Just about all LED lamps available now are made from discreet white LEDs that cost about 50 cents each in bulk. Factor in PCB, power supply and assembly and they're still stupidly expensive.
What they need is a purpose-build manufacturing method to form dozens of LED junctions as a single unit specifically as a bulk light source. =Smidge=
Spectrum is one legit problem with LEDs. In general it's difficult to get full spectrum lighting from LEDs - but it IS possible. The problem right now is although LEDs have the best Lumen/Watt efficiency, they have the worst Lumen/Dollar ratio.
Regarding CFLs... I was at the hardware store getting stuff to fix a lamp and decided to put down $5 for a pair of 23W CFLs (7000 lumen/100W equivalent). I have to say that, having owned one of the very early CFL types several years ago and being very disappointed with it, I was VERY surprised at these new ones. Instant-on brightness was equal to the 100W incandescent it replaced, and it actually got BRIGHTER after a minute or so. The light has a slight tint to it - not quite as "yellow" as sunlight but not white/blueish like the 4' tubes in most offices.
All I can say is give it a try. Made a believer out of me. =Smidge=
I had one MSI mainboard that was DOA. No problems getting a replacement. Since then it's been used in a small office file server which runs 24/7 in a (sadly) unventilated closet, survived a number of power outages and even a power supply explosion (literally). Running for three years now ann not a single problem... with the mainboard anyway:)
MSI is certainly not a top brand but they're not complete junk either, in my experience. =Smidge=
Anyone know if this technique/ability was in the Mosaic browser? I know it was the first to show images inline with text and hyperlinks.
If this patent was filed at the same time Mosaic came out - and I wasn't able to confirm when the patent WAS issued - then there might be a slight chance. Anything older and the patent would be expired in the US by now, anything newer and there would be prior art to invalidate it. =Smidge=
If your ZIP file contained any executable code, that might have been what blocked it. I know for a fact that GMail will do everything it can to block EXE attachments - even if they're renamed and put into password protected RAR files inside other password protected RAR files. I have no idea how it detects them but it's very difficult to get one through.
I think it's particularly serious because it will fail. It will just justify a potential snowball of draconian bullshit legislation and heavy-handed enforcement.
They do, but in the same capacity that people still buy older video games. The only difference is that movies have a broader appeal, so the market share is potentially larger, but the fundamental mechanism is the same.
a good movie will continue to sell indefinitely That hasn't been true since the invention of home-watchable recorded media. Of course, the industry would LOVE to make sure that you have to buy the movies over and over again (DIVX anyone?) but the fact is once you own a physical copy of the movie, you own it. Once you buy a physical copy of the video game, you own it.
And to be honest, I'm not sure your assertion was true even before home-watchable recorded media. =Smidge=
1) Columbus wasn't the first to "discover" North America. Vikings found it about four centuries before he was even born, and nomadic people from the Asian continent were already there.
2) Columbus discovered Cuba (and thought he was in India) which leaves the entire North American Continent proper up for grabs even if you ignore #1.
A USB dongle is not the same as a genuine RS-232 port. It might be good enough for consumer grade gadgets but it's just an imitation.
Plus, you lose USB ports that way. That PS/2 adapter looks like it'll block at least one adjacent port, maybe all four. Again, it's just an imitation for the real thing. A dedicated port for a dedicated function is going to be better. =Smidge=
Oh, it nearly slipped my mind when coming up with that terrible toll road analogy - there WAS a form of Net Neutrality law in place before broadband service became popular: Common Carrier.
Common Carrier rules said that you, as the owner of the copper wire telephone infrastructure, are not allowed to deny a third party company from offering services over your lines and must offer consistent pricing for use of your infrastructure. This is why you could change your phone company and dialup ISP without a tech coming by and running a new pair of copper wires to your house each time.
With broadband, cable and fiber-optic, those rules don't apply. If I decide I don't want Verizon's FiOS internet any more, whatever I get can't use the fiber run to my house. That means my options are strictly limited to the infrastructure available in my area, each of which is monopolized by a particular company. In my case, it's Verizon vs. Cablevision.
If another company comes along and wants to offer fiber or cable data services, they will have to run their own lines or pay extortion fees to the existing companies (and there is no law requiring them to lease bandwidth to third party providers like there was with POTS)
That's also what Net Neutrality is about. =Smidge=
How do you allow "proper competition" in the ISP market? How many sets of wires will you run to every house? How many antennas will you have to erect and satellites to put into orbit? How many data centers and backbone hubs can you build?
