True, I don't remember having to be fingerprinted and photographed when entering Japan a couple of years ago. Of course, I am Canadian and Canada also does not require such things. It could be that Japan is like Brazil in that they require the same from US visitors as the US requires of Japanese visitors. That would explain why I walked right through.
Another point everyone appears to be missing - this only affects those directly employed by the government. It says nothing about the vast majority of scientists working at universities that are funded by the government - indirectly. This appears to be more a case of the government not wanting scientists in their direct employ from making statements that could be interpreted as coming from the government.
In addition, there is no reason why a copilot could not be located on the ground - copiloting several aircraft at the same time. Leave the computer do 99% of the work with the pilot overseeing the computer. Should the computer mess up the pilot could take over. Should the pilot run into difficulties, the copilot on the ground would be there to assist or even take over for the pilot. It would be much less expensive for the airlines not simply because of a reduced employee count, but because there would be no overtime, hotel costs, and any other cost related to travelling employees. In addition, the copilot would be able to go home each day - something that would likely save a lot of marriages.
we're probably going to exhaust our entire supply of fossil fuels anyway
Not before acidifying the ocean to the point that everything dies. The increased CO2 in the atmosphere would also destroy countless ecosystems and result in mass extinctions.
Long story short, there is way too much carbon available to burn. We will kill ourselves long before we run out. Those who think governments should piss off and just let the market determine the price of oil really don't see the problem. As long as the environmental costs of oil are ignored, the market does not work to our benefit.
What carbon taxes do is they try to associate a dollar amount to the environmental costs of oil. When this tax is applied the market actually works to our benefit. In addition, because renewable sources of energy would not be taxed, there is increased motivation to develop these sources of energy - even without government grants.
The problem is that the world powers can not agree to universally implement such a tax. And because the CO2 emissions are shared by all, an agreement is really required. Without said agreement, a country would be sabotaging it's economy by implementing such a tax.
which isn't the same thing as saying it can't be turned on/off rapidly, just that there's no need.
For performing reads there would be no need to turn the laser on/off. But we are talking about CD/DVD burners so there is a need. The question remains, how do they do it?
I take Ritalin for Narcolepsy. It acts as a appetite suppressor but the overall effect is still weight gain. What happens is that you don't eat much during the day because you're not hungry. But when the drugs wear off at night you suddenly become famished and end up overeating. The fact that you are exhausted when the drugs wear off just adds to the trouble because you lack the ability to think (or care) about what you're eating. No snack food of any kind allowed in my kitchen. I find that so long as it takes at least 20 min to prepare food, I will be fine. It took me a few years to learn this.
So I believe that any mood-altering medication can result in weight gain/loss. Overall effect appears to depend largely on the person taking the drug. It takes time to adapt to such a big change to one's brain chemistry. And in my case, I had to change my lifestyle to compensate.
But I'd still suggest working on your eating habits before going on an anti-depressant, simply because it is helpful outside that context, as well:-)
Your advice is good but I would like to expand on it. Try recording both what you eat and how you exercise throughout the day before taking any medication. Then when you start taking the medication, try to not change much. Give your brain time to adjust - your body will be grateful for the effort.
But the real question for me is this: why take such joy in giving up that choice? Why thank Apple for disallowing a feature that wouldn't hurt you at all, though it might only rarely help?
If iOS users could access Flash then those website owners would have the option to ignore mobile users. "The current Flash website works" would be their response to requests for an optimized one. As it stands, without Flash support, website owners are given the choice to ignore all iOS users, create a dedicated app, or create a website version optimized for mobile devices.
Apple would prefer that website owners took the latter of the three choices. Forget Flash - just create a version that works well with mobile devices. Small screen, no mouse - it really requires a different design. When designing future websites be sure to "think mobile" during the design process. This is beneficial to users of all mobile web devices.
So by taking away "choice" in regards to Flash, Apple is pushing the industry to accommodate small mobile devices. This is good for everyone. I am glad Apple made this decision. But if I personally owned an iOS device I would want the option to use Flash. Guess I would have to jailbreak or purchase an Android device - but that is my choice. I am not mad at Apple for making theirs.
Well the teardown of an iPad resulted in an estimated production cost of ~$300. It would be very unlikely that an Android device with comparable hardware would sell for any less then $400. Only $100 profit is a very slim margin - especially when you still have to consider all the other costs of doing business.
