Hey Motorola (I know you are probably reading this): Next time I am faced with deciding if I will buy your product or someone elses, you can be sure that it will now be theirs!
Your hunger for the buck should stop before you bite the had that feeds you.
Lets say that this exparament is a success (it sounds like it will be). Does this really resurect the spieies as it would have been? With natural evolution you would have a several (or perhaps many) different "families" within the spiecies which would allow for a much "deeper" gene pool. When you resurect a spiecies, you will end up with a clone from a single animal. Even if you do clone a second animal from the same spiecies, the pool would still remain shallow.
To me, this means that the evolution of the spiecies will probably be different than what nature intended. I do not know if this is good or bad. I mean, in the case of endangered or extinct spiecies, nature may not have done all that well. But to think that a reconstitued spiecies would be the same as the original would be like comparing fresh orange juice to reconstituted or fresh milk to powedered.
You can give them away to anyone anywhere and not have to spend a nickle! Then you can D/L software that will make them usefull for something and anger Digital Convergence!
Make sure that you:
1. Tell the recipient that the should provide
made up info when they fill out the form.
I have to admit that the only watermarking concept that I really understand is the paper version. But by making insignificant variations to the digital signal, converting to analog and then re-digitizing again, I would guess that you could smear the watermark enough so that there would not be enough of it left to make a positive ID.
Hashing the HF part of the signal a couple hundred hz wont matter and hashing the lf part of the signal a couple of HZ will be un-noticeable to the human ear. Switching the hash a bit every couple of seconds should be enough to ensure that the watermark would be undetectable. I have to believe that what looks for the sig is a pattern recognition device of some sort.
I think Dilbert will rule the world. Or, if he doesn't then he will influence it enough so that we will retain some control.
Here is the Proof: Dilbert has managed to infliltrate every company that I have ever worked for. How do I know? His strips always reflect exactly what is happening where I am when I am there.
I don't know if this is a real, serious threat or FUD, I am not that deep into it and frankly am unqualified to make that decision.
It kind of reads like a M$ "FUD" story but the culture has always held that any vunerability is a serious threat. I spoze it could be a combo.
What I did notice was that it did not single out a single OS but rather a number of *nix's. That makes sense, the vunerability isn't deep down inside of the kernel but rather it is in programs that the different flavors can all use.
Someone also said that a similar vunerability may exist somewhere in Windows. We will probably never know because the source isn't available to study. Of course some hacker may stumble across it some day, then we will know.
There will always be chinks in the armor and someone will always be looking for ways in and their counter-part will be busy patching them. That kinda seems to be the nature of the beast.
This constant testing and fixing seems to result in more robust systems (no matter what kind) so perhaps, even though it is a hassle and a pain, it is good.
The thinning of the ice cap sounds like an alarm when you first hear it. After all, we have all lived through a "storm of the century" at least I know I have (every ten years or so). How do we know if this is a normal fluctuation or something more?
I live in Minnesota and can tell you from personal experience that the winters here are no where near as bad as they used to be fiften or twenty years ago. This is not just last winter I'm talking about but every winter since the mid-eighties! There are far fewer -20 degree days now than there were in the '70's and early '80's. We also seem to warm up faster in the spring, not earlier really, just faster. This leads to floods like we have seen recently in Fargo and in DesMoines and other places. The run-off is faster and the ground soaked so it goes into the rivers faster than they can handle.
Maybe this happens sort of randomly every two or three thousand years. That could explain things like out of place cave drawings and discoveries of canoes where there is no water. But don't you really think it is more likely that hydrocarbon emissions, industrial pollution, deforestation, and the ubiquitious paved road are getting to a point where the earth is feeling it?
I guess that I see our planet as a living, breathing being. If she gets sick and we don't do something about it we will suffer, afterall, we are in essence parasites on her body. Even worse, we have no place else to go!
Providing liquid nitrogen as a fuel would require an extreme expendature by companies that have little to gain from a less expensive, easier to manufacture fuel. At every "gas station" you would need to install tanks, pumps, and other gear that would supply the nitrogen. This stuff would be expensive. You would also need to develop the manufacturing process to supply the required amount of it to the nation and you would have to do almost all of this before you could earn one penny from it!
