Turns out that on Google News, backlinks do *not* improve search positioning.
Seems quite reasonable. After all, being news, how is it going to have many backlinks? And how are they all going to be found while the news is still new? By the time the news is old enough to appear in Google's regular results, backlinks become useful. Am I missing something?
I can't imagine a VT100 being useful for much of anything. Without insert/delete line, which appeared in the VT102, vi is painful. So are many other programs. TECO maybe.
Just today I saw a snippet about railcabs on DW-TV. Individual cars on legacy tracks that have been updated with magnetic propulsion. Cars apparently attach and detatch themselves from trains, making them fairly autonomous. Cars can carry people or cargo boxes. Various early prototypes are in progress now. The researcher suggested that a serious prototype is maybe 5 years away, with commercial deployment in 10 years.
And because of this gigantic list, many of which are not handled by the WU or OU sites, there are several annoying novice-unfriendly manual steps involved after visiting WU.
As an OEM that sells systems bundled with XP, Dell, I believe, is obligated to support systems whose users apply service packs to the OEM-installed OS. There was some flak about this some time ago when some OEMs simply referred their customers to Microsoft, and I believe that they were reminded that they picked up this obligation as one consequence of their OEM arrangement. This support site page gives the particulars for Dell. In my experience, Dell acts like any other Windows sysadm: they wait until their own internal testing is done before they add it to the list of supported service packs, so that they can simultaneously publish a list of any issues (such as required driver updates). Until then, you take your chances (which have been minimal for me, though I tend to stay in the Latitude line, even for home systems) and rely on the forums. My reading is that Dell isn't done with its testing, and the particular spokesperson is only half right: not supported until their testing is complete and it appears on the above page.
A partial answer (to your first paragraph) is in The Fine Article's footnote:
* Average saccade length and fixation times vary by language. The data presented here are for American English readers. While the values vary by language, it is remarkable that reading cognitive processes change so little from language to language.
how many deep cycle batteries he could chain off an APC BackUPS
Only slightly above the "toy" UPSes, APC has models that let you chain external battery units (no need to hack the hardware, which probably makes assumptions about the supported battery technology and configuration, thus limiting your options on battery choice). The last one I used had to be told through its software on the server how many external batteries it had, but then handled everything thereafter. Perhaps the original poster's units are among these? Also, APC claims to have mgt software for several Linux distros (PowerChute Business Edition Basic).
I'm really amused at how the decrease in power quality in Californa and the East is causing more ordinary people to add load (the UPS) to deal with it. My prefered defense is to start with a laptop, which has lower power requirements and smarter management to begin with plus its own battery, and then I can reduce or eliminate the UPS.
Didn't even old 500 phones have a current limiter across the earpiece to prevent just this sort of thing? (I.e., a phone ring voltage somehow arriving while the handset is at your ear.) This isn't a new problem.
What concerns me much more than the minor exploits described in the article is Microsoft's sloppy attitude in handling out-of-band data like this in general. Microsoft seems to be grabbing ADS in a very ad hoc way without thinking (or at least without caring) about consequences. A few examples:
The article mentiones "Windows built-in ZIP utilities honor ZoneIDs" (by, among other things, preserving ADSes?), implying that Windows' ZIP capability is now incompatible with other ZIP applications (though I can't find any details on this, and I can't confirm that XPSP2 preserves ADSes in ZIP folders (it appears not to)).
The switch from using ADSes in Win2K for image metadata to using Microsoft proprietary EXIF fields (yet another bad idea, and not even backwardly compatible with Win2K) and thumbs.dbl in WinXP. After switching away from ADSes for this application, it's surprising to find them using ADSes for the new ZoneID.
The total lack of bundled ADS tools (including really basic info like disk usage).
Increasing complaints at adm sites that ADSes are a security issue on their own.
Certainly another reason to use Mozilla, but also another reason to track down tools to find and expunge a large class of ADSes from files; more work ahead.
No, you missed the parent's point. The fan itself also consumes electricity and, not being a perfect converter, generates additional heat (from its motor, moving air, noise, etc.). Just adding a fan to the original fanless system will generate more heat.
My kids are past elementary school, but we've had to deal with at least two other equally bogus programs that were nevertheless strongly supported by some of the administrators:
McDonald's providing arithmetic practice sheets driven by its products and pricing for use as in-class exercises. This would have been fine as a hand-out at its restaurants. The justification was that teachers can always use free teaching materials, whatever the source or motivation.
The American Heart Association running a fund raising drive disguised as PE and charity work for the organization's direct benefit, but during school hours. This one would have been fine if volunteers had been requested, and if it were held outside of the state-mandated teaching hours.
