For me, random access is a major part of what makes DVD a nice format. "Instant" chapter selection is a real boon, especially on material which is naturally episodic, such as a season's worth of a TV series.
Or those pr0n videos where every chapter is a different scene;)
I understand that they're not pre-fab robots. But I've read a fair bit of the material and looked at the results of the competition. The robots are all pretty much variations on the theme. A heavy base with an extendible arm and using a pincer to manipulate objects.
I agree with the point about motors and wires. But I question the inclusion of wheels in the kit. I think encouraging creativity is more important than solving the problem. Sure the most creative robot might not win, but it starts a thought process in tangent to normal thought and THAT might be the next great advance in robotics. A longer time to build and a simulator program to test a great many designs would foster more creativity. The wide variety of robots created for more free-form competitions speak for themselves. I just wish they could get the kind of mindshare that FIRST does.
Oops, I guess you're not a creative engineer. My point was to give them access to resources which would allow them to break the model of "whoever studies what the previous winning teams did and improves on it the most wins" into "whoever designs the best robot, original or not, wins." But since you chose to ignore my main point and started the whole thing with a personal attack, you can just FOAD.
I'm not really sure I agree with that. Admitedly, forcing them to completely re-engineer the parts they are given and come up with a new design in the alloted time is unrealistic. But if a team is allowed to start completely from scratch? No kits, no pre-fab parts? Just a machine shop and Radio Shack, breadboard their designs and do away with most of the size/weight restrictions(within reason). I bet we'd see some great innovation. Perhaps walking robots instead of the old theme of the triangular base and extendible pincer. I'd rather see the robot kit done away with and the money and energy put into a robotic design software package to allow people to try a lot of _new_ designs before they head down to the machine shop.
When I first heard of this program and I heard that students could design their own robots, I imagined spider-legged robots with either vacuum based tubes for the years when they use balls, or conveyor belts for the years when they use innertubes, that would do away with the need for tactile sensors and the tricky programming needed to maintain just the right amount of pressure and simplify that aspect of the robot's design. This would allow for more and more creative ways of handling the mobility and terrain sensing issues. Some kind of laser sensor like a barcode reader for direction and proximity alert. Maybe even a form of sonar.
We need to stop crippling the next generation's imaginations. Do away with all these kits and pre-fab solutions. Teach them the principles of mechanical and electronic engineering and don't teach them any design methodologies beyond the basics. We'd probably be amazed at how advanced their solutions would be.
Even though my company owns several E10K machines, I do most of my work on a E450. So that's what I read up on. Check out this blurb from http://www.reviewboard.com/Section/Cover/SunE450 All in all these tests have shown us that the Linux software/Sun hardware is a very viable solution, usefull specialy when you run a Linux based shop, while still requiring the I/O performance and stability the Sun hardware can provide you. Most customers however will likely stick to the Sun Solaris platform, but its allways good to have options.
Now all I need to do is get one of these for the house. *Shaking Piggybank* Well, it'll be a while I guess.
But you're missing a vital point. To find out if a commercial product contains GPLed code, you first have to do some sort of reverse-engineering on it. This is rapidly becoming very illegal. Pretty soon it will probably be illegal to even posess a copy of "strings". This is a point which needs to be brought up more in defense of reverse-engineering toolkits.
From the TOS
7.1.2 post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, indecent, profane, hateful, bigoted or otherwise objectionable information of any kind, including without limitation any transmissions, constituting or encouraging, conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international law, including without limitation U.S. export control laws and regulations;
Yea!!! Now we can TOS/. trolls! As long as the Religious Right(properly pronounced "Dogmatic Wrong") are in control of the lawmaking in the US and sodomy remains illegal, we can TOS people for linking to goatse.cx!
