Sauber was faster than the Ferraris(and everyone else) at Jerez Dec. 1, 2, and 3rd. Things are looking up for Sauber. It's good too, these two years at Sauber should be better for JV than the last two at BAR.
Also note, Sauber used Ferrari transmissions in 2004, but will be using their own this year.
Wrong! This proves that Jeff Gordon is a very good race car driver. The car is compeletly foreign to him(power, braking, downforce, and G-Force), yet he is quickly up to speed(about a second off of the qualifying time). I doubt Williams put the Indy qualifying setup in the FW25, much less gave Jeff time to get a setup for him in the car. Too bad he had the flu last Saturday, so we could see what he would do against Schumacher in the Race of Champions.
As for Montoya, he was just out for a cruise. I think that car was a road race car, however, Watkin's Glen doesn't have the tight turn complexes, especially the turn 5-6 and turns 8-10 of the Indy GP course. He was driving the snowplow that a NASCAR machine is, in comparison to the F1 car. I wonder what JPM would do around the oval? He's got plenty of experience(2000 Indy 500 win).
What I want to see is them really trade paint. Put both driver's in an identical car, give them an hour to test setup, and then let them race.
True, but it does make you appreciate it a whole lot more. Watching a race is a whole lot more enjoyable after a season of F1 Career Challenge. Set it for full damage and semi-automatic transmission(with a Logitech wheel) and you'll get an inkling how much goes into driving an F1 car. That doesn't include the G-forces or what it feels like to hit the wall at 300kph.
Actually it was called BioPace. The point of it was most cyclists don't have a fluid pedal stroke where even power is transmitted through the entire pedal stroke. Most cyclists have a flat spot in their pedal form, and the oval ring helped with the flat spot. The problem was too many cyclists developed knee problems because of the oval ring.
Passing in F1 is minimized for two reasons. The first is the tracks. Tracks are too narrow, overtaking is next to impossible, especially at Monaco and Imola. Secondly, the top tier cars are too equal(usually...this year was an exception, with no car being legally[Williams at Canada] competitve with the Ferraris[and Kimi at Spa]). Only when people get ballsy(JPM at Spa or Sato at Hockenheim) does F1 get exciting.
No, a couple of Ferrari engineers will shop around the aero and other build info from the last year's car. Another team will give the former Ferrari engineers a job, integrate the information into their computers, make improvements, and then tell the cops it can't be removed because it may give away their car's secrets(where have I heard this argument before? SCO is creating a new way of doing business).
In all seriousness, having the ideal optimal design is unlikely. Most teams have their own engines, which bring different performance characteristics. They even change the engine mapping during pitstops. There are two different tire companies, a number of different compounds. Take in different track temps, air temps, etc. Then you take different tracks(Monaco vs. Monza), and there will never be an optimal design, just an optimal compromise.
This doesn't include the driver, which is the biggest difference. Look at the aggresive drivers like Montoya or Alonzo, compared their more conservative teammates. Similar/same cars, much different speeds.
Numerous times, even the elven foresight(the above lines taken from the RoTK debate between Arwen and Elrond) can't be guaranteed(ex. "The quest will claim his [Frodo's] life."). It was more of a "kick in the pants" from Galadriel to inspire Frodo to continue his journey. If he saw the Shire was in grave danger, he would go to Mt. Doom. If I remember correctly, the Wraiths were shown tearing up the Shire, not Sharkey's men.
When I vote now, my state ID(a.k.a driver's license) is checked against a paper list of eligible voters, and then my name is checked off. This takes forever. Also, the number of my ballot is recorded...so they could dig through and find how I voted.
In this new system, the swipe would only be used to verify eligibilty. Then the voting machine would be allowed to continue, and the connection with the main ID server would be closed. No information could be traced to any voter.
I agree. There has to be some type of paper trail. This is how I would do voting:
1. Voters swipe a state/government issued ID card on the voting machine, which checks eligibility(and stops multiple votes). The machine then creates a number(it could be sequential to show how many people voted on that machine).
2. Using an ATM touch screen-type interface, the person must pick one option per position race(e.g. president, senator, representative, etc.). Each race has a 1 - 10(depending on how many candidates there are, it could be 100 like the California Gubernatorial Recall election) number assigned to each candidate.
