Exactly... the big companies are so deeply invested in the current technology that they don't want to change.
IF the McMaster engine (or any other new engine design) does work out we'll probably see the existing automakers:
A> Try to buy the designs (get the patents for ourselves)
B> Try to copy the designs (but avoid infringing on the existing patents)
C> Try to destroy the designs (and protect their own patents)
It'll take someone with McMasters background and financial backing to get a new design off the ground. The average Joe doesn't stand a chance. Maybe you should contact McMaster and see what he thinks of your designs, 2 heads are better than one no?
A "quack" is merely a genious whose ideas haven't been recognized yet.
Many brilliant scientists throughout history have been labelled as "quacks" or "kooks" at one point or another. I'm willing to give the McMaster engine a chance, it's better than having to rely on volitile middle-east politics to "regulate" the gas supply.
Is it possible that war is a necessary evil? Many of the technological advancements over the past 100 years have been made because they filled a need during war-time... it was only after the war was over that these devices found uses in the commercial market (ie radar in car bumpers, GPS units for hikers). War creates as well as it destroys.
The use of technology in warfare means that the days of drop-and-pray bombing are over, precision GPS and laser guided missles mean that targets can be singled out and destroyed without needing to destroy the whole area so there are going to be fewer civillian casualties.
A lot of people died in the Sept. 11 attacks and the retaliation attacks will cause more deaths no matter how accurate the weapons are. The only reason we can sit here and debate these issues is because the bombs aren't targetting our buildings.
The only way to achieve the same level of technological advancement without the war-driven invention craze is for everyone to work together on a common goal, but given the track-record of human interaction that's not likely to happen anytime soon is it?
Think about it, we'd probably have clean-burning fuel and personal aircraft now if people worked together instead of fighting all the time.
How's the weather in Sweden? I think this article was enough to make me want to move to your neighbourhood =)
100Mb full-duplex connections to every home in the neighbourhood, $10/month for access (plus the initial set-up fees, which would really be worth it IMO) and connections to a gigabit ISP? That would be heaven compared to the paper or plastic (cable or DSL) choices in my area... neither is reliable, and connection speeds vary considerably.
The hardest part about setting up something like this would be to get your neighbours involved. The people who are into computers would be easy to convince, it's the luddites with no future-vision that would hold up the project. I'm impressed, very nice job. I think you've also earned the right to taunt the cable and dsl users living one street over =)
With all the stories of fiber-laying companies having hard-times ahead it's nice to know that there is at least one foreward-thinking ISP in the world (even if it's not in Canada).
I've used 2 different Maxtor drives in 2 different computers without fail.
My 30Gb Maxtor has been running perfectly for almost a year now, but I still make backups of my important data like any sane user should (not as often as I should though).
There are bad drives on the market from every manufacturer and everyone has their personal favourites. It's just like automobiles ( a few big manufacturers and loyal customers for each).
#1) I don't like using grimy public-domain headphones. Even some big-name stores can have crappy headphones hanging on the wall.
#2) Not all cds are available to listen to in-store.
#3) Music Cds bought online don't have that option. (unless you count the 30 second low-quality clips that some stores provide, but some songs take 30 seconds just to warm up).
Depends on where you live I guess... I'm using a digital cell phone in Nova Scotia but the entire province doesnt have full coverage. Phones in the city can use voice-dialing, voice-mail, SMS, 2-way paging, even basic web browsing I think (although I'd never want to).
But when I travel home (2 hours outside the city) my digital cell phone cant even get a normal cell signal. Different areas get different coverage based on the demand... rural area = no demand in the eyes of the phone companies.
In Japan there is a huge population in a small area, perfect for rolling out these little high-tech gadgets. Eventually they'll trickle down to North America, but not until they've proven useful over large geographic expanses.
That's what I thought too, you beat me to it... I couldn't remember any news stories showing off a new cell-phone with a big-old gasoline engine strapped to it.
I agree that downloading and sharing hundreds of mp3s at will IS a form of theft, the people who slaved and sacrificed to create that art were never compensated for it.
BUT I see no harm in downloading a few songs to try out a new cd before I go spend $20 for my own copy. I HATE buying a cd for a one-hit-wonder band, sampling the music beforehand is a way to prevent that. If I like the band, I will buy the CD to support them, it's a simple idea, but unforunatly not one that is shared by all users. Why should I be punished with copy-protected CDs because other people are unwilling to pay for their own copy?
Instead of trying to prevent people from sharing their music, give them an incentive to buy their own copy. Include "extras" on the CD (music videos, behind-the-scenes footage), coupons in the cd case or free posters. Incentives are good right?
I just submitted this story seconds before it was posted to the main page.. now I wont get to see my name in lights. Check out the articles on ZDNet and CNet for more details on these new lawsuits.
