"Before, SOME mac users claimed PPC was THE way to go. Now SOME Mac users are saying Intel sounds like a good idea."
I think a large part of the fallacy is in the timescale. The "Megahertz Myth" was VERY real in the past, is less real currently, and will be even less so in the future.
Why? Because Intel found out it was true. And when they found out they couldn't just keep increasing the clock speed to boost performance, they started changing their strategy and incorporating a lot of the design components that were making the PPC kick the x86's ass at the same megahertz. Intel's designs are looking more and more like PPC designs now.
It isn't a one-way street either. The G5, in particular, borrows some features from the Intel line like deeper pipelines (while the new Intels are borrowing wider pipelines from the PPC) and others which have made them run much faster, but also much hotter/energy hogging than the G4.
The only thing I still don't like about the x86 line is that it still requires a lot of extra kludgy transistors and a few silly limitations to keep some degree of backwards compatibility all the way back to the original 1970's chip. There is something to be said for throwing out compatibility and moving to a modern design.
As others have said, it's all about future roadmaps. Intel is committed to low watt (for portables), high performance general computation chips in the future while IBM is going towards higher watt (consoles that are plugged in) specialty chips.
They're already here: Long-Life Biothermal Battery
The technology is based on a patented innovation in the utilization of thermoelectric materials, using nanoscale-based, thin-film materials to convert thermal energy produced naturally by the human body into electrical energy. The resulting power can be used to "trickle charge" batteries for medium-power devices such as defibrillators, or directly power low-energy devices like pacemakers.
or: Researchers building biologically fueled microfuel cells
But unlike a hydrogen fuel cell, which has to be refueled with hydrogen periodically, the bio-microfuel cell will continue to produce electricity as long as the plant or other biological host remains alive.
Problem with cracking water for recharging is that hydrogen and oxygen take up much more space alone than when combined into water. Therefore making a container for the gas(es) would be either not small or not lightweight. One reason hydrocarbons are used so much is because they have a much higher energy density than hydrogen alone and are easier to store/contain.
Recombining hydrocarbons would be difficult, plus the reverse happens. After burning, you get nice low-density (and hot) gases like carbon dioxide that we usually just let escape. Trying to contain these byproducts would again require large of very strong containers.
As I said in my original post, I certainly don't think they are entitled to tax his entire salary, but I think a small percentage for the services the state gives to the business is appropriate. The telecommuter IS benefitting from the support network of the business, even if indirectly. I'd say 75% to the residence state and 25% to the employer state at the maximum.
I certainly don't think NY is entitled to tax his full salary, but I can think of a few arguments for the other side.
NY DOES provide services to the business. Lately, states have provided incentives to businesses to locate and create jobs there - often low or no taxes. They make it up through other taxes - like state income taxes. Telecommuting is a loophole in that.
Overall, there has been a move towards lowering or removing taxes on businesses. But they still get state and city services.
"One single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold about 25GB or almost two hours of HDTV audio and video, and the dual-layer disc can hold approximately 50GB."
"HD-DVD has a capacity of 15 GB (for dual-sided HD-DVD, maximum capacity would be 30 GB)."
If it takes 25GB to hold ALMOST two hours of HDTV, the does that mean HD-DVD will only hold just over one hour? So would all HD-DVD players have to support dual-sided play to handle a standard movie? Of would you have to flip it over halfway through? Consumers sure as heck won't go for that. There are a lot of movies that are a bit over 2 hours long too, so Blu-Ray will have to go dual-layer a lot for these, and HD-DVD would have to go multi-disk!
"Why would I want all of these things in a single processor, if multiple independent units can do it better? Why would I want to swap out a single, hideously expensive unit to upgrade one aspect, when I could just swap out that one component?"
Because a very large percentage of the costs are in the circuit board, support capacitors, clocks, shipping and marketing of all the individual items. A single processor (with multiple cores) may cost you $400 or so with all of that, but the other way you would add a $250 CPU, a $200 graphics card, a $200 physics card, a $100 sound card. If you want to pay a cost of $750 in comparison to the $400 so you can mix and match, you're welcome to, but I suspect many people may prefer the $400 price tag to the $750.