3. After all selections are made, the numbers of each candidate/issue selected will be printed after the voter number on a cash-register type tape. That way there is a paper trail.
4. After the polls close, the results are automatically uploaded to a central server which sends a printout back to the precinct tabulating the number of voters. The voting machines print out the total number of voters at the end of the tape, and this is compared to the printout.
This system, in my opinion, would be the easiest to deploy, easiest to error check, and most importantly, elimnate any "hanging chad" or other voting irregularities. It would also cut back on the number of poll workers, as the verification of eligibility would be done with the swipe machine at the polls. You would only need workers to watch so the tapes don't run out, as well as any voters who aren't registered properly.
Why do we see whiny bitch Ani(Christensen) in the final scene of RoTJ? Wouldn't it make sense to see Ewan as well, for continuity? I would like to say that wouldn't happen, as leaving out Sir Alec would piss off too many fans, but George doesn't seem to care about that with all of his other changes.
Then again, seeing Sebastian Shaw standing(rumor is Ani loses legs in/after the "great" battle) doesn't make a lot of sense either. Then again, I wouldn't want to see a stumpy Anakin. Maybe he has "magic legs" like Lt. Dan?
If Michael Moore pays a network to air the movie, it would be a violation of the McCain-Feingold act. Sect. 101, sub. b, Part 2, Line iii bans:
"a communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office (regardless of whether a candidate for State or local office is also mentioned or identified) and is made for the purpose of influencing a Federal election (regardless of whether the communication is express advocacy)."
note: express advocacy, as defined by the McCain-Faingold act includes(Sec 201, Sub B, Part 20, Line iii)
"expressing unmistakable and unambiguous support for or opposition to 1 or more clearly identified candidates when taken as a whole and with limited reference to external events, such as proximity to an election."
While no one would argue F9/11 refers to GWB, the loophole is that as long as no one pays a network to air the movie, they are not in violation(IANAL).
I agree that Fox would be the only "major" network to undertake something like this. Then, for entertainment value, have Moore and Bill O'Reilly debate. Or better O'Reilly and James Carville debate!
IANAL, but I do have a degree in Poli Sci, and the INDUCE Act couldn't "overturn the 9th Circuit's ruling". The INDUCE Act will just be a not filed injunction in reality.
The Supreme Court, which has the tradition of judicial review, which allows it to overturn laws they see as unconstituional. The Betamax case, which doesn't specifically site a constitutional cause, allows use of technology in a non-infringing manner, even though the manufacturer knows it could be(gleaned from the Grokster decision). Unless the RIAA/MPAA have justices in their pocket, it's doubtful this law will be able to stand up to the Betamax standard. Then again, Orrin Hatch is chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, the first stop for federal(and Supreme) court justice appointees.
Note: I'n not volunteering to be the person to be the case that tries the INDUCE act, should this awful piece of legislation pass, against the Betamax standard.
I don't think M$ would buy SCO. They've had plenty of chances, including referring BayStar and RBC to SCO.
As a company that lives by the maxim, "All publicity is good publicity", something this bad is too bad for Microsoft. Microsoft seems content to live with the deluded idea that they currently, and in the future, make a product better than Linux. They don't think they have to go down their well traveled road of buying out the competition(which would be what SCO is, if they were to win their cases). By sitting back, and watching this game run it's course, they can keep their nose clean of this, while maintaining damage control on all of their other problems.
Let's start with an anology. You buy a car. You decide that you want to take that car and drive all over someone else's property. You own the car, you should be able to use it anyway you like. Driving it is within the design specifications of the car. This is illegal. Is it wrong? Society has told us we don't have the right to do whatever we want, especially if it harms others. For society to function, we must "follow the rules". Not only do these rules protect others, these rules protect us FROM others. We buy a car, fully expecting everyone to follow the rules, so that others don't hit/kill us. Don't want to follow the rules, don't buy the car.
The same is true with DRM. If you don't want to follow the rules imposed by Apple, don't buy from iTMS. Every song that is bought from the iTMS is a tacit approval of Apple's DRM. Apple will change when they begin to see it on their bottom line(which, knowing Apple, will mean they will discontinue the store).
