I think the article author is talking about be best learning tool, not the best tool to grind out work at your job. For that purpose, I nominate the slide rule which is pretty "transparent" in that you tend to spend more time focused on the method of solving the problem rather than the mechanics.
I completed engineering school with a slide rule before they invented calculators. this is actually faster than a calculator and you tend to focus on the method rather than the math.
These people (Omate) seem to be making a good try at a standalone smartphone as a wristwatch. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/omate/omate-truesmart-water-resistant-standalone-smartwa I've been thinking about getting one. Looks it will have everything I would want. It operates as a standalone smartphone including touch screen, speaker, microphone... even a camera. Nice design and a bit smaller than the "sport" watch I currently wear. Can also link to a "full size" smartphone via WiFi or Bluetooth. Even waterproof to wear while swimming, etc. They are predicting delivery in October and November this year.
I'm sure China can reduce some costs by doing away with pesky safety "features" and regulations and, of course, in some sense they don't seem to worry about costs since they look at all construction as a net plus for the economy (they even have built entire ghost cities). In addition, they don't seem to worry about downstream costs from contamination since they have already rendered most of their cities and waterways unfit for habitation. Nobody trusts food from China since it is all contaminated and adulterated. So... I don't think China is a good example for nuclear development... in fact, it makes me very afraid.
Most of the battery drain in a smartphone comes from the display back light and the fact that this has a very small display (about 2.3 sq.in.compared to about 8 sq. in. for many smartphones) should mean that there will be a very small battery drain for the display.
This is a smartphone and a watch. It you don't want the smartphone part, then don't buy it. Buy something else (like a watch). (OTOH, you could try hitting it with a hammer or putting it in the microwave but these are not very precise methods and may not produce the intended results.)
For "finding bad guys", it's good to have lots of false positives. This gives you lots of suspects and then you can expand your surveillance to many more people. Since there are lots of laws, everyone can be considered a criminal. Expect this to lead to lots more people questioned, arrested and plea bargaining their way to a "short" stay in jail. Big win for the surveillance state and the securocrats.
You are right that those in the academic world generally have access via an institutional subscription. However, the rest of the world doesn't generally have access. It's not a good thing to exclude so many potential users and contributors of knowledge especially when you consider that academic worlds tend to be closed in a kind of "group think" and that real innovation tends to come from people who "think different". As a physician without a current institutional sponsor, I am confronted with this problem daily. I would like to have access to the latest research in my areas of interest but am frequently blocked by paywalls. I do realize that I can often get the article through alternative means but the time it takes and the delay are a significant cost.
I'm so happy to hear that I can only be detained for 6 hours without cause. I was really worried about 9 hours and now that it is only 6 hours, I feel just fine. Also, it will be nice to have a lawyer there who will parrot the law and tell me that I will go away to jail for a long time if I refuse to answer questions... this removes any doubt I may have had about how screwed I really would be. Thank you UK for your enlightened terrorist laws.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been. You've been in the pipeline, filling in time, provided with toys and Scouting for Boys. You bought a guitar to punish your ma, And you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool, So welcome to the machine. Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. What did you dream? It's alright we told you what to dream. You dreamed of a big star, he played a mean guitar, He always ate in the Steak Bar. He loved to drive in his Jaguar. So welcome to the machine.
Don't know what the engineering parameters are for the hyperloop but I imagine that they have figured out something reasonable that works with the real world which has hills everywhere. Quick look at Google Earth shows max elevation 1475 meters with average slope 2.3% for the current I-5 route. I don't know if this is within their parameters but there is a lot of empty space out there for route selection.
As a test, it might be better to try this out on the LA to Las Vegas route. This is shorter and land acquisition costs across the desert would be very low. The route today is currently very heavily traveled so there would be a good market for passengers. The casinos would love it and would probably fund it.
I don't know if you have noticed it but this is the way it works for most taxes. If you check your pay stub (if you have a job), you will see that the company you work for has a legal obligation to collect all kinds of taxes... FICA, FUTA, SDI, state and federal withholding. Yes, companies have a legal obligation to collect these taxes. It's the law. Yes, companies are subject to the laws of other states. If you want to do business in California, you need to follow California law even if you are in another state.
The people who make "food" generally understand that it is "food" and this checkbox can be ticked and the computer doesn't have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. I'm sure the states would be happy to just collect a flat 10% on everything with no complex rules, exceptions, etc. but this would upset a lot of corporations and special constituencies who would immediately go to work demanding special exemptions for their special needs and soon you would have the same complex set of rules. In fact, I believe that I did hear of a proposal for a "national sales tax" along these lines but it did not gain support.
Slashdot Mirror
Interesting to see that now the tables are reversed and the UK is now being exploited by Imperial China.
I think the article author is talking about be best learning tool, not the best tool to grind out work at your job.
For that purpose, I nominate the slide rule which is pretty "transparent" in that you tend to spend more time focused on the method of solving the problem rather than the mechanics.
I completed engineering school with a slide rule before they invented calculators.
this is actually faster than a calculator and you tend to focus on the method rather than the math.
