If the breakaway is 12 minutes ahead 10km from the line, they are not going to be caught, unless they all fall off of their bikes...
You overlooked the comma. I didn't say they had a 12 min. lead 10 K from the line, but would have a 12 min. lead somewhere prior to that point, like at 80 K to go then get caught near the finish. Typically sprinters teams reel in the breaks on flat courses, climbers reel 'em in on the mountain courses.
It's not batting that is improved by steroid use, it's power hitting. Batting would actually be hindered by steroid use, with the exception of more homeruns equating to slightly fewer outs. In reality, the batting averages have remained relatively stable for years.
Barry Bonds is all the focus these days for alleged steroid use, due to his impressive increase in power hitting, but his batting average has also gone up considerably, to the point he gets walks frequently. Clearly someone worked with him on changing the way he studies pitchers, prepares himself and how he swings. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to learn he's had his swing analyzed with computers and adapted.
It wasn't so long ago that a wrist/handlebar mounted heart monitor with a radio telemetry strap was out of range of mere mortals, now you can pick them up for less than $70 and with a boatload of functions.
True, but like in the H2G2 book, you still need Majikthise and Vroomfondel to tell you what it all means, that or attend school while training.
Doesn't always work in all sports. In baseball, for example, the Yankees, who spend the most of any team, have remained competetive, but are not guaranteed a Championship, as the last few years have shown.
Mostly because George Steinbrenner spends most of that budget on salaries, particularly on star names rather than building a team of players wo work together. You can pretty much bet, though, that someone like Barry Bonds has his swing analyzed and others track where pitchers are likely to throw, etc. I wouldn't be hasty to chalk up the impressive batting these days purely to steroid use, some of these players must be relying more on information systems to eliminate doubt.
If you could demonstrate a system that would improve team batting by 0.050 or more, you'd have an instant and eager market.
I'm a cycling fan and you would be correct to assume I'm on the edge of my seat regarding the upcoming 2004 Tour de France. For the past
few years cyclists have been getting better connected to the team directors with radios and able to feed performance information via radio back to the team car
where a trainer or doctor monitors heartrate and who knows what else. Some in the sports media and among fans of the sport gripe that this is
taking away the exciting guesswork of the sport and turning riders into little more than robots. e.g. How does the peloton know how much speed to pick up to sweep up
a break away with a 12 minute lead, 10 km from the finish line? Knowledge, feedback and monitoring the opposition. Sometimes they still get it wrong and a break
succeeds, but not often these days.
Having bought one of the top flight cycling computers, which came with software far more sophisticated than I need. I could go totally overboard on my
power to mass, VO2 Max, heartrate training, etc. For what? To beat guys on my weekend rides? If I were a Pro I would need to have not just a coach, now, but a team behind me
to monitor my fitness, nutrition, energy levels, and a slew of other data, where once I'd pretty much only need a coach. The bar is being raised and without
money or sponsorship where does this leave the talented natural who can't meet the bar?
There's considerable complaining about how uneven F1 is, with Ferrari's huge budget. It's hitting all sports. Spend to win and use money and technology to remove
so much doubt the mystery of the game is ultimately solved.
It was good to watch the Pistons dismantle the Lakers, but how less often are we to see upsets anymore?
I was confused enough by the switch to blue light, now they can use a green light?
and me with my r/g colorblindness, it'll sometimes look like red light to me. Hey! rgb-dvd through synthesis of g, I gotta patent this!
I'm in no hurry to buy into any of this, because the next thing out, 3D will change it all again and by this time they'll have copy protection, viewer restriction, dna sampling, spywaring, etc. all bundled up in something which is so complex and convoluted it'll either break frequently or get infested by worms people sneak onto disks the burned themselves and returned to the rental places. Time to think about becoming a luddite, whatever happened to video on LP vinyl?
...if I ever see him, I'll beat the crap outta him. Then apologize.
Yesterday I checked my junkmail box. It had 5,900+ emails in it. I don't think my fists would hold up beating the crap out of all the people sending me that junk. If only someone would email me an offer on how to make fists of steel or something...
Re:That makes it all better
on
Spammer Apologizes
·
· Score: -1, Redundant
I'm sure I'm sorry...
Didn't you get the email?
Send $1 to Sorry Dude, 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield
Meanwhile in a lair on Minnow Pond Drive...
on
Spammer Apologizes
·
· Score: 2, Funny
A dark, sinister voice is heard to say, "Sucker. More bandwidth for me to use and more space in email boxes for me to stuff."
As the number of pins continues to increase the mass does also, at some point processors will achieve such a large mass they will collapse in upon themselves.
actually it'll probably be more like the processors gets so big that you just clip things onto the outside of it and it takes the place of the motherboard.
