Your ideas are sound, but I have to make one minor correction:
You state the pyramids were covered in sandstone, which has worn down. Actually, I believe they were covered in highly polished granite stones, so that each face was perfectly smooth. At the top of the Cheops pyramid, was a small pyramid of marble, put on as a "cap" stone.
These finishing touches weren't worn down - but instead stripped off the pyramids for use in building other structures (predressed stones, of a high quality - who will miss em?) - I think the cap stone of Cheops was taken by "grave robbers" or some such. Looking at Cheops today, one can still see what is left of the cladding stones near the apex of that pyramid.
One can only wonder what these structures looked like when they were first built - probably an insane sight to behold.
This is not to say all pyramids were built this way - many of the early pyramids were closer to ziggurats than true pyramids, and had a squat stepped appearance.
I'm not sure on the records part, but I have seen the theory of the "center of mass" Pangea idea. Look up the Pangea theory (which is based on plate tectonics, and seems logical - I remember looking at a map when I was 9 or so, and thinking - it's like a jigsaw puzzle - only later learning about the theory).
It is really a puzzle how the pyramids (esp the large ones) were put together. These are structures that today we would be hard pressed to build. The blocks are HUGE - some as large as small houses. They were cut, dressed, then moved many miles to the site, then LIFTED into place - some so accurately that one can't even stick a piece of paper in between the joints. Many of the blocks are so large only today's heaviest lifting cranes could move them.
I have read many theories on the construction of the pyramids - but only one stood out, and I wish I had a link. One researcher wrote about how the pyramids (and many other large structures around the world) actually seemed to be made out of a form of concrete aggregate of some sort. The form of concrete essentially allowed the blocks to be "poured" into place, much like we build large highway projects (and even buildings) today. The concrete was special (not like typical concrete), and that only recently have companies been able to recreate it, and use it comercially. The author of the book goes into great detail on the theory, and it seems plausible. He explains how he came to the conclusion, various tests he did, etc. It was a very interesting perspective, that doesn't throw history on it's head (like an alien help theory), but does give rise to questions about the real level of Egyptian technology...
Actually, are you sure broadband is the way to go? Right now you have seven dialup accounts, at a cost of $175 per month. While not cheap, broadband may end up being more expensive.
It sounds like what you have is seven "business" dialups. In the broadband industry, providers charge extreme fees for installation and monthly charges, just because you are a business - not much is different between @Home and @Work - just some wording in the contract (and possibly better service when you need it). I am certain DSL is the same way.
Are there any landline based solutions? Could you do a "bonded" dialup or maybe ISDN? Will your downlink bandwidth needs be greater than your uplink - or vice-versa (ie, will you be surfing more, or will you be running servers - or do you want to do both)? If you are doing surfing mostly, with only an occasional upload to update your website being hosted by another provider, ISDN or a bonded dialup (or maybe some kind of 56K lease line setup), using NAT on the backend and a firewall - may be a good option.
Make sure there isn't a landline option available to you, before deciding completely on wireless. I am not saying wireless is a bad thing (in fact, I think it is one of the cooler techs on the market), just that you should look at all possible options.
How about instead of companies paying to have computers recycled, they ask their employees whether they need a computer or not!
I would love it if the company I worked for, instead of paying another company to take care of it, or dumping the machine in the trash, would instead give me the machine to replace my old machine, or at least have parts to replace my old machine.
Sure - it won't be top of the line - but maybe it might be a 300 Mhz AMD or something to replace my aging Pentium 100. I am sure there are many employees who would love this (esp. if they needed a new laptop or something).
Worse case, give 'em to the local geeks to play with! Myself, at every company I worked for, I made it known to the IT dept that if there was any hardware being thrown out, to let me know about it - I would take it off their hands. I have gotten a lot of good hardware this way.
I am interested in this - my main question is what do you guys use for tracking? Accelerometers? It didn't appear that there was any form of "full 6DOF tracking", based on the video - but rather a limited yaw/pitch/roll tracking (in other words, it looks like you are tracking orientation of the hand, and not position).
How are you guys "getting around" the VPL/Lanier patents (or are you licensing them from Thompson)?
What is the price target? And will there be Linux support in some manner?
It seems strange what you are doing (uplink to select the video to be streamed via a web interface, downlink to a TV via coax - maybe it is a bandwidth issue?), but how about this:
For a simple MPEG stream (like say from a VCD), simply set up some cheap Pentium 133 boxes, one per each user, with each one having a means to output the video to a TV (like a video card with TV Out and a composite->RF converter). Network them to a faster fileserver with the big drives to store the video.
If you get the right motherboard (like a MediaGX motherboard, or similar), that has built in ethernet, video and TV-Out, you could mount the eight boards in a custom case, perhaps even net boot them.
This solution isn't the most elegant, but it would be cheap enough.
Here in Phoenix, Arizona - is a place called Apache Reclamation and Electronics, on 3rd Ave and Apache (1 block north of the I-10). They also aparrently have a couple of other stores - one I think is in Denver, another in Ohio. A blue building with a large yard, they carry damn near everything (there is still an unclaimed backhoe out back, as well as a few electron microscopes). I have even seen bottles with some fluid in them, labeled as a biohazard (scary shit!). Mostly, though, they cary a ton of electronic and mechanical parts (they have a great vacuum tube room) - spools of electrical cable, large motors (when I mean large, I MEAN LARGE - motors that require forklifts to move - some brand-new surplus, as well!). Too much to describe.
For an even more interesting place, there is a warehouse called Equipment Exchange, on roughly 3rd street and Lincoln, behind BOB - lots of cool stuff to look at, mostly large chip/electronics fab equipment (great microscopes, large industrial robots and work envelopes, large conveyor ovens, etc). Most stuff is too big to move comfortably, but the downstairs basement area is interesting...