Putting it simply and suscintly; "It ain't gonna happen."
Even propane and CNG (compressed natural gas) have not been able to make many inroads as automotive fuels because the infrastructure isn't there to support these vehicals beyond their local area. Most propane powered fleets are used as local delivery vehicals only, this way they can re-fuel at their motor pool.
I am not saying that a nitrogen powered car is out of the question. I kinda like the idea myself. There are questions that I have though. How do you get past the fuel delivery issue? How do you construct a light-weight storage tank that will resist the release of the liquified gas in an accident? It may be inert but the cold liquid could still pose a real threat (it could freeze ya or deprive ya of o2).
Mileage wise, the "fuel" does not seem that it would be as good. It only expands itself, it does not combine with other gasses to explode and exert the kind of force that a hydrocarbon engine does! I don't know exactly how bad this would hurt the MPG but I'd bet that you couldn't hope for half the miles per gallon you get today.
Fuel taxes pay for our roads. Roads are not cheap. Therefore the taxes we pay on a gallon of gas are important to us. How would you apply tax to nitrogen based fuel if the effiency were much poorer than hydrocarbon products? How would you collect the taxes efficently if the manufacturing (or more accurately extraction) were de-centralized?
The fuel cells being developed for automotive use today are able to use hydrocarbon based fuels. They simply strip the hydrogen from them and use it while they dispose of the carbon (through the exhaust). Their effiency is currently similar to that of the internal combustion engine (however ineffiencies further down the line lead to added loss)and their expense is now falling faster than the designers expected. For these reasons, the fuel cell is the front runner.
The fuel cell is still expensive and can only be found in exparmental settings, best guesses are that it is five years away from being able to be mass produced and perhaps ten years away from acceptance. Its first uses are likely to be in those same places where we see propane used today, in urban fleet vehicals.
Fuel cells that use hydrogen rather than hydrocarbons are easier to produce and more efficient. Like nitrogen hydrogen needs to be stored in a compressed liquid form to be useable as a fuel - this means that the storage vessles and "plumbing" will face the same issues as liquid nitrogen. On top of that hydrogen is explosive (so it could be really nasty in an accident). Hydrogen is plentifull but it is often "locked" with other atoms that makes it difficult to simply "harvest" (like you could with nitrogen). This means that a safe efficient system of transport would need to be setup from some sort of "refinery." to supply the "gas stations." Again, this is an expense that companies will not want to make without being assured that their investment will pay itself back.
Are we stuck with hydrocarbon fuels? For today, yes. For tomorrow, maybe, maybe not. Perhaps the most promising thing would be the development of a hybrid hydrocarbon/hydrogen fuel cell that would deliver more power and effenciy when used with hydrogen alone. This would first allow for common acceptance of fuel cell powered cars and would allow for the gradual transition from gasoline to hydrogen while providing an incentive to drivers to purchase hydrogen when it is available.
There are other issues that I haven't covered here, particularly the fact that batteries remain heavy and expensive, that are also issues in the development of alternitive fuel cars. I remain excited about the concept and can only hope that within my lifetime I will be able to purchase and drive a viable family car that does not contain a conventional internal combustion engine.
Has a partial roof over her cube. It does an adequate job of shading the flouresent lights.
She has anchored the a sheet to the walls and then has it tented using plastic strips so the center height is about 6 1/'2' high. It covers the back 1/2 of her cube and the computer is completely in the "dark."
Perhaps I am more jaded than I should be. I look at the candidates (including the minor ones) and I ask if any of them really can represent me? I know that there are only two that really stand a chance of winning and I don't think either of them gives a damn about me!
We are in a country where our elected leaders are supposed to be there to represent us but in reality, they don't get where they are by doing that. The only people that they represent are those people with special access, people who control purse strings that can be opened for those campaign budgets.
