I see nothing wrong here. The patent system is designed so that if an inventor has an idea, he is given protection of his idea while allowing him to share it with the world.
The other option is total secrecy. This article describes what has been SOP in patents since the patent system was created. In many cases, a person simply doesn't have the resources to produce and market their idea. Patents allow them to sell the rights to that idea to someone who DOES have those capabilities.
Both parties win. The producer is given a really cool idea for a (hopefully) innovative product, which allows him to make some profit. The inventor gets a cut (or a flat payment, it depends) which he rightly deserves for coming up with the idea. In short, he's being paid to do R&D.
Are you saying that the Bell Labs research staff should not get paid for their work, even though they themselves won't be producing the items?
Abuse happens when people try to patent blatantly obvious ideas and it gets right through the USPTO because the USPTO is so understaffed. Abuse also happens when people are unreasonable in their terms. (For example, using patents to shut down open-source projects. As opposed to a number of patents which have licenses essentially stating, "You may use this in software distributed under the GNU GPL. If you want to use it in any commercial application, negotiate licensing with us."
The article posted was nothing more than an Apple ad.
For one, it didn't address client cards, if anything FAR more important range-wise than AP selection - Most APs have OK receivers (there are exceptions), meanwhile many WLAN cards have HORRIBLE receivers. (Almost anything Prism2 based except for high-end ones like the Demarctech ReliaWave).
Also, it failed to address other AP choices. Yes, the AirPort Extreme might be one of the only APs to support "repeater" operation (Although I'm disinclined to believe that, I'm positive some of the better Linksys units can do active repeating too.), the fact is that unless you have a mansion or you've picked bad client cards, there is absolutely no need.
I have a cheapass Belkin cable/DSL router/firewall + 802.11 AP. It's a POS, but I still can cover all of a rather large house with it, IF I'm using an Orinoco client card. Total cost for Orinoco card, cheapo Prism2 card, and AP - $200. ($150 for an AP/Prism2 bundle, $50 for the Ori). $50 less than the AirPort Extreme, and includes two client cards (one crappy one excellent.)
For $200, one could get one of the better Linksys APs (the b/g unit may suck, but many of the older b-only units are considered some of the best out there for those that can't afford Orinoco or Cisco) PLUS Linksys's amplifier unit which increases transmit power and receive sensitivity (has a recieve preamp in additon to Tx power amp.) That's less than the $250 for the Airport Extreme but for a longer-ranged solution. And it leaves $50 for a nice Orinoco card, whereas if you bought an AirPort Extreme, your minimal cost would be $300 if you wanted an Ori client card.
One of the big parts of the current FCC digital TV push (forcing all stations to go digital in the next 2-3 years), is that in the process of the digital migration, TV channels will be getting rearranged.
The FCC plan is to take a lot of the "dead space" in the currently underutilized TV broadcast band and consolidate it, freeing up quite a decent amount of spectrum for other services.
Bluetooth can't charge your PDA or phone. A sync cradle can.
Therefore, no matter how little power the BT circuitry consumes, the fact that it is replacing a prime charging opportunity for the mobile device makes its power consumption disadvantage over a wired device worse than infinite. (Battery consumption during sync rather than battery recharging.)
I have no problem with the need to place my PDA on a cradle to sync it, because I have to place it on the cradle anyway to charge it.
That device is going to have to be plugged in no matter how you want to do it. (Unless you power it with AAs or AAAs, but no one does that anymore with devices that Bluetooth targets - It's all internal Li-Ion these days.)
What part of wires is Bluetooth unable to (and never will be able to) replace?
Power.
Also, Bluetooth is simply Too Slow. Not when modern PDAs sync via USB or Firewire.
Since you're going to have to plug in your PDA, phone, or iPod to charge it anyway, why bother with Bluetooth which is an obscenely slow way to sync your phone when you can charge it and sync it at 10-20 times the data rate or more?
I remember a few articles ago some dumbass thought that the iPod should use Bluetooth instead of Firewire... Does he realize how long it would take to transfer 15+ GB of files via Bluetooth? Even a handful of MP3s (20-30 MB at a time) would be a nightmare. And he'd still have to plug in the Pod to charge it.
That either Kenwood, Icom, or Yaesu have been doing PC-controlled radio receivers for a few years. Now I remember properly that it's always in the Icom ads.:)
Icom has a LOT of neat receivers, such as their "super scanners" (Which is what I like to call their scanners that have video capability.)
