and take a picture of the meter which has the id number with my iPhone
Just call the damn thing a phone, don't be a tool for some megacorp's marketing machine. Just about any recent cellphone with more than just the basics has a camera nowadays, it did nor does not take the above mentioned gizmo to bring photo-snapping phones to the masses.
Just like the easiest way to understand how a dog works is to dissect them.
If by dissecting the dog you got access to the 'source code' of the 'program' which runs the dog you might actually get a better idea of how a dog functions and *why* it does so. Alas, this is not possible - yet. Genetic information can be decoded quite easily nowadays but whatever goes on in the brain is still mostly a mystery.
You forgot to mention 'programmers'... a whole section of the/. population would be out of work. The mean task of turning structural drawings into physical or logical reality is something which computers will be able to do far more efficiently than humans. Programmers are construction workers of logic instead of wood, steel and concrete. Architects might survive a bit longer before they, too, are made redundant.
A quadcore PC could easily host a blog or a facebook account.
A 120 MHz Pentium I could easily host dozens of blogs or facebook accounts. There is nothing special about blogs or facebook accounts that needs all those spare CPU cycles you seem to want to throw at them. If you are planning to run a remote desktop by all means use all the CPU you can get as you will notice a difference but don't waste a good processor on a dumbed-down bulletin board system. Those used to run on 8-bit processors with cycles to spare...
That would actually surprise me given that Java does not play a role of any importance in Chromium, nor does it figure in Google's online presence. Given the performance of v8 (the Javascript VM in Chromium) there would not be much of a performance gain to be had from going to Java instead of Javascript. Then again it would not be the first time I've been surprised - maybe I should become an analyst for Gartner?
...now it would not surprise me if this 'new windowing system' turns out to be not much more than the skia graphics library with mostly Chromium on top. Google makes a big deal about running their browser-based apps off-line, they create a browser which has javascript execution speed as one of its main selling points, they integrate their gears 'framework' in their browser... There are many examples of browser-based interfaces out there on the web, go and look for them to get an idea of what is possible. Writing a 'window manager' using HTML/CSS/Javascript is dead simple...
And of course it all makes sense. They plan to target two processor architectures, x86 and ARM. That would mean all apps for this OS need to be compiled for those two architectures, unless... the apps are written in some higher-level language... like javascript... using gears...
Analog TV has much better range than Digital TV, and has much better tolerances with a bad signal.
My experience is exactly the opposite. Before the switch to DVB-T I did not have any reception. I live on a farm in rural Sweden, it is a bit hilly here, the nearest transmitter is about 50 km to the south - so distance should not be a problem. Nevertheless, analog television was a complete no-go. I thought that was quite OK as I prefer to be TV-free but my POSSLQ wanted TV... so when the switch to digital came I got us some boxes, selected the best one, returned the rest to the shop and lo and behold - six channels of brain-numbing misery flood into our farmhouse in full digital glory.
In other words, it is not a given that a switch from analog to digital will exclude more current viewers than it will include new ones... unfortunately... it was a good excuse after all - no sorry love, tried everything but it just does not work here, see?
As a very young geek I spent many a night tucked in bed listening to my crystal (actually geranium) radio.
I never had much success with geraniums, relying instead on oak and sometimes larch. Now I heard thar sequoia is really good for long wave reception but alas, they dont grow around here...
Just use flashblock to block that annoying PDF-reader-from-hell they embed in their pages and click the PDF link above the (now inactive) flash thingy. That way you can gain access to whatever they have to offer without having to suffer their misguided attempt at making it 'easy' to access it. Use Evince or gv or whatever to read the PDF (or a usable alternative if you're on an OS which is not supported by these, eg. Windows) and stay clear of Adobe's attempt to take over your computer.
In other words, navigating the web is like navigating a log-studded, crocodile- and parasite-infested river. Guide your canoe around the obstacles using the paddle you know and trust and you'll get where you want without any nasty surprises...
Sony tells me I need a Blueray player, Philips says I should look into ditching that old coffee maker for one of those wasteful cartridge-thingies, Proctor and Gamble insists my hair needs Head and Shoulders, Gartner says we should consider buying the next Microsoft operating system. Since when do I care about what advertisers say?