We, a country that was founded because of a situation where there was "taxation without representation" have created almost exactly the same situation that caused the initial revolution! The hypocracy makes me sick.
Minnesota did something unheard of a couple of years ago, we elected a Reform Party candidate, Jesse Ventura to be our govenor. We did this knowing that he was not "normal" gubenatorial matterial. We had two other choices, both of whom were cut out of the same matterial as Gore and Bush. In a very real sense, the election of Govenor Ventura was a political revolution.
Yes, we have been the butt of jokes but our govenor can probably beat your govenor up! We also have a govenor who has added some real common representation. He really does play by a different set of rules. The changes are slow in comming but we can see them. I don't necessarily agree with all of them but I can see that he is really looking at things from the common person's point of view. He has made a few mistakes along the way and alienated powerfull groups (like the religious right) and so I don't know what his chances for re-election are but, I can at least say that I support him because he does represent me.
I think, that it is time for the common man to demand the same from Washington. I suspect that the internet is going to play a powerful part in that. Even if it is just to allow us a fast way to track our lawmakers, it is something. But if we can have a real influence on what they do, that would really be something!
Having provided hardware and software support, I understand your concerns and know that on occasion a "lazy" person will try to lay the blame on another vendor. That can happen but assuming it will also concerns me, I do not think it will be the "policy" (stated or unstated) of any of the companies that you noted to do that. If it happens, first assume that it is the person that is doing it NOT the company!
IF it happens, ask the provider for any additional information that they can give you that will help document their companies position and get their name and a "ticket number" to reference when you call back. DO NOT try to pretend that you haven't called on the issue before, if you get "busted" you will be far less likely to get assitance if you pull that one.
If at all possible, try to set up some sort of conference call between the providers. Getting everyone involved can be a really positive thing.
Consider an alternitive resource for support, there are pay-per-call companies out there that do a great job of troubleshooting and resolving issues.
Don't forget to access the different companies websites for support information before calling! If you can't find the answer, then call but stay armed with the info from the different documents, that way you can quote from them and keep the person on the other end on their toes.
Again, I want to stress that a lazy employee is probably the worst enemy that both the company and the customer have. Just because you get a bad apple, don't assume the entire batch is bad! Of all the calls I've taken, I think those are the ones that bother me the most - because I really do try to help and try to keep my skills current. I know there are others who don't do as well and I am ashamed to work with them but these days sometimes companies have to settle for the help they can hire, not the help they want. I assure you these folks will be the first to go when the labor market loosens up a bit.
Slashdot Mirror
This is one of the lowest! There oughta be a law!
Hey Motorola (I know you are probably reading this): Next time I am faced with deciding if I will buy your product or someone elses, you can be sure that it will now be theirs!
Your hunger for the buck should stop before you bite the had that feeds you.
Lets say that this exparament is a success (it sounds like it will be). Does this really resurect the spieies as it would have been? With natural evolution you would have a several (or perhaps many) different "families" within the spiecies which would allow for a much "deeper" gene pool. When you resurect a spiecies, you will end up with a clone from a single animal. Even if you do clone a second animal from the same spiecies, the pool would still remain shallow.
To me, this means that the evolution of the spiecies will probably be different than what nature intended. I do not know if this is good or bad. I mean, in the case of endangered or extinct spiecies, nature may not have done all that well. But to think that a reconstitued spiecies would be the same as the original would be like comparing fresh orange juice to reconstituted or fresh milk to powedered.
You can give them away to anyone anywhere and not have to spend a nickle! Then you can D/L software that will make them usefull for something and anger Digital Convergence!
Make sure that you:
1. Tell the recipient that the should provide
made up info when they fill out the form.
2. Modify the scanner so the S/N will be invalid.
I have to admit that the only watermarking concept that I really understand is the paper version. But by making insignificant variations to the digital signal, converting to analog and then re-digitizing again, I would guess that you could smear the watermark enough so that there would not be enough of it left to make a positive ID.
