The pattern of gamma ray bursts uses the same dispersion model of fleeing CEO's from massive (>10 billion shares) companies collapsing to form investor black holes.
That's fairly similiar to open/closed OTEC concepts. The problem with this scenario is that you're limited to a (relatively) narrow set of latitudes where you can expect to get both sufficient temperature differential for your thermocline, and enough energy to make it worthwhile.
The problem with this is cost vs scale. Additionally, you aren't even putting a significant dent in erosion with a plan like this. You're just transplanting it. If it's not falling into the ocean, you're digging it out of a BIG DAMN HOLE somewhere else to protect that there coast line.
If you're a big fan of the movie, check out 'Armagetron' over on Freshmeat. Windows and X clients available, BE SURE to get the movie packs for images and sounds. The game is already well done, show some support and it can improve. (LAN play is fine, net play gets a little hairy.)
If you like those, you should see the MCDR-NC10 set. I picked up a pair several months ago, and they've preserved my sanity very well. I fly fairly often, and find them to be invaluable.
There's a review of them here, and it's pretty much right on. I highly recommend them. They're very comfortable over long periods, and when feeding audio, you pretty much lose all external audio inputs.
The single thing about them that bugs me is the connector cable. There's a detachable connector from the battery unit which has the headphone jack connector on one end, and an obviously proprietary connector on the other. Losing this cable would be a big pain in the ass. I would guess they have other connectors for different interface types, but it'd be nice if it was a standard conversion I could hit Radio Shack to replace.
I run the NVidia 64meg MX 400, dual heading a pair of Cornea MP800 18.1 inch LCDs, and it works just fine. I'm tampering with the video out toys to see if I can't shunt a display to my portable Pioneer DVD player, just for kicks.
It's easy enough for retailers to offer better customer service than an ISP.
Example ISP call:
'My cable modem isn't working, whenever I try to open a web page, it says it can't find it.'
"Is your computer set to use DHCP?"
'No, I have a cable modem.'
Example retailer call:
'I ordered this blouse from you, and promptly stained it.'
"Cold water wash, ma'am. Use some Woolite if it doesn't come out right away.''But what about..'
"Cold water, ma'am."
Two good things about this survey. One, it used SSL to moderately obscure the data being sent in.
Two, and most importantly, it was a form of multiple choice, with no space for free form answers. Had it been otherwise, the inundation of 'hax0r j00!' and 'go away alien fagz0rs' would have convinced them to start searching for intelligent life on Earth, first.
I guess that's preference. I'm more into photography than true astronomy (actual study of stars), so this setup worked fine for me, within certain exposure limits (not having an automatic tracking system). I'd yield to your opinion, as a more experienced astronomer, though, after looking at your site. =)
Oh. Heh. I hadn't looked at that pic in a while. That's a Celestron 800m spotting scope mounted on top, which was about $350 AUS. Also a very good scope, even for general purpose use. I'm into amateur photography as well, so I've got a set of adaptors and T mounts for my Ricoh KR-10m SLR camera.
The mount on top of the reflector is a universal screw type, so you can put pretty much anything up there (camera, scope, like I have). You need to be cautious with weight, however. That setup was mostly just for the picture. The weight of the 800mm refractor was enough to make alignment a bit of a bear, though a standard camera is light enough to cause no problems.
Starting books, btw, are pretty easy to find, especially if you have a local Discovery Channel store, which is also a good place for some accessories if you're in a pinch. They're a little pricey, though. Definitely get one that's specific to your region to get highlights on good objects to view. Living in the northern hemisphere, sadly, we don't get quite the splendiforous view you can get from farther south. My personal favorite is the Jewel Box, just off the top of the Southern Cross. =)
BTW, all you first post trolls can bite me. First post, AND informative. Have a nice day.
You could pick up a decent telescope, though I'd recommend a reflector with at least basic controls. Before it got stolen, I used a Celestron 3.5 inch reflector (The link is a shot of mine.). I paid about $500 AUS for it while on vacation in Adelaide. Nice and light, good solid wooden tripod, with good starter instructions. Definitely scout around for a local place to stargaze. Light pollution is a real pain in the ass.
