The physics of electromagnetism and photonics will somehow stop an errant beam from destroying anything else as it travels onwards? Nope, of course not.
Missiles run out of fuel. Bullets and shells are subject to ballistics. Missed 30kw laser blasts know no factors to stopping them, as much as some people will claim that a beam of such magnitude will somehow become safely diffuse within our atmosphere if it has not already pierced something else.
Seriously? Bullets and other such projectiles are subject to gravity and Newtonian physics. They will find a place and time of energy release or simple rest. Thus, a howitzer will send a shell in a predictable arc based on the well-understood science of ballistics. Thus, shells can be aimed to land on target, short of target, or long of target but only to a certain extent. OTOH, a coherent 30kw beam of light that misses or bypasses its target will continue on its merry way to scorch holes in anything it contacts long its line of fire, with no helpful ballistics to predict what it will or will not hit.
Here's an example of what can go wrong with beam weaponry: a fighter plane with a big-ass laser has an enemy fighter in its sights, but at the moment of truth the beam not only blasts the prey but also continues firing long enough for the coherent beam of destructive light energy to go onwards to strike a school in the metropolis below, causing a fire. Think of the children!!!
Nobody has figured out how to stop laser beams that have missed their target, have they? Nope, didn't think so. Examine a missed 30kw laser beam and try to let us know if any dispersion effects will happen before a whole lot of collateral damage is done. Here's an easier challenge: show us a real, living unicorn.
"Pragmatism" versus "Inertia"? What a strange choice that doesn't align with pro/con argumentation.
FWIW, let's look at a continuum of Linux/Unix desktop users instead. We know that a core group will tend to prefer a minimalist X-Windows desktop such as IceWM for the least impact on hardware performance. Many users prefer desktops like XFCE, Razor-QT, LXDM, and others that offer lightweight but fuller and more integrated experiences than the truly minimalist ones, acknowledging that the load on a system tends to increase as more features are included and deciding strategically to suit their usefulness-efficiency preferences. At the other end of the spectrum are those users who want an entire desktop environment in which all the bells and whistles are integrated into a particular look and feel, as characterized by KDE and Gnome, but understandably with a heavier load on the underlying hardware. So, I suppose pragmatism enters into such choices. To each their own, and having such choices is wonderful. Inertia? There are those who will say "I use KDE because I learned on it and I'm used to it", but this also is a pragmatic choice and not one of "inertia".
We invoke the past every time we use one of those old maxims like 'turn up the volume' (implying the physical act of turning a knob) or 'you're like a broken record' (referring to a stylus on a record player stuck perpetually in the same groove, replaying and replaying the same sounds). Kids almost always infer the gist, and if it matters enough they'll ask for a more specific meaining. Think about the last time you heard someone say that someone was "pulling out all the stops" to achieve something. Did you immediately think of a mighty pipe organ, about which that line is meant? Probably not, so it didn't matter to you. No harm done, so no need to research pipe organs unless you really want to.
This time its okay to *not* think of the children, but just let them come to you. Also make visits to museums a fun thing for them.
I think the project might use some type of uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
The 2 Powerware units and 1 APC unit at the bottom of the left rack are UPSes, and the 2 Liebert units at the bottom of the right rack are also UPSes.
as well as network switches, etc.
The left rack has a QLogic Fibre switch at about the midpoint and an HP Ethernet switch at the very top. The right rack has a Dell Ethernet switch at the very top. The thermostat at the top centre of the picture shows an ambient temperature of 19C while the setting is for 18C, so the HVAC is apparently quite good. I see a few serial port cables so I would imagine that there is a box for those too.
All of us in geek tech, everyone in the business, whether sysadmins, developers, grunts, project managers, hardware devs, etc. are all such truly well-rounded, serene, polite, and co-operative people who exude zen mastery.
Note to anyone wishing to comment on U.S. politics from any other country: has anyone ever found people of the U.S. to be particularly receptive of, or introspective regarding, foreign commentary? That was rhetorical.
Okay, how about Monotheistic? Monomaniacal? Mononucleosistic? Never mind, you aren't one of the ones with a sense of humour, but have a chuckle anyways.
