For the amount of money you're specifying, you can easily pick up a much better built and far more versatile O-scope in the form of an older Tektronix instrument.
In fact, that price range will easily get you a 475 or 475A, good to 200 or 250MHz, respectively. It will also put you well within reach of a nice Tektronix 7000 series benchtop 'scope, like a 7704 or even a 7904.
No matter what you may hear, the PC was never designed to be an O-scope, and no amount of external hardware, I believe, will ever turn it into anything that can compare, in terms of value for the $$ and quality of construction, with early Tektronix hardware.
I believe it's also EXTREMELY important to teach would-be technicians and engineers that the PC is not the be-all and end-all of test gear. Never has been, never will be. Oh, it can be useful as an instrument CONTROLLER in automated test setups, yes, but it was never intended to replace the functionality of actual made-for-purpose test equipment.
Give your students a real education. Get a real oscilloscope.
All right... I know I'm probably going to be giving my web server a Slashdot-class load test by doing this, but whattahey... If it crashes, I know I didn't build it right to begin with.
In short: The page is one I wrote up detailing the efforts I've put in, over the last three or so years, to "hack" our minivan into a heavy-duty comms vehicle. Can you tell I take my amateur radio hobby pretty seriously?;-)
It also has an onboard computer with GPS and mapping software, which has saved me from getting hopelessly lost in new territory more times than I can count.
Yes, I have been "first responder" in a couple of traffic incidents. This is why I keep a trauma kit in the back. Haven't had to dig into it seriously yet, and I pray I never really have to, but it's nice to know it's there.
That's exactly what worries me. It almost seems like BPL was invented to help create bad blood between hams (and other radio users, like FEMA) and the Internet industry.
Then again, there is the line about never mistaking malice for stupidity. It is also entirely possible that the whole idea for BPL was dreamed up by the same kinds of people who were ultimately responsible for the dot-bomb implosion: More specifically, marketing types who have less than zero clue about even the most basic principles surrounding RF energy, antennas, and transmission lines.
I still predict that BPL is going to be a spectacular failure, and not necessarily because of its interference to (and susceptibility to interference from) amateur frequencies. I really think the FCC, especially Michael Powell, has lost touch with reality if they're not even willing to listen to FEMA, let alone who knows how many other engineers and techies who have already said "This is a Bad Idea. Don't do it" in one form or another.
In short: The U.S. Government, including the FBI, Secret Service, NSA, and all branches of the military, are big users of all kinds of radios, on frequecies that literally go from VLF to near-daylight. How long do you think BPL will last once it starts interfering with, say, aircraft-to-ground comms at your local air force base or civilian airport, marine HF, or Naval radio traffic?
I've not done much bible reading, but your question brought seven simple words from it to the forefront of my thoughts.
"...And The Truth Shall Set You Free..."
You're doing fine. Just tell the truth, and explain the circumstances. Most employers, especially in the tech sector, are all too familiar with what layoffs can do to a person's work history.
Never try to fabricate work history. If you're not 100% comfortable, at both conscious and unconscious levels, with what you're telling a prospective employer, your tension will stand out like a solar flare, especially if said employer requires a polygraph screening prior to employment.
Just because spamming is not illegal (and it is, under an increasing number of laws) under some conditions does not make it morally or ethically "right." It is still theft by conversion and trespass to chattel. The court system decided that a lonnnng time back in the original case of Cyber Promotions vs. AOL.
Muggers, shoplifters, and other thieves are not going to go away as long as they think they have even the ghost of a chance of making a quick $$.
Spamming is not going to go away as long as spammers think they can make an equally quick $$.
Spamming would stop practically overnight if the entire Internet-using population simply failed to respond to ANY of the offers contained in spam, no matter if they came from a supposedly "legitimate" company (and, in my eyes, no company that sends any form of spam can be considered "legitimate") or some huckster in a double-wide in a trailer park.
The answer, to my eyes, is two-fold, and is simple enough.
(1) Extend the existing anti-junk FAX laws to cover E-mail. In other words, ban spamming outright. Period.
(2) Teach people early and well, especially the earlier generation: NEVER RESPOND to spam, other than to block or filter it.
Besides Bart/PE, he's also created SCSITools, a very handy SCSI diagnostics package that, from what I've been able to tell, rivals the functionality and usefulness of the much higher-priced 'niche market' packages.
My one regret is that he didn't include Windows 2000 Pro in his list of supported systems for the bootable CD's. I may try it with such anyway, just to see what happens.
