A very small amount of current, precisely timed, can throw the heart out of rhythm. I used to use a portable electrical stimulation device that stimulated nerve growth. I once made the mistake of touching an electrode with my left hand while the other electrode was connected to my right arm. When it pulsed it nearly killed me. Cross my heart, hope to die.
When I first checked Slashdot this morning they hadn't vandalized the site yet. I actually thought new ownership might bring an end to this. Slashdot on April Fools is like listening to a 30 year old telling knock-knock jokes.
I'm a bit surprised. Not that the computers are working but that a 250+ organization has already rolled out 10. Most IT departments of size tend to wait, but I work for myself these days so maybe it's rolling out more quickly. In any case, in an environment where you have on-site IT staff the problems are less significant. Windows 8 introduced numerous changes from Win 7. The settings are now split between the control panel and the new settings interface. One of my users couldn't figure out how to setup the WiFi connection. Oh, and Windows reboots after updating and to hell with any unsaved documents. Numerous users have had problems with the Windows account logins. Contacts don't synchronize properly. Email gets retrieved in duplicate. Files get stored in OneDrive and the user is looking for it in their local folders. These are just some of the issues off the top of my head. None of these problems are relevant in the corporate environment.
Microsoft has shown that they can use Windows Update to manipulate people into installing Windows 8 or 10. Now tell me how many of those users would consider Windows 10 to be an improvement over Windows 7? And since pushing their tablet is so important, how many users would consider a table with a Microsoft OS to be a better value than their competitor's options? And how many users who would never consider purchasing from Apple in the past are now reconsidering the value of a Macintosh desktop?
I make a living servicing Microsoft computers and I develop mostly for the Windows OS. I am an expert in MS-Access and VBA (flame>/dev/null). Just about every Windows 10 computer I've seen gets stuck coming out of hybernation and go into a recursive boot. This is a known issue that has remained unresolved since IIRC June of 2015! I've seen this on brand new computers as well as "upgrades".
I have clients who bought brand new computers and stuck them in closets because they couldn't figure out how to use it. Honestly, I can't recommend that my technically unskilled clients consider Linux but I've given up on Windows. I am now recommending that my clients consider buying Macintosh computers.
I've been reading some of the marketing material on RJ.5. Some points:
RJ point five is a trade name for products meeting IEC draft standard 61076-3-121
TE Connectivity says that their terminators meet requirements for CAT5E. I presume therefore that they do not meet CAT6 or higher.
Plugs CAN be field terminated and are intended for use with existing CAT5E and CAT6 cables.
Smaller components can mean not having to install another rack. That in turn can mean not having to expand a server room. The cost savings could be significant.
Smaller ports could mean being able to fit more modules into a server. For example, one of my clients has a phone server with six slots. If we could add 24 lines in a single module we might not have to add another box. That would save us 4U of rack space.
Shorter cables might reduce clutter.
Shorter cables might reduce signal loss. I don't know how significant this would be though. The terminations are more important than the cable.
The half size plug seems to put a little more space between pairs. Maybe this helps with crosstalk?
CAT8 is going to be backwards compatible with existing connectors, but will not support CAT8 speeds without new and apparently much more complex connectors. It looks like we're going to be replacing a lot of connectors at some point and it's not going to be cheap.
Actually it's not a crime. Maryland law covers the intentional interception of a communication.
First, there has to be intent. The incidental recording of a conversation is not covered by the law. So if two people are recording their conversation in a coffee shop and picked up a private conversation in the background that would not be illegal.
Second, we have to define interception. According to numerous court rulings a communication can only be intercepted if it's private. A conversation in a public place is not a private communication because there's a reasonable expectation that it would be overheard. This is why it is legal to record audio during a traffic stop. The police officer while performing his public duties has no reasonable expectation of privacy.
I don't know game theory but I do dabble in political strategy. Most Republicans, or Americans for that matter, have at least heard of Rubio. Few outside of Ohio have heard of John Kasich. The tie for last place has finally put Kasich in the public eye. Rubio can only drop in the polls and Kasich can only rise.
There's very little chance that either Rubio or Kasich could win the Republican nomination, but there's also little chance that either Trump or Cruz could win the national election. This primary season has made it all but impossible for Cruz or Trump to pivot to the center after the primaries. The only two candidates who could still do that are Rubio and Kasich. The best scenario at this point is if Cruz drops out and throws his support behind one of the moderate candidates. The last moderate candidate standing is the only Republican Party candidate with any chance of winning the presidency. If I were betting I'd put my money on Kasich.
