Saw my first one of these a year or two ago in Knoxville TN. I was from the area and didn't expect much - it is frankly a poor and dumb area of the country.
What I was surprised to find was all new Cadillacs in the parking lot. People carrying around personal cameras that were broadcast quality etc. There was nothing but money here. Most of the 'bots' were custom CNC'd and anodized, again, indicating a lot of money. And I had to wonder, does a poor kid stand a chance?
They place far too little emphasis on autonomous operation. As organized, its just remote control basketball. (white kids can't jump, so I guess they came up with this as alternative for rich kids?)
Hackers now attack the mac because it's a) easier and b) the user are more likely have something worth stealing (aka dumber users)
Apple can't even issue a patch fix without fucking it up
Not that I planned on watching these over hyped corporate marketing efforts, but this seals the END for me.
If they can ban taking pictures, there are only steps away from controlling what you can look at, even if it is in public. The terrorist have completely won, and are being courted by the corporations. I surrender. What 16th century fiction novel must I read and obey?
A very appropriate name. Kids raised in TN are destined for failure. I'm sure there are some smart people there, but they moved in from out of state and/or are the exceptions.
I moved there in 2004, couldn't believe the ignorance, and ran out last year. That place is scary.
To be honest this is the kind of lawmaking I would expect from people there, a waste of time and further dragging the country down with more uneducated bible thumpers.
Seriously? To take that statement as is, is crazy. Much of what? prepackaging? robotics? I don't understand how that could be moderated up as it says nothing.
I dont understand how CNC encompasses anything more than one small part of robotics - motion control. Using CNC in robotics would be like using a car as only a flashlight.
Using the packaging does not make sense either, as ROS has its own versioning requirements.
So what is it that LinuxCNC has? and why is it moderated up?
And I say that as a true pessimist of open source. I have tried to use ROS for home robotics. Not that I am a researcher by any means, but I do have a lot of familiarization with stuff that is happening in robotics. It was, to put it simply, too difficult to get a ROS system running. There are always so many mismatches among the large number of pieces you need it is impossible to start from scratch and get anything to work. Once you have a running system you can milk it along with updates. Or if you do start from scratch and you wait long enough, eventually via updates things might start working together. Putting in an all in one package eliminates that struggle. A hobbyist could actually work on robotic stuff rather than OS stuff. In a similar package (previously mentioned I believe) LinuxCNC had the same problem, and did not truly get useful until you could download a working ISO of everything.
Good luck (to be honest, it couldn't get much worse).
Mod him up. I live here (the US) and I agree. The US is becoming a joke to me too.
Another fine example, DirecTV has over 30,000 consumer complaints AND had an injunction filed against them in 2009 for deceptive business practices. And they have changed absolutely nothing in their business model. They still lie, bait and switch, refuse to allow you to cancel, then claim on TV they have the highest customer satisfaction rating.
Life in the US is about dodging ripoffs from large corporations, co-sponsored by the government that encourages it. There used to be a certain amount of good faith expected in business, that is gone completely. Investors demand more profit, and don't care who gets ripped off to get it. That is the entire problem. The founders of capitalism warned if the rich got too powerful the system would fail - and it is, but the rich will not let you know that.
Look at it another way (if it is not obvious); You are being required to give up the Constitution in order to watch a movie in a way that is convenient to you. Are you living in the United States of america or some warlord run African tribe? Sure we have choice in America, paper or plastic? George Carlin said it in the 90s. Other than our grocery bags, little else is left up to us (In Seattle, plastic grocery bags become illegal starting in June:| )
Britannica (however its spelled) was also somewhat of a novelty. My parents bought a set. And I looked at it a lot because it was there. Much the same way early TV was also incredibly attracting. I would watch every TV science show on, and if nothing was on, read the big books on just about any science article.
I will agree with a few points above, I don't think Encarta was soley responsible, but it was the PC in general, or more specifically, time. TV is no longer a novelty, britannica is no longer a novelty, PCs are no longer a novelty, pretty soon tablets will not be a novelty.
What's the money maker? what will be the next FAD that obsoletes everything else?
With a bit of inside humor, I'm guessing it's GIT.
