Actually MiB is the correct term for 1048,576 Bytes. It has not always been, but it is now and has technically been so for 7 years now.
The computer industry took kilo (meaning 1000) and tweaked it to mean 1024, but everywhere else kilo is 1000 and should not have been bastardized like this.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiB
I actually prefer mlDonkey (or mlNet as it seems to be renaming itself) for accessing the ed2k network. aMule would lock up on me while performing certain operations, seemed like just a busy loop but was still a pain.
mlDonkey does ed2k, Kad, Overnet, BitTorrent, and others I haven't used. I leave it running on my server, control it through the web interface (or telnet), get an email when the file is complete and watch it when I get home.
I have much the same thing. But I also have a special case.
First time I visted a friends house, it was night time, and my sense of direction got flipped (I also wasn't driving). It now seems to be stuck that way. I can drive out there and tell exactly when my sense of north does a 180. Driving through a cutout in a hill, can't see anything but the sides of the trench, when coming from one direction, and from the other direction its a set of curves that are bounded in by dense trees.
So, gyroscope, yes, but it can be confused/overriden by what you think you know.
Here's another example: In medieval times, the alchemical process of creating lenses, perfecting the techniques of polishing them so that they would be as near perfect as possible. Meanwhile, all around, plagues and misery bedeviled society, which made lenses a pointless and costly exercise in trivial matters, according to the pundits of the age.
Little did the pundits know that from this work, among other things, the microscope would come to being, the discovery of the source of diseases was only a matter of time.
Oh that is a great example, much better then Columbus.
The thing is, the trip from the surface to Low Earth Orbit (where the ISS is) is quite a different trip then from LEO to the moon.
AFAIK, the current plan (or one of) is to launch docking stations up to LEO, using existing lifters (such as the Soyez rockets), then launch vehicles from there to moon orbit. A similar floating dock will be put up in moon orbit, and landers will be launched from there to the surface.
Of course, this all has to be lifted from earth, but I reckon they get better utility using craft customised for each leg of the trip, then trying to make a fleet of ships that tries to do the whole lot. Especially when you think of reuse. A heavy lift can splash land and be reused (or recycled), a transport once already in "space" can be reused many times. Current designs that go all the way in one vehicle do a lot of throwing away.
I agree, you're right. It is not being used the way it was designed, and has turned in to a white elephant.
But, in todays society, if they scrapped the ISS, I could never see them starting a new one. At least, with this white elephant, the bean counters could possibly be swayed with the "we've invested this much, lets invest some more and get something out of it" argument, where I cannot see this mentality starting from nothing. Especially since they will have the "failed white elephant" of the ISS to hold up as an example of why it will never work.
There are some things that just should be done, and damn the cost. That is what a government is for, to do the things that are not profitable, that are not returning on investment, to get the ball rolling to get the basics in place, until it does become reasonable to make a profit, for a company to step up and say, yes, we'll foot the initial outlay because NASA has done the boring, unprofitable grunt work, they have tried the thousand ways to do it wrong, and now we know which way will work.
It is the government's job to finance the future potentially useful tasks. To drag out a tired example, it's a modern Columbus. It is a cost that is most likely going to return nothing, but if it does, the potential rewards will make it all worth it.
For office use, a linux distro (such as Debian or Ubuntu) which allowed you to specify the repositories, and not allow modification of the list, would work just fine, in general.
System admin's would only allow updates from the offical repository, with a local repository for mirror/caching and business specific software packages.
I use something like this for my relatives. Give them a linux, don't give them root, make all updates/installations go through me.
Then print out a poster for my door "setup.exe will not run on your system"...
I'm not a SL expert, but as far as I know: The smallest transaction is L$1 If an object is sold non-modifable/non-reproducable, you can't (easily afaik) bypass this.
If you hand produce an identical texture, it costs you to upload it (L$10 I think).
Items contain who created them originally, so even if you put yourself out of pocket (and effort) to make a duplicate, people could easily tell they were being given/buying a bootleg.
