I remember a toy from the 70s and 80s, which involved a "robot" that ran off of specially shaped cogs and gears. One would determine the distance, a couple others would determine direction (left, right, circle), another would set up a special function (stop, spin turret, flash lights and play sounds), before resuming the pattern again.
Slightly more complicated versions were made for more money, which involved a simple optical reader and a rotating paper disc which the user would mark off spots for distance, turns, etc. If I recall correctly, there were Mindstorm Lego sets that worked on this principle as well.
Why not make a version of the Roomba that does that? It's technically an analog computer, and would be cheap as hell to mass produce. A lot closer to a "real" robot than Robosweep is.
The Easy, and Intelligent Way to Sweep Your Floors! Wouldn't it be nice to relax and read a book, or drink some coffee, as somebody else swept your floors? Now you can! That "somebody else" is an intelligent robot named RoboSweep!
RoboSweep uses artificial intelligence to sweep your entire floor. It won't miss an inch of your wood, linoleum, or tile! It will sweep and lift up anything from pet hair, dust and ashes, to paper and rubber! No more backaches, dusty brooms or sweat!
---
Wow. Just WOW. I knew that infomercials were 90% false advertising, but this! Who wants to buy one and sue the manufacturer off the face of the planet for fraudulent claims?
Comcast's being hammered with calls to their tech support line. The entire network is bogged down nationwide, due to an issue "Affecting Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT systems".
Their technicians are working with Microsoft to resolve the issue.
Knowing Comcast, that means they'll be up and running at full speed again in, oh, January next year at the soonest.
The Vectrex mentioned on their vector graphics module page is from the early 80s (1981-1984), not the late 80s.
Since most people can get it for free nowadays, why not allow for 72 pin EDO simms, instead of using more modern RAM? If the CPU isn't going to be that fast to begin with, and you aren't going anywhere more complex than a 16 bit graphics system, then having high speed RAM that you have to pay for, if it makes no difference?
I dunno, their website seems to have survived a good Slashdotting. They're spending real money on a beefy enough connection to allow for massive amounts of traffic.
Not the sort of thing that most vaporware companies will do. Usually their servers go down when the rats in their basement chews through the wires, or if more than 5 people connect simultaneously.
Actually, the module they were showing was your standard run of the mill oscilloscope, so of course the screen is going to look tiny. The problem is, most TVs aren't going to display vector graphics very well, and PC monitors are possibly the only consumer grade displays sharp enough or capable of doing vector lines.
Well, if you consider that the Z80 was used in various roles in video gaming and computers for almost 20 years, and that compared to the high end CPUs of today, then yest, it is underpowered. Does that mean it's useless? The jury is still out on that.
Of course, that was one of the cooler things about hobbyist machine building/coding. Not how gee whiz bang the hardware was that you put into it, but how you could do amazing things with the most basic hardware.
I submitted the report when they were first test flying the White Knight, with the space plane strapped to the belly.
Test flights are test flights, and the space plane neither went orbital or even to the edge of space. It was dropped from the bottom of the White Knight.
Hence my cause for bitching. I submitted several reports of relevence, and not one has been approved (the space flight report was rejected scant seconds after submission).
And similarly, my complaint is on topic, since it covered the above story months earlier. If anyone actually cared (no thanks to mods with itchy trigger fingers and too much time on their hands, yet not enough to actually read the article either), they'd note that the first test flight for the launch platform was successful, and within 4 months the space plane was being tested, leaps and bounds ahead of NASA in terms of speed and R&D.
Sorry Clive, 99.9% of those with an ounce of brain matter considered the Segway an utter waste of technology. Take our president, representative of that.1% who considered it worth using. It's a stupid rich boys toy, and an utter waste of time to use.
Most people with an ounce of brains could buy an electric scooter with far more range and capabilities for $300 or less here, with enough room for cargo and with options not seen in the Segway, such as turn signals, a horn, a ca0rgo basket, and a headlight. That should be enough of a clue for most.
Considering it's probably just baking soda, a tablespoon of red and black pepper for color, the geletin capsules and the machinery to produce the pills comes to about $10,000-$20,000, I'd say they were being marked up far more.
(1) Charge money for the version that the software is optimized for. If it's optimized for Windows, but a very stable beta for Linux or BSD, then charge money for the OS it's most likely to be used on. Likewise goes for Linux of BSD ports. If anyone complains, explain that logically the product it's optimized for is undergoing continuous change, therefore the money paid is needed to compensate the hours spent making sure that it will run universally under the given platform. Considering Windows undergoes continuous patches and service packs, this is a valid argument (considering how often said patches or service packs can break most apps made for it.
