The BEFSR11 is truly cool. $50 gets you a box that barely draws any power and routes requests quite nicely for 254 machines and functions as a DHCP server to boot.
I think part of the problem is the belief that transportation should drive you right to your door, so you can roll out of your comfy car seat and onto your couch.
A transportation system only has to get you within a few blocks of your destination, as it only takes a few minutes to walk the rest. And to top it all off, it's needed exercise that most people don't get.
A- I'm talking American dollars. B- I'm talking about first run theaters, not second run bargin places. Not that there's anything wrong with them...If you have one localy I envy you...ours closed down a few years ago.
I'd imagine that with first run theaters, in CDN dollars, the price of a movie is closer to $11~12 or so.
It doesn't matter to me. If I go to see the movie at the cinema on cheap night, it's 5-7 bucks. If I wait 5 months to rent it and watch it on my 20 year old TV and VCR, it's still 5-6 bucks...
You're either very much out of touch with what things cost, or more likely just bending the numbers to support your point of view.
Rentals cost 3.99 for new releases in blockbuster. In addition two, three or twenty people watching that same movie still cost $3.99. Compare this to any first run theater which is $8.50 minimum...per person.
One can throw together a very reasonable home theater system for under a grand. You invite who you want, decide when the movie starts, and most improtantly decide how LOUD the movie is.
It's really quite a thing to watch a movie in a nice home theater system with comfy seating and the volume cranked...I can assure you. And then of course there's the most important reason for having a home theater: Beer.
It's amazing that the same people who put themselves in a bad position with their pictures and music would again willingly do so with their kernels.
Bitkeeper could easily change their license with after an acceptable amount of market share, just as GIF, JPEG and MP3 did before them. RMS, as usual, is dead on target here.
It's not a matter of being unable to do it, heck just save an extra mp3 on the cd and syncronize playback. It's just an issue of players supporting this with a single button.
most computers have some sort of output to TV don't they? mine always have
They do, but most people don't know how to use them. Also, the vast majority of outputs out there are based the Brooketree chipset....which really, really stinks.
Compare that to the simplicity of popping a disk into a player and pressing "play".
Although two movies on a cd sounds farfetched, even a single dvd-quality movie on a cd would be a big jump. Yes there have been lots of improvements in Divx, but on single-disc movies it's still quite clear at times that you're watching a divx and not a dvd.
The way I see it, Divx needs 3 things before it becomes a major threat to DVD.
1-Players capable of playing multiple soundtracks, for multiple languages and/or commentary.
2-Componant Divx Players, or more likely DVD players that can also play DIVX content. People want to watch movies on their tv, not their computer, and only geeks have good tv-output capabilities.
3-Able to fit even longer movies on a single cd with near dvd-quality. No one like changing (or flipping) disks in the middle of a movie.
Meet these demands and allow even a layman to pop a DIVX disk into their dvd player and sit back with a bowl of popcorn, and the MPA has a major problem on their hands.
The whole situation reminds me of when electrical grids were just being set up, however metering was not widespread and the available meters crude.
Eventually when the technology improves, the system will have to move to a "pay what you weigh" billing scheme just like all of our other utilities.
I mean, let's face it. Internet access is becoming a utility, just like electricity, water gas, etc. Why then should it not be billed by the gallon, kW or whatever just like any other utility?
I know it sounds aweful to the all-you-can-eat salad bar culture, but it's probably inevitable.
The univeristy doesn't declare certain types of machines illegal, they just refuse to support them. I'd wager that very few, if any machines destined for college shipped with w2k pre-installed. This means owners of w2k machines either were knowledgable enough to install it themselves, or knew someone who was. Chances are they'll go to their savy friend for support, and not brave the lines at IT.
This isn't nearly the same situation as computers that shipped from Dell or gateway with no admin password set. That's something that could be easily overlooked. In these cases however, chances are the same people who installed w2k knew enough to at least put in a simple password.
And I think we can all agree at this point that a properly patched W2K Pro installation is just as secure (if not more so) as even a properly patched XP one. This really just has to be the case of college IT administrators being wooed by MS hype.
There's more to building quality speakers then just mounting drivers in a box: particularly with ported designs. Building a sub with controlled, tight bass is the challenge; anyone can build a deafening "rumble box".
It's true that windows 3.1 is commonly thought of as merely a shell for DOS, however later revisions of it worked increasing amounts of OS-like behavior.
If I recall correctly, Windows 3.x was one of the first bits of software that allowed access to the extended mode of the 386 architecture. With the exception of memory mangers like himem and EMM386, DOS ran strictly in real mode.
Later versions such as Windows for Workgroups also had a 32bit disk access driver that allowed them to bypass the system BIOS entirely for improved performance.
So while it might be easy to think of 3.1 as just a shell for DOS, it did incorperate plenty low-level features typical of advanced operating systems.
Not to point out the blindingly obvious, but it's quite likely that they're not using:::all::: the gates on the EPK400C. Just because the PLD (PROGRAMABLE Logic Device) has that many gates doesn't mean they're all being used in the bitboy design.
Slashdot Mirror
What.....like this:
Wow! Oracle and Access mentioned in the same sentence without sarcasm or outright laughter. Someone please note the date and time.
I think part of the problem is the belief that transportation should drive you right to your door, so you can roll out of your comfy car seat and onto your couch.
A transportation system only has to get you within a few blocks of your destination, as it only takes a few minutes to walk the rest. And to top it all off, it's needed exercise that most people don't get.
-Chris
I'd be buggered if I had to break out the tone probe and trace the damn thing. I'd wager the batteries wouldn't even make it to the mainland.
