What the ISPs want to get back to is called Rent Seeking. They want to make money by milking something that isn't theirs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
They discovered they can extort money from companies they have no business relationship with by throttling bandwidth to *their own customers* (who pay for a connection with specified bandwidth, not a website) in order to harm those companies. They were stopped. Now they want that ability back.
Verizon did this blatantly with NetFlix, who was dumb enough to pay up (they should have sued them for extortion).
To anyone who believes the absurd tagline "the market will sort it out", there is no market here. The vast majority of Americans don't have a choice, those who do have two choices, and both companies are guilty of numerous violations of consumer trust (and occasionally, the law). When a local community or government attempts to address this with a community or public internet provider, the big ISPs sue or bribe (sorry, "lobby") the local government officials to get it shut down. This is not a free market if they can eliminate competition without actually competing.
To take this from another angle, a very serious question: Are ISPs an "information service" or a "telecommunications service"? Seriously, what "information" do you get *from* your ISP? They don't even host usenet servers anymore. Everything that comes to and from your computer goes _through_ your ISP, it doesn't come _from_ them. This is precisely the question being answered by this re-classification (they're saying your ISP is an information _service_).
A touchscreen dash is an absolutely horrid idea. Physical buttons can be accessed via muscle memory. A dynamic control with zero tactile feedback requires you to focus on it for every function. How can anyone in the automotive industry not see this as an enormous liability?
Having a video or computer display in the line of sight of the driver is already illegal in most states (distraction) and having a computer in the front seat of a vehicle is illegal in at least California. I can't help but wonder how a 17" touchscreen with computer controls will be viewed by the police and court systems.
Monsanto doesn't discriminate... They sue the seed washers into the ground too. And exactly how are the seed washers and such supposed to be able to tell the difference? It's not like the seeds have Monsanto's corporate logo on them.
Monsanto produces seed that they cannot control. Cross-pollination contaminates even the most carefully selected organic crops. The plants produce a product that is essentially the sum of the egg and pollen, which means it contains Monsanto's infection. Monsanto then trespasses on the farmers' properties, stealing "samples", waits 2 years so the farmers have no way to prove their innocence, then sues them for every last penny they have. This is their MO and is essentially making a process (seed reuse) used for countless thousands of years, illegal.
In any civilized world, the farmers would be able to sue Monsanto over the infection and loss of a valuable crop. Instead, they're ruined.
Think any of this is made up? You need to read the lawsuits and not Monsanto's propaganda. Think the goal of the genetic modifications is high yield? You need to read more on that too... Google "roundup-ready"... Its there for one purpose, so they can dump megadoses of roundup (poison) onto the crops without killing them.
Think my use of "infection" is out of line? Read up on the process. They took a gene they discovered in a bacteria and used a virus to insert it into the plant's genes. Notice I used the word "discovered" and not "invented"... They did not invent the gene that they patented, but then that's true of many of their patents. They've patented many naturally occurring plants and animals. Yes, animals (google Germany Monsanto large hogs).
For those who don't believe the contamination is out of control, google "wild canola Monsanto percentage" (if you're too lazy, 86% of "wild" canola has at least one modified gene from Monsanto, and many have two (2nd from another company), which means multiple generations of contamination). This is complete and total loss of control of a contagion. It won't be long before wild canola is extinct.
The fact that this company has not been brought up on countless charges for the above actions is beyond comprehension.
Um, try again. One of the first composite aircraft was the Bolkow Phoebus sailplane designed in the 50's. It was built with a balsa core and glass fiber. Carbon fiber sailplanes began to be produced starting in the mid 70's.
" Carbon fiber composite was used to varying degrees on military aircraft, but at the time the Starship was certified, no civilian aircraft certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration had ever used it so extensively."
