You don't need to go fast -
on
Biking @ 80 MPH
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
You just need to go.
My landlady is 81 years old and rides her bike every day - A single-speed upright bike, with a basket in the front for her groceries. She's healthier than me.
The Chinese restaurant near my old office has a man of at least that age who delivers lunches on a bike - 5 or 6 bowls on a tray balanced on his shoulder, held by just a corner.
Here, I see mothers with 2 or even 3 children on their bike, out running errands - Hard to imagine a mother of 3 in the US who doesn't feel she needs a minivan to take the kids somewhere.
You don't need some $2,500 custom mountain bike - Get yourself a solid used Raleigh 3 speed with a basket and USE the damn thing. I see business men riding to work on their bikes in a suit and dress shoes in traffic on a 90 degree morning, or riding along in torrential rain, carrying an umbrella. If you live within a few miles of your work and your supermarket, you will use your bike and stay in shape. If you live way out in the suburbs, yes, you will probably have a nice trophy bike decorating your garage, that you will occasionally load on the back of your car to drive to the bike trail.
Too many people think of exercise like it's some kind of pill you take occasionally to feel better - It's a lifestyle choice. A choice that is too easily dismissed for the sake of convenience. Convenience of living in the 'burbs and driving those two blocks to the mailbox. Sure, there are reasons that people do these things, but they really don't help you when you're feeling old at 40.
For me, 40 is less than 5 years away and I look and feel 25 - I bike every day. I'm no health nut either - I smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day and can drink obscene quantities of beer. I believe it is due to the excercise that has become part of how I live my life. Last week's health checkup confirmed that I am in great physical shape and I know that's not due to my diet...
You don't need to go fast - You just need to go.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
There was a little bike shop near Bethesda that had my speeding ticket on its wall for a long time - I was pulled over doing 65mph on the highway up to Frederick, MD on a bicycle. (2:00 am, no lights...)
Of course, I had been drafting a truck, though, ala 'Breaking Away'...
That was about 1986 or so, back when 65 was the (unassisted, no-fairings) target speed of that race. (I was a bike messenger then, in *much* better shape, too...)
Possibly the scariest/stupidest thing I ever did in my life. (Next to getting married, that is.)
Entirely possible on a German WWII helmet liner...
http://www.velcro.com/about/history.html
History
In the early 1940's, Swiss inventor George de Mestral went on a walk with his dog... Upon his return home, he noticed that his dog's coat and his pants were covered with cockleburrs. His inventor's curiosity led him to study the burrs under a microscope, where he discovered their natural hook-like shape.
This was to become the basis for a unique, two-sided fastener - one side with stiff "hooks" like the burrs and the other side with the soft "loops" like the fabric of his pants. The result was VELCRO® brand hook and loop fasteners, named for the French words "velour" and "crochet."
I really don't think it was a replacement - that was the odd thing.
That's why I was looking for confirmation from someone more familiar with that sort of thing. It's always kind of lingered in the back of my mind.
Cheers -
Jim
Years ago, I saw a WWII Luftwaffe flight helmet liner that was secured with something that sure seemed to be Velcro. It was at some kind of flea market, over 10 years ago, but I remember the guy pointing it out.
Anyone else seen anything like this?
(And No, the guy didn't have any Gestapo 'Täng' for sale...)
For those of you unfamiliar with the Lena Image,(or Lenna, if you like,):
To test image compression technologies, engineers use a standard picture to compare the results. What did they use? A scan of a 1972 Playboy centerfold, of course!
I'll admit that I haven't used Windows in a while, but I can't imagine that Office 97 is really unsupported.
People put up with that crap?
OK... Here goes...
<LOUD> Listen here! Open Office is FREE. It probably does what you need. You don't need to break the law to use it at home. It does not currently have any of the virus problems that Office does. </LOUD>
Office 97 seemed like a pretty good product, once you installed it on a machine a couple generations later that a current PC at the time of release.
Personally, I'd be happy with Word 6. That was a good release, still-compatable file formats, nearly universal readability.
Open Office is a nice package that exceeds my modest needs. After having used it a bit, there is no way I'd even consider installing Office XP or whatever it is.
Sometimes, I just don't *get* people...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Sun should be shipping this puppy AOL-style - Glue it in the back of every computer magazine out there. Load up the Windows version and the Linux version on the CD and pump them out into the hands of the public. For now, even the latest betas - they seem rock solid - plus, I'm sure people wouldn't mind updating in a few months, if they need.