I'm sorry, but when I sit down to read a news article, I expect it to educate me and not spread propaganda or FUD. Look at this excerpt from the article
The smackdown cometh. When U.S. Judge Thomas Penfieldd Jackson rules against Microsoft
Since when did respectable reporters use the phrase "smackdown cometh"? I expect this type of shoddy journalism with no regard to anything but sensationalism from Slashdot. But I'd like my real news sources to have a little dignity. Is that too much to ask?
I intend for SMT to be an integral part of my daily life from here on. I just can't spend a day without thinking of all those beautiful babes doing all those naughty things... Oh, and you've done your usual crappy job of editing, there's supposed to be a U in that word.
The things are huge. If a consumer picked up a copy of a software license at their local Best Buy and read it before they bought it, no one would ever buy software. Now we can simply click right through those annoying legal things and play our games. It's one of the worst things happening in computing today and I hope it's legality is finally decided on. I'm pretty sure how it will turn out.
Geoff McCabe, a 32-year-old jewelry designer from Seattle, wanted a cheap place where his wife could post a few photos online. He found Page Creators with a search engine, and signed up for an "unlimited" package advertised at $15 a month. For a few months, he was billed as expected. But then, last November 13th, he received a three-line invoice from Page Creators by e-mail:
"Usage: 9057kbp/s, Debited: $9057, Due $0. Please let us know if you have any questions about these charges. Thank you for your business!"
His wife e-mailed the company to let them know there had been a mistake.
Page Creators responded that the charges were in accordance with the contract "$1 per 1kbp/s" in "usage."
McCabe ran the traffic tracking program provided for the website. He couldn't make out anything about Kbps, but he did see that the site had received a grand total of 48 hits all year.
After subsequent requests for clarifying documentation failed to bear fruit, the McCabes informed Page Creators that they had disputed the charge with their credit card company and threatened to report the company for fraud.
PC's response:
"Do as you wish, we have proof of your usage and will take it to the maximum extent needed. Check with the Attorney General of Minnesota, you will see our point. We will also provide Visa/MasterCard with the proper documentation. There is a fee of $150 per disputed charge which will be handled in small claims court in Minnesota. We will immediately file claim for suit if you dispute these charges with your credit card company."
Others report receiving similar threats of litigation when they questioned charges.
McCabe was incensed.
"This kid literally dared me to call the attorney general because he thinks he's untouchable. I've now made it my personal hobby to get him brought to justice."
...
Travis Gochenaur, a 23-year-old from Wisconsin who says Page Creators attempted to hit him with over $7,000 in illegitimate charges, wonders why the company hasn't been shut down. Last April, Gochenaur signed up for PC's "monthly special" that offered Web hosting for just $200 a year. In June, Gochenaur says he received a cryptic "invoice" from Kruchten saying he was being charged $1,000 for.8 Kbps in bandwidth overuse. He disputed the charge with his credit card company and cancelled his card.
"It felt like there was a little kid using my credit card like a candy jar," he said.
After gathering his evidence, Gochenaur called the Alexandria police and sent them his evidence. Eventually, they informed him that they were passing the case on the state attorney general. Four months later, he can't believe that Page Creators is still operating.
So Wired couldn't touch them. But fifteen seconds into their Slashdotting, they're off the web and probably going to be sucessfully sued by the people whose webpages they are no longer able to serve. Interesting.
The point is that 2.5 million people, between them, have been running their computers collectively for half a million years. Doesn't matter whether this was on 8088s or top-of-the-range z80s, the owners' computers were running, in total, for that time. This is, IMO, a phenomenal achievement.
I kind of disagree. With 2.5 million users, and Seti@Home being around for a couple years now, that's a lot of time people AREN'T running the screensaver. Let's say over a period of one year, at 2 million users. They've been around longer than that, and they've gotten more users, but let's just use those numbers. So, that's two million years worth of potential computing time and they've racked up half a million years of actual computing time. So each person is dedicating less than 1/4 of their potential computing time to the project. That's an average of six hours a day. Most people sleep more than that and you can't tell me, no matter how much time the average slashdotter spends on their computer, that most people are on their computer 18 hours a day.
