I'm a great believer in solar and other renewable sources. I wonder how much of that desert we could already have covered (or roofs, etc.) with the amount of money we spent in Iraq? Even at the more modest off-the-shelf percentages of the current collectors? There's a math problem for one of you fellow geeks.
While you're doing that, don't forget that WIND power IS ALREADY ECONOMICALLLY VIABLE (I saw a story this week where the producers of said technology were running at FULL PRODUCTION having trouble KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND. How accessible is this wind tech? As an example I will point out Hancock County near Britt IOWA (http://www.hoopercorp.com/uploads/media/hancock_w ind_farm.pdf)
We keep pissing money right and left into every 'futuristic' technology while overlooking the obvious. My dad's farm overlooks the windmills in those pictures. Until the REA came in, his dad ran the farm off the windmill using generators and a thirty volt DC system (they had a thirty volt vacuum cleaner). My dad is extremely energy conscious...freakishly so, but I can't convince him to install an upgraded wind turbine to his EXISTING TOWER because he's such a miser he figures he'll be dead before he can recoup the initial investment. On a strictly actuarial basis, he's probably correct.. As far as our larger society goes, I wish the government would quit blowing SMOKE up our asses and start actually doing what CAN ALREADY BE DONE.
Enjoy.
This has very little to do with protecting us from terrorists and so much to do with protecting the Republican lie machine from being exposed by 'overseas' sources....(radical crap like the BBC -lol) where there is still some real reporting going on. And all those left-leaning blogophiles who apparently were very helpful in the Democratic successes this election cycle.
Enly.
It works. It works well and is supported like no other in the market (peripherals).
Does it cost more than it should/could? Your call, but it's amusing to see so many
of the slashcrowd complain when you know they're dropping sixty bucks on a PS2
game (or equiv.)
I bought the 60 gig model a couple months ago. It's great for music, but I'm
also finding a lot of podcasts (Bill Mahr Realtime e.g.) that I like. My Ipod
also acts a backup for all my MP3's. That could be done cheaper with a true
portable hard drive, but I get the advantage of being able to use my Ipod
as the source for my car audio.
Bottom line: complain about the price of something you can't live without instead
of harping on the price of something that is truely a superfluous purchase.
Enjoy.
How long before all those corporate contributors (the studios and shirts that are going
to be providing the content that people PAY FOR) demand that videos critical of their
product or industry are removed? Google buys YouTube and then GE buys Google.
We'll get the same sanitized shit we're getting on 300 plus cable channels.
Enjoy.
Sold TV's for twenty years. NEVER saw a set with a STORE DEMO MODE.
Sure we ran the best source we could on all the TV's, but there is no STORE DEMO MODE setting on ANY TV I ever saw.
Care to elaborate?
Enjoy.
You can get a real nice XGA DLP for around a thousand bucks and it'll throw an AWESOME 80-100 inch diagonal picture on most any decent wall (without even the need for a screen)
I'm with you 100% on the relative worthlessness of $3000 40 and 50 inch plasmas though.
Metal Halide is the bulb of choice for diy'ers because even though you consider it 'expensive', when compared to just about any alternative light source, it is the best option.
You have to deal with color temperature as well as longevity. Instead of looking at how much the thing costs straight outta the box you need to run the numbers on how much it costs per hour versus the alternatives. Can't remember the lifespan of Metal Halide, but I recall it being quite a bit higher than some of the alternatives.
You really don't want to build one yourself unless you're doing it for 'the fun and challenge'. You won't save any money over buying a used DLP, and your results will likely not be very good. The main reason that LCD sucks is the CONTRAST RATIO. The best you're gonna find, even if you spend several hundred bucks on a newer screen is probably 500:1. DLP is 2000:1 and many people BITCH about that (CRT sets typically 5-10k:1 CR)
In plain English that means your blackest black is gonna be GREY.
Enjoy
My Benq 6200 DLP has a 200 watt bulb. Not enough to worry with.
You may want to check on what the power consumption of a plasma is. They can be upwards of 500 watts, which IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE HEAT ISSUES.
My OHP bulb is 400 watts, though I never use it anymore since getting a real projector.
Enjoy.
Cheaper on a per hour cost basis than OHP bulbs. The bulb costs need to be considered. The Benq has a $400 bulb that lasts 3000 hours in economy mode. But here's my thinking and why I went DLP. I was ready to spend $3k on a dinky 40-50 inch plasma. I normally run my DLP at 100". Any clue as to how much a 100" plasma would cost?
I have to buy a LOT of $400 bulbs and watch for tens of thousands of hours before I even get to the $3k mark I was intending to spend on the dinky plasma.
Enjoy.
It'll still look like crap. I know. I have an OHP and LCD panel. I also own a Benq 6200 DLP.