Why exactly isn't this on the CDs of every distro, too? This should be there, as well as Mozilla.
Those two programs probably make Linux more desktop-worthy than any others, at least for people coming from a Windows environment.
If you're not really familiar with them, I wrote some pages on the subject - click my sig.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I was on a development contract a few years ago for AOL in Virginia - I was outside having a smoke and one of the Tech Support guys came out, talking about his last call - A guy with a heavy foreign accent, trying to get his new modem working. He said that he had bought a 'very big' modem, which the techie had interpreted to mean 'very fast'. After a while, he figures out that the guy really does mean a 'big' modem - towed it home from the military auction where he bought it. The techie actually knew the model and told the guy that he would never get it to work with AOL, but that the tubes inside were actually quite valuable ones and that he could easily buy a new PC after selling the (gold lined) tubes to collectors...
I have no idea about what the hardware was, but it was pretty funny...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Ok - I know that was flamebait and pretty weak at that, but you are wrong. (On two points.) I am only answering because I hate when people spread misinformation and FUD.
1 - Open Office Does Run On Windows. Check the web page. It works great on Windows.
2 - Linux can do screen captures: See below.
3 - OS coders have big fingers? - probably true, but you know what they say about people with big hands...
Screen captures:
I had no trouble at all getting a screen capture of the Linux desktop. The Gimp has a simple utility for doing it that works much like "SnagIT" for capturing screens in windows. I could map it to the 'Print Screen' button if I cared that much...
You spend an awful lot of time and energy bashing Linux - (221 posts is quite a lot) Unfortunately, they seem to always get modded down to -1, so, as is the case for most readers, they are filtered out and I never see them. (Pity - I love a good flamewar...)
You seem to have used Linux in the past - did it make you feel inadequate? Go get yourself a copy of Mandrake or another 'Newbie' distros and have someone help you install it. Then at least you can bash Linux with up-to-date information.
When you complain about the lack of features that were added like 3 years ago, you tend to sound like an idiot. Trust me there are plenty of things in the current versions to bash.
Don't worry, even if you get to like it, you can still flame people for using Emacs...
I did a little write-up a few weeks ago when I installed it - this page has a small screenshot that shows the button layout and a document that uses anti-aliased, truetype fonts.
(Yes this is the Linux version, running Gnome...)
Where else but slashdot does a person get to make a post like mine and have someone step through the crowd and say "I'm a cartographer..."
Sometimes I really like slashdot.
Thanks -
Jim in Tokyo (IANAC)
Map makers used to put in little false details here and there to make sure their maps weren't being copied. A street here or there that didn't exist in real life.
I always thought that was fiendishly clever.
I wonder if they still do it - I've always suspected that Montana doesn't really exist...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Yet then again, think of the calibre of the people that they are letting go.
I just can't help but believe that there's not much dead weight here.
Guys who do this kind of stuff are the kind of guys that you want to have around for any good project.
Whatever the reality of this is, it shakes my confidence in this whole merger dealie.
I set up a giFT server (Check my sig) and couldn't be happier with it.
The CGI doesn't do downloads from multiple sites, but I may modify it.
I did a quick hack to change the look and to filter out VBS, EXE, EML and other obvious virus files. It works great and has the added benefit of being very open.
Since Fast Track uses HTTP for transport, you can also use other tools. The other day, I found a user who had 88 great songs and the connection was excellent for my 64K isdn. I just opened a terminal and did a 'wget -R' on his address and port number. 15 hours later, I had all 88 songs.
I'll make my mods to the CGI available if anyone's interested. (Maybe even the logo I drew...)
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I haven't used a credit card or a check in two years.
When I buy something, I pay cash.
Fortunately, my bills come with a bar code. When I want to pay them, I can take them to any bank or post office or convenience store and pay them with cash. Believe me, this is even more convenient than paying online. (Since I do it as I am buying something else.)
I get no junk mail, other than fliers for pizza places or other handbills that come, not through the postal service, but by some guy stuffing them in my mailbox.
I just had a few months off, thanks to the dot-crash and guess what? I was fine because I didn't have to worry about credit card payments.
When I lived in the states, every semi-major purchase was followed by a slew of junk mail. Every move was watched.
