I do think of Dawkins as a devout Atheist - and he certainly likes to spread his ideas. Some of his arguments against religion seem merely to argue that it is bad just because it is most likely delusional (which I don't necessarily go along with). However, when it comes to the impact of freedoms of others, contraception and other issues, the malignant aspect of a virus seems to manifest itself much more clearly in the theist's park than Dawkins' proselytising.
If the uptake were greater, as it is in, for example, Germany, then the fill rate would be much greater, and there could be more routes, and hence fewer stops. It's a classic chicken and egg problem which requires large subsidies to solve (something rather thin on the ground right now, admittedly), but certainly in urban areas it's very effective (see the Vancouver Trollybus figures in the same Wikipedia section cited).
Come to think of it, perhaps offering a few of these self-driving cars for cheap hire as a last-mile solution would offer the best of both worlds...?
It's a lot more energy intensive than mass transport, still. You are of course right about our yield from renewable energy sources - but can improve that quickly enough to meet demand?
Not every journey is going to be catered for by public transport, end to end. But surely the vast majority of everyone's daily mileage could be fulfilled with it.
Kudos to Toyota, though. As an automotive development this is a great thing.
As cool as self-driving tech is, am I the only who is struck by the absurd decadence of continuing to plough resources into energy-intensive individual transport? Even with the improved efficiencies of a hybrid engine, it doesn't compare in efficiency (or social justice) to a properly funded mass transit system.
I agree. Private elements of a configuration such as API keys should be kept separate to public ones. Whatever is used to generate the image should only publish the public stuff by default.
Addendum: things might change when Functional Programming becomes the norm. Then, I'll be looking for a CircleVision 360 display. Hell, I've done some epic LINQ statements already.
I can happily read standard size webtext on my 1400*1050, 14" laptop screen from a distance of three feet or so, for prolonged periods.
I'm currently drooling over Macbooks but the standard resolution of 1280*800 is a little on the small side, particularly for programming. Widescreen is such a poor form factor for coding. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if laptop screens could pivot... I guess tablets have the advantage of reorientation, but will require an additional keyboard to retain that precious vertical real-estate.
Wow... Learning a real instrument, rather than a gamepad facsimile thereof (Cue obligatory xkcd 'Rock Band' cartoon) - good man!
Musical geeks seem to be few and far between where I work.
Play the keyboard and learning the guitar here.
Well, they certainly seem to have thought about that aspect:
"This project’s definition of secure media is similar to Zimmermann’s work on ZRTP, in that we assure there is no forwarding knowledge by using uniquely generated keys for each communication session. Furthermore, we will use GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) to fully automate session validation. This will be done by extending the SIP protocol to exchange public keys for establishing secure media sessions that will be created by each instance of SIP Witch operating at the end points on behalf of local SIP user agents, and then verifying there is no man-in-the-middle by exchanging GPG signed hashes of the session keys that were visible at each end."
So there are encryption measures in hand. Even vanilla VoIP has SIP over TLS and SRTP to work with. ZRTP is reasonably well supported too.
It also employs a Skype-style P2P routing system, which should help provide a comparable degree of anonymisation:
"Our goal is to make GNU Free Call ubiquitous in a manner and level of usability similar to Skype, that is, usable on all platforms, and directly by the general public for all manner of secure communication between known and anonymous parties, but without requiring a central service provider to register with, without using insecure source secret binary protocols that may have back-doors, and without having network control points of any kind that can be exploited or abused by external parties. By doing so as a self organizing meshed calling network, we further eliminate potential service control points such as through explicit routing peers even if networks are isolated in civil emergencies."
So, which is preferable, transparency wise, a technology provided by a publicly traded company, or an open-source technology which can be administered by the end users if they so wish?
When Android tablets can be had for less than $100, I'm curious as to which market they are too expensive for. I suppose there are cheaper net-enabled feature phones, which may offer the added bonus of cellular network access, but they're probably not significantly more performant or otherwise functional than said tablets.
