I resent that the FCC (I'm an American) required people to learn CW to operate a radio. Now that it's no longer a requirement, I'm interested. People often resent being told what to do, even if it's for their own good.
An amateur radio license is a license to make use of large swaths of radio spectrum set aside just for hams. There are many things that you can do within that spectrum, including experimentation of new ways of using spectrum that others haven't tried yet.
Most obviously, you can talk to people using your voice and a microphone.
Or you can talk to them with a number of digital modes, with morse code being one of the most widely known examples, but other computer-based digital modes also enjoying much popularity.
You can study theory on RF propagation on different parts of the radio spectrum using beacons.
You can transmit a TV signal from a model rocket.
You can install an APRS beacon in your car and use it like a LoJack if your car is ever stolen.
You can fly a radio controlled airplane really really far because your transmitter can legally greatly exceed the range of the stuff most non-licensed people get to play with.
You can fly a weather balloon and transmit photographs and telemetry back to you.
You can work on improving Search And Rescue communications capabilities.
You can provide direct vital assistance in the aftermath of a natural disaster by coordinating radio communication between government agencies and NGO's in ways that none of them have the internal capabilities to handle.
You can play some really cool uber geeky games like "fox hunting" where you put your radio direction finding skills to the test. If you like geocaching, you'll get a real kick out of this.
You can send data over vast distances wirelessly using more powerful transmitters than the unlicensed public on spectrum that is reserved for your use as a licensed amateur radio operator.
This can just keep going. You can push the envelope, developing new technologies, or you can master antiquated skills on vintage equipment. Or you can just jabberjaw on the drive to work with other hams. Whatever floats your boat.
Thank you, oh valiant anonymous coward, for so succinctly summing up the spirit of what I was saying where the interpretive powers of others have fallen flat.
The end result might suck for net neutrality but it's a win for the US Constitution, which has been sorely hurting. If you want net neutrality, don't expect it to come legitimately from the pen of a bureaucrat; demand it from Congress.
There have been a few mentions that something like this would not work on cloudy days.
Without seeing further evidence to the contrary, I'd be more inclined to believe that it wouldn't work as well as it would on sunny days, but would still work better than conventional indoor lighting.
As gray & dreary as it may be outdoors when the sun is hiding behind a cover of clouds, it's all really more of a mental illusion. Measure the light with a light meter (as a photographer would use) and you'll find it's still remarkably brighter outside than it is inside with all the lights on.
"5". That's what I put on my census form before mailing it back. The other questions were left unanswered.
The US Constitution calls for a census every 10 years to take a count of the people which is crucial for getting the right number of congressmen allocated. The US Constitution further reserves everything to the states or to the people that is not enumerated in the constitution for the federal government.
There are 5 people in my house. That's all I'm volunteering. They don't need to know my name, how old I am, what color I am, what religion I practice, my sexual orientation, etc. The rest is none of the census department's business.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Someone pays me to take photos & thinks they can make their own prints. But they don't own the photos. I do. Then they get all cranky when they go to Walgreens with the crappy 800 pixel (long side) image I gave them for web use & wonder why one of two things happens: 1) their 4x6 print looks like crap 2) the store manager won't print watermarked photos without a signed release from the photographer
I copyright law f'd up in this world right now? Certainly! But right now this is how it is. I do remain open to Something Better but haven't seen it yet.
You've obviously not spent time in any place where people congregate to listen to country western music. Once you get past the stupid clothes, it's actually kind of a rowdy scene. I've seen more spilled blood and teeth at venues that play country music than hip hop or punk.
Adoption of Ubuntu is increasing inside of my motorcycle club, who's colors are purple and orange. In fact I'm heading out tonight to get two of our members set up on their new System76 desktop.
Get rid of the clunky IR hardware, track eye movement directly, and you've got the kind of potential for desktop sexiness that only The Steve could bring us.
Too powerful for normal users, too limited for power users.
I'm a semi-professional photographer, have had art shows & a couple of photos published. Everything I do, everything, goes through Gimp before the public sees it. There is a common misconception out there that the Gimp is limited to hobby use only. I've found that pretty much anything I could ever want to do can be done with Gimp if I only take the time to learn how. The same is true of Photoshop.
