Authenticating a person doesn't tell you their motive.
Indeed. As has often been stated before (and I guess is therefore -1 Redundant!), the 9/11 hijackers all purchased tickets under their own names, and as is often the case with suicide missions, it was their first offence!
The UK ID Card scam is going to cost us millions of pounds and benefit only the government in it's mission to control us. Look at how the Labour Gov. tried to dig up dirt on the Ladbrook Grove train crash victims (including sexual orientation, political leanings, etc) to try and discredit them when they were saying some very damaging things about the government.
Trust this Government? Not bloody likely!... and how can we possibly know what the next governments are going to be like!
OK, so I write a virus/worm, whatever. My buddy hands me over to the feds, and we share the $4Million (not necessarily equally!). How long do I get put away for? 10 years? That's still 400K a year! 20 years is still 200K a year!
Seems like a pretty good ROI to me! Where do I sign up!
... if you can just move the asteroid a bit and avoid it hitting the earth?
OK, here's a question. If we can move it, couldn't we move it into a suitable orbit for mining? Maybe not another moon for us (as that might have tidal consequences), but capture it somehow.
When I was in the UK I saw plenty of Land Rovers with aluminum bodies. I thought that was more suitable. So so light, and there seemed to be enough places that knew how to fix panels made from it that damage wasn't a big problem.
By the exterior condition of many of them, fixing the damage wasn't an immediate priority anyway:).
Indeed, you can now order your Land Rover pre-dented, at three 'dent' levels.
. "School-Run Mum" (minor dents and some missing glass)
. "Boy-Racer Abrasions" (full length side scrapes, no wing mirrors)
. "The Off-Road Load" (no panel undented. seats slightly soiled)
Yanking a license because someone has parking tickets or back taxes owed has nothing to do with their ability to drive safely.
I agree with this in principle, but being fined (Fiscal Punishment) for parking somewhere stupid (Driving Violation) is just the opposite side of the same coin, so yanking the DL for tax evasion isn't so wide of the mark. Of course, parking somewhere stupid is indeed a "Driving Violation" (or vehicle-based violation, if you prefer).
It's all a matter of punishing the miscreant in some way that will make them think twice about doing it again! If the parking fine is 40 bucks, hey it's a pain but it's not going to stop people doing it (and indeed doesn't stop people doing it), but if you lost your DL for a month or two you'd park somewhere else!
... and shortly after the "leaves on the track" incident, there was a case down in Kent somewhere where some guys had robbed a sub-post office and been chased onto the tracks by the police. The announcement came of the tannoy...
"We apologies for the late running of the 07:25 service to London Bridge. This is due to thieves on the line."
The shuttle's 60,000 lb cargo capacity is wasteful and useless.
In my book we'd be looking at two distinct types of craft. Lets build something specifically for shifting stuff into orbit as cheaply as possible, and then lets build something else for shifting people.
I'd wondered about a massive rail gun that could fire small-ish canisters into orbit, where they could be caught by a space station somehow. This setup could potentially fire a canister every few minutes containing unbreakable commodities - oxygen, water, pies, that sort of thing - and do so very cheaply (once you've build the rail gun!).
The bodies of the canisters would also be a source of raw material for orbital construction projects.
Perhaps we could insist that anyone who's angry about anything has to talk with a lung-full, thus reducing both (all) sides of the argument to fits of laughter and ushering in the First World Peace.
If we are in it for the long haul, and failure just isn't an option, it would seem to me to make more sense to build an orbital space station here (ie Earth) - ISS anyone?). Specialist craft can then hop between terra firma and the space station(s).
Put a similar station in orbit around Mars, with a bunch of similar 'landers'. Whilst we're at it I'd put a set of GPS/Coms type satelites in orbit around Mars too. Might as well build a decent infrastructure from the ground up when we have the chance!
Now start a colony on Mars. If there's a problem there's a local backup (the Space Station Crew) who might be able to help. Interplanetary craft can ferry between the two space stations rather more cheaply, and after the first few journeys wouldn't need to carry landing craft etc.
By all means, do the same to the Moon to colonise it too, assuming there's something worth having there.
This would obviously be far more costly than some half-arsed "gotta-beat-the-Ruskies" stab in the dark, but if we really want to colonise Mars we'll want all this stuff in the end anyway. Makes sense to me to have the infrastructure at the start when it could be damn useful to the pioneers!
Oh, I can imagine a lot of things. Here at the department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen there is a running prank called pyxling. It's basically making anagrams of the signs (which have those little lego-like letter bricks).
