No, why does it have to be flexible?
on
Electronic Paper
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· Score: 1
I too can't understand why all of the researchers seem to be so stuck on the flexibility of these displays.
Think about it: Are hardcover books flexible? No. When you've got an electronic page...one that by its very definition is capable of being refreshed...is it necessary to create a device with more than ONE page? No.
OK, so you want to put a display on clothing. Now it needs to be flexible. But why worry about that? Getting cheap, more environmentally friendly alternatives to paper in the marketplace should be the first focus.
Re:While the giants are pissing, can the weak win?
on
Road Runner Doesn't Do XP
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· Score: 2, Interesting
I submitted an "Ask Slashdot" story along these same lines this past weekend.
Every time I read a story that relates to technology and politics, one discussion thread always floats to the top: "We need to educate the public!"
My suggestion is that the Slashdot community organize and form their own local community access TV shows. A web site should be started that:
1. Gives tips on how to start your CATV show.
2. Tries to form a consistent show format.
3. Discusses show story ideas.
4. Offers on-air graphics for download.
The purpose of this show would be to educate the public about technology and the law. Teach the people how to install an open source OS! Have a call-in section of the show. Discuss the impact of the DMCA and the SSSCA. Discuss the impact of monopolies and intellectual property restrictions. Broadcast clear and direct means of contacting your local politicians. You get the idea...
If a show that looked consistent enough from city to city were to take hold, it could be a significant force in shaping public opinion.
Senator Feingold,
I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your vote against the anti-terrorism (USA) Act. I strongly feel that this law contains several provisions that encroach on our citizens civil liberties. I also feel that this law goes against the spirit of our Constitution.
Thank you for standing by the Constitution. I am not a citizen of Wisconsin, but I appreciate your vote nonetheless. I only wish my Tennessee senators were as insightful and brave as yourself.
Could this technology be used to develop inexpensive flat panel displays? It sounds like it could possibly be ideal. Transparent, flexible, magnetic. I know that there was some talk recently about the possibility of using carbon nanotubes in a display device. Now if they could just get past the mass production barrier, things could be looking very good.
From what I understand, mass production shouldn't be too much of a problem either. First of all, I always thought that carbon nanotubes were a lot harder to produce than buckyballs. Second of all, Dr. Smalley has been claiming loudly that his company will be able to mass produce nanotubes in the very near future.
You are correct! Mini-discs do indeed work along a similar principle. From what I understand, a magnetic head changes the position of a point on the disc after a laser heats up that particular point. The laser then reads the disc back after recording. Somehow the polarity of the light changes when it hits altered spots on the disc.
You're not too far off base! Some research has been done that suggests that an infinite amount of data can be stored within the wave of a SINGLE electron! Check it out:
Bacteria and cells making copies of themselves? Ludicrous!
Bizarro-world, indeed...nitwit.
Never forget: if nature can do it, we can too. It just takes time and ingenuity.
Products like this are already on the market...or at least they were. My geometry teacher in high school (in 1989) used a rig exactly like the one you describe in your post. She projected her work on a screen instead of using the blackboard. It was pretty neat technology back then.
I've got 500+ CDs in my collection. I haven't listened to a lot of them in years. If were to convert them all to MP3, load them in my car and hit randomize I'd hear all sorts of things that I didn't even know I owned.
That way I get a surprising variety AND I'm familiar with the material! What could be better?
Well, in one of the articles linked it mentions that you could squeeze a gigabyte onto a 1.4 MB floppy. 1 GB translates out to about 30 minutes of DVD quality video. So it would still take 4-5 floppies to fit a full length movie.
Still, if you can put a DVD quality Matrix onto 5 megabytes... I will be fucking flabbergasted. You could then get 128 full length movies on a single CD-R! By the way, I'll believe it when I see it.
I couldn't agree more. The inflection of normal sentences is way off and it still sounds very robotic, no matter what AT&T claims. This is at best an incremental improvement over current speech synthesis software. The "pro" voices that come with Mac OS sound very much like the samples on the web site. Until things like inflection based on context and emotion can be synthesized, this technology is only good for "Please press 1 now."
If this type of business model becomes the norm, you can bet that proxy servers will become as rare as open relays are now. The ISPs will complain that they are getting stuck with the bill for traffic that didn't originate with them. From that point, it'll just be a matter of time before open proxy servers will be legislated out of existence. This sucks INDEED!
