Anyone think that trying to run windows apps on Linux is counter productive? Yes so the person is no longer running Windows, but they are still tied to it.
Think of it as virtual methadone.
There are a number of people who would like to switch to Linux but have a shopping list of excuses, 95% of it being "Can I read and write my Word documents?" and the rest being a number of Windows apps (eg Counterstrike) that they are convinced they can't live without. Each excuse we can tick off that list leads to a disturbance in the force, the cries of thousands of M$ lawyers fading as fast as the word 'dual' in "dual-boot machine"...
People don't trust downloads from porn sites (though, to the best of my knowledge, there's never been a case where a porn site used a download for nefarious purposes).
I remember reading about the old trick where a porn site would ask you to download a special image viewer (for enhanced 'viewing'), which would then turn off the sound on your modem, disconnect, and then reconnect to the Internet via a premium rate line in Hong Kong. People got scammed significant amounts of money afaicr.
" If integratd cameras are to be all the rage, then why hasn't anyone (to my knowledge, and if I'm wrong please correct me) build a PDA with a Sony Picturebook style camera in it? I would find it many times more useful than a "phone-cam"."
My friends and I use scan.co.uk. They are the cheapest I've found, delivery is fast, and they refund your money with absolutely no quibble if you return it (even if it's not faulty). They also do dozens of special offers every day, at TodayOnly. No connection to them, just my friends and I are satisfied customers. Recommended.
Building your own computer is probably cheaper, but the major benefit is that you can make sure you have an ideal fit for your money of the best component parts. I remember one major UK store headlining the cheapest P4 system available, but independent tests showed a cheap motherboard crippled the speed to well below an equivalent P3 system. Computers these days are so much like lego blocks my friend built his in under 1hr on his first attempt.
Enron and M$ are latecomers to the time-share President. The oil industry leads Bush firmly by the nose. Not only do they get all the environmental legislation they want struck down but get cushy jobs and $60,000 bungs. Read more here. Anyway, that's getting off-topic. It was hardly a secret that M$ was paying off Bush not to break them up, and if a President can be bought with no obvious repercussions then you cannot expect M$ not to play the system within which they exist. For them it's just a cost of doing business. If you don't like it then it's up to you to talk to your representative and get them to put rules in to make your polititians more accountable.
In this case, the FCC have stood up and put the public first. For this the FCC are to be commended. It's not the first case I've noticed either where the FCC have got it spot on. They appear to be fairly well insulated from the polititians which may explain their consistency (though I am quite ignorant about the inner workings of the FCC).
" I would also agree that 15 bucks is great for a camera attachment, but most cell phones don't have color screens yet, and I think a b&w pic is pretty pointless."
Most new phones will have colour screen, though even a b&w preview is fine as long as the shot is stored at a decent resolution and colour depth. After all, I expect the picture from a digital video camera to come out crisp and clear, not like the small bitty image I see in the LCD viewfinder. Most of us that fork out for the phones with cameras will be people that have PCs to download to, though I think many of us will be holding off under we get higher than the "376-by-296-pixels".
2) A camera in my phone would be my first choice. The only two other things I carry are my wallet and my watch. The former doesn't have a screen and the latter is titanium and so light I can hardly feel it and I like it that way.
I think it's as doomed as text messaging was predicted to be.
... speaking as a consumer I'm going to go out and get the first decent mobile with camera built in. It's going to be great to be able to whip it out at a bar or party when someone decides to make a fool of themselves:-) As for "A person using a phone is doing so to communicate verbally" that simply isn't true in Europe. My friends and I tend to split our usage 50/50 between voice and text messaging. I agree with the picture quality statement though, I want at least 640x480 so I can put the pics up on a web site.
I want a PDA and a camera in my phone, rather than have to lug around 3 pieces (or more) in my pocket. For my next phone, here are the features I want:
* _small_ * calendar with alarms, synchs with my desktop * camera that takes at least 640x480 * good contacts section, inc notes with each contact * voice memo * on-set answerphone ala Sony Z5 [1]
Phillip.
[1] This is something you don't appreciate until you go abroad, where retrieving voicemail is £2.50/min with T-Mobile but £0.20/min paying to receive the call that gets recorded instead.