I think there's a radon leak in the RIAA offices and crack in their water-cooler...
Bill - "hey Jim, let's try and shut down a Peer-to-peer network today. They might be using it to do illegal stuff"
Jim - What's a "peer-to-peer"?
Bill - "damned if I know, I heard about it on Oprah"
Jim - "sure, I'm in. It's not like we do any real work around here."
Every time I ended up in a group project I had to do most of the work. It didnt matter how much planning we did, no one pulled their weight. Maybe that's why I hate programming so much now.
In first and second year CS classes I can understand why a prof would want people to work on their own projects. It's an easy way to see who's learning the basics and who doesn't have a clue.
By the time you hit third and fourth year there should be lots of group projects and collaborative efforts to get people used to working in the real world.
Sadly my college viewed CS as "part of the math dept" and put most of their money into the arts programs (this was only back in 95-99). Had they put more effort into developing the CS program, hiring more profs and developing the curriculum they could have had a nice program. Maybe things are different now, but I doubt it.
There is something like this already... a company named livegrip.com has info on their page about their gun lock technology.
Apparently it uses infra-red light to take a sub-dermal photo of your hand to compare with a stored image. No match, gun doesn't work. Interesting idea, but I wonder what happens if a police officer NEEDS to shoot and the gun mis-scans.
Now maybe those government officials won't have to be "quite" as worried when they lose laptops full of top secret files.
These small, integrated fingerprinter scanners have been in the works for a while now. It's good to see that they're finally being put to use. What's next? Fingerprint ID car-starters? Cell-phones? so many possibilities...
advising the 'free-loading' surfer that he has two choices if he wants access to the Web site's content: pay for it or be exposed to the ads.
How about I advise the offending web site that they are one among many, and that I can view the same content somewhere else where I am not FORCED to look at ads
You can't make me watch ads on television, or listen to them on the radio, or read them in the paper. What makes them think I should be forced to watch them on my computer screen? Any site that trys something like this will lose viewers big time.... I'm using webwasher right now. It prevents those pop-up windows from appearing on a Nimda infected web server and and it even cancels out Salon's new click-through ads (not that I read much on Salon anyway).
Go ahead, try out your new "forced ads"... I'm ready for ya.
I went to university from 95-99 and very few of my classes there would ever need a computer to be actually IN the classroom... even most of my CS classes were just lectures.
BUT, when i took a course at community college we all had computers sitting on the desk. These were recent editions though, that kind of expense back in 85 would never have been approved.
Back in 85 I was in elementary school using TURTLE on a monochrome computer. None of my teachers would have been able to do much more with a computer sitting on everyone's desk.
Bentley, which in 1985 became one of the first U.S. colleges to require undergraduates to have computers, first implemented the blocking technology in classrooms in the last academic year. Babson had a primitive version of the software installed three years ago.
Is that supposed to read 1995 instead of 1985? I can't imagine why any college would have required all students to own a computer way back when net access in the classroom was only a dream.
Net access in the classroom is a good idea if the class actually requires net access. Most of my classes had no need of it unless I was doing research for a paper or something.
This seems like a case of "here's an incredibly useful tool that you'll have constant access to but don't use it when your senile prof starts droning on about his new research paper instead of covering useful information".
I admit that the tempation to goof off in class by reading/. or Penny Arcade while the prof was talking was very strong.... but perhaps a little in-class lesson on proper usage at the start of the year would cut down on the misuse. It's better than cutting off Net access altogether right?
lots of people have lethal hand-to-hand combat training... or martial-arts training... but at least they wont have a metal butter knife to aid them. =)
Ahhhh but I am Canadian.. home of "a few big banks who want to make lots of money".
I work full time and I can't keep a $1500 minimum montly balance... there's no way any college student around here could do it, and if they did the schools would find a way to raise fees even more.
I pay $6/month for a set number of ATM transactions/checks/etc... and I pay my CC balance in full every month to minimize interest fees. But the banks are experts at nickle-and-dime fees... $0.50 here, $0.50 there... it adds up quickly. Some banks charge a fee if you use an ATM from another bank (even if they own that bank too!).
I'm in the process of switching my accounts to a bank that doesn't charge fees (president's choice financial)... but it's part of CIBC which does charge fees... how long will the no-fees thing last I wonder?
I think you mean to say "North America", not "United States".... Canadian network security is just as dependant on those encryption codes.
Old school computer security methods just wont work in a world where everyone is interconnected... you can't stop exporting of encryption methods beyond your borders. What if an American company has an office in Africa, or Japan? Should they be forced to link over an unsecured network?
Cars... knives... even nail clippers can be misused, it depends on the person operating the equipment. Most airlines have gotten rid of metal knifes on planes now, preventing them from being used in an attack but also punishing those people who just want to butter their roll.
