Your points on everything are well taken - it seems like every day I hear something bad about the @home service. Unfortunately, where I live, it is the only thing I can get (and I am holding out on it unless it is the ONLY thing). As far as your IP number issue, can't you set up some form of an IPMasq system (add a firewall on top of it, as added protection). If they discourage this kind of thing, tell them you have sensitive information on your system, like tax returns, credit info, etc - that you would prefer that the world didn't see (whether you actually do or don't isn't the point). If they still discourage you, set it up anyway. If they cancel the service, tell them to screw themselves - you have a right to protect your own machines and information (they claim that right for their network - why shouldn't you be able to claim that right for yours?).
I see the whole issue of not being able to run servers and having multiple machines in a home network only becoming a bigger issue with @home - the problem is their flat rate - if they would allow you to do whatever the hell you wanted to with the connection, and just be a common carrier, and charge you for bandwith - this wouldn't be an issue.
Charge a low flat rate, capped at so many meg in a day (say, $20.00 for 100 Mb), anything over that charge $0.25/Mb - so we (as responsible adults - although in today's society, that might be an oxymoronic phrase) can pay for the bandwidth we use (gee, just like the ISP's - what a concept!).
I would be willing to do this if it would let me run a server in my home.
IIRC, wasn't MENACE a form of a mechanical/manual powered neural network? With the colored beads being red and blue (or red and black? white and black?), and if one of the matchboxes (neurons) worked correctly, the weight was set by the addition of the right colored bead, and if incorrect, the subtraction of a bead?
I am a coder myself, but I like woodworking a lot (though my skills are rusty - haven't did much since HS, since it is hard fitting a well equipped woodshop into an apartment, short of buying a Shopsmith Mark V).
I tend to break out a soldering iron and/or a Dremel before a saw, nowadays (though I have been known to use a jigsaw on a computer case - don't ask). Building that piece of custom hardware lets me slow down from coding (though I got a 486 MP3 player shoehorned into a MacIIsi box, which I then had to do some custom coding for the LCD - ack!).
I don't think I could ever burn out on code - maybe if all I did was for my job, but nothing beats doing it at home - a small game here, a new app there - I can't imagine NOT doing it...
Your comment reminded me of woodworking. When my GF asked me (after watching an episode of the New Yankee Workshop) why, after spending all the money for the wood and time to build something, which would cost you as much as if you had bought it, and sometimes more - why would you do it?
I told her the same thing - it is the pride of knowing you did it, that you have something no one else has, and that you built it with your own two hands.
When I first saw this, I thought the guy was a nut - however, similar oil is used to cool transformers and Tesla coils (which are transformers, too)...
Lapping, contrary to the article, isn't as hard as it sounds - many sites give info on this. I still think it is extreme to lap a processor and heatsink, since the thermal paste should fill in the gaps. It is conceivable that one could penetrate the cover on a normal processor by lapping it, but I think if that happens, you are overdoing it.
Most extreme overclockers stick with a water cooling solution or a combo water-cooled/TEC (thermoelectric cooler - ya know, a peltier) system to cool. Some don't like TEC's alone - failure of the TEC could be catastrophic. With a combo water cooling solution, it isn't a problem, provided the water continues to circulate.
I feel kinda left out - my current systems are maxed out (I have older systems), with the fastest processors on them, and I can't clock higher. Not that it matters much to me, but one area that I am going toward is overclocking my video card.
I have a Hercules Voodoo Rush card, and I found these small fans and heatsinks that will fit on the chips perfectly, with a little work. Should be fun!
I am curious - your post represents a typical AC (and yes, I know there are insightful AC's out there). You have the sarcasm, the loudness, the swearing - and no point, other than provoking others...
What I want to know is (from your perspective), why?
Why waste the time posting such a thing? Just to see if people like me will respond? I am just curious at the thought processes of such AC's. I mean, I could say something crass, like "Take some lithium, and chill" - but it is obvious that such a posting would have little or no effect, and might actually excaberate the problem. Plus, I don't think posting such a thing would be proper, anyhow - because I don't think you actually need lithium - you have some other reason for the outburst.
So please, you - or another AC - tell me what that reason is, ok?
For the book that Doron Swade wrote, "The Cogwheel Brain"? Specifically, I am looking for a US or UK distributor, hopefully one which will take internet orders. Amazon (bah! - I want the book bad, though!) didn't have it, neither did fatbrain. I found one distributor in.au, but shipping looked like it might have been expensive (for those that want to know, the distributor is www.mindbodyspirit.com.au).
Does anybody know the ISBN of the book, or publisher info - maybe I could get a bookstore to order it for me...
I tend to think that many (esp. the ones from the 19th century) would be intensely interested - perhaps going so far as (once they understood the tech) making suggestions for improvements. I have an image of one of these geniuses standing proud, with a twinkle in his eye, seeing his work, well, working!
Doubtless, some would cry - but not like a breakdown, but more like a single tear - the joy of knowing that what he (or she!) did and learned was not in vain...
Yes! This had to be my first exposure to Anime. I am not a die-hard fan (I like the genre, and I enjoy watching an anime flick now and again, but I don't have a huge collection or anything) - but this series was great. I would love to see an episode again myself...
