I believe it! The metal case PS/2s were built like a tank. I've got loads of computers and parts stacked on model 95 servers and I bet they could hold a car up.
If you've bought a consumer class PC from Dell and need support, beware. You'll get offshore support from people that only read from scripts and will not do any deductive reasoning. I love to read the Dell support pages as there's an area where people complain about bad customer service. Many problems about orders not being correct, dropped and mistranferred calls and so forth. The company I work is a large account from Dell, and I have no problems. If there's any problems, I just escalate to my salesman, and then there's always the account exec I can goto if I ever needed to. Support for servers is good and no complaints with the UNISYS onsite guys either when part replacement is needed. At one point I had to call about an Optiplex and had problems with offshore support, but they've moved that back to the states. Having access to premiersupport is helpful. If you're going to buy a Dell system, get a corporate model so you get a better level of support. A phone number which can be used to get into Dell is 800.247.6838. I cannot remember the direct number to support at the moment.
All BB stores seem to have the stereos cranked up loud enough to hear throughout the store and it's always the most obnoxious music to everyone over 21. Sometimes I'll change the tuner to NPR or a nice classical station.
That's what UPS stands for. I use Airborne/DHL at work and no complaints. I got in a shipment from UPS once and one corner of this box was crushed to half its height. Thankfully the NIC inside was unharmed. I regret not taking a picture of that as a reminder of how UPS treats packages.
I've also heard the story of packages falling off the belt on the floor or whatever. I also remember hearing that drivers are doing their routes so fast that there isn't time to load in a logical order and deliveries just mean the package tossed on your stoop and the doorbell rang and the truck is down the street by the time you open your door.
I do agree that perhaps proper packing of items certainly helps. Best thing to use is crimped paper and air pillows which is what I use. One of the advantages of having access to extra unwanted packing materials that would normally be thrown out at work.
People are still convinced that premium gas offers cleaner burning and more power which is FALSE.
ONLY cars that are designed to use premium fuel need it. Most cars require standard 87 octane.
Higher octane gasoline burns slower, that's why it prevents preignition and most if not all fuels have detergents in them to keep injectors clean.
Some mechanics also claim that running premium fuel also contributes to carbon buildup in the cylinder heads since it burns slower.
The people who claim more power from premium fuel are probably pushing down on the accelerator more and not conscious of it. The same reason why a car that's just been washed and waxed 'drives' better.
I don't know much about the electronic bits, but I suggest finding a gas powered reel-type mower. It cuts better than a rotary blade type that's common and works better when the grass is short from regular cutting. You'd have to find a way to power the wheels though. I was thinking individual worm gear drive to the wheels for low RPM and high torque and zero turning radius.
It's history, and the only answer is to restore and preserve it.
Two years ago, I went down to Florida to see the rockets and launchpads. To see that Saturn V in the building was simply amazing and those huge F1 engines with pumps capable of thousands of gallons a minute capacity. And, a computer control system that had about as much power as a pocket calculator. The giant crawler thing, the VAB, all those things are so gigantic and impressive to see. They essentially created a bomb with fins on it and flew people on top. Simply amazing.
Maybe not quite on topic, but my brother has taken up a variety of digicams with small electric radio controlled planes and the videos are quite good. He's also experimented with wireless cameras to get live video as well. If you do this, don't buy the cheap junk off ebay though.
Electric R/C is quite sophisticated nowadays. Some of those gear reduction motors can swing quite a large prop and the servos are smaller than ever.
Buying an exercise machine with the promise to use it sounds good, but go to a secondhand store and look all all the exercise machines given away. People buy them with the best of intentions, but never uphold their committments.
I call BS on the sparking cellphone story. Its not like there's high voltages arcing across wire traces or anything. There's no proof and no successful test showing it can happen. Also, gas fumes are heavy and would quickly fall to the ground and then again, all gas pumps are outdoors and not in confined areas for fumes to acculumate anyway. What one should be concerned about is static discharge when exiting a vehicle. Ive been shocked when getting out of a car sometimes, but only after driving. Sitting inside whilst refueling and getting out then has never created a static shock to me.
I would think that having fuel leaking out is more dangerous than worrying about whether a fuel tank will explode. Once I had a built a fire in a barrel during the winter and somehow, the flames got to my gas can that was beside me. It was a plastic can with a spout and there were flames at the end of the spout since that's where the vapor was coming from. I thought it was going to blow up, but rational thought just told me to simply put my gloved hand right over the gas can spout and the fire was out. You just have to remember it's the liquid, but the vapor thats so explosive.
I agree on the BS call. I ran 3.1 on a 40 meg drive with plenty of room to spare. Remember, it came on ~7 floppy disks. And what about OS/2? I've installed version 3.0 and it only took up ~80 meg.