But it obviously is. It takes time and money to make a quality device. Give them some time and you will get your quality $200 device - but it is still several years away.
After all netbooks manage it and have as many, if not more components & costs to worry about than a tablet.
But a tablet uses _different_ parts that just happen to be more expensive. In addition, there are no good $200 netbooks. In the $500 range you start finding some good ones but these do not help support your statement.
I expect when bigger players come along that we'll see some decent Android based tablets for $200 offering comparable functionality to the iPad with none of the downsides.
No, quality components simply cost more then the cheap ones used on those garbage devices. I would guess that quality Android devices will retail in the $300 to $400 price range. When this happens, Apple will drop their prices accordingly. The outrageously high price for the iPad is simply due to a lack of competition.
Once more manufacturers start producing quality components for such tablets, the prices will come down. This requires high demand for such components - something that is starting right now thanks to Android. Well, Apple also helps in this regard but they limit the number of component suppliers (as all companies do) thereby making it harder for other manufacturers to enter the market. Android opens up the market giving manufacturers the required incentive to compete. This helps everyone - even Apple.
Oh, and eBay will always have cheaper devices. They generally ship from Hong Kong, offer no warranty or support, and illegally bypass local tariffs and taxes. They usually ship as personal mail with an outrageously low declared value. Legally, you are supposed to declare such purchases but nobody does.
Many products have limitations on how they are used that affect warranty. Many tools designed for home users are not to be used commercially - doing so voids the warranty. That car with a 3 year warranty is only good if you avoid using the car too much - too much milage will void the warranty. If you try reading the warranty on just about any product you will see that there are usage restrictions that will render that warranty void.
Note that many expensive brands offer excellent warranties. Break a Snap-On wrench and it will get replaced even if you intentionally cut it in half. Others are still good, just less so. Break a Henckel knife and it will get replaced but only if there was a manufacturing defect and you are still responsible for shipping costs. (Yes, this did happen to me.)
I doubt there is a single portable electronic device* on the market that will allow you to change the firmware without voiding the warranty. Point being, warranty restrictions are to be expected. If you want full control / flexibility then purchase a developer device direct from the manufacturer at a 100x cost premium.
*Ok, some hobbyist devices might allow it but good luck finding those at Walmart.
If God does exist, and he created the universe, science would be the method us humans use to test, document, and explain the universe.
Yes, but there are two obvious problems with that logic. First, assuming it is true then science would simply be one tool used to explain the universe. The other would be the word of God {him|her}self - basically scripture. Did scripture help us get to the moon? What do we do when the two conflict?
Second, science is simply a tool. It doesn't matter what you use it for. So in science class we should be teaching science. Teaching about beliefs in science class would be like teaching about why one feels that a Lamborghini* is better then a Ferrari* in math class just because math was used in their design.
Even if God existed, it would still be best to separate science from belief. Science requires an open mind - one not controlled by beliefs of any kind. That includes philosophical and religious based beliefs. Even science based beliefs should be ignored - until proven/demonstrated/agreed upon via the scientific method.
*fyi, if the analogy sucks it is because I went out of my way to think on one relating to cars. Also, a Ferrari might be better then a Lamborghini - I just do not know. I have never, and likely will never, drive either of them.
At that price, why bother messing around with transcoders and recreating the menus
Well, I for one would rather the menus not be there. If I want them I'll use the physical DVD. The other reason for transcoding is to reduce the file size so that it streams over wireless. Those little media players are cheap and work great - but often people do not have a CAT5 cable going to their TV. And while wireless might be fast enough most of the time, a little interference and you will notice the player start to stutter. Lower bandwidth requirements result in more reliable streaming.
By not only explaining how something should be done but also expressing the reasoning to why this method has been chosen
Yes - a truly excellent thing to do. They should do the same thing with laws - define the law as they currently do but also provide a justification for the law. That way the law can be challenged in the future when the justification no longer holds. In addition, no one will ever misinterpret the meaning of a law and use it for purposes for which it was not designed.
Now back to format specifications - code makes for a very poor specification. While code can implement a specification, it generally does so in an unorganized fashion. Specifications should be clear - having no ambiguities or vagueness. Code is not so clear. And as the parent mentioned, generally does not communicate reasoning to the reader.
