PC/104 is a standard for embedded computers, based on ISA (and now PCI with PC/104 Plus). There are many companies that offer PC/104 compatible products, both single board computers (SBCs) and add-on modules for GPS, wireless networking, all kinds of digital or analog I/O, motor control, DSPs, etc. etc. The boards are a little over 3.5" square and vary in price, typically $200-$600, with processors from a 386 to a Pentium III. They are typically industrial-temperature qualified and shock-hardened, and used in many applications in robotics, avionics, factory automation and other places where small, harsh-environment computers are needed.
What is so dangerous about RFID tags? The scenario I'm picturing is this: clothing/book/bunch of bananas/etc. gets an RFID tag on its price tag. This streamlines inventory tracking and retail purchase. (like bar codes, but easier to read). When you get home you remove the tag (same as you do now). Where's the increased invasion of privacy?
... as a Research Engineer, building robots and helping out grad students with their thesis work. It's a pretty cool job. I get to travel a fair amount, spend a little time at sea for field testing, it's not all desk work. There are other nice things - I get a good amount of vacation time, the benefits are decent.
Downsides: low pay, not very well organized, always chasing money (i.e., writing proposals). Definitely less structured than the corporate world. Students can be fun or infuriating to work with (sometimes both). University politics can be among the ugliest in the world, it's best to try and stay out of the way.
Could you put together a custom hardware solution? A disk plus a small embedded Linux SBC, run whatever filesystem you want, put a fast ethernet connection on it and export the drive as a samba share?
I guess this would be a lot slower than USB or Firewire, even with gigabit ethernet.
if you're serious as an electronic engineer then you had lots of hands on experience in your parents' garage
You're the second person to post something like this and it bothers me. I'm an EECS grad and I never built circuits in my parents' garage. I grew up in a rural town and my parents know nothing about electronics, so there was no one to teach me; I didn't get any EE experience at all until the summer before college, and the intro classes were my first experience where anything made sense. Does this mean I shouldn't be an EE? That seems unnecessarily exclusive.
Speaking for myself as well as others, many simply have not had the experience before coming to college. Note that this is the first electronics course you take at MIT.
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I usually pronounce "SQL" as "Squirrel"
Isn't New England is among the most water-rich areas of the country? I agree that conservation before increasing supply makes a lot of sense.
My favorite version of this quote is "Make it idiotproof, and someone will build a better idiot."
NIMH?
I'm afraid it's secret.
actually, it stands for Nickel-Metal Hydride
I agree. Plenty of stupid people go to MIT.
PC/104 is a standard for embedded computers, based on ISA (and now PCI with PC/104 Plus). There are many companies that offer PC/104 compatible products, both single board computers (SBCs) and add-on modules for GPS, wireless networking, all kinds of digital or analog I/O, motor control, DSPs, etc. etc. The boards are a little over 3.5" square and vary in price, typically $200-$600, with processors from a 386 to a Pentium III. They are typically industrial-temperature qualified and shock-hardened, and used in many applications in robotics, avionics, factory automation and other places where small, harsh-environment computers are needed.
Replying to myself is bad form, but...
FWIW, I think RFID credit cards are stupid.
What is so dangerous about RFID tags? The scenario I'm picturing is this: clothing/book/bunch of bananas/etc. gets an RFID tag on its price tag. This streamlines inventory tracking and retail purchase. (like bar codes, but easier to read). When you get home you remove the tag (same as you do now). Where's the increased invasion of privacy?
... as a Research Engineer, building robots and helping out grad students with their thesis work. It's a pretty cool job. I get to travel a fair amount, spend a little time at sea for field testing, it's not all desk work. There are other nice things - I get a good amount of vacation time, the benefits are decent.
Downsides: low pay, not very well organized, always chasing money (i.e., writing proposals). Definitely less structured than the corporate world. Students can be fun or infuriating to work with (sometimes both). University politics can be among the ugliest in the world, it's best to try and stay out of the way.
And we've known it since Thomas Edison tried it, at the turn of the last century.
So painfully self-aware, cutesy, and po-mo-ironic that I think it gave me a stomachache.
Otherwise, it's pretty good.
... what's the big fuckin' deal, bitch?
Does anyone have a plausible scenario for abuse of this technology, or is it just kneejerk defense of "privacy"?
... would it have killed ya to explain what ".NET remoting" is, exactly?
Jeez.
PCMCIA and serial devices did not work with HZ=1000. Anyone know if this has been fixed?
Is PCMCIA still broken when you use HZ=1000? What about serial?
The tagreader by the front door just scans the RFID implant in the back of my neck every time I walk by! Ahhh, freedom...
Could you put together a custom hardware solution? A disk plus a small embedded Linux SBC, run whatever filesystem you want, put a fast ethernet connection on it and export the drive as a samba share?
I guess this would be a lot slower than USB or Firewire, even with gigabit ethernet.
if you're serious as an electronic engineer then you had lots of hands on experience in your parents' garage
You're the second person to post something like this and it bothers me. I'm an EECS grad and I never built circuits in my parents' garage. I grew up in a rural town and my parents know nothing about electronics, so there was no one to teach me; I didn't get any EE experience at all until the summer before college, and the intro classes were my first experience where anything made sense. Does this mean I shouldn't be an EE? That seems unnecessarily exclusive.
The alumni class of 1922 has endowed his chair.
Speaking for myself as well as others, many simply have not had the experience before coming to college. Note that this is the first electronics course you take at MIT.
... this had started while I was still an undergrad. Oh well, education changes slowly. I would've enjoyed 002 a lot more, though.
It's about $600 for the latest version, and fun to use. I like it anyway. No I don't work there.
Caligari
Hear hear. PC104 isn't cheap, but many of the manufacturers do a great job making parts that are reliable and TOUGH.
At work I use Kontron (Jumptec) boards in a variety of robots, running linux, I'm very happy with them.
but their website appears to have died?
Why would Google want to do this? "Hi, we're responsible for triggering another brain-dead bubble!"