Much of this nonsense didn't stop, despite numerous complaints from parents, until Consumer Reports wrote up the practice.
The only role that these sorts of things have in the classroom is in a high school level civics style class that discusses why they should not be used in the classroom.
This is yet another example why keeping infrastructure details secret is a bad idea. It's security through obscurity in the real world, and removes any incentive to actually fix these things. Now that there is a public report about it, there's at least a chance that pressure can be brought to bear, and get it fixed.
In addition to a per-transaction fee (a sample one is given as $0.15 on a song perchase), there is this paragraph at the very end of the How It Works Seller document:
You can use the money you earn on Bitmunk to buy digital files that you want, or you can transfer the money in your Bitmunk financial account to a banking institution of your choice. It can take anywhere from two days (if you're a highly trusted seller) to one month (if you're new, are selling newly registered creative works, or have complaints logged against you) to withdraw your money to a banking institution.
So Bitmunk also makes money on interest. Not unreasonable in principle. For example, it defeats the purpose of micropayments if someone's credit card is hit on each purchase. On the other hand, 2 days to 1 month sounds long to outrageously long for a modern system. And much like a brokerage account, one might additionally expect interest for funds held there over some length of time.
Sure enough. Just noticed a recent addition to Microsoft's WinXP2 download site:
Please Note:
The Microsoft Download Center site at the URL above is your only authorized web source for downloading a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 2. To report a website offering unlicensed copies of Windows XP SP2 for download, please send e-mail to: piracy@microsoft.com or visit http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/ReportingUs.mspx.
The very best solution I've ever had for writing up all kinds of documents, taking meeting notes, and doing other basic things such as PIM, yet maintaining long battery life and low weight, is an HP Jornada 820 (WinCE). A real 8-10 hours on a full charge, a real, touch-typable keyboard (the only bug was a misplaced caps-lock key thanks to MS's strong-arming the initial H/PC keyboard layout), and a screen more than sufficient for writing draft and some final documents (640x480). Also meeting-friendly (no fan, true instant on, one click to turn off all sound, no scrounging for an outlet, no panic when the meeting takes longer than my battery). Anything smaller is not touch-typable and anything bigger might as well be a laptop. It can sync with a fully loaded laptop that stays at my office or hotel room, where I'd be more likely to watch a DVD anyway. Unfortunately, this form factor has not succeeded for a variety of reasons, an important one being that one must give up something significant to get really good battery life. Today, I'd probably pick a very small form factor notebook to retain a touch-type capability, and cut its other features to the bone (slow processor, minimal disk, RAM; no integral CD/DVD). Leave all the power in the desktop-replacement laptop that lives a less mobile life.
It seems that every new technology has some security defect, or some other flaw. This reminds me of DirectTV smart cards.
Well, it reminds me of utility companies that used to send out bills on 80-column punch cards. They all stupidly believed that the cards would be returned, with critical information unadulterated, with the payment check. It didn't take long for people to find the columns representing the credit amount...
Not to mention a wide favorite: POTS' use of in-band routing tones like 2600 Hz.
It's amazing how often these same kinds of mistakes are made. In just about every case I know of, it's been caused by people choosing and preferring convenience over correctness, until they're actually bitten.
No, it was a gray largish powder, with a slightly crystaline look to it as I recall, and it never hardened like plaster. Also as I recall, our teacher said it was asbestos.
Does anyone else remember using asbestos modeling compound in elementary school in the '60s? It was served up as a powder (!) on small plywood work boards used at our desks. We added water, mixed into a play doh like consistency, and made sculptures.
Um, nobody in business, in their right mind, would commit to something that wasn't finalized yet.
Plenty of companies have done this. It's a well-established way to influence (some might say usurp) the standards process by loading an implementation of an unusable, incomplete draft with enough additional (or even conflicting) features to make it useful, and serve the company's own ends (which may be as straightforward as time-to-market in the face of a slow standards process). One pertinent example is the x86 floating-point architecture, that was "standardized" on a draft, not final, version of IEEE 754. Practically any RISC processor has a more faithful implementation of the final standard, and one that is much more compatible with any of the other RISCs than with the x86.
Many people have already pointed out that this is already possible via things like Windows Terminal Services, but have only referenced corporate setups. I tried out an Internet based provider over 2 years ago that sold a subscription to a Windows desktop with Office over TS. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of rough edges for personal use of such technology. For one thing, the service felt compelled to lock down nearly everything; it was nearly impossible to create even a desktop shortcut. And forget about your own favorite software; anything that isn't extremely mainstream.
