I was amused when you called HDV "Better Gear". I suppose for a lot of people it is. However, just remember that HDV is the bastard format of high def sourcing. It uses rather harsh compression to fake and fit an HD signal on a DV tape. Trying to fit an HD stream into a 25 Mbps pipe is just asking for trouble. True HD is much more intensive. DVCPro HD runs at 100 Mbps and HDCAM streams at 140 Mbps. It looks awesome too, but unfortunately Varicam packges are something like $100K.
On an aesthetic note, I got to compare an XL2 with an XL H1 head to head. That is about as fair a comparison of formats that exists. The settings were as equivalent as possible. To my eye, the SD footage from the XL2 looked better than the HD footage from the XL H1, especially on pans. Hell, faster focus pulls on the XL H1 occasionally popped artifacts. Canon did well, but HDV is (or should be) a purely consumer format.
Anyway, I guess my point is, for "Pro-sumer" and lower level professional work in video and audio, Firewire is here to stay. I doubt USB (whatever version) will ever be able to handle continuous HD streaming stably. Firewire also works wonderfully between decks and computers. I hope USB2 dies too. I HATE dealing with clients who buy those drives. I have actually told a couple that I need to buy them a "real" hard drive to deliver their project, or a backup. I don't usually bother explaining.
All American suck, because they let their government do idiotic things like only make data available in proprietary formats.
Seriously: Can we have the government define government-wide standards for data accessibility? No OOXML crap. We need real, open standards that any company can use and interface with. Perhaps all standards have to be ISO and Creative Commons/GPL licensed?
I'm sure Google, IBM, and a host of other companies would love it, especially if it aided prior-art research with the USPTO. If Microsoft tries to inject their semi-open crap, hopefully the other companies will pound it down.
Good for MSFT for donating much-needed equipment to the LOC, but they do more harm than good sometimes. Silverlight? Hopefully there is a simple HTML page I can use instead.
Some years ago, there was an effort by the LOC to implement an online registration system for copyrights. They tried then to do a windows-only implementation in a way that violated section 508. It didn't fly, and they are using a PDF system with generated barcodes. I have done some work for multi million dollar production houses with not a single networked Windows box. Nobody would risk connecting their dedicated Gigastudio machine to the internet either.
Anyway, the point is:
They have been exceedingly shortsighted in providing non-Windows support in the past. If they offer two versions of their content, then that is acceptable, but if they don't offer something that is 508 compliant, perhaps it is time for a lawsuit. It would probably do more than anything else to wake them up. They keep assuming that the entire world uses Windows, but many of us don't. Windows is NOT a standard. Standards are good. Potential congressman Lessig would probably agree.
---------- If anyone is writing them, posit this:
I can only use the LOC website with silverlight if I have a windows PC.
Would the LOC use MARC records as a data standard if they could only use MARC records:
a-With a $500 reader that will no longer be useful after 3 years?
b-With a $500 dollar reader that only a single company makes?
c-With a $500 dollar reader that users can't legally and freely share with other users?
d-If only MARC records could only be hosted on a (expensive) server made by said company?
e-If the company wasn't willing to support MARC records if they didn't end up widely adapted by commercial markets?
e-If the MARC records standards was owned by said company, and changes were illegal?
f-If MARC records violated ss.508 and many usability standards your patrons rely on? ----------
Maybe they will understand in that context.
I don't mean to bash the LOC. I have worked with some amazing staffers and librarians there. They do an awesome job. But, the bureaucracy and some of the leadership have their heads so deep in sand they have hit bedrock.
It would mean being able to fusion-splice a prism into a glass strand as thick as a hair. Without interrupting the light, in a sealed chamber underwater at a pressure and atmosphere suitable for a fusion splice.
There was a point in time when ships were the communication lines carrying western influences into Muslim countries.
As for tapping lines: why bother with a physical tap? I'm sure Cisco has a back-door arrangement with the NSA. Besides, all the major peering points (except those that handle internal traffic in large countries like China and Russia) are western controlled.
So, those flag-of-convenience container ships are run by underpaid, overworked captains. I'm sure if you gave one of them $25,000 or so, they would be more than happy to conduct an "anchor test" for a couple hours while they move over a cable lay.
