Battery life in the hybrids was originally designed to be 80,000 miles, but in practice they're doing at least 50% better than that. It's true, the replacement cost *as quoted by the dealer* is very high -- like $2000 -- but that will come down drastically as time goes on. First of all, all car parts get cheaper as the cars get older. Second, a key point of the hybrid system is that it allows commodity battery technology to be used. In this case, they're a whole bunch of standard, "D" sized NiMH flashlight-type cells, chained together in a big battery pack. So there will undoubtedly be aftermarket replacements available, as well as being serviceable by DIY'ers. I reckon the cost will drop to below $500.
Indeed, the VW TDI is a great high-mileage alternative. It's not quite as clean and green as the hybrids, but it has one big advantage -- torque. In fact, it compares favorably to most other small cars in this respect. It may not have their acceleration, but it can motor over most highway grades in top gear, at low RPM, with a full load and the AC on. This makes it easier and less tiring to drive on long trips. And yes, the mileage is superb. The Jetta gets 50 MPG or so on the highway.
The current US-operated GPS system only allows this type of accuracy for military purposes. I feel it is a little irresponsible to give civilians (including criminals and terrorists) access to such accurate targeting systems. Maybe ESA wants to have a marketable advantage over GPS but it may go to far IMO.
You're wrong. Civilians have had access to highly accurate GPS for a few years now -- to within a few cm. We've come to rely on it for everything from marine navigation to heavy construction -- GPS is still more accurate than the best captain's eye, and it's awfully handy for lining up bridges, etc. It makes so many things safer, easier, and cheaper, that to limit public access to it would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
To reserve the best accuracy for the military, an error (called Selective Availability) is introduced, limiting the resolution to within a few meters. This was being used all the time until about five years ago, when they determined that the benefits of GPS far outweighed the potential risks. They do bring back SA occasionally, but only for brief periods -- probably during specific military operations. They do warn the public that SA is being used, but in my experience it never lasts more than a few hours. (I'm a professional sailor and captain.)
...and Oracle uses Java. Mostly. My point is that these arguments are irrelevent. Use the tool for the job at hand, the one that dovetails best with your existing technology, and the one your own people are most comfortable working with. All of 'em work fine, in their own niches.
Above all, don't get yourselves all wound up, only to be spun like silly little tops by Microsoft's spinmeisters (or anyone else's). Techies are supposed to be smart, and certainly like to think of themselves that way. But every day the PR flaks prove themselves to be smarter...
As others have said, the hardware you have in mind is *way* overkill. Any old Pentium II would be fine. In fact a Pentium I would probably be fine too. Just get good quality hardware that won't let you down (particularly the power supply), a good backup system like a tape drive, and a good UPS system to protect it all.
I wouldn't buy a Wal-Mart Linux machine for this reason -- the hardware is not commercial grade, designed to run 24/7 for years without crapping out. Reliability is key. You might look into a used/refurbished server from IBM or Dell. Dell has had some incredibly cheap deals on new servers lately. I'd probably go for one of those, as cheap as possible, but splurge on backup and UPS. RAID might be a good idea too. Still -- you're probably talking about less than a grand.
Someone mentioned Sun -- that would be fine, but chances are you're already more familiar with Linux. And Sun parts and accessories are more expensive, new or used, even if the boxes aren't.
Speaking of reliability, have you considered software? Of course any Linux distribution would do, but you're going to have to do a lot of configuring, plugging security holes, etc. So why not start with a distribution that's tailor-made for your needs, set up for exactly the things you want to do, and is proven reliable? Why not use something where someone else has already figured out and fixed all the gotchas?
Try SME Server. It's a Redhat-based system designed exactly for what you want to do -- a router, firewall, mail server, and web server with virtual hosting capability. It's already configured for all this. All you have to do is load it. Administration is via web interface. There's plenty of documentation on the e-smith site, and good community support too.
The closest thing to SME Server is a Cobalt Qube/RaQ. However, SME Server can be loaded on any Pentium class machine. It's also a full Redhat system with command line access and all the Redhat tools. So you can add whatever else you might need later, just like any other Redhat box.