The idea of these patches seem reasonable, for use for very short periods until a soldier can get real food/rest - but I tend to wonder what the jokes will be like amongst the men (ever smelled a Nicoderm patch? It smells like cat piss)...
The caffeine chewing gum seems old hat to me, as well - looking through my backpack, I have a pack of "Stay Alert" caffeine gum (dated 1997) - each stick contains 50 mg of caffeine, about half of what is in a cup of coffee (the pack reccommends chewing 2-4 sticks, equiv. to 1-2 cups of coffee). The stuff is made by Amurol Confections Company. It comes in mint and cinnamon flavors (I am not sure if it is still being sold, but the above website still carries "nutritional" info on the product - if anyone knows where it is sold on the net, or a similar product, post a response). It also doesn't take very good (has a bitter aftertaste).
On a final note, and what I am wondering if anyone can answer (and maybe I answered it myself above - because the patches smell like cat piss), is why haven't transdermal patches been appropriated by the "illegal" drug market? In other words, why can't you get a cocaine/meth/heroin/E transdermal patch? Are the patches difficult to manufacture? Is it because they wouldn't give an instant "high"? Or are they actually being used, but only in niche areas (I am very naive about the hard drug trade - but I have always wondered if such hard drug patches would ever be made - with maybe certain logos/designs stamped on them)?
I was wrong - you are right, Zygote did the models (my bad)...
NURBS seem like the next best way to go (blobs/metaballs are definitely out, unless that is the look you are going for), but you still have to "roll your own" model (I am not a graphics artist, I am a programmer - modeling is not my forte) or purchase one if you want something that looks like a real person.
This is the main problem - cost. It costs a lot for good models (not that you shouldn't have to pay for them), but it was nice that Metacreations licensed the models to use in a low cost program (Poser) for others to use (though you can't use the actual model data in your own code). For an open source solution, it is near to impossible to license that model data, because of the high cost.
The solution is to get a low cost (or free) dataset of a human model, that could be used by the rendering programs that are available to the OS community. That, or some company could license an expensive model, then allow others to use (sub-license) it for small fee (hey, that would be an interesting open source project - the software human form modeler, with a low-res dataset for development work, could be distributed as normal open source. If you liked the software, and wanted to seriously use it, you would then charge (say $200) for a license for the complete hi-res dataset - OS the code, but license the data under a more restrictive agreement).
I know that serious modelers and developers probably don't care about model cost - but single developers, and ordinary people who just want to play - do. Human form modeling software is a niche market, but there is a market for a $200-400 modeler that does this one thing well...
You should read the information on the site - then tell me that when you travel in your automobile (vs. a motor vehicle), which you own - whether you are traveling or driving - and which makes more sense? Perhaps you are driving a motor vehicle, and thus should have a license as a privelege (maybe you are truck driver or something, and the vehicle you drive is a part of your work). More likely though, you travel in an automobile.
I implore you to take a look at the site, and really read the information - think about it, and study it. It is a little scary how we forget about things - and even more scary is your seeming attitude of not even trying to remember, or learn about precedents.
One interesting thing about the right to travel, which most people give up (due to the cost of a vehicle), is that you must own the vehicle outright, and have secured the MSO (manufacturer's statement of origin) from the manufacturer (it and the bill of sale PROVES you are the owner). Most of the time, you get a loan for the vehicle, and the MSO gets signed over to the state and to the lender. When the loan is paid in full, do you get that MSO back? No... So who owns the vehicle? You - or the state? Or the lender? You have the bill of sale, but not the whole thing... Unless you paid cash - and asked for the MSO at the beginning (provided the dealer would give it to you)...
The whole situation is bizarre - but it is only that way because we let it become that way...
This is probably the one product the Metacreations has that is not found on the Linux platform - and is one I would love to see there. Does anyone know of an open source project to perform human figure modelling under Linux (or any other platform)?
One BIG barrier to entry for OS projects in this arena is obtaining the data - Poser uses models from Viewpoint Datalabs, and let me tell you, these models don't come cheap (esp. the human figure model data - this is real expensive). So unless the OS community comes up with a way to get this data themselves (rent a 3D scanner? Use this?), I think Poser will be the only hope (though not the hope I was hoping for)...
There is one main guy they (meaning "Hollywood") hire to do the voiceovers for trailers (I can't remember his name) - he is on nearly EVERY trailer. It is something about his voice, and the way he does it - he can make a comedy trailer funny, and an action trailer "quickening", and a horror trailer downright scary.
There are very few of these trailer voice "actors" - and this guy is one of the top dogs...
-----]]]]]]] Please note that the following information is for educational purposes only - standard disclaimers apply! [[[[[[[-----
Ingredients:
1 foot long piece of 2 inch PVC pipe 2 endcaps to fit PVC pipe PVC pipe cement Gunpowder (*) Fuse (*)
* = These two items may be hard to get. For the gunpowder, any place that stocks guns should also sell it (for reloads). However, it is possible to make your own - the key ingredients being potassium nitrate (saltpeter), which can sometimes be found at drugstores in small quantities, and charcoal (which can also be found in drugstores). Sugar is sometimes also used. The making of gunpowder, however, is beyond the posting of this comment. Fuses are more difficult to obtain - but not too much. Think gopher repellant...