Boy, you Danes know how to have a good time eh! Rock On!
771 flawless missions. That is actually pretty impressive, you'd think someone's sense of smell would degrade after so much time and so many tests. I wonder if he has to prepare himself in any way before he carries out one of these "missions".
Another interesting reference is an article preview from Electronic Design Betamax vs. VHS - the verdict is still out. by Peter Fletcher.
I have to admit to not reading the whole article, but even in the preview, it states It turns out Beta did have the higher performance of the two. There's a book reference "Newnes Television & Video Engineers' Pocket Book" by Eugene Trundle which contains the various specifications.
Anyway, my perception is still that Betamax was better than VHS technologically, but I only have hearsay to back it up as I don't have a copy of Eugene's book, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't understand it!
If someone can post proof that I am wrong, I am more than happy to stand corrected, but until that point I'm afraid my hearsay is better than yours!
OK,
Lets examine the two links which started the argument.
Urban Legends Beta vs VHS
Now this article does state that there was little, if any, difference between the two in available features (other than tape length) or output quality. It does state that the arms race was led by Sony (Betamax) and that VHS caught up usually in less than a year. So at any point during the (early) life of Betamax, VHS was a up to a half-year behind technologically. Obviously, comparison after (or at!) the demise of Betamax would be stupid.
So from the case for the prosecution I find evidence for the defence.
Your witness I think...
The Guardian's Why VHS was better than Betamax
Now this article is trying to make a point about how perception colours (or colors for you Yanks) people's views. Because people say Betmax was better everyone believes it, but the article suggests this was an Urban Myth and links to the first article debunked above. Interestingly, the article actually says... and maybe it was, in a lab. This is what most people are talking about when they state that (they believe) Betamax was better. Obviously, if you wanted to watch a taped film or TV program, you purchased a VHS machine, because VHS won the battle! So this article proves a different point.
Let it also be Stricken!
I guess the point is that just because something wins a business battle it's not necessarily the best techonology (Mac vs Windows)
now I just had a bit of a google-fest and found the following, some of which simply reinforce the supposition that Betamax was better than VHS, such as...
Good point... my home network has a wireless modem (Buffalo AirStation g54 as it 'appens) plugged into my cable modem (& I laugh at your 10 USD with my 25 UKP/month!).
My PC's connect good as gold, as does anyone walking past I expect! The AirStation has all sorts of stuff inside, like firewalls etc.
No PC required!
OK, I read both the articles linked and they don't actually disprove the claim that Betamax was the better format. They simply state that it isn't true, and VHS won anyway, so there!
It's interesting that the TV Industry seems to rely on Beta based formats to this day, in fact I was involved in designing and implementing a Tape Tracking system for ITN several years ago (when they moved to Greys Inn Road) because so many of the BetaSP tapes were going missing (presumably for use in the culprit's Betamax machines at home!).
Still, VHS is now going to be superceded by Recordable DVD of some type, which will I guess be wiped out by whatever comes next. The funniest (or saddest) thing is that DVDs cost more than VHS cassettes (& CDs cost more than tapes) when the media itself is far cheaper.
At least no one is using the change of media as a way of screwing the public!
Why not just fly the other drection and stay in the sunlight?
Perhaps not as silly as it first sounds...
Fly with the sun during the day, to maximise the sunlight hours, then turn around and fly the other way during the night, to minimise the night, and about turn at dawn again to continue. Net gain in the desired direction with maximum sunlight.
Obviously, this increases the distance actually travelled and time taken, but if the objective is simply to fly around the world using solar powered flight, that doesn't really matter.
I dunno, given the success rate of Mars expeditions, wouldn't it be more cost effective to put a couple of bottles of water and some tins of beans on board, then at least it'll be provisions for when people finally get there!
In the UK, our Health Service is much the same, but they do pull out all the stops if there's something actually wrong - usually! Obviously, the press love it when people slip through the net, and it does seem to happen too often, but in general, it's a reasonable system.
Our law is an ass though! Like yours, we have the burglars wandering the streets laughing at the law, but over here, the victim is more likely to be locked up than the purp! It stinks!
We also pay HUGE taxes, but you know, Our Tony's Spin Doctors aren't going to work for free!
The Harrier is a crappy airplane. Because of it's design, it's a heat-seekers dream.
Not sure that is true. Sure, it's an old design, but it's actually a pretty neat solution to the problem. Certainly previous designs for VTOL failed due to trying to use multiple engines.
The Harrier succeeded because it only used one engine. I heard, during the Falklands conflict, that because the hot exhaust was split between three major jet streams (the main and two tiltable ones) that it was actually harder for a heat-seeking missile to get a lock.