For used computer equipment, Electronic Materials and Computers, on roughly 34 Ave and Indian School Road (look em up in the phone book for more info, and to get directions), have an OK selection of old stuff - but they are only open during the week, and only until 4pm (last I checked).
There is also a great scrap metal supplier on approximately 40th street and Van Buren (or Washington - can't remember - same street as Phoenix Greyhound Park). Lots of large metal stuff - brass, aluminum, steel, copper - you name it, they have it!
Oh - one other place (not in Phoenix) - All Electronics (www.allelectronics.com) - they are based in Van Nuys and LA. Their site has online-ordering, though - great place to get quite a good selection of stuff, and the online catalog is easy to use.
Those are the fun places I know of in the Phoenix area - if anyone knows of others, please post a reply under this thread - I would love to know of others!
3D "GUI" designers seem to be stuck on thinking of VR in terms of Gibson/Stephenson/Lawnmower Man - instead of studying what has gone before.
Looking at what has been proposed uses for VR, rarely will you read about programming or other functions best done in 2D. About as close as you get to this is the idea of a virtual office, where you would sit down at a virtual desk, type on a virtual keyboard, and see a virtual display (in 2D) show what you are doing.
3D GUIs can be useful, if the task fits. An earlier poster brought up the idea of seeing network layout and traffic patterns - such data visualization uses for complex data are ideal uses for 3D GUIs and VR. One could imagine any network being represented in a similar way (piping networks, electrical networks, phone networks).
Other potential uses that have been explored with some measure of success is that of using VR to explore new designs (or designing the device/building/whatever in the VR space) - not only to model them, but to also run simulations, and see how they behave and interact (think of being able to get inside a virtual car, sit down, and finding that the gear shift isn't in a good position - before BUILDING the vehicle).
Another use has been training (surgery, etc) - which is still up in the air as far as usefulness, because haptics research/feedback devices aren't quite up to snuff (a lot of surgery is "feel", from what I understand).
Entertainment is the pre-eminant use, and will likely continue to be (like it or not, Quake, in all incarnations, is VR - desktop VR - still makes me wonder why low cost HMD systems haven't taken off).
Not everything can or should be done in a 3D GUI - however, some tasks are ideal. I think what these guys are doing with 3Dsia is a good thing - not by creating a do-it-all system, but by building a framework for which tasks that are ideally suited for the environment may be developed.
Sub-domain'ing off their main domain makes much better sense - Hasbro isn't the only company who pick up domains left and right for everything under the sun.
Actually what would make more sense (from a consumer standpoint), is to simply have a seperate "directory", so that one would type "http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly" - in ads they would just need to give their web address of www.hasbro.com, and be done with it. If their site is properly organised (HAHA - right!!!), it shouldn't take more than one or two clicks to get to the product's "page".
Actually, now that I think about it, "http://www.hasbro.com/games/monopoly" would be best, since Hasbro makes/distributes other things as well (software, dolls, etc). Still, should be only one click from the main page, or two (one click to the games page, a second to the Monopoly page).
Of course, one could say fsck the whole thing and just go here.
I have had this happen to me (US Banks and Visa Debit operate same way), mostly at restaurants. Sometimes the restaurant cancels the transaction, and all is well - however, on certain occasions BOTH transactions went through, and I only later noticed it after I got my statement and balanced my checkbook. I was then able to call my bank and contest the transaction - in all cases I was found correct.
It gets more difficult if the transactions aren't entered for the same amounts, but you can usually spot the time stamps on the statement.
The bad part on all of this (both the earmarking and double transaction entry) is the fact that the money is out of your bank, and you don't know it until your next statement (and balancing - you do balance, right?). Hopefully, you didn't overdraw by writing other checks or bills, thinking you had one amount, when you really had a bit less (this is where living month-to-month is a bad thing - which I why I always keep a buffer of several hundred dollars in my account).
Of course, there are upsides to everything - I have several transactions still "pending" from several years that didn't hit my bank account. IOW, I went someplace, purchased something, they earmarked it - then never completed the transaction! Free stuff! Several hundred dollars worth from many different places (most out of state). I keep 'em on the books just in case, though...
This was the first election I have ever voted in - my only regret was that I didn't go and vote in earlier elections (I have been eligible for a while).
After it was all over (and I had a few problems in my case, having moved and needing to vote in a different precinct, but not having an up-to-date ID card, re-registration, etc), I thought to myself "That wasn't so bad - why don't more people do it?".
Indeed. I had always thought it was going to be a chore, but the hardest part was driving and getting a parking place - after that, it was an easy process. The only thing that I can think of stopping others from voting is not being able to get time off. However, IIRC (and please correct me if I am wrong), an employer cannot legally prevent an employee from voting (ie, by termination of employment for missing work for voting) - similar to jury duty. Isn't this correct, or am I wrong?
Anyhow, after it was all over, and I got my sticker (BTW, the ballots were of the "mark-the-arrow" type), I went back to work. And who did I cast my vote for, president-wise?
Uh, perhaps we have forgotten about Frag Island...
Ok, so it isn't a complete Quake - but it does show what is possible with the language (and this was in 1997 - I could show other 3D engine examples on the net, but why bother). As for teaching it to kids - heck, it is hard to teach BASIC to kids, esp. nowadays...
Imagine if the car were left in the middle of the Mohave desert - for 20 years. No one has touched it. The tires are all flat. Maybe a bush or something it growing up through the middle of it. Perhaps all the paint is scoured off one side by wind and sand...
Is it abandoned? By any sane reasoning, the answer would be an emphatic YES! But by law - it is a totally different matter.