1. Use solar power for the water electrolysis.
2. Promising research has been done into using specialized algae that give off hydrogen gas as a waste product.
Either of these technologies (if perfected) would pretty much eliminate the pollution you're talking about.
Hey, after listening to one or two calls for jollys I imagine the thrill wears off pretty quickly.
Now imagine you're a poorly paid hotel PBX operator. "Knuckles" approaches you after work one night and offers you a few hundred bucks if you inform him of calls to escort services...
And if you don't? He'll find somebody else...or worse. Is it that hard to imagine now?
"I don't think consumers will be dumb enough to allow the record and movie industries to move from selling copies to selling licenses."
BZZZZT! Have you even HEARD of the DeCSS case? While it's true that the MPAA isn't necessarily selling 'licenses' to their products they are doing everything they can to make sure you play their products only on approved hardware and operating systems. They're also trying to make sure that you can't view a copy of a movie you own off of your hard drive. If this isn't licensing (in effect) I don't know what is.
"Nor will they allow themselves to be duped into high-costing service contracts."
BZZZZT once again! Kiss your handy VHS machine goodbye and say hello Microsoft's shiny new UltimateTV! Yes of course the box will cost you hundreds of dollars. Oh and did I mention that you'll continue to pay to use that handy box FOREVER? We also reserve the right to "update" that machine when our advertisers decide that you're improperly using your own machine.
Your points on software licensing are somewhat relevant, but what's really needed aren't more licenses, but a revision in the way 'warranty' is defined.
I couldn't agree more about their tech support. Of the dozens of times I've called their support lines in the three or so years I've been a customer, I can count on one had the number of times I've actually spoken to someone who knew what they were doing. They almost always assume that problems lie with you or your computer...never with their network. When they do admit to problems they never give you an ETA on when it might be fixed. One of the saddest (or funniest) stories is when a Service Rep. once told me that the EXE they put on their site would run just fine...on my Macintosh.
The price we pay and the service we get in return definitely do not equate.
Yesterday we had congress trying to pass a law making "assault on a fetus" a crime. Today we have them trying to ban research into cloning.
I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of congress wasting their time on worthless shit like debating prayer in schools, the posting of the Ten Commandments, flag burning, late term abortions, etc. As far as I'm concerned they are wasting all of our taxpayer dollars on worthless, unconstitutional law-making (The CDA ring a bell?). The futility of their efforts is disgusting and insult to all of our freedoms. It reminds me of watching an autistic person bash their head into a wall. Execpt in this case they're not beating their heads into a wall...they're beating into the Constitution. What's really scary is that someday they might just knock it down...
When are our so-called leaders going to wake up and realize that the majority of this country does NOT share their "values?"
Speaking as a liberal white person I can honestly say this: The only thing that gives me hope for the future is the fact that white people are becoming the minority in the USA.
The sooner we get these angry white bozos out of office, the better off we will all be.
I have yet to use OS X (and Aqua), but I can tell you that Apple's interface guidelines have been taking a backseat lately. It began with Quicktime 4, iTunes, etc. These programs were designed without even a second glance at those guidelines. I sincerely hope they develop new standards as OS X grows. I also have to mention the absolutely WORST offender to come out of Apple...their DVD player software! Pure crap!!! It's worse than most MS products...and I am a long-time Mac user.
Thank goodness Apple doesn't administer their OS this way. I have one Windows PC. I have a couple of reasons why I run Windows instead of Linux on that PC.
The moment that I'm ever required to move to subscription-ware for any reason...that will be the day I switch to Linux. I object to this business model on so many different levels!
It's yet another way that the consumer is being nickled and dimed to death. A monthly fee probably means forced upgrades. Eventually those upgrades will outstrip the capabilities of your PC. Then you'll be forced to upgrade your hardware. I should think that PC manufacturers (OEMs for those who love their acronyms) would LOVE this plan.
If the consumer has the choice not to upgrade their software each month, of course they'll still have to cover that monthly fee. Which of course means that they will be paying far more for their software over time.
The whole plan stinks to high heaven. I sincerely hope that someone cracks the process or that it dies a quick death a-la DIVX.
The continued over-commercialization of closed source software is beginning to make me ill. Every day I'm moving closer to ditching Windoze and Micro$oft entirely...
I met the woman I would marry in March of 1998. She was living in Los Angeles and I was in Nashville, Tennessee. We met via a web site that is now gone called goodcompany.com. Despite the 2000 mile separation, we hit it off beautifully. She moved to Tennessee to be with me and everything is peachy to this day. We were married in December of 1999.
