The most interesting fact about ATRAC for Minidisc was that it was specifically designed so that the data would fit on the minidisc *and* that the length of the sound would also be 74 minutes--not more, and not less.
All fluorescent bulbs have dangerous amounts of mercury in them. Be very careful when handling fluorescent bulbs of all types--you may end up saving money and energy but at the expense of contaminating your living space with deadly mercury.
This is just plain incorrect. This VIA chipset is designed for low-power, small formfactor, and mobile computing--just like the VIA C3 is. This is the very same chipset sold with the later versions of the VIA Eden ITX motherboards
VIA doesn't make laptops. They make chipsets and they license their name for motherboards that are manufactured by ECS Elitegroup and Diamond Flower (DFI). I can't find specific details about this laptop but it is likely one of the generic build-your-own notebooks from ECS Elitegroup, Asus, or someone else. See my posting history for some details on those notebooks.
All Via C3s are low power/low heat. The 933 MHz model is exceptionally fast for its power and heat requirements. The chipset is the integrated Via ProSavage (the old S3 stuff) which has specific acceleration support for MPEG (DVD) decoding. I build systems based on this processor and they are excellent for everything except 3d gaming, and I've never seen anyone expect to do 3d gaming on a notebook PC for under $2500, anyway.
Speaking of saving money on the "MS tax" and other things you wouldn't use, there is a new class of portable computer that I've been waiting for that's finally here. It's called the Desknote and it is designed to be user-configurable and user-upgradeable, and doesn't come with a battery. Some of them don't even come with screens, which make an ideal portatop when moving from home office to remote office. It can be ordered barebone-style or complete. Just search google or Yahoo shopping for "Desknote" and you'll find them.
The movie that follows a story that is somewhat consistent to the events portrayed in this book is "Fat Man and Little Boy" which occasionally comes by on the Starz! True Stories channel.
The cheapness of life argument was placed more on the WW1 attrition policy, not so much on WW2. It was used as a vehicle to describe the background of the scientists from Germany and to give some perspective on how so much talent was wasted on WW1 attrition and how that wasted talent was the motivation for the bomb to end all wars.
Those ECS duron+motherboard combos are getting a bit leery. The latest versions are called "D1400+" processors but run at 950 MHz. I didn't see anything at AMD that announced that they were using performance ratings for the Duron.
Since you can still get 800 MHz Durons for $24, don't bother with those combo boards even if they are using the better Morgan core.
I'm working on using NSS for a web server SSL module project. It was brought to my attention by someone that OpenSSL is good for a web server but not for a web server or web client that needs to support client certificate chaining and online certificate revocation checking. Those two requirements are on the hot list of this project.
The only think about NSS that worries me is the Netscape Portable Runtime part and how well it works with our own threaded runtime.
Solaris source code, the part of it they called the "Foundation", was available for the cost of media under a sign-and-fax license agreement about three years ago. It was cancelled shortly after it was introduced probably because the media kit cost $75 and the subset of Solaris source code they let you have was so minimal it couldn't even be used to build a minimal system.
If carbon dioxide is used you face almost certain asphixiation and death. This happens now and then in apple country where the apples are stored in a mostly CO2 environment in huge air-tight warehouses.
In the US it's being replaced with FM-200 gas and some places are using a new concept called "dry pipe" where the sprinkler systems aren't pressurized so you have time to turn things off before escaping (assuming that if the fire goes on long enough for the water to reach the computer room before turning off, the room is lost).
Thanks for the corrections! The voice quality on GSM is definitely much better than TDMA. The "effective" GSM voice bitrate of 13 kbps (versus TDMA 9600 bps) might have something to do with it:)
I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of CDMA accepting more and more calls and degrading my voice quality just so the carrier could fit more calls into the same spectrum. Feh.
Nope, sorry, PCS is a general term used to describe digital telephone service in the US. It doesn't mean 1900 MHz, it doesn't mean TDMA or CDMA, it doesn't mean tri-mode phones; it just refers to digital telephone service in the US.
T-Mobile (nee Voicestream) allows you to move your SIM card among as many telephones as you like. If you have the fancy internet phone and want to use your simple tiny handset for travelling you need only eject the SIM card from the internet phone and plug it into your handset and turn it on. No fuss, no muss.
It's interesting to note that Cingular (nee Cellular One) and AT&T are converting their services to GSM. T-Mobile and Nextel are already GSM. The voice quality is higher, but it is still the older TDMA-derived system. People who use the CDMA services (Sprint, Verizon) seem to be the worst off, as the voice quality gets worse and worse in congested cells where in TDMA the quality stays the same but the ability to make and receive calls is limitted.
I think it's very telling that the two largest providers are converting their networks to GSM/TDMA and are totally eschewing CDMA.
Having built over 100 systems by hand this is nearly always the case of the chassis coming in contact with pin lugs that are hanging out the back of the motherboard, or the motherboard mounts contacting circuitry.
I have built a number of systems which have stamped motherboard mounts which are quite wider than the usual screw-in mounts--so wide that they contact the motherboard well past the screw holes and into the circuitry. Not good! Worse yet, these stamped mounts can't be removed (obviously) and if the motherboard doesn't have a mounting hole where the mount is located you have to insulate it with something that cannot be punctured by the pins hanging out the back of the motherboard.
This has been a problem more than I like to say but it is always corrected by using non-conductive washers on the mount points and using rubber feet or cut-off plastic standoffs for spacing. The problem for me was prevalent on many MicroATX chassis, and especially thin steel cases of the sub-$30 variety which had a tendency to flex and bend in normal use.
Of course others have mentioned cards not seating properly (AGP cards are terrible for this) so to solve it you don't use the screw mounts adjacent to the AGP slot. This allows the motherboard to flex towards the AGP card and not "pull back" on it and unseat it. Newer AGP cards have retainer clips but I haven't run into those yet.
Slashdot Mirror
The most interesting fact about ATRAC for Minidisc was that it was specifically designed so that the data would fit on the minidisc *and* that the length of the sound would also be 74 minutes--not more, and not less.
Kris
All fluorescent bulbs have dangerous amounts of mercury in them. Be very careful when handling fluorescent bulbs of all types--you may end up saving money and energy but at the expense of contaminating your living space with deadly mercury.
Kris
When you have this to look at who needs a window?
Kris
This is just plain incorrect. This VIA chipset is designed for low-power, small formfactor, and mobile computing--just like the VIA C3 is. This is the very same chipset sold with the later versions of the VIA Eden ITX motherboards
Kris
Looks somewhat like the ECS Elitegroup iBuddy desknote. Asus makes another generic build-your-own notebook, too.
Kris
VIA doesn't make laptops. They make chipsets and they license their name for motherboards that are manufactured by ECS Elitegroup and Diamond Flower (DFI). I can't find specific details about this laptop but it is likely one of the generic build-your-own notebooks from ECS Elitegroup, Asus, or someone else. See my posting history for some details on those notebooks.
Kris
All Via C3s are low power/low heat. The 933 MHz model is exceptionally fast for its power and heat requirements. The chipset is the integrated Via ProSavage (the old S3 stuff) which has specific acceleration support for MPEG (DVD) decoding. I build systems based on this processor and they are excellent for everything except 3d gaming, and I've never seen anyone expect to do 3d gaming on a notebook PC for under $2500, anyway.
KRis
Speaking of saving money on the "MS tax" and other things you wouldn't use, there is a new class of portable computer that I've been waiting for that's finally here. It's called the Desknote and it is designed to be user-configurable and user-upgradeable, and doesn't come with a battery. Some of them don't even come with screens, which make an ideal portatop when moving from home office to remote office. It can be ordered barebone-style or complete. Just search google or Yahoo shopping for "Desknote" and you'll find them.
Kris
The movie that follows a story that is somewhat consistent to the events portrayed in this book is "Fat Man and Little Boy" which occasionally comes by on the Starz! True Stories channel.
Kris
The cheapness of life argument was placed more on the WW1 attrition policy, not so much on WW2. It was used as a vehicle to describe the background of the scientists from Germany and to give some perspective on how so much talent was wasted on WW1 attrition and how that wasted talent was the motivation for the bomb to end all wars.
Kris
I ordered and downloaded Solaris 9 for x86 over two weeks ago. How did this become news on Feb 7?
Kris
>For someone as pompous as yourself, why are you
>using a Compaq?
Yeah! Why aren't you using a Mac?