Don't discount industrial engines. While automotive diesels are designed to operate at a wide range of RPMs, industrial engines are typically designed for a fixed speed purpose, such as powering a water pump to lift water from one canal to another for irrigation, or powering a generator, etc. An engine like this with a well tuned intake and exhaust can be extremely efficient and extremely quiet. Google "Helmholtz Resonator Principle" for designing the intake and exhaust properly.
One that pops immediately to mind is a lightweight, but very torquey 3-cylinder Kubota Diesel engine, such as that used in the Urba-Centurion (128mpg DIY Diesel sports-car designed by Mechanix Illustrated back in the early '80s). If that one isn't powerful enough, the company makes a wide range of similar engines.
Alternatively, try and find a wrecked VW TDI with a good powerplant, like the one the West Philadelphia high school students used to make a hybrid sports-car (K1 Attack, 0-60 in 4 seconds while burning 50mpg!)
As I suggested in a previous post (not sure if you read them all), please post in evalbum.com, as I'd love to watch your progress!:^)
You should check out Kokam Li-Ion batteries. They've got some pretty impressive tech to improve their charge and discharge rates (you need the latter for high torque impulses required for standing-starts, especially if there are any hills in the area) and "ten-plus years of operational life". Just going to the first vendor that showed up in google, I see they now have a huge range of batteries all the way up to 240AH (@3.7V), so you could give your SUV an incredible range before needing the ICE range-extender. The nicest thing about these, compared to the typical cylindrical Li-Ion cells that are popular with many of the DIY electric-car crowd, is these are large and rectangular with large tabs for electrodes, which makes them much easier to make carriers and contacts for, not to mention the battery control circuit savings (you'll need less of them if you have fewer/larger batteries).
Circuit Cellar Magazine issue 217 (August 2008) had an article titled Electric Vehicle Inverter Design (Build A System For Powering AC Induction Motors) by Dan Hall, Tristan Kasmer, Doug Krahn, Adam McIntyre, and Dena Ponech. It should still be available from their website, though I think they charge a couple bucks for it now (it used to be freely downloadable as Kasmer-Krahn-McIntyre-Ponech-217.pdf).
This is a fantastic article discussing many different speed control methods used for A/C motors, and why the authors chose the one they did (very little motor noise and very natural feeling torque control, among other things). The article states "Obtaining a typical three-phase high-power inverter for driving an ACIM can cost between $8,000 and $25,000" then goes on to say "Any technically minded person should be able to complete this project for around $2,500".
While A/C seems odd at first due to losses within the inverter, apparently the increase in efficiency more than makes up for it... not to mention motor availability. Before anyone replies that DC motors make more power, tell that to Tesla (and AC Propulsion, from whom Tesla licenses the powerplant design and creators of the tzero).;^)
Good luck with your project, and please post pics and info to evalbum.com! (fantastic source of inspiration and information if you haven't been there)
(I just realized I accidentally posted A/C last night... reposting while logged in)
Before they changed the name ("Creo"? Really?) away from the extremely well established Pro/ENGINEER branding, they had a personal use license for $250. I just came up with a use for it (interesting timing for this announcement), and now I don't see this option available. I did find the student license, but I'm not a student and the requirements are quite clear and specific - and I don't meet them. I also found the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express for free (up to 60 parts, which suits my needs), but this doesn't appear to be the same software. Does anyone know if this still has the "sketcher" to rough draft the profile of the 3D parts? (I'll have to build a MS machine to even test it out - doubt it runs in Wine).
Granted, the last time I used Pro/E was ~1994 (on Solaris) and the UI has changed dramatically at least twice since then, so I'll have to re-learn it anyways. I actually liked the original UI... when they changed it to meet Microsoft's requirements (when they first offered it on MS windows), I thought it was a horrible turn to an inefficient design. Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning (make it "familiar" to windows users), but the change made it much less efficient to use even though the learning curve was shallower.
Yes, I agree with other postings, it's a shame they dropped Linux support. I just googled "3d cad linux" and the top advertisement is titled "3D CAD Linux - Flexible, Easy-To-Use Application | PTC.com" with a link to www.ptc.com/Free-Download, which leads you to download 2 options, 32bit and 64bit windows software. That's kind of a dirty advert method for a company as well established as PTC...