Hashing the HF part of the signal a couple hundred hz wont matter and hashing the lf part of the signal a couple of HZ will be un-noticeable to the human ear. Switching the hash a bit every couple of seconds should be enough to ensure that the watermark would be undetectable. I have to believe that what looks for the sig is a pattern recognition device of some sort.
I think Dilbert will rule the world. Or, if he doesn't then he will influence it enough so that we will retain some control.
Here is the Proof: Dilbert has managed to infliltrate every company that I have ever worked for. How do I know? His strips always reflect exactly what is happening where I am when I am there.
Convert to analog and re-dititze. All encryption and watermarking gone!
I don't know if this is a real, serious threat or FUD, I am not that deep into it and frankly am unqualified to make that decision.
It kind of reads like a M$ "FUD" story but the culture has always held that any vunerability is a serious threat. I spoze it could be a combo.
What I did notice was that it did not single out a single OS but rather a number of *nix's. That makes sense, the vunerability isn't deep down inside of the kernel but rather it is in programs that the different flavors can all use.
Someone also said that a similar vunerability may exist somewhere in Windows. We will probably never know because the source isn't available to study. Of course some hacker may stumble across it some day, then we will know.
There will always be chinks in the armor and someone will always be looking for ways in and their counter-part will be busy patching them. That kinda seems to be the nature of the beast.
This constant testing and fixing seems to result in more robust systems (no matter what kind) so perhaps, even though it is a hassle and a pain, it is good.
I live in Minnesota and can tell you from personal experience that the winters here are no where near as bad as they used to be fiften or twenty years ago. This is not just last winter I'm talking about but every winter since the mid-eighties! There are far fewer -20 degree days now than there were in the '70's and early '80's. We also seem to warm up faster in the spring, not earlier really, just faster. This leads to floods like we have seen recently in Fargo and in DesMoines and other places. The run-off is faster and the ground soaked so it goes into the rivers faster than they can handle.
Maybe this happens sort of randomly every two or three thousand years. That could explain things like out of place cave drawings and discoveries of canoes where there is no water. But don't you really think it is more likely that hydrocarbon emissions, industrial pollution, deforestation, and the ubiquitious paved road are getting to a point where the earth is feeling it?
I guess that I see our planet as a living, breathing being. If she gets sick and we don't do something about it we will suffer, afterall, we are in essence parasites on her body. Even worse, we have no place else to go!
Putting it simply and suscintly; "It ain't gonna happen."
Even propane and CNG (compressed natural gas) have not been able to make many inroads as automotive fuels because the infrastructure isn't there to support these vehicals beyond their local area. Most propane powered fleets are used as local delivery vehicals only, this way they can re-fuel at their motor pool.
I am not saying that a nitrogen powered car is out of the question. I kinda like the idea myself. There are questions that I have though. How do you get past the fuel delivery issue? How do you construct a light-weight storage tank that will resist the release of the liquified gas in an accident? It may be inert but the cold liquid could still pose a real threat (it could freeze ya or deprive ya of o2).
Mileage wise, the "fuel" does not seem that it would be as good. It only expands itself, it does not combine with other gasses to explode and exert the kind of force that a hydrocarbon engine does! I don't know exactly how bad this would hurt the MPG but I'd bet that you couldn't hope for half the miles per gallon you get today.
Fuel taxes pay for our roads. Roads are not cheap. Therefore the taxes we pay on a gallon of gas are important to us. How would you apply tax to nitrogen based fuel if the effiency were much poorer than hydrocarbon products? How would you collect the taxes efficently if the manufacturing (or more accurately extraction) were de-centralized?
The fuel cells being developed for automotive use today are able to use hydrocarbon based fuels. They simply strip the hydrogen from them and use it while they dispose of the carbon (through the exhaust). Their effiency is currently similar to that of the internal combustion engine (however ineffiencies further down the line lead to added loss)and their expense is now falling faster than the designers expected. For these reasons, the fuel cell is the front runner.
The fuel cell is still expensive and can only be found in exparmental settings, best guesses are that it is five years away from being able to be mass produced and perhaps ten years away from acceptance. Its first uses are likely to be in those same places where we see propane used today, in urban fleet vehicals.
