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User: Cadre

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Comments · 206

  1. Alert Updates on First California AMBER Alert Shows AT&T's Emergency Alerts Are a Mess · · Score: 1

    One time there was a flash flood watch for my city and the neighboring county, that's 2 alerts, then it kept repeating about every 10 minutes.

    Certainly with the flood alerts they need to reevaluate how/when the alerts are sent out. The NWS will frequently extend flood alerts by 10-30 minutes at a time over the course of a storm on how fast the storm is moving through an area. The CMAS system will send out new alert for each update by the NWS regardless if it's just extending the previous alert by 10 minutes or ("It may flood in the next 30 minutes? Okay thanks. I can see that it hasn't yet stopped raining an hour later, it's not necessary to send me another frigging alert saying it may flood.").

    The lack of foresight into the deployment of CMAS is going to have a long term negative effect on the effectiveness of the system. I know a lot of people in VA who have disabled the system on their phone after receiving half a dozen alerts between midnight and 0600 during the last big storm. They'll probably never think to re-enable it now.

  2. Re:None of this would've happened... on Steve Jobs Weighs In On iPhone Programming Language Mandate · · Score: 1

    Flash on OS X is crap because Apple refused to give the plugin the kind of low-level access it needed. The newest version does a lot to ameliorate that. Flash 10.1 (now in RC) uses Core Animation, so you should see a significant improvement in performance.

    No, properly written applications will use CoreAnimation, CoreAudio, Quicktime X APIs, etc so that they are appropriately abstracted from the low-level hardware. Hardware changes and Apple's engineers will figure out better ways of doing stuff (ala GCD). You use the high-level APIs, you get the improvements for free. You use the low-level APIs, we have to wait around for you to fix your crap (which history has shown that Adobe has no interest in doing in a timely manner).

    The newest version does a lot to ameliorate that. Flash 10.1 (now in RC) uses Core Animation, so you should see a significant improvement in performance.

    That proves the point that Adobe was wrong, they didn't need access to the low-level APIs. They just needed to use the appropriate high-level APIs.

  3. Engine Limiters on Woz Cites "Scary" Prius Acceleration Software Problem · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is absolutely the correct reaction. A slightly more aggressive tact might be to drop the vehicle in low, which might blow the engine but would also severely limit your speed.

    Most modern cars have engine RPM limiters; throw it into neutral with a stuck throttle and it may sound like it's going to blow up but it'll be fine. In automatic transmissions, selecting low is really only a suggestion and most automatics will freely ignore a manually selected downshift if it leads to an over-rev condition.

    The only way to over-rev most cars these days is have a standard transmission and miss a shift coming down.

  4. Re:"Postini"? on A Look At Google's Email Spam Prevention · · Score: 1

    You are definitely not alone. I'm having the same issue with Google. I have my domain hosted with a very popular hosting company. I have correct SPF records. I have domain keys. I am not on any blacklists. Though quite often email sent to Google will get filed into people's spam boxes and I'll have to tell them they need to go digging through it and click the not-spam button.

  5. GPS attitude on Rumors Flying About New iPhone Capabilities · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you have a GPS, then you also have a compass, because any GPS can compute North.

    This is untrue. A GPS can tell you what your coordinates are but not which way your device is facing relative to north. If you're moving it assumes the GPS is facing the direction of travel, which is not always the case. When you aren't moving it gets quickly confused.

    No, actually it is true. You just need multiple antennas in a known orientation.

    Sources:

    We all know what the difference is between a GPS and a compass.

    Apparently some of us are confused about the relative capabilities though.

    In context of the iPhone, no, calculating attitude from the GPS data isn't possible due to its size. But calculating attitude using GPS is quite possible and has already been done.

  6. ID Threads on Slashdot Launches User Achievements · · Score: 1

    ID threads are the best.

  7. NBC Still Sucks on 2008 Beijing Olympics as a Media Test-Bed · · Score: 1

    Same story as two years ago. NBC Sucks. Microsoft has bought them and is using them to push their platform and is refusing to support anything other than Windows and Windows Media Player.