I wouldn't say it's a toy language, but neither would I say it's suitable for large commercial projects. I use PHP for a lot of CMS stuff and there is little that can touch it for speed of development. However, I would say PHP suffers compared to J2EE in two areas:
Lack of persistance - in Java you can share memory-resident data between threads which means J2EE can scale considerably beyond PHP
Human 'resources' - Java programmers tend to come from a software engineering background, are used to working in teams, and have experience in using the tools such as CVS that are needed for larger projects.
I agree that a lot of people underestimate PHP, which is excellent, but it is a tool for a job. imho it's for small to medium-large projects. I'm not sure I would recommend it for a seriously large project though.
The code is interpreted so how can it not be portable?
PHP code is useless in other environments like binary or batch development (unlike Java, VB, C++, etc...and no whining about how someone's made a PHP->binary compiler...it ain't the same.)
Again can you explain more clearly? I use PHP for batch processing without any problem. You can also use PHP to write command line or desktop apps, though it's obviously not suited to developing large desktop apps as it wasn't designed for that.
So I suppose I'd use PHP if I had a moderately small site that I wanted to use for a fairly specific purpose
This is what PHP is primarily designed for, imho. I think you needed to read the instructions on the side of the tin before purchasing...
One argument that is often brought up (in my experience) for not starting a project in Perl is that there is no rigid style guide. A C programmer can write in in C syntax, a shell programmer in shell syntax, etc. It's too flexible for its own good when it ends up in the maintenance phase. After seeing many peers suffering fixing unwieldy Perl scripts I even avoided going on any Perl training course. PHP is much simpler and has a reasonably rigid syntax, which makes it far easier to cast your eyes over and absorb strange code.
The PHP vs Perl comparison reminds me of the C vs C++ one. The former of each is simple, almost a complete subset of the latter, and is appreciated by many as being easy to maintain. The latter of each is touted as more powerful, better OO, wider range of classes, but turn out more complex code having a higher maintenance cost.
Much like C and C++ co-exist today, PHP and Perl can also. For simple web apps, PHP is perfect. Those that know Perl can continue to use it, there is no great incentive to change. Then for sites that need massive scalability there is Java. If you know Perl, why not have a play with PHP? It's one more tool to add to your arsenal.
Now would be a good time to ask for beta testers of a new XML module for PHP. One thing that's been a big fault of nearly all PHP apps available is the storing of the configuration as a list of hard-coded variables (usually called config.php). This makes it difficult for the app to update its own config, and certainly reduces the chance of 3rd party config plug-ins.
There are a couple of xml modules that are veneers onto standard XML libraries, and also a good PHP Class, but all are not that easy to use. I wanted an API that took under 10 mins to learn and be competant in. You can see it here. So simple it only took me a couple of minutes to write a XML-based guestbook. Another example is here. Install instructions are on the site, feel free to have a try and give any feedback.
A "steep learning curve" is one where you go up, and get to the top, quickly, ie the thing is easy to learn quickly. [...] they're just innumerate and haven't a clue what a graph is?
I knew even before I checked your homepage that you lived in Cambridge... where they don't have any hills. The trick to understanding the graph that you missed is that you need to stand the bit of paper on its edge. You are right about time going along the x-axis, but a steep climb is far more difficult to walk up (whether mentally or physically).
A steep learning curve is hard too learn, but will get you there more quickly. And vice versa for a gentle learning curve.
Sorry but the UK government does not have control of.uk. That is controlled by a non-profit organisation called Nominet, set up originally by Demon Internet (one of the first UK ISPs). And a very good job they do too. As I mentioned in an earlier post, excellent service for only $3.65/year per domain.
Phillip.
PS Not smart playing into the racists hands. The only time I saw the 'n' word was in *your* post because you put it in a +2 post (presumably the post you are replying got modded down out of view, as you should have expected it would have been) PPS South Africa is not "predominatly encompassed by people of the white pigment not black", as "Black South Africans make up about 70 percent of the country's population of over 44 million people" (ref).
Top level domains should obviously be controlled and administered by the government of the country they represent.
Based on what evidence? I hear of very few complaints (well none to be honest) about the UK TLD controller Nominet, and they are a non-profit organisation with no government affiliation. A domain name costs $3.65/year and service is excellent.
Other posters have already covered much of what I would say about the rest of your post. Your concepts of borders and sovereignty are misguided but understandable. It's a difficult area to understand if you don't know its history.