The things you have seen are as I said, highly edited and trivial. It takes a car load of computers to follow a line, and in the end, is that a robot? You also Mischaracterize household robots; some (neato) use SLAM, sensors and laser scanners - they are closer than anything else out there. They don't just bump around (like iRobot does). The Kinect is a joke, although it may advance things accidentally, I agree. It brought commodity prices to an acceptable substitution, and thus many more people are able to explore with it. That is a good thing. But it did not intentionally advance robotics. Lasers are still available for $1,200 (http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R325-URG-04LX-UG01.html) (and your the expert here? you might reconsider your field).
My connection is that I wake up, have poor health so I don't go out, and sit and read about every robotic development that makes news on the web everyday, just about all day. And I do not call a car that can park itself a Robot anymore than my microwave that turns off after 5 minutes. Getting excited about trivial technology changes is not Robotics. Watch lost in space, Forbidden planet - those are robots.
You retire, and take up robots as a hobby. It isn't so hard really.
I've had this discussion a 100 times. Most of the local robotics club consider black line following toys with 2 wheels robots. If that is your definition, then sure that type of robotics is alive and well. Colleges are also doing some cool stuff, and showing it with highly edited videos. Truth is none of them can go for more than 2-3 minutes and do continuous tasks without tethering. So sure, research is still alive. A robot to fetch me a beer from the refrigerator? Sure, I've seen one do it in about 45 minutes, and it only costs $500,000 dollars - what progress we have made!
Tell you what, give me $500 and if robotics is advanced enough to have practical personal servants in the next 10 years, i'll give you back $500,000. deal?
To some extent I disagree that dogs do not learn as humans. Its a reward and/or pain/discipline system and it works well on both. Robots on the other hand, may not feel reward or pain, so something new does need to be developed.
I will agree with his disagreement on the first line. As a retired hobbyist I am hugely directly connected to the current state of robots. They are stagnant, dead, and useless with the exception of the Vacuum cleaner bots. There are some super high end stuff going on, but it is far more akin to smart remote control. Computers are not anywhere near fast enough at present. And as long as we stick to the von neumann model for their design probably will not be for 20-30 more years.
But i have been an advocate of having moral discussion now, before it is too late. Saw a good short clip this am; http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-video.html about a robot that becomes self aware. Do we kill her, or let her be free? If we let her be free, what incentive ($$$) does anyone have to build her? If she is a slave (ie sold for profit) can we justify the treatment of any self aware being that way? And if so, why not retroactive?
Anyhow, back top the subject; we need research in that area. Today for a current project I am looking at http://mnemstudio.org/path-finding-q-learning-tutorial.htm for ideas on what is going on now. I assume it the field will advance.
hint hint; desktop PCs are dead - MS is getting out of that business, and in a way that tries and convinces current customers not to run to apple. But anyone with any common sense can see that the consumer explosion that made MS billions has shifted away from PCs. Sure they will be around a while, but they are not the money makers they once were (or soon will not be at a minimum). Let linux and apple have the small market that will remain. Get the TV set top market - ie XBOX - be on every TV sold. They are late to the game on tablets, but the TV set top is wide open and is the next money maker. Windows 8 is headed for XBOX.
Ok, a few days later and i'm not so outraged over being denied use of my iPad. I still hate the idea, and replaced it with an android tablet.
So let's take a minute if any of the Apple geniuses care to comment;
What really happened, and i'll admit to probably knowing the reason all along, and being pissed at apple's response was, I installed a new hard drive on my windows PC. after months without connecting my iPad, I finally got around to it, and of course had to re-install iTunes. On first connect, indeed my Apple ID was locked. Had ANYONE entered an incorrect password? No. Now you can claim all you want that Apple did not lock the hardware, but the hardware ONLY runs iOS which depends on iTunes - so it was useless - power on and it says locked, sure the hardware got power but who cares? It was unusable, it must be connected to iTunes to be used.
If Apple offered any explanation, offered any path to fixing the problem other than saying iForgot my password, or that there was a security concern I might have played along. But I find their arrogance unacceptable.
So then I tried to delete my credit card info from iTunes, not allowed. Then I tried deleting my iTunes account, not allowed. Again, arrogance.
Stick to the facts, not guesswork. Why should this be normal/acceptable?