I don't think the manufacturing costs of a tablet in itself are a factor in the inflated prices being asked, but rather the fashion aspect. Being fashionable is always going to be a highly profitable commodity.
Well, of course not. Plugin-based browser graphics are obsolete, and Flash can hold up the legacy end. But that's how Silverlight was pitched originally...
It does seem a trifle odd to post something about using a proprietary API (and rival to open standards such as HTML5), designed with a proprietary (and much ridiculed) language on such an open-source oriented site. I suppose in theory one should be able to run said VB-Silverlight with Moonlight, so perhaps it isn't quite as monumentally bizarre as it seems.
Regardless, the combination of VB and Silverlight in the same breath gives me the heebie jeebies.
None of the pre-existing audio APIs for Android have proven very satisfactory so far, at least for anything that requires high performance and/or low latency - see the following links for details:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/android-2-2-badly-needed-improvements-to-audio-touch-more-whats-missing/http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3434
However, it looks like OpenSL ES will provide the necessary C APIs VLC needs. Still, I guess any vestigial Java ports might prove useful for other platforms (J2ME maybe).
On the other hands, whether Gingerbread will satisfy the requirements of audio creativity app developers is another question. It seems the ES standard might lack the rigor required for properly performant low latency audio apps.
Some may doubt the value of such apps, but they are experiencing a huge boom in popularity on the iPad and iPhone. The multitouch surface offers a hugely expressive interface. With a bit more rigor from Google and phone manufacturers, it could seriously open up the market for realtime audio creativity apps on Android.
Slashdot Mirror
I do think of Dawkins as a devout Atheist - and he certainly likes to spread his ideas. Some of his arguments against religion seem merely to argue that it is bad just because it is most likely delusional (which I don't necessarily go along with). However, when it comes to the impact of freedoms of others, contraception and other issues, the malignant aspect of a virus seems to manifest itself much more clearly in the theist's park than Dawkins' proselytising.
Of course, some would describe religion thus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viruses_of_the_Mind
If the uptake were greater, as it is in, for example, Germany, then the fill rate would be much greater, and there could be more routes, and hence fewer stops. It's a classic chicken and egg problem which requires large subsidies to solve (something rather thin on the ground right now, admittedly), but certainly in urban areas it's very effective (see the Vancouver Trollybus figures in the same Wikipedia section cited). Come to think of it, perhaps offering a few of these self-driving cars for cheap hire as a last-mile solution would offer the best of both worlds...?
Not every journey is going to be catered for by public transport, end to end. But surely the vast majority of everyone's daily mileage could be fulfilled with it.
Kudos to Toyota, though. As an automotive development this is a great thing.
As cool as self-driving tech is, am I the only who is struck by the absurd decadence of continuing to plough resources into energy-intensive individual transport? Even with the improved efficiencies of a hybrid engine, it doesn't compare in efficiency (or social justice) to a properly funded mass transit system.
They'll just spam non-adopters with endless ads for new functionality, requiring surrender of more personal details. Still, an improvement overall...
Sure they do... My condolences to his son Lionel, by the way.
The cocoon must be sealed to contain the reality distortion field!
I agree. Private elements of a configuration such as API keys should be kept separate to public ones. Whatever is used to generate the image should only publish the public stuff by default.
Addendum: things might change when Functional Programming becomes the norm. Then, I'll be looking for a CircleVision 360 display. Hell, I've done some epic LINQ statements already.
I can happily read standard size webtext on my 1400*1050, 14" laptop screen from a distance of three feet or so, for prolonged periods.
I'm currently drooling over Macbooks but the standard resolution of 1280*800 is a little on the small side, particularly for programming. Widescreen is such a poor form factor for coding. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if laptop screens could pivot... I guess tablets have the advantage of reorientation, but will require an additional keyboard to retain that precious vertical real-estate.
Exactly... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0EaYqPfK_k&feature=player_detailpage#t=150s springs to mind...
That is all.
