I've been trying to find the CD storage case in the CSI episode "Random Acts of Violence" where a man is killed by a single blow to the head (by what turned out to be a hammer falling through a vent overhead) in the server room of his company.
Anyone seen that episode and know who makes the disc holder the victim owned?
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ASCII World Cup
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· Score: 4, Informative
While your math is sound as is the point you bring up I'd like to add to it if I can. You have to realize that not every application of these capacitors will require a 10-60 second charge time. For the laptop example most people would be exstatic if they could recharge their laptop from dead to full in 5-10 minutes, which would only require a 300-600 watt power supply. I'm sure that would be bulky but not unreasonably so for and external supply with the ability to charge that quickly.
The real gotcha is that the charge power is not anywhere close to constant like the first 80% of a charge to a conventional battery. Within the first 20% of the charge cycle you'll have pushed 2/3 of the total power that cap is going to draw if it's readily available. With that in mind they'll probably have a built in cut-off similar to those used in Li-Ion batteries that prevents the cap from discharging below a certain point. which would certainly limit the available power but lessen the demands during charging.
So basically if we want charging in seconds like the article suggests, we're working with overly large power requirements and/or diminished capacity. If we want minute scale chargnig we're looking at diminished capacity and reasonable power requirements.
There's also competition with newer Li-Ion and LiPoly configurations which, through the use of nano-tech as well, to give us 80% charges in 5-10 minutes. There are also quick-charge NiMH solutions already on the market which can pack about 40,000 joules into 4 cells in 8-15 minutes and are scalable to laptop level battery configurations.
I don't think this is going anywhere for a while, but it could end up with some use in industry eventually. And I certainly like the idea of large cheap caps even if they won't replace batteries any time soon.
If I were you I'd check and see what rate your modem is syncing at, as well as what your line capacity and signal quality look like. If you can get it from your modem great, if not your ISP should be able to tell you. They should also be able to give you an idea of what signal level is required to maintain your desired bandwidth and possibly an idea of how far out on the loop you are. The backend equipment on their network can make a large difference as well. I'm not sure about Verizon, but an SBC/ATT connection will be almost completely unusable with a SNR of 6dB, whereas 5dB SNR on Qwest's system will give you your full sync rate.
Not all DSL modems are created equally either. I know SBC/ATT gained an extra 2-3kfeet of usable loop with 2Wire gateways instead of SpeedStream DSL bridges. Another thing to check on is the house's wiring. If you've got old untwisted copper in the walls it needs to be replaced with cat5, if you have a home alarm it needs to be filtered. Hell, see if you can have them install a filter in the box outside and leave one jack unfiltered for DSL. You can also purchase a Cat3 DSL Patch so you have twisted pair all the way to your modem. Things as unlikely as a dimmer switch can destroy your DSL signal as well and most techs wouldn't give them a second thought. Hopefully that gives you something to work with. If you can't get your connection up to a satisfactory level see if you have any alternatives available.
Cox Communications offers a 9MBit package out here in Phoenix. My room-mates and I have been able to consistantly speed test and real-world test it to the full 9 meg capacity. Better then that, during off peak times we can pull closer to 10.5Mbit from a capable server. Sure it's $65, but it works well and my employer reimburses me for it in the end.
The flexability of PVC can definitely be a blessing or a curse. If you're having problems cutting PVC for a sprinkler system though, you aren't using the right tool
It's not just the electronics, it's also your status as a foreign citizen.
I've made several flights from Arizona to Silicon Valley with a carry-on bag *packed* with various electronics and I don't think they've even stopped the conveyer belt as it went under the x-ray machine. Normally I'd check it, but they seem to be more paranoid about electronics that sit in the cargo hold. And no matter what they say, that TSA inspection slip is not worth the stuff that disappeared from my bag when I made that mistake.
They did scan it a little more carefully when I went to Florida with the same electronics as well as a large homemade LiPoly battery in my carry-on(can we say firebomb?) but they have never hand searched any of my carry-on bags.
I locked my keys in my truck at a gas station. The attendant, a former tow truck driver, had my door open with a slim jim (the metal tool not the questionable meat snack) faster than I could have unlocked it with my key in hand.
The company I work for (can't say who) has a call center in Phoenix and starts L1 techs at $12/hr. The biggest difference is that you can't get by reading a script, you actually have to be familiar with various OSes and home networking. If you're doing scripted L1 support you're getting paid for your skill set, which is reading and light typing not technical ability. While there are a lot of companies that don't want to pay a skilled person to do the job domestically, not all of them feel that way. If you don't have the skills or can't find the work, then it's time to go to something else.
I bought the collectors edition of HL2. I'm not into counterstrike or any of the other games, I just wanted HL2. I installed it on my machine and tried to run it and ended up spending the better part of 2 weeks trying to get it working.