Someone with a few million and access to some corrupt captains could cut quite a few lines very easily.
I have a feeling we will see corporate taxes fall as more companies threaten to outsource jobs. It is a sweet threat: cut our taxes and get 5% of something, or get 35% of nothing. I'm not sure how much I like that...
Then again, in industries the country has COMPLETELY lost, why not zero out the taxes, since we aren't earning them anyways. A few come to mind: Textile assembly (where is that shirt/pants/corset you are wearing made?) and shipping. We have maybe 200 ocean-going ships that are US flagged, and most of them are somehow government affiliated through the Military Sealift Command. Why don't we zero the taxes US-registered Jones Act ocean going ships pay, and see how much it helps domestic industry. Shipyards grow, ships run under US environmental regs, some high paying mariner jobs are created...All around, good stuff.
I still don't like holding jobs hostage for corporate tax cuts though. Perhaps we should close some loopholes that make off-shoring a tax benefit. That is a subject for another time though.
Yeah, me too. A studio rents for $1600/month, a house? Never sells for under $650,000. The thing is, a lot of people in my area are federal employees. They are definitely not rich given the mortgage they have to pay these days.
Yeah, that is one of my senators (Mr. Webb-D-VA). I'm gonna give him hell for it tomorrow. The staffers need to know that we aren't stupid. We know that cloture is as important as the bill itself. Some of us learned parliamentary procedure in high school government.
Dear old, dead Strom holds the record for the longest filibuster.
What piece of legislation was he trying to protect the USA from?
Why, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, of course!
What an asshole.
----------
At least Dodd is threatening to filibuster a bad piece of legislation. You (the American Public) don't sign contracts without reading them. The Senate shouldn't be granting immunity without knowing what they are immunizing the telecoms from. Perhaps the telecos were lied to and given legal assurances from DOJ, and thus deserve a break, however unlikely. Let us hear all the facts before we grant immunity. Don't sign a contract without reading it.
The bill doesn't expire until Feb. 08, so there is time.
I would love to see end to end encryption become standard. I know that it creates overhead, and as the admin of several small websites, I know the implementation can take longer, but I would still like it to become standard.
The only way that ISPs could then exert control would be through messing with DNS records and redirects, which has far larger implementations. OpenDNS anyone?
There is no Linux alternative to Illustrator, InDesign and GoLive, especially when Bridge is considered. I would hate to have to think about trying to composite a book on Linux, and implementing a decent RIP with color management on Linux? Hiring a developer makes the $20,000USD Xerox or Heidelberg would charge for a decent system seem like nothing.
As for 3D design: Vectorworks does OK, but it's no AutoCAD. And I have been wanting a high-end Mac PCB package with a decent pSpice implementation for forever. gEDA for is good, but needs to mature a bit, and the reliance upon Fink for the OS X implementation can be problematic...
I think there is a place for desktop Linux in large corporations, but it is a matter of convincing people to take the leap. OpenOffice is a change, and people hate change. Novell has a Netware client for Linux. I think the problem is as much psychological as the software dependency issues mentioned in the parent post.
Ok, sorry. A fixed propeller, of course, has fixed blades. I co-opted an aviation term. On boats, one would say "Controllable pitch propeller" instead of aviation's "constant speed propeller". The idea is that the propeller blades feather to optimum efficiency for a given, set RPM.
On airplanes, the constant speed isn't the propeller, but rather the engine. If an engine (especially piston engines) has max torque at 1600 RPMs, then the engine can stay at a optimum constant speed and the prop can feather to apply more or less force on the passing air. Fuel can then be adjusted to maintain the constant engine speed as the propeller changes angle (and thus force/air resistance).
On boats, the same principle applies, just in water. While Beluga's ships might be small enough to handle a controllable pitch prop system, those systems are not as functional or reliable on larger boats. I'm not sure what the max torque is for a commercial controllable pitch system, as I have only every used one on a 40 foot boat. I know tug boats and ferries can use them. I don't know if Beluga uses them. If they do, then I suspect they are low-balling their estimated 10%-15% fuel savings.
A side note: A controllable pitch prop allows for construction without a reversing mechanism. One just rotates the blades.