Lately we've had egregious dupes, insipid, noobie-focused "what you need to do to your Windoze computer" items, a couple of my own submissions, then this... THIS! I demand that/. mods swear off what they've been ingesting over the holidays and speak to a kind social worker who will offer them a donut and tell them to stick closer to church-oriented activities.
Over 20 years ago I predicted that in late December, 2013 a group of scientists would announce that they had successfully predicted an earthquake. Unfortunately due to my data from back then having disappeared, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Inevitably the children must parent their parents, especially as the elders increasingly lose their capabilities in the latter years. Start now by growing a spine and challenging them to get out of the computer dark ages for their own safety's sake. The solutions pitched here so far all deserve scrutiny, but frankly if the lynchpin is that your mother is an MS Office power user (macros, etc.) then you're stuck with the Windows platform so just fork out for a Windows 7 license and hope for the best. OTOH, if you find out that her dependence on MS Office is just psychological, switch her to a tablet or a Linux-based PC solution and be done with it. If she whines, you get to play back all the old tapes she indoctrinated you with during your childhood. Fair is fair. You're doing it for her own good, after all.
The next step is to work on proper surround sound for the helmet:
Embed high quality speakers into the helmet so that they are positioned spherically to the head, and encode all software materials with Open Source Ambisonics in full-sphere sound field mode. Don't bother with the limitations and closed source nature of DTS or Dolby surround systems as they are only suited to sound fields that involve a central screen or stage.
After that a chair with integrated joysticks, pedals, a bass shaker, back massager, booze tube-feeder, and smell-o-tronics!
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The physics of electromagnetism and photonics will somehow stop an errant beam from destroying anything else as it travels onwards? Nope, of course not.
Missiles run out of fuel. Bullets and shells are subject to ballistics. Missed 30kw laser blasts know no factors to stopping them, as much as some people will claim that a beam of such magnitude will somehow become safely diffuse within our atmosphere if it has not already pierced something else.
Diffraction/scattering of a 30kw laser beam to make it harmless to satellites... nope, I don't think so.
Um no, that would only happen if their end target was illuminated against the backdrop of outer space when the miss happened.
Seriously? Bullets and other such projectiles are subject to gravity and Newtonian physics. They will find a place and time of energy release or simple rest. Thus, a howitzer will send a shell in a predictable arc based on the well-understood science of ballistics. Thus, shells can be aimed to land on target, short of target, or long of target but only to a certain extent. OTOH, a coherent 30kw beam of light that misses or bypasses its target will continue on its merry way to scorch holes in anything it contacts long its line of fire, with no helpful ballistics to predict what it will or will not hit.
That doesn't respond to the issue of what happens to the killer beam(s) after the target is either missed or destroyed.
Here's an example of what can go wrong with beam weaponry: a fighter plane with a big-ass laser has an enemy fighter in its sights, but at the moment of truth the beam not only blasts the prey but also continues firing long enough for the coherent beam of destructive light energy to go onwards to strike a school in the metropolis below, causing a fire. Think of the children!!!
Nobody has figured out how to stop laser beams that have missed their target, have they? Nope, didn't think so. Examine a missed 30kw laser beam and try to let us know if any dispersion effects will happen before a whole lot of collateral damage is done. Here's an easier challenge: show us a real, living unicorn.
"Pragmatism" versus "Inertia"? What a strange choice that doesn't align with pro/con argumentation.
FWIW, let's look at a continuum of Linux/Unix desktop users instead. We know that a core group will tend to prefer a minimalist X-Windows desktop such as IceWM for the least impact on hardware performance. Many users prefer desktops like XFCE, Razor-QT, LXDM, and others that offer lightweight but fuller and more integrated experiences than the truly minimalist ones, acknowledging that the load on a system tends to increase as more features are included and deciding strategically to suit their usefulness-efficiency preferences. At the other end of the spectrum are those users who want an entire desktop environment in which all the bells and whistles are integrated into a particular look and feel, as characterized by KDE and Gnome, but understandably with a heavier load on the underlying hardware. So, I suppose pragmatism enters into such choices. To each their own, and having such choices is wonderful. Inertia? There are those who will say "I use KDE because I learned on it and I'm used to it", but this also is a pragmatic choice and not one of "inertia".