IIRC this feature existed when 4 came out and it's been there since.
Position and size your window as you want it in the future.
Right click on the title bar
More Actions:Special Window Settings
Size and Position tab
Check Position
Change the dropdown to "Remember" (or force if you don't want it to be movable). Note that KDE recognizes the current size and position of the window. You can override these numbers if you like
Do the same with Size
Explore. There are a ton of refinements in these settings.
If you want to adjust the window settings later they're found under Settings:Workspace:Window Management:Window Rules
You call this polished and mature? Never mind all the features that got tossed out and have to be rewritten. I use KDE all day every day and I love it, but this release is worse than Windows 10. My screen goes out of sync every time I leave the computer idle and plasma crashes several times an hour. By the way, wiping out all the activities and menu settings with the new platform was brilliant. That just made my day.
So you want a technological solution to solve a human-induced problem created by technology?
Yes, I do. Or rather I want to live in a community where people use all the tools available to protect themselves against threats to their safety. People have such an oversimplified understanding of how natural selection works. It's not only the individual who has to be strongest, it's the individual and it's family and it's community.
In the classic example of a lion pride we think of the male lion who has to be strong enough to procreate. We forget that for a lion pride to thrive it has to eat, and it's the female lion that does the hunting. The strongest pride isn't simply the one with the biggest male. The strongest pride survives drought, disease and myriad dangers. In order for the cubs to become strong adults they have to learn. They explore and test themselves. They make mistakes and survive to live another day.
Natural selection has prepared humans to climb trees to escape danger. It's prepared us to fight when necessary to protect ourselves and our families. Natural selection hasn't directly prepared us for all the noises and lights of the modern world. All it takes to snuff out life is glancing down at a cell phone and absent mindedly stepping off the curb into traffic. Humans don't thrive because we never make mistakes. Humans thrive because we use signals and systems to help us navigate a deadly world. If an app can alert us to danger that's just one more tool in our belt.
The school system had the kid arrested. They suspended him for three days and forced him to sign a statement under duress. They allowed the police to interrogate him, on school property, without legal representation or the presence of an adult guardian. You know what they never did?
Here's how I envision the gradual expansion of these technologies.
On the one hand we will have the open network; the public roads. Over the next two decades we'll see more and more automation integrated into our cars. Within 10 years we'll have the first vehicle-to-vehicle traffic negotiation devices show up. These will initially negotiate with the road signs, traffic signals and other vehicles. Within 20 years these devices will replace the signs and signals. The red light will be on our dashboard. The speed limit that currently shows on our GPS will have the force of law. At first the driver will be assisted by the automation technology. The computer will only take over when the driver is about to crash or run someone over.
Gradually the computer will take more and more of the driving role. It will park itself. It will brake at intersections. It will let off the brake when the light turns green (but the driver will press the gas to move forward). It will control the speed of the vehicle so the car can't go too fast. If an emergency vehicle approaches the car might pull off the road to let it pass.
In the meantime automation technologies will be integrated into private road and off-road networks. Golf carts will almost certainly be used in such a network. Standardization will allow industry to designate closed roads for moving goods between buildings and then within industrial parks. Then someone will want to connect the industrial park with the airport or seaport. Maybe they take a low use rail line and convert it to a closed road. Cities will probably close off downtown areas to non-automated traffic. People will hail a "cab" to get around downtown and use mass transit to travel outside the city.
As the technology advances the closed and open road systems will start to interact. You might drive to the airport but have your car drop you at the gate and then find a place to park itself. You go shopping and your car pulls up so you can load the groceries. In perhaps 30 years time the industrial system and the public system will be mature. Eventually we reach a tipping point where we just switch everything over to automated transportation.
I expect we'll do away with speed limits altogether. They will probably be replaced with an acceptable speed range. For example, where the speed limit is currently 55 the acceptable speed might be 50-60 mph. Once you integrate vehicle-to-vehicle communications this speed can change with conditions. The speed range on an icy interstate might be 40-50. That same section of highway might go to 70-80 when it's sunny and dry.
http://www.autonews.com/articl...
The solution to this is already being discussed. It seems likely that in the future all cars will be equipt with vehicle-to-vehicle traffic control devices which will negotiate the right of way at intersections. The traffic signal will be on our dashboard.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/...
It's called the "Emergency Stop Signal" and it's activated by ABS systems. It's required in some European countries. In the US automakers have to apply for special permission to use blinking flashers. Apparently the feature exists in many vehicles already but is disabled by software (and it's illegal to enable the feature in those vehicles). The NHTSA is still studying the issue and will probably have to modify their regulations. My guess is that it will eventually be required for all new vehicles.