It's good that (some) people starting to use their heads when it comes to security, but restricting the use of an item because of what it "might" be used for is a little overboard. Eventually everyone will be in a facial recognition system, fingerprinted, dna sequenced, and blood typed in a huge federal database JUST IN CASE you ever do something wrong.
I'm still reading the first book (1 of 3)... can you hold off showing the movies until I finish? =)... j/k...
I'm 24 and reading LOTR for the first time. I was hesitant at first because fantasy books arent really my thing but I'm actually enjoying the read. When I was younger the size of the books would have put me off (even though I was an avid reader), but now I'm able to approach it as both a first-time reader and as an educated individual. Now I see why there's such a following, the characters don't have a huge amount of depth just yet but it's easy to identify with them.
Once I finish with the book(s) I'll see the movies, the order things were intended to happen. Perhaps the movies will add to the story instead of destroying it like so many other book-into-movie projects.
Slashdot Mirror
IF the McMaster engine (or any other new engine design) does work out we'll probably see the existing automakers:
A> Try to buy the designs (get the patents for ourselves)
B> Try to copy the designs (but avoid infringing on the existing patents)
C> Try to destroy the designs (and protect their own patents)
It'll take someone with McMasters background and financial backing to get a new design off the ground. The average Joe doesn't stand a chance. Maybe you should contact McMaster and see what he thinks of your designs, 2 heads are better than one no?
Many brilliant scientists throughout history have been labelled as "quacks" or "kooks" at one point or another. I'm willing to give the McMaster engine a chance, it's better than having to rely on volitile middle-east politics to "regulate" the gas supply.
The use of technology in warfare means that the days of drop-and-pray bombing are over, precision GPS and laser guided missles mean that targets can be singled out and destroyed without needing to destroy the whole area so there are going to be fewer civillian casualties.
A lot of people died in the Sept. 11 attacks and the retaliation attacks will cause more deaths no matter how accurate the weapons are. The only reason we can sit here and debate these issues is because the bombs aren't targetting our buildings.
The only way to achieve the same level of technological advancement without the war-driven invention craze is for everyone to work together on a common goal, but given the track-record of human interaction that's not likely to happen anytime soon is it?
Think about it, we'd probably have clean-burning fuel and personal aircraft now if people worked together instead of fighting all the time.
100Mb full-duplex connections to every home in the neighbourhood, $10/month for access (plus the initial set-up fees, which would really be worth it IMO) and connections to a gigabit ISP? That would be heaven compared to the paper or plastic (cable or DSL) choices in my area... neither is reliable, and connection speeds vary considerably.
The hardest part about setting up something like this would be to get your neighbours involved. The people who are into computers would be easy to convince, it's the luddites with no future-vision that would hold up the project. I'm impressed, very nice job. I think you've also earned the right to taunt the cable and dsl users living one street over =)
With all the stories of fiber-laying companies having hard-times ahead it's nice to know that there is at least one foreward-thinking ISP in the world (even if it's not in Canada).
My 30Gb Maxtor has been running perfectly for almost a year now, but I still make backups of my important data like any sane user should (not as often as I should though).
There are bad drives on the market from every manufacturer and everyone has their personal favourites. It's just like automobiles ( a few big manufacturers and loyal customers for each).
#2) Not all cds are available to listen to in-store.
#3) Music Cds bought online don't have that option. (unless you count the 30 second low-quality clips that some stores provide, but some songs take 30 seconds just to warm up).
I'd mod that one up if I could =)
But when I travel home (2 hours outside the city) my digital cell phone cant even get a normal cell signal. Different areas get different coverage based on the demand... rural area = no demand in the eyes of the phone companies.
In Japan there is a huge population in a small area, perfect for rolling out these little high-tech gadgets. Eventually they'll trickle down to North America, but not until they've proven useful over large geographic expanses.
That's what I thought too, you beat me to it... I couldn't remember any news stories showing off a new cell-phone with a big-old gasoline engine strapped to it.
I agree that downloading and sharing hundreds of mp3s at will IS a form of theft, the people who slaved and sacrificed to create that art were never compensated for it.
BUT I see no harm in downloading a few songs to try out a new cd before I go spend $20 for my own copy. I HATE buying a cd for a one-hit-wonder band, sampling the music beforehand is a way to prevent that. If I like the band, I will buy the CD to support them, it's a simple idea, but unforunatly not one that is shared by all users. Why should I be punished with copy-protected CDs because other people are unwilling to pay for their own copy?
Instead of trying to prevent people from sharing their music, give them an incentive to buy their own copy. Include "extras" on the CD (music videos, behind-the-scenes footage), coupons in the cd case or free posters. Incentives are good right?