As proof of your point, just look at the Viewsonic gTablet (very similar specs to this device, but Android as the OS)... every time it comes up somewhere for $279, it sells out quickly.
Not sure if your state lacks them, but Florida has State ID cards for those who can't get or don't want a driver's license. This is primarily used by those who've lost their licences to excessive DUI/DWI convictions (common here in a state with drive-through beer & liquor stores).
You've just described South Florida, and the reason why our car insurance is among the most costly in the nation (we're back and forth at the top over the years with New York and California).
Remember the "don't go to work" protest against the politicians who wanted to round up and deport all illegal aliens back in 2006? (if not, google "Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes") The day collectively called in sick? The freeways during rush hour down here were as empty as 4am on a Sunday!
If it's not obvious, I agree with the person to which I'm replying - Drivers Licenses should be just that, but are instead being used in ways that are detrimental to the original purpose. Florida has increased the difficulty in getting a driver's license, but not in a way that matters to its purpose. Check out the blue box at the bottom of this page: http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/dlnew.html Why do I say that it's not a change that matters to its purpose? Because the "driving test" they only put those under 18 though consists of driving through a parking lot! Seriously! (if you're over 18, you don't get tested) For an eye-opener, google "rudest drivers in America". I took the test in FL during a summer vacation before I had my MI driver's license... in Michigan, I had to drive though some very confusing and highly congested rush-hour traffic in the middle of Pontiac for my driver's test. Quite a contrast.
A (poorly) trained monkey could get a driver's license in FL, but only if he had enough proof of identity!
I can't remember if it was Popular Science, Popular Mechanics or Mechanix Illustrated, but at least 25 years ago I read an article about an invention that would be ideal for such a spill. It was a large dome that floated mostly underwater, with a cupula sticking out of the top with baffles that directed waves into the center. The wave action essentially pumped the oil floating on the surface (and water) into the dome, and since the oil floats, the water was pushed out of the bottom. It was designed to be deployed as an array for very large spills such as this one.
The bottom unit is the main computer (CPU, boot drives, etc.), the upper unit is a media expansion (more drives of various types), and I believe there were other expansion units available as well (with a cover plate above it to make it look nice). You could stack up and up and up, taking up the same footprint as a base unit - unlike the design in the article, where it stacks out to the sides and has a limited range.
Granted, I didn't read the article - I'm merely catching up on my/. reading - so I don't know where the DRM reference comes in, but the modular/stackable design is definitely nothing new.
They've finally realized that they are a hardware company, and the software is just the icing that drives the hardware sales. Their hardware really is phenomenal, especially from the V880 on up (anything that can handle hot-swapping CPUs is damned impressive!).
What I'm personally excited about is the opening of Sun Ray Server Software... the software is useless without the hardware, so charging extra for it was counter-productive. The fact that it's being opened means support on current Linux distros will improve quickly (currently, you're stuck with 2.4 kernels or insane amounts of botching and pasting). People will be able to put together a hotrod Linux box and pick up dozens of Sun Rays for a super-cheap bunch of desktops. Sun may not make licensing fees from the people who can't afford it, but they'll sell more hardware. This has a cascade effect, considering the word of mouth advertizing that will come from all of the people seeing these devices and asking "what's that?" followed by "oh, we could use something like that too!". http://sun-rays.org/ is a decent discussion forum for Sun Rays - in case anyone is interested.
I used google so you can see how many references there are... for those too lazy to click the above link: Hoyer, Berman, Sensenbrenner, Sabo, and Pallone are "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution." (Presidential Tenure)!
The other thing that helps here is the fact that D-Link doesn't change chipsets in the middle of a product line like other crappy brands (at least, not in _this_ line).
They do the same with all of their adaptors, including multiple versions of the DWL-G650 and plus models. You have to be very careful with D-link products, at least as much as with any other manufacturer.
