These suggestions usually come from and area of dense population that could be easily served by wireless service. Those of us in fly-over country know that there is a lot of area for which such coverage would be almost totally unused and which can be more economically served by a wire. We just returned from a trip which took us halfway across New Mexico and Western Oklahoma. For about 2/3 of the way there were maybe 5 other vehicles in view and that was counting the ones on blocks in back yards along the way. I am sure there were a few who would have liked internet access the entire way(I for one) but the cost of such convenience would be more than I would want to support from my own pocket or with tax dollars. When suggesting ideas of this sort for universal adoption, please consider the economic implications.
kk
I would add that abolishing DST would give opportunity to enlightened businesses to stagger their work schedules. The result could be that rush hour traffic would be evened out over several hours and congestion reduced. I grew up on a farm during the time DST was implemented in the '60s. We altered our summer schedule by getting up on 'sun time', ie. starting an hour later, breaking for lunch an hour later and then running til dark. Some of what we did was somewhat daylight sensitive so it made sense to do it that way. Hard for me to imagine the industrial/information/finan cial sector being able to adjust in a similar manner.
I am not a programmer. There was a time in my life when I thought I might become one but that folly has passed.
When I was trying to learn to program I remember reading a comment by a veteran programmer:
"There is a special hell reserved fro programmers that don't comment enough."
From the little I know it would probably be helpful to someone trying to service something down the road to at least label routines by their intended function. Commenting every line is most likely not necessary.
kk
I would like to know about the Xbox. My son has one and I would really like to be able to have the thing turn into a pumpkin after a liberal amount of screen time. So far I am more clever at computers than he is (I'm 55) since I am the one who makes them run when they don't want to run. He hasn't the patience to watch over my shoulder and thereby become more proficient. I am not nearly as concerned about content as I am the length of time spent in front of a screen.
kk
Computers can be a waste of time or a huge benefit in education - probably in the same school or even the same classroom.
Please don't forget other digital technologies, some supported by computers, that have definite positive impact.
One that comes to my mind is video classrooms where one teacher teaches in multiple locations. It is a real boon out here in the (sorry) boodocks. I think that as technologies have matured and people have become accostumed to them they sink or swim on their own merit.
kk
But has anyone considered English? There is, and always has been, a gulf between programmers and the rest of us. Being able to explain your work to someone that is not capable of doing your job should be worth a mint. Not sure if you can sell it but the need is out there.
With some reluctance I join this discourse. I will be brief. Mr. Copps has made a decision I agree with. I will spend the time I might otherwise spend on here hunting him down to congratulate him on his wisdom.
kk
I was just going to suggest that. I have been running macs for the last decade or so, mostly old clones. I finally got a beige G3 and was impressed by how quiet it is. There is some fan noise to be sure but I think the overall layout of the hardware also helps. The hard drive is located high and to the rear of the case, as far away from the operator as is practical. I think the case itself must be designed with noise suppression in mind. This is, of course, a machine so antiquated that probably 1% of slashdotters would own up to owning.
Where do you live? There are lots of the 24dbi antennae on roofs around here (Oklahoma) left over from a wireless cable company bankruptcy. I think the price is probably free if you don't mind crawling on a roof to go after them. I doubt that the bankruptcy lawyers will fight you for them. They probably don't know they exist or if they know, don't care. I understand they may need some minor tuning to work with 802.11b.
kk
I think you are talking about two separate kinds of disasters both with very little relation to the poster's situation. Sawdust fires/explosions are the result of igniting minute particles. I doubt that popcorn would produce enough concentration to be flamable. Hay bales self igniting is caused by fermentation of wet densely packed material. Popped popcorn is not densely packed nor wet and unpopped kernals are at an optimum 13 percent moisture. They will keep indefinatly at that moisture level and they need about that much to pop.
Only as an aside to all this: Many third world countries have laws that prohibit this sort of contract and the companies are plenty happy to sell farmers there the technology knowing full well the farmers will save and replant seed. Aren't we special here in North America?