Mathematically based definitions are great - they are both clear and organized. Tools such as lex/flex/yacc/bison combine code with mathematical definitions to implement such specifications. The ideal format specification would include a mathematical definition along with reasoning explaining the design decisions.
Adobe threatened to sue when Microsoft planned on integrating a PDF export option into Office. Due to their monopoly, Microsoft has to be careful that they do not use their monopoly to control any other markets. I guess creating a standalone PDF viewer/exporter would be OK, but they would have to charge for the exporter just like Adobe does. The other option would be for them to create an alternative format to PDF - a stunt they attempted and everyone ignored.
So including PDF with Windows would result in a lawsuit that they might just loose. We're stuck with Adobe for the time being, lets hope they actually make some improvements to Acrobat.
How about this. broadband, tv, phone, electricity, water is all taken care of by the government. no private companies trying to make a profit from them. It's part of our rights as american citizens.
But then you lose all competition. The costs would rise and eventually exceed those charged by the greedy corporations.
Now I'm all for the government building the infrastructure - just so long as they do not actually do the work themselves. Let them contract out - and ensure there is some diversity in handing out the contracts so that competition remains healthy.
With the government (ie, us) owning the infrastructure we can ensure that people will not be stuck with only one provider. The data might all go through the same lines, but different providers would all have an equal footing thereby ensuring that there is no price gouging.
With limits to the amount of infrastructure that can be built this system actually makes sense. It would maximize the amount of competition resulting in both better prices and service. Probably too socialist for most in the US, but it is still a good idea...
the controller has to read the voltage, do an analog-to-digital conversion
If there are only 4 levels then it makes much more sense to use comparators. The number of transistors required would be greatly reduced and the latency almost eliminated. Should one require the flexibility of being able to adjust the reference voltage, they could utilize a DtoA as a reference. DtoA circuitry is much simpler/faster then AtoD circuitry.
Another possibility is that Google ports something like VirtualBox over to Chrome OS. The virtualized display could then be exported to the Chrome web browser. This way only one computer would be required. In addition, any OS could be installed - not just Windows.
Of course this would only work with x86 based computers, but those requiring legacy support could easily limit themselves to these computers. Those who do not need legacy support could select an ARM based computer. The ARM based hardware should be less expensive and support better battery life.
No, they make more money when people only use 100MB of their 2GB allowed bandwidth. If the average person starts to use more then it costs them. The only way they could make money is if people were to go over their limit and payed for said bandwidth.
High latency will result when in areas with high packet loss. Basically your cell puts out the request but it doesn't go anywhere. It times out and eventually tries again - hence the perceived delay. When responding with a data stream, lost packets are quickly recognized by the receiving node. These lost packets can be retransmitted on request - no need to wait for a timeout.
The test would be to go to an area where you have both great reception and bandwidth. With a good signal and no bandwidth contention the probability of losing that request is low. Do you still have high latency? If so then AT&T is doing something very wrong.
While this probably isn't much of a worry with a school library checkout system, I'm worried that with something like a thumbprint, which never changes, eventually it gets too easy for someone to get access to your thumbprint and 'forge' authentication/authorization.
A valid concern if the school was recording your fingerprint. But they are not recording it - just a dozen or so points of interest from the print. These points of interest could be used to reverse engineer a fingerprint - but it would only work at that library.
So they store a hash...do you think it is impossible to compute that hash from a fingerprint I lift off of a cup?
Of course you can - but what is your point exactly?
All the hash does is make it hard to compute the actual fingeprint, which is only a comfort if you are worried about someone stealing your biometric data
A hash makes it impossible to compute the actual fingerprint - you can't even come close. Their simple system might record up to 20 points of interest out of the thousands that are actually present on a print. If you were to generate a fingerprint from those 20 points you would not end up with anything like the actual fingerprint. When compared by a real system, like those used by the police, you would not get a match.
-- but the other issue, the privacy issue, is not solved by hashing the data.
Well yes and no. If the police wanted your prints for whatever reason (say you went missing) they would simply go to your place of residence and get an actual print. They wouldn't bother with the school system that only stored a tiny bit of information - only enough to work with input from a fingerprint scanner and only to a low degree of accuracy.
Are there other secret organizations that might track you? Possibly, but I wouldn't be the least bit concerned about the school system. Such an organization would simply get one of your real fingerprints or use some sort of facial recognition.