In this debate, there are four options. One, do nothing. Don't buy music, don't participate by not voting for legislators who want to preserve "fair use". Two, buy the CD, giving a pittance to the artist, and the RIAA. Three, buy from iTMS, record the AAC to an audio disc, and rip it to an mp3. Four, write you legislators, and vote for those who will support fair use. Remember, U.S. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President, and confirmed by the Senate.
DRM, or better Media Rights Management, has been with us for quite a long time. Most people have given up on the fact that one can't record a VHS movie cassette directly from one VCR to another. Yet you stand up and yell when we can't take our purchased iTunes AAC file from any of five computers to another computer, or worse, to a mp3 player that isn't an iPod. Why? The nasty people at Apple/RIAA took away our fair use.
In the grand scheme of things, and this has been said many times before, Apple's DRM is the best out there. You can play the song on any of five computers(Macs and Windows machines), and any iPod. If you want to get around their DRM, Apple tells you how! Just burn it to an audio CD and rip it into your favorite format. Yeah, I've heard the "losing quality" arguement, but let's be realistic, Apple compresses their files at 128 bits. Not exactly CD quality. The ripped files aren't going to be that much worse than the originals.
Is DRM wrong? Depends. Can I make a fully functional backup to be used in the original target playback device without having to purchase anything? If I can, no, there's nothing wrong with it. If I have to buy something(e.g. mod chip), or I can't make a backup at all, yes, there's something wrong with it.
The reason people aren't running out to buy one is because everyone who is going to buy a PS2 either has one, or is still waiting for it to be $99. The PSX has no new features that improve on the PS2's gaming ability. It just has a DVR(which, again, people who are going to have a DVR already do).
I'm for all-in-one units, as long as they don't cost a fortune. Here's what I would want in one.
1. DVD playback 2. CD playback 3. Convert DVDs, when inserted, to DivX and store on hard drive. 4. Convert CDs to (insert favorite codec) 5. TV/HDTV tuner(w/DVR ability) 6. Gaming Console 7. Optional DirectTV/Dish tuner(also DVR ability) 8. Photo ability(plug in camera, auto imports images) 9. Network Server to stream all media, plus connect to machines to get media 10. Web Browser/Email clients 12. Most important - a GUI that a four year old can work. Nothing that scares my parents from using it and being left to sit unused. If a movie DVD is put in, it acts just like any other DVD player. 13. Priced around $500 - 600.
I know, I could build one myself, thought not for the $500. Most people, including me, would rather have a "come home, plug in, and run" machine like a game console.
Good to know someone else believes DIY isn't always the right answer. I built a machine with 8 drives in it, and, after 6 months of serious troubleshooting(three motherboards, three ATA RAID cards, a couple of processors), it's stable(*knock on wood*). I've learned that building machines, at least for your place of employment, doesn't save money in the long run.
We also have a couple of purchased RAID devices as well, and they seem to work as advertised. One, that is three years old, had two drive failures(a lot of read access, not a lot of write access). Another is a year and a half old, and no problems so far. The final one is an Apple XServe RAID, attached to an Apple XServe. This had problems two months after we got it, it lost connection with one of the RAID controllers. I had made the mistake of configuring it hardware RAID 5 for each channel, software RAID 1 together. While I was trying to figure out what was going on with the one controller, the other controller started to "lose" drives. Luckily for me, I had backups. It is now RAID 5, and I rely on twice daily backups, and have had no problems(almost six months now).
While they have good intentions(like the Burton snowboard issue), senators don't seem to realize, like the PATRIOT act, the potential for abuse. This act gives the RIAA and the MPAA, and their lawyers, free rein over current and developing technologies. "We don't like (insert technology here), so we will say it induces infringement." Those with the most to gain make the rules. This is EXACTLY why the BetaMax ruling should NEVER be overturned.
My favorite part is "Our experience with patent law shows us that such provisions work: over the years, the number of patents has steadily grown and patent-related industries continue to thrive." Yep, people like Teleshuttle Technolgies and MercExchange make the economy so much stronger. At least for their lawyers.
The Wachowskis/Peter Jackson will release the version "they really wanted to make", after the royalties start drying up(though Jackson will be able to beat this horse for a while with the release of The Hobbit). I could see a redo of the battle of Pelennor Fields, or maybe the attack of the Ents at Isengard(that sequence bothered me).
Unlike Lucas and the original triogy, the Wachowskis can't make the new versions any worse than the original release.