And with the recent court decision about ISP access to e-mail, why would people have the incentive to move their personal onto servers, when the decision will tend to drive them from servers back to their own systems under their own control again?
Slashdot Mirror
Turns out that on Google News, backlinks do *not* improve search positioning.
Seems quite reasonable. After all, being news, how is it going to have many backlinks? And how are they all going to be found while the news is still new? By the time the news is old enough to appear in Google's regular results, backlinks become useful. Am I missing something?
I can't imagine a VT100 being useful for much of anything. Without insert/delete line, which appeared in the VT102, vi is painful. So are many other programs. TECO maybe.
Just today I saw a snippet about railcabs on DW-TV. Individual cars on legacy tracks that have been updated with magnetic propulsion. Cars apparently attach and detatch themselves from trains, making them fairly autonomous. Cars can carry people or cargo boxes. Various early prototypes are in progress now. The researcher suggested that a serious prototype is maybe 5 years away, with commercial deployment in 10 years.
And because of this gigantic list, many of which are not handled by the WU or OU sites, there are several annoying novice-unfriendly manual steps involved after visiting WU.
As an OEM that sells systems bundled with XP, Dell, I believe, is obligated to support systems whose users apply service packs to the OEM-installed OS. There was some flak about this some time ago when some OEMs simply referred their customers to Microsoft, and I believe that they were reminded that they picked up this obligation as one consequence of their OEM arrangement. This support site page gives the particulars for Dell. In my experience, Dell acts like any other Windows sysadm: they wait until their own internal testing is done before they add it to the list of supported service packs, so that they can simultaneously publish a list of any issues (such as required driver updates). Until then, you take your chances (which have been minimal for me, though I tend to stay in the Latitude line, even for home systems) and rely on the forums. My reading is that Dell isn't done with its testing, and the particular spokesperson is only half right: not supported until their testing is complete and it appears on the above page.
A partial answer (to your first paragraph) is in The Fine Article's footnote:
* Average saccade length and fixation times vary by language. The data presented here are for American English readers. While the values vary by language, it is remarkable that reading cognitive processes change so little from language to language.
how many deep cycle batteries he could chain off an APC BackUPS
Only slightly above the "toy" UPSes, APC has models that let you chain external battery units (no need to hack the hardware, which probably makes assumptions about the supported battery technology and configuration, thus limiting your options on battery choice). The last one I used had to be told through its software on the server how many external batteries it had, but then handled everything thereafter. Perhaps the original poster's units are among these? Also, APC claims to have mgt software for several Linux distros (PowerChute Business Edition Basic).
I'm really amused at how the decrease in power quality in Californa and the East is causing more ordinary people to add load (the UPS) to deal with it. My prefered defense is to start with a laptop, which has lower power requirements and smarter management to begin with plus its own battery, and then I can reduce or eliminate the UPS.
Didn't even old 500 phones have a current limiter across the earpiece to prevent just this sort of thing? (I.e., a phone ring voltage somehow arriving while the handset is at your ear.) This isn't a new problem.
But just try to win the case after discovery exposes an admission like yours!
What concerns me much more than the minor exploits described in the article is Microsoft's sloppy attitude in handling out-of-band data like this in general. Microsoft seems to be grabbing ADS in a very ad hoc way without thinking (or at least without caring) about consequences. A few examples:
Certainly another reason to use Mozilla, but also another reason to track down tools to find and expunge a large class of ADSes from files; more work ahead.
No, you missed the parent's point. The fan itself also consumes electricity and, not being a perfect converter, generates additional heat (from its motor, moving air, noise, etc.). Just adding a fan to the original fanless system will generate more heat.
This isn't education, it's propaganda.
My kids are past elementary school, but we've had to deal with at least two other equally bogus programs that were nevertheless strongly supported by some of the administrators:
Much of this nonsense didn't stop, despite numerous complaints from parents, until Consumer Reports wrote up the practice.
The only role that these sorts of things have in the classroom is in a high school level civics style class that discusses why they should not be used in the classroom.
My two rock-bottom flicks are The Wizard of Mars (so bad it's very hard to find, apparently) and the ever-unpopular Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
This is yet another example why keeping infrastructure details secret is a bad idea. It's security through obscurity in the real world, and removes any incentive to actually fix these things. Now that there is a public report about it, there's at least a chance that pressure can be brought to bear, and get it fixed.
