Is it really fair to compare BitTorrent to other P2P applications? Based on the way it works (and in my personal experience), it seems you can get much higher speeds with BitTorrent* than with other P2P apps, and therefore eat up much more bandwidth.
*Only on "popular" files, of course. But isn't it just as rare that you'll get fast speeds on an "unpopular" file on, say, Kazaa?
Government intervention required
on
Broadband Bits
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· Score: 1, Insightful
I think one thing this article highlights is that government intervention is needed if we (the US) are serious about upgrading our broadband infrastructure.
Really, did we absolutely, positively need to use the hobbit analogy? After exhausting all other possibilities, it was decided that "hobbit" was the most fitting term to describe this new species?
neural nets can potentially do incredibly interesting things (like, say sentience!) if they get big enough--but we don't have computers big enough to model neural nets as complicated as we'd like. ...yet.
I know the article says that these guys are only using this project to investigate how neurons work in the real world, but the potential applications of this are big. Neural nets using actual neurons, not expensive simulations, could be cheap enough to build and train that they would find commercial uses.
I'm more than a little unnerved at this, actually. In the post, you also mention that "the trick with neural nets is that you set up the network, and then you train it by trial and error to do the task. It programs itself, essentially." So what if John Blackhat manages to "reprogram" a neural net, and "teaches" it to wreak some havoc? Is there any way to "lock" a neural net (or bind it to only "knowing" a certain task) once it has been "programmed"?*
*I guess you could use neurons from a really narrow-minded individual.
Mod parent up. Even if The Matrix Reloaded was a craptastic sci-fi flick, the joke isn't that bad.
Re:Totally off-topic, but need Linux advice....
on
Linux GPU Performance
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· Score: 0
For the least painless install possible, try MandrakeLinux. It also is very stable once set up. However, it does many things for the user (eg, partitions), so may find you'd like to be more hands-on. SuSE is a good distro to start on too, as it also has a pretty painless install.
Also, if you plan to dual-boot (Linux/Windows), PartitionMagic is a must.
Metal Gear Solid, and to a greater extent, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. A beautiful set of games, not only to look at, but to play along with. Also, SoL has some pretty hardcore interactive elements (kneel in front of the toilet in the men's room, and call the colonel to see what I mean;])
Re:Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green
on
Nintendo DS Network
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· Score: 1, Interesting
Unfortunately, the range is very small*. Granted, it hardly takes up any battery power, so Nintendo really did a good job creating the little wireless unit.
However, I am looking forward to the DS's utilization of this strange, new wireless gaming feature, but I highly doubt it'll be the network that will link every gamer on the planet wirelessly that it's being touted to be. I'll trust the Internet to do that, though I can only hope that DS games take advantage of the supposed 802.11b connectivity.
I personally never bought into the idea of an online music store, literally and figuratively. I don't mind getting out of the house to get a CD, in that it entitles me to do whatever I like with it (barring piracy, of course). What I really don't like is the price of CDs. I'd much rather see a drop in CD prices (to $10.99 at most, for new releases, and more like $4.99 for old[er] releases)
I think the government should require people to obtain an Internet license, to get access to the Internet. It could be not only preventional (eg, avoiding spyware, how to remove it), but educational (incorporating a bit of HTML, possibly). It'll probably destroy the essence of the Internet (eg, a kind of virtual library), but people will be more educated.
Define what you mean by "a whole bunch of software that doesn't run on linux".
Word? Excel? There's OpenOffice. Outlook? Evolution. Internet Explorer? Konqueror or Firefox. WinAmp? XMMS. Windows Media Player? xine and mplayer. Photoshop? The GIMP. I could go on, but I hope the point is made. Also, I should add that all the software equivalents for Linux are free.
The problem, as I see it, is that Linux (in its current state) requires more time to "get to know", so to speak. When you boot up Linux, there's no obvious way to get to the Internet (through a little "e"), or to watch DVD's (through an icon that vaguely resembes a play button), etc. Additionally, Joe Average's attention span is too short to experiment to consult a friend, or the big, friendly Internet, and he gives up in frustration. Learning Linux takes devotion, that some just don't have.
Same here. I recently spent a week at an intensive piano camp, and noticed a difference in my typing skills when I came back and went on the computer again.
While the physical characteristics of a portable console are certainly important, what about the reason one buys a console (ie, games)? DS's release list is pretty impressive, but the PSP has one game that, I'm sure, some will buy a PSP just to witness: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. From what I've heard, it's a follow-up to Final Fantasy VII, and from what I've seen, it's going to be amazing. Then, there's Metal Gear Acid. I'm not sure about the premise on this one, but it's the Metal Gear name that I'm sure will draw some in.
