He might not, but from what I gather, it's something like this:
PGE = m*g*h (potential gravitational energy in joules = mass * gravity * height)
50 lbs = 22.7 kg
PGE = 22.7 * 9.81 * 1.5 (I'm assuming a generous height of about 1.5 meters here, based on his diagram which gives 58" as the height)
PGE = about 334 joules
A joules is one watt-second, so 334 joules means 334 watts for one second, or 1 watt for 334 seconds.
According to Wikipedia, "The highest efficiency high-power white LED is claimed by Philips Lumileds Lighting Co. with a luminous efficacy of 115 lm/W (350 mA)." The claims is that this light can produce 600-800 lumens. If we take the lower number, 600, that breaks down to about 5 1-watt super-efficient LEDs to produce about 600 lumens.
So that's 5 watts per second, which with energy of 334 joules yields about 66 seconds of output. A far cry from 14,400 seconds (four hours).
Feel free to correct my math, it's been years since I've taken physics.
No, I didn't. In my original post, I quoted definitions of the word "creative" from the OED. You did not and apparently still do not understand this, since you replied that my "uses" were adjectives. A definition is not an attested example of usage. In my second reply, I then cited attested usages of the word.
You sound like you think language is not something that evolves, and can be referenced from a 1938 usage of the word.
You sound like you didn't read the rest of my post. I gave two attestations: one from 1938, and one from 2000. This shows that not only is "creative" used as a noun, but also that that usage is not very recent. There were also several other attestations from the years between that I did not cite.
Of course language changes over time. As a student of several languages and someone who knows how to properly read a dictionary, I understand that quite well - and apparently much better than you do.
Re:how common is lying to avoid replacing laptops?
on
The $54 Million Laptop
·
· Score: 1
Not a laptop, but I had a horrible experience with Nokia a few years ago. I had a phone that was about 8 months old and refused to charge. Since it was still under warranty, I sent it to the repair center. I had no loaner phone during this period, so I was very anxious to get it back.
I waited the allotted time (something like two weeks), and called to check the repair status. After being passed around, someone told me that "two weeks" really meant 14 business days. I waited 14 business days, called again, same being passed around. Finally, after a month, I got angry, called the service center, and asked what was taking so long. I was passed around in circles, again. When I asked to speak to a manager, the technician refused, and told me the conversation was over. I told him it wasn't, and that he wasn't to hang up on me, which he promptly did.
I called Nokia again, and told the operator not to transfer me to the repair center, but to find someone, anyone, else that I could talk to. They ended up putting me through to some "Executive Resolution Department," who explained that they couldn't fix the phone, and couldn't send me a replacement, because the model had been discontinued. All they could do was refund me the purchase price for the phone, by sending me a check that would take 4-6 weeks (after I faxed them my receipt for the phone). I asked for any unaffected components to be returned (charger, battery, etc.), and they said it was their policy to throw everything away if it was determined the phone couldn't be repaired (I guess that's somewhat fair).
This last person I talked to was quite nice, and apologized for the behavior of the tech. He then gave me his personal phone number, name, and told me that he would have some "enhancements" sent to me - a designer faceplate for the replacement phone I had purchased by this time, and an extra battery.
I finally got the check. After waiting several weeks and not receiving any "enhancements," I decide to call the "personal" number. It turned out not to be personal, but just a default number for that department. I spoke to someone else, who apparently had no knowledge that I was supposed to be sent anything, but told me that he would have the "enhancements" sent to me. I never received anything, and have vowed to never buy from Nokia again. I like their products, but their customer service, at least here in the US, was abysmal.
So what you are saying is, every time a customer does like the resolution to a customer service problem, they should file a multi-million dollar lawsuit to generate media attention so the company is forced to give them what they want?