Fuel cells that use hydrogen rather than hydrocarbons are easier to produce and more efficient. Like nitrogen hydrogen needs to be stored in a compressed liquid form to be useable as a fuel - this means that the storage vessles and "plumbing" will face the same issues as liquid nitrogen. On top of that hydrogen is explosive (so it could be really nasty in an accident). Hydrogen is plentifull but it is often "locked" with other atoms that makes it difficult to simply "harvest" (like you could with nitrogen). This means that a safe efficient system of transport would need to be setup from some sort of "refinery." to supply the "gas stations." Again, this is an expense that companies will not want to make without being assured that their investment will pay itself back.
Are we stuck with hydrocarbon fuels? For today, yes. For tomorrow, maybe, maybe not. Perhaps the most promising thing would be the development of a hybrid hydrocarbon/hydrogen fuel cell that would deliver more power and effenciy when used with hydrogen alone. This would first allow for common acceptance of fuel cell powered cars and would allow for the gradual transition from gasoline to hydrogen while providing an incentive to drivers to purchase hydrogen when it is available.
There are other issues that I haven't covered here, particularly the fact that batteries remain heavy and expensive, that are also issues in the development of alternitive fuel cars. I remain excited about the concept and can only hope that within my lifetime I will be able to purchase and drive a viable family car that does not contain a conventional internal combustion engine.
She has anchored the a sheet to the walls and then has it tented using plastic strips so the center height is about 6 1/'2' high. It covers the back 1/2 of her cube and the computer is completely in the "dark."
We are in a country where our elected leaders are supposed to be there to represent us but in reality, they don't get where they are by doing that. The only people that they represent are those people with special access, people who control purse strings that can be opened for those campaign budgets.
We, a country that was founded because of a situation where there was "taxation without representation" have created almost exactly the same situation that caused the initial revolution! The hypocracy makes me sick.
Minnesota did something unheard of a couple of years ago, we elected a Reform Party candidate, Jesse Ventura to be our govenor. We did this knowing that he was not "normal" gubenatorial matterial. We had two other choices, both of whom were cut out of the same matterial as Gore and Bush. In a very real sense, the election of Govenor Ventura was a political revolution.
Yes, we have been the butt of jokes but our govenor can probably beat your govenor up! We also have a govenor who has added some real common representation. He really does play by a different set of rules. The changes are slow in comming but we can see them. I don't necessarily agree with all of them but I can see that he is really looking at things from the common person's point of view. He has made a few mistakes along the way and alienated powerfull groups (like the religious right) and so I don't know what his chances for re-election are but, I can at least say that I support him because he does represent me.
I think, that it is time for the common man to demand the same from Washington. I suspect that the internet is going to play a powerful part in that. Even if it is just to allow us a fast way to track our lawmakers, it is something. But if we can have a real influence on what they do, that would really be something!
Geeks, Unite!
First, we kill all the lawyers.
IF it happens, ask the provider for any additional information that they can give you that will help document their companies position and get their name and a "ticket number" to reference when you call back. DO NOT try to pretend that you haven't called on the issue before, if you get "busted" you will be far less likely to get assitance if you pull that one.
If at all possible, try to set up some sort of conference call between the providers. Getting everyone involved can be a really positive thing.
Consider an alternitive resource for support, there are pay-per-call companies out there that do a great job of troubleshooting and resolving issues.
Don't forget to access the different companies websites for support information before calling! If you can't find the answer, then call but stay armed with the info from the different documents, that way you can quote from them and keep the person on the other end on their toes.
Again, I want to stress that a lazy employee is probably the worst enemy that both the company and the customer have. Just because you get a bad apple, don't assume the entire batch is bad! Of all the calls I've taken, I think those are the ones that bother me the most - because I really do try to help and try to keep my skills current. I know there are others who don't do as well and I am ashamed to work with them but these days sometimes companies have to settle for the help they can hire, not the help they want. I assure you these folks will be the first to go when the labor market loosens up a bit.