looking over my doodles - errrr notes - from physics I notice circles exactly like those in the article! And I saw a solar eclipse a few years ago...I should put this notebook in a time capsule for future generations to have a record of this event.
was that its load cost increases nearly exponentially with increasing users. This is definitely a problem when there are hundreds of millions of users and billions of independent connections.
Aren't most web connections simply a quick send-information request? Why require more data to be sent by both sides?
It would be foolish to trade HTTP's known limitations accumulated through decades with P2P unknown dangers, simply because we could. HTTP does its job well.
I always figured we could tweak the earth's rotational velocity through the conservation of angular momentum. if we grew a bunch of really tall trees the earth would spin slower. If we chopped down all the tall trees it would speed up.
We could build telescoping rods that expand out during the day or night and shrink during the night or day (whichever way we want) so we could extend one or the other. Want more sleep? Extend the rods!
I've asked around a lot about this, too. The general consensus of professors and various technical people in all those areas is that a computer engineering degree will take you almost anywhere a computer science or electrical engineering degree will. Most people don't go into the exact field they studied. Computer engineering has a broad area and great math background and sets you up well.
Netscape was dead when they decided to scrap their code and rewrite from scratch. By the time they had a new version out, Internet Explorer was years ahead.
The "ugly code" programmers always want to scrap is merely good code with bug fixes for particular weird configurations added in - there is no way around that. Microsoft has always pushed out other software makers by quickly adding features when other companies decided to scrap and rewrite from scratch - Lotus 1-2-3 with Excel, Netscape with Explorer.
The phrase "current crop of IT undergrads" people bandy about means little. CS courses at every level are full of many different people. The undergrads range beyond the teenage moneyseekers stereotype. The undergrads include students in their late 20s with families, going back to school to get better jobs, or even middle-aged folk who are retraining after being downsized in other industries.
The range of ages in many classes is 17 - 40 and includes students from many majors. They are being taught programming strategy and the programming knowledge companies are looking for. If they aren't being taught Linux and other OS's, its because industry doesn't yet demand such knowledge. Give the students a break.
The point of the competition is not the solar power aspect, but the engineering of the project as a whole, the balancing cost and performance. It gives college students hands-on experience building and designing, gives companies and universities media exposure, and is fun.
Learning and fun have always been the reasons for any competition. What did you expect was the reason?
Because after the initial investment the power is free and the equipment will work for 20 years. In countries like Morocco with 300 days of sun per year solar power makes a lot of sense. It doesn't have to do a lot, either: run a few light bulbs, a tv, an appliance or two.
Solar power isn't going to drive your car, but it will certainly power basic home services in many parts of the world.
The electrical systems of the car are commercial products and any possible tweaking would provide little or no benefit in performance.
Race speeds of the top cars are above 50 MPH. At speeds up to 45 MPH air drag increases on a linear scale. Above 45 MPH air drag increases geometrically and quickly becomes the main factor in car performance. Teams rebuild their car body if they find a way to shave a few tenths off the drag coefficient.
The new body on University of Missouri - Rolla's Solar Miner III (rebuilt after the sunRayce last summer) has a drag coefficient of about.09 compared to the previous body's stat of.12. As such, we should get an average speed of several miles per hour faster.
Other major factors are vehicle weight (obviously), battery type, and solar array type. Lithium ion batteries have much higher retention than older lead-acid batteries that some teams still use and are lighter as well.
The solar array varies from car to car depending on team budget. Teams with huge budgets have higher efficiency arrays and much more available power. More power does not translate into better performance, though, because over the long haul a more efficient body design with less parasitic power loss will perform much better even with less power.
Isn't it a bit risky to put all their eggs in one basket? What happens when a micrometeorite punctures a few instruments and renders an important part useless and the satellite nonfunctional? Scary thought.
KingPrad
Slashdot Mirror
KingPrad
maybe the test was successful only because there was no one to shoot back?
KingPrad
looking over my doodles - errrr notes - from physics I notice circles exactly like those in the article! And I saw a solar eclipse a few years ago...I should put this notebook in a time capsule for future generations to have a record of this event.
...can you get through the airport with it? Carry any more technology and those security guards will tear you apart.
It would be foolish to trade HTTP's known limitations accumulated through decades with P2P unknown dangers, simply because we could. HTTP does its job well.
KingPrad
HUH?
We could build telescoping rods that expand out during the day or night and shrink during the night or day (whichever way we want) so we could extend one or the other. Want more sleep? Extend the rods!
Carl
KingPrad
The "ugly code" programmers always want to scrap is merely good code with bug fixes for particular weird configurations added in - there is no way around that. Microsoft has always pushed out other software makers by quickly adding features when other companies decided to scrap and rewrite from scratch - Lotus 1-2-3 with Excel, Netscape with Explorer.
KingPrad
To protect against modern DNA evidence collection, wrap youself completely in saran wrap except for breathing holes also.
If you get desperate, cut yourself with something sharp lying around the house and sue the owners. Works every time. Good luck on your new career!
--KingPrad
Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, "I'll drive. You man the guns."
Am I the only one not releasing a convergence box? I'm so behind the times.
I wonder if I can still get a patent on signatures, both legible and scribbled...
KingPrad
The range of ages in many classes is 17 - 40 and includes students from many majors. They are being taught programming strategy and the programming knowledge companies are looking for. If they aren't being taught Linux and other OS's, its because industry doesn't yet demand such knowledge. Give the students a break.
Learning and fun have always been the reasons for any competition. What did you expect was the reason?
KingPrad
Solar power isn't going to drive your car, but it will certainly power basic home services in many parts of the world.
KingPrad
Race speeds of the top cars are above 50 MPH. At speeds up to 45 MPH air drag increases on a linear scale. Above 45 MPH air drag increases geometrically and quickly becomes the main factor in car performance. Teams rebuild their car body if they find a way to shave a few tenths off the drag coefficient.
The new body on University of Missouri - Rolla's Solar Miner III (rebuilt after the sunRayce last summer) has a drag coefficient of about .09 compared to the previous body's stat of .12. As such, we should get an average speed of several miles per hour faster.
Other major factors are vehicle weight (obviously), battery type, and solar array type. Lithium ion batteries have much higher retention than older lead-acid batteries that some teams still use and are lighter as well.
The solar array varies from car to car depending on team budget. Teams with huge budgets have higher efficiency arrays and much more available power. More power does not translate into better performance, though, because over the long haul a more efficient body design with less parasitic power loss will perform much better even with less power.
KingPrad
Isn't it a bit risky to put all their eggs in one basket? What happens when a micrometeorite punctures a few instruments and renders an important part useless and the satellite nonfunctional? Scary thought. KingPrad