Not 'hunt down viruses'. Get rid of the susceptibility to viruses. Use something which does not attract viruses in the quantity and quality that the current monocrop does. Diversify, spread, cross-pollinate. Stop shooting that old horse full of drugs to keep it from being lame. Bring it to the knackerman and get yourself a new ride.
In other words, ditch the windows monoculture and install something else. There is plenty of choice after all, and almost all of it is cheaper than staying on the Microsoft bandwagon. Now is a good time to do this as Microsoft wants you to move to Vista or (when available) its twin Windows 7. Why be a tool when you can hold the hammer instead? Why follow the flock when the pasture on the other side is greener and the flock is heading off the cliff?
Enough with the metaphors, I guess you get it now...
Your neighbourhood is being plagued by gangsters. They demand 'protection money' from business owners, otherwise bad things will happen to their livelihood. Cars go up in smoke, windows break, inventory gets damaged, stuff gets stolen. There are two politicians who claim to have a good solution:
Politician A proposes to set up a fund to pay off the gangsters. They will stop destroying stuff, society as a whole progresses, everyone is happy.
Politician B proposes to hunt down the gangsters.
It is clearly important to get those gangsters off the streets. Both solutions would achieve this goal. Which politician would you vote for?
You are getting overweight, feeling wheezy, have bad breath and sometimes feel like your heart is beating irregularly. Feeling uncomfortable with these facts and symptoms you consult a doctor. After a short conversation you tell the doctor that you eat out at McDonalds every day.
Now the roads diverge:
scenario A)
The doctor tells you that you should take a diet pill every day, should use mint drops to cover your bad breath, should come back once per month to have your heart checked and get someone to assist you when you feel wheezy.
scenario B)
The doctor tells you that eating at McDonalds every day does tend to do these things to people. A burger every now and then does not do harm but if you only eat burgers you tend to develop these problems. He tells you about alternatives to McDonalds where more healthy food is served, advises you to cook a meal for yourself once per week, to get some exercise and to quit frequenting McDonalds.
Which doctor would you rather have?
And if your answer is 'A', then would you want the government to sponsor diet pills and mint drops as well?
If there is a cure for the disease then why only treat the symptoms?
Swedish per capita emissions are also around 1/4 of those of the US. I have not noticed a lot of abject poverty around here - quite a bit less actually than what I've seen in the US. There must be something else in play...
Sails, whether made of traditional textile material or something more newfangled will probably not power those container ships moving all that crap from far-east to west. Wingsails on the other hand could be used for generating a sizeable portion of the needed thrust. They also have the advantage of being much easier to automate, give more thrust per surface unit and give better handling. Rigid wingsails can be covered with photovoltaics giving even more 'free' power in the right circumstances.
Point your favourite search engine to 'wingsails' for more info on this subject...
...is some way of sending email to random people to clog up their logging servers and make it difficult, if not impossible to separate the real content from the garbage. I hear there are some enterprising individuals who have been running a pharmaceutical mail order business based on that concept, maybe we can ask them for some advice?
Re:Can't pay for your car? Ride a bicycle!
on
Cellular Repo Man
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· Score: 1
Tell me, why do you take this so personal? Read again what I wrote: 'you know as well as I do that the majority of those driving their Detroit Iron between the sofa and the Costco and the Office are doing that in normal western hemispherical athmospherical conditions' and see if that rhymes with your descriptions of horrific conditions in either Phoenix or Minnesota. The continental US generally is not exposed to either of those extremes. The majority of drivers drives through weather which their doctors will not complain about. Why bring up the extremes when you know as well as many others that those are not the norm? I can give you some extremes of weather here in Europe which would make your heart boil and your ears freeze off but who cares about those? When it is -40C you won't see me on my bike. When it is +37C you will, but I'll take it slowly. Fortunately neither of those happen all to often, although they do happen sometimes. Generally it is somewhere in between - just like it is in the large majority of the US.
This is not some pissing contest between 'ignorant Europeans' and 'dumb Americans'. It is just a matter of common sense. Throwing around expletives - of the verbal or meteorilogical kind - does not help in any way.
Re:Can't pay for your car? Ride a bicycle!
on
Cellular Repo Man
·
· Score: 1
I think...
Good, that is always a good sign!
...these ignorant Europeans
But you were doing so well just now! Why this sudden relapse?
Anyway, how many tornadoes did you outrun in your car recently? And hurricanes, any luck staying in front of one of those in your holy cow? Ice storms? Snow storms? Soon you'll be telling me about the terrrrrist storms haunting you there way down yonder.
