I bet that in 20 years, my tin can will still be holding soup, whereas your laptop will, at best, be sitting on a shelf in a museum.
Sometimes a simple device with fewer parts can be both less expensive and more reliable than the more expensive model. This is particularly true of some generations of the high end gaming laptops, dealing with heat issues in a small space. They were both quite expensive, and somewhat unreliable.
With net-books, the fact that they cost 1/4th of what a high end laptop would go for is a given. It's not a given that they would be less reliable - it's easy to cool a low clocked processor and video card - a well designed model might not need fans. Likewise a small, low resoltion display might not have as high a defect rate, and it's very reasonable to expect flash memory to be more reliable than a hard drive in typical use-case scenarios.
It's also not about quantity of bandwidth. Latency is not bandwidth capacity. You can have 1TB/s but if your latency is >300ms, there are things it will not work for.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. —Tanenbaum, Andrew S.
I'm not sure about your state, but in California you are typically cited by one of a handful agencies:
1. The California CHP. 2. Local enforcement agency (Police/Sheriff/Park Ranger)
The CHP is a state agency, and is primarily funded by vehicle registrations. When the CHP issues you a ticket, the majority of the fines are collected by the municipality you were cited in.
In the case of the CHP, there is very little incentive for them to issue speeding tickets on the basis of financial gain - their budget is not paid by ticket collection, except in a very few specific instances (tickets in school zones. You don't speed around schools, I hope?)
Your local police department is a municipal agency, and is funded from the local municipality budget.
In the case of the local police agency, they benefit indirectly from citation revenue -- their budget is typically set by the municipality. For instance, your local council members can exert pressure on the police to increase citation revenue. This CAN become an issue in some small towns along major roadways, where the city has incentives to play tricks with the speed limit in order to collect ticket revenue. There have been a couple major cases of this in CA, and legislation was enacted to cut down on the practice.
In summary: In California, If you want to take ticket revenue up with anyone, take it up with your city council. The policeman handing you that ticket isn't in it for the money.
Perhaps the problem is that they are expecting immediate gratification?
Although I've never been obese, I have been overweight and I have slimmed myself down to an athletic build. In my experience, very few people get into shape using an extreme diet and exercise regimen. At the end of a week of starvation and treadmills, people seem to forget that anything over 2lbs in a week is fairly extreme weight loss. Even worse, it's easy to lose track of progress in the daily fluctuations caused by the contents of the digestive system, and the amount of water currently trapped in our body.
In my experience, getting into shape is really about developing good habits. That means finding ways to deal with stress and unhappiness that don't involve a bottle or a fork - limiting food splurges to times of celebration, and making the mainstay diet a healthy one. Accomplishing that means really listening to the body, and understanding how the body reacts to different food and sleep patterns - eating the right foods goes a long way towards eliminating the feeling of hunger.
Personally, I find exercise helps. It's easy to pick up a salad rather than a candy bar when you read the label, and realize that a peanut butter cup will subvert half an hour on a treadmill.
For me, loosing weight was a long term effort, that I never seemed to make progress on - the week to week changes aren't noticeable... But the difference start to end was huge.
I've never seen instant gratification outside of surgery...
If the fuel line is pinched, for example, flooring it would cause devastating detonation
Citation please?
Cars have literally had knock sensors for decades. My observation is that the main advantage of throttle by wire is that it allows the computer to smooth out and dynamically adjust the throttle based on conditions.
For instance, many throttle by wire motorcycles have a rain mode. The computer prevents the user from whacking the throttle open in slippery conditions. Likewise, it somewhat slows throttle response for smother acceleration - typically only sport or race modes would allow the user to open the throttle instantly.
Previously, this kind of smothing might be accomplished using a set of servo controlled throttle plates. Throttle by wire simplifies the design by eliminating the mechanical plates.
Perhaps it's different on a motorcycle, or perhaps my experience is different than yours. A typical track day is tiring, stressful, but very fun and very rewarding. But when you really relax and get into the zone, it's a zen like experience. It's like making that first kiss last for 20 minutes.
