I have my laptop set up not to suspend when I close it. The screen will turn off, though. I get an extra hour or so listening to MP3s.
You could also decrease power usage by removing PCMCIA cards.
Also, if you have the patience, set up a RAM disk and store MP3s there. Then set it up so that the hard disk isn't used so much (look for cron jobs, and see the Battery-Powered HOWTO). Set up APM to power down the disk quickly.
It is true that 2K would equal 2000 in a metric system, but time is not metric!
SI prefixes (kilo, milli, deca, pico, et al) is not "metric only."
look at kilovolt, microfarad, megohm, etc. Those are not metric units, yet they use SI prefixes.
Note the MKS (metres, kilograms, seconds) and CGS (centimetres, grams, seconds) systems as well, for maintaining proper relationships in physics calculations.
Finally, SI prefixes are used in time measurements. Ever hear of a millisecond?
The SI system was designed to be ridiculously easy to use an can be applied to any unit, keeping consistency and simplicity. Imagine if we kept the imperial practise of making up new words for appropriate units? How about if a microfarad was called a flinker instead? Then change picofarad, nanofarad, millivolt... Life would be very painful for me.
What's all this about trouble getting Brazil distributed?
Basically, there was a big fight between Gilliam and the studio who wanted to ruin the movie. At one point Gilliam went into their offices, holding a lighter up to the reel. He's got quite a flair for the drama.
At least I'm going to know where my towel is. Christmas lights may also come in handy in case I have to strangle a few "trespassers."
"Now you get off my propr'ty, y'hear."
Of course, I'll probably be very drunk when the clock does go around. I'll also be waiting at the main breaker box for whatever building I'm in for the crowd to yell "happy new year!"
Imagined sounds: "vvvvvrrrrrrr-r-r--r--r", "AGGGGGGGH, it was all true! The four horsemen are coming!"
Get the Criterion disk and use that. Terry Gilliam fought very hard so that people could watch that movie. There's an interesting documentary about the whole fiasco on that DVD as well.
I ordered a DVD from CNL on the 21st and received it yesterday morning without a hitch. Pretty good considering I'm at the extreme other end of Canada. What makes that interesting was the fact that I opted for Canada Post over UPS. Not only was it much cheaper, but UPS doesn't actually operate here and the minimum time I received a UPS package was about a week. I wouldn't have received it in time. Maximum time? A month. Ridiculous, even the USPS is much better than that.
I also made an order from Digi-Key which came in 3 days, despite the fact that I live in Canada. Probably had something to do with the fact that they let me use Purolator.
As an aside, with many people having DVD players nowadays, Christmas shopping has never been easier. I got three today: Pink Floyd's The Wall (awesome DVD, very well put together with tons of extra features), Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock, and South Park.
Needless to say, I'm happy. I'm inviting some friends over tonight to watch The Wall (twice, the second time around with commentary by Waters and Scarfe) and drink a lot of booze.
I hate censorship in all of it's incarnations. I sometimes see something I don't want to see. I'll simply hit "back" on my browser or close the window. It may linger uncomfortably in my head, but I would rather that than anybody being censored.
Having said that, I believe that you are making the most logical choice.
It has always been my stance that parents should know what their kids are seeing/hearing. If something comes up that you think they don't understand, then explain it to them, rationally, possibly from multiple POVs (the hard topics...).
An example: I just got Pink Floyd's The Wall on DVD (*highly* recommended, the most polished and cool looking DVD I have seen so far). If I had a kid, I wouldn't sit my him/her in front of it and say, "watch."
What if my kid did see it either in my own house or someone else's? I would like to know that, then explain it to them:
"These kids are burning down a school. That's not something you should do, as people will get hurt. In this film, the burning of the school is a metaphor for school system reform."
If they don't understand metaphors, I'll explain that, too.
Kudos to you. You exhibit a genuine interest in actually raising your child as opposed to thinking the school system/government will do it for you. You are taking steps that few parents have the courage or interest to do in order to raise a responsible child. For that, I applaud you.
If so-called "environmentalists" would merely impress on "the great unwashed" the importance of using trash cans instead of the side of the road, our "environment" would be lots more livable.
Ok, a little explanation on my stance as an environmentalist.
I have never trusted most of the pamplet propoganda that most environmentalists swear by. When I was in high school, I helped my chemistry teacher question the "environmental action commitee."
If we simply separated, say, aluminum from everything else, and dumped it in it's own places, we would have more aluminum mines in the future. That takes less energy and is cheaper than simply recycling it. We have tried-and-true processes with aluminum, why abandon them?
An integrated circuit is a very different beast. They are commonly made of aluminum and silicon encased in plastic (non-biodegradeable) or ceramic. They can't be easily recycled, and the aluminum example wouldn't work out so great either.