I would recommend Netgear, but unfortunately they follow the same idiotic practice.:(
How do you know they are paying more for the firmware now?
Because you can't get cheaper than "free", and anything else costs more.
Maybe they license VxWorks for a flat fee that is less than what it costs to have a staff of engineers working on constantly porting the Linux kernel to different chips, and then doing QA on that firmware.
No need to port, it's already been ported. The microcontrollers in these devices are MIPS based, which has been supported for many years. This is why there are so many firmwares available... it's relatively easy to build the entire system by cross-compiling.
Modifications to a specific configuration (chips external to the microcontroller) are required even with VxWorks. If you make something custom, just because it's commercial doesn't mean it's automatically supported any more than if I were to solder together my own ADC board and expect ms-windows to support it.
QA is required no matter what you use. VxWorks isn't an instant wireless router, it's only an OS... you have to add EVERYTHING else, just as you do with Linux. Actually, you might even have to add more to VxWorks... does it have an equivalent of iptables/netfilter?
That costs a lot of money, too. Not to mention, if a memory chip costs $5 and VxWorks costs $3 per unit, it makes sense to use VxWorks and eliminate one memory chip.
This is possibly a valid argument, although as I stated in another posting, the pre-v2 models had half of the RAM of the v2 and newer (so the same as the v5 model). From what I understand, they aren't using the RAM anyways. Just look at all of the extras you can add in (on top of the existing software) in the various firmwares... even a full Asterisk voicemail system, and it all fits in the tiny memory available in the v1.x models. If they were starved for RAM, that would not be possible.
I've worked in Corporate America long enough to know that decisions like these are nearly always purely political, made by those with zero technical expertise. Likely someone with an anti-open-source bent got hired or promoted, and in standard Corporate America fashion, decided to make major changes for the sake of making changes - to make himself "a name". I've seen it too many times to count in many companies... happens every time a "new boss" is brought in. It must be written down in some "how to be a successful manager" book or something.;-) I'd bet that the argument was made in the manner indicated in the article summary "People are hacking our hardware! Look at how much money we could be making if we could force people who want more features to by something that costs 10x as much! We're losing money!". This, as I pointed out, completely ignores the fact that someone who can afford a $60 device won't necessarily be able to afford a $600 device (nor would they want to pay that much if they could).
As I stated before, they're just going to drive this very tiny portion of their customer base to the competition (others already posted a link to a hardware compatibility list for one of the firmwares, openwrt, I believe).
OK, so they don't want a teeensy portion (.01%?) of their customer base upgrading their product without profiting from it, so instead they pay license fees for _every_ one they sell?
Sounds like they have a problem with math... where I come from this is called "penny-wise, and pound-foolish" (no wait, that's from the UK, isn't it?;) ).
The main reason I bought this model (I have an old v2) is the fact that it runs Linux and is "hackable". If the new ones can't be, I won't be buying one, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
So... now instead of them "losing" theoretical money (that we wouldn't have spent anyways), they are paying more for their firmware, and losing more customers.
Not only that, but back at v2 the RAM (and flash) was doubled. So all this means is they're back at v1.x RAM levels... which is what all of the externally available images (that I've seen) are made for anyways. They should still work fine, although they may have to find new tricks (bugs) to enable them to upload new firmware to the device.
Just get a cheap wireless access point or router. They're highly configurable and may come in handy for many other things. Fry's Outpost has some for $29, and once in a while even drops below $17! (for the Airlink AR315W)
If you want one that you can do an incredible amount of stuff with, get a Linksys WRT54G... there are many Linux distros people have made for it (runs Linux from the factory) that add tons of features. There's also instructions on adding a serial port for a console.
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What the ISPs want to get back to is called Rent Seeking. They want to make money by milking something that isn't theirs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
They discovered they can extort money from companies they have no business relationship with by throttling bandwidth to *their own customers* (who pay for a connection with specified bandwidth, not a website) in order to harm those companies. They were stopped. Now they want that ability back.