Imagine a world where you had to have sex every day before going to work, and sex every day as soon as you returned. The sex would invariably be slow. You get to move a little bit, and then you have to stop. And then you can move a little bit more. Every so often, someone would inspect you to make sure your sex license is in order, that you're strictly engaging in sex in the missionary position, and that you aren't trying any unusual techniques.
Invariably, the experience might get to be a little annoying, especially because you paid $3000 for the bed, $15 a day for the condoms, $50 for a bottle of lube every 3 months. Never mind the occasional bed-frame replacement when the damn thing falls apart.
When you find some good curves, learn some technique, and really get into the mood, driving can be a very pleasurable experience.
I personally take one of my motorcycles to the race track. You might not believe me, but I think it's better than sex.
With the amount of time I spent driving, fueling, polishing, and lovingly caressing that car... Yeah, I kind of did treat it like a pet.
Of course, the car was too big for my current apartment, so I had to buy a pair of motorcycles. I'm having a hard time training them to stay off the couch.
Publish the shows to Hulu the shows the same day they air on network TV. Remove the ads. Basically, stop doing everything that currently neuters Hulu.
Sure, I'd pay for it. Hell, I'm paying $70 a month to watch TV now. Hulu has some of my favorite programing available, on demand. I'd be willing to pay for it.
The logical and simpler solution is to increase the price of electricity and/or gasoline, to reflect the real cost of the commodity, through taxes. That way, there is a natural economic pressure to decrease the consumption of EVERY appliance. And if someone has the money to pay for the electricity consumed by his/her CRT TV, then let them. Their money can be used to find better sources of abovementioned commodities. I.E. invest in research of algae-produced combustibles.
So, consumers can pay the same price for high efficiency appliances as they did with their old low efficiency appliances?
Why shouldn't the consumers reap both the economic AND the environmental benefits of high efficiency appliances?
The government can't tell you how much electricity your TV can consume, or how much water your toilet can flush.
If you have an old TV or an old toilet, the government can't force you to get a new one.
If you build a new television set from component parts in the basement of your own home, and this set consumes 20 amps of power, the government can't stop you.
What they can do is regulate the production, import, and sales of TVs and toilets. Which is exactly what they are doing.
To be fair, back in the day of the 386 and 486, AMD processors were essentially clones of their Intel counterparts. The only real difference between the AMD and Intel offerings was bus speed, processor speed, and external clock multiplier.
When the Pentium was eventually launched, AMD no longer produced a direct clone, and started releasing their processors with 'Performance Rating' (PR) numbers instead of clock speed, effectively claiming that their K5 processors were as efficient as a higher clocked Pentium.
I'd say AMD and the 486 compatible market had as much responsibility for the MHz war as intel.
It's taken a while for the market to get passed comparisons based on clock speed, and I'm glad to see the performance rating numbers dropped.
MHz is still a valuable comparison tool, but people seem to understand that you can only compare clock speed within a family of processors.
So, why not design the auto-tune so that it's based on your skill difficulty selection?
On easy, the auto tune could reduce the difficulty of enemies when you start slowing down, allowing you to blow through the game at a relatively quick pace. It should ramp the difficulty back up only when things are getting trivially easy.
On normal, it should keep the game constantly challenging, but not difficult. The player should be able have to work, but not too hard.
On hard mode, the game should provide a constant challenge.
A game that I think would benefit from a dynamic difficulty curve would be Far Cry 2 - it has a huge open world, where it's possible to sneak around enemy checkpoints, and take multiple approaches to achieving objectives; E.g.: Assult a base with rockets, morters, or grenades and then run in guns blazing... Or set the camp on fire using a flare gun and a shoot the enemy when they try to escape... Or to pick off unsuspecting foes with a dart gun, and then finish off any remaining troops with a silenced MP5.
It would be nice to see the enemy respond by changing their tactics along with yours - for instance, deploying counter-snipers and taking cover as you build a reputation for sniping their position, or spreading out and posting patrols to counter the explosive approach.
