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User: Tmack

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  1. Re:Uhhh.. Why not.. on I, Spammer · · Score: 1
    After all they are trying to sell you "The Internet"[sic]

    Not that there's anything erotically arousing or sexually provocative on the internet...

    Tm

  2. Re:Does anybody actually know how to read? on Verisign Granted DNS Lookup Patent · · Score: 1
    I seriously doubt that that TLD/GDP means much at all. Just look at Christmass Island, their GDP cant be all that much, yet they bring us such wonderfull domain names as goatse.cx

    Tm

  3. Re:Who gets control over the T1? on Last-Mile Solution For A Rural Land Co-op? · · Score: 2, Informative
    Generally the LEC you purchase the T1 from will keep the line up. The termination points, thats what would be of any concern. All you would need though is a Cisco (or any other router) with a T1 card (even the 2k's can have T1 cards, dont necessarily need a datacenter and a 10k or anything special like that). Between that and the smartjack (end of T1) is just a piece of cat5. The other end would require connection to an ISP, probably something the LEC could also handle. If it goes down, and your cisco is still running, you call the LEC and they fix it. Other equipment would be a little more of a concern simply because there would be more of it depending on how you actually wire the network (simplified if you go wireless).

    TM

  4. Re:Can they record? on Students Get iPods as Study Aids · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Of cousre there are these things called cassette recorders, they work fairly well at recording lectures. You can even get Micro-cassette recorders that are even smaller. They dont cost all that much and you can get replacement media for really cheap.

    Granted most lectures I recorded were not of the caliber necessary for digital recording, I could see how it might be needed in a class such as "Gothic Imagination". Plus, with the tape recorder I could play back the whole lecture in 30mins with the speed-dial turned all the way up. Might be nifty to be able to sort and store as files, but I dont think its worth the extra $$ for use strictly in class. Very usefull for lectures like American History that I tended to fall asleep though (until the tape clicked off at 5till end of class).

    TM

  5. Re:I tried it once... on Cisco's Wi-Fi Phone · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Well... Cisco has been doing VOIP for some time now, on a more commercial level. I work for a telecom company that uses cisco routers to deploy VOIP telephony to our customers via T1 (bandwidth not in use by voice traffic is used for internet access). The largest problem (trouble ticket wise) seems to be more at the physical level with T1's failing (which we get through de-regulation from the baby bells), where as your problem sounds like network lag and bandwidth limits. Granted, our network was designed specifically for voice traffic, but any company that sets up a Wi-Fi VOIP network should be able to do the same, so long as no one runs the microwave thats in the break room...

    TM

  6. Hmm....Im on that net... on The 69/8 Networking Problem · · Score: 1
    While I do have the occasional site that wont respond, I havent noticed more than did the same with my other provider (not on the 69/8). Guess it deserves me lookin into a bit further..

    Tm

  7. Re:A Threat to Privacy? on Benetton Says No to RFIDs ... For Now · · Score: 2, Insightful
    You haven't seen Minority Report have you? Thats about how often the retinal scanners were placed around the city, with even more tightly spaced ones in the shopping areas. The RFId technology offers the possibility of something similar. Although it isn't specific enough to identify you as YOU, it would be able to identify what you were wearing, and any other object with a functional RFId tag. This would allow marketers to gather enough marketing data to fit you to a specific genre, and target ads near you towards what their research shows you might be interested in, very similar to the movie again. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does offer questions on privacy. Imagine a guy walking through a mall and having ads pop up around him for Victorea's Secret because of the RFId tag in the lengerie he happens to be wearing....

    Tm

  8. Unclaimed Baggage on Great Surplus Stores? · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Ever wonder where Lost and Found Items end up after sitting at the airport/train station/where ever? Scottsboro, Alabama, just outside downtown [sic] Scottsboro in a store advertised for many miles around as "The Unclaimed Baggage Store".

    While not necessarily Surplus, they do normally have alot of strange stuff turn up (including a puppet/costume used to make the movie Labyrinth). They normally have thousands of CD's, tons of clothing, lots and lots of camera equipment, camping stuff, random computer stuff (got a IBM3725 terminal there for $5 couple years back, and a 24port cabletron management switch for $90) and other junk. I usually go by there a couple times a year just to see what turns up.

