Leaving the discussion about Shatner's narrating abilities to the side for a moment, I am shocked at how little excitement this rover is generating.
From my nerd perspective, I think about how freaking hard it is to launch something into orbit, get the payload into the right trajectory, travel nearly 600 million kilometers and then land on a relatively small and fast moving rock. The landing must be controlled, but cannot be done remotely becuase light itself takes several minutes to get from Earth to Mars. That in and of itself is freaking amazing.
The rover itself is about the size of a compact car and filled with electronics that have been optimized to run off of solar power. This solar power is mich weaker than on earth in terms of Watts/m^2. Also amazing. I understand it also has a small nuke reactor so it won't freeze in the winter, but I'm not sure if it supplements the electrical capactity for the toolsor not. Also amazing.
Other countries are partnering up to provide instruments that measure atmospheric pressure, temperature and other attributes of Mars. Also pretty darn cool.
Yet I hear very little about it on the news and surprisingly little in even tech websites like this one. I don't get it.
An onboard laser will vaporize rocks (okay, really small rocks) looking at chemical composition including organic compounds. We are looking at answering questions that have been around for centuries. Very exciting stuff.
How exactly does that help if power is out to half of your country. If you are in the half that is down, ALL of your phone providers will be down, won't they?
Honestly, it appears we are on the same side on this. My respectful recommendation is to drop the "waste of money" argument. Waste of money is incredibly subjective; you will likely get many law enforcement officials who will very persuasively argue its effectiveness. With access to more data than you or me, we'd lose this argument very quickly. The more effecive argument, IMHO, is that it is wrong to store data about innocent (in the legal sense) people. While there is no expectation of privacy, I certainly have an expectation that I will not be monitored without reasonable suspicion. This is the heart of the matter, and the costs are a far distant consideration.
No. It is a non sequitor. The original question is when does tracking become an invasion of privacy. Cheeky came back with "it isn't a useful use of money". He may be right. He may be wrong. But it has nothing to do with the story or my questions.
Anyone can sit down and write down liscense plate numbers. Citizens have done this on their own when they have suspected a house on their block of drug trafficking. Very few would consider this to be an invasion of privacy.
Police officers routinely check license plates against a registry of stolen cars. Few would consider this to be an invasion of privacy.
If police placed a device on my car that told them where I was 24/7, I'd consider that an invasion of privacy.
Having traffic plate scanners all over the place seems like an extension of case #2 where the police are checking license plates on their own... but simply using technology to speed up the process. Where is the line? Is it the automation and efficiency? Would we be upset if automated systems were in place to catch stolen cars or those with outstanding warrants? Or is it storing of the data so that someone else can use the data later for a non-law enforcement type purpose? Would we have a problem with the system if it was incapable of storing the data?
Actually, it appears there were other more threatening tweets sent out related to the tweet in the summary. It is unclear whether the teenager sent them or others did... regardless, I can now see why the police got involved.
I know Slashdot will cover the free speech part of this "case" which is very valid, but I'd like to point out how absolutely classless this teenager is. Hopefully, he will see the error of his ways.
On one hand, I get concerned anytime someone wants to regulate a new technology. There is no immediate safety issue or security issue, so my initial reaction to a congresscritter wanting to dictate its usage is negative. Society has adapted to and will continue to adapt to advances in technology, so I don't see the benefit in creating a set of rules and procedures around the appropriate use of the technology.
On the other hand, we certainly see an erosion of privacy in ways that we cou;dn't have imagined a few decades ago. So much of our lives are online, but it is very easy to opt out of Facebook or Google+ (those 12 of us who are part of it). But if this network extends into "real life" and can be married up to financial accounts and transactions made on credit card or debit cards, the mind boggles at the possibilites.
The real issue in my mind is who this information belongs to. Is information about my purchase owned by me, by the party I do business with, the credit card company, all of the above? Should there be limitations in place on how this information gets shared? How in the world do you enforce a set of rules like this?
And if you've been keeping score, I provided zero answers to any of the questions I raise. I don't have any to be honest. But yes, this is a weighty decision, but likely one that is long overdue.
You are right that the TRS-80 was a popular system in the space it was in. I had a Model I and a Model IV, so I know I enjoyed the Tandy brand. Don't confuse market leadership with having a mature market.
If you went to an office, you didn't see a Tandy (or other computer) at every workstation and most families didn't have a computer at home. By the time computers really started to hit the mainstream, Tandy had flamed out and became a distant memory. I even had a 1000 Series, but it would be my last... too proprietary, too locked in and worst of all, it didn't play Doom:)
As electronics become smaller, the only pieces that must remain large are the input and output devices, so the clamshell makes the best use of space. The iPad's input device isn't meant for serious input... a keystroke here or a mouse click there. Typing a real paragraph is a pain the fingers.