Reuse the chips, displays, etc, and places like New York wouldn't be generating their land mass in garbage and dumping it in other countries.
All life is creation and eventual destruction. Throwing out something that will eventually be broken up and returned to its original components is sane and sensible.
I agree, but the quicker the better. What if we're using resources at a greater rate than it is being reclaimed? This is where nanotech intrigues me.
I hope Jim's paper computer is "the next big thing" since I want computing to become so ubiquitous that nobody can claim they are "computing disadvantaged."
So do I. I sent an email directly to him earlier expressing my interest in his project and explaining some stuff I have previously worked on that he might be interested in.
I already posted a comment about environmental issues here.
I neglected to mention the positives.
I've done some thinking, and I believe that these paper computers have a lot of great reusable/permanent applications.
A while back I was thinking about remote controls. I got a few emails about it, which I haven't gotten around to responding to yet (I have a lot of ideas, I'll probably get around to it tonight).
One of the things I was thinking about was the ability to print a template and place it under a clear plastic cover.
This looks ideal.
Have a plastic base, and be able to slide one of these into it. A lot of devices have remote controls. If a company can make their remotes like this, their cost drops significantly. For the companies that sell multi-remotes, they can have a base model, plus "templates" that customers can get cheaply. That way, instead of making a couple of remotes that have differring features, they can make one or two, plus tons of different templates that consumers can choose from.
That's an idea that just might flourish in both the short and long terms.
I'm an electronic guy, professionally and personally. I have always been extremely interested in small electronic devices that do useful things. I have a PICStart Plus on my desk, and the Linux software to drive it.
I think Jim has *part* of a great idea.
Here's the "but."
I am also an environmentalist. I think that small devices should not be disposable.
Imagine how much it would cost to recycle one of these for raw materials or a different application.
Imagine getting a mailing with a reply card using this technology. It is set up specifically for that mailing. To recycle it, for a different mailing would be a real pain, especially if the second mailing requires more buttons, etc.
How about consumer packaging? To recycle that milk carton is all of a sudden not so simple anymore. It's more expensive. If it's too expensive, it'll be thrown out because it'll affect a company's bottom line. It'll just add to the ridiculous amount of garbage that the US has been trying to export to other countries. New York tried to set up a deal to ship garbage here in Newfoundland a few years back. They wanted us to be their landfill... again (the US navy used to have a base here, they left tons of contaminated waste and then refused to clean it up when the base closed).
Unless he can guarantee that this technology is truly reusable/recyclable, and guarantee that users of the technology will reuse/recycle it (ie. easy to do), most companies won't want to touch it.
Oh yeah, for those of you out there who are not Asimov fans, the name of his fictional company (which appears in very many short stories and novels) was the reason that a certain modem company chose a certain name for themselves.
They were excellent. Very thought-provoking stuff.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but my expectations are not very high (though it gives me a reason to check out the new THX theatre that just opened up near me).
One, that super-annoying girl from the Pepsi commercials is in it. That's an indication that this is designed to be all cutesy-pie.
Two, Chris Columbus. He did the Home Alone movies. 'Nuff said. Not exactly thought-provoking, or even entertaining, stuff.
Three, Robin Williams. Look at the movies he's done recently, and notice the Mork connection. That's enough for me.
If you're looking for a really good movie right now, I'd recommend Sleepy Hollow. Burton even managed to throw his continuing obsession with gadgets into it. Really cool, and visually amazing.
Slashdot Mirror
I used to use VI a lot when I first started using Linux. Now I use mcedit most of the time.
F4... ahhh, syntax-highlighting, keys that sort-of coincide with mc keys.
Quick, simple, no macros but I never bothered with that anyway.
I suggest ARTS (Analog RealTime Synthesiser). It's a very interesting project and will be included with KDE2.
Using the -root option.
Wow, there's dolphins swimming behind my icons. Can't get much cooler than that.
Thank parport for the improved Zip drive functionality. Note that you can now use a Zip drive and a printer now without juggling your modules.
This is a big improvement over the old functionality and deserves credit.
Besides, I wasn't going to nominate something I don't actually use...
I saw a fair bit about this camera on Splat!, a show that comes on Teletoon here in Canada (I don't know if it comes on in other countries).
Basically, the guy who invented it is an engineering school dropout. They had an interview with him which was very interesting.
I have my laptop set up not to suspend when I close it. The screen will turn off, though. I get an extra hour or so listening to MP3s.
You could also decrease power usage by removing PCMCIA cards.
Also, if you have the patience, set up a RAM disk and store MP3s there. Then set it up so that the hard disk isn't used so much (look for cron jobs, and see the Battery-Powered HOWTO). Set up APM to power down the disk quickly.
Don't compare apples to oranges.
Actually, it's more like comparing the apple to the apple tree.