Harbor Freight is good for certain items, as long as you understand the quality of goods. I bought an engine hoist, a metal cart and some jackstands there and no problems with them. The $15 angle grinder quit working after less than 10 hours use, but I didnt expect more than what I got out of it and the $15 timing light only worked for about a minute. The machine shop tools look tempting, but I'd be a bit leery of them for accuracy. For things like grinding disks, shop rags, razor blades, wire brushes, and cheap tools you don't mind leaving around and abusing and losing them, I say HF is certainly acceptable. As for Craftsman, those are tools I buy that I care about. I do abuse them and take those back for replacements. I've heard the tools are made in various places overseas and may not be made in USA. No problems with sockets, but did have a halfway new 1/2 ratchet handle with the button release strip out on me and I know it was not overstressed. Remember that some of the tools that Sears sells do not have the lifetime replacement guarantee. I think those cheaper tools will not have the Craftsman name on them.
Nothing wrong with a Pinto! At least the metal bumpers are rated for 5mph. heh, now that my Pinto's fuel injected and turbocharged, it time to hit the streets...
There's all kinds of new possibilities, but I really doubt anything new will transform society. People love their cars too much to use anything else. Maybe we'll get to flying cars like the Jetsons, but I say well over 25 years from now. I'd say the general populace could probably operate a flying car provided they pass all standard training and tests that a fixed wing pilot goes though including the checkride. Things might have to change if many thousands of flying cars were in use.
I've always read about things like riding bikes, bike lanes on some roads, communities small enough to walk to the store, light passenger rail and all that, but notice there's no widespread use of such, at least in the US. People are just too lazy to bother with using anything but a car to get anywhere. Ours is a car culture and changing that will not be easy. Ive a small motorscooter and I find it great for going places within a few miles of the house. Cheap, easy on gas, and being up on two wheels is great fun. Most people would not be interested in that however.
jeez, people fall for this crap all the time. I'm leery of ANY work at home opportunity I hear of. Critical thinking should tell you that it's not worth one second of your time. There's always exceptions, but ANY time some company or business opportunity wants you to front money, you're begging to get scammed.
I once worked on someone's computer after the owner complained of it not powering on or something similar. She was a smoker and as I removed the cover, the insides were covered with a sticky yellow film that dust was adhering to. Turns out the plastic power button on the front cover was sticky due to the residue from smoking! I replaced the switch as directed, but simple wiping off the pushbutton is what really did it. Or so I think.
People better be concerned about this. The general populace does not know what's contained in the database, only that it has some kind of information on just about everybody.
Unlike a credit report, a citizen cannot access it, view it, dispute it, or make corrections to it. Who knows if the information within is even correct?
Even though it's claimed that it will only be used for 'noble' purposes, it's still possible for someone authorized to abuse it or use it for 'sneaky' reasons. Insert your own speculative scenario here.
From what I can tell, there's no checks and balances and that is something be to concerned about.
I'm not impressed with this new robot. I can't find any detailed info on these new ones, but it just seems to be a PC on wheels. I read somewhere a long time ago the reasons why a PC is not really suitable for robotics. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can explain why. I own a Hero robot with the arm, speech synth, and 24k RAM expansion. He runs an old CPU and is programmable and included a small breadboard area. Here's what HERO can do:
6808 cpu with 32k total.
3 wheel base with one steering/drive wheel allowing a 12 inch turning radius.
Experimental circuit board on Hero's head allows direct access to the computer inside the robot.
Light sensor that can detect light over the entire spectrum with 1 in 256 resolution.
Sound sensor that can detect sound from 200-5000Hz with 1 in 256 resolution.
Ultrasonic sensors can detect movement up to 15 feet away and can determine range of an object up to 8 feet.
Speech synth can simulate human speech with four levels of inflection.
Hero 1's arm can extend, retract and turn up to 350 degrees and can lift 16 ounces.
Learn mode allows the robot to repeat steps that were previously shown to it.
Sleep mode conserves power.
Two seperate power systems (drive/logic) and battery charger than robot can run from whilst batteries charge.
Robot can be programmed 3 ways: via remote control, through the serial cassette port using previously created applications on tape, or via hexidecimal keypad on the robot's head.
A consumer robot running a nonsecure OS primarily for desktop PC function? blecccch!
This sounds like a 1999-era make-up-anything-and-sell-it-on-the-internet-becau se-its-new-and-people-will-love-it.
I just cannot imagine this being something people would even pay for. Too expensive, not portable, probably limited to 1-2 scents and what about people that smell things differently? I cannot smell sweet things like roses, but everything else is fine.
stupid,stupid,stupid! Give those developers a dope slap!
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I believe it! The metal case PS/2s were built like a tank. I've got loads of computers and parts stacked on model 95 servers and I bet they could hold a car up.
