That last part of your comment is what I was saying. I can't reveal my employer, but it's in the healthcare field. Even a janitor who uses our network to do some page creation could have the work technically be owned by words of the agreement. (They don't really enforce it like that though, but the wording says it as such) I honestly don't think that is quite fair, nor would most people agree with it.
maybe, but at my workplace, anything I create on company time or equipment is subject to become property of my company per an agreement that every employee has to sign.
(P.S. I am not a programer or developer, and clerical workers sign the same agreement)
90% of Christians don't really believe in God; they just like to say they do. If they really believed in the God of the Bible, their behavior would be totally different.
I don't think that is quite accurate. It's more analagous to millions of americans believe in democracy, but still break the law.
It is difficult for mankind to continuously follow any set of laws religious or otherwise, with the exception of physics. So most people try and do the best they can.
Thats easy, you just retune your flux capacitor to they Mr. Fissions output, and use Isolated chasis transfer cunductors.
Re:Aliens, ghosts, and gods never leave evidence .
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
While I agree that it is incredibly speculative in nature. The major problem I have with belief is that I don't know if you can choose it. It's classic Matrix syndrome. Am I here, or am I plugged in? It feels like I am here, yet I just know there is something more... Something i'm not seeing in this.. Dimension.
Pascal did demonstrate that the belief DOES COME WITH COST, but the cost is FINITE and negligable based on the outcome of the wager.
The nature of god(s) is of that speculative part, however many major religions claim that thier diety is benevolent. Hardly could the gods be malevolent because if they exist, they granted us life at least.
Personally, I believe in a supreme spiritual being, and a spiritual afterlife.
Re:Aliens, ghosts, and gods never leave evidence .
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
I believe. There is no Justifiable reason not to. The flavor is the difficult part.
Long Live Science.
Re:Aliens, ghosts, and gods never leave evidence .
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
it's also doubly funy because a great mathmatician,and philosopher PASCAL demonstrated a proof positive in the benefit for believing in god.
Pascal's Wager is the French philosopher Blaise Pascal's application of decision theory to the belief in God. (It is also occasionally known as Pascal's Gambit.) It appears in the Pensées, a posthumous collection of Pascal's notes for an unfinished treatise on Christian apologetics. Pascal argued that it is a better "bet" to believe that God exists, because the expected value of believing that God exists is always greater than the expected value resulting from non-belief. Indeed, he claimed that the expected value is infinite. With this, he sought to convert those, to Christianity, who were uninterested in religion and unimpressed by previous theological arguments for it.
And dubious you should be. Economics (which is basically all it is) is never just simple "supply and demand." (except when it is)
That being said, so far in my situation (where I did get discounted equipment, but even at 2x the cost...) The system has paid for itself allready in grid power savings. I live in Olympia, WA btw not the best place to live for solar power. Realize that the system PRODUCES e- for you basically forever.
So as far as economics go, you spend say 7K. You get back 12K in the first few years (instant boost of cost to your home value, plus e- generated at the peak of the cells life) + ~.5K / year* until we find the longevity limit of silicon cells. so maybe the system only lasts say 30 years. in the first 5 you make a few K and in the 25 years after you make at least another 10K. and probably more. Also realize that it's realistic to say your system will last 40+ years. So really, you can probably get a straight 3-500 a year off of a measly 600 W system for a LONG time, with almost 0 maintenance. (just gotta clean the panels when you clean your gutters / inspect your roof)
Honestly, I didn't think it was economical at first either, till I decided to just try it and see. (talk about risky! I wasn't even sure it would work.)
*Wrap it around this... Degredation of the cells leads to slightly less output over time right? but with e- going up slightly over time, that cancels out because your cells provide more $ per watt, but a little bit fewer watts.
