From the article: "...Although there are no moving parts to go wrong, the law of averages seems to dictate that some of the myriad components will occasionally fail, and scientists who work regularly on computors rely on the machine being available for at best only 80 per cent of its theoretical working time "
And I thought technology progresses? - I'm sure I spend at least 20% of my time waiting for good 'ol Windows to reboot!:-)
"so you'll end up rewarding the person who can produces the crappiest software to a minimum standard faster than anyone else! "
Isn't that how most commercial software is created??! - I think that once complete, the software should be vetted by a third party, who can establish if the program is written to pre-agreed standards. If a program that bairly meets the spec, is released then the chances are that the authors wont see a dime.
Microsoft will beat Linux on the desktop because they control the way PC's are installed at the manufacturer. Linux will Never surpass Microsoft, unless their grip over the Major manufactures, with the secret OEM licence, is broken.
Eg, hypothetically, Microsoft could just about to release a new OS, called M$ Shite - This will be worse than MSDOS, Take ages to boot, be non-gui, bugger up the HD's boot patition table so that only a Low Level format will put things right, and only run MS branded crippleware, and not allow any other software installs. Unfortunetely, they are also strongarming the Manufactures to preinstall this next generation software, so that every PC sold from BESTBUY, or PCWORLD, without exception, will come with it pre-installed.
I wonder how many people will still stick with the OS their PC came with, in this situation regardless, 30%? 40%, maybe even 50%. Many people do not know the difference between the OS and the Computer, and don't even realise that they can change, and wouldn't even know if they would want to.
Will PGP be hacked?, Err no! - An individual key can be cracked with enough processing power, but the principal behind pgp remains sound (until somone works out how to factorise large nums that is!). I am no mathemetition (or Speller for that matter!) , but I'm sure there must be a way of accomplising this with music/sound files, while remaining open (as in source code/methods) - So it can be subject to peir review, and any holes plugged.
Before you mod me down for been flaimbait, please read... Let say I am part of an up and comming pop band, and manage to put together enough money to release a limited set of CD's to the masses. We would have to pay Rec. Studio costs, cd replication, shiping, marketing, etc etc. Now, I would find it would piss me off should within the first days of release, the my track ended up on Gnutella, available for download by anyone for nothing.... But, what pisses me off even more, is that DRM wasn't invented to protect the rights of bands, but rather the profits of the record companies. What there should be is a format of music, that 'pseudorandom' noise can be added to at the time of recording, by whoever decides to record it. The music would still be listenable, but be of poor quality. - The pseudo-noise, can be removed by entering a key, that is purchased from the band (for a few $ at most). At this point, however, not only will the sound file become clear, but a id that is tied to keycode will be added to the sound file (This would be 'noise', but hopefully inaudiable to none but the most sensitive ears. It would be mathematically difficult to decide what is keycode, and what is ID. Should 'in the clear' music be found on gnutella, then the author can trace who purchased the code, via the ID, and take relevent legal action against them. This is how shareware works at the moment, Eg, I Download some 'cripple' ware, and should I like it, I pay the author for it, after all, they deserve it. I am usually unwilling to share the unlocked program with others as if my unlocked program ended up on a warzes site, and author finds out, (from the registration info) then I could well be in deep trouble! I am sure that this must be possible, and it will give a huge finantial gain to the people who make good music, rather than the record lables who skim the profits off other peoples work.
So where does the heat go after it has been 'pumped' away from whatever? - Seams to me that one side of these thermo-electric heat pumps will get quite hot..... I still think there is need for a heat sink to cool the thermocouple so it can keep doing its job.
And nothing happens!! - So, this means it was a waste of time/money patching up the servers then? As with Y2k, If the time/money wasn't spent sorting out the systems, things could have been as predicted.
Hmm, If you could send a postcard back, it might go somthing like:
Having a wonderfull time. Weather is err, nonexistant - Sun is Scorching by day, but the nights are a tad chilly - My room has a Sea view - all of them!. Havent been able to venture away from the hotel however, The hotel manager advises it is a bit hostile outside.