(2) Charge money for it, based on the platform the software is most commonly used, on a sliding scale. If one runs it under Windows, charge a $15 fee. If it's BSD or OS X, charge $10. If it's under Linux, charge anywhere from free, to $5. If people cannot adapt, then they should pay a penalty, frankly.
To use the ol' tired automotive analogy, people who use an automatic transmission pay at least twice over for that convenience, one being the cost of replacement transmissions twice that of manuals, and the second being the loss of fuel efficiency. This rule applies in every consumer market, and should apply under software as well (since we *are* talking about attempting to make a consumer market out of open source software).
I have some issues with cable companies incorporating digital recorders with their boxes.
For one, lets take the wayback machine to when VCRs first entered the market. They were touted as, and preferred for, the fact that anyone who liked a specific program could record the show of their choice while watching another, or record a show while away from the TV.
Universal/Jack Valenti (of MPAA fame for those who don't know) were steadfast against this, mainly because it suddenly gave the viewers/consumers a choice in what they watched.
Now it's come full circle. Remember the scandal when it was found that Tivo would record programs nobody wanted to (such as deciding some viewers wanted to record gay television shows because they recorded Sex in the City a certain number of times), or even record programs that were promoted heavily, whether or not the viewers wanted it to be recorded?
Now imagine this. One: The media giants paying the cable companies to set up the boxes to automatically record shows that nobody wants to prop up ratings, or two: If there's a particularly controversial bit of footage, like a cop beating up another black motorist, or the president declaring war on England as a gaffe, or what have you. If they can control the DVR, they can tell the DVR to erase anything they don't want you to see.
Remember the whole thing with Max Headroom where it was against the law to turn off the TV? Imagine a world where it's illegal to choose what you record on your VCR/PVR/DVR.
Look at these poor starving union shop workers, after the movies they worked on were pirated, they now have to sell props from movies to keep afloat!
Why, poor Larry here actually has to choose from either putting a down payment on this Jaguar, or paying for a 68" plasma screen display for his home theater!
I stand corrected, apparently they DID demonstrate the thing on ABC's morning show. I can't believe this thing is going to last more than a proof of concept vehicle though.
For one, why don't they show any propulsion system for water transport? One would think that how well it could get around in water would be an important issue for selling an amphibious vehicle. So why aren't there any shots showing the propellers and/or steering mechanism? In fact, why aren't there any shots of the rear (except when submerged and/or so far out of focus you can barely make out the slackjawed yokel looking on)?
Secondly, the price range is ALL wrong, $850,000. Lets assume they have to build it from scratch, that still doesn't explain (even with the over instrumentalized dashboard) why it costs more than some people pay for a pretty damnned nice house, or even close to 10 times the price of a conventional 42 foot RV (with the same options, sans water capabilities).
Third, all the water shots are way wrong, they look more like poor photoshop jobs. There's no real distortion of the water surrounding the RV, just a little foaming around the sides. No evidence of displacement (eg; waves) that you would get if, say, you floated a 42 foot yacht in the same area. Also no waves from the back to indicate any form of propulsion is being used.
Sorry folks, this looks about as fake as those guys who were trying to sell gutted aircraft on poles as "custom housing".
How else can you explain them managing to somehow get 1500 people to stage a "die in" in front of tobacco companies, let alone all the other cute little stunts they do to advertise the evils of smoking?
Thus spoketh Dennis Leary, "Holy shit! These are bad for you! I thought they had vitamins in them and stuff!"
All lawsuits require some form of valid evidence. A "list" does not quantify evidence. Get your attorney to demand that the RIAA download and play every alleged file you have on their list.
Every.
Single.
Song.
They'll either dismiss the case, or the jury will have comitted suicide by the 8th hour of your "Best of Menudo", "Backstreet Boys Greatest Hits", and "Nsyn Nlimited" collection.
Slashdot Mirror
I remember a toy from the 70s and 80s, which involved a "robot" that ran off of specially shaped cogs and gears. One would determine the distance, a couple others would determine direction (left, right, circle), another would set up a special function (stop, spin turret, flash lights and play sounds), before resuming the pattern again.
Slightly more complicated versions were made for more money, which involved a simple optical reader and a rotating paper disc which the user would mark off spots for distance, turns, etc. If I recall correctly, there were Mindstorm Lego sets that worked on this principle as well.
Why not make a version of the Roomba that does that? It's technically an analog computer, and would be cheap as hell to mass produce. A lot closer to a "real" robot than Robosweep is.
http://www.youcansave.com/robosweep.asp
The Easy, and Intelligent
Way to Sweep Your Floors!