I had also heard about many accidents in the US, and it has to be said that, by all accounts, it's a bit of a bastard to fly one!
I've heard about a new VTOL being built in the US on the same principle as the Harrier (so much for the bad design!), but with fly-by-wire making it V. difficult for pilot error to dump one. As I recall from the TV program, it showed a mock-up of a pilot pulling alongside a carrier (in the normal Harrier mode), and an Auto-Lander taking over and sliding the plane over the carrier for a perfect landing!
Slashdot Mirror
Indeed. As has often been stated before (and I guess is therefore -1 Redundant!), the 9/11 hijackers all purchased tickets under their own names, and as is often the case with suicide missions, it was their first offence!
The UK ID Card scam is going to cost us millions of pounds and benefit only the government in it's mission to control us. Look at how the Labour Gov. tried to dig up dirt on the Ladbrook Grove train crash victims (including sexual orientation, political leanings, etc) to try and discredit them when they were saying some very damaging things about the government.
Trust this Government? Not bloody likely! ... and how can we possibly know what the next governments are going to be like!
Just Say NO!
Iced Beer though, is another matter ...
Indeed, or a phone camera. My new Nokia SLR has a cheap telephone built in. er. maybe.
OK, so I write a virus/worm, whatever. My buddy hands me over to the feds, and we share the $4Million (not necessarily equally!). How long do I get put away for? 10 years? That's still 400K a year! 20 years is still 200K a year!
Seems like a pretty good ROI to me! Where do I sign up!
OK, here's a question. If we can move it, couldn't we move it into a suitable orbit for mining? Maybe not another moon for us (as that might have tidal consequences), but capture it somehow.
Indeed, you can now order your Land Rover pre-dented, at three 'dent' levels.
. "School-Run Mum" (minor dents and some missing glass)
. "Boy-Racer Abrasions" (full length side scrapes, no wing mirrors)
. "The Off-Road Load" (no panel undented. seats slightly soiled)
A satellite that will put Albert Einstein's theory of relativity to the test has had its launch delayed until last Tuesday.
I agree with this in principle, but being fined (Fiscal Punishment) for parking somewhere stupid (Driving Violation) is just the opposite side of the same coin, so yanking the DL for tax evasion isn't so wide of the mark. Of course, parking somewhere stupid is indeed a "Driving Violation" (or vehicle-based violation, if you prefer).
It's all a matter of punishing the miscreant in some way that will make them think twice about doing it again! If the parking fine is 40 bucks, hey it's a pain but it's not going to stop people doing it (and indeed doesn't stop people doing it), but if you lost your DL for a month or two you'd park somewhere else!
"We apologies for the late running of the 07:25 service to London Bridge. This is due to thieves on the line."
Laugh! I nearly got to work on time.
In my book we'd be looking at two distinct types of craft. Lets build something specifically for shifting stuff into orbit as cheaply as possible, and then lets build something else for shifting people.
I'd wondered about a massive rail gun that could fire small-ish canisters into orbit, where they could be caught by a space station somehow. This setup could potentially fire a canister every few minutes containing unbreakable commodities - oxygen, water, pies, that sort of thing - and do so very cheaply (once you've build the rail gun!). The bodies of the canisters would also be a source of raw material for orbital construction projects.
Perhaps we could insist that anyone who's angry about anything has to talk with a lung-full, thus reducing both (all) sides of the argument to fits of laughter and ushering in the First World Peace.
If we are in it for the long haul, and failure just isn't an option, it would seem to me to make more sense to build an orbital space station here (ie Earth) - ISS anyone?). Specialist craft can then hop between terra firma and the space station(s).
Put a similar station in orbit around Mars, with a bunch of similar 'landers'. Whilst we're at it I'd put a set of GPS/Coms type satelites in orbit around Mars too. Might as well build a decent infrastructure from the ground up when we have the chance!
Now start a colony on Mars. If there's a problem there's a local backup (the Space Station Crew) who might be able to help. Interplanetary craft can ferry between the two space stations rather more cheaply, and after the first few journeys wouldn't need to carry landing craft etc.
By all means, do the same to the Moon to colonise it too, assuming there's something worth having there.
This would obviously be far more costly than some half-arsed "gotta-beat-the-Ruskies" stab in the dark, but if we really want to colonise Mars we'll want all this stuff in the end anyway. Makes sense to me to have the infrastructure at the start when it could be damn useful to the pioneers!
HA! I ain't afraid of no post!
Boy, you Danes know how to have a good time eh! Rock On!
