I have used one for the last 5 years. The one I have is called SunUp (about $150 USD). I set the time of day I want "full dawn", attach a light. I've used 4 "flood" track lights, regular lamps, to a "pig light", and it slowly increases the light over 45 minutes, thus simulating a natural dawn.
As soon as I used it I immediately noticed I didn't have the groggy, punch drunk feeling of a normal alarm. I don't have SAD but I've always had a hard time getting up with an alarm, especially in winter when dawn comes much later.
According to a show I saw (Nova, TLC or something) the whole body, not just eyes, is sensitive to light. They put special "gel lights" behind test subject's knees and had the lights come on while they slept - had the same effect.
I've been using ZipCentral (http://zipcentral.iscool.net/) for years. It's not OSS, but it is free, and looks/works a lot like WinZIP.
Ok, I know it hasn't been updated in a couple of years, but no one asked for "active" projects. As near as I can tell, it's pretty darn stable, so updates haven't concerned me as of yet (although I'm going to look closely at 7-zip, since I hadn't heard of it until now...)
Dude! Interesting idea, however not entirely new. There are devices called "dawn simulators" that you can buy. Normally folks with SAD (Seasonal Anxiety Disorder - not enought sunlight in winter) get them, but I got one for the every reasons you state. I bought some blackout curtains, a dawn simulator and 4 tracklights. Mount the lights about the bed and Voila! I have never woken up so nicely in my life! The lights come up over 45 mintues and I just gradually wake up. No jarring beep/ring/buzz from alarmclocks. pure heaven. Here's where I got my dawn simulator:
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/dawnsimulator.htm
If you have the spare LCDs and the time, your idea sounds pretty cool, but even at $200, this is a pretty cheap way to go.....
Does anyone find it interesting that they "changed/updated the protocol" in order to "prevent IM SPAM", but yet when I run my current version of Y!M, it connects fine and I STILL get IM SPAM? Do they have a way to dynamically update the protocol on Y!M, or is this potentially marketing BS since their change ONLY seems to affect 3rd party chat clients?
Well, I don't know that it will work with your Linux/Mac OSes, but I just picked up a Toshiba e805. 4in diag scren, 640x480 res (in portrait or landscape), 128 meg RAM, 400 MHz, built in WiFi. Runs Adobe Reader like a gem, browses web amazingly well. Streen is about $550 - and worth every penny as far as I'm concerned......
Slashdot Mirror
I have used one for the last 5 years. The one I have is called SunUp (about $150 USD). I set the time of day I want "full dawn", attach a light. I've used 4 "flood" track lights, regular lamps, to a "pig light", and it slowly increases the light over 45 minutes, thus simulating a natural dawn.
As soon as I used it I immediately noticed I didn't have the groggy, punch drunk feeling of a normal alarm. I don't have SAD but I've always had a hard time getting up with an alarm, especially in winter when dawn comes much later.
According to a show I saw (Nova, TLC or something) the whole body, not just eyes, is sensitive to light. They put special "gel lights" behind test subject's knees and had the lights come on while they slept - had the same effect.
I can't recommend one enough.
I've been using ZipCentral (http://zipcentral.iscool.net/) for years. It's not OSS, but it is free, and looks/works a lot like WinZIP.
Ok, I know it hasn't been updated in a couple of years, but no one asked for "active" projects. As near as I can tell, it's pretty darn stable, so updates haven't concerned me as of yet (although I'm going to look closely at 7-zip, since I hadn't heard of it until now...)
Dude! Interesting idea, however not entirely new. There are devices called "dawn simulators" that you can buy. Normally folks with SAD (Seasonal Anxiety Disorder - not enought sunlight in winter) get them, but I got one for the every reasons you state. I bought some blackout curtains, a dawn simulator and 4 tracklights. Mount the lights about the bed and Voila! I have never woken up so nicely in my life! The lights come up over 45 mintues and I just gradually wake up. No jarring beep/ring/buzz from alarmclocks. pure heaven. Here's where I got my dawn simulator: http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/dawnsimulator .htm
If you have the spare LCDs and the time, your idea sounds pretty cool, but even at $200, this is a pretty cheap way to go.....
Does anyone find it interesting that they "changed/updated the protocol" in order to "prevent IM SPAM", but yet when I run my current version of Y!M, it connects fine and I STILL get IM SPAM? Do they have a way to dynamically update the protocol on Y!M, or is this potentially marketing BS since their change ONLY seems to affect 3rd party chat clients?
Well, I don't know that it will work with your Linux/Mac OSes, but I just picked up a Toshiba e805. 4in diag scren, 640x480 res (in portrait or landscape), 128 meg RAM, 400 MHz, built in WiFi. Runs Adobe Reader like a gem, browses web amazingly well. Streen is about $550 - and worth every penny as far as I'm concerned......
The strategy, called "Days of Risk," measures the number of days it takes programmers to release a public patch after a vulnerability is revealed.
Since M$ tends to not reveal security issues until they are ready to release a patch.....how fair a comparison is this?
As long as they also make sure that ALL zelots are as well.....including the extreme religious fundamentalists, ...
So watch out Mr Rumsfeld, Mr Ashcroft, Lt Gen. Boykin, etc, etc, etc....!!!
Heck, i'm thinking that would really gut this nation of a lot of BS.......