Of course, the issue is "Would you want to" on HF. (aka shortwave)
The answer is No, unless you're on some remote island in the South Pacific where there are no phone lines and satellite connections are multiple $$$ per minute, in which case a 1200 (or slower) bps connection is a godsend.
The legal limit on channel bandwidth in most HF bands is on the order of 3-6 kHz (Enough for SSB voice). Since there's lots of noise on HF, advanced modulation schemes that allow you to stick more than 1 bps per Hertz usually don't work. Most HF data connections are 2400 bps or less. (300 bps is quite common, and currently the most popular digital mode is PSK31 at 31 bps, due to its bandwidth being narrower than Morse and having superior noise immunity to any faster data mode.)
That's exactly my point - OS9 lasted longer than Win9x, but had a worse multitasking design. Better implementation by the programmers, but far more primitive design.
Although I suspect there may have been some problem with that machine. 17 MB in 20 minutes sounds ridiculous, even for a machine that slow running OS9. I've seen older Macs copy data faster than that.
But the above post describes a machine that could never run OS X.
OS9 and below sucked - They had an ancient core, I'm not surprised you had multitasking issues. OS X is lightyears ahead. OSX is one good reason that some people might choose a Mac.
And this article isn't about their hardware, it's about Apple's iTunes Music Store service. Which is currently Mac-only, and is enough to push some people "over the edge" and get a Mac. I know I've been VERY tempted to buy a used Mac just to be able to use the ITMS. (I'm currently a PC user myself, and going to stay that way unless Apple caters more to DIY types - yeah right.)
Old or new System V code?
on
Latest SCO News
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
If this is new code that was added to SCO's codebase within the past few years...
Caffeine can affect your mood. If you're already subject to mood swings, caffeine can be very bad news. I had a friend with a very mild case of manic depressive disorder (Mild enough that she was able to hide it from nearly everyone until it was too late.) At one point, she started pulling all-nighters and taking Vivarin. The combination of the three made the manic depressive disorder FAR worse - She became suicidal within days. (This could be related to the above comments about causing anxiety in some people.)
In moderation, if you have no preexisting conditions, caffeine should be safe. But don't use it to stay up at night - It just stresses out your body and mind in far too many ways at once.
One of the big problems with dehydration is not necessarily lack of water, but chemical imbalances resulting from the water being carried away (either in sweat or urine). "dehydration" is as much a potassium/sodium shortage as an H2O shortage. This is why pure water alone often doesn't cure dehydration headaches. Putting a small amount of light salt (Morton's Light Salt is a mixture of normal salt, aka sodium chloride, and potassium chloride, in proportions VERY similar to Gatorade.)
Don't use too much salt, or you WILL create an H2O shortage. Just a little goes a long way.
I think the issue is that for this story, everyone was (for some reason) falsely marked as a subscriber, and got to see the article during its "preview" period.
I believe subscribers see the pretty red articles for EVERY article that is posted, 10-15 minutes before us mortals do. Note that back when the article was red, there was also a "Report any errors/problems with this story" link that I've never seen before and disappeared when the story became green.
The "generic" brands of artificial tears also suck.
Allergan's Refresh Tears, on the other hand, are amazing. Most of the generics have the same formula, but Refresh and Ciba's artificial tears (forget the exact name) each have unique formulas that are superior. I found that generics would cure dryness but blur my vision, Refresh doesn't.
FYI, if you have LASIK surgery, you will NOT be able to say no to eye drops for a few months. Refresh will be your best friend. (For the first week you'll be putting in the preservative-free form every 30 minutes, I guarantee you. It'll slow down over a period of months, I now only need my Refresh once in the morning after waking up and that's it except in rare cases, but I had issues with dry eyes in the morning to begin with.)
FYI, the haloing from LASIK will slowly go away over time. I still have a little bit from surgery 2 years ago, but it decreased a lot in the first few months and has been decreasing slowly since then.
Artificial tears are a LASIK patient's best friend. I used to need them all the time, now I'm down to one dose in the morning with rare exceptions. Note: Not all artificial tears are created equal. Most of the generics are the same formula, but Allergan's Refresh Tears drops and one of Ciba's products (I forget the name) each have unique formulas, and both are MUCH better than the generics. I found that while the generics did solve dryness, they tended to blur my vision if used in large amounts, and didn't last as long. Note: For extreme cases, Refresh is available in preservative-free ampoules. I just buy 2-pack large bottles at Costco of the preservative stuff though.