Here in Japan, a good percentage of people buy new cars with cash. They go to the ATM, take out the money and take it to the dealership. End of story. (Here, the daily withdrawl limit at an ATM is around $25,000, as opposed to the $500 limits that are common in the states.)
The cars are cheaper because of this. If you tried that in the US, you'd have the FBI asking you questions, because only drug dealers try to buy new cars for cash.
I've never had cash stolen, have you? Are credit cards really that much safer? (egghead.com)
When I used credit cards, I had a lot more trouble. Now, I just go to a store and buy what I need. I'm not lacking in choices and you wouldn't be either. Plus, you are supporting some local person who pays taxes in your own community - In effect, an amount roughly equal to Visa's share of the purchase instead goes to your schools and roads. (And to the police who help insure that you live in a place where cash doesn't get stolen.)
So many Americans have been convinced that using a credit card is a necessity for emergencies and convenience. Forget it - the house always wins - if you are using them, you are handing a *lot* to the credit card company - your money, your demographics and your privacy. (I won't even touch upon people who just pay the minimum each month...)
Using cash is in effect an anonymous proxy on your spending habits. Are you ready to give that freedom up?
Some poster proposed that the only necessary uses for cash were to pay strippers and buy marijuana.
That's sad. Do you REALLY want visa to know your every move? For a group that actually thinks about privacy issues, I am surprised by the number of people who willingly allow themselves to be logged on every purchase, every dinner, every stay in a motel and every phone bill?
Soon, I suspect, it won't be possible to buy an international plane ticket with cash. I guess that's the time I stop going back to the US...
When asked for your card, ask the person behind you in line if they would like to have the 'points' or whatever motivates people to give up their freedom. You get the discount, the other person loses their privacy.
It's a win-win situation.
:-)
As for IPCHAINS, I would have my standard script in a daily cron job. Block them as they come in, but then dump all the new rules each day - Add them again as they misbehave... Twice daily, if necessary.
Since 90% of my traffic on port 80 is Microsoft-relared poop, I can use 8080 - Most of my useful traffic comes from a site with a real IP - I use DynDNS to resolve my dynamic IP (Kickass service!) but most people hit it via mmdc.net, so it wouldn't be a problem.
Thanks!
Jim
Not a redirect - I want to tell the router to send any port 80 request to microsft's IP.
As it is now, the router sends all requests on port 80 to 192,168.1.xxx - I know it's gonna still hit the router, but I want it to send it elsewhere from there...
I'm not talking javascript here - NAT...
It still saps my pathetic bandwidth. (64 k)
Is there a way that I can re-direct port 80 requests using NAT (FreeSCO Linux Router) so that they go to Microsoft's website and not mine?
I suppose that it would still sap my bandwidth, but at least it would eventually land in *their* lap...
The links are slashdotted, but I'll nonetheless offer what I saw on the Tokyo news regarding the type of collapse that occurred.
The buildings were built in the form of a large tube around the elevators and other shafts.
This structure should have been much more than adequate, given that the main considerations for support did not include supporting the weight of an intrusive jumbo jet.
For height, a building is somewhat built in a manner similar to a soda straw or a stalk of wheat.
In comparison, the tall buildings in Tokyo use a structure that is designed to withstand much more lateral stress in consideration of the daily earthquakes we get here, which is also much more forgiving of added weight. (It is, of course impossible to build a building as tall as the WTC this way.)
Remember that not only did the towers had to sustain the impact and then the iron-melting heat of the explosion, but also the added weight of the aircraft. The expert on TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) put the weight of the planes (I think I got it right,) at 4000 tons. (Personally, I have no idea of the weight of a jumbo jet.)
He called this type of collapse a 'Pancake Collapse' and demonstrated it using a styrofoam and balsa model.
I was impressed, since I, like many people I suppose, was surprised at the precision of the collapse. Next time you see the video of the collapse of tower one, watch the antenna mast. It barely wavers from perpendicular as it descends.
What an absolutely horrific way to learn a bit more about physics and architecture.
I'm hoping I can find some of that 'Boomerang' pattern formica. Very Retro.
If it has a sink cutout, that's where I'm going to put the monitor. (Maybe I can get a 'swirling water' screen saver. That would be cool.)
A couple of spigots that attach down to the beer and coffee dispensers would be key.
