Called the WearComp, another evolution of the idea of wearables.
From the article:
A GNU/Linux Wristwatch Videophone
This fully functioning prototype, designed and built by Steve Mann in 1998, was demonstrated in 1999 and later used to deliver a videoconference at ISSCC 2000.
If it comes to pass - as it seems to be wanting to do, every day I look on/. it seems like there is another attempt at abridging my rights as a human, not to mention programmer and geek.
Could it be that people are jealous of my status as a geek? That I work at a "cushy" job, sitting at a desk with a computer in front of me, in an airconditioned office, typing on slashdot while my code compiles - being paid to THINK?
Could it be simple greed? We think of the RIAA as "Valenti" - but this is rarely the case in big business - are these corporations actually filled with nice people, whose chaotic actions actually come down to create a malevolent company? Think of the cells in your body, who know nothing of each other, or each other's functions, yet by thier actions, make up "you"...
Or is there one (or a smal group) of shadowy figures bent on destroying individualism at each of these companies?
I really don't know - and it hurts my head to think about it too much. It hurts my soul, my being, my sense of humanity - to think of this...
As a geek, I want things to be fair - I thought as a kid, things would be better in the adult world, as I grew older. For many things it is - but for many more things, the world is hateful of my status - of the ease at which I grasp things. So they turn to law to shut me up, to make me quit throwing things in thier face that say "See! I intuitively know something you CANNOT grasp."
What they don't realize is that without us, the world goes back to a worse way than it is today. Or maybe it continues on - but still in a worse way.
I have put out a large amount of code on the Net - I now am facing the idea that I may be sued (or worse) for something a bit of my code does because someone else used it in a product or something. My code isn't Napster, or any other file sharing system, but that doesn't make me any less vunerable.
I put this code out so that others could learn. I didn't care what others did with it - what they used it for. I only wanted to contribute to helping others, who have no other source to learn from, to have something to look at to learn from. In my day, it was printouts traded, or magazines with code, or even hand scribbled notes (some of which I still have to this day!). No fear of lawsuits (wouldn't have known what one was then, anyhow), no fear of anything in those days - just the love to code, and the chance to teach another, to show them what it was like to really control the machine.
MegaCorps, listen up!
To my dying day I will fight for my right to code - know that I will do everything in my power and beyond to stand against you.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY MY TOOLS!
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE ONE THING THAT KEPT ME FROM GOING MAD FROM THE TAUNTS, JEERS AND PHYSICAL PAIN I WENT THROUGH IN SCHOOL AS A GEEK!
TRY AS YOU MAY, I WILL PERSONALLY SUBVERT ANYTHING YOU THROW UP AGAINST ME.
Doesn't SuSe already do this to an extent (you have the CD set to boot from, and disk 1 can be booted up to install)?
I think such a system is more than possible, however, I think the thing that will forever hold back the PC from being able to do such a thing (at least for a while) is the fact that there is no single "standard" for the hardware the OS will be running on.
All game consoles have a standard platform that doesn't deviate - period. Game developers can code to that platform, without having to worry if the platform will support a particular function or not - they know what functions are supported on the platform they are developing for.
This is the main reason why Windows is the popular platform for game development - because game developers aren't developing for Windows, or for the PC - they are developing for DirectX. Prior to this, they developed for the VGA and SVGA specs (VESA standard on the last, at least for the video portion). The Win GDI could have been developed for during the Win 3.1 and early Win95 days, but wasn't because it was too slow (actually, it would have been OK for platform side-scroller type games, and tile type games, but we were already moving into the 3D realm, etc - Win32s didn't catch on, etc).
So, can such a thing be done with Linux, today? Perhaps. I am imagining sticking with LCDs here - using the SVGA framebuffer device or a low-res common, stripped-down, SVGA X-Server/Client combo on bootup - in other words, similar to what SuSe does for the install. Maybe some common 3D card detection setup, as well (Virge, Voodoo, maybe others).
Even so, you would still be looking at other problems - sound cards, motherboards, ethernet and modems, etc - what to include as a "standard" and what to exclude.
Maybe for those using such a thing to play games could buy a "standard" system, with "supported" components. In other words, make the end user buy a supported system, rather than try to support any configuration...
Here in Phoenix (and I am sure in many other cities around the world), public transportation buses use a similar system for displaying the stop information on the bus. The signs are composed of multiple tiles, that "flip" from black to a neon green, and at night are lit up with a blacklite.
DE described the same system, but much larger - what I have always wondered about, was whether such a thing could really be built using Victorian technology (without using electricity, just gears and shafts and such - I know that in the 1800's, a digital computer could be built that worked on the basis of relays and flags - why it wasn't, I don't know - practicality, probably)...