My other half has a great way of buying things at Junk Sales... When she sees somthing she wants, the conversation goes somthing like:
Wife: How Much?
Seller: £20
Wife: I'll give U £15
Seller: Ok, no probs
Wife: £12 it is then.
Seller: Ermm, Hang on,
She then gives them a tenner and takes away the goods, She usually gets away with it for the cheek!
I Wonder if this can be applied to Dynamic pricing.... They Say a PC's $1000, and you get it for somewhat less if you offer.
1 hour 'Wasted' managing email??
on
Buried in email?
·
· Score: 1
Managing Email is PART OF THE WORK we do. This is like saying Java wastes time Garbage Collecting, or Linux users waste time compiling their kernal. Without email productivity falls. Managing it is an integral part of using it in the first place.
DNS lokups return hardly any information - Just the name or IP address.
Maybe a new protocol is needed. This proposed new protocol (Based arround P2P networking probably) will allow searches on not only IP address or Name, but other attributes -the type of server (Web, Email, Telnet, Etc) , locality (UK,US,Etc), Interest (&0001=Computing,&0002=TV,&0004=Porn, etc), and return not just an IP address(as DNS does), but if requested to, the Email address of the host owner, a brief description of what the host does, etc etc..
Also, you shouldn't have to pay loadsass for the privilige, or having to contact some party to update their servers. Just adding a name in a configuration file in your PC should be enough enable people to start doing lookup's on your server. There should be a way of getting rid of unwanted sites - Maybe using a distributed moderation, whereby somtimes, while browsing a particular host, another host which was queried during lookup might at random send a request to you to give the site a rateing. - Hosts with a rating less than a certain value would be purged from the framework,..... This would stop people registering loads of addresses for profit.
And maybe, it would be possible to have a demon running in the background that will function as a fake DNS server, and reroute DNS lookup requests through this new framework.
I saw a banner ad that was quite interesting - I think it was for HP, but that wasn't important. The ad itself was a paper plane simulator, with two controls to increase/decrease the length of the plane, and its wingspan. When you were happy with your 'design', you pressed 'go' and the paper plane was thrown, its tragectory plotted with a dotted red line... Altering the controls changed the way the plane flew logically. Unfortunetly, when I left the page, and came back, the ad had changed, and no amount of reloading the page would bring it back.... I think I did go to HP's web site to try and find it again.... but without luck.
The morral - instead of trying to sell us somthing with a electronic 'poster' -give us somthing to play with. The computer medium is by its nature interactive - if the ad's arn't then we skip over them though pure bordom.
He quotes 10 Million Million numbers per second.... Lets say these are just 1's and zeros, therefor -
10 Million Million (or 10^13) will need a frequency of 10 times that, or 100 Million, Million Herts - 100 Million Megahertz, or 100 Terahertz as a carrier..... 10^14 Herts lies in the visible spectrum!!! I suppose a satelight could beam 2 lasers both at the sender and receiver so that they could both read the random stream, but then any intruder wouldn't have access to the stream and therefor the communication will be secure by default!!
In the UK one of the standard excuses for trains not running on time is 'Leaves on the track'! - The wheels cannot grip the rails, and therefor cann't get going. Magenetic tracks obviously do not have this problem. Also, at increasing speeds, when a combination of aerodynamics, and minor glitches in the track also cause the wheels to loose friction, so there comes a point where any more energy put into the wheels will cause them to wheel-spin, and not increase the trains velocity...
In theory, a maglev trains can travel at speeds > that of sound, but I doubt that the nearby residence would approve of the sonic boom!!
Slashdot Mirror
And I thought technology progresses? - I'm sure I spend at least 20% of my time waiting for good 'ol Windows to reboot! :-)
Opps.... Spelling...
Tight should be spelled 'Tyte'!
If a Bit is short for Binary Digit...
Does that mean that a Ternary digit is a 'Tart'? Do 8 Tarts make a 'Tight'?
We could be having MegaTights of Ram, and GigaTights (or even TeraTights) of disk!
