I pay my cable company for the rest of my channels. And I know that that fee isn't just for infrastructure-- a big chunk of it goes to the content providers.
Not to mention that $80 VCRs with "Commercial Advance" (the brand-name for automatic commercial skipping) have been sold without (to my knowledge) a legal challenge for several years now.
I hope this project becomes half as cool as it sounds!! Your suggestions are great-- but satellite communications are awfully complex, and depend on a working network of satellites. I would suggest making the devices network peer-to-peer instead, or as a backup/supplement to the satellite access.
Cybiko makes $99 PDAs for kids that do this now-- yours talks to any within range, which relay your message to anyone in *their* range, etc...
If you gave them a decent range (a mile or two like those little digital motorola radios) then you could quickly connect up large areas with only a few devices.
If you want to be world-changing via a handheld (a la the diamond age) I would suggest a peer-to-peer wireless PDA that the kids get to keep, and that will be available (via open design or just sold) to other children after the event. If the kids have the ability to network with eachother, without the need for a service provider or centralized infrastructure-- their exchange of information will be as unrestricted as possible.
If the data was encrypted, kids in places where access to some information is forbidden by the government could relay data through eachother to other places without being eavesdropped on.
You could also add repositories of information to the network-- big servers full of literature, technical books, encyclopedias, artwork, class texts, etc... that kids anywhere could access via the free p2p relay network that they comprise.
The initial batches of handhelds will need more range than something like the Cybiko (www.cybiko.com)-- maybe a couple of miles (FRS goes this far, so this should be possible) since the devices will be sparsely scattered initially. The ability to use a cable and one of the devices to make an internet bridge (again, like the cybiko) would extend the connectivity of remote areas, too.
Add some built-in teaching software. Basic math, vocab, reading, whatever you can fit so that the network is not always necessary, too.
I would love to see an empowering Primer a la the diamond age-- I hope you succeed, however you do it!
If cybiko made one that looked a little more professional, and bumped the maximum range up (maybe use the FRS radio band? those have like 2-5 *mile* ranges), they would sell a boatload. Add handwriting recognition and ditch the keyboard, and it would beat the wireless palms hands-down. Add cell capability, so that individual units could bridge traffic (without being wired to a PC) to the internet for long-haul p2p if nobody's in range, and you've got a handheld that always has wireless access, with no fees other than your cell phone bill, and is as cheap as a palm pilot.
I'm dying for p2p wireless-- but everybody wants to make money on the service, so don't expect a lot of help from the major vendors. Go get 'em, Cybiko!
We need a truly objective survey of hard drive reliability. My personal experience is nearly the exact opposite of yours-- I have had two fujitsu drive failures within 2 years, and one IBM failure in 8 months. My maxtor and western digital drives (even the really old ones) are all still running happily.
Just goes to show how true YMMV really is, and why anecdotal evidence isn't much help.
Since the "news" shows are all owned by the same conglomerates that own the record companies. My guess is that we see a couple of fluff pieces about it but no real criticisms.
But who knows? Perhaps journalistic integrity is still alive somewhere in the US.
In the article, they have pictures of an arm used for loading big stinking bombs onto planes that simply mimics the user's limb motions, and uses force-feedback so that the user can feel the weight of the bomb through the interface. So that one, at least, we have already done.
Has already become a factor in how big telescopes can be on earth. But, it's already been "fixed", too. The new giant scopes use adaptive optics that actually compensate for atmospheric distortion in realtime.
To me, that is simply amazing. Adjusting 1600 mirrors realtime to correct tiny air currents!
If I'm in front of a pair of studio monitors and I'm *really* paying attention, I might be able to pick out the difference. Most people can't even tell. And of those who can, some don't really care one way or another. Scratches, dust, and tape hiss never kept me from making tapes for the car of my old records-- and that's a nasty lossy to lossier conversion if there ever was one.
So an mp3->ogg converter would introduce additional quality loss. It might also mean someone converted to ogg who wouldn't otherwise want to put in the time to re-digitize their 400 zillion CD collection. (Let alone anybody who did LP->mp3 and doesn't want to muck around re-recording everything!)