If I replace the old aeron with a working john, I'd never have to get up, too!
(Sorry - I've been coding all day - I'm a little punchy...)
Actually, formica makes a great work surface and as g33kb0y mentioned, that backsplash is really handy.
I was up in the electronics district of Tokyo a few weeks back and saw a sweet little barebones PC. About the size of a couple of chemistry books.
One nice thing about it was that it had a Video (NTSC) out plug right next to the USB and firewire. Look through the 'Older Stuff' on slashdot and find that recent game console that someone made. (In the clear case) Look at the menus he made.
Add DiVx support. Add a fast net connection. Add a game controller and IR remote.
If I knew the Video Out on this box would have Linux drivers, I would have bought it on the spot.
I really don't see what's missing...
In reality, Macintosh could sweep away all of the competition for the AV market if they released a $500-$1000 box that looked great, served up audio and video, had hardware DVD/MPG/vcd/DiVx decoding, as well as being a home file server (SAMBA/NFS/HTTP) and net connection sharing machine over an Apple AirPort connection...
Think about it - Your DVD player, PVR, music/video collection all sitting on one great-looking box next to your home theater system. Your company might also have one, filling the niche that the Qube never quite filled. Web/mail server and voip/video conferencing box all in one.
Think it won't happen?
They already have some deal with Harmon Kardon for speakers. I can't imagine that no one over there isn't thinking along the same lines as me.
Personally, I can't wait until it does.
I'll but one.
As for games, I have no idea. I never play them, except to say that if you try to sell a game console as a PC, it will wind up biting you in the ass a short time later; Here in Japan, Game consoles were sold as "famicon" a few years back, the word being a bastardization of "Family Computer". Personally, I think that marketing a quickly-outdated game console as a computer soured a lot of people on the idea that a computer is a useful thing to have in your home. It still hasn't recovered here. Lots of people just don't have a PC. They use their cellphones for messaging and email and some web browsing and are satisfied.
Over here, at least, if you want to add a box to someone's house, you've got to replace three others.
Slashdot Mirror
You just need to go.
My landlady is 81 years old and rides her bike every day - A single-speed upright bike, with a basket in the front for her groceries. She's healthier than me.
The Chinese restaurant near my old office has a man of at least that age who delivers lunches on a bike - 5 or 6 bowls on a tray balanced on his shoulder, held by just a corner.
Here, I see mothers with 2 or even 3 children on their bike, out running errands - Hard to imagine a mother of 3 in the US who doesn't feel she needs a minivan to take the kids somewhere.
You don't need some $2,500 custom mountain bike - Get yourself a solid used Raleigh 3 speed with a basket and USE the damn thing. I see business men riding to work on their bikes in a suit and dress shoes in traffic on a 90 degree morning, or riding along in torrential rain, carrying an umbrella. If you live within a few miles of your work and your supermarket, you will use your bike and stay in shape. If you live way out in the suburbs, yes, you will probably have a nice trophy bike decorating your garage, that you will occasionally load on the back of your car to drive to the bike trail.
Too many people think of exercise like it's some kind of pill you take occasionally to feel better - It's a lifestyle choice. A choice that is too easily dismissed for the sake of convenience. Convenience of living in the 'burbs and driving those two blocks to the mailbox. Sure, there are reasons that people do these things, but they really don't help you when you're feeling old at 40.
For me, 40 is less than 5 years away and I look and feel 25 - I bike every day. I'm no health nut either - I smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day and can drink obscene quantities of beer. I believe it is due to the excercise that has become part of how I live my life. Last week's health checkup confirmed that I am in great physical shape and I know that's not due to my diet...
You don't need to go fast - You just need to go.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
There was a little bike shop near Bethesda that had my speeding ticket on its wall for a long time - I was pulled over doing 65mph on the highway up to Frederick, MD on a bicycle. (2:00 am, no lights...)
Of course, I had been drafting a truck, though, ala 'Breaking Away'...
That was about 1986 or so, back when 65 was the (unassisted, no-fairings) target speed of that race. (I was a bike messenger then, in *much* better shape, too...)
Possibly the scariest/stupidest thing I ever did in my life. (Next to getting married, that is.)
