The computer evidently senses a contact on the handlebars and stops or reverses the motor. But, physics does not allow for an instantaneous stop of that much mass. And even then, the rider is under no such control. He is still moving at the original speed.
Read further for other groups concerns:
http://www.icdri.org/News/segwayacb.htm
http://www.walkboston.org/jcps.htm
http://prometheus-music.com/eli/segway.html
"The National Safety Council has determined that the average reaction time for an emergency braking situation is three-quarters of a second. At even 12 mph, a Segway would therefore travel an average of 13 feet before the user would even initiate braking. Segway claims that the device could then be stopped in an additional 5 feet (which would be a remarkable 1g of deceleration if true) for a total stopping distance of 18 feet. Again, this would be completely unsafe for sidewalk use."
How is the Seg different from a motorized bicycle? In almost all respects, they are quite similar. Wheels, motor, weight, speed.
And for good reason, we don't allow motorized bicycles(underpowered mopeds) on sidewalks. Motors and peds do not mix well.
Don't get me wrong. I think the Seg is a cool application of technology. But I have my doubts about mixing well on a crowded sidewalk.
I really hope that the states allowing(requiring) these things to be ridden on the sidewalks doesn't bleed over into the bicycle world.
Bikes are much too fast to mix with peds safely. The speed and maneuverability are too different. But they may eventually get lumped in with these Seg's as "non-cars", and be required to use the sidewalk. Then the already declining bike use will drop even farther. And we will get fatter and fatter.
Even the Seg is too big and fast for a crowded sidewalk. "Just like being hit by a pedestrian" doesn't begin to convey the kinetic energy behind a 320 lb lump hitting you at 12 mph. Roll right over most people.
Because that is what they bought. A tool that does NOT include modifiable source code. If package A does not include source that you can modify, and package B does, and that is something you desperately need to do, then you'd better buy package B.
Why don't the Taiwanese ask Intel or AMD for all the particulars of their chip building process?
Or Western Digital for all of the source code for their hard drives?
Or any other part of the PC package that they use?
Bitching and whining that what you bought does not do what you need is silly. Buy what you want the first time.
OBTW, the military DOES outsource a lot of the low level maintenance on their aircraft and equipment. Take the board out and send it back to the factory for part replacement and testing.
Figure most users run Windows 9x and above. Further, figure most users have AutoPlay turned on (by default).
A.inf, that pops up a warning message, and then ejects the DVD is quite easy to write.
"You may not play this in a PC-connected drive." POP.
Joe average will then say hey, I guess I can't. And proceed to watch it on his TV, and not copy (unless just to the VCR).
Doesn't work for all, obviously, but for a good percentage, it creates just another layer to get through. Most will give up eventually, and just watch it.
1000 mm long (1meter, over 3ft) robot but only can go over gaps of 150mm (less than 6 inches)
wtf? that's like saying I can't step over gaps of 1 feet.
Well..this thing hasn't had a million or so years of developnment.
"The amount of radioactivity is so miniscule that you don't have to worry about it as much."
If I may ask a simple question here:
As much as what?
IT's not about the GPL
on
Film Gimp
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
It's about the tool. Whatever tool will get them the biggest bang for the buck. If a $5k/seat tool would do it better than a free one (and return a better product/movie at the end), then they'd use that instead.
How many studios are using Blender instead of Maya/3DSMax/Lightwave for real production work? Very, very few, if any. Even though Blender has the potential to save serious $$, it's just not good enough.
It appears FreeGimp is good enough, so that's why they use it.
Re:Why not just charge to send email?
on
The Economics of Spam
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
I'd wholeheartedly support a 1 cent/email fee to be imposed across the board, by law, everywhere. Would you?
Nope. Then people who run legitimate email lists (hobbyists, listservs, PTA, whatever) would be out of luck. A 1000 family PTA group could incur almost $5k/year with a once a week mailing.
Let's not screw the honest person to block the dishonest.
My kids, while in the library doing research on whatever, also use the computers there. If you haven't noticed, they are a useful tool.