How to build:
Anyhow, take one endcap and glue it to one end of the pipe. Drill a hole into the middle of the pipe, and insert the fuse - leave about 4-6 inches protruding. Fill the pipe with gunpowder, then glue the other endcap on.
You have now made your first pipebomb. Modifications which may help include: sealing the fuse hole with putty around the fuse to keep the fuse from falling out, using metal pipe, using model rocket igniters to detonate gunpowder.
-----]]]]]]] Please note that the above information is for educational purposes only - standard disclaimers apply! [[[[[[[-----
The truth of the matter is, pipe bombs are easy, cheap, and quick to build. Strapping them on to the side of a propane tank takes only a bit of duct tape.
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Watch this space - next time I will show how to build tennis ball bombs, a homemade rocket launcher, and the famous pool acid bomb!
This right does not preclude knowing how to drive a car before driving it - but it does show how somehow we have (and still are) legislating our rights away, rather than being responsible for our own actions (I am certain that "licenses" were created in response to increasing number of accidents and fatalities occurring with the new-fangled car - we should not make the same mistake with guns).
It all boils down to responsibility and respect, folks - respect for the tool, and respect for people - and the responsibility to them as well.
These were 20 lb tanks of propane (you know, the size of tanks that you use on a gas barbecue), with pipe bombs strapped to them, set up in the cafeteria (why they set them there, I don't know - the library would have been better, since that is where they WENT). I don't think they had a timer or anything on them - it was "light it and run" (though, once again, since they were committing suicide, why did they just leave them, unlit - and not kill themselves with the bombs?).
If anybody knows different, please reply to this. I think they figured they would come back and light the bombs, but never did (it makes me wonder why any of the kids didn't LOOK at the bombs after they left the area - if they were light and run devices, it would be easy to tell, if not, and they were on a timer, well - you and the neighborhood's ass is grass anyhow). They ended up in the library instead - and stayed there (for what reason - why there? - could they have gotten back to the bombs? Did they fear _living_ through a propane bomb explosion? I don't even think that is possible - the bombs would have leveled the building).
I tend to wonder about this scene - whether it occurs with school kids or a madman doesn't matter, but let's do a post-Columbine alternate history:
Two kids walk into school, each carrying two 20lb propane tanks strapped with multiple steel pipe bombs (to ensure penetration of the propane tanks - plastic pipe bombs might not have enough force). This gives four bombs. They each also have some small arms gun (9mm or something, with extra clips). They take the bombs to the most densely populated area of the school (or maybe they wait for a rally or something in an auditorium or something), set them down, stand back to back, telling anyone who comes near to back off or they will shoot them. They calmly light the fuses, then wait for the end.
This amount of explosive force would kill WAY more people than what Eric and Dylan were able to. I am sure that the killing of all the people were secondary to them killing themselves, because they had the means to kill MANY more people (and probably would've destroyed the school as well).
My point is I wonder when the object will become to kill as many people as possible, using easily built bombs made with common materials (similarly, I wonder why more OK City sized bombs haven't been done yet - they are easy and cheap to build from common materials, yet we have had only one bomb that size occur (excepting the accident in Texas City) so far. Why haven't more occurred since? Why haven't homemade fuel/air explosives been built and used?
I just find it amazing that we haven't had MORE large scale domestic bombings...
I agree with your point of games vs reality (man, it's been a loooong time since I've heard the phrase "Smear the Queer"!), but I want to correct one thing...
Please don't make the assumption, as so many people often due, that the Occult or interest in the Occult==extreme satanism (and I say extreme here, meaning deep black magick satanism, when it involves worshiping satan, which I get the feeling you mean the Christian idea of satan, or biting the heads off of chickens).
"Satanism" is known (to anyone who has studied the Occult) to encompass many particular religions or religious activities (and has no ties to Wicca, BTW). "Satanism" is like "Christianity", in that just as Christianity has many different belief systems it encompasses, so does Satanism. In fact, if you studied Satanism at all, you would find that many sects are non-violent.
Occultism is the study of the unknown and/or the paranormal. Remember, many of the things Gallileo (sp?) did in his time were viewed as Occult proceedings, and he was viewed with suspicion (and jailed). In the end, his ideas and theories were seen as correct.
The Occult is still studied, and some things which science has said couldn't be possible, that was the realm of the occult, have been proven or unearthed in some manner (such as the "extinct" coelacanth fish, for instance). So please don't continue the confusion that Occult research, information, and teaching equates to an evil practice.
But in the minds of those who want to impose filters onto the rest of the population, filters form a way for them to delude themselves into thinking that a filter will make themselves "clean", by "removing" the "mirror" that stares back at them, reminding them of their own secrets.
I take sympathy with your issues on "bait-and-switch" sites - I have experienced similar sites, but I wouldn't want to impose upon myself a safeguard against such sites, as they only "suprise" me rarely (it would be akin to keeping a small boat in the middle of a desert, just in case it floods). You mentioned you got suprised by a troll. Without knowing the link to the site, did you by any means check to see where the link was pointing to before clicking on it? Also, did you suspect the individual was a troll prior to clicking on the link (sometimes I click on troll's links, just to see where they take me - but I am never suprised by where they go)?
The only time I could see that you would want a filter for yourself would be in a work environment - one which is so draconian they monitor every move you make (and log all internet traffic). If that was a problem, I would wonder why you would continue to work there. No job is worth that kind of paranoia...