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Entirely possible on a German WWII helmet liner...
http://www.velcro.com/about/history.html
History
In the early 1940's, Swiss inventor George de Mestral went on a walk with his dog... Upon his return home, he noticed that his dog's coat and his pants were covered with cockleburrs. His inventor's curiosity led him to study the burrs under a microscope, where he discovered their natural hook-like shape.
This was to become the basis for a unique, two-sided fastener - one side with stiff "hooks" like the burrs and the other side with the soft "loops" like the fabric of his pants. The result was VELCRO® brand hook and loop fasteners, named for the French words "velour" and "crochet."
I really don't think it was a replacement - that was the odd thing.
That's why I was looking for confirmation from someone more familiar with that sort of thing. It's always kind of lingered in the back of my mind.
Cheers -
Jim
Years ago, I saw a WWII Luftwaffe flight helmet liner that was secured with something that sure seemed to be Velcro. It was at some kind of flea market, over 10 years ago, but I remember the guy pointing it out.
Anyone else seen anything like this?
(And No, the guy didn't have any Gestapo 'Täng' for sale...)
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Well that would explain the following two links:
Nasa
And this:
Lena
For those of you unfamiliar with the Lena Image,(or Lenna, if you like,):
To test image compression technologies, engineers use a standard picture to compare the results. What did they use? A scan of a 1972 Playboy centerfold, of course!
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I'll admit that I haven't used Windows in a while, but I can't imagine that Office 97 is really unsupported.
People put up with that crap?
OK... Here goes...
<LOUD> Listen here! Open Office is FREE. It probably does what you need. You don't need to break the law to use it at home. It does not currently have any of the virus problems that Office does. </LOUD>
Office 97 seemed like a pretty good product, once you installed it on a machine a couple generations later that a current PC at the time of release.
Personally, I'd be happy with Word 6. That was a good release, still-compatable file formats, nearly universal readability.
Open Office is a nice package that exceeds my modest needs. After having used it a bit, there is no way I'd even consider installing Office XP or whatever it is.
Sometimes, I just don't *get* people...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Sun should be shipping this puppy AOL-style - Glue it in the back of every computer magazine out there. Load up the Windows version and the Linux version on the CD and pump them out into the hands of the public. For now, even the latest betas - they seem rock solid - plus, I'm sure people wouldn't mind updating in a few months, if they need.
Why exactly isn't this on the CDs of every distro, too? This should be there, as well as Mozilla.
Those two programs probably make Linux more desktop-worthy than any others, at least for people coming from a Windows environment.
If you're not really familiar with them, I wrote some pages on the subject - click my sig.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I was on a development contract a few years ago for AOL in Virginia - I was outside having a smoke and one of the Tech Support guys came out, talking about his last call - A guy with a heavy foreign accent, trying to get his new modem working. He said that he had bought a 'very big' modem, which the techie had interpreted to mean 'very fast'. After a while, he figures out that the guy really does mean a 'big' modem - towed it home from the military auction where he bought it. The techie actually knew the model and told the guy that he would never get it to work with AOL, but that the tubes inside were actually quite valuable ones and that he could easily buy a new PC after selling the (gold lined) tubes to collectors...
I have no idea about what the hardware was, but it was pretty funny...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Ok - I know that was flamebait and pretty weak at that, but you are wrong. (On two points.) I am only answering because I hate when people spread misinformation and FUD.
1 - Open Office Does Run On Windows. Check the web page. It works great on Windows.
2 - Linux can do screen captures: See below.
3 - OS coders have big fingers? - probably true, but you know what they say about people with big hands...
Screen captures:
I had no trouble at all getting a screen capture of the Linux desktop. The Gimp has a simple utility for doing it that works much like "SnagIT" for capturing screens in windows. I could map it to the 'Print Screen' button if I cared that much...
You spend an awful lot of time and energy bashing Linux - (221 posts is quite a lot) Unfortunately, they seem to always get modded down to -1, so, as is the case for most readers, they are filtered out and I never see them. (Pity - I love a good flamewar...)
You seem to have used Linux in the past - did it make you feel inadequate? Go get yourself a copy of Mandrake or another 'Newbie' distros and have someone help you install it. Then at least you can bash Linux with up-to-date information.
When you complain about the lack of features that were added like 3 years ago, you tend to sound like an idiot. Trust me there are plenty of things in the current versions to bash.
Don't worry, even if you get to like it, you can still flame people for using Emacs...