If SFC really wans to give audiences a fair chance to compare, they should show, in sequence:
(1) The entire original BSG series. (2) Their travesty of a miniseries. (3) Their new (probably equally horrible) series.
On a strictly personal note, my own viewing would end where #1 in that list does. What little I saw of SFC's BSG miniseries, before I started feeling physically sick and switched channels, felt like it had all the depth of a half-full toddler's wading pool.
I wonder which sound FX from which series they're going to steal next?
McBride is such a glaring hypocrite...
on
SCOoby Snacks
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· Score: 1
I'm amazed the whole SCO mess has dragged on as long as it has, especially considering that SCO incorporates Samba (scroll down towards the bottom, look for an announcement dated 19-Aug-03) into their own OS releases, and Samba is licensed under - you guessed it - the GPL.
As Andrew points out on the web page, SCO can't have it both ways. They're bashing the GPL on one side, and reaping its benefits on the other.
Or does 'Dalek' McBride (scroll towards mid-page) really think he's going to gain anything other than a corporate bloody nose from the whole fiaSCO?
"They're the largest cable provider here, and I think they are the number 2 ISP, maybe the largest broadband provider, not sure..."
I know this is not really on-topic, but I feel compelled to point it out. Comcast is also, unfortunately, one of the single largest sources of spam, port probes, and virus propagation on the planet. This is due largely to the many thousands of trojan-compromised systems, belonging to your fellow cable broadband users who (apparently) can't be bothered to learn even the most basic of computing security measures.
Anyway.... Spam issues aside, if Comcast can swing the deal, and Eisner and his cronies get kicked out as a result, can ir really be all that bad a thing?
...That the image of Einstein on the Slashdot header for this article isn't really an image of Einstein. Noooo, not at all. It's actually a composite representation of what SysAdmins worldwide look like after they get through battling Yet Another Worm, applying the Redmond Empire's Patch(es)-of-the-Month, reminding Clueless (L)users not to click on the pretty executable that came in their E-mail... well, you get the idea...
Second... Swamp gas. That's all it ever is, that's all it ever was, and that's all it'll ever be. Swamp gas. Hey, the gang at 'Project Bluebook' said so!
I suppose this will drive neighborhood pooches nuts every time it fires up. This could be a Good Thing if you're not keen on dogs leaving liquid donations on your tires or fender during hailstorms.
I know! Let's dub the thing the 'W.C. Field(s) Generator!'
Very feasible, actually. In fact, such devices would be of critical importance to kill tags that a retailer or manufacturer might no longer want cluttering up their system.
Remember Newton's First Law? 'For Every Action, There Is An Equal and Opposite Reaction.' The 'reaction,' in this case, will be the (eventual) widespread availability of RFID tag detector/zappers, probably contained in one easily-used package.
I've not experimented with any of the tags as yet, so I can't say how much power it takes to zap them. However, I think it would be interesting to do some experiments along those lines, so I'll probably get together with another of my techie friends and see what we can come up with.
There are three standard sizes I've found in use in most PC's (and a great many non-PC systems). They can be found at either a well-stocked hardware store (may NOT be Home Depot or Lowes -- you'll probably have better luck with an independent), or at equally well-stocked electronic supply places. Those sizes are:
6-32: Used most often for disk drives, case screws, and the ones that hold expansion cards and blank plates in.
6-40: Often used for CD-ROMs, DVD, or tape drives.
4-40: Used for smaller stuff like holding mouse connectors in place on some cases. #4's are also widely used for holding D-sub connectors (as used for serial and parallel ports) in place.
In all cases, the first digit is a code that specifies the diameter of the screw body. I don't think there's any direct relation to the actual size.
The second number refers to the number of threads per inch. A 32-pitch screw thread looks visibly coarser to the eye than a 40-pitch thread.
I'm full of little bits of trivia like this. Want to know why helium balloons deflate at a faster rate than balloons blown up with lung air? Because helium gas has the smallest molecule size known to modern physics. It migrates out through the rubber a lot quicker than regular air.
Go ahead! Ask me something else. Just don't ask me why I spend so much time posting things like this to Slashdot.;-)
This may be nothing more than my own paranoia kicking in, but...
Micro$platt has a long and colorful history of buying out (or attempting to buy out) their competition. If said competition refuses a buyout, the usual result is a hostile takeover of some form or another.