What We're All Missing --
on
Meet Joe Blog
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Don't blame bloggers, blame lazy journalists.
Also blame lazy readers/listeners/viewers who don't actually read enough to distinguish between rubbish and truth. e.g. When Richard Clarke, the gut at the hub of the CSG wheel, says the Whitehouse flubbed the war on terror, are you going to believe him or some hack who says Clarke lacks any credibility because he as an axe to grind?
The right wing media has been taking advantadge of lazy journalists for years. For those of you who don't know, the "right wing media" -- Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, 700 Club, Hanity & Colms, Ann Coulter etc -- What they do is come up with terribly biased or completely false stories supporting the conservative agenda (status quo) and of course everybody dismisses the stories because the source is biased media! But lazy copy writers for legit news orgs pick up the stories, don't research them, and run with them! Then they *BECOME* "true".
Also refered to as Factoids by someone in the past, "Factoid: Something repeated often enough it becomes accepted as true."
A trained mind, skilled in critical thinking is harder for propaganda to overcome. This is why it's important to read as much about history as you can, starting with an open mind and questioning the veracity of everything you read. (This included!)
Re:The Great Blog Myth
on
Meet Joe Blog
·
· Score: 1
Nice try. KSFO in San Francisco, one of the talk-iest stations out there, brought down Gray Davis, MTBE, and the Wen Ho Lee award ceremony.
No, people actually doing something about these issues made change, not a lot of blather on some radio station, it just echoed the sentiment of the people.
Blogs revealing the character of small fry
on
Meet Joe Blog
·
· Score: 3, Funny
an underperforming undergraduate at a small Christian college in Michigan (CmdrTaco)
What's that you say, Rob? Working on your bachelor's degree was the best 12 years of your life?
In the beginning there was USENET and it was good...
The Great Blog Myth
on
Meet Joe Blog
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
a quirky Camelot moment in Internet history when some guy in his underwear with too much free time can take down a Washington politician.
The great blog myth exposed: There are more people contributing to blogs than actually
Care or
Can do anyting about it
What it all boils down to is like giving the AM radio dial a spin, through all those talk shows. Lotsa blather, all given with about the same amount of passion and nothing much coming of it all.
Just go out and ride yer bike, you'll get more done.
I'd love to see this beast live and crunching numbers... anyone, know where its grave is or if they have it running
When my Explorer Post was given an old computer to play with (a DEC PDP-3) we found, after getting it to do a few simple things, that disposing of it even in the late 70's was a hazardous/toxic waste issue. As "Love Canal" had already met with public attention, and commercial electrolytes showing up in cattle, we had either the choice of paying transporation to send it to a museum which would have taken it or pay to dispose of it. Since Dow was our Post sponsor, they were willing to bundle it up with other electronic gear for proper disposal.
As much as these old beasts are fascinating, they're a pain to get rid of.
Will these people go to jail, or just get a slap on the wrist?
Assuming 'Intent' must be proven, maybe a quick ransac^H^H^H^H^H^Hsearch of their homes by the gest^H^H^H^Hauthorities could turn up a system and evidence of previous nefarious activity. I'm sure somewhere beyond the usual warning 'Use of recording devices is forbidden, yada yada yada' there are some teeth to back the warning up.
I also doubt 'Fair Use' has a twig to lean on here..."Hey, I was just capturing it in case I missed a part and wanted to rewind and see it again *during* the movie."
I dont see why this isn't the case nowadays really..
It's called "Risk Management"
Sure, some big company gets burnt trying to cut some corners; I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of companies out there that demand high availability (also the gov't) still maintain policies and procedures for their upgrades.
The deal is you have companies which now asses the costs of proper testing verses the cost of defending themsevles against their product blowing up and opt for whichever is cheapest.
There are companies which must maintain a higher standard, by law or existing contract. Unfortunately the trend I've been watching over the years is an acceptable level of incompetence or defects. Manufacturers of PC parts, f'rinstance, are fine with a 15% failure rate off the line. I couldn't imagine such being acceptable with pacemakers.
Ironically, most of the PC's in the world run on some version of Windows and even XP still loses its marbles on a regular basis. Thanks to the complexity of some products, some companies simply weigh the rist and make a financial decision and some CYA plan for Image Damage Control -- Gee, sounds just like the war on Iraq, come to think of it, it's a pervasive attitude.
Remember back when companies had Q/A departments and procedures? Wrote test plans and tried various scenarios to make sure the software was idiot and bullet proof? When routine software updates didn't suddenly pull your pants down and slap a creme pie into your face? When companies didn't just write any old thing and throw it out there for their customers to actually perform the test?
where you don't bring work home with you, and thus you have less reason for a home PC
PC's are way cheaper in the US than most countries, particularly in Europe where disposable income is quite a bit less so upgrades are not a common thing. Trying to find the thing that serves your needs and gives you the most benefit for the buck may be a mobile phone with PDA capacities as many people probably don't feel the need to surf the web or play games which require video cards which almost ecclipse MB capacities.
