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User: Steeldrivin

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Comments · 55

  1. Re:Harm for Radio Astronomy Even Worse than Flash on R.I.P. Iridium · · Score: 1

    They only harm radio astronomy while they're broadcasting. Why would they be broadcasting when the company is gone?

  2. Re:What is everyone's opinion of Apple at the mome on iMac Look Protected by Copyright · · Score: 1

    Tenure in Redmond? Huh?

  3. Re:Inaccurate reporting (again...) on Microsoft Invents Symbolic Links · · Score: 1
    Actually, it sounds like a filesystem version of the 'copy-on-write' policy found in Mach and probably other OSes.

    Instead of duplicating a particular bit of memory, the copy is only made when a process wants to change the memory (hence, copy-on-write).

    Here, you're doing the same with files. It checks the disk for identical files, then replaces duplicates with links to a canonical version. Presumably, if you write to one of the links, it is turned into a real file while the canonical version is unchanged. Again, copy-on-write.

    An interesting idea, not *that* innovative, but I'm amazed it took so much time and manpower to implement.

  4. Re:What they don't want you to know... on Deal Reached in iCraveTV Case · · Score: 1
    Now, what about the advertisers? Well, they don't really care (or they don't notice), because more "eyeballs" are still seeing their advertisements, which is all they want. And the broadcasters? They don't care, either, because they are still being paid by the advertisers to broadcast. Everybody is happy..

    You're missing the fact that the networks could account for the new viewing patterns statistically (Nielsen ratings, etc.) and thus adjust the cost of the advertising.

    More viewers = higher ad rates.

    A problem with iCraveTV is that the advertisers are getting more viewers for free, which means the broadcasters are losing money.

    In theory, iCraveTV might have cut a deal where they would monitor what people watched, collecting statistics, and then the networks could use that to raise ad rates.

    However, the networks would probably make more money by licensing their programs to local stations in Canada, and allowing iCraveTV to broadcast shows could mess this up.

  5. Re:So THAT'S what that means on Deal Reached in iCraveTV Case · · Score: 2
    One problem is that the TV advertiser is getting *more* value than they *paid* for.

    They pay to reach some number of viewers, estimated according to typical ratings for a program.

    If iCraveTV rebroadcasts the show, the advertisers are getting a free ride for the additional views, and iCraveTV gets ad revenue of their own, but the network gets nada for the additional viewers.

  6. Re:Hang on to your 1200s on Two Turntables and a Laser Beam · · Score: 1
    Why assume it's for the home market? The price should be a good clue that they're not selling to the home market. They might sell some for home use, but the most likely buyers are businesses and institutions. The few home users will be like the rare person who buys an SGI for home use.

    Their page has quotes from the National Library of Canada, a brain surgeon (big $$), a dentist (big $$), and a professional classical musician. These are not Wal-Mart electronics department shoppers.

  7. Re:Defeats the purpose of vinyl on Two Turntables and a Laser Beam · · Score: 1
    Therefore, reading the grooves of a record with a laser would completely defeat the purpose of vinyl.

    Nope. Simply using a laser doesn't mean that it's a digital process.

    It's probably like the technique of eavesdropping on a room by bouncing a laserbeam off the window. Sounds cause vibration in the glass, which changes how the laser beam is reflected. Measure the changes in the beam, convert the changes into sound, and voila, you're listening in.

    No analog/digital/analog conversion involved.

    In the case of a record, they just have to bounce lasers off the sides of the groove. Pick up the reflected laser light, convert the fluctuations in the beams into voltages (an analog process), and feed that signal into an amp.

    There may be an analog delay circuit involved, if the lasers aren't pointed at the same place in the groove. Point one slightly ahead and put a slight delay on the signal. This may not be necessary.

  8. Yep: Re:It's been done before. on Two Turntables and a Laser Beam · · Score: 1
    I don't recall any specifics, but I definitely remember reading about a laser-based turntable back in the late 80's, when I was reading lots of stereo mags. Didn't pay much attention as I wasn't a vinyl fan.

    Probably not related, but I recall a George Michael video (one with lots of soopamodels) where there's a brief shot of a record playing with laser light shining on it. Dunno if that was a laser turntable or just a regular turntable with a separate laser set up to look nifty.

  9. Re:I stand corrected. on Cell phones used to track traffic · · Score: 2
    Although, hypothetically, depending on a turned-on cell phone being in the area is still a statistical risk, although nowhere near as great.

    If there's traffic congestion, there will be more people, increasing the likelihood that there's a cellphone in use. Congestion causes delays, making it more likely that cell phones will be in use.

    If there are no cell phones to track, chances are good that there's no congestion, which is also useful information.

  10. Caddis Worm Art! on Online Journal Publisher Raided by Police · · Score: 1
    The Leonardo Journal folks should be supported, if for no other reason than that they have an article about art created with the aid of a bug!
    ABSTRACT Since the early 1980s, artist Hubert Duprat has been utilizing insects to construct some of his "sculptures." By removing caddis fly larvae from their natural habitat and providing them with precious materials, he prompts them to manufacture cases that resemble jewelers' creations. Information theory, as explained by biologists such as Jacques Monod and Henri Atlan, helps us understand what seems to be the insect's aesthetic behavior. The activities of the caddis worm, as manipulated by Hubert Duprat, are prompted by the "noise"---beads, pearls and 18-karat gold pieces---introduced by the artist into the insect's environment. This article is based on a conversation between the artist and art critic Christian Besson.