    TM

  9. Re:Embedding Python on Slashback: Rocketry, Pythonation, Scoffing · · Score: 3, Informative
    And perl cant do that? IIRC perl is written in C and can be (somewhat) easily be converted into something useable for other C programs and vise-versa (embeded perl).

    T

  10. Re:NAT - eliminated? on Slashdot over IPv6 · · Score: 1
    Nope, you would probably be given a subnet rather than a single address. Any address within that subnet would be routed by your ISP through your cable/dsl modem (which is esentially a router iteself) to your lan. All you have to do is give your machines an address in that subnet and point the default gw to the gateway address of the subnet. Thats what subnet masks are for, breaking larger address blocks into smaller networks. In IPv4 you could get a netmask of 255.255.255.252, in which case 66.66.66.0 might be your network addres, 66.66.66.1 is your gateway addres, 66.66.66.2 is the one you put on your computer, and 66.66.66.3 is the broadcast. The next person wanting 1 useable addy would get network 66.66.66.4. Someone wanting 5 useables would have a network like 66.66.66.8, netmask 255.255.255.248, etc. There are other restrictions (a subnet has to start on an address divisible by the number of addys in it) but generally your ISP would handle them along with BGP and other routing stuff. IPv6 is similar, just adds more features.

    TM

  11. Ga Tech's been doing this for a while now.... on Microsoft's Home Of Tomorrow Has No Bathroom · · Score: 1
    I live next door to the house they built. It was finished just when I moved in, as I was taking the place of someone moving into it. Sounds like MS is re-hashing the same stuff being done here, specifically senior care. IIRC the house here has motion detectors in the hallway to automagically turn on lights, other sensors to make sure they are taking the right meds, and others to call for help if they've fallen and cant get up. The big difference being the people are actually LIVING in this house full time.

    Tm

  12. Certifications already exist... but.... on Mandated Regulation/Certification for Computer Repair? · · Score: 1
    I dont think they should be required. I worked as a computer repair tech for about a year between jobs, and have never been certified. Most stuff I learned through building my computers, friends' computers, computers for work, etc, and acting as tech support for some of them. Some repair shops require certification for employment, and use it for advertising. The fact is, some of those certifications are almost a joke. Next time you're in a book store read through an A+ book. If all you know is what it requires to get a certification, you will not be a good repair tech. There is ALOT of stuff that you learn through experience that no book can teach.

    TM

  13. No wonder it /.'d so fast.... on Dual Screen/Display Laptop · · Score: 1
    Reading the cache, there are links to .tiff images..... LARGE .tiff images. Compression is your friend.....

    TM

  14. Re:Obligatory anti-Speakeasy post on 802.11 RF Amp · · Score: 1
    Gotta realize though, that almost ALL dsl circuits no matter who your actuall provider is, are hooked up through your local ma-bell ILEC (Bell south/SWbell/qwest/pacbell/etc) thanks to de-regulation. It is the same cable they ran for your phones, same equipment they run their own DSL stuff on, from the DMarc point at your house (phone jack) back to a colo somewhere, just terminates into a different rack area. If you drop service, the most probable cause is ma-bell circuit/equipment failure somewhere. Distance from the nearest colo will amplify this problem, longer circuits go through more repeaters and possibly ride other colo's before actually hitting one your provider has space in. The clec I work for deals with T1's, most of the Hard Down trouble tickets (I would say well over 90%) are dead circuits thanks to local Bell equipment/line problems. Some customers seem to be plagued w/TT's opened because the circuit dies constantly, in such cases chronic tickets are opened w/the Bell to get the whole circuit checked fixed or replaced. Point being, dont blame your ISP when it could be the wires they use (and what other choice do they have on which wires to use?).

    TM

  15. Another great Geeky gift type place... on Geek Christmas Gift Ideas · · Score: 2, Informative
    Think Geek

    Lots of neet stuff, T-shirts, coffee mugs, gadgets, etc. Mostly stocking-stuffer type stuff, but some larger items as well.

    TM

  16. Uhhh is this just an advertisment or something? on Keyboarding Love Or Keyboarding Pain · · Score: 1
    Or is there really something "Smart" about neopreen wrist wraps? I bought something similar many months ago at Wall-Mart for less than $10, the only difference is I didnt opt for the removable splint (removable strip of metal), as my wrist was sore from a Mtn Biking injury, not actually broken (as it was when I was 9ish, and then the brace I got did have it). Looks to me like just an advertising ploy.

