While most of the cheap single CCD cameras are over-sensitive to IR light, get your self a decent 3CCD unit (I have a Panasonic MX500 which is about the cheapest 3CCD there is) and you'll find that they have no sensitivity to IR at all.
The prisms that split the incoming light into red, green and blue, simply don't pass the infra-red spectrum at all.
And, as an added bonus, you get a *much* better picture with richer colors and better dynamic range.
There was a young man from...
on
Spam as Poetry
·
· Score: 4, Funny
There was a young man from Alabama Who had attrocious grammar His poetry stunk So he did a bunk And works in Florida as a spamer....waits for applause... not a sausage:-(
No doubt the voters will take this into account (along with many other factors) when deciding how to vote in the next election
This happened some time go and the government of the day *was* voted out of power -- but the new incoming government did nothing to remedy the situation -- when it comes to such things they seldom do.
And don't get me started on the intelligence of the average voter.
At the risk of being labeled elitist, I have to say that the average IQ of many western nations appears to be falling at an alarming rate.
While clever, thinking, intelligent people generally tend to have smaller families (being aware of the costs and responsibilities involved in having kids), the thick, idle and indolent seem to be bent on procreating at a far higher rate.
Since children born into an environment lacking in intellectual stimulation and motivation are less likely to get a decent education or be ingendered with a burning desire to better themselves, we're seeing a disproportionate growth in the ranks of the stupid and lazy.
Here in New Zealand, we have a government that recognizes this and is about to spend a huge amount of $ buying votes by way of election-year hand-outs. Yes, the idiots out there tend to look no further than the size of a "free" lunch and for this reason there's a very real risk that we'll end up enduring another term under the current socialist administration.
Thankfully, passports are good for 10 years from their issuance
Boy, are you naive.
Here in New Zealand the government sold us "lifetime" drivers licenses that were good for up to 40 years or so, according to the expiry date clearly printed on them and depending on your age.
This was an iron clad contract between the government and drivers insomuch as:
1. An offer was made (to provide a lifetime drivers license)
2. The offer was accepted (by all those drivers who signed the forms and agreed to drive legally using those licenses)
3. A consideration was paid (it cost about $35 to obtain one of these lifetime licenses).
4. The intention was clear (the expiry date was clearly printed on the license itself).
Then, when they realised that they were missing out on a small fortune in renewal fees and the chance to introduce elements such as digital photos, the government unilaterally broke that contract and declared that all these "lifetime" licenses, that were bought and paid for in good faith, would become invalid within a year.
No corporation would be allowed to get away with such a blatant fraud -- but when you're the group that makes the laws you can get away with anything I guess.
There was no compensation paid for the outstanding portion of your "lifetime" license that you'd paid for but weren't going to receive the benefit of and new laws were passed that meant if you didn't pay more money and obtain one of the new renewable licenses then you were suddenly considered to be an unlicensed (and therefore very dangerous) driver who could be fined and/or imprisoned.
So, I would wager good money that the promised 10 year "lifetime" of your US passports could be rendered invalid just as easily -- and you'd have wasted a wad of cash.
Given that the integrity, honesty, competence and trustworthiness of those at the top of the political power-pyramid has been well and truly drawn into question by recent events related to the treatment of prisoners in Iraq, am I the only one worried that these centralized databases of personal ID and info represent a *huge* potential for abuse?
It really scares me that what was frightening science fiction yesterday, looks like becoming reality tomorrow.
Looks as if one of our most important rights (the right to privacy and anonmymity) is about to be exponged forever -- with narry a whimper from the general population.
When *used* only as promised, modern sophisticated ID and tracking systems may pose no threat to the general public -- but what happens when (and that is *when*, not "if") they are abused?
What protection mechanisms are incorporated to stop some bureaucrat or politician (ab)using such a system to track a foe and use that information for their own means?
Isn't about time we told our politicians to back off and mind their own business?
While I'm most certainly not anti-American, I think the simplest and most effective way that the USA could reduce the risk of terrorist attacks is by getting out of Iraq and stop trying to expand its empire and the reach of its military muscle.
I can imagine how much better life would be for US citizens if the US government spent as much on the health, welfare and education of its own people as it has on war in the past 60 years or so -- and ultimately, what have they got to show for their involvement in Vietnam, Granada, Somalia, Iraq, etc?
Yeah, we all know that Saddam was a despot -- but I'd wager that there are just about as many people who regard Bush as a despot. Surely that gives them no more right to attack the USA than the USA had to attack Iraq. All sides in this battle are completely and utterly mad.