I recently got an Infocus 4800, and here are some bits of advice.
1. Get as much native resolution as you can, at least 1024 x 768.
2. Don't get too crazy with lumens. The people who do installs say most projectors need between 600 and 800 lumens. The lower the lumens, the longer the bulb lasts.
3. Make sure you buy one for the appropriate use. Some projectors are designed for conference rooms, so they are designed to make an image that doesn't change, much, look good. Some projectors are designed for home theaters, so their video processors are designed for constantly changing images.
4. Inputs, Inputs, Inputs! Get one that has Component video-in plugs(not goofy adapters), S-Video, VGA, and DVI(it's becoming the standard video output). Also, make sure it supports progressive scan and 16:9 aspect ratio(almost all do).
5. Get the best screen you can afford(see #8). I recommend either Da-Lite or Stewart.
6. Cover any/all windows/light sources. The more ambient light, the more washed out the picture.
7. Once you have it, buy a color calibration CD. It's a lot cheaper than having a professional come in and calibrate it, and you get great results.
8. Make sure your room is big enough. The first row of seating(e.g. couch) should be no closer than 1.6 times the diagonal measurement of the screen. Any closer and you see every pixel(commonly called the "screen door effect").
Also, someone mentioned rear projection. Don't go that way. Rear projection screens are almost 10x more expensive, and, since they are glass, are known to "prism" the image(the image changes as you get to more extreme viewing angles...with the light actualy being like from a prism).
If you have access to the Education Store, Apple is making a 1 Ghz eMac with a CD-ROM, and one without any optical drive(DDR333 256MB, 40GB HD). It looks like Apple is getting serious about going after the educational market again, to compete with cheap x86 boxes.
The next logical step would be a headless eMac. I would vote for one with a DVD drive, so IT people can boot from a CD/DVD to configure Netboot, and run hardware troubleshooting discs.
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Sauber was faster than the Ferraris(and everyone else) at Jerez Dec. 1, 2, and 3rd. Things are looking up for Sauber. It's good too, these two years at Sauber should be better for JV than the last two at BAR.
Also note, Sauber used Ferrari transmissions in 2004, but will be using their own this year.
Wrong! This proves that Jeff Gordon is a very good race car driver. The car is compeletly foreign to him(power, braking, downforce, and G-Force), yet he is quickly up to speed(about a second off of the qualifying time). I doubt Williams put the Indy qualifying setup in the FW25, much less gave Jeff time to get a setup for him in the car. Too bad he had the flu last Saturday, so we could see what he would do against Schumacher in the Race of Champions.
As for Montoya, he was just out for a cruise. I think that car was a road race car, however, Watkin's Glen doesn't have the tight turn complexes, especially the turn 5-6 and turns 8-10 of the Indy GP course. He was driving the snowplow that a NASCAR machine is, in comparison to the F1 car. I wonder what JPM would do around the oval? He's got plenty of experience(2000 Indy 500 win).
What I want to see is them really trade paint. Put both driver's in an identical car, give them an hour to test setup, and then let them race.
True, but it does make you appreciate it a whole lot more. Watching a race is a whole lot more enjoyable after a season of F1 Career Challenge. Set it for full damage and semi-automatic transmission(with a Logitech wheel) and you'll get an inkling how much goes into driving an F1 car. That doesn't include the G-forces or what it feels like to hit the wall at 300kph.
Actually it was called BioPace. The point of it was most cyclists don't have a fluid pedal stroke where even power is transmitted through the entire pedal stroke. Most cyclists have a flat spot in their pedal form, and the oval ring helped with the flat spot. The problem was too many cyclists developed knee problems because of the oval ring.
Passing in F1 is minimized for two reasons. The first is the tracks. Tracks are too narrow, overtaking is next to impossible, especially at Monaco and Imola. Secondly, the top tier cars are too equal(usually...this year was an exception, with no car being legally[Williams at Canada] competitve with the Ferraris[and Kimi at Spa]). Only when people get ballsy(JPM at Spa or Sato at Hockenheim) does F1 get exciting.
No, a couple of Ferrari engineers will shop around the aero and other build info from the last year's car. Another team will give the former Ferrari engineers a job, integrate the information into their computers, make improvements, and then tell the cops it can't be removed because it may give away their car's secrets(where have I heard this argument before? SCO is creating a new way of doing business).
