The new guidelines: No night launches for the foreseeable future. So they can see any stuff that falls off better. A revamping of mission management from the ground after a shuttle crew takes off. So when bad stuff happens, someone actually does something about it. Jettisoning the external tank during orbital daylight. So they can see any stuff that falls off better. And under consideration: Limiting shuttles to flights to the International Space Station or the Hubble Space Telescope. So they can see any stuff that has fallen off better and so they have a place to stay when bad stuff happens. Keeping a second shuttle on standby when a sister ship launches. So when bad stuff happens and someone actually does something about it there's a way home.
To me it seems like most of these new guidelines are things that should have been taken care of before any accidents happened. Did you know that foam has fallen off the "bipod" of the shuttle's tank "on at least six other shuttle missions." Why was nothing done about this previosly? Hopefully now they'll be willing to put the extra effort (read money) in that it will take to make space flights safe(r)
Here's a little synopsis for those not born when this came out: Kenneth Johnson's brilliant 1983 mini-series takes Nazi Germany to a global scale. A group of aliens calling themselves "The Visitors" have come to Earth asking for aid for what they say is a peaceful mission. It doesn't take long for some humans to discover that they're really a race of lizard creatures intent on taking our water and using humans for food. After gaining public trust, the Visitors begin to seize control by manufacturing a conspiracy involving scientists who, like the Jews a half-century before, find themselves ostracized by the public and hunted.
Well, with the amount of time they're taking I would certainly hope it would be as good;)
But seriously though, they have this to say on the subject: As the Ogg Vorbis format has gained acceptance, components have become available to play Ogg files on practically all of the major media players. We expect a similar if not superior level of support for Ogg Theora.
Yeah, it was supposed to go beta 2-3 months ago...: Ogg Theora was scheduled to go Beta (that means the bitstream is locked down, and all features are represented) in March of 2003. Obviously, that's slipped. Alpha 2 is going to be released shortly; but please remember that until Beta, there is no promise that files you encode will be supported in the final release.
But when will Theora be done you ask?
From the site: We nominally expect to be finished by the end of 2003. VP3 is a very mature video codec, so most of our effort is going into the Theora project.
I think there's more to it than just some support and a 5 year lifetime... Enterprise addition will support many things that the other versions do not: 2 CPU's & massive amounts of memory for example
Well, I can't really say that this surprises me and as much as it may suck that my cable bill would go up, at least the money is going to some somewhat good causes:
About 85 percent of the fund's revenues are split between two causes: the "e-rate" program (40 percent), which subsidizes school and library Internet connections, and rural telephone companies (45 percent), which might otherwise end up paying more for telephone service than city dwellers. The remaining 15 percent goes toward discounts to low-income subscribers and funds rural health care.
From the "Plums" page: You can see each story 10-20 minutes before it goes "live." (Assuming we posted it that far in advance, which usually we do.) Look for the red titlebar and a timestamp from "The Mysterious Future." More information is available in this story.
I may be a little off with my years but even though 50%+ had TV's by the 50's, radio was still highly popular. Furthermore, during those times, tv stations didn't even have enough programming to fill up all of their time slots so what do you think people did when there was literally nothing on the TV?
Sounds like a good idea, but I don't see this catching on to the extent that Tivo has even if they do make the improvements suggested in the article. There's just too much of a lack of quality radio programming these days for me to ever consider buying one of these.
Would've been cool to have in the 1950's-60's though when families used to gather around the radio rather than a TV set.
I am starting to get a bad taste in my mouth about the amount of effort that some of my professors are putting forward in my courses
I'm sure we've all had professors in our day that have been sub par. That is when you must take it upon yourself to learn the material on your own. In my opinion a professor should only be used as a back-up tool for your own learning... no matter how good or bad the professor might be.
As for the friends, with the advent of internet bsed multiplayer games friends are not require, but it is more fun if you are playing someone you know.