FYI, I wrote an algorithm for fingerprint recognition when in university. It worked - sometimes. They point being is that I have researched the field and understand just how simple this school system will be when compared to a more sophisticated system like those used be the police.
Another issue is the availability of components. It is cheaper to operate your assembly plant in close proximity to the plants that produce the required components. Less shipping costs, faster response times. Even if the Chinese had pay equity with American workers, it would still make sense to assemble in China.
you are assuming everything will be watched full screen.
Well the future is not with computers but with televisions - and it will be in full screen. Just look at AndroidTV (or whatever it's called) to see where Google is trying to go with their media. But it's also in the present - my parents have a Western Digital device that plays YouTube videos just fine. The AppleTV will also do this - and there are plenty more.
My point is simply that YouTube must support HD streaming if it is going to maintain their leadership role in the market.
There is NOTHING in OSX which can reasonably be believed to have been invented (in any sense of the word) for OSX!
In any large update there is always going to be some reuse of code. But I believe what the grandparent post was referring to was the fact that the design of OSX was completely new thereby requiring a complete rewrite.
Just look at the Core Foundation classes - they were created for OSX. NeXTStep implemented the required base classes in their Foundation Kit. But OSX required the ability to run Carbon apps as native applications - difficult when your base classes are in ObjC. So they rewrote the base classes in C or C++ thereby allowing them to be called by traditional Carbon apps (and providing a speed boost). An additional layer (Cocoa) was then added to allow ObjC apps to also make use of these base classes via the traditional NeXTStep API.
So the point is that OSX was a complete rewrite. Sure, components were reused - as they should be. But OSX is not simply an evolved version of NeXTStep. Using the required car analogy - Apple didn't put a new motor and bodywork into that old mustang frame, they cut the frame up and built a new one. Parts from the old mustang were only used when they fit the new frame. Many new parts had to be built from scratch.
Note - the term "invented" isn't really accurate. When replacing a legacy system with a complete rewrite, one does not have to "invent" anything. All was already "invented" by the legacy system. A rewrite is simply a new implementation of a system - one not based on the previous system, but designed to replicate the functionality of said system.
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True, I don't remember having to be fingerprinted and photographed when entering Japan a couple of years ago. Of course, I am Canadian and Canada also does not require such things. It could be that Japan is like Brazil in that they require the same from US visitors as the US requires of Japanese visitors. That would explain why I walked right through.
Another point everyone appears to be missing - this only affects those directly employed by the government. It says nothing about the vast majority of scientists working at universities that are funded by the government - indirectly. This appears to be more a case of the government not wanting scientists in their direct employ from making statements that could be interpreted as coming from the government.
In addition, there is no reason why a copilot could not be located on the ground - copiloting several aircraft at the same time. Leave the computer do 99% of the work with the pilot overseeing the computer. Should the computer mess up the pilot could take over. Should the pilot run into difficulties, the copilot on the ground would be there to assist or even take over for the pilot. It would be much less expensive for the airlines not simply because of a reduced employee count, but because there would be no overtime, hotel costs, and any other cost related to travelling employees. In addition, the copilot would be able to go home each day - something that would likely save a lot of marriages.
we're probably going to exhaust our entire supply of fossil fuels anyway
Not before acidifying the ocean to the point that everything dies. The increased CO2 in the atmosphere would also destroy countless ecosystems and result in mass extinctions.
Long story short, there is way too much carbon available to burn. We will kill ourselves long before we run out. Those who think governments should piss off and just let the market determine the price of oil really don't see the problem. As long as the environmental costs of oil are ignored, the market does not work to our benefit.
What carbon taxes do is they try to associate a dollar amount to the environmental costs of oil. When this tax is applied the market actually works to our benefit. In addition, because renewable sources of energy would not be taxed, there is increased motivation to develop these sources of energy - even without government grants.
The problem is that the world powers can not agree to universally implement such a tax. And because the CO2 emissions are shared by all, an agreement is really required. Without said agreement, a country would be sabotaging it's economy by implementing such a tax.
which isn't the same thing as saying it can't be turned on/off rapidly, just that there's no need.
For performing reads there would be no need to turn the laser on/off. But we are talking about CD/DVD burners so there is a need. The question remains, how do they do it?
