Both Mars and Earth have eliptical orbits, Mars orbit a bit more eliptical than Earth's. If you draw a line between the Foci of each these orbits, the lines might overlap, or more likely, be at some angle. Thus the distance between these orbits vary quite a bit, so at it's closest approach, Mars can be as little as 35 million miles away or more than twice that distance. 2003 saw the closest, close approach in thousands of years, 2005 is seeing one almost as good.
Rare? Not really, every 4 or 6 years brings a good close approach of Mars, and every 2 years the planet is worth looking at with a telescope.
I don't know if it's because there are fewer scams going on these days, or if my email filter is finally working, but I havn't gotten one of these scam emails in over a year now. Of course I AM still getting ads for Viagra and BOTH male and female enhancement products......
Actually since you can't really power down an iPod (it goes to sleep but the cpu is STILL powered up, just running on low power) the DID operate on it while it was powered.
Perhaps early dinosaurs were cold blooded, but most of the latter ones appear to have been warm blooded. Also birds did not evolve from dinosaurs they ARE dinosaurs! IE: the Avion family should not be a separate catorgy, but rather a branch inside the dinosauria. Did you know that the closet preditor species related to the chicken is the T. Rex. ?
Buying the Cessna is probably not a good idea, lots of mony tied up in something that you would not put enough use into. Join a flying club and share the cost of the plane with 5-10 other pilots. Some clubs have more than one plane, at that gives you a choice: Tail dragger for aerobatics, two seat Cessna for flight practice, 4 seat Beachcraft for cross country, 6 seat twin engine for those real long trips.
"Anybody feel free to chime in and correct me, but I believe that by law when you buy a car in another state you have to pay the sales tax of the state where you live. I believe the point of this was to prevent people from going to other states and avoiding their home states sales tax (which is enormous when it comes to a car)."
I got caught in this catch-22 when I got my first job and had to move out of state. I bought a car and was going to move from NY to MA. Problem was how to get the car to MA. If I registered the car in NY and then transfered the tag to MA, MA wanted the sales tax, even though it was already paid in NY since the car was less than 1 year old. So I ended up getting on the old Eastern Airlines NY-Boston air shuttle with the title in hand, registering the car in MA and bringing the tags back with me to NY to put on the car. (The air fare back then was only $25 one way). I only paid the tax in MA (they had a lower sales tax than NYC at the time) Good thing I paid cash for the car or I wouldn't have had the title.
Next thing you know, there will be video cards cooled by external freon (ok, the cfc free stuff) units, like some bozos are now using for overclocked cpus. Then what, liquid Helium?
"DVD-RAM died a painful death, probably in some part thanks to DVD burners getting out quickly there after. "
Actually the stories about the death of dvd-ram are not really true. While not a mainstay, dvd-ram has enjoyed a comeback in home dvd recorders, especially those made by Toshiba and Panasonic. DVD-ram allows you to watch a program while it is being recorded, and you can rewind, pause, or fast-forward (not all the way!) while still recording. DVD-RAM disks no longer require the cartdrige, though they are a good idea for the double sided disks. They also have a MUCH longer lifespan, dvd-rw's last about 1000 rw cycles, the dvd-ram disks go for at least 10,000 (or was that 100,000?).
You can find dvd-ram drives for your computer. Most of these will also READ cd's (r and rw) as well as dvd-rom and dvd+/- r/rw's. Someone even makes a combo drive that handles WRITING dvd-ram AND dvd+/- r/rw disks! That drive isn't as fast as the dvd-ram-less units though.
You can buy blank dvd-ram media at Wal*Mart, Ratshack, Target, and many other stores (anybody that sells Panasonic dvd recorders). Media price varies, but I've seen them for less than $3 each (sometimes MUCH less in 3 or 5 packs).
I'm sure my hearing has been damaged from riding the NYC subways for many years. If anybody ever took a db meter on the Lexington Ave Express, it would probably pin the meter. I also have been exposed to other loud noises from power tools, etc. Nowdays when I use my power wood working tools I wear hearing protectors (like the guys parking jet planes use). It may be a bit like locking the barn after the horse has been stolen, but at least my ears don't ring after I've sawed a few board feet on my table saw.
Apple just recently (july) started branding the iPod mini through HP, and one can assume that contract must run for at least a year. So the iPod mini should be available from HP for some time yet. Still, I ought to go and get some mini specific accessories (like the base) while they are still available! I would also hope Apple will have spare parts and repair service for the mini for a few years into the future.
BTW rumour has it that prices of flash memory jumped recently due to Apple buying up a HUGH chunk of the available parts for you-know-what.
I'll wait on a nano till the next generation when 6-8gb units will be available.
If IBM holds software patents BUT grants an open ended license to all to use such patents ONLY in GPL'ed software then such a clause in the GPL should not apply. In this case the patent holder would protect himself from others making a profit off HIS patent, but NOT block open use of the patent on a level playing field.
Not than anybody is going to be so rightious to do such a thing........