I will say up front that I beleive God created everything. That said I do not believe that evolution excludes creation. The problem with all the fuss between creationists and evolutionist is that it is the work of the Devil: It pits perfectly good Christians against each other in a dispute with no end. And even in the painfully secular Slashdot the controversy continues.
Finally something on slashdot that I know something about. We went through a major ice storm here(Oklahoma) about 3 years ago. If heat is what you are concerned with get a gas catalytic heater in the 20k to 30k btu range. We had one on hand still in the box and hooked it up and lit it about the time the juice went off. We expected to keep a couple of rooms warm but were pleasantly surprised to find that it kept the whole house toasty for the 2 weeks we were with out utility electricity. Make sure you figure a way to hook it up to your gas service beforehand.
We used an airhose tee'd into the line going to the furnace. It won't pass anyone's code but if you get in this kind of shape the authorities will have their hands full with other things. The heater is pretty clean burning but there is no flue so you need to go outside once in awhile just to make sure you change some air. We did eventually borrow a generator from family living outside the blackout zone. Neighbors bought generators by the hundreds. Most got 5KW models.
They were able to run part of the house at a time - freezer and refrigerator and some lights or furnace and some lights when that was a priority.
10KW should let you live quite comfortably. The generator we borrowed ran off the PTO of a tractor and was 13 KW. We didn't run the furnace but kept using the catalytic heater. That way we could shut off the generator part of the time and still keep warm. The generator was an older model that had brushes and the lights flickered some but some of the more modern brushless ones flickered too. The only appliance that seemed to take exception to it was the microwave oven. When we tried to use it it sounded like it would come off the shelf so it stayed parked for the duration. Real electronics mostly run on rectified DC internally so the flicker gets filtered out. Had no trouble whatsoever with any of those things. People warned that months down the road troubles could arise but we have seen nothing that seems related to the outage. The heater we had was around $150US and the 5KW generators were $500 to $600. I don't think I would consider trying to do what you suggest with batteries. Both heater and generator will cost almost nothing in maintenance if you never use them but batteries will go bad no matter what. You know your situation best. There was at least on fatality from CO from a generator during the time we were blacked out, so that is something to be aware of. Some of the generators developed carburator icing problems when run for hours on end. They really weren't made for quite that kind of service but there were few if any outright failures.
redsilo
(snip)
ONE OF THE MICROBATTERIES WE DEVELOPED early last year directly converted the high-energy particles emitted by a radioactive source into an electric current.
(unsnip)
I think this is well worth pursuing.
That is exactly what we do. Currently running a 7 year old g3 with MacOs 9. I try to find them on ebay for cheap enough to get here under $100(minus monitors). For monitors find a local computer scrapyard and save the shipping.
We have used DSL for a couple years now with no firewall and no antivirus and no problems. Maybe I should knock on wood. I can only agree with the comments in favor of backups though. There is nothing like a complete erase/reinstall every so often regardless of platform.
redsilo
I don't think I would do it myself. Like Nogami my eyes have been saved numerous times by my glasses.
Also I am 50 something. I think it makes good economic sense for a younger person who would avoid the cost of glasses/contacts over what is hopefully a long lifetime.
redsilo
I tend to agree. I am currently self-employed(translated poor) but used to work for a company for an hourly wage. They pretty much insisted on 18 hours of overtime per week. I was young and single then so the total net increase in my paycheck was around 5 dollars per week.
But for the good of the company I recommend no overtime unless absolutely necesary. We would get a pretty good boost in weekly production for a week or two when the overtime started but after that burnout pretty much put us back to what we could accomplish in a standard 40 hour week. I suspect that things haven't changed all that much.
redsilo
Slashdot Mirror
These suggestions usually come from and area of dense population that could be easily served by wireless service. Those of us in fly-over country know that there is a lot of area for which such coverage would be almost totally unused and which can be more economically served by a wire. We just returned from a trip which took us halfway across New Mexico and Western Oklahoma. For about 2/3 of the way there were maybe 5 other vehicles in view and that was counting the ones on blocks in back yards along the way. I am sure there were a few who would have liked internet access the entire way(I for one) but the cost of such convenience would be more than I would want to support from my own pocket or with tax dollars. When suggesting ideas of this sort for universal adoption, please consider the economic implications. kk
I would add that abolishing DST would give opportunity to enlightened businesses to stagger their work schedules. The result could be that rush hour traffic would be evened out over several hours and congestion reduced. I grew up on a farm during the time DST was implemented in the '60s. We altered our summer schedule by getting up on 'sun time', ie. starting an hour later, breaking for lunch an hour later and then running til dark. Some of what we did was somewhat daylight sensitive so it made sense to do it that way. Hard for me to imagine the industrial/information/finan cial sector being able to adjust in a similar manner.
Your point is well taken and besides that you speak the truth.
I am not a programmer. There was a time in my life when I thought I might become one but that folly has passed. When I was trying to learn to program I remember reading a comment by a veteran programmer: "There is a special hell reserved fro programmers that don't comment enough." From the little I know it would probably be helpful to someone trying to service something down the road to at least label routines by their intended function. Commenting every line is most likely not necessary. kk
I would like to know about the Xbox. My son has one and I would really like to be able to have the thing turn into a pumpkin after a liberal amount of screen time. So far I am more clever at computers than he is (I'm 55) since I am the one who makes them run when they don't want to run. He hasn't the patience to watch over my shoulder and thereby become more proficient. I am not nearly as concerned about content as I am the length of time spent in front of a screen. kk
Computers can be a waste of time or a huge benefit in education - probably in the same school or even the same classroom. Please don't forget other digital technologies, some supported by computers, that have definite positive impact. One that comes to my mind is video classrooms where one teacher teaches in multiple locations. It is a real boon out here in the (sorry) boodocks. I think that as technologies have matured and people have become accostumed to them they sink or swim on their own merit. kk
But has anyone considered English? There is, and always has been, a gulf between programmers and the rest of us. Being able to explain your work to someone that is not capable of doing your job should be worth a mint. Not sure if you can sell it but the need is out there.
With some reluctance I join this discourse. I will be brief. Mr. Copps has made a decision I agree with. I will spend the time I might otherwise spend on here hunting him down to congratulate him on his wisdom. kk
I was just going to suggest that. I have been running macs for the last decade or so, mostly old clones. I finally got a beige G3 and was impressed by how quiet it is. There is some fan noise to be sure but I think the overall layout of the hardware also helps. The hard drive is located high and to the rear of the case, as far away from the operator as is practical. I think the case itself must be designed with noise suppression in mind. This is, of course, a machine so antiquated that probably 1% of slashdotters would own up to owning.
Where do you live? There are lots of the 24dbi antennae on roofs around here (Oklahoma) left over from a wireless cable company bankruptcy. I think the price is probably free if you don't mind crawling on a roof to go after them. I doubt that the bankruptcy lawyers will fight you for them. They probably don't know they exist or if they know, don't care. I understand they may need some minor tuning to work with 802.11b. kk
It comes not from the top of my head but from years of experience with such things. Just so you know.
I think you are talking about two separate kinds of disasters both with very little relation to the poster's situation. Sawdust fires/explosions are the result of igniting minute particles. I doubt that popcorn would produce enough concentration to be flamable. Hay bales self igniting is caused by fermentation of wet densely packed material. Popped popcorn is not densely packed nor wet and unpopped kernals are at an optimum 13 percent moisture. They will keep indefinatly at that moisture level and they need about that much to pop.
Sorry, but I couldn't resist: I have just the car for you - already stripped down and covered with oil!!
Only as an aside to all this: Many third world countries have laws that prohibit this sort of contract and the companies are plenty happy to sell farmers there the technology knowing full well the farmers will save and replant seed. Aren't we special here in North America?