Verizon did this blatantly with NetFlix, who was dumb enough to pay up (they should have sued them for extortion).
To anyone who believes the absurd tagline "the market will sort it out", there is no market here. The vast majority of Americans don't have a choice, those who do have two choices, and both companies are guilty of numerous violations of consumer trust (and occasionally, the law). When a local community or government attempts to address this with a community or public internet provider, the big ISPs sue or bribe (sorry, "lobby") the local government officials to get it shut down. This is not a free market if they can eliminate competition without actually competing.
To take this from another angle, a very serious question: Are ISPs an "information service" or a "telecommunications service"?
Seriously, what "information" do you get *from* your ISP? They don't even host usenet servers anymore. Everything that comes to and from your computer goes _through_ your ISP, it doesn't come _from_ them.
This is precisely the question being answered by this re-classification (they're saying your ISP is an information _service_).
Just add the tem "organic" to your search. You can't use those chemicals and call your crop organic, and Monsanto has gone after many organic farmers.
A touchscreen dash is an absolutely horrid idea. Physical buttons can be accessed via muscle memory. A dynamic control with zero tactile feedback requires you to focus on it for every function. How can anyone in the automotive industry not see this as an enormous liability?
Having a video or computer display in the line of sight of the driver is already illegal in most states (distraction) and having a computer in the front seat of a vehicle is illegal in at least California. I can't help but wonder how a 17" touchscreen with computer controls will be viewed by the police and court systems.
Monsanto doesn't discriminate... They sue the seed washers into the ground too.
And exactly how are the seed washers and such supposed to be able to tell the difference?
It's not like the seeds have Monsanto's corporate logo on them.
You can't have someone with a sense of right and wrong in an agency like the EPA... That would completely unbalance the industry!
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture
(seriously, read it, and pressure congress to fix it)
Monsanto produces seed that they cannot control. Cross-pollination contaminates even the most carefully selected organic crops. The plants produce a product that is essentially the sum of the egg and pollen, which means it contains Monsanto's infection. Monsanto then trespasses on the farmers' properties, stealing "samples", waits 2 years so the farmers have no way to prove their innocence, then sues them for every last penny they have. This is their MO and is essentially making a process (seed reuse) used for countless thousands of years, illegal.
In any civilized world, the farmers would be able to sue Monsanto over the infection and loss of a valuable crop. Instead, they're ruined.
Think any of this is made up? You need to read the lawsuits and not Monsanto's propaganda.
Think the goal of the genetic modifications is high yield? You need to read more on that too... Google "roundup-ready"... Its there for one purpose, so they can dump megadoses of roundup (poison) onto the crops without killing them.
Think my use of "infection" is out of line? Read up on the process. They took a gene they discovered in a bacteria and used a virus to insert it into the plant's genes.
Notice I used the word "discovered" and not "invented"... They did not invent the gene that they patented, but then that's true of many of their patents. They've patented many naturally occurring plants and animals. Yes, animals (google Germany Monsanto large hogs).
For those who don't believe the contamination is out of control, google "wild canola Monsanto percentage" (if you're too lazy, 86% of "wild" canola has at least one modified gene from Monsanto, and many have two (2nd from another company), which means multiple generations of contamination). This is complete and total loss of control of a contagion. It won't be long before wild canola is extinct.
The fact that this company has not been brought up on countless charges for the above actions is beyond comprehension.
Um, try again. One of the first composite aircraft was the Bolkow Phoebus sailplane designed in the 50's. It was built with a balsa core and glass fiber. Carbon fiber sailplanes began to be produced starting in the mid 70's.
" Carbon fiber composite was used to varying degrees on military aircraft, but at the time the Starship was certified, no civilian aircraft certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration had ever used it so extensively."
Also, I'm talking airplanes, not gliders.