I am forced to have an iTunes account with credit card information, on an Apple account I do not want. Screw that, screw them, and screw their defenders.
Yes, quite honestly, i've though about it. It just happened, thus the comment about timing. But like I said earlier, I suffered from a stroke and getting out is not something I do a lot, for health reasons. And I have decided when I do go out, I will looking to buy an alternative. I never liked Apple's take over the world by brainwashing philosophy, and the is an iPad 1, showing it's age and not worth the effort. But thanks for at least not saying it's all my fault, and posting as an AC, such a fitting tittle to the others.
you may find sucking my dick useful. The iPad has never been used by anyone else, has never left my sight, and now sits at the 'hook up to iTunes' graphic that you get when first powering on. And the password has NEVER been entered wrong. Are you implying that Apple has been hacked?
This article caught me at a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) time. I am so sick of Apple fanatics and how they are willing destroying the personal computer industry. They hold their limp wrists high (no intent to offend gays, but it is such a fitting description) in celebration of their superior operating system, with no clue as to how they are being brainwashed into supporting abandonment of all personal rights.
I gave in a year ago after a stroke and bought an iPad. I loved it, supported it for a year. Then one day Apple decided I was a security risk. Now whenever I turn on my iPad it says it has been 'locked for security reasons'. There is no way to get anything resembling technical support since I didn't choose to pay their extortion, err, support plan. The web has no help. And I'm stuck with a $599 soft drink coaster, and not a very good one at that..
Now, has anyone read about their plot to hold the education system at gunpoint? Give away authoring tools, promise the world, and hahahaha, only sell through Apple, requiring all schools to buy iPads for every student, every time Apple needs a cash influx and upgrades the iPad. That borders on illegal criminal scheming, and due the stupid nature of our government, will probably work..
Slashdot Mirror
Saw my first one of these a year or two ago in Knoxville TN. I was from the area and didn't expect much - it is frankly a poor and dumb area of the country.
What I was surprised to find was all new Cadillacs in the parking lot. People carrying around personal cameras that were broadcast quality etc. There was nothing but money here. Most of the 'bots' were custom CNC'd and anodized, again, indicating a lot of money.
And I had to wonder, does a poor kid stand a chance?
They place far too little emphasis on autonomous operation. As organized, its just remote control basketball. (white kids can't jump, so I guess they came up with this as alternative for rich kids?)
Hackers now attack the mac because it's a) easier and b) the user are more likely have something worth stealing (aka dumber users)
Apple can't even issue a patch fix without fucking it up
a wopping market share of 11% eh? LOL.
Not that I planned on watching these over hyped corporate marketing efforts, but this seals the END for me.
If they can ban taking pictures, there are only steps away from controlling what you can look at, even if it is in public. The terrorist have completely won, and are being courted by the corporations. I surrender. What 16th century fiction novel must I read and obey?
would it be iSmell or iStink?
I'm sure if there was a way to capture the fragrance of throwing money out of the window, the mac crowd would buy that too.
A very appropriate name. Kids raised in TN are destined for failure. I'm sure there are some smart people there, but they moved in from out of state and/or are the exceptions.
I moved there in 2004, couldn't believe the ignorance, and ran out last year. That place is scary.
To be honest this is the kind of lawmaking I would expect from people there, a waste of time and further dragging the country down with more uneducated bible thumpers.
God told him to run.
Then, God told him to quit.
Maybe God should be Romney's running mate.
"Much of this is already in LinuxCNC"
Seriously? To take that statement as is, is crazy. Much of what? prepackaging? robotics? I don't understand how that could be moderated up as it says nothing.
I dont understand how CNC encompasses anything more than one small part of robotics - motion control. Using CNC in robotics would be like using a car as only a flashlight.
Using the packaging does not make sense either, as ROS has its own versioning requirements.
So what is it that LinuxCNC has? and why is it moderated up?
why should he, he is totally correct. Don't mistake truth for arrogance.
The sooner the better.
And I say that as a true pessimist of open source. I have tried to use ROS for home robotics. Not that I am a researcher by any means, but I do have a lot of familiarization with stuff that is happening in robotics. It was, to put it simply, too difficult to get a ROS system running. There are always so many mismatches among the large number of pieces you need it is impossible to start from scratch and get anything to work. Once you have a running system you can milk it along with updates. Or if you do start from scratch and you wait long enough, eventually via updates things might start working together.
