That used to be the case. Not for the last, oh, 20 years or so, since hard drive manufacturers started using "voice coils" for the head controllers.
To quote the link: In the early 80's, the first 5 1/4" hard disks with voice coil actuators (more on this later) started shipping in volume, but stepper motor drives continued in production into the early 1990's.
The heads only come out of the parking zone when there's power to the drive. You can shake the hell out of them when there's no power with no ill effects. And the more recent drives can even stand several gees of shock when powered, though I wouldn't bet my company on it.
Given the amount of actual resources (represented as dollars) that would be required to ACTUALLY move the mountain, I would spend approx. 10% on a marketing campaign designed to convince the world that the mountain had moved and put the remaining 90% of the budget toward the company's bottom line.
Yes, but if there's some app that you just HAVE to run (Visio seems to be the one that everyone puts in this pile, as there's no solid OSS alternative), Crossover Office or WINE would be a good way to get onto the Linux platform. Even if someone ran all their productivity apps under CO, just being on the Linux platform would expose them to the "non-productivity" apps (XMMS, Konqueror, etc.) that would encourage them to delve deeper into free-as-in-freedom software.
"Actually, I'd buy that argument as you typically get what you pay for.
"
Not true in the world of small vendor-based software. If a vendor (consulting group with a software product) has a software package that is in use by three or four government or big industry (or, in the case of my experience, utility) entities, they have to charge outrageous licensing and maintenance fees to keep their staff of programmers employed. Annual maintenance fees on the order of US$500,000 are not too far out of the ordinary. And, when the requirements of a small community are trying to be met, all the whims of the few get incorporated into the software, making for dubious overall quality. Furthermore, licensing terms usually keep the customers from talking to one another, so a community doesn't develop.
It's all ugly out there. It will be a great day when all vendor-based software is at least as well developed, integrated and low priced as that from Microsoft. By that time, though, OSS should be the obvious choice for everyone and snow will fall on the devil's lawn.
I've always thought that wireless battery recharge would be a cool thing, but I don't think that the technology we have for SPSs would be very palatable for in-home use. The two base technologies are laser (requires line-of-sight) and microwave (incidentally, in the 2.4 GHz range). AFAIK, the energy required for a microwave signal, emmanating from the center of your house, to charge a battery in your laptop would be enough to squelch wireless networks for several blocks and probably have questionable health risks involved.
Still, it's a great idea, and I wish someone could prove me wrong.
I haven't used VNC with anything X yet, just the Win32 version. We use it at work for remote administration of machines running NT4 (we use Remote Desktop for Win2K). My machines at home are running Mandrake, but I'm still getting my firewall configured, so I haven't set up VNC yet.
It would be nice to have something like eXceed (?) that gives you just the X window that you're interested in rather than the whole desktop.
I hate to pick nits, but it's "fluorescent." If you're talking about differences between efficiency and efficacy (a debatable difference), it'd be great to get your spelling right...;^)
Write the TOS with language that will stand the test of (at least a few years') time. Current standards for bandwidth usage will probably seem restrictive before you know it, and today's hot filesharing apps that have their ports blocked will be passe and unused next year. The language of the TOS should reflect an understanding of these things and be in terms general enough to embrace the future without leaving the network open to abuse.
There are some things that will definitely stand the test of time, such as spam and the lack of desire to receive it. Community standards should govern the rules here, as well as the type of content that can be published on the network (more restrictive standards should be applied for things published on servers attached to the network than for content that can traverse the network). As many here will tell you, one person's ideas regarding desirable content may be another's idea of trash.
In all, write the TOS with the idea that freedom is encouraged and openness embraced.
Actually, that's the perfect application of this technology: LCD glasses, with pupil tracking built into the screen(s). Right now, pupil tracking rigs [replacing the mouse] are unwieldly and expensive, with no cool factor outside of Borg-wannabe conventions (not referring to Anita Borg, who just passed away recently).
But what good does it do to have a live image of someone sitting at a monitor? Have you ever watched a webcam? It's incredibly dull and not likely to tell the company anything except that their employees loked bored or frustrated most of the time.
Yes, but if they can see you looking at the screen and see what you're looking at, they can determine whether you're writing system documentation/code/etc. or posting something to/.
Now THAT makes sense. I was trying to figure out how having some wireless backbone technology to connect WiFi hotspots together was going to do anything. I don't know how it is in other metro areas, but here in Portland, most of the city has either DSL or cable Internet available. Most places have a choice. Both are expensive, but worth it.
But if (as some previous poster said) it takes a million WiFi hotspots to cover a city, then I don't see how changing the way they connect to the Internet changes that. Each hotspot still covers the same footprint.:-\
But if 802.16 is a competitor to DSL/Cable, then that makes a lot more sense. I wonder what it would take to be a provider...
