Once the bootloader kicks in, however, the BIOS is irrelevant.
Wrong. Read Intel's documentation on System Management Mode, especially popular on laptops. You may think that your operating system has complete control over the hardware, but it doesn't. The motherboard can force the CPU to enter SMM and execute code from the BIOS. This means that the motherboard's designer has ultimate control over the system, even after you have loaded your operating system.
Besides giant catfish, North America has the paddlefish, an ancient-looking fish that is a filter-feeder. Unfortunately, habitat destruction and poachers (for caviar) have made it an endangered species.
The biggest fish that I've caught in my life weighed 30 lbs., and it seemed like a monster. I don't think I want to catch a fish that weighs more than I do.
Mac OS running on a IBM PC/AT with an EGA adapter, crappy color monitor (they were all crappy back then), and some POS mouse. It wouldn't have been cheaper. It would have been huge. The display would suck, in color! The OS programmers would have been stuck with Intel's buggiest and ugliest CPU of all time. It would have been dreadfully slow, remember ISA video cards?
Apple sells coherent and integrated systems, not operating systems, and not generic boxes full of the cheapest crap off the last boat from Asia.
The FCC is going to reclaim UHF channels 52..69, a total of 108 MHz of bandwidth. They originally planned to reclaim all of the VHF channels too, but that plan seems to be dead. VHF stations usually have better coverage and lower electric bills due to lower transmitter power.
While ATSC and NTSC both use 6 MHz of bandwidth, ATSC is much more resistant to interference. This allows the same number of stations to be packed into a substantially smaller television band without unacceptable levels of interference.
You can get a factory refurbished Samsung SIR-T451 from a number of vendors for under $160. I bought one to watch the local ATSC transmissions on my NTSC television set and I'm impressed with its quality. I actually get better reception with ATSC, it eliminates the noise and ghosts that make NTSC marginal at my location, plus I can watch the multiple SD channels broadcast by my local PBS station.
The IC creates the morse code by monitoring the switches. Typically, closing one switch sends dots, closing the other switch sends dashes, closing both switches sends alternating dots and dashes. The IC also controls the timing of the dots and dashes. Many keyer chips offer additional features like memories and canned messages.
Many current keyer chips are based on 8-pin PIC microcontrollers, very small and very low power consumption. I'd rather have a dedicated IC than try to kludge it into the phone's firmware.
Electronic morse keyers are very simple. All you need is one relatively simple integrated circuit (see The History of Curtis Keyers) and a switch or two. For a cell phone, the IC could be modified to generate ASCII characters for the SMS message while sending dots and dashes to the phone's speaker.
If the phone could be attached to the user's arm or leg, it would provide a base for the keyer. The user could then use his free hand to operate the keyer. A pair of pressure sensitive panels on the left and right sides of the phone, near the bottom, would be ideal.
Telephone rates have been traditionally based on business use, which determines the peak usage and the cost of the switching system and number of trunk lines. The system is designed to provide a specified quality-of-service during peak usage. Since the business users determine the system cost, they get hit with the highest rate. Residential users use the capacity that was paid for by the business users.
Usage patterns have changed over the years and the costs of switches and trunks have declined considerably. For a cellular system, the major cost is going to be the construction and maintenance of cell sites. Since the number of cell sites is driven by peak usage, we are back in the situation where those who use the system during peak usage periods are going to pay the highest rate. Nights and weekends can be cheap or free because of the unused capacity of the system during off-peak hours.
It doesn't matter whether it is on paper or digital media. If someone isn't willing to spend the money to preserve it, it will be lost. I've seen decades worth of project records and file libraries end up in the land-fill because there was no budget or requirement for preserving them. It's sad to see the products of many years of work by talented people discarded like so much trash.
To add insult to injury, slime-sucking lawyers now advise their clients to destroy records, like email, as soon as possible to prevent them from being the subject of discovery in a future lawsuit. At a previous employer, company policy was to nuke all email older than 30 days. Due to the drive to eliminate paper shuffling, email messages were the only record of many policy decisions.
My favorite was the beam in the corridor outside the Red Queen's chamber in Resident Evil. You think the trespassers have a chance, then it switches into checkerboard mode.
From what I've read, the new generation of chips do not "rewrite the laws of physics", they gain 10-15 dB in sensitivity by using advanced signal processing techniques involving massive arrays of correlators.
The USAF also needed ICs for Minuteman guidance systems. Intelligent missile guidance systems had already been designed years before. It took integrated circuit technology to make them small enough for practical use.