Finally, a Qube Professional with a tape backup and UPS might be a fun toy, but a conventional Intel box with SME server is a more capable, flexible, and cheaper solution.
...is that they don't tie up port 8080, which you may need while doing web development locally. This isn't a huge problem (the defaults can be changed), but I wind up having to shut down Popfile when playing with Zope, for example.
This is the big question. Bayesian filtering has been in use for a couple of years now, and is well-proven, IMO. What's wrong with Microsoft? Why are they dragging their feet on this? They should have been shipping this with OE a couple of years ago, if not before. Not only would this have given the average user some relief, it would have slowed the recent explosion in spam itself. And it would have been so easy to do. Fuck Microsoft, one more time.
is a scalable popfile for larger organizations. If I could get popfile (with its super-easy-to-train/use-web-interface) that would run on my linux server, scan my IMAP mail server (well, incoming mail would actually work fine, too. I've heard they have a smtp plugin for it in cvs), and then have a popfile config page for each person, or mayby tie it into the imap/smtp server's login. THAT would rock.
Actually, I would love to have the same thing. Popfile is all Perl and open-source, so it could probably have its "guts" adapted for this use.
I've been using Popfile on my laptop to filter several POP accounts. It filters around 1000 messages a day, with about 99.4% accuracy. And the misses are usually a spam message or two that gets through. I never miss a legit message. I want to start reading my mail from an IMAP server, because when travelling I don't always have a broadband connection to download all this crap and filter it locally. Wouldn't it be great to be able to transfer my already-trained filters to this new IMAP machine?
Or, you can hire me & my buddy Josh for a year. We'll write you a custom piece of software integrating open source tools, work right along with your employees and give you all the code and a support contract for XxX hours over the next YyY years.
OK, but who do we call when you and your buddy Josh are off snowboarding? Or when you get bored with programming, and decide to start your own baggy-pants sportswear company? IBM and Oracle will still be in the office working when the snow is good, or in 10 years from now.
This is just one more hour of television lost to staged controversy, with one loudmouthed buffoon pitted against another, WWF-style. They may use bigger words, but the intelligence level is the same. As far as I'm concerned, it's just one more reason not to watch television.
I'm laughing pretty hard at all these junior high school science class explanations of how diesel engines work, and even harder at the attempts to explain the trucking business!
It is true that diesels are hard to start when it's cold, particularly older ones. But it's definatly not difficult when it's not cold, and newer engines have block heaters and fuel system heaters which allow normal starts below 0F. More significant is that diesels don't produce full power until warmed up, and they take a long time to do that when it's cold. Again, newer engines are much better in this respect. Another issue is cooling down properly after a long, hard climb, which can take an hour of idling or more. So yes, truckers must *occasionally* keep their motors running for these reasons.
More likely, though, is that they're running their engines for generator power, so they can run their microwave ovens, televisions, and yes, laptops. Truckers also like to sleep warm like everyone else, and their cab heaters run off their engines just like the ones in your car.
This pollutes a lot, but not as much as you might think. Diesels burn *very* little fuel at idle.
But put a lot of them in one place, and they can create quite a cloud. The noise is a problem too, particularly if the truckstop isn't in the middle of nowhere. So the authorities are cracking down, and the solution is to provide auxiliary plug-in power at truckstops, like RV parks do. Truckers can then run their appliances, use electric cabin heaters, and use block heaters to keep their engines warm at night -- without worrying about keeping their batteries charged.
But what happens when they're away from a truckstop with power? Well, newer trucks are being equipped with small auxiliary diesel generators, like those used in boats and RVs. (Many cabs are a lot like RVs.) These generators run quietly and produce much less pollution. And believe it or not, even fuel cells are being developed for this application.