-Chris
Yes I thought that too at first, but then why put audio onboard? And :::tube::: audio at that?
Also notice that the board was given a model name; "AK86 Tube". All very strange and atypical for a reference board.
-Chris
What, still only 32-bit PCI slots? :::yawn:::
-Chris
Turn those disks into something useful; Purchase the AOL Construction Kit?
-Chris
A- I'm talking American dollars.
B- I'm talking about first run theaters, not second run bargin places. Not that there's anything wrong with them...If you have one localy I envy you...ours closed down a few years ago.
I'd imagine that with first run theaters, in CDN dollars, the price of a movie is closer to $11~12 or so.
-Chris
You're either very much out of touch with what things cost, or more likely just bending the numbers to support your point of view.
Rentals cost 3.99 for new releases in blockbuster. In addition two, three or twenty people watching that same movie still cost $3.99. Compare this to any first run theater which is $8.50 minimum...per person.
One can throw together a very reasonable home theater system for under a grand. You invite who you want, decide when the movie starts, and most improtantly decide how LOUD the movie is.
It's really quite a thing to watch a movie in a nice home theater system with comfy seating and the volume cranked...I can assure you. And then of course there's the most important reason for having a home theater: Beer.
-Chris
Safedisc licensing agreements are also pending.
-Chris
It's amazing that the same people who put themselves in a bad position with their pictures and music would again willingly do so with their kernels.
Bitkeeper could easily change their license with after an acceptable amount of market share, just as GIF, JPEG and MP3 did before them. RMS, as usual, is dead on target here.
-Chris
It's not a matter of being unable to do it, heck just save an extra mp3 on the cd and syncronize playback. It's just an issue of players supporting this with a single button.
-Chris
it's not like you have to sit there with a pencil and do all the math yourself...
Speaking of which....what tool is he using that requires 30 hours on a PIII 600? MS Paint?
-Chris
They do, but most people don't know how to use them. Also, the vast majority of outputs out there are based the Brooketree chipset....which really, really stinks.
Compare that to the simplicity of popping a disk into a player and pressing "play".
-Chris
Although two movies on a cd sounds farfetched, even a single dvd-quality movie on a cd would be a big jump. Yes there have been lots of improvements in Divx, but on single-disc movies it's still quite clear at times that you're watching a divx and not a dvd.
The way I see it, Divx needs 3 things before it becomes a major threat to DVD.
1-Players capable of playing multiple soundtracks, for multiple languages and/or commentary.
2-Componant Divx Players, or more likely DVD players that can also play DIVX content. People want to watch movies on their tv, not their computer, and only geeks have good tv-output capabilities.
3-Able to fit even longer movies on a single cd with near dvd-quality. No one like changing (or flipping) disks in the middle of a movie.
Meet these demands and allow even a layman to pop a DIVX disk into their dvd player and sit back with a bowl of popcorn, and the MPA has a major problem on their hands.
-Chris
The whole situation reminds me of when electrical grids were just being set up, however metering was not widespread and the available meters crude.
Eventually when the technology improves, the system will have to move to a "pay what you weigh" billing scheme just like all of our other utilities.
I mean, let's face it. Internet access is becoming a utility, just like electricity, water gas, etc. Why then should it not be billed by the gallon, kW or whatever just like any other utility?
I know it sounds aweful to the all-you-can-eat salad bar culture, but it's probably inevitable.
-Chris
...until I reveal my talking paperclip patent to the world. Muahaha Muuuahahah
-Chris
The univeristy doesn't declare certain types of machines illegal, they just refuse to support them. I'd wager that very few, if any machines destined for college shipped with w2k pre-installed. This means owners of w2k machines either were knowledgable enough to install it themselves, or knew someone who was. Chances are they'll go to their savy friend for support, and not brave the lines at IT.
This isn't nearly the same situation as computers that shipped from Dell or gateway with no admin password set. That's something that could be easily overlooked. In these cases however, chances are the same people who installed w2k knew enough to at least put in a simple password.
And I think we can all agree at this point that a properly patched W2K Pro installation is just as secure (if not more so) as even a properly patched XP one. This really just has to be the case of college IT administrators being wooed by MS hype.
Of course with the PC you can also check email, word process, browse the internet, print cards, download porn....etc.
Consoles are a one trick pony, where something like a PC can wear many hats.
-Chris
There's more to building quality speakers then just mounting drivers in a box: particularly with ported designs. Building a sub with controlled, tight bass is the challenge; anyone can build a deafening "rumble box".
-Chris
But why would anyone have to reinstall windows?
And another good question; is "Blatent Karma Whore" a full time position? I think I need help.
-Chris
...when speech is about to be ruled a DRM circumvention device under the DCMA.
I mean....uh.....::grunt::::grunt:::
It's true that windows 3.1 is commonly thought of as merely a shell for DOS, however later revisions of it worked increasing amounts of OS-like behavior.
If I recall correctly, Windows 3.x was one of the first bits of software that allowed access to the extended mode of the 386 architecture. With the exception of memory mangers like himem and EMM386, DOS ran strictly in real mode.
Later versions such as Windows for Workgroups also had a 32bit disk access driver that allowed them to bypass the system BIOS entirely for improved performance.
So while it might be easy to think of 3.1 as just a shell for DOS, it did incorperate plenty low-level features typical of advanced operating systems.
-Chris
Not to point out the blindingly obvious, but it's quite likely that they're not using :::all::: the gates on the EPK400C. Just because the PLD (PROGRAMABLE Logic Device) has that many gates doesn't mean they're all being used in the bitboy design.
-Chris
Halfway around the world, Bill Gates breathes a long sigh of relief as Microsoft's profitability is assured well into the next century...
-Chris