No, SETI@Home isn't getting very high marks in the dedication department. More people would rather turn their PC off than allow it to run overnight to help out SETI.
Of course since the largest group of SETI@Home contributers are running Windows I guess we should forgive their poor uptimes.
I'm afraid of what these companies are really trying to do. The whole bent of the story isn't how third world countries are developing their own tech industries, they're simply learning how to do simple tech tasks from the GeekCorps. This helps create a new semi-skilled labor force. When they need people to crunch some html, they can establish the digital equivelent of sweatshops in these countries.
Think I'm being paranoid? Ever seen the sweatshops in Tiajuana? "Assembled in Mexico" is becoming a regular label on many goods sold in the US.
I'm sorry. At this time I am unable to endorse Mr. Durden for President. As the recent election has shown, Americans have enough difficulty deciding between discrete candidates. To add to the difficulty of Candidate A versus Candidate B, to have an Candidate who is both C AND D at different times, I'm afraid that would confuse the issue too much. So, I reiterate, I cannot, in good conscience, endorse Tyler Durden at this time. Thank you for your attention, we now return to your regularly scheduled flamewar.
You never thought it would happen. But the answer to annoying pop-up windows and continually interrupting ads which switch you from page to page is Microsoft!
Think about it. How many times have you opened a "Free Pr0n" link and had it spawn half a dozen other windows like "CmdrTaco Nude!" "Hemos getting nailed!" et al. only to have your system Blue Screen of Death with a Page Fault.
Not even Joe Sixpack will stand for continual re-boots.
Yes people, the future is here, better living and less commercialization through crappy software.
"Microsoft: Where do you want to go today, Oh, I'm sorry, that page popped up two more windows and now I'm going to Page Fault. Enjoy our BSOD!"
Hmm, I apologize for the confusion. I guess it would have been clearer if I had said "I'm not sure I'd trust Google with this type of information any more than I'd trust Amazon."
?!? I never said Alexa was Amazon. I know they're linked on the business end, but they have their own management. As for it being run by geeks, well, geeks will buckle under either court orders or when they see their kids going hungry after not making any money. Once the information is out of the hands of people I would trust, I am at risk of being spammed to death. Since this archive of user traffic is permanent, and since I can't see the future uses it may be put to, I'd rather err on the side of caution. Even if it means being disrespectful to people who wouldn't abuse my trust if they had another choice or missing out on the latest and coolest toy.
Steven
Re:I know I'll be modded down, but bear with me he
on
Warez and Abandonware
·
· Score: 2
Didn't we have a litte war to settle the issue of whether one has the "right to secede"?
Now that's an interesting point. Here is how it worked. The southern states seceded. The northern states said "You can't do that." The souther states said, "We just did." The north said "If we can kick your ass, then that means you didn't." The south said "If we can kick your ass, that means we did." Well, the north kicked the south's ass. That means the south didn't secede right? Well, after the war the north imposed all these laws upon the south to "reform" them and "Reconstruct" the Union. Many of these laws were unfair and the south protested them. "We are states damn it, we don't want to be steamrolled like this." And the north answered "You aren't states, you seceded."
Hmm, didn't we fight a war saying it's imposible to secede? Didn't that war establish that secession is impossible? If so, how could they impose these laws upon member states?
Answer. The people in power make the rules. That's why we need the second ammendment.
Slashdot Mirror
For me, random access is a major part of what makes DVD a nice format. "Instant" chapter selection is a real boon, especially on material which is naturally episodic, such as a season's worth of a TV series.
;)
Or those pr0n videos where every chapter is a different scene
Steven
I understand that they're not pre-fab robots. But I've read a fair bit of the material and looked at the results of the competition. The robots are all pretty much variations on the theme. A heavy base with an extendible arm and using a pincer to manipulate objects.