I think Billy-boy and 'UncaFester' Ballmer would love to "own" E-mail. However, it's such an open application (SMTP) that the only way they could come up with to "own" it is to come up with their own system of electronic postage.
This business of "ending spam in two years" is nothing more than a smokescreen. Our legislators already had the perfect chance to, if not end spam, and least put a big dent in it by BANNING IT OUTRIGHT. Did they take the chance? Nooooo. Not with their puppet masters in the DMA breathing down their collective necks.
It would have been a no-brainer to extend the junk FAX law to cover E-mail as well. Along those lines, I've often wondered what part of 'No!' it is that telemarketdroids and spammers Just Don't Understand.
Anyway... This is nothing more than Billy-boy's attempt to "own" something that he really can't. I predict the entire effort will end in utter disaster of a public-relations nature.
And the worst part is that I don't think it'll have the slightest effect on the spam problem. Nothing will, until legislators are brave enough to recognize where the private property lines are on the Internet, and subsequently say "No, spamming is NOT legal. Period."
They brought it on themselves...
on
SCO Offline
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· Score: 1
While I don't agree with DDoS, or other criminal-type computer activities, it's awfully hard for me to shed a tear for either SCO or Micro$platt.
Phrases like "You Reap What You Sow," and "What Goes Around, Comes Around" keep coming to mind (or is that 'What SCO's Around...)?
In short: Darl "Darth" McBride and Billy-boy brought this all on themselves by behaving as they have. Maybe, if they were both a lot less arrogant and self-righteous, they wouldn't be in trouble now.
Comcast has a HUGE problem right now with hundreds (if not more) of virus-compromised systems, run by the clue-deprived who have not the slightest inkling about the most basic Internet security.
These machines have long since been compromised, and turned into spammer 'zombies.' The problem has gotten bad enough that I've blocked access to our mail systems from ANY system with a domain name ending in 'client.comcast.net,' not to mention huge swaths of Comcast-controlled IP space.
If this 'crackdown' that Comcast is doing helps to get rid of a bunch of these spammer 'zombies,' great! It'll be that much less to worry about.
Granted, if Comcast's so-called "Abuse Desk" even gave a crap about the massive amounts of bit pollution their network is pouring out, they wouldn't have any problems with "abusers" to begin with.
Once the producers realize that it takes more than tight uniforms and fancy effects to sell a show -- that is, once they realize that it actually takes good writing and decent character growth -- then 'Enterprise' will succeed.
I watched pretty much the whole of season 1, and a couple of episodes in season 2 before I gave up. In all that time, I never saw an episode where I wasn't left with a feeling of "That was it? That's all?"
The original 'Star Trek' touched on racism, facism, and Lord only knows how many other subjects that were 'taboo' for the time, and they did it extremely well (who could forget the episode where Naziism practically took over another world?)
But the other thing that made the original 'Star Trek' work, and work well, was the character interplay between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I've yet to see that same kind of complex interplay shown anywhere other than DS9. It certainly doesn't show up in 'Enterprise.'
Berman and Braga have no one to blame but themselves for the fact that 'Enterprise' is stalling. They're trying to sell a franchise instead of producing thought-provoking politically-incorrect stories. Once they realize that (IF they realize it -- I'm not holding my breath), and turn it around, I think they'll have better luck.
Gene Roddenberry's got to be reaching about 8500 RPM by now...
#2. If I turn off the broadcast function, my location is not broadcast (unless #1)."
Motorola, at least, is way ahead of you. I got a T730 phone just recently that can broadcast GPS coordinates. In fact, I had hard evidence not long ago, while I was making a 911 call, that it did just that when the dispatcher said "And you're currently on (street name)?" (I was).
However, the nice thing about the 730 is that you have explicit control over the locator feature. You can set it to broadcast your location only during 911 calls, during all calls, or never.
I have it set to 'Send on 911 only.' It makes it a lot easier on both me and the dispatcher(s).
From the same people that brought us 'Bow-Lingual?' Great... Now we'll all start dreaming about talking dogs who use 'People-Linguals' to understand us....
Suggestion: Equip everyone in the conference audience with some sort of simple device that, when they choose to activate it, makes a nice, loud, obnoxious BUZZZZZ!
Any time the speaker uses a buzzword, no matter if it's someone like Crazy Foolerina or Steve 'Uncle Fester' Ballmer, everyone gets to fire off a one or two-second burst from these little buzzboxes. The speaker will then at least get some idea that they said something incomprehensible.