And in both cases, it's still publicity for the original company. Just if it's bootlegged, it's free publicity!
Thank you for your description of Ocaml. I've seen one program implemented in it (MLDonkey) and read a little about it, but had filed it under "Yet Another Niche Language".
If I ever get any free time (ha!) I'll look closer at it.
In a similar manner, my HTPC is a P3 500Mhz, with the BIOS updated to take larger drives, and 512MB of RAM. It's also my home web/socks/squid/ftp/ssh/screen session server.
Even using KDE, which is generally considered bloated, it runs quite well, and was for a while my main use machine, until I got tired of reading text on the TV (ick). A good part of that is due to using the nVIDIA accelerated X drivers.
The only things I've found it underpowered for is HD res video, the right-click menu's in Amarok are slow, and cross-fading tracks will skip if the system is under load, such as file transfer. Since the TV output is only 800x600, not playing HD video's is not a big deal to me!
Could you imagine the reaction if Intel admitted they were not a monopoly, though? If they kept it quiet, the internal reaction would probably be upsetting, to CEO's and the like. If it was publically announced, or anounced quietly without legal force to keep it quiet, then the media and marketing opportunities for AMD would be pretty significant.
Exactly! SILC already has an existing public network, no need to set up your own server (but its easy to do so, if you feel the want).
At work, we're currently developing the multi-user layer of our flagship program, and we're using SILC because it's an existing, tested, standards approved (they get a 1024 port) system.
I'm going to reply to this, for no particular reason. I don't play WoW, I play a text MUD, but the same problem is there:
I'm still treated like a newbie. I've been playing longer then a lot of people, on and off, a couple of hours a week, yet all the people I meet don't want to party with me, because every-one else is in a rush to get past "newbiedom" and get to "the real game". When I meet a person who I can party with, next time I play, they are 5 levels up and not interested in some-one of my level.
So instead I spend all my time solo'ing. I'm in a MUD, a Multi-User game, which was the whole point, and where am I? Running around the same old newpbie places smacking things with my sword. I'm only holding on because of people who are still friends (even though they don't party with me any more) who keep urging me on to that mysterious "one day".
But, I can console myself: One of the reasons I'm still in newbie levels is because in this game, levels are cheap, skills/training is expensive. And I don't (generally) level until I've maxed up my skills, at least to the gold free limits (gold is even more expensive!). So, when I do leave the "newbie" levels, I'm going to kick some serious butt.
I was actually thinking of equipment, including safety gear. There are currently regulations that treat sligtly irradiated equipment, such as clean suits and masks and so on, as needing disposal in the same manner of radioactive material.
Reactor materials, sure, they definately become radioactive. I don't know how radioactive the things like cooling systems and so on get, but the sheilding definately does (lead transmutes in nasty ways).
I am not a scientist, but I think your statement of millions of tons of nuclear waste is incorrect. As far as I understand, nuclear reactors do not produce nearly that large an amount of radioactive waste.
Radiated waste, that may be a different matter, and is again a reaction to "nukular bad". Radiated waste is non-radioactive waste, that has been irradiated.
Nuclear power is a short term solution. However, it's the only one we can implement right now, that will provide enough of a change. Its the lesser of two evils (the other being fossil fuels).
If "humanity" were to use the 50 years of nuclear power as "starting collateral" on putting up space-based solar collectors, I'd be very happy. Space based solar power really is free energy, because otherwise its just going out to space, aka infinite nothingness. Ground based solar (and wind) generators are removing energy from the weather system, and will cause changes in climate conditions.
Slashdot Mirror
This is what I came in to say, thank you.
Actually MiB is the correct term for 1048,576 Bytes. It has not always been, but it is now and has technically been so for 7 years now. The computer industry took kilo (meaning 1000) and tweaked it to mean 1024, but everywhere else kilo is 1000 and should not have been bastardized like this. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiB
I actually prefer mlDonkey (or mlNet as it seems to be renaming itself) for accessing the ed2k network. aMule would lock up on me while performing certain operations, seemed like just a busy loop but was still a pain.
mlDonkey does ed2k, Kad, Overnet, BitTorrent, and others I haven't used. I leave it running on my server, control it through the web interface (or telnet), get an email when the file is complete and watch it when I get home.