Don't even waste your time with that old LCD technology. The contrast ratio alone is so bad it's ridiculous.
You can buy a used DLP on ebay for about $500.
Enjoy.
Behr UPW (Ultra Pure White) straight to the wall will work quite nicely. I too used to think you needed a fancy screen until I bought my Benq 6200 last fall. I haven't even painted the wall WHITE yet. I'm projecting on bumpy off yellow wallpaper and IT ROCKS. I think the whole screen thing is a holdover from when people only had front projection CRT's. They were way too dim without a screen. Get an Infocus or Benq (or probably any other medium grade DLP) and you'll be so freakin' happy you won't believe it !!!
Best forum for audio/video I've found is avsforum.com You'll find an entire thread on DIY screens. Plenty of folks who've actually done or are doing what you plan on. Input on everything from best projectors to best popcorn machines (I kid you not)
Enjoy.
Not to knock what they've done (I did it myself using an Nview panel and OHP combo a couple years ago), but I think they're being a little misleading in their enthusiastic appraisal of the end product. Not only do those late model LCD panels have latency issues, but the contrast ratio on them is so bad they're practically useless for watching movies/tv.
And that 'cheap' bulb??? Not really. $10 for 50 hours (lifespan of OHP bulbs) is 20 cents per hour. Guess what? A $400 bulb (like the one that goes in my Benq DLP) lasts 3000 hours in economy mode. That's 13 cents per hour, almost HALF as much as the OHP bulbs.
They are also heavily biased in their cost analysis when saying that Proxima panel
can be had for $25. Not saying it's impossible, just hightly unlikely. There are LCD panels in that price range, but not the 944. It's still going for well over $100 in hobbyist circles. Matter of fact, a quick Ebay search for completed Proxima listings shows that an Ovation 842 just sold for $90 shipped. The cables that go to those panels normally sell for almost as much as is being quoted for the entire panel !!
When all is said and done, you'll likely spend over $200 to get a barely watchable
1990's LCD panel with an overhead projector that costs twice as much to operate and is 10-20
times as big and heavy as just purchasing a real projector.
You can buy a used Infocus X1 or Benq 6100 for around $500. Either of these units will
make that Proxima panel look like the waste of time it really is.
You cannot recreate the theater experience without a projector. It ain't home theater (true) without same.
I'd agree with you COMPLETELY that it is not the same to watch a blockbuster movie on a measly 40-50-60 inch set. You need 100 plus to get recreate the bigscreen drama.
Benq 6200: Approx. $1200
Projector Screen: White wall $0
Not having to deal with crappy theaters: Priceless
I have a little different take on apologetics. From what I've seen, at least in the sphere of Christian dogma, apologetics exist to try and explain away the MYRIAD of verses that CONTRADICT what has been proven by science or time.
Hence, the apologist has to come up with all kinds of looney theories to explain the contradictions between a 6000 year old earth and a millions of year old Earth. The ID folks have dropped the 6000 year old Earth spiel (because science had too many proofs against it). I'm no bible scholar, but the Bible is full of things that 'need to be explained' against common sense and common experience. That's the job of the apologist.
Enjoy.
"Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women". (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5), they should also strive to require by law that :
A. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)
B. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)
C. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)
D. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)
E. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)
Call to hackers, crackers and modifiers..not necessarily in that order.
Who's gonna be the first one to design the same thing around a Mac-mini? Seems to me that if you had a touchscreen/battery combo that mated nicely to the Mac-mini you'd have a built in market. And the 'core' would only cost $500.
Am I genius crazy or just crazy? !
Enjoy.
It's just TV if you're watching it on a 27" inch set. It's fan-freaking-tastic if you're running 80" or better. I'm fond of FP DLP myself. For the record, HDTV is HIGHER RESOLUTION than DVD. Can't wait for the new DVD-HD format.
Enjoy.
I can't wait to get an Ipod for the sole purpose of never having to deal with CD's again. I already use Itunes on my PC as the main source for feeding my home stereo. I figured to use the Ipod in a similar arrangement in my car so I could LEAVE the CD's out of the car.
Enjoy.
It's All About High Definition
on
Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
If you don't own or haven't yet experienced HD, then your comment would seem to make sense. However, having taken the plunge, I can assure you that normal DVD quality, while a huge improvement over VHS,etc. is a step backward in picture quality from HD. It's not just an issue of increased storage capacity. Hard drives are cheap enough that isn't really an issue to me. But it's not ALL about PC's. The future of the home entertainment, electronics and entertainment industry rests on the quick adoption of a HD capable DVD.
Enjoy.
Slashdot Mirror
Less spam. Enjoy.
If you can't code for it then it can't exist. Enjoy.