Tony
"so you'll end up rewarding the person who can produces the crappiest software to a minimum standard faster than anyone else! "
Isn't that how most commercial software is created??! - I think that once complete, the software should be vetted by a third party, who can establish if the program is written to pre-agreed standards. If a program that bairly meets the spec, is released then the chances are that the authors wont see a dime.
Shall we play a game?
Global Thermo-Nuclear War
Would you not prefer a game of Chess?
No, Lets play Global Thermo-Nuclear War
OK.... Please select primary targets....
etc etc etc....Seriously, I hope the mission goes as planned, and doesn't circum to the problems that haved dogged missions to Mars in the past!
Tony
Microsoft will beat Linux on the desktop because they control the way PC's are installed at the manufacturer. Linux will Never surpass Microsoft, unless their grip over the Major manufactures, with the secret OEM licence, is broken.
Eg, hypothetically, Microsoft could just about to release a new OS, called M$ Shite - This will be worse than MSDOS, Take ages to boot, be non-gui, bugger up the HD's boot patition table so that only a Low Level format will put things right, and only run MS branded crippleware, and not allow any other software installs. Unfortunetely, they are also strongarming the Manufactures to preinstall this next generation software, so that every PC sold from BESTBUY, or PCWORLD, without exception, will come with it pre-installed.
I wonder how many people will still stick with the OS their PC came with, in this situation regardless, 30%? 40%, maybe even 50%. Many people do not know the difference between the OS and the Computer, and don't even realise that they can change, and wouldn't even know if they would want to.
Will PGP be hacked?, Err no! - An individual key can be cracked with enough processing power, but the principal behind pgp remains sound (until somone works out how to factorise large nums that is!). I am no mathemetition (or Speller for that matter!) , but I'm sure there must be a way of accomplising this with music/sound files, while remaining open (as in source code/methods) - So it can be subject to peir review, and any holes plugged.
Before you mod me down for been flaimbait, please read... Let say I am part of an up and comming pop band, and manage to put together enough money to release a limited set of CD's to the masses. We would have to pay Rec. Studio costs, cd replication, shiping, marketing, etc etc. Now, I would find it would piss me off should within the first days of release, the my track ended up on Gnutella, available for download by anyone for nothing.... But, what pisses me off even more, is that DRM wasn't invented to protect the rights of bands, but rather the profits of the record companies. What there should be is a format of music, that 'pseudorandom' noise can be added to at the time of recording, by whoever decides to record it. The music would still be listenable, but be of poor quality. - The pseudo-noise, can be removed by entering a key, that is purchased from the band (for a few $ at most). At this point, however, not only will the sound file become clear, but a id that is tied to keycode will be added to the sound file (This would be 'noise', but hopefully inaudiable to none but the most sensitive ears. It would be mathematically difficult to decide what is keycode, and what is ID. Should 'in the clear' music be found on gnutella, then the author can trace who purchased the code, via the ID, and take relevent legal action against them. This is how shareware works at the moment, Eg, I Download some 'cripple' ware, and should I like it, I pay the author for it, after all, they deserve it. I am usually unwilling to share the unlocked program with others as if my unlocked program ended up on a warzes site, and author finds out, (from the registration info) then I could well be in deep trouble! I am sure that this must be possible, and it will give a huge finantial gain to the people who make good music, rather than the record lables who skim the profits off other peoples work.
What about a new 'cool' translusent colored Fridge magnet!
So where does the heat go after it has been 'pumped' away from whatever? - Seams to me that one side of these thermo-electric heat pumps will get quite hot..... I still think there is need for a heat sink to cool the thermocouple so it can keep doing its job.
www.eet.com/story/technology/OEG20010924S0101
http://www.eet.com/story/technology/OEG20010924S01 01
You mean FireWire?
I suppose double Firewire could be FireFireWireWire..
T.
And nothing happens!! - So, this means it was a waste of time/money patching up the servers then? As with Y2k, If the time/money wasn't spent sorting out the systems, things could have been as predicted.
Someone high up requested a 'Bomb proof server' farm (as in, free from BSOD...).
Unfortunetly - The request was just slightly misinterperated..... aw well!