It doesn't have to be a great game (don't even attempt to do an FPS - ok, maybe you could do a Battlezone clone), but it should have levels, some sound, and graphics.
Maybe funky 2D vector graphics, ala Asteroids, perhaps? Maybe a maze game, with various levels (a Bolo clone?).
The kids will learn about database creation and management (at a simple level, for the various levels), array handling, graphics (from the sprites or vector stuff), sound (for fx and music), disk handling (need to write the high score table somewhere) - maybe even networking (head to head playing - multi player too, perhaps) and AI (for the enemies, of course).
In fact, I don't think any other project would allow for as many disiplines to come into play as designing and programming a game. Just don't try for the ultimate game - some ideas:
1) Virus Hunter - Guide the nano-ship through the human body, hunting down killer viruses. 2) Dungeon Qwest - Simple 3D style dungeon, done up as line drawings (check out Dungeons of Daggorath for an example) 3) Do an Ultima clone (2d top down tile game).
The list could go on, but these three would be fun to do, and could be completed, to a good extent, by most learning students in a semester (maybe it would be a good reason to come back, and take the class again - just to finish that %$^$!? game!)...
And I am currently waiting for the 2600 anti-MPAA shirt, 3 buttons, and ten stickers. I first balked at the expense, then thought to myself "What price for freedom?" - the answer came immediately "A hell of a lot more than this drop!"
All told, including my re-subscription to 2600, I sent off a total of $65.00 - I am putting my money where my mouth is.
Well, yeah - these have been out for a while - I have had info on my site for a while as well (http://www.phoenixgarage.org/links.html#3D Display Devices).
I tend to wonder about these overpriced systems - today we have 3D graphics of amazing quality, free rendering engines/software, yet no one is clammoring to do full immersion (and those that do, suffer the big bucks, or sell for big bucks). I mean, which would be better - to play Q3A on a monitor, or to immerse yourself in the world?
Not much has been happenning on the homebrew front as of late (where the heck is everyone? I want to republish PCVR on my site - I have all of the issues - but I can't find the publisher (Joseph Gradecki) - I have contacted his last publisher - he published a recent game programming book of recent date - I got and address, sent mail - it got returned - where is he? Anybody got ideas on what I should do?). I have been thinking about redoing my site as a magazine style site...
I would love to see a revival in homebrew VR - but I don't know if it will happen - people seem too lazy today - or is it me? Does anyone have thoughts on why nobody is wanting full immersion, home-based systems, homebrew or otherwise?
I only moved to the north valley (roughly cave creek rd and the 101) at the beginning of this year, the past 8 years I lived in the central Phoenix area (mostly Biltmore area). When I first came to the Valley, I was living over off of 16th and Indian School. Anyhow, during those past 8 years, the monsoon hasn't been the same as the way it was when I first moved here. Sure, it is cooler right now with the moisture (esp at night), but I want the storms, too!
But the fact that he was talking about making electric "too cheap to meter", so to speak (actually, he wanted to give the world free power, via wireless energy transmission). His backers didn't go for this - and they pulled financing. Tesla continued to try to go at it alone (Wardeclyff Tower), but in the end, had too many depts to the hotel he was staying at, and they scrapped the tower to help pay off those debts - Tesla died a penniless man.
...Then do it! Maybe it may never run on another machine in it's current form - but maybe someone with a masochistic bent might want to convert it to a newer language (say, C or something) - just for the experience. Worse case scenario, putting it out on the Net will keep it alive (if done right), a little bit of extra code to help teach the future...
Regarding where it started at - actually a game of Pong-like was set up at one time that was played on an occilliscope - mid to late 60's (can't remember who or when - I just know it was a little before Bushnell, Atari and PONG) - it was called something like electronic tennis or something - not sophisticated in any manner, hard wired, and very ugly - but that would be probably the beginning of video games...
As for 5.25 disks? Yeah - I use them still - have an old TRS-80 CoCo 2 and Tandy CoCo 3 sitting right next to me, with an FD-502 5 1/4 disk drive for programs - still works like a champ!
When I came here from Cali, the first year I was here (1991, fresh outta high school), we had an awe inspiring monsoon season. That was the last good monsoon I remember (though there was one a couple of years later that literally turned the street in front of my employer's office into a river, but a I digress).
I remember extreme thunder and lightning, and super heavy rains for many days straight (not constant rain, just rain that when it came down, it came down HARD) - the kind of storm where you turn out the lights, go outside, and watch.
