The only advantage of lithium batteries is high energy density, which is irrelevant for a static installation. For powering something as long lasting as a house it would be better to use something more robust. Nickel-iron batteries have low energy density but are very robust. I wouldn't want a house battery I'd have to replace every few years.
Ardour is the only Free software DAW suitable for any serious work. It uses JACK, which is an excellent low-latency audio routing system, but actual audio playback on Linux depends on the ALSA backend, which varies in quality depending on your hardware. Check the Alsa SoundCard Matrix for details. Recent Linux kernels have reasonably low latency by default, but for very tight latency requirements you might need a custom kernel configuration or patches.
E-ink displays have very bad contrast ratio. Typically about 10:1, compared to 1000:1 or more for an LCD. The only visual advantage of e-ink is higher DPI, which is a marketing based rather than technical benefit because there's no reason LCDs can't have just as high DPI (see the OLPC XO1's display, which is also reflective so it's usable in sunlight).
E-ink is a dead-end technology. Bistable LCDs will exceed it in ever aspect. Ferro Liquid Display technology looks promising.
Consistent fonts are a good thing. People argue over hinting and serifs and kerning and the like, but the single most important factor in font legibility is familiarity. Always use the same font and you'll read faster and more accurately. This is a big reason why I prefer to read on screen.
Those scalers work well with photographic content, but fail miserably on the pixel art you find in old games. The only scaler suitable for pixel art is simple unfiltered integer ratio pixel duplication.
AdBlock is only detectable because it prevents downloading of adverts. This makes sense because hardly anyone takes countermeasures against AdBlock. If AdBlock countermeasures become popular then it would be easy to make AdBlock download the ads but not display them.
We can spend the bits on more than just resolution. Don't forget increases in frame rate (100fps+ needed for realistic fast motion), increases in color depth for more realistic dynamic range, and stereoscopy. And even if resolution on a conventional screen is bottlenecked by the human eye, dome screens need even higher resolution (or more practically, simulated dome screens using direct to eye projection). Also stereoscopy is an ugly hack that breaks when you change viewing position. A real 3D format would need a huge number of bits. This isn't even taking into account future upgrades to the human visual system, through cybernetics, gene therapy, or whatever.
I recently switched from a CRT to a 120Hz LCD with steady fluorescent backlight. Motion quality is slightly worse (although much better than any 60Hz LCD), but the other advantages of LCD make up for it.
CRT phosphors fade with exponential decay, tuned for very fast decay. This means that very faint ghosting is visible, but it's not enough to cause perceptible sample and hold blur. The bulk of the decay is finished in microseconds. Ghosting would be completely intolerable if slow phosphors were used.
Just flickering the backlight is not enough to imitate a CRT, because it would require buffering the whole frame instead of displaying it line by line, increasing latency. The correct method is to use a grid of LEDs, sweeping the lit part in time with the current line. This also allows for much less ugly dynamic contrast.
The new 120Hz LCDs aren't bad. I've been using a Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 CRT for years, but I recently switched to a ViewSonic VX2268wm LCD. There's still visible sample and hold blurring, but unlike on a 60Hz LCD you only notice it when you're actively looking for it (assuming your frame rate doesn't drop below 120fps). Black level and color accuracy are poor as you'd expect from a TN panel, but I find motion quality much more important. No noticeable input lag. It's easily the best LCD I've used, and the convenience of an LCD (much shorter warmup time, small size, perfect geometry linearity, lower power consumption) outweighs the slight image quality/motion quality loss as compared to a CRT. Being able to run 120Hz at full resolution is also useful, because before I had to switch modes for gaming/movies because my CRT only did 100Hz at the highest usable resolution.
I don't trust SSDs for long term reliability, but the performance boost is too big to ignore. I'm using a OCZ Vertex in combination with mechanical drives.
Copyright is legal restriction of freedom of speech and private communication. Its purpose is supposedly to improve society by government restriction of the free market, which is anti-libertarian.
Sharing of both Free and proprietary software is already restricted by force (copyright law). RMS approves of this use of force only for the purposes of preserving the four freedoms of Free software. The true libertarian solution would be to abolish copyright altogether.
You experienced constant 60fps, low and predictable control latency, and zero sample and hold blurring. Your son will almost certainly experience variable low frame rate, higher and unpredictable control latency, blurred motion, and screen tearing. Do him a favor and find a dedicated 2D hardware games console and a CRT TV. Classic 2D gaming doesn't play nice with modern hardware.
"OSHA also states that "exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level" (CFR 1910.95(b)(2))"
This thing runs at 151db, and it's a tight beam so there'll be little volume loss with distance. No matter how brief the blast it will cause hearing damage. This is a device designed for permanently disabling people without visible damage, and it should be banned under international law just as blinding weapons are. Everyone who makes/sells/uses this device should be executed for war crimes.
When you go to college, you're in an educational environment 24/7, getting exposed to more ideas and experiences than most people get otherwise in a lifetime.
In my experience, the Internet provides a much better educational environment. Formal higher education has its own very limited set of ideas and experiences. With very few exceptions (eg. study of chemistry) it can only compete against the Internet because of artificial monopolies.
Slashdot Mirror
It's a serious threat. Think of what happened to the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
The only advantage of lithium batteries is high energy density, which is irrelevant for a static installation. For powering something as long lasting as a house it would be better to use something more robust. Nickel-iron batteries have low energy density but are very robust. I wouldn't want a house battery I'd have to replace every few years.
