If this works--which is to say that the phones still sell and Moto suffers only tolerable humiliation, expect to see more. And if it does fly, look for it be in your general-purpose computer, soon.
Let's hope the popular blogs make a big stink about it. 'Cause nobody is listening to the crackpots on/.
Bricking is when I can't recover it using tools normally available to the public.
Sometimes I test devices in the place where they make the firmware. I "brick" the product all the time. Depending on what type of product it is, I take it to the unbricking lady or to a guy named Jim. And they unbrick it.
Ask any of the lab rats or developers--if you break it in such a manner that it's stupid until they fix it with developer/mfr tools, it's a brick.
The mobile connectivity seller (VZ, ATT, etc.) is the phone mfr's customer. You are not. The last thing the VZ et. al. wants is an open phone. How can they charge you for a 20s ringtone or a silly little "app" plays a particular sound file on command?
So, we start with Android, billed as "this great mobile OS from Google that lets you play with your toys" And now, we have "droid"--"fsck you, it's our phone just give us the money". This is only because the service providers want it that way.
Buy a cheap taiwanese knockoff and get a SIM card from TMobile. Mod it; if it breaks, chuck it and try again. Now, if only there were a place to buy such a device...
Once upon a time, we lived in insular little markets, where stronger extracted value from weaker by overt force or covert destabilization. (OK--really we kill people and take their stuff, or make them slaves. Read about bananas sometime...).
This still goes on, and will never stop; the human race is still the same bunch of greedy bastards we always have been. As a whole, if it's profitable to be evil, people are evil. Put altruism next to greed and I'll bet on greed every time. If you're an altruist, great; I'm happy for you. Go find a way to make it more profitable for the rest of us morally decrepit capitalists to be less evil. We'll all stand up and chant your mantra.
"Globalization" and "outsourcing" have the same effect on labor and goods as arbitrage has on currency. With labor, takes a little while longer than with currency. But this is only the very predictable and obvious result of the combining of markets.
Suddenly these little markets are not so isolated. It becomes less feasible to devalue somebody's hour of labor when it's connected to your own. The rates of exchange for labor have been converging for a while. In developed markets, the value of labor has gone down significantly. Now we begin to see pay on the other end of the process rise.
So the Chinese laborer wants more of the benefit from his hard work. Good.
There are many physical principles that seem to run counter to intuition. This is why we called freshman physics lectures "Magic Shows". Here's one you can try at home:
Put a string on a spool and pull the string. The spool will come toward you faster than you are pulling the string; it will even roll up the string as it moves forward!
Lay the spool on its side so that it can roll along a table, and wrap one end of the string around the shaft of the spool. The string comes off of the spool at the bottom. Make sure the spool is well coupled to the table (weight, friction), and the string is tightly tied to the spool and comes off at the bottom. Pull on the string in a direction parallel to the table.
Try different angles. Notice how the force required on the string varies with the speed that the spool eventually moves towards you. (That last one should help you debunk some of the free energy charlatans)
Read carefully the excerpt in the parent's post. This is a demonstration of some basic physics and geometry, but it is not "DWFTTW" at the point where the car actually couples to the wind.
A science project where the participants and the public learn some interesting physics and engineering principles--or are entertained by watching--this is a very good thing. It gets the public (if you can call/. the public) talking about science. We need more demonstrations like this--no, what we really need is another Sputnik!
Be careful. People have been known to use the counterintuitive nature of the physical world to argue they have discovered a new way to get rich quick--and you can get in on it if you want! We like to think were too hip for perpetual motion, but a lot of folks will still hand over real green (dollars) for bogus green (environmental scams). Don't you care about the environment?
So, what is the "magic" here, and what's the physics?
The fundamental error in the statement "DWFTTW" is the fallacy of dual definitions. This is kind of cheating--a really good science demonstrator doesn't actually lie to you; they just show you something that exposes your misconceptions. Either way, the point is to get you to say "I see it, but it's impossible!". Then you are more ready to learn some science. (or maybe to invest in a free-energy scam). DWFTTW is simply the koan. It actually means nothing--just gets us ready to study and learn something new.
When the experimenters say "faster than the wind", they are referring to motion of the bulk (center of mass) of the car. BUT--the wind couples to a very specific portion of the car, which has a completely different (and somewhat more complex) velocity than the center of mass of the car. The propeller--or more specifically, the surface of the propeller that pushes against the wind. And the part of the car that connects to the wind NOT traveling "DWFTTW".