As far as adultery is concerned...I simply wouldn't do it. Cyber or real. If you're emotionally invested in someone else, that's attention you really should be devoting to your spouse.
Nexia Biotech - Bastards!
on
Spidergoats
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· Score: 1
I asked those guys years ago about investing in their company! That was before they went public and they never responded. They went public without so much as sending me an e-mail.
I think the best possible thing for American space exploration would be some competition. With India and China making inroads to space, let's hope that the US sees the need to catch up. I particularly hope that China tries to establish a moon outpost. The US Congress would go bonkers and NASA would be flush with cash once again.
Slashdot Mirror
Think about it: Are hardcover books flexible? No. When you've got an electronic page...one that by its very definition is capable of being refreshed...is it necessary to create a device with more than ONE page? No.
OK, so you want to put a display on clothing. Now it needs to be flexible. But why worry about that? Getting cheap, more environmentally friendly alternatives to paper in the marketplace should be the first focus.
Every time I read a story that relates to technology and politics, one discussion thread always floats to the top: "We need to educate the public!"
My suggestion is that the Slashdot community organize and form their own local community access TV shows. A web site should be started that:
1. Gives tips on how to start your CATV show.
2. Tries to form a consistent show format.
3. Discusses show story ideas.
4. Offers on-air graphics for download.
The purpose of this show would be to educate the public about technology and the law. Teach the people how to install an open source OS! Have a call-in section of the show. Discuss the impact of the DMCA and the SSSCA. Discuss the impact of monopolies and intellectual property restrictions. Broadcast clear and direct means of contacting your local politicians. You get the idea...
If a show that looked consistent enough from city to city were to take hold, it could be a significant force in shaping public opinion.
This is what I wrote to him:
Senator Feingold,
I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your vote against the anti-terrorism (USA) Act. I strongly feel that this law contains several provisions that encroach on our citizens civil liberties. I also feel that this law goes against the spirit of our Constitution.
Thank you for standing by the Constitution. I am not a citizen of Wisconsin, but I appreciate your vote nonetheless. I only wish my Tennessee senators were as insightful and brave as yourself.
Sincerely...
Could this technology be used to develop inexpensive flat panel displays? It sounds like it could possibly be ideal. Transparent, flexible, magnetic. I know that there was some talk recently about the possibility of using carbon nanotubes in a display device. Now if they could just get past the mass production barrier, things could be looking very good.
From what I understand, mass production shouldn't be too much of a problem either. First of all, I always thought that carbon nanotubes were a lot harder to produce than buckyballs. Second of all, Dr. Smalley has been claiming loudly that his company will be able to mass produce nanotubes in the very near future.
What do you think? Anyone have any info. on this?
You are correct! Mini-discs do indeed work along a similar principle. From what I understand, a magnetic head changes the position of a point on the disc after a laser heats up that particular point. The laser then reads the disc back after recording. Somehow the polarity of the light changes when it hits altered spots on the disc.
http://www.eet.com/story/OEG20000831S0019
Bizarro-world, indeed...nitwit.
Never forget: if nature can do it, we can too. It just takes time and ingenuity.
Products like this are already on the market...or at least they were. My geometry teacher in high school (in 1989) used a rig exactly like the one you describe in your post. She projected her work on a screen instead of using the blackboard. It was pretty neat technology back then.
I've got 500+ CDs in my collection. I haven't listened to a lot of them in years. If were to convert them all to MP3, load them in my car and hit randomize I'd hear all sorts of things that I didn't even know I owned.
That way I get a surprising variety AND I'm familiar with the material! What could be better?
Still, if you can put a DVD quality Matrix onto 5 megabytes... I will be fucking flabbergasted. You could then get 128 full length movies on a single CD-R! By the way, I'll believe it when I see it.
CTP
I can tell you why broadband is failing. Here is the prime reason...Number One:
All of these companies spend way too much time and money developing their "software" and "portals."
All I want from an ISP is an IP address (or a DHCP name), maybe an e-mail address or two and a reliable, speedy connection! I DON'T want:
- a browser that takes me to the ISPs lame-ass page on start up.
- ISP spyware, etc.
If broadband ISPs would actually focus on things their customers want, they would be in a much better position today.
The second and third reasons why these ISPs are dying: generally, their customer service sucks and they charge too much.
Yes, they charge too much and are going out of business. If they charged less, maybe more people would use their service...go figure.