And yes, truckers *do* use laptops, and the internet, extensively. This is not news -- truckers were some of the earliest of early adopters. Slashdotters marvel at the logistics/IT of companies like Fedex, but assume the rest of the transportation industry is still in the stone age. This is absurd. Besides personal communication and entertainment, the 'net has become a business necessity for truckers -- they're plugged into giant databases of goods that need to be moved, and bid for jobs as they go. Not to mention using computers for everyday business needs like the rest of us do -- bookkeeping, word processing, document management, etc. Keep in mind that a very high percentage of truckers are independent businessmen, franchisees, or small operators with a few trucks. Having access to the same technology as the big boys, at very low cost, is what allows them to compete at all.
I've done all kinds of jobs, and anyone who whines about having to put in overtime, even extreme overtime, as a programmer, needs a swift kick in their lardy ass. Having to sit in a chair in an air conditioned environment and do what you love is *heaven* compered to putting in overtime digging a ditch, working in a factory, washing dishes, or selling life insurance. Be very grateful for what you have, then go whine somewhere else.
Next story -- Hollywood actors go on strike because craft services forgot the caviar for the bagels and cream cheese... waaaah!
Where ? 12V lead/acid batteries have 6 elements, 42V batteries would have 21. That's 21 lead plates and associated acid cell.
Get with the times. Upping the voltage allows the same punch with less current, which allows the use of smaller, lighter, NiMH batteries. Of course NiMH could be built in larger sizes, but they're not -- and being able to use smaller, commodity sizes is a hell of a lot cheaper. In fact the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius use commodity NiMH 'D' flashlight cells chained together in a big battery pack. 35 of these in series gives a 42V battery with more oomph than a stone-age lead-acid wet cell, is longer lived, more reliable, hardly affected by temperature, and a fraction of the weight. In case you haven't noticed, car batteries are *heavy.* Engineers love to be able to reduce vehicle weight, but the real savings is in shipping cost!
the wires would be lower-gauge wiring since they wouldn't have to transport as much current. I can't see that being a real weight economy.
No, but it sure is cheaper -- and more reliable. Higher voltage is less affected by bad grounds, corrosion, etc., which are the source of most vehicle electric problems.
improve fuel economy
How ? do 42V alternators have a better efficiency than 12V ones ? And even if that was the case, wouldn't, say, driving the alternator with something else than a rubber belt improve efficiency much more dramatically ?
Yes, higher voltage devices are more efficient. But besides that, the move is toward direct drive, combination, generator/starter/traction motors that live in the bellhousing like the one in the Honda hybrids. There's no belt, and no losses (or maintenance issues) due to that. There's one device, not two or three. It lives in a thermally stable, clean, dry environment. In ten years, more cars will have this hybrid-like architecture than not, whether or not they'll be true hybrids. It's simply a better way to build a car.
permit the replacement of many mechanical parts with electrical ones
How ? what are the mechanical parts that can't be replaced by 12V electrical equivalents that could be replaced by 42V ones ?
Electric air conditioning compressors, power steering and brake servos, etc., become viable with a higher voltage system. Higher voltage allows them to be smaller, lighter, cheaper, and efficient enough to surpass current technologies.
and, of most concern to us, improve efficiency for all automotive electrical devices
I don't know about overall efficiency, but in all fairness, that's true : it's easier to step the voltage down than up. So yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper and probably more efficient.
Well if you don't know, then STFU. "I don't know what I'm talking about, but here I go anyway..."
And yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper, and more efficient. A few watts here, a few watts there, it all adds up. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, that all adds up too -- except that automakers think in *fractions of pennies.*
opening the door to higher audio amplifier power with far less complexity than the current crop of 12-volt, high-power amplifiers. Not only can will this translate to lower cost and more compact aftermarket power amps, even head units could cheaply integrate 100-plus RMS watts per channel power.
That's about the only application where I can see a 42V system be useful.
I'm sure.
DSL providers need a kick in the ass...
on
150 Mbit/s DSL.
·
· Score: 1
The speed of the connection isn't the problem. Anything faster than 400k or so is plenty for most people -- most servers on the internet don't serve anywhere near that fast anyway. What's killing DSL is the speed of deployment, or lack of it.