Wow... Learning a real instrument, rather than a gamepad facsimile thereof (Cue obligatory xkcd 'Rock Band' cartoon) - good man! Musical geeks seem to be few and far between where I work. Play the keyboard and learning the guitar here.
For people NOT obsessed with gaming?
"This project’s definition of secure media is similar to Zimmermann’s work on ZRTP, in that we assure there is no forwarding knowledge by using uniquely generated keys for each communication session. Furthermore, we will use GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) to fully automate session validation. This will be done by extending the SIP protocol to exchange public keys for establishing secure media sessions that will be created by each instance of SIP Witch operating at the end points on behalf of local SIP user agents, and then verifying there is no man-in-the-middle by exchanging GPG signed hashes of the session keys that were visible at each end."
So there are encryption measures in hand. Even vanilla VoIP has SIP over TLS and SRTP to work with. ZRTP is reasonably well supported too. It also employs a Skype-style P2P routing system, which should help provide a comparable degree of anonymisation: "Our goal is to make GNU Free Call ubiquitous in a manner and level of usability similar to Skype, that is, usable on all platforms, and directly by the general public for all manner of secure communication between known and anonymous parties, but without requiring a central service provider to register with, without using insecure source secret binary protocols that may have back-doors, and without having network control points of any kind that can be exploited or abused by external parties. By doing so as a self organizing meshed calling network, we further eliminate potential service control points such as through explicit routing peers even if networks are isolated in civil emergencies."
So, which is preferable, transparency wise, a technology provided by a publicly traded company, or an open-source technology which can be administered by the end users if they so wish?
Godwin in 1! (You have a point, though)
OK, the $100 might be pushing it, but trawling the grey import market yields such delights* as this:
http://bestofferbuy.com/7%22-Touch-Screen-TFT-LCD-Android-1.6-Tablet-PC-w/-3G/-WiFi/-Camera-(VIA-8505-300-Mhz)-M7007-p-68518.html?currency=GBP&utm_source=gbase&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=gbase
*no warranty offered or implied
When Android tablets can be had for less than $100, I'm curious as to which market they are too expensive for. I suppose there are cheaper net-enabled feature phones, which may offer the added bonus of cellular network access, but they're probably not significantly more performant or otherwise functional than said tablets.
I don't think the manufacturing costs of a tablet in itself are a factor in the inflated prices being asked, but rather the fashion aspect. Being fashionable is always going to be a highly profitable commodity.
Amputation seems a tad drastic, even if it is to facilitate iPad usage... Still, if it's good enough for Ranulph Fiennes...
Well, of course not. Plugin-based browser graphics are obsolete, and Flash can hold up the legacy end. But that's how Silverlight was pitched originally...
Sorry, I meant former rival :)
It does seem a trifle odd to post something about using a proprietary API (and rival to open standards such as HTML5), designed with a proprietary (and much ridiculed) language on such an open-source oriented site. I suppose in theory one should be able to run said VB-Silverlight with Moonlight, so perhaps it isn't quite as monumentally bizarre as it seems.
Regardless, the combination of VB and Silverlight in the same breath gives me the heebie jeebies.
Thanks for the tip, honeybun ;)
None of the pre-existing audio APIs for Android have proven very satisfactory so far, at least for anything that requires high performance and/or low latency - see the following links for details: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/android-2-2-badly-needed-improvements-to-audio-touch-more-whats-missing/ http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3434 However, it looks like OpenSL ES will provide the necessary C APIs VLC needs. Still, I guess any vestigial Java ports might prove useful for other platforms (J2ME maybe). On the other hands, whether Gingerbread will satisfy the requirements of audio creativity app developers is another question. It seems the ES standard might lack the rigor required for properly performant low latency audio apps. Some may doubt the value of such apps, but they are experiencing a huge boom in popularity on the iPad and iPhone. The multitouch surface offers a hugely expressive interface. With a bit more rigor from Google and phone manufacturers, it could seriously open up the market for realtime audio creativity apps on Android.