Cheers,
Jim
I did a little write-up a few weeks ago when I installed it - this page has a small screenshot that shows the button layout and a document that uses anti-aliased, truetype fonts.
(Yes this is the Linux version, running Gnome...)
http://mmdc.net/linux/office.shtml
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Where else but slashdot does a person get to make a post like mine and have someone step through the crowd and say "I'm a cartographer..."
Sometimes I really like slashdot.
Thanks -
Jim in Tokyo (IANAC)
Map makers used to put in little false details here and there to make sure their maps weren't being copied. A street here or there that didn't exist in real life.
I always thought that was fiendishly clever.
I wonder if they still do it - I've always suspected that Montana doesn't really exist...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
That's exactly why - Go see the announcement at gift.sourceforge.net
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
Yet then again, think of the calibre of the people that they are letting go.
I just can't help but believe that there's not much dead weight here.
Guys who do this kind of stuff are the kind of guys that you want to have around for any good project.
Whatever the reality of this is, it shakes my confidence in this whole merger dealie.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I set up a giFT server (Check my sig) and couldn't be happier with it.
The CGI doesn't do downloads from multiple sites, but I may modify it.
I did a quick hack to change the look and to filter out VBS, EXE, EML and other obvious virus files. It works great and has the added benefit of being very open.
Since Fast Track uses HTTP for transport, you can also use other tools. The other day, I found a user who had 88 great songs and the connection was excellent for my 64K isdn. I just opened a terminal and did a 'wget -R' on his address and port number. 15 hours later, I had all 88 songs.
I'll make my mods to the CGI available if anyone's interested. (Maybe even the logo I drew...)
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
I haven't used a credit card or a check in two years.
When I buy something, I pay cash.
Fortunately, my bills come with a bar code. When I want to pay them, I can take them to any bank or post office or convenience store and pay them with cash. Believe me, this is even more convenient than paying online. (Since I do it as I am buying something else.)
I get no junk mail, other than fliers for pizza places or other handbills that come, not through the postal service, but by some guy stuffing them in my mailbox.
I just had a few months off, thanks to the dot-crash and guess what? I was fine because I didn't have to worry about credit card payments.
When I lived in the states, every semi-major purchase was followed by a slew of junk mail. Every move was watched.
Here in Japan, a good percentage of people buy new cars with cash. They go to the ATM, take out the money and take it to the dealership. End of story. (Here, the daily withdrawl limit at an ATM is around $25,000, as opposed to the $500 limits that are common in the states.)
The cars are cheaper because of this. If you tried that in the US, you'd have the FBI asking you questions, because only drug dealers try to buy new cars for cash.
I've never had cash stolen, have you? Are credit cards really that much safer? (egghead.com)
When I used credit cards, I had a lot more trouble. Now, I just go to a store and buy what I need. I'm not lacking in choices and you wouldn't be either. Plus, you are supporting some local person who pays taxes in your own community - In effect, an amount roughly equal to Visa's share of the purchase instead goes to your schools and roads. (And to the police who help insure that you live in a place where cash doesn't get stolen.)
So many Americans have been convinced that using a credit card is a necessity for emergencies and convenience. Forget it - the house always wins - if you are using them, you are handing a *lot* to the credit card company - your money, your demographics and your privacy. (I won't even touch upon people who just pay the minimum each month...)
Using cash is in effect an anonymous proxy on your spending habits. Are you ready to give that freedom up?
Some poster proposed that the only necessary uses for cash were to pay strippers and buy marijuana.
That's sad. Do you REALLY want visa to know your every move? For a group that actually thinks about privacy issues, I am surprised by the number of people who willingly allow themselves to be logged on every purchase, every dinner, every stay in a motel and every phone bill?
Soon, I suspect, it won't be possible to buy an international plane ticket with cash. I guess that's the time I stop going back to the US...
Jim in Tokyo
When asked for your card, ask the person behind you in line if they would like to have the 'points' or whatever motivates people to give up their freedom. You get the discount, the other person loses their privacy.
It's a win-win situation.
:-)
Jim in Tokyo
What's that from?
As for IPCHAINS, I would have my standard script in a daily cron job. Block them as they come in, but then dump all the new rules each day - Add them again as they misbehave... Twice daily, if necessary.