If this is going to be successful at all, I highly suspect it will at least have to be included on or with a graphics card by one of the big graphics card companies.
"When you look at the pros and cons, the only advantage we see in the end for hydrogen is that it can be refuelled quickly."
But that's a REALLY big downside in terms of how people actually use their vehicles. Convenience is #1 when it comes to the consumer population, and you just broke it in one of the biggest ways possible. It might work for extremely regimented people or industries, but not the average person.
Say I want to drive cross-country as I will be doing this summer. I can go 200-300 miles with my electric car, then I have to stop and wait 8 hours for it to recharge? Rediculous! My 3-4 day trip has turned into a 10 day trip. I certainly can't do it on a week of vacation. Assuming every hotel has a recharger for the car I can rent.
Heck, I've driven more than 300 miles locally in a single day, visiting friends and relatives that are scattered wildly. Well, oops, I wanted to visit them, but going there would be 10 miles and home from there would be 20 miles, and I only have 20 miles left on my charge. Or worse, not paying attention, and running out of charge in the middle of nowhere. Can't just run and get a can of fuel, have to get towed to a charger!
I think it's the significant temporal VARIATION of methane content in the atmosphere of Mars that is peaking interest in this theory, not just the presence ot methane.
Bull. We've built many fusion reactors, including ones that produce more power than we put in to start the fusion reaction. The only thing we haven't built yet are commercially viable ones. The ITER project should solve that.
"Send them a fully operational fusion reactor, some plutonium, and say have fun with this?"
Uh, FUSION doesn't use plutonium. It doesn't use high atomic number elements, it uses low ones. Isotopes of hydrogen mainly. I guess we'd have to be careful that they don't get ahold of any WATER.
Additionally, the design of a nuclear fusion reactor is not really applicable to weaponry. With fusion, the problem is keeping the reaction from going OUT, in contrast to fission's problem with keeping the reaction from running away (at least the dangerous part of the fission problem).
Maybe there's a glimmer of hope. Family Guy was called back into production after being canceled due to the outcry from fans combined with strong DVD sales.
Yeah, but that's more form following function. How to get this as small as possible? Well, we're limited by the CD/DVD-Rom specs, so we make it a small box with a slot for the CD-ROM and ports in the back. Seems pretty obvious.
Close. Their specs are about 3.7" X 5.9" X 6.3" compared to the Mac Mini's 2" X 6.5" X 6.5", so the Mac is almost half as short and just a bit bigger in the other dimensions.
Yes. The Amiga 1000 was the one available at about the same time as the original Mac with the specs he listed. Really, the only significant difference with the Amiga 500 released 3 years later was that it was cheaper.
I don't think they've had much problem with hitting Mars, but in hitting Mars the EXACT right way. Part of that is because it has an atmosphere - too steep and angle, you burn, too shallow an angle, you skip. Part is that you want to touch down VERY softly in interplanetary terms or speed and force. With the comet, you just want to hit it however it hits. Plus, Mars is MUCH farther away.
There would be a rather large delay between a cosmic-radiation triggered mutation and the point where it would become common enough in a species to leave its mark in the fossil record. Probably a significant fraction of the average time between field pole reversals (which is about 200,000 years). That would make finding a pattern near impossible.
"Do these people realize that the President has no power to overturn Supreme Court decisions?"
Theoretically true, but not functionally true. The President nominates Supreme Court justices. The replacement of 1-2 justices that support Roe V. Wade with ones that don't will likely result in the overturning of the decision, and several justices are seen as likely to retire during the next Presidential term.
"but really, what should I think about what George Clooney thinks about anythiing other than acting?"
What should you think about what Arnold Schwarzeneggar thinks about anything other than acting? Oh, wait, he was elected Governor of our largest state...
Slashdot Mirror
"Before, SOME mac users claimed PPC was THE way to go. Now SOME Mac users are saying Intel sounds like a good idea."
I think a large part of the fallacy is in the timescale. The "Megahertz Myth" was VERY real in the past, is less real currently, and will be even less so in the future.