Either that, or pass legislation outlawing buzzwords altogether.
Consumers may have spoken, but that doesn't mean a whole lot to those of us who are in the 'Prosumer' (like me) or full-blown professional category. I still shoot slides (nothing but, actually) using (typically) Kodachrome 200, and am very happy with the results.
I have a number of reasons for feeling this way. First, find me a digital SLR camera that can hold 36 or more exposures per memory card or whatever they're using.
Secondly, find me a digital camera that can equal, 100% and under ALL lighting conditions, the depth of color, resolution, and contrast possible with SLR film-type cameras with good optics (we're talking Nikon first, Canon second), AND that has a full range of interchangeable lenses.
Third (and this will probably be the real challenge), find me all the above in a camera that won't set me back my life's savings. I spent about $1,300 or so for my Canon A-1 outfit back in the late 80's, and it is still going strong to this day.
It is my understanding that, with current technology, replacing my SLR outfit with a digital camera that can equal the SLR's performance and versatility will run between $7-$8,000 or more.
Sorry, gang. Film isn't dead yet. At least not for me.
Speaking as someone who suffers from minor Seasonal Affective Disorder, I have to wonder what the value would be, outside of saving power, in lighting an entire room or home with LEDs.
The material I've read on SAD, and my own direct experience, have shown me that both broad-spectrum (approximating daylight) and high intensity (again, approximating daylight) are important in combating the condition. We live far enough north (Puget Sound region) where the short days and extended periods of cloud cover during the winter do indeed have a noticeable affect on my moods.
Considering that I grew up in California, which averages 328 sunny days per year, this came as no great surprise.
What I ended up doing for our home was installing full-spectrum flourescent tubes in the flourescent fixtures, and bright halogens in my work area. Both have done wonders for my mood in the winter months.
Unless someone has come up with a full-spectrum LED, I don't think this kind of lighting is going to see wide adoption outside of perpetually sun-drenched areas, and then only as a "Gee Whiz" item because of the high cost.
Slashdot Mirror
For the amount of money you're specifying, you can easily pick up a much better built and far more versatile O-scope in the form of an older Tektronix instrument.
In fact, that price range will easily get you a 475 or 475A, good to 200 or 250MHz, respectively. It will also put you well within reach of a nice Tektronix 7000 series benchtop 'scope, like a 7704 or even a 7904.
No matter what you may hear, the PC was never designed to be an O-scope, and no amount of external hardware, I believe, will ever turn it into anything that can compare, in terms of value for the $$ and quality of construction, with early Tektronix hardware.
I believe it's also EXTREMELY important to teach would-be technicians and engineers that the PC is not the be-all and end-all of test gear. Never has been, never will be. Oh, it can be useful as an instrument CONTROLLER in automated test setups, yes, but it was never intended to replace the functionality of actual made-for-purpose test equipment.
Give your students a real education. Get a real oscilloscope.
All right... I know I'm probably going to be giving my web server a Slashdot-class load test by doing this, but whattahey... If it crashes, I know I didn't build it right to begin with.
;-)
In short: The page is one I wrote up detailing the efforts I've put in, over the last three or so years, to "hack" our minivan into a heavy-duty comms vehicle. Can you tell I take my amateur radio hobby pretty seriously?
It also has an onboard computer with GPS and mapping software, which has saved me from getting hopelessly lost in new territory more times than I can count.
Yes, I have been "first responder" in a couple of traffic incidents. This is why I keep a trauma kit in the back. Haven't had to dig into it seriously yet, and I pray I never really have to, but it's nice to know it's there.
That's exactly what worries me. It almost seems like BPL was invented to help create bad blood between hams (and other radio users, like FEMA) and the Internet industry.
Then again, there is the line about never mistaking malice for stupidity. It is also entirely possible that the whole idea for BPL was dreamed up by the same kinds of people who were ultimately responsible for the dot-bomb implosion: More specifically, marketing types who have less than zero clue about even the most basic principles surrounding RF energy, antennas, and transmission lines.
I still predict that BPL is going to be a spectacular failure, and not necessarily because of its interference to (and susceptibility to interference from) amateur frequencies. I really think the FCC, especially Michael Powell, has lost touch with reality if they're not even willing to listen to FEMA, let alone who knows how many other engineers and techies who have already said "This is a Bad Idea. Don't do it" in one form or another.