  11. Re:Free software as alternative to patent law? on FreeMWare: Like VMWare but Open Source · · Score: 1
    So the natural question is, where is the time limit? How do we make sure companies (cf. Microsoft) do not make excessive amounts of money, more than is a valid reward for a small amount of innovation?

    When was the last time a proposed open source project was cancelled because the commercial version's vendor was too small?

    It seems that some people feel *any* amount of money is excessive.

  12. Never happen Re:Three letters: A-O-L on Communicator Is Losing The War..... · · Score: 1
    AOL won't switch to Netscape.

    Think about how many AOL users have, and will continue to have, IE installed.

    Do you really think AOL wants to make their customers install a *second* browser? And I'm sure they don't want to deal with the customer support headaches that would create.

  13. Re:3D is a red herring on 3D Window Manager · · Score: 1
    What does 3D add to this? The voice-recognition is possible in current environments.

    I see no benefit to having Netscape in a window that looks like a wall. For one thing, it's more work to change apps. I'd rather click on another app's icon than have to dance around and crane my neck every which way.

  14. Re:Nop, black and white is better for coding. on 3D Window Manager · · Score: 1
    Grays are nice too, especially if it's a grayscale monitor and not a color-monitor-running-in-grayscale.

    My old NeXT monitors (black, white, 2 grays) are still a favorite. Wish affordable grayscale monitors were still easily available.

  15. 3D is a red herring on 3D Window Manager · · Score: 1
    One of the advantages of computers is that they allow you to transcend the limitations of the body.

    One of those limitations is the 3D coordinate system which our bodies must operate in. This 3D environment increases the effort we have to expend to get anything done.

    3D interfaces just recreate that limitation in a digital form, again increasing the effort required to get work done.

    What's faster, looking for a file by slowly walking through a maze of chambers, or using 'find'?

    In cyberspace there are more useful dimensions than X,Y,Z.

  16. Re:placebo fallies on Mashed Potatoes Directly Enhance Memory · · Score: 1
    No, barley is not light on glucose. It just takes longer to digest than the mashed potatoes.

    The glucose in the mashed potatoes hits the brain a lot faster (15 minutes) than the glucose in the barley.

    I would have thought the glucose drink would have the fastest absorption time. Yet it had the least effect on memory.

    I suspect that, as the article alludes, hunger could be the issue, and not lack of glucose. The barley may have been more filling than the mashed potatoes.

  17. Re:Active component? on Mashed Potatoes Directly Enhance Memory · · Score: 1
    "Neurological glucose hypometabolism has been implicated in several forms of memory loss, including Alzheimer's"

    Also, PET scans of people with ADHD have shown that parts of their brain use less glucose (and are thus slightly less active) than the average person.

  18. Pills already available on Mashed Potatoes Directly Enhance Memory · · Score: 1
    The active ingredient in the experiment was glucose. You can already buy glucose pills, as well as glucose-rich snacks and drinks at a pharmacy. I don't *think* you need a prescription.

    They're marketed for diabetics who sometimes need to raise their blood sugar level quickly.

  19. Re:Bi-polar disorders on Caffeine Good For Long-Term Memory · · Score: 1

    Some people (most?) seem to grow out of ADHD. For others, it's a lifelong situation.

  20. Meditation Re:Caffeine on Caffeine Good For Long-Term Memory · · Score: 1
    For the skeptics, read Zen and the Brain by Dr. James Austin, a neurologist and Zen practitioner. Lots of references. Highly technical. Published by the MIT Press.

    He looks at what happens in the brain during meditation by looking at similar phenomena and their causes. He discusses the results of neural-stimulation experiments and also the effect on people of injury or surgery on various parts of the brain.

    Not a fluffy New Age book for the credulous.

  21. Marimba Re:Widgets cost while software is free. on Academic Criticism of ESR's The Cathedral & The Bazaar · · Score: 1

    The folks at Marimba have done pretty well.

  22. Vulgar... Re:Needlessly negative on Academic Criticism of ESR's The Cathedral & The Bazaar · · Score: 1
    Yep. The author was distinguishing Communism as practiced ("vulgar Marxism") from actual Marxism as described by Marx.

    Given this, one should consider the phrase "vulgar Raymondism", which implies a similar corruption of ESR-style OSS.

    Or, in other words, the author seems to be saying that OSS in practice is different from what ESR describes. The author then goes on to explain what he thinks the differences are.

  23. Old: IFS and Procedural shaders on Revolution in Graphics? · · Score: 1
    As others have mentioned, he's talking about IFSes.

    Also, Pixar's Renderman uses procedural shaders, where the appearance is calculated dynamically, instead of using pre-generated textures (though that is also an option).

    Instead of scanning in a wooden surface and tiling that image, Renderman can use a shader which generates a wooden surface; for wood that looks different, adjust the shader's code or pass in different parameters.

  24. Hardware upgrades? Re:Visor is nice...BUT on Good-Bye Nino; Hello from Handspring · · Score: 0

    Any chance that upgrading will be possible, but only by either sending the unit back to Handspring, or by going to an authorized installer? It's the old-fashioned way.

  25. Hardware upgrades? Re:Visor is nice...BUT on Good-Bye Nino; Hello from Handspring · · Score: 1

    Any chance that upgrading will be possible, but only by either sending the unit back to Handspring, or by going to an authorized installer? It's the old-fashioned way.