Why? Because Intel found out it was true. And when they found out they couldn't just keep increasing the clock speed to boost performance, they started changing their strategy and incorporating a lot of the design components that were making the PPC kick the x86's ass at the same megahertz. Intel's designs are looking more and more like PPC designs now.
It isn't a one-way street either. The G5, in particular, borrows some features from the Intel line like deeper pipelines (while the new Intels are borrowing wider pipelines from the PPC) and others which have made them run much faster, but also much hotter/energy hogging than the G4.
The only thing I still don't like about the x86 line is that it still requires a lot of extra kludgy transistors and a few silly limitations to keep some degree of backwards compatibility all the way back to the original 1970's chip. There is something to be said for throwing out compatibility and moving to a modern design.
As others have said, it's all about future roadmaps. Intel is committed to low watt (for portables), high performance general computation chips in the future while IBM is going towards higher watt (consoles that are plugged in) specialty chips.
They're already here:
Long-Life Biothermal Battery
The technology is based on a patented innovation in the utilization of thermoelectric materials, using nanoscale-based, thin-film materials to convert thermal energy produced naturally by the human body into electrical energy. The resulting power can be used to "trickle charge" batteries for medium-power devices such as defibrillators, or directly power low-energy devices like pacemakers.
or:
Researchers building biologically fueled microfuel cells
But unlike a hydrogen fuel cell, which has to be refueled with hydrogen periodically, the bio-microfuel cell will continue to produce electricity as long as the plant or other biological host remains alive.
Problem with cracking water for recharging is that hydrogen and oxygen take up much more space alone than when combined into water. Therefore making a container for the gas(es) would be either not small or not lightweight. One reason hydrocarbons are used so much is because they have a much higher energy density than hydrogen alone and are easier to store/contain. Recombining hydrocarbons would be difficult, plus the reverse happens. After burning, you get nice low-density (and hot) gases like carbon dioxide that we usually just let escape. Trying to contain these byproducts would again require large of very strong containers.
As I said in my original post, I certainly don't think they are entitled to tax his entire salary, but I think a small percentage for the services the state gives to the business is appropriate. The telecommuter IS benefitting from the support network of the business, even if indirectly. I'd say 75% to the residence state and 25% to the employer state at the maximum.
I certainly don't think NY is entitled to tax his full salary, but I can think of a few arguments for the other side.
NY DOES provide services to the business. Lately, states have provided incentives to businesses to locate and create jobs there - often low or no taxes. They make it up through other taxes - like state income taxes. Telecommuting is a loophole in that.
Overall, there has been a move towards lowering or removing taxes on businesses. But they still get state and city services.
"One single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold about 25GB or almost two hours of HDTV audio and video, and the dual-layer disc can hold approximately 50GB."
"HD-DVD has a capacity of 15 GB (for dual-sided HD-DVD, maximum capacity would be 30 GB)."
If it takes 25GB to hold ALMOST two hours of HDTV, the does that mean HD-DVD will only hold just over one hour? So would all HD-DVD players have to support dual-sided play to handle a standard movie? Of would you have to flip it over halfway through? Consumers sure as heck won't go for that. There are a lot of movies that are a bit over 2 hours long too, so Blu-Ray will have to go dual-layer a lot for these, and HD-DVD would have to go multi-disk!
"Why would I want all of these things in a single processor, if multiple independent units can do it better? Why would I want to swap out a single, hideously expensive unit to upgrade one aspect, when I could just swap out that one component?"
Because a very large percentage of the costs are in the circuit board, support capacitors, clocks, shipping and marketing of all the individual items. A single processor (with multiple cores) may cost you $400 or so with all of that, but the other way you would add a $250 CPU, a $200 graphics card, a $200 physics card, a $100 sound card. If you want to pay a cost of $750 in comparison to the $400 so you can mix and match, you're welcome to, but I suspect many people may prefer the $400 price tag to the $750.
If this is going to be successful at all, I highly suspect it will at least have to be included on or with a graphics card by one of the big graphics card companies.
"When you look at the pros and cons, the only advantage we see in the end for hydrogen is that it can be refuelled quickly."