Why do we call these programs "filters"? Because they "clean" the internet. However, that makes one grand assumption - that the internet contains an abbundance of dirtyness, that for some reason should not be viewed by human eyes.
The fallacy in this reasoning is the idea that information can be dirty or clean, impure or proper, amoral or moral. I submit that all information is neither - that it only becomes so in the mind of the viewer.
One thing I have noticed in my 27 years of life (which I realize is by no means a long life view, but it is what I have to work with) is that those people who are the most vocal about being and living "clean", tend to be the same ones who are secretly "dirty" behind the back of society. Those people who oppose or don't care about the issue are labled as "dirty" by these same people, because these "unclean" people represent a mirror to them of the way they really are. They feel that if they could rid the world of "dirtyness", that they themselves might become clean, and could thus dispense with their secret.
This idea is a perversion of logic. Those people that do this generally have failed to be honest with themselves and others. They ususally don't realize that by being truthful (though it may be painful) they can rid themselves of the issue. The rest of the "dirty" world has already realized this.
We cannot pretend to protect children and adults from things which, even if severely impeded by all technical means (short of brain modification - which I am sure is coming), would still arise in their thoughts anyway (show me child above the age of six who has never thought about sex - we are kidding ourselves if we believe that children don't). I find it amusing at the number of people who rail and rise against the whole issue of porn - who never consider that the porn will always be there, because it is supply and demand. Do these people really think they can rid mankind from viewing sex - when it is the thought of sex and the pleasure which is hard wired into our minds to make us procreate? If sex wasn't important, why would it be pleasurable?
I don't think we need filters. I think we need more rationality and intelligence.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona. One would think that I would be able to get xDSL in some manner (from USWest or someone else), but I can't. At least, that is what they tell me.
You see, I am on the "edge" of Phoenix - actually, smack-dab in the middle between Phoenix and the Cave Creek/Carefree area. North of me are tons of new subdevelopments, south of me (actually, a stone's throw) is the Loop 101 freeway (new freeway extension). I moved out here because the rent was cheap and the area was quiet (I used to live downtown, and gunfire was an occasional noise). A mere month before I moved, my apartment complex could finally "get" xDSL from USWest. I didn't check on services in the area I was moving to, because the deal was too good to ignore. So I moved.
Now, I can't get xDSL. I have argued and complained with USWest, with no luck - they say they can't do it (too much line noise - what they call "slack" or something). I can get Cox@Home service, so that is an option available to me, and one that I am thinking about. However, I would like to find out if anyone has any advice on some other ideas I have had:
1. My neighbor has Cox@Home - he lives right next door, and the distance between the two houses is about 200 feet. I am thinking setting up an IMASQed box (maybe with a firewall - this is all new to me, but I am willing to do it and learn, so bear with me if I have anything wrong), that his cable "modem" will run into, and then serve his machine, and then via a long run of CAT-5 TP, send an ethernet connection to me. Then I would pay him half his bill for the connection.
2. On the other side of my house is a couple of large businesses (the area can be zoned residential and commercial, so this is common here), one of which has a microwave tower of some sort, so I know they have big comms of some capability. I thinking doing the same with them, and paying them for service.
3. On a walk yesterday, I noticed a box not more than 1000 feet from my house labled "USWest HDSL Doubler". It was a pretty large box (about the size of a filing cabinet). After finding out what an HDSL doubler was (doubles the line distance HDSL can work at), I wondered why I couldn't at least get HDSL to my house. So, maybe I can argue with USWest about this and get connected (fat chance, but might be fun to try).
So, which option do you think might be best to pursue? Option one sounds the simplest, but it also sounds like the "cheapskate" method (I am not adverse to paying for the bandwidth, but given my last experience with getting my cable hooked up, I am reluctant to call COX again). The second option is iffy at best, and the third a long shot.
Does anybody have a suggestion that is relatively low cost to implement that I haven't thought of? Or at least comments on what I have thought of? Thanks in advance!
On the dots - I forgot about snow country (I live in Phoenix, Arizona - maybe that's part of the problem - though I have seen it snow here). You are correct in stating the snowplow would "eat" them.
A solution to this would be to use "magnetic" paint (I don't even know if such a thing can be created, but it seem feasible) - ie, the paint would have magnetized particles suspended in it, so that when it is put down, it would have a weak magnetic field that could be detected by the sensors on the car (in fact, the car should have both the smart dot sensors and mag dot sensors, and smart dots should have a magnet buried in them as well, in the event of failure of the dot's electronics). This is one solution. Another solution would be to bury the dots flush with the road surface, though this might be expensive.
I don't think you would have to put down as many dots as you have on the roads today, only a smart/mag dot every 10-20 feet, with regular dots placed between them. Maybe with the mag-paint striping as well.
I agree that it is fun driving, but my solution is more for the interstate driving/commuter driving crowds (I tend to like doing "fun" driving on back country freeways/roads/dirt roads - off the map stuff), and it doesn't remove choice from the driving, it merely acts as a safer form of cruise control.
Slashdot Mirror
:)
Funny, damn funny (for some reason - call me twisted!)...