Give a luser a big red button and they will press it every time (as evinced by the repeated spread of the same genre of viruses ad infinitum). I remember being fascinated when I first came to Linux many years ago by a script that, when you are bored, you hit it and it would kill a random process on your OS. Trying to explain to a sane person why you would want to do this is extremely difficult. Any readers that watch "Father Ted" will know what I mean when I mention the words 'Dougal' and "Pilot's cabin"...
I bet that every group of people who are "in the know" about anything have their own bodies of humor. Ever insulted Britney Spears or her fans because you have much better taste in music than that? Yeah, I though so.
That's called elitism, and it actually alienates people. If you want to make a joke about something then you don't talk down at others.
Sorry but I agree with the original follow-up. You need to lighten up and let people have a little fun. Linux users are more knowledgable about their systems, as you say, and that took each user time and patience. You also say that many users don't want to bother learning about their computer, in which case why begrudge those that do their little reward when that hard work paid dividends?
You call it 'elitism' and 'alienating' as opposed to it being an in-chuckle in the Linux crowd, but you are clearly proved wrong imho by all the comments that follow the news story. In-jokes can help bond communities, but it can also relieve a lot of frustration when you can see people repeatedly running into the same brick wall but cannot persuade them to change. You don't even need to switch to Linux to avoid these viruses, just use a professional email client instead of Outlook (I recommend The Bat!).
# Hydrogen is hard to contain - you either use expensive cryogenics, or you have to use zeolite entrainment to contain it. It weakens steel containers by diffusing into the container and migrating to the ever-present microfractures and expanding them (hydrogen embrittlement)
There is plenty of research going on in this area, which are going in two different directions. The first is in using new materials for reinforced containers, and the second is storing the hydrogen within another material, such as boron, and using a catalyst to release it on the fly as you need it. Both are making good progress.
# You have to make hydrogen from something - you therefor have to have some other energy source. Either that source is burning carbon in some form, or it's splitting atoms. Wind and wave are cool, but not universally available nor do they have the power density to meet all needs (not to say that they shouldn't be harvested....)
It can be using solar power, which is available everywhere. Wind and wave can be used to produce hydrogen, which can then be shipped or piped anywhere in the world like any other fuel. Heat can be used but it doesn't need to be burning carbons, it could be the excess electricity from a CHP (Combined Heat and Power) station.
# There aren't hydrogen stations on every corner. Until there are, anyone driving a hydrogen car will have to plan any long trips very carefully. True, this would correct itself if enough people drive H2 vehicles, but they won't drive them until the stations exists, but the stations won't be built until the cars are bought....
There weren't LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) stations on each corner before it was invented, now they are available everywhere in the UK. Stick a solar array in the garden and connect it to an electrolysis kit and you might be able to produce enough hydrogen to get to work each morning (I haven't tried calculating this one). You can certainly buy ones off the shelf today that plug in the mains (and no that doesn't necessarily mean you are just pushing back the burning of fossil fuels back to the power station, there are electricity companies these days that supply 100% Green electricity).
# Hydrogen requires a special engine to burn - either a fuel cell, or a modified internal combustion engine. If you DO take a trip and screw up your planning, you are stuck.
Screw up your planning? That makes no sense. Do you mean break down? In which case you use your insurance, though since fuel cell engines have few moving parts the chances should be slim.
# Hydrogen engines DO reduce the low-altitude pollution - no unburned hydrocarbons, and fuel cells produce little NOx and no SOx
If we skip straight to pure hydrogen as a fuel, then there will be zero pollution.
# Fuel cells are expensive right now. They might get cheaper later, however
There is no 'might' about it.
As regards biodiesel, the major problem is that it doesn't scale. Can you imagine the surface area needed to produce enough crops to then extract sufficient energy to then drive all the world's cars? Secondly it _does_ need energy to extract the fuel: machines are needed to go harvest the crops, then to process them, not forgetting the transport of all the workers needed to operate these machines.
Still, well done on opening up the debate. You can learn much more about the merits of fuel cells and biodiesel at Future Energies magazine.