I'm all for quality, but there is absolutely no reason to shout "NO CONVERSIONS ALLOWED" from the hilltops.
My best results have been with a combination of running and lifting weights. I run 5 days a week for a total of around 30 miles, and lift weights four days a week. (upper and lower body twice each). I'm 6'1" and 148 lbs. and have kept it that way for the last 7 years. I've found that running races is a heck of a lot of fun, and it gives you a goal to run for.
Last year, I started doing triathlons as well. That got me into biking, which is an excellent geek sport and a good substitute for running if your joints won't do it. (a sweet racing bike is every bit as cool a machine as a high-end PC) It probably doesn't hurt that I'm vegetarian.
There aren't any (healthy) shortcuts, but good, hard endurance and strength training work. And can actually be fun, if you find something to do like a race instead of just making it a chore.
It's not the patent that's the issue-- it's Apple and Sorenson's refusal to allow 3rd-party open-source OR proprietary software using the Sorenson codec to be built. Check out the links in my first post.
MPEG is patented, yes, but the patent holders have most definitely allowed other people to produce their own proprietary implementations of the MPEG codecs. Additionally, they seem to be very lenient on open-source MPEG implementations. (I don't know if this means open-source versions are legit, or just ignored, though)
And finally, doesn't anonymous name-calling make you feel especially good about yourself? It's folks like you that make/. great. Cheers!
I've been stuck with a dynamic IP on comcast@home for a while now, but easy external access is possible, even if you're using a router for NAT on your internal network. Get a hostname from somebody like dyndns.org(myhostname.dyndns.org) and point it to whatever your IP is today. Then get a client to monitor your IP and notify dyndns.org when your IP changes. They have a nice interface set up for poor dynamic ip folks like us to programatically update our address. Set it up to run frequently with cron. I use ipcheck (ipcheck.sourceforge.net) with a Linksys router and it has been working flawlessly for nearly 8 months now. When you want to get to your box, you just use your hostname instead of your IP, or if your app really really needs an IP, just do an nslookup on your hostname.
It really is Apple's fault, to some degree-- the Sorenson codec (probably the most popular quicktime video codec) is patented, and any open-source implementation of it would be illegal.
Not to mention that even a closed-source implementation is currently not possible, since Sorenson is only licensing their codec to Apple through an exclusive deal. So unless Apple or Sorenson write a Linux version, there won't be one.
Here's a link that mentions it in regards to xanim, and another on ZDNet that states "Apple has never released a binary player for Linux or a binary module for the XAnim video and animation player, and it has no stated plans to do so. Moreover, the company won't allow open source programmers to make their own Sorenson-aware players."
So before you bash the hardworking folks who make linux do as much as it does, make sure you have your facts straight.
I'm still connected in indy-- it was working at 3am, and still up when I got up this morning. No idea about the mail, I've never used it, and I don't know what I did with all the mailserver info, etc...
I've been stuck with a dynamic IP on comcast@home for a while now, but easy external access is possible, even if you're using a router for NAT on your internal network. Get a hostname from somebody like dyndns.org(myhostname.dyndns.org) and point it to whatever your IP is today. Then get a client to monitor your IP and notify dyndns.org when your IP changes. They have a nice interface set up for poor dynamic ip folks like us to programatically update our address. Set it up to run frequently with cron. I use ipcheck (ipcheck.sourceforge.net) with a Linksys router and it has been working flawlessly for nearly 8 months now. When you want to get to your box, you just use your hostname instead of your IP.
My landline was about $25 with caller ID. My cellphone is $30 with caller ID, for 250/1200 minutes. So by using my cell all the time, I get the same functionality out of my cell for $30 that I previously got for $55 through both.
Sounds cheaper to me. Only now, I'm kinda screwed for net access.
Thank you, Captain Sarcasm, for the enlightening remark about my options. I had no idea that dialup access was available!
I should have said "no other broadband option available". I thought that was implied, since this is an article about broadband connections. In any event, it will be several weeks before I can have dialup anyway, since it will take that long to have a phone line hooked up.