NO I will not stop playing games on a superior platform. It sucks, I don't have much choice, Wintel vs. Mactel, the choice is pretty pro Windows. I use a computer to play games because only (so far that is) a mouse and a keyboard provide me with enough control. Maybe for some sports games like Madden '07, NBA Jam, etc... but I'll take my PC over a console ANY DAY OF THE WEEK/MONTH/YEAR/???(longer time frame yet to be determined.) When I play UT2K4, I want to be able to strafe, and turn, and still be able to line up my crosshairs on an opponent all at the same time!. When Mac performance surpases PC (it will, give it a little more time) and the price is right, you'll se me switch.
The OS means little to the end user, it's the application that matters. If the app works on multiple OS platforms, and had similar performance, you would see me working to try a linux distro. I think really, I just hit the point.
THE OS isn't what the user cares about. I don't think my mom thinks of her computer being a windows box, it's simply a computer. I mean... there are plenty of people who think AOL IS the internet. It's not about mac/ linux/ win/ OS2, etc... It's just that windows allready has the install base, has more applications being developed for it, and has also become the standard office environment. The majority of users don't want to have to learn multiple ways to do things. Teaching clinical apps tought me that very well. "Just show us the first, easiest method." was the cry from students. (I had to follow a structured lesson plan.. 8'(
All in all though, you can't just say don't use the ONLY viable FPS platform, the only truely viable MMORPG platform, and expect a bunch of gamers to jump ship and go out and buy a PS3. It don't work that way.
So in 20 years the solar panel just stops working?
I think not. actually it's an asymptotic curve which levels out over time. Yes their peak is at teh begining, but they still produce Usable power for a long time.
From Wiki ". (Normally, photovoltaic modules have 25 years' warranty, but they should be fully functional even after 30-40 years.)"
Also, your economics are slightly skewed your not paying for 100W of e-. Your paying for a system to manufacture a peak of 100W of e- during daylight hours (avg probably 50W (just guessing?))
If it was $5 for 100W panel, e- would be close to free anyway because everyone would produce their own.
Secondly not many man made conversions happen at 100% efficiency.
I am not a huge alternative energy freek, but economics dictate that solar panels are allready a smart choice for home use. Admittedly, if demand for them suddenly increased, that would not be so. But assuming e- prices continue to go up, (they will, you can bet on it in the long term for at least another 20-40 years) Then you have an even more economicaly strong position. Now, it's probably not going to net you the hugest gains, but it pays for itself, and then more. It's a solid return, that lasts a long time, and is scalable, upgradeable, and virtually maintenance free.
P.S. talking about grid tied, inverted system here. None of that silly battery stuff.
I have previously wrote a post on this issue before, but I can't find it to relink. I am bored, so I'll rehash it.
Those that can't afford them use grid power. However, if they were included on every roof, they would be harder to NOT have. Yes energy is expensive enough. I live in the great Pacific North West. Power is relatively cheap here due to a lot of Hydro. However, I have a Alternative e- freak for a roommate, and he did all the planing, and most of the installation of my solar system for my house In Olympia, WA.
I have a small solar array that is very beneficial for me in the summer. I do what is called Net Metering that's Net as in Net pay. It works like this:
If I am using 3 units of energy/hour and solar is producing an average of 2 units / hour I only end up paying for 1 unit / hour.
I have a 600 watt array that runs into the inverter. It is seeded by line power for two reasons. First, it synchronizes the wave forms, and second if the line power goes out, the inverter stops producing so that you don't back-feed into the grid, and cause a lineman to work with a hot wire that he thinks is cold. The inverter changes the 24V DC into 110V AC and pumps it straight into my electric panel, essentially feeding it back into the grid. If I am using electricity it just augments the line power, and slows down the meter, if I am not using much electricity then it will spin the meter backwards.
Puget Power claims not to "require" a contract for anything I now have an Official net metering contract as PP hounded me enough
The maintenance is simple. Every few times that you clean your gutters, wipe off the panels. Installation requires a fair amount of work and supplies. The list includes mounting hardware, the photovoltaic panels, an inverter, wire, ground wire (and a new grounding post to bring you up to code) an electrical permit / inspection, and a lot of patience putting it all together.
