"...think about how often you drive in the rain... I'd say it's less than 5% in the Midwest..."
Except when it rains when it's 33 degrees outside. It snows here, too, sometimes.:)
ABS has yet to let me down in my pickup. You can't 'pump' the brakes 15 times in one second. You can't "feel" impending lockup. Only after you begin to skid - then you release the brakes, then you apply - skid - release, etc. Your brain takes what, 1 second to respond to skid - then you release/reapply. The ABS has already pulsed the brakes 6-7 times before you even would register the skid. My old Nissan pickup didn't have antilock, my new S10 does - and my S10 does better in the ice & snow every time. ABS works, and I consider myself to have "an above room temperature IQ".
And I'm no economics major (or even minor, for that matter), but it would seem to me that in a case such as that, a tariff makes sense. If you can make the product cheaper/better/faster with the same access to resources as your competitor, by all means. When an industry is receiving fmajor parts of the machinery or methods that helps to create that product for no charge, then that would seem to create a problem situation. Outsourcing labor to another country cuts costs, sure - but then it leaves a local labor force out of work. And while there are a lot of/.ers around here that don't seem to give a shit about the "American worker", per se, you'll rabidly post about how outsourcing IT makes it really tough for you to find another IT job. So, I guess my point is pick one - either support the economy and help yourself in the long run, or stop bitching about the economy you helped fund - right?
Someone with way more knowledge, please feel free to jump in!
Re:Changing Voltage CHanges nothing
on
42-Volt Autos
·
· Score: 1
[first was said:] I don't see how changing voltage will make cleaner sound.
[and then:] It wont. What it will do, is provide amplifiers with the extra power that they need. Currently, many cars have amplifiers that draw more power than the car can possibly provide, giving really lowsy sound, such as drop-outs and other distortion. Of course, the truth is, those who install such systems are just trying to look cool with their loud sub-woofer that everyone can hear, they don't particularly care about sound quality.
[and now, I say...]
OK. You actually somewhat answered the first question. Most current car audio amplifiers make their peak power at 2 Ohms. Many new "Class-D" and other subwoofer amplifiers are 1 Ohm stable. By doing this, you're wringing the last possible amount of power out of your amplifiers for your subs/other speakers.
By going to a higher voltage, amplifiers won't have to run at 1 or 2 ohms - or even 4 ohms - for their power. Most home speakers and amplifiers are 8 Ohm units. This will provide a cooler, cleaner amplifier, with less rail sag, output distortion, and other unwanted behavior.
On a totally different note, it never ceases to amaze me that the same so-called "audiophile" with a triamped analog system or the home theater buff with a really exorbitant setup can deride the car audio enthusiasts about their systems. It's a hobby, same as yours. You have B & W, Sunfire, Carver, etc., these guys & gals run Rockford Fosgate, Alpine, or Eclipse.:)
..."There is nothing wrong with holding a standard of decency"...
You're absolutely right. However, what is wrong is holding -everyone- to that same standard of decency. It's a slippery slope, and we've seen it's impact in many disparate areas - TV, movies, books, magazines, video games, etc. A 'governing body' becomes more and more responsible for 'thinking of the children' and parents become less and less involved with actually teaching their children right and wrong, and letting their kids form their own opinions on life, morality, and decency.
What do you consider "decent"? Is it the same standard that Islam holds for women? "Indecent Exposure" in some middle-eastern countries is far different than Daytona Beach, Florida. The majority of a group of people or society should decide on decency and morality, and not a small subset of people.
If you don't like the values/morals that you're living amongst, you have a choice. Change the channel. Return the book. Don't buy any more video games from that supplier. Teach your children that just because Mr. Potter enjoys porn, you'd rather they didn't watch it. I don't particularly think that 9-yr old kids should watch "The Terminator", edited for content or not. But that's my opinion.
I guess my point is it's this opinion exactly that stifles creativity, engenders fear of being "different", and ultimately limits us and our children. Guide, don't dictate. Next you won't be able to purchase something *you* like, because it won't adhere to somebody else's standards.
Sorry, I've never been able to resist quoting that line.:)
Re:Ha, ha. You joke. Is good.
on
BSA IDC FUD
·
· Score: 1
In the case of inheriting a Windows system or group of systems, compared to a SIMILAR Unix/Linux based system pieced from source, as the parent poster was talking about, the learning curve will likely be much less steep. Most Windows installations put things in certain places, or you can find %SYSTEMROOT% and work from there.
God only knows where config files, original patches, tarballs, documentation, etc. are on a homebuilt/sourcebuilt Linux/Unix box. Even from a major distribution, what's been dropped, added, or tweaked to suit that person? What version was this compiled on, etc.? OK, I need to upgrade apache for a security fix - but can't, because this home-brewed patch locks us to this version.
The same thing can and does happen on Windows - no doubt about it - but I think the poster was indicating that there is a more consistent base in Windows to work from. With the advent of the LSB and if everyone will get more in line with it, this may change.
