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User: cdrudge

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  1. How soon will the switch really happen? on Digital TV Restrictions Coming Soon · · Score: 2
    Broadcasters are slated to go all-digital by 2006, or when 85 percent of American homes have a digital TV, whichever comes first.

    Realistically, will the switch over to 100% digital ever happen? And if so, does anybody think it will be done before 2006?

    On a recent trip to Best Buy looking at TVs, there were only about a dozen HD TVs amungst 6 or 7 dozen models, and most (all?) of the HD tvs were 36 inch or larger costing significantly more then an identical model (w/o the HD features). I don't want a 36 inch TV in my bed room. I don't have room for that size, let alone the need for a super sharp picture to fall asleep to at night. Until the cost drops big time soon and smaller TVs appear on the market, I honestly don't think that the average consumer will tollerate being forced to shell out a grand or two just to watch Friends and E.R.

    Just give me a 19 inch television for $150 and then we can talk about switching over.

  2. Re:Tell Adobe on Fallout From Def Con: Ebook Hacker Arrested by FBI · · Score: 1

    Wrong article buddy. You might want to hop on over to the article about Kontour/Killustrator/KWhatever.

  3. Re:Doesn't the DMCA specifically protect this? on Fallout From Def Con: Ebook Hacker Arrested by FBI · · Score: 1

    #3- Assuming that you are correct about the feds having no power to inforce it (and I have no reason to suspect that you are not), the feds have found ways around it.

    Here in Indiana, we just lowered the legally drunk blood alcohol content to .08 from .1. One of the reasons was that the feds would withhold federal funding for roads from any state that didn't have a .08 limit. IIRC, they did something similiar and Ohio "had" to raise the legal age to 21 from 18.

    I do find it slightly funny that the county where JD is made is completely dry.

  4. Re:The Internet needs accountability on Congressional Hearings on WHOIS · · Score: 1

    46% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

  5. Re:External power supply? on Bionic Human: 1st Fully Implanted Human Heart · · Score: 1
    Actually, the pump can change due to activity. As the requirements for increased blood flow increase, the pump increases its rate. In a Newsweek article about the pump, they said "... though it lacks the pumping capacity a basketball player would need, it will adjust its own output as needed to accommodate low-key hiking or gardening or sex."

    I don't know about the sterile argument. It makes sense, but many people have insulin pumps that are hooked up to a tube that enters the body.

  6. Re:External power supply? on Bionic Human: 1st Fully Implanted Human Heart · · Score: 2

    From a newsweek article that describes the device, it appeared that the patient wears a battery belt that has one or more camcorder sized batteryies. This apparently was a big step since the previous artificial hearts required huge battery carts. I seem to recall that there was an internal battery so that the external batteries could be replaced easily and for emergency backup.

  7. More information on Bionic Human: 1st Fully Implanted Human Heart · · Score: 1

    Newsweek had an interesting article about the replacement heart and the company that makes it in the June 25th issue. Here is a link to the online article.

  8. Re:Technology Squables on Powerline Networks Finally Viable? · · Score: 1

    The "" around modems is not necessary. Cable modems actually do MOdulate and DEModulate the data signal. That is why you can still get cable tv on the line at the same time. I think that either 64 or 256 QAM is used for the downstream modulation and 16 QAM is for the upstream. Not sure exactly though.

  9. Why are the stores involved in this? on Magnet Patent Suits · · Score: 1
    The firms named as defendants in the infringement suit are Acer America Corp.; Acer Inc.; Best Buy Co. Inc.; Circuit City Stores, Inc.; CompUSA Inc....

    I see why they are going after the manufacturers, Acer, HP, et al., but why are they going after the retail stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) They don't make any of the drives or camcorders. I would think that if the manufacturers were ordered to recall the devices, the retail stores would have to return the merchandise. No? Is it just a formality or am I missing something?

  10. In addition on The Myriad Ways of Wiring Your Home? · · Score: 1

    Saw this on a home improvement show...tie a little piece of plastic baggie or wrap in to a little balloon. The the balloon to a string then use the vacuum to suck it through the wall. This probably will work better with fewer cables to get snagged on, but I don't know. Never tried it for sure.

  11. Re:Impact on everyone else? on HOW-TO: Asteroid -> Strategic Weapon · · Score: 1

    My guess is that it would have a Deep Impact on the rest of us.

  12. FIRST Competition on NASA Robots Beat Each Other Up · · Score: 1
    Actually, this isn't the first competition, although it may be the fist one webcasted. This competition is one of several regional competition held around the US partially sponsored by Dean Kamen (yes of "IT' fame) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).