Your points on everything are well taken - it seems like every day I hear something bad about the @home service. Unfortunately, where I live, it is the only thing I can get (and I am holding out on it unless it is the ONLY thing). As far as your IP number issue, can't you set up some form of an IPMasq system (add a firewall on top of it, as added protection). If they discourage this kind of thing, tell them you have sensitive information on your system, like tax returns, credit info, etc - that you would prefer that the world didn't see (whether you actually do or don't isn't the point). If they still discourage you, set it up anyway. If they cancel the service, tell them to screw themselves - you have a right to protect your own machines and information (they claim that right for their network - why shouldn't you be able to claim that right for yours?).
I see the whole issue of not being able to run servers and having multiple machines in a home network only becoming a bigger issue with @home - the problem is their flat rate - if they would allow you to do whatever the hell you wanted to with the connection, and just be a common carrier, and charge you for bandwith - this wouldn't be an issue.
Charge a low flat rate, capped at so many meg in a day (say, $20.00 for 100 Mb), anything over that charge $0.25/Mb - so we (as responsible adults - although in today's society, that might be an oxymoronic phrase) can pay for the bandwidth we use (gee, just like the ISP's - what a concept!).
I would be willing to do this if it would let me run a server in my home.
IIRC, wasn't MENACE a form of a mechanical/manual powered neural network? With the colored beads being red and blue (or red and black? white and black?), and if one of the matchboxes (neurons) worked correctly, the weight was set by the addition of the right colored bead, and if incorrect, the subtraction of a bead?
I am a coder myself, but I like woodworking a lot (though my skills are rusty - haven't did much since HS, since it is hard fitting a well equipped woodshop into an apartment, short of buying a Shopsmith Mark V).
I tend to break out a soldering iron and/or a Dremel before a saw, nowadays (though I have been known to use a jigsaw on a computer case - don't ask). Building that piece of custom hardware lets me slow down from coding (though I got a 486 MP3 player shoehorned into a MacIIsi box, which I then had to do some custom coding for the LCD - ack!).
I don't think I could ever burn out on code - maybe if all I did was for my job, but nothing beats doing it at home - a small game here, a new app there - I can't imagine NOT doing it...
Your comment reminded me of woodworking. When my GF asked me (after watching an episode of the New Yankee Workshop) why, after spending all the money for the wood and time to build something, which would cost you as much as if you had bought it, and sometimes more - why would you do it?
I told her the same thing - it is the pride of knowing you did it, that you have something no one else has, and that you built it with your own two hands.
When I first saw this, I thought the guy was a nut - however, similar oil is used to cool transformers and Tesla coils (which are transformers, too)...
Lapping, contrary to the article, isn't as hard as it sounds - many sites give info on this. I still think it is extreme to lap a processor and heatsink, since the thermal paste should fill in the gaps. It is conceivable that one could penetrate the cover on a normal processor by lapping it, but I think if that happens, you are overdoing it.
Most extreme overclockers stick with a water cooling solution or a combo water-cooled/TEC (thermoelectric cooler - ya know, a peltier) system to cool. Some don't like TEC's alone - failure of the TEC could be catastrophic. With a combo water cooling solution, it isn't a problem, provided the water continues to circulate.
I feel kinda left out - my current systems are maxed out (I have older systems), with the fastest processors on them, and I can't clock higher. Not that it matters much to me, but one area that I am going toward is overclocking my video card.
I have a Hercules Voodoo Rush card, and I found these small fans and heatsinks that will fit on the chips perfectly, with a little work. Should be fun!
I am curious - your post represents a typical AC (and yes, I know there are insightful AC's out there). You have the sarcasm, the loudness, the swearing - and no point, other than provoking others...
What I want to know is (from your perspective), why?
Why waste the time posting such a thing? Just to see if people like me will respond? I am just curious at the thought processes of such AC's. I mean, I could say something crass, like "Take some lithium, and chill" - but it is obvious that such a posting would have little or no effect, and might actually excaberate the problem. Plus, I don't think posting such a thing would be proper, anyhow - because I don't think you actually need lithium - you have some other reason for the outburst.
So please, you - or another AC - tell me what that reason is, ok?
For the book that Doron Swade wrote, "The Cogwheel Brain"? Specifically, I am looking for a US or UK distributor, hopefully one which will take internet orders. Amazon (bah! - I want the book bad, though!) didn't have it, neither did fatbrain. I found one distributor in .au, but shipping looked like it might have been expensive (for those that want to know, the distributor is www.mindbodyspirit.com.au).
Does anybody know the ISBN of the book, or publisher info - maybe I could get a bookstore to order it for me...
You aren't the only who has had this thought.
I tend to think that many (esp. the ones from the 19th century) would be intensely interested - perhaps going so far as (once they understood the tech) making suggestions for improvements. I have an image of one of these geniuses standing proud, with a twinkle in his eye, seeing his work, well, working!
Doubtless, some would cry - but not like a breakdown, but more like a single tear - the joy of knowing that what he (or she!) did and learned was not in vain...
Very true! I remember this fact being referenced in an article on the machine in a copy of SciAm a few years ago. Your memory is correct.
Yes! This had to be my first exposure to Anime. I am not a die-hard fan (I like the genre, and I enjoy watching an anime flick now and again, but I don't have a huge collection or anything) - but this series was great. I would love to see an episode again myself...