I've seen the exact situation described - the Windows guys are easier to replace, because they've a good understanding of the core system underlying it; but the Unix/Linux guy/girl holds all the keys to the kingdom, and won't share that data or knowledge, thereby making her/him an Incredibly Valuable Employee that can't be easily replaced without a massive undertaking in rebuilding existing systems from scratch because that person is the ONLY person who knows where everything is at.
A Windows box? Unless it's something VERY arcane/homebuilt, you're halfway there as soon as you're logged in. It's just figuring out what the other guy was thinking that's the trick...
You are correct about underpowering your alternator. By pulling too many amps from your alternator, you run the risk of popping a diode in your alternator or the rectifier bridge, and *poof*, no more alternator.
I've seen the arguments for and against capacitors, and I'll fall on the side for. I have 2 amplifiers in my S10, pulling about 100 amps extra between them. My lights and voltmeter were bouncing with the bass. I added a 1-Farad cap, and the bounce and dimming is gone.
Perhaps a deep-cycle marine battery would help, but anything that buffers the connection between an expensive alternator and my amplifiers so neither one gets smoked was worth my $100.
And I totally agree with you on these points. My objection was circumventing the Premium services. I'm not advocating that people shouldn't share and distribute GPL/Open Source software, just that the RHN subscribers shouldn't be shorted from their "Priority" service.
And it's shit like this that undermines companies like Red Hat, Mandrake, and other open-source companies.
Red Hat Network & the Mandrake Club, etc., exist so the people who are willing to *PAY A PREMIUM* receive better or more prioritized service.
There are so many reasons this is wrong. By freeloading off of RHN, you're effectively telling Red Hat "Hey, we're not willing to pay for a product that you've spent time and money on. Since it's GPL, we're gonna get it for free anyway."
Red Hat spends time and money improving Linux, and sharing with the community. Whether or not you use their distro, like their politics, or whatnot, "Red Hat Linux" is pretty much what most people who've HEARD the word Linux think of.
By stealing the link and posting it to Freenet, you're cheating the people who paid a premium for early access.
Look at it this way: Just how much would you giggle if you placed an order and put down a deposit for a new Harley Davidson (Ferrari, Hummer, what the fuck ever), and someone was able to get their bike before you, without paying a deposit, because their buddy works for the dealership - making your wait longer?
Sorry to jump all over your ass, but Open Source companies NEED people willing and able to pay a premium to receive premium service. It improves public perception and a company's willingness to stay in business.
If you can avoid the Harley Davidson stigma - I like 'em too, but they're damned expensive - you can get an import bike very affordably.
You can buy either a little scooter, new, starting at about $4k, or a sportbike for $7k and up... beware insurance. Also beware putting your brain away when you hit the throttle the first time! Very fun. I used to own a FZR600, and it was nearly as good as sex when you were in the corners and on the throttle. I decided I was going to kill myself if I didn't get rid of it.
Sport Standards, like a Suzuki SV650, Honda Hawk, Yamaha FZ1, or other standards, start about $7k.
"Cruiser" style - like my Intruder, the Honda Shadow, Kawasaki Vulcan, Yamaha Road Star, etc., in the 650cc size, start new at about $6500. My Intruder, with bags, windshield, passenger floorboards, and 5 year unlimited warranty, cost me $10,200.
The Harley Davidson Road King Classic I looked at was $23,000. Woo!
Anyway. Look around, and you can find a hell of good bike for not a lot of money.
I can see bicycling in urban centers as a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, many of us live in less densely populated areas.
Myself, I live in Sturgis, SD. I work in Rapid City, which is 25 miles away via Interstate 90. Even if I could bicycle 25mph, it would take me an hour to get to work. Bleh. And then home. Up and down hills. It gets to -30 F here in the winter, and 110 F in the summer. Makes going places difficult.
An option that's not discussed much here are motorcycles. Get a bike with some bags and a windshield, and you're talking 45-50mpg if you're not always on the throttle. Hell, my big ol' Suzuki Intruder 1500LC with a tall windshield, passenger backrest (sissybar), and bags gets 40mpg - nearly 3x that of my 4x4 pickup. Yeah, I'm probably 'just another redneck', but drive here one winter and you'll likely buy a 4x4 for the 4 ft of snow that's in your driveway, and the blizzards that pop up in 30 minutes, leaving the roads a white-out nightmare.
Anyway. In the lighter pop. areas, why not 600cc standard bikes, or 'enclosed' two-wheel cycles?
My only major complaint with SuSE is the lack of a downloadable current version in ISO form. You can install via FTP, or copy the install tree to a local server. You can DL the eval to boot from the CD, but not an ISO. Kinda frustrating.
Why is it in vogue to slam RedHat? RedHat 8.0 (Psyche) has a beautiful, consistent, eye-pleasing desktop that was easy to install, easy to configure, and easy to get running quickly.
My Athlon 1500XP+ w/ 512MB and a GeForce3 Ti500 (dual boot XP and RedHat 8) runs very well once I downloaded the NVidia drivers. You have to get the latest Detonator drivers for the Windows side as well, so I don't see this as a failing of RH or Linux in general.