In short: The U.S. Government, including the FBI, Secret Service, NSA, and all branches of the military, are big users of all kinds of radios, on frequecies that literally go from VLF to near-daylight. How long do you think BPL will last once it starts interfering with, say, aircraft-to-ground comms at your local air force base or civilian airport, marine HF, or Naval radio traffic?
I've not done much bible reading, but your question brought seven simple words from it to the forefront of my thoughts.
"...And The Truth Shall Set You Free..."
You're doing fine. Just tell the truth, and explain the circumstances. Most employers, especially in the tech sector, are all too familiar with what layoffs can do to a person's work history.
Never try to fabricate work history. If you're not 100% comfortable, at both conscious and unconscious levels, with what you're telling a prospective employer, your tension will stand out like a solar flare, especially if said employer requires a polygraph screening prior to employment.
Best of fortune in your hunt.
Just because spamming is not illegal (and it is, under an increasing number of laws) under some conditions does not make it morally or ethically "right." It is still theft by conversion and trespass to chattel. The court system decided that a lonnnng time back in the original case of Cyber Promotions vs. AOL.
Muggers, shoplifters, and other thieves are not going to go away as long as they think they have even the ghost of a chance of making a quick $$.
Spamming is not going to go away as long as spammers think they can make an equally quick $$.
Spamming would stop practically overnight if the entire Internet-using population simply failed to respond to ANY of the offers contained in spam, no matter if they came from a supposedly "legitimate" company (and, in my eyes, no company that sends any form of spam can be considered "legitimate") or some huckster in a double-wide in a trailer park.
The answer, to my eyes, is two-fold, and is simple enough.
(1) Extend the existing anti-junk FAX laws to cover E-mail. In other words, ban spamming outright. Period.
(2) Teach people early and well, especially the earlier generation: NEVER RESPOND to spam, other than to block or filter it.
Besides Bart/PE, he's also created SCSITools, a very handy SCSI diagnostics package that, from what I've been able to tell, rivals the functionality and usefulness of the much higher-priced 'niche market' packages.
My one regret is that he didn't include Windows 2000 Pro in his list of supported systems for the bootable CD's. I may try it with such anyway, just to see what happens.
...Laundry detergent ads touting their product as "RFID-ink safe!"
Personally, I'd want one that would eat the little buggers for breakfast. Go Clorox!
If SFC really wans to give audiences a fair chance to compare, they should show, in sequence:
(1) The entire original BSG series.
(2) Their travesty of a miniseries.
(3) Their new (probably equally horrible) series.
On a strictly personal note, my own viewing would end where #1 in that list does. What little I saw of SFC's BSG miniseries, before I started feeling physically sick and switched channels, felt like it had all the depth of a half-full toddler's wading pool.
I wonder which sound FX from which series they're going to steal next?
I'm amazed the whole SCO mess has dragged on as long as it has, especially considering that SCO incorporates Samba (scroll down towards the bottom, look for an announcement dated 19-Aug-03) into their own OS releases, and Samba is licensed under - you guessed it - the GPL.
As Andrew points out on the web page, SCO can't have it both ways. They're bashing the GPL on one side, and reaping its benefits on the other.
Or does 'Dalek' McBride (scroll towards mid-page) really think he's going to gain anything other than a corporate bloody nose from the whole fiaSCO?
leifm writes...
"They're the largest cable provider here, and I think they are the number 2 ISP, maybe the largest broadband provider, not sure..."
I know this is not really on-topic, but I feel compelled to point it out. Comcast is also, unfortunately, one of the single largest sources of spam, port probes, and virus propagation on the planet. This is due largely to the many thousands of trojan-compromised systems, belonging to your fellow cable broadband users who (apparently) can't be bothered to learn even the most basic of computing security measures.
Anyway.... Spam issues aside, if Comcast can swing the deal, and Eisner and his cronies get kicked out as a result, can ir really be all that bad a thing?
...That the image of Einstein on the Slashdot header for this article isn't really an image of Einstein. Noooo, not at all. It's actually a composite representation of what SysAdmins worldwide look like after they get through battling Yet Another Worm, applying the Redmond Empire's Patch(es)-of-the-Month, reminding Clueless (L)users not to click on the pretty executable that came in their E-mail... well, you get the idea...
First, I think Jimmy Buffett has the right idea.
Second... Swamp gas. That's all it ever is, that's all it ever was, and that's all it'll ever be. Swamp gas. Hey, the gang at 'Project Bluebook' said so!