Motive power is only the largest fraction of consumption on a ship. On all ships, auxiliary equipment must be powered. This ranges from the small consumers, such as navigation equipment and lighting, to the large consumers, such as reefer containers and engineering subsystems. A 10,000 TEU Maersk liner might have 250 reefer slots, and that sucks a lot of power, as does the bunker fuel heater (though usually steam, but still energy from the engine).
Then consider that engine efficiency doesn't scale linearly with fuel consumption, and that propellers on large ships are fixed, not constant speed. This means that a ship moving at 17 knots HAS to make, say, 83 RPMs (for a big Sulzer). So, the kite might provide 50% of motive power, but the ship will only be able to cut the fuel pumps 20%-25%, and can't cut RPMs at all, else the prop starts dragging and cavitating.
I agree. I do all my banking through a little (well, by little they hold less then $1.5 billion USD) local bank. When I was opening business accounts, the VP of loans poked his head in and introduced himself. I had a problem when I moved, with credit information not being updated, and they sorted it out, in person. I just walked into the main branch, and a half hour later, there was no problem anymore. They are also willing to do odd things, like find a strap of sequential uncirculated ones.
I have a personal account with a credit union for just the reasons the parent mentions. I get better rates on credit (if I need it), better rates on CDs, and the customer service is top notch. The other benefit is that business and personal accounts are separated, so they can't pull the "we can transfer easily" crap. Also, if I ever actually make any money, having assets at two institutions increases my FDIC coverage allowance to $200K.
I have dealt with some smaller music contracts that are 25 pages. 5 of those pages are definitions. Definitions are where artists either get screwed or get well-paid.
I have had glimpses of financial deals between large (Fortune 50, yes, five zero, not five hundred) financial institutions. One contract ran 30 pages. The definitions for it ran almost 100 pages.
The point is, talk to a lawyer. It is worth the $300-$500 it will cost.
I suspect a lot of the/. crowd has taken their education into their own hands. I made thermite in high school...not a lot of it, but still, enough to get a nice little flare. We even did the stoich equations to figure out the optimum mixture, since we didn't have pure Iron Oxide III.
A lot of what we did or parents never knew about. Anyway, I guess the point is, we are safer when the government allows the chemistry kits. Kids are going to do stupid things, and it is better when they have directions.
As for the trial lawyers, I think a certain amount of tort reform is needed, conditional upon the manufacturers providing complete information about the dangers their products pose.
I still think lawsuits are completely valid if the manufacturer isn't honest or correct in disclosure. Mattel should have done some QC to prevent lead in toys, or at least labeled them "This product will give your child brain damage if ingested." The author shouldn't have been in a situation where free chlorine was formed, but if the chem set manufacturer explicitly warned of that possibility, then too bad.
Hehe, glider pilots have been trading that story around for years...I know some glider pilots who fly 747s, 320s or C-17s as the day job. They all think that ATPs should have to spend some hours in a glider...learn how to thermal and play the wave.
This guy from San Diego used to take business colleagues on trips in a Beech Bonanza. Many of them had flown in piston planes before, but never with a glider pilot. If this guy found a large enough thermal, he would bank his Bonanza into it and get to altitude amazingly fast. It scared the other guys sometimes, thermals can be a little bumpy. With the plane ducking in and out of some 1500 fpm thermal in the desert, the air traffic controllers would get a little confused...The Bonanza would come close to doubling its usual rate of climb.
But seriously, thanks for posting. Real information from informed people is nice. I have a couple hours in a Cessna and over 20 in gliders (Grob 103, DG-1000 and 2-33). I felt safer during my first glider solo, towing with a slight crosswind and all, than during any of my driver's ed training.
ATL also does parallel approach. I was on a CRJ-200 with a 747-400 trailing on approach to the other runway...It made some passengers nervous. Come to think of it, IAD might too...
I meant to bring up jammers in jest, but let me clarify:
1) Cell phones on planes are bad ideas. I don't want them on planes at all. Aesthetics aside, I don't think that they are safe. I would only want them used if they meet FAA regulations having to do with frequency management and RF interference. Have you ever wondered why a handheld GPS unit for an airplane is twice the cost of a car unit? Even if they look the same? Aside from the Jeppesen chart pack, the unit is RF-shielded.