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That's what my grandfather said about Roosevelt, AKA King Roosevelt II.
Trademarks have a limited scope, the marketing of products. Steamboat Willy could be used in other contexts once the copyright has expired.
Wrong. Read Intel's documentation on System Management Mode, especially popular on laptops. You may think that your operating system has complete control over the hardware, but it doesn't. The motherboard can force the CPU to enter SMM and execute code from the BIOS. This means that the motherboard's designer has ultimate control over the system, even after you have loaded your operating system.
The biggest fish that I've caught in my life weighed 30 lbs., and it seemed like a monster. I don't think I want to catch a fish that weighs more than I do.
Mac OS running on a IBM PC/AT with an EGA adapter, crappy color monitor (they were all crappy back then), and some POS mouse. It wouldn't have been cheaper. It would have been huge. The display would suck, in color! The OS programmers would have been stuck with Intel's buggiest and ugliest CPU of all time. It would have been dreadfully slow, remember ISA video cards?
Apple sells coherent and integrated systems, not operating systems, and not generic boxes full of the cheapest crap off the last boat from Asia.
The FCC is going to reclaim UHF channels 52..69, a total of 108 MHz of bandwidth. They originally planned to reclaim all of the VHF channels too, but that plan seems to be dead. VHF stations usually have better coverage and lower electric bills due to lower transmitter power.
While ATSC and NTSC both use 6 MHz of bandwidth, ATSC is much more resistant to interference. This allows the same number of stations to be packed into a substantially smaller television band without unacceptable levels of interference.
You can get a factory refurbished Samsung SIR-T451 from a number of vendors for under $160. I bought one to watch the local ATSC transmissions on my NTSC television set and I'm impressed with its quality. I actually get better reception with ATSC, it eliminates the noise and ghosts that make NTSC marginal at my location, plus I can watch the multiple SD channels broadcast by my local PBS station.
Many current keyer chips are based on 8-pin PIC microcontrollers, very small and very low power consumption. I'd rather have a dedicated IC than try to kludge it into the phone's firmware.
Electronic morse keyers are very simple. All you need is one relatively simple integrated circuit (see The History of Curtis Keyers) and a switch or two. For a cell phone, the IC could be modified to generate ASCII characters for the SMS message while sending dots and dashes to the phone's speaker. If the phone could be attached to the user's arm or leg, it would provide a base for the keyer. The user could then use his free hand to operate the keyer. A pair of pressure sensitive panels on the left and right sides of the phone, near the bottom, would be ideal.
You might try writing what you mean, rather than flaming someone for failing to read your mind.
We already have "pollution credits" that can be traded among nations and corporations. How about "people credits". Want a child? Buy a credit.
Yes. In many countries, charges for international phone calls are a major source of revenue. They aren't going to give that up without a fight.
Usage patterns have changed over the years and the costs of switches and trunks have declined considerably. For a cellular system, the major cost is going to be the construction and maintenance of cell sites. Since the number of cell sites is driven by peak usage, we are back in the situation where those who use the system during peak usage periods are going to pay the highest rate. Nights and weekends can be cheap or free because of the unused capacity of the system during off-peak hours.
To add insult to injury, slime-sucking lawyers now advise their clients to destroy records, like email, as soon as possible to prevent them from being the subject of discovery in a future lawsuit. At a previous employer, company policy was to nuke all email older than 30 days. Due to the drive to eliminate paper shuffling, email messages were the only record of many policy decisions.
Tape is reliable, if you spend enough money on the hardware. You just have to decide, do you want a reliable tape drive or a shiny new car?
My favorite was the beam in the corridor outside the Red Queen's chamber in Resident Evil. You think the trespassers have a chance, then it switches into checkerboard mode.
From what I've read, the new generation of chips do not "rewrite the laws of physics", they gain 10-15 dB in sensitivity by using advanced signal processing techniques involving massive arrays of correlators.
I haven't had a problem with them, but see http://www.paypalsucks.com/.
There are GPS chip-sets in development that are sensitive enough to work inside buildings and many areas where reception was thought to be impossible.
Only on Slashdot can the Russians fuck up a launch, and then some idiot uses it as "evidence" of NASA's incompetence, and gets modded up for it.
It also depends on the level of video quality you want. Network HDTV feeds run at 45 Mbps. That's about 20 GB an hour.
The USAF also needed ICs for Minuteman guidance systems. Intelligent missile guidance systems had already been designed years before. It took integrated circuit technology to make them small enough for practical use.
Right, the Martians vs. the 19th century Royal Army. That should make for an exciting 10 minutes.