You are right - only the owner can decide whether it is abandoned or not. Car or software, the owner should be asked. But what do you do if the owner can't be located? What if he is dead? What if his whole family is dead? Who owns it now?
In the case of a car, probably the state (you do know that more than likely you _don't_ own your car outright - that it is a joint ownership between you and the state? - that is, unless you paid in full, in cash, and got the MSO to boot)...
Software, though, is more ephemerous - can disappear like the wind, never to be seen again. Sometimes, even when you can find the owner, he will either blow you off, or never respond...
Case in point: I own a copy of Gates of Delerium (for the Tandy Color Computer), which was created and published by Diecom Software, a company that was based in Canada. Dave Dies, the founder, now works for a company that makes games for handhelds (like the Gameboy) - I have the website address and contact email addresses - but no matter what, I can't get in contact to find out what I can do. What is my problem? I own the disks of the game. I still have them, but they don't work on my CoCo anymore (they used to work fine, now it won't boot - all my other floppies are ok, though). I just want to know if I can make an emulated copy, or try to pull the info from the disks, or if he can give me help of any kind.
Small problem, but I want to play this game again - I liked it, and I would love to see it once more.
The whole issue is a very gray area - software isn't like hard items, and the licensing complicates the issue. Then it goes bizzare when you want support, and the company isn't around, but the founder is, etc...
Here are my answers to these questions. I will give you my honest opinions (as best as I can) on each of these - if you think I would make a good President, write me in!
Answers:
Question 1 - The War on Drugs has been an abject failure. Plain and simple. It it responsible for the large numbers of non-violent prisoners in our jails today. I am especially incensed at the wrongs it perpetuates against our Constitution (wrongful search and seizure, etc). If elected, I promise to do whatever I can to end this waste of taxpayer money.
Question 2 - People may follow whatever path they wish toward enlightenment, if they so choose. I do not believe it is in our government's interest to determine what religion, if any, an individual should follow. To take such an interest would be in patent violation of the Constitution.
Question 3 - Taxes are a necessary evil. However, something should be done. Our current income tax situation is especially problematic. I feel that it should be done away with - the Constitution expressly forbids any form of income tax. The income tax was enacted as a supposedly "temporary" measure during the crisis of war. However, it was never repealed, and we are thus mired in the issue. I promise that if elected, I will work towards removal of this violation, and to seek better ways toward solving our nation's debt.
Question 4 - The electoral college should stay. I do not think that removal of this system will help anything. The problem isn't in the system, it is in the representatives voting in a manner not representative of the people they supposedly represent. This problem should be examined - to determine if corporate or other funds are being used to sway opinions. Once that is determined (and fixed if need be), the electoral college will once again work the way it was intended.
Question 5 - I am very close to the issue of intellectual property, being a long time programmer myself. Much of the system in place currently for IP doesn't address the quick changing nature of the internet. Changes to copyright and patent law need to be examined and implemented to correct these deficiencies. Various measures in patent law probably need to be repealed or drastically changed (such as patenting of business methods and algorithms). Similarly, copyright law needs to be re-examined. I feel the DMCA, as well as the UCITA, are both examples of problems in our copyright law (the DMCA being especially damaging, threating the fair-use clause of copyright). I believe that both patents and copyrights should exist, but that they should foster innovation, and not cause stagnation through overly long terms and extensions. I also feel that both should provide for more protection and help for the individual, and less for corporate interests (as a side note, I am very much against a corporation having rights like a citizen). I also support an individuals right to learn, and the right to own things, not license them. To this end, individuals should be able to learn from how something works - reverse engineering should be a protected right...
Question 6 - I promise that if elected I will do whatever I can to make encryption available to the masses, worldwide. I believe privacy is very important. It is not the government's job to nanny the population, and it is certainly not our government's job to "lord over" the world. In today's internet connected world, we must push for privacy, with strong encryption leading this push.
Question 7 - These people raise a valid point. Corporations are reaching the size (some would say they have already) to take on national governments, to possibly overshadow them or control them. I am not against the import or export of goods, but I have to be concerned when it seems that corporations are placing money before the intests of the people. People are not cattle to be slaughtered before the almighty dollar. Corporations are not people, and should not be treated as such. The people should come first.
Question 8 - Natural threats from outer space are very real. Living in Arizona, and having been to Meteor Crater twice, I can verify what a small chunk of iron can do to an area. Most asteroids are much bigger than this, and would quite probably wipe out life on earth if one breached the atmosphere and struck us. I feel that we should do what we can as a nation to come up with a way to reliably detect, track and defend against such an issue.
Question 9 - I believe our national mission should be promoting peace among the people of the world - to get them to look around, and see how petty their differences are - but how great their similarities are. We should be an example to the world, and learn to be more tolerant, respectful, and caring toward one another - in our neighborhoods, workplace, cities and states. We claim that we have conquered racism, and to anyone with half a brain, this statement is patently false. We have not stopped racism - it is still a major problem. We have not stopped discrimination (Don't ask/Don't tell - my ass!). I promise that if elected - I will do everything in my power to help make peace, tolerance, and general respect a reality.
There you have it - my promises on these issues. I furthermore wish to relate to you that I will do what I can to get science and math in schools more agressively promoted as subjects worth knowing. I am a geek - and I would love to see more money going toward programs that support this issue. America as a whole seems to be going down the drain intellectually. Our national goal does seem to tend toward "couch potatoism". I want to get us away from that, and back on the road to a nation of respect, intelligence and peace.
I was at a MacFrugals recently, and found this little address book thingy. It was in the same style case as a portable CD player, and popped open with addresses to write in. The real funny thing about it was the name of the "manufacturer": Panashiba.
However, this may be slightly OT, but no matter...
