Just you, IMO. People use hand gestures much more than the keyboard (/. excepted:-) The accelerometer can be used for many different purposes, or not used at all. If you like it, great. If you hate it, turn it off.
When you plug a USB cable, the whole bandwidth of the cable is yours alone. When you use 802.11 you share this "cable" with everyone in radius of 500 ft. around you.
Generally, performance-wise, wire is better than radio. You can't even compare the two, so different they are in terms of reliability. Given that modern USB and FireWire drives are 100% plug-and-play right out of the box, the wire definitely wins.
This device is a strange mix of "simple user" mentality with much more advanced "wireless" and "server" concepts. I don't think there is a customer that fits.
A simple, single user stores everything on his own HDD, locally. With modern HDDs starting at 80 GB it is not a surprise. Most users won't fill that HDD in whole usable life of the computer, and they don't need the server.
A little more advanced user has several computers (a family, for example.) They may need a server to store shared files on. But such a setup most definitely involves Ethernet, at least near the router. So they would plug NAS right there, and be done with it. But even this scenario looks contrived, because how many families *need* a common file server?
Businesses really need the server because of multiple employees accessing shared files. But a business needs a real NAS, with RAID and on a UPS, not just a single HDD. It would be stupid otherwise. The server is needed anyway to do other things, such as authentication, mail, DHCP, NAT, etc. This device does not fit anywhere in a business environment (or anywhere else.)
The RF bandwidth is 2 or 10 Mbps, but really less, and not even guaranteed. Compare to 480 or 800 Mbps achieved over the wire, or Gbps over SATA. I see absolutely no reason to use such a device, except maybe in some obscure situations - such as when you have all-wireless network and need a portable network storage. But even then this would be a poor choice - you'd want RAID.
I recently read in my local paper how survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still dying from the effects of the bombs.
I do not want to discount the bombs, but those people probably die from old age far more than from radiation. The nuclear attack occurred almost 60 years ago.
Liquid hydrogen generally is not corrosive, IIRC; oxygen is, by definition, but not to all materials. Prudent choice of materials will ensure the longevity of the engine.
Ion engine is indeed useless for a planetary launch. However it is kinda possibly OK for a long haul. All depends on what you want to accomplish. It is quite efficient, since its reaction mass is thrown away with a very high speed. But probably it is still too weak for any meaningful flight to Mars. I'd say, H2+O2 would be the best choice, especially if you can refuel on Mars, and because planetary landers can also use this fuel.
Challenger never had a problem with cryogenic pipes. The part that failed was designed for room temperature, and it was used in an engine (solid fuel) that won't be used on an interplanetary craft. Generally, you rarely get a fault where you expect it (and prepare for it.)
It all depends on the engine type (and on the required power.) For example, ion engines have virtually no seals, and use inert gas as a fuel. You can get that (Helium) on the Moon, for example. But ion engines have low thrust. Want something more - grab some H2 and O2, and burn them. Both can be found on Mars, as it seems to be (and a simple electrolysis will break the H20 apart for your flying pleasure.)
I would not be too concerned about seals. In low-G environment, and with low thrust, you get very low acceleration - and low vibration. Your washing machine probably has more stress on its pipes than a zero-G rocket engine.
A properly constructed rocket engine, which stays at 50-100K all the time, will be fine for many years. Satellites also have small engines for orbit correction, and they seem to be OK. All modern rockets (incl. Shuttle) have cryogenic fuel, experience thermal shock of 300 degrees C during fueling, and still work fine.
Velcro is the preferred way to fasten things in space; barring that, regular fasteners will do (look at how fire extinguishers are mounted dirtside - same requirements apply.)
It was probably a good idea to build one Buran and successfully launch it. Look at it as a proof of concept, and boost to relevant technology. However, it is too impractical to use it regularly.
Such a mass can be trivially [now] assembled from many pieces sent up separately. And the spacecraft, once launched and assembled, will stay up there forever (as long as you care to maintain it), and can travel wherever you want, as long as it has enough fuel (which you are free to send up from Earth, or gather anywhere else, technology permitting.)
Actually, Russian treasury is relatively full of money, and they had positive budget for several years. That is, in fact, not very good (limits investments), and the new government is being assembled now that knows how to spend. The previous government was stuffed with ex-bankers who, from all arithmetics, only knew how to add and multiply:-) These bankers fixed the economy, and now it's time to use that money. Space is as good technology investment as any, if not better (because it affects many areas of science at once.)
Actually, yes - whatever works. Wrench, like a hammer, is a very versatile tool:-) Myself, I'd very much prefer a wrench to a computer keyboard if a fire breaks out. Less chance of a failure.