I will say up front that I beleive God created everything. That said I do not believe that evolution excludes creation. The problem with all the fuss between creationists and evolutionist is that it is the work of the Devil: It pits perfectly good Christians against each other in a dispute with no end. And even in the painfully secular Slashdot the controversy continues.
My cousin's 1968 International 4x4 bears a front tag claiming Y2K compliance. I believe it.
We leave that to the FBI and local law enforcement.
Can anyone say "Mass Transit"?
Finally something on slashdot that I know something about. We went through a major ice storm here(Oklahoma) about 3 years ago. If heat is what you are concerned with get a gas catalytic heater in the 20k to 30k btu range. We had one on hand still in the box and hooked it up and lit it about the time the juice went off. We expected to keep a couple of rooms warm but were pleasantly surprised to find that it kept the whole house toasty for the 2 weeks we were with out utility electricity. Make sure you figure a way to hook it up to your gas service beforehand. We used an airhose tee'd into the line going to the furnace. It won't pass anyone's code but if you get in this kind of shape the authorities will have their hands full with other things. The heater is pretty clean burning but there is no flue so you need to go outside once in awhile just to make sure you change some air. We did eventually borrow a generator from family living outside the blackout zone. Neighbors bought generators by the hundreds. Most got 5KW models. They were able to run part of the house at a time - freezer and refrigerator and some lights or furnace and some lights when that was a priority. 10KW should let you live quite comfortably. The generator we borrowed ran off the PTO of a tractor and was 13 KW. We didn't run the furnace but kept using the catalytic heater. That way we could shut off the generator part of the time and still keep warm. The generator was an older model that had brushes and the lights flickered some but some of the more modern brushless ones flickered too. The only appliance that seemed to take exception to it was the microwave oven. When we tried to use it it sounded like it would come off the shelf so it stayed parked for the duration. Real electronics mostly run on rectified DC internally so the flicker gets filtered out. Had no trouble whatsoever with any of those things. People warned that months down the road troubles could arise but we have seen nothing that seems related to the outage. The heater we had was around $150US and the 5KW generators were $500 to $600. I don't think I would consider trying to do what you suggest with batteries. Both heater and generator will cost almost nothing in maintenance if you never use them but batteries will go bad no matter what. You know your situation best. There was at least on fatality from CO from a generator during the time we were blacked out, so that is something to be aware of. Some of the generators developed carburator icing problems when run for hours on end. They really weren't made for quite that kind of service but there were few if any outright failures. redsilo
Aren't they completely expendible? Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but they're, well, cats, not people.
(snip) ONE OF THE MICROBATTERIES WE DEVELOPED early last year directly converted the high-energy particles emitted by a radioactive source into an electric current. (unsnip) I think this is well worth pursuing.
That is exactly what we do. Currently running a 7 year old g3 with MacOs 9. I try to find them on ebay for cheap enough to get here under $100(minus monitors). For monitors find a local computer scrapyard and save the shipping. We have used DSL for a couple years now with no firewall and no antivirus and no problems. Maybe I should knock on wood. I can only agree with the comments in favor of backups though. There is nothing like a complete erase/reinstall every so often regardless of platform. redsilo
I don't think I would do it myself. Like Nogami my eyes have been saved numerous times by my glasses. Also I am 50 something. I think it makes good economic sense for a younger person who would avoid the cost of glasses/contacts over what is hopefully a long lifetime. redsilo
I tend to agree. I am currently self-employed(translated poor) but used to work for a company for an hourly wage. They pretty much insisted on 18 hours of overtime per week. I was young and single then so the total net increase in my paycheck was around 5 dollars per week. But for the good of the company I recommend no overtime unless absolutely necesary. We would get a pretty good boost in weekly production for a week or two when the overtime started but after that burnout pretty much put us back to what we could accomplish in a standard 40 hour week. I suspect that things haven't changed all that much. redsilo
As an aside, open container laws create litterbugs.