In all seriousness, having the ideal optimal design is unlikely. Most teams have their own engines, which bring different performance characteristics. They even change the engine mapping during pitstops. There are two different tire companies, a number of different compounds. Take in different track temps, air temps, etc. Then you take different tracks(Monaco vs. Monza), and there will never be an optimal design, just an optimal compromise.
This doesn't include the driver, which is the biggest difference. Look at the aggresive drivers like Montoya or Alonzo, compared their more conservative teammates. Similar/same cars, much different speeds.
Elrond: That future is almost gone.
Elrond: Nothing is certain.
Numerous times, even the elven foresight(the above lines taken from the RoTK debate between Arwen and Elrond) can't be guaranteed(ex. "The quest will claim his [Frodo's] life."). It was more of a "kick in the pants" from Galadriel to inspire Frodo to continue his journey. If he saw the Shire was in grave danger, he would go to Mt. Doom. If I remember correctly, the Wraiths were shown tearing up the Shire, not Sharkey's men.
When I vote now, my state ID(a.k.a driver's license) is checked against a paper list of eligible voters, and then my name is checked off. This takes forever. Also, the number of my ballot is recorded...so they could dig through and find how I voted.
In this new system, the swipe would only be used to verify eligibilty. Then the voting machine would be allowed to continue, and the connection with the main ID server would be closed. No information could be traced to any voter.
I agree. There has to be some type of paper trail. This is how I would do voting:
1. Voters swipe a state/government issued ID card on the voting machine, which checks eligibility(and stops multiple votes). The machine then creates a number(it could be sequential to show how many people voted on that machine).
2. Using an ATM touch screen-type interface, the person must pick one option per position race(e.g. president, senator, representative, etc.). Each race has a 1 - 10(depending on how many candidates there are, it could be 100 like the California Gubernatorial Recall election) number assigned to each candidate.
3. After all selections are made, the numbers of each candidate/issue selected will be printed after the voter number on a cash-register type tape. That way there is a paper trail.
4. After the polls close, the results are automatically uploaded to a central server which sends a printout back to the precinct tabulating the number of voters. The voting machines print out the total number of voters at the end of the tape, and this is compared to the printout.
This system, in my opinion, would be the easiest to deploy, easiest to error check, and most importantly, elimnate any "hanging chad" or other voting irregularities. It would also cut back on the number of poll workers, as the verification of eligibility would be done with the swipe machine at the polls. You would only need workers to watch so the tapes don't run out, as well as any voters who aren't registered properly.
Why do we see whiny bitch Ani(Christensen) in the final scene of RoTJ? Wouldn't it make sense to see Ewan as well, for continuity? I would like to say that wouldn't happen, as leaving out Sir Alec would piss off too many fans, but George doesn't seem to care about that with all of his other changes.
Then again, seeing Sebastian Shaw standing(rumor is Ani loses legs in/after the "great" battle) doesn't make a lot of sense either. Then again, I wouldn't want to see a stumpy Anakin. Maybe he has "magic legs" like Lt. Dan?
If Michael Moore pays a network to air the movie, it would be a violation of the McCain-Feingold act. Sect. 101, sub. b, Part 2, Line iii bans:
"a communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office (regardless of whether a candidate for State or local office is also mentioned or identified) and is made for the purpose of influencing a Federal election (regardless of whether the communication is express advocacy)."
note: express advocacy, as defined by the McCain-Faingold act includes(Sec 201, Sub B, Part 20, Line iii)
"expressing unmistakable and unambiguous support for or opposition to 1 or more clearly identified candidates when taken as a whole and with limited reference to external events, such as proximity to an election."
While no one would argue F9/11 refers to GWB, the loophole is that as long as no one pays a network to air the movie, they are not in violation(IANAL).
I agree that Fox would be the only "major" network to undertake something like this. Then, for entertainment value, have Moore and Bill O'Reilly debate. Or better O'Reilly and James Carville debate!
IANAL, but I do have a degree in Poli Sci, and the INDUCE Act couldn't "overturn the 9th Circuit's ruling". The INDUCE Act will just be a not filed injunction in reality.