Laws are crazy - here in the States, they get so convuluted, arbitrary, and strange - esp. from state to state!
I was recently looking up a California law regarding a speeding ticket I got (I rightly deserved the ticket). In the process of looking up the law on the net (as well as checking the Arizona equivalents - AZ being my home state), I came across an interesting Cali law:
Did you know, that in CA, if so much as a single spark leaves your vehicle, you are "breaking" the law? The law was designed (I presume) to prevent smokers from throwing lit butts out their windows while going down the freeway, setting the dry, drought stricken land on fire. Which sounds OK - however, the way the law is worded, a simple, single spark would be enough to "trip" the law. IOW, say you light up a cigarette in your car, and the flint on your Bic breaks, and a trailing spark flies out your window. As soon as it does - you are breaking the law, regardless of whether the spark is still burning (or even hot) by the time it hits the ground...
Honesty! That is what is wanted. When I first learned that Jesse Ventura was Minnesota's governor - I thought to myself, "Where have I heard that name...?". Of course, it soon struck me as to where - and I wondered who would vote in a professional wrestler for their governor...
Then I heard him speak...
And I thought: "Here is an honest and intelligent man."
I keep wondering when such an individual will be president...
The shades don't mean new bidded/seller, they simply mean new name. IOW, you could have a feedback rating of 1000, but as soon as you changed your name/handle/ID, you would get the shades. It is possible to see the history of a user's ID now, if they change names mid-stream.
New bidders/sellers get the shades because they are, in effect, a new name. After awhile (30 days?), the shades go away - even if they never bid on anything (though they would have to bid at least once for others to see the shades, or absence thereof)...
If you want to truely know how well a bidder/seller is doing, look at the feedback, as well as the feedback comments. Don't trust somebody simply if he has 300 feedback - for all you know, he had 400 six months ago, and received 100 negative feedbacks since then! Similarly, don't knock someone who has low positive feedback without checking the comments - he may only have 20 feedback, but maybe all were positives, spanning a three month period or something - pretty reliable individual, if you ask me...
Only if you see someone with zero feedback and shades, should you consider the person an unknown. This doesn't mean they are bad, just keep your wits about you...
You know, I found it refreshing to hear what these two individuals had to say about the questions they were posed. You could tell it was honest opinion when MyReynolds opined on "inhaling" once-in-a-while, even now.
At first, this statement shocked me ("WHAAT! A candidate admitting to casual marijuana use? The nerve!") - but as I thought about it, I liked his honesty. This is one trait you have to admire, even if you don't agree with anything else the man says: He was being honest.
This in itself is something we rarely see in normal, everyday individuals, let alone politicians...
While I haven't had time to implement anything yet in my homebrew VR pursuit, I have spent time trying to decide on what I want to use for the display.
So far, my choice has settled on some sort of full-screen X window interface (maybe using SDL or GGI). The driver hardware for my HMD is a VGA->TV converter, and I need a 640x480 screen @ 60 Hz refresh to get the converter working. I once got X doing it on an old Redhat box, but I lost the config settings. So, I know it is possible.
I am not sure what it would take to go "full screen" with X, or if I could use something else to drop into that mode. I like SDL for its cross platform use, plus the fact that it can work console or in X. IIRC, it also supports OpenGL, which I will need for my work.
The one thing I didn't like about SVGAlib was the root access issue. Has this been corrected yet, or is it just because it needs to access the hardware in such a direct manner, that it does this? SVGAlib, otherwise, would probably be fine for me to use...
I just found something out on Spinmaster Toys. I am not sure what is happening, maybe their site domain name was infringing on something or another (who knows these days - probably had to do with the fishing reel manufacturer!). Anyhow, a couple of links:
This link auto-forwards you to here, which proclaims to be a new home for "A retail site for air powered glider planes" - which sounds like it may be the real case, not sure...
WHOIS lists a Richard Giardini - but this guy doesn't appear connected with the company. I don't know if they have gone out-of-business, or what...
Air Hogs from Spinmaster Toys are similar, but use the air to spin a prop for a free-flight toy airplane (BTW, the site isn't there anymore - does anyone have a clue what happened to them?). I bought one of these when they first came out, and I was impressed (damn fun to fly!)...
Recently I was at a Wal-mart and noticed that this other company (can't remember who) started making the Air Jammer again - except they don't call it as such. It is the exact same car - I own an original Air Jammer (with box, bought it off of Ebay for $15.00 - I collect 80's TOMY), and this car was exactly the same - they either bought or licensed the patents from TOMY.
IOW, they are still available. Air powered machines aren't new things, esp on the toy front. You used to be able to get compressed air engines for radio control and free-flight model planes (back in 20's-40's), not sure if they are still available or not...
Yeah - it's funny turning the framerate "meter" o in REND386 on any moderately powerful machine (like, on my P200) - framerates go over the top (>100+). I would love to see how well it works on anything recent (1 GHz Athalon, etc).
Still, it probably can't beat out a good 3D card, since it is only software. I would love to see a hibrid of REND386 or AVRIL on the front end, with OpenGL or GLIDE on the back end for rendering. Then maybe the spinning bananna could be textured, and we could see the amusement park rides the way they should look.
Pity not many care about homebrew VR anymore (my site rarely gets any hits, though that could be because of my lack of attention to it - I am thinking about replacing it with something else)...
Slashdot Mirror
Your ideas are sound, but I have to make one minor correction:
You state the pyramids were covered in sandstone, which has worn down. Actually, I believe they were covered in highly polished granite stones, so that each face was perfectly smooth. At the top of the Cheops pyramid, was a small pyramid of marble, put on as a "cap" stone.