I have much the same thing. But I also have a special case.
First time I visted a friends house, it was night time, and my sense of direction got flipped (I also wasn't driving). It now seems to be stuck that way. I can drive out there and tell exactly when my sense of north does a 180. Driving through a cutout in a hill, can't see anything but the sides of the trench, when coming from one direction, and from the other direction its a set of curves that are bounded in by dense trees.
So, gyroscope, yes, but it can be confused/overriden by what you think you know.
The thing is, the trip from the surface to Low Earth Orbit (where the ISS is) is quite a different trip then from LEO to the moon.
AFAIK, the current plan (or one of) is to launch docking stations up to LEO, using existing lifters (such as the Soyez rockets), then launch vehicles from there to moon orbit. A similar floating dock will be put up in moon orbit, and landers will be launched from there to the surface.
Of course, this all has to be lifted from earth, but I reckon they get better utility using craft customised for each leg of the trip, then trying to make a fleet of ships that tries to do the whole lot.
Especially when you think of reuse. A heavy lift can splash land and be reused (or recycled), a transport once already in "space" can be reused many times. Current designs that go all the way in one vehicle do a lot of throwing away.
I agree, you're right. It is not being used the way it was designed, and has turned in to a white elephant.
But, in todays society, if they scrapped the ISS, I could never see them starting a new one. At least, with this white elephant, the bean counters could possibly be swayed with the "we've invested this much, lets invest some more and get something out of it" argument, where I cannot see this mentality starting from nothing. Especially since they will have the "failed white elephant" of the ISS to hold up as an example of why it will never work.
There are some things that just should be done, and damn the cost. That is what a government is for, to do the things that are not profitable, that are not returning on investment, to get the ball rolling to get the basics in place, until it does become reasonable to make a profit, for a company to step up and say, yes, we'll foot the initial outlay because NASA has done the boring, unprofitable grunt work, they have tried the thousand ways to do it wrong, and now we know which way will work.
It is the government's job to finance the future potentially useful tasks. To drag out a tired example, it's a modern Columbus. It is a cost that is most likely going to return nothing, but if it does, the potential rewards will make it all worth it.
That really ran on.
I wouldn't even bother with the 64MB's of RAM, I've ran scrap PCs as LTSP clients with 16MB, although I didn't work them hard.
No aplications run locally (except X) so there isn't even normal Desktop Manager overhead.
I think the Rest Of The World is referring to computing that isn't grey boxes on desktops.
For office use, a linux distro (such as Debian or Ubuntu) which allowed you to specify the repositories, and not allow modification of the list, would work just fine, in general.
...
System admin's would only allow updates from the offical repository, with a local repository for mirror/caching and business specific software packages.
I use something like this for my relatives. Give them a linux, don't give them root, make all updates/installations go through me.
Then print out a poster for my door "setup.exe will not run on your system"
I'm not a SL expert, but as far as I know:
The smallest transaction is L$1
If an object is sold non-modifable/non-reproducable, you can't (easily afaik) bypass this.
If you hand produce an identical texture, it costs you to upload it (L$10 I think).
Items contain who created them originally, so even if you put yourself out of pocket (and effort) to make a duplicate, people could easily tell they were being given/buying a bootleg.
And in both cases, it's still publicity for the original company. Just if it's bootlegged, it's free publicity!
Something I've heard from my friends a lot is that they don't realise companies sell their connection speeds in BITS per second.
Myself, I have 512Kb/s down, and as a rule of thumb I divide by 10 to get it in bytes. I get at best 54KB/s downloads, which works out by this rule.
I know, a byte is 8 bits, but as a rule of thumb, dividing by 10 seems to include overhead.