But that is all besides the point. Here in Ye Olde Worlde we might not have all those horrible tornado-hurricanes chasing us up and down the motorways, but you know what? In wintertime it snows here! And in spring and autumn it storms! And it rains! O how it does storm and rain and snow somtimes, meters (that would be yards + 10%) of the stuff. And still... we silly Euro's pedal around on our iron horses through all thay mayhem - and we survive!
Of course I'm not advocating you cycling through Death Valley day in day out. But you know as well as I do that the majority of those driving their Detroit Iron between the sofa and the Costco and the Office are doing that in normal western hemispherical athmospherical conditions.
Re:Can't pay for your car? Ride a bicycle!
on
Cellular Repo Man
·
· Score: 1
Oh, I've been in the US allright... many times, and in many places... hence my comment on it not being the best place to ride a bike. Then again, as I already said, neither is Sweden - you might want to read up about this part of Europe to get an idea of what I'm talking about before you make any comments on what it is like. And as far as selling a fantasy... I don't have anything to sell but have lived in this 'disconnected fantasy' for, well, forever really. So maybe, just maybe you might be a little bit off the mark in that respect? Maybe the US is not all that different from other parts of the world after all? Maybe all those reasons I'm seeing for not hauling your behinds out of the car seat onto a bike saddle are somewhat far-fetched?
And with regards to arriving at work 'soaked in rain, mud or sweat'... The rain is kept out by raingear, as is the mud. The sweat is real and washes off. Take a shower. If there is no shower at your workplace get them to install one. It will make for healthier employees... And if you live more than an hour's ride from your work you might want to see if there is any public transport which can help. If there isn't, OK, in that case you might be stuck to driving that car.
Re:Can't pay for your car? Ride a bicycle!
on
Cellular Repo Man
·
· Score: 1
Europe simply doesn't have the weather extremes that the USA does, unless you go someplace like Iceland or northern Scandinavia
That's a lot of 'fuck' you seem to need to explain your convictions, it almost sounds like your defending your religion or some other deeply ingrained dogma. You do realise that there is more in the world to care for than the love of money, don't you?
And yes, if I had more pay than I need and I liked my work I'd be willing to take a pay cut to do the same. The problem with that is that when confronted with people who share your attitude my pay would be cut while their pay would be raised, and that is not something I care for. Share and share alike, not grab all you can.
Slashdot Mirror
Just call the damn thing a phone, don't be a tool for some megacorp's marketing machine. Just about any recent cellphone with more than just the basics has a camera nowadays, it did nor does not take the above mentioned gizmo to bring photo-snapping phones to the masses.
If by dissecting the dog you got access to the 'source code' of the 'program' which runs the dog you might actually get a better idea of how a dog functions and *why* it does so. Alas, this is not possible - yet. Genetic information can be decoded quite easily nowadays but whatever goes on in the brain is still mostly a mystery.
You forgot to mention 'programmers'... a whole section of the /. population would be out of work. The mean task of turning structural drawings into physical or logical reality is something which computers will be able to do far more efficiently than humans. Programmers are construction workers of logic instead of wood, steel and concrete. Architects might survive a bit longer before they, too, are made redundant.
A 120 MHz Pentium I could easily host dozens of blogs or facebook accounts. There is nothing special about blogs or facebook accounts that needs all those spare CPU cycles you seem to want to throw at them. If you are planning to run a remote desktop by all means use all the CPU you can get as you will notice a difference but don't waste a good processor on a dumbed-down bulletin board system. Those used to run on 8-bit processors with cycles to spare...
A license like that is only as strong as the amount of money you have in the bank to fund the lawyers needed to enforce it.
That would actually surprise me given that Java does not play a role of any importance in Chromium, nor does it figure in Google's online presence. Given the performance of v8 (the Javascript VM in Chromium) there would not be much of a performance gain to be had from going to Java instead of Javascript. Then again it would not be the first time I've been surprised - maybe I should become an analyst for Gartner?
...now it would not surprise me if this 'new windowing system' turns out to be not much more than the skia graphics library with mostly Chromium on top. Google makes a big deal about running their browser-based apps off-line, they create a browser which has javascript execution speed as one of its main selling points, they integrate their gears 'framework' in their browser... There are many examples of browser-based interfaces out there on the web, go and look for them to get an idea of what is possible. Writing a 'window manager' using HTML/CSS/Javascript is dead simple...