Read the article and look at the pictures--this is why they took such care to "streamline" the car. The rest of the car (except the propeller) is built so that it presents the very minimum cross-section (drag coefficient), and is effectively transparent to the wind. So, it is the part of the propeller that pushes against the wind that matters when we try to analyze the downwind motion.
So--what is the the portion of the propeller's motion that is "downwind"? You could say "parallel to the direction of the wind" if you like, but for this case, "downwind" works fine.
A little math (just two equations, I promise--and only to describe the geometry!): The propeller surface has a pitch angle, theta, from zero (parallel to the plane in which the propeller rotates) to 90 degrees (parallel to the propeller shaft), and it spins at some angular velocity w (omega). At any instant, the linear velocity, v, of a point a distance r from the shaft of the propeller is simply v=Rw And the perpendicular (downwind) component is just v(p)=v*sin(theta).
By controlling the diameter of the propeller, the pitch angle, and the rotational speed, the experimenters cause the relevant part of the car--that is, that portion of the car that connects to the wind!--to travel downwind much slower than the wind.
But, I hear you say "We keep talking about "slower" than the wind, and cars move fast.". This seems strange because we started with the reference frame of the road, and we compare the velocity of the car and the air. The comparative term "Faster" describes the downwind velocity of the car, which, for consistency, we continue to reference.
In Newtonian physics, there are no preferred reference frames. This is true in other cases as well, but they are not significant at the speeds this car is traveling. This means we are permitted to say "the car is traveling slower than the wind" or "the wind is traveling faster than the car" and they mean EXACTLY the same thing.
Recall again that the pertinent part of the car is that part
When somebody invokes the authority of law enforcement, they assume the responsibility, too. This person has the potential to protect and serve those over whom he exercise authority.
When somebody invokes the authority, but denies the responsibility and accountability, this is a situation with a "high potential for abuse." This person has no potential to protect or serve. Only to abuse.
(or rum)... A preacher stood up to deliver his sermon, and silently took out two clear glasses. Into one he poured God's clean water and into the other he poured the Devil's brew--hard liquor. From his pocket he produced two worms--one of which he dropped into the glass of water, and one which he dropped into the liquor. The first worm sank gently into the water, wiggling about happily for all the congregation to see. The other, on touching the rum squirmed frantically before stiffening and sinking immobile to the bottom of the glass. Finally, he stepped back, looked hard at the sinners before him, and challenged anyone to doubt the implications of what they had just witnessed regarding the nature of pure clear water and the Demon, Rum. One old drunk in the back row stood up and shouted "Hell no--If you drink whiskey, you'll never get worms!"
It frustrates me that so many people sincerely believe that this sort of sloppy thought process is how science works. And, it frightens me that these people use the same lack of investigative and logical rigor to make decisions that affect all of us.
You don't have to be intelligent or educated to operate a bullshit detector. We all have one (OK, not that kid with the genetic defect where she trusts everyone, but she's rare). Heck, it doesn't even take that much effort. I bet if Wal-Mart sold a cheap Taiwanese model, everybody would buy one. Then use if for a week, and forget about it, though!
Pirating has reached social acceptance, but hey, so has pot smoking. Social acceptance hasn't changed the fact that your government can throw you in jail at any minute.
Well, duh. (long version of "well, duh" follows if you really need it)
Strong personal freedoms make it very difficult to accumulate and maintain power. Laws against socially acceptable behaviours with draconian penalties exist so that police and DAs can coerce compliance despite constitutional protections.
You can still make a stand, and then complain that losing your house for a couple of pot plants on your property is "cruel and unusual". It won't help. The drumbeat goes something like this: "The police and the DA represent the people--cooperation with them is a social obligation. Those derelict in social obligation have placed themselves outside of the law , and we treat them according to their choice. Anyone who "aids and abets" an outlaw, may be subject to the same penalties."
But, I hear you cry--constitutional protections--all of them--apply to everyone governed. Equally. Citizens or not. Even the accused. Even the guilty. Don't they? No? Who is it, then, that has failed to fulfill their obligation? Who is it, then, that has abandoned their moral authority to govern?