I take Ritalin for Narcolepsy. It acts as a appetite suppressor but the overall effect is still weight gain. What happens is that you don't eat much during the day because you're not hungry. But when the drugs wear off at night you suddenly become famished and end up overeating. The fact that you are exhausted when the drugs wear off just adds to the trouble because you lack the ability to think (or care) about what you're eating. No snack food of any kind allowed in my kitchen. I find that so long as it takes at least 20 min to prepare food, I will be fine. It took me a few years to learn this.
So I believe that any mood-altering medication can result in weight gain/loss. Overall effect appears to depend largely on the person taking the drug. It takes time to adapt to such a big change to one's brain chemistry. And in my case, I had to change my lifestyle to compensate.
But I'd still suggest working on your eating habits before going on an anti-depressant, simply because it is helpful outside that context, as well :-)
Your advice is good but I would like to expand on it. Try recording both what you eat and how you exercise throughout the day before taking any medication. Then when you start taking the medication, try to not change much. Give your brain time to adjust - your body will be grateful for the effort.
But the real question for me is this: why take such joy in giving up that choice? Why thank Apple for disallowing a feature that wouldn't hurt you at all, though it might only rarely help?
If iOS users could access Flash then those website owners would have the option to ignore mobile users. "The current Flash website works" would be their response to requests for an optimized one. As it stands, without Flash support, website owners are given the choice to ignore all iOS users, create a dedicated app, or create a website version optimized for mobile devices.
Apple would prefer that website owners took the latter of the three choices. Forget Flash - just create a version that works well with mobile devices. Small screen, no mouse - it really requires a different design. When designing future websites be sure to "think mobile" during the design process. This is beneficial to users of all mobile web devices.
So by taking away "choice" in regards to Flash, Apple is pushing the industry to accommodate small mobile devices. This is good for everyone. I am glad Apple made this decision. But if I personally owned an iOS device I would want the option to use Flash. Guess I would have to jailbreak or purchase an Android device - but that is my choice. I am not mad at Apple for making theirs.
Well the teardown of an iPad resulted in an estimated production cost of ~$300. It would be very unlikely that an Android device with comparable hardware would sell for any less then $400. Only $100 profit is a very slim margin - especially when you still have to consider all the other costs of doing business.
Here is a link to the teardown article.
I see no reason that this should be so.
But it obviously is. It takes time and money to make a quality device. Give them some time and you will get your quality $200 device - but it is still several years away.
After all netbooks manage it and have as many, if not more components & costs to worry about than a tablet.
But a tablet uses _different_ parts that just happen to be more expensive. In addition, there are no good $200 netbooks. In the $500 range you start finding some good ones but these do not help support your statement.
I expect when bigger players come along that we'll see some decent Android based tablets for $200 offering comparable functionality to the iPad with none of the downsides.
No, quality components simply cost more then the cheap ones used on those garbage devices. I would guess that quality Android devices will retail in the $300 to $400 price range. When this happens, Apple will drop their prices accordingly. The outrageously high price for the iPad is simply due to a lack of competition.
Once more manufacturers start producing quality components for such tablets, the prices will come down. This requires high demand for such components - something that is starting right now thanks to Android. Well, Apple also helps in this regard but they limit the number of component suppliers (as all companies do) thereby making it harder for other manufacturers to enter the market. Android opens up the market giving manufacturers the required incentive to compete. This helps everyone - even Apple.
Oh, and eBay will always have cheaper devices. They generally ship from Hong Kong, offer no warranty or support, and illegally bypass local tariffs and taxes. They usually ship as personal mail with an outrageously low declared value. Legally, you are supposed to declare such purchases but nobody does.
Many products have limitations on how they are used that affect warranty. Many tools designed for home users are not to be used commercially - doing so voids the warranty. That car with a 3 year warranty is only good if you avoid using the car too much - too much milage will void the warranty. If you try reading the warranty on just about any product you will see that there are usage restrictions that will render that warranty void.
Note that many expensive brands offer excellent warranties. Break a Snap-On wrench and it will get replaced even if you intentionally cut it in half. Others are still good, just less so. Break a Henckel knife and it will get replaced but only if there was a manufacturing defect and you are still responsible for shipping costs. (Yes, this did happen to me.)
I doubt there is a single portable electronic device* on the market that will allow you to change the firmware without voiding the warranty. Point being, warranty restrictions are to be expected. If you want full control / flexibility then purchase a developer device direct from the manufacturer at a 100x cost premium.