There are a couple of problems with biodiesel. The first is the sheer land area needed to grow enough crop to extract the necessary amount of fuel (also add the manpower to harvest and process it). The second is that Carnot's Law, where by burning a fuel to extract energy you can only get a maximum of 40% efficiency (fuel cell theoretically you can get 100%). This makes biodiesel a good intermediary fuel to help wean us of fossil fuels whilst we get the hydrogen economy in place, but not a long-term solution. Finally watch out if you have an older car. From memory (please correct me if I am wrong) biodiesel will ruin any rubber seals in the engine but this is not a problem in newer cars which only use plastic seals. There are lots of interesting articles on biodiesel at Future Energies magazine.
We already have plenty of technology in the battle field, such as electronic beacons etc. The only Allied casualties in the Gulf War were when the Americans blew up and killed British troops. So called "friendly fire". The only Allied casualties so far in the Afghan war was when the Americans bombed and killed Canadian troops. More so called "friendly fire". And now you want to put American firepower under the finger of someone even *further* removed from the responsibility of his actions? Sorry but the American military has a lot of trust to regain before we let the US military bring new toys to the party.
I agree 100%, Brazil beats Blade Runner on that list for vision of the future in my opinion. You can also watch it more times. Perhaps its emphasis on satire obscured its more serious messages? It manages to be grim but funny, a mess of a future where we aren't intentionally heading towards but may end up. Less extreme than 1984 (its big brother?) it's still my top-rated 'thinking' SciFi film of all time. I think it's the heavy oppresive atmosphere of Blade Runner that got it the top spot.
No need to hum the theme tune though, it comes as a standard ring tone on the Sony Z5 mobile phone:-)
And just because something is from Hollywood doesn't mean we have to be snobbish about it. Gattaca is a good film. Move Alien up a place and I would say that's a very good top 6.
Otherwise, a simple check of your accounts once a week should give you a simple idea of how your spending is going.
So you are suggesting that instead of debugging his financial source line by line, he should do some run-time analysis using profiling? I suggest optimising some of those tight loops, for instance repeated withdrawals from the cash machine on a Friday night. I'd also run TrussFinance to locate any cash leaks, for example that AOL subscription they told you they had cancelled. I wouldn't, however, use a step-by-step debugger as this can be embarrassing for company in restaurants.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone think that trying to run windows apps on Linux is counter productive? Yes so the person is no longer running Windows, but they are still tied to it.
Think of it as virtual methadone.
There are a number of people who would like to switch to Linux but have a shopping list of excuses, 95% of it being "Can I read and write my Word documents?" and the rest being a number of Windows apps (eg Counterstrike) that they are convinced they can't live without. Each excuse we can tick off that list leads to a disturbance in the force, the cries of thousands of M$ lawyers fading as fast as the word 'dual' in "dual-boot machine"...
Phillip.
Wouldn't that make you dizzy?
Phillip.
People don't trust downloads from porn sites (though, to the best of my knowledge, there's never been a case where a porn site used a download for nefarious purposes).
I remember reading about the old trick where a porn site would ask you to download a special image viewer (for enhanced 'viewing'), which would then turn off the sound on your modem, disconnect, and then reconnect to the Internet via a premium rate line in Hong Kong. People got scammed significant amounts of money afaicr.
Phillip.
" If integratd cameras are to be all the rage, then why hasn't anyone (to my knowledge, and if I'm wrong please correct me) build a PDA with a Sony Picturebook style camera in it? I would find it many times more useful than a "phone-cam"."
:-)
Like this one? Or how about this one?
"And while they're at it, put a phone in the PDA, with just a headset jack for mic/speaker."
What, like this one?
I hope you feel suitably corrected
Phillip.
My friends and I use scan.co.uk. They are the cheapest I've found, delivery is fast, and they refund your money with absolutely no quibble if you return it (even if it's not faulty). They also do dozens of special offers every day, at TodayOnly. No connection to them, just my friends and I are satisfied customers. Recommended.
Building your own computer is probably cheaper, but the major benefit is that you can make sure you have an ideal fit for your money of the best component parts. I remember one major UK store headlining the cheapest P4 system available, but independent tests showed a cheap motherboard crippled the speed to well below an equivalent P3 system. Computers these days are so much like lego blocks my friend built his in under 1hr on his first attempt.
Phillip.