Learning the tools is only half the job. Skill is being able to pick the right tools throughout the process. For me, at least, it's never been enough to learn the tools and techniques. As you've already learned, use it or lose it; if you want it back, start working the exercises.
I second that one. One safety class I took they showed us "gore" pictures of what can happen if you wear gloves around a drill press. Did you know your finger is about 2 feet long? If you count the tendons and muscles that get yanked out of your arm along with the finger!
Verizon has since (as well as AT&T) implemented a system for identifying google voice numbers, and will automatically remove them from your 5 if you add it, and backbill you for any minutes you might have used in excess of plan minutes otherwise. it is against their ToS to use a call redirection number in your fav list.
Citation, please?
I just read the Verizon "Customer Agreement" and found no mention of "call redirection"--in fact, the text "redir" doesn't even appear.
The only restrictions I could find were in their faq article below--still nothing to preclude gv.
What type of numbers can I add to Friends & Family? Your Friends & Family list can contain any valid U.S. number as well as any 800-type number, including 888, 866 and 877 (excluding 800-555-1212). Your Friends & Family list can not include directory assistance, 900-type numbers, your own wireless number or voice mail access number, or numbers from Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands.
Yes, we do. And, yes, I've used it, at the Client's facility to get into the admin account of lab computers--with the Client's full knowledge and permission.
We need full access to our workpiece in order to work on it. IT officially doesn't support this, but the IT guys that support the labs know what we do, and what we need in order to do it.
At least that's how it was when I was there. I usually do a couple years on and a couple years off for that particular client. They may be totally locked down and outsourced to India/China by now.
"Think of the children" as an argument is a red flag--usually means there's something wrong with what you're saying and you don't want people to think rationally about it.
Usually, Mom and Dad fund teen's car (that's the car which belongs to the teen, for all you BTAF fans).
If the gadget saves m&D money, teen gets a take it or leave it option (well, teenage was a few decades ago; maybe it's changed since then...).
If the surveillance was actually something people wanted, it would be offered to everyone as the latest perk on the insurance plan.
Quality is whatever the customer requires. So, quality is and always has been "good enough". In fact, that's EXACTLY what quality is.
Better than "good enough" wastes my money.
I am not a machinist. I have absolutely no need for professional grade drill, bits, press, grinders, etc. For me, such a set would be a complete waste of my money. If you offered me such a set for the price of the set I was about to buy, then my next question is "what's the price of the consumer grade tools?"
Nobody gives away $1200 bucks for the fun of it; they expect SOMETHING in return. You need to know what they expect from you before you take the money.
In my experience, it was absolutely no problem. YMMV
The company I work for is basically run by one guy who treats us all with respect and dignity. At one time, I purchased my own laptop because the one the company supplied wasn't powerful enough for my tastes; they paid me what they would have paid me for the standard laptop.
I would have bought the whole thing myself, because it made my work easier to have a decent hunk of hardware, but they chose to pay for some of it.
For the money that the company paid, they get my good faith and goodwill, and they get to go to bed knowing they treated me the way they think people should be treated.
Money absolutely CAN buy loyalty. My boss says "Don't say it with flowers; say it with dollars.". He's right. If the company you work for values and respects you, in addition to treating you with human dignity, they will compensate your efforts with things that have real value. Like money.
To my knowledge, my employer has NEVER snooped my company-issued laptop. They trust me and I trust them. Anything I really don't want other people to see is encrypted, no matter where it's stored.
I still work for the same folks, and plan to until the company no longer exists, or I retire or they ask me to leave. That's what they get in return for treating us like that.
Stick the desk in a corner, diagonally. Put an old stool in the corner behind it. Adjust height A/R with a saw, a 2x4, & some nails. Put tube monitor on the stool. Free desk space.
Look, if you're jonesin' for a shiny new monitor, just buy the damned thing and enjoy it.
Slashdot Mirror
If this works--which is to say that the phones still sell and Moto suffers only tolerable humiliation, expect to see more.
And if it does fly, look for it be in your general-purpose computer, soon.
Let's hope the popular blogs make a big stink about it. /.
'Cause nobody is listening to the crackpots on
Bricking is when I can't recover it using tools normally available to the public.
Sometimes I test devices in the place where they make the firmware.
I "brick" the product all the time.
Depending on what type of product it is, I take it to the unbricking lady or to a guy named Jim.
And they unbrick it.
