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User: SsShane

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Comments · 76

  1. Re:This is just a bunch of on GPS Toolkit (GPSTk) 1.0 Released · · Score: 2, Interesting

    GIS (and GPS which go hand in hand) is a fast growing branch of IT. I worked network admin stuff and hated it, and then fell into a GIS position because the guy was leaving and I took to it easy because of my experience making Doom, Quake and UT maps (I am not joking). The computer science background helped of course. I love it so much, that I download MOLA data from the Mars Global Surveyor and make hight maps that depict what-if oceans (that one taxed my computer good), calculate the volume of Mons Olympus' caldera, and other useless stuff. GIS is a geek paradise.

  2. Re:Dust cloud width on Saturn Hailstorm · · Score: 1

    My guess is that the rings have a certain falloff? The 1 km thickness may be for objects worth measuring; some are large enought to destroy the craft, there are even "moons" in the rings: bodies small enough not to be broken by the Roche Limit. I would guess that small dust particles would make a noticeable plasma puff at those speeds and that the dust stretches vertically much more than the 1 km "standard" ring size.

  3. Re:This would be a good thing for WiGLE on Open Source Geographic Information Systems · · Score: 1

    What's WiGLE? wigle.net is dead on my end. Anyhow, if you spend the money, you can get GPS accuracy to within one centimeter according to the many consultants that court us. We currently use a Leica unit that talks to Coast Guard base stations on the fly which is called Real Time Kinematics or something that gives you sub-meter accuracy. To get the one centimeter accuracy you need to subscrbe to a serice that's only ~$700/mo, rougly ;) The accuracy in GPS lately has licensed surveyors in a bit of a tiff by some articles I have read. The word "flim-flam artist" comes up a lot.

  4. Re:Here's Hoping on Open Source Geographic Information Systems · · Score: 1

    Some ESRI rep told me they were porting ArcGIS to Unix/Linux. I think ArcGIS blows Arcview 3.x out of the water, by the way. In my opinion, open source GIS has a long way to go but I am happy that it exists in the first place. GRASS can do some stuff that ArcGIS can't such as compute aspects and such. Sure I have to go through the equivalent of sticking a hot iron in my eye but it's cheaper than the ~$2500 pricetag ESRI asks us for for the same functionality.

  5. What the... on Intermec Claims RFID is Proprietary · · Score: 4, Funny

    The government agency I work at uses RFID for security! These guys are terrorists.

  6. This doesn't surprise me on Hubble Discovers a Hundred New Planets · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The discovery will lend support to the idea that almost every sunlike star in our galaxy, and probably the Universe, is accompanied by planets.

    If you've ever read anything about star formation the co-effect of planet formation seems a no-brainer. Just eddies in an accretion disk. It would seem more unlikely to me that an accretion disk would perfectly aggregate into a lone star. In fact, you can apply this to other things, such as ring formation, and more sporadically I would imagine, life. The universe is a BIG place.

  7. Re:Tired of them on RIAA Protests Digital Radio · · Score: 1

    To complicated! Just use Magnatune.

  8. Re:EOL underestimated on Rovers May Survive Martian Winter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Tell that to the Beagle guys. Just the fact that we landed both of them in the first place is an accomplishment.

  9. It brings forth good photography as well on Digital Photography Composition 101 · · Score: 1

    My father took up photography as a direct result of it being digital and really excels at it now. Without the need to buy and develop film he has been able to take up a hobby he had no idea he would enjoy so much. Him, his digital camera and his Macintosh are unstoppable.

  10. Re:In 10 years? on Microsoft Revamps Licensing Plans · · Score: 1

    The Public Works department of our city runs its operations network on Novell with Windows 95, NT, and a few Widnows 2000 boxes for people who know how to use computers beyond email. 133mHz processors are common.

  11. GG GUYS on Is Caps Lock Dead? · · Score: 1

    I THINK IT SHOULD BE MOVED oops, sorry bout caps...was playing some Quake

  12. Re:Thru?!? on A Former Microsoftie Forecasts Microsoft Doom · · Score: 2, Funny

    Careful dood, your loosing it.

  13. What is being released exactly? on BBC Creative Archive Based On Creative Commons · · Score: 4, Funny

    I want mah Doctor Who!

  14. I tried. I reallly did. on Record Labels Push for iTunes Price Hike · · Score: 1

    It's back to p2p. I don't even think I need to explain.

  15. Re:In related news... on Worms Jack Up the Total Cost of Windows · · Score: 1

    Most PHP's don't even realize there are alternatives to Windows. They'll just assume it's a natural cost of doing business not bat an eye.

  16. Re:Say it aint so! on RIAA Forgets to Make Royalty Payments · · Score: 1

    This comment wasn't that funny.

  17. Re:GPS units can do a lot on How to: Use a GPS watch, XML and Satellite photos · · Score: 1

    The Lat/Long coordinates are the NMEA standard (the streaming data I was talking about). I actually convert the Lat/Longs to NAD83 State Plane, Virginia South, in my GIS.

  18. GPS units can do a lot on How to: Use a GPS watch, XML and Satellite photos · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Most GPS units will stream their data to a standard format that can be captured with Hyperterminal or something similar. Writing a Python script that parses the data and converts the coordinates to Lat/Long decimal degrees is very easy. I wrote one for our Lowrance GPS/Depth Sounder to plot course, position, and depth data for our many small lakes. With a few control points to find the current water elevation before sounding the lake, a failry accurate digital terrain model can be generated using some good GIS software. I'm sure techiniques like this could be used in many situations; the XML output is a neat idea and something I'd like to look into. Since Python has great string manipulation capabilities however, its nice to use for the amount of customizing that can be done (the data string can carry rediculous amounts of information like depths (mentioned above), ground speed and lots of other stuff, depending on the type of GPS unit).

  19. Re:don't forget your own ideas on Reasonable Salary for Entry Level Programmers? · · Score: 1

    Best post.

  20. Re:Gonna Outsource Those Assholes to India on RIAA's Nasty Easter Egg · · Score: 2, Informative
  21. Re:I dont' have numbers in my name... on People with real l337 speak names? · · Score: 1

    That's interesting, I never realized 'Shawn' was Hebrew. Thanks for the info!

  22. I dont' have numbers in my name... on People with real l337 speak names? · · Score: 1

    My name is Shane but pronounced "Shawn" and I live in America. Does anyone else pronounce it the same or heard of anyone? Is this common in Ireland? It's caused confusion throughout my life, mostly in school. In fact, in high school I went by the normal pronunciation of Shane just so I didn't have to deal with it. People I work with who only see my name in print (paperwork etc) call me "Shane" as well and I don't correct them out of habit. It's like I have two names :/

  23. The work is hell on Plumber, Electrician... Digitician? · · Score: 1

    I do the tech support for my friends and co-workers and it is complete hell. The money I make is paltry and I don't ask for more as they are mostly friends...plus I like the simple pleasure of helping people out. But the frustration involved, whether it be a new virus or just the recipient's knack for getting infected with every worm/trojan/malware possible over and over again, is immense and I am at my limit. $50/hr is VERY reasonable.

  24. Re:Was LOTR really that good? on Peter Jackson Says "Hobbit" Movie In The Works · · Score: 1

    I have never read the LotR books (and I read ALOT) and refused because the movies had me so entertained I didn't want to ruin it. Maybe I would feel differently if I had read the books but I think the trilogy was hands-down the best trilogy ever made...and that says a lot since Star Wars practically raised me as a child.

  25. Re:Uh oh.. on Peter Jackson Says "Hobbit" Movie In The Works · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's a fantastic audiobook too. Same with the Hobbit audiobook. Audible!