You may also want to investigate allergy medicines - Allergies can contribute a lot to eye dryness/itchiness/strain. Patanol works wonders in these cases. (Prescription only.) Even if you're on Claritin or another oral antihistamine, you may need some form of eyedrops too. I believe Patanol is an MAOI inhibitor, so works differently from antihistamine eyedrops, which I've heard can dry you out. (I recall my eye surgeon reccommending Patanol for this reason.)
The reason older monochrome monitors were green/black or amber/black was BECAUSE of eyestrain - Green or amber text on a black BG caused less eyestrain. I believe the phosphors were cheaper too.
I would love a "green text on black BG" option for/.:)
If you have appreciable astigmatism, contacts are evil.
I NEVER was able to get anywhere close to the vision quality I got with glasses when wearing contacts, thanks to severe astigmatism. Contacts just don't mix with it, even if your contacts are supposed to be correcting for it.
I eventually had LASIK surgery. Short-term, the haloing made monitors painful to use, but long-term (after the haloing went away), things are VASTLY improved. I have better vision than I ever did with contacts OR glasses.
Don't forget that in addition to the power consumption of Bluetooth, there is the power consumption of the device. Bluetooth is only capable of a few megabits per second (Maybe sub-megabit? I need to check...) Either way, it's a tiny fraction of the speed of Firewire. You'll be consuming on average 100x more power when you sync because syncs will last 100x or more longer.
Oh wait, you'll be consuming INFINITELY more power, because the iPod charges via Firewire! You've replaced a charging scheme with a current draw. Regardless of whether it's 10 amps or 1 milliamp, you've replaced the iPod's charging mechanism with a current draw, how do you propose it charges?
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I see nothing wrong here. The patent system is designed so that if an inventor has an idea, he is given protection of his idea while allowing him to share it with the world.
The other option is total secrecy. This article describes what has been SOP in patents since the patent system was created. In many cases, a person simply doesn't have the resources to produce and market their idea. Patents allow them to sell the rights to that idea to someone who DOES have those capabilities.
Both parties win. The producer is given a really cool idea for a (hopefully) innovative product, which allows him to make some profit. The inventor gets a cut (or a flat payment, it depends) which he rightly deserves for coming up with the idea. In short, he's being paid to do R&D.
Are you saying that the Bell Labs research staff should not get paid for their work, even though they themselves won't be producing the items?
Abuse happens when people try to patent blatantly obvious ideas and it gets right through the USPTO because the USPTO is so understaffed. Abuse also happens when people are unreasonable in their terms. (For example, using patents to shut down open-source projects. As opposed to a number of patents which have licenses essentially stating, "You may use this in software distributed under the GNU GPL. If you want to use it in any commercial application, negotiate licensing with us."
The article posted was nothing more than an Apple ad.
For one, it didn't address client cards, if anything FAR more important range-wise than AP selection - Most APs have OK receivers (there are exceptions), meanwhile many WLAN cards have HORRIBLE receivers. (Almost anything Prism2 based except for high-end ones like the Demarctech ReliaWave).
Also, it failed to address other AP choices. Yes, the AirPort Extreme might be one of the only APs to support "repeater" operation (Although I'm disinclined to believe that, I'm positive some of the better Linksys units can do active repeating too.), the fact is that unless you have a mansion or you've picked bad client cards, there is absolutely no need.
I have a cheapass Belkin cable/DSL router/firewall + 802.11 AP. It's a POS, but I still can cover all of a rather large house with it, IF I'm using an Orinoco client card. Total cost for Orinoco card, cheapo Prism2 card, and AP - $200. ($150 for an AP/Prism2 bundle, $50 for the Ori). $50 less than the AirPort Extreme, and includes two client cards (one crappy one excellent.)
For $200, one could get one of the better Linksys APs (the b/g unit may suck, but many of the older b-only units are considered some of the best out there for those that can't afford Orinoco or Cisco) PLUS Linksys's amplifier unit which increases transmit power and receive sensitivity (has a recieve preamp in additon to Tx power amp.) That's less than the $250 for the Airport Extreme but for a longer-ranged solution. And it leaves $50 for a nice Orinoco card, whereas if you bought an AirPort Extreme, your minimal cost would be $300 if you wanted an Ori client card.
One of the big parts of the current FCC digital TV push (forcing all stations to go digital in the next 2-3 years), is that in the process of the digital migration, TV channels will be getting rearranged.
The FCC plan is to take a lot of the "dead space" in the currently underutilized TV broadcast band and consolidate it, freeing up quite a decent amount of spectrum for other services.
I've tried Costco
Like everyone else, it shows on the site but it's not in the stores and if you order it, it's backordered for weeks.