Putting in an all in one package eliminates that struggle. A hobbyist could actually work on robotic stuff rather than OS stuff. In a similar package (previously mentioned I believe) LinuxCNC had the same problem, and did not truly get useful until you could download a working ISO of everything.
Good luck (to be honest, it couldn't get much worse).
Just wait until it hits more than 3 users!
but but but it's not windows? how could this be? for years i've been hearing about more secure by design, didn't have exploits, etc etc,
You mean that was all bullshit?
I'd vote for the pair.
Mod him up. I live here (the US) and I agree. The US is becoming a joke to me too.
:| )
Another fine example, DirecTV has over 30,000 consumer complaints AND had an injunction filed against them in 2009 for deceptive business practices. And they have changed absolutely nothing in their business model. They still lie, bait and switch, refuse to allow you to cancel, then claim on TV they have the highest customer satisfaction rating.
Life in the US is about dodging ripoffs from large corporations, co-sponsored by the government that encourages it. There used to be a certain amount of good faith expected in business, that is gone completely. Investors demand more profit, and don't care who gets ripped off to get it. That is the entire problem. The founders of capitalism warned if the rich got too powerful the system would fail - and it is, but the rich will not let you know that.
Look at it another way (if it is not obvious); You are being required to give up the Constitution in order to watch a movie in a way that is convenient to you. Are you living in the United States of america or some warlord run African tribe? Sure we have choice in America, paper or plastic? George Carlin said it in the 90s. Other than our grocery bags, little else is left up to us (In Seattle, plastic grocery bags become illegal starting in June
Britannica (however its spelled) was also somewhat of a novelty. My parents bought a set. And I looked at it a lot because it was there. Much the same way early TV was also incredibly attracting. I would watch every TV science show on, and if nothing was on, read the big books on just about any science article.
I will agree with a few points above, I don't think Encarta was soley responsible, but it was the PC in general, or more specifically, time. TV is no longer a novelty, britannica is no longer a novelty, PCs are no longer a novelty, pretty soon tablets will not be a novelty.
What's the money maker? what will be the next FAD that obsoletes everything else?
With a bit of inside humor, I'm guessing it's GIT.
The things you have seen are as I said, highly edited and trivial. It takes a car load of computers to follow a line, and in the end, is that a robot? You also Mischaracterize household robots; some (neato) use SLAM, sensors and laser scanners - they are closer than anything else out there. They don't just bump around (like iRobot does). The Kinect is a joke, although it may advance things accidentally, I agree. It brought commodity prices to an acceptable substitution, and thus many more people are able to explore with it. That is a good thing. But it did not intentionally advance robotics. Lasers are still available for $1,200 (http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R325-URG-04LX-UG01.html) (and your the expert here? you might reconsider your field).
My connection is that I wake up, have poor health so I don't go out, and sit and read about every robotic development that makes news on the web everyday, just about all day. And I do not call a car that can park itself a Robot anymore than my microwave that turns off after 5 minutes. Getting excited about trivial technology changes is not Robotics. Watch lost in space, Forbidden planet - those are robots.
You retire, and take up robots as a hobby. It isn't so hard really.
I've had this discussion a 100 times. Most of the local robotics club consider black line following toys with 2 wheels robots. If that is your definition, then sure that type of robotics is alive and well. Colleges are also doing some cool stuff, and showing it with highly edited videos. Truth is none of them can go for more than 2-3 minutes and do continuous tasks without tethering. So sure, research is still alive. A robot to fetch me a beer from the refrigerator? Sure, I've seen one do it in about 45 minutes, and it only costs $500,000 dollars - what progress we have made!
Tell you what, give me $500 and if robotics is advanced enough to have practical personal servants in the next 10 years, i'll give you back $500,000. deal?
To some extent I disagree that dogs do not learn as humans. Its a reward and/or pain/discipline system and it works well on both. Robots on the other hand, may not feel reward or pain, so something new does need to be developed.
I will agree with his disagreement on the first line. As a retired hobbyist I am hugely directly connected to the current state of robots. They are stagnant, dead, and useless with the exception of the Vacuum cleaner bots. There are some super high end stuff going on, but it is far more akin to smart remote control. Computers are not anywhere near fast enough at present. And as long as we stick to the von neumann model for their design probably will not be for 20-30 more years.