My last long distance trip I noticed a new feature in some cars. If the owner hits the brakes hard the emergency flashers blink for a few seconds to warn other drivers. Simple, smart and it probably saves many more lives than backup cameras.
Slashdot Mirror
A very small amount of current, precisely timed, can throw the heart out of rhythm. I used to use a portable electrical stimulation device that stimulated nerve growth. I once made the mistake of touching an electrode with my left hand while the other electrode was connected to my right arm. When it pulsed it nearly killed me. Cross my heart, hope to die.
When I first checked Slashdot this morning they hadn't vandalized the site yet. I actually thought new ownership might bring an end to this. Slashdot on April Fools is like listening to a 30 year old telling knock-knock jokes.
I'm a bit surprised. Not that the computers are working but that a 250+ organization has already rolled out 10. Most IT departments of size tend to wait, but I work for myself these days so maybe it's rolling out more quickly. In any case, in an environment where you have on-site IT staff the problems are less significant. Windows 8 introduced numerous changes from Win 7. The settings are now split between the control panel and the new settings interface. One of my users couldn't figure out how to setup the WiFi connection. Oh, and Windows reboots after updating and to hell with any unsaved documents. Numerous users have had problems with the Windows account logins. Contacts don't synchronize properly. Email gets retrieved in duplicate. Files get stored in OneDrive and the user is looking for it in their local folders. These are just some of the issues off the top of my head. None of these problems are relevant in the corporate environment.
Microsoft has shown that they can use Windows Update to manipulate people into installing Windows 8 or 10. Now tell me how many of those users would consider Windows 10 to be an improvement over Windows 7? And since pushing their tablet is so important, how many users would consider a table with a Microsoft OS to be a better value than their competitor's options? And how many users who would never consider purchasing from Apple in the past are now reconsidering the value of a Macintosh desktop?
I make a living servicing Microsoft computers and I develop mostly for the Windows OS. I am an expert in MS-Access and VBA (flame>/dev/null). Just about every Windows 10 computer I've seen gets stuck coming out of hybernation and go into a recursive boot. This is a known issue that has remained unresolved since IIRC June of 2015! I've seen this on brand new computers as well as "upgrades".
I have clients who bought brand new computers and stuck them in closets because they couldn't figure out how to use it. Honestly, I can't recommend that my technically unskilled clients consider Linux but I've given up on Windows. I am now recommending that my clients consider buying Macintosh computers.
I can't believe we've gotten here.
Put it in a readme file. Nobody would ever find it there.
I've been reading some of the marketing material on RJ.5. Some points:
RJ-point-5 is a trade mark. The draft standard is IEC 61076-3-121. The documents are paywalled so that's all I know. http://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=...
Actually it's not a crime. Maryland law covers the intentional interception of a communication.
First, there has to be intent. The incidental recording of a conversation is not covered by the law. So if two people are recording their conversation in a coffee shop and picked up a private conversation in the background that would not be illegal.
Second, we have to define interception. According to numerous court rulings a communication can only be intercepted if it's private. A conversation in a public place is not a private communication because there's a reasonable expectation that it would be overheard. This is why it is legal to record audio during a traffic stop. The police officer while performing his public duties has no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Here's an opinion from the MD Attorney General dated 2010 that goes into some detail: http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opi...
I don't know game theory but I do dabble in political strategy. Most Republicans, or Americans for that matter, have at least heard of Rubio. Few outside of Ohio have heard of John Kasich. The tie for last place has finally put Kasich in the public eye. Rubio can only drop in the polls and Kasich can only rise.
There's very little chance that either Rubio or Kasich could win the Republican nomination, but there's also little chance that either Trump or Cruz could win the national election. This primary season has made it all but impossible for Cruz or Trump to pivot to the center after the primaries. The only two candidates who could still do that are Rubio and Kasich. The best scenario at this point is if Cruz drops out and throws his support behind one of the moderate candidates. The last moderate candidate standing is the only Republican Party candidate with any chance of winning the presidency. If I were betting I'd put my money on Kasich.
According to this slashdot post, which links to this BBC article, that's what at least one manufacturer is planning to do.
My mistake. I'm using 5.4.2 not 5.5. Maybe they've actually fixed some of these issues.