That's why the market tolerates (and welcomes) a variety of products. You can buy an expensive but professionally made device, or you can buy a cheap imitation; all depends on what your priorities are.
If you open a cheap gadget, chances are it is made out of obsolete, junk parts, soldered by a $1/day worker in a sweatshop in China. The board will be made out of pressed paper, the tracks will be barely hanging on, the larger components will be glued to whatever happens to be around by a generous amount of wax, and a lot of masking tape will hold everything together. That's how a low-cost device is made. Many pocket radios are like that.
On the other end of the spectrum you will see a nice multi-layer fiberglass PCB, with a good solder mask, with surface mounted 0603's, maybe some BGAs, all nicely assembled and packaged. That is quality, and quality has its cost. You decide.
Dependency on Windows is overrated. Our office manager, a retired woman working part time, uses SuSE 9.0 as her primary desktop (OpenOffice and Kmail) on K6-3 450 MHz box. I rarely have any questions from her, and the box hasn't been rebooted for many months. She does not know how to turn it off, and never needed to ask:-)
Qt (commercial license) costs something like $1500 per developer, once in a lifetime. The same developer herself costs you $2000 weekly. Now consider developer's performance increase, and it appears that a good library pays for itself within a week or two!
More than just vision is involved in making a decision:
Prior knowledge of this road;
Prior knowledge of roads like this;
Real time classification of the surface based on your training and experience
Real time analysis of vehicle's behavior (when you are on deep sand, or on ice, you know it)
Mission-specific risk vs. reward ratio
Other considerations (if you travel in a group you can afford more risks.)
I'd say, an autonomous vehicle can make better decisions only when it becomes smarter than a human (don't hold your breath), or when it is stuffed with all sorts of surface data; that one can be achieved.
Of course, if the route changes unexpectedly, the vehicle will be confused; on a battlefield probably an RPG round will follow shortly.
Re:I still prefer tougher email security
on
DSPAM v2.10 Released
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Evolution of email is difficult even in theory.
The authentication is useless even if implemented - you want to receive email from strangers, that's what all businesses are doing. If you are not one of them and only converse with your buddies, make a whitelist and be done - no spammer will guess your friends' emails.
Permissions to send email are also troublesome. If they are automated, then spam robots will be written to ask for permission first. If they are not automated... but how would you know if some random "John X. Frisby" <jfrisby@big.provider.net> is really who he is, and the matter he wants to discuss with you is not a bug in your Loafizer 0.99 script for your bread making machine, but a placebo enlargement pill. Additionally, permissions delay the mail exchange, which is bad for business.
There are ways to block anyone you don't want, and all other senders are legit (until they spam you, that is.)
So the problem is quite different, as you can see. There is a free channel of marketing, and spammers will be using it until it remains a) free and b) channel. Remove any one of those two, and they will close up the shop.
That's an average speed of only 14.2 MPH.:p Humans could average double that I'd think.
It depends on the road itself (or lack of it.) I remember how once I drove on an old road (across a marsh-like territory) that was made out of concrete slabs. Even 15 mph was an achievement there - I had about 1 ft clerance on either side of the car (or take a 10 inch drop into the mud, with no hope to recover!) and the edges of the slabs were really bad on suspension (I-5 south, right before LA, also has nasty seams in concrete.)
On a battlefield, sometimes even half a mile is suicidal. If you have your men cut off from supplies by such a stretch of, say, bombarded road, or snipers, what do you do?
In World War II a soldier was sent to drive a truck, and if he fails... then another, and another. Today we can send such a robot. It is safe from snipers, and if it gets hit with a shell it will be simply replaced.
Machines like these can -already- be used to patrol large territories; with improvement, they will be really good at that.
DMCA talks about "technological measure" that is used to prevent copying. The very fact that a PC has no connector for the cartridge can qualify as such a measure. Making a connector, a reader, or a program for such a transfer can be seen as circumvention of the protection, since such a connector or a reader is not useful for much else.
I don't think a spammer can sue a multi-billion dollar transnational pharma empire. And on what count? Rather likely that Pfizer sues him (and wins!) for unauthorized commercial use of their trademarked name.
Actually, nobody can sue Pfizer - in civil suits loser pays court costs, and the win is not exactly guaranteed... In other words, choose your battles carefully.
But when you leave your car for restaurant's attendant to park it in a 3rd party parking lot, and he damages it, you sue the attendant (for damage), the restaurant (for hiring the attendant with bad driving skills) and the parking lot owner (for failing to provide good lighting, for example, which contributed to the accident.)