The benefits for me will be somewhat exaggerated compared to most installations. I have a small house, with low e- windows, a new roof, and lots of insulation. But in the summer I usually pay only about $25 or so for electricity. (this august with a streak of 93+ days, I hit $27 w/ AC on!) In the winter I did see a small reduction, but not statistically significant. Also Keep in mind, I have 2 state of the art computers running close to full time. x24400 rig, and a 1st gen hot as a mofo watercooled p4
If you are serious about solar, first do what you can with conservation. Some things that drastically reduce electricity are not very popular such as leaving the curtains closed on a nice sunny day (keeps your house cooler.) However, you will realize your biggest economical benefit when you combine conservation, with the photovalics.
The actual payoff for solar in WA will be about 15-20 years. It is not something you want to do, economically speaking, unless you plan to keep your house, and are serious about conservation due to the high initial cost.
Although you can include that into the selling price of your home(mines listed as adding about 6k to the value), and there are some tax incentives as well.
Also the panels never stop working. Although they do loose a little bit of eficiency but the loss flattens out to an asymptote if you remember functions from math. So theoretically, they could generate income over your lifespan.
A few caveats regarding payoff are the fact that your speculating that the cost of e- will stay the same or rise, also that the Panels do not become obsolete quickly (due to a breakthrough like this & production price decreases, so far this has NOT been seen), but if that is the case, you have the infrastructure on your home, and replacement of panels is far simpler (assuming your inverter was purchased so as to have room to grow your system)
Cause I aint buying a name brand computer for the rest of the ATX cases usable lifespan. or as long as they sell MOBOs to consumers.
Seriously.
I love to build, customize, and tweak my own computers. It's fun, challenging, and way way cheaper, with a more powerfull end result. Although in the past, my homebrews were like the Millenium falcon (had to kick em to get them to boot windows, but I think it's cause they were self aware....) They allways bring a much higher Performance : Price, have allways been rock solid for me.
The thing you have to see is that there are a billion NON-Computer uses for this kind of tech.
1. automotive industry. Waste heat off your engine block being used to augment an alternator?
= a reduction in HP needed to turn alternator, and increase in engine efficiency!
2. Electricity Generation.
a. Smokestacks could be lined with these to absorb heat (which is better for the environment) and use the electricity to power lighting for the facility?
b. repeat for Natural gas, Incineration, etc...
3. Solar.
a. Even if this doesn't make that much e- if it was cheap enough, you could augment solarcells by placing the chips underneath the photovalic crystals to absorb wast heat, and probably get a sizeable gain in eficiency!
If it's wrong, but not really wrong, I'm generally not going to do it. However, I wouldn't feel guilty if I did. Imagine your going down a hill, the speed limit is 35, but you coast accidentally to 40. Should you report yourself for speeding? didn't think so.
Now let me walk inside your minds.... Imagine...
You just purchased a movie in all it's XHD glory on FormatX. You watch the movie. It must be a real good flick Maybe Harry Potter, Real Genius, Boondock Saints or something because you watch the whole thing. Now just suppose that the movie is so good, you willfully want to watch it a second time. (I know a stretch, bear with me my ADD brethren) in inferior quality on your portable device. Perhaps over an airplane flight or something?
You have a few options:
you could obey the law, and resist your EVIL* desires
You could spend forever ripping/converting/moving the movie to your ehpod
The last option that neither one of us could have considered, and IMHO is a good idea, is to pay someone to do it for you from your own discs.
Or you could buy an IPahd allready Preloaded with your favorite movies, and get the original discs all at once!
*Some religions believe that governmental laws are sacred, and should be followed as the will of GOD
Slashdot Mirror
come on I know it's offtopic, but ...
Oh yeah, geeks don't watch football
That last part of your comment is what I was saying. I can't reveal my employer, but it's in the healthcare field. Even a janitor who uses our network to do some page creation could have the work technically be owned by words of the agreement. (They don't really enforce it like that though, but the wording says it as such) I honestly don't think that is quite fair, nor would most people agree with it.