  8. RDD-D on New Service Maps Speed Traps By Cell Phone · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You know the police have "radar detector detectors", right?

    They only detect the cheap radar detectors. There has been an electronic warfare in the civilian world with radar detectors (RDs) and radar detector detectors (RDDs). Moderate priced RDs have had RDD detection capability for awhile and will go into a stealth mode, temporarily disabling their main oscillator.

    And of course, you have the professional level such as the Beltronics STi Driver or the Valentine 1 which have been hardened to prevent RF emissions detected by RDDs...

  9. Homage to Dancing Kame on The Night the IETF Shut Off IPv4 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I did, though I expected it to work since I have had IPv6 access for awhile now. I just didn't know that Google had an IPv6 site. Google's homage to the dancing Kame is pretty nice.

  10. .org was always a catch-all on The First 100 Dot Coms Ever Registered · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm sure when the net was young that .orgs had to be non profit

    .org was not created for non-profit organizations, it was originally created as a catch-all for organizations that didn't meet the requirements for the other gTLDs. PIR's History Page, RFC 920, RFC 1591

  11. Some numbers... on Vote To Eliminate Leap Seconds · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just use your ten fingers to represent a binary number. Make sure you order the bits properly! We'd certainly end up a more dexterous population...

    That would be an interesting transition period as people got used to indicating or recognizing the numbers 4 or 128...

  12. So close... on Slashdot Turns 10 But You Get The Presents · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I feel your pain. Just 1051 users between me and the hollowed ground of 4-digitdom.

    It'd be cool if /. added a table that listed blocks of ids, their user name and last time they'd logged in or posted. I can't imagine that too many of the 1051 users between me and 9999 are actually still active.

  13. Solder-less microphone. on Apple Releases New Touch Screen iPod · · Score: 1

    What good is Skype if you have no microphone?

    Add one then.

  14. We can switch too... on NASA Tests Hydrogen-Fueled BMW · · Score: 1

    But with hydrogen transportation, we can move the pollution (from the hydrogen generation) almost where ever we want.

    Not only that but it allows us to switch from one type of power generation (fossil fuels) to environmentally friendly techniques (such as nuclear or solar) much easier.

  15. Hydrogen is the _right_ solution, here's why. on NASA Tests Hydrogen-Fueled BMW · · Score: 1

    All of your concerns were addressed quite some time ago. Hydrogen is an excellent storage method for energy. Hydrogen is quite safe, much more than gasoline for several reasons, hydrogen tanks have much higher safety requirements, hydrogen gas dissipates quickly (as opposed to gasoline which pools) in addition hydrogen isn't toxic as is gasoline. Hydrogen has pretty much proved itself as the next energy storage method. Progress in battery technology has slowed and there really is nothing on the horizon for energy storage for use in cars besides hydrogen.

    The power for electrolysis can come from current environmentally friendly sources such as Nuclear power (or, as you cited, solar).

  16. Checking the facts... on NASA Tests Hydrogen-Fueled BMW · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And last I checked, your average power station, producing hundreds of mega watts, is actually substantially less efficient than a (relatively) small petrol engine.

    You checked wrong. Your standard automotive engine is around 20% efficient[1]. Fossil fuel plants vary based upon their design but typically are in 35-40% efficient range[2]. In addition, power stations will have better pollution controls than an automobile.

    References:

    1. http://mb-soft.com/public2/engine.html
    2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel_power_p lant (See Bibliography)

    The solution we need to be working towards is more nuclear for the power generation and hydrogen generated from electrolysis for use in mobile applications.

  17. Long term storage on TiVoToGo for Mac Announced · · Score: 1

    OK, I've gotta ask, why would I care if it worked with iTV? My TiVo is already attached to my TV. What point would there be in moving the file from the TiVo to the Mac to the iTV?