Hmm, If you could send a postcard back, it might go somthing like: Having a wonderfull time. Weather is err, nonexistant - Sun is Scorching by day, but the nights are a tad chilly - My room has a Sea view - all of them!. Havent been able to venture away from the hotel however, The hotel manager advises it is a bit hostile outside.
My other half has a great way of buying things at Junk Sales... When she sees somthing she wants, the conversation goes somthing like:
Wife: How Much?
Seller: £20
Wife: I'll give U £15
Seller: Ok, no probs
Wife: £12 it is then.
Seller: Ermm, Hang on,
She then gives them a tenner and takes away the goods, She usually gets away with it for the cheek!
I Wonder if this can be applied to Dynamic pricing.... They Say a PC's $1000, and you get it for somewhat less if you offer.
Managing Email is PART OF THE WORK we do. This is like saying Java wastes time Garbage Collecting, or Linux users waste time compiling their kernal. Without email productivity falls. Managing it is an integral part of using it in the first place.
Coventry is much more worthy of Annihilation!
:-(
Telford is on my doorstep, anyhow - so there won't be much left of me
New Slashdot poll:
Best place to plant an Asteroid:
1...Los Angeles
2...Seattle
3...Melbourne
4...Coventry
5...CowboyNeal
DNS lokups return hardly any information - Just the name or IP address.
..... This would stop people registering loads of addresses for profit.
Maybe a new protocol is needed. This proposed new protocol (Based arround P2P networking probably) will allow searches on not only IP address or Name, but other attributes -the type of server (Web, Email, Telnet, Etc) , locality (UK,US,Etc), Interest (&0001=Computing,&0002=TV,&0004=Porn, etc), and return not just an IP address(as DNS does), but if requested to, the Email address of the host owner, a brief description of what the host does, etc etc..
Also, you shouldn't have to pay loadsass for the privilige, or having to contact some party to update their servers. Just adding a name in a configuration file in your PC should be enough enable people to start doing lookup's on your server. There should be a way of getting rid of unwanted sites - Maybe using a distributed moderation, whereby somtimes, while browsing a particular host, another host which was queried during lookup might at random send a request to you to give the site a rateing. - Hosts with a rating less than a certain value would be purged from the framework,
And maybe, it would be possible to have a demon running in the background that will function as a fake DNS server, and reroute DNS lookup requests through this new framework.
I saw a banner ad that was quite interesting - I think it was for HP, but that wasn't important. The ad itself was a paper plane simulator, with two controls to increase/decrease the length of the plane, and its wingspan. When you were happy with your 'design', you pressed 'go' and the paper plane was thrown, its tragectory plotted with a dotted red line... Altering the controls changed the way the plane flew logically. Unfortunetly, when I left the page, and came back, the ad had changed, and no amount of reloading the page would bring it back.... I think I did go to HP's web site to try and find it again.... but without luck. The morral - instead of trying to sell us somthing with a electronic 'poster' -give us somthing to play with. The computer medium is by its nature interactive - if the ad's arn't then we skip over them though pure bordom.
He quotes 10 Million Million numbers per second.... Lets say these are just 1's and zeros, therefor - 10 Million Million (or 10^13) will need a frequency of 10 times that, or 100 Million, Million Herts - 100 Million Megahertz, or 100 Terahertz as a carrier..... 10^14 Herts lies in the visible spectrum!!! I suppose a satelight could beam 2 lasers both at the sender and receiver so that they could both read the random stream, but then any intruder wouldn't have access to the stream and therefor the communication will be secure by default!!
Latest News: Intel to buy rights to laser - Technology required to keep next future Pentium V processor from overheating...... :-)
In the UK one of the standard excuses for trains not running on time is 'Leaves on the track'! - The wheels cannot grip the rails, and therefor cann't get going. Magenetic tracks obviously do not have this problem. Also, at increasing speeds, when a combination of aerodynamics, and minor glitches in the track also cause the wheels to loose friction, so there comes a point where any more energy put into the wheels will cause them to wheel-spin, and not increase the trains velocity... In theory, a maglev trains can travel at speeds > that of sound, but I doubt that the nearby residence would approve of the sonic boom!!