At the time, I was living downtown. There wasn't a whole huge amount of development around the city like there is today. This year, I moved to a house north of the city - out in the more desert area (you know, we have like - coyotes, rabbits, ground squirrels, bats, birds by the ton - and saguaros in the front yard). This season hasn't been any better. Sure, it has been cooler (we are in our monsoon season right now), but it hasn't been rainy. On the days where it seems like it would rain, the clouds appear to part, and go "around" the city.
I blame it on all of the development - the leveling of desert to put in homes (the house I am in is close to 30 years old - when it was built, the desert was all around it, and the edge of Phoenix was a good 10 miles or more away), getting rid of foliage and scrub, leaving pavement, and a kind of "designed" desert area (where all the saguaroes are "just so" - and things are arranged "just right" - and no cholla allowed, lest someone get hurt!) - none of which helps to prevent what I think of as a "heat bubble" effect - which the clouds drift around.
Only on days where the cloud buildup has happenned in the previous night do we have any chance of a good rain during the monsoon. Even then, it is only a trickle...
I want my thunder and lightning back - dammit! (hey, I got UPS's on my system - come and get me!)...
The whole nexus of the story is what does it mean to be human - throughout the movie (DC), we are led to believe that Deckard is a human (or at least, he thinks of himself that way). He acts and thinks like any of man on the street, so to speak. He laughs, loves, and crys - to himself, he is human.
His job is to hunt down, and "retire", offworld rogue replicants. He sees no real problems with this at first, after all, they are only machines, right. But then he meets Rachel - and his world is turned upside down, by realizing she is a replicant (and she doesn't know it!). Still, he is in love with her (she is the most advanced rep ever created, supposedly - and has what humans would call "emotions" - a blush response). He is divided on what to do - and in turn questions what it means to be human.
Still, he has a job to do - and pursues the reps. When it is finally down to the last rogue replicant (Roy Batty), this replicant is also questioning what it means to be human, as well. He admires Deckard's constant drive, and his compassion. In the end, before Batty dies - he saves Deckard from falling - in effect, showing a form of human compassion as well...
This has the effect on Deckard of being a soul-twisting end - he calls into question whether it is really right for him to hunt down replicants - are they closer to human than what we want to believe?
The final thing about the unicorn may have sent Deckard into an overdrive mode - Gaffe knew something about Deckard before Deckard knew it - which means Deckard had to be a replicant (similar to the spider thing and Rachel). With Deckard being a replicant, all it says finally is that humans are machines with feelings, replicants are machines with the capabilty of feelings - and that both are precious forms of life that shouldn't be eliminated, because one thinks itself more superior than the other.
Of course, this is all in context of the DC version - read Future Noir for more detail if you are interested...
For anyone wanting a good read, pick up this book. You will find more detail on BR than you ever wanted to know.
One thing the book details is that there are 5 (five!) versions of the same film, each slightly different from the others. These are (from Appendix B of Future Noir):
1) The Workprint 2) The San Diego Sneak Preview 3) The Domestic Cut 4) The International Cut 5) The Director's Cut 6) The Broadcast Version
From what I can remember from the book (and a quick re-perusal), the Embassy CLV LD or VHS tape is the probably the closest you will get to the original American screening, though you may pay a premium for it. There is also a Criterion LD version (said to be better image quality).
One version I haven't seen is a release on VCD - anybody know of one?
I tend to agree with the posters who have said that the computer is more of a communcations appliance to most kids, rather than a tool for learning and experimentation. Part of the reason it is probably like this is due to a couple of things: a) It is "uncool" to know a lot about computers, and b) Computers are easier to "break" today, to a point where they seem unfixable (to a newbie).
When I was younger (I am 27 now), I had a TRS-80 Color Computer 2 and 3 - it is what I learned to program on - both in BASIC, and a little 6809 assembler (actually, I still have them - sitting right next to me right now, in fact - and yes, they both work - 15 years later!). The thing was, no matter what I did, I couldn't "break" the machine. POKEing here or there would "crash" it, but hit the reset switch on the back, everything is okay - back to BASIC. Rarely did a disk fail, or did I overwrite something, or did the machine crash while typing in a 150 line machine language data statement hunk of code from a magazine.
Today, wiping a DLL from the Windows system directory can cause a lot of pain - Linux is little better if you are a newbie running as root (although there is a better chance of fixing it in the end after a reboot).
Do I think all kids are simpletons who use the computer, rather than learn about it? No... I think there are plenty of really bright kids, who code with either copies of software their dads bring home from work, or with copies of gcc or other Free Software from the net - kids who are unafraid of crashing their machines (indeed, they may even love doing such a thing).