First, I have big hands. Second, I get eyestrain looking at tiny displays. Third, I get more done when I'm sitting at a desk pounding away on a regular keyboard. My desktop resolution is usually in the 1024x768 or higher realm because I like to have real estate to place things side by side.
I did buy one of those spiffy Zaurus SL-5500 (back when/. had the article on getting one for $175 from HSN, last fall) and it's ok for some things, but navigation and entry are much more time consuming than on a regular PC. (for that matter I have found laptops to be slower to work with, too, and currently have a Keytronic LT keyboard plugged into it so I can type faster with fewer mistakes.) A cell phones are a unique beast, it can serve or combine PDA functionality, but it's to cumbersome for its size to maximize input and output capabilities. Don't even get me started on my dyslexia (which seems among people to be on the rise or simply more reported.)
I dont think the article mentioned this, but VisiCalc was also the first (known) enterprise app to be ported from the Apple OS to a *Nix based system.
Some time ago there was the question raised concerning ownership and transfer of patents, etc. of the spreadsheet, which everyone and his kid brother eventually made their own version of. IIRC the creators didn't feel they actually sold all rights or something to that effect (sound similar to the SCO/Linux debacle?) Anyone know what has been determined in that regard? Seems if it was still unresolved it would make SCO/Linux look like a tempest in a teapot by comparison.
Slashdot Mirror
You overlooked the comma. I didn't say they had a 12 min. lead 10 K from the line, but would have a 12 min. lead somewhere prior to that point, like at 80 K to go then get caught near the finish. Typically sprinters teams reel in the breaks on flat courses, climbers reel 'em in on the mountain courses.
Barry Bonds is all the focus these days for alleged steroid use, due to his impressive increase in power hitting, but his batting average has also gone up considerably, to the point he gets walks frequently. Clearly someone worked with him on changing the way he studies pitchers, prepares himself and how he swings. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to learn he's had his swing analyzed with computers and adapted.
True, but like in the H2G2 book, you still need Majikthise and Vroomfondel to tell you what it all means, that or attend school while training.
Mostly because George Steinbrenner spends most of that budget on salaries, particularly on star names rather than building a team of players wo work together. You can pretty much bet, though, that someone like Barry Bonds has his swing analyzed and others track where pitchers are likely to throw, etc. I wouldn't be hasty to chalk up the impressive batting these days purely to steroid use, some of these players must be relying more on information systems to eliminate doubt.
If you could demonstrate a system that would improve team batting by 0.050 or more, you'd have an instant and eager market.
Having bought one of the top flight cycling computers, which came with software far more sophisticated than I need. I could go totally overboard on my power to mass, VO2 Max, heartrate training, etc. For what? To beat guys on my weekend rides? If I were a Pro I would need to have not just a coach, now, but a team behind me to monitor my fitness, nutrition, energy levels, and a slew of other data, where once I'd pretty much only need a coach. The bar is being raised and without money or sponsorship where does this leave the talented natural who can't meet the bar?
There's considerable complaining about how uneven F1 is, with Ferrari's huge budget. It's hitting all sports. Spend to win and use money and technology to remove so much doubt the mystery of the game is ultimately solved.
It was good to watch the Pistons dismantle the Lakers, but how less often are we to see upsets anymore?
and me with my r/g colorblindness, it'll sometimes look like red light to me. Hey! rgb-dvd through synthesis of g, I gotta patent this!
I'm in no hurry to buy into any of this, because the next thing out, 3D will change it all again and by this time they'll have copy protection, viewer restriction, dna sampling, spywaring, etc. all bundled up in something which is so complex and convoluted it'll either break frequently or get infested by worms people sneak onto disks the burned themselves and returned to the rental places. Time to think about becoming a luddite, whatever happened to video on LP vinyl?
Yesterday I checked my junkmail box. It had 5,900+ emails in it. I don't think my fists would hold up beating the crap out of all the people sending me that junk. If only someone would email me an offer on how to make fists of steel or something...
Didn't you get the email?
Send $1 to Sorry Dude, 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield
A dark, sinister voice is heard to say, "Sucker. More bandwidth for me to use and more space in email boxes for me to stuff."
actually it'll probably be more like the processors gets so big that you just clip things onto the outside of it and it takes the place of the motherboard.
Also blame lazy readers/listeners/viewers who don't actually read enough to distinguish between rubbish and truth. e.g. When Richard Clarke, the gut at the hub of the CSG wheel, says the Whitehouse flubbed the war on terror, are you going to believe him or some hack who says Clarke lacks any credibility because he as an axe to grind?