Enron and M$ are latecomers to the time-share President. The oil industry leads Bush firmly by the nose. Not only do they get all the environmental legislation they want struck down but get cushy jobs and $60,000 bungs. Read more here. Anyway, that's getting off-topic. It was hardly a secret that M$ was paying off Bush not to break them up, and if a President can be bought with no obvious repercussions then you cannot expect M$ not to play the system within which they exist. For them it's just a cost of doing business. If you don't like it then it's up to you to talk to your representative and get them to put rules in to make your polititians more accountable.
In this case, the FCC have stood up and put the public first. For this the FCC are to be commended. It's not the first case I've noticed either where the FCC have got it spot on. They appear to be fairly well insulated from the polititians which may explain their consistency (though I am quite ignorant about the inner workings of the FCC).
Phillip.
" I would also agree that 15 bucks is great for a camera attachment, but most cell phones don't have color screens yet, and I think a b&w pic is pretty pointless."
Most new phones will have colour screen, though even a b&w preview is fine as long as the shot is stored at a decent resolution and colour depth. After all, I expect the picture from a digital video camera to come out crisp and clear, not like the small bitty image I see in the LCD viewfinder. Most of us that fork out for the phones with cameras will be people that have PCs to download to, though I think many of us will be holding off under we get higher than the "376-by-296-pixels".
Phillip.
uh...
1) More times than I can imagine
2) A camera in my phone would be my first choice. The only two other things I carry are my wallet and my watch. The former doesn't have a screen and the latter is titanium and so light I can hardly feel it and I like it that way.
I think it's as doomed as text messaging was predicted to be.
Phillip.
... speaking as a consumer I'm going to go out and get the first decent mobile with camera built in. It's going to be great to be able to whip it out at a bar or party when someone decides to make a fool of themselves :-) As for "A person using a phone is doing so to communicate verbally" that simply isn't true in Europe. My friends and I tend to split our usage 50/50 between voice and text messaging. I agree with the picture quality statement though, I want at least 640x480 so I can put the pics up on a web site.
Phillip.
I want a PDA and a camera in my phone, rather than have to lug around 3 pieces (or more) in my pocket. For my next phone, here are the features I want:
* _small_
* calendar with alarms, synchs with my desktop
* camera that takes at least 640x480
* good contacts section, inc notes with each contact
* voice memo
* on-set answerphone ala Sony Z5 [1]
Phillip.
[1] This is something you don't appreciate until you go abroad, where retrieving voicemail is £2.50/min with T-Mobile but £0.20/min paying to receive the call that gets recorded instead.
I agree that a lot of people underestimate PHP, which is excellent, but it is a tool for a job. imho it's for small to medium-large projects. I'm not sure I would recommend it for a seriously large project though.
Phillip.
Code is completely un-portable.
The code is interpreted so how can it not be portable?
PHP code is useless in other environments like binary or batch development (unlike Java, VB, C++, etc...and no whining about how someone's made a PHP->binary compiler...it ain't the same.)
Again can you explain more clearly? I use PHP for batch processing without any problem. You can also use PHP to write command line or desktop apps, though it's obviously not suited to developing large desktop apps as it wasn't designed for that.
So I suppose I'd use PHP if I had a moderately small site that I wanted to use for a fairly specific purpose
This is what PHP is primarily designed for, imho. I think you needed to read the instructions on the side of the tin before purchasing...
Phillip.
One argument that is often brought up (in my experience) for not starting a project in Perl is that there is no rigid style guide. A C programmer can write in in C syntax, a shell programmer in shell syntax, etc. It's too flexible for its own good when it ends up in the maintenance phase. After seeing many peers suffering fixing unwieldy Perl scripts I even avoided going on any Perl training course. PHP is much simpler and has a reasonably rigid syntax, which makes it far easier to cast your eyes over and absorb strange code.
The PHP vs Perl comparison reminds me of the C vs C++ one. The former of each is simple, almost a complete subset of the latter, and is appreciated by many as being easy to maintain. The latter of each is touted as more powerful, better OO, wider range of classes, but turn out more complex code having a higher maintenance cost.
Much like C and C++ co-exist today, PHP and Perl can also. For simple web apps, PHP is perfect. Those that know Perl can continue to use it, there is no great incentive to change. Then for sites that need massive scalability there is Java. If you know Perl, why not have a play with PHP? It's one more tool to add to your arsenal.
Phillip.