I know my 512Kb/s ADSL connection doesn't rate against these 3Mb/s cable connections, but, this is my experience, learn from it what you will.
Thank you for your description of Ocaml. I've seen one program implemented in it (MLDonkey) and read a little about it, but had filed it under "Yet Another Niche Language".
If I ever get any free time (ha!) I'll look closer at it.
Hear, hear!
The proper term is copyright infringement.
In a similar manner, my HTPC is a P3 500Mhz, with the BIOS updated to take larger drives, and 512MB of RAM. It's also my home web/socks/squid/ftp/ssh/screen session server.
Even using KDE, which is generally considered bloated, it runs quite well, and was for a while my main use machine, until I got tired of reading text on the TV (ick). A good part of that is due to using the nVIDIA accelerated X drivers.
The only things I've found it underpowered for is HD res video, the right-click menu's in Amarok are slow, and cross-fading tracks will skip if the system is under load, such as file transfer. Since the TV output is only 800x600, not playing HD video's is not a big deal to me!
Could you imagine the reaction if Intel admitted they were not a monopoly, though? If they kept it quiet, the internal reaction would probably be upsetting, to CEO's and the like. If it was publically announced, or anounced quietly without legal force to keep it quiet, then the media and marketing opportunities for AMD would be pretty significant.
Kontiki is what Gamespot uses as an alternate way of accessing their content, I believe. They may not use it anymore though, it's been a little while.
Exactly! SILC already has an existing public network, no need to set up your own server (but its easy to do so, if you feel the want).
At work, we're currently developing the multi-user layer of our flagship program, and we're using SILC because it's an existing, tested, standards approved (they get a 1024 port) system.
It's a game. Sequel to X, goes before X3. There are tacked on name bits, but I can't think of what they are. It's a space flight/battle/trader game.
do EVAs in zero G, hijack other ships
x2 has these.
I'm going to reply to this, for no particular reason. I don't play WoW, I play a text MUD, but the same problem is there:
I'm still treated like a newbie. I've been playing longer then a lot of people, on and off, a couple of hours a week, yet all the people I meet don't want to party with me, because every-one else is in a rush to get past "newbiedom" and get to "the real game". When I meet a person who I can party with, next time I play, they are 5 levels up and not interested in some-one of my level.
So instead I spend all my time solo'ing. I'm in a MUD, a Multi-User game, which was the whole point, and where am I? Running around the same old newpbie places smacking things with my sword. I'm only holding on because of people who are still friends (even though they don't party with me any more) who keep urging me on to that mysterious "one day".
But, I can console myself: One of the reasons I'm still in newbie levels is because in this game, levels are cheap, skills/training is expensive. And I don't (generally) level until I've maxed up my skills, at least to the gold free limits (gold is even more expensive!). So, when I do leave the "newbie" levels, I'm going to kick some serious butt.
PS: Required Ad: http://www.retromud.org/ A really great game and worlds!
I was actually thinking of equipment, including safety gear. There are currently regulations that treat sligtly irradiated equipment, such as clean suits and masks and so on, as needing disposal in the same manner of radioactive material.
Reactor materials, sure, they definately become radioactive. I don't know how radioactive the things like cooling systems and so on get, but the sheilding definately does (lead transmutes in nasty ways).
I am not a scientist, but I think your statement of millions of tons of nuclear waste is incorrect. As far as I understand, nuclear reactors do not produce nearly that large an amount of radioactive waste.
Radiated waste, that may be a different matter, and is again a reaction to "nukular bad". Radiated waste is non-radioactive waste, that has been irradiated.
Nuclear power is a short term solution. However, it's the only one we can implement right now, that will provide enough of a change. Its the lesser of two evils (the other being fossil fuels).
If "humanity" were to use the 50 years of nuclear power as "starting collateral" on putting up space-based solar collectors, I'd be very happy. Space based solar power really is free energy, because otherwise its just going out to space, aka infinite nothingness. Ground based solar (and wind) generators are removing energy from the weather system, and will cause changes in climate conditions.