The idea is that only rarely a single event causes the problem. More often, a chain of events is needed (two cars collide at the intersection; one driver was drunk, and another was tuning his radio - both failed to see each other.) The existing laws allow you to unwind this chain of events and demand proportional compensation from anyone who contributed to your problem.
To illustrate some more. Your grocery store hires an armed guard - which happens to be a 80-year old man. You buy something, walk out. The guard shoots you, thinking that you are a robber (or whatever else daydream the guard happened to have.) You spend $10,000 in hospital and $50,000 in lost wages.
As it stands now, you can sue the guard, sure, but you also sue the store - because they were negligent on many counts. You will get $100 from the guard (he doesn't have any money), but you can get your $50,000 (and more) from the store. Without ability to sue all contributors you could only get $100 from the guard, while the major perpetrator would walk scot-free.
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Just you, IMO. People use hand gestures much more than the keyboard (/. excepted :-) The accelerometer can be used for many different purposes, or not used at all. If you like it, great. If you hate it, turn it off.
Generally, performance-wise, wire is better than radio. You can't even compare the two, so different they are in terms of reliability. Given that modern USB and FireWire drives are 100% plug-and-play right out of the box, the wire definitely wins.
A simple, single user stores everything on his own HDD, locally. With modern HDDs starting at 80 GB it is not a surprise. Most users won't fill that HDD in whole usable life of the computer, and they don't need the server.
A little more advanced user has several computers (a family, for example.) They may need a server to store shared files on. But such a setup most definitely involves Ethernet, at least near the router. So they would plug NAS right there, and be done with it. But even this scenario looks contrived, because how many families *need* a common file server?
Businesses really need the server because of multiple employees accessing shared files. But a business needs a real NAS, with RAID and on a UPS, not just a single HDD. It would be stupid otherwise. The server is needed anyway to do other things, such as authentication, mail, DHCP, NAT, etc. This device does not fit anywhere in a business environment (or anywhere else.)
The RF bandwidth is 2 or 10 Mbps, but really less, and not even guaranteed. Compare to 480 or 800 Mbps achieved over the wire, or Gbps over SATA. I see absolutely no reason to use such a device, except maybe in some obscure situations - such as when you have all-wireless network and need a portable network storage. But even then this would be a poor choice - you'd want RAID.
I do not want to discount the bombs, but those people probably die from old age far more than from radiation. The nuclear attack occurred almost 60 years ago.
What isn't?
Ion engine is indeed useless for a planetary launch. However it is kinda possibly OK for a long haul. All depends on what you want to accomplish. It is quite efficient, since its reaction mass is thrown away with a very high speed. But probably it is still too weak for any meaningful flight to Mars. I'd say, H2+O2 would be the best choice, especially if you can refuel on Mars, and because planetary landers can also use this fuel.
Challenger never had a problem with cryogenic pipes. The part that failed was designed for room temperature, and it was used in an engine (solid fuel) that won't be used on an interplanetary craft. Generally, you rarely get a fault where you expect it (and prepare for it.)
I would not be too concerned about seals. In low-G environment, and with low thrust, you get very low acceleration - and low vibration. Your washing machine probably has more stress on its pipes than a zero-G rocket engine.
A properly constructed rocket engine, which stays at 50-100K all the time, will be fine for many years. Satellites also have small engines for orbit correction, and they seem to be OK. All modern rockets (incl. Shuttle) have cryogenic fuel, experience thermal shock of 300 degrees C during fueling, and still work fine.
Velcro is the preferred way to fasten things in space; barring that, regular fasteners will do (look at how fire extinguishers are mounted dirtside - same requirements apply.)
It was probably a good idea to build one Buran and successfully launch it. Look at it as a proof of concept, and boost to relevant technology. However, it is too impractical to use it regularly.
Such a mass can be trivially [now] assembled from many pieces sent up separately. And the spacecraft, once launched and assembled, will stay up there forever (as long as you care to maintain it), and can travel wherever you want, as long as it has enough fuel (which you are free to send up from Earth, or gather anywhere else, technology permitting.)
Actually, Russian treasury is relatively full of money, and they had positive budget for several years. That is, in fact, not very good (limits investments), and the new government is being assembled now that knows how to spend. The previous government was stuffed with ex-bankers who, from all arithmetics, only knew how to add and multiply :-) These bankers fixed the economy, and now it's time to use that money. Space is as good technology investment as any, if not better (because it affects many areas of science at once.)
Actually, yes - whatever works. Wrench, like a hammer, is a very versatile tool :-) Myself, I'd very much prefer a wrench to a computer keyboard if a fire breaks out. Less chance of a failure.