    TM

  17. Re:Favorite book on Getting Started In Linux · · Score: 1
    There are plenty of free resources (including said man pages) that you can use to find out which arguments do what for a given command.

    Yes, but what I had the most problems with when learning *nix wasnt finding what a particular command did, it was finding the command to begin with. The book I went with, mainly because it happened to be in the school library, was Slackware Unleashed. Got me started pretty quick on what alot of people think is one of the less user friendly Linux distro's around. That was back around 1996 so Im not sure how the current versions are. But it did give a really good overview of the most commonly used commands before going into more specific administrative stuff. It also walks you through setting your system up.

    TM

  18. Long fiber optic cable? on Optical Cellphones · · Score: 2, Funny
    Just plug in to the nearest optical call center an drag the cable around.. duh!

    TM

  19. Eats? As in the Food place? on Slashback: Newton, Wal-Mart, Eats · · Score: 1
    The one in Atlanta? Across from Cityhall East?
    Mmmmm best place to eat in the ATL if you got little $$ to spend. Great Pasta and Awesome Jerk Chicken...

    TM

  20. RTFA! Its not about the domain... on Using Your Own Name May Be Infringement, Part 2 · · Score: 3, Informative
    If you actually did RTFA you would have noticed that this is NOT about domain registration stuff like the Nissan case. A lawyer read an article published by The AJC's Bill Wyman and fired off a C&D order without checking the facts. The DNS entries for billwyman.com are already owned by Kos Media in London, and have been since April of 2000. Its amazing how many people replied without RTFA and immediately started blabbering about domain name rights and stuff.

    TM

  21. Re:Even more danger? on Run Your Laptop On Nuclear Energy · · Score: 1
    Already have.... I saw them in a store somewhere, but here's a link to somewhere that has them. Basically a small LiIon (~900mAh) with a solar cell just under the clear-ish casing.

    TM

  22. Re:Oh good! on FCC Clears Comcast Purchase Of AT&T Broadband · · Score: 1
    Hopefully not as fun as it was for me going from Media-one Roadrunner to ATT(something). Dunno which one I was on, cause none of the ATT * broadband pages seemed to apply to me since I was a converted media-one subscriber (wasnt an @home customer, wasnt a att-roadrunner customer). That was, of course, after getting my service restored after being without it for over a month due to the switch. Took another 3 months, a couple certified letters to the franchise authority and unknown numbers of phonecalls to get all the rebates and refunds to me that were due (3 free months of service worth). Also hoping they keep the current provisioning in place...I dont feel like running around updating DNS records agian since my IP's been quite static for many moons now.

    TM

  23. The force... on Jedi Archives In Dublin Library? · · Score: 2, Funny
    May be with the Jedi, but even they cannot withstand the /. effect.

    TM

  24. Rocket science...approximate times... on Shuttle Main Engine Test to be Webcast · · Score: 1
    The streaming presentation will begin about 30 minutes before the test firing, roughly at 5:30 pm CST (23:30 GMT) Friday. Note that these times are the scheduled times. However, since this really is rocket science, times are approximate.

    Approximate must mean within 24hours... the countdown on the page is now at 13Hours

    TM

  25. Re:Light interference for display tech? on New Display Technology to Compete with LCDs? · · Score: 1
    In other systems, a single subpixel has a single color but variable intensity, and subpixels of different colors can be combined to produce a range of colors. In this system, each subpixel is capable of producing any color, but only at an intensity defined by ambient light...

    Reading the company's overview of this, each element is still only capable of producing one color, so you would still have the sub-pixels, just alot smaller and less power-consuming. They say several of these elements are gathered together to create one sub-pixel, so I would assume the driver would turn different numbers of elements on to vary the brightness of a sub-pixel (on=color, off=black).

    Im just wondering what happens if it gets shaken/bumped/dropped, do your pixels change colors if you blast your stereo too loud? Could make for an interesting display....Also Im guessing the display would be white (all pixels on) when the power is off for, since it is the black (pixel off) state that requires the power to pull the membrane up to turn it off.

    TM