Kilovolt, microfarad, and megohm are used in the metric system as well as the imperial system. They are universal units.
It is true that 2K would equal 2000 in a metric system, but time is not metric!
SI prefixes (kilo, milli, deca, pico, et al) is not "metric only."
look at kilovolt, microfarad, megohm, etc. Those are not metric units, yet they use SI prefixes.
Note the MKS (metres, kilograms, seconds) and CGS (centimetres, grams, seconds) systems as well, for maintaining proper relationships in physics calculations.
Finally, SI prefixes are used in time measurements. Ever hear of a millisecond?
The SI system was designed to be ridiculously easy to use an can be applied to any unit, keeping consistency and simplicity. Imagine if we kept the imperial practise of making up new words for appropriate units? How about if a microfarad was called a flinker instead? Then change picofarad, nanofarad, millivolt... Life would be very painful for me.
What's all this about trouble getting Brazil distributed?
Basically, there was a big fight between Gilliam and the studio who wanted to ruin the movie. At one point Gilliam went into their offices, holding a lighter up to the reel. He's got quite a flair for the drama.
http://www.trond.com/brazil/b_faq02.html
There's lots more information about it in various places as well. Most of it not as "pretty" as in the link I provided. The fight got really nasty.
At least I'm going to know where my towel is. Christmas lights may also come in handy in case I have to strangle a few "trespassers."
."
"Now you get off my propr'ty, y'hear
Of course, I'll probably be very drunk when the clock does go around. I'll also be waiting at the main breaker box for whatever building I'm in for the crowd to yell "happy new year!"
Imagined sounds: "vvvvvrrrrrrr-r-r--r--r", "AGGGGGGGH, it was all true! The four horsemen are coming!"
Ah the pains I go through to amuse myself.
Brazil.
Get the Criterion disk and use that. Terry Gilliam fought very hard so that people could watch that movie. There's an interesting documentary about the whole fiasco on that DVD as well.
It parallels so neatly. How could you not use it?
does a Microwave have coils?
:-)*
Nope, it has a magnetron (sounds like something from a bad sci-fi movie, doesn't it? I remember giggling the first time I saw a dynamometer...).
You can see it here. There's also a link to theory of operation.
If you want to bugger up a microwave, the simple way is to de-align the waveguide (note: very dangerous).
Yes, it's offtopic. I was answering a question. I've already moderated myself down accordingly to save your points.
Well, they managed to fix their javascript to allow Netscape for Linux get in.
One more problem. I usually leave javascript off to avoid popups, which I hate. No javascript == blank page.
I just checked in Lynx and got the same thing.
Yet again, many blind and low bandwith are locked out of a site.
I hate "web designers."
I ordered a DVD from CNL on the 21st and received it yesterday morning without a hitch. Pretty good considering I'm at the extreme other end of Canada. What makes that interesting was the fact that I opted for Canada Post over UPS. Not only was it much cheaper, but UPS doesn't actually operate here and the minimum time I received a UPS package was about a week. I wouldn't have received it in time. Maximum time? A month. Ridiculous, even the USPS is much better than that.
I also made an order from Digi-Key which came in 3 days, despite the fact that I live in Canada. Probably had something to do with the fact that they let me use Purolator.
As an aside, with many people having DVD players nowadays, Christmas shopping has never been easier. I got three today: Pink Floyd's The Wall (awesome DVD, very well put together with tons of extra features), Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock, and South Park.
Needless to say, I'm happy. I'm inviting some friends over tonight to watch The Wall (twice, the second time around with commentary by Waters and Scarfe) and drink a lot of booze.
There are three reasons for handwriting recognition I can see off the top of my head:
I hate censorship in all of it's incarnations. I sometimes see something I don't want to see. I'll simply hit "back" on my browser or close the window. It may linger uncomfortably in my head, but I would rather that than anybody being censored.
Having said that, I believe that you are making the most logical choice.
It has always been my stance that parents should know what their kids are seeing/hearing. If something comes up that you think they don't understand, then explain it to them, rationally, possibly from multiple POVs (the hard topics...).
An example: I just got Pink Floyd's The Wall on DVD (*highly* recommended, the most polished and cool looking DVD I have seen so far). If I had a kid, I wouldn't sit my him/her in front of it and say, "watch."
What if my kid did see it either in my own house or someone else's? I would like to know that, then explain it to them:
"These kids are burning down a school. That's not something you should do, as people will get hurt. In this film, the burning of the school is a metaphor for school system reform."
If they don't understand metaphors, I'll explain that, too.
Kudos to you. You exhibit a genuine interest in actually raising your child as opposed to thinking the school system/government will do it for you. You are taking steps that few parents have the courage or interest to do in order to raise a responsible child. For that, I applaud you.
If so-called "environmentalists" would merely impress on "the great unwashed" the importance of using trash cans instead of the side of the road, our "environment" would be lots more livable.