Though I was previously a happy DSL user, I've gone with cable this time. While there are supposedly at least two DSL providers in this town, neither one returns phone calls, shows up for appointments, etc. And even with previous homes I never got DSL anywhere close to immediately. It was always at least 2 weeks until an appointment, and something was always wrong the first time -- the technician didn't bring the right equipment, the lines had problems, etc. I never got DSL in less than a month, which is unacceptable.
Bad phone lines are one thing, but mostly there's no excuse for this.
With cable, all you do is get a modem, plug it together, and you're all set. No crappy PPPoE software, hardware incompatibilities, line filters, etc. Most cable providers can get you a modem within a day or so. If that's not fast enough, you can usually drop by their office and pick up a modem yourself -- and be online within 5 minutes of getting home.
DSL providers are losing big. They don't need a shot in the arm -- more like a swift kick in the ass. Their shareholders ought to be livid.
What I've never understood about Sun is why they didn't make it easier to install Java on a client machine. If you tried to do it (on either Windows or Linux) you would find that the process was increadably badly designed. Most members of the normal public wouldn't stand a chance installing it.
I could never understand this either. Now everyone's using Flash for what Sun wanted them to use Java for. Why? One reason is that installing or updating Flash clients is completely automatic and seamless. There's no excuse for not having Java work this way.
Perhaps Wal-Mart will surpass Netflix in total sales, perhaps by many times. However, I see these two companies not competing directly.
Wal-Mart has never been anything but a mass market company, with lowest-common-denominator sensibilities. In any category, *especially* movies and music, they sell a relatively short list of only the most popular, mass market items. Michael Jackson? Sure. The latest college radio, big city hipster fave? Forget it, even if they're selling in the millions.
Netflix, OTOH, has always catered to film buffs. They'll probably lose share to Wal-mart in the most popular releases, but will continue to grow elsewhere. So, if you want "Dumb and Dumber IV," go to Wal-Mart, but if you want the Cannes winners, indie greats, art films or classics, you're more likely to find them at Netflix.
Well, of course all this keyboarding has taken a toll on handwriting skills. After typing all day, I have trouble filling in a check and signing my name. Online bill paying is just so much easier!
My handwriting isn't the worst in the world, but one regret I have about my childhood school years is not developing good penmanship. I've always envied people with beautiful handwriting. It's a very valuable skill to have, and being able to do it would be very satisfying. I guess I could take some calligraphy classes...
I see no reason for a tax. If the government is truly interested in getting everyone connected, all they have to do is mandate it. Broadband providers can raise their rates as they see fit. Why waste time and energy arguing over this, spending more money creating a bureaucracy to oversee collection of the tax, and introduce even more inefficiency in the process of doling it out? If cable/phone companies want the right to dig up our streets and make money off of us, we have the right to demand something in return. So let's just demand it, and let them figure out the rest.
...and that's the bottom line. Gamma support is what allows an image to appear the same on all platforms. Microsoft doesn't want this. Otherwise, they would probably have had good PNG support years ago.
GIF has a disease-causing license that clogs the veins of commerce. PNG retains a natural license, which keeps things flowing freely, and its users living longer.
PNG really can't replace JPG, which offers better compression for fast loading web photos, etc. However, PNG is a good replacement for other *losless* formats, like TIF. PNG is more efficient in terms of compression, and is a completely open standard.
A few photographers I know are using PNG now as their master, archival format, instead of TIF, or Photoshop/Paintshop native formats.
Now that we've moved to rechargeable batteries for everything, they're not making as much money selling us disposable ones. I guess getting us hooked on disposable fuel cell cartridges is a way to make up the deficit.
Of course, there's no technical reason we couldn't refill our own cartridges with methanol, but like wiht inkjet cartridges, they'll probably put chips in them or something to keep us from doing that. Flammability? Safety? Bah... it's about money, the old razor blade business model.