Also, a LOT of kids have no PC at home. The library is one place they can go to get some stuff done. The price of 2 or 3 PC's in a branch lib is minimal compared to the overall library costs.
Yes, Gator is one of the most anoying pieces of crapware ever to disgrace the web. Unfortunately, a lot of the general populace uses, and likes, Gator.
At epinions.com, Gator gets a 4 star rating.
"I love it!"
"A very useful tool"
"Easy to use and set up, saves time and energy"
FYI, the base networks are about as secure as the average company's network (in other words, not very).
Actually, no, they are probably more secure. The average military base takes hundreds, thousands of unauthorized hits every day, simply for being what they are. A fat juicy target. Far more than the average corporate network.
.mil sites are the Holy Grail of crackers/hackers. Far more street cred if you can gain entrance to whatever.mil, rather than JoesFlowerShop.com.
My last base, Langley AFB, was a HUGE target. ACC headquarters, and also a bit of name confusion (people were thinking CIA HQ in Langley, VA). We had a special team set up, whose only function was to ward off intrusion attempts, and DoS attacks. For a couple of week stretch once, we were getting 10's of thousands of spurious emails per day. I believe someone got busted behind that too.
No, it isn't aiding and abetting. Waiting until you have incrontrovertible proof of who it is, where they are, and what they've been doing is merely prudent investigation.
While Hanoi Jane may look good in that movie, my TV and PC both know that any appearance of her on either screen for more than 3 seconds will result in swift destruction of the offending device. As such, they refuse to display her countenance.
For those that do not know, Hanoi Jane (Fonda) actively colluded with the North Vietnamese during the war. A better looking 60's John Walker Lindh.
You may think a particular war or military action is wrong, but actively helping the other side (whomever they may be), against your own country, is just plain wrong.
Now would I want to be in a three wheeled vehicle at those speeds, no way in hell.
Actually, 3 wheels (2F/1R) can be very stable. There are several human power trikes with this same configuration, generally very stable at 50+.
As long as you don't try to implement rear wheel steering. Then you will crash.
1F/2R is potentially VERY unstable at anything over 15 or so.
Re:Why not use a hovercraft?
on
Landshark
·
· Score: 2
Due to the nature of their steering and braking, hovercraft SUCK on the road.
You'd have to put retractable wheels on it to handle even the most minor sudden turns (upping the complexity, weight, HP required, etc.)
Try stopping a hover from even 30mph when that little kid runs out in front of you. Or turning at 60 to avoid a deer.
A wireless, networked flexible monitor, paper thin, sold for $1, would be esentially no different than cruising through the WSJ online version via a PDA or cellphone.
What operating system does your phone use? Don't know, don't care. Your VCR? No idea.
The only reason we are sill focused on operating systems up to now is that the whole content creation and viewing applications are not platform neutral. Yet.
Inroads are being made. OpenOffice.org, Lindows, Linux..all making the operating system somewhat of a non entity. We're not there yet, but before long, the portability of the tools and information will make it a moot point.
Sit an average user down in front of a screen (be it a 19" Sony connected to a PC, a PDA, a TV, a video game, whatever) and ask if they care what makes the pretty pictures. All you'll get is "Can I do "X" with it?"
The tools will be more portable, the operating system will be more hidden, the data will be platform neutral. But the underlying operating system will still be there to handle the man-machine interface.
Slashdot Mirror
"... it said nowhere that I may not carry a hammer with me just because I can use it to break the window of a shop."
Try buying a set of lock picking tools if you are not a bonded, licensed locksmith.
Yes, I do care if the government wants to know, but not some store managers .
With Total Information Awareness, they will both know.
With those bigass fans hanging out in the breeze, this thing has to give a radar xsection of a battleship.
No, transport aircraft don't have to be stealthy, but they also should not increase it unnecessarily.
The computer evidently senses a contact on the handlebars and stops or reverses the motor. But, physics does not allow for an instantaneous stop of that much mass. And even then, the rider is under no such control. He is still moving at the original speed.