These finishing touches weren't worn down - but instead stripped off the pyramids for use in building other structures (predressed stones, of a high quality - who will miss em?) - I think the cap stone of Cheops was taken by "grave robbers" or some such. Looking at Cheops today, one can still see what is left of the cladding stones near the apex of that pyramid.
One can only wonder what these structures looked like when they were first built - probably an insane sight to behold.
This is not to say all pyramids were built this way - many of the early pyramids were closer to ziggurats than true pyramids, and had a squat stepped appearance.
I support the EFF - do you?
I'm not sure on the records part, but I have seen the theory of the "center of mass" Pangea idea. Look up the Pangea theory (which is based on plate tectonics, and seems logical - I remember looking at a map when I was 9 or so, and thinking - it's like a jigsaw puzzle - only later learning about the theory).
It is really a puzzle how the pyramids (esp the large ones) were put together. These are structures that today we would be hard pressed to build. The blocks are HUGE - some as large as small houses. They were cut, dressed, then moved many miles to the site, then LIFTED into place - some so accurately that one can't even stick a piece of paper in between the joints. Many of the blocks are so large only today's heaviest lifting cranes could move them.
I have read many theories on the construction of the pyramids - but only one stood out, and I wish I had a link. One researcher wrote about how the pyramids (and many other large structures around the world) actually seemed to be made out of a form of concrete aggregate of some sort. The form of concrete essentially allowed the blocks to be "poured" into place, much like we build large highway projects (and even buildings) today. The concrete was special (not like typical concrete), and that only recently have companies been able to recreate it, and use it comercially. The author of the book goes into great detail on the theory, and it seems plausible. He explains how he came to the conclusion, various tests he did, etc. It was a very interesting perspective, that doesn't throw history on it's head (like an alien help theory), but does give rise to questions about the real level of Egyptian technology...
I support the EFF - do you?
Actually, are you sure broadband is the way to go? Right now you have seven dialup accounts, at a cost of $175 per month. While not cheap, broadband may end up being more expensive.
It sounds like what you have is seven "business" dialups. In the broadband industry, providers charge extreme fees for installation and monthly charges, just because you are a business - not much is different between @Home and @Work - just some wording in the contract (and possibly better service when you need it). I am certain DSL is the same way.
Are there any landline based solutions? Could you do a "bonded" dialup or maybe ISDN? Will your downlink bandwidth needs be greater than your uplink - or vice-versa (ie, will you be surfing more, or will you be running servers - or do you want to do both)? If you are doing surfing mostly, with only an occasional upload to update your website being hosted by another provider, ISDN or a bonded dialup (or maybe some kind of 56K lease line setup), using NAT on the backend and a firewall - may be a good option.
Make sure there isn't a landline option available to you, before deciding completely on wireless. I am not saying wireless is a bad thing (in fact, I think it is one of the cooler techs on the market), just that you should look at all possible options.
I support the EFF - do you?
I keep running into you at the strangest places/times - maybe it is only a matter of time before a RL meeting takes place.
Anyhow, thanks for the links - maybe I'll check them out sometime soon (maybe this weekend, if I can swing it)...
Thanks again!
I support the EFF - do you?
How about instead of companies paying to have computers recycled, they ask their employees whether they need a computer or not!
I would love it if the company I worked for, instead of paying another company to take care of it, or dumping the machine in the trash, would instead give me the machine to replace my old machine, or at least have parts to replace my old machine.
Sure - it won't be top of the line - but maybe it might be a 300 Mhz AMD or something to replace my aging Pentium 100. I am sure there are many employees who would love this (esp. if they needed a new laptop or something).
Worse case, give 'em to the local geeks to play with! Myself, at every company I worked for, I made it known to the IT dept that if there was any hardware being thrown out, to let me know about it - I would take it off their hands. I have gotten a lot of good hardware this way.
I support the EFF - do you?
I am interested in this - my main question is what do you guys use for tracking? Accelerometers? It didn't appear that there was any form of "full 6DOF tracking", based on the video - but rather a limited yaw/pitch/roll tracking (in other words, it looks like you are tracking orientation of the hand, and not position).
How are you guys "getting around" the VPL/Lanier patents (or are you licensing them from Thompson)?
What is the price target? And will there be Linux support in some manner?
I support the EFF - do you?
It seems strange what you are doing (uplink to select the video to be streamed via a web interface, downlink to a TV via coax - maybe it is a bandwidth issue?), but how about this:
For a simple MPEG stream (like say from a VCD), simply set up some cheap Pentium 133 boxes, one per each user, with each one having a means to output the video to a TV (like a video card with TV Out and a composite->RF converter). Network them to a faster fileserver with the big drives to store the video.
If you get the right motherboard (like a MediaGX motherboard, or similar), that has built in ethernet, video and TV-Out, you could mount the eight boards in a custom case, perhaps even net boot them.
This solution isn't the most elegant, but it would be cheap enough.
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Here in Phoenix, Arizona - is a place called Apache Reclamation and Electronics, on 3rd Ave and Apache (1 block north of the I-10). They also aparrently have a couple of other stores - one I think is in Denver, another in Ohio. A blue building with a large yard, they carry damn near everything (there is still an unclaimed backhoe out back, as well as a few electron microscopes). I have even seen bottles with some fluid in them, labeled as a biohazard (scary shit!). Mostly, though, they cary a ton of electronic and mechanical parts (they have a great vacuum tube room) - spools of electrical cable, large motors (when I mean large, I MEAN LARGE - motors that require forklifts to move - some brand-new surplus, as well!). Too much to describe.
For an even more interesting place, there is a warehouse called Equipment Exchange, on roughly 3rd street and Lincoln, behind BOB - lots of cool stuff to look at, mostly large chip/electronics fab equipment (great microscopes, large industrial robots and work envelopes, large conveyor ovens, etc). Most stuff is too big to move comfortably, but the downstairs basement area is interesting...