Now what I am really looking forward to is when these computers can output directly to my retina:)
Actually, "jigga" is an acceptable though rarely heard way to pronounce "giga". So your answer is 500,000. This does, however, highlight that watts are units of power and joules or watt-hours are the actual energy expenditure. If only gigawatts were necessary for the car's time travel, then one could use an arbitrarilly small amount of energy as the time expenditure approaches zero.
One application of this type of engineering is to serve as an ignition swith for a fusion energy plant. In order to get a reaction going, you either need high temperatures and pressure or abslutely unbelievable temperatures and low pressure. Our sun, due to its massive size, has a lot of pressure. Here on earth we need temperatures that far exceed our sun to get fusion started. I understand we currently have laser ignition systems in tokamak (spelling?) systems, but this system would generate much higher temperatures in a quicker time period than we could with other systems.
Okay, first I'm not given a lot of info about what you are trying to do, so I am forced to make assumptions. First, you are doing this part-time. Second, you have a small amount of users. Third, I assume these users either email you or tell you about problems in person. Fourth, you don't have any need to formally update people on statuses.
I have a great solution for you. It is called a spreadsheet. The positive is that is it free, easy to use and modify to suit your needs. No, it isn't flashy, but I find that folks tend to use software as a replacement for their own brain and creativity. I've used spreadsheets for a lot of different utilities from project management, to bug tracking to help desk support in small environments. Once the user base sees limitations, they can begin to see what they truly need and it helps immensely in determinng what the desired solution really is versus what the Microsoft shill^h^h^h^h^h consultant tells them they need.
So, yes, use a spreadsheet. Heck, in your case it really sounds like a text editor would meet your needs.
Slashdot Mirror
Leaving the discussion about Shatner's narrating abilities to the side for a moment, I am shocked at how little excitement this rover is generating.
From my nerd perspective, I think about how freaking hard it is to launch something into orbit, get the payload into the right trajectory, travel nearly 600 million kilometers and then land on a relatively small and fast moving rock. The landing must be controlled, but cannot be done remotely becuase light itself takes several minutes to get from Earth to Mars. That in and of itself is freaking amazing.
The rover itself is about the size of a compact car and filled with electronics that have been optimized to run off of solar power. This solar power is mich weaker than on earth in terms of Watts/m^2. Also amazing. I understand it also has a small nuke reactor so it won't freeze in the winter, but I'm not sure if it supplements the electrical capactity for the toolsor not. Also amazing.
Other countries are partnering up to provide instruments that measure atmospheric pressure, temperature and other attributes of Mars. Also pretty darn cool.
Yet I hear very little about it on the news and surprisingly little in even tech websites like this one. I don't get it.
An onboard laser will vaporize rocks (okay, really small rocks) looking at chemical composition including organic compounds. We are looking at answering questions that have been around for centuries. Very exciting stuff.
I don't want Shatner narrating anything. Couldn't we have Nimoy instead? Heck Nemoy and Spiner or Stewart would rock.
How exactly does that help if power is out to half of your country. If you are in the half that is down, ALL of your phone providers will be down, won't they?
Honestly, it appears we are on the same side on this. My respectful recommendation is to drop the "waste of money" argument. Waste of money is incredibly subjective; you will likely get many law enforcement officials who will very persuasively argue its effectiveness. With access to more data than you or me, we'd lose this argument very quickly. The more effecive argument, IMHO, is that it is wrong to store data about innocent (in the legal sense) people. While there is no expectation of privacy, I certainly have an expectation that I will not be monitored without reasonable suspicion. This is the heart of the matter, and the costs are a far distant consideration.
No. It is a non sequitor. The original question is when does tracking become an invasion of privacy. Cheeky came back with "it isn't a useful use of money". He may be right. He may be wrong. But it has nothing to do with the story or my questions.
If your biggest concern with this is tax dollars, then you've missed the point.
Anyone can sit down and write down liscense plate numbers. Citizens have done this on their own when they have suspected a house on their block of drug trafficking. Very few would consider this to be an invasion of privacy.
Police officers routinely check license plates against a registry of stolen cars. Few would consider this to be an invasion of privacy.
If police placed a device on my car that told them where I was 24/7, I'd consider that an invasion of privacy.
Having traffic plate scanners all over the place seems like an extension of case #2 where the police are checking license plates on their own... but simply using technology to speed up the process. Where is the line? Is it the automation and efficiency? Would we be upset if automated systems were in place to catch stolen cars or those with outstanding warrants? Or is it storing of the data so that someone else can use the data later for a non-law enforcement type purpose? Would we have a problem with the system if it was incapable of storing the data?
Actually, it appears there were other more threatening tweets sent out related to the tweet in the summary. It is unclear whether the teenager sent them or others did... regardless, I can now see why the police got involved.