Since 90% of my traffic on port 80 is Microsoft-relared poop, I can use 8080 - Most of my useful traffic comes from a site with a real IP - I use DynDNS to resolve my dynamic IP (Kickass service!) but most people hit it via mmdc.net, so it wouldn't be a problem.
Thanks!
Jim
Not a redirect - I want to tell the router to send any port 80 request to microsft's IP.
As it is now, the router sends all requests on port 80 to 192,168.1.xxx - I know it's gonna still hit the router, but I want it to send it elsewhere from there...
I'm not talking javascript here - NAT...
It still saps my pathetic bandwidth. (64 k)
Is there a way that I can re-direct port 80 requests using NAT (FreeSCO Linux Router) so that they go to Microsoft's website and not mine?
I suppose that it would still sap my bandwidth, but at least it would eventually land in *their* lap...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
The links are slashdotted, but I'll nonetheless offer what I saw on the Tokyo news regarding the type of collapse that occurred.
The buildings were built in the form of a large tube around the elevators and other shafts.
This structure should have been much more than adequate, given that the main considerations for support did not include supporting the weight of an intrusive jumbo jet.
For height, a building is somewhat built in a manner similar to a soda straw or a stalk of wheat.
In comparison, the tall buildings in Tokyo use a structure that is designed to withstand much more lateral stress in consideration of the daily earthquakes we get here, which is also much more forgiving of added weight. (It is, of course impossible to build a building as tall as the WTC this way.)
Remember that not only did the towers had to sustain the impact and then the iron-melting heat of the explosion, but also the added weight of the aircraft. The expert on TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) put the weight of the planes (I think I got it right,) at 4000 tons. (Personally, I have no idea of the weight of a jumbo jet.)
He called this type of collapse a 'Pancake Collapse' and demonstrated it using a styrofoam and balsa model.
I was impressed, since I, like many people I suppose, was surprised at the precision of the collapse. Next time you see the video of the collapse of tower one, watch the antenna mast. It barely wavers from perpendicular as it descends.
What an absolutely horrific way to learn a bit more about physics and architecture.
Jim in Tokyo
I'm hoping I can find some of that 'Boomerang' pattern formica. Very Retro.
If it has a sink cutout, that's where I'm going to put the monitor. (Maybe I can get a 'swirling water' screen saver. That would be cool.)
A couple of spigots that attach down to the beer and coffee dispensers would be key.
If I replace the old aeron with a working john, I'd never have to get up, too!
(Sorry - I've been coding all day - I'm a little punchy...)
Actually, formica makes a great work surface and as g33kb0y mentioned, that backsplash is really handy.
Cheers,
Jim
I was up in the electronics district of Tokyo a few weeks back and saw a sweet little barebones PC. About the size of a couple of chemistry books.
One nice thing about it was that it had a Video (NTSC) out plug right next to the USB and firewire. Look through the 'Older Stuff' on slashdot and find that recent game console that someone made. (In the clear case) Look at the menus he made.
Add DiVx support. Add a fast net connection. Add a game controller and IR remote.
If I knew the Video Out on this box would have Linux drivers, I would have bought it on the spot.
I really don't see what's missing...
In reality, Macintosh could sweep away all of the competition for the AV market if they released a $500-$1000 box that looked great, served up audio and video, had hardware DVD/MPG/vcd/DiVx decoding, as well as being a home file server (SAMBA/NFS/HTTP) and net connection sharing machine over an Apple AirPort connection...
Think about it - Your DVD player, PVR, music/video collection all sitting on one great-looking box next to your home theater system. Your company might also have one, filling the niche that the Qube never quite filled. Web/mail server and voip/video conferencing box all in one.
Think it won't happen?
They already have some deal with Harmon Kardon for speakers. I can't imagine that no one over there isn't thinking along the same lines as me.
Personally, I can't wait until it does. I'll but one.
As for games, I have no idea. I never play them, except to say that if you try to sell a game console as a PC, it will wind up biting you in the ass a short time later; Here in Japan, Game consoles were sold as "famicon" a few years back, the word being a bastardization of "Family Computer". Personally, I think that marketing a quickly-outdated game console as a computer soured a lot of people on the idea that a computer is a useful thing to have in your home. It still hasn't recovered here. Lots of people just don't have a PC. They use their cellphones for messaging and email and some web browsing and are satisfied.
Over here, at least, if you want to add a box to someone's house, you've got to replace three others.
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo