All the new traffic lights in Victoria (Aus) are built with LED's now. You can tell the difference -- because they use the same switch gear as before, the time lag built in to the control systems to let the incandescents glow down manifests as a few milliseconds of all-lamps-off. Takes a moment to get used to it, but you're very aware of lights changing -- I think it's safer that way, myself. I think it's done with filters over those brilliant white LEDs. We also use variable speed limit signs built with switching arrays of LEDs in crowded shopping areas, used to switch speeds according to traffic conditions & time of day. So there's a good application in use today -- lowering road aggro and maybe even saving a life or two, while lowering energy costs at the same time. High-class geekery, that, and one worth the round of applause.
Oh sure, those things say a lot. For instance, if someone has a Harley, it says, "That guy has a Harley." If someone has a tattoo I know, "Woah, that person has a tattoo." If someone is dirty, it tells me, "This person is currently dirty." I don't know why one guy owns a Harley. Could be because he's a Hell's Angel or because he's having a mid-life crisis...
Or any other reason, such as liking the brand. My brother has a Harley. He rode with other guys who had Harleys, one of whom was Malcolm Forbes.
I very much agree with the parent here -- ad hominem and false-choice arguments suck fallacy, and the process of sorting and categorising people as groups along arbitrary and specious lines is a basis for evil. I like Macs, a lot. I like XP, a lot. I like Linux a lot, VMS too, and still find humour in GCOS and MVS. But if you try to characterise me in any way on that basis I will mentally mod you down.
One of the Kennedys said it best... "Where there's smoke, there's a smoke-making machine".
It pays not to smoke too much before posting.
Estwing framing hammers look really nice, especially the ones with the leather wrapped handle, but you have to like the balance. Great rock hammers though.
According to some modern science theories the universe is going to contract when it is done expanding. Where are we going to flee then? Another Universe perhaps..
Heechee Traaails to you, until we meet again;
Heechee Trails to you, keep smiling until then!
Heechee Traaaails to you, until the Big Bang Ends!
(...rides off on his Space Horse(tm) into the hypernova)
GP refers to "Humanity" like one says "Traffic" while at the wheel. Doesn't matter if it's an F650 you're driving or a Prius, you're still a part of it, and talking of it in the third person while excluding yourself is a fit subject for humour.
Is that a target on your back? No? Let me get out my paint set.
Humanity. Don't talk to me about Humanity. Oh god, I'm so depressed...
Nova. Ok, I'm convinced. Where's my ticket?
Are the useful space programs all being underwritten by proprietary software magnates or is there an open source effort to build that nanotube-matrix* skyhook?
*As soon as my time machine is finished, I'm going to go back to 1936 and write a science fiction epic around that term.
Sounds like superconductivity at the molecular scale. No opportunity for turbulence. (Why does the thought of Van der Waals forces keep intruding? Hmm...)
You can... just order a "short black macchiato" here in Melbourne, where Starbucks franchisees go away ashamed and muttering at their shoes. One shot glass worth of very strong, aromatic coffee. Palate to brain in 3 seconds. We mean espresso.
... it's written in C# running in an interpriter written in Visual Basic 6 running in a copy of Windows ME on an 8088 emulator written in Smalltalk using the old Alto runtime in an Alto emulator on a PDP-11 emulator running a port of Exec-8. The PDP-11 emulator is written in an analgram of Java and QBASIC on UAE. And, of couse, the base system on which UAE runs is Xenix with the Microsoft Bob enhancement pack.
Hang on, I think you skipped the VMS/BLISS/DCL steps.
Not entirely true, back then. The assembler of the day (think it may have been Motorola's own) provided only a subset of the options available to the chip hardware; some of the more esoteric middle-bit operation modifiers weren't covered by mnemonic+qualifer options.
It's still horses for courses, mate. Look at the niche markets -- embedded systems for example -- and you'll find opportunities to shave a few cents by using a smaller configuration that would profit from having tighter code.
Thinking back a few years, iirc the first Apple Mac had the Quickdraw graphics package written in machine language, didn't it? Not assembler, but instructions made of hand-mapped binary digits. It's the reason why those early Mac GUI's were able to extract such amazing graphic performance out of the Motorola 68000.
You can still buy Zilog Z8's, and embedded applications still exist for them.
How certain are people about the age of this device?
It definitely predated Ptolomy's ptime, as I believe he made reference in one of his discourses to "the astrological instrument". This could have referenced the Antikythera device or some form of astrolabe ("star-taker", an analogue timepiece based on star elevation, which see) or quadrant, but it's pretty clear that some form of star-oriented calculator predated 60AD.
As an aside, "Astrological" in this sense was equivalent to "Astronomical", for it's unlikely the two meanings had yet diverged at that point (Astrology = the logic of the stars, Astronomy = the naming of the stars).
Thing is, if you want authenticity you need to flatten the ends of the rings, overlap them and rivet them. Yes, they used little tiny hand-made triangular rivets. Some of the ancient ring maille had little maker's marks on them on the flattened bit. Don't think there was much welded ring maille back then (they had fusion welding, just heat it & beat it).
If you go read the O.E.D. carefully you'll find that it does not define the English language, it records its literary history. It requires occasional revision not merely because the language grows, but because the meaning of the same words often changes.