The idea of these patches seem reasonable, for use for very short periods until a soldier can get real food/rest - but I tend to wonder what the jokes will be like amongst the men (ever smelled a Nicoderm patch? It smells like cat piss)...
The caffeine chewing gum seems old hat to me, as well - looking through my backpack, I have a pack of "Stay Alert" caffeine gum (dated 1997) - each stick contains 50 mg of caffeine, about half of what is in a cup of coffee (the pack reccommends chewing 2-4 sticks, equiv. to 1-2 cups of coffee). The stuff is made by Amurol Confections Company. It comes in mint and cinnamon flavors (I am not sure if it is still being sold, but the above website still carries "nutritional" info on the product - if anyone knows where it is sold on the net, or a similar product, post a response). It also doesn't take very good (has a bitter aftertaste).
On a final note, and what I am wondering if anyone can answer (and maybe I answered it myself above - because the patches smell like cat piss), is why haven't transdermal patches been appropriated by the "illegal" drug market? In other words, why can't you get a cocaine/meth/heroin/E transdermal patch? Are the patches difficult to manufacture? Is it because they wouldn't give an instant "high"? Or are they actually being used, but only in niche areas (I am very naive about the hard drug trade - but I have always wondered if such hard drug patches would ever be made - with maybe certain logos/designs stamped on them)?
I was wrong - you are right, Zygote did the models (my bad)...
NURBS seem like the next best way to go (blobs/metaballs are definitely out, unless that is the look you are going for), but you still have to "roll your own" model (I am not a graphics artist, I am a programmer - modeling is not my forte) or purchase one if you want something that looks like a real person.
This is the main problem - cost. It costs a lot for good models (not that you shouldn't have to pay for them), but it was nice that Metacreations licensed the models to use in a low cost program (Poser) for others to use (though you can't use the actual model data in your own code). For an open source solution, it is near to impossible to license that model data, because of the high cost.
The solution is to get a low cost (or free) dataset of a human model, that could be used by the rendering programs that are available to the OS community. That, or some company could license an expensive model, then allow others to use (sub-license) it for small fee (hey, that would be an interesting open source project - the software human form modeler, with a low-res dataset for development work, could be distributed as normal open source. If you liked the software, and wanted to seriously use it, you would then charge (say $200) for a license for the complete hi-res dataset - OS the code, but license the data under a more restrictive agreement).
I know that serious modelers and developers probably don't care about model cost - but single developers, and ordinary people who just want to play - do. Human form modeling software is a niche market, but there is a market for a $200-400 modeler that does this one thing well...
You should read the information on the site - then tell me that when you travel in your automobile (vs. a motor vehicle), which you own - whether you are traveling or driving - and which makes more sense? Perhaps you are driving a motor vehicle, and thus should have a license as a privelege (maybe you are truck driver or something, and the vehicle you drive is a part of your work). More likely though, you travel in an automobile.
I implore you to take a look at the site, and really read the information - think about it, and study it. It is a little scary how we forget about things - and even more scary is your seeming attitude of not even trying to remember, or learn about precedents.
One interesting thing about the right to travel, which most people give up (due to the cost of a vehicle), is that you must own the vehicle outright, and have secured the MSO (manufacturer's statement of origin) from the manufacturer (it and the bill of sale PROVES you are the owner). Most of the time, you get a loan for the vehicle, and the MSO gets signed over to the state and to the lender. When the loan is paid in full, do you get that MSO back? No... So who owns the vehicle? You - or the state? Or the lender? You have the bill of sale, but not the whole thing... Unless you paid cash - and asked for the MSO at the beginning (provided the dealer would give it to you)...
The whole situation is bizarre - but it is only that way because we let it become that way...
This is probably the one product the Metacreations has that is not found on the Linux platform - and is one I would love to see there. Does anyone know of an open source project to perform human figure modelling under Linux (or any other platform)?
One BIG barrier to entry for OS projects in this arena is obtaining the data - Poser uses models from Viewpoint Datalabs, and let me tell you, these models don't come cheap (esp. the human figure model data - this is real expensive). So unless the OS community comes up with a way to get this data themselves (rent a 3D scanner? Use this?), I think Poser will be the only hope (though not the hope I was hoping for)...
Any ideas?
Actually, for the most part - yes...
There is one main guy they (meaning "Hollywood") hire to do the voiceovers for trailers (I can't remember his name) - he is on nearly EVERY trailer. It is something about his voice, and the way he does it - he can make a comedy trailer funny, and an action trailer "quickening", and a horror trailer downright scary.
There are very few of these trailer voice "actors" - and this guy is one of the top dogs...
-----]]]]]]] Please note that the following information is for educational purposes only - standard disclaimers apply! [[[[[[[-----
Ingredients:
1 foot long piece of 2 inch PVC pipe
2 endcaps to fit PVC pipe
PVC pipe cement
Gunpowder (*)
Fuse (*)
* = These two items may be hard to get. For the gunpowder, any place that stocks guns should also sell it (for reloads). However, it is possible to make your own - the key ingredients being potassium nitrate (saltpeter), which can sometimes be found at drugstores in small quantities, and charcoal (which can also be found in drugstores). Sugar is sometimes also used. The making of gunpowder, however, is beyond the posting of this comment. Fuses are more difficult to obtain - but not too much. Think gopher repellant...
