Small correction:
The surface radars in question actually use low frequency "radar waves" (no such thing, it's radio waves).
Correctly: the system uses HF RF (HF band RF) which is a considerably lower frequency band than most modern radars operate at.
At a guess these HF radar systems will suffer from problems of low resolution, making them less suitable for detection of small targets than an S or X band airborne system would.
I couldn't agree more. As an educator (in the miltary not the public school system, but similar principles apply) I have seen time and time again, instructors and students being forced to use computers to "enhance" their teaching/learning.
In the end most instructors and students get fed up with all the technology that is being forced down their throats and revert back to the good old books, paper and pencils.
Computers are a tool, and like any tool they have a specific place. I'm not saying that computers cannot enhance learning, but their implementation should be carefully weighed against the other (cheaper, more user friendly) options like -god forbid- books.
There are, however, perfectly valid reasons to use the English system of measurement rather than metric.
Take a simple measurement like 54 5/16" (which I had to use quite a bit the other day when I re-trimmed all my windows)
54 5/16inches = 137.95375cm
Now take a look at a tape measure and tell me exactly where the.95375 mark is. It isn't there!
The English system is much more accurate than the metric system is. It's also simpler (in most cases) to add in the English system. Take the above example. To add the width of my sawblade (1/8") you quickly come up with 54 7/16 inches. In metric you would have to spend an extra 10 seconds doing the addition (.95375 +.125=1.07875) and you're still left with the problem of not knowing exactly where to mark your lumber!
Along a similary line, why not always use decimal degrees? (wait that's a perversion of base 360. Get rid of it!) Why bother with radian measure? Base 2pi? I mean come on, I can't count to that on my fingers!
Oh yea, since we're abolishing the English system, let's get rid of octal, hexadecimal, and binary. Clearly the world would be a simpler place if everything worked in base 10.
The fact is that sometimes (often) bases other than 10 make calculations and measurements much simpler.
To say that one system is absolutely better than the other shows an amazing ignorance of mathematics.
You said you already had hardware picked out, so I don't know if this will be any help, but here's my setup that's been running constantly now for around 3 years.
This system is running as a file server on a small network (4-10 computers depending on the day) and the only problem I've had was when one of the IBMs died (a month after got it). Replacement of the drive was incredably simple: Pull the old one out, drop the new one in, turn the system on and presto: automatic rebuild! Total down time: 8 minutes to swap the drive and reboot. (okay, I cheat, they are in removable carts)
At the time, the whole setup only cost me about US$500, and I'm sure you can do exactly the same setup now for around $300
Offtopic: I'd stay away from the GXP75. Not a good drive, unfortunately I didn't know that before I bought them, I just got them for their quietness.
The longest running drive is a Samsung something-or-other, at about 7 years continuous (or very near) up time.
Or... Join the military (at least the US Air Force) and learn all that stuff for (relatively) free. Okay so you have to give up all your weekends, and stay in for 20 years, and you get nothing but experience to show for it, but you know!
Of course this also is a generalization. There are CMSgt (E-9) and Colonels (O-6) that I rather not be caught dead in the same organization with, but in general, once you reach that level you have the equivalent of a PhD. (in the O-6 case, you probably actually do have one)
Gyration is CRAP! I seem to recall posting this before, but here goes:
I have the unfortunate pleasure of having about 20 of keyboard/mouse units at work. In the year that we've had them I've had to send back a full half of them for warranty work. We have two problems repeatedly: The keyboards simply stop working (everything looks ok, but no transmission) and the batteries in the mice refuse to hold a charge longer than about 20 minutes after about 2 months of use. (yea, we do the whole drain 'em till their dead before recharging them)
I have the unfortunate pleasure of working for a company that has a fair number of these things (~20)
In the past year, we have had to return every single one of them due to some problem or another. Usually it is the batteries (ridiculous since they're less than a year old), but there have been other problems.
Additionally, they are horridly inaccurate. Okay, to be fair, my hand is horribly inaccurate when it's not supported by something, but that doesn't make them any more useful.
Slashdot Mirror
Small correction: The surface radars in question actually use low frequency "radar waves" (no such thing, it's radio waves). Correctly: the system uses HF RF (HF band RF) which is a considerably lower frequency band than most modern radars operate at. At a guess these HF radar systems will suffer from problems of low resolution, making them less suitable for detection of small targets than an S or X band airborne system would.
