have you tried disabling the motion estimation algorithm on your TV? On Samsung IIRC it's called AutoMotion+, but every brand has its own name (presumably for trademark). Just look for some "Motion" jibberjabber that asks you about optimizing for clear/smooth, and KILL IT.
FTFY. Panasonic has the Plasma TV equivalent of the Knights of the Roundtable: the Pioneer Kuro engineers. Many people already consider the Panasonic VT series to be superior to the Samsung offerings. But in all honesty, even second place in the world is still pretty good.
It doesn't help that factory settings are typically Torch Mode. Live fast, die young, indeed.
Can't you just... you know... buy a decent Blu-Ray player? Mine outputs 1080p video through HDMI and bitstreams the HD audio to a receiver.
Harmony >> other universal remotes (at least, those that I have seen). If your friend can afford the gear to require 5 remotes, he can probably also afford a harmony. And yeah, having a rechargeable internal battery is nice.
I hear you. I don't have the HTPC (nor the associated problems), but I have a Harmony. The wife took a few months to get adjusted, but now she has no trouble with it. The mother-in-law is the one who starts pushing buttons at random instead of hitting "Help" and following the step-by-step instructions. She would never go out and buy herself an Apple TV, but I'm sure she would love one if it meant less gadgets.
HDMI handshake fails poorly-duped CD starts skipping indefinitely, PS3/XBox360 hangs on latest AAA game (or worse, in a tight audio loop), cat bumps a cable loose somewhere... all of that is gone if all of your activities fit into a single device. Though, I suppose you won't see AAA games for an AppleTV, so that aspect is moot. You also probably won't see powerful amplifiers inside an AppleTV (too big, too heavy, too hot), so I guess you're still up to TV + receiver + game console. Man, don't tell my wife about this "one box" concept, I don't want her to get any crazy ideas.
Hey, that's me! I kicked the habit cold-turkey when a gay coworker hired on. I still occasionally have trouble with "retarded", and South Park certainly doesn't make it easier.
Well, it's not like the Guantanamo detainees are waterboarding each other... or... ARE THEY?
Until you sell that stock you own, it's just a piece of paper[1]. As soon as you sell it, you are already going to be taxed on any gains from the tax. The only reason that Jobs avoided this is by dying, which is cold consolation. If you think there is a problem with this, it's probably better to be solved by reducing loopholes on the inheritance side, rather than by adding new taxes (and therefore loopholes).
The proposal of "mark-to-market taxation" is not only to tax the increase, but to do so before the increase has been realized. This can lead to some pretty silly situations for assets that are illiquid or volatile. It also increases the tax burden on the average Joe much more than the average Zuckerberg, because the latter already has tax experts and the former will probably miss some deductions on bear years.
[1] As pointed out in TFS, capital invested in stock can be used as collateral for a loan. I'm not sure how much of a problem this is, but I sure as hell wouldn't try to "solve" it by introducing a tax on fiction. Which is exactly what unrealized gains are. If Big Zuck dumps his shares into the secondary market, he's sure to depress the price. It's like the Heisenberg principle.
True, this type of behavior requires and benefits from the "sucker born every minute" adage. However, this only screws the segment of John Q. Public that invests into the stock market without understanding how the stock market works. Every forum I have seen discussing the Facebook IPO compares it to other tech companies and highlights the absurd price-to-earnings ratio, leaving the buyers on IPO day as pure speculators. I understand the pain if someone's only 401k (or otherwise pre-tax retirement fund) option is high-risk funds that would invest in such an IPO, but I must question how common that is.
As a publicly-traded company with news like this coming out on a Friday afternoon, I doubt they are celebrating. But maybe their PR arm is attempting some damage control.
Exactly how realistic is it?
You are giving me misplaced credit. I find disposable bags a major nuisance because they take up storage space somewhere in the house, they can be lost, and sometimes they run out and need to be re-purchased. I'm motivated by laziness.
It is most definitely lighter than any of the vacuum cleaners I have personally used in the last few years. Despite the "futuristic" look, it is reasonably minimalistic in terms of excess material (plastic casing, heavy attachments and hoses, etc.), so I expect it would beat all but the higher-end models of other vendors' vacuum cleaners. The good balance is what's really kicker. The entire device is about as compact as they can get it (extension hosed is sheathed into the handle column instead of wound around the back). The carrying handle is near the center of mass and eliminates the bulkiness/clumsiness that many people associate with weight, as if someone actually designed it for usability instead of manufacturing cost.
Out of curiosity, did you look at B&H Photography as well? I visited that store when I was in NYC, as they have a stellar reputation (both online and local). I would expect most /.'ers to be happy to pay a 3% premium to avoid Best Buy, but maybe you had a different/nonexistent experience?
For starters, because it is relatively light and the handle is extremely well-balanced (my wife couldn't move our old vacuum cleaner up/down stairs). Also, the weird ball thing actually does seem to help with maneuvering around tight corners. Also also, the "dust storms" don't really seem to be a problem in practice, but the plastic thing saves me from buying disposable replacement crap.
I bought a high-end HDTV from a B&M store recently. The sales guy was able to offer me a discount in-person that was forbidden from advertising by the manufacturer, which more than made up for the sales tax. I also got free shipping from the store itself (not contracted/outsourced), which dovetails quite nicely into your next comment:
Plasma TVs are notorious for getting damaged in transit. You may not even see cracks until you turn it on. Getting the store to deliver it—and set it up—saves a lot of grief in the edge cases.
OTOH, I buy small-ticket items like CDs almost exclusively from Amazon. I can't preview music at most stores, but Amazon's 30-second previews and some !yt browsing let me try before I buy.
What makes you think it won't work, when it's very clearly already a common practice? Target, Wal-mart, and Costco all carry custom HDTV models. All department stores do this with home product lines; for an example see the recent Macy's/Martha Stewart dispute. This tactic is old news, and Target is merely issuing a call-to-arms to step it up.
I bought an HDTV from Abt, another mega-electronics store that seems to cater to gearheads. Aside from the usual "showroom" benefits of B&M, I noticed a few benefits to going into a place like this. First, the TV manufacturer has rules in place for advertised prices, but of course every in-person sale can be talked down ~10% (effectively, Amazon was blocked from selling at the market price, which more than accounted for sales tax and shipping). Second, Abt does their own delivery and basic setup for local addresses, which really reduces the risk for such a big, expensive, and fragile purchase. Third, the delivery guys threw in a free wi-fi adapter, which was quite generous. Fourth, stores full of high-end TVs and speakers (no demo loops) are just... mmm....
This is the same in the states. "Tax deductible" means that funneling money into a charity will always decrease my take-home, just by a lesser amount. However, my argument in Romney's case (or anyone else's whose income is primarily long-term capital gains) is that charitable contributions above the LTCG tax rate are still free relative to the marginal income tax rate. Yet they get spun as "knight in shining armor" benevolence.