I agree with the point about motors and wires. But I question the inclusion of wheels in the kit. I think encouraging creativity is more important than solving the problem. Sure the most creative robot might not win, but it starts a thought process in tangent to normal thought and THAT might be the next great advance in robotics. A longer time to build and a simulator program to test a great many designs would foster more creativity. The wide variety of robots created for more free-form competitions speak for themselves. I just wish they could get the kind of mindshare that FIRST does.
Steven
Oops, I guess you're not a creative engineer. My point was to give them access to resources which would allow them to break the model of "whoever studies what the previous winning teams did and improves on it the most wins" into "whoever designs the best robot, original or not, wins." But since you chose to ignore my main point and started the whole thing with a personal attack, you can just FOAD.
Steven
I'm not really sure I agree with that. Admitedly, forcing them to completely re-engineer the parts they are given and come up with a new design in the alloted time is unrealistic. But if a team is allowed to start completely from scratch? No kits, no pre-fab parts? Just a machine shop and Radio Shack, breadboard their designs and do away with most of the size/weight restrictions(within reason). I bet we'd see some great innovation. Perhaps walking robots instead of the old theme of the triangular base and extendible pincer. I'd rather see the robot kit done away with and the money and energy put into a robotic design software package to allow people to try a lot of _new_ designs before they head down to the machine shop.
When I first heard of this program and I heard that students could design their own robots, I imagined spider-legged robots with either vacuum based tubes for the years when they use balls, or conveyor belts for the years when they use innertubes, that would do away with the need for tactile sensors and the tricky programming needed to maintain just the right amount of pressure and simplify that aspect of the robot's design. This would allow for more and more creative ways of handling the mobility and terrain sensing issues. Some kind of laser sensor like a barcode reader for direction and proximity alert. Maybe even a form of sonar.
We need to stop crippling the next generation's imaginations. Do away with all these kits and pre-fab solutions. Teach them the principles of mechanical and electronic engineering and don't teach them any design methodologies beyond the basics. We'd probably be amazed at how advanced their solutions would be.
Steven
But this competition is remote controlled. Check it out. Wireless controls, wired controls, joysticks, etc.
Steven
Even though my company owns several E10K machines, I do most of my work on a E450. So that's what I read up on. Check out this blurb from http://www.reviewboard.com/Section/Cover/SunE450
All in all these tests have shown us that the Linux software/Sun hardware is a very viable solution, usefull specialy when you run a Linux based shop, while still requiring the I/O performance and stability the Sun hardware can provide you. Most customers however will likely stick to the Sun Solaris platform, but its allways good to have options.
Now all I need to do is get one of these for the house. *Shaking Piggybank* Well, it'll be a while I guess.
Steven
But you're missing a vital point. To find out if a commercial product contains GPLed code, you first have to do some sort of reverse-engineering on it. This is rapidly becoming very illegal. Pretty soon it will probably be illegal to even posess a copy of "strings". This is a point which needs to be brought up more in defense of reverse-engineering toolkits.
Steven
Slashdotters: CowboyNeal! CowboyNeal! CowboyNeal!
DSF Internet: No, please! No more!
Slashdotters: We will say CowboyNeal to you again if you do not appease us.
DSF Internet: You are most gracious oh Slashdotters. What must we do?
Slashdotters: You must release the source for your instant messager or re-write your own without any GPLed code.
DSF Internet: Oh yes, gracious Slashdotters. It shall be done.
Slashdotters: And then you must take down the largest corporation in the world. With.....A HERRING!!!!
Steven
From the TOS
/. trolls! As long as the Religious Right(properly pronounced "Dogmatic Wrong") are in control of the lawmaking in the US and sodomy remains illegal, we can TOS people for linking to goatse.cx!
7.1.2 post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, indecent, profane, hateful, bigoted or otherwise objectionable information of any kind, including without limitation any transmissions, constituting or encouraging, conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international law, including without limitation U.S. export control laws and regulations;
Yea!!! Now we can TOS
Steven
You BASTARDS!!