But now where would the fun in that be?!?!
I couldn't agree more. As an educator (in the miltary not the public school system, but similar principles apply) I have seen time and time again, instructors and students being forced to use computers to "enhance" their teaching/learning. In the end most instructors and students get fed up with all the technology that is being forced down their throats and revert back to the good old books, paper and pencils. Computers are a tool, and like any tool they have a specific place. I'm not saying that computers cannot enhance learning, but their implementation should be carefully weighed against the other (cheaper, more user friendly) options like -god forbid- books.
Seen Enterprise lately? Star Trek in name only. Star Trek is dead. Long live Star Trek.
Wow, just what we needed another way to make MREs more unpalatable!
Mmmm. He reads Criton (or is it Cook) and mixes it up with reality...
That was an idiotic thing to post on slashdot.
.95375 mark is. It isn't there!
.125=1.07875) and you're still left with the problem of not knowing exactly where to mark your lumber!
There are, however, perfectly valid reasons to use the English system of measurement rather than metric.
Take a simple measurement like 54 5/16" (which I had to use quite a bit the other day when I re-trimmed all my windows)
54 5/16inches = 137.95375cm
Now take a look at a tape measure and tell me exactly where the
The English system is much more accurate than the metric system is. It's also simpler (in most cases) to add in the English system. Take the above example. To add the width of my sawblade (1/8") you quickly come up with 54 7/16 inches. In metric you would have to spend an extra 10 seconds doing the addition (.95375 +
Along a similary line, why not always use decimal degrees? (wait that's a perversion of base 360. Get rid of it!) Why bother with radian measure? Base 2pi? I mean come on, I can't count to that on my fingers!
Oh yea, since we're abolishing the English system, let's get rid of octal, hexadecimal, and binary. Clearly the world would be a simpler place if everything worked in base 10.
The fact is that sometimes (often) bases other than 10 make calculations and measurements much simpler.
To say that one system is absolutely better than the other shows an amazing ignorance of mathematics.
Just my $2/100.
You said you already had hardware picked out, so I don't know if this will be any help, but here's my setup that's been running constantly now for around 3 years.
-3Ware Escalade 6410 4-port true RAID controller
-IBM GXP75 80GB drives (x3)
-Redhat 7.1 with modified/upgraded kernel
This system is running as a file server on a small network (4-10 computers depending on the day) and the only problem I've had was when one of the IBMs died (a month after got it). Replacement of the drive was incredably simple: Pull the old one out, drop the new one in, turn the system on and presto: automatic rebuild! Total down time: 8 minutes to swap the drive and reboot. (okay, I cheat, they are in removable carts)
At the time, the whole setup only cost me about US$500, and I'm sure you can do exactly the same setup now for around $300
Offtopic: I'd stay away from the GXP75. Not a good drive, unfortunately I didn't know that before I bought them, I just got them for their quietness.
The longest running drive is a Samsung something-or-other, at about 7 years continuous (or very near) up time.
Or... Join the military (at least the US Air Force) and learn all that stuff for (relatively) free. Okay so you have to give up all your weekends, and stay in for 20 years, and you get nothing but experience to show for it, but you know! Of course this also is a generalization. There are CMSgt (E-9) and Colonels (O-6) that I rather not be caught dead in the same organization with, but in general, once you reach that level you have the equivalent of a PhD. (in the O-6 case, you probably actually do have one)
Gyration is CRAP! I seem to recall posting this before, but here goes:
I have the unfortunate pleasure of having about 20 of keyboard/mouse units at work. In the year that we've had them I've had to send back a full half of them for warranty work. We have two problems repeatedly: The keyboards simply stop working (everything looks ok, but no transmission) and the batteries in the mice refuse to hold a charge longer than about 20 minutes after about 2 months of use. (yea, we do the whole drain 'em till their dead before recharging them)
Just my $.02
I have the unfortunate pleasure of working for a company that has a fair number of these things (~20) In the past year, we have had to return every single one of them due to some problem or another. Usually it is the batteries (ridiculous since they're less than a year old), but there have been other problems. Additionally, they are horridly inaccurate. Okay, to be fair, my hand is horribly inaccurate when it's not supported by something, but that doesn't make them any more useful.