In addition to a per-transaction fee (a sample one is given as $0.15 on a song perchase), there is this paragraph at the very end of the How It Works Seller document:
You can use the money you earn on Bitmunk to buy digital files that you want, or you can transfer the money in your Bitmunk financial account to a banking institution of your choice. It can take anywhere from two days (if you're a highly trusted seller) to one month (if you're new, are selling newly registered creative works, or have complaints logged against you) to withdraw your money to a banking institution.
So Bitmunk also makes money on interest. Not unreasonable in principle. For example, it defeats the purpose of micropayments if someone's credit card is hit on each purchase. On the other hand, 2 days to 1 month sounds long to outrageously long for a modern system. And much like a brokerage account, one might additionally expect interest for funds held there over some length of time.
Surprise! It's illegal.
Sure enough. Just noticed a recent addition to Microsoft's WinXP2 download site:
Please Note:
The Microsoft Download Center site at the URL above is your only authorized web source for downloading a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 2. To report a website offering unlicensed copies of Windows XP SP2 for download, please send e-mail to: piracy@microsoft.com or visit http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/ReportingUs.mspx.
The very best solution I've ever had for writing up all kinds of documents, taking meeting notes, and doing other basic things such as PIM, yet maintaining long battery life and low weight, is an HP Jornada 820 (WinCE). A real 8-10 hours on a full charge, a real, touch-typable keyboard (the only bug was a misplaced caps-lock key thanks to MS's strong-arming the initial H/PC keyboard layout), and a screen more than sufficient for writing draft and some final documents (640x480). Also meeting-friendly (no fan, true instant on, one click to turn off all sound, no scrounging for an outlet, no panic when the meeting takes longer than my battery). Anything smaller is not touch-typable and anything bigger might as well be a laptop. It can sync with a fully loaded laptop that stays at my office or hotel room, where I'd be more likely to watch a DVD anyway. Unfortunately, this form factor has not succeeded for a variety of reasons, an important one being that one must give up something significant to get really good battery life. Today, I'd probably pick a very small form factor notebook to retain a touch-type capability, and cut its other features to the bone (slow processor, minimal disk, RAM; no integral CD/DVD). Leave all the power in the desktop-replacement laptop that lives a less mobile life.
so if in contact with a BSE protein it'll learn to fold the BSE way.
So this sounds very close to an Ice 9 like scenario, with this particular molecule in a brain. Is that the kind of model you're describing?
It seems that every new technology has some security defect, or some other flaw. This reminds me of DirectTV smart cards.
Well, it reminds me of utility companies that used to send out bills on 80-column punch cards. They all stupidly believed that the cards would be returned, with critical information unadulterated, with the payment check. It didn't take long for people to find the columns representing the credit amount...
Not to mention a wide favorite: POTS' use of in-band routing tones like 2600 Hz.
It's amazing how often these same kinds of mistakes are made. In just about every case I know of, it's been caused by people choosing and preferring convenience over correctness, until they're actually bitten.
That sounds more like Plaster of Paris to me.
No, it was a gray largish powder, with a slightly crystaline look to it as I recall, and it never hardened like plaster. Also as I recall, our teacher said it was asbestos.
Does anyone else remember using asbestos modeling compound in elementary school in the '60s? It was served up as a powder (!) on small plywood work boards used at our desks. We added water, mixed into a play doh like consistency, and made sculptures.
Anyone remember "Dialing for Dollars"?
Exactly! This is decades-old prior art. Perhaps older are radio shows that used the same methods.
Um, nobody in business, in their right mind, would commit to something that wasn't finalized yet.
Plenty of companies have done this. It's a well-established way to influence (some might say usurp) the standards process by loading an implementation of an unusable, incomplete draft with enough additional (or even conflicting) features to make it useful, and serve the company's own ends (which may be as straightforward as time-to-market in the face of a slow standards process). One pertinent example is the x86 floating-point architecture, that was "standardized" on a draft, not final, version of IEEE 754. Practically any RISC processor has a more faithful implementation of the final standard, and one that is much more compatible with any of the other RISCs than with the x86.
Many people have already pointed out that this is already possible via things like Windows Terminal Services, but have only referenced corporate setups. I tried out an Internet based provider over 2 years ago that sold a subscription to a Windows desktop with Office over TS. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of rough edges for personal use of such technology. For one thing, the service felt compelled to lock down nearly everything; it was nearly impossible to create even a desktop shortcut. And forget about your own favorite software; anything that isn't extremely mainstream.
And with the recent court decision about ISP access to e-mail, why would people have the incentive to move their personal onto servers, when the decision will tend to drive them from servers back to their own systems under their own control again?
... before it's too old for the front page. Probably a good idea to read before heading straight to the zip file.
guidance_WinXP.html