Now would be a good time to ask for beta testers of a new XML module for PHP. One thing that's been a big fault of nearly all PHP apps available is the storing of the configuration as a list of hard-coded variables (usually called config.php). This makes it difficult for the app to update its own config, and certainly reduces the chance of 3rd party config plug-ins.
There are a couple of xml modules that are veneers onto standard XML libraries, and also a good PHP Class, but all are not that easy to use. I wanted an API that took under 10 mins to learn and be competant in. You can see it here. So simple it only took me a couple of minutes to write a XML-based guestbook. Another example is here. Install instructions are on the site, feel free to have a try and give any feedback.
Phillip.
A "steep learning curve" is one where you go up, and get to the top, quickly, ie the thing is easy to learn quickly. [...] they're just innumerate and haven't a clue what a graph is?
I knew even before I checked your homepage that you lived in Cambridge... where they don't have any hills. The trick to understanding the graph that you missed is that you need to stand the bit of paper on its edge. You are right about time going along the x-axis, but a steep climb is far more difficult to walk up (whether mentally or physically).
A steep learning curve is hard too learn, but will get you there more quickly. And vice versa for a gentle learning curve.
Phillip.
Sorry but the UK government does not have control of .uk. That is controlled by a non-profit organisation called Nominet, set up originally by Demon Internet (one of the first UK ISPs). And a very good job they do too. As I mentioned in an earlier post, excellent service for only $3.65/year per domain.
Phillip.
PS Not smart playing into the racists hands. The only time I saw the 'n' word was in *your* post because you put it in a +2 post (presumably the post you are replying got modded down out of view, as you should have expected it would have been)
PPS South Africa is not "predominatly encompassed by people of the white pigment not black", as "Black South Africans make up about 70 percent of the country's population of over 44 million people" (ref).
Top level domains should obviously be controlled and administered by the government of the country they represent.
Based on what evidence? I hear of very few complaints (well none to be honest) about the UK TLD controller Nominet, and they are a non-profit organisation with no government affiliation. A domain name costs $3.65/year and service is excellent.
Other posters have already covered much of what I would say about the rest of your post. Your concepts of borders and sovereignty are misguided but understandable. It's a difficult area to understand if you don't know its history.
Phillip.
At least a PDA has a chance of surviving the washing machine.
Phillip.
Give a luser a big red button and they will press it every time (as evinced by the repeated spread of the same genre of viruses ad infinitum). I remember being fascinated when I first came to Linux many years ago by a script that, when you are bored, you hit it and it would kill a random process on your OS. Trying to explain to a sane person why you would want to do this is extremely difficult. Any readers that watch "Father Ted" will know what I mean when I mention the words 'Dougal' and "Pilot's cabin"...
Phillip.
That's called elitism, and it actually alienates people. If you want to make a joke about something then you don't talk down at others.
Sorry but I agree with the original follow-up. You need to lighten up and let people have a little fun. Linux users are more knowledgable about their systems, as you say, and that took each user time and patience. You also say that many users don't want to bother learning about their computer, in which case why begrudge those that do their little reward when that hard work paid dividends?
You call it 'elitism' and 'alienating' as opposed to it being an in-chuckle in the Linux crowd, but you are clearly proved wrong imho by all the comments that follow the news story. In-jokes can help bond communities, but it can also relieve a lot of frustration when you can see people repeatedly running into the same brick wall but cannot persuade them to change. You don't even need to switch to Linux to avoid these viruses, just use a professional email client instead of Outlook (I recommend The Bat!).
Phillip.
First let's look at your hydrogen comments:
# Hydrogen is hard to contain - you either use expensive cryogenics, or you have to use zeolite entrainment to contain it. It weakens steel containers by diffusing into the container and migrating to the ever-present microfractures and expanding them (hydrogen embrittlement)
There is plenty of research going on in this area, which are going in two different directions. The first is in using new materials for reinforced containers, and the second is storing the hydrogen within another material, such as boron, and using a catalyst to release it on the fly as you need it. Both are making good progress.
# You have to make hydrogen from something - you therefor have to have some other energy source. Either that source is burning carbon in some form, or it's splitting atoms. Wind and wave are cool, but not universally available nor do they have the power density to meet all needs (not to say that they shouldn't be harvested....)