I suppose this will drive neighborhood pooches nuts every time it fires up. This could be a Good Thing if you're not keen on dogs leaving liquid donations on your tires or fender during hailstorms.
;-)
I know! Let's dub the thing the 'W.C. Field(s) Generator!'
I think I'll go take my meds now...
Very feasible, actually. In fact, such devices would be of critical importance to kill tags that a retailer or manufacturer might no longer want cluttering up their system.
Remember Newton's First Law? 'For Every Action, There Is An Equal and Opposite Reaction.' The 'reaction,' in this case, will be the (eventual) widespread availability of RFID tag detector/zappers, probably contained in one easily-used package.
I've not experimented with any of the tags as yet, so I can't say how much power it takes to zap them. However, I think it would be interesting to do some experiments along those lines, so I'll probably get together with another of my techie friends and see what we can come up with.
There are three standard sizes I've found in use in most PC's (and a great many non-PC systems). They can be found at either a well-stocked hardware store (may NOT be Home Depot or Lowes -- you'll probably have better luck with an independent), or at equally well-stocked electronic supply places. Those sizes are:
;-)
6-32: Used most often for disk drives, case screws, and the ones that hold expansion cards and blank plates in.
6-40: Often used for CD-ROMs, DVD, or tape drives.
4-40: Used for smaller stuff like holding mouse connectors in place on some cases. #4's are also widely used for holding D-sub connectors (as used for serial and parallel ports) in place.
In all cases, the first digit is a code that specifies the diameter of the screw body. I don't think there's any direct relation to the actual size.
The second number refers to the number of threads per inch. A 32-pitch screw thread looks visibly coarser to the eye than a 40-pitch thread.
I'm full of little bits of trivia like this. Want to know why helium balloons deflate at a faster rate than balloons blown up with lung air? Because helium gas has the smallest molecule size known to modern physics. It migrates out through the rubber a lot quicker than regular air.
Go ahead! Ask me something else. Just don't ask me why I spend so much time posting things like this to Slashdot.
This may be nothing more than my own paranoia kicking in, but...
Micro$platt has a long and colorful history of buying out (or attempting to buy out) their competition. If said competition refuses a buyout, the usual result is a hostile takeover of some form or another.
I think Billy-boy and 'UncaFester' Ballmer would love to "own" E-mail. However, it's such an open application (SMTP) that the only way they could come up with to "own" it is to come up with their own system of electronic postage.
This business of "ending spam in two years" is nothing more than a smokescreen. Our legislators already had the perfect chance to, if not end spam, and least put a big dent in it by BANNING IT OUTRIGHT. Did they take the chance? Nooooo. Not with their puppet masters in the DMA breathing down their collective necks.
It would have been a no-brainer to extend the junk FAX law to cover E-mail as well. Along those lines, I've often wondered what part of 'No!' it is that telemarketdroids and spammers Just Don't Understand.
Anyway... This is nothing more than Billy-boy's attempt to "own" something that he really can't. I predict the entire effort will end in utter disaster of a public-relations nature.
And the worst part is that I don't think it'll have the slightest effect on the spam problem. Nothing will, until legislators are brave enough to recognize where the private property lines are on the Internet, and subsequently say "No, spamming is NOT legal. Period."
While I don't agree with DDoS, or other criminal-type computer activities, it's awfully hard for me to shed a tear for either SCO or Micro$platt.
Phrases like "You Reap What You Sow," and "What Goes Around, Comes Around" keep coming to mind (or is that 'What SCO's Around...)?
In short: Darl "Darth" McBride and Billy-boy brought this all on themselves by behaving as they have. Maybe, if they were both a lot less arrogant and self-righteous, they wouldn't be in trouble now.
Comcast has a HUGE problem right now with hundreds (if not more) of virus-compromised systems, run by the clue-deprived who have not the slightest inkling about the most basic Internet security.
These machines have long since been compromised, and turned into spammer 'zombies.' The problem has gotten bad enough that I've blocked access to our mail systems from ANY system with a domain name ending in 'client.comcast.net,' not to mention huge swaths of Comcast-controlled IP space.
If this 'crackdown' that Comcast is doing helps to get rid of a bunch of these spammer 'zombies,' great! It'll be that much less to worry about.
Granted, if Comcast's so-called "Abuse Desk" even gave a crap about the massive amounts of bit pollution their network is pouring out, they wouldn't have any problems with "abusers" to begin with.