Ask any of the lab rats or developers--if you break it in such a manner that it's stupid until they fix it with developer/mfr tools, it's a brick.
Nobody has had much success using Hydrogen as a source of energy.
Maybe try the next most abundant thing in the universe? That one certainly flows freely on Earth.
The mobile connectivity seller (VZ, ATT, etc.) is the phone mfr's customer. You are not.
The last thing the VZ et. al. wants is an open phone.
How can they charge you for a 20s ringtone or a silly little "app" plays a particular sound file on command?
So, we start with Android, billed as "this great mobile OS from Google that lets you play with your toys"
And now, we have "droid"--"fsck you, it's our phone just give us the money".
This is only because the service providers want it that way.
Buy a cheap taiwanese knockoff and get a SIM card from TMobile.
Mod it; if it breaks, chuck it and try again.
Now, if only there were a place to buy such a device...
That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat.
You leave blind--blind-- BLIND.
According to my ASTP prof (many years ago), the number of hydrogen atoms in the universe is a "bejillion".
This is estimated between 10^77 and 10^82--significantly more than a "hella".
Note that in astrophysics, a precision of 3 orders of magnitude is considered exact--so, this is a good guess.
Once upon a time, we lived in insular little markets, where stronger extracted value from weaker by overt force or covert destabilization. (OK--really we kill people and take their stuff, or make them slaves. Read about bananas sometime...).
This still goes on, and will never stop; the human race is still the same bunch of greedy bastards we always have been. As a whole, if it's profitable to be evil, people are evil. Put altruism next to greed and I'll bet on greed every time. If you're an altruist, great; I'm happy for you. Go find a way to make it more profitable for the rest of us morally decrepit capitalists to be less evil. We'll all stand up and chant your mantra.
"Globalization" and "outsourcing" have the same effect on labor and goods as arbitrage has on currency. With labor, takes a little while longer than with currency. But this is only the very predictable and obvious result of the combining of markets.
Suddenly these little markets are not so isolated. It becomes less feasible to devalue somebody's hour of labor when it's connected to your own. The rates of exchange for labor have been converging for a while. In developed markets, the value of labor has gone down significantly. Now we begin to see pay on the other end of the process rise.
So the Chinese laborer wants more of the benefit from his hard work.
Good.
Maybe next year we will sell them something.
There are many physical principles that seem to run counter to intuition.
This is why we called freshman physics lectures "Magic Shows". Here's one you can try at home:
Put a string on a spool and pull the string.
The spool will come toward you faster than you are pulling the string; it will even roll up the string as it moves forward!
Lay the spool on its side so that it can roll along a table, and wrap one end of the string around the shaft of the spool.
The string comes off of the spool at the bottom.
Make sure the spool is well coupled to the table (weight, friction), and the string is tightly tied to the spool and comes off at the bottom.
Pull on the string in a direction parallel to the table.
Ooh---magic (waving Jazz hands...)
The math is here.
Try different angles.
Notice how the force required on the string varies with the speed that the spool eventually moves towards you.
(That last one should help you debunk some of the free energy charlatans)
Read carefully the excerpt in the parent's post.
This is a demonstration of some basic physics and geometry, but it is not "DWFTTW" at the point where the car actually couples to the wind.
A science project where the participants and the public learn some interesting physics and engineering principles--or are entertained by watching--this is a very good thing. It gets the public (if you can call /. the public) talking about science.
We need more demonstrations like this--no, what we really need is another Sputnik!
Be careful.
People have been known to use the counterintuitive nature of the physical world to argue they have discovered a new way to get rich quick--and you can get in on it if you want! We like to think were too hip for perpetual motion, but a lot of folks will still hand over real green (dollars) for bogus green (environmental scams). Don't you care about the environment?
So, what is the "magic" here, and what's the physics?
The fundamental error in the statement "DWFTTW" is the fallacy of dual definitions.
This is kind of cheating--a really good science demonstrator doesn't actually lie to you; they just show you something that exposes your misconceptions. Either way, the point is to get you to say "I see it, but it's impossible!". Then you are more ready to learn some science. (or maybe to invest in a free-energy scam).
DWFTTW is simply the koan. It actually means nothing--just gets us ready to study and learn something new.
When the experimenters say "faster than the wind", they are referring to motion of the bulk (center of mass) of the car.
BUT--the wind couples to a very specific portion of the car, which has a completely different (and somewhat more complex) velocity than the center of mass of the car.