No, that's not what I'm saying. As for the rest of your post, have you read anything from her blog? This isn't a matter of "extra trips to the store." The computer went missing in May. Best Buy quietly (and without informing her) credited about $1100 to her credit card in October, after repeated attempts at a small settlement (less than $5000). I'd say that's more than normal inconvenience, and it certainly is Best Buy's responsibility. The gift card? She told them she didn't want to patronize them any more, and donated it to a non-profit.
I agree that the private data shouldn't be an issue (and Best Buy probably has some clause in their agreements saying as much), but on the other hand, Best Buy really did fsck this one up big time.
Very few people have the means or desire to file a lawsuit like this to slap some sense into businesses that behave poorly. Hopefully her suit will teach Best Buy a lesson.
However, there is still room for debate on the issue of whether she was treated fairly. FTA, "Best Buy spokeswoman Nissa French said in an e-mail that Campbell "was offered and collected $1,110.35" as well as "a $500 gift card for her inconvenience." The reasonable market value of the laptop that was stolen (in all likelihood by a Best Buy employee!) + $500 in merchandise? That seems like a reasonable way to try to dispose of any claim--especially since Ms. Campbell already accepted these items.
Except that she didn't "accept" them. From her blog:
Funds received to date total $1110.35, which were unilaterally transferred into my credit card account by Best Buy in late October -- without my knowledge or consent.
As for the gift card:
Best Buy also sent a $500 gift card to me in mid-October (with no explanation and despite repeatedly communicating that I had no interest in a gift card that would force me to patronize their stores). I subsequently advised them that I would donate it to a non-profit organization unless they requested its return, and did so in December, after not receiving a response.
Furthermore, Best Buy should have offered more than the "market value" of the laptop - remember, this transfer was made in October, while the laptop had been missing since May
I'm sorry but suing for an incredibly large amount of money just to make a point is a bit ridiculous and when you publicly admit that you're doing it mostly out of spite, it makes you look like an ass.
I don't think it's ridiculous at all. First of all, it's working - she is getting media attention. I doubt she could have hoped for the same attention if she wanted to settle this in a small claims court (she was willing to do so at one point, but Best Buy seems to have repeatedly ignored her). Secondly, it seems to be common practice to sue for an enormous amount of money, realizing that the court will rarely ever award that much. As for being an ass, it looks like Best Buy is the one you should really accuse - they're playing all sorts of legal paperwork games, contesting every move (read her response to Best Buy's lawyer's claim that none of the defendants were served).
As a representative of the PADL (Pirate Anti-Defamation League), I protest to your inclusion of rape in the list of activities characteristic of pirates. According to Captain John Phillip's Pirate Code,
Article IX. If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.
Please cease and desist from further defamation of pirates. Or prepare to be pillaged yourself! (And note that the article only applies to the prudent Woman.) YAAAR!
For some, open v. closed source IS ethics
on
Ethics In IT
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· Score: 1
What ethics in is NOT: Choosing Open Source or Closed Source Software... Those are Business decisions and have no real morality issues.
Just because they are business decisions does not therefore imply that they have no moral aspect. You don't have to agree with Stallman, but you should recognize that for some people, open source v. closed source is definitely about ethics:
"Proprietary software is evil because it attacks freedom and social solidarity. When a program is proprietary, that means that the social system of its distribution and use is unethical."
Free software is not about the price of software or even about the quality or practicality of it, according to Stallman. It is much more important than that. "This is about ethics," he said. "That is, good and evil."
Granted, these issues may not qualify as "business ethics," since they are about very fundamental beliefs, but it's imprecise to say that ethics isn't about closed v. open source. For some, that is exactly what it is about.
Those are not 'uses' of creative, they are definitions. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself. The headword in the OED is "creative, n."
If you want an actual use, here is the quotation from 1938: "1938 T. DREISER in W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage (new ed.) I. p. v, Life..is our best novelist and our best biographer... Only it does not write them [sc.novels and biographies] except and perforce..through one of its creations or creatives."