Actualy there probably isn't ANYWHERE in this country that couldn't be hit by a disaster so bad that it could wreck the insurance industry. Midwest: Killer tornados. Southeast coast: Hurricanes. Northeast: blizards, and(Belive it or not) earthquakes. Westcoast: earthquakes, volcanos, and Hurricanes (Pacific hurricanes can be WORSE than atlantic and can head east and hit the US coast). There is the potential for a disaster involving chemical (or worse) shipments via rail or truck that can happen anywhere. Mix terrorists into the equation and there you go.
Good news travels at the speed of sound. Bad news at the speed of light. Rumor even faster. Actually bad news travels faster than light. Some alien civilation tried to build space ships powered by bad news. But they were unwelcome wherever they went. (the hitchhikers guide)
REAL pilots can land WITHOUT flaps. (wonder if any jet jock ever tried to slip a 747? How about the SPACE SHUTTLE?.... Actually they DID that in the move "Space Cowboys")
It's the control that handles pilot input to control aircraft movement about the elevation and roll axies. Two peddles on the floor control movement about the yaw axis.
Early aircraft used a stick, as airplanes became larger and heavier (requiring two hands to overcome aerodynamic pressure on the controls) it was changed to a yoke, which was designed to allow for two hands on the control. Today with fly-by-wire and power assisted controls it doesn't matter. Some pilots prefer a stick, some a yoke. (Some yokes are bowtie shaped, others look more like a car's steering wheel). Fighter aircraft use sticks, and since most of the shuttle's pilots are x-military types, the shuttle has a stick.
I'm surprised that bible thumpers haven't called in about the reference to the beast on this one. Something along the lines of "no one shall be able to enter any commerce without the mark of the beast on his hand or forehead".
Creationism is NOT science, it is religion wrapped in a layer of BS. (The "BS" being a disguise to make you think it's science) The only place where creationism should be taught is in private schools aligned with some branch of the church (or talmud). The separtion of church and state demanded by the US constitution won't allow for it being any other way. No public school where MY kids go to will even mention creationism, or I'll drag them into court. If they hear about it in Sunday school, that's fine with me.
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I have several computers that I have built from scratch using motherboards
made by asus and tyan. Anybody know about capacitor problems on these?
Remember the stun gun in the movie 'looker'?
Just tell OSDL Japan to go to the devil, or the dameon at least.
(IOW use BSD and shut the @#$% up!)
With the ability to generate power at winds up to 70mph, this gizmo
might even work during a hurricane! Just what we need in Florida!
Both Mars and Earth have eliptical orbits, Mars orbit a bit more eliptical than
Earth's. If you draw a line between the Foci of each these orbits, the lines might overlap, or more likely, be at some angle. Thus the distance between these orbits vary quite a bit, so at it's closest approach, Mars can be as little as
35 million miles away or more than twice that distance. 2003 saw the closest, close approach in thousands of years, 2005 is seeing one almost as good.
Rare? Not really, every 4 or 6 years brings a good close approach of Mars, and
every 2 years the planet is worth looking at with a telescope.
I don't know if it's because there are fewer scams going on these days, or if my email filter is finally working, but I havn't gotten one of these scam emails in over a year now. Of course I AM still getting ads for Viagra and BOTH male and female enhancement products......
Actually since you can't really power down an iPod (it goes to sleep
but the cpu is STILL powered up, just running on low power) the DID
operate on it while it was powered.
So the next russian rocket brings up 20k gross of Estes E9-0 and D12-0 engines and
the astronauts do a space walk to attach them to the ISS......
Perhaps early dinosaurs were cold blooded, but most of the latter ones
appear to have been warm blooded. Also birds did not evolve from
dinosaurs they ARE dinosaurs! IE: the Avion family should not be a separate
catorgy, but rather a branch inside the dinosauria. Did you know that the
closet preditor species related to the chicken is the T. Rex. ?
Buying the Cessna is probably not a good idea, lots of mony tied up in something
that you would not put enough use into. Join a flying club and share the cost
of the plane with 5-10 other pilots. Some clubs have more than one plane, at
that gives you a choice:
Tail dragger for aerobatics, two seat Cessna for flight practice, 4 seat
Beachcraft for cross country, 6 seat twin engine for those real long trips.
"Anybody feel free to chime in and correct me, but I believe that by law when you buy a car in another state you have to pay the sales tax of the state where you live. I believe the point of this was to prevent people from going to other states and avoiding their home states sales tax (which is enormous when it comes to a car)."
I got caught in this catch-22 when I got my first job and had to move out of state. I bought a car and was going to move from NY to MA. Problem was how to get the car to MA. If I registered the car in NY and then transfered the tag to MA, MA wanted the sales tax, even though it was already paid in NY since the car was less than 1 year old. So I ended up getting on the old Eastern Airlines NY-Boston air shuttle with the title in hand, registering the car in MA and bringing the tags back with me to NY to put on the car. (The air fare back then was only $25 one way). I only paid the tax in MA (they had a lower sales tax than NYC at the time) Good thing I paid cash for the car or I wouldn't have had the title.