Many seem to have a beef with people and their cell phone ringing at inappropriate moments (like a movie theater). Similar feelings are brought up by hearing a child screaming, and the parent doing nothing, or the parent screaming at their kid in a public area, because the child did something inappropriate. We get bothered by other inappropriate behavior we see (can anybody tell me why latino youths are always lifting their shirts, rubbing their bellies in a strange fashion - or why other (generally black, but I have seen white, asian and latino as well doing it, so it isn't a race issue) youths are always "touching" their groin area?), or at least we should.
However, what do we do about it? We either ignore it, or we try to create technological solutions to the problem.
The problem isn't technology folks - it's society.
I can think of the one solution that would stop this distress, and in a hurry - if we all did it:
We politely ask the person to stop. In other words, you should go up to them, say "Hi", and tell them that what they are doing (or not doing), is offensive to you, and ask them to please alter their behavior (please silence your phone, please don't touch yourself in public, please calm down). Doing so may bring curious responses (startlement is most common, embaressment follows - but in some situations, a punch might be thrown). However, if we all did this, whenever there was a problem, and weren't afraid to back up our fellow man - these issues would go away...
Why? Because it will be less headache in the long run, and cheaper. But don't go with regular video cabling - use Cat5 - hook 3 of the pairs up in parallel for the video (1-3-5 for video, 2-4-6 video ground shield), use pair 7&8 for power (don't combine the grounds). You should be able to run 12 volts easily over the pair for each camera (use a hefty power supply with several amps - A PC power supply might be OK, but a benchtop supply would be better). Weatherproof the connections (silicone sealant). Run the lines back to a multi-input card (see http://www.lechner-cctv.de/ for more detail - these are BT878 adaptors, so you might be able to use Linux with some custom coding!), or to a homebrew camera switcher/video capture card setup (you know, ring counter driven by parallel port, driving relays to switch the vid, or pport-driven analog multiplexer chip setup - if you don't know what I am talking about, then this project isn't for you - go with the multi-input board).
Such a system can be built for under $1000 if done right - cheap PC, Linux, the card/switcher - heck, the camera's will be the most expensive parts!
I remember some Japanese (or was it Korean) guy doing this, except he didn't immerse the whole board - he ended up building a "wall" around the CPU, then filling that with liquid N2 - he got some impressive figures, IIRC - for the CPU he was using (PPro? Can't remember) - however, the N2 boiled off rather rapidly... Maybe someone has a link...
Many people have complained in the past that what they get at/from a restaurant doesn't look like what they saw on TV. There is a good reason for this...
Heat.
Specifically, heat from the lamps used to light the "scene" being shown of the food. These lights get damn hot (ask an actor), and food can't stand up too them, so they "fake" the food up in many ways (like motor oil being used for syrup).
I saw a show on FoodTV (or some other channel) about this - they showed how they made "roasted" turkey for those Thanksgiving meals you see on TV come November/December - they take a regular turkey (or chicken, or whatever), and use a heat gun on it! Makes it nice and brown on the outside, as even colored as they want, in no time flat. Use a knife to cut a little breast meat, then "roast" that with the heat gun. Spray a bit of oil on it - voila! - instant turkey.
For the turkey, though, it wasn't so much about heat as it was about time, and appearance - it takes a good cook to make a great looking turkey, and even then, they couldn't get it done in the 30 minutes it takes to make a "fake" roast turkey...
I remember seeing this at Fry's not too long back, and wondering exactly what it was (it was $99.00). I could tell it wasn't OS/software compatible from the packaging, but that was about it...
What I wanted to know is how one could create applications for it - games, real apps, etc. I mean, for all of the wonderful ways that TI calculators are used for games, you would think this device could be used that way as well...
You know, I remember when I started doing professional development for a small mom/pop shop in Phoenix, AZ - and they didn't have a spot for me to work, so they stuck me in the computer room. I complained that the noise was going to be a problem, they told me to just ignore it, and it would go away. You know something, they were RIGHT.
Gawd I sure do miss the sound of that Prime machine's power supply, the air-conditioner (that kept the room a chilly 65F, year round) noise, the numerous servers, and the Genicom 3820 and 4440 line printers!
Slashdot Mirror
Like I implied yesterday - Linux on a watch is nothing new:
A GNU/Linux Wristwatch Videophone
Forgot to mention - yes, it runs Linux - plus it has a camera and runs X as well!
Steve Mann did this a couple of years ago:
3 993.html
http://www2.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/issue75/
http://www2.linuxjournal.com/l j-issues/issue75/cover75.jpg
Called the WearComp, another evolution of the idea of wearables.