Meh, you Dohgnut know what yer talkin' aboat.
It's simple. Humans are greedy by nature. No one wants to accept 30%, or 70% of something they believe is 100% theirs
maybe, but at my workplace, anything I create on company time or equipment is subject to become property of my company per an agreement that every employee has to sign.
(P.S. I am not a programer or developer, and clerical workers sign the same agreement)
So very true. The mere fact that he was using state resources probably is enough to do him in.
Howcome the Seahawks didn't wear them on Sunday?
Go HAWKS!
where did you get that? My lil bro in Denver taught me that many years ago, it's one of my favorite phrases.
90% of Christians don't really believe in God; they just like to say they do. If they really believed in the God of the Bible, their behavior would be totally different.
I don't think that is quite accurate. It's more analagous to millions of americans believe in democracy, but still break the law.
It is difficult for mankind to continuously follow any set of laws religious or otherwise, with the exception of physics. So most people try and do the best they can.
Thats easy, you just retune your flux capacitor to they Mr. Fissions output, and use Isolated chasis transfer cunductors.
While I agree that it is incredibly speculative in nature. The major problem I have with belief is that I don't know if you can choose it. It's classic Matrix syndrome. Am I here, or am I plugged in? It feels like I am here, yet I just know there is something more... Something i'm not seeing in this .. Dimension.
Pascal did demonstrate that the belief DOES COME WITH COST, but the cost is FINITE and negligable based on the outcome of the wager.
The nature of god(s) is of that speculative part, however many major religions claim that thier diety is benevolent. Hardly could the gods be malevolent because if they exist, they granted us life at least.
Personally, I believe in a supreme spiritual being, and a spiritual afterlife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager
I believe. There is no Justifiable reason not to. The flavor is the difficult part.
Long Live Science.
it's also doubly funy because a great mathmatician,and philosopher PASCAL demonstrated a proof positive in the benefit for believing in god.
Pascal's Wager is the French philosopher Blaise Pascal's application of decision theory to the belief in God. (It is also occasionally known as Pascal's Gambit.) It appears in the Pensées, a posthumous collection of Pascal's notes for an unfinished treatise on Christian apologetics. Pascal argued that it is a better "bet" to believe that God exists, because the expected value of believing that God exists is always greater than the expected value resulting from non-belief. Indeed, he claimed that the expected value is infinite. With this, he sought to convert those, to Christianity, who were uninterested in religion and unimpressed by previous theological arguments for it.
From a sub wiki of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal
Wind can also be grid tied just like solar, infact.. let me find a link for ya. http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/iap/ inventors_szp2.html Here's a style you can use for turbines. I saw some computer models of this once, and was really impressed with it's efficiency.
http://www.picoturbine.com/rotorsim.htm
I was looking for that forever!
ne way have a great day!
And dubious you should be. Economics (which is basically all it is) is never just simple "supply and demand." (except when it is)
That being said, so far in my situation (where I did get discounted equipment, but even at 2x the cost...) The system has paid for itself allready in grid power savings. I live in Olympia, WA btw not the best place to live for solar power. Realize that the system PRODUCES e- for you basically forever.
So as far as economics go, you spend say 7K. You get back 12K in the first few years (instant boost of cost to your home value, plus e- generated at the peak of the cells life) + ~.5K / year* until we find the longevity limit of silicon cells. so maybe the system only lasts say 30 years. in the first 5 you make a few K and in the 25 years after you make at least another 10K. and probably more. Also realize that it's realistic to say your system will last 40+ years.
So really, you can probably get a straight 3-500 a year off of a measly 600 W system for a LONG time, with almost 0 maintenance. (just gotta clean the panels when you clean your gutters / inspect your roof)
Honestly, I didn't think it was economical at first either, till I decided to just try it and see. (talk about risky! I wasn't even sure it would work.)
*Wrap it around this...
Degredation of the cells leads to slightly less output over time right? but with e- going up slightly over time, that cancels out because your cells provide more $ per watt, but a little bit fewer watts.