The propeller--or more specifically, the surface of the propeller that pushes against the wind.
And the part of the car that connects to the wind NOT traveling "DWFTTW".
Read the article and look at the pictures--this is why they took such care to "streamline" the car. The rest of the car (except the propeller) is built so that it presents the very minimum cross-section (drag coefficient), and is effectively transparent to the wind. So, it is the part of the propeller that pushes against the wind that matters when we try to analyze the downwind motion.
So--what is the the portion of the propeller's motion that is "downwind"?
You could say "parallel to the direction of the wind" if you like, but for this case, "downwind" works fine.
A little math (just two equations, I promise--and only to describe the geometry!):
The propeller surface has a pitch angle, theta, from zero (parallel to the plane in which the propeller rotates) to 90 degrees (parallel to the propeller shaft), and it spins at some angular velocity w (omega).
At any instant, the linear velocity, v, of a point a distance r from the shaft of the propeller is simply v=Rw
And the perpendicular (downwind) component is just v(p)=v*sin(theta).
By controlling the diameter of the propeller, the pitch angle, and the rotational speed, the experimenters cause the relevant part of the car--that is, that portion of the car that connects to the wind!--to travel downwind much slower than the wind.
But, I hear you say "We keep talking about "slower" than the wind, and cars move fast.".
This seems strange because we started with the reference frame of the road, and we compare the velocity of the car and the air. The comparative term "Faster" describes the downwind velocity of the car, which, for consistency, we continue to reference.
In Newtonian physics, there are no preferred reference frames. This is true in other cases as well, but they are not significant at the speeds this car is traveling. This means we are permitted to say "the car is traveling slower than the wind" or "the wind is traveling faster than the car" and they mean EXACTLY the same thing.
Recall again that the pertinent part of the car is that part
When somebody invokes the authority of law enforcement, they assume the responsibility, too.
This person has the potential to protect and serve those over whom he exercise authority.
When somebody invokes the authority, but denies the responsibility and accountability, this is a situation with a "high potential for abuse."
This person has no potential to protect or serve. Only to abuse.
To quote Wolfgang Pauli: "Not even wrong".
(or rum)...
A preacher stood up to deliver his sermon, and silently took out two clear glasses. Into one he poured God's clean water and into the other he poured the Devil's brew--hard liquor. From his pocket he produced two worms--one of which he dropped into the glass of water, and one which he dropped into the liquor.
The first worm sank gently into the water, wiggling about happily for all the congregation to see. The other, on touching the rum squirmed frantically before stiffening and sinking immobile to the bottom of the glass.
Finally, he stepped back, looked hard at the sinners before him, and challenged anyone to doubt the implications of what they had just witnessed regarding the nature of pure clear water and the Demon, Rum.
One old drunk in the back row stood up and shouted "Hell no--If you drink whiskey, you'll never get worms!"
It frustrates me that so many people sincerely believe that this sort of sloppy thought process is how science works.
And, it frightens me that these people use the same lack of investigative and logical rigor to make decisions that affect all of us.
You don't have to be intelligent or educated to operate a bullshit detector. We all have one (OK, not that kid with the genetic defect where she trusts everyone, but she's rare). Heck, it doesn't even take that much effort.
I bet if Wal-Mart sold a cheap Taiwanese model, everybody would buy one. Then use if for a week, and forget about it, though!
Pirating has reached social acceptance, but hey, so has pot smoking. Social acceptance hasn't changed the fact that your government can throw you in jail at any minute.
Well, duh.
(long version of "well, duh" follows if you really need it)
Strong personal freedoms make it very difficult to accumulate and maintain power.
Laws against socially acceptable behaviours with draconian penalties exist so that police and DAs can coerce compliance despite constitutional protections.
You can still make a stand, and then complain that losing your house for a couple of pot plants on your property is "cruel and unusual". It won't help.
The drumbeat goes something like this:
"The police and the DA represent the people--cooperation with them is a social obligation.
Those derelict in social obligation have placed themselves outside of the law , and we treat them according to their choice.
Anyone who "aids and abets" an outlaw, may be subject to the same penalties."
But, I hear you cry--constitutional protections--all of them--apply to everyone governed. Equally.
Citizens or not. Even the accused. Even the guilty. Don't they?
No?
Who is it, then, that has failed to fulfill their obligation?