Steven
I'm sorry, but when I sit down to read a news article, I expect it to educate me and not spread propaganda or FUD. Look at this excerpt from the article
The smackdown cometh. When U.S. Judge Thomas Penfieldd Jackson rules against Microsoft
Since when did respectable reporters use the phrase "smackdown cometh"? I expect this type of shoddy journalism with no regard to anything but sensationalism from Slashdot. But I'd like my real news sources to have a little dignity. Is that too much to ask?
Steven
I intend for SMT to be an integral part of my daily life from here on. I just can't spend a day without thinking of all those beautiful babes doing all those naughty things... Oh, and you've done your usual crappy job of editing, there's supposed to be a U in that word.
Steven
and that's just one guys page. That's without even borrowing bandwidth from any other user's accounts. Damn, I want a DSL line like THAT one.
Steven
The things are huge. If a consumer picked up a copy of a software license at their local Best Buy and read it before they bought it, no one would ever buy software. Now we can simply click right through those annoying legal things and play our games. It's one of the worst things happening in computing today and I hope it's legality is finally decided on. I'm pretty sure how it will turn out.
Steven
Geoff McCabe, a 32-year-old jewelry designer from Seattle, wanted a cheap place where his wife could post a few photos online. He found Page Creators with a search engine, and signed up for an "unlimited" package advertised at $15 a month. For a few months, he was billed as expected. But then, last November 13th, he received a three-line invoice from Page Creators by e-mail:
.8 Kbps in bandwidth overuse. He disputed the charge with his credit card company and cancelled his card.
"Usage: 9057kbp/s, Debited: $9057, Due $0. Please let us know if you have any questions about these charges. Thank you for your business!"
His wife e-mailed the company to let them know there had been a mistake.
Page Creators responded that the charges were in accordance with the contract "$1 per 1kbp/s" in "usage."
McCabe ran the traffic tracking program provided for the website. He couldn't make out anything about Kbps, but he did see that the site had received a grand total of 48 hits all year.
After subsequent requests for clarifying documentation failed to bear fruit, the McCabes informed Page Creators that they had disputed the charge with their credit card company and threatened to report the company for fraud.
PC's response:
"Do as you wish, we have proof of your usage and will take it to the maximum extent needed. Check with the Attorney General of Minnesota, you will see our point. We will also provide Visa/MasterCard with the proper documentation. There is a fee of $150 per disputed charge which will be handled in small claims court in Minnesota. We will immediately file claim for suit if you dispute these charges with your credit card company."
Others report receiving similar threats of litigation when they questioned charges.
McCabe was incensed.
"This kid literally dared me to call the attorney general because he thinks he's untouchable. I've now made it my personal hobby to get him brought to justice."
...
Travis Gochenaur, a 23-year-old from Wisconsin who says Page Creators attempted to hit him with over $7,000 in illegitimate charges, wonders why the company hasn't been shut down. Last April, Gochenaur signed up for PC's "monthly special" that offered Web hosting for just $200 a year. In June, Gochenaur says he received a cryptic "invoice" from Kruchten saying he was being charged $1,000 for
"It felt like there was a little kid using my credit card like a candy jar," he said.
After gathering his evidence, Gochenaur called the Alexandria police and sent them his evidence. Eventually, they informed him that they were passing the case on the state attorney general. Four months later, he can't believe that Page Creators is still operating.
So Wired couldn't touch them. But fifteen seconds into their Slashdotting, they're off the web and probably going to be sucessfully sued by the people whose webpages they are no longer able to serve. Interesting.
Steven
The point is that 2.5 million people, between them, have been running their computers collectively for half a million years. Doesn't matter whether this was on 8088s or top-of-the-range z80s, the owners' computers were running, in total, for that time. This is, IMO, a phenomenal achievement.