If you've bought a consumer class PC from Dell and need support, beware. You'll get offshore support from people that only read from scripts and will not do any deductive reasoning. I love to read the Dell support pages as there's an area where people complain about bad customer service. Many problems about orders not being correct, dropped and mistranferred calls and so forth.
The company I work is a large account from Dell, and I have no problems. If there's any problems, I just escalate to my salesman, and then there's always the account exec I can goto if I ever needed to. Support for servers is good and no complaints with the UNISYS onsite guys either when part replacement is needed. At one point I had to call about an Optiplex and had problems with offshore support, but they've moved that back to the states. Having access to premiersupport is helpful. If you're going to buy a Dell system, get a corporate model so you get a better level of support.
A phone number which can be used to get into Dell is 800.247.6838. I cannot remember the direct number to support at the moment.
All BB stores seem to have the stereos cranked up loud enough to hear throughout the store and it's always the most obnoxious music to everyone over 21. Sometimes I'll change the tuner to NPR or a nice classical station.
well, just remember that the Saturn V rocket had a guidance computer that was even simpler than my Apple ][
That's what UPS stands for. I use Airborne/DHL at work and no complaints. I got in a shipment from UPS once and one corner of this box was crushed to half its height. Thankfully the NIC inside was unharmed. I regret not taking a picture of that as a reminder of how UPS treats packages. I've also heard the story of packages falling off the belt on the floor or whatever. I also remember hearing that drivers are doing their routes so fast that there isn't time to load in a logical order and deliveries just mean the package tossed on your stoop and the doorbell rang and the truck is down the street by the time you open your door. I do agree that perhaps proper packing of items certainly helps. Best thing to use is crimped paper and air pillows which is what I use. One of the advantages of having access to extra unwanted packing materials that would normally be thrown out at work.
People are still convinced that premium gas offers cleaner burning and more power which is FALSE. ONLY cars that are designed to use premium fuel need it. Most cars require standard 87 octane. Higher octane gasoline burns slower, that's why it prevents preignition and most if not all fuels have detergents in them to keep injectors clean. Some mechanics also claim that running premium fuel also contributes to carbon buildup in the cylinder heads since it burns slower. The people who claim more power from premium fuel are probably pushing down on the accelerator more and not conscious of it. The same reason why a car that's just been washed and waxed 'drives' better.
I don't know much about the electronic bits, but I suggest finding a gas powered reel-type mower. It cuts better than a rotary blade type that's common and works better when the grass is short from regular cutting. You'd have to find a way to power the wheels though. I was thinking individual worm gear drive to the wheels for low RPM and high torque and zero turning radius.
yes, goose poop gets everywhere and it's nasty and slippery. just go to any pond where they congregate and you will see the problem.
It's history, and the only answer is to restore and preserve it. Two years ago, I went down to Florida to see the rockets and launchpads. To see that Saturn V in the building was simply amazing and those huge F1 engines with pumps capable of thousands of gallons a minute capacity. And, a computer control system that had about as much power as a pocket calculator. The giant crawler thing, the VAB, all those things are so gigantic and impressive to see. They essentially created a bomb with fins on it and flew people on top. Simply amazing.
That impressed me. I love prairie home companion and listen to it faithfully even though I knew nothing about it when I lived in Minnesohda years ago.
Maybe not quite on topic, but my brother has taken up a variety of digicams with small electric radio controlled planes and the videos are quite good. He's also experimented with wireless cameras to get live video as well. If you do this, don't buy the cheap junk off ebay though. Electric R/C is quite sophisticated nowadays. Some of those gear reduction motors can swing quite a large prop and the servos are smaller than ever.
Buying an exercise machine with the promise to use it sounds good, but go to a secondhand store and look all all the exercise machines given away. People buy them with the best of intentions, but never uphold their committments.
I concur wholeheartedly! My wife has no understanding of what 'computer historian' means.
Oy my gosh, flouridation of water is an evil communist plot! We cannot allow it to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids!
And what about ice cream? Children's ice cream?
I call BS on the sparking cellphone story. Its not like there's high voltages arcing across wire traces or anything. There's no proof and no successful test showing it can happen. Also, gas fumes are heavy and would quickly fall to the ground and then again, all gas pumps are outdoors and not in confined areas for fumes to acculumate anyway. What one should be concerned about is static discharge when exiting a vehicle. Ive been shocked when getting out of a car sometimes, but only after driving. Sitting inside whilst refueling and getting out then has never created a static shock to me.
I would think that having fuel leaking out is more dangerous than worrying about whether a fuel tank will explode. Once I had a built a fire in a barrel during the winter and somehow, the flames got to my gas can that was beside me. It was a plastic can with a spout and there were flames at the end of the spout since that's where the vapor was coming from. I thought it was going to blow up, but rational thought just told me to simply put my gloved hand right over the gas can spout and the fire was out. You just have to remember it's the liquid, but the vapor thats so explosive.