Gottlieb produced Q*Bert, not Atari. Sheesh.
Kris
Those ECS duron+motherboard combos are getting a bit leery. The latest versions are called "D1400+" processors but run at 950 MHz. I didn't see anything at AMD that announced that they were using performance ratings for the Duron.
Since you can still get 800 MHz Durons for $24, don't bother with those combo boards even if they are using the better Morgan core.
Kris
You can get pay a good $15 less on a used monitor at a used computer store when it has either "burn-in" or is "slightly dim."
Even our 36" Sony WEGA says it will burn-in when used with video games too much... and that's a CRT.
KRis
I'm working on using NSS for a web server SSL module project. It was brought to my attention by someone that OpenSSL is good for a web server but not for a web server or web client that needs to support client certificate chaining and online certificate revocation checking. Those two requirements are on the hot list of this project.
The only think about NSS that worries me is the Netscape Portable Runtime part and how well it works with our own threaded runtime.
Kris
Related news:
AOL Pulls Rug From Under 'Magic Carpet'
Solaris source code, the part of it they called the "Foundation", was available for the cost of media under a sign-and-fax license agreement about three years ago. It was cancelled shortly after it was introduced probably because the media kit cost $75 and the subset of Solaris source code they let you have was so minimal it couldn't even be used to build a minimal system.
Kris
If carbon dioxide is used you face almost certain asphixiation and death. This happens now and then in apple country where the apples are stored in a mostly CO2 environment in huge air-tight warehouses.
Kris
In the US it's being replaced with FM-200 gas and some places are using a new concept called "dry pipe" where the sprinkler systems aren't pressurized so you have time to turn things off before escaping (assuming that if the fire goes on long enough for the water to reach the computer room before turning off, the room is lost).
Or something.
Kris
Thanks for the corrections! The voice quality on GSM is definitely much better than TDMA. The "effective" GSM voice bitrate of 13 kbps (versus TDMA 9600 bps) might have something to do with it :)
I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of CDMA accepting more and more calls and degrading my voice quality just so the carrier could fit more calls into the same spectrum. Feh.
Kris
Nope, sorry, PCS is a general term used to describe digital telephone service in the US. It doesn't mean 1900 MHz, it doesn't mean TDMA or CDMA, it doesn't mean tri-mode phones; it just refers to digital telephone service in the US.
Kris
T-Mobile (nee Voicestream) allows you to move your SIM card among as many telephones as you like. If you have the fancy internet phone and want to use your simple tiny handset for travelling you need only eject the SIM card from the internet phone and plug it into your handset and turn it on. No fuss, no muss.
Kris
It's interesting to note that Cingular (nee Cellular One) and AT&T are converting their services to GSM. T-Mobile and Nextel are already GSM. The voice quality is higher, but it is still the older TDMA-derived system. People who use the CDMA services (Sprint, Verizon) seem to be the worst off, as the voice quality gets worse and worse in congested cells where in TDMA the quality stays the same but the ability to make and receive calls is limitted.
I think it's very telling that the two largest providers are converting their networks to GSM/TDMA and are totally eschewing CDMA.
Kris
Having built over 100 systems by hand this is nearly always the case of the chassis coming in contact with pin lugs that are hanging out the back of the motherboard, or the motherboard mounts contacting circuitry.
I have built a number of systems which have stamped motherboard mounts which are quite wider than the usual screw-in mounts--so wide that they contact the motherboard well past the screw holes and into the circuitry. Not good! Worse yet, these stamped mounts can't be removed (obviously) and if the motherboard doesn't have a mounting hole where the mount is located you have to insulate it with something that cannot be punctured by the pins hanging out the back of the motherboard.
This has been a problem more than I like to say but it is always corrected by using non-conductive washers on the mount points and using rubber feet or cut-off plastic standoffs for spacing. The problem for me was prevalent on many MicroATX chassis, and especially thin steel cases of the sub-$30 variety which had a tendency to flex and bend in normal use.
Of course others have mentioned cards not seating properly (AGP cards are terrible for this) so to solve it you don't use the screw mounts adjacent to the AGP slot. This allows the motherboard to flex towards the AGP card and not "pull back" on it and unseat it. Newer AGP cards have retainer clips but I haven't run into those yet.
Kris