Slashdot Mirror
Battery life in the hybrids was originally designed to be 80,000 miles, but in practice they're doing at least 50% better than that. It's true, the replacement cost *as quoted by the dealer* is very high -- like $2000 -- but that will come down drastically as time goes on. First of all, all car parts get cheaper as the cars get older. Second, a key point of the hybrid system is that it allows commodity battery technology to be used. In this case, they're a whole bunch of standard, "D" sized NiMH flashlight-type cells, chained together in a big battery pack. So there will undoubtedly be aftermarket replacements available, as well as being serviceable by DIY'ers. I reckon the cost will drop to below $500.
Indeed, the VW TDI is a great high-mileage alternative. It's not quite as clean and green as the hybrids, but it has one big advantage -- torque. In fact, it compares favorably to most other small cars in this respect. It may not have their acceleration, but it can motor over most highway grades in top gear, at low RPM, with a full load and the AC on. This makes it easier and less tiring to drive on long trips. And yes, the mileage is superb. The Jetta gets 50 MPG or so on the highway.
The current US-operated GPS system only allows this type of accuracy for military purposes. I feel it is a little irresponsible to give civilians (including criminals and terrorists) access to such accurate targeting systems. Maybe ESA wants to have a marketable advantage over GPS but it may go to far IMO.
You're wrong. Civilians have had access to highly accurate GPS for a few years now -- to within a few cm. We've come to rely on it for everything from marine navigation to heavy construction -- GPS is still more accurate than the best captain's eye, and it's awfully handy for lining up bridges, etc. It makes so many things safer, easier, and cheaper, that to limit public access to it would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
To reserve the best accuracy for the military, an error (called Selective Availability) is introduced, limiting the resolution to within a few meters. This was being used all the time until about five years ago, when they determined that the benefits of GPS far outweighed the potential risks. They do bring back SA occasionally, but only for brief periods -- probably during specific military operations. They do warn the public that SA is being used, but in my experience it never lasts more than a few hours. (I'm a professional sailor and captain.)
...and Oracle uses Java. Mostly. My point is that these arguments are irrelevent. Use the tool for the job at hand, the one that dovetails best with your existing technology, and the one your own people are most comfortable working with. All of 'em work fine, in their own niches.
Above all, don't get yourselves all wound up, only to be spun like silly little tops by Microsoft's spinmeisters (or anyone else's). Techies are supposed to be smart, and certainly like to think of themselves that way. But every day the PR flaks prove themselves to be smarter...
As others have said, the hardware you have in mind is *way* overkill. Any old Pentium II would be fine. In fact a Pentium I would probably be fine too. Just get good quality hardware that won't let you down (particularly the power supply), a good backup system like a tape drive, and a good UPS system to protect it all.
I wouldn't buy a Wal-Mart Linux machine for this reason -- the hardware is not commercial grade, designed to run 24/7 for years without crapping out. Reliability is key. You might look into a used/refurbished server from IBM or Dell. Dell has had some incredibly cheap deals on new servers lately. I'd probably go for one of those, as cheap as possible, but splurge on backup and UPS. RAID might be a good idea too. Still -- you're probably talking about less than a grand.
Someone mentioned Sun -- that would be fine, but chances are you're already more familiar with Linux. And Sun parts and accessories are more expensive, new or used, even if the boxes aren't.
Speaking of reliability, have you considered software? Of course any Linux distribution would do, but you're going to have to do a lot of configuring, plugging security holes, etc. So why not start with a distribution that's tailor-made for your needs, set up for exactly the things you want to do, and is proven reliable? Why not use something where someone else has already figured out and fixed all the gotchas?
Try SME Server. It's a Redhat-based system designed exactly for what you want to do -- a router, firewall, mail server, and web server with virtual hosting capability. It's already configured for all this. All you have to do is load it. Administration is via web interface. There's plenty of documentation on the e-smith site, and good community support too.
The closest thing to SME Server is a Cobalt Qube/RaQ. However, SME Server can be loaded on any Pentium class machine. It's also a full Redhat system with command line access and all the Redhat tools. So you can add whatever else you might need later, just like any other Redhat box.