Net Neutrality is based on the fact that, at some point, your data will have to flow through a competitor's infrastructure.
In the past, when the internet was still in its infancy, there was little need for net neutrality; bandwidth was simply another commodity. Today, there are data services - streaming media, VoIP, internet applications, etc. - and there is financial incentive to make bandwidth a resource. Companies are looking at converting their infrastructure from a simple toll road (pay for the privilege of using X bandwidth) into toll roads that discriminate on what type of vehicle and cargo you're carrying AND limiting your speed based on how much you've paid. Oh, and the same cargo from their own company gets a free ride, high priority.
So much for competition in that environment. =Smidge=
Strange... I could have sworn I replied to the AC. Maybe it got intercepted by the timer? Didn't get an error thought...
Anyway, the reply I thought I made went along these lines: I do agree with the adage in principle. It's called discipline. It does not have to take the form of physical punishment but can we agree that discipline in general is a good thing? The gist of the adage is that teaching your kid how to behave early in life, when the consequences aren't so grave, will save him/her (and possibly a lot of other people) a good amount of grief.
I honestly think that's a pretty good principle. =Smidge=
I'm sure you can say that only with the benefit of hindsight. As I said in a reply a bit further down, when it comes to a basic level of education - either scholastic or practical - there is essentially nothing to lose.
College is another matter. I will agree that college is not for everyone, and may actually sacrifice certain options. However, since it's already difficult (but not impossible) to get a decent job before you're 18 in most places, there really is little harm in staying in school. If anything it just may keep you off the streets. =Smidge=
On the other side of the coin, getting a basic education and/or job skill certainly does not prevent anyone from "succeeding" either.
I put succeeding in quotes because it's an amazingly subjective term. In MY opinion, a successful person is one who manages to keep a roof over his head and food on the table in a manner that such basic needs are not constantly the most pressing concerns. Success is not necessarily measured by tax bracket or ability to link to dictionaries.
But what you are implying is that, somehow, learning something - anything - is actually a BARRIER to success. You, sir, are a fuckwit. =Smidge=
I agree on everything in your post except the part about letting them be screw-ups.
There is certainly educational value in "taking your lumps" as you put it, however I think this type of learning is more appropriate for older age groups. For example, skipping class has potential consequences potentially decades away. By the time they figure out they've screwed up, it's too late to do anything about it. In the worst case, their "screw up" turns into a burden on society later on. As the saying goes, spanking your kid when he's four will save the penal system from doing it when he's forty.
In this specific case, truancy, I feel it's either school or GED + vocational training. School or job, in other words. Either way they're a lot less likely to end up being useless later in life. =Smidge=
Satellite internet is worse than dialup. In fact, a POTS modem is still required for outgoing traffic if I'm not mistaken. Sure you can get massive bandwidth but all your ping times are measured in seconds, not milliseconds.
Though I agree the OP was poorly worded: Should have been "broadband" internet, since dialup is pretty ubiquitous. Otherwise there are huge swaths of this country that Comcast currently has a monopoly on. =Smidge=
There's three pictures in total. One of them was of the inside of the drive and it didn't look scorched at all - there was some kind of metallic spray pattern on the inside but other than that the platters were still shiny and the ribbon cables undamaged.
It's more remarkable that the drive survived so well than it was to recover data off of it. New marketing gimmick for Seagate? =Smidge=
Local utility here will buy electricity from you if you have generating capacity. I'm not aware of any major tripping points about the hookup EXCEPT:
You have to pay to have a second "sell" meter installed (they don't run backwards). The rate they buy the electricity from you is what they claim the generation costs are - in other words, about a third of what they charge you going the other way. You're not gonna make any money selling to the utility. =Smidge=
Slashdot Mirror
This hasn't been true since they stopped using magnetic ballasts.
=Smidge=
An LED bulb to replace a 30W incandescent is $45.
Just about all LED lamps available now are made from discreet white LEDs that cost about 50 cents each in bulk. Factor in PCB, power supply and assembly and they're still stupidly expensive.
What they need is a purpose-build manufacturing method to form dozens of LED junctions as a single unit specifically as a bulk light source.