For used computer equipment, Electronic Materials and Computers, on roughly 34 Ave and Indian School Road (look em up in the phone book for more info, and to get directions), have an OK selection of old stuff - but they are only open during the week, and only until 4pm (last I checked).
There is also a great scrap metal supplier on approximately 40th street and Van Buren (or Washington - can't remember - same street as Phoenix Greyhound Park). Lots of large metal stuff - brass, aluminum, steel, copper - you name it, they have it!
Oh - one other place (not in Phoenix) - All Electronics (www.allelectronics.com) - they are based in Van Nuys and LA. Their site has online-ordering, though - great place to get quite a good selection of stuff, and the online catalog is easy to use.
Those are the fun places I know of in the Phoenix area - if anyone knows of others, please post a reply under this thread - I would love to know of others!
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3D "GUI" designers seem to be stuck on thinking of VR in terms of Gibson/Stephenson/Lawnmower Man - instead of studying what has gone before.
Looking at what has been proposed uses for VR, rarely will you read about programming or other functions best done in 2D. About as close as you get to this is the idea of a virtual office, where you would sit down at a virtual desk, type on a virtual keyboard, and see a virtual display (in 2D) show what you are doing.
3D GUIs can be useful, if the task fits. An earlier poster brought up the idea of seeing network layout and traffic patterns - such data visualization uses for complex data are ideal uses for 3D GUIs and VR. One could imagine any network being represented in a similar way (piping networks, electrical networks, phone networks).
Other potential uses that have been explored with some measure of success is that of using VR to explore new designs (or designing the device/building/whatever in the VR space) - not only to model them, but to also run simulations, and see how they behave and interact (think of being able to get inside a virtual car, sit down, and finding that the gear shift isn't in a good position - before BUILDING the vehicle).
Another use has been training (surgery, etc) - which is still up in the air as far as usefulness, because haptics research/feedback devices aren't quite up to snuff (a lot of surgery is "feel", from what I understand).
Entertainment is the pre-eminant use, and will likely continue to be (like it or not, Quake, in all incarnations, is VR - desktop VR - still makes me wonder why low cost HMD systems haven't taken off).
Not everything can or should be done in a 3D GUI - however, some tasks are ideal. I think what these guys are doing with 3Dsia is a good thing - not by creating a do-it-all system, but by building a framework for which tasks that are ideally suited for the environment may be developed.
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Sub-domain'ing off their main domain makes much better sense - Hasbro isn't the only company who pick up domains left and right for everything under the sun.
Actually what would make more sense (from a consumer standpoint), is to simply have a seperate "directory", so that one would type "http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly" - in ads they would just need to give their web address of www.hasbro.com, and be done with it. If their site is properly organised (HAHA - right!!!), it shouldn't take more than one or two clicks to get to the product's "page".
Actually, now that I think about it, "http://www.hasbro.com/games/monopoly" would be best, since Hasbro makes/distributes other things as well (software, dolls, etc). Still, should be only one click from the main page, or two (one click to the games page, a second to the Monopoly page).
Of course, one could say fsck the whole thing and just go here.
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I have had this happen to me (US Banks and Visa Debit operate same way), mostly at restaurants. Sometimes the restaurant cancels the transaction, and all is well - however, on certain occasions BOTH transactions went through, and I only later noticed it after I got my statement and balanced my checkbook. I was then able to call my bank and contest the transaction - in all cases I was found correct.
It gets more difficult if the transactions aren't entered for the same amounts, but you can usually spot the time stamps on the statement.
The bad part on all of this (both the earmarking and double transaction entry) is the fact that the money is out of your bank, and you don't know it until your next statement (and balancing - you do balance, right?). Hopefully, you didn't overdraw by writing other checks or bills, thinking you had one amount, when you really had a bit less (this is where living month-to-month is a bad thing - which I why I always keep a buffer of several hundred dollars in my account).
Of course, there are upsides to everything - I have several transactions still "pending" from several years that didn't hit my bank account. IOW, I went someplace, purchased something, they earmarked it - then never completed the transaction! Free stuff! Several hundred dollars worth from many different places (most out of state). I keep 'em on the books just in case, though...
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This was the first election I have ever voted in - my only regret was that I didn't go and vote in earlier elections (I have been eligible for a while).
After it was all over (and I had a few problems in my case, having moved and needing to vote in a different precinct, but not having an up-to-date ID card, re-registration, etc), I thought to myself "That wasn't so bad - why don't more people do it?".
Indeed. I had always thought it was going to be a chore, but the hardest part was driving and getting a parking place - after that, it was an easy process. The only thing that I can think of stopping others from voting is not being able to get time off. However, IIRC (and please correct me if I am wrong), an employer cannot legally prevent an employee from voting (ie, by termination of employment for missing work for voting) - similar to jury duty. Isn't this correct, or am I wrong?
Anyhow, after it was all over, and I got my sticker (BTW, the ballots were of the "mark-the-arrow" type), I went back to work. And who did I cast my vote for, president-wise?
Nader.
I don't consider my vote wasted...
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Uh, perhaps we have forgotten about Frag Island...
Ok, so it isn't a complete Quake - but it does show what is possible with the language (and this was in 1997 - I could show other 3D engine examples on the net, but why bother). As for teaching it to kids - heck, it is hard to teach BASIC to kids, esp. nowadays...
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Imagine if the car were left in the middle of the Mohave desert - for 20 years. No one has touched it. The tires are all flat. Maybe a bush or something it growing up through the middle of it. Perhaps all the paint is scoured off one side by wind and sand...