Of course they're really more like emissions!
Another interesting reference is an article preview from Electronic Design Betamax vs. VHS - the verdict is still out. by Peter Fletcher.
I have to admit to not reading the whole article, but even in the preview, it states It turns out Beta did have the higher performance of the two. There's a book reference "Newnes Television & Video Engineers' Pocket Book" by Eugene Trundle which contains the various specifications.
Anyway, my perception is still that Betamax was better than VHS technologically, but I only have hearsay to back it up as I don't have a copy of Eugene's book, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't understand it!
If someone can post proof that I am wrong, I am more than happy to stand corrected, but until that point I'm afraid my hearsay is better than yours!
Urban Legends Beta vs VHS ...
Now this article does state that there was little, if any, difference between the two in available features (other than tape length) or output quality. It does state that the arms race was led by Sony (Betamax) and that VHS caught up usually in less than a year. So at any point during the (early) life of Betamax, VHS was a up to a half-year behind technologically. Obviously, comparison after (or at!) the demise of Betamax would be stupid.
So from the case for the prosecution I find evidence for the defence.
Your witness I think
The Guardian's Why VHS was better than Betamax ... and maybe it was, in a lab. This is what most people are talking about when they state that (they believe) Betamax was better. Obviously, if you wanted to watch a taped film or TV program, you purchased a VHS machine, because VHS won the battle! So this article proves a different point.
Now this article is trying to make a point about how perception colours (or colors for you Yanks) people's views. Because people say Betmax was better everyone believes it, but the article suggests this was an Urban Myth and links to the first article debunked above.
Interestingly, the article actually says
Let it also be Stricken!
I guess the point is that just because something wins a business battle it's not necessarily the best techonology (Mac vs Windows)
now I just had a bit of a google-fest and found the following, some of which simply reinforce the supposition that Betamax was better than VHS, such as ...
Chapter 5 of Beyond Engineering by Luke Rumsey and Rhonda Fetner.
My PC's connect good as gold, as does anyone walking past I expect! The AirStation has all sorts of stuff inside, like firewalls etc. No PC required!
It's interesting that the TV Industry seems to rely on Beta based formats to this day, in fact I was involved in designing and implementing a Tape Tracking system for ITN several years ago (when they moved to Greys Inn Road) because so many of the BetaSP tapes were going missing (presumably for use in the culprit's Betamax machines at home!).
Still, VHS is now going to be superceded by Recordable DVD of some type, which will I guess be wiped out by whatever comes next. The funniest (or saddest) thing is that DVDs cost more than VHS cassettes (& CDs cost more than tapes) when the media itself is far cheaper.
At least no one is using the change of media as a way of screwing the public!
Perhaps not as silly as it first sounds ...
Fly with the sun during the day, to maximise the sunlight hours, then turn around and fly the other way during the night, to minimise the night, and about turn at dawn again to continue. Net gain in the desired direction with maximum sunlight.
Obviously, this increases the distance actually travelled and time taken, but if the objective is simply to fly around the world using solar powered flight, that doesn't really matter.
I dunno, given the success rate of Mars expeditions, wouldn't it be more cost effective to put a couple of bottles of water and some tins of beans on board, then at least it'll be provisions for when people finally get there!
Boy, that filter sure is a dog eh!
So he wants to be able to put the usual 1U/2U type stuff in his custom rack then eh? So I guess the custom bit must just be how tall it is then.
Just pick up a cheap rack from e-bay!
Our law is an ass though! Like yours, we have the burglars wandering the streets laughing at the law, but over here, the victim is more likely to be locked up than the purp! It stinks!
We also pay HUGE taxes, but you know, Our Tony's Spin Doctors aren't going to work for free!
Not sure that is true. Sure, it's an old design, but it's actually a pretty neat solution to the problem. Certainly previous designs for VTOL failed due to trying to use multiple engines.
The Harrier succeeded because it only used one engine. I heard, during the Falklands conflict, that because the hot exhaust was split between three major jet streams (the main and two tiltable ones) that it was actually harder for a heat-seeking missile to get a lock.
I had also heard about many accidents in the US, and it has to be said that, by all accounts, it's a bit of a bastard to fly one!
I've heard about a new VTOL being built in the US on the same principle as the Harrier (so much for the bad design!), but with fly-by-wire making it V. difficult for pilot error to dump one. As I recall from the TV program, it showed a mock-up of a pilot pulling alongside a carrier (in the normal Harrier mode), and an Auto-Lander taking over and sliding the plane over the carrier for a perfect landing!