In the meantime, I can limp by on a serial connection through my cell phone at 19.2. So you are indeed correct-- I DO have another option for internet access. 19.2kbps through a Sprint PCS cellphone.
There are people with NO other option, short of long-distance dialup, though.
Unfortunately, some of us don't have any other option available to us, and can't afford to be quite as righteous as you are. It would be great if they would police spam better, but I'll take an ISP with spam over no ISP at all any day.
It sucks, but I don't have the power to change it, unless you can give me the several thousand dollars it will take to have a clean dry pair delivered to my apartment. (Lots of load coils and unterminated runs on my loop)
I wish I was as lucky as you, sir, and had options and the time to say "good riddance" to those who don't.
I had the Aiwa CDC-MP3, and it skipped horribly. I had it replaced and reinstalled three times, but nothing they did could make the unit(s) stop skipping. The lack of an in-song resume was a down point, too. (so when you get back into your car it picks up where you left off instead of at the beginning of the song-- nasty for those 60 minute tracks!)
I returned it altogether and replaced it with a Kenwood KDC MP-8017. Same basic specs and price as the Aiwa, with a less cheesy display and the ability to resume in the middle of an mp3. Additionally, although the Aiwa sounded fine to me at the time, the Kenwood definitely has a much more accurate sound.
Missing from both is the ability to do random play across a whole disc. They only do random within a directory.
Where did you find the gas motor/fuel economy stuff for the tzero? It looks like a fun little car, but I couldn't find any info about the gas engine you mentioned in your post.
A "Hybrid Gas/Electric" car could be pretty much any mix of gas and electric systems. Toyota's Prius is very similar to what you describe-- their transmission allows the use of just the gas engine, just the electric engine, or both, as the situation warrants. The downside to that is that the battery packs in most hybrids are small (out of necessity due to weight and expense) so you couldn't cruise on just batteries for long before the gas engine had to kick in to charge them. So although the Prius could theoretically do what you want, it's impractical until battery storage improves. (Currently the prius cruises on "electric only" only at low speeds, and "gas only" once you're really moving.)
Honda's IMA hybrid system uses the gas engine all the time when the car is moving, and the electric motor as a "booster" when accelerating-- thus keeping the gas engine size smaller since not so much power is needed once rolling. There's never any "electric only" with Honda's IMA.
Somebody else is making a "through the road" hybrid SUV that powers 2 wheels gas and 2 wheels electric, rather than having a complicated transmission system to mix the power. Unfortunately, I've forgotten whose vehicle that is (Ford Escape, maybe?) I doubt there will be an "electric only" mode for the SUV, but I could be wrong. (who would want a low-horsepower rear-wheel-drive-only mode in their SUV?)
Honda has announced hybrid versions of its Civic for 2002 or 2003 in the US, if I remember correctly. While their Insight would be a great second car, it can't really work as a primary car for a single person-- a tiny two-seater with a 350 lb. weight limit isn't practical as an only car. The hybrid civic will be built with a traditional steel frame, so it should be more affordable than aluminum-frame cars like the insight. Look for the nifty gearless CVT automatic to show up on it, too-- I have one on my 2001 Civic HX (not a hybrid, but it gets 40mpg and is a ULEV) and it it's pretty sweet to always be at just the right rpm.
The Prius is okay, but Toyota's hybrid system seems more complicated to me (it can drive gas only, electric only, or both instead of gas with electric assistance like the honda) and I'd shy away from it until it's a few years more mature and less expensive. Honda's CVT transmission has been in use on the Civic HX since 1996, so it's a little more time-tested, and the simpler IMA hybrid system will have several years of work on the Insight to back it up.
In short, it looks more practical and cheaper than the insight, simpler than the prius, and is identical outwardly to an existing, popular car. I would wait for this one. (in fact, I tried to, but my '89 wagon finally quit completely a year and a half too soon for me to get one.)
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I pay my cable company for the rest of my channels. And I know that that fee isn't just for infrastructure-- a big chunk of it goes to the content providers.