Is infinite.
Bluetooth can't charge your PDA or phone. A sync cradle can.
Therefore, no matter how little power the BT circuitry consumes, the fact that it is replacing a prime charging opportunity for the mobile device makes its power consumption disadvantage over a wired device worse than infinite. (Battery consumption during sync rather than battery recharging.)
I have no problem with the need to place my PDA on a cradle to sync it, because I have to place it on the cradle anyway to charge it.
1) They provide power
That device is going to have to be plugged in no matter how you want to do it. (Unless you power it with AAs or AAAs, but no one does that anymore with devices that Bluetooth targets - It's all internal Li-Ion these days.)
What part of wires is Bluetooth unable to (and never will be able to) replace?
Power.
Also, Bluetooth is simply Too Slow. Not when modern PDAs sync via USB or Firewire.
Since you're going to have to plug in your PDA, phone, or iPod to charge it anyway, why bother with Bluetooth which is an obscenely slow way to sync your phone when you can charge it and sync it at 10-20 times the data rate or more?
I remember a few articles ago some dumbass thought that the iPod should use Bluetooth instead of Firewire... Does he realize how long it would take to transfer 15+ GB of files via Bluetooth? Even a handful of MP3s (20-30 MB at a time) would be a nightmare. And he'd still have to plug in the Pod to charge it.
That either Kenwood, Icom, or Yaesu have been doing PC-controlled radio receivers for a few years. Now I remember properly that it's always in the Icom ads. :)
Icom has a LOT of neat receivers, such as their "super scanners" (Which is what I like to call their scanners that have video capability.)
TCP/IP can be routed over packet.
Of course, the issue is "Would you want to" on HF. (aka shortwave)
The answer is No, unless you're on some remote island in the South Pacific where there are no phone lines and satellite connections are multiple $$$ per minute, in which case a 1200 (or slower) bps connection is a godsend.
The legal limit on channel bandwidth in most HF bands is on the order of 3-6 kHz (Enough for SSB voice). Since there's lots of noise on HF, advanced modulation schemes that allow you to stick more than 1 bps per Hertz usually don't work. Most HF data connections are 2400 bps or less. (300 bps is quite common, and currently the most popular digital mode is PSK31 at 31 bps, due to its bandwidth being narrower than Morse and having superior noise immunity to any faster data mode.)
A friend of mine from college is currently in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific.
She is only able to check her email around once a month or less, and the only telephone is a multi-dollar-per-minute satellite phone.
She is never more than a day behind on world news thanks to BBC shortwave.
That's exactly my point - OS9 lasted longer than Win9x, but had a worse multitasking design. Better implementation by the programmers, but far more primitive design.
Although I suspect there may have been some problem with that machine. 17 MB in 20 minutes sounds ridiculous, even for a machine that slow running OS9. I've seen older Macs copy data faster than that.
But the above post describes a machine that could never run OS X.
OS9 and below sucked - They had an ancient core, I'm not surprised you had multitasking issues. OS X is lightyears ahead. OSX is one good reason that some people might choose a Mac.
And this article isn't about their hardware, it's about Apple's iTunes Music Store service. Which is currently Mac-only, and is enough to push some people "over the edge" and get a Mac. I know I've been VERY tempted to buy a used Mac just to be able to use the ITMS. (I'm currently a PC user myself, and going to stay that way unless Apple caters more to DIY types - yeah right.)
If this is new code that was added to SCO's codebase within the past few years...
How do we know that SCO didn't copy from Linux?
Caffeine can affect your mood. If you're already subject to mood swings, caffeine can be very bad news. I had a friend with a very mild case of manic depressive disorder (Mild enough that she was able to hide it from nearly everyone until it was too late.) At one point, she started pulling all-nighters and taking Vivarin. The combination of the three made the manic depressive disorder FAR worse - She became suicidal within days. (This could be related to the above comments about causing anxiety in some people.)
In moderation, if you have no preexisting conditions, caffeine should be safe. But don't use it to stay up at night - It just stresses out your body and mind in far too many ways at once.
One of the big problems with dehydration is not necessarily lack of water, but chemical imbalances resulting from the water being carried away (either in sweat or urine). "dehydration" is as much a potassium/sodium shortage as an H2O shortage. This is why pure water alone often doesn't cure dehydration headaches. Putting a small amount of light salt (Morton's Light Salt is a mixture of normal salt, aka sodium chloride, and potassium chloride, in proportions VERY similar to Gatorade.)