A more modern and perfect example of the contested usage is this: "2000 M. JOHNSON Drop iii. 160 Could you send a portfolio over, a client list and such?.. And could you tell me the name of the head creative? Thank you."
I.e., wrong again.
Yes, but it's not always simple
on
Ethics In IT
·
· Score: 1
Sure, ethical behavior is ethical irrespective of whether it has to do with IT or not; but there are many realms in which it's very difficult to figure out exactly what is ethical, and what isn't. Why do you think we have endless discussions surrounding IP here on/.?
Sometimes just being a "decent honest person" isn't enough to clarify what decision you should make. I may get torn apart for bringing this up, but I'm currently taking a class in religious ethics, and this week we're talking about the ethics surrounding stem cell research. When you actually read various position statements, you come to realize that the issue is not that one side is ill-informed of science, or ignorant in general; rather, people simply have different fundamental principles and attitudes towards human life, as well as what contributes respect, etc. It's not always as simple as just learning the facts and weighing them.
Actually, according to the OED, "creative" is a noun, with the following senses:
1. The creative faculty; creative work; (Advertising) creative material produced for an advertising campaign, such as the copy, design, or artwork.
2. A creative person, a person whose job involves creative work; (Advertising) a person who carries out creative work on an advertising campaign, esp. a copywriter, art director, or designer.
First of all, what does it matter which side it's on, if you're reading it the same anyway:s
It matters when you're reading book-like documents where odd pages are supposed to always be on the right.
Second of all, it's a huge improvement. Adobe Reader takes forever to open up (even on my fast computer), but Foxit comes up in seconds.
I agree - personally, I use Acrobat, but I put Foxit on my parents' computer, which is old and slow, and they like it much better. Before they would always complain about opening PDFs.
As the other poster noted, you have to preheat the alcohol. I make "cafe brule" for special occasions, which is basically coffee mixed with brandy, orange extract, and sugar. In order to ignite the brandy, which is standard 80 proof (40%), you heat it in a saucepan for a few minutes. After that, taking a match to it creates a nice blue (and extremely hot) flame, that's actually quite difficult to put out (it takes more than walking by). It's quite impressive when done in the dark, especially when you stir it, and remove a still-flaming spoon from the mixture!
Who tagged this "reserve not yet met," and which reserve were they talking about? There are lots of pieces being auctioned off, and I am not sure about all of them (such as the public safety chunk), but the one that most/. readers are concerned with is the C Block. The reserve for the C Block was met last Thursday.
I know you're talking about the iPod Touch, but for regular iPods, RockBox handles just about all of those issues (except the non-removable storage and battery ones, obviously). It ain't always pretty, but it gets the job done.
For the past two years, my undergrad dorm has borrowed a school projector, and has shown the game on a wall in the common room. I don't know exactly how big it was, but I'm betting it was well over 55". We'd even use some of our event funds to buy pizza, etc. I've graduated, so I don't know what they're doing this year, but I thought I'd mention that these types of events aren't limited to churches.
Regardless of what the law actually says, it'd be pretty idiotic if the NFL wanted to shut down our event. You can't even claim that people are being harmed by the religious aspect in our case!
"America's consumers are now reaping the rewards of the Administration's pro-investment, deregulatory policies: a vigorous broadband marketplace in which providers using various platforms compete against one another on price, speed, mobility, content, and other service features."
That the bidding often stalls in the middle of the auction, and picks up like crazy near the end. This isn't ebay of course, but it's certainly an example of auction behavior to pay attention to.
According to the article, the FCC has certain rules about bidding in the auction (you must bid every round unless you are the high bidder, you have three waivers that you can use to skip a round, etc.), so I don't think we'll be seeing eBay style auction-sniping here.
Yeah, nLite is a godsend. One of the advantages Vista has is the ability to load 3rd party drivers from a USB memory stick (XP requires a floppy disk). With nLite, I no longer have to hunt down a floppy drive every time I want to install XP (e.g., for motherboard RAID support, etc.).
Not only that, but as another poster mentioned, you can customize all the little annoyances that default Windows installs come with (e.g., remove the little arrows from shortcuts, show details in all explorer windows, etc.). You can also hard-code your key onto the disc, and even do an unattended setup. I highly recommend giving nLite a go next time you have to reinstall Windows - and really, how far away can that be?:-)
Slashdot Mirror
He might not, but from what I gather, it's something like this:
PGE = m*g*h (potential gravitational energy in joules = mass * gravity * height)
50 lbs = 22.7 kg
PGE = 22.7 * 9.81 * 1.5 (I'm assuming a generous height of about 1.5 meters here, based on his diagram which gives 58" as the height)
PGE = about 334 joules
A joules is one watt-second, so 334 joules means 334 watts for one second, or 1 watt for 334 seconds.
According to Wikipedia, "The highest efficiency high-power white LED is claimed by Philips Lumileds Lighting Co. with a luminous efficacy of 115 lm/W (350 mA)." The claims is that this light can produce 600-800 lumens. If we take the lower number, 600, that breaks down to about 5 1-watt super-efficient LEDs to produce about 600 lumens.
So that's 5 watts per second, which with energy of 334 joules yields about 66 seconds of output. A far cry from 14,400 seconds (four hours).
Feel free to correct my math, it's been years since I've taken physics.
Shhh! Not too loud. I don't want dd to end up on a list of 'pirate tools.'
No, I didn't. In my original post, I quoted definitions of the word "creative" from the OED. You did not and apparently still do not understand this, since you replied that my "uses" were adjectives. A definition is not an attested example of usage. In my second reply, I then cited attested usages of the word.
You sound like you think language is not something that evolves, and can be referenced from a 1938 usage of the word.You sound like you didn't read the rest of my post. I gave two attestations: one from 1938, and one from 2000. This shows that not only is "creative" used as a noun, but also that that usage is not very recent. There were also several other attestations from the years between that I did not cite.
Of course language changes over time. As a student of several languages and someone who knows how to properly read a dictionary, I understand that quite well - and apparently much better than you do.
Not a laptop, but I had a horrible experience with Nokia a few years ago. I had a phone that was about 8 months old and refused to charge. Since it was still under warranty, I sent it to the repair center. I had no loaner phone during this period, so I was very anxious to get it back.
I waited the allotted time (something like two weeks), and called to check the repair status. After being passed around, someone told me that "two weeks" really meant 14 business days. I waited 14 business days, called again, same being passed around. Finally, after a month, I got angry, called the service center, and asked what was taking so long. I was passed around in circles, again. When I asked to speak to a manager, the technician refused, and told me the conversation was over. I told him it wasn't, and that he wasn't to hang up on me, which he promptly did.
I called Nokia again, and told the operator not to transfer me to the repair center, but to find someone, anyone, else that I could talk to. They ended up putting me through to some "Executive Resolution Department," who explained that they couldn't fix the phone, and couldn't send me a replacement, because the model had been discontinued. All they could do was refund me the purchase price for the phone, by sending me a check that would take 4-6 weeks (after I faxed them my receipt for the phone). I asked for any unaffected components to be returned (charger, battery, etc.), and they said it was their policy to throw everything away if it was determined the phone couldn't be repaired (I guess that's somewhat fair).
This last person I talked to was quite nice, and apologized for the behavior of the tech. He then gave me his personal phone number, name, and told me that he would have some "enhancements" sent to me - a designer faceplate for the replacement phone I had purchased by this time, and an extra battery.
I finally got the check. After waiting several weeks and not receiving any "enhancements," I decide to call the "personal" number. It turned out not to be personal, but just a default number for that department. I spoke to someone else, who apparently had no knowledge that I was supposed to be sent anything, but told me that he would have the "enhancements" sent to me. I never received anything, and have vowed to never buy from Nokia again. I like their products, but their customer service, at least here in the US, was abysmal.