Given the author was bankrupted for being unable to correctly add up and file taxreturns for 8 years, it may pay to take his numbers with a pinch of salt, too
Are you sure that was really the reason he was bankrupted? It would appear, at least from the comments of one former US Defense Department official (as made on this TV documentary), there may have been a *lot* more to it than that.
The problem is that providing a fake CC number is probably a crime -- maybe even a felony.
They could argue that you tried to fraudulently obtain a product using a credit card number you knew to be invalid or which you had no authority to use.
Got to be careful, a pissed-off spammer can be an wicked beast and may just decide to make an example of someone. At least cover your tracks by calling from a public phone.
having a big name such as the BBC behind it, it should also mean that...
Maybe so... but the BBC's reputation seems to be sliding down a slippery slope when it comes to being a reputable, reliable publisher/broadcaster. A telling off for the BBC.
Most people building turbo-turbojets *do* have at least a turbine outlet temperature sensor.
And, if you think a 55-gallon drum is going to do *anything* to reduce the damage or danger produced by a grenading turbine wheel then you've obviously never seen one let-go or calculated the energy levels involved!
I was the pulsejet "expert" on the Jetcar episode of Scrapheap Challenge (aka Junkyard wars) and the turbocharger turbojet *did* produce a very healthy amount of thrust (probably about 65lbs).
They didn't win because they had reliability problems and their vehicle was much heavier than our lightweight pulsjet-powered creation.
Don't worry, the first is completed and ready to test, the second is about 50% completed.
It will be tested, it's just a case of when and where so as to make sure it's done in a safe environment and without alerting those authorities who might want to confiscate it.
Just put up a no parking sign, a parking enforcement officer will be right along to help in five minutes or less. I wonder what the parking fine on another planet would be though
Ah, but chances are they'd just clamp one of the Rover's wheels and then we'd have to call this guy to bail them out.
We're already starting to learn that to try and eradicate bacteria and other pathogens in our environment is a tactic that backfires badly.
For millions of years our immune system has evolved to protect us from most of these microbes and until recently a satisfactory balance has developed that allow us to co-exist without too many problems.
Unfortunately (and probably driven by idiotic chemical companies) a new mindset developed in the mid 20th century which suggested we should "kill all germs" using whatever disinfectant or antibiotic was most profitable to sell.
There are a growing number of health professionals who now claim that our immune system is actually becoming weaker -- since it's seeing fewer threats. This would be fine and dandy except that bacteria and new pathogens (prions etc) are on the comeback path -- their ability to adapt/evolve extremely rapdily meaning that many of our chemicals and antibiotics are now largely ineffective.
In effect, they're doing a Borg act and already adapted to become immune to our weapons.
The ultimate example of this are the growing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that now pose a real threat and can't be killed by even our last line of defence -- vancomycin. If you are infected by one of these, you and your immune system pretty much on your own and death is quite likely.
There is now also evidence to suggest that the dramatic rise in asthma is a result of our "cleaner living" and the reduction in bacterial and mould levels in our homes.
It's about time that we woke up to the fact that, with only a few exceptions, bacteria are our friends and pose little or no threat to us.
Even the deadly staph normally lives quite happily in our sinuses and other parts of the body. It only becomes a threat under unusual circumstances which allow it to grow at a rate beyond our immune system's ability to cope.
So, be friends with your shower curtain and learn to appreciate that by being exposed to its bacteria on a daily basis, you're actually doing yourself a favour by exercising your immune system to make it stronger and more capable for when it's really needed.
The new ID cards will hold biometric details - facial dimensions, an iris scan or fingerprints
I guess if you're an blind Islamic female double-amputee then they'll have a few problems here.
If your blindness is due to cataracts, you've lost both hands, and your religion requires you to wear a yashmak at all times then will they give you a blank card or what?
Slashdot Mirror
What? You mean they've replaced MFM and RLL drives already?
Hell, I hope my ESDI drive isn't rendered obsolete any time soon.
Now where's that 128KB 8" hard-sectored floppy disk I use for backups?
While most of the cheap single CCD cameras are over-sensitive to IR light, get your self a decent 3CCD unit (I have a Panasonic MX500 which is about the cheapest 3CCD there is) and you'll find that they have no sensitivity to IR at all.
The prisms that split the incoming light into red, green and blue, simply don't pass the infra-red spectrum at all.
And, as an added bonus, you get a *much* better picture with richer colors and better dynamic range.
There was a young man from Alabama ...waits for applause... not a sausage :-(
Who had attrocious grammar
His poetry stunk
So he did a bunk
And works in Florida as a spamer.
Can someone please explain what it is about Anime that makes people go ga-ga?
I just don't get it -- what am I missing?
It just looks like a caricatured cartoon to me.
Help!