My Windows side does feel faster, as far as interactivity. Hopefully this patch helps out a great deal.
RedHat does a LOT for the Linux community, and it's RedHat that has name recognition with PHB's and Mom and Pop.
Bah. I guess I'm defending my own choice here, as well, but I've tried Mandrake, SuSE, Debian, Gentoo, StormLinux, FreeBSD (3,4, and 5), and I keep coming back to RedHat... maybe because I'm comfortable with it, or because it just seems to have the best blend of features and speed that I'm looking for.
It just makes me laugh when people talk about 'penis envy' or 'penis replacement' when someone has a sports car/high horsepower car. Get over yourselves and your own shortcomings.
Building or owning a high-performance/high-horsepower car is for most people, a fun and rewarding hobby. You own something a small percentage of the population 'gets' or understands. Dropping the hammer on a 500hp Camaro or Mustang is an adrenaline-pumping experience. So is being the passenger, for that matter!
Let me put in geek speak: Do you really need a GeForce4 4600Ti for your video games? Really? And an overclocked Pentium 4 2.4 GHz? 1GB of RAM? No, you really don't. You may step in here and tell me about 'frame rate' and 'playability', etc., etc., but I'll put it this way. If you want more and more framerates, that's your power/speed addiction. Yeah, a freakin' VW Bug will get you there, but a Corvette will get you there in style and with some fun along the way.
Most of us don't drive our high-performance/high-horsepower cars daily - they're too expensive, and we don't want the speeding tickets and wear & tear.
Talking about a car as a penile replacement is stupid. Yeah, I've seen the Corvette/BMW/Mercedes owners that think they're God's gift, but most people just like a cool car that they find fun/sexy/exciting/good looking.
Re:Do these cars strike anybody else as...
on
10 Techno-Cool Cars
·
· Score: 1
Nope, I'm with ya. They may as well weld the freakin' hood shut for as much work as you can do.
Oh yeah, the guys bolt their wheels and tires on, do their cold-air intakes, etc., but it's the rare person anymore that rebuilds a motor, drops in a new high-performance clutch, etc.
Car rebuilding/restoring as a hobby is kinda endangered - we need to keep it alive if we can!
Me, I work on a 1956 Chevy 150 2-door post w/ 327 bored.090 over, 2.02 heads, Lunati bumpstick, Holley 650 double pumper (too much carb, gonna try a 650 Dominator) Muncie M22, and a 4.11 rear end. Dad's got a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air hardtop, 283, Turbo 400, front discs. New 383 is planned for this winter.
I'm also always on the lookout for a '55 2 door and a '67/'68/'69 Camaro as well...
See, cars have their own "geek-speak" as well, everyone! heh.
OK, so they're not cheap. I'll grant you that. Most people who are seriously looking *now* at HDTV are early adopters. Put it this way: Some people will spend $400-$500 more on a cutting-edge PC/laptop, while others buy two steps or more down because those features aren't that important to them.
Some people buy brand-new cars instead of used ones, for different reasons.
By "only $1400" I was making the point that HDTV-ready TV's didn't have to cost $6,000 or more.
For the record, I only have a 27" TV in my living room, but I've been watching the HDTV information very closely, and some of my friends/coworkers have HD in their homes.
True enough. Better still, make sure your HDTV monitor can show all forms of high def - some don't, and will downconvert the HD signal to 480p if it doesn't know what to do with it.
There's another guy around here from Tweeter who posts... help me out if you're out there, dude...
Anyway. HDTV sets do *not* have to cost $6,000. You can get a HDTV-capable set for as little as $1400 from Sony. That's a nice 32" Wega flatscreen.
OK, what's HDTV-capable and HDTV? Here ya go.
A "true" HDTV set generally means that the TV set has the off-air tuner built in to the set. That means you can put up an antenna that can receive in the 54-860Mhz range, and if your local network is broadcasting a HD signal, your set will display it.
HDTV-capable TV's generally don't have the tuner. Many of their components are the same (Mitsubishi is a good example of this), but you'll need either an outboard tuner - about $800 - or a cable box/dish box that supplies the HD signal to your set.
High Definition TV generally refers to the picture resolution. DVD for baseline purposes is 480 lines of horizontal resolution. HDTV is in several formats, with two main choices for networks. Cheap-ass networks or local repeaters may just use 480p (progressive), as it's the easiest for them to do. Next step is 720p, which is what ABC uses, and why those of you who got to see the Super Bowl in High Definition went "Woah!"
DiscoveryHD is in glorious 1080i - which is like looking through a freakin' window.:) CBS will also do 1080i, and they'll be doing HDTV in the studios, requiring no upconversion from local affiliates (that's the current news, anyway, that I have).
HDTV can also carry true Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS surround, so your HDTV movies can be as great as the theater. Or better!
The commercials during superbowl probably looked weird for a few reasons. The HDTV format is *likely* going to be 16:9. National ads were either upconverted at the studio to 720p, or shot natively on HD cameras. Local insert ads were likely (unless you're in a large market) standard def, so they were either boxed on the sides, or stretched to fit like other fullscreen material.