If you open a cheap gadget, chances are it is made out of obsolete, junk parts, soldered by a $1/day worker in a sweatshop in China. The board will be made out of pressed paper, the tracks will be barely hanging on, the larger components will be glued to whatever happens to be around by a generous amount of wax, and a lot of masking tape will hold everything together. That's how a low-cost device is made. Many pocket radios are like that.
On the other end of the spectrum you will see a nice multi-layer fiberglass PCB, with a good solder mask, with surface mounted 0603's, maybe some BGAs, all nicely assembled and packaged. That is quality, and quality has its cost. You decide.
Dependency on Windows is overrated. Our office manager, a retired woman working part time, uses SuSE 9.0 as her primary desktop (OpenOffice and Kmail) on K6-3 450 MHz box. I rarely have any questions from her, and the box hasn't been rebooted for many months. She does not know how to turn it off, and never needed to ask :-)
Most people prefer to be wounded than killed. The war is indeed bad; but often it is forced upon you (like on Iraq), what options do you have then?
Qt (commercial license) costs something like $1500 per developer, once in a lifetime. The same developer herself costs you $2000 weekly. Now consider developer's performance increase, and it appears that a good library pays for itself within a week or two!
I'd say, an autonomous vehicle can make better decisions only when it becomes smarter than a human (don't hold your breath), or when it is stuffed with all sorts of surface data; that one can be achieved. Of course, if the route changes unexpectedly, the vehicle will be confused; on a battlefield probably an RPG round will follow shortly.
The authentication is useless even if implemented - you want to receive email from strangers, that's what all businesses are doing. If you are not one of them and only converse with your buddies, make a whitelist and be done - no spammer will guess your friends' emails.
Permissions to send email are also troublesome. If they are automated, then spam robots will be written to ask for permission first. If they are not automated... but how would you know if some random "John X. Frisby" <jfrisby@big.provider.net> is really who he is, and the matter he wants to discuss with you is not a bug in your Loafizer 0.99 script for your bread making machine, but a placebo enlargement pill. Additionally, permissions delay the mail exchange, which is bad for business.
There are ways to block anyone you don't want, and all other senders are legit (until they spam you, that is.)
So the problem is quite different, as you can see. There is a free channel of marketing, and spammers will be using it until it remains a) free and b) channel. Remove any one of those two, and they will close up the shop.
It depends on the road itself (or lack of it.) I remember how once I drove on an old road (across a marsh-like territory) that was made out of concrete slabs. Even 15 mph was an achievement there - I had about 1 ft clerance on either side of the car (or take a 10 inch drop into the mud, with no hope to recover!) and the edges of the slabs were really bad on suspension (I-5 south, right before LA, also has nasty seams in concrete.)
I think a spider would be much better.
In World War II a soldier was sent to drive a truck, and if he fails... then another, and another. Today we can send such a robot. It is safe from snipers, and if it gets hit with a shell it will be simply replaced.
Machines like these can -already- be used to patrol large territories; with improvement, they will be really good at that.
DMCA talks about "technological measure" that is used to prevent copying. The very fact that a PC has no connector for the cartridge can qualify as such a measure. Making a connector, a reader, or a program for such a transfer can be seen as circumvention of the protection, since such a connector or a reader is not useful for much else.
Actually, nobody can sue Pfizer - in civil suits loser pays court costs, and the win is not exactly guaranteed... In other words, choose your battles carefully.
But when you leave your car for restaurant's attendant to park it in a 3rd party parking lot, and he damages it, you sue the attendant (for damage), the restaurant (for hiring the attendant with bad driving skills) and the parking lot owner (for failing to provide good lighting, for example, which contributed to the accident.)
The idea is that only rarely a single event causes the problem. More often, a chain of events is needed (two cars collide at the intersection; one driver was drunk, and another was tuning his radio - both failed to see each other.) The existing laws allow you to unwind this chain of events and demand proportional compensation from anyone who contributed to your problem.
To illustrate some more. Your grocery store hires an armed guard - which happens to be a 80-year old man. You buy something, walk out. The guard shoots you, thinking that you are a robber (or whatever else daydream the guard happened to have.) You spend $10,000 in hospital and $50,000 in lost wages.
As it stands now, you can sue the guard, sure, but you also sue the store - because they were negligent on many counts. You will get $100 from the guard (he doesn't have any money), but you can get your $50,000 (and more) from the store. Without ability to sue all contributors you could only get $100 from the guard, while the major perpetrator would walk scot-free.
I can understand why rites management may be not welcomed in certain circles :-)