Slashdot Mirror
Is it really fair to compare BitTorrent to other P2P applications? Based on the way it works (and in my personal experience), it seems you can get much higher speeds with BitTorrent* than with other P2P apps, and therefore eat up much more bandwidth. *Only on "popular" files, of course. But isn't it just as rare that you'll get fast speeds on an "unpopular" file on, say, Kazaa?
I think one thing this article highlights is that government intervention is needed if we (the US) are serious about upgrading our broadband infrastructure.
Really, did we absolutely, positively need to use the hobbit analogy? After exhausting all other possibilities, it was decided that "hobbit" was the most fitting term to describe this new species?
neural nets can potentially do incredibly interesting things (like, say sentience!) if they get big enough--but we don't have computers big enough to model neural nets as complicated as we'd like.
...yet.
I know the article says that these guys are only using this project to investigate how neurons work in the real world, but the potential applications of this are big. Neural nets using actual neurons, not expensive simulations, could be cheap enough to build and train that they would find commercial uses.
I'm more than a little unnerved at this, actually. In the post, you also mention that "the trick with neural nets is that you set up the network, and then you train it by trial and error to do the task. It programs itself, essentially." So what if John Blackhat manages to "reprogram" a neural net, and "teaches" it to wreak some havoc? Is there any way to "lock" a neural net (or bind it to only "knowing" a certain task) once it has been "programmed"?*
*I guess you could use neurons from a really narrow-minded individual.
Here's a MirrorDot. As for the Christmas thing, it seems to be a yearly tradition.
Mod parent up. Even if The Matrix Reloaded was a craptastic sci-fi flick, the joke isn't that bad.
For the least painless install possible, try MandrakeLinux. It also is very stable once set up. However, it does many things for the user (eg, partitions), so may find you'd like to be more hands-on. SuSE is a good distro to start on too, as it also has a pretty painless install.
Also, if you plan to dual-boot (Linux/Windows), PartitionMagic is a must.
Metal Gear Solid, and to a greater extent, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. A beautiful set of games, not only to look at, but to play along with. Also, SoL has some pretty hardcore interactive elements (kneel in front of the toilet in the men's room, and call the colonel to see what I mean ;])
However, I am looking forward to the DS's utilization of this strange, new wireless gaming feature, but I highly doubt it'll be the network that will link every gamer on the planet wirelessly that it's being touted to be. I'll trust the Internet to do that, though I can only hope that DS games take advantage of the supposed 802.11b connectivity.
*See here:
Unfortunately, that's assuming you're standing, quite literally, next to an 802.11g access point.
A more reasonable estimate would be roughly 1/5 of 54mbps...
336,000,000 @ ~11,000,000 bits/second = ~30.6 seconds (excluding overhead).
Still, not that bad at all.
I personally never bought into the idea of an online music store, literally and figuratively. I don't mind getting out of the house to get a CD, in that it entitles me to do whatever I like with it (barring piracy, of course). What I really don't like is the price of CDs. I'd much rather see a drop in CD prices (to $10.99 at most, for new releases, and more like $4.99 for old[er] releases)
Bah. This is nothing. I had a one-to-one map of the world on my wall in college.
I think the government should require people to obtain an Internet license, to get access to the Internet. It could be not only preventional (eg, avoiding spyware, how to remove it), but educational (incorporating a bit of HTML, possibly). It'll probably destroy the essence of the Internet (eg, a kind of virtual library), but people will be more educated.
Define what you mean by "a whole bunch of software that doesn't run on linux".
Word? Excel? There's OpenOffice.
Outlook? Evolution.
Internet Explorer? Konqueror or Firefox.
WinAmp? XMMS.
Windows Media Player? xine and mplayer.
Photoshop? The GIMP.
I could go on, but I hope the point is made. Also, I should add that all the software equivalents for Linux are free.
The problem, as I see it, is that Linux (in its current state) requires more time to "get to know", so to speak. When you boot up Linux, there's no obvious way to get to the Internet (through a little "e"), or to watch DVD's (through an icon that vaguely resembes a play button), etc. Additionally, Joe Average's attention span is too short to experiment to consult a friend, or the big, friendly Internet, and he gives up in frustration. Learning Linux takes devotion, that some just don't have.
Hrm... the concept of "mesh networking" sounds very familiar...
Same here. I recently spent a week at an intensive piano camp, and noticed a difference in my typing skills when I came back and went on the computer again.
Solitaire.
While the physical characteristics of a portable console are certainly important, what about the reason one buys a console (ie, games)? DS's release list is pretty impressive, but the PSP has one game that, I'm sure, some will buy a PSP just to witness: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. From what I've heard, it's a follow-up to Final Fantasy VII, and from what I've seen, it's going to be amazing. Then, there's Metal Gear Acid. I'm not sure about the premise on this one, but it's the Metal Gear name that I'm sure will draw some in.