Keep the peace(es).
The old legend of knights being sent out to slay dragons is something of a staple of medieval storytelling.
This time around, I'm really gonna root for the dragon....
Once the producers realize that it takes more than tight uniforms and fancy effects to sell a show -- that is, once they realize that it actually takes good writing and decent character growth -- then 'Enterprise' will succeed.
I watched pretty much the whole of season 1, and a couple of episodes in season 2 before I gave up. In all that time, I never saw an episode where I wasn't left with a feeling of "That was it? That's all?"
The original 'Star Trek' touched on racism, facism, and Lord only knows how many other subjects that were 'taboo' for the time, and they did it extremely well (who could forget the episode where Naziism practically took over another world?)
But the other thing that made the original 'Star Trek' work, and work well, was the character interplay between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I've yet to see that same kind of complex interplay shown anywhere other than DS9. It certainly doesn't show up in 'Enterprise.'
Berman and Braga have no one to blame but themselves for the fact that 'Enterprise' is stalling. They're trying to sell a franchise instead of producing thought-provoking politically-incorrect stories. Once they realize that (IF they realize it -- I'm not holding my breath), and turn it around, I think they'll have better luck.
Gene Roddenberry's got to be reaching about 8500 RPM by now...
"#1. If I dial 9-1-1, my location is broadcast.
#2. If I turn off the broadcast function, my location is not broadcast (unless #1)."
Motorola, at least, is way ahead of you. I got a T730 phone just recently that can broadcast GPS coordinates. In fact, I had hard evidence not long ago, while I was making a 911 call, that it did just that when the dispatcher said "And you're currently on (street name)?" (I was).
However, the nice thing about the 730 is that you have explicit control over the locator feature. You can set it to broadcast your location only during 911 calls, during all calls, or never.
I have it set to 'Send on 911 only.' It makes it a lot easier on both me and the dispatcher(s).
From the same people that brought us 'Bow-Lingual?' Great... Now we'll all start dreaming about talking dogs who use 'People-Linguals' to understand us....
Suggestion: Equip everyone in the conference audience with some sort of simple device that, when they choose to activate it, makes a nice, loud, obnoxious BUZZZZZ!
Any time the speaker uses a buzzword, no matter if it's someone like Crazy Foolerina or Steve 'Uncle Fester' Ballmer, everyone gets to fire off a one or two-second burst from these little buzzboxes. The speaker will then at least get some idea that they said something incomprehensible.
Either that, or pass legislation outlawing buzzwords altogether.
Keep the peace(es).
Consumers may have spoken, but that doesn't mean a whole lot to those of us who are in the 'Prosumer' (like me) or full-blown professional category. I still shoot slides (nothing but, actually) using (typically) Kodachrome 200, and am very happy with the results.
I have a number of reasons for feeling this way. First, find me a digital SLR camera that can hold 36 or more exposures per memory card or whatever they're using.
Secondly, find me a digital camera that can equal, 100% and under ALL lighting conditions, the depth of color, resolution, and contrast possible with SLR film-type cameras with good optics (we're talking Nikon first, Canon second), AND that has a full range of interchangeable lenses.
Third (and this will probably be the real challenge), find me all the above in a camera that won't set me back my life's savings. I spent about $1,300 or so for my Canon A-1 outfit back in the late 80's, and it is still going strong to this day.
It is my understanding that, with current technology, replacing my SLR outfit with a digital camera that can equal the SLR's performance and versatility will run between $7-$8,000 or more.
Sorry, gang. Film isn't dead yet. At least not for me.
Speaking as someone who suffers from minor Seasonal Affective Disorder, I have to wonder what the value would be, outside of saving power, in lighting an entire room or home with LEDs.
The material I've read on SAD, and my own direct experience, have shown me that both broad-spectrum (approximating daylight) and high intensity (again, approximating daylight) are important in combating the condition. We live far enough north (Puget Sound region) where the short days and extended periods of cloud cover during the winter do indeed have a noticeable affect on my moods.
Considering that I grew up in California, which averages 328 sunny days per year, this came as no great surprise.
What I ended up doing for our home was installing full-spectrum flourescent tubes in the flourescent fixtures, and bright halogens in my work area. Both have done wonders for my mood in the winter months.
Unless someone has come up with a full-spectrum LED, I don't think this kind of lighting is going to see wide adoption outside of perpetually sun-drenched areas, and then only as a "Gee Whiz" item because of the high cost.