From the article:
A GNU/Linux Wristwatch Videophone
This fully functioning prototype, designed and built by Steve Mann in 1998, was demonstrated in 1999 and later used to deliver a videoconference at ISSCC 2000.
by Steve Mann
Take a read - well worth it!
If it comes to pass - as it seems to be wanting to do, every day I look on /. it seems like there is another attempt at abridging my rights as a human, not to mention programmer and geek.
Could it be that people are jealous of my status as a geek? That I work at a "cushy" job, sitting at a desk with a computer in front of me, in an airconditioned office, typing on slashdot while my code compiles - being paid to THINK?
Could it be simple greed? We think of the RIAA as "Valenti" - but this is rarely the case in big business - are these corporations actually filled with nice people, whose chaotic actions actually come down to create a malevolent company? Think of the cells in your body, who know nothing of each other, or each other's functions, yet by thier actions, make up "you"...
Or is there one (or a smal group) of shadowy figures bent on destroying individualism at each of these companies?
I really don't know - and it hurts my head to think about it too much. It hurts my soul, my being, my sense of humanity - to think of this...
As a geek, I want things to be fair - I thought as a kid, things would be better in the adult world, as I grew older. For many things it is - but for many more things, the world is hateful of my status - of the ease at which I grasp things. So they turn to law to shut me up, to make me quit throwing things in thier face that say "See! I intuitively know something you CANNOT grasp."
What they don't realize is that without us, the world goes back to a worse way than it is today. Or maybe it continues on - but still in a worse way.
I have put out a large amount of code on the Net - I now am facing the idea that I may be sued (or worse) for something a bit of my code does because someone else used it in a product or something. My code isn't Napster, or any other file sharing system, but that doesn't make me any less vunerable.
I put this code out so that others could learn. I didn't care what others did with it - what they used it for. I only wanted to contribute to helping others, who have no other source to learn from, to have something to look at to learn from. In my day, it was printouts traded, or magazines with code, or even hand scribbled notes (some of which I still have to this day!). No fear of lawsuits (wouldn't have known what one was then, anyhow), no fear of anything in those days - just the love to code, and the chance to teach another, to show them what it was like to really control the machine.
MegaCorps, listen up!
To my dying day I will fight for my right to code - know that I will do everything in my power and beyond to stand against you.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY MY TOOLS!
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE ONE THING THAT KEPT ME FROM GOING MAD FROM THE TAUNTS, JEERS AND PHYSICAL PAIN I WENT THROUGH IN SCHOOL AS A GEEK!
TRY AS YOU MAY, I WILL PERSONALLY SUBVERT ANYTHING YOU THROW UP AGAINST ME.
YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME TO SILENCE ME.
Doesn't SuSe already do this to an extent (you have the CD set to boot from, and disk 1 can be booted up to install)?
I think such a system is more than possible, however, I think the thing that will forever hold back the PC from being able to do such a thing (at least for a while) is the fact that there is no single "standard" for the hardware the OS will be running on.
All game consoles have a standard platform that doesn't deviate - period. Game developers can code to that platform, without having to worry if the platform will support a particular function or not - they know what functions are supported on the platform they are developing for.
This is the main reason why Windows is the popular platform for game development - because game developers aren't developing for Windows, or for the PC - they are developing for DirectX. Prior to this, they developed for the VGA and SVGA specs (VESA standard on the last, at least for the video portion). The Win GDI could have been developed for during the Win 3.1 and early Win95 days, but wasn't because it was too slow (actually, it would have been OK for platform side-scroller type games, and tile type games, but we were already moving into the 3D realm, etc - Win32s didn't catch on, etc).
So, can such a thing be done with Linux, today? Perhaps. I am imagining sticking with LCDs here - using the SVGA framebuffer device or a low-res common, stripped-down, SVGA X-Server/Client combo on bootup - in other words, similar to what SuSe does for the install. Maybe some common 3D card detection setup, as well (Virge, Voodoo, maybe others).
Even so, you would still be looking at other problems - sound cards, motherboards, ethernet and modems, etc - what to include as a "standard" and what to exclude.
Maybe for those using such a thing to play games could buy a "standard" system, with "supported" components. In other words, make the end user buy a supported system, rather than try to support any configuration...
Here in Phoenix (and I am sure in many other cities around the world), public transportation buses use a similar system for displaying the stop information on the bus. The signs are composed of multiple tiles, that "flip" from black to a neon green, and at night are lit up with a blacklite.
DE described the same system, but much larger - what I have always wondered about, was whether such a thing could really be built using Victorian technology (without using electricity, just gears and shafts and such - I know that in the 1800's, a digital computer could be built that worked on the basis of relays and flags - why it wasn't, I don't know - practicality, probably)...
