Slashdot Mirror


User: KreAture

KreAture's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
223
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 223

  1. Whay they measure and how they send it... on Ask Slashdot: Are Smart Meters Safe? · · Score: 1

    They can measure and report multiple times pr hour and may send data wirelessly so as to be picked up by people interested in your power use. It may be people wanting to know if you are really at home, or people wanting to diturb the system to screw with your bill.
    You use advanced light-switches with randomizing on/off times to fake being at home, but you don't cook dinners or take showers making your power consumption very low and not peaking in the right places. This could easily indicate to a thief that you are not home.

    In addition there are talks of shutting off individual meters/circuits by the e-works through these smart meters.
    What kind of safeguards are there to prevent others (insert misused word: hackers) from doing the same?

  2. Re:Near miss? Near hit, rather.... on Astronomers Catch Asteroid In Near-Miss Video · · Score: 1

    I know it's not, but it is being used to describe an event that is not goverened by fluke chances and moment, but of gravity. It is 100% deterministic and we can calculate it. Compared to turbulant flow of gas/liquid for example, it's simple...
    Then there's the fact that it's called a new miss when a near miss would be a glancing hit semantically speaking.

  3. Re:Near miss? Near hit, rather.... on Astronomers Catch Asteroid In Near-Miss Video · · Score: 2

    Yes, I wish they would stop using the term. Is is not just misleading and stupid, it's wrong too.
    A near miss relates to situations where chance played a role averting a disaster. Since this asteroid has been traveling on it's well-defined path and wil lcontinues to do so, modified ofcource by bodys it passes, it has nothing to do with chance and no ammount of butteryflys flapping their wings could have made it hit earth.
    It was rather:
    - a near hit
    - a narrow escape
    - a close encounter
    - a close call

    Since this was a case of moving objects the correct term is:
    - near collision

  4. Re:Article summary says it all on 12-Core ARM Cluster Beats Intel Atom, AMD Fusion · · Score: 2

    It's called page views and ad reloads.

    What I find interesting is the switch probably uses more power than the cluster.

  5. Re:High-Frequency Trading on Aussie Telco Lays New Fiber For Microsecond Trading Boost · · Score: 1

    Finally!
    For every cent these HFT-basters make, a cent is lost to the normal investor, money fund or long time invested hopefull.
    They claim they are making values but the values come from someone else. What they are is abusing a system that was never ment to do this in the first place.

  6. Lawyer-mp3 in remix please? on Listen to the RIAA's Appeal In Jammie Thomas Case · · Score: 1

    This clip is just begging to become the next big internet meme...
    Can't someone mix it up and put a good beat on it?

  7. Random traffic and search generator? on Online Activities To Be Recorded By UK ISPs · · Score: 1

    How much data do they really think they will need to store pr individual?
    What if we multiply that by 1000000?
    For every search you do on a search engine, a script could create a few thousand extra.
    For every website you visit, the crawler will visit a hundred.
    Encapsulating traffic in the wrong protocol may also be fun.

  8. EyeClops! on Ask Slashdot: Advice On Child-Friendly Microscopes? · · Score: 1

    http://www.chiff.com/toys/eyeclops.htm
    For kids, this is the right one.
    - easy to hold
    - no small parts
    - looks funny
    - usb

  9. To those finding it hard to work with Raspberry Pi on Speech Recognition Using the Raspberry Pi · · Score: 2

    It's a full system devboard using proper operating system and coding-style, not a Arduino.
    It's not ment for anyone to just develop the next big thing but for people with a base level of competance.
    Sorry if this ruins your dreams.

  10. Don't attack the medium, attack the problem on Microsoft-Funded Startup Aims To Kill BitTorrent Traffic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem being the actual content owners refusing to distribute their goods in a modern way without it being a backwards and abusive method to ensure as much forced advertisement-watching as possible while at the same time allowing them to know exactly what has been watched, where and when. Ideally segmenting the market into nice chunks so that they never compete against eachother or different versions of their own product and making sure their franchising merchandise is in the right shelves at the time of availability in every little slice of pie.