=Smidge=
Spectrum is one legit problem with LEDs. In general it's difficult to get full spectrum lighting from LEDs - but it IS possible. The problem right now is although LEDs have the best Lumen/Watt efficiency, they have the worst Lumen/Dollar ratio.
Regarding CFLs... I was at the hardware store getting stuff to fix a lamp and decided to put down $5 for a pair of 23W CFLs (7000 lumen/100W equivalent). I have to say that, having owned one of the very early CFL types several years ago and being very disappointed with it, I was VERY surprised at these new ones. Instant-on brightness was equal to the 100W incandescent it replaced, and it actually got BRIGHTER after a minute or so. The light has a slight tint to it - not quite as "yellow" as sunlight but not white/blueish like the 4' tubes in most offices.
All I can say is give it a try. Made a believer out of me.
=Smidge=
I had one MSI mainboard that was DOA. No problems getting a replacement. Since then it's been used in a small office file server which runs 24/7 in a (sadly) unventilated closet, survived a number of power outages and even a power supply explosion (literally). Running for three years now ann not a single problem... with the mainboard anyway :)
MSI is certainly not a top brand but they're not complete junk either, in my experience.
=Smidge=
Anyone know if this technique/ability was in the Mosaic browser? I know it was the first to show images inline with text and hyperlinks.
If this patent was filed at the same time Mosaic came out - and I wasn't able to confirm when the patent WAS issued - then there might be a slight chance. Anything older and the patent would be expired in the US by now, anything newer and there would be prior art to invalidate it.
=Smidge=
If your ZIP file contained any executable code, that might have been what blocked it. I know for a fact that GMail will do everything it can to block EXE attachments - even if they're renamed and put into password protected RAR files inside other password protected RAR files. I have no idea how it detects them but it's very difficult to get one through.
=Smidge=
I think it's particularly serious because it will fail. It will just justify a potential snowball of draconian bullshit legislation and heavy-handed enforcement.
=Smidge=
They do, but in the same capacity that people still buy older video games. The only difference is that movies have a broader appeal, so the market share is potentially larger, but the fundamental mechanism is the same.
=Smidge=
And to be honest, I'm not sure your assertion was true even before home-watchable recorded media.
=Smidge=
No, because:
1) Columbus wasn't the first to "discover" North America. Vikings found it about four centuries before he was even born, and nomadic people from the Asian continent were already there.
2) Columbus discovered Cuba (and thought he was in India) which leaves the entire North American Continent proper up for grabs even if you ignore #1.
=Smidge=
A USB dongle is not the same as a genuine RS-232 port. It might be good enough for consumer grade gadgets but it's just an imitation.
Plus, you lose USB ports that way. That PS/2 adapter looks like it'll block at least one adjacent port, maybe all four. Again, it's just an imitation for the real thing. A dedicated port for a dedicated function is going to be better.
=Smidge=
I don't know about you, but I went into Engineering for the chicks.
I consider it a long-term investment.
=Smidge=
(...any day now...)
=Smidge=
Oh, it nearly slipped my mind when coming up with that terrible toll road analogy - there WAS a form of Net Neutrality law in place before broadband service became popular: Common Carrier.
Common Carrier rules said that you, as the owner of the copper wire telephone infrastructure, are not allowed to deny a third party company from offering services over your lines and must offer consistent pricing for use of your infrastructure. This is why you could change your phone company and dialup ISP without a tech coming by and running a new pair of copper wires to your house each time.
With broadband, cable and fiber-optic, those rules don't apply. If I decide I don't want Verizon's FiOS internet any more, whatever I get can't use the fiber run to my house. That means my options are strictly limited to the infrastructure available in my area, each of which is monopolized by a particular company. In my case, it's Verizon vs. Cablevision.
If another company comes along and wants to offer fiber or cable data services, they will have to run their own lines or pay extortion fees to the existing companies (and there is no law requiring them to lease bandwidth to third party providers like there was with POTS)
That's also what Net Neutrality is about.
=Smidge=
How do you allow "proper competition" in the ISP market? How many sets of wires will you run to every house? How many antennas will you have to erect and satellites to put into orbit? How many data centers and backbone hubs can you build?
Net Neutrality is based on the fact that, at some point, your data will have to flow through a competitor's infrastructure.