Is a game.
It doesn't have to be a great game (don't even attempt to do an FPS - ok, maybe you could do a Battlezone clone), but it should have levels, some sound, and graphics.
Maybe funky 2D vector graphics, ala Asteroids, perhaps? Maybe a maze game, with various levels (a Bolo clone?).
The kids will learn about database creation and management (at a simple level, for the various levels), array handling, graphics (from the sprites or vector stuff), sound (for fx and music), disk handling (need to write the high score table somewhere) - maybe even networking (head to head playing - multi player too, perhaps) and AI (for the enemies, of course).
In fact, I don't think any other project would allow for as many disiplines to come into play as designing and programming a game. Just don't try for the ultimate game - some ideas:
1) Virus Hunter - Guide the nano-ship through the human body, hunting down killer viruses.
2) Dungeon Qwest - Simple 3D style dungeon, done up as line drawings (check out Dungeons of Daggorath for an example)
3) Do an Ultima clone (2d top down tile game).
The list could go on, but these three would be fun to do, and could be completed, to a good extent, by most learning students in a semester (maybe it would be a good reason to come back, and take the class again - just to finish that %$^$!? game!)...
And I am currently waiting for the 2600 anti-MPAA shirt, 3 buttons, and ten stickers. I first balked at the expense, then thought to myself "What price for freedom?" - the answer came immediately "A hell of a lot more than this drop!"
All told, including my re-subscription to 2600, I sent off a total of $65.00 - I am putting my money where my mouth is.
Fuck the MPAA!
Well, yeah - these have been out for a while - I have had info on my site for a while as well (http://www.phoenixgarage.org/links.html#3D Display Devices).
I tend to wonder about these overpriced systems - today we have 3D graphics of amazing quality, free rendering engines/software, yet no one is clammoring to do full immersion (and those that do, suffer the big bucks, or sell for big bucks). I mean, which would be better - to play Q3A on a monitor, or to immerse yourself in the world?
Not much has been happenning on the homebrew front as of late (where the heck is everyone? I want to republish PCVR on my site - I have all of the issues - but I can't find the publisher (Joseph Gradecki) - I have contacted his last publisher - he published a recent game programming book of recent date - I got and address, sent mail - it got returned - where is he? Anybody got ideas on what I should do?). I have been thinking about redoing my site as a magazine style site...
I would love to see a revival in homebrew VR - but I don't know if it will happen - people seem too lazy today - or is it me? Does anyone have thoughts on why nobody is wanting full immersion, home-based systems, homebrew or otherwise?
I only moved to the north valley (roughly cave creek rd and the 101) at the beginning of this year, the past 8 years I lived in the central Phoenix area (mostly Biltmore area). When I first came to the Valley, I was living over off of 16th and Indian School. Anyhow, during those past 8 years, the monsoon hasn't been the same as the way it was when I first moved here. Sure, it is cooler right now with the moisture (esp at night), but I want the storms, too!
Oh well, enough complaining...
But the fact that he was talking about making electric "too cheap to meter", so to speak (actually, he wanted to give the world free power, via wireless energy transmission). His backers didn't go for this - and they pulled financing. Tesla continued to try to go at it alone (Wardeclyff Tower), but in the end, had too many depts to the hotel he was staying at, and they scrapped the tower to help pay off those debts - Tesla died a penniless man.
...Then do it! Maybe it may never run on another machine in it's current form - but maybe someone with a masochistic bent might want to convert it to a newer language (say, C or something) - just for the experience. Worse case scenario, putting it out on the Net will keep it alive (if done right), a little bit of extra code to help teach the future...
Regarding where it started at - actually a game of Pong-like was set up at one time that was played on an occilliscope - mid to late 60's (can't remember who or when - I just know it was a little before Bushnell, Atari and PONG) - it was called something like electronic tennis or something - not sophisticated in any manner, hard wired, and very ugly - but that would be probably the beginning of video games...
As for 5.25 disks? Yeah - I use them still - have an old TRS-80 CoCo 2 and Tandy CoCo 3 sitting right next to me, with an FD-502 5 1/4 disk drive for programs - still works like a champ!
When I came here from Cali, the first year I was here (1991, fresh outta high school), we had an awe inspiring monsoon season. That was the last good monsoon I remember (though there was one a couple of years later that literally turned the street in front of my employer's office into a river, but a I digress).
I remember extreme thunder and lightning, and super heavy rains for many days straight (not constant rain, just rain that when it came down, it came down HARD) - the kind of storm where you turn out the lights, go outside, and watch.