    Again they embrace a way of attacking the actual network without discriminating between legal and illegal use of it.
    Distributing copyrighted material via bittorrent is NOT a crime, assuming the content owner is doing it or in some way approves of it being done. It's no different from putting copies of your product on a truck, assuming again that you would want to.

    I think we should start sending false traffic-announcements, swap roadsigns and pave false roads going to nowhere in an attempt of obfuscating the road network all over the entire world. This is ofcource to prevent thieves, smugglers of lewd and illegal goods as well as well as drunk-drivers and other highway-killers from reaching their homes, customers and/or victims. Since all highway killers (due to road accidents) are using the roads to do it, we can eliminate all these deaths by preventing everyone from using the roads. It has just as much merrit as other attacks on infrastructure, although not as clearly claimed cash proffit. (I say claimed cash proffit as any test with free candies outside a store will tell you that giving away 1000 free bonbons is not ammount to 1000 less sold in the store. Someone should really test this and I would encourage them to do so.)

  11. Re:Scary???? on Raspberry Pi Passes EU Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing · · Score: 2

    The interesting thing is they were forced to do this at all.
    Farnell in Norway does NOT sell to end users, only companys and developers, and as such the boards are not supposed to be forced to adhere to this testing.
    It smells like some competitors have gotten their will here, and it's nice to see that they didn't win. Now the sales will be even better from the get-go.
    I already know of several projects that may use the pi as a base-platform now that it passed the tests.

  12. Re:Correct on World Is Ignoring Most Important Lesson From Fukushima · · Score: 1

    Well, partially true.
    Don't forget how much more money is available in military research than in non-military.
    Now though, comercial interests in power generation is probably on-par and governments just have to give a green light. Without it ofcource, there can be no nuclear research, laws see to that.

    Luckally there are now comercial companies diving into this, and if all goes well, we will see fruits of this research in 10-20 years time.

  13. Re:Correct on World Is Ignoring Most Important Lesson From Fukushima · · Score: 1

    Correct on many points there, but some have already been addressed.
    Specifically new alloys have been found and additives been discovered to reduce corrosion.

    There are also a number of solutions relating to the maintanance and from what I read online it appears lots of the reasons for these issues is lack of research, mainly due to it stopping when weapon production was more important than public safety.

  14. Re:Correct on World Is Ignoring Most Important Lesson From Fukushima · · Score: 1

    Then it will be safe, and the reactor can keep operating.

    There can't be a meltdown as the reaction is self-regulating thermally. It is not reliant on external cooling in form of pumped coolant or power generation (which cools generator as energy is harvested). It would run till fuel is used up or till the purification stops working in which case the buildup of impuritys would stop the reaction prematurely.

  15. Re:Correct on World Is Ignoring Most Important Lesson From Fukushima · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, the plug in the bottom is not made of any other substance. It is simply reactor melt that is cooled by an external system to keep it from flowing.
    You are correct however in that if, for any reason, external cooling of this "freeze plug" is stopped, the plug melts and the reactor content drains to split storage tanks stopping the reaction.
    The stopping of external cooling may be due to all power generation is lost (no power to cooling), external system is destroied or ruined (natural disaster) or everybody on the plant has already left and the plant is left to fend for itself and fails (zombie invasion).

    As you say however, it seems to me too, to be the best solution so far.

    A benefit of Fukushima (if we look hard) is that the research on other types of reactors are now starting again, even though they can't produce nuclear weapons.

  16. Re:My boss sent me this drivel as well on A Better Way To Program · · Score: 1

    Agreed!
    When you write code you should be 100% sure what the code will do. If not you don't really know how to program and can be categorized as belonging to the "poke at it untill it works"-crowd and be banned from comercial programming all together. (Members of that crowd should stay away from kernels and other important open source projects too, please.)
    Working with such coders will be frustrating at best, and the death of projects at worst.