CTP
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1450000/audio/_14547 37_xn0130238_.ram
I don't know, but she's kinda cute...
1. Use solar power for the water electrolysis.
2. Promising research has been done into using specialized algae that give off hydrogen gas as a waste product.
Either of these technologies (if perfected) would pretty much eliminate the pollution you're talking about.
Now imagine you're a poorly paid hotel PBX operator. "Knuckles" approaches you after work one night and offers you a few hundred bucks if you inform him of calls to escort services...
And if you don't? He'll find somebody else...or worse. Is it that hard to imagine now?
CTP
"I don't think consumers will be dumb enough to allow the record and movie industries to move from selling copies to selling licenses."
BZZZZT! Have you even HEARD of the DeCSS case? While it's true that the MPAA isn't necessarily selling 'licenses' to their products they are doing everything they can to make sure you play their products only on approved hardware and operating systems. They're also trying to make sure that you can't view a copy of a movie you own off of your hard drive. If this isn't licensing (in effect) I don't know what is.
"Nor will they allow themselves to be duped into high-costing service contracts."
BZZZZT once again! Kiss your handy VHS machine goodbye and say hello Microsoft's shiny new UltimateTV! Yes of course the box will cost you hundreds of dollars. Oh and did I mention that you'll continue to pay to use that handy box FOREVER? We also reserve the right to "update" that machine when our advertisers decide that you're improperly using your own machine.
Your points on software licensing are somewhat relevant, but what's really needed aren't more licenses, but a revision in the way 'warranty' is defined.
Your post is as "OVERRATED" as they come!
I couldn't agree more about their tech support. Of the dozens of times I've called their support lines in the three or so years I've been a customer, I can count on one had the number of times I've actually spoken to someone who knew what they were doing. They almost always assume that problems lie with you or your computer...never with their network. When they do admit to problems they never give you an ETA on when it might be fixed. One of the saddest (or funniest) stories is when a Service Rep. once told me that the EXE they put on their site would run just fine...on my Macintosh.
The price we pay and the service we get in return definitely do not equate.
I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of congress wasting their time on worthless shit like debating prayer in schools, the posting of the Ten Commandments, flag burning, late term abortions, etc. As far as I'm concerned they are wasting all of our taxpayer dollars on worthless, unconstitutional law-making (The CDA ring a bell?). The futility of their efforts is disgusting and insult to all of our freedoms. It reminds me of watching an autistic person bash their head into a wall. Execpt in this case they're not beating their heads into a wall...they're beating into the Constitution. What's really scary is that someday they might just knock it down...
When are our so-called leaders going to wake up and realize that the majority of this country does NOT share their "values?"
Speaking as a liberal white person I can honestly say this: The only thing that gives me hope for the future is the fact that white people are becoming the minority in the USA.
The sooner we get these angry white bozos out of office, the better off we will all be.
I have yet to use OS X (and Aqua), but I can tell you that Apple's interface guidelines have been taking a backseat lately. It began with Quicktime 4, iTunes, etc. These programs were designed without even a second glance at those guidelines. I sincerely hope they develop new standards as OS X grows. I also have to mention the absolutely WORST offender to come out of Apple...their DVD player software! Pure crap!!! It's worse than most MS products...and I am a long-time Mac user.
The moment that I'm ever required to move to subscription-ware for any reason...that will be the day I switch to Linux. I object to this business model on so many different levels!
It's yet another way that the consumer is being nickled and dimed to death. A monthly fee probably means forced upgrades. Eventually those upgrades will outstrip the capabilities of your PC. Then you'll be forced to upgrade your hardware. I should think that PC manufacturers (OEMs for those who love their acronyms) would LOVE this plan.
If the consumer has the choice not to upgrade their software each month, of course they'll still have to cover that monthly fee. Which of course means that they will be paying far more for their software over time.
The whole plan stinks to high heaven. I sincerely hope that someone cracks the process or that it dies a quick death a-la DIVX.
The continued over-commercialization of closed source software is beginning to make me ill. Every day I'm moving closer to ditching Windoze and Micro$oft entirely...
As far as adultery is concerned...I simply wouldn't do it. Cyber or real. If you're emotionally invested in someone else, that's attention you really should be devoting to your spouse.
Bastards...great technology by the way!
CTP
I think the best possible thing for American space exploration would be some competition. With India and China making inroads to space, let's hope that the US sees the need to catch up. I particularly hope that China tries to establish a moon outpost. The US Congress would go bonkers and NASA would be flush with cash once again.