I'm a great believer in solar and other renewable sources. I wonder how much of that desert we could already have covered (or roofs, etc.) with the amount of money we spent in Iraq? Even at the more modest off-the-shelf percentages of the current collectors? There's a math problem for one of you fellow geeks. While you're doing that, don't forget that WIND power IS ALREADY ECONOMICALLLY VIABLE (I saw a story this week where the producers of said technology were running at FULL PRODUCTION having trouble KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND. How accessible is this wind tech? As an example I will point out Hancock County near Britt IOWA (http://www.hoopercorp.com/uploads/media/hancock_w ind_farm.pdf)
We keep pissing money right and left into every 'futuristic' technology while overlooking the obvious. My dad's farm overlooks the windmills in those pictures. Until the REA came in, his dad ran the farm off the windmill using generators and a thirty volt DC system (they had a thirty volt vacuum cleaner). My dad is extremely energy conscious...freakishly so, but I can't convince him to install an upgraded wind turbine to his EXISTING TOWER because he's such a miser he figures he'll be dead before he can recoup the initial investment. On a strictly actuarial basis, he's probably correct.. As far as our larger society goes, I wish the government would quit blowing SMOKE up our asses and start actually doing what CAN ALREADY BE DONE.
Enjoy.
This has very little to do with protecting us from terrorists and so much to do with protecting the Republican lie machine from being exposed by 'overseas' sources....(radical crap like the BBC -lol) where there is still some real reporting going on. And all those left-leaning blogophiles who apparently were very helpful in the Democratic successes this election cycle. Enly.
It works. It works well and is supported like no other in the market (peripherals). Does it cost more than it should/could? Your call, but it's amusing to see so many of the slashcrowd complain when you know they're dropping sixty bucks on a PS2 game (or equiv.) I bought the 60 gig model a couple months ago. It's great for music, but I'm also finding a lot of podcasts (Bill Mahr Realtime e.g.) that I like. My Ipod also acts a backup for all my MP3's. That could be done cheaper with a true portable hard drive, but I get the advantage of being able to use my Ipod as the source for my car audio. Bottom line: complain about the price of something you can't live without instead of harping on the price of something that is truely a superfluous purchase. Enjoy.
How long before all those corporate contributors (the studios and shirts that are going to be providing the content that people PAY FOR) demand that videos critical of their product or industry are removed? Google buys YouTube and then GE buys Google. We'll get the same sanitized shit we're getting on 300 plus cable channels. Enjoy.
Sold TV's for twenty years. NEVER saw a set with a STORE DEMO MODE. Sure we ran the best source we could on all the TV's, but there is no STORE DEMO MODE setting on ANY TV I ever saw. Care to elaborate? Enjoy.
You can get a real nice XGA DLP for around a thousand bucks and it'll throw an AWESOME 80-100 inch diagonal picture on most any decent wall (without even the need for a screen)
I'm with you 100% on the relative worthlessness of $3000 40 and 50 inch plasmas though.
Enjoy.
Firefox will run on Windoz and Linux will not. How difficult is that to understand? Enjoy.
Metal Halide is the bulb of choice for diy'ers because even though you consider it 'expensive', when compared to just about any alternative light source, it is the best option. You have to deal with color temperature as well as longevity. Instead of looking at how much the thing costs straight outta the box you need to run the numbers on how much it costs per hour versus the alternatives. Can't remember the lifespan of Metal Halide, but I recall it being quite a bit higher than some of the alternatives. You really don't want to build one yourself unless you're doing it for 'the fun and challenge'. You won't save any money over buying a used DLP, and your results will likely not be very good. The main reason that LCD sucks is the CONTRAST RATIO. The best you're gonna find, even if you spend several hundred bucks on a newer screen is probably 500:1. DLP is 2000:1 and many people BITCH about that (CRT sets typically 5-10k:1 CR) In plain English that means your blackest black is gonna be GREY. Enjoy
My Benq 6200 DLP has a 200 watt bulb. Not enough to worry with. You may want to check on what the power consumption of a plasma is. They can be upwards of 500 watts, which IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE HEAT ISSUES. My OHP bulb is 400 watts, though I never use it anymore since getting a real projector. Enjoy.
Cheaper on a per hour cost basis than OHP bulbs. The bulb costs need to be considered. The Benq has a $400 bulb that lasts 3000 hours in economy mode. But here's my thinking and why I went DLP. I was ready to spend $3k on a dinky 40-50 inch plasma. I normally run my DLP at 100". Any clue as to how much a 100" plasma would cost? I have to buy a LOT of $400 bulbs and watch for tens of thousands of hours before I even get to the $3k mark I was intending to spend on the dinky plasma. Enjoy.