It's like claiming that Stonehenge is a feat that demonstrates the long history of English engineering prowess.
Like when they got the feet and inches mixed up and ruined the Spinal Tap concert.
We invoke the past every time we use one of those old maxims like 'turn up the volume' (implying the physical act of turning a knob) or 'you're like a broken record' (referring to a stylus on a record player stuck perpetually in the same groove, replaying and replaying the same sounds). Kids almost always infer the gist, and if it matters enough they'll ask for a more specific meaining. Think about the last time you heard someone say that someone was "pulling out all the stops" to achieve something. Did you immediately think of a mighty pipe organ, about which that line is meant? Probably not, so it didn't matter to you. No harm done, so no need to research pipe organs unless you really want to.
This time its okay to *not* think of the children, but just let them come to you. Also make visits to museums a fun thing for them.
On wakeup an error in the MAKE COFFEE subroutine was discovered that has resulted in Rosetta being a bit grouchy.
I think the project might use some type of uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
The 2 Powerware units and 1 APC unit at the bottom of the left rack are UPSes, and the 2 Liebert units at the bottom of the right rack are also UPSes.
as well as network switches, etc.
The left rack has a QLogic Fibre switch at about the midpoint and an HP Ethernet switch at the very top. The right rack has a Dell Ethernet switch at the very top. The thermostat at the top centre of the picture shows an ambient temperature of 19C while the setting is for 18C, so the HVAC is apparently quite good. I see a few serial port cables so I would imagine that there is a box for those too.
All of us in geek tech, everyone in the business, whether sysadmins, developers, grunts, project managers, hardware devs, etc. are all such truly well-rounded, serene, polite, and co-operative people who exude zen mastery.
Here's a link to a photo on OpenBSD Journal of the build server racks and all the great (some quite old) machines being used:
http://www.openbsd.org/images/rack2009.jpg
Lots of memories looking at some of those machines... I'd be a bit concerned about the longevity of some of those.
Note to anyone wishing to comment on U.S. politics from any other country: has anyone ever found people of the U.S. to be particularly receptive of, or introspective regarding, foreign commentary? That was rhetorical.
Okay, how about Monotheistic? Monomaniacal? Mononucleosistic? Never mind, you aren't one of the ones with a sense of humour, but have a chuckle anyways.
Lately we've had egregious dupes, insipid, noobie-focused "what you need to do to your Windoze computer" items, a couple of my own submissions, then this... THIS! I demand that /. mods swear off what they've been ingesting over the holidays and speak to a kind social worker who will offer them a donut and tell them to stick closer to church-oriented activities.
Over 20 years ago I predicted that in late December, 2013 a group of scientists would announce that they had successfully predicted an earthquake. Unfortunately due to my data from back then having disappeared, you'll just have to take my word for it.
I can fly when I'm only three sheets to the wind.
They're "Some O 1 s"
Can you imagine trying to rig up a patch panel for these nano devices?
Inevitably the children must parent their parents, especially as the elders increasingly lose their capabilities in the latter years. Start now by growing a spine and challenging them to get out of the computer dark ages for their own safety's sake. The solutions pitched here so far all deserve scrutiny, but frankly if the lynchpin is that your mother is an MS Office power user (macros, etc.) then you're stuck with the Windows platform so just fork out for a Windows 7 license and hope for the best. OTOH, if you find out that her dependence on MS Office is just psychological, switch her to a tablet or a Linux-based PC solution and be done with it. If she whines, you get to play back all the old tapes she indoctrinated you with during your childhood. Fair is fair. You're doing it for her own good, after all.
The next step is to work on proper surround sound for the helmet:
Embed high quality speakers into the helmet so that they are positioned spherically to the head, and encode all software materials with Open Source Ambisonics in full-sphere sound field mode. Don't bother with the limitations and closed source nature of DTS or Dolby surround systems as they are only suited to sound fields that involve a central screen or stage.
After that a chair with integrated joysticks, pedals, a bass shaker, back massager, booze tube-feeder, and smell-o-tronics!
Just about every significant philosophic or religious personage in history has said that corruption is *everywhere*.