Read further for other groups concerns:
http://www.icdri.org/News/segwayacb.htm
http://www.walkboston.org/jcps.htm
http://prometheus-music.com/eli/segway.html
"The National Safety Council has determined that the average reaction time for an emergency braking situation is three-quarters of a second. At even 12 mph, a Segway would therefore travel an average of 13 feet before the user would even initiate braking. Segway claims that the device could then be stopped in an additional 5 feet (which would be a remarkable 1g of deceleration if true) for a total stopping distance of 18 feet. Again, this would be completely unsafe for sidewalk use."
How is the Seg different from a motorized bicycle? In almost all respects, they are quite similar. Wheels, motor, weight, speed.
And for good reason, we don't allow motorized bicycles(underpowered mopeds) on sidewalks. Motors and peds do not mix well.
Don't get me wrong. I think the Seg is a cool application of technology. But I have my doubts about mixing well on a crowded sidewalk.
I really hope that the states allowing(requiring) these things to be ridden on the sidewalks doesn't bleed over into the bicycle world.
Bikes are much too fast to mix with peds safely. The speed and maneuverability are too different. But they may eventually get lumped in with these Seg's as "non-cars", and be required to use the sidewalk. Then the already declining bike use will drop even farther. And we will get fatter and fatter.
Even the Seg is too big and fast for a crowded sidewalk. "Just like being hit by a pedestrian" doesn't begin to convey the kinetic energy behind a 320 lb lump hitting you at 12 mph. Roll right over most people.
Are kids in the US the only ones befitting a "safe" surfing experience?
I realize that it would be nigh impossible to create a worldide standard, but theis tastes a little of "screw everyone else".
What powers will the controlling group have when (not if) someone breaks the content rules?
.kids.us?
What recourse do I have when my kids happen upon content that should not be there in
Years ago (92?)I had a JVC(?) LCD remote. many buttons, and a programmable screen. It worked well until the first glass of wine spilled on it.
Because that is what they bought. A tool that does NOT include modifiable source code. If package A does not include source that you can modify, and package B does, and that is something you desperately need to do, then you'd better buy package B.
Why don't the Taiwanese ask Intel or AMD for all the particulars of their chip building process?
Or Western Digital for all of the source code for their hard drives?
Or any other part of the PC package that they use?
Bitching and whining that what you bought does not do what you need is silly. Buy what you want the first time.
OBTW, the military DOES outsource a lot of the low level maintenance on their aircraft and equipment. Take the board out and send it back to the factory for part replacement and testing.
Oh I agree completely. And my hypothetical only prevented/slowed down copying via the PC, not a DVD player/recorder.
Removing previously held functionality, in the name of "preventing piracy", seems to be what they are about, and I think it STINKS.
And there are ways around this as well.
.inf, that pops up a warning message, and then ejects the DVD is quite easy to write.
Figure most users run Windows 9x and above. Further, figure most users have AutoPlay turned on (by default).
A
"You may not play this in a PC-connected drive." POP.
Joe average will then say hey, I guess I can't. And proceed to watch it on his TV, and not copy (unless just to the VCR).
Doesn't work for all, obviously, but for a good percentage, it creates just another layer to get through. Most will give up eventually, and just watch it.
1000 mm long (1meter, over 3ft) robot but only can go over gaps of 150mm (less than 6 inches)
wtf? that's like saying I can't step over gaps of 1 feet.
Well..this thing hasn't had a million or so years of developnment.
...I can yell "Beer me!" and it trots over with a frosty mug full.
"The amount of radioactivity is so miniscule that you don't have to worry about it as much."
If I may ask a simple question here: As much as what ?
It's about the tool. Whatever tool will get them the biggest bang for the buck. If a $5k/seat tool would do it better than a free one (and return a better product/movie at the end), then they'd use that instead.
How many studios are using Blender instead of Maya/3DSMax/Lightwave for real production work? Very, very few, if any. Even though Blender has the potential to save serious $$, it's just not good enough.
