Straight up and straight down (actually an arc, but for argument's sake, let's assume it is a completely vertical path) to space (over 50 miles as defined by the USAF) IS a suborbital flight. What do you think the term means? A fraction of an orbit is a fraction of an orbit. How much of a fraction is moot, the point is getting up there with three people.
You certainly underappreciate tourism. It already costs over $30,000 to "climb" Everest, and it's so popular the entire route has to constantly be swept for trash left by rich pampered tourists.
A suborbital flight with official astronaut recognition (the Air Force only requires a pilot to go 50 miles up to be recognized) would sell like hot cakes for $50,000 a pop, and would be profitable for Rutan after a relatively small number of flights.
Tourist income would also be supplemented by microsattelite launches, as Rutan anounced previously that the SSO will be able to fire rockets, much like a fighter plane, at the top of its arc to launch such devices.
Actually, it wasn't an accident, and it wasn't an ordinary air-to-air missile. It was an Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle (ALMV), and it was fired once in a live test. The test destroyed a supposedly "retired" 6.8-ft diameter, 1,874-pound satellite known as P78-1, but it turned out to be quite a scientific work horse.
I personally saw the Intel LCoS demo monitors, and the image is phenomenal, fast, sharp, and bright. They have taken a promising but struggling technology, improved it significantly, and will flood the market with inexpensive high-quality display engines. Their chip will enable sub-$1,800 high-quality 1080p rear-projection TV sets by the middle of next year at the latest.
http://electronicproducts.com/ShowPage.asp?SECTI ON =3700&PRIMID=&FileName=olap.feb2004.html
Or you can own a decent PDA/phone like the Treo 600. The camera in it sucks, but I use my Pentax Optio S to take a picture, put the SD memory card in the Treo, and use SnapperMail to send the image (hi-res) to where I want it to go, no compromises in quality or convenience (yes, I do carry the Optio S in an Altoids can.)
The group was extremely shortsighted in their decision to go with the format that relies on compression instead of increased information density to increase next-gen DVD capacity. The more data you can store, the less compression you need, and the better the final image will be.
There are several devices from MicroOptical that would satisfy your needs.
They even have a 35-gm eyeglass-mounted QVGA near-eye monitor that can handle both bit-mapped and text input from Bluetooth-equipped PDAs and PCs.
Wireless near-eye monitor
frees portable apps
As it has been pointed out, the concept of an intelligent computer assistant is not new. In addition to the other projects mentioned, Sony is working on a project they call the "Sensing Computer", a PDA-sized device that will contain a software agent that will memorize your data and your usage patterns in everything from your passwords to your friends names and birthdays to your favorite ice cream, and will prompt you when you need info and/or are dealing with the world around you.
Darpa is working on a project under its total information awareness program called "lifelog", where a computer model will be developed of your likes, dislikes, behavior patterns, and everythign about you so that a computer model can be built. This model could then be used to predict behavior or spotlight devations from the norm that may indicate criminal or terrorist activity. Kind of like a predicitive "Big Brother" AI. If this technology comes to pass, it will make Orwell's nightmare look like a shopping mall in comparison.
In the days of rotary-dial phones, there was a device called a "harmonica bug" It had its name due to its method of activation. The listener would call the target phone, and while the call was going through, play a pitchpipe or whistle with a specific control tone into the phone. A circuit in the target phone would detect the tone in the carrier and switch off the ringer before putting the call through. This would turn the target phone into a microphone. That's why in some older detective and Cold-War Russia filcks the people in a room rotate the phone dial to "1" and stick a pencil in it to hold it there. That's so the line is blocked to incoming calls, so a harmonic bug can't eavesdrop.
Actually, field-emissive displays would use this technology, not LCDs. Nanotubes make them more cost-effective and easier to fabricate since they replace the spindt-tip emitters that wer difficult to fabricate cheaply in large arrays. Using nanotubes as emitters significantly increases the device efficiency while reducung fabrication cost. Motorola's big advance in their application was getting them to grow inthe right spots on the display substrate.
What makes you think that corporations want competition? The threat of increased competition is exactly what scares the hell out of the phone companies (and every other business entity on the planet.)
If a corporation could, they'd implant a chip in your brain that would give you an electric shock every time you considered buying something from their competition.
Locking in your number makes you dependent upon them, however shitty their service. Number portability would be a major empowerment for the consumer.
Re:Why did Handspring split off in the first place
on
Palm to Buy Handspring
·
· Score: 1
OK, so it wasn't a direct spinoff, but why go back to Palm now? Are they doing that badly? I own Treo myself, and it's a good machine. Did they ever intend to make it work on their own?
Why did Handspring split off in the first place?
on
Palm to Buy Handspring
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Doesn't anyone remember that Handspring was a Palm spin-off? Was this all just a bunch of chess moves? Did Handspring ever intend to become a viable player, and if so, why give up now?
The site plainly states that the rocket engine has not yet been selected. That means that there is no nozzle yet on the craft. Obviously, to prevent morons from pointing and saying "it has no engine!" even though it has already been explained that there isn't one yet, a nozzle was added in the photos for cosmetic purposes.
If it can get into space, it's a spacecraft. Orbit is another thing entirely. The first American spaceflight by Alan Shepard was sub-orbital, you know. (But you obviously don't, or you wouldn't have made the above comment.)
Actually. IC Master (www.icmaster.com) went completely electronic some time ago, yet is still pulling in many new subscribers. I think it depends upon the type of resource you are offering. A catalog like IC Master can hack it on the web better since it is primarily a reference tool, but a newsmagazine still needs to be able to be read in the can.
Kodak will be announcing the availability of eval kits with a 2.16-in. OLED screen, ASIC, and documentation at this year's SID (society for information display) show in Boston in May.