How to build:
Anyhow, take one endcap and glue it to one end of the pipe. Drill a hole into the middle of the pipe, and insert the fuse - leave about 4-6 inches protruding. Fill the pipe with gunpowder, then glue the other endcap on.
You have now made your first pipebomb. Modifications which may help include: sealing the fuse hole with putty around the fuse to keep the fuse from falling out, using metal pipe, using model rocket igniters to detonate gunpowder.
-----]]]]]]] Please note that the above information is for educational purposes only - standard disclaimers apply! [[[[[[[-----
The truth of the matter is, pipe bombs are easy, cheap, and quick to build. Strapping them on to the side of a propane tank takes only a bit of duct tape.
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Watch this space - next time I will show how to build tennis ball bombs, a homemade rocket launcher, and the famous pool acid bomb!
That is, that one needs a license in order to drive a car.
/. many times, one more time can't hurt:
Though it has been stated before on
Check out the following on "Driver Licensing vs. the Right to Travel "
This right does not preclude knowing how to drive a car before driving it - but it does show how somehow we have (and still are) legislating our rights away, rather than being responsible for our own actions (I am certain that "licenses" were created in response to increasing number of accidents and fatalities occurring with the new-fangled car - we should not make the same mistake with guns).
It all boils down to responsibility and respect, folks - respect for the tool, and respect for people - and the responsibility to them as well.
These were 20 lb tanks of propane (you know, the size of tanks that you use on a gas barbecue), with pipe bombs strapped to them, set up in the cafeteria (why they set them there, I don't know - the library would have been better, since that is where they WENT). I don't think they had a timer or anything on them - it was "light it and run" (though, once again, since they were committing suicide, why did they just leave them, unlit - and not kill themselves with the bombs?).
If anybody knows different, please reply to this. I think they figured they would come back and light the bombs, but never did (it makes me wonder why any of the kids didn't LOOK at the bombs after they left the area - if they were light and run devices, it would be easy to tell, if not, and they were on a timer, well - you and the neighborhood's ass is grass anyhow). They ended up in the library instead - and stayed there (for what reason - why there? - could they have gotten back to the bombs? Did they fear _living_ through a propane bomb explosion? I don't even think that is possible - the bombs would have leveled the building).
I tend to wonder about this scene - whether it occurs with school kids or a madman doesn't matter, but let's do a post-Columbine alternate history:
Two kids walk into school, each carrying two 20lb propane tanks strapped with multiple steel pipe bombs (to ensure penetration of the propane tanks - plastic pipe bombs might not have enough force). This gives four bombs. They each also have some small arms gun (9mm or something, with extra clips). They take the bombs to the most densely populated area of the school (or maybe they wait for a rally or something in an auditorium or something), set them down, stand back to back, telling anyone who comes near to back off or they will shoot them. They calmly light the fuses, then wait for the end.
This amount of explosive force would kill WAY more people than what Eric and Dylan were able to. I am sure that the killing of all the people were secondary to them killing themselves, because they had the means to kill MANY more people (and probably would've destroyed the school as well).
My point is I wonder when the object will become to kill as many people as possible, using easily built bombs made with common materials (similarly, I wonder why more OK City sized bombs haven't been done yet - they are easy and cheap to build from common materials, yet we have had only one bomb that size occur (excepting the accident in Texas City) so far. Why haven't more occurred since? Why haven't homemade fuel/air explosives been built and used?
I just find it amazing that we haven't had MORE large scale domestic bombings...
I agree with your point of games vs reality (man, it's been a loooong time since I've heard the phrase "Smear the Queer"!), but I want to correct one thing...
Please don't make the assumption, as so many people often due, that the Occult or interest in the Occult==extreme satanism (and I say extreme here, meaning deep black magick satanism, when it involves worshiping satan, which I get the feeling you mean the Christian idea of satan, or biting the heads off of chickens).
"Satanism" is known (to anyone who has studied the Occult) to encompass many particular religions or religious activities (and has no ties to Wicca, BTW). "Satanism" is like "Christianity", in that just as Christianity has many different belief systems it encompasses, so does Satanism. In fact, if you studied Satanism at all, you would find that many sects are non-violent.
Occultism is the study of the unknown and/or the paranormal. Remember, many of the things Gallileo (sp?) did in his time were viewed as Occult proceedings, and he was viewed with suspicion (and jailed). In the end, his ideas and theories were seen as correct.
The Occult is still studied, and some things which science has said couldn't be possible, that was the realm of the occult, have been proven or unearthed in some manner (such as the "extinct" coelacanth fish, for instance). So please don't continue the confusion that Occult research, information, and teaching equates to an evil practice.
But in the minds of those who want to impose filters onto the rest of the population, filters form a way for them to delude themselves into thinking that a filter will make themselves "clean", by "removing" the "mirror" that stares back at them, reminding them of their own secrets.
I take sympathy with your issues on "bait-and-switch" sites - I have experienced similar sites, but I wouldn't want to impose upon myself a safeguard against such sites, as they only "suprise" me rarely (it would be akin to keeping a small boat in the middle of a desert, just in case it floods). You mentioned you got suprised by a troll. Without knowing the link to the site, did you by any means check to see where the link was pointing to before clicking on it? Also, did you suspect the individual was a troll prior to clicking on the link (sometimes I click on troll's links, just to see where they take me - but I am never suprised by where they go)?