I know Slashdot will cover the free speech part of this "case" which is very valid, but I'd like to point out how absolutely classless this teenager is. Hopefully, he will see the error of his ways.
I believe it was John Lennon who said that, not McCartney.
I read the headline and wondered why a crack was released for Ubuntu only and such an old version...
My novel idea is reducing injuries and fatalities through getting involved in fewer conflicts. It is a radical idea, but it just might work.
On one hand, I get concerned anytime someone wants to regulate a new technology. There is no immediate safety issue or security issue, so my initial reaction to a congresscritter wanting to dictate its usage is negative. Society has adapted to and will continue to adapt to advances in technology, so I don't see the benefit in creating a set of rules and procedures around the appropriate use of the technology.
On the other hand, we certainly see an erosion of privacy in ways that we cou;dn't have imagined a few decades ago. So much of our lives are online, but it is very easy to opt out of Facebook or Google+ (those 12 of us who are part of it). But if this network extends into "real life" and can be married up to financial accounts and transactions made on credit card or debit cards, the mind boggles at the possibilites.
The real issue in my mind is who this information belongs to. Is information about my purchase owned by me, by the party I do business with, the credit card company, all of the above? Should there be limitations in place on how this information gets shared? How in the world do you enforce a set of rules like this?
And if you've been keeping score, I provided zero answers to any of the questions I raise. I don't have any to be honest. But yes, this is a weighty decision, but likely one that is long overdue.
You are right that the TRS-80 was a popular system in the space it was in. I had a Model I and a Model IV, so I know I enjoyed the Tandy brand. Don't confuse market leadership with having a mature market.
If you went to an office, you didn't see a Tandy (or other computer) at every workstation and most families didn't have a computer at home. By the time computers really started to hit the mainstream, Tandy had flamed out and became a distant memory. I even had a 1000 Series, but it would be my last... too proprietary, too locked in and worst of all, it didn't play Doom :)
You have no idea how hard I rub my hands together. Let's just say I've worked up some muscles for that very type of activity.
For certain values of "competition", yes :) The Tandy seemed to be ahead of its time but unfortunately ahead of public demand.
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/hardware.asp?t=1&c=233&st=1
As electronics become smaller, the only pieces that must remain large are the input and output devices, so the clamshell makes the best use of space. The iPad's input device isn't meant for serious input... a keystroke here or a mouse click there. Typing a real paragraph is a pain the fingers.
Now what I am really looking forward to is when these computers can output directly to my retina :)
Actually, "jigga" is an acceptable though rarely heard way to pronounce "giga". So your answer is 500,000. This does, however, highlight that watts are units of power and joules or watt-hours are the actual energy expenditure. If only gigawatts were necessary for the car's time travel, then one could use an arbitrarilly small amount of energy as the time expenditure approaches zero.
Apparently it was my morning haze. 1.85 MJ is the equivilent of leaving your old-school 60 watt light bulb on for the 8 hours while you are at work.
I heard a radio program (NPR I think) talking about this. The entire energy was about the same as rubbing your hands together for a few seconds.
Can anyone verify? It was early on a Monday morning, so it could ahve been the haze of the weekend...
One application of this type of engineering is to serve as an ignition swith for a fusion energy plant. In order to get a reaction going, you either need high temperatures and pressure or abslutely unbelievable temperatures and low pressure. Our sun, due to its massive size, has a lot of pressure. Here on earth we need temperatures that far exceed our sun to get fusion started. I understand we currently have laser ignition systems in tokamak (spelling?) systems, but this system would generate much higher temperatures in a quicker time period than we could with other systems.
Never mind, I found it here http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs
How much will it cost?
The Model A will cost $25 and the Model B $35, plus local taxes.
The article summary says $35, but http://www.raspberrypi.org/ states $25. Which is accurate? Is there more than one model?
Hugh Hefner has been doing this for a while.
Okay, first I'm not given a lot of info about what you are trying to do, so I am forced to make assumptions. First, you are doing this part-time. Second, you have a small amount of users. Third, I assume these users either email you or tell you about problems in person. Fourth, you don't have any need to formally update people on statuses.
I have a great solution for you. It is called a spreadsheet. The positive is that is it free, easy to use and modify to suit your needs. No, it isn't flashy, but I find that folks tend to use software as a replacement for their own brain and creativity. I've used spreadsheets for a lot of different utilities from project management, to bug tracking to help desk support in small environments. Once the user base sees limitations, they can begin to see what they truly need and it helps immensely in determinng what the desired solution really is versus what the Microsoft shill^h^h^h^h^h consultant tells them they need.
So, yes, use a spreadsheet. Heck, in your case it really sounds like a text editor would meet your needs.