I have watched someone talking on a cellphone in a Cessna 182. The copilot needed to ask an FBO about landing procedures while firefighting planes were operating. It was a beautiful clear day, not a cloud for miles. The Nav system was tied in with some weather service and some other communications tools. Anyway, large splotches indicating lightning were all over the screen, and other data kept corrupting. On a clear day. They went away when the phone was turned off.
2)For the most part, phone jammers use the same Qualcomm CDMA or GSM chips that phones do, just integrated with a randomizing function. Technically, a phone jammer is absolutely not at all different then having phones calling on all licensed GSM or CDMA bands at once. Since the airplane supposedly doesn't use these specific, licensed frequencies, a phone jammer should be no problem. I would consider a phone jammer that was based around a random noise generator hooked to a frequency sweep circuit to be VERY UNSAFE.
hmm...What if my key itself is incriminating? My key might be a list of all the illegal things I have done.
- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)...Run a red light, key the Bentley that almost drove me over in a crosswalk, music/movies I have downloaded, item 1 with unexpired statute of limitations, item 2 with unexpired statute of limitations...
- -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
By handing it over, it would be a violation of my 5th amendment rights.
Yes, perhaps they would merely make the key contents inadmissible in court, but it would still throw a major wrench into the works.
I recently flew, and had a 1955 Singer sewing machine as carry-on baggage. No way was I checking it. I called the TSA and they told me I needed to remove the needle. I did. At the airport, they ran it through the X-Ray machine twice, once on it's side, and didn't even open the case.
If a singer isn't a problem to carry on, I doubt a home-brew computer in an Anvil case is much of an issue. They might take a slightly closer look at it, and if they are really worried, they will take a closer look at you, the supercomputer toting passenger.
But still, as said elsewhere, I want a comparison with a PS3 cluster.
Slashdot Mirror
I was amused when you called HDV "Better Gear". I suppose for a lot of people it is. However, just remember that HDV is the bastard format of high def sourcing. It uses rather harsh compression to fake and fit an HD signal on a DV tape. Trying to fit an HD stream into a 25 Mbps pipe is just asking for trouble. True HD is much more intensive. DVCPro HD runs at 100 Mbps and HDCAM streams at 140 Mbps. It looks awesome too, but unfortunately Varicam packges are something like $100K.
On an aesthetic note, I got to compare an XL2 with an XL H1 head to head. That is about as fair a comparison of formats that exists. The settings were as equivalent as possible. To my eye, the SD footage from the XL2 looked better than the HD footage from the XL H1, especially on pans. Hell, faster focus pulls on the XL H1 occasionally popped artifacts. Canon did well, but HDV is (or should be) a purely consumer format.
Anyway, I guess my point is, for "Pro-sumer" and lower level professional work in video and audio, Firewire is here to stay. I doubt USB (whatever version) will ever be able to handle continuous HD streaming stably. Firewire also works wonderfully between decks and computers. I hope USB2 dies too. I HATE dealing with clients who buy those drives. I have actually told a couple that I need to buy them a "real" hard drive to deliver their project, or a backup. I don't usually bother explaining.
All American suck, because they let their government do idiotic things like only make data available in proprietary formats.
Seriously: Can we have the government define government-wide standards for data accessibility? No OOXML crap. We need real, open standards that any company can use and interface with. Perhaps all standards have to be ISO and Creative Commons/GPL licensed?
I'm sure Google, IBM, and a host of other companies would love it, especially if it aided prior-art research with the USPTO. If Microsoft tries to inject their semi-open crap, hopefully the other companies will pound it down.
Good for MSFT for donating much-needed equipment to the LOC, but they do more harm than good sometimes. Silverlight? Hopefully there is a simple HTML page I can use instead.
Some years ago, there was an effort by the LOC to implement an online registration system for copyrights. They tried then to do a windows-only implementation in a way that violated section 508. It didn't fly, and they are using a PDF system with generated barcodes. I have done some work for multi million dollar production houses with not a single networked Windows box. Nobody would risk connecting their dedicated Gigastudio machine to the internet either.