No, that's not what I'm saying. As for the rest of your post, have you read anything from her blog? This isn't a matter of "extra trips to the store." The computer went missing in May. Best Buy quietly (and without informing her) credited about $1100 to her credit card in October, after repeated attempts at a small settlement (less than $5000). I'd say that's more than normal inconvenience, and it certainly is Best Buy's responsibility. The gift card? She told them she didn't want to patronize them any more, and donated it to a non-profit.
I agree that the private data shouldn't be an issue (and Best Buy probably has some clause in their agreements saying as much), but on the other hand, Best Buy really did fsck this one up big time.
Very few people have the means or desire to file a lawsuit like this to slap some sense into businesses that behave poorly. Hopefully her suit will teach Best Buy a lesson.
Except that she didn't "accept" them. From her blog:
Funds received to date total $1110.35, which were unilaterally transferred into my credit card account by Best Buy in late October -- without my knowledge or consent.As for the gift card:
Best Buy also sent a $500 gift card to me in mid-October (with no explanation and despite repeatedly communicating that I had no interest in a gift card that would force me to patronize their stores). I subsequently advised them that I would donate it to a non-profit organization unless they requested its return, and did so in December, after not receiving a response.Furthermore, Best Buy should have offered more than the "market value" of the laptop - remember, this transfer was made in October, while the laptop had been missing since May
I'm sorry but suing for an incredibly large amount of money just to make a point is a bit ridiculous and when you publicly admit that you're doing it mostly out of spite, it makes you look like an ass.
I don't think it's ridiculous at all. First of all, it's working - she is getting media attention. I doubt she could have hoped for the same attention if she wanted to settle this in a small claims court (she was willing to do so at one point, but Best Buy seems to have repeatedly ignored her). Secondly, it seems to be common practice to sue for an enormous amount of money, realizing that the court will rarely ever award that much. As for being an ass, it looks like Best Buy is the one you should really accuse - they're playing all sorts of legal paperwork games, contesting every move (read her response to Best Buy's lawyer's claim that none of the defendants were served).
It's still an error, even if you happen to spell another word bye accident.
As a representative of the PADL (Pirate Anti-Defamation League), I protest to your inclusion of rape in the list of activities characteristic of pirates. According to Captain John Phillip's Pirate Code,
Article IX. If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.Please cease and desist from further defamation of pirates. Or prepare to be pillaged yourself! (And note that the article only applies to the prudent Woman.) YAAAR!
Just because they are business decisions does not therefore imply that they have no moral aspect. You don't have to agree with Stallman, but you should recognize that for some people, open source v. closed source is definitely about ethics:
"Proprietary software is evil because it attacks freedom and social solidarity. When a program is proprietary, that means that the social system of its distribution and use is unethical."
Free software is not about the price of software or even about the quality or practicality of it, according to Stallman. It is much more important than that. "This is about ethics," he said. "That is, good and evil."
Granted, these issues may not qualify as "business ethics," since they are about very fundamental beliefs, but it's imprecise to say that ethics isn't about closed v. open source. For some, that is exactly what it is about.
Those are not 'uses' of creative, they are definitions. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself. The headword in the OED is "creative, n."
If you want an actual use, here is the quotation from 1938: "1938 T. DREISER in W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage (new ed.) I. p. v, Life..is our best novelist and our best biographer... Only it does not write them [sc.novels and biographies] except and perforce..through one of its creations or creatives."
A more modern and perfect example of the contested usage is this: "2000 M. JOHNSON Drop iii. 160 Could you send a portfolio over, a client list and such?.. And could you tell me the name of the head creative? Thank you."
I.e., wrong again.
Sure, ethical behavior is ethical irrespective of whether it has to do with IT or not; but there are many realms in which it's very difficult to figure out exactly what is ethical, and what isn't. Why do you think we have endless discussions surrounding IP here on /.?