In a game like that, it's too easy to adapt a single tactic that works in most any situation, and the only change in approach needed is based on environmental factors - sniping and fire isn't as effective in the jungle, and running in guns blazing doesn't work very well in the desert.
People attempt to use loopholes all the time - the difference between the people and lawyers is that layers tend to be good at it.
Regarding the need for lawyers - it will always exist, even without such a complex legal system. A lawyer isn't simply about knowing the law, but also presenting a case with confidence and consistency - a professional presence.
I fight a lot of traffic tickets. Despite knowing quite a bit about the law, I still hand the cases over to a traffic lawyer - I need someone who is capable of going toe to toe with judges, officers, and DA - people who have a lot of experience intimidating the public.
I also use a lawyer because it's more efficient - it costs me more in time and lost wages to fight a traffic citation than it costs to hire someone to do it for me.
All of which ignores the REAL security breakdown that day, which was that 19 people managed to sneak box cutters onto airplanes. And you know what? You can -still- sneak box cutters onto airplanes, I know because a former co-worker of mine who traveled frequently left one in his bag for several trips and was never tagged. He did a major "oh shit!" when he realized it was in there.
Your over-reactionary rant aside (Sheiks still get profiled, and granny is unlikely to have an anal cavity search) this comment is very much true.
I used to keep a small utility knife attached to my keychain, even when I went flying. In 2007 that keychain knife made it in and out of Las Vegas, and then into Arazona before finally being confiscated on my way home.
This is from the same airport security that wouldn't let me stand on a bench and blow my girlfriend a kiss before heading off to the UK, or allow me to bring a 12 oz bottle of water into a plane.
I'm a US citizen myself, and recently returned from a business trip to the UK. While there, I crossed the boarders into UK twice, and France once.
Of my boarder crossings, heading into France was (via the eurostar) the most pleasant experience. UK wasn't bad, although it required more paperwork. What really surprised me was how much of a pain in the ass it was to get back into the United States. Boarder entry was slow and tedious, and I was stuck waiting in line while security leafed through my bags.
I never expected the most alienating boarder crossing would be the one returning home.
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I bet that in 20 years, my tin can will still be holding soup, whereas your laptop will, at best, be sitting on a shelf in a museum.
Sometimes a simple device with fewer parts can be both less expensive and more reliable than the more expensive model. This is particularly true of some generations of the high end gaming laptops, dealing with heat issues in a small space. They were both quite expensive, and somewhat unreliable.
With net-books, the fact that they cost 1/4th of what a high end laptop would go for is a given. It's not a given that they would be less reliable - it's easy to cool a low clocked processor and video card - a well designed model might not need fans. Likewise a small, low resoltion display might not have as high a defect rate, and it's very reasonable to expect flash memory to be more reliable than a hard drive in typical use-case scenarios.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. —Tanenbaum, Andrew S.
I'm not sure about your state, but in California you are typically cited by one of a handful agencies:
1. The California CHP.
2. Local enforcement agency (Police/Sheriff/Park Ranger)
The CHP is a state agency, and is primarily funded by vehicle registrations. When the CHP issues you a ticket, the majority of the fines are collected by the municipality you were cited in.
In the case of the CHP, there is very little incentive for them to issue speeding tickets on the basis of financial gain - their budget is not paid by ticket collection, except in a very few specific instances (tickets in school zones. You don't speed around schools, I hope?)
Your local police department is a municipal agency, and is funded from the local municipality budget.
In the case of the local police agency, they benefit indirectly from citation revenue -- their budget is typically set by the municipality. For instance, your local council members can exert pressure on the police to increase citation revenue. This CAN become an issue in some small towns along major roadways, where the city has incentives to play tricks with the speed limit in order to collect ticket revenue. There have been a couple major cases of this in CA, and legislation was enacted to cut down on the practice.
In summary: In California, If you want to take ticket revenue up with anyone, take it up with your city council. The policeman handing you that ticket isn't in it for the money.
Dismantle a nuclear bomb, and you can light a city for a year. Drop a nuclear bomb...
Perhaps the problem is that they are expecting immediate gratification?