Burt Rutan's beautiful creation holds that title.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Starship
Don't discount industrial engines. While automotive diesels are designed to operate at a wide range of RPMs, industrial engines are typically designed for a fixed speed purpose, such as powering a water pump to lift water from one canal to another for irrigation, or powering a generator, etc. An engine like this with a well tuned intake and exhaust can be extremely efficient and extremely quiet.
Google "Helmholtz Resonator Principle" for designing the intake and exhaust properly.
One that pops immediately to mind is a lightweight, but very torquey 3-cylinder Kubota Diesel engine, such as that used in the Urba-Centurion (128mpg DIY Diesel sports-car designed by Mechanix Illustrated back in the early '80s).
If that one isn't powerful enough, the company makes a wide range of similar engines.
Alternatively, try and find a wrecked VW TDI with a good powerplant, like the one the West Philadelphia high school students used to make a hybrid sports-car (K1 Attack, 0-60 in 4 seconds while burning 50mpg!)
As I suggested in a previous post (not sure if you read them all), please post in evalbum.com, as I'd love to watch your progress! :^)
You should check out Kokam Li-Ion batteries. They've got some pretty impressive tech to improve their charge and discharge rates (you need the latter for high torque impulses required for standing-starts, especially if there are any hills in the area) and "ten-plus years of operational life". Just going to the first vendor that showed up in google, I see they now have a huge range of batteries all the way up to 240AH (@3.7V), so you could give your SUV an incredible range before needing the ICE range-extender.
The nicest thing about these, compared to the typical cylindrical Li-Ion cells that are popular with many of the DIY electric-car crowd, is these are large and rectangular with large tabs for electrodes, which makes them much easier to make carriers and contacts for, not to mention the battery control circuit savings (you'll need less of them if you have fewer/larger batteries).
Circuit Cellar Magazine issue 217 (August 2008) had an article titled Electric Vehicle Inverter Design (Build A System For Powering AC Induction Motors) by Dan Hall, Tristan Kasmer, Doug Krahn, Adam McIntyre, and Dena Ponech.
It should still be available from their website, though I think they charge a couple bucks for it now (it used to be freely downloadable as Kasmer-Krahn-McIntyre-Ponech-217.pdf).
This is a fantastic article discussing many different speed control methods used for A/C motors, and why the authors chose the one they did (very little motor noise and very natural feeling torque control, among other things). The article states "Obtaining a typical three-phase high-power inverter for driving an ACIM can cost between $8,000 and $25,000" then goes on to say "Any technically minded person should be able to complete this project for around $2,500".
While A/C seems odd at first due to losses within the inverter, apparently the increase in efficiency more than makes up for it... not to mention motor availability. ;^)
Before anyone replies that DC motors make more power, tell that to Tesla (and AC Propulsion, from whom Tesla licenses the powerplant design and creators of the tzero).
Good luck with your project, and please post pics and info to evalbum.com! (fantastic source of inspiration and information if you haven't been there)
(I just realized I accidentally posted A/C last night... reposting while logged in)
Before they changed the name ("Creo"? Really?) away from the extremely well established Pro/ENGINEER branding, they had a personal use license for $250. I just came up with a use for it (interesting timing for this announcement), and now I don't see this option available.
I did find the student license, but I'm not a student and the requirements are quite clear and specific - and I don't meet them.
I also found the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express for free (up to 60 parts, which suits my needs), but this doesn't appear to be the same software. Does anyone know if this still has the "sketcher" to rough draft the profile of the 3D parts? (I'll have to build a MS machine to even test it out - doubt it runs in Wine).
Granted, the last time I used Pro/E was ~1994 (on Solaris) and the UI has changed dramatically at least twice since then, so I'll have to re-learn it anyways.
I actually liked the original UI... when they changed it to meet Microsoft's requirements (when they first offered it on MS windows), I thought it was a horrible turn to an inefficient design. Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning (make it "familiar" to windows users), but the change made it much less efficient to use even though the learning curve was shallower.