Don't worry, Wired is carrying a synopsis of the story.
but you've got to agree this is more unique
:-)
Important note from the grammar police...
The phrase "more unique" has recently been replaced by the more concise term "uniquer".
Similarly, the phrase "most unique" is now "uniquest"
Check out the difference between absolute and relative terms
I guess this adds a whole new meaning to the use of wing-warping as a control method.
My passport has a photo of my face on it, Does that count as recorded biometric information?
:-)
Perhaps in your case, but in mine it could just as easily be considered a weapon of terror
No doubt the voters will take this into account (along with many other factors) when deciding how to vote in the next election
This happened some time go and the government of the day *was* voted out of power -- but the new incoming government did nothing to remedy the situation -- when it comes to such things they seldom do.
And don't get me started on the intelligence of the average voter.
At the risk of being labeled elitist, I have to say that the average IQ of many western nations appears to be falling at an alarming rate.
While clever, thinking, intelligent people generally tend to have smaller families (being aware of the costs and responsibilities involved in having kids), the thick, idle and indolent seem to be bent on procreating at a far higher rate.
Since children born into an environment lacking in intellectual stimulation and motivation are less likely to get a decent education or be ingendered with a burning desire to better themselves, we're seeing a disproportionate growth in the ranks of the stupid and lazy.
Here in New Zealand, we have a government that recognizes this and is about to spend a huge amount of $ buying votes by way of election-year hand-outs. Yes, the idiots out there tend to look no further than the size of a "free" lunch and for this reason there's a very real risk that we'll end up enduring another term under the current socialist administration.
Sigh!
Thankfully, passports are good for 10 years from their issuance
Boy, are you naive.
Here in New Zealand the government sold us "lifetime" drivers licenses that were good for up to 40 years or so, according to the expiry date clearly printed on them and depending on your age.
This was an iron clad contract between the government and drivers insomuch as:
1. An offer was made (to provide a lifetime drivers license)
2. The offer was accepted (by all those drivers who signed the forms and agreed to drive legally using those licenses)
3. A consideration was paid (it cost about $35 to obtain one of these lifetime licenses).
4. The intention was clear (the expiry date was clearly printed on the license itself).
Then, when they realised that they were missing out on a small fortune in renewal fees and the chance to introduce elements such as digital photos, the government unilaterally broke that contract and declared that all these "lifetime" licenses, that were bought and paid for in good faith, would become invalid within a year.
No corporation would be allowed to get away with such a blatant fraud -- but when you're the group that makes the laws you can get away with anything I guess.
There was no compensation paid for the outstanding portion of your "lifetime" license that you'd paid for but weren't going to receive the benefit of and new laws were passed that meant if you didn't pay more money and obtain one of the new renewable licenses then you were suddenly considered to be an unlicensed (and therefore very dangerous) driver who could be fined and/or imprisoned.
So, I would wager good money that the promised 10 year "lifetime" of your US passports could be rendered invalid just as easily -- and you'd have wasted a wad of cash.
I wrote this column a year ago in which I suggested that a dual-mode WiFi/Cellular phone would be a good idea.
:-)
Thanks for listening Motorola!
Given that the integrity, honesty, competence and trustworthiness of those at the top of the political power-pyramid has been well and truly drawn into question by recent events related to the treatment of prisoners in Iraq, am I the only one worried that these centralized databases of personal ID and info represent a *huge* potential for abuse?
:-(
It really scares me that what was frightening science fiction yesterday, looks like becoming reality tomorrow.
Looks as if one of our most important rights (the right to privacy and anonmymity) is about to be exponged forever -- with narry a whimper from the general population.
When *used* only as promised, modern sophisticated ID and tracking systems may pose no threat to the general public -- but what happens when (and that is *when*, not "if") they are abused?
What protection mechanisms are incorporated to stop some bureaucrat or politician (ab)using such a system to track a foe and use that information for their own means?
Isn't about time we told our politicians to back off and mind their own business?
While I'm most certainly not anti-American, I think the simplest and most effective way that the USA could reduce the risk of terrorist attacks is by getting out of Iraq and stop trying to expand its empire and the reach of its military muscle.
I can imagine how much better life would be for US citizens if the US government spent as much on the health, welfare and education of its own people as it has on war in the past 60 years or so -- and ultimately, what have they got to show for their involvement in Vietnam, Granada, Somalia, Iraq, etc?
Yeah, we all know that Saddam was a despot -- but I'd wager that there are just about as many people who regard Bush as a despot. Surely that gives them no more right to attack the USA than the USA had to attack Iraq. All sides in this battle are completely and utterly mad.