And of course it all makes sense. They plan to target two processor architectures, x86 and ARM. That would mean all apps for this OS need to be compiled for those two architectures, unless... the apps are written in some higher-level language... like javascript... using gears...
My experience is exactly the opposite. Before the switch to DVB-T I did not have any reception. I live on a farm in rural Sweden, it is a bit hilly here, the nearest transmitter is about 50 km to the south - so distance should not be a problem. Nevertheless, analog television was a complete no-go. I thought that was quite OK as I prefer to be TV-free but my POSSLQ wanted TV... so when the switch to digital came I got us some boxes, selected the best one, returned the rest to the shop and lo and behold - six channels of brain-numbing misery flood into our farmhouse in full digital glory.
In other words, it is not a given that a switch from analog to digital will exclude more current viewers than it will include new ones... unfortunately... it was a good excuse after all - no sorry love, tried everything but it just does not work here, see?
I never had much success with geraniums, relying instead on oak and sometimes larch. Now I heard thar sequoia is really good for long wave reception but alas, they dont grow around here...
A sudden increase in the use of traditional female islamic head gear of the extreme variety would present an interesting challenge to this oriental attempt at big brother.
Use lftp and you'll get your tab-completion, both local and remote...
Just use flashblock to block that annoying PDF-reader-from-hell they embed in their pages and click the PDF link above the (now inactive) flash thingy. That way you can gain access to whatever they have to offer without having to suffer their misguided attempt at making it 'easy' to access it. Use Evince or gv or whatever to read the PDF (or a usable alternative if you're on an OS which is not supported by these, eg. Windows) and stay clear of Adobe's attempt to take over your computer.
In other words, navigating the web is like navigating a log-studded, crocodile- and parasite-infested river. Guide your canoe around the obstacles using the paddle you know and trust and you'll get where you want without any nasty surprises...
Sony tells me I need a Blueray player, Philips says I should look into ditching that old coffee maker for one of those wasteful cartridge-thingies, Proctor and Gamble insists my hair needs Head and Shoulders, Gartner says we should consider buying the next Microsoft operating system. Since when do I care about what advertisers say?
Not 'hunt down viruses'. Get rid of the susceptibility to viruses. Use something which does not attract viruses in the quantity and quality that the current monocrop does. Diversify, spread, cross-pollinate. Stop shooting that old horse full of drugs to keep it from being lame. Bring it to the knackerman and get yourself a new ride.
In other words, ditch the windows monoculture and install something else. There is plenty of choice after all, and almost all of it is cheaper than staying on the Microsoft bandwagon. Now is a good time to do this as Microsoft wants you to move to Vista or (when available) its twin Windows 7. Why be a tool when you can hold the hammer instead? Why follow the flock when the pasture on the other side is greener and the flock is heading off the cliff?
Enough with the metaphors, I guess you get it now...
OK, how about this then:
Your neighbourhood is being plagued by gangsters. They demand 'protection money' from business owners, otherwise bad things will happen to their livelihood. Cars go up in smoke, windows break, inventory gets damaged, stuff gets stolen. There are two politicians who claim to have a good solution:
Politician A proposes to set up a fund to pay off the gangsters. They will stop destroying stuff, society as a whole progresses, everyone is happy.
Politician B proposes to hunt down the gangsters.
It is clearly important to get those gangsters off the streets. Both solutions would achieve this goal. Which politician would you vote for?
OK, here's a comparison to chew on:
You are getting overweight, feeling wheezy, have bad breath and sometimes feel like your heart is beating irregularly. Feeling uncomfortable with these facts and symptoms you consult a doctor. After a short conversation you tell the doctor that you eat out at McDonalds every day.
Now the roads diverge:
scenario A)
The doctor tells you that you should take a diet pill every day, should use mint drops to cover your bad breath, should come back once per month to have your heart checked and get someone to assist you when you feel wheezy.
scenario B)
The doctor tells you that eating at McDonalds every day does tend to do these things to people. A burger every now and then does not do harm but if you only eat burgers you tend to develop these problems. He tells you about alternatives to McDonalds where more healthy food is served, advises you to cook a meal for yourself once per week, to get some exercise and to quit frequenting McDonalds.
Which doctor would you rather have?