But that's a REALLY big downside in terms of how people actually use their vehicles. Convenience is #1 when it comes to the consumer population, and you just broke it in one of the biggest ways possible. It might work for extremely regimented people or industries, but not the average person.
Say I want to drive cross-country as I will be doing this summer. I can go 200-300 miles with my electric car, then I have to stop and wait 8 hours for it to recharge? Rediculous! My 3-4 day trip has turned into a 10 day trip. I certainly can't do it on a week of vacation. Assuming every hotel has a recharger for the car I can rent.
Heck, I've driven more than 300 miles locally in a single day, visiting friends and relatives that are scattered wildly. Well, oops, I wanted to visit them, but going there would be 10 miles and home from there would be 20 miles, and I only have 20 miles left on my charge. Or worse, not paying attention, and running out of charge in the middle of nowhere. Can't just run and get a can of fuel, have to get towed to a charger!
"MS will release IE 6.9 or so for XP and Mac OS X"
Microsoft has claimed that it WILL NOT release any versions of Internet Explorer for the Mac past 5.2
I think it's the significant temporal VARIATION of methane content in the atmosphere of Mars that is peaking interest in this theory, not just the presence ot methane.
Bull. We've built many fusion reactors, including ones that produce more power than we put in to start the fusion reaction. The only thing we haven't built yet are commercially viable ones. The ITER project should solve that.
Please look into the differences between fusion and fission. They are very different "nuclear" energy sources.
"Send them a fully operational fusion reactor, some plutonium, and say have fun with this?"
Uh, FUSION doesn't use plutonium. It doesn't use high atomic number elements, it uses low ones. Isotopes of hydrogen mainly. I guess we'd have to be careful that they don't get ahold of any WATER.
Additionally, the design of a nuclear fusion reactor is not really applicable to weaponry. With fusion, the problem is keeping the reaction from going OUT, in contrast to fission's problem with keeping the reaction from running away (at least the dangerous part of the fission problem).
Maybe there's a glimmer of hope. Family Guy was called back into production after being canceled due to the outcry from fans combined with strong DVD sales.
No, no, no! Looking harder will simply collapse the function down to a single outcome and prevent it from working. The trick is NOT to look. :)
Yeah, but that's more form following function. How to get this as small as possible? Well, we're limited by the CD/DVD-Rom specs, so we make it a small box with a slot for the CD-ROM and ports in the back. Seems pretty obvious.
Close. Their specs are about 3.7" X 5.9" X 6.3" compared to the Mac Mini's 2" X 6.5" X 6.5", so the Mac is almost half as short and just a bit bigger in the other dimensions.
Yes. The Amiga 1000 was the one available at about the same time as the original Mac with the specs he listed. Really, the only significant difference with the Amiga 500 released 3 years later was that it was cheaper.
I don't think they've had much problem with hitting Mars, but in hitting Mars the EXACT right way. Part of that is because it has an atmosphere - too steep and angle, you burn, too shallow an angle, you skip. Part is that you want to touch down VERY softly in interplanetary terms or speed and force. With the comet, you just want to hit it however it hits. Plus, Mars is MUCH farther away.
No, but it can give you a nice tan!
There would be a rather large delay between a cosmic-radiation triggered mutation and the point where it would become common enough in a species to leave its mark in the fossil record. Probably a significant fraction of the average time between field pole reversals (which is about 200,000 years). That would make finding a pattern near impossible.
Nope. Way too smooth. The planet Earth is proportionally smoother than a billiard ball. :)
There's a port-a-potty company in this area called "Oui Oui".
"Do these people realize that the President has no power to overturn Supreme Court decisions?" Theoretically true, but not functionally true. The President nominates Supreme Court justices. The replacement of 1-2 justices that support Roe V. Wade with ones that don't will likely result in the overturning of the decision, and several justices are seen as likely to retire during the next Presidential term.
"but really, what should I think about what George Clooney thinks about anythiing other than acting?" What should you think about what Arnold Schwarzeneggar thinks about anything other than acting? Oh, wait, he was elected Governor of our largest state...