The Supreme Court, which has the tradition of judicial review, which allows it to overturn laws they see as unconstituional. The Betamax case, which doesn't specifically site a constitutional cause, allows use of technology in a non-infringing manner, even though the manufacturer knows it could be(gleaned from the Grokster decision). Unless the RIAA/MPAA have justices in their pocket, it's doubtful this law will be able to stand up to the Betamax standard. Then again, Orrin Hatch is chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, the first stop for federal(and Supreme) court justice appointees.
Note: I'n not volunteering to be the person to be the case that tries the INDUCE act, should this awful piece of legislation pass, against the Betamax standard.
I don't think M$ would buy SCO. They've had plenty of chances, including referring BayStar and RBC to SCO.
As a company that lives by the maxim, "All publicity is good publicity", something this bad is too bad for Microsoft. Microsoft seems content to live with the deluded idea that they currently, and in the future, make a product better than Linux. They don't think they have to go down their well traveled road of buying out the competition(which would be what SCO is, if they were to win their cases). By sitting back, and watching this game run it's course, they can keep their nose clean of this, while maintaining damage control on all of their other problems.
Let's start with an anology. You buy a car. You decide that you want to take that car and drive all over someone else's property. You own the car, you should be able to use it anyway you like. Driving it is within the design specifications of the car. This is illegal. Is it wrong? Society has told us we don't have the right to do whatever we want, especially if it harms others. For society to function, we must "follow the rules". Not only do these rules protect others, these rules protect us FROM others. We buy a car, fully expecting everyone to follow the rules, so that others don't hit/kill us. Don't want to follow the rules, don't buy the car.
The same is true with DRM. If you don't want to follow the rules imposed by Apple, don't buy from iTMS. Every song that is bought from the iTMS is a tacit approval of Apple's DRM. Apple will change when they begin to see it on their bottom line(which, knowing Apple, will mean they will discontinue the store).
In this debate, there are four options. One, do nothing. Don't buy music, don't participate by not voting for legislators who want to preserve "fair use". Two, buy the CD, giving a pittance to the artist, and the RIAA. Three, buy from iTMS, record the AAC to an audio disc, and rip it to an mp3. Four, write you legislators, and vote for those who will support fair use. Remember, U.S. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President, and confirmed by the Senate.
DRM, or better Media Rights Management, has been with us for quite a long time. Most people have given up on the fact that one can't record a VHS movie cassette directly from one VCR to another. Yet you stand up and yell when we can't take our purchased iTunes AAC file from any of five computers to another computer, or worse, to a mp3 player that isn't an iPod. Why? The nasty people at Apple/RIAA took away our fair use.
In the grand scheme of things, and this has been said many times before, Apple's DRM is the best out there. You can play the song on any of five computers(Macs and Windows machines), and any iPod. If you want to get around their DRM, Apple tells you how! Just burn it to an audio CD and rip it into your favorite format. Yeah, I've heard the "losing quality" arguement, but let's be realistic, Apple compresses their files at 128 bits. Not exactly CD quality. The ripped files aren't going to be that much worse than the originals.
Is DRM wrong? Depends. Can I make a fully functional backup to be used in the original target playback device without having to purchase anything? If I can, no, there's nothing wrong with it. If I have to buy something(e.g. mod chip), or I can't make a backup at all, yes, there's something wrong with it.
The reason people aren't running out to buy one is because everyone who is going to buy a PS2 either has one, or is still waiting for it to be $99. The PSX has no new features that improve on the PS2's gaming ability. It just has a DVR(which, again, people who are going to have a DVR already do).
I'm for all-in-one units, as long as they don't cost a fortune. Here's what I would want in one.
1. DVD playback
2. CD playback
3. Convert DVDs, when inserted, to DivX and store on hard drive.
4. Convert CDs to (insert favorite codec)
5. TV/HDTV tuner(w/DVR ability)
6. Gaming Console
7. Optional DirectTV/Dish tuner(also DVR ability)
8. Photo ability(plug in camera, auto imports images)
9. Network Server to stream all media, plus connect to machines to get media
10. Web Browser/Email clients
12. Most important - a GUI that a four year old can work. Nothing that scares my parents from using it and being left to sit unused. If a movie DVD is put in, it acts just like any other DVD player.
13. Priced around $500 - 600.
I know, I could build one myself, thought not for the $500. Most people, including me, would rather have a "come home, plug in, and run" machine like a game console.