Ok, a little explanation on my stance as an environmentalist.
I have never trusted most of the pamplet propoganda that most environmentalists swear by. When I was in high school, I helped my chemistry teacher question the "environmental action commitee."
If we simply separated, say, aluminum from everything else, and dumped it in it's own places, we would have more aluminum mines in the future. That takes less energy and is cheaper than simply recycling it. We have tried-and-true processes with aluminum, why abandon them?
An integrated circuit is a very different beast. They are commonly made of aluminum and silicon encased in plastic (non-biodegradeable) or ceramic. They can't be easily recycled, and the aluminum example wouldn't work out so great either.
Reuse the chips, displays, etc, and places like New York wouldn't be generating their land mass in garbage and dumping it in other countries.
All life is creation and eventual destruction. Throwing out something that will eventually be broken up and returned to its original components is sane and sensible.
I agree, but the quicker the better. What if we're using resources at a greater rate than it is being reclaimed? This is where nanotech intrigues me.
I hope Jim's paper computer is "the next big thing" since I want computing to become so ubiquitous that nobody can claim they are "computing disadvantaged."
So do I. I sent an email directly to him earlier expressing my interest in his project and explaining some stuff I have previously worked on that he might be interested in.
I already posted a comment about environmental issues here.
I neglected to mention the positives.
I've done some thinking, and I believe that these paper computers have a lot of great reusable/permanent applications.
A while back I was thinking about remote controls. I got a few emails about it, which I haven't gotten around to responding to yet (I have a lot of ideas, I'll probably get around to it tonight).
One of the things I was thinking about was the ability to print a template and place it under a clear plastic cover.
This looks ideal.
Have a plastic base, and be able to slide one of these into it. A lot of devices have remote controls. If a company can make their remotes like this, their cost drops significantly. For the companies that sell multi-remotes, they can have a base model, plus "templates" that customers can get cheaply. That way, instead of making a couple of remotes that have differring features, they can make one or two, plus tons of different templates that consumers can choose from.
That's an idea that just might flourish in both the short and long terms.
I'm an electronic guy, professionally and personally. I have always been extremely interested in small electronic devices that do useful things. I have a PICStart Plus on my desk, and the Linux software to drive it.
I think Jim has *part* of a great idea.
Here's the "but."
I am also an environmentalist. I think that small devices should not be disposable.
Imagine how much it would cost to recycle one of these for raw materials or a different application.
Imagine getting a mailing with a reply card using this technology. It is set up specifically for that mailing. To recycle it, for a different mailing would be a real pain, especially if the second mailing requires more buttons, etc.
How about consumer packaging? To recycle that milk carton is all of a sudden not so simple anymore. It's more expensive. If it's too expensive, it'll be thrown out because it'll affect a company's bottom line. It'll just add to the ridiculous amount of garbage that the US has been trying to export to other countries. New York tried to set up a deal to ship garbage here in Newfoundland a few years back. They wanted us to be their landfill... again (the US navy used to have a base here, they left tons of contaminated waste and then refused to clean it up when the base closed).
Unless he can guarantee that this technology is truly reusable/recyclable, and guarantee that users of the technology will reuse/recycle it (ie. easy to do), most companies won't want to touch it.
He probably drinks Budweiser (and thinks its "the king of beers")
Budweiser???
Um, I'm Canadian.
As for beer, I can't actually drink the mass produced crap they make even here.
I tend to go for imports and some of those microbrewery beers (Mmmm, Black Pearl, cream ale made from coffee...).
Though I drink more rum than anything else.
IPA? Doesn't that often stand for IsoPropyl Alcohol?
Great for cleaning your metal contacts, I wouldn't want to clean reality out of my system with it.
Jamaican rum cleans reality out for me just fine... Mmmmm...
Oh yeah, for those of you out there who are not Asimov fans, the name of his fictional company (which appears in very many short stories and novels) was the reason that a certain modem company chose a certain name for themselves.
That freaked me out I realised it when I was ~13.
They were excellent. Very thought-provoking stuff.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but my expectations are not very high (though it gives me a reason to check out the new THX theatre that just opened up near me).
One, that super-annoying girl from the Pepsi commercials is in it. That's an indication that this is designed to be all cutesy-pie.
Two, Chris Columbus. He did the Home Alone movies. 'Nuff said. Not exactly thought-provoking, or even entertaining, stuff.
Three, Robin Williams. Look at the movies he's done recently, and notice the Mork connection. That's enough for me.
If you're looking for a really good movie right now, I'd recommend Sleepy Hollow. Burton even managed to throw his continuing obsession with gadgets into it. Really cool, and visually amazing.
Because you have to force people to have an connection to the internet, which is a very bad idea for any sort of install program.
Mirror the database on an install CD.