*Ok, some hobbyist devices might allow it but good luck finding those at Walmart.
If God does exist, and he created the universe, science would be the method us humans use to test, document, and explain the universe.
Yes, but there are two obvious problems with that logic. First, assuming it is true then science would simply be one tool used to explain the universe. The other would be the word of God {him|her}self - basically scripture. Did scripture help us get to the moon? What do we do when the two conflict?
Second, science is simply a tool. It doesn't matter what you use it for. So in science class we should be teaching science. Teaching about beliefs in science class would be like teaching about why one feels that a Lamborghini* is better then a Ferrari* in math class just because math was used in their design.
Even if God existed, it would still be best to separate science from belief. Science requires an open mind - one not controlled by beliefs of any kind. That includes philosophical and religious based beliefs. Even science based beliefs should be ignored - until proven/demonstrated/agreed upon via the scientific method.
*fyi, if the analogy sucks it is because I went out of my way to think on one relating to cars. Also, a Ferrari might be better then a Lamborghini - I just do not know. I have never, and likely will never, drive either of them.
It will use less power to play h264 in hardware then MPEG2 in software. And all of the phones will have hardware h264 decoders.
At that price, why bother messing around with transcoders and recreating the menus
Well, I for one would rather the menus not be there. If I want them I'll use the physical DVD. The other reason for transcoding is to reduce the file size so that it streams over wireless. Those little media players are cheap and work great - but often people do not have a CAT5 cable going to their TV. And while wireless might be fast enough most of the time, a little interference and you will notice the player start to stutter. Lower bandwidth requirements result in more reliable streaming.
By not only explaining how something should be done but also expressing the reasoning to why this method has been chosen
Yes - a truly excellent thing to do. They should do the same thing with laws - define the law as they currently do but also provide a justification for the law. That way the law can be challenged in the future when the justification no longer holds. In addition, no one will ever misinterpret the meaning of a law and use it for purposes for which it was not designed.
Now back to format specifications - code makes for a very poor specification. While code can implement a specification, it generally does so in an unorganized fashion. Specifications should be clear - having no ambiguities or vagueness. Code is not so clear. And as the parent mentioned, generally does not communicate reasoning to the reader.
Mathematically based definitions are great - they are both clear and organized. Tools such as lex/flex/yacc/bison combine code with mathematical definitions to implement such specifications. The ideal format specification would include a mathematical definition along with reasoning explaining the design decisions.
Adobe threatened to sue when Microsoft planned on integrating a PDF export option into Office. Due to their monopoly, Microsoft has to be careful that they do not use their monopoly to control any other markets. I guess creating a standalone PDF viewer/exporter would be OK, but they would have to charge for the exporter just like Adobe does. The other option would be for them to create an alternative format to PDF - a stunt they attempted and everyone ignored.
So including PDF with Windows would result in a lawsuit that they might just loose. We're stuck with Adobe for the time being, lets hope they actually make some improvements to Acrobat.
How about this. broadband, tv, phone, electricity, water is all taken care of by the government. no private companies trying to make a profit from them. It's part of our rights as american citizens.
But then you lose all competition. The costs would rise and eventually exceed those charged by the greedy corporations.
Now I'm all for the government building the infrastructure - just so long as they do not actually do the work themselves. Let them contract out - and ensure there is some diversity in handing out the contracts so that competition remains healthy.
With the government (ie, us) owning the infrastructure we can ensure that people will not be stuck with only one provider. The data might all go through the same lines, but different providers would all have an equal footing thereby ensuring that there is no price gouging.
With limits to the amount of infrastructure that can be built this system actually makes sense. It would maximize the amount of competition resulting in both better prices and service. Probably too socialist for most in the US, but it is still a good idea...
the controller has to read the voltage, do an analog-to-digital conversion
If there are only 4 levels then it makes much more sense to use comparators. The number of transistors required would be greatly reduced and the latency almost eliminated. Should one require the flexibility of being able to adjust the reference voltage, they could utilize a DtoA as a reference. DtoA circuitry is much simpler/faster then AtoD circuitry.
Another possibility is that Google ports something like VirtualBox over to Chrome OS. The virtualized display could then be exported to the Chrome web browser. This way only one computer would be required. In addition, any OS could be installed - not just Windows.
Of course this would only work with x86 based computers, but those requiring legacy support could easily limit themselves to these computers. Those who do not need legacy support could select an ARM based computer. The ARM based hardware should be less expensive and support better battery life.
No, they make more money when people only use 100MB of their 2GB allowed bandwidth. If the average person starts to use more then it costs them. The only way they could make money is if people were to go over their limit and payed for said bandwidth.
High latency will result when in areas with high packet loss. Basically your cell puts out the request but it doesn't go anywhere. It times out and eventually tries again - hence the perceived delay. When responding with a data stream, lost packets are quickly recognized by the receiving node. These lost packets can be retransmitted on request - no need to wait for a timeout.
The test would be to go to an area where you have both great reception and bandwidth. With a good signal and no bandwidth contention the probability of losing that request is low. Do you still have high latency? If so then AT&T is doing something very wrong.
While this probably isn't much of a worry with a school library checkout system, I'm worried that with something like a thumbprint, which never changes, eventually it gets too easy for someone to get access to your thumbprint and 'forge' authentication/authorization.
A valid concern if the school was recording your fingerprint. But they are not recording it - just a dozen or so points of interest from the print. These points of interest could be used to reverse engineer a fingerprint - but it would only work at that library.
So they store a hash...do you think it is impossible to compute that hash from a fingerprint I lift off of a cup?
Of course you can - but what is your point exactly?
All the hash does is make it hard to compute the actual fingeprint, which is only a comfort if you are worried about someone stealing your biometric data
A hash makes it impossible to compute the actual fingerprint - you can't even come close. Their simple system might record up to 20 points of interest out of the thousands that are actually present on a print. If you were to generate a fingerprint from those 20 points you would not end up with anything like the actual fingerprint. When compared by a real system, like those used by the police, you would not get a match.
-- but the other issue, the privacy issue, is not solved by hashing the data.
Well yes and no. If the police wanted your prints for whatever reason (say you went missing) they would simply go to your place of residence and get an actual print. They wouldn't bother with the school system that only stored a tiny bit of information - only enough to work with input from a fingerprint scanner and only to a low degree of accuracy.
Are there other secret organizations that might track you? Possibly, but I wouldn't be the least bit concerned about the school system. Such an organization would simply get one of your real fingerprints or use some sort of facial recognition.
FYI, I wrote an algorithm for fingerprint recognition when in university. It worked - sometimes. They point being is that I have researched the field and understand just how simple this school system will be when compared to a more sophisticated system like those used be the police.
Another issue is the availability of components. It is cheaper to operate your assembly plant in close proximity to the plants that produce the required components. Less shipping costs, faster response times. Even if the Chinese had pay equity with American workers, it would still make sense to assemble in China.
you are assuming everything will be watched full screen.
Well the future is not with computers but with televisions - and it will be in full screen. Just look at AndroidTV (or whatever it's called) to see where Google is trying to go with their media. But it's also in the present - my parents have a Western Digital device that plays YouTube videos just fine. The AppleTV will also do this - and there are plenty more.
My point is simply that YouTube must support HD streaming if it is going to maintain their leadership role in the market.
There is NOTHING in OSX which can reasonably be believed to have been invented (in any sense of the word) for OSX!
In any large update there is always going to be some reuse of code. But I believe what the grandparent post was referring to was the fact that the design of OSX was completely new thereby requiring a complete rewrite.
Just look at the Core Foundation classes - they were created for OSX. NeXTStep implemented the required base classes in their Foundation Kit. But OSX required the ability to run Carbon apps as native applications - difficult when your base classes are in ObjC. So they rewrote the base classes in C or C++ thereby allowing them to be called by traditional Carbon apps (and providing a speed boost). An additional layer (Cocoa) was then added to allow ObjC apps to also make use of these base classes via the traditional NeXTStep API.
So the point is that OSX was a complete rewrite. Sure, components were reused - as they should be. But OSX is not simply an evolved version of NeXTStep. Using the required car analogy - Apple didn't put a new motor and bodywork into that old mustang frame, they cut the frame up and built a new one. Parts from the old mustang were only used when they fit the new frame. Many new parts had to be built from scratch.
Note - the term "invented" isn't really accurate. When replacing a legacy system with a complete rewrite, one does not have to "invent" anything. All was already "invented" by the legacy system. A rewrite is simply a new implementation of a system - one not based on the previous system, but designed to replicate the functionality of said system.