Wouldn't it be nice to relax and read a book, or drink some coffee, as somebody else swept your floors? Now you can! That "somebody else" is an intelligent robot named RoboSweep!
RoboSweep uses artificial intelligence to sweep your entire floor. It won't miss an inch of your wood, linoleum, or tile! It will sweep and lift up anything from pet hair, dust and ashes, to paper and rubber! No more backaches, dusty brooms or sweat!
---
Wow. Just WOW. I knew that infomercials were 90% false advertising, but this! Who wants to buy one and sue the manufacturer off the face of the planet for fraudulent claims?
Comcast's being hammered with calls to their tech support line. The entire network is bogged down nationwide, due to an issue "Affecting Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT systems".
Their technicians are working with Microsoft to resolve the issue.
Knowing Comcast, that means they'll be up and running at full speed again in, oh, January next year at the soonest.
The final episode of Futurama is posted to alt.binaries.multimedia.cartoons in SVCD quality MPEG-2.
The Vectrex mentioned on their vector graphics module page is from the early 80s (1981-1984), not the late 80s.
Since most people can get it for free nowadays, why not allow for 72 pin EDO simms, instead of using more modern RAM? If the CPU isn't going to be that fast to begin with, and you aren't going anywhere more complex than a 16 bit graphics system, then having high speed RAM that you have to pay for, if it makes no difference?
I dunno, their website seems to have survived a good Slashdotting. They're spending real money on a beefy enough connection to allow for massive amounts of traffic.
Not the sort of thing that most vaporware companies will do. Usually their servers go down when the rats in their basement chews through the wires, or if more than 5 people connect simultaneously.
Actually, the module they were showing was your standard run of the mill oscilloscope, so of course the screen is going to look tiny. The problem is, most TVs aren't going to display vector graphics very well, and PC monitors are possibly the only consumer grade displays sharp enough or capable of doing vector lines.
Well, if you consider that the Z80 was used in various roles in video gaming and computers for almost 20 years, and that compared to the high end CPUs of today, then yest, it is underpowered. Does that mean it's useless? The jury is still out on that.
Of course, that was one of the cooler things about hobbyist machine building/coding. Not how gee whiz bang the hardware was that you put into it, but how you could do amazing things with the most basic hardware.
Think of it as a "Junkyard Wars" of DIY gaming.
I submitted the report when they were first test flying the White Knight, with the space plane strapped to the belly.
Test flights are test flights, and the space plane neither went orbital or even to the edge of space. It was dropped from the bottom of the White Knight.
Hence my cause for bitching. I submitted several reports of relevence, and not one has been approved (the space flight report was rejected scant seconds after submission).
And similarly, my complaint is on topic, since it covered the above story months earlier. If anyone actually cared (no thanks to mods with itchy trigger fingers and too much time on their hands, yet not enough to actually read the article either), they'd note that the first test flight for the launch platform was successful, and within 4 months the space plane was being tested, leaps and bounds ahead of NASA in terms of speed and R&D.
How is this offtopic? I DID submit this as a story over 2 months ago (in April, actually):
2003-04-19 18:59:53 Private Space Plane Unveiled with Eyes on the X-Pr (articles,space) (rejected)
And it was exactly the same story as above.
I reported this over 2 months ago, and it was rejected.
Sorry Clive, 99.9% of those with an ounce of brain matter considered the Segway an utter waste of technology. Take our president, representative of that .1% who considered it worth using. It's a stupid rich boys toy, and an utter waste of time to use.
Most people with an ounce of brains could buy an electric scooter with far more range and capabilities for $300 or less here, with enough room for cargo and with options not seen in the Segway, such as turn signals, a horn, a ca0rgo basket, and a headlight. That should be enough of a clue for most.
Apple II, Grid, Atari 400 and 800, or even the lowly TRS-80 and later CoCo and portables?
Now if they could port it over to the old Epson wrist PC, that would truly rock.
Considering that most of the lawsuits are expected to take up to 5 years at the very least to reach a judgement?
It'll be the first time in history that a Beowulf cluster could be beaten in a speed match by a 6.5 Mhz 6086.
Considering it's probably just baking soda, a tablespoon of red and black pepper for color, the geletin capsules and the machinery to produce the pills comes to about $10,000-$20,000, I'd say they were being marked up far more.
Warning: Repeated use may result in hairy palms, blindness, and elevated vaseline bills.
If any of these symptoms persist, go to http://goatse.cx or http://www.deltaburkenaked.com.