Yes, I agree with other postings, it's a shame they dropped Linux support.
I just googled "3d cad linux" and the top advertisement is titled "3D CAD Linux - Flexible, Easy-To-Use Application | PTC.com" with a link to www.ptc.com/Free-Download, which leads you to download 2 options, 32bit and 64bit windows software. That's kind of a dirty advert method for a company as well established as PTC...
As proof of your point, just look at the Viewsonic gTablet (very similar specs to this device, but Android as the OS)... every time it comes up somewhere for $279, it sells out quickly.
Not sure if your state lacks them, but Florida has State ID cards for those who can't get or don't want a driver's license. This is primarily used by those who've lost their licences to excessive DUI/DWI convictions (common here in a state with drive-through beer & liquor stores).
You've just described South Florida, and the reason why our car insurance is among the most costly in the nation (we're back and forth at the top over the years with New York and California).
Remember the "don't go to work" protest against the politicians who wanted to round up and deport all illegal aliens back in 2006? (if not, google "Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes") The day collectively called in sick? The freeways during rush hour down here were as empty as 4am on a Sunday!
If it's not obvious, I agree with the person to which I'm replying - Drivers Licenses should be just that, but are instead being used in ways that are detrimental to the original purpose.
Florida has increased the difficulty in getting a driver's license, but not in a way that matters to its purpose. Check out the blue box at the bottom of this page: http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/dlnew.html
Why do I say that it's not a change that matters to its purpose? Because the "driving test" they only put those under 18 though consists of driving through a parking lot! Seriously! (if you're over 18, you don't get tested)
For an eye-opener, google "rudest drivers in America".
I took the test in FL during a summer vacation before I had my MI driver's license... in Michigan, I had to drive though some very confusing and highly congested rush-hour traffic in the middle of Pontiac for my driver's test. Quite a contrast.
A (poorly) trained monkey could get a driver's license in FL, but only if he had enough proof of identity!
I can't remember if it was Popular Science, Popular Mechanics or Mechanix Illustrated, but at least 25 years ago I read an article about an invention that would be ideal for such a spill.
It was a large dome that floated mostly underwater, with a cupula sticking out of the top with baffles that directed waves into the center.
The wave action essentially pumped the oil floating on the surface (and water) into the dome, and since the oil floats, the water was pushed out of the bottom. It was designed to be deployed as an array for very large spills such as this one.
Moto did this many years ago with the PowerStack:
/. reading - so I don't know where the DRM reference comes in, but the modular/stackable design is definitely nothing new.
http://www.corestore.org/Mvc-002s.jpg
http://www.corestore.org/powerstack.jpg
The bottom unit is the main computer (CPU, boot drives, etc.), the upper unit is a media expansion (more drives of various types), and I believe there were other expansion units available as well (with a cover plate above it to make it look nice). You could stack up and up and up, taking up the same footprint as a base unit - unlike the design in the article, where it stacks out to the sides and has a limited range.
Granted, I didn't read the article - I'm merely catching up on my
It's a good thing.
They've finally realized that they are a hardware company, and the software is just the icing that drives the hardware sales.
Their hardware really is phenomenal, especially from the V880 on up (anything that can handle hot-swapping CPUs is damned impressive!).
What I'm personally excited about is the opening of Sun Ray Server Software... the software is useless without the hardware, so charging extra for it was counter-productive.
The fact that it's being opened means support on current Linux distros will improve quickly (currently, you're stuck with 2.4 kernels or insane amounts of botching and pasting). People will be able to put together a hotrod Linux box and pick up dozens of Sun Rays for a super-cheap bunch of desktops.
Sun may not make licensing fees from the people who can't afford it, but they'll sell more hardware. This has a cascade effect, considering the word of mouth advertizing that will come from all of the people seeing these devices and asking "what's that?" followed by "oh, we could use something like that too!".
http://sun-rays.org/ is a decent discussion forum for Sun Rays - in case anyone is interested.