Uh-oh, off topic
Given the author was bankrupted for being unable to correctly add up and file taxreturns for 8 years, it may pay to take his numbers with a pinch of salt, too
Are you sure that was really the reason he was bankrupted? It would appear, at least from the comments of one former US Defense Department official (as made on this TV documentary), there may have been a *lot* more to it than that.
The problem is that providing a fake CC number is probably a crime -- maybe even a felony.
They could argue that you tried to fraudulently obtain a product using a credit card number you knew to be invalid or which you had no authority to use.
Got to be careful, a pissed-off spammer can be an wicked beast and may just decide to make an example of someone. At least cover your tracks by calling from a public phone.
having a big name such as the BBC behind it, it should also mean that...
Maybe so... but the BBC's reputation seems to be sliding down a slippery slope when it comes to being a reputable, reliable publisher/broadcaster. A telling off for the BBC.
Cost of developing anti-missile laser? $50 billion
Cost of building anti-missile laser? $10 million
Cost of deploying anti-missile laser? $15 million
Cost of mirror fitted to missile? $1.99
Effect of reflected laser on defending forces? priceless.
Most people building turbo-turbojets *do* have at least a turbine outlet temperature sensor.
And, if you think a 55-gallon drum is going to do *anything* to reduce the damage or danger produced by a grenading turbine wheel then you've obviously never seen one let-go or calculated the energy levels involved!
I was the pulsejet "expert" on the Jetcar episode of Scrapheap Challenge (aka Junkyard wars) and the turbocharger turbojet *did* produce a very healthy amount of thrust (probably about 65lbs).
They didn't win because they had reliability problems and their vehicle was much heavier than our lightweight pulsjet-powered creation.
Very sad, i was looking forward to its completion
Don't worry, the first is completed and ready to test, the second is about 50% completed.
It will be tested, it's just a case of when and where so as to make sure it's done in a safe environment and without alerting those authorities who might want to confiscate it.
The guy who built the cruise missile and those pulsejets (me) also built a turbo-turbine back in 2001 and documented it here
Then I added the afterburner
And if you want to see a really cool turbine-powered gokart check out Nick's website.
More pulsejet/turbojet links and things here.
Now we're all really keen to enter the chinese version of full metal challenge!
Just put up a no parking sign, a parking enforcement officer will be right along to help in five minutes or less. I wonder what the parking fine on another planet would be though
Ah, but chances are they'd just clamp one of the Rover's wheels and then we'd have to call this guy to bail them out.
We're already starting to learn that to try and eradicate bacteria and other pathogens in our environment is a tactic that backfires badly.
For millions of years our immune system has evolved to protect us from most of these microbes and until recently a satisfactory balance has developed that allow us to co-exist without too many problems.
Unfortunately (and probably driven by idiotic chemical companies) a new mindset developed in the mid 20th century which suggested we should "kill all germs" using whatever disinfectant or antibiotic was most profitable to sell.
There are a growing number of health professionals who now claim that our immune system is actually becoming weaker -- since it's seeing fewer threats. This would be fine and dandy except that bacteria and new pathogens (prions etc) are on the comeback path -- their ability to adapt/evolve extremely rapdily meaning that many of our chemicals and antibiotics are now largely ineffective.
In effect, they're doing a Borg act and already adapted to become immune to our weapons.
The ultimate example of this are the growing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that now pose a real threat and can't be killed by even our last line of defence -- vancomycin. If you are infected by one of these, you and your immune system pretty much on your own and death is quite likely.
There is now also evidence to suggest that the dramatic rise in asthma is a result of our "cleaner living" and the reduction in bacterial and mould levels in our homes.
It's about time that we woke up to the fact that, with only a few exceptions, bacteria are our friends and pose little or no threat to us.
Even the deadly staph normally lives quite happily in our sinuses and other parts of the body. It only becomes a threat under unusual circumstances which allow it to grow at a rate beyond our immune system's ability to cope.
So, be friends with your shower curtain and learn to appreciate that by being exposed to its bacteria on a daily basis, you're actually doing yourself a favour by exercising your immune system to make it stronger and more capable for when it's really needed.
Why?
:-)
M is the roman numeral for a thousand and we all know that the romans started the current advertising craze.
Apparently The Coliseum was liberally plastered with Nike and Adidas banners (along with the blood of assorted Christians and petty criminals
I guess the beancounters over at Lycos are still partying like it's 1999.
Can someone go over and tell them about the dot-com bust please?
$200m indeed -- bah!
The new ID cards will hold biometric details - facial dimensions, an iris scan or fingerprints
I guess if you're an blind Islamic female double-amputee then they'll have a few problems here.
If your blindness is due to cataracts, you've lost both hands, and your religion requires you to wear a yashmak at all times then will they give you a blank card or what?