Finally, a Qube Professional with a tape backup and UPS might be a fun toy, but a conventional Intel box with SME server is a more capable, flexible, and cheaper solution.
...is that they don't tie up port 8080, which you may need while doing web development locally. This isn't a huge problem (the defaults can be changed), but I wind up having to shut down Popfile when playing with Zope, for example.
This is the big question. Bayesian filtering has been in use for a couple of years now, and is well-proven, IMO. What's wrong with Microsoft? Why are they dragging their feet on this? They should have been shipping this with OE a couple of years ago, if not before. Not only would this have given the average user some relief, it would have slowed the recent explosion in spam itself. And it would have been so easy to do. Fuck Microsoft, one more time.
is a scalable popfile for larger organizations. If I could get popfile (with its super-easy-to-train/use-web-interface) that would run on my linux server, scan my IMAP mail server (well, incoming mail would actually work fine, too. I've heard they have a smtp plugin for it in cvs), and then have a popfile config page for each person, or mayby tie it into the imap/smtp server's login. THAT would rock.
Actually, I would love to have the same thing. Popfile is all Perl and open-source, so it could probably have its "guts" adapted for this use.
I've been using Popfile on my laptop to filter several POP accounts. It filters around 1000 messages a day, with about 99.4% accuracy. And the misses are usually a spam message or two that gets through. I never miss a legit message. I want to start reading my mail from an IMAP server, because when travelling I don't always have a broadband connection to download all this crap and filter it locally. Wouldn't it be great to be able to transfer my already-trained filters to this new IMAP machine?
Or, you can hire me & my buddy Josh for a year. We'll write you a custom piece of software integrating open source tools, work right along with your employees and give you all the code and a support contract for XxX hours over the next YyY years.
OK, but who do we call when you and your buddy Josh are off snowboarding? Or when you get bored with programming, and decide to start your own baggy-pants sportswear company? IBM and Oracle will still be in the office working when the snow is good, or in 10 years from now.
Everyone knows finding stolen cars is the FBI's main mission...
Besides their great book on collecting small claims judgements, the Nolo website has a whole bunch of information on this.
This is just one more hour of television lost to staged controversy, with one loudmouthed buffoon pitted against another, WWF-style. They may use bigger words, but the intelligence level is the same. As far as I'm concerned, it's just one more reason not to watch television.
I'm laughing pretty hard at all these junior high school science class explanations of how diesel engines work, and even harder at the attempts to explain the trucking business!
It is true that diesels are hard to start when it's cold, particularly older ones. But it's definatly not difficult when it's not cold, and newer engines have block heaters and fuel system heaters which allow normal starts below 0F. More significant is that diesels don't produce full power until warmed up, and they take a long time to do that when it's cold. Again, newer engines are much better in this respect. Another issue is cooling down properly after a long, hard climb, which can take an hour of idling or more. So yes, truckers must *occasionally* keep their motors running for these reasons.
More likely, though, is that they're running their engines for generator power, so they can run their microwave ovens, televisions, and yes, laptops. Truckers also like to sleep warm like everyone else, and their cab heaters run off their engines just like the ones in your car.
This pollutes a lot, but not as much as you might think. Diesels burn *very* little fuel at idle.
But put a lot of them in one place, and they can create quite a cloud. The noise is a problem too, particularly if the truckstop isn't in the middle of nowhere. So the authorities are cracking down, and the solution is to provide auxiliary plug-in power at truckstops, like RV parks do. Truckers can then run their appliances, use electric cabin heaters, and use block heaters to keep their engines warm at night -- without worrying about keeping their batteries charged.
But what happens when they're away from a truckstop with power? Well, newer trucks are being equipped with small auxiliary diesel generators, like those used in boats and RVs. (Many cabs are a lot like RVs.) These generators run quietly and produce much less pollution. And believe it or not, even fuel cells are being developed for this application.
