There was a spate of people posting "XBox box"es on ebay -- the description clearly said "this is the box the XBox came in, the console is sold seperately." Now, I can see one or two people bidding or something, but these auctions, and there were quite a few, got over a *dozen* bids each! Into the several hundred dollar range! For an empty box!
This got a lot of press at fark.com, so people started posting spam auctions. One was for a normal carboard box with an X posted on it, saying "this is not an XBox". It went to $130 until ebay pulled it!
.. is recommended. It's a medium-low level view of the entire kernel, following the source code but making it more readable. If you've taken an Operating Systems or Unix class you should be fine.
I dont use OGG yet, but I'd love to see a competitor to mp3 that would make my audiophile geeks switch over from raw CDs. Instead of people whining about double-blind tests, how about chipping in to continue development and/or help the developers get drunk? I just kicked in $25, which is my way of saying: you guys rock, please continue to get better!
What do 100% of net types use, every single day? 1) base OS, 2) web browser, 3) music. Whoever makes 1-3 a better thing deserves my hard-earned cash. Today, it's $25 to Ogg Vorbis, and it's money well spent!
what if everyone rot13'd their messages? keyword search that, buddy!
And, Emacs has a "spook" command (M-x spook) which adds a line of "subversive" text to your email. It was originally to distract the NSA, which would have to work so much harder to throw away your email from the important ones. It's rather dated though: words like "nuclear" "bomb" "kill" and maybe "Reagan". Lots of fun!
For example, the Internet Explorer team is much smaller than the number of people working on Mozilla
perhaps now, yes; but in the fever-pitch Browser Wars, MS mentioned that the development of IE cost about $500M. That's half a *billion* dollars, for lots of programmers putting in long hours for high-speed development.
Okay, quick, name any other widely-used project with a budget, say, $1M. None? How about $100,000?
the feverish oversugared lawyers at PrintCafe are trying to sue our favorite dotbomb news site to get real names of.. "Ex-DLJ", "sucky-me", and "idiot". No joke. Seems they posted some stuff that printcafe no like, and therefore they're trying to get FC's nonexistant posting logs.
Use Python. My bro wrote an Othello game for the SGI/Python, ported it to Windows with a single color change. Damn near wet myself seeing the same thing on two *radically* different systems.
Write your app in python, but extend it with C/C++ libraries. Extending with C is easy, use SWIG, which rocks, ignore previous poster. From download to running application in 5 languages was literally fifteen minutes (gd library, Python and Java).
Likewise, embedding is easy: write your application in C/C++ *which calls Python*, then replace Python on an as-needed basis. Develop quickly using an interactive language, then replace them once the algorithms get solid and boring.
This technique gives you a substantial, clean library system; interactivity; portability; etc. It's also easy to replace sections or the whole thing if the PHBs get on your case.
Python rocks!
Forget Sony! they took down the Aibo Hack site!
on
New AIBO Demo'd
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
(disclaimer: my bro's wife usta work for this company)
rackmounted PCs with video, etc. They're intended for offices: you run cables to each person's monitor/keyboard/mouse, manage all the actual hardware in one place ~~ ClearCube
My Vaio (the fat purple one: PCG-FX190K) has been great! The 1400x1050 display looks great, six-hour life (with two batteries) is a joy. Only issues were: it's expensive, and I got laid off the next week:(
Once I had a minor cdrom issue. They give you tech support via a chat client! Obvious, yes, but it worked great!
I admire Forth, it's a fascinating language. But would I consider it for a project, even an embedded one? No way!
"Languages are evolving, as evidenced by the new ones that arise. But as with natural evolution, the process is not directed." Mr. Moore notes. He missed the fact that evolution *is* directed -- anything that survives, flourishes. LISP, Forth, and C have a very long history, but the C-style syntax has completely dominated the development of new languages, including C# and Java. Why? Because it's easier read, easer to write, easier to develop with.
When I have C questions, I have gazillions of code samples to borrow and learn from. (cf: http://www.codecatalog.com/ ) There are multiple sites devoted to Perl. PHP. When developing with Forth I get a "not invented here" kind of thing: each of the few, small libraries available is customed to a specific home-grown flavor of the language. Yes, I can write my own this or that, but *why*?
I'm interested in amateur robotics, for which Forth might be perfect. But what do I see? Nearly 100% of robots are written in 1) assembly, 2) BASIC, or 3) C. Assembly is of course specific to each chip, and totally nonportable. BASIC is readable, but only somewhat reusable: each flavor of BASIC is incompatible. C immediately rises to the top -- even if I have to write all the libraries myself, the *language* doesnt change from underneath me.
Mr. Moore's inventions deserve attention for their audacity in completely upsetting the status quo. If his approach is superior, if he is uninterested in the other 100% of the software world to follow, fine. But where are are all of Moore's beautiful chips? Applications? Where are people using Forth on other machines?
"Build Your Own Robot!" (book), by Karl Lunt
excellent book discusses mid-level robotics. Practical robots made from everyday components are featured in a realistic manner.
FirstBot
Good discussion, with in-depth instructions on building a few robots from simple materials.
Basically you cant build much of anything under $100, and the Acroname bot is much better (more sophisticated, more professional-looking, more $) than the others -- it all depends on what you want to do with it. The Palm offers a small display and input device, plus a bit of memory. For debugging, this is a big deal! Alas it cant control motors etc directly, that's why you need a PIC or Atmel or the special-purpose SV203 chip.
now that Plex86 runs Windows apps, does anyone have a copy of Microsoft Bob? That way when you get tired of doing work and accomplising things, you have a cadre of animated assistants to make you feel superior...
Bought one three months ago from Computer Geeks -- http://www.compgeeks.com/ ; now they just have the Neo-25, a smaller one (laptop HD vs 3.5).
The Neo-35 is neat. Comes with a cheapy case, a cute credit-card-sized IR remote, a computer bracket, a standalone bracket, everything the site says.
What it doesnt say:
- Documentation is PATHETIC. Choppy English isnt the worst part, it's just brief to the point of nonexistent. Imagine a a pointy-haired boss asking you the innards of a RPC like CORBA in two minutes or less -- you'd give him a total whirlwind speech, then run away, right? That's the documentation. (Maybe it's improved -- it's on the website.)
If you read SlashDot, you'll probably get it okay, but this is not a give-it-to-mom type gift!
- To install/remove tracks, the device must be plugged into your computer. IDE device, which means a total shutdown and restart each time. Yes, bulk copies are *much* quicker than serial or whatever, but just adding a single song at a time would be tedious.
- You can upgrade the BIOS of the device by copying a magic file to the top-level directory, there's already an update or two which provide lots of good features.
- I really like installing my own drive. They're cheap enough just buy a spare every four months and swap them. They're IDE/Win95: you can dup your entire CD collection in minutes. Drop one? Who cares! I've played with the Compaq jukebox, and it totally rocks, but I was cheap...
- Overall, if you know this is a budget device, it's a good deal. Hardware quality is good, I just havent really had time to mess with the it so maybe I'm just fulla hooey. Your mileage will vary.
Just bought one. It's a drive-and-circuit scheme, just like this one, but it comes with a nice case. I can plug the case into my computer and it's a hard drive. Remove it, plug it into simple harness and it's talking to my stereo. Plug it into yet another harness and it's in my car. Cool!
The Neo 35 is described at http://www.ssiamerica.com/ ; and buyable now from Computer Geeks Discount Outlet for $300 (no HD).
The case, frames, and IR remote are really nice. Alas, the instructions are terrible chinglish, the drive must be a bus master, and I havent gotten it to work on my system. I'm hoping I'm just a moron. Your milage will vary.
in addition to continuing stalled downloads, GetRight will:
enforce a "speed limit" when you're surfing and downloading at the same time. (Screensaver turns off the limit.)
automatically search FTP archives for alternate sites
download the same file from multiple sites (first half from site A, 2nd half from B)
allow each file to have a priority -- d/l short files first if you want, or
pause/continue for each file
I've been using it for maybe a year, and actually bought a copy -- $20 (shareware). If you use Winders, this software is essential. I just wish someone would write a version for Linux!
A standard unix startup includes device initialization, filesystem integrity checks, etc. and then login. In other words, it's designed to set up everything, then allow the user to work. In a handheld, I want to be able to work NOW.
Yes, but you dont "boot" your palmtop when you want to use it -- it's more like just turning on the screen. My Palm V is ready for action almost instantly, but if you reset (paperclip, boot) it, it's much slower -- ~5 seconds. Same device initialization, etc that Linux would have to do.
So, the trick is to figure out how to get low power drain when your Linux palmtop is on standby.
Just went to Staples last night, saw a similar thing: "900MHz cordless phone that links to your PC to help you manage your calls and messages with greater control and flexibility."
Instead of putting the computer in the phone, you connect your phone's base station to the computer. It logs Caller ID, does voice dialing, etc.
Just look for Microsoft PC Phone System MP-900... hey, dont laugh, it just attaches to your PC via a serial port, it woulwnt be bad to reverse engineer it. Would it be great to make calls via your computer on a phone with the MS logo replaced with the penguin?:)
Build quarters, hydroponic farms for your workers. Mine material, sell it for cash. If pirates steal Diridium, prices rise; but if you dont pass along some extra money to keep the workers happy they'll revolt!
Slashdot Mirror
There was a spate of people posting "XBox box"es on ebay -- the description clearly said "this is the box the XBox came in, the console is sold seperately." Now, I can see one or two people bidding or something, but these auctions, and there were quite a few, got over a *dozen* bids each! Into the several hundred dollar range! For an empty box!
This got a lot of press at fark.com, so people started posting spam auctions. One was for a normal carboard box with an X posted on it, saying "this is not an XBox". It went to $130 until ebay pulled it!
.. is recommended. It's a medium-low level view of the entire kernel, following the source code but making it more readable. If you've taken an Operating Systems or Unix class you should be fine.
Linux Journal reviewed it.
- j
This thread on I-appliance talks about the VIA Shuttle, which is halfway between a laptop and a desktop.
anadantech - outpost, with 1GHz Celeron, $330
I dont use OGG yet, but I'd love to see a competitor to mp3 that would make my audiophile geeks switch over from raw CDs. Instead of people whining about double-blind tests, how about chipping in to continue development and/or help the developers get drunk? I just kicked in $25, which is my way of saying: you guys rock, please continue to get better!
What do 100% of net types use, every single day? 1) base OS, 2) web browser, 3) music. Whoever makes 1-3 a better thing deserves my hard-earned cash. Today, it's $25 to Ogg Vorbis, and it's money well spent!
what if everyone rot13'd their messages? keyword search that, buddy!
And, Emacs has a "spook" command (M-x spook) which adds a line of "subversive" text to your email. It was originally to distract the NSA, which would have to work so much harder to throw away your email from the important ones. It's rather dated though: words like "nuclear" "bomb" "kill" and maybe "Reagan". Lots of fun!
no HOWTO, no circuit diagrams, no Linux-controlled flashing lights, no war stories, just a few ... pictures.
move along now, nothing to see here.
- j
perhaps now, yes; but in the fever-pitch Browser Wars, MS mentioned that the development of IE cost about $500M. That's half a *billion* dollars, for lots of programmers putting in long hours for high-speed development.
Okay, quick, name any other widely-used project with a budget, say, $1M. None? How about $100,000?
This Christmas, give the gift that keeps on giving -- a job! my resume is available
are they? remind them that lights timed for 30mph are also timed for 60!
the feverish oversugared lawyers at PrintCafe are trying to sue our favorite dotbomb news site to get real names of .. "Ex-DLJ", "sucky-me", and "idiot". No joke. Seems they posted some stuff that printcafe no like, and therefore they're trying to get FC's nonexistant posting logs.
Secure network? The gummint can't
even keep drugs out of prisons!
Use Python. My bro wrote an Othello game for the SGI/Python, ported it to Windows with a single color change. Damn near wet myself seeing the same thing on two *radically* different systems.
Write your app in python, but extend it with C/C++ libraries. Extending with C is easy, use SWIG, which rocks, ignore previous poster. From download to running application in 5 languages was literally fifteen minutes (gd library, Python and Java).
Likewise, embedding is easy: write your application in C/C++ *which calls Python*, then replace Python on an as-needed basis. Develop quickly using an interactive language, then replace them once the algorithms get solid and boring.
This technique gives you a substantial, clean library system; interactivity; portability; etc. It's also easy to replace sections or the whole thing if the PHBs get on your case.
Python rocks!
uh, guys? remember Sony Uses DMCA To Shut Down Aibo Hack Site?
just checked, site's still down. Move along folks.
(disclaimer: my bro's wife usta work for this company)
rackmounted PCs with video, etc. They're intended for offices: you run cables to each person's monitor/keyboard/mouse, manage all the actual hardware in one place ~~ ClearCube
My Vaio (the fat purple one: PCG-FX190K) has been great! The 1400x1050 display looks great, six-hour life (with two batteries) is a joy. Only issues were: it's expensive, and I got laid off the next week
Once I had a minor cdrom issue. They give you tech support via a chat client! Obvious, yes, but it worked great!
It's an IR-controlled silver plastic spider with a bunch of cool features. One of which is the price -- only $26
I admire Forth, it's a fascinating language. But would I consider it for a project, even an embedded one? No way!
"Languages are evolving, as evidenced by the new ones that arise. But as with natural evolution, the process is not directed." Mr. Moore notes. He missed the fact that evolution *is* directed -- anything that survives, flourishes. LISP, Forth, and C have a very long history, but the C-style syntax has completely dominated the development of new languages, including C# and Java. Why? Because it's easier read, easer to write, easier to develop with.
When I have C questions, I have gazillions of code samples to borrow and learn from. (cf: http://www.codecatalog.com/ ) There are multiple sites devoted to Perl. PHP. When developing with Forth I get a "not invented here" kind of thing: each of the few, small libraries available is customed to a specific home-grown flavor of the language. Yes, I can write my own this or that, but *why*?
I'm interested in amateur robotics, for which Forth might be perfect. But what do I see? Nearly 100% of robots are written in 1) assembly, 2) BASIC, or 3) C. Assembly is of course specific to each chip, and totally nonportable. BASIC is readable, but only somewhat reusable: each flavor of BASIC is incompatible. C immediately rises to the top -- even if I have to write all the libraries myself, the *language* doesnt change from underneath me.
Mr. Moore's inventions deserve attention for their audacity in completely upsetting the status quo. If his approach is superior, if he is uninterested in the other 100% of the software world to follow, fine. But where are are all of Moore's beautiful chips? Applications? Where are people using Forth on other machines?
Show me!
- j
- Skatebot - A Cheap Fun Development Platform
- "Build Your Own Robot!" (book), by Karl Lunt
- FirstBot
Basically you cant build much of anything under $100, and the Acroname bot is much better (more sophisticated, more professional-looking, more $) than the others -- it all depends on what you want to do with it. The Palm offers a small display and input device, plus a bit of memory. For debugging, this is a big deal! Alas it cant control motors etc directly, that's why you need a PIC or Atmel or the special-purpose SV203 chip.Robert Jordan hacks up a toy to use as a robot base.
excellent book discusses mid-level robotics. Practical robots made from everyday components are featured in a realistic manner.
Good discussion, with in-depth instructions on building a few robots from simple materials.
now that Plex86 runs Windows apps, does anyone have a copy of Microsoft Bob? That way when you get tired of doing work and accomplising things, you have a cadre of animated assistants to make you feel superior...
Bought one three months ago from Computer Geeks -- http://www.compgeeks.com/ ; now they just have the Neo-25, a smaller one (laptop HD vs 3.5).
The Neo-35 is neat. Comes with a cheapy case, a cute credit-card-sized IR remote, a computer bracket, a standalone bracket, everything the site says.
What it doesnt say:
- Documentation is PATHETIC. Choppy English isnt the worst part, it's just brief to the point of nonexistent. Imagine a a pointy-haired boss asking you the innards of a RPC like CORBA in two minutes or less -- you'd give him a total whirlwind speech, then run away, right? That's the documentation. (Maybe it's improved -- it's on the website.)
If you read SlashDot, you'll probably get it okay, but this is not a give-it-to-mom type gift!
- To install/remove tracks, the device must be plugged into your computer. IDE device, which means a total shutdown and restart each time. Yes, bulk copies are *much* quicker than serial or whatever, but just adding a single song at a time would be tedious.
- You can upgrade the BIOS of the device by copying a magic file to the top-level directory, there's already an update or two which provide lots of good features.
- I really like installing my own drive. They're cheap enough just buy a spare every four months and swap them. They're IDE/Win95: you can dup your entire CD collection in minutes. Drop one? Who cares! I've played with the Compaq jukebox, and it totally rocks, but I was cheap...
- Overall, if you know this is a budget device, it's a good deal. Hardware quality is good, I just havent really had time to mess with the it so maybe I'm just fulla hooey. Your mileage will vary.
Just bought one. It's a drive-and-circuit scheme, just like this one, but it comes with a nice case. I can plug the case into my computer and it's a hard drive. Remove it, plug it into simple harness and it's talking to my stereo. Plug it into yet another harness and it's in my car. Cool!
The Neo 35 is described at http://www.ssiamerica.com/ ; and buyable now from Computer Geeks Discount Outlet for $300 (no HD).
The case, frames, and IR remote are really nice. Alas, the instructions are terrible chinglish, the drive must be a bus master, and I havent gotten it to work on my system. I'm hoping I'm just a moron. Your milage will vary.
enforce a "speed limit" when you're surfing and downloading at the same time. (Screensaver turns off the limit.)
automatically search FTP archives for alternate sites
download the same file from multiple sites (first half from site A, 2nd half from B)
allow each file to have a priority -- d/l short files first if you want, or
pause/continue for each file
I've been using it for maybe a year, and actually bought a copy -- $20 (shareware). If you use Winders, this software is essential. I just wish someone would write a version for Linux!
- jA standard unix startup includes device initialization, filesystem integrity checks, etc. and then login. In other words, it's designed to set up everything, then allow the user to work. In a handheld, I want to be able to work NOW.
Yes, but you dont "boot" your palmtop when you want to use it -- it's more like just turning on the screen. My Palm V is ready for action almost instantly, but if you reset (paperclip, boot) it, it's much slower -- ~5 seconds. Same device initialization, etc that Linux would have to do.
So, the trick is to figure out how to get low power drain when your Linux palmtop is on standby.
Just went to Staples last night, saw a similar thing: "900MHz cordless phone that links to your PC to help you manage your calls and messages with greater control and flexibility."
:)
Instead of putting the computer in the phone, you connect your phone's base station to the computer. It logs Caller ID, does voice dialing, etc.
Just look for
Microsoft PC Phone System MP-900... hey, dont laugh, it just attaches to your PC via a serial port, it woulwnt be bad to reverse engineer it. Would it be great to make calls via your computer on a phone with the MS logo replaced with the penguin?
Build quarters, hydroponic farms for your workers. Mine material, sell it for cash. If pirates steal Diridium, prices rise; but if you dont pass along some extra money to keep the workers happy they'll revolt!
SimCity Classic for Palm: ~240K. Miner: 48K.
check it out at http://www.Bprojects.com
leave more room for Windows, and mount its partition under Linux. Dunno if Solaris can read Win filesystems.
I've always had best luck with 1OS/1drive myself.