You have two choices:
(1) Charge money for the version that the software is optimized for. If it's optimized for Windows, but a very stable beta for Linux or BSD, then charge money for the OS it's most likely to be used on. Likewise goes for Linux of BSD ports. If anyone complains, explain that logically the product it's optimized for is undergoing continuous change, therefore the money paid is needed to compensate the hours spent making sure that it will run universally under the given platform. Considering Windows undergoes continuous patches and service packs, this is a valid argument (considering how often said patches or service packs can break most apps made for it.
(2) Charge money for it, based on the platform the software is most commonly used, on a sliding scale. If one runs it under Windows, charge a $15 fee. If it's BSD or OS X, charge $10. If it's under Linux, charge anywhere from free, to $5. If people cannot adapt, then they should pay a penalty, frankly.
To use the ol' tired automotive analogy, people who use an automatic transmission pay at least twice over for that convenience, one being the cost of replacement transmissions twice that of manuals, and the second being the loss of fuel efficiency. This rule applies in every consumer market, and should apply under software as well (since we *are* talking about attempting to make a consumer market out of open source software).
I have some issues with cable companies incorporating digital recorders with their boxes.
For one, lets take the wayback machine to when VCRs first entered the market. They were touted as, and preferred for, the fact that anyone who liked a specific program could record the show of their choice while watching another, or record a show while away from the TV.
Universal/Jack Valenti (of MPAA fame for those who don't know) were steadfast against this, mainly because it suddenly gave the viewers/consumers a choice in what they watched.
Now it's come full circle. Remember the scandal when it was found that Tivo would record programs nobody wanted to (such as deciding some viewers wanted to record gay television shows because they recorded Sex in the City a certain number of times), or even record programs that were promoted heavily, whether or not the viewers wanted it to be recorded?
Now imagine this. One: The media giants paying the cable companies to set up the boxes to automatically record shows that nobody wants to prop up ratings, or two: If there's a particularly controversial bit of footage, like a cop beating up another black motorist, or the president declaring war on England as a gaffe, or what have you. If they can control the DVR, they can tell the DVR to erase anything they don't want you to see.
Remember the whole thing with Max Headroom where it was against the law to turn off the TV? Imagine a world where it's illegal to choose what you record on your VCR/PVR/DVR.
That's what happens when you don't bother to read the instructions.
Look at these poor starving union shop workers, after the movies they worked on were pirated, they now have to sell props from movies to keep afloat!
Why, poor Larry here actually has to choose from either putting a down payment on this Jaguar, or paying for a 68" plasma screen display for his home theater!
(Where's Sally Struthers when they need her?)
I stand corrected, apparently they DID demonstrate the thing on ABC's morning show. I can't believe this thing is going to last more than a proof of concept vehicle though.
For one, why don't they show any propulsion system for water transport? One would think that how well it could get around in water would be an important issue for selling an amphibious vehicle. So why aren't there any shots showing the propellers and/or steering mechanism? In fact, why aren't there any shots of the rear (except when submerged and/or so far out of focus you can barely make out the slackjawed yokel looking on)?
Secondly, the price range is ALL wrong, $850,000. Lets assume they have to build it from scratch, that still doesn't explain (even with the over instrumentalized dashboard) why it costs more than some people pay for a pretty damnned nice house, or even close to 10 times the price of a conventional 42 foot RV (with the same options, sans water capabilities).
Third, all the water shots are way wrong, they look more like poor photoshop jobs. There's no real distortion of the water surrounding the RV, just a little foaming around the sides. No evidence of displacement (eg; waves) that you would get if, say, you floated a 42 foot yacht in the same area. Also no waves from the back to indicate any form of propulsion is being used.
Sorry folks, this looks about as fake as those guys who were trying to sell gutted aircraft on poles as "custom housing".
How else can you explain them managing to somehow get 1500 people to stage a "die in" in front of tobacco companies, let alone all the other cute little stunts they do to advertise the evils of smoking?
Thus spoketh Dennis Leary, "Holy shit! These are bad for you! I thought they had vitamins in them and stuff!"
Anyone who downloaded it, share, and ONLY share, Charlie Manson's "Whitey Album".
Then when the RIAA tries to nail you for it, send out a press release stating that the RIAA is contributing profits to a convicted mass murderer.
All lawsuits require some form of valid evidence. A "list" does not quantify evidence. Get your attorney to demand that the RIAA download and play every alleged file you have on their list.
Every.
Single.
Song.
They'll either dismiss the case, or the jury will have comitted suicide by the 8th hour of your "Best of Menudo", "Backstreet Boys Greatest Hits", and "Nsyn Nlimited" collection.
End of case.