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User: MahlonS

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  1. Fatigue will be a problem on A Big Step Forward In Air Display and Interface Tech · · Score: 1

    When I started working for an imaging lab in a midwest medical institution in 1984, we were exploring the utility of a vibrating mirror display, which provided a real 3D image (you could move your head to see behind things). Part of my work involved support software for point, line and plane cursors to segment and refine the image. The cursors were driven by a freespace mouse (we called it a "bat") which you held in one hand. Given poor response times, it was difficult to control the device for more than a few minutes with your hand in the air, especially as you waited for the cursor to catch up with your movement. Modern technology could eliminate the slow response, but keeping a hand motionless in the air for extended periods can be a problem.

  2. A bit of (relevant) history on Is Microsoft's Kinect a Gaming Failure? · · Score: 2

    In 1984-85 I helped develop a 3D mouse (I called it "the bat, a mouse that flew") for use with a real 3D display we had running to explore 3D images from our real time 3D CT image scanner. The bat could control point cursors as well as line and plane cursors. Hardware limitations made it slow, but beyond that, fatigue soon set in while using the device, making it unrealistic for use in practical applications. I'm not surprised that Kinect seems to be suffering from a fate that I perceive as similar.

  3. MS was found guilty of anti-trust. on Assessing Media Bias: Microsoft Vs. Everyone Else · · Score: 1

    So in a sense they are ex-cons. Their overly aggressive behavior has never been forgotten. Nor should it be, and we need to keep an eye on the rest as well.

  4. Re:Mobile Home or Trailer? on Ask Slashdot: Updating a Difficult Campground Wi-Fi Design? · · Score: 1

    Our early retired life was spent moving a lot, we traveled in 45 states in 4 years, including Alaska. In that case, a motor home was imminently practical, as it's much easier to park and set up than a trailer (built in leveling jacks, back-up cameras, etc). Nowadays, our traveling is somewhat constrained by the cost of fuel, we don't travel as often, and your idea makes good sense. Many folks do just what you suggest.

  5. Re:options on Ask Slashdot: Updating a Difficult Campground Wi-Fi Design? · · Score: 1

    Terrain is flat. Line of sight is blocked by tree trunks to all APs and to each other.

  6. Re:Too high on Ask Slashdot: Updating a Difficult Campground Wi-Fi Design? · · Score: 2

    Thanks for the on-target comments. My anecdotal experience here agrees with your research. Given the canopy of trees here, I don't think a 70 foot tower will improve things, but the concept sounds perfect. I have done some strength charting using stumbler, but only outdoors. Last year, I personally used an external USB WIFI dongle to get above other RVs and outside my own walls, and given that we were about 5 rows away form the nearest AP, it worked OK. There are still areas in this park without any signal. I'm thinking that a mesh system will allow us to fill those in.

  7. Re:Mobile Home or Trailer? on Ask Slashdot: Updating a Difficult Campground Wi-Fi Design? · · Score: 1

    Our choice is motor home, and we tow our car behind it. Trailers small enough to tow behind a car (say, a Prius) are not big enough to enjoy life in, IMO. You'll need a heavy duty pickup or larger for snow bird type trailers.