In the past, when the internet was still in its infancy, there was little need for net neutrality; bandwidth was simply another commodity. Today, there are data services - streaming media, VoIP, internet applications, etc. - and there is financial incentive to make bandwidth a resource. Companies are looking at converting their infrastructure from a simple toll road (pay for the privilege of using X bandwidth) into toll roads that discriminate on what type of vehicle and cargo you're carrying AND limiting your speed based on how much you've paid. Oh, and the same cargo from their own company gets a free ride, high priority.
So much for competition in that environment.
=Smidge=
Hey wow, someone decided to be my ill-gotten doppelganger! I feel so relevant now... or maybe I need a dose of Pepto-Bismol.
If your posting history is any indication, I should thank you in advance for not sullying my reputation.
The Original Smidge TwoZeroFour - Often irritated, never duplicated! Accept no substitutes!
=Smidge=
Strange... I could have sworn I replied to the AC. Maybe it got intercepted by the timer? Didn't get an error thought...
Anyway, the reply I thought I made went along these lines: I do agree with the adage in principle. It's called discipline. It does not have to take the form of physical punishment but can we agree that discipline in general is a good thing? The gist of the adage is that teaching your kid how to behave early in life, when the consequences aren't so grave, will save him/her (and possibly a lot of other people) a good amount of grief.
I honestly think that's a pretty good principle.
=Smidge=
I'm sure you can say that only with the benefit of hindsight. As I said in a reply a bit further down, when it comes to a basic level of education - either scholastic or practical - there is essentially nothing to lose.
College is another matter. I will agree that college is not for everyone, and may actually sacrifice certain options. However, since it's already difficult (but not impossible) to get a decent job before you're 18 in most places, there really is little harm in staying in school. If anything it just may keep you off the streets.
=Smidge=
On the other side of the coin, getting a basic education and/or job skill certainly does not prevent anyone from "succeeding" either.
I put succeeding in quotes because it's an amazingly subjective term. In MY opinion, a successful person is one who manages to keep a roof over his head and food on the table in a manner that such basic needs are not constantly the most pressing concerns. Success is not necessarily measured by tax bracket or ability to link to dictionaries.
But what you are implying is that, somehow, learning something - anything - is actually a BARRIER to success. You, sir, are a fuckwit.
=Smidge=
I agree on everything in your post except the part about letting them be screw-ups.
There is certainly educational value in "taking your lumps" as you put it, however I think this type of learning is more appropriate for older age groups. For example, skipping class has potential consequences potentially decades away. By the time they figure out they've screwed up, it's too late to do anything about it. In the worst case, their "screw up" turns into a burden on society later on. As the saying goes, spanking your kid when he's four will save the penal system from doing it when he's forty.
In this specific case, truancy, I feel it's either school or GED + vocational training. School or job, in other words. Either way they're a lot less likely to end up being useless later in life.
=Smidge=
Probably either Ron Paul or Al Gore, depending on if your wingnut has right- or left-handed threads.
(Honestly don't know, though... technically there's any number of independents this could refer to...)
=Smidge=
Satellite internet is worse than dialup. In fact, a POTS modem is still required for outgoing traffic if I'm not mistaken. Sure you can get massive bandwidth but all your ping times are measured in seconds, not milliseconds.
Though I agree the OP was poorly worded: Should have been "broadband" internet, since dialup is pretty ubiquitous. Otherwise there are huge swaths of this country that Comcast currently has a monopoly on.
=Smidge=
http://www.sciam.com/media/inline/BAA76AE9-F23C-1819-08D80B3BC4D83163_2.jpg
There we go
=Smidge=
There's three pictures in total. One of them was of the inside of the drive and it didn't look scorched at all - there was some kind of metallic spray pattern on the inside but other than that the platters were still shiny and the ribbon cables undamaged.
It's more remarkable that the drive survived so well than it was to recover data off of it. New marketing gimmick for Seagate?
=Smidge=
Local utility here will buy electricity from you if you have generating capacity. I'm not aware of any major tripping points about the hookup EXCEPT:
You have to pay to have a second "sell" meter installed (they don't run backwards). The rate they buy the electricity from you is what they claim the generation costs are - in other words, about a third of what they charge you going the other way. You're not gonna make any money selling to the utility.
=Smidge=