And if your answer is 'A', then would you want the government to sponsor diet pills and mint drops as well?
If there is a cure for the disease then why only treat the symptoms?
Swedish per capita emissions are also around 1/4 of those of the US. I have not noticed a lot of abject poverty around here - quite a bit less actually than what I've seen in the US. There must be something else in play...
2 miles (being 3.2 km) takes about 6-8 minutes on a bike...
Sails, whether made of traditional textile material or something more newfangled will probably not power those container ships moving all that crap from far-east to west. Wingsails on the other hand could be used for generating a sizeable portion of the needed thrust. They also have the advantage of being much easier to automate, give more thrust per surface unit and give better handling. Rigid wingsails can be covered with photovoltaics giving even more 'free' power in the right circumstances.
Point your favourite search engine to 'wingsails' for more info on this subject...
...is some way of sending email to random people to clog up their logging servers and make it difficult, if not impossible to separate the real content from the garbage. I hear there are some enterprising individuals who have been running a pharmaceutical mail order business based on that concept, maybe we can ask them for some advice?
Tell me, why do you take this so personal? Read again what I wrote: 'you know as well as I do that the majority of those driving their Detroit Iron between the sofa and the Costco and the Office are doing that in normal western hemispherical athmospherical conditions' and see if that rhymes with your descriptions of horrific conditions in either Phoenix or Minnesota. The continental US generally is not exposed to either of those extremes. The majority of drivers drives through weather which their doctors will not complain about. Why bring up the extremes when you know as well as many others that those are not the norm? I can give you some extremes of weather here in Europe which would make your heart boil and your ears freeze off but who cares about those? When it is -40C you won't see me on my bike. When it is +37C you will, but I'll take it slowly. Fortunately neither of those happen all to often, although they do happen sometimes. Generally it is somewhere in between - just like it is in the large majority of the US.
This is not some pissing contest between 'ignorant Europeans' and 'dumb Americans'. It is just a matter of common sense. Throwing around expletives - of the verbal or meteorilogical kind - does not help in any way.
Good, that is always a good sign!
But you were doing so well just now! Why this sudden relapse?
Anyway, how many tornadoes did you outrun in your car recently? And hurricanes, any luck staying in front of one of those in your holy cow? Ice storms? Snow storms? Soon you'll be telling me about the terrrrrist storms haunting you there way down yonder.
But that is all besides the point. Here in Ye Olde Worlde we might not have all those horrible tornado-hurricanes chasing us up and down the motorways, but you know what? In wintertime it snows here! And in spring and autumn it storms! And it rains! O how it does storm and rain and snow somtimes, meters (that would be yards + 10%) of the stuff. And still... we silly Euro's pedal around on our iron horses through all thay mayhem - and we survive!
Of course I'm not advocating you cycling through Death Valley day in day out. But you know as well as I do that the majority of those driving their Detroit Iron between the sofa and the Costco and the Office are doing that in normal western hemispherical athmospherical conditions.
Oh, I've been in the US allright... many times, and in many places... hence my comment on it not being the best place to ride a bike. Then again, as I already said, neither is Sweden - you might want to read up about this part of Europe to get an idea of what I'm talking about before you make any comments on what it is like. And as far as selling a fantasy... I don't have anything to sell but have lived in this 'disconnected fantasy' for, well, forever really. So maybe, just maybe you might be a little bit off the mark in that respect? Maybe the US is not all that different from other parts of the world after all? Maybe all those reasons I'm seeing for not hauling your behinds out of the car seat onto a bike saddle are somewhat far-fetched?
And with regards to arriving at work 'soaked in rain, mud or sweat'... The rain is kept out by raingear, as is the mud. The sweat is real and washes off. Take a shower. If there is no shower at your workplace get them to install one. It will make for healthier employees... And if you live more than an hour's ride from your work you might want to see if there is any public transport which can help. If there isn't, OK, in that case you might be stuck to driving that car.
Did you read where I live?
That's a lot of 'fuck' you seem to need to explain your convictions, it almost sounds like your defending your religion or some other deeply ingrained dogma. You do realise that there is more in the world to care for than the love of money, don't you?
And yes, if I had more pay than I need and I liked my work I'd be willing to take a pay cut to do the same. The problem with that is that when confronted with people who share your attitude my pay would be cut while their pay would be raised, and that is not something I care for. Share and share alike, not grab all you can.