But i have been an advocate of having moral discussion now, before it is too late. Saw a good short clip this am; http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-video.html about a robot that becomes self aware. Do we kill her, or let her be free? If we let her be free, what incentive ($$$) does anyone have to build her? If she is a slave (ie sold for profit) can we justify the treatment of any self aware being that way? And if so, why not retroactive?
Anyhow, back top the subject; we need research in that area. Today for a current project I am looking at http://mnemstudio.org/path-finding-q-learning-tutorial.htm for ideas on what is going on now. I assume it the field will advance.
hint hint; desktop PCs are dead - MS is getting out of that business, and in a way that tries and convinces current customers not to run to apple. But anyone with any common sense can see that the consumer explosion that made MS billions has shifted away from PCs. Sure they will be around a while, but they are not the money makers they once were (or soon will not be at a minimum). Let linux and apple have the small market that will remain. Get the TV set top market - ie XBOX - be on every TV sold. They are late to the game on tablets, but the TV set top is wide open and is the next money maker. Windows 8 is headed for XBOX.
Yes, that is what Java script code looks like.
Ok, a few days later and i'm not so outraged over being denied use of my iPad. I still hate the idea, and replaced it with an android tablet.
So let's take a minute if any of the Apple geniuses care to comment;
What really happened, and i'll admit to probably knowing the reason all along, and being pissed at apple's response was, I installed a new hard drive on my windows PC. after months without connecting my iPad, I finally got around to it, and of course had to re-install iTunes. On first connect, indeed my Apple ID was locked. Had ANYONE entered an incorrect password? No. Now you can claim all you want that Apple did not lock the hardware, but the hardware ONLY runs iOS which depends on iTunes - so it was useless - power on and it says locked, sure the hardware got power but who cares? It was unusable, it must be connected to iTunes to be used.
If Apple offered any explanation, offered any path to fixing the problem other than saying iForgot my password, or that there was a security concern I might have played along. But I find their arrogance unacceptable.
So then I tried to delete my credit card info from iTunes, not allowed. Then I tried deleting my iTunes account, not allowed. Again, arrogance.
Stick to the facts, not guesswork. Why should this be normal/acceptable?
I am forced to have an iTunes account with credit card information, on an Apple account I do not want. Screw that, screw them, and screw their defenders.
Yes, quite honestly, i've though about it. It just happened, thus the comment about timing. But like I said earlier, I suffered from a stroke and getting out is not something I do a lot, for health reasons. And I have decided when I do go out, I will looking to buy an alternative. I never liked Apple's take over the world by brainwashing philosophy, and the is an iPad 1, showing it's age and not worth the effort. But thanks for at least not saying it's all my fault, and posting as an AC, such a fitting tittle to the others.
And fuck all the Apple fanboys modding anything down that disagrees with their brainwashing.
you may find sucking my dick useful. The iPad has never been used by anyone else, has never left my sight, and now sits at the 'hook up to iTunes' graphic that you get when first powering on. And the password has NEVER been entered wrong. Are you implying that Apple has been hacked?
This article caught me at a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) time. I am so sick of Apple fanatics and how they are willing destroying the personal computer industry. They hold their limp wrists high (no intent to offend gays, but it is such a fitting description) in celebration of their superior operating system, with no clue as to how they are being brainwashed into supporting abandonment of all personal rights.
I gave in a year ago after a stroke and bought an iPad. I loved it, supported it for a year. Then one day Apple decided I was a security risk. Now whenever I turn on my iPad it says it has been 'locked for security reasons'. There is no way to get anything resembling technical support since I didn't choose to pay their extortion, err, support plan. The web has no help. And I'm stuck with a $599 soft drink coaster, and not a very good one at that..
Now, has anyone read about their plot to hold the education system at gunpoint? Give away authoring tools, promise the world, and hahahaha, only sell through Apple, requiring all schools to buy iPads for every student, every time Apple needs a cash influx and upgrades the iPad. That borders on illegal criminal scheming, and due the stupid nature of our government, will probably work..
Fuck Apple, please let them burn in hell.