It'll still look like crap. I know. I have an OHP and LCD panel. I also own a Benq 6200 DLP. Don't even waste your time with that old LCD technology. The contrast ratio alone is so bad it's ridiculous. You can buy a used DLP on ebay for about $500. Enjoy.
Behr UPW (Ultra Pure White) straight to the wall will work quite nicely. I too used to think you needed a fancy screen until I bought my Benq 6200 last fall. I haven't even painted the wall WHITE yet. I'm projecting on bumpy off yellow wallpaper and IT ROCKS. I think the whole screen thing is a holdover from when people only had front projection CRT's. They were way too dim without a screen. Get an Infocus or Benq (or probably any other medium grade DLP) and you'll be so freakin' happy you won't believe it !!! Best forum for audio/video I've found is avsforum.com You'll find an entire thread on DIY screens. Plenty of folks who've actually done or are doing what you plan on. Input on everything from best projectors to best popcorn machines (I kid you not) Enjoy.
Not to knock what they've done (I did it myself using an Nview panel and OHP combo a couple years ago), but I think they're being a little misleading in their enthusiastic appraisal of the end product. Not only do those late model LCD panels have latency issues, but the contrast ratio on them is so bad they're practically useless for watching movies/tv. And that 'cheap' bulb??? Not really. $10 for 50 hours (lifespan of OHP bulbs) is 20 cents per hour. Guess what? A $400 bulb (like the one that goes in my Benq DLP) lasts 3000 hours in economy mode. That's 13 cents per hour, almost HALF as much as the OHP bulbs. They are also heavily biased in their cost analysis when saying that Proxima panel can be had for $25. Not saying it's impossible, just hightly unlikely. There are LCD panels in that price range, but not the 944. It's still going for well over $100 in hobbyist circles. Matter of fact, a quick Ebay search for completed Proxima listings shows that an Ovation 842 just sold for $90 shipped. The cables that go to those panels normally sell for almost as much as is being quoted for the entire panel !! When all is said and done, you'll likely spend over $200 to get a barely watchable 1990's LCD panel with an overhead projector that costs twice as much to operate and is 10-20 times as big and heavy as just purchasing a real projector. You can buy a used Infocus X1 or Benq 6100 for around $500. Either of these units will make that Proxima panel look like the waste of time it really is.
You cannot recreate the theater experience without a projector. It ain't home theater (true) without same. I'd agree with you COMPLETELY that it is not the same to watch a blockbuster movie on a measly 40-50-60 inch set. You need 100 plus to get recreate the bigscreen drama. Benq 6200: Approx. $1200 Projector Screen: White wall $0 Not having to deal with crappy theaters: Priceless
I have a little different take on apologetics. From what I've seen, at least in the sphere of Christian dogma, apologetics exist to try and explain away the MYRIAD of verses that CONTRADICT what has been proven by science or time. Hence, the apologist has to come up with all kinds of looney theories to explain the contradictions between a 6000 year old earth and a millions of year old Earth. The ID folks have dropped the 6000 year old Earth spiel (because science had too many proofs against it). I'm no bible scholar, but the Bible is full of things that 'need to be explained' against common sense and common experience. That's the job of the apologist. Enjoy.
"Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women". (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5), they should also strive to require by law that : A. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21) B. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21) C. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30) D. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9) E. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)
Call to hackers, crackers and modifiers..not necessarily in that order. Who's gonna be the first one to design the same thing around a Mac-mini? Seems to me that if you had a touchscreen/battery combo that mated nicely to the Mac-mini you'd have a built in market. And the 'core' would only cost $500. Am I genius crazy or just crazy? ! Enjoy.
It's just TV if you're watching it on a 27" inch set. It's fan-freaking-tastic if you're running 80" or better. I'm fond of FP DLP myself. For the record, HDTV is HIGHER RESOLUTION than DVD. Can't wait for the new DVD-HD format. Enjoy.
I can't wait to get an Ipod for the sole purpose of never having to deal with CD's again. I already use Itunes on my PC as the main source for feeding my home stereo. I figured to use the Ipod in a similar arrangement in my car so I could LEAVE the CD's out of the car. Enjoy.
If you don't own or haven't yet experienced HD, then your comment would seem to make sense. However, having taken the plunge, I can assure you that normal DVD quality, while a huge improvement over VHS,etc. is a step backward in picture quality from HD. It's not just an issue of increased storage capacity. Hard drives are cheap enough that isn't really an issue to me. But it's not ALL about PC's. The future of the home entertainment, electronics and entertainment industry rests on the quick adoption of a HD capable DVD. Enjoy.
Without a shotgun. Enjoy.
Sweet. Enjoy.
The $2000 electric you seek is now available for $4000. It's called a Segway. Enjoy.