I don't think weight would have as much to do with the likelihood of being blown around as aerodynamics. A big, flat, empty trailer would get pushed around by wind fairly easily.
And there are plenty of cars that don't weight much more than a metro. So unless there is some other special quality of the metro that makes it susceptible to being blown off this particular bridge, I doubt it's true.
You're probably kidding anyways, I'm just remarkably unable to detect when people are kidding:) -- that's why people should use those more often:) ---
Your sports car cost more to insure because it is a sports car.
The primary cost of insurance is not based on how safe it is for your ego-centric self, it is based on liability for harm to others in an accident. Yes, most collision are not into brick walls they are into other people!
Get your head out off your ass. Look at other people's posts. Nobody is saying that SUVs fare better into crashes into brick walls (although, they probably would as they would likely go through it with less crumpling than a car). ---
It's not that they're too bright, it's that they're too high up. So when an SUV is too close behind (as usual) the lights will shine straight into the mirror. ---
Well, technically, with the ads and the whole VA/andover thing, they shouldn't be using slashdot.org anymore. We should all get used to typing slashdot.com so we know what to do when the DNS police show up at Rob's door. ---
In fact, that bit that starts out "Somewhere in the future.." doesn't even make sense in the context of the rest of the article.
And besides, I believe there are classical algorithms that are just as hard to break via quantum algorithms as by classical methods.
I think we would see quantum computing coming from a long ways away and the industry would migrate to a less susceptible protocol fairly quickly. Besides which, at first, I doubt it would be very cheap to own or operate, I don't think too many people are concerned if the NSA happens to see their credit card number from their last Amazon.com order. Unless, of course, the NSA becomes desperately short on funds. ---
Haven't the anonymous software experts thought that their quantum computers will also allow for the existence of encryption systems far more sophisticated than those in existence today?
Quantum computers can facilitate perfectly secure communications (even key exchange) with man-in-the-middle detection via polarized light.
Some basic information on quantum computers is available at this link.
Basically, quantum computers could be good at cracking rsa encryption because of their exponentially smaller time-space requirements in searching for a factorization. Here is Shor's famous paper on the subject..
Quantum computers are not just "faster" computers, they are a different beast altogether. Sometimes, they may act as infinitely parallel devices, and for other operations, they may be totally worthless. ---
Spending some time looking around sourceforge for interesting projects can be entertaining, but also an excercise in futility.
Certainly, there are a lot of very interesting sounding projects (like this one). But, about 95% of them are in the "planning" stage, 4% are in "pre-alpha" and only 1% actually got somewhere. The most accomplished project I saw was a map viewer/editor for blackisle games.
Anyways I think my point is that posting stories about vaporware someone turns up on sourceforge is a bit silly. For example, have you checked out Arianne RPG since its slashdot debut? About the only thing they got done is a new webpage. That story was posted like 3-5 months ago. ---
Ever get a "this circuit is busy" message on the phone? IP is more alike to modern telephone networks than you realize. Many (especially long distance) lines are packet switched virtual connections just like TCP/IP. Telephone and IP frequently both rely on packet protocols like X.25 and ATM.
The problem with TCP isn't because it is too slow, but because audio data is temporal. If a router went down somewhere for a few seconds, you don't want hear in fast-forward what the person was saying by the time it gets there. Audio packets have a time dependency after which it just doesn't matter. And as far as UDP, simple retransmission mechanisms are usually built in at the application level to deal with short-term packet loss and reordering.
The only big difference that pertains to your points is that the telephone networks typically have QOS contracts per connection that ensure that each connection will have the required bandwidth and latency needed, whereas internet does not have QOS or priority. ---
This is taken from a "help@idsoftware.com" finger from a long time ago (when finger actually made sense, unlike today where it's totally stupid because everyone and their grandmother has a web browser, and sites actually make money from web versions of finger clients../rant):
Status of QUAKE---Updated: Thu, Sep 1st 11:41am
This will not be out until sometime next summer. John now has a simple (slow) engine running. It uses converted DOOM maps and runs them with flats for textures. It looks REALLY cool. Ok, imagine this. You have a health thing and you don't need it. You meet someone in the game who has a nice weapon but is really low on health. You guys decide to exchange items. You don't really trust this guy so you bring along a friend and tell him to hide out somewhere with a bead on the other guy's head. You meet somewhere in the middle of a field and face off. You drop your health, he drops his weapon and you both strafe over the object of your desire. You start to back away (not turning your back on him) and suddenly decide you're going to whack this guy before he gets a chance to use that health. You move towards him and draw back with your hammer. He notices this and starts to duck, but it's too late. You smash him in the head and watch him fly down to the ground, landing on his side. You smash his still body a few more times and cause him to explode! Now you and your friend pick up all of the items your dead friend left on the ground. As you are walking off you pick up his severed head and put it in a bag. That will come in useful later... when you need something to sacrifice to a demon.