    Each regional is held as sort of a practice for the big event being held down in Orlando, FL April 5-7. Check out the FIRST website for details and rules for the competition. This is a little bit more then BattleBots. The only destruction that goes on here is poorly build robots.

  13. Re:What time is the showdown? on NASA Robots Beat Each Other Up · · Score: 2

    The link for the video seems to be working now. All it seems to say is:

    Coming Up:
    JPL Robotic Competition
    11:00 AM CST
    LA, California (or something like that)

    then
    Stand by to satelite switch California...

  14. Actually they do on NCR Claims Palm Infringes As "Personal Terminal" · · Score: 1
    Actually, they do. Look under the abstract.

    ... The personal terminal is credit-card sized...

    Look here or here and here or here

  15. Re:for that matter... on Why Are Software Rebates Being Rejected? · · Score: 1

    Or if you are greater the 25,000, just go to and do your taxes there anyways. Its a whole $35 (fed and state) before April 16 do do them there.

  16. NASA on Reflections on Challenger · · Score: 1

    Actually, while it was a NASA mission, it wasn't NASA who made the calculation error. It was some division of Lockheed Martin (IIRC), who happened to be the contractor working for NASA.

  17. Re:Wtf? on RCN Cable Modem vs. Time/Warner's Road Runner? · · Score: 1
    Uh. Yes. It does acutally. Same thing applies to DSL modems although I am sure they may use different modulation techniques.

    From any one of numerous sources (do a search at Google for "cable modem modulate demodulate":

    Cable modems modulate and demodulate RF signals. The cable modem receives data in what is known as the downstream signal. This signal is modulated on television channels that are six MHz wide at frequencies between 88 to 750 MHz. Using QAM 64 technology, downstream speeds can reach up to 27 MBs on the six MHz channel through which the data is transferred. This signal usually runs adjacent to other television signals.

    Cable modems transmit upstream signals at frequencies between 5 and 42 MHz. This frequency range carries more noise than the downstream signal, such as noise from the home, loose connectors on the cable line, etc. All of this noise makes the upstream signal more difficult to successfully transmit. Although QPSK modulation technology makes the upstream signal more robust at this noise level, it sends data at slower speeds than the QAM 64 technology.

  18. Yogi Berra not Yogi Bear on Death Spiral First Evidence Of Black Hole · · Score: 2

    FYI: The quote is from Yogi Berra, catcher and manager for the Yankees among other things.

    You are thinking of Yogi Bear, the cartoon bear.

  19. Re:I have the 101-button version... on Strategic Commander Controller For RTS · · Score: 1

    Yes, you can program the +/-. The 4 directions and left and right twisting are also programmable. These 8 programmable functions can not be used with the 3 states, but they can be changed with the 3 position selector.

  20. MS writing a driver on Newest Quake 'Productivity Tool' -- The CLAW · · Score: 1

    I wasn't so much meaning MS releasing the driver as some geek writing a driver. I realize that the chances of MS writing a driver for another OS is less then zero.

  21. MS Strtegic Commander on Newest Quake 'Productivity Tool' -- The CLAW · · Score: 3

    I personally prefer my MS Strategic Commander. Its features include both X and Y axis, plus left and right rotation. Each axis or rotation is fully programmable. On top, it has 8 programmable buttons. Also, there are 3 buttons for the thumb to press that can select a subset of the 6 main buttons on top, for a total of 26 programmable buttons. All this for about the same price. The only down side is that it is for windows...for now.

  22. Re:Aeron on In Search of the Perfect Computer Chair? · · Score: 1

    I will second that the Aerons look great and feel even better. The Graphic Arts people where I work have them and I hope they won't notice one of them missing one of these days. I would buy one, but alas, I don't have $750 to blow on a chair.

  23. Wait just another minute... on Internet Banking Security Hole · · Score: 1

    Your figures are wrong. That should be £75. For us americans, that would equal a little over 50 dollars.

  24. 130 Watts??? on Pentium IV Problems? · · Score: 1

    Um... I think that you are confusing amps and watts. Look on the back of any hairdryer and it will be 1275-1600 watts most likely.

    Now if it required 130 amps, I would stop tinkering around inside my computer.

  25. Reread what you post on @Home Stops Allowing VPNs · · Score: 1

    If you notice the sentence regarding reselling ends on the second line. It continues on saying it is for non-commercial use blah, blah, blah, and that you can't run servers, etc, or use the service as a VPN.

    I took it to mean reselling and VPNs were two different restrictions, not one restriction on reselling VPNs