Don't use too much salt, or you WILL create an H2O shortage. Just a little goes a long way.
As a diabetic (Someone who has the equipment to monitor bloodsugar, and spends quite a bit of effort managing it.)
Direct effects on bloodsugar: None, at least nothing noticeable. Nothing compared to plain 'ole stress, sickness, or exercise.
Symptoms similar to hypoglycemia (low bloodsugar) - Shakiness. Never had caffeine make me hungry.
Symptoms similar to hyperglycemia (high bloodsugar) - Pissing all the time.
Caffeine has effects that go both ways...
I think the issue is that for this story, everyone was (for some reason) falsely marked as a subscriber, and got to see the article during its "preview" period.
I believe subscribers see the pretty red articles for EVERY article that is posted, 10-15 minutes before us mortals do. Note that back when the article was red, there was also a "Report any errors/problems with this story" link that I've never seen before and disappeared when the story became green.
Yup. For a number of reasons (comfort being one of them), I refused to move to hard contacts.
has more dents than your head.
:)
Go away if you know what's good for you.
Agreed that Visine is evil.
The "generic" brands of artificial tears also suck.
Allergan's Refresh Tears, on the other hand, are amazing. Most of the generics have the same formula, but Refresh and Ciba's artificial tears (forget the exact name) each have unique formulas that are superior. I found that generics would cure dryness but blur my vision, Refresh doesn't.
FYI, if you have LASIK surgery, you will NOT be able to say no to eye drops for a few months. Refresh will be your best friend. (For the first week you'll be putting in the preservative-free form every 30 minutes, I guarantee you. It'll slow down over a period of months, I now only need my Refresh once in the morning after waking up and that's it except in rare cases, but I had issues with dry eyes in the morning to begin with.)
FYI, the haloing from LASIK will slowly go away over time. I still have a little bit from surgery 2 years ago, but it decreased a lot in the first few months and has been decreasing slowly since then.
Artificial tears are a LASIK patient's best friend. I used to need them all the time, now I'm down to one dose in the morning with rare exceptions. Note: Not all artificial tears are created equal. Most of the generics are the same formula, but Allergan's Refresh Tears drops and one of Ciba's products (I forget the name) each have unique formulas, and both are MUCH better than the generics. I found that while the generics did solve dryness, they tended to blur my vision if used in large amounts, and didn't last as long. Note: For extreme cases, Refresh is available in preservative-free ampoules. I just buy 2-pack large bottles at Costco of the preservative stuff though.
You may also want to investigate allergy medicines - Allergies can contribute a lot to eye dryness/itchiness/strain. Patanol works wonders in these cases. (Prescription only.) Even if you're on Claritin or another oral antihistamine, you may need some form of eyedrops too. I believe Patanol is an MAOI inhibitor, so works differently from antihistamine eyedrops, which I've heard can dry you out. (I recall my eye surgeon reccommending Patanol for this reason.)
The reason older monochrome monitors were green/black or amber/black was BECAUSE of eyestrain - Green or amber text on a black BG caused less eyestrain. I believe the phosphors were cheaper too.
/. :)
I would love a "green text on black BG" option for
If you have appreciable astigmatism, contacts are evil.
I NEVER was able to get anywhere close to the vision quality I got with glasses when wearing contacts, thanks to severe astigmatism. Contacts just don't mix with it, even if your contacts are supposed to be correcting for it.
I eventually had LASIK surgery. Short-term, the haloing made monitors painful to use, but long-term (after the haloing went away), things are VASTLY improved. I have better vision than I ever did with contacts OR glasses.
FYI, Pentax is/was a pioneer in multicoated optics. (For superior anti-reflection properties.)
I believe that no other manufacturere can approach Pentax's MC technology w/o having to pay Pentax royalties.
Nikon may be ahead of Pentax in other optical areas, but Pentax is the leader in coatings, or at least used to be.
But I agree, even the reputable companies can often give you cheap crap.
Don't forget that in addition to the power consumption of Bluetooth, there is the power consumption of the device. Bluetooth is only capable of a few megabits per second (Maybe sub-megabit? I need to check...) Either way, it's a tiny fraction of the speed of Firewire. You'll be consuming on average 100x more power when you sync because syncs will last 100x or more longer.
Oh wait, you'll be consuming INFINITELY more power, because the iPod charges via Firewire! You've replaced a charging scheme with a current draw. Regardless of whether it's 10 amps or 1 milliamp, you've replaced the iPod's charging mechanism with a current draw, how do you propose it charges?