I think there's a radon leak in the RIAA offices and crack in their water-cooler...
Bill - "hey Jim, let's try and shut down a Peer-to-peer network today. They might be using it to do illegal stuff"
Jim - What's a "peer-to-peer"?
Bill - "damned if I know, I heard about it on Oprah"
Jim - "sure, I'm in. It's not like we do any real work around here."
In first and second year CS classes I can understand why a prof would want people to work on their own projects. It's an easy way to see who's learning the basics and who doesn't have a clue.
By the time you hit third and fourth year there should be lots of group projects and collaborative efforts to get people used to working in the real world.
Sadly my college viewed CS as "part of the math dept" and put most of their money into the arts programs (this was only back in 95-99). Had they put more effort into developing the CS program, hiring more profs and developing the curriculum they could have had a nice program. Maybe things are different now, but I doubt it.
Apparently it uses infra-red light to take a sub-dermal photo of your hand to compare with a stored image. No match, gun doesn't work. Interesting idea, but I wonder what happens if a police officer NEEDS to shoot and the gun mis-scans.
These small, integrated fingerprinter scanners have been in the works for a while now. It's good to see that they're finally being put to use. What's next? Fingerprint ID car-starters? Cell-phones? so many possibilities...
How about I advise the offending web site that they are one among many, and that I can view the same content somewhere else where I am not FORCED to look at ads
You can't make me watch ads on television, or listen to them on the radio, or read them in the paper. What makes them think I should be forced to watch them on my computer screen? Any site that trys something like this will lose viewers big time.... I'm using webwasher right now. It prevents those pop-up windows from appearing on a Nimda infected web server and and it even cancels out Salon's new click-through ads (not that I read much on Salon anyway).
Go ahead, try out your new "forced ads"... I'm ready for ya.
BUT... the Navy doesnt fly (through air OR space, it doesnt matter). perhaps starfleet is some kind of Air Navy? =)
BUT, when i took a course at community college we all had computers sitting on the desk. These were recent editions though, that kind of expense back in 85 would never have been approved.
Back in 85 I was in elementary school using TURTLE on a monochrome computer. None of my teachers would have been able to do much more with a computer sitting on everyone's desk.
Is that supposed to read 1995 instead of 1985? I can't imagine why any college would have required all students to own a computer way back when net access in the classroom was only a dream.
Net access in the classroom is a good idea if the class actually requires net access. Most of my classes had no need of it unless I was doing research for a paper or something.
This seems like a case of "here's an incredibly useful tool that you'll have constant access to but don't use it when your senile prof starts droning on about his new research paper instead of covering useful information".
I admit that the tempation to goof off in class by reading /. or Penny Arcade while the prof was talking was very strong.... but perhaps a little in-class lesson on proper usage at the start of the year would cut down on the misuse. It's better than cutting off Net access altogether right?
You cannot sell commercials, no one wants the free ones.
Now I use Morpheus. Works great and I can get pr0n with it too!
lots of people have lethal hand-to-hand combat training... or martial-arts training... but at least they wont have a metal butter knife to aid them. =)
I work full time and I can't keep a $1500 minimum montly balance... there's no way any college student around here could do it, and if they did the schools would find a way to raise fees even more.
I pay $6/month for a set number of ATM transactions/checks/etc... and I pay my CC balance in full every month to minimize interest fees. But the banks are experts at nickle-and-dime fees ... $0.50 here, $0.50 there ... it adds up quickly. Some banks charge a fee if you use an ATM from another bank (even if they own that bank too!).
I'm in the process of switching my accounts to a bank that doesn't charge fees (president's choice financial)... but it's part of CIBC which does charge fees... how long will the no-fees thing last I wonder?
Old school computer security methods just wont work in a world where everyone is interconnected... you can't stop exporting of encryption methods beyond your borders. What if an American company has an office in Africa, or Japan? Should they be forced to link over an unsecured network?
It's good that (some) people starting to use their heads when it comes to security, but restricting the use of an item because of what it "might" be used for is a little overboard. Eventually everyone will be in a facial recognition system, fingerprinted, dna sequenced, and blood typed in a huge federal database JUST IN CASE you ever do something wrong.
Where's the line?
I'm 24 and reading LOTR for the first time. I was hesitant at first because fantasy books arent really my thing but I'm actually enjoying the read. When I was younger the size of the books would have put me off (even though I was an avid reader), but now I'm able to approach it as both a first-time reader and as an educated individual. Now I see why there's such a following, the characters don't have a huge amount of depth just yet but it's easy to identify with them.
Once I finish with the book(s) I'll see the movies, the order things were intended to happen. Perhaps the movies will add to the story instead of destroying it like so many other book-into-movie projects.