The HD conversion can be done either at the head-end (CBS, NBC) or by the local networks. The local networks will likely use cheaper equipment, so don't expect all shows to look fabulous.
Also - with HD on an antenna, it's a cliff effect - you'll either get HD or you won't - if you've got a weak antenna signal now, you'll likely want to make sure you can get a signal amplifier to help you out.
Lastly, the 2006 deadline seems pretty hard and fast ATM - the government (FCC) wants that frequency range back to give to emergency and police services, and will levy fines monthly on broadcasters who are not using their digital equipment. Local broadcasters don't want HDTV, because it does nothing for their revenue stream. It takes more power to run a HD tower, and it's nearly 10x the normal bandwidth of the analog channel. Compression methods improving, blah, blah, blah, HDTV carries a boatload more information than regular TV.
Any doubts I had about HDTV were laid to rest after I saw Shania Twain in 720p glory. The woman looked BETTER in High Definition!
Also: No Sony rear projection TV for 2003 has the tuner built in. Even the badass XBR series doesn't have it.
Mitsubishi has 3 main levels of TV - the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond series. The Platinum and Diamond TVs have the tuner built in. The difference between Gold and Platinum is in the HDTV tuner, Firewire connectivity, and a Digital Coax audio out to provide your receiver with true surround input. Mitsubishi Platinum and Diamond series TVs also have QAM64 & AV8SB (sp?) cable tuners built into them, so if your cable provider is pushing QAM or AV8SB, your TV can be your set-top box - yeah, it can do the channel guide for you out of the box. And yeah, Firewire ROCKS. Plug in a HD Digital VCR, and boom - "DVCR Connected". Price on a 65" Mitsubishi Platinum? About $4000. That's SIXTY-FIVE INCHES. That's a big-ass TV, folks.
That said, it amazes me that the same people who think nothing of spending $500-$600 on a video card whine and cry about how expensive big-screen TVs are. Have you really LOOKED at a good big screen TV? Compare it to a Hitachi or other cheap brands. You'll see why they're cheap. A good big screen TV is easy to watch at 6' (though you can only watch part of it at a time! *Grin*), and the color saturation, detail, and edge clarity are that much better. Think it's bullshit? That's fine, but ask a reputable store - Tweeter, a good local specialty store - and they'll be happy to give you the straight skinny. If you're really skeptical, take your favorite DVD to the store, and watch the same scene (2 min or so) on several different TVs. As the man said, "Ya get whatcha paid for."
I don't have experience with LCD/Plasma picture quality and longevity as yet, but the HDTV/HDTV-compatible standard holds there, as well.
On another side note, if you buy a new TV, treat yourself to a GOOD progressive scan DVD player. It uses the component inputs, and looks like a million bucks.:)
Buy what you think you need/can afford, but if you buy cheap now, you'll buy cheap again and again and again instead of a moderate price once.
Right on. We're creating more and more "sheeple" by hiding the truth from people. This will allow our government to run without any public scrutiny, in the interest of "Fighting Terror at HOME! (TM)"
And while we scream and cry about "upgrade! The 2.4.x kernel has X,Y, and Z", you're apparently running Windows 3.1x or Windows 95 with OLD hardware. IRQ conflicts in Windows are a thing of the past, my friend. Just put everything into Plug-and-Pray mode, and Windows will sort it out.
I know, I know, I hear it now. "But I *want* to know what my hardware is doing!" OK, I do too, but my mom, my wife, and my family DOESN'T CARE. They want it to just work, and not hear a 20-minute sermon on Linux. My wife has an account on my Red Hat workstation, and can log in to play Mahjongg and Tux Racer (she thinks he's cute - anyway, sorry).
My Mom doesn't care about WHY it works except as a passing interest into an arcane field of study for her. She just likes her things to work. Email, browser, Office, her games, etc.
I use Linux, you use it, and I would love to see it more and more on the desktop. But for that to happen, we have to realize that MOST users don't have the IRQ conflicts, etc. A BSOD is just the way the computer works - they don't see it as a failure. They think it's something they did or the last program they installed. If it happens again and again, they'll either decide it's time for an upgrade or to try something else - and one of those two solutions usually works for them.
Bah. I'm ranting here, sorry. I'm just trying to say we need to quit slamming Windows so much and just *show* people Linux's strengths, admit it's weaknesses, and move forward.
It's an old sales trick - don't slam your competitor, just explain why your product is better. If you slam your competitor, your customer wonders why you don't like them, and assumes you're scared of them.
Slashdot Mirror
Seriously, they call it Bob. It's the ZR8630AV - and he's got a sister named Glory - the ZR4630.
Glory is a 4-source, 6-output, 30 watts per channel audio distribution center. Check out http://www.nilesaudio.com/products/zr4630.html for more information.
We use these a lot where I work now, and they're slicker than snot.
"...think about how often you drive in the rain... I'd say it's less than 5% in the Midwest..."