You call this polished and mature? Never mind all the features that got tossed out and have to be rewritten. I use KDE all day every day and I love it, but this release is worse than Windows 10. My screen goes out of sync every time I leave the computer idle and plasma crashes several times an hour. By the way, wiping out all the activities and menu settings with the new platform was brilliant. That just made my day.
error_msg { altert("I'm sorry, Start Menu and Cortana have stopped working. I'll try to fix it after the engine reboots.");
reboot;
call err_msg;}
So you want a technological solution to solve a human-induced problem created by technology?
Yes, I do. Or rather I want to live in a community where people use all the tools available to protect themselves against threats to their safety. People have such an oversimplified understanding of how natural selection works. It's not only the individual who has to be strongest, it's the individual and it's family and it's community.
In the classic example of a lion pride we think of the male lion who has to be strong enough to procreate. We forget that for a lion pride to thrive it has to eat, and it's the female lion that does the hunting. The strongest pride isn't simply the one with the biggest male. The strongest pride survives drought, disease and myriad dangers. In order for the cubs to become strong adults they have to learn. They explore and test themselves. They make mistakes and survive to live another day.
Natural selection has prepared humans to climb trees to escape danger. It's prepared us to fight when necessary to protect ourselves and our families. Natural selection hasn't directly prepared us for all the noises and lights of the modern world. All it takes to snuff out life is glancing down at a cell phone and absent mindedly stepping off the curb into traffic. Humans don't thrive because we never make mistakes. Humans thrive because we use signals and systems to help us navigate a deadly world. If an app can alert us to danger that's just one more tool in our belt.
If you're going to go all absurd at least be creative. Komodo dragons are much scarier than crocs.
Let me guess. They're all mobile?
The school system had the kid arrested. They suspended him for three days and forced him to sign a statement under duress. They allowed the police to interrogate him, on school property, without legal representation or the presence of an adult guardian. You know what they never did?
Evacuate the school
Here's how I envision the gradual expansion of these technologies.
On the one hand we will have the open network; the public roads. Over the next two decades we'll see more and more automation integrated into our cars. Within 10 years we'll have the first vehicle-to-vehicle traffic negotiation devices show up. These will initially negotiate with the road signs, traffic signals and other vehicles. Within 20 years these devices will replace the signs and signals. The red light will be on our dashboard. The speed limit that currently shows on our GPS will have the force of law. At first the driver will be assisted by the automation technology. The computer will only take over when the driver is about to crash or run someone over.
Gradually the computer will take more and more of the driving role. It will park itself. It will brake at intersections. It will let off the brake when the light turns green (but the driver will press the gas to move forward). It will control the speed of the vehicle so the car can't go too fast. If an emergency vehicle approaches the car might pull off the road to let it pass.
In the meantime automation technologies will be integrated into private road and off-road networks. Golf carts will almost certainly be used in such a network. Standardization will allow industry to designate closed roads for moving goods between buildings and then within industrial parks. Then someone will want to connect the industrial park with the airport or seaport. Maybe they take a low use rail line and convert it to a closed road. Cities will probably close off downtown areas to non-automated traffic. People will hail a "cab" to get around downtown and use mass transit to travel outside the city.
As the technology advances the closed and open road systems will start to interact. You might drive to the airport but have your car drop you at the gate and then find a place to park itself. You go shopping and your car pulls up so you can load the groceries. In perhaps 30 years time the industrial system and the public system will be mature. Eventually we reach a tipping point where we just switch everything over to automated transportation.
I expect we'll do away with speed limits altogether. They will probably be replaced with an acceptable speed range. For example, where the speed limit is currently 55 the acceptable speed might be 50-60 mph. Once you integrate vehicle-to-vehicle communications this speed can change with conditions. The speed range on an icy interstate might be 40-50. That same section of highway might go to 70-80 when it's sunny and dry. http://www.autonews.com/articl...
The solution to this is already being discussed. It seems likely that in the future all cars will be equipt with vehicle-to-vehicle traffic control devices which will negotiate the right of way at intersections. The traffic signal will be on our dashboard. http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/...
It's called the "Emergency Stop Signal" and it's activated by ABS systems. It's required in some European countries. In the US automakers have to apply for special permission to use blinking flashers. Apparently the feature exists in many vehicles already but is disabled by software (and it's illegal to enable the feature in those vehicles). The NHTSA is still studying the issue and will probably have to modify their regulations. My guess is that it will eventually be required for all new vehicles.
My last long distance trip I noticed a new feature in some cars. If the owner hits the brakes hard the emergency flashers blink for a few seconds to warn other drivers. Simple, smart and it probably saves many more lives than backup cameras.
Because JD Power didn't publish the report, at least not that I can find. They just published their summary about the report.
Why link to an article and not to the report?
http://www.jdpower.com/press-r...