It can be using solar power, which is available everywhere. Wind and wave can be used to produce hydrogen, which can then be shipped or piped anywhere in the world like any other fuel. Heat can be used but it doesn't need to be burning carbons, it could be the excess electricity from a CHP (Combined Heat and Power) station.
# There aren't hydrogen stations on every corner. Until there are, anyone driving a hydrogen car will have to plan any long trips very carefully. True, this would correct itself if enough people drive H2 vehicles, but they won't drive them until the stations exists, but the stations won't be built until the cars are bought....
There weren't LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) stations on each corner before it was invented, now they are available everywhere in the UK. Stick a solar array in the garden and connect it to an electrolysis kit and you might be able to produce enough hydrogen to get to work each morning (I haven't tried calculating this one). You can certainly buy ones off the shelf today that plug in the mains (and no that doesn't necessarily mean you are just pushing back the burning of fossil fuels back to the power station, there are electricity companies these days that supply 100% Green electricity).
# Hydrogen requires a special engine to burn - either a fuel cell, or a modified internal combustion engine. If you DO take a trip and screw up your planning, you are stuck.
Screw up your planning? That makes no sense. Do you mean break down? In which case you use your insurance, though since fuel cell engines have few moving parts the chances should be slim.
# Hydrogen engines DO reduce the low-altitude pollution - no unburned hydrocarbons, and fuel cells produce little NOx and no SOx
If we skip straight to pure hydrogen as a fuel, then there will be zero pollution.
# Fuel cells are expensive right now. They might get cheaper later, however
There is no 'might' about it.
As regards biodiesel, the major problem is that it doesn't scale. Can you imagine the surface area needed to produce enough crops to then extract sufficient energy to then drive all the world's cars? Secondly it _does_ need energy to extract the fuel: machines are needed to go harvest the crops, then to process them, not forgetting the transport of all the workers needed to operate these machines.
Still, well done on opening up the debate. You can learn much more about the merits of fuel cells and biodiesel at Future Energies magazine.
Phillip.
There are a couple of problems with biodiesel. The first is the sheer land area needed to grow enough crop to extract the necessary amount of fuel (also add the manpower to harvest and process it). The second is that Carnot's Law, where by burning a fuel to extract energy you can only get a maximum of 40% efficiency (fuel cell theoretically you can get 100%). This makes biodiesel a good intermediary fuel to help wean us of fossil fuels whilst we get the hydrogen economy in place, but not a long-term solution. Finally watch out if you have an older car. From memory (please correct me if I am wrong) biodiesel will ruin any rubber seals in the engine but this is not a problem in newer cars which only use plastic seals. There are lots of interesting articles on biodiesel at Future Energies magazine.
Phillip.
We already have plenty of technology in the battle field, such as electronic beacons etc. The only Allied casualties in the Gulf War were when the Americans blew up and killed British troops. So called "friendly fire". The only Allied casualties so far in the Afghan war was when the Americans bombed and killed Canadian troops. More so called "friendly fire". And now you want to put American firepower under the finger of someone even *further* removed from the responsibility of his actions? Sorry but the American military has a lot of trust to regain before we let the US military bring new toys to the party.
Phillip.
I agree 100%, Brazil beats Blade Runner on that list for vision of the future in my opinion. You can also watch it more times. Perhaps its emphasis on satire obscured its more serious messages? It manages to be grim but funny, a mess of a future where we aren't intentionally heading towards but may end up. Less extreme than 1984 (its big brother?) it's still my top-rated 'thinking' SciFi film of all time. I think it's the heavy oppresive atmosphere of Blade Runner that got it the top spot.
:-)
No need to hum the theme tune though, it comes as a standard ring tone on the Sony Z5 mobile phone
And just because something is from Hollywood doesn't mean we have to be snobbish about it. Gattaca is a good film. Move Alien up a place and I would say that's a very good top 6.
Phillip.
Otherwise, a simple check of your accounts once a week should give you a simple idea of how your spending is going.
So you are suggesting that instead of debugging his financial source line by line, he should do some run-time analysis using profiling? I suggest optimising some of those tight loops, for instance repeated withdrawals from the cash machine on a Friday night. I'd also run TrussFinance to locate any cash leaks, for example that AOL subscription they told you they had cancelled. I wouldn't, however, use a step-by-step debugger as this can be embarrassing for company in restaurants.
Phillip.