:)
Except when it rains when it's 33 degrees outside. It snows here, too, sometimes.
ABS has yet to let me down in my pickup. You can't 'pump' the brakes 15 times in one second. You can't "feel" impending lockup. Only after you begin to skid - then you release the brakes, then you apply - skid - release, etc. Your brain takes what, 1 second to respond to skid - then you release/reapply. The ABS has already pulsed the brakes 6-7 times before you even would register the skid. My old Nissan pickup didn't have antilock, my new S10 does - and my S10 does better in the ice & snow every time. ABS works, and I consider myself to have "an above room temperature IQ".
And I'm no economics major (or even minor, for that matter), but it would seem to me that in a case such as that, a tariff makes sense. If you can make the product cheaper/better/faster with the same access to resources as your competitor, by all means. When an industry is receiving fmajor parts of the machinery or methods that helps to create that product for no charge, then that would seem to create a problem situation. Outsourcing labor to another country cuts costs, sure - but then it leaves a local labor force out of work. And while there are a lot of /.ers around here that don't seem to give a shit about the "American worker", per se, you'll rabidly post about how outsourcing IT makes it really tough for you to find another IT job. So, I guess my point is pick one - either support the economy and help yourself in the long run, or stop bitching about the economy you helped fund - right?
Someone with way more knowledge, please feel free to jump in!
[first was said:] I don't see how changing voltage will make cleaner sound.
:)
[and then:] It wont. What it will do, is provide amplifiers with the extra power that they need. Currently, many cars have amplifiers that draw more power than the car can possibly provide, giving really lowsy sound, such as drop-outs and other distortion. Of course, the truth is, those who install such systems are just trying to look cool with their loud sub-woofer that everyone can hear, they don't particularly care about sound quality.
[and now, I say...]
OK. You actually somewhat answered the first question. Most current car audio amplifiers make their peak power at 2 Ohms. Many new "Class-D" and other subwoofer amplifiers are 1 Ohm stable. By doing this, you're wringing the last possible amount of power out of your amplifiers for your subs/other speakers.
By going to a higher voltage, amplifiers won't have to run at 1 or 2 ohms - or even 4 ohms - for their power. Most home speakers and amplifiers are 8 Ohm units. This will provide a cooler, cleaner amplifier, with less rail sag, output distortion, and other unwanted behavior.
On a totally different note, it never ceases to amaze me that the same so-called "audiophile" with a triamped analog system or the home theater buff with a really exorbitant setup can deride the car audio enthusiasts about their systems. It's a hobby, same as yours. You have B & W, Sunfire, Carver, etc., these guys & gals run Rockford Fosgate, Alpine, or Eclipse.
..."There is nothing wrong with holding a standard of decency"...
You're absolutely right. However, what is wrong is holding -everyone- to that same standard of decency. It's a slippery slope, and we've seen it's impact in many disparate areas - TV, movies, books, magazines, video games, etc. A 'governing body' becomes more and more responsible for 'thinking of the children' and parents become less and less involved with actually teaching their children right and wrong, and letting their kids form their own opinions on life, morality, and decency.
What do you consider "decent"? Is it the same standard that Islam holds for women? "Indecent Exposure" in some middle-eastern countries is far different than Daytona Beach, Florida. The majority of a group of people or society should decide on decency and morality, and not a small subset of people.
If you don't like the values/morals that you're living amongst, you have a choice. Change the channel. Return the book. Don't buy any more video games from that supplier. Teach your children that just because Mr. Potter enjoys porn, you'd rather they didn't watch it. I don't particularly think that 9-yr old kids should watch "The Terminator", edited for content or not. But that's my opinion.
I guess my point is it's this opinion exactly that stifles creativity, engenders fear of being "different", and ultimately limits us and our children. Guide, don't dictate. Next you won't be able to purchase something *you* like, because it won't adhere to somebody else's standards.
OK, I'll do it:
:)
"That's no moon, that's a SPACE STATION!"
Sorry, I've never been able to resist quoting that line.
In the case of inheriting a Windows system or group of systems, compared to a SIMILAR Unix/Linux based system pieced from source, as the parent poster was talking about, the learning curve will likely be much less steep. Most Windows installations put things in certain places, or you can find %SYSTEMROOT% and work from there.
God only knows where config files, original patches, tarballs, documentation, etc. are on a homebuilt/sourcebuilt Linux/Unix box. Even from a major distribution, what's been dropped, added, or tweaked to suit that person? What version was this compiled on, etc.? OK, I need to upgrade apache for a security fix - but can't, because this home-brewed patch locks us to this version.
The same thing can and does happen on Windows - no doubt about it - but I think the poster was indicating that there is a more consistent base in Windows to work from. With the advent of the LSB and if everyone will get more in line with it, this may change.
I've seen the exact situation described - the Windows guys are easier to replace, because they've a good understanding of the core system underlying it; but the Unix/Linux guy/girl holds all the keys to the kingdom, and won't share that data or knowledge, thereby making her/him an Incredibly Valuable Employee that can't be easily replaced without a massive undertaking in rebuilding existing systems from scratch because that person is the ONLY person who knows where everything is at.