You know, last I checked, there weren't little green men on Mars chucking rocks back at us, despite our throwing various objects at them. While there is undoubtedly a Martian market for miniature Earthling ATV and Beach Ball Delivery Systems, where exactly do chunks of Mars come from, that are large enough to have a remainder of significant size, after atmospheric entry burns?
What's got me wondering, looking at XP, is what suits are still below the horizon?
There are hooks in XP, left and right, to MSN, 'suggesting' you signup for a Passport to use the built-in messenger. Now, isn't this the same behavior that got the anti-trust suits started in the first place, by integrating competitive products into the OS?
Microsoft having already been found guilty, does that not earmark the practice as somewhat illegal, if not unethical?
A buddy of mine has a full size, four player Gauntlet console. There is nothing more amusing than four intoxicated people attempting to cooperate in a game of Gauntlet. =)
'Elf shot the food.'
"Bastard, cut that out."
'How can you think of food after all that tequila?'
"Shoot the food again and I'll shoot food at you."
The ratio of response to this post, as compared to any others today, is incredibly small. Could this be indicative of a general user base that doesn't understand the issues, or simply doesn't care?
The internet in general has given us unprecedented access to information and learning tools, but simple human factors keep it sitting on the digital shelves: People simply don't care.
Until such time as it takes away the things we take for granted, people will not notice or care, aside from an enlightened subset (for example, the 9 posts here before me.) But by then, it'll be too late.
Tron: Deadly Discs, and Motocross. Hell, even the AD&D game was decent. Emphasis was on game play, not snazzy graphics. The only major failing of the intellivision was it's tendency to overheat and die when I was soooo far into a round of Tron. You even got used to the controllers after a while.
To start out, I'm not some crusty old geezer. I'm 26, and I just have a good memory. My first computer experience scarred me forever, since it was a Vax, and I was 5. The thing looked like it could eat me, and I swear those tape drives looked like big eyes. Since then, though, it's all been uphill.
Commodore Vic 20, C-64, Timex Sinclair 1000 (w 64k add on module!), and then, my first x86. Up until the x86 box, which weighed roughly as much as I did at the time (solid steel construction is NOT a bad thing at that age), every machine I had free reign with had one thing in common: modules.
The Vic20/C64 had slap in terminal emulators, modems, the sinclair had add on cartridges as well. The big change with the x86 is that the case was screwed shut, and I tended to get in trouble when it came to wielding a screwdriver. Over the years, as computers progressed, and geeks began emerging in force, we weren't afraid to tear open a machine, adjust jumpers to tweak an IRQ or address setting when the new Soundblaster conflicted with the modem you'd put on IRQ 5 because you could. The huge push of PC's into the broad consumer market has landed machines on desks around the world, but the number of people tearing into them remains pretty much low. I bought the shirt from ThinkGeek that says 'No, I will not fix your computer,' and people find it hysterical, and then ask anyway. People are afraid to crack the case and look under the hood.
So let's run with this double sided board idea for a bit. Ever crack open a Sparc Ultra 5, with the PCI riser? They mount in both directions to preserve a low form factor. Getting cards in and out is relatively easy, with a single-screw lock bar holding things in. In my experience, and obviously from others, tool-less box work is a plus.
Considering form factor, does it really need to be fully enclosed? Your biggest heat producers are the CPU, GPU, and hard drives, typically, so good consistant airflow is important. Why run a full case at all? I'm running a 3D Cool mid tower, double side fans, single fore and single aft case fans, plus power supply. Sounds like a jet turbine, but that intimidates the clue resistant, so they leave it alone. All of it is to promote airflow inside a large chamber. So, ditch the chamber.
Absent the double sided concept, package the motherboard itself for a modular base. Snap-around plastic casing that provides air channels along the bottom. Change the board's power connection to something more suitable, like the cradle connections on a PalmV.
For the expansion cards, remove the connections from the back and standardize them, putting them onto the base, easily accessible from the front (or back, for permanent things likes monitors, and ethernet), and treat expansion cards, for lack of a better term, like Atari 2600 cartridges. With standardized I/O, expansion modules work as subprocessors.