The only time I could see that you would want a filter for yourself would be in a work environment - one which is so draconian they monitor every move you make (and log all internet traffic). If that was a problem, I would wonder why you would continue to work there. No job is worth that kind of paranoia...
Why do we call these programs "filters"? Because they "clean" the internet. However, that makes one grand assumption - that the internet contains an abbundance of dirtyness, that for some reason should not be viewed by human eyes.
The fallacy in this reasoning is the idea that information can be dirty or clean, impure or proper, amoral or moral. I submit that all information is neither - that it only becomes so in the mind of the viewer.
One thing I have noticed in my 27 years of life (which I realize is by no means a long life view, but it is what I have to work with) is that those people who are the most vocal about being and living "clean", tend to be the same ones who are secretly "dirty" behind the back of society. Those people who oppose or don't care about the issue are labled as "dirty" by these same people, because these "unclean" people represent a mirror to them of the way they really are. They feel that if they could rid the world of "dirtyness", that they themselves might become clean, and could thus dispense with their secret.
This idea is a perversion of logic. Those people that do this generally have failed to be honest with themselves and others. They ususally don't realize that by being truthful (though it may be painful) they can rid themselves of the issue. The rest of the "dirty" world has already realized this.
We cannot pretend to protect children and adults from things which, even if severely impeded by all technical means (short of brain modification - which I am sure is coming), would still arise in their thoughts anyway (show me child above the age of six who has never thought about sex - we are kidding ourselves if we believe that children don't). I find it amusing at the number of people who rail and rise against the whole issue of porn - who never consider that the porn will always be there, because it is supply and demand. Do these people really think they can rid mankind from viewing sex - when it is the thought of sex and the pleasure which is hard wired into our minds to make us procreate? If sex wasn't important, why would it be pleasurable?
I don't think we need filters. I think we need more rationality and intelligence.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona. One would think that I would be able to get xDSL in some manner (from USWest or someone else), but I can't. At least, that is what they tell me.
You see, I am on the "edge" of Phoenix - actually, smack-dab in the middle between Phoenix and the Cave Creek/Carefree area. North of me are tons of new subdevelopments, south of me (actually, a stone's throw) is the Loop 101 freeway (new freeway extension). I moved out here because the rent was cheap and the area was quiet (I used to live downtown, and gunfire was an occasional noise). A mere month before I moved, my apartment complex could finally "get" xDSL from USWest. I didn't check on services in the area I was moving to, because the deal was too good to ignore. So I moved.
Now, I can't get xDSL. I have argued and complained with USWest, with no luck - they say they can't do it (too much line noise - what they call "slack" or something). I can get Cox@Home service, so that is an option available to me, and one that I am thinking about. However, I would like to find out if anyone has any advice on some other ideas I have had:
1. My neighbor has Cox@Home - he lives right next door, and the distance between the two houses is about 200 feet. I am thinking setting up an IMASQed box (maybe with a firewall - this is all new to me, but I am willing to do it and learn, so bear with me if I have anything wrong), that his cable "modem" will run into, and then serve his machine, and then via a long run of CAT-5 TP, send an ethernet connection to me. Then I would pay him half his bill for the connection.
2. On the other side of my house is a couple of large businesses (the area can be zoned residential and commercial, so this is common here), one of which has a microwave tower of some sort, so I know they have big comms of some capability. I thinking doing the same with them, and paying them for service.
3. On a walk yesterday, I noticed a box not more than 1000 feet from my house labled "USWest HDSL Doubler". It was a pretty large box (about the size of a filing cabinet). After finding out what an HDSL doubler was (doubles the line distance HDSL can work at), I wondered why I couldn't at least get HDSL to my house. So, maybe I can argue with USWest about this and get connected (fat chance, but might be fun to try).
So, which option do you think might be best to pursue? Option one sounds the simplest, but it also sounds like the "cheapskate" method (I am not adverse to paying for the bandwidth, but given my last experience with getting my cable hooked up, I am reluctant to call COX again). The second option is iffy at best, and the third a long shot.
Does anybody have a suggestion that is relatively low cost to implement that I haven't thought of? Or at least comments on what I have thought of? Thanks in advance!
On the dots - I forgot about snow country (I live in Phoenix, Arizona - maybe that's part of the problem - though I have seen it snow here). You are correct in stating the snowplow would "eat" them.
A solution to this would be to use "magnetic" paint (I don't even know if such a thing can be created, but it seem feasible) - ie, the paint would have magnetized particles suspended in it, so that when it is put down, it would have a weak magnetic field that could be detected by the sensors on the car (in fact, the car should have both the smart dot sensors and mag dot sensors, and smart dots should have a magnet buried in them as well, in the event of failure of the dot's electronics). This is one solution. Another solution would be to bury the dots flush with the road surface, though this might be expensive.
I don't think you would have to put down as many dots as you have on the roads today, only a smart/mag dot every 10-20 feet, with regular dots placed between them. Maybe with the mag-paint striping as well.
I agree that it is fun driving, but my solution is more for the interstate driving/commuter driving crowds (I tend to like doing "fun" driving on back country freeways/roads/dirt roads - off the map stuff), and it doesn't remove choice from the driving, it merely acts as a safer form of cruise control.