I don't advocate war either but I do advocate term limits for politicians.
Then this should scare the hell out of you.
I used google so you can see how many references there are... for those too lazy to click the above link: Hoyer, Berman, Sensenbrenner, Sabo, and Pallone are "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution." (Presidential Tenure)!
The other thing that helps here is the fact that D-Link doesn't change chipsets in the middle of a product line like other crappy brands (at least, not in _this_ line).
Bullshit.
There are 4 completely different versions of the DWL-650, each with a totally different and incompatible chipset.
http://www.wifi.com.ar/doc/wifi/wlan_adapters.htm
http://users.linpro.no/janl/hardware/wifi.html
They do the same with all of their adaptors, including multiple versions of the DWL-G650 and plus models.
You have to be very careful with D-link products, at least as much as with any other manufacturer.
I would recommend Netgear, but unfortunately they follow the same idiotic practice.
I bet the person who put that report on MS's site has been drooling over the severance package... ;-)
How do you know they are paying more for the firmware now?
Because you can't get cheaper than "free", and anything else costs more.
Maybe they license VxWorks for a flat fee that is less than what it costs to have a staff of engineers working on constantly porting the Linux kernel to different chips, and then doing QA on that firmware.
That costs a lot of money, too. Not to mention, if a memory chip costs $5 and VxWorks costs $3 per unit, it makes sense to use VxWorks and eliminate one memory chip.
This is possibly a valid argument, although as I stated in another posting, the pre-v2 models had half of the RAM of the v2 and newer (so the same as the v5 model). From what I understand, they aren't using the RAM anyways.
Just look at all of the extras you can add in (on top of the existing software) in the various firmwares... even a full Asterisk voicemail system, and it all fits in the tiny memory available in the v1.x models. If they were starved for RAM, that would not be possible.
I've worked in Corporate America long enough to know that decisions like these are nearly always purely political, made by those with zero technical expertise. Likely someone with an anti-open-source bent got hired or promoted, and in standard Corporate America fashion, decided to make major changes for the sake of making changes - to make himself "a name". I've seen it too many times to count in many companies... happens every time a "new boss" is brought in. It must be written down in some "how to be a successful manager" book or something.
I'd bet that the argument was made in the manner indicated in the article summary "People are hacking our hardware! Look at how much money we could be making if we could force people who want more features to by something that costs 10x as much! We're losing money!". This, as I pointed out, completely ignores the fact that someone who can afford a $60 device won't necessarily be able to afford a $600 device (nor would they want to pay that much if they could).
As I stated before, they're just going to drive this very tiny portion of their customer base to the competition (others already posted a link to a hardware compatibility list for one of the firmwares, openwrt, I believe).
OK, so they don't want a teeensy portion (.01%?) of their customer base upgrading their product without profiting from it, so instead they pay license fees for _every_ one they sell?
Sounds like they have a problem with math... where I come from this is called "penny-wise, and pound-foolish" (no wait, that's from the UK, isn't it?
The main reason I bought this model (I have an old v2) is the fact that it runs Linux and is "hackable".
If the new ones can't be, I won't be buying one, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
So... now instead of them "losing" theoretical money (that we wouldn't have spent anyways), they are paying more for their firmware, and losing more customers.
Good move lynksys!
Not only that, but back at v2 the RAM (and flash) was doubled.
So all this means is they're back at v1.x RAM levels... which is what all of the externally available images (that I've seen) are made for anyways. They should still work fine, although they may have to find new tricks (bugs) to enable them to upload new firmware to the device.
Just get a cheap wireless access point or router.
They're highly configurable and may come in handy for many other things.
Fry's Outpost has some for $29, and once in a while even drops below $17! (for the Airlink AR315W)
If you want one that you can do an incredible amount of stuff with, get a Linksys WRT54G... there are many Linux distros people have made for it (runs Linux from the factory) that add tons of features. There's also instructions on adding a serial port for a console.