A Windows box? Unless it's something VERY arcane/homebuilt, you're halfway there as soon as you're logged in. It's just figuring out what the other guy was thinking that's the trick...
You are correct about underpowering your alternator. By pulling too many amps from your alternator, you run the risk of popping a diode in your alternator or the rectifier bridge, and *poof*, no more alternator.
I've seen the arguments for and against capacitors, and I'll fall on the side for. I have 2 amplifiers in my S10, pulling about 100 amps extra between them. My lights and voltmeter were bouncing with the bass. I added a 1-Farad cap, and the bounce and dimming is gone.
Perhaps a deep-cycle marine battery would help, but anything that buffers the connection between an expensive alternator and my amplifiers so neither one gets smoked was worth my $100.
Explain why the analogy is "just insane" - RHN subscribers pay a premium for premiere or "First Come, First Service".
And I totally agree with you on these points. My objection was circumventing the Premium services. I'm not advocating that people shouldn't share and distribute GPL/Open Source software, just that the RHN subscribers shouldn't be shorted from their "Priority" service.
And it's shit like this that undermines companies like Red Hat, Mandrake, and other open-source companies.
Red Hat Network & the Mandrake Club, etc., exist so the people who are willing to *PAY A PREMIUM* receive better or more prioritized service.
There are so many reasons this is wrong. By freeloading off of RHN, you're effectively telling Red Hat "Hey, we're not willing to pay for a product that you've spent time and money on. Since it's GPL, we're gonna get it for free anyway."
Red Hat spends time and money improving Linux, and sharing with the community. Whether or not you use their distro, like their politics, or whatnot, "Red Hat Linux" is pretty much what most people who've HEARD the word Linux think of.
By stealing the link and posting it to Freenet, you're cheating the people who paid a premium for early access.
Look at it this way: Just how much would you giggle if you placed an order and put down a deposit for a new Harley Davidson (Ferrari, Hummer, what the fuck ever), and someone was able to get their bike before you, without paying a deposit, because their buddy works for the dealership - making your wait longer?
Sorry to jump all over your ass, but Open Source companies NEED people willing and able to pay a premium to receive premium service. It improves public perception and a company's willingness to stay in business.
Freenet doesn't keep developers in Mountain Dew.
Very true on dealing with "cages". :)
If you can avoid the Harley Davidson stigma - I like 'em too, but they're damned expensive - you can get an import bike very affordably.
You can buy either a little scooter, new, starting at about $4k, or a sportbike for $7k and up... beware insurance. Also beware putting your brain away when you hit the throttle the first time! Very fun. I used to own a FZR600, and it was nearly as good as sex when you were in the corners and on the throttle. I decided I was going to kill myself if I didn't get rid of it.
Sport Standards, like a Suzuki SV650, Honda Hawk, Yamaha FZ1, or other standards, start about $7k.
"Cruiser" style - like my Intruder, the Honda Shadow, Kawasaki Vulcan, Yamaha Road Star, etc., in the 650cc size, start new at about $6500. My Intruder, with bags, windshield, passenger floorboards, and 5 year unlimited warranty, cost me $10,200.
The Harley Davidson Road King Classic I looked at was $23,000. Woo!
Anyway. Look around, and you can find a hell of good bike for not a lot of money.
Davitt
I can see bicycling in urban centers as a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, many of us live in less densely populated areas.
:)
Myself, I live in Sturgis, SD. I work in Rapid City, which is 25 miles away via Interstate 90. Even if I could bicycle 25mph, it would take me an hour to get to work. Bleh. And then home. Up and down hills. It gets to -30 F here in the winter, and 110 F in the summer. Makes going places difficult.
An option that's not discussed much here are motorcycles. Get a bike with some bags and a windshield, and you're talking 45-50mpg if you're not always on the throttle. Hell, my big ol' Suzuki Intruder 1500LC with a tall windshield, passenger backrest (sissybar), and bags gets 40mpg - nearly 3x that of my 4x4 pickup. Yeah, I'm probably 'just another redneck', but drive here one winter and you'll likely buy a 4x4 for the 4 ft of snow that's in your driveway, and the blizzards that pop up in 30 minutes, leaving the roads a white-out nightmare.
Anyway. In the lighter pop. areas, why not 600cc standard bikes, or 'enclosed' two-wheel cycles?
Yeah, I'm a biker and a computer geek, too.
My only major complaint with SuSE is the lack of a downloadable current version in ISO form. You can install via FTP, or copy the install tree to a local server. You can DL the eval to boot from the CD, but not an ISO. Kinda frustrating.
Why is it in vogue to slam RedHat? RedHat 8.0 (Psyche) has a beautiful, consistent, eye-pleasing desktop that was easy to install, easy to configure, and easy to get running quickly.
My Athlon 1500XP+ w/ 512MB and a GeForce3 Ti500 (dual boot XP and RedHat 8) runs very well once I downloaded the NVidia drivers. You have to get the latest Detonator drivers for the Windows side as well, so I don't see this as a failing of RH or Linux in general.