Actually, chain maille isn't all that good for SCA combat; using blunt rattan swords the maille has more cosmetic appeal than utility, except as an outer layer for a leather gorget. Maille was for edge-puncture resistance (and yes, I know, useless against a clothyard shaft or a poiniard, but we tend not to use those in combat because we don't really want to actually die). Also, the stuff is very hot and heavy and puts rust marks on your gambeson (sorry, was I speaking in jargon?). Metal weapons groups tend to use it more, as their combat is a bit less full-on than SCA and looking the part is more important there than elegance in swat technique.
Do a bit of Googling to see what people are doing (sorry, no links, won't slashdot my friends).
Yep, I've got a friend who makes maille too, says the same thing (unless you're him, K?). I tried to sell him on the idea of Unobtanium, but he said his customers prefer either Titanium or Expensium. Hardtoobtainium is pretty good too, but suffers from consistency of supply issues.
Slashdot Mirror
All the new traffic lights in Victoria (Aus) are built with LED's now. You can tell the difference -- because they use the same switch gear as before, the time lag built in to the control systems to let the incandescents glow down manifests as a few milliseconds of all-lamps-off. Takes a moment to get used to it, but you're very aware of lights changing -- I think it's safer that way, myself. I think it's done with filters over those brilliant white LEDs. We also use variable speed limit signs built with switching arrays of LEDs in crowded shopping areas, used to switch speeds according to traffic conditions & time of day. So there's a good application in use today -- lowering road aggro and maybe even saving a life or two, while lowering energy costs at the same time. High-class geekery, that, and one worth the round of applause.
Politics is show business for ugly people.
Or any other reason, such as liking the brand. My brother has a Harley. He rode with other guys who had Harleys, one of whom was Malcolm Forbes.
I very much agree with the parent here -- ad hominem and false-choice arguments suck fallacy, and the process of sorting and categorising people as groups along arbitrary and specious lines is a basis for evil. I like Macs, a lot. I like XP, a lot. I like Linux a lot, VMS too, and still find humour in GCOS and MVS. But if you try to characterise me in any way on that basis I will mentally mod you down.
One of the Kennedys said it best... "Where there's smoke, there's a smoke-making machine".
It pays not to smoke too much before posting.
Estwing framing hammers look really nice, especially the ones with the leather wrapped handle, but you have to like the balance. Great rock hammers though.
Disagree with item 2. By 2020 they will simply have bought us, or bring out that hidden code in all the computers we've purchased since 2000.
I am so glad they spelled "lose" correctly there...
Heechee Traaails to you, until we meet again;
Heechee Trails to you, keep smiling until then!
Heechee Traaaails to you, until the Big Bang Ends!
(...rides off on his Space Horse(tm) into the hypernova)
Is that a target on your back? No? Let me get out my paint set.
Humanity. Don't talk to me about Humanity. Oh god, I'm so depressed...
*As soon as my time machine is finished, I'm going to go back to 1936 and write a science fiction epic around that term.
Sounds like superconductivity at the molecular scale. No opportunity for turbulence. (Why does the thought of Van der Waals forces keep intruding? Hmm...)
We should have had an obligatory Bender quote long before this.
You can... just order a "short black macchiato" here in Melbourne, where Starbucks franchisees go away ashamed and muttering at their shoes. One shot glass worth of very strong, aromatic coffee. Palate to brain in 3 seconds. We mean espresso.
Oh, where's my Strunk and White? I want to use it as a projectile.
Hang on, I think you skipped the VMS/BLISS/DCL steps.
Not entirely true, back then. The assembler of the day (think it may have been Motorola's own) provided only a subset of the options available to the chip hardware; some of the more esoteric middle-bit operation modifiers weren't covered by mnemonic+qualifer options.
Hey, I learned a lot in Mrs. Tuberglotter's 6th grade remedial reading class! I liked it so much I took it three times.
Thinking back a few years, iirc the first Apple Mac had the Quickdraw graphics package written in machine language, didn't it? Not assembler, but instructions made of hand-mapped binary digits. It's the reason why those early Mac GUI's were able to extract such amazing graphic performance out of the Motorola 68000.
You can still buy Zilog Z8's, and embedded applications still exist for them.
What were we talking about?
It definitely predated Ptolomy's ptime, as I believe he made reference in one of his discourses to "the astrological instrument". This could have referenced the Antikythera device or some form of astrolabe ("star-taker", an analogue timepiece based on star elevation, which see) or quadrant, but it's pretty clear that some form of star-oriented calculator predated 60AD.
As an aside, "Astrological" in this sense was equivalent to "Astronomical", for it's unlikely the two meanings had yet diverged at that point (Astrology = the logic of the stars, Astronomy = the naming of the stars).
Reminds me, I have to go finish my documentation...
Thing is, if you want authenticity you need to flatten the ends of the rings, overlap them and rivet them. Yes, they used little tiny hand-made triangular rivets. Some of the ancient ring maille had little maker's marks on them on the flattened bit. Don't think there was much welded ring maille back then (they had fusion welding, just heat it & beat it).
That's a rather cute* insight.
*"Cute" (adj) "Ugly but interesting" (OED)
I love it! LOL! ROFL! BLERT (fall over noisily). A new word for me, and I love it. Corpies.
Well Said!
Do a bit of Googling to see what people are doing (sorry, no links, won't slashdot my friends).
Five years a landed Baron, recovering...
Yep, I've got a friend who makes maille too, says the same thing (unless you're him, K?). I tried to sell him on the idea of Unobtanium, but he said his customers prefer either Titanium or Expensium. Hardtoobtainium is pretty good too, but suffers from consistency of supply issues.
Well, Duh! Photon Torpedoes of course.