Slashdot Mirror
Straight up and straight down (actually an arc, but for argument's sake, let's assume it is a completely vertical path) to space (over 50 miles as defined by the USAF) IS a suborbital flight. What do you think the term means? A fraction of an orbit is a fraction of an orbit. How much of a fraction is moot, the point is getting up there with three people.
You certainly underappreciate tourism. It already costs over $30,000 to "climb" Everest, and it's so popular the entire route has to constantly be swept for trash left by rich pampered tourists.
A suborbital flight with official astronaut recognition (the Air Force only requires a pilot to go 50 miles up to be recognized) would sell like hot cakes for $50,000 a pop, and would be profitable for Rutan after a relatively small number of flights.
Tourist income would also be supplemented by microsattelite launches, as Rutan anounced previously that the SSO will be able to fire rockets, much like a fighter plane, at the top of its arc to launch such devices.
I personally saw the Intel LCoS demo monitors, and the image is phenomenal, fast, sharp, and bright. They have taken a promising but struggling technology, improved it significantly, and will flood the market with inexpensive high-quality display engines. Their chip will enable sub-$1,800 high-quality 1080p rear-projection TV sets by the middle of next year at the latest.
I ON =3700&PRIMID=&FileName=olap.feb2004.html
http://electronicproducts.com/ShowPage.asp?SECT
Or you can own a decent PDA/phone like the Treo 600. The camera in it sucks, but I use my Pentax Optio S to take a picture, put the SD memory card in the Treo, and use SnapperMail to send the image (hi-res) to where I want it to go, no compromises in quality or convenience (yes, I do carry the Optio S in an Altoids can.)
The group was extremely shortsighted in their decision to go with the format that relies on compression instead of increased information density to increase next-gen DVD capacity. The more data you can store, the less compression you need, and the better the final image will be.
Wireless near-eye monitor frees portable apps
As it has been pointed out, the concept of an intelligent computer assistant is not new. In addition to the other projects mentioned, Sony is working on a project they call the "Sensing Computer", a PDA-sized device that will contain a software agent that will memorize your data and your usage patterns in everything from your passwords to your friends names and birthdays to your favorite ice cream, and will prompt you when you need info and/or are dealing with the world around you.
Darpa is working on a project under its total information awareness program called "lifelog", where a computer model will be developed of your likes, dislikes, behavior patterns, and everythign about you so that a computer model can be built. This model could then be used to predict behavior or spotlight devations from the norm that may indicate criminal or terrorist activity. Kind of like a predicitive "Big Brother" AI. If this technology comes to pass, it will make Orwell's nightmare look like a shopping mall in comparison.
In the days of rotary-dial phones, there was a device called a "harmonica bug" It had its name due to its method of activation. The listener would call the target phone, and while the call was going through, play a pitchpipe or whistle with a specific control tone into the phone. A circuit in the target phone would detect the tone in the carrier and switch off the ringer before putting the call through. This would turn the target phone into a microphone. That's why in some older detective and Cold-War Russia filcks the people in a room rotate the phone dial to "1" and stick a pencil in it to hold it there. That's so the line is blocked to incoming calls, so a harmonic bug can't eavesdrop.
Actually, field-emissive displays would use this technology, not LCDs. Nanotubes make them more cost-effective and easier to fabricate since they replace the spindt-tip emitters that wer difficult to fabricate cheaply in large arrays. Using nanotubes as emitters significantly increases the device efficiency while reducung fabrication cost. Motorola's big advance in their application was getting them to grow inthe right spots on the display substrate.
What makes you think that corporations want competition? The threat of increased competition is exactly what scares the hell out of the phone companies (and every other business entity on the planet.)
If a corporation could, they'd implant a chip in your brain that would give you an electric shock every time you considered buying something from their competition.
Locking in your number makes you dependent upon them, however shitty their service. Number portability would be a major empowerment for the consumer.
OK, so it wasn't a direct spinoff, but why go back to Palm now? Are they doing that badly? I own Treo myself, and it's a good machine. Did they ever intend to make it work on their own?
Doesn't anyone remember that Handspring was a Palm spin-off? Was this all just a bunch of chess moves? Did Handspring ever intend to become a viable player, and if so, why give up now?
The site plainly states that the rocket engine has not yet been selected. That means that there is no nozzle yet on the craft. Obviously, to prevent morons from pointing and saying "it has no engine!" even though it has already been explained that there isn't one yet, a nozzle was added in the photos for cosmetic purposes.
If it can get into space, it's a spacecraft. Orbit is another thing entirely. The first American spaceflight by Alan Shepard was sub-orbital, you know. (But you obviously don't, or you wouldn't have made the above comment.)
The carrier vehicle isn't involved in re-entry.
You probably said that nobody could fly around the world on a tank of gas, too.
Actually. IC Master (www.icmaster.com) went completely electronic some time ago, yet is still pulling in many new subscribers. I think it depends upon the type of resource you are offering. A catalog like IC Master can hack it on the web better since it is primarily a reference tool, but a newsmagazine still needs to be able to be read in the can.
www.electronicproducts.com
Kodak also makes the image sensor that is used in digital backs for 'blads and other MF cameras. It's a 16-megapixel device, BTW.
l
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/ccd/kaf.shtm
...which is why it was cool to do so.
Kodak will be announcing the availability of eval kits with a 2.16-in. OLED screen, ASIC, and documentation at this year's SID (society for information display) show in Boston in May.
Actuality Systems' 3D display is a true 3D monitor, capable of being viewed from 360 degrees. The image looks like a solid model inside of a globe.
There are many companies such as Lugh Networks that currently provide the gear to use your house power wiring to create a "wireless" LAN.