Looking back at the double sided thing, you could run the motherboard vertically, in a nicely supported bracket, and add SPU's on either side. Vertically oriented drop bays for hard drives, going with the docking station style connector idea. Hell, you could even slap an adaptor on the end of existing drives for backwards compatibility.
I'm sure there are some holes in the idea, but that's nothing some implementation work wouldn't address.
In closing, this post constitutes prior art. If and when I see these product ideas in the wild, and someone is stupid enough to patent them, you'll be eating my shorts for breakfast.
By convention, you're fine to record and store copies of media for PERSONAL USE. So long as it remains in your possession, for your private use, you're covered under fair use provisions. The instant you turn it over to someone else, be it your copy, or a copy you make for them, you are now distributing the material, which violates the copyright if the copyright holder deems it not legal for distribution without compensation.
As normally diurnal creatures, natural sunlight stimulates hormone releases that support wakefulness in humans. Adding full spectrum lighting likely trips the same response.
DMCA enforcement will likely eat poo, should someone go after a consumer with it. These boxes fall wholly within fair use limits, just like VCRs. I'm not sure any particular company is up to that legal fight just yet, even the MPAA. Once they tear into it, the DMCA will hit some serious scrutiny, and likely some serious assault.
With enough antennae, you could built a (albeit spectrum limited) Very Long Baseline Array by sprinkling the dishes among geographically disparate users and tying it all together via internet links and controller software designed to handle it.
I recall seeing some use of those style dishes for directional wavelan antennae, you could try stringing a transcontinental wavelan backbone. (http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessLi nks#line166 for a collection of links)
I have one of the external Mobility USB hubs, and they're fairly decent. Driver support is in the generic area, meaning usually stable. The one I have replicates PS2-style mouse and keyboard, a single db9 serial (great for serial PDA cradles), 4 rear facing USB ports, and one forward facing USB port.
They're excellent for the exact use mentioned above, and you don't have to deal with the extra tangle of cables involved with fully reversing your motherboard (video, etc..).
Slashdot Mirror
The pattern of gamma ray bursts uses the same dispersion model of fleeing CEO's from massive (>10 billion shares) companies collapsing to form investor black holes.
For your power requirements, skip the generator entirely. Slap on a decent battery and a couple of solar cells to keep em juiced.
Unless you're doing all this underwater, which wouldn't make sense given the examples you put forth.
That's fairly similiar to open/closed OTEC concepts. The problem with this scenario is that you're limited to a (relatively) narrow set of latitudes where you can expect to get both sufficient temperature differential for your thermocline, and enough energy to make it worthwhile.
The problem with this is cost vs scale. Additionally, you aren't even putting a significant dent in erosion with a plan like this. You're just transplanting it. If it's not falling into the ocean, you're digging it out of a BIG DAMN HOLE somewhere else to protect that there coast line.
Skip the science. Focus on phonics.
If you're a big fan of the movie, check out 'Armagetron' over on Freshmeat. Windows and X clients available, BE SURE to get the movie packs for images and sounds. The game is already well done, show some support and it can improve. (LAN play is fine, net play gets a little hairy.)
If you like those, you should see the MCDR-NC10 set. I picked up a pair several months ago, and they've preserved my sanity very well. I fly fairly often, and find them to be invaluable.
There's a review of them here, and it's pretty much right on. I highly recommend them. They're very comfortable over long periods, and when feeding audio, you pretty much lose all external audio inputs.
The single thing about them that bugs me is the connector cable. There's a detachable connector from the battery unit which has the headphone jack connector on one end, and an obviously proprietary connector on the other. Losing this cable would be a big pain in the ass. I would guess they have other connectors for different interface types, but it'd be nice if it was a standard conversion I could hit Radio Shack to replace.
I run the NVidia 64meg MX 400, dual heading a pair of Cornea MP800 18.1 inch LCDs, and it works just fine. I'm tampering with the video out toys to see if I can't shunt a display to my portable Pioneer DVD player, just for kicks.
It's easy enough for retailers to offer better customer service than an ISP.
Example ISP call:
'My cable modem isn't working, whenever I try to open a web page, it says it can't find it.'
"Is your computer set to use DHCP?"
'No, I have a cable modem.'
Example retailer call:
'I ordered this blouse from you, and promptly stained it.'