Is it abandoned? By any sane reasoning, the answer would be an emphatic YES! But by law - it is a totally different matter.
You are right - only the owner can decide whether it is abandoned or not. Car or software, the owner should be asked. But what do you do if the owner can't be located? What if he is dead? What if his whole family is dead? Who owns it now?
In the case of a car, probably the state (you do know that more than likely you _don't_ own your car outright - that it is a joint ownership between you and the state? - that is, unless you paid in full, in cash, and got the MSO to boot)...
Software, though, is more ephemerous - can disappear like the wind, never to be seen again. Sometimes, even when you can find the owner, he will either blow you off, or never respond...
Case in point: I own a copy of Gates of Delerium (for the Tandy Color Computer), which was created and published by Diecom Software, a company that was based in Canada. Dave Dies, the founder, now works for a company that makes games for handhelds (like the Gameboy) - I have the website address and contact email addresses - but no matter what, I can't get in contact to find out what I can do. What is my problem? I own the disks of the game. I still have them, but they don't work on my CoCo anymore (they used to work fine, now it won't boot - all my other floppies are ok, though). I just want to know if I can make an emulated copy, or try to pull the info from the disks, or if he can give me help of any kind.
Small problem, but I want to play this game again - I liked it, and I would love to see it once more.
The whole issue is a very gray area - software isn't like hard items, and the licensing complicates the issue. Then it goes bizzare when you want support, and the company isn't around, but the founder is, etc...
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afterall, to any good Parents Church Group (TM), Windows is the OS of God
Hmm... Could this mean that Oliver Stone predicted the future with Wild Palms' "Church Windows" show?
Hmm...
I support the EFF - do you?
Here are my answers to these questions. I will give you my honest opinions (as best as I can) on each of these - if you think I would make a good President, write me in!
Answers:
Question 1 - The War on Drugs has been an abject failure. Plain and simple. It it responsible for the large numbers of non-violent prisoners in our jails today. I am especially incensed at the wrongs it perpetuates against our Constitution (wrongful search and seizure, etc). If elected, I promise to do whatever I can to end this waste of taxpayer money.
Question 2 - People may follow whatever path they wish toward enlightenment, if they so choose. I do not believe it is in our government's interest to determine what religion, if any, an individual should follow. To take such an interest would be in patent violation of the Constitution.
Question 3 - Taxes are a necessary evil. However, something should be done. Our current income tax situation is especially problematic. I feel that it should be done away with - the Constitution expressly forbids any form of income tax. The income tax was enacted as a supposedly "temporary" measure during the crisis of war. However, it was never repealed, and we are thus mired in the issue. I promise that if elected, I will work towards removal of this violation, and to seek better ways toward solving our nation's debt.
Question 4 - The electoral college should stay. I do not think that removal of this system will help anything. The problem isn't in the system, it is in the representatives voting in a manner not representative of the people they supposedly represent. This problem should be examined - to determine if corporate or other funds are being used to sway opinions. Once that is determined (and fixed if need be), the electoral college will once again work the way it was intended.
Question 5 - I am very close to the issue of intellectual property, being a long time programmer myself. Much of the system in place currently for IP doesn't address the quick changing nature of the internet. Changes to copyright and patent law need to be examined and implemented to correct these deficiencies. Various measures in patent law probably need to be repealed or drastically changed (such as patenting of business methods and algorithms). Similarly, copyright law needs to be re-examined. I feel the DMCA, as well as the UCITA, are both examples of problems in our copyright law (the DMCA being especially damaging, threating the fair-use clause of copyright). I believe that both patents and copyrights should exist, but that they should foster innovation, and not cause stagnation through overly long terms and extensions. I also feel that both should provide for more protection and help for the individual, and less for corporate interests (as a side note, I am very much against a corporation having rights like a citizen). I also support an individuals right to learn, and the right to own things, not license them. To this end, individuals should be able to learn from how something works - reverse engineering should be a protected right...
Question 6 - I promise that if elected I will do whatever I can to make encryption available to the masses, worldwide. I believe privacy is very important. It is not the government's job to nanny the population, and it is certainly not our government's job to "lord over" the world. In today's internet connected world, we must push for privacy, with strong encryption leading this push.
Question 7 - These people raise a valid point. Corporations are reaching the size (some would say they have already) to take on national governments, to possibly overshadow them or control them. I am not against the import or export of goods, but I have to be concerned when it seems that corporations are placing money before the intests of the people. People are not cattle to be slaughtered before the almighty dollar. Corporations are not people, and should not be treated as such. The people should come first.
Question 8 - Natural threats from outer space are very real. Living in Arizona, and having been to Meteor Crater twice, I can verify what a small chunk of iron can do to an area. Most asteroids are much bigger than this, and would quite probably wipe out life on earth if one breached the atmosphere and struck us. I feel that we should do what we can as a nation to come up with a way to reliably detect, track and defend against such an issue.
Question 9 - I believe our national mission should be promoting peace among the people of the world - to get them to look around, and see how petty their differences are - but how great their similarities are. We should be an example to the world, and learn to be more tolerant, respectful, and caring toward one another - in our neighborhoods, workplace, cities and states. We claim that we have conquered racism, and to anyone with half a brain, this statement is patently false. We have not stopped racism - it is still a major problem. We have not stopped discrimination (Don't ask/Don't tell - my ass!). I promise that if elected - I will do everything in my power to help make peace, tolerance, and general respect a reality.
There you have it - my promises on these issues. I furthermore wish to relate to you that I will do what I can to get science and math in schools more agressively promoted as subjects worth knowing. I am a geek - and I would love to see more money going toward programs that support this issue. America as a whole seems to be going down the drain intellectually. Our national goal does seem to tend toward "couch potatoism". I want to get us away from that, and back on the road to a nation of respect, intelligence and peace.