...ISP's have zero incentive to offer anything better. The bandwidth that I have available to me right now is actually less than what I was getting ten years ago in a different metropolitan market. If an ISP has a local/regional monopoly, and there is no competing option for 100Mbps synchronous rates, then they will continue to gouge us for the equivalent of a shared cocktail straw.
The last mile network is key. Separate the ISP services from the network connectivity. Make the last mile network fast, and encourage an environment where many ISP's can peer with the last mile network & compete for customers on level ground. Then you'll see real change.
Thank you. I've been saying this for years. Any combination of consenting adults ought to be able to form whatever form of civil union they see fit, and if they want to call it "marriage", that's not for anyone else to decide.
The marriage rights issue extends way beyond the LGBT community. There are, for example, fundamentalist mormons who were betrayed by their own church for political gain. They live in the outskirts of society now, shunned by their own faith, for practicing a fundamental tenet of their faith. But there is no reason for polyamory to be considered strictly a Mormon tradition, either.
The computer should just be a small non-descript box in the entertainment center rack. The keyboard/touchpad should operate without cables, on commodity AA rechargeable batteries. I know this thing has some wireless capabilities but the ports on there are pretty useless to me. Put the expensive stuff in the rack, and let me have a cheap disposable keyboard/pointer on the table where it's likely to have beer or coffee spilled on it from guests.
Please. This is not a tall order. A Lexmark 4039 purchased 15 years ago is still working today, you can still get toner for it, and it works fine with FOSS drivers.
The machine that they performed this test on was far from an average case. A difference of two seconds between FreeBSD & Ubuntu on this box might equate to a 10+ second difference on a typical Core 2 Duo desktop, depending on what kind of test we're talking about.
Benchmarks on superlative hardware don't impress me. Have a budget of $500 for a computer, go to Wal-mart and buy it, and run the benchmark on that. That's going to be far more typical of what most people have on their desks.
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After watching this video, I can think of a few soldiers (and officers) who probably could use some more risk & danger in their lives.
I resent that the FCC (I'm an American) required people to learn CW to operate a radio. Now that it's no longer a requirement, I'm interested. People often resent being told what to do, even if it's for their own good.
An amateur radio license is a license to make use of large swaths of radio spectrum set aside just for hams. There are many things that you can do within that spectrum, including experimentation of new ways of using spectrum that others haven't tried yet.
Most obviously, you can talk to people using your voice and a microphone.
Or you can talk to them with a number of digital modes, with morse code being one of the most widely known examples, but other computer-based digital modes also enjoying much popularity.
You can study theory on RF propagation on different parts of the radio spectrum using beacons.
You can transmit a TV signal from a model rocket.
You can install an APRS beacon in your car and use it like a LoJack if your car is ever stolen.
You can fly a radio controlled airplane really really far because your transmitter can legally greatly exceed the range of the stuff most non-licensed people get to play with.
You can fly a weather balloon and transmit photographs and telemetry back to you.
You can work on improving Search And Rescue communications capabilities.
You can provide direct vital assistance in the aftermath of a natural disaster by coordinating radio communication between government agencies and NGO's in ways that none of them have the internal capabilities to handle.
You can play some really cool uber geeky games like "fox hunting" where you put your radio direction finding skills to the test. If you like geocaching, you'll get a real kick out of this.
You can send data over vast distances wirelessly using more powerful transmitters than the unlicensed public on spectrum that is reserved for your use as a licensed amateur radio operator.
This can just keep going. You can push the envelope, developing new technologies, or you can master antiquated skills on vintage equipment. Or you can just jabberjaw on the drive to work with other hams. Whatever floats your boat.
Thank you, oh valiant anonymous coward, for so succinctly summing up the spirit of what I was saying where the interpretive powers of others have fallen flat.
The end result might suck for net neutrality but it's a win for the US Constitution, which has been sorely hurting. If you want net neutrality, don't expect it to come legitimately from the pen of a bureaucrat; demand it from Congress.
There have been a few mentions that something like this would not work on cloudy days.
Without seeing further evidence to the contrary, I'd be more inclined to believe that it wouldn't work as well as it would on sunny days, but would still work better than conventional indoor lighting.
As gray & dreary as it may be outdoors when the sun is hiding behind a cover of clouds, it's all really more of a mental illusion. Measure the light with a light meter (as a photographer would use) and you'll find it's still remarkably brighter outside than it is inside with all the lights on.