Sorry, I should have been more clear about that... I was referring to the part about lan parties (gotta have friends to throw one of those:)
In it, I use interviews from a LAN party I went to in Brighton to try to address the main pre-conceptions people have about gamers
I think it would be more productive to interview non-gamers to address these pre-conceptions but as a gamer, here are my thoughts on this:
Being a gamer I'd have to agree with many pre-conceptions people have about us in most cases... There are however exceptions and not everyone falls into the category of geek, nerd or loser (as those are probably the most common pre-conceptions people have about gamers).
As for the anti-social part, it is and it isn't. Gotta have friends to play with but often that's the extent of one's activities.
And finally the unproductive use of time: Well, it may be less productive than say...building a house but if you're doing something you enjoy I don't see how you can be going wrong... at least gaming takes some thought and skill unlike some other forms of entertainment.
Will there be a part of this law that states the $1 can't be paid until the 50 years is up or almost up or can it be paid in advance... like $5 now for the next 250 years?
A sentimental favorite, The Cuckoo's Egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. Still, even several years after its initial publication and after much imitation, the book remains a good read with an engaging story line and a critical outlook, as Clifford Stoll becomes, almost unwillingly, a one-man security force trying to track down faceless criminals who've invaded the university computer lab he stewards. What first appears as a 75-cent accounting error in a computer log is eventually revealed to be a ring of industrial espionage, primarily thanks to Stoll's persistence and intellectual tenacity.
they generaly will want you to recable direct to the cable modem (as if that will magically give you an IP when their DHCP server is down).
You obviously have never worked for a cable company before. I hate to be the one to break it to you but 9.8/10 people that call in are completely computer illiterate. After speaking with 100 or so of these people in a row day after day, you begin to assume the person on the other end doesn't know what they're doing because most of the time they don't and most of the time bypassing their router does fix the problem. God forbid the technician tries the most common fix first.
Slashdot Mirror
The new guidelines:
No night launches for the foreseeable future.
So they can see any stuff that falls off better.
A revamping of mission management from the ground after a shuttle crew takes off.
So when bad stuff happens, someone actually does something about it.
Jettisoning the external tank during orbital daylight.
So they can see any stuff that falls off better.
And under consideration:
Limiting shuttles to flights to the International Space Station or the Hubble Space Telescope.
So they can see any stuff that has fallen off better and so they have a place to stay when bad stuff happens.
Keeping a second shuttle on standby when a sister ship launches.
So when bad stuff happens and someone actually does something about it there's a way home.
To me it seems like most of these new guidelines are things that should have been taken care of before any accidents happened. Did you know that foam has fallen off the "bipod" of the shuttle's tank "on at least six other shuttle missions." Why was nothing done about this previosly?
Hopefully now they'll be willing to put the extra effort (read money) in that it will take to make space flights safe(r)
Finally my other hand is free to do *ahem* other things :D
This thing has Darwin Award written all over it
Here's a little synopsis for those not born when this came out:
Kenneth Johnson's brilliant 1983 mini-series takes Nazi Germany to a global scale. A group of aliens calling themselves "The Visitors" have come to Earth asking for aid for what they say is a peaceful mission. It doesn't take long for some humans to discover that they're really a race of lizard creatures intent on taking our water and using humans for food. After gaining public trust, the Visitors begin to seize control by manufacturing a conspiracy involving scientists who, like the Jews a half-century before, find themselves ostracized by the public and hunted.
...Unfortunately their count was thrown off a bit during the early Pentium years... They've really only shipped 999,999,999.999239230823 processors
Well, with the amount of time they're taking I would certainly hope it would be as good ;)
But seriously though, they have this to say on the subject: As the Ogg Vorbis format has gained acceptance, components have become available to play Ogg files on practically all of the major media players. We expect a similar if not superior level of support for Ogg Theora.
Yeah, it was supposed to go beta 2-3 months ago...:
Ogg Theora was scheduled to go Beta (that means the bitstream is locked down, and all features are represented) in March of 2003. Obviously, that's slipped. Alpha 2 is going to be released shortly; but please remember that until Beta, there is no promise that files you encode will be supported in the final release.
But when will Theora be done you ask?
From the site: We nominally expect to be finished by the end of 2003. VP3 is a very mature video codec, so most of our effort is going into the Theora project.