These people (Omate) seem to be making a good try at a standalone smartphone as a wristwatch.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/omate/omate-truesmart-water-resistant-standalone-smartwa
I've been thinking about getting one. Looks it will have everything I would want. It operates as a standalone smartphone including touch screen, speaker, microphone... even a camera. Nice design and a bit smaller than the "sport" watch I currently wear. Can also link to a "full size" smartphone via WiFi or Bluetooth. Even waterproof to wear while swimming, etc. They are predicting delivery in October and November this year.
I'm sure China can reduce some costs by doing away with pesky safety "features" and regulations and, of course, in some sense they don't seem to worry about costs since they look at all construction as a net plus for the economy (they even have built entire ghost cities). In addition, they don't seem to worry about downstream costs from contamination since they have already rendered most of their cities and waterways unfit for habitation. Nobody trusts food from China since it is all contaminated and adulterated.
So... I don't think China is a good example for nuclear development... in fact, it makes me very afraid.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/06/17/2158951/pandoras-promise-nuclear-powers-trek-from-too-cheap-to-meter-to-too-costly-to-matter-much/
The closure of this aging power plant was inevitable.
The construction of new nuclear power plants is plagued by the same issues. Nuclear power is just too costly even with the substantial subsidies it currently receives. The issues of nuclear waste and proliferation only make the case more difficult.
Nuclear power's time has past. It never was very good and now the financial and technical problems are overwhelming.
Most of the battery drain in a smartphone comes from the display back light and the fact that this has a very small display (about 2.3 sq.in.compared to about 8 sq. in. for many smartphones) should mean that there will be a very small battery drain for the display.
This is a smartphone and a watch.
It you don't want the smartphone part, then don't buy it. Buy something else (like a watch).
(OTOH, you could try hitting it with a hammer or putting it in the microwave but these are not very precise methods and may not produce the intended results.)
Your computer will be obsolete a long time before the expensive built in monitor but you'll have to trash them both together.
... Or you could just plug your laptop into an external monitor.
For "finding bad guys", it's good to have lots of false positives. This gives you lots of suspects and then you can expand your surveillance to many more people. Since there are lots of laws, everyone can be considered a criminal.
Expect this to lead to lots more people questioned, arrested and plea bargaining their way to a "short" stay in jail.
Big win for the surveillance state and the securocrats.
They just figured out that they have a problem?
I gave up reading the comments on Huff Post a long time ago. They are just trash.
You are right that those in the academic world generally have access via an institutional subscription.
However, the rest of the world doesn't generally have access.
It's not a good thing to exclude so many potential users and contributors of knowledge especially when you consider that academic worlds tend to be closed in a kind of "group think" and that real innovation tends to come from people who "think different".
As a physician without a current institutional sponsor, I am confronted with this problem daily. I would like to have access to the latest research in my areas of interest but am frequently blocked by paywalls. I do realize that I can often get the article through alternative means but the time it takes and the delay are a significant cost.
how about a drunk driver crashing and burning.
I'm so happy to hear that I can only be detained for 6 hours without cause. I was really worried about 9 hours and now that it is only 6 hours, I feel just fine.
Also, it will be nice to have a lawyer there who will parrot the law and tell me that I will go away to jail for a long time if I refuse to answer questions... this removes any doubt I may have had about how screwed I really would be.
Thank you UK for your enlightened terrorist laws.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
provided with toys and Scouting for Boys.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool,
So welcome to the machine.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream? It's alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star, he played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar. He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the machine.
It is well known that the UK is a lap dog of the US so I'm sure they did this at the bidding of Obama.
Try this:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/3d-print-failures/
Interesting that there already is a proposal for a high speed rail link:
http://www.xpresswest.com/
http://www.xpresswest.com/network.html (they have grand plans for the entire Southwest).
They have done a lot of work on it but recently hit a block when they couldn't get the Feds to loan them the money:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/transportation-insider/prospects-dim-high-speed-rail-link-la-vegas
Don't know what the engineering parameters are for the hyperloop but I imagine that they have figured out something reasonable that works with the real world which has hills everywhere.
Quick look at Google Earth shows max elevation 1475 meters with average slope 2.3% for the current I-5 route. I don't know if this is within their parameters but there is a lot of empty space out there for route selection.
They will most likely send a SWAT team (without a search warrant):
Texas SWAT raid destroys organic farm:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/texas-swat-team-conducts-_n_3764951.html
As a test, it might be better to try this out on the LA to Las Vegas route.
This is shorter and land acquisition costs across the desert would be very low.
The route today is currently very heavily traveled so there would be a good market for passengers.
The casinos would love it and would probably fund it.
I don't know if you have noticed it but this is the way it works for most taxes. If you check your pay stub (if you have a job), you will see that the company you work for has a legal obligation to collect all kinds of taxes... FICA, FUTA, SDI, state and federal withholding. Yes, companies have a legal obligation to collect these taxes. It's the law. Yes, companies are subject to the laws of other states. If you want to do business in California, you need to follow California law even if you are in another state.
The people who make "food" generally understand that it is "food" and this checkbox can be ticked and the computer doesn't have to spend a lot of time thinking about it.
I'm sure the states would be happy to just collect a flat 10% on everything with no complex rules, exceptions, etc. but this would upset a lot of corporations and special constituencies who would immediately go to work demanding special exemptions for their special needs and soon you would have the same complex set of rules.
In fact, I believe that I did hear of a proposal for a "national sales tax" along these lines but it did not gain support.
It's not simple. That's why we have computers.