Next thing you know, there will be video cards cooled by external
freon (ok, the cfc free stuff) units, like some bozos are now
using for overclocked cpus. Then what, liquid Helium?
"DVD-RAM died a painful death, probably in some part thanks to DVD burners getting out quickly there after. "
Actually the stories about the death of dvd-ram are not really true.
While not a mainstay, dvd-ram has enjoyed a comeback in home dvd recorders, especially
those made by Toshiba and Panasonic. DVD-ram allows you to watch a program while it is
being recorded, and you can rewind, pause, or fast-forward (not all the way!) while
still recording. DVD-RAM disks no longer require the cartdrige, though they are a good
idea for the double sided disks. They also have a MUCH longer lifespan, dvd-rw's last about
1000 rw cycles, the dvd-ram disks go for at least 10,000 (or was that 100,000?).
You can find dvd-ram drives for your computer. Most of these will also READ cd's (r and rw)
as well as dvd-rom and dvd+/- r/rw's. Someone even makes a combo drive that handles
WRITING dvd-ram AND dvd+/- r/rw disks! That drive isn't as fast as the dvd-ram-less
units though.
You can buy blank dvd-ram media at Wal*Mart, Ratshack, Target, and many other stores
(anybody that sells Panasonic dvd recorders). Media price varies, but I've seen them for
less than $3 each (sometimes MUCH less in 3 or 5 packs).
...and the only thing that will save it is DRM and the reduction of
my rights, then
LET THE INDUSTRY COLLAPSE!!!!!
Something better will fill the vacuum.
I'm sure my hearing has been damaged from riding the NYC subways for many years. If anybody ever took a db meter on the Lexington Ave Express, it would probably pin the meter.
I also have been exposed to other loud noises from power tools, etc. Nowdays when I use my power wood working tools I wear hearing protectors (like the guys parking jet planes use). It may be a bit like locking the barn after the horse has been stolen, but at least my ears don't ring after I've sawed a few board feet on my table saw.
Hey with the usb cable you can use ANY iPod as a usb key, it doesn't HAVE to be the shuffle (except that the shuffle IS smaller).
Apple just recently (july) started branding the iPod mini through HP, and one can assume that contract must run for at least a year. So the iPod mini should be available from HP for some time yet. Still, I ought to go and get some mini specific accessories (like the base) while they are still available! I would also hope Apple will have spare parts and repair service for the mini for a few years into the future.
BTW rumour has it that prices of flash memory jumped recently due to Apple buying up a HUGH chunk of the available parts for you-know-what.
I'll wait on a nano till the next generation when 6-8gb units will be available.
If IBM holds software patents BUT grants an open ended license to all to use such patents ONLY in GPL'ed software then such a clause in the GPL should not apply. In this case the patent holder would protect himself from others making a profit off HIS patent, but NOT block open use of the patent on a level playing field.
Not than anybody is going to be so rightious to do such a thing........
Actualy there probably isn't ANYWHERE in this country that couldn't be hit by a disaster so bad that it could wreck the insurance industry.
Midwest: Killer tornados. Southeast coast: Hurricanes. Northeast: blizards, and(Belive it or not) earthquakes. Westcoast: earthquakes, volcanos,
and Hurricanes (Pacific hurricanes can be WORSE than atlantic and can head east and hit the US coast).
There is the potential for a disaster involving chemical (or worse) shipments via rail or truck that can happen anywhere. Mix terrorists into the equation and there you go.
Good news travels at the speed of sound. Bad news at the speed of light. Rumor even faster.
Actually bad news travels faster than light. Some alien civilation tried to build space ships powered by bad news. But they were unwelcome wherever they went. (the hitchhikers guide)
Especially since a fiber optic pipe IS a waveguide for electromagnetic waves at the frequency of light.
REAL pilots can land WITHOUT flaps. .... Actually they DID that in the move "Space Cowboys")
(wonder if any jet jock ever tried to slip a 747?
How about the SPACE SHUTTLE?
It's the control that handles pilot input to control aircraft movement about the elevation and roll axies. Two peddles on the floor control movement about the yaw axis.
Early aircraft used a stick, as airplanes became larger and heavier (requiring two hands to overcome aerodynamic pressure on the controls) it was changed to a yoke, which was designed to allow for two hands on the control. Today with fly-by-wire and power assisted controls it doesn't matter. Some pilots prefer a stick, some a yoke.
(Some yokes are bowtie shaped, others look more like a car's steering wheel). Fighter aircraft use sticks, and since most of the shuttle's pilots are x-military types, the shuttle has a stick.
I'm surprised that bible thumpers haven't called in about the reference to the beast on this one.
Something along the lines of "no one shall be able to enter any commerce without the mark of the beast on his hand or forehead".
Creationism is NOT science, it is religion wrapped in a layer of BS. (The "BS" being a disguise to make you think it's science) The only place where creationism should be taught is in private schools aligned with some branch of the church (or talmud).
The separtion of church and state demanded by the US constitution won't allow for it being any other way.
No public school where MY kids go to will even mention creationism, or I'll drag them into court.
If they hear about it in Sunday school, that's fine with me.