Anyway, the point is:
They have been exceedingly shortsighted in providing non-Windows support in the past. If they offer two versions of their content, then that is acceptable, but if they don't offer something that is 508 compliant, perhaps it is time for a lawsuit. It would probably do more than anything else to wake them up. They keep assuming that the entire world uses Windows, but many of us don't. Windows is NOT a standard. Standards are good. Potential congressman Lessig would probably agree.
----------
If anyone is writing them, posit this:
I can only use the LOC website with silverlight if I have a windows PC.
Would the LOC use MARC records as a data standard if they could only use MARC records:
a-With a $500 reader that will no longer be useful after 3 years?
b-With a $500 dollar reader that only a single company makes?
c-With a $500 dollar reader that users can't legally and freely share with other users?
d-If only MARC records could only be hosted on a (expensive) server made by said company?
e-If the company wasn't willing to support MARC records if they didn't end up widely adapted by commercial markets?
e-If the MARC records standards was owned by said company, and changes were illegal?
f-If MARC records violated ss.508 and many usability standards your patrons rely on?
----------
Maybe they will understand in that context.
I don't mean to bash the LOC. I have worked with some amazing staffers and librarians there. They do an awesome job. But, the bureaucracy and some of the leadership have their heads so deep in sand they have hit bedrock.
It would be amazing...that bit of technology.
It would mean being able to fusion-splice a prism into a glass strand as thick as a hair. Without interrupting the light, in a sealed chamber underwater at a pressure and atmosphere suitable for a fusion splice.
There was a point in time when ships were the communication lines carrying western influences into Muslim countries. As for tapping lines: why bother with a physical tap? I'm sure Cisco has a back-door arrangement with the NSA. Besides, all the major peering points (except those that handle internal traffic in large countries like China and Russia) are western controlled.
So, those flag-of-convenience container ships are run by underpaid, overworked captains. I'm sure if you gave one of them $25,000 or so, they would be more than happy to conduct an "anchor test" for a couple hours while they move over a cable lay.
Someone with a few million and access to some corrupt captains could cut quite a few lines very easily.
Just a though.
I have a feeling we will see corporate taxes fall as more companies threaten to outsource jobs. It is a sweet threat: cut our taxes and get 5% of something, or get 35% of nothing. I'm not sure how much I like that...
Then again, in industries the country has COMPLETELY lost, why not zero out the taxes, since we aren't earning them anyways. A few come to mind: Textile assembly (where is that shirt/pants/corset you are wearing made?) and shipping. We have maybe 200 ocean-going ships that are US flagged, and most of them are somehow government affiliated through the Military Sealift Command. Why don't we zero the taxes US-registered Jones Act ocean going ships pay, and see how much it helps domestic industry. Shipyards grow, ships run under US environmental regs, some high paying mariner jobs are created...All around, good stuff.
I still don't like holding jobs hostage for corporate tax cuts though. Perhaps we should close some loopholes that make off-shoring a tax benefit. That is a subject for another time though.
Yeah, me too. A studio rents for $1600/month, a house? Never sells for under $650,000. The thing is, a lot of people in my area are federal employees. They are definitely not rich given the mortgage they have to pay these days.
Those who can, do.
Those who can do more, teach.
Yeah, that is one of my senators (Mr. Webb-D-VA). I'm gonna give him hell for it tomorrow. The staffers need to know that we aren't stupid. We know that cloture is as important as the bill itself. Some of us learned parliamentary procedure in high school government.
Dear old, dead Strom holds the record for the longest filibuster.
What piece of legislation was he trying to protect the USA from?
Why, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, of course!
What an asshole.
----------
At least Dodd is threatening to filibuster a bad piece of legislation. You (the American Public) don't sign contracts without reading them. The Senate shouldn't be granting immunity without knowing what they are immunizing the telecoms from. Perhaps the telecos were lied to and given legal assurances from DOJ, and thus deserve a break, however unlikely. Let us hear all the facts before we grant immunity. Don't sign a contract without reading it.
The bill doesn't expire until Feb. 08, so there is time.