NO I will not stop playing games on a superior platform. It sucks, I don't have much choice, Wintel vs. Mactel, the choice is pretty pro Windows. I use a computer to play games because only (so far that is) a mouse and a keyboard provide me with enough control. Maybe for some sports games like Madden '07, NBA Jam, etc... but I'll take my PC over a console ANY DAY OF THE WEEK/MONTH/YEAR/???(longer time frame yet to be determined.) When I play UT2K4, I want to be able to strafe, and turn, and still be able to line up my crosshairs on an opponent all at the same time!. When Mac performance surpases PC (it will, give it a little more time) and the price is right, you'll se me switch.
The OS means little to the end user, it's the application that matters. If the app works on multiple OS platforms, and had similar performance, you would see me working to try a linux distro. I think really, I just hit the point.
THE OS isn't what the user cares about. I don't think my mom thinks of her computer being a windows box, it's simply a computer. I mean... there are plenty of people who think AOL IS the internet. It's not about mac/ linux/ win/ OS2, etc... It's just that windows allready has the install base, has more applications being developed for it, and has also become the standard office environment. The majority of users don't want to have to learn multiple ways to do things. Teaching clinical apps tought me that very well. "Just show us the first, easiest method." was the cry from students. (I had to follow a structured lesson plan.. 8'(
All in all though, you can't just say don't use the ONLY viable FPS platform, the only truely viable MMORPG platform, and expect a bunch of gamers to jump ship and go out and buy a PS3. It don't work that way.
-
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=210156&cid=171 38018
I also have another one somewhere here on slashdot, but couldn't find it.
? moderation?
So in 20 years the solar panel just stops working?
I think not. actually it's an asymptotic curve which levels out over time. Yes their peak is at teh begining, but they still produce Usable power for a long time.
From Wiki ". (Normally, photovoltaic modules have 25 years' warranty, but they should be fully functional even after 30-40 years.)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
Also, your economics are slightly skewed
your not paying for 100W of e-. Your paying for a system to manufacture a peak of 100W of e- during daylight hours (avg probably 50W (just guessing?))
If it was $5 for 100W panel, e- would be close to free anyway because everyone would produce their own.
Secondly not many man made conversions happen at 100% efficiency.
I am not a huge alternative energy freek, but economics dictate that solar panels are allready a smart choice for home use. Admittedly, if demand for them suddenly increased, that would not be so. But assuming e- prices continue to go up, (they will, you can bet on it in the long term for at least another 20-40 years) Then you have an even more economicaly strong position. Now, it's probably not going to net you the hugest gains, but it pays for itself, and then more. It's a solid return, that lasts a long time, and is scalable, upgradeable, and virtually maintenance free.
P.S. talking about grid tied, inverted system here. None of that silly battery stuff.
It allready is.
I have previously wrote a post on this issue before, but I can't find it to relink. I am bored, so I'll rehash it.
Those that can't afford them use grid power. However, if they were included on every roof, they would be harder to NOT have.
Yes energy is expensive enough. I live in the great Pacific North West. Power is relatively cheap here due to a lot of Hydro. However, I have a Alternative e- freak for a roommate, and he did all the planing, and most of the installation of my solar system for my house In Olympia, WA.
I have a small solar array that is very beneficial for me in the summer. I do what is called Net Metering that's Net as in Net pay. It works like this:
If I am using 3 units of energy/hour and solar is producing an average of 2 units / hour I only end up paying for 1 unit / hour.
I have a 600 watt array that runs into the inverter. It is seeded by line power for two reasons. First, it synchronizes the wave forms, and second if the line power goes out, the inverter stops producing so that you don't back-feed into the grid, and cause a lineman to work with a hot wire that he thinks is cold. The inverter changes the 24V DC into 110V AC and pumps it straight into my electric panel, essentially feeding it back into the grid. If I am using electricity it just augments the line power, and slows down the meter, if I am not using much electricity then it will spin the meter backwards.