The right wing media has been taking advantadge of lazy journalists for years. For those of you who don't know, the "right wing media" -- Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, 700 Club, Hanity & Colms, Ann Coulter etc -- What they do is come up with terribly biased or completely false stories supporting the conservative agenda (status quo) and of course everybody dismisses the stories because the source is biased media! But lazy copy writers for legit news orgs pick up the stories, don't research them, and run with them! Then they *BECOME* "true".
Also refered to as Factoids by someone in the past, "Factoid: Something repeated often enough it becomes accepted as true."
A trained mind, skilled in critical thinking is harder for propaganda to overcome. This is why it's important to read as much about history as you can, starting with an open mind and questioning the veracity of everything you read. (This included!)
No, people actually doing something about these issues made change, not a lot of blather on some radio station, it just echoed the sentiment of the people.
What's that you say, Rob? Working on your bachelor's degree was the best 12 years of your life?
In the beginning there was USENET and it was good...
The great blog myth exposed: There are more people contributing to blogs than actually
Care
or
Can do anyting about it
What it all boils down to is like giving the AM radio dial a spin, through all those talk shows. Lotsa blather, all given with about the same amount of passion and nothing much coming of it all.
Just go out and ride yer bike, you'll get more done.
When my Explorer Post was given an old computer to play with (a DEC PDP-3) we found, after getting it to do a few simple things, that disposing of it even in the late 70's was a hazardous/toxic waste issue. As "Love Canal" had already met with public attention, and commercial electrolytes showing up in cattle, we had either the choice of paying transporation to send it to a museum which would have taken it or pay to dispose of it. Since Dow was our Post sponsor, they were willing to bundle it up with other electronic gear for proper disposal.
As much as these old beasts are fascinating, they're a pain to get rid of.
Sic Transit Venus
Assuming 'Intent' must be proven, maybe a quick ransac^H^H^H^H^H^Hsearch of their homes by the gest^H^H^H^Hauthorities could turn up a system and evidence of previous nefarious activity. I'm sure somewhere beyond the usual warning 'Use of recording devices is forbidden, yada yada yada' there are some teeth to back the warning up.
I also doubt 'Fair Use' has a twig to lean on here..."Hey, I was just capturing it in case I missed a part and wanted to rewind and see it again *during* the movie."
These things are tricky, eh?
It's called "Risk Management"
Sure, some big company gets burnt trying to cut some corners; I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of companies out there that demand high availability (also the gov't) still maintain policies and procedures for their upgrades.
The deal is you have companies which now asses the costs of proper testing verses the cost of defending themsevles against their product blowing up and opt for whichever is cheapest.
There are companies which must maintain a higher standard, by law or existing contract. Unfortunately the trend I've been watching over the years is an acceptable level of incompetence or defects. Manufacturers of PC parts, f'rinstance, are fine with a 15% failure rate off the line. I couldn't imagine such being acceptable with pacemakers.
Ironically, most of the PC's in the world run on some version of Windows and even XP still loses its marbles on a regular basis. Thanks to the complexity of some products, some companies simply weigh the rist and make a financial decision and some CYA plan for Image Damage Control -- Gee, sounds just like the war on Iraq, come to think of it, it's a pervasive attitude.
Geez, I'm showing my age again...
PC's are way cheaper in the US than most countries, particularly in Europe where disposable income is quite a bit less so upgrades are not a common thing. Trying to find the thing that serves your needs and gives you the most benefit for the buck may be a mobile phone with PDA capacities as many people probably don't feel the need to surf the web or play games which require video cards which almost ecclipse MB capacities.
I did buy one of those spiffy Zaurus SL-5500 (back when /. had the article on getting one for $175 from HSN, last fall) and it's ok for some things, but navigation and entry are much more time consuming than on a regular PC. (for that matter I have found laptops to be slower to work with, too, and currently have a Keytronic LT keyboard plugged into it so I can type faster with fewer mistakes.) A cell phones are a unique beast, it can serve or combine PDA functionality, but it's to cumbersome for its size to maximize input and output capabilities. Don't even get me started on my dyslexia (which seems among people to be on the rise or simply more reported.)
Some time ago there was the question raised concerning ownership and transfer of patents, etc. of the spreadsheet, which everyone and his kid brother eventually made their own version of. IIRC the creators didn't feel they actually sold all rights or something to that effect (sound similar to the SCO/Linux debacle?) Anyone know what has been determined in that regard? Seems if it was still unresolved it would make SCO/Linux look like a tempest in a teapot by comparison.
You notice a cup with a few coins in it at their feet.
Their (even bigger) loss.
Ok, be honest now, how much was it? $20?