Sounds fine to me. I don't need the 8Mbps download speeds Comcast is selling me, but I'd love to be able to transfer 250GB a month without worrying about having my service canceled.
Any sort of grid using that stuff would probably be a giant "sabotage me!" sign for all sorts of malcontents and terrorists (though I hate to use the word).
And yet, we somehow manage continent-spanning pipelines of highly-pressurized, highly-flammible gas without trouble.
It's not important for a flight data recorder to take maximum advantage of available technology. What matters is that it can last for half a century of operation, and that it is nearly indestructable.
You might want to read up on Jeff Merkey's history before you accept anything he says at face value. Back in 2004 or so, a judge wrote in the case Wolf Mountain vs. Novell that Merkey's view of reality bore only a very limited resemblance to that of anyone else.
Doesn't matter if they're sequential -- if there are a hundred thousand Linksys WRT54Gs out there, that's a hundred thousand passwords you'll have to try for each router you're attacking.
Why can't the 2 grand Macbook Pros have this screen? Or any notebook for that matter?
Aesthetics. I've got one, and as screens go, the color mode is really quite lousy. Black text on white is fuzzy, the colors are somewhat washed out with an odd blue tint, and things only look right when you're directly in front of the screen -- no off-axis viewing. The refresh rate isn't too impressive either: 50Hz. Would you pay $2000 for a screen that wouldn't look out of place in the early '90s?
In greyscale mode, on the other hand, it's the best computer screen I've ever seen.
For hardware like home NAT routers and the like, I'd just print the default password on the label, right next to the serial number -- or just use the serial number as the default password.
It's a bit dangerous though... carbon fiber tanks at 4000+ PSI... If one ruptuers, the force released could quite litteraly throw the car a few blocks. More likely, it would simply rupture, causing the car to act like a bomb, just without flames... Vapor expansion at this level could rip people and metal apart. these tanks need to be REALLY strong to be safe, adding significantly to vehicle weight, reducing storage space, and limiting fuel economy.
This is a solved problem. Modern multi-layer carbon-fiber tanks don't rupture. Put a hole in one, and it'll vent through the hole without enlarging it because of the cross-bedding of fibers. You wouldn't want to be in the path of the escaping jet of air -- it would be like stepping in front of a firehose -- and it might knock the car around a bit, but it won't make a very good bomb.
Also, the vehicle itself is pollution free, but making the electricity to compress the air isn't. If we're moving in this direction we'll need a major investment in free energy sources like solar and wind. Also, compressing the air locally at filling stations requires power. a lot of power. We'll need a super conducting grid to make that happen (if we plan to use clean electricity instead of current local poewr plants).
No need for a superconducting grid: conventional power lines do just fine at distributing electricity. And unlike electricity, compressed air is easy to store. A compressed-air filling station hooked to a solar farm can store air to get through cloudy days; an electric filling station would need to shut down or switch to conventional electricity.
Too salty? Is there such a thing? Here on Earth we've found life everywhere where there's energy and liquid water: even apparently-unliveable places like the nuclear waste tanks at Hanford or the superheated water of deep-ocean vents. Excessively salty water might kill off life not adapted to it, but there's no fundamental reason why life can't form in extreme saltwater.
"Three times more likely to die in a car crash"? That's not reassuring. Given how many people die in crashes each year, that would make cell-phone-induced tongue cancer one of the more significant causes of death.
Please, please, just once, go and see the Grand Canyon. I don't care how much you're not much of a tourist, you don't need to be to be totally overawed by one of the greatest sights on earth.
That's actually not a very good idea. The UK doesn't have that much in the way of large-scale scenery, and without regular exposure to large-scale scenery, you can't get a feel for just how bloody huge the Grand Canyon is.
So, I wonder how much explosive a svelte terrorist could carry...
A rocket pack weighs in at about 180 pounds, including 100 pounds of highly explosive fuel/oxidizer mix. If the terrorist could carry the rocket pack, they could just as easily carry 180 pounds of explosive on foot.
OK, I guess that's technically right. But is that really a "sad thing" that makes any real difference, or just splitting hairs? I'll take any kind of personally-mounted flying device without bitching about the technical means of propulsion.