Oh yeah, that's quake. WTF? Tribes is the closest thing to that, what is this crap about putting a severed head in a bag though?:) ---
With only 64MB of RAM that is (?) shared with the GPU (that's the impression I get from the article..), it's going to be a trick to get PC-level stuff running on it. Textures will need to be mip-mapped so as not to stall the cache. At 32bpp to support the shading engine, that's going to be a lot of space to textures alone. I think the X-Box programmers have their work cut out for them. Simply porting a game released at the time when the X-Box is out to the X-Box from the then modern PC platform will be a real trick. At that time, most GPU's alone will 64MB, + ~256MB for the PC (depending on memory prices..). ---
NVIDIA is using its NV25 chipset for the X-Box. Being as NVIDIA is comprised of quite a few former SGI employees, their development and testing systems likely have quite a bit of an OpenGL flavor. There will be OpenGL support for the NV25 whether Microsoft likes it or not. Also, the NV25 will not be limited to use on the X-Box, it will be used for PCs as well.
Now, this isn't to say Microsoft will do everything it can to "encourage" the use of Direct3D instead... ---
This isn't really appropriate for games. There have been a lot of people here saying how it's too much overhead; in general, I disagree. But it is WAY too much overhead for games.
For starters, it's based on TCP. TCP is reliable, delivering an inorder stream of data. In addition it will ALWAYS retransmit lost packets, and has an exponential backoff/slow start that tries to avoid congestion. These are wholy inappropriate for gaming applications, where the state of the game is constantly and rapidly changing, and if a packet is lost, fuck it, it won't matter in 1.5 seconds anyways. The exponential backoff could really screw over a game with lag. In addition streaming is not necessary, data should not always be dependant on earlier data. If reliability or order is needed, it can be solved with a 1-byte sequence number, TCP is overkill.
XML is overkill. Most game packets are heavily compressed, and very minute. Usually, packets are stuck together and sent as ~400-1400 byte UDP packets. Formating game state data as an XML stream is not just inefficient, it's horribly stupid.
If a game needed to mutliplex channels, it could do it internally, or open multiple UDP ports.
Sadly, as far as games go, it will probably be just another way to get around corporate firewalls:) ---
Slashdot Mirror
Name: i_spade_ny
Passwd: slashdot
---
And there are plenty of cars that don't weight much more than a metro. So unless there is some other special quality of the metro that makes it susceptible to being blown off this particular bridge, I doubt it's true.
You're probably kidding anyways, I'm just remarkably unable to detect when people are kidding :) -- that's why people should use those more often :)
---
Dipshit.
---
Your sports car cost more to insure because it is a sports car.
The primary cost of insurance is not based on how safe it is for your ego-centric self, it is based on liability for harm to others in an accident. Yes, most collision are not into brick walls they are into other people!
Get your head out off your ass. Look at other people's posts. Nobody is saying that SUVs fare better into crashes into brick walls (although, they probably would as they would likely go through it with less crumpling than a car).
---
Yes, because the increased weight/decreased performance and the visibility hazards are a danger to others.
---
It's not that they're too bright, it's that they're too high up. So when an SUV is too close behind (as usual) the lights will shine straight into the mirror.
---
The correct link is poseur.4x4.org
---
...and I better change my sig :)
---
Well, technically, with the ads and the whole VA/andover thing, they shouldn't be using slashdot.org anymore. We should all get used to typing slashdot.com so we know what to do when the DNS police show up at Rob's door.
---
Perhaps the ZDNet ad sales people?
---
In fact, that bit that starts out "Somewhere in the future.." doesn't even make sense in the context of the rest of the article.