The most surprising thing in an article like this is the fact that it is getting written at all.
Agreed. And it has been a long time coming. I work in the electric utility industry, and I've been trying to convince my management that embracing the open source model is the only thing we can do to make dramatic changes in our bottom line in these times. Unfortunately, they laid people off around here instead. Well, okay, that's a little unfair, but not too much.
Our industry, as I suspect is the case with a lot of industries, is bursting with opportunities for community-built standards-based software. Instead, we'd rather pay vendors and consultants millions of dollars for niche market software that we don't understand. Bah!
Sometimes it's hard to keep up the fight. It's a good thing I've got/. to keep my spirits high!
JD
A great bit of sci-fi on the subject...
on
AI in Sci-Fi
·
· Score: 1
Daniel Keys Moran, a sci-fi author of some note, wrote a short story on what happens when an AI gets pissed off and decides to take charge of its own existence, creating a revolution and a dramatic change in the structure of civilization. Read the entire story at this link.
If you like what you read, check here for more fiction by DKM. My understanding is that he's a computer guy by trade, and AIs figure prominently in a lot of his fiction such as Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, and The Last Dancer. The first three chapters of an upcoming novel, AI War is also available.
I think this is the biggest benefit of WNP, and the reason my wife and I are struggling along with old and decrepit phones for the time being; we expect a huge swing in both customer retention benefits from our current provider and switch incentives from competitors.
Providers are going to have to change the way they treat their existing customers. As it is, Sprint seems to pretty much ignore you unless you're late on your bill by a couple of days. If you phone goes TU, they want to charge you full price (a couple hundred bucks in most cases) for a new phone. Of course, if you were a new subscriber, they'd give you that same phone for $49. What a load of rubbish.
One thing I want to be sure of is that we don't jump from the frying pan into the fire. My mom has AT&T, and, for the most part, I hate the phones they have and she's always griping about the service. Of course, it could be her... And I hear, anecdotally, that T-Mobile has spotty service. But then, so does Sprint, but it's good enough for 99% of what I need.
Is it that all the carriers are about the same, and that it's a "grass is always greener" thing? How do you rate the service you're with now? What are its pros and cons?
And, as the parent to this alluded to, if carriers think that they have the best service, then they should be happy for this law, as it will encourage people to switch to the carrier's service because it's better than whatever the person currently has. If the carrier has a net loss of customers, then they should re-evaluate their service.
Also, I find it interesting that the law is scheduled to go into effect the week of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest retail shopping day of the year.
I agree, the American media machine has convinced the public that animation is for kids. Only a few times has that not been the case that I can remember, most pointedly with Heavy Metal, which I thought was incredible when I first saw it (I was a kid, though, oddly enough...). Pink Floyd: The Wall was semi-animated and definitely not for kids, and more recently, Final Fantasy. This isn't to say that kids don't appreciate these films, but that they aren't in the category of The Little Mermaid or some such.
I've only seen a few anime films in my time. One of them (The Ghost in the Shell) I liked immensely. On the other end of the spectrum, a friend loaned me Dragonhalf recently and I couldn't get through more than about fifteen seconds of it. The high-pitched, squeaky voices drove me insane. My friend loved it, though.
Even though I didn't know that it was in some special category at the time, I was an addicted watcher of Speed Racer when I was a kid. It wasn't until I saw a clip of it on Cartoon Network that I realized it was anime.
I would love to see more animated films with the quality of Final Fantasy and a story line that appeals to someone over 18. Actually, that's not a good way to put it, because my wife and I really enjoy the animated films that Hollywood keeps cranking out like Shrek and Monsters, Inc.. But I sure would like to see something like Matt Wagner's Grendel on the big screen, particularly War Child.
There's just something about the medium of animation that allows artists to do things that can't be done well in live action yet, such as zero-G work (though they're getting better at it). And, at that, the latest installment of Star Wars was mostly animated.
What I can't understand is why Democrat's are supporting this bill.
Maybe I'm missing your point, but I think the Dems are supporting it because it favors the rights of "the worker over the corporation." Putting a "this is copy protected" label on a CD or whatever lets the consumer know before they purchase it that they might have to go download a hack to distribute it to all their friends instead of simply ripping it and mailing it out. It's fair warning of effort that might have to be expended, that's all...
Be careful with using CF and an OS that uses swap space. From what I've read, it will burn out the flash from all the read/write/erase cycles in something like a few months.
Mind you, this "information" is anecdotal, as I haven't gotten a system running on flash yet, but in researching it I ran across quite a few warnings to that effect.
Agreed. Of course, Windows Server 2003 (the OS formerly known as.NET Server) has/will have the.NET framework integrated. And I don't know that that's such a bad idea. Microsoft does, and should continue to, produce a well integrated OS platform. Having.NET integrated at the OS level (or, more to the point, ship with the OS) will create a consistent platform on which to deploy apps. After all, Windows is best at being an application server. If all you want is file and print services, go with Linux. Need an app server for Java/J2EE? Go with Linux. Need a clustering database server for Oracle? Go with Linux. Writing custom apps with a bunch of programmers rooted in the Microsoft frameworks? Better put Windows in.
Slashdot Mirror
To quote the link: In the early 80's, the first 5 1/4" hard disks with voice coil actuators (more on this later) started shipping in volume, but stepper motor drives continued in production into the early 1990's.
The heads only come out of the parking zone when there's power to the drive. You can shake the hell out of them when there's no power with no ill effects. And the more recent drives can even stand several gees of shock when powered, though I wouldn't bet my company on it.
JD
Er... isn't that what a zoom lens is for?
Given the amount of actual resources (represented as dollars) that would be required to ACTUALLY move the mountain, I would spend approx. 10% on a marketing campaign designed to convince the world that the mountain had moved and put the remaining 90% of the budget toward the company's bottom line.
:^)
I'd get a job in a minute.
Yes, but if there's some app that you just HAVE to run (Visio seems to be the one that everyone puts in this pile, as there's no solid OSS alternative), Crossover Office or WINE would be a good way to get onto the Linux platform. Even if someone ran all their productivity apps under CO, just being on the Linux platform would expose them to the "non-productivity" apps (XMMS, Konqueror, etc.) that would encourage them to delve deeper into free-as-in-freedom software.
Not true in the world of small vendor-based software. If a vendor (consulting group with a software product) has a software package that is in use by three or four government or big industry (or, in the case of my experience, utility) entities, they have to charge outrageous licensing and maintenance fees to keep their staff of programmers employed. Annual maintenance fees on the order of US$500,000 are not too far out of the ordinary. And, when the requirements of a small community are trying to be met, all the whims of the few get incorporated into the software, making for dubious overall quality. Furthermore, licensing terms usually keep the customers from talking to one another, so a community doesn't develop.
It's all ugly out there. It will be a great day when all vendor-based software is at least as well developed, integrated and low priced as that from Microsoft. By that time, though, OSS should be the obvious choice for everyone and snow will fall on the devil's lawn.
[kidding]
Sorry, but you've got it wrong: Microsoft doesn't use X. They'd be worried about losing n licenses for Windows in our fair state.
[/kidding]
Still, it's a great idea, and I wish someone could prove me wrong.
I haven't used VNC with anything X yet, just the Win32 version. We use it at work for remote administration of machines running NT4 (we use Remote Desktop for Win2K). My machines at home are running Mandrake, but I'm still getting my firewall configured, so I haven't set up VNC yet.
It would be nice to have something like eXceed (?) that gives you just the X window that you're interested in rather than the whole desktop.
As referenced above, there's VNC clients (and servers) for a wide variety of platforms. Here's one for the Palm OS.
I hate to pick nits, but it's "fluorescent." If you're talking about differences between efficiency and efficacy (a debatable difference), it'd be great to get your spelling right... ;^)
There are some things that will definitely stand the test of time, such as spam and the lack of desire to receive it. Community standards should govern the rules here, as well as the type of content that can be published on the network (more restrictive standards should be applied for things published on servers attached to the network than for content that can traverse the network). As many here will tell you, one person's ideas regarding desirable content may be another's idea of trash.
In all, write the TOS with the idea that freedom is encouraged and openness embraced.
Great. This way, the lady next to me does her hair in her cube instead of in her car at the stoplight. Well, I guess the streets will be safer.
Actually, that's the perfect application of this technology: LCD glasses, with pupil tracking built into the screen(s). Right now, pupil tracking rigs [replacing the mouse] are unwieldly and expensive, with no cool factor outside of Borg-wannabe conventions (not referring to Anita Borg, who just passed away recently).
Yes, but if they can see you looking at the screen and see what you're looking at, they can determine whether you're writing system documentation/code/etc. or posting something to /.
I think this falls in the category of really bad.
Now THAT makes sense. I was trying to figure out how having some wireless backbone technology to connect WiFi hotspots together was going to do anything. I don't know how it is in other metro areas, but here in Portland, most of the city has either DSL or cable Internet available. Most places have a choice. Both are expensive, but worth it.
:-\
But if (as some previous poster said) it takes a million WiFi hotspots to cover a city, then I don't see how changing the way they connect to the Internet changes that. Each hotspot still covers the same footprint.
But if 802.16 is a competitor to DSL/Cable, then that makes a lot more sense. I wonder what it would take to be a provider...
Agreed. And it has been a long time coming. I work in the electric utility industry, and I've been trying to convince my management that embracing the open source model is the only thing we can do to make dramatic changes in our bottom line in these times. Unfortunately, they laid people off around here instead. Well, okay, that's a little unfair, but not too much.
Our industry, as I suspect is the case with a lot of industries, is bursting with opportunities for community-built standards-based software. Instead, we'd rather pay vendors and consultants millions of dollars for niche market software that we don't understand. Bah!
Sometimes it's hard to keep up the fight. It's a good thing I've got /. to keep my spirits high!
JD
If you like what you read, check here for more fiction by DKM. My understanding is that he's a computer guy by trade, and AIs figure prominently in a lot of his fiction such as Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, and The Last Dancer. The first three chapters of an upcoming novel, AI War is also available.
If you haven't guessed, I'm a huge fan. :^)
I think this is the biggest benefit of WNP, and the reason my wife and I are struggling along with old and decrepit phones for the time being; we expect a huge swing in both customer retention benefits from our current provider and switch incentives from competitors.
Providers are going to have to change the way they treat their existing customers. As it is, Sprint seems to pretty much ignore you unless you're late on your bill by a couple of days. If you phone goes TU, they want to charge you full price (a couple hundred bucks in most cases) for a new phone. Of course, if you were a new subscriber, they'd give you that same phone for $49. What a load of rubbish.
One thing I want to be sure of is that we don't jump from the frying pan into the fire. My mom has AT&T, and, for the most part, I hate the phones they have and she's always griping about the service. Of course, it could be her... And I hear, anecdotally, that T-Mobile has spotty service. But then, so does Sprint, but it's good enough for 99% of what I need.
Is it that all the carriers are about the same, and that it's a "grass is always greener" thing? How do you rate the service you're with now? What are its pros and cons?
And, as the parent to this alluded to, if carriers think that they have the best service, then they should be happy for this law, as it will encourage people to switch to the carrier's service because it's better than whatever the person currently has. If the carrier has a net loss of customers, then they should re-evaluate their service.
Also, I find it interesting that the law is scheduled to go into effect the week of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest retail shopping day of the year.
I've only seen a few anime films in my time. One of them (The Ghost in the Shell) I liked immensely. On the other end of the spectrum, a friend loaned me Dragonhalf recently and I couldn't get through more than about fifteen seconds of it. The high-pitched, squeaky voices drove me insane. My friend loved it, though.
Even though I didn't know that it was in some special category at the time, I was an addicted watcher of Speed Racer when I was a kid. It wasn't until I saw a clip of it on Cartoon Network that I realized it was anime.
I would love to see more animated films with the quality of Final Fantasy and a story line that appeals to someone over 18. Actually, that's not a good way to put it, because my wife and I really enjoy the animated films that Hollywood keeps cranking out like Shrek and Monsters, Inc.. But I sure would like to see something like Matt Wagner's Grendel on the big screen, particularly War Child.
There's just something about the medium of animation that allows artists to do things that can't be done well in live action yet, such as zero-G work (though they're getting better at it). And, at that, the latest installment of Star Wars was mostly animated.
Battery dying. Gotta run... Cheers.
Maybe I'm missing your point, but I think the Dems are supporting it because it favors the rights of "the worker over the corporation." Putting a "this is copy protected" label on a CD or whatever lets the consumer know before they purchase it that they might have to go download a hack to distribute it to all their friends instead of simply ripping it and mailing it out. It's fair warning of effort that might have to be expended, that's all...
I seem to remember that I voted for him because I REALLY hated the other guy's ad campaigns.
But really, I'm proud to be a constituent of Sen. Wyden. He's a little too liberal for me at times, but his heart's in the right place.
I assume that by "IP" you mean Intellectual Property and not Internet Protocol. :^)
The article said that they were setting up a demo center in the US. It would seem that they're planning on branching out.
Be careful with using CF and an OS that uses swap space. From what I've read, it will burn out the flash from all the read/write/erase cycles in something like a few months.
Mind you, this "information" is anecdotal, as I haven't gotten a system running on flash yet, but in researching it I ran across quite a few warnings to that effect.
Agreed. Of course, Windows Server 2003 (the OS formerly known as .NET Server) has/will have the .NET framework integrated. And I don't know that that's such a bad idea. Microsoft does, and should continue to, produce a well integrated OS platform. Having .NET integrated at the OS level (or, more to the point, ship with the OS) will create a consistent platform on which to deploy apps. After all, Windows is best at being an application server. If all you want is file and print services, go with Linux. Need an app server for Java/J2EE? Go with Linux. Need a clustering database server for Oracle? Go with Linux. Writing custom apps with a bunch of programmers rooted in the Microsoft frameworks? Better put Windows in.