I had the priviledge of participating in live chat, e-mail and phone support with several different reps working from scripts in India. None really knew what was going on, but their flow charts did point in the right direction: there was some problem with the DVD or the drive that was keeping the game from running.
Upon launch the HL2.exe process would run, ramp up it's memory and processor usage and then quietly quit. no error, no feedback. After several reinstalls of both game and OS I exchanged my dvd for a new one, only to have the same problem. Rather than swap out my drive I pulled disc check crack off the internet and sure enough the game loaded without any issues.
Not only is there issues with their remote auth for the game, but there are issues with the SecuROM protection they use on the actual discs, forcing me to crack my legit copy of HL2 just to get the damn thing to *run*.
Apparently they removed this protection later via a steam update, but prior to that it was easier for me to pirate the game than to launch it legitmately.
the radioactive waste from coal goes straight into the atmosphere.
Where it is effectively diluted throughout the entire airspace, and that most likely means it presents less of a risk of radiation poisoning than the concentrated stores of spent nuclear fuel that are associated with traditional nuclear power plants
I would think it's better to get it into a concentrated form that can be sealed away from *everyone* than expose everyone to a low level of effectively unblockable radiation. I realize it's probably not even noticable above background, but my original point still stands.
If we could reprocess our spent fuel we wouldn't have to worry about finding space for 90% of our generated "waste". Seal what's left in glass, bury it in a mountain away from the water table and let it cool off where it won't effect anyone.
For those of you that want to purchase a Kill-A-Watt for less than what ThinkGeek is charging, and from someone that has it in stock, check out Froogle
America today doesn't have the political will to devote the hundreds of billions in investments that'll be required to send people to the moon and beyond
The sad part is, we could could get to Mars for half the cost of what they were trying to appropriate for rebuilding Iraq, spread out over a decade...
From what I understand, even if the Hubble wouldn't screw up it's optics when pointing at the earth or moon, the largest pieces of equipment we left on the surface of the moon are significantly smaller than what Hubble can resolve at it's distance from the moon. It's made to see stars across the universe after gathering light for hours (or days) not focus on nearby stuff. And most of the observatories on earth aren't able to resolve that kind of detail either. We need a lunar spy sat:-)
I know my friend's parents bought and installed a copy of mcaffee anti-virus, despite her urgings to use AVGFree instead. I'm sure the AV companies are making bank off the headlines.
The volume goes that high because every set of earphones is different. Earbuds may be particularly efficient with their smaller drivers and closer positioning to the ear drums, but if they assume everyone is going to use the stock phones (I know I can't because of the shape of my ears), they're going to get a lot of complaints when other headphones can't be turned up to what would be their normal volume.
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I say we change it to a monkey throwing a chair :-D
I've been trying to find the CD storage case in the CSI episode "Random Acts of Violence" where a man is killed by a single blow to the head (by what turned out to be a hammer falling through a vent overhead) in the server room of his company.
Anyone seen that episode and know who makes the disc holder the victim owned?
I guess I'll just keep playing Text Mode First Person Shooters while I wait
I may have some contract work for you in the near future on a rail-gun project :-)
While your math is sound as is the point you bring up I'd like to add to it if I can. You have to realize that not every application of these capacitors will require a 10-60 second charge time. For the laptop example most people would be exstatic if they could recharge their laptop from dead to full in 5-10 minutes, which would only require a 300-600 watt power supply. I'm sure that would be bulky but not unreasonably so for and external supply with the ability to charge that quickly.
The real gotcha is that the charge power is not anywhere close to constant like the first 80% of a charge to a conventional battery. Within the first 20% of the charge cycle you'll have pushed 2/3 of the total power that cap is going to draw if it's readily available. With that in mind they'll probably have a built in cut-off similar to those used in Li-Ion batteries that prevents the cap from discharging below a certain point. which would certainly limit the available power but lessen the demands during charging.
So basically if we want charging in seconds like the article suggests, we're working with overly large power requirements and/or diminished capacity. If we want minute scale chargnig we're looking at diminished capacity and reasonable power requirements.
There's also competition with newer Li-Ion and LiPoly configurations which, through the use of nano-tech as well, to give us 80% charges in 5-10 minutes. There are also quick-charge NiMH solutions already on the market which can pack about 40,000 joules into 4 cells in 8-15 minutes and are scalable to laptop level battery configurations.
I don't think this is going anywhere for a while, but it could end up with some use in industry eventually. And I certainly like the idea of large cheap caps even if they won't replace batteries any time soon.
If I were you I'd check and see what rate your modem is syncing at, as well as what your line capacity and signal quality look like. If you can get it from your modem great, if not your ISP should be able to tell you. They should also be able to give you an idea of what signal level is required to maintain your desired bandwidth and possibly an idea of how far out on the loop you are. The backend equipment on their network can make a large difference as well. I'm not sure about Verizon, but an SBC/ATT connection will be almost completely unusable with a SNR of 6dB, whereas 5dB SNR on Qwest's system will give you your full sync rate.