Not to mention that $80 VCRs with "Commercial Advance" (the brand-name for automatic commercial skipping) have been sold without (to my knowledge) a legal challenge for several years now.
I hope this project becomes half as cool as it sounds!! Your suggestions are great-- but satellite communications are awfully complex, and depend on a working network of satellites. I would suggest making the devices network peer-to-peer instead, or as a backup/supplement to the satellite access.
Cybiko makes $99 PDAs for kids that do this now-- yours talks to any within range, which relay your message to anyone in *their* range, etc...
If you gave them a decent range (a mile or two like those little digital motorola radios) then you could quickly connect up large areas with only a few devices.
If you want to be world-changing via a handheld (a la the diamond age) I would suggest a peer-to-peer wireless PDA that the kids get to keep, and that will be available (via open design or just sold) to other children after the event. If the kids have the ability to network with eachother, without the need for a service provider or centralized infrastructure-- their exchange of information will be as unrestricted as possible.
If the data was encrypted, kids in places where access to some information is forbidden by the government could relay data through eachother to other places without being eavesdropped on.
You could also add repositories of information to the network-- big servers full of literature, technical books, encyclopedias, artwork, class texts, etc... that kids anywhere could access via the free p2p relay network that they comprise.
The initial batches of handhelds will need more range than something like the Cybiko (www.cybiko.com)-- maybe a couple of miles (FRS goes this far, so this should be possible) since the devices will be sparsely scattered initially. The ability to use a cable and one of the devices to make an internet bridge (again, like the cybiko) would extend the connectivity of remote areas, too.
Add some built-in teaching software. Basic math, vocab, reading, whatever you can fit so that the network is not always necessary, too.
I would love to see an empowering Primer a la the diamond age-- I hope you succeed, however you do it!
If cybiko made one that looked a little more professional, and bumped the maximum range up (maybe use the FRS radio band? those have like 2-5 *mile* ranges), they would sell a boatload. Add handwriting recognition and ditch the keyboard, and it would beat the wireless palms hands-down. Add cell capability, so that individual units could bridge traffic (without being wired to a PC) to the internet for long-haul p2p if nobody's in range, and you've got a handheld that always has wireless access, with no fees other than your cell phone bill, and is as cheap as a palm pilot.
I'm dying for p2p wireless-- but everybody wants to make money on the service, so don't expect a lot of help from the major vendors. Go get 'em, Cybiko!
We need a truly objective survey of hard drive reliability. My personal experience is nearly the exact opposite of yours-- I have had two fujitsu drive failures within 2 years, and one IBM failure in 8 months. My maxtor and western digital drives (even the really old ones) are all still running happily.
Just goes to show how true YMMV really is, and why anecdotal evidence isn't much help.
Sarcasm, beautiful sarcasm.
Since the "news" shows are all owned by the same conglomerates that own the record companies. My guess is that we see a couple of fluff pieces about it but no real criticisms.
But who knows? Perhaps journalistic integrity is still alive somewhere in the US.
Babelfish *says* it supports japanese, but i couldn't get it to work today.
In the article, they have pictures of an arm used for loading big stinking bombs onto planes that simply mimics the user's limb motions, and uses force-feedback so that the user can feel the weight of the bomb through the interface. So that one, at least, we have already done.
Has already become a factor in how big telescopes can be on earth. But, it's already been "fixed", too. The new giant scopes use adaptive optics that actually compensate for atmospheric distortion in realtime.
To me, that is simply amazing. Adjusting 1600 mirrors realtime to correct tiny air currents!
If I'm in front of a pair of studio monitors and I'm *really* paying attention, I might be able to pick out the difference. Most people can't even tell. And of those who can, some don't really care one way or another. Scratches, dust, and tape hiss never kept me from making tapes for the car of my old records-- and that's a nasty lossy to lossier conversion if there ever was one.
So an mp3->ogg converter would introduce additional quality loss. It might also mean someone converted to ogg who wouldn't otherwise want to put in the time to re-digitize their 400 zillion CD collection. (Let alone anybody who did LP->mp3 and doesn't want to muck around re-recording everything!)