I would love to see end to end encryption become standard. I know that it creates overhead, and as the admin of several small websites, I know the implementation can take longer, but I would still like it to become standard.
The only way that ISPs could then exert control would be through messing with DNS records and redirects, which has far larger implementations. OpenDNS anyone?
Yeah, you are completely right...
There is no Linux alternative to Illustrator, InDesign and GoLive, especially when Bridge is considered. I would hate to have to think about trying to composite a book on Linux, and implementing a decent RIP with color management on Linux? Hiring a developer makes the $20,000USD Xerox or Heidelberg would charge for a decent system seem like nothing.
As for 3D design: Vectorworks does OK, but it's no AutoCAD. And I have been wanting a high-end Mac PCB package with a decent pSpice implementation for forever. gEDA for is good, but needs to mature a bit, and the reliance upon Fink for the OS X implementation can be problematic...
I think there is a place for desktop Linux in large corporations, but it is a matter of convincing people to take the leap. OpenOffice is a change, and people hate change. Novell has a Netware client for Linux. I think the problem is as much psychological as the software dependency issues mentioned in the parent post.
Sorry, bad choice of nautical slang. Try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reefer_(container)
Ok, sorry. A fixed propeller, of course, has fixed blades. I co-opted an aviation term. On boats, one would say "Controllable pitch propeller" instead of aviation's "constant speed propeller". The idea is that the propeller blades feather to optimum efficiency for a given, set RPM.
On airplanes, the constant speed isn't the propeller, but rather the engine. If an engine (especially piston engines) has max torque at 1600 RPMs, then the engine can stay at a optimum constant speed and the prop can feather to apply more or less force on the passing air. Fuel can then be adjusted to maintain the constant engine speed as the propeller changes angle (and thus force/air resistance).
On boats, the same principle applies, just in water. While Beluga's ships might be small enough to handle a controllable pitch prop system, those systems are not as functional or reliable on larger boats. I'm not sure what the max torque is for a commercial controllable pitch system, as I have only every used one on a 40 foot boat. I know tug boats and ferries can use them. I don't know if Beluga uses them. If they do, then I suspect they are low-balling their estimated 10%-15% fuel savings.
A side note: A controllable pitch prop allows for construction without a reversing mechanism. One just rotates the blades.
Motive power is only the largest fraction of consumption on a ship. On all ships, auxiliary equipment must be powered. This ranges from the small consumers, such as navigation equipment and lighting, to the large consumers, such as reefer containers and engineering subsystems. A 10,000 TEU Maersk liner might have 250 reefer slots, and that sucks a lot of power, as does the bunker fuel heater (though usually steam, but still energy from the engine).
Then consider that engine efficiency doesn't scale linearly with fuel consumption, and that propellers on large ships are fixed, not constant speed. This means that a ship moving at 17 knots HAS to make, say, 83 RPMs (for a big Sulzer). So, the kite might provide 50% of motive power, but the ship will only be able to cut the fuel pumps 20%-25%, and can't cut RPMs at all, else the prop starts dragging and cavitating.
I agree. I do all my banking through a little (well, by little they hold less then $1.5 billion USD) local bank. When I was opening business accounts, the VP of loans poked his head in and introduced himself. I had a problem when I moved, with credit information not being updated, and they sorted it out, in person. I just walked into the main branch, and a half hour later, there was no problem anymore. They are also willing to do odd things, like find a strap of sequential uncirculated ones.
I have a personal account with a credit union for just the reasons the parent mentions. I get better rates on credit (if I need it), better rates on CDs, and the customer service is top notch. The other benefit is that business and personal accounts are separated, so they can't pull the "we can transfer easily" crap. Also, if I ever actually make any money, having assets at two institutions increases my FDIC coverage allowance to $200K.
My only regret is that I pay fees at all ATMs.
I have dealt with some smaller music contracts that are 25 pages. 5 of those pages are definitions. Definitions are where artists either get screwed or get well-paid.
I have had glimpses of financial deals between large (Fortune 50, yes, five zero, not five hundred) financial institutions. One contract ran 30 pages. The definitions for it ran almost 100 pages.
The point is, talk to a lawyer. It is worth the $300-$500 it will cost.