Although I've never been obese, I have been overweight and I have slimmed myself down to an athletic build. In my experience, very few people get into shape using an extreme diet and exercise regimen. At the end of a week of starvation and treadmills, people seem to forget that anything over 2lbs in a week is fairly extreme weight loss. Even worse, it's easy to lose track of progress in the daily fluctuations caused by the contents of the digestive system, and the amount of water currently trapped in our body.
In my experience, getting into shape is really about developing good habits. That means finding ways to deal with stress and unhappiness that don't involve a bottle or a fork - limiting food splurges to times of celebration, and making the mainstay diet a healthy one. Accomplishing that means really listening to the body, and understanding how the body reacts to different food and sleep patterns - eating the right foods goes a long way towards eliminating the feeling of hunger.
Personally, I find exercise helps. It's easy to pick up a salad rather than a candy bar when you read the label, and realize that a peanut butter cup will subvert half an hour on a treadmill.
For me, loosing weight was a long term effort, that I never seemed to make progress on - the week to week changes aren't noticeable... But the difference start to end was huge.
I've never seen instant gratification outside of surgery...
Citation please?
Cars have literally had knock sensors for decades. My observation is that the main advantage of throttle by wire is that it allows the computer to smooth out and dynamically adjust the throttle based on conditions.
For instance, many throttle by wire motorcycles have a rain mode. The computer prevents the user from whacking the throttle open in slippery conditions. Likewise, it somewhat slows throttle response for smother acceleration - typically only sport or race modes would allow the user to open the throttle instantly.
Previously, this kind of smothing might be accomplished using a set of servo controlled throttle plates. Throttle by wire simplifies the design by eliminating the mechanical plates.
Without reading the GPs posting history, I suspect there's a good probability he's using irony in the dictionary sense of the word.
Perhaps it's different on a motorcycle, or perhaps my experience is different than yours. A typical track day is tiring, stressful, but very fun and very rewarding. But when you really relax and get into the zone, it's a zen like experience. It's like making that first kiss last for 20 minutes.
And, it's not always better with a partner.
Imagine a world where you had to have sex every day before going to work, and sex every day as soon as you returned. The sex would invariably be slow. You get to move a little bit, and then you have to stop. And then you can move a little bit more. Every so often, someone would inspect you to make sure your sex license is in order, that you're strictly engaging in sex in the missionary position, and that you aren't trying any unusual techniques.
Invariably, the experience might get to be a little annoying, especially because you paid $3000 for the bed, $15 a day for the condoms, $50 for a bottle of lube every 3 months. Never mind the occasional bed-frame replacement when the damn thing falls apart.
When you find some good curves, learn some technique, and really get into the mood, driving can be a very pleasurable experience.
I personally take one of my motorcycles to the race track. You might not believe me, but I think it's better than sex.
I've owned a dog and a Porsche.
With the amount of time I spent driving, fueling, polishing, and lovingly caressing that car... Yeah, I kind of did treat it like a pet.
Of course, the car was too big for my current apartment, so I had to buy a pair of motorcycles. I'm having a hard time training them to stay off the couch.
Publish the shows to Hulu the shows the same day they air on network TV. Remove the ads. Basically, stop doing everything that currently neuters Hulu.
Sure, I'd pay for it. Hell, I'm paying $70 a month to watch TV now. Hulu has some of my favorite programing available, on demand. I'd be willing to pay for it.
IMO, Until the average netbook is available with full size keys, it is a toy.
I wonder if, in 1987 someone playing Mega Man for the first time would have wondered if it was a video game adaption of Astro Boy?
In IT, 4 years of job experience is typically more valuable than a 4 year education when it comes to salary and job prospects.
I wonder how many people realized that when the signed on the dotted line.
So, consumers can pay the same price for high efficiency appliances as they did with their old low efficiency appliances?
Why shouldn't the consumers reap both the economic AND the environmental benefits of high efficiency appliances?
The government can't tell you how much electricity your TV can consume, or how much water your toilet can flush.
If you have an old TV or an old toilet, the government can't force you to get a new one.