At the time, I was living downtown. There wasn't a whole huge amount of development around the city like there is today. This year, I moved to a house north of the city - out in the more desert area (you know, we have like - coyotes, rabbits, ground squirrels, bats, birds by the ton - and saguaros in the front yard). This season hasn't been any better. Sure, it has been cooler (we are in our monsoon season right now), but it hasn't been rainy. On the days where it seems like it would rain, the clouds appear to part, and go "around" the city.
I blame it on all of the development - the leveling of desert to put in homes (the house I am in is close to 30 years old - when it was built, the desert was all around it, and the edge of Phoenix was a good 10 miles or more away), getting rid of foliage and scrub, leaving pavement, and a kind of "designed" desert area (where all the saguaroes are "just so" - and things are arranged "just right" - and no cholla allowed, lest someone get hurt!) - none of which helps to prevent what I think of as a "heat bubble" effect - which the clouds drift around.
Only on days where the cloud buildup has happenned in the previous night do we have any chance of a good rain during the monsoon. Even then, it is only a trickle...
I want my thunder and lightning back - dammit! (hey, I got UPS's on my system - come and get me!)...
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT ***
The whole nexus of the story is what does it mean to be human - throughout the movie (DC), we are led to believe that Deckard is a human (or at least, he thinks of himself that way). He acts and thinks like any of man on the street, so to speak. He laughs, loves, and crys - to himself, he is human.
His job is to hunt down, and "retire", offworld rogue replicants. He sees no real problems with this at first, after all, they are only machines, right. But then he meets Rachel - and his world is turned upside down, by realizing she is a replicant (and she doesn't know it!). Still, he is in love with her (she is the most advanced rep ever created, supposedly - and has what humans would call "emotions" - a blush response). He is divided on what to do - and in turn questions what it means to be human.
Still, he has a job to do - and pursues the reps. When it is finally down to the last rogue replicant (Roy Batty), this replicant is also questioning what it means to be human, as well. He admires Deckard's constant drive, and his compassion. In the end, before Batty dies - he saves Deckard from falling - in effect, showing a form of human compassion as well...
This has the effect on Deckard of being a soul-twisting end - he calls into question whether it is really right for him to hunt down replicants - are they closer to human than what we want to believe?
The final thing about the unicorn may have sent Deckard into an overdrive mode - Gaffe knew something about Deckard before Deckard knew it - which means Deckard had to be a replicant (similar to the spider thing and Rachel). With Deckard being a replicant, all it says finally is that humans are machines with feelings, replicants are machines with the capabilty of feelings - and that both are precious forms of life that shouldn't be eliminated, because one thinks itself more superior than the other.
Of course, this is all in context of the DC version - read Future Noir for more detail if you are interested...
For anyone wanting a good read, pick up this book. You will find more detail on BR than you ever wanted to know.
One thing the book details is that there are 5 (five!) versions of the same film, each slightly different from the others. These are (from Appendix B of Future Noir):
1) The Workprint
2) The San Diego Sneak Preview
3) The Domestic Cut
4) The International Cut
5) The Director's Cut
6) The Broadcast Version
From what I can remember from the book (and a quick re-perusal), the Embassy CLV LD or VHS tape is the probably the closest you will get to the original American screening, though you may pay a premium for it. There is also a Criterion LD version (said to be better image quality).
One version I haven't seen is a release on VCD - anybody know of one?
Forget DVD and the pigs (read, MPAA) who support it - get your anime on VCD here and here!
Actually, if you like regular movies, I have had good luck with this place...
Why have we forgotten about VCD's (which can be easily made on today's hardware for little money as well)?
I tend to agree with the posters who have said that the computer is more of a communcations appliance to most kids, rather than a tool for learning and experimentation. Part of the reason it is probably like this is due to a couple of things: a) It is "uncool" to know a lot about computers, and b) Computers are easier to "break" today, to a point where they seem unfixable (to a newbie).
When I was younger (I am 27 now), I had a TRS-80 Color Computer 2 and 3 - it is what I learned to program on - both in BASIC, and a little 6809 assembler (actually, I still have them - sitting right next to me right now, in fact - and yes, they both work - 15 years later!). The thing was, no matter what I did, I couldn't "break" the machine. POKEing here or there would "crash" it, but hit the reset switch on the back, everything is okay - back to BASIC. Rarely did a disk fail, or did I overwrite something, or did the machine crash while typing in a 150 line machine language data statement hunk of code from a magazine.
Today, wiping a DLL from the Windows system directory can cause a lot of pain - Linux is little better if you are a newbie running as root (although there is a better chance of fixing it in the end after a reboot).