Puget Power claims not to "require" a contract for anything I now have an Official net metering contract as PP hounded me enough
The maintenance is simple. Every few times that you clean your gutters, wipe off the panels. Installation requires a fair amount of work and supplies. The list includes mounting hardware, the photovoltaic panels, an inverter, wire, ground wire (and a new grounding post to bring you up to code) an electrical permit / inspection, and a lot of patience putting it all together.
The benefits for me will be somewhat exaggerated compared to most installations. I have a small house, with low e- windows, a new roof, and lots of insulation. But in the summer I usually pay only about $25 or so for electricity. (this august with a streak of 93+ days, I hit $27 w/ AC on!) In the winter I did see a small reduction, but not statistically significant. Also Keep in mind, I have 2 state of the art computers running close to full time. x24400 rig, and a 1st gen hot as a mofo watercooled p4
If you are serious about solar, first do what you can with conservation. Some things that drastically reduce electricity are not very popular such as leaving the curtains closed on a nice sunny day (keeps your house cooler.) However, you will realize your biggest economical benefit when you combine conservation, with the photovalics.
The actual payoff for solar in WA will be about 15-20 years. It is not something you want to do, economically speaking, unless you plan to keep your house, and are serious about conservation due to the high initial cost.
Although you can include that into the selling price of your home(mines listed as adding about 6k to the value), and there are some tax incentives as well.
Also the panels never stop working. Although they do loose a little bit of eficiency but the loss flattens out to an asymptote if you remember functions from math. So theoretically, they could generate income over your lifespan.
A few caveats regarding payoff are the fact that your speculating that the cost of e- will stay the same or rise, also that the Panels do not become obsolete quickly (due to a breakthrough like this & production price decreases, so far this has NOT been seen), but if that is the case, you have the infrastructure on your home, and replacement of panels is far simpler (assuming your inverter was purchased so as to have room to grow your system)
wow that's alot of info....
Cause I aint buying a name brand computer for the rest of the ATX cases usable lifespan. or as long as they sell MOBOs to consumers.
Seriously.
I love to build, customize, and tweak my own computers. It's fun, challenging, and way way cheaper, with a more powerfull end result.
Although in the past, my homebrews were like the Millenium falcon (had to kick em to get them to boot windows, but I think it's cause they were self aware....) They allways bring a much higher Performance : Price, have allways been rock solid for me.
The thing you have to see is that there are a billion NON-Computer uses for this kind of tech.
1. automotive industry. Waste heat off your engine block being used to augment an alternator?
= a reduction in HP needed to turn alternator, and increase in engine efficiency!
2. Electricity Generation.
a. Smokestacks could be lined with these to absorb heat (which is better for the environment) and use the electricity to power lighting for the facility?
b. repeat for Natural gas, Incineration, etc...
3. Solar.
a. Even if this doesn't make that much e- if it was cheap enough, you could augment solarcells by placing the chips underneath the photovalic crystals to absorb wast heat, and probably get a sizeable gain in eficiency!
You didn't read his post right. He said to legislaters (sp?)
WTF is the ceiling Cat? is that like a Cue Cat for the whole house?
Damn it, I am allways caught w/ technicalities on slashdot....
If it's wrong, but not really wrong, I'm generally not going to do it. However, I wouldn't feel guilty if I did.
Imagine your going down a hill, the speed limit is 35, but you coast accidentally to 40. Should you report yourself for speeding? didn't think so.
Now let me walk inside your minds....
Imagine...
You just purchased a movie in all it's XHD glory on FormatX. You watch the movie. It must be a real good flick Maybe Harry Potter, Real Genius, Boondock Saints or something because you watch the whole thing. Now just suppose that the movie is so good, you willfully want to watch it a second time. (I know a stretch, bear with me my ADD brethren) in inferior quality on your portable device. Perhaps over an airplane flight or something?
You have a few options:
*Some religions believe that governmental laws are sacred, and should be followed as the will of GOD