And yes, truckers *do* use laptops, and the internet, extensively. This is not news -- truckers were some of the earliest of early adopters. Slashdotters marvel at the logistics/IT of companies like Fedex, but assume the rest of the transportation industry is still in the stone age. This is absurd. Besides personal communication and entertainment, the 'net has become a business necessity for truckers -- they're plugged into giant databases of goods that need to be moved, and bid for jobs as they go. Not to mention using computers for everyday business needs like the rest of us do -- bookkeeping, word processing, document management, etc. Keep in mind that a very high percentage of truckers are independent businessmen, franchisees, or small operators with a few trucks. Having access to the same technology as the big boys, at very low cost, is what allows them to compete at all.
I've done all kinds of jobs, and anyone who whines about having to put in overtime, even extreme overtime, as a programmer, needs a swift kick in their lardy ass. Having to sit in a chair in an air conditioned environment and do what you love is *heaven* compered to putting in overtime digging a ditch, working in a factory, washing dishes, or selling life insurance. Be very grateful for what you have, then go whine somewhere else.
Next story -- Hollywood actors go on strike because craft services forgot the caviar for the bagels and cream cheese... waaaah!
A 42-volt system will slash weight
Where ? 12V lead/acid batteries have 6 elements, 42V batteries would have 21. That's 21 lead plates and associated acid cell.
Get with the times. Upping the voltage allows the same punch with less current, which allows the use of smaller, lighter, NiMH batteries. Of course NiMH could be built in larger sizes, but they're not -- and being able to use smaller, commodity sizes is a hell of a lot cheaper. In fact the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius use commodity NiMH 'D' flashlight cells chained together in a big battery pack. 35 of these in series gives a 42V battery with more oomph than a stone-age lead-acid wet cell, is longer lived, more reliable, hardly affected by temperature, and a fraction of the weight. In case you haven't noticed, car batteries are *heavy.* Engineers love to be able to reduce vehicle weight, but the real savings is in shipping cost!
the wires would be lower-gauge wiring since they wouldn't have to transport as much current. I can't see that being a real weight economy.
No, but it sure is cheaper -- and more reliable. Higher voltage is less affected by bad grounds, corrosion, etc., which are the source of most vehicle electric problems.
improve fuel economy
How ? do 42V alternators have a better efficiency than 12V ones ? And even if that was the case, wouldn't, say, driving the alternator with something else than a rubber belt improve efficiency much more dramatically ?
Yes, higher voltage devices are more efficient. But besides that, the move is toward direct drive, combination, generator/starter/traction motors that live in the bellhousing like the one in the Honda hybrids. There's no belt, and no losses (or maintenance issues) due to that. There's one device, not two or three. It lives in a thermally stable, clean, dry environment. In ten years, more cars will have this hybrid-like architecture than not, whether or not they'll be true hybrids. It's simply a better way to build a car.
permit the replacement of many mechanical parts with electrical ones
How ? what are the mechanical parts that can't be replaced by 12V electrical equivalents that could be replaced by 42V ones ?
Electric air conditioning compressors, power steering and brake servos, etc., become viable with a higher voltage system. Higher voltage allows them to be smaller, lighter, cheaper, and efficient enough to surpass current technologies.
and, of most concern to us, improve efficiency for all automotive electrical devices
I don't know about overall efficiency, but in all fairness, that's true : it's easier to step the voltage down than up. So yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper and probably more efficient.
Well if you don't know, then STFU. "I don't know what I'm talking about, but here I go anyway..."
And yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper, and more efficient. A few watts here, a few watts there, it all adds up. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, that all adds up too -- except that automakers think in *fractions of pennies.*
opening the door to higher audio amplifier power with far less complexity than the current crop of 12-volt, high-power amplifiers. Not only can will this translate to lower cost and more compact aftermarket power amps, even head units could cheaply integrate 100-plus RMS watts per channel power.
That's about the only application where I can see a 42V system be useful.
I'm sure.