"Cold water wash, ma'am. Use some Woolite if it doesn't come out right away.''But what about..'
"Cold water, ma'am."
Two good things about this survey. One, it used SSL to moderately obscure the data being sent in.
Two, and most importantly, it was a form of multiple choice, with no space for free form answers. Had it been otherwise, the inundation of 'hax0r j00!' and 'go away alien fagz0rs' would have convinced them to start searching for intelligent life on Earth, first.
I guess that's preference. I'm more into photography than true astronomy (actual study of stars), so this setup worked fine for me, within certain exposure limits (not having an automatic tracking system). I'd yield to your opinion, as a more experienced astronomer, though, after looking at your site. =)
Oh. Heh. I hadn't looked at that pic in a while. That's a Celestron 800m spotting scope mounted on top, which was about $350 AUS. Also a very good scope, even for general purpose use. I'm into amateur photography as well, so I've got a set of adaptors and T mounts for my Ricoh KR-10m SLR camera.
The mount on top of the reflector is a universal screw type, so you can put pretty much anything up there (camera, scope, like I have). You need to be cautious with weight, however. That setup was mostly just for the picture. The weight of the 800mm refractor was enough to make alignment a bit of a bear, though a standard camera is light enough to cause no problems.
Starting books, btw, are pretty easy to find, especially if you have a local Discovery Channel store, which is also a good place for some accessories if you're in a pinch. They're a little pricey, though. Definitely get one that's specific to your region to get highlights on good objects to view. Living in the northern hemisphere, sadly, we don't get quite the splendiforous view you can get from farther south. My personal favorite is the Jewel Box, just off the top of the Southern Cross. =)
BTW, all you first post trolls can bite me. First post, AND informative. Have a nice day.
You could pick up a decent telescope, though I'd recommend a reflector with at least basic controls. Before it got stolen, I used a Celestron 3.5 inch reflector (The link is a shot of mine.). I paid about $500 AUS for it while on vacation in Adelaide. Nice and light, good solid wooden tripod, with good starter instructions. Definitely scout around for a local place to stargaze. Light pollution is a real pain in the ass.
You know, last I checked, there weren't little green men on Mars chucking rocks back at us, despite our throwing various objects at them. While there is undoubtedly a Martian market for miniature Earthling ATV and Beach Ball Delivery Systems, where exactly do chunks of Mars come from, that are large enough to have a remainder of significant size, after atmospheric entry burns?
What's got me wondering, looking at XP, is what suits are still below the horizon?
There are hooks in XP, left and right, to MSN, 'suggesting' you signup for a Passport to use the built-in messenger. Now, isn't this the same behavior that got the anti-trust suits started in the first place, by integrating competitive products into the OS?
Microsoft having already been found guilty, does that not earmark the practice as somewhat illegal, if not unethical?
A buddy of mine has a full size, four player Gauntlet console. There is nothing more amusing than four intoxicated people attempting to cooperate in a game of Gauntlet. =)
'Elf shot the food.'
"Bastard, cut that out."
'How can you think of food after all that tequila?'
"Shoot the food again and I'll shoot food at you."
The ratio of response to this post, as compared to any others today, is incredibly small. Could this be indicative of a general user base that doesn't understand the issues, or simply doesn't care?
The internet in general has given us unprecedented access to information and learning tools, but simple human factors keep it sitting on the digital shelves: People simply don't care.
Until such time as it takes away the things we take for granted, people will not notice or care, aside from an enlightened subset (for example, the 9 posts here before me.) But by then, it'll be too late.
Tron: Deadly Discs, and Motocross. Hell, even the AD&D game was decent. Emphasis was on game play, not snazzy graphics. The only major failing of the intellivision was it's tendency to overheat and die when I was soooo far into a round of Tron. You even got used to the controllers after a while.
To start out, I'm not some crusty old geezer. I'm 26, and I just have a good memory. My first computer experience scarred me forever, since it was a Vax, and I was 5. The thing looked like it could eat me, and I swear those tape drives looked like big eyes. Since then, though, it's all been uphill.
Commodore Vic 20, C-64, Timex Sinclair 1000 (w 64k add on module!), and then, my first x86. Up until the x86 box, which weighed roughly as much as I did at the time (solid steel construction is NOT a bad thing at that age), every machine I had free reign with had one thing in common: modules.