This is "News for Nerds", not "News for Oil Traders". We use SI units here.
Wouldn't surprise me at all if it's true. Most modern console games have unacceptably high latency:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-lag-factor-article
Ardour is the only Free software DAW suitable for any serious work. It uses JACK, which is an excellent low-latency audio routing system, but actual audio playback on Linux depends on the ALSA backend, which varies in quality depending on your hardware. Check the Alsa SoundCard Matrix for details. Recent Linux kernels have reasonably low latency by default, but for very tight latency requirements you might need a custom kernel configuration or patches.
A bistable LCD is exactly that, but able to display motion too.
E-ink displays have very bad contrast ratio. Typically about 10:1, compared to 1000:1 or more for an LCD. The only visual advantage of e-ink is higher DPI, which is a marketing based rather than technical benefit because there's no reason LCDs can't have just as high DPI (see the OLPC XO1's display, which is also reflective so it's usable in sunlight).
E-ink is a dead-end technology. Bistable LCDs will exceed it in ever aspect. Ferro Liquid Display technology looks promising.
Consistent fonts are a good thing. People argue over hinting and serifs and kerning and the like, but the single most important factor in font legibility is familiarity. Always use the same font and you'll read faster and more accurately. This is a big reason why I prefer to read on screen.
I'm right. Those algorithms look acceptable in screenshots but show obvious artifacts in motion.
You'll get ugly distorted results using any kind of fancy interpolation filter. normal2x is best.
Those scalers work well with photographic content, but fail miserably on the pixel art you find in old games. The only scaler suitable for pixel art is simple unfiltered integer ratio pixel duplication.
The reason is obvious - passengers can see the road and react to hazards, people on the phone cannot.
AdBlock is only detectable because it prevents downloading of adverts. This makes sense because hardly anyone takes countermeasures against AdBlock. If AdBlock countermeasures become popular then it would be easy to make AdBlock download the ads but not display them.
We can spend the bits on more than just resolution. Don't forget increases in frame rate (100fps+ needed for realistic fast motion), increases in color depth for more realistic dynamic range, and stereoscopy. And even if resolution on a conventional screen is bottlenecked by the human eye, dome screens need even higher resolution (or more practically, simulated dome screens using direct to eye projection). Also stereoscopy is an ugly hack that breaks when you change viewing position. A real 3D format would need a huge number of bits. This isn't even taking into account future upgrades to the human visual system, through cybernetics, gene therapy, or whatever.
I recently switched from a CRT to a 120Hz LCD with steady fluorescent backlight. Motion quality is slightly worse (although much better than any 60Hz LCD), but the other advantages of LCD make up for it.
CRT phosphors fade with exponential decay, tuned for very fast decay. This means that very faint ghosting is visible, but it's not enough to cause perceptible sample and hold blur. The bulk of the decay is finished in microseconds. Ghosting would be completely intolerable if slow phosphors were used.
Just flickering the backlight is not enough to imitate a CRT, because it would require buffering the whole frame instead of displaying it line by line, increasing latency. The correct method is to use a grid of LEDs, sweeping the lit part in time with the current line. This also allows for much less ugly dynamic contrast.
Is that real 85Hz or dropping frames to 60Hz? I'm not aware of any LCD with a genuine maximum refresh rate of 85Hz.
CRT blanking is a very good thing, because it eliminates sample and hold blur. Good article on motion representation:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/temprate.mspx
The new 120Hz LCDs aren't bad. I've been using a Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 CRT for years, but I recently switched to a ViewSonic VX2268wm LCD. There's still visible sample and hold blurring, but unlike on a 60Hz LCD you only notice it when you're actively looking for it (assuming your frame rate doesn't drop below 120fps). Black level and color accuracy are poor as you'd expect from a TN panel, but I find motion quality much more important. No noticeable input lag. It's easily the best LCD I've used, and the convenience of an LCD (much shorter warmup time, small size, perfect geometry linearity, lower power consumption) outweighs the slight image quality/motion quality loss as compared to a CRT. Being able to run 120Hz at full resolution is also useful, because before I had to switch modes for gaming/movies because my CRT only did 100Hz at the highest usable resolution. I don't trust SSDs for long term reliability, but the performance boost is too big to ignore. I'm using a OCZ Vertex in combination with mechanical drives.
Copyright is legal restriction of freedom of speech and private communication. Its purpose is supposedly to improve society by government restriction of the free market, which is anti-libertarian.
Sharing of both Free and proprietary software is already restricted by force (copyright law). RMS approves of this use of force only for the purposes of preserving the four freedoms of Free software. The true libertarian solution would be to abolish copyright altogether.
You experienced constant 60fps, low and predictable control latency, and zero sample and hold blurring. Your son will almost certainly experience variable low frame rate, higher and unpredictable control latency, blurred motion, and screen tearing. Do him a favor and find a dedicated 2D hardware games console and a CRT TV. Classic 2D gaming doesn't play nice with modern hardware.
It's the "without visible damage" part that is disturbing. If the situation warrants permanently disabling people then they should be using guns.
"OSHA also states that "exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level" (CFR 1910.95(b)(2))"
This thing runs at 151db, and it's a tight beam so there'll be little volume loss with distance. No matter how brief the blast it will cause hearing damage. This is a device designed for permanently disabling people without visible damage, and it should be banned under international law just as blinding weapons are. Everyone who makes/sells/uses this device should be executed for war crimes.
It's more the "with random writes" part that is impressive (but what size writes?).