    Long term storage. I DVRed all of the Expedition Everest episodes on Discovery. In a couple months I'll probably want to watch them again, but I sure don't want them just sitting on my DVR in the meantime taking up space.

  18. Forward it to the SEC on Bot Nets Behind Recent Spam Surge · · Score: 2, Informative
    Actually, couldn't that be used as a good way to trace the spammers?
    It is. When you receive an investment related SPAM email, forward it to enforcement@sec.gov (go here for more information on reporting investment related SPAM email to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).
  19. +1 Pedantic on GPLv3 - A Primer on Open Warfare in Open Source · · Score: 2, Informative
    And here is way - if it was true than Microsft and Apple should be calling their software "BSD/Windows" and "BSD/OSX", since they both have lots of BSD software in them.

    Apple refers to the Mac OS X kernel as XNU. "Mac OS X" is generic enough that it encompasses the userland and kernel all at the same time.

  20. Administration Via SSH on Apple Unveils New Macbook · · Score: 1
    Can you... ...install OSX-apps via ssh?

    Sure. Installing most applications involve just copying them to the Applications folder. So just: sudo cp -R Application.app /Applications/.

    ...update your system via ssh?

    Sure. /usr/sbin/softwareupdate

    ...modify user preferences via ssh?

    Sure. Application preference files are stored as XML files in ~/Library/Preferences/. Use your preferred editor to edit the files directly. Or read up on the defaults command to use a more progmatic way to edit the preference files.

    ...modify OSX system settings via ssh?

    Sure. Your standard Unix stuff is in the ubiquitous /etc (which is actually symlinked to /private/etc). The XML (Mac OS X specific stuff) ones are in /Library/Preferences. The netinfo database (read up on the usage of niutil on how to manipulate the databse) is located in /var (again - /private/var).

  21. Possibly space constraints on Apple Unveils New Macbook · · Score: 1

    From what I've read (somebody posted this awhile ago, but I haven't been able to dig up the post yet) the Intel motherboard in the MacBook Pros only have FW400 onboard. The MBP 17 has enough room for a separate chip to handle FW800, but the MBP 15 does not. Perhaps the next revision will have it.

  22. Logistics on Apple Unveils New Macbook · · Score: 1
    So why limit the Superdrive to only the higher end model, Apple? Does the higher model offer such a negligible real world performance boost for the extra $300, you're afraid that you'll completely poach 2.0Ghz sales by giving the 1.83Ghz the option for DVD burning?

    No, it's simple logistics. Manufactures want to keep their supply lines simple and their stock of computers low to keep their overhead costs down. Adding the option to get a superdrive to the 1.83 GHz MacBook means that they would have to keep an additional variant in stock.

    And actually, the difference is only $200 (1.83 GHz w/ combo drive is $1099 and the 2 GHz (white) w/ superdrive is $1299).

  23. NBC Sucks. on NBC To Live Stream Olympics Event · · Score: 1
    I think that is ridiculous. They should at least have an alternate format for the rest of us.

    I know. This just pisses me off. About a week before the games started Flip4Mac was working. I played a couple clips and it worked. Then the day the games actually start they break it and we haven't had coverage since. And NBC goes to great lengths to not list any ways to contact them to complain about this either. Fuck NBC.

  24. Hello Moto on Jobs' Invitation To Microsoft a Trap? · · Score: 1

    As far as I know Apple hasnt even licensed FairPlay to anyone in fear of good old fashioned competition from other mp3 players....

    Motorola ROKR with iTunes. They have licensed it to Motorola. It just didn't work out that well.

  25. .org is catch-all, not specific to non-profits on Vint Cerf Answering Questions on Top-Level Domains · · Score: 1

    In my opinion, the "incorrectness" of the slashdot.org (i.e. slashdot is part of a for-profit business but resides in a typically non-profit domain) only serves to make it more legit

    I think you might have missed this reply where it's stated that .org is a catch-all and isn't specific to non-profit. Think of org standing for just "organization", not "non-profit organization".