A rocket belt needs to carry its own oxidizer and reaction mass. A jetpack gets the oxidizer and reaction mass from the atmosphere. The difference in fuel economy is incredible.
Another difference is that a jetpack is regulated as an aircraft (specifically, an ultralight). A rocket belt is unregulated.
Slashdot Mirror
Complex math? Aren't real numbers good enough for the job?
Since my desktop system with 4GB of RAM ran out.
You mean the cake isn't a lie?
Sounds fine to me. I don't need the 8Mbps download speeds Comcast is selling me, but I'd love to be able to transfer 250GB a month without worrying about having my service canceled.
And yet, we somehow manage continent-spanning pipelines of highly-pressurized, highly-flammible gas without trouble.
It's not important for a flight data recorder to take maximum advantage of available technology. What matters is that it can last for half a century of operation, and that it is nearly indestructable.
Make sure you get your copy before the Scientologists take the site down.
You might want to read up on Jeff Merkey's history before you accept anything he says at face value. Back in 2004 or so, a judge wrote in the case Wolf Mountain vs. Novell that Merkey's view of reality bore only a very limited resemblance to that of anyone else.
I have, too. Are you sure that re-introducing slave labor is a good idea?
E911 doesn't use Caller ID. It uses the same set of signals that the phone company uses for billing, which are much harder to spoof.
Doesn't matter if they're sequential -- if there are a hundred thousand Linksys WRT54Gs out there, that's a hundred thousand passwords you'll have to try for each router you're attacking.
Aesthetics. I've got one, and as screens go, the color mode is really quite lousy. Black text on white is fuzzy, the colors are somewhat washed out with an odd blue tint, and things only look right when you're directly in front of the screen -- no off-axis viewing. The refresh rate isn't too impressive either: 50Hz. Would you pay $2000 for a screen that wouldn't look out of place in the early '90s?
In greyscale mode, on the other hand, it's the best computer screen I've ever seen.
For hardware like home NAT routers and the like, I'd just print the default password on the label, right next to the serial number -- or just use the serial number as the default password.
This is a solved problem. Modern multi-layer carbon-fiber tanks don't rupture. Put a hole in one, and it'll vent through the hole without enlarging it because of the cross-bedding of fibers. You wouldn't want to be in the path of the escaping jet of air -- it would be like stepping in front of a firehose -- and it might knock the car around a bit, but it won't make a very good bomb.
No need for a superconducting grid: conventional power lines do just fine at distributing electricity. And unlike electricity, compressed air is easy to store. A compressed-air filling station hooked to a solar farm can store air to get through cloudy days; an electric filling station would need to shut down or switch to conventional electricity.
Too salty? Is there such a thing? Here on Earth we've found life everywhere where there's energy and liquid water: even apparently-unliveable places like the nuclear waste tanks at Hanford or the superheated water of deep-ocean vents. Excessively salty water might kill off life not adapted to it, but there's no fundamental reason why life can't form in extreme saltwater.
More dangerous. The friend can see what's going on around you, and can shut up when needed.
"Three times more likely to die in a car crash"? That's not reassuring. Given how many people die in crashes each year, that would make cell-phone-induced tongue cancer one of the more significant causes of death.
One radio next to your head, and one next to your balls? Are you sure that's a good idea?
The article only mentions it briefly, but it seems to be subject to the same plain-view laws as helicopters and airplanes.
Only if they can use the images without a search warrant.
At least the monkey's Flash now. Back in the olden days, the monkey was Java, and could bring any computer to a grinding halt.
That's actually not a very good idea. The UK doesn't have that much in the way of large-scale scenery, and without regular exposure to large-scale scenery, you can't get a feel for just how bloody huge the Grand Canyon is.
The wonderful thing about the Proxomitron is that it can block advertising in Slashdot posts.
A rocket pack weighs in at about 180 pounds, including 100 pounds of highly explosive fuel/oxidizer mix. If the terrorist could carry the rocket pack, they could just as easily carry 180 pounds of explosive on foot.
A rocket belt needs to carry its own oxidizer and reaction mass. A jetpack gets the oxidizer and reaction mass from the atmosphere. The difference in fuel economy is incredible.
Another difference is that a jetpack is regulated as an aircraft (specifically, an ultralight). A rocket belt is unregulated.