  17. Re:Simpler than that on Chevy Volt Meets High Resistance, GM Suspends Sales · · Score: 2

    True, but I still say they went wrong when copying the rediculous gearbox system of the prius making governments doubt it was indeed electrical drive only.
    The power-generator should have been a seperate pluggable module so one could swap it out for a hydrocarbon or pure hydrogen fuel-cell later. Or, even with something completely unknown at this time. A micro-turbine generator would be fun.
    It was really disappointing to learn they used an insane gearbox solution.

    What I really want is a car based on the Michelin active-wheel and with a range-extension module that can be replaced as technology improves.
    I would expect to have the car for almost 15 years, and replace that module every 5.

  18. Re:Challenge Question? on Microgravity Coffee Cup · · Score: 1

    You only need a slight pressure-differential to drink with a straw in space as there is no gravity to lift liquid against.
    As you saw in the video capillary forces hold the liquid in the "cup" and if there was a straw in it, the capillary forces would pull the liquid all the way up to the tip.
    Oh and since both you and the surface of the fluid is in the same pressure environment you don't have to fight the vacuum of space either.

  19. Umm, prior art in closed systems? on Google Throws /. Under Bus To Snag Patent · · Score: 2

    I believe this delegation is a direct copy of how trusted access on pirate-networks work.
    Can you simply patent a method invented by someone else for illicit and clandestant activities?

  20. Where is the POLL! on Linux Mint 12 Released Today · · Score: 1

    We obviously need a poll here!
    Choices should be straight to the point, no personal preferences of the author should be present.
    "I prefer GNOME 3"
    "I prefer GNOME 3 with the traditional layout and switching"
    "I prefer GNOME 2"

    Something like that.

  21. Re:The EV Battery *is* a bomb. on Chevy Volt Fire Prompts Safety Investigation For EV Batteries · · Score: 1

    Also, the oxygen for the powerfull reaction with the lithium is NOT in the battery, it comes from the air if the pack is ruptured.
    The ammount of available lithium is also dependant on state of charge and somehow to the degree of wear on the cells.

    There is also the LiFePo4 type batterys that have s lightly lower energy-density but where the lithium is always in a bonded state.
    You can drive a nail through a LiFePo battery and nothing will happen, except the unevitable loss of ability to deliver power ofcource.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwIl8f3WI0s
    Compare that to a hydrogen car or a gasoline based system and it's so much safer it's not even a contest.
    The most dangerous part is the testing! They could have lost a finger from the cutter while damaging the pack!

  22. Re:chat roullete on Ask Slashdot: What To Do With Old Webcams? · · Score: 2

    The theoretical limit is 127 devices, but hubs count as devices.
    There is also a limit of 5 levels. That basically limits you to 5 hubs stacked.

    Your biggest concern will be bandwidth and power though. That many devices on a port will need powered hubs and you will definately not get any realtime performance out of it. If the system has multiple controllers it is better to spread the cams around on the avaliable ports and use as few hubs as possible. A driver allowing more than one camera is also neded.

    It sounds like a fun project though, and I'd go for it if I had a tonn of cams.

  23. Copyright infringement != Internet on Italy Prepares '"One Strike" Anti-Piracy Law · · Score: 1

    Why do every new law regulating copyright allow attacking your internet connection?
    If I start copying CD's or DVD's, I can loose my email access?
    I know most of their searches happen online and on p2p networks, but the laws don't differentiate and the reactions are simply illogical.

  24. Re:EA sells you an advantage... on Why Microtransactions In Games Are Amoral · · Score: 1

    Which is why I stopped playing. I played when it was beta and when it was new. Then you could pay for fun stuff, like the ability to wave "haha" to your enemy or a skull and crossbones mask or hat for that added fun when you bested someone. When they started selling insane wepons I logged off for the last time. I've not been on since but I have followed a few rants in some forums to see if they continued down the same path and indeed they appeared to for a while, but now little is happening alltogether.

  25. EA sells you an advantage... on Why Microtransactions In Games Are Amoral · · Score: 1

    BF Heroes is a good example of microtransactions gone ape...
    You can buy yourself superior firepower, but most times it doesn't even last. Often you just rent it for a day, week, month...