Do I think all kids are simpletons who use the computer, rather than learn about it? No... I think there are plenty of really bright kids, who code with either copies of software their dads bring home from work, or with copies of gcc or other Free Software from the net - kids who are unafraid of crashing their machines (indeed, they may even love doing such a thing).
Many seem to have a beef with people and their cell phone ringing at inappropriate moments (like a movie theater). Similar feelings are brought up by hearing a child screaming, and the parent doing nothing, or the parent screaming at their kid in a public area, because the child did something inappropriate. We get bothered by other inappropriate behavior we see (can anybody tell me why latino youths are always lifting their shirts, rubbing their bellies in a strange fashion - or why other (generally black, but I have seen white, asian and latino as well doing it, so it isn't a race issue) youths are always "touching" their groin area?), or at least we should.
However, what do we do about it? We either ignore it, or we try to create technological solutions to the problem.
The problem isn't technology folks - it's society.
I can think of the one solution that would stop this distress, and in a hurry - if we all did it:
We politely ask the person to stop. In other words, you should go up to them, say "Hi", and tell them that what they are doing (or not doing), is offensive to you, and ask them to please alter their behavior (please silence your phone, please don't touch yourself in public, please calm down). Doing so may bring curious responses (startlement is most common, embaressment follows - but in some situations, a punch might be thrown). However, if we all did this, whenever there was a problem, and weren't afraid to back up our fellow man - these issues would go away...
Why? Because it will be less headache in the long run, and cheaper. But don't go with regular video cabling - use Cat5 - hook 3 of the pairs up in parallel for the video (1-3-5 for video, 2-4-6 video ground shield), use pair 7&8 for power (don't combine the grounds). You should be able to run 12 volts easily over the pair for each camera (use a hefty power supply with several amps - A PC power supply might be OK, but a benchtop supply would be better). Weatherproof the connections (silicone sealant). Run the lines back to a multi-input card (see http://www.lechner-cctv.de/ for more detail - these are BT878 adaptors, so you might be able to use Linux with some custom coding!), or to a homebrew camera switcher/video capture card setup (you know, ring counter driven by parallel port, driving relays to switch the vid, or pport-driven analog multiplexer chip setup - if you don't know what I am talking about, then this project isn't for you - go with the multi-input board).
Such a system can be built for under $1000 if done right - cheap PC, Linux, the card/switcher - heck, the camera's will be the most expensive parts!
Hope this helps...
I remember some Japanese (or was it Korean) guy doing this, except he didn't immerse the whole board - he ended up building a "wall" around the CPU, then filling that with liquid N2 - he got some impressive figures, IIRC - for the CPU he was using (PPro? Can't remember) - however, the N2 boiled off rather rapidly... Maybe someone has a link...
Just want to explain...
Many people have complained in the past that what they get at/from a restaurant doesn't look like what they saw on TV. There is a good reason for this...
Heat.
Specifically, heat from the lamps used to light the "scene" being shown of the food. These lights get damn hot (ask an actor), and food can't stand up too them, so they "fake" the food up in many ways (like motor oil being used for syrup).
I saw a show on FoodTV (or some other channel) about this - they showed how they made "roasted" turkey for those Thanksgiving meals you see on TV come November/December - they take a regular turkey (or chicken, or whatever), and use a heat gun on it! Makes it nice and brown on the outside, as even colored as they want, in no time flat. Use a knife to cut a little breast meat, then "roast" that with the heat gun. Spray a bit of oil on it - voila! - instant turkey.
For the turkey, though, it wasn't so much about heat as it was about time, and appearance - it takes a good cook to make a great looking turkey, and even then, they couldn't get it done in the 30 minutes it takes to make a "fake" roast turkey...
I remember seeing this at Fry's not too long back, and wondering exactly what it was (it was $99.00). I could tell it wasn't OS/software compatible from the packaging, but that was about it...
What I wanted to know is how one could create applications for it - games, real apps, etc. I mean, for all of the wonderful ways that TI calculators are used for games, you would think this device could be used that way as well...
Anybody know of any compilers, etc for it?
A Discordian plot, no doubt - the Law of Fives rears it's ugly head once more...
Must...stop...madness...AGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
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[EOT]
You know, I remember when I started doing professional development for a small mom/pop shop in Phoenix, AZ - and they didn't have a spot for me to work, so they stuck me in the computer room. I complained that the noise was going to be a problem, they told me to just ignore it, and it would go away. You know something, they were RIGHT.
Gawd I sure do miss the sound of that Prime machine's power supply, the air-conditioner (that kept the room a chilly 65F, year round) noise, the numerous servers, and the Genicom 3820 and 4440 line printers!
And they are complaining about a "noisy" PC?