Not all DSL modems are created equally either. I know SBC/ATT gained an extra 2-3kfeet of usable loop with 2Wire gateways instead of SpeedStream DSL bridges. Another thing to check on is the house's wiring. If you've got old untwisted copper in the walls it needs to be replaced with cat5, if you have a home alarm it needs to be filtered. Hell, see if you can have them install a filter in the box outside and leave one jack unfiltered for DSL. You can also purchase a Cat3 DSL Patch so you have twisted pair all the way to your modem. Things as unlikely as a dimmer switch can destroy your DSL signal as well and most techs wouldn't give them a second thought. Hopefully that gives you something to work with. If you can't get your connection up to a satisfactory level see if you have any alternatives available.
Cox Communications offers a 9MBit package out here in Phoenix. My room-mates and I have been able to consistantly speed test and real-world test it to the full 9 meg capacity. Better then that, during off peak times we can pull closer to 10.5Mbit from a capable server. Sure it's $65, but it works well and my employer reimburses me for it in the end.
The flexability of PVC can definitely be a blessing or a curse. If you're having problems cutting PVC for a sprinkler system though, you aren't using the right tool
It's not just the electronics, it's also your status as a foreign citizen.
I've made several flights from Arizona to Silicon Valley with a carry-on bag *packed* with various electronics and I don't think they've even stopped the conveyer belt as it went under the x-ray machine. Normally I'd check it, but they seem to be more paranoid about electronics that sit in the cargo hold. And no matter what they say, that TSA inspection slip is not worth the stuff that disappeared from my bag when I made that mistake.
They did scan it a little more carefully when I went to Florida with the same electronics as well as a large homemade LiPoly battery in my carry-on(can we say firebomb?) but they have never hand searched any of my carry-on bags.
I locked my keys in my truck at a gas station. The attendant, a former tow truck driver, had my door open with a slim jim (the metal tool not the questionable meat snack) faster than I could have unlocked it with my key in hand.
Gone in 60 Seconds indeed
And if you want to see Maxwell's Demon, You can do so here:
http://www.machall.com/index.php?strip_id=346
The company I work for (can't say who) has a call center in Phoenix and starts L1 techs at $12/hr. The biggest difference is that you can't get by reading a script, you actually have to be familiar with various OSes and home networking. If you're doing scripted L1 support you're getting paid for your skill set, which is reading and light typing not technical ability. While there are a lot of companies that don't want to pay a skilled person to do the job domestically, not all of them feel that way. If you don't have the skills or can't find the work, then it's time to go to something else.
therefore WINE = Nobody
QED
I think you just managed to squeeze half a semester of my logic 101 into your post :-)
Just do (42/pi)pi and call it done :-)
I bought the collectors edition of HL2. I'm not into counterstrike or any of the other games, I just wanted HL2. I installed it on my machine and tried to run it and ended up spending the better part of 2 weeks trying to get it working.
I had the priviledge of participating in live chat, e-mail and phone support with several different reps working from scripts in India. None really knew what was going on, but their flow charts did point in the right direction: there was some problem with the DVD or the drive that was keeping the game from running.
Upon launch the HL2.exe process would run, ramp up it's memory and processor usage and then quietly quit. no error, no feedback. After several reinstalls of both game and OS I exchanged my dvd for a new one, only to have the same problem. Rather than swap out my drive I pulled disc check crack off the internet and sure enough the game loaded without any issues.
Not only is there issues with their remote auth for the game, but there are issues with the SecuROM protection they use on the actual discs, forcing me to crack my legit copy of HL2 just to get the damn thing to *run*.
Apparently they removed this protection later via a steam update, but prior to that it was easier for me to pirate the game than to launch it legitmately.
If we could reprocess our spent fuel we wouldn't have to worry about finding space for 90% of our generated "waste". Seal what's left in glass, bury it in a mountain away from the water table and let it cool off where it won't effect anyone.
For those of you that want to purchase a Kill-A-Watt for less than what ThinkGeek is charging, and from someone that has it in stock, check out Froogle
From what I understand, even if the Hubble wouldn't screw up it's optics when pointing at the earth or moon, the largest pieces of equipment we left on the surface of the moon are significantly smaller than what Hubble can resolve at it's distance from the moon. It's made to see stars across the universe after gathering light for hours (or days) not focus on nearby stuff. And most of the observatories on earth aren't able to resolve that kind of detail either. We need a lunar spy sat :-)
I know my friend's parents bought and installed a copy of mcaffee anti-virus, despite her urgings to use AVGFree instead. I'm sure the AV companies are making bank off the headlines.
The volume goes that high because every set of earphones is different. Earbuds may be particularly efficient with their smaller drivers and closer positioning to the ear drums, but if they assume everyone is going to use the stock phones (I know I can't because of the shape of my ears), they're going to get a lot of complaints when other headphones can't be turned up to what would be their normal volume.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't