The speed of the connection isn't the problem. Anything faster than 400k or so is plenty for most people -- most servers on the internet don't serve anywhere near that fast anyway. What's killing DSL is the speed of deployment, or lack of it.
Though I was previously a happy DSL user, I've gone with cable this time. While there are supposedly at least two DSL providers in this town, neither one returns phone calls, shows up for appointments, etc. And even with previous homes I never got DSL anywhere close to immediately. It was always at least 2 weeks until an appointment, and something was always wrong the first time -- the technician didn't bring the right equipment, the lines had problems, etc. I never got DSL in less than a month, which is unacceptable.
Bad phone lines are one thing, but mostly there's no excuse for this.
With cable, all you do is get a modem, plug it together, and you're all set. No crappy PPPoE software, hardware incompatibilities, line filters, etc. Most cable providers can get you a modem within a day or so. If that's not fast enough, you can usually drop by their office and pick up a modem yourself -- and be online within 5 minutes of getting home.
DSL providers are losing big. They don't need a shot in the arm -- more like a swift kick in the ass. Their shareholders ought to be livid.
What I've never understood about Sun is why they didn't make it easier to install Java on a client machine. If you tried to do it (on either Windows or Linux) you would find that the process was increadably badly designed. Most members of the normal public wouldn't stand a chance installing it.
I could never understand this either. Now everyone's using Flash for what Sun wanted them to use Java for. Why? One reason is that installing or updating Flash clients is completely automatic and seamless. There's no excuse for not having Java work this way.
...cough, cough...
Perhaps Wal-Mart will surpass Netflix in total sales, perhaps by many times. However, I see these two companies not competing directly.
Wal-Mart has never been anything but a mass market company, with lowest-common-denominator sensibilities. In any category, *especially* movies and music, they sell a relatively short list of only the most popular, mass market items. Michael Jackson? Sure. The latest college radio, big city hipster fave? Forget it, even if they're selling in the millions.
Netflix, OTOH, has always catered to film buffs. They'll probably lose share to Wal-mart in the most popular releases, but will continue to grow elsewhere. So, if you want "Dumb and Dumber IV," go to Wal-Mart, but if you want the Cannes winners, indie greats, art films or classics, you're more likely to find them at Netflix.
Well, of course all this keyboarding has taken a toll on handwriting skills. After typing all day, I have trouble filling in a check and signing my name. Online bill paying is just so much easier!
My handwriting isn't the worst in the world, but one regret I have about my childhood school years is not developing good penmanship. I've always envied people with beautiful handwriting. It's a very valuable skill to have, and being able to do it would be very satisfying. I guess I could take some calligraphy classes...
I see no reason for a tax. If the government is truly interested in getting everyone connected, all they have to do is mandate it. Broadband providers can raise their rates as they see fit. Why waste time and energy arguing over this, spending more money creating a bureaucracy to oversee collection of the tax, and introduce even more inefficiency in the process of doling it out? If cable/phone companies want the right to dig up our streets and make money off of us, we have the right to demand something in return. So let's just demand it, and let them figure out the rest.
...and that's the bottom line. Gamma support is what allows an image to appear the same on all platforms. Microsoft doesn't want this. Otherwise, they would probably have had good PNG support years ago.
GIF has a disease-causing license that clogs the veins of commerce. PNG retains a natural license, which keeps things flowing freely, and its users living longer.
PNG really can't replace JPG, which offers better compression for fast loading web photos, etc. However, PNG is a good replacement for other *losless* formats, like TIF. PNG is more efficient in terms of compression, and is a completely open standard.
A few photographers I know are using PNG now as their master, archival format, instead of TIF, or Photoshop/Paintshop native formats.
Now that we've moved to rechargeable batteries for everything, they're not making as much money selling us disposable ones. I guess getting us hooked on disposable fuel cell cartridges is a way to make up the deficit.
Of course, there's no technical reason we couldn't refill our own cartridges with methanol, but like wiht inkjet cartridges, they'll probably put chips in them or something to keep us from doing that. Flammability? Safety? Bah... it's about money, the old razor blade business model.