Thank you.
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I was at a MacFrugals recently, and found this little address book thingy. It was in the same style case as a portable CD player, and popped open with addresses to write in. The real funny thing about it was the name of the "manufacturer": Panashiba.
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However, this may be slightly OT, but no matter...
Laws are crazy - here in the States, they get so convuluted, arbitrary, and strange - esp. from state to state!
I was recently looking up a California law regarding a speeding ticket I got (I rightly deserved the ticket). In the process of looking up the law on the net (as well as checking the Arizona equivalents - AZ being my home state), I came across an interesting Cali law:
Did you know, that in CA, if so much as a single spark leaves your vehicle, you are "breaking" the law? The law was designed (I presume) to prevent smokers from throwing lit butts out their windows while going down the freeway, setting the dry, drought stricken land on fire. Which sounds OK - however, the way the law is worded, a simple, single spark would be enough to "trip" the law. IOW, say you light up a cigarette in your car, and the flint on your Bic breaks, and a trailing spark flies out your window. As soon as it does - you are breaking the law, regardless of whether the spark is still burning (or even hot) by the time it hits the ground...
Crazy, huh?
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Honesty! That is what is wanted. When I first learned that Jesse Ventura was Minnesota's governor - I thought to myself, "Where have I heard that name...?". Of course, it soon struck me as to where - and I wondered who would vote in a professional wrestler for their governor...
Then I heard him speak...
And I thought: "Here is an honest and intelligent man."
I keep wondering when such an individual will be president...
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The shades don't mean new bidded/seller, they simply mean new name. IOW, you could have a feedback rating of 1000, but as soon as you changed your name/handle/ID, you would get the shades. It is possible to see the history of a user's ID now, if they change names mid-stream.
New bidders/sellers get the shades because they are, in effect, a new name. After awhile (30 days?), the shades go away - even if they never bid on anything (though they would have to bid at least once for others to see the shades, or absence thereof)...
If you want to truely know how well a bidder/seller is doing, look at the feedback, as well as the feedback comments. Don't trust somebody simply if he has 300 feedback - for all you know, he had 400 six months ago, and received 100 negative feedbacks since then! Similarly, don't knock someone who has low positive feedback without checking the comments - he may only have 20 feedback, but maybe all were positives, spanning a three month period or something - pretty reliable individual, if you ask me...
Only if you see someone with zero feedback and shades, should you consider the person an unknown. This doesn't mean they are bad, just keep your wits about you...
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You know, I found it refreshing to hear what these two individuals had to say about the questions they were posed. You could tell it was honest opinion when MyReynolds opined on "inhaling" once-in-a-while, even now.
At first, this statement shocked me ("WHAAT! A candidate admitting to casual marijuana use? The nerve!") - but as I thought about it, I liked his honesty. This is one trait you have to admire, even if you don't agree with anything else the man says: He was being honest.
This in itself is something we rarely see in normal, everyday individuals, let alone politicians...
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While I haven't had time to implement anything yet in my homebrew VR pursuit, I have spent time trying to decide on what I want to use for the display.
So far, my choice has settled on some sort of full-screen X window interface (maybe using SDL or GGI). The driver hardware for my HMD is a VGA->TV converter, and I need a 640x480 screen @ 60 Hz refresh to get the converter working. I once got X doing it on an old Redhat box, but I lost the config settings. So, I know it is possible.
I am not sure what it would take to go "full screen" with X, or if I could use something else to drop into that mode. I like SDL for its cross platform use, plus the fact that it can work console or in X. IIRC, it also supports OpenGL, which I will need for my work.
The one thing I didn't like about SVGAlib was the root access issue. Has this been corrected yet, or is it just because it needs to access the hardware in such a direct manner, that it does this? SVGAlib, otherwise, would probably be fine for me to use...
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I just found something out on Spinmaster Toys. I am not sure what is happening, maybe their site domain name was infringing on something or another (who knows these days - probably had to do with the fishing reel manufacturer!). Anyhow, a couple of links:
This link auto-forwards you to here, which proclaims to be a new home for "A retail site for air powered glider planes" - which sounds like it may be the real case, not sure...
WHOIS lists a Richard Giardini - but this guy doesn't appear connected with the company. I don't know if they have gone out-of-business, or what...
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It was called the Air Jammer - by TOMY.
Air Hogs from Spinmaster Toys are similar, but use the air to spin a prop for a free-flight toy airplane (BTW, the site isn't there anymore - does anyone have a clue what happened to them?). I bought one of these when they first came out, and I was impressed (damn fun to fly!)...
Recently I was at a Wal-mart and noticed that this other company (can't remember who) started making the Air Jammer again - except they don't call it as such. It is the exact same car - I own an original Air Jammer (with box, bought it off of Ebay for $15.00 - I collect 80's TOMY), and this car was exactly the same - they either bought or licensed the patents from TOMY.
IOW, they are still available. Air powered machines aren't new things, esp on the toy front. You used to be able to get compressed air engines for radio control and free-flight model planes (back in 20's-40's), not sure if they are still available or not...
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Yeah - it's funny turning the framerate "meter" o in REND386 on any moderately powerful machine (like, on my P200) - framerates go over the top (>100+). I would love to see how well it works on anything recent (1 GHz Athalon, etc).
Still, it probably can't beat out a good 3D card, since it is only software. I would love to see a hibrid of REND386 or AVRIL on the front end, with OpenGL or GLIDE on the back end for rendering. Then maybe the spinning bananna could be textured, and we could see the amusement park rides the way they should look.
Pity not many care about homebrew VR anymore (my site rarely gets any hits, though that could be because of my lack of attention to it - I am thinking about replacing it with something else)...
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