You seem to be under the mistaken impression that one actually has to do something to qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize.
"5". That's what I put on my census form before mailing it back. The other questions were left unanswered.
The US Constitution calls for a census every 10 years to take a count of the people which is crucial for getting the right number of congressmen allocated. The US Constitution further reserves everything to the states or to the people that is not enumerated in the constitution for the federal government.
There are 5 people in my house. That's all I'm volunteering. They don't need to know my name, how old I am, what color I am, what religion I practice, my sexual orientation, etc. The rest is none of the census department's business.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Look again. That's straight from the Associated Press.
Someone pays me to take photos & thinks they can make their own prints. But they don't own the photos. I do. Then they get all cranky when they go to Walgreens with the crappy 800 pixel (long side) image I gave them for web use & wonder why one of two things happens:
1) their 4x6 print looks like crap
2) the store manager won't print watermarked photos without a signed release from the photographer
I copyright law f'd up in this world right now? Certainly! But right now this is how it is. I do remain open to Something Better but haven't seen it yet.
You've obviously not spent time in any place where people congregate to listen to country western music. Once you get past the stupid clothes, it's actually kind of a rowdy scene. I've seen more spilled blood and teeth at venues that play country music than hip hop or punk.
Adoption of Ubuntu is increasing inside of my motorcycle club, who's colors are purple and orange. In fact I'm heading out tonight to get two of our members set up on their new System76 desktop.
So how's that working out for you?
I'm sure we all remember this demonstration from a couple of years ago using Wiimote hacking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw
Get rid of the clunky IR hardware, track eye movement directly, and you've got the kind of potential for desktop sexiness that only The Steve could bring us.
I'm a semi-professional photographer, have had art shows & a couple of photos published. Everything I do, everything, goes through Gimp before the public sees it. There is a common misconception out there that the Gimp is limited to hobby use only. I've found that pretty much anything I could ever want to do can be done with Gimp if I only take the time to learn how. The same is true of Photoshop.
Douglas Adams already foreshadowed a scheme like this in order to be able to afford the fabulously expensive dinner at Milliway's.
Douglas Adams is only dead for tax purposes, BTW.
...ISP's have zero incentive to offer anything better. The bandwidth that I have available to me right now is actually less than what I was getting ten years ago in a different metropolitan market. If an ISP has a local/regional monopoly, and there is no competing option for 100Mbps synchronous rates, then they will continue to gouge us for the equivalent of a shared cocktail straw.
The last mile network is key. Separate the ISP services from the network connectivity. Make the last mile network fast, and encourage an environment where many ISP's can peer with the last mile network & compete for customers on level ground. Then you'll see real change.
Thank you. I've been saying this for years. Any combination of consenting adults ought to be able to form whatever form of civil union they see fit, and if they want to call it "marriage", that's not for anyone else to decide.
The marriage rights issue extends way beyond the LGBT community. There are, for example, fundamentalist mormons who were betrayed by their own church for political gain. They live in the outskirts of society now, shunned by their own faith, for practicing a fundamental tenet of their faith. But there is no reason for polyamory to be considered strictly a Mormon tradition, either.
Amateur Radio != short wave. Amateur radio has spectrum allocations extending well into microwave, and most local traffic is on UHF/VHF spectrum.
The computer should just be a small non-descript box in the entertainment center rack. The keyboard/touchpad should operate without cables, on commodity AA rechargeable batteries. I know this thing has some wireless capabilities but the ports on there are pretty useless to me. Put the expensive stuff in the rack, and let me have a cheap disposable keyboard/pointer on the table where it's likely to have beer or coffee spilled on it from guests.
I am not a gamer, but I shudder to imagine how many months of my life I have collectively spent playing Warzone 2100.
You watch, the hams are going to lose spectrum to facilitate commercial interests.
Please. This is not a tall order. A Lexmark 4039 purchased 15 years ago is still working today, you can still get toner for it, and it works fine with FOSS drivers.
The machine that they performed this test on was far from an average case. A difference of two seconds between FreeBSD & Ubuntu on this box might equate to a 10+ second difference on a typical Core 2 Duo desktop, depending on what kind of test we're talking about.
Benchmarks on superlative hardware don't impress me. Have a budget of $500 for a computer, go to Wal-mart and buy it, and run the benchmark on that. That's going to be far more typical of what most people have on their desks.