I'm all for quality, but there is absolutely no reason to shout "NO CONVERSIONS ALLOWED" from the hilltops.
My best results have been with a combination of running and lifting weights. I run 5 days a week for a total of around 30 miles, and lift weights four days a week. (upper and lower body twice each). I'm 6'1" and 148 lbs. and have kept it that way for the last 7 years. I've found that running races is a heck of a lot of fun, and it gives you a goal to run for.
Last year, I started doing triathlons as well. That got me into biking, which is an excellent geek sport and a good substitute for running if your joints won't do it. (a sweet racing bike is every bit as cool a machine as a high-end PC) It probably doesn't hurt that I'm vegetarian.
There aren't any (healthy) shortcuts, but good, hard endurance and strength training work. And can actually be fun, if you find something to do like a race instead of just making it a chore.
It's not the patent that's the issue-- it's Apple and Sorenson's refusal to allow 3rd-party open-source OR proprietary software using the Sorenson codec to be built. Check out the links in my first post.
/. great. Cheers!
MPEG is patented, yes, but the patent holders have most definitely allowed other people to produce their own proprietary implementations of the MPEG codecs. Additionally, they seem to be very lenient on open-source MPEG implementations. (I don't know if this means open-source versions are legit, or just ignored, though)
And finally, doesn't anonymous name-calling make you feel especially good about yourself? It's folks like you that make
I've been stuck with a dynamic IP on comcast@home for a while now, but easy external access is possible, even if you're using a router for NAT on your internal network. Get a hostname from somebody like dyndns.org(myhostname.dyndns.org) and point it to whatever your IP is today. Then get a client to monitor your IP and notify dyndns.org when your IP changes. They have a nice interface set up for poor dynamic ip folks like us to programatically update our address. Set it up to run frequently with cron. I use ipcheck (ipcheck.sourceforge.net) with a Linksys router and it has been working flawlessly for nearly 8 months now. When you want to get to your box, you just use your hostname instead of your IP, or if your app really really needs an IP, just do an nslookup on your hostname.
It really is Apple's fault, to some degree-- the Sorenson codec (probably the most popular quicktime video codec) is patented, and any open-source implementation of it would be illegal.
Not to mention that even a closed-source implementation is currently not possible, since Sorenson is only licensing their codec to Apple through an exclusive deal. So unless Apple or Sorenson write a Linux version, there won't be one.
Here's a link that mentions it in regards to xanim, and another on ZDNet that states "Apple has never released a binary player for Linux or a binary module for the XAnim video and animation player, and it has no stated plans to do so. Moreover, the company won't allow open source programmers to make their own Sorenson-aware players."
So before you bash the hardworking folks who make linux do as much as it does, make sure you have your facts straight.
I'm still connected in indy-- it was working at 3am, and still up when I got up this morning. No idea about the mail, I've never used it, and I don't know what I did with all the mailserver info, etc...
I've been stuck with a dynamic IP on comcast@home for a while now, but easy external access is possible, even if you're using a router for NAT on your internal network. Get a hostname from somebody like dyndns.org(myhostname.dyndns.org) and point it to whatever your IP is today. Then get a client to monitor your IP and notify dyndns.org when your IP changes. They have a nice interface set up for poor dynamic ip folks like us to programatically update our address. Set it up to run frequently with cron. I use ipcheck (ipcheck.sourceforge.net) with a Linksys router and it has been working flawlessly for nearly 8 months now. When you want to get to your box, you just use your hostname instead of your IP.
My landline was about $25 with caller ID. My cellphone is $30 with caller ID, for 250/1200 minutes. So by using my cell all the time, I get the same functionality out of my cell for $30 that I previously got for $55 through both.
Sounds cheaper to me. Only now, I'm kinda screwed for net access.
Thank you, Captain Sarcasm, for the enlightening remark about my options. I had no idea that dialup access was available!