I suspect a lot of the /. crowd has taken their education into their own hands. I made thermite in high school...not a lot of it, but still, enough to get a nice little flare. We even did the stoich equations to figure out the optimum mixture, since we didn't have pure Iron Oxide III.
A lot of what we did or parents never knew about. Anyway, I guess the point is, we are safer when the government allows the chemistry kits. Kids are going to do stupid things, and it is better when they have directions.
As for the trial lawyers, I think a certain amount of tort reform is needed, conditional upon the manufacturers providing complete information about the dangers their products pose.
I still think lawsuits are completely valid if the manufacturer isn't honest or correct in disclosure. Mattel should have done some QC to prevent lead in toys, or at least labeled them "This product will give your child brain damage if ingested." The author shouldn't have been in a situation where free chlorine was formed, but if the chem set manufacturer explicitly warned of that possibility, then too bad.
Hehe, glider pilots have been trading that story around for years...I know some glider pilots who fly 747s, 320s or C-17s as the day job. They all think that ATPs should have to spend some hours in a glider...learn how to thermal and play the wave.
This guy from San Diego used to take business colleagues on trips in a Beech Bonanza. Many of them had flown in piston planes before, but never with a glider pilot. If this guy found a large enough thermal, he would bank his Bonanza into it and get to altitude amazingly fast. It scared the other guys sometimes, thermals can be a little bumpy. With the plane ducking in and out of some 1500 fpm thermal in the desert, the air traffic controllers would get a little confused...The Bonanza would come close to doubling its usual rate of climb.
But seriously, thanks for posting. Real information from informed people is nice. I have a couple hours in a Cessna and over 20 in gliders (Grob 103, DG-1000 and 2-33). I felt safer during my first glider solo, towing with a slight crosswind and all, than during any of my driver's ed training.
ATL also does parallel approach. I was on a CRJ-200 with a 747-400 trailing on approach to the other runway...It made some passengers nervous. Come to think of it, IAD might too...
I meant to bring up jammers in jest, but let me clarify:
1) Cell phones on planes are bad ideas. I don't want them on planes at all. Aesthetics aside, I don't think that they are safe. I would only want them used if they meet FAA regulations having to do with frequency management and RF interference. Have you ever wondered why a handheld GPS unit for an airplane is twice the cost of a car unit? Even if they look the same? Aside from the Jeppesen chart pack, the unit is RF-shielded.
I have watched someone talking on a cellphone in a Cessna 182. The copilot needed to ask an FBO about landing procedures while firefighting planes were operating. It was a beautiful clear day, not a cloud for miles. The Nav system was tied in with some weather service and some other communications tools. Anyway, large splotches indicating lightning were all over the screen, and other data kept corrupting. On a clear day. They went away when the phone was turned off.
2)For the most part, phone jammers use the same Qualcomm CDMA or GSM chips that phones do, just integrated with a randomizing function. Technically, a phone jammer is absolutely not at all different then having phones calling on all licensed GSM or CDMA bands at once. Since the airplane supposedly doesn't use these specific, licensed frequencies, a phone jammer should be no problem. I would consider a phone jammer that was based around a random noise generator hooked to a frequency sweep circuit to be VERY UNSAFE.
Voila
hmm...What if my key itself is incriminating? My key might be a list of all the illegal things I have done.
...Run a red light, key the Bentley that almost drove me over in a crosswalk, music/movies I have downloaded, item 1 with unexpired statute of limitations, item 2 with unexpired statute of limitations...
- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
- -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
By handing it over, it would be a violation of my 5th amendment rights.
Yes, perhaps they would merely make the key contents inadmissible in court, but it would still throw a major wrench into the works.
I recently flew, and had a 1955 Singer sewing machine as carry-on baggage. No way was I checking it. I called the TSA and they told me I needed to remove the needle. I did. At the airport, they ran it through the X-Ray machine twice, once on it's side, and didn't even open the case.
If a singer isn't a problem to carry on, I doubt a home-brew computer in an Anvil case is much of an issue. They might take a slightly closer look at it, and if they are really worried, they will take a closer look at you, the supercomputer toting passenger.
But still, as said elsewhere, I want a comparison with a PS3 cluster.