The Vic20/C64 had slap in terminal emulators, modems, the sinclair had add on cartridges as well. The big change with the x86 is that the case was screwed shut, and I tended to get in trouble when it came to wielding a screwdriver. Over the years, as computers progressed, and geeks began emerging in force, we weren't afraid to tear open a machine, adjust jumpers to tweak an IRQ or address setting when the new Soundblaster conflicted with the modem you'd put on IRQ 5 because you could. The huge push of PC's into the broad consumer market has landed machines on desks around the world, but the number of people tearing into them remains pretty much low. I bought the shirt from ThinkGeek that says 'No, I will not fix your computer,' and people find it hysterical, and then ask anyway. People are afraid to crack the case and look under the hood.
So let's run with this double sided board idea for a bit. Ever crack open a Sparc Ultra 5, with the PCI riser? They mount in both directions to preserve a low form factor. Getting cards in and out is relatively easy, with a single-screw lock bar holding things in. In my experience, and obviously from others, tool-less box work is a plus.
Considering form factor, does it really need to be fully enclosed? Your biggest heat producers are the CPU, GPU, and hard drives, typically, so good consistant airflow is important. Why run a full case at all? I'm running a 3D Cool mid tower, double side fans, single fore and single aft case fans, plus power supply. Sounds like a jet turbine, but that intimidates the clue resistant, so they leave it alone. All of it is to promote airflow inside a large chamber. So, ditch the chamber.
Absent the double sided concept, package the motherboard itself for a modular base. Snap-around plastic casing that provides air channels along the bottom. Change the board's power connection to something more suitable, like the cradle connections on a PalmV.
For the expansion cards, remove the connections from the back and standardize them, putting them onto the base, easily accessible from the front (or back, for permanent things likes monitors, and ethernet), and treat expansion cards, for lack of a better term, like Atari 2600 cartridges. With standardized I/O, expansion modules work as subprocessors.
Looking back at the double sided thing, you could run the motherboard vertically, in a nicely supported bracket, and add SPU's on either side. Vertically oriented drop bays for hard drives, going with the docking station style connector idea. Hell, you could even slap an adaptor on the end of existing drives for backwards compatibility.
I'm sure there are some holes in the idea, but that's nothing some implementation work wouldn't address.
In closing, this post constitutes prior art. If and when I see these product ideas in the wild, and someone is stupid enough to patent them, you'll be eating my shorts for breakfast.
End of line.
The Hugo Award is for published works of fiction. Posting your piece anonymously to Slashdot doesn't count.
By convention, you're fine to record and store copies of media for PERSONAL USE. So long as it remains in your possession, for your private use, you're covered under fair use provisions. The instant you turn it over to someone else, be it your copy, or a copy you make for them, you are now distributing the material, which violates the copyright if the copyright holder deems it not legal for distribution without compensation.
As normally diurnal creatures, natural sunlight stimulates hormone releases that support wakefulness in humans. Adding full spectrum lighting likely trips the same response.
DMCA enforcement will likely eat poo, should someone go after a consumer with it. These boxes fall wholly within fair use limits, just like VCRs. I'm not sure any particular company is up to that legal fight just yet, even the MPAA. Once they tear into it, the DMCA will hit some serious scrutiny, and likely some serious assault.
Yes, this is a reprint of an older story, found here.
With enough antennae, you could built a (albeit spectrum limited) Very Long Baseline Array by sprinkling the dishes among geographically disparate users and tying it all together via internet links and controller software designed to handle it.
i nks#line166 for a collection of links)
I recall seeing some use of those style dishes for directional wavelan antennae, you could try stringing a transcontinental wavelan backbone. (http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessL
Just a few thoughts.
I have one of the external Mobility USB hubs, and they're fairly decent. Driver support is in the generic area, meaning usually stable. The one I have replicates PS2-style mouse and keyboard, a single db9 serial (great for serial PDA cradles), 4 rear facing USB ports, and one forward facing USB port.
They're excellent for the exact use mentioned above, and you don't have to deal with the extra tangle of cables involved with fully reversing your motherboard (video, etc..).