I think there's more to it than just some support and a 5 year lifetime... Enterprise addition will support many things that the other versions do not: 2 CPU's & massive amounts of memory for example
Well, I can't really say that this surprises me and as much as it may suck that my cable bill would go up, at least the money is going to some somewhat good causes:
About 85 percent of the fund's revenues are split between two causes: the "e-rate" program (40 percent), which subsidizes school and library Internet connections, and rural telephone companies (45 percent), which might otherwise end up paying more for telephone service than city dwellers. The remaining 15 percent goes toward discounts to low-income subscribers and funds rural health care.
Don't forget about the whole Id Software team for Doom III ...but at least they have a tentative release date
From the "Plums" page:
You can see each story 10-20 minutes before it goes "live." (Assuming we posted it that far in advance, which usually we do.) Look for the red titlebar and a timestamp from "The Mysterious Future." More information is available in this story.
...and in other news, Unemployment hits 9 year high
Am I the only one drooling over this monitor?
I may be a little off with my years but even though 50%+ had TV's by the 50's, radio was still highly popular. Furthermore, during those times, tv stations didn't even have enough programming to fill up all of their time slots so what do you think people did when there was literally nothing on the TV?
What, no Howard Stern on your list? :p
Sounds like a good idea, but I don't see this catching on to the extent that Tivo has even if they do make the improvements suggested in the article.
There's just too much of a lack of quality radio programming these days for me to ever consider buying one of these.
Would've been cool to have in the 1950's-60's though when families used to gather around the radio rather than a TV set.
I am starting to get a bad taste in my mouth about the amount of effort that some of my professors are putting forward in my courses
I'm sure we've all had professors in our day that have been sub par. That is when you must take it upon yourself to learn the material on your own. In my opinion a professor should only be used as a back-up tool for your own learning... no matter how good or bad the professor might be.
As for the friends, with the advent of internet bsed multiplayer games friends are not require, but it is more fun if you are playing someone you know.
:)
Sorry, I should have been more clear about that... I was referring to the part about lan parties (gotta have friends to throw one of those
In it, I use interviews from a LAN party I went to in Brighton to try to address the main pre-conceptions people have about gamers
I think it would be more productive to interview non-gamers to address these pre-conceptions but as a gamer, here are my thoughts on this:
Being a gamer I'd have to agree with many pre-conceptions people have about us in
most cases... There are however exceptions and not everyone falls into the category of geek, nerd or loser (as those are probably the most common pre-conceptions people have about gamers).
As for the anti-social part, it is and it isn't. Gotta have friends to play with but often that's the extent of one's activities.
And finally the unproductive use of time: Well, it may be less productive than say...building a house but if you're doing something you enjoy I don't see how you can be going wrong... at least gaming takes some thought and skill unlike some other forms of entertainment.
...and how about advanced payments?
Will there be a part of this law that states the $1 can't be paid until the 50 years is up or almost up or can it be paid in advance... like $5 now for the next 250 years?
Try "The Cuckoo's Egg" by Clifford Stoll
Linky
A sentimental favorite, The Cuckoo's Egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. Still, even several years after its initial publication and after much imitation, the book remains a good read with an engaging story line and a critical outlook, as Clifford Stoll becomes, almost unwillingly, a one-man security force trying to track down faceless criminals who've invaded the university computer lab he stewards. What first appears as a 75-cent accounting error in a computer log is eventually revealed to be a ring of industrial espionage, primarily thanks to Stoll's persistence and intellectual tenacity.
Do you get to send the winner a photocopy of your ass when you lose?
they generaly will want you to recable direct to the cable modem (as if that will magically give you an IP when their DHCP server is down).
You obviously have never worked for a cable company before.
I hate to be the one to break it to you but 9.8/10 people that call in are completely computer illiterate. After speaking with 100 or so of these people in a row day after day, you begin to assume the person on the other end doesn't know what they're doing because most of the time they don't and most of the time bypassing their router does fix the problem.
God forbid the technician tries the most common fix first.
Yep, here's the slashdot article
I hope everyone knows enough not to click on that link.
You have been warned.