It appears FreeGimp is good enough, so that's why they use it.
I'd wholeheartedly support a 1 cent/email fee to be imposed across the board, by law, everywhere. Would you?
Nope. Then people who run legitimate email lists (hobbyists, listservs, PTA, whatever) would be out of luck. A 1000 family PTA group could incur almost $5k/year with a once a week mailing.
Let's not screw the honest person to block the dishonest.
My kids, while in the library doing research on whatever, also use the computers there. If you haven't noticed, they are a useful tool.
Also, a LOT of kids have no PC at home. The library is one place they can go to get some stuff done. The price of 2 or 3 PC's in a branch lib is minimal compared to the overall library costs.
Yes, Gator is one of the most anoying pieces of crapware ever to disgrace the web. Unfortunately, a lot of the general populace uses, and likes, Gator.
At epinions.com, Gator gets a 4 star rating.
"I love it!"
"A very useful tool"
"Easy to use and set up, saves time and energy"
THOSE are the users being affected by this.
FYI, the base networks are about as secure as the average company's network (in other words, not very).
.mil sites are the Holy Grail of crackers/hackers. Far more street cred if you can gain entrance to whatever.mil, rather than JoesFlowerShop.com.
Actually, no, they are probably more secure. The average military base takes hundreds, thousands of unauthorized hits every day, simply for being what they are. A fat juicy target. Far more than the average corporate network.
My last base, Langley AFB, was a HUGE target. ACC headquarters, and also a bit of name confusion (people were thinking CIA HQ in Langley, VA). We had a special team set up, whose only function was to ward off intrusion attempts, and DoS attacks. For a couple of week stretch once, we were getting 10's of thousands of spurious emails per day. I believe someone got busted behind that too.
No, it isn't aiding and abetting. Waiting until you have incrontrovertible proof of who it is, where they are, and what they've been doing is merely prudent investigation.
And Greg Lake, not Palmer. Or maybe you were thinking of Carl Palmer, of ELP?
Feel free to smack yourself again...
Ironic that you post this on Veteran's Day.
While Hanoi Jane may look good in that movie, my TV and PC both know that any appearance of her on either screen for more than 3 seconds will result in swift destruction of the offending device. As such, they refuse to display her countenance.
For those that do not know, Hanoi Jane (Fonda) actively colluded with the North Vietnamese during the war. A better looking 60's John Walker Lindh.
You may think a particular war or military action is wrong, but actively helping the other side (whomever they may be), against your own country, is just plain wrong.
Now would I want to be in a three wheeled vehicle at those speeds, no way in hell.
Actually, 3 wheels (2F/1R) can be very stable. There are several human power trikes with this same configuration, generally very stable at 50+.
As long as you don't try to implement rear wheel steering. Then you will crash.
1F/2R is potentially VERY unstable at anything over 15 or so.
Due to the nature of their steering and braking, hovercraft SUCK on the road.
You'd have to put retractable wheels on it to handle even the most minor sudden turns (upping the complexity, weight, HP required, etc.)
Try stopping a hover from even 30mph when that little kid runs out in front of you. Or turning at 60 to avoid a deer.
Going with your newspaper example...
A wireless, networked flexible monitor, paper thin, sold for $1, would be esentially no different than cruising through the WSJ online version via a PDA or cellphone.
What operating system does your phone use? Don't know, don't care. Your VCR? No idea.
The only reason we are sill focused on operating systems up to now is that the whole content creation and viewing applications are not platform neutral. Yet.
Inroads are being made. OpenOffice.org, Lindows, Linux..all making the operating system somewhat of a non entity. We're not there yet, but before long, the portability of the tools and information will make it a moot point.
Sit an average user down in front of a screen (be it a 19" Sony connected to a PC, a PDA, a TV, a video game, whatever) and ask if they care what makes the pretty pictures. All you'll get is "Can I do "X" with it?"
The tools will be more portable, the operating system will be more hidden, the data will be platform neutral. But the underlying operating system will still be there to handle the man-machine interface.