Who is it, then, that has abandoned their moral authority to govern?
Niven & Pournelle were at their best together.
Learning the tools is only half the job.
Skill is being able to pick the right tools throughout the process.
For me, at least, it's never been enough to learn the tools and techniques.
As you've already learned, use it or lose it; if you want it back, start working the exercises.
I second that one.
One safety class I took they showed us "gore" pictures of what can happen if you wear gloves around a drill press.
Did you know your finger is about 2 feet long? If you count the tendons and muscles that get yanked out of your arm along with the finger!
Verizon has since (as well as AT&T) implemented a system for identifying google voice numbers, and will automatically remove them from your 5 if you add it, and backbill you for any minutes you might have used in excess of plan minutes otherwise. it is against their ToS to use a call redirection number in your fav list.
Citation, please?
I just read the Verizon "Customer Agreement" and found no mention of "call redirection"--in fact, the text "redir" doesn't even appear.
The only restrictions I could find were in their faq article below--still nothing to preclude gv.
What type of numbers can I add to Friends & Family?
Your Friends & Family list can contain any valid U.S. number as well as any 800-type number, including 888, 866 and 877 (excluding 800-555-1212). Your Friends & Family list can not include directory assistance, 900-type numbers, your own wireless number or voice mail access number, or numbers from Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands.
Yes, we do.
And, yes, I've used it, at the Client's facility to get into the admin account of lab computers--with the Client's full knowledge and permission.
We need full access to our workpiece in order to work on it. IT officially doesn't support this, but the IT guys that support the labs know what we do, and what we need in order to do it.
At least that's how it was when I was there. I usually do a couple years on and a couple years off for that particular client. They may be totally locked down and outsourced to India/China by now.
I thought it sounded kinda small for a commercial vessel.
It was a Chibi-trawler.
"Think of the children" as an argument is a red flag--usually means there's something wrong with what you're saying and you don't want people to think rationally about it.
Usually, Mom and Dad fund teen's car (that's the car which belongs to the teen, for all you BTAF fans).
If the gadget saves m&D money, teen gets a take it or leave it option (well, teenage was a few decades ago; maybe it's changed since then...).
If the surveillance was actually something people wanted, it would be offered to everyone as the latest perk on the insurance plan.
Quality is whatever the customer requires. So, quality is and always has been "good enough".
In fact, that's EXACTLY what quality is.
Better than "good enough" wastes my money.
I am not a machinist. I have absolutely no need for professional grade drill, bits, press, grinders, etc. For me, such a set would be a complete waste of my money.
If you offered me such a set for the price of the set I was about to buy, then my next question is "what's the price of the consumer grade tools?"
Apocryphal or not, this story makes the point.
Nobody gives away $1200 bucks for the fun of it; they expect SOMETHING in return. You need to know what they expect from you before you take the money.
In my experience, it was absolutely no problem. YMMV
The company I work for is basically run by one guy who treats us all with respect and dignity.
At one time, I purchased my own laptop because the one the company supplied wasn't powerful enough for my tastes; they paid me what they would have paid me for the standard laptop.
I would have bought the whole thing myself, because it made my work easier to have a decent hunk of hardware, but they chose to pay for some of it.
For the money that the company paid, they get my good faith and goodwill, and they get to go to bed knowing they treated me the way they think people should be treated.
Money absolutely CAN buy loyalty.
My boss says "Don't say it with flowers; say it with dollars.". He's right. If the company you work for values and respects you, in addition to treating you with human dignity, they will compensate your efforts with things that have real value. Like money.
To my knowledge, my employer has NEVER snooped my company-issued laptop. They trust me and I trust them.
Anything I really don't want other people to see is encrypted, no matter where it's stored.
I still work for the same folks, and plan to until the company no longer exists, or I retire or they ask me to leave. That's what they get in return for treating us like that.
And "Geeko" is a portmanteau, not a contraction.
Stick the desk in a corner, diagonally.
Put an old stool in the corner behind it. Adjust height A/R with a saw, a 2x4, & some nails.
Put tube monitor on the stool.
Free desk space.
Look, if you're jonesin' for a shiny new monitor, just buy the damned thing and enjoy it.
And ten thousand "house brand" products that look enough like the national brand that you can tell what the cheaper product is supposed to be.
This has been going on long before Google.
Doing it online changes nothing.