I agree on the BS call. I ran 3.1 on a 40 meg drive with plenty of room to spare. Remember, it came on ~7 floppy disks. And what about OS/2? I've installed version 3.0 and it only took up ~80 meg.
Harbor Freight is good for certain items, as long as you understand the quality of goods. I bought an engine hoist, a metal cart and some jackstands there and no problems with them. The $15 angle grinder quit working after less than 10 hours use, but I didnt expect more than what I got out of it and the $15 timing light only worked for about a minute. The machine shop tools look tempting, but I'd be a bit leery of them for accuracy. For things like grinding disks, shop rags, razor blades, wire brushes, and cheap tools you don't mind leaving around and abusing and losing them, I say HF is certainly acceptable.
As for Craftsman, those are tools I buy that I care about. I do abuse them and take those back for replacements. I've heard the tools are made in various places overseas and may not be made in USA. No problems with sockets, but did have a halfway new 1/2 ratchet handle with the button release strip out on me and I know it was not overstressed. Remember that some of the tools that Sears sells do not have the lifetime replacement guarantee. I think those cheaper tools will not have the Craftsman name on them.
Nothing wrong with a Pinto! At least the metal bumpers are rated for 5mph. heh, now that my Pinto's fuel injected and turbocharged, it time to hit the streets...
There's all kinds of new possibilities, but I really doubt anything new will transform society. People love their cars too much to use anything else. Maybe we'll get to flying cars like the Jetsons, but I say well over 25 years from now. I'd say the general populace could probably operate a flying car provided they pass all standard training and tests that a fixed wing pilot goes though including the checkride. Things might have to change if many thousands of flying cars were in use. I've always read about things like riding bikes, bike lanes on some roads, communities small enough to walk to the store, light passenger rail and all that, but notice there's no widespread use of such, at least in the US. People are just too lazy to bother with using anything but a car to get anywhere. Ours is a car culture and changing that will not be easy. Ive a small motorscooter and I find it great for going places within a few miles of the house. Cheap, easy on gas, and being up on two wheels is great fun. Most people would not be interested in that however.
jeez, people fall for this crap all the time. I'm leery of ANY work at home opportunity I hear of. Critical thinking should tell you that it's not worth one second of your time. There's always exceptions, but ANY time some company or business opportunity wants you to front money, you're begging to get scammed.
I once worked on someone's computer after the owner complained of it not powering on or something similar. She was a smoker and as I removed the cover, the insides were covered with a sticky yellow film that dust was adhering to. Turns out the plastic power button on the front cover was sticky due to the residue from smoking! I replaced the switch as directed, but simple wiping off the pushbutton is what really did it. Or so I think.
People better be concerned about this. The general populace does not know what's contained in the database, only that it has some kind of information on just about everybody. Unlike a credit report, a citizen cannot access it, view it, dispute it, or make corrections to it. Who knows if the information within is even correct? Even though it's claimed that it will only be used for 'noble' purposes, it's still possible for someone authorized to abuse it or use it for 'sneaky' reasons. Insert your own speculative scenario here. From what I can tell, there's no checks and balances and that is something be to concerned about.
I'm not impressed with this new robot. I can't find any detailed info on these new ones, but it just seems to be a PC on wheels. I read somewhere a long time ago the reasons why a PC is not really suitable for robotics. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can explain why. I own a Hero robot with the arm, speech synth, and 24k RAM expansion. He runs an old CPU and is programmable and included a small breadboard area. Here's what HERO can do: 6808 cpu with 32k total. 3 wheel base with one steering/drive wheel allowing a 12 inch turning radius. Experimental circuit board on Hero's head allows direct access to the computer inside the robot. Light sensor that can detect light over the entire spectrum with 1 in 256 resolution. Sound sensor that can detect sound from 200-5000Hz with 1 in 256 resolution. Ultrasonic sensors can detect movement up to 15 feet away and can determine range of an object up to 8 feet. Speech synth can simulate human speech with four levels of inflection. Hero 1's arm can extend, retract and turn up to 350 degrees and can lift 16 ounces. Learn mode allows the robot to repeat steps that were previously shown to it. Sleep mode conserves power. Two seperate power systems (drive/logic) and battery charger than robot can run from whilst batteries charge. Robot can be programmed 3 ways: via remote control, through the serial cassette port using previously created applications on tape, or via hexidecimal keypad on the robot's head. A consumer robot running a nonsecure OS primarily for desktop PC function? blecccch!
This sounds like a 1999-era make-up-anything-and-sell-it-on-the-internet-becau se-its-new-and-people-will-love-it.
I just cannot imagine this being something people would even pay for. Too expensive, not portable, probably limited to 1-2 scents and what about people that smell things differently? I cannot smell sweet things like roses, but everything else is fine.
stupid,stupid,stupid! Give those developers a dope slap!