Good to know someone else believes DIY isn't always the right answer. I built a machine with 8 drives in it, and, after 6 months of serious troubleshooting(three motherboards, three ATA RAID cards, a couple of processors), it's stable(*knock on wood*). I've learned that building machines, at least for your place of employment, doesn't save money in the long run.
We also have a couple of purchased RAID devices as well, and they seem to work as advertised. One, that is three years old, had two drive failures(a lot of read access, not a lot of write access). Another is a year and a half old, and no problems so far. The final one is an Apple XServe RAID, attached to an Apple XServe. This had problems two months after we got it, it lost connection with one of the RAID controllers. I had made the mistake of configuring it hardware RAID 5 for each channel, software RAID 1 together. While I was trying to figure out what was going on with the one controller, the other controller started to "lose" drives. Luckily for me, I had backups. It is now RAID 5, and I rely on twice daily backups, and have had no problems(almost six months now).
While they have good intentions(like the Burton snowboard issue), senators don't seem to realize, like the PATRIOT act, the potential for abuse. This act gives the RIAA and the MPAA, and their lawyers, free rein over current and developing technologies. "We don't like (insert technology here), so we will say it induces infringement." Those with the most to gain make the rules. This is EXACTLY why the BetaMax ruling should NEVER be overturned.
My favorite part is "Our experience with patent law shows us that such provisions work: over the years, the number of patents has steadily grown and patent-related industries continue to thrive." Yep, people like Teleshuttle Technolgies and MercExchange make the economy so much stronger. At least for their lawyers.
Viggo Mortensen isn't Swedish(or Danish). He was born in Manhattan(NYC), to a Danish father and American mother. Check out IMDB.
Let's call it "George Lucas Syndrome".
The Wachowskis/Peter Jackson will release the version "they really wanted to make", after the royalties start drying up(though Jackson will be able to beat this horse for a while with the release of The Hobbit). I could see a redo of the battle of Pelennor Fields, or maybe the attack of the Ents at Isengard(that sequence bothered me).
Unlike Lucas and the original triogy, the Wachowskis can't make the new versions any worse than the original release.
I recently got an Infocus 4800, and here are some bits of advice.
1. Get as much native resolution as you can, at least 1024 x 768.
2. Don't get too crazy with lumens. The people who do installs say most projectors need between 600 and 800 lumens. The lower the lumens, the longer the bulb lasts.
3. Make sure you buy one for the appropriate use. Some projectors are designed for conference rooms, so they are designed to make an image that doesn't change, much, look good. Some projectors are designed for home theaters, so their video processors are designed for constantly changing images.
4. Inputs, Inputs, Inputs! Get one that has Component video-in plugs(not goofy adapters), S-Video, VGA, and DVI(it's becoming the standard video output). Also, make sure it supports progressive scan and 16:9 aspect ratio(almost all do).
5. Get the best screen you can afford(see #8). I recommend either Da-Lite or Stewart.
6. Cover any/all windows/light sources. The more ambient light, the more washed out the picture.
7. Once you have it, buy a color calibration CD. It's a lot cheaper than having a professional come in and calibrate it, and you get great results.
8. Make sure your room is big enough. The first row of seating(e.g. couch) should be no closer than 1.6 times the diagonal measurement of the screen. Any closer and you see every pixel(commonly called the "screen door effect").
Also, someone mentioned rear projection. Don't go that way. Rear projection screens are almost 10x more expensive, and, since they are glass, are known to "prism" the image(the image changes as you get to more extreme viewing angles...with the light actualy being like from a prism).
If you have access to the Education Store, Apple is making a 1 Ghz eMac with a CD-ROM, and one without any optical drive(DDR333 256MB, 40GB HD). It looks like Apple is getting serious about going after the educational market again, to compete with cheap x86 boxes.
The next logical step would be a headless eMac. I would vote for one with a DVD drive, so IT people can boot from a CD/DVD to configure Netboot, and run hardware troubleshooting discs.
For nursing home patients:
"(user) needs food."
"(user) needs food BADLY!"
"(user) is about to die!"
What will /. have to talk about after May 2005? Episode 3 will be out, and the SCO v. the World will be over.
The worst part? We know how both of them end(1 for the good guys[SCO is crushed], 1 for the bad[Anakin whoops some Kenobi a**]).