My Windows side does feel faster, as far as interactivity. Hopefully this patch helps out a great deal.
RedHat does a LOT for the Linux community, and it's RedHat that has name recognition with PHB's and Mom and Pop.
Bah. I guess I'm defending my own choice here, as well, but I've tried Mandrake, SuSE, Debian, Gentoo, StormLinux, FreeBSD (3,4, and 5), and I keep coming back to RedHat... maybe because I'm comfortable with it, or because it just seems to have the best blend of features and speed that I'm looking for.
Yeah! :) What he said.
And it looks good, too.
It just makes me laugh when people talk about 'penis envy' or 'penis replacement' when someone has a sports car/high horsepower car. Get over yourselves and your own shortcomings.
Building or owning a high-performance/high-horsepower car is for most people, a fun and rewarding hobby. You own something a small percentage of the population 'gets' or understands. Dropping the hammer on a 500hp Camaro or Mustang is an adrenaline-pumping experience. So is being the passenger, for that matter!
Let me put in geek speak: Do you really need a GeForce4 4600Ti for your video games? Really? And an overclocked Pentium 4 2.4 GHz? 1GB of RAM? No, you really don't. You may step in here and tell me about 'frame rate' and 'playability', etc., etc., but I'll put it this way. If you want more and more framerates, that's your power/speed addiction. Yeah, a freakin' VW Bug will get you there, but a Corvette will get you there in style and with some fun along the way.
Most of us don't drive our high-performance/high-horsepower cars daily - they're too expensive, and we don't want the speeding tickets and wear & tear.
Talking about a car as a penile replacement is stupid. Yeah, I've seen the Corvette/BMW/Mercedes owners that think they're God's gift, but most people just like a cool car that they find fun/sexy/exciting/good looking.
Nope, I'm with ya. They may as well weld the freakin' hood shut for as much work as you can do.
.090 over, 2.02 heads, Lunati bumpstick, Holley 650 double pumper (too much carb, gonna try a 650 Dominator) Muncie M22, and a 4.11 rear end. Dad's got a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air hardtop, 283, Turbo 400, front discs. New 383 is planned for this winter.
Oh yeah, the guys bolt their wheels and tires on, do their cold-air intakes, etc., but it's the rare person anymore that rebuilds a motor, drops in a new high-performance clutch, etc.
Car rebuilding/restoring as a hobby is kinda endangered - we need to keep it alive if we can!
Me, I work on a 1956 Chevy 150 2-door post w/ 327 bored
I'm also always on the lookout for a '55 2 door and a '67/'68/'69 Camaro as well...
See, cars have their own "geek-speak" as well, everyone! heh.
OK, so they're not cheap. I'll grant you that. Most people who are seriously looking *now* at HDTV are early adopters. Put it this way: Some people will spend $400-$500 more on a cutting-edge PC/laptop, while others buy two steps or more down because those features aren't that important to them.
:)
Some people buy brand-new cars instead of used ones, for different reasons.
By "only $1400" I was making the point that HDTV-ready TV's didn't have to cost $6,000 or more.
For the record, I only have a 27" TV in my living room, but I've been watching the HDTV information very closely, and some of my friends/coworkers have HD in their homes.
Didn't mean to incite a riot, people!
Perceived content value notwithstanding, I thought I'd give the information I had available.
:)
Marketing huckster - that was particularly cruel!
Hey, don't discriminate so blindly!
Domestic cars have subwoofers too.
True enough. Better still, make sure your HDTV monitor can show all forms of high def - some don't, and will downconvert the HD signal to 480p if it doesn't know what to do with it.
There's another guy around here from Tweeter who posts... help me out if you're out there, dude...
:) CBS will also do 1080i, and they'll be doing HDTV in the studios, requiring no upconversion from local affiliates (that's the current news, anyway, that I have).
:)
Anyway. HDTV sets do *not* have to cost $6,000. You can get a HDTV-capable set for as little as $1400 from Sony. That's a nice 32" Wega flatscreen.
OK, what's HDTV-capable and HDTV? Here ya go.
A "true" HDTV set generally means that the TV set has the off-air tuner built in to the set. That means you can put up an antenna that can receive in the 54-860Mhz range, and if your local network is broadcasting a HD signal, your set will display it.
HDTV-capable TV's generally don't have the tuner. Many of their components are the same (Mitsubishi is a good example of this), but you'll need either an outboard tuner - about $800 - or a cable box/dish box that supplies the HD signal to your set.
High Definition TV generally refers to the picture resolution. DVD for baseline purposes is 480 lines of horizontal resolution. HDTV is in several formats, with two main choices for networks. Cheap-ass networks or local repeaters may just use 480p (progressive), as it's the easiest for them to do. Next step is 720p, which is what ABC uses, and why those of you who got to see the Super Bowl in High Definition went "Woah!"
DiscoveryHD is in glorious 1080i - which is like looking through a freakin' window.