Sometimes just being a "decent honest person" isn't enough to clarify what decision you should make. I may get torn apart for bringing this up, but I'm currently taking a class in religious ethics, and this week we're talking about the ethics surrounding stem cell research. When you actually read various position statements, you come to realize that the issue is not that one side is ill-informed of science, or ignorant in general; rather, people simply have different fundamental principles and attitudes towards human life, as well as what contributes respect, etc. It's not always as simple as just learning the facts and weighing them.
Actually, according to the OED, "creative" is a noun, with the following senses:
1. The creative faculty; creative work; (Advertising) creative material produced for an advertising campaign, such as the copy, design, or artwork.
2. A creative person, a person whose job involves creative work; (Advertising) a person who carries out creative work on an advertising campaign, esp. a copywriter, art director, or designer.
An example of the second sense dates to 1938.
It matters when you're reading book-like documents where odd pages are supposed to always be on the right.
Second of all, it's a huge improvement. Adobe Reader takes forever to open up (even on my fast computer), but Foxit comes up in seconds.I agree - personally, I use Acrobat, but I put Foxit on my parents' computer, which is old and slow, and they like it much better. Before they would always complain about opening PDFs.
As the other poster noted, you have to preheat the alcohol. I make "cafe brule" for special occasions, which is basically coffee mixed with brandy, orange extract, and sugar. In order to ignite the brandy, which is standard 80 proof (40%), you heat it in a saucepan for a few minutes. After that, taking a match to it creates a nice blue (and extremely hot) flame, that's actually quite difficult to put out (it takes more than walking by). It's quite impressive when done in the dark, especially when you stir it, and remove a still-flaming spoon from the mixture!
Who tagged this "reserve not yet met," and which reserve were they talking about? There are lots of pieces being auctioned off, and I am not sure about all of them (such as the public safety chunk), but the one that most /. readers are concerned with is the C Block. The reserve for the C Block was met last Thursday.
I know you're talking about the iPod Touch, but for regular iPods, RockBox handles just about all of those issues (except the non-removable storage and battery ones, obviously). It ain't always pretty, but it gets the job done.
For the past two years, my undergrad dorm has borrowed a school projector, and has shown the game on a wall in the common room. I don't know exactly how big it was, but I'm betting it was well over 55". We'd even use some of our event funds to buy pizza, etc. I've graduated, so I don't know what they're doing this year, but I thought I'd mention that these types of events aren't limited to churches.
Regardless of what the law actually says, it'd be pretty idiotic if the NFL wanted to shut down our event. You can't even claim that people are being harmed by the religious aspect in our case!
I'm speechless.
According to the article, the FCC has certain rules about bidding in the auction (you must bid every round unless you are the high bidder, you have three waivers that you can use to skip a round, etc.), so I don't think we'll be seeing eBay style auction-sniping here.
Ah! Indeed, you did mention "seems." My bad!
Solely in the interests of accuracy, no, you didn't :-)
You mentioned "is seen as," not "seems." Sorry to be a nitpicker!
See? He wasn't allowed to write anything disparaging Microsoft products! I need no further proof... [tinfoil hat]
I was always taught that a decent translation for "videre" in the passive, here as "videtur," is "seems" rather than the more literal "is seen."
Yeah, nLite is a godsend. One of the advantages Vista has is the ability to load 3rd party drivers from a USB memory stick (XP requires a floppy disk). With nLite, I no longer have to hunt down a floppy drive every time I want to install XP (e.g., for motherboard RAID support, etc.).
Not only that, but as another poster mentioned, you can customize all the little annoyances that default Windows installs come with (e.g., remove the little arrows from shortcuts, show details in all explorer windows, etc.). You can also hard-code your key onto the disc, and even do an unattended setup. I highly recommend giving nLite a go next time you have to reinstall Windows - and really, how far away can that be? :-)