I should have said "no other broadband option available". I thought that was implied, since this is an article about broadband connections. In any event, it will be several weeks before I can have dialup anyway, since it will take that long to have a phone line hooked up.
In the meantime, I can limp by on a serial connection through my cell phone at 19.2. So you are indeed correct-- I DO have another option for internet access. 19.2kbps through a Sprint PCS cellphone.
There are people with NO other option, short of long-distance dialup, though.
According to the articles, @home has 4.1 million cable modem users.
Unfortunately, some of us don't have any other option available to us, and can't afford to be quite as righteous as you are. It would be great if they would police spam better, but I'll take an ISP with spam over no ISP at all any day.
It sucks, but I don't have the power to change it, unless you can give me the several thousand dollars it will take to have a clean dry pair delivered to my apartment. (Lots of load coils and unterminated runs on my loop)
I wish I was as lucky as you, sir, and had options and the time to say "good riddance" to those who don't.
Thanks.
I had the Aiwa CDC-MP3, and it skipped horribly. I had it replaced and reinstalled three times, but nothing they did could make the unit(s) stop skipping. The lack of an in-song resume was a down point, too. (so when you get back into your car it picks up where you left off instead of at the beginning of the song-- nasty for those 60 minute tracks!)
I returned it altogether and replaced it with a Kenwood KDC MP-8017. Same basic specs and price as the Aiwa, with a less cheesy display and the ability to resume in the middle of an mp3. Additionally, although the Aiwa sounded fine to me at the time, the Kenwood definitely has a much more accurate sound.
Missing from both is the ability to do random play across a whole disc. They only do random within a directory.
Where did you find the gas motor/fuel economy stuff for the tzero? It looks like a fun little car, but I couldn't find any info about the gas engine you mentioned in your post.
A "Hybrid Gas/Electric" car could be pretty much any mix of gas and electric systems. Toyota's Prius is very similar to what you describe-- their transmission allows the use of just the gas engine, just the electric engine, or both, as the situation warrants. The downside to that is that the battery packs in most hybrids are small (out of necessity due to weight and expense) so you couldn't cruise on just batteries for long before the gas engine had to kick in to charge them. So although the Prius could theoretically do what you want, it's impractical until battery storage improves. (Currently the prius cruises on "electric only" only at low speeds, and "gas only" once you're really moving.)
Honda's IMA hybrid system uses the gas engine all the time when the car is moving, and the electric motor as a "booster" when accelerating-- thus keeping the gas engine size smaller since not so much power is needed once rolling. There's never any "electric only" with Honda's IMA.
Somebody else is making a "through the road" hybrid SUV that powers 2 wheels gas and 2 wheels electric, rather than having a complicated transmission system to mix the power. Unfortunately, I've forgotten whose vehicle that is (Ford Escape, maybe?) I doubt there will be an "electric only" mode for the SUV, but I could be wrong. (who would want a low-horsepower rear-wheel-drive-only mode in their SUV?)
Honda has announced hybrid versions of its Civic for 2002 or 2003 in the US, if I remember correctly. While their Insight would be a great second car, it can't really work as a primary car for a single person-- a tiny two-seater with a 350 lb. weight limit isn't practical as an only car. The hybrid civic will be built with a traditional steel frame, so it should be more affordable than aluminum-frame cars like the insight. Look for the nifty gearless CVT automatic to show up on it, too-- I have one on my 2001 Civic HX (not a hybrid, but it gets 40mpg and is a ULEV) and it it's pretty sweet to always be at just the right rpm.
The Prius is okay, but Toyota's hybrid system seems more complicated to me (it can drive gas only, electric only, or both instead of gas with electric assistance like the honda) and I'd shy away from it until it's a few years more mature and less expensive. Honda's CVT transmission has been in use on the Civic HX since 1996, so it's a little more time-tested, and the simpler IMA hybrid system will have several years of work on the Insight to back it up.
In short, it looks more practical and cheaper than the insight, simpler than the prius, and is identical outwardly to an existing, popular car. I would wait for this one. (in fact, I tried to, but my '89 wagon finally quit completely a year and a half too soon for me to get one.)