If you build a new television set from component parts in the basement of your own home, and this set consumes 20 amps of power, the government can't stop you.
What they can do is regulate the production, import, and sales of TVs and toilets. Which is exactly what they are doing.
At least games don't have a loudness war.
To be fair, back in the day of the 386 and 486, AMD processors were essentially clones of their Intel counterparts. The only real difference between the AMD and Intel offerings was bus speed, processor speed, and external clock multiplier.
When the Pentium was eventually launched, AMD no longer produced a direct clone, and started releasing their processors with 'Performance Rating' (PR) numbers instead of clock speed, effectively claiming that their K5 processors were as efficient as a higher clocked Pentium.
I'd say AMD and the 486 compatible market had as much responsibility for the MHz war as intel.
It's taken a while for the market to get passed comparisons based on clock speed, and I'm glad to see the performance rating numbers dropped.
MHz is still a valuable comparison tool, but people seem to understand that you can only compare clock speed within a family of processors.
So, why not design the auto-tune so that it's based on your skill difficulty selection?
On easy, the auto tune could reduce the difficulty of enemies when you start slowing down, allowing you to blow through the game at a relatively quick pace. It should ramp the difficulty back up only when things are getting trivially easy.
On normal, it should keep the game constantly challenging, but not difficult. The player should be able have to work, but not too hard.
On hard mode, the game should provide a constant challenge.
A game that I think would benefit from a dynamic difficulty curve would be Far Cry 2 - it has a huge open world, where it's possible to sneak around enemy checkpoints, and take multiple approaches to achieving objectives; E.g.: Assult a base with rockets, morters, or grenades and then run in guns blazing... Or set the camp on fire using a flare gun and a shoot the enemy when they try to escape... Or to pick off unsuspecting foes with a dart gun, and then finish off any remaining troops with a silenced MP5.
It would be nice to see the enemy respond by changing their tactics along with yours - for instance, deploying counter-snipers and taking cover as you build a reputation for sniping their position, or spreading out and posting patrols to counter the explosive approach.
In a game like that, it's too easy to adapt a single tactic that works in most any situation, and the only change in approach needed is based on environmental factors - sniping and fire isn't as effective in the jungle, and running in guns blazing doesn't work very well in the desert.
I win most of my cases because the county doesn't obey the law either.
Also, please don't confuse 'safe' with 'legal.'
Really? Perhaps you could explain it to me while I fix your irony detector. :)
People attempt to use loopholes all the time - the difference between the people and lawyers is that layers tend to be good at it.
Regarding the need for lawyers - it will always exist, even without such a complex legal system. A lawyer isn't simply about knowing the law, but also presenting a case with confidence and consistency - a professional presence.
I fight a lot of traffic tickets. Despite knowing quite a bit about the law, I still hand the cases over to a traffic lawyer - I need someone who is capable of going toe to toe with judges, officers, and DA - people who have a lot of experience intimidating the public.
I also use a lawyer because it's more efficient - it costs me more in time and lost wages to fight a traffic citation than it costs to hire someone to do it for me.
It only needs to operate when Congress is in session.
Five twos of up time should be sufficient.
Your over-reactionary rant aside (Sheiks still get profiled, and granny is unlikely to have an anal cavity search) this comment is very much true.
I used to keep a small utility knife attached to my keychain, even when I went flying. In 2007 that keychain knife made it in and out of Las Vegas, and then into Arazona before finally being confiscated on my way home.
This is from the same airport security that wouldn't let me stand on a bench and blow my girlfriend a kiss before heading off to the UK, or allow me to bring a 12 oz bottle of water into a plane.
I'm a US citizen myself, and recently returned from a business trip to the UK. While there, I crossed the boarders into UK twice, and France once.
Of my boarder crossings, heading into France was (via the eurostar) the most pleasant experience. UK wasn't bad, although it required more paperwork. What really surprised me was how much of a pain in the ass it was to get back into the United States. Boarder entry was slow and tedious, and I was stuck waiting in line while security leafed through my bags.
I never expected the most alienating boarder crossing would be the one returning home.