And besides, I believe there are classical algorithms that are just as hard to break via quantum algorithms as by classical methods.
I think we would see quantum computing coming from a long ways away and the industry would migrate to a less susceptible protocol fairly quickly. Besides which, at first, I doubt it would be very cheap to own or operate, I don't think too many people are concerned if the NSA happens to see their credit card number from their last Amazon.com order. Unless, of course, the NSA becomes desperately short on funds.
---
Quantum computers can facilitate perfectly secure communications (even key exchange) with man-in-the-middle detection via polarized light.
Some basic information on quantum computers is available at this link.
Basically, quantum computers could be good at cracking rsa encryption because of their exponentially smaller time-space requirements in searching for a factorization. Here is Shor's famous paper on the subject..
Quantum computers are not just "faster" computers, they are a different beast altogether. Sometimes, they may act as infinitely parallel devices, and for other operations, they may be totally worthless.
---
Seriously.
---
Certainly, there are a lot of very interesting sounding projects (like this one). But, about 95% of them are in the "planning" stage, 4% are in "pre-alpha" and only 1% actually got somewhere. The most accomplished project I saw was a map viewer/editor for blackisle games.
Anyways I think my point is that posting stories about vaporware someone turns up on sourceforge is a bit silly. For example, have you checked out Arianne RPG since its slashdot debut? About the only thing they got done is a new webpage. That story was posted like 3-5 months ago.
---
Frozen walt is an urban legend.
---
The problem with TCP isn't because it is too slow, but because audio data is temporal. If a router went down somewhere for a few seconds, you don't want hear in fast-forward what the person was saying by the time it gets there. Audio packets have a time dependency after which it just doesn't matter. And as far as UDP, simple retransmission mechanisms are usually built in at the application level to deal with short-term packet loss and reordering.
The only big difference that pertains to your points is that the telephone networks typically have QOS contracts per connection that ensure that each connection will have the required bandwidth and latency needed, whereas internet does not have QOS or priority.
---
Doh. My bad. I meant to as not to stall the TMU.
---
...impressing all the foreign grad students with Pokemon on your Palm: Priceless.
---
TCP packets are at least 40 bytes. :)
So that's a whopping 40k
Where'd you get 32 bits from?
---
Oh yeah, that's quake. WTF? Tribes is the closest thing to that, what is this crap about putting a severed head in a bag though? :)
---
If this proves truly inexpensive, it should make for some really great gimicky watches! I can't wait!!1!!!!1 :)
---
With only 64MB of RAM that is (?) shared with the GPU (that's the impression I get from the article..), it's going to be a trick to get PC-level stuff running on it. Textures will need to be mip-mapped so as not to stall the cache. At 32bpp to support the shading engine, that's going to be a lot of space to textures alone. I think the X-Box programmers have their work cut out for them. Simply porting a game released at the time when the X-Box is out to the X-Box from the then modern PC platform will be a real trick. At that time, most GPU's alone will 64MB, + ~256MB for the PC (depending on memory prices..).
---
Now, this isn't to say Microsoft will do everything it can to "encourage" the use of Direct3D instead...
---
Have you browsed slashdot in Lynx? It is terrible. Perhaps some effort could made for a more lynx-friendly slashdot? :)
---
- For starters, it's based on TCP. TCP is reliable, delivering an inorder stream of data. In addition it will ALWAYS retransmit lost packets, and has an exponential backoff/slow start that tries to avoid congestion. These are wholy inappropriate for gaming applications, where the state of the game is constantly and rapidly changing, and if a packet is lost, fuck it, it won't matter in 1.5 seconds anyways. The exponential backoff could really screw over a game with lag. In addition streaming is not necessary, data should not always be dependant on earlier data. If reliability or order is needed, it can be solved with a 1-byte sequence number, TCP is overkill.
- XML is overkill. Most game packets are heavily compressed, and very minute. Usually, packets are stuck together and sent as ~400-1400 byte UDP packets. Formating game state data as an XML stream is not just inefficient, it's horribly stupid.
- If a game needed to mutliplex channels, it could do it internally, or open multiple UDP ports.
Sadly, as far as games go, it will probably be just another way to get around corporate firewalls---