HDTV can also carry true Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS surround, so your HDTV movies can be as great as the theater. Or better!
The commercials during superbowl probably looked weird for a few reasons. The HDTV format is *likely* going to be 16:9. National ads were either upconverted at the studio to 720p, or shot natively on HD cameras. Local insert ads were likely (unless you're in a large market) standard def, so they were either boxed on the sides, or stretched to fit like other fullscreen material.
The HD conversion can be done either at the head-end (CBS, NBC) or by the local networks. The local networks will likely use cheaper equipment, so don't expect all shows to look fabulous.
Also - with HD on an antenna, it's a cliff effect - you'll either get HD or you won't - if you've got a weak antenna signal now, you'll likely want to make sure you can get a signal amplifier to help you out.
Lastly, the 2006 deadline seems pretty hard and fast ATM - the government (FCC) wants that frequency range back to give to emergency and police services, and will levy fines monthly on broadcasters who are not using their digital equipment. Local broadcasters don't want HDTV, because it does nothing for their revenue stream. It takes more power to run a HD tower, and it's nearly 10x the normal bandwidth of the analog channel. Compression methods improving, blah, blah, blah, HDTV carries a boatload more information than regular TV.
Any doubts I had about HDTV were laid to rest after I saw Shania Twain in 720p glory. The woman looked BETTER in High Definition!
Also:
No Sony rear projection TV for 2003 has the tuner built in. Even the badass XBR series doesn't have it.
Mitsubishi has 3 main levels of TV - the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond series. The Platinum and Diamond TVs have the tuner built in. The difference between Gold and Platinum is in the HDTV tuner, Firewire connectivity, and a Digital Coax audio out to provide your receiver with true surround input. Mitsubishi Platinum and Diamond series TVs also have QAM64 & AV8SB (sp?) cable tuners built into them, so if your cable provider is pushing QAM or AV8SB, your TV can be your set-top box - yeah, it can do the channel guide for you out of the box. And yeah, Firewire ROCKS. Plug in a HD Digital VCR, and boom - "DVCR Connected". Price on a 65" Mitsubishi Platinum? About $4000. That's SIXTY-FIVE INCHES. That's a big-ass TV, folks.
That said, it amazes me that the same people who think nothing of spending $500-$600 on a video card whine and cry about how expensive big-screen TVs are. Have you really LOOKED at a good big screen TV? Compare it to a Hitachi or other cheap brands. You'll see why they're cheap. A good big screen TV is easy to watch at 6' (though you can only watch part of it at a time! *Grin*), and the color saturation, detail, and edge clarity are that much better. Think it's bullshit? That's fine, but ask a reputable store - Tweeter, a good local specialty store - and they'll be happy to give you the straight skinny. If you're really skeptical, take your favorite DVD to the store, and watch the same scene (2 min or so) on several different TVs. As the man said, "Ya get whatcha paid for."
I don't have experience with LCD/Plasma picture quality and longevity as yet, but the HDTV/HDTV-compatible standard holds there, as well.
On another side note, if you buy a new TV, treat yourself to a GOOD progressive scan DVD player. It uses the component inputs, and looks like a million bucks.
Buy what you think you need/can afford, but if you buy cheap now, you'll buy cheap again and again and again instead of a moderate price once.
Right on. We're creating more and more "sheeple" by hiding the truth from people. This will allow our government to run without any public scrutiny, in the interest of "Fighting Terror at HOME! (TM)"
Please, 5 minutes and no first post?????? I'll take the obligitory shot at it, I guess...
:-) )
(Mod this down, moderators!
And while we scream and cry about "upgrade! The 2.4.x kernel has X,Y, and Z", you're apparently running Windows 3.1x or Windows 95 with OLD hardware. IRQ conflicts in Windows are a thing of the past, my friend. Just put everything into Plug-and-Pray mode, and Windows will sort it out.
I know, I know, I hear it now. "But I *want* to know what my hardware is doing!" OK, I do too, but my mom, my wife, and my family DOESN'T CARE. They want it to just work, and not hear a 20-minute sermon on Linux. My wife has an account on my Red Hat workstation, and can log in to play Mahjongg and Tux Racer (she thinks he's cute - anyway, sorry).
My Mom doesn't care about WHY it works except as a passing interest into an arcane field of study for her. She just likes her things to work. Email, browser, Office, her games, etc.
I use Linux, you use it, and I would love to see it more and more on the desktop. But for that to happen, we have to realize that MOST users don't have the IRQ conflicts, etc. A BSOD is just the way the computer works - they don't see it as a failure. They think it's something they did or the last program they installed. If it happens again and again, they'll either decide it's time for an upgrade or to try something else - and one of those two solutions usually works for them.
Bah. I'm ranting here, sorry. I'm just trying to say we need to quit slamming Windows so much and just *show* people Linux's strengths, admit it's weaknesses, and move forward.
It's an old sales trick - don't slam your competitor, just explain why your product is better. If you slam your competitor, your customer wonders why you don't like them, and assumes you're scared of them.