I kind of disagree. With 2.5 million users, and Seti@Home being around for a couple years now, that's a lot of time people AREN'T running the screensaver. Let's say over a period of one year, at 2 million users. They've been around longer than that, and they've gotten more users, but let's just use those numbers. So, that's two million years worth of potential computing time and they've racked up half a million years of actual computing time. So each person is dedicating less than 1/4 of their potential computing time to the project. That's an average of six hours a day. Most people sleep more than that and you can't tell me, no matter how much time the average slashdotter spends on their computer, that most people are on their computer 18 hours a day.
No, SETI@Home isn't getting very high marks in the dedication department. More people would rather turn their PC off than allow it to run overnight to help out SETI.
Of course since the largest group of SETI@Home contributers are running Windows I guess we should forgive their poor uptimes.
Steven
Nitpick. SETI is the Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence not life. We know there is/was life on other planets. Intelligence is more interesting.
Steven
I'm afraid of what these companies are really trying to do. The whole bent of the story isn't how third world countries are developing their own tech industries, they're simply learning how to do simple tech tasks from the GeekCorps. This helps create a new semi-skilled labor force. When they need people to crunch some html, they can establish the digital equivelent of sweatshops in these countries.
Think I'm being paranoid? Ever seen the sweatshops in Tiajuana? "Assembled in Mexico" is becoming a regular label on many goods sold in the US.
Steven
Tyler Durden for President!
I'm sorry. At this time I am unable to endorse Mr. Durden for President. As the recent election has shown, Americans have enough difficulty deciding between discrete candidates. To add to the difficulty of Candidate A versus Candidate B, to have an Candidate who is both C AND D at different times, I'm afraid that would confuse the issue too much. So, I reiterate, I cannot, in good conscience, endorse Tyler Durden at this time. Thank you for your attention, we now return to your regularly scheduled flamewar.
Steven
You never thought it would happen. But the answer to annoying pop-up windows and continually interrupting ads which switch you from page to page is Microsoft!
Think about it. How many times have you opened a "Free Pr0n" link and had it spawn half a dozen other windows like "CmdrTaco Nude!" "Hemos getting nailed!" et al. only to have your system Blue Screen of Death with a Page Fault.
Not even Joe Sixpack will stand for continual re-boots.
Yes people, the future is here, better living and less commercialization through crappy software.
"Microsoft: Where do you want to go today, Oh, I'm sorry, that page popped up two more windows and now I'm going to Page Fault. Enjoy our BSOD!"
Steven
Yea, I guess it takes people a little while to realize. Shoeboy only posts anonymously when none of his other accounts have mod points.
Hmm, I apologize for the confusion. I guess it would have been clearer if I had said "I'm not sure I'd trust Google with this type of information any more than I'd trust Amazon."
Steven
I'd like your reasoning please.
Steven
?!? I never said Alexa was Amazon. I know they're linked on the business end, but they have their own management. As for it being run by geeks, well, geeks will buckle under either court orders or when they see their kids going hungry after not making any money. Once the information is out of the hands of people I would trust, I am at risk of being spammed to death. Since this archive of user traffic is permanent, and since I can't see the future uses it may be put to, I'd rather err on the side of caution. Even if it means being disrespectful to people who wouldn't abuse my trust if they had another choice or missing out on the latest and coolest toy.
Steven
Didn't we have a litte war to settle the issue of whether one has the "right to secede"?
Now that's an interesting point. Here is how it worked. The southern states seceded. The northern states said "You can't do that." The souther states said, "We just did." The north said "If we can kick your ass, then that means you didn't." The south said "If we can kick your ass, that means we did." Well, the north kicked the south's ass. That means the south didn't secede right? Well, after the war the north imposed all these laws upon the south to "reform" them and "Reconstruct" the Union. Many of these laws were unfair and the south protested them. "We are states damn it, we don't want to be steamrolled like this." And the north answered "You aren't states, you seceded."
Hmm, didn't we fight a war saying it's imposible to secede? Didn't that war establish that secession is impossible? If so, how could they impose these laws upon member states?
Answer. The people in power make the rules. That's why we need the second ammendment.
Steven