An asteroid is headed for us and what little money NASA has they are spending it on blowing up rocks. I'm glad you people are so calm about this plainly spelled out emergency. Fact is, NASA can't do anything against a 2 mile long rock. They should invest all that money in bomb shelters for the general population- and stop pretending to be anything more than scientific children.
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but IF a 2 mile long rock was heading for the Earth, there is NOTHING we could do about it except wave bye-bye to the universe. It's not called a Planet-killer for nothing. Forget what you have obviously taken for truth in Armageddon and Deep Impact. We have nowhere to go and where to hide. But relax, for most of us it would be over in just an instant. Not enough time for the fact to register you are dying before you are ashes blowing in the wind.
Would you consider a candidate's stand on privacy important enough to sway your vote?
No, because a politician does not have to be held accountable to what he says in a campaign. They can (and often do) lie their backsides off to get a vote and never intend to do what they promised. I would pay more attention to how they
have
voted as an determination if I would vote for them or not.
Remember, their only job is to make sure they get re-elected. Every thing else is secondary to that role.
Michael
25,000 people bought standalone BluRay players.
120,000 people bought standalone HD-DVD players.
Out of a country of 300 MILLION the people have spoken and the majority of Americans want nothing to do with EITHER format right now. For crying out loud, most people have just gotten around to getting a DVD player (and as low as $25.00 in some markets). Why change format now when what you want is on DVD and not the HD DVD? It's like the Digital TV fiasco, nobody but the manufacturers want it and they are intent on shoving it down your throat.
McFortner
President Gates was quoted as saying regarding the MicroSoft investigation, "Justice Department investigation? What Justice Department investigation?" MicroSoft stock prices climbed 200 points today when Wall Street heard the news.
In related news, Steve Job's execution as a Enemy of the State is scheduled to go on as planned at 9pm EST. Live, pay-per-view coverage can be found on MSNBC.com.
My main concern is in previous upgrades, BW to color, mono to stereo, it HAD to be backwards compatable. The manufacturers waved enough money around for it not to be the case this time. And why do we have to get rid of something that still works. FM, contrary to popular myth, has yet to kill AM radio. Don't force me to get equipment to make what I have now work.
And how many TVs will hit the landfills once we go all digital? What a waste. Planned obsolescence that makes the car makers in Detroit green with envy!
McF
HDTV is a solution in search of a problem. If it is so darn good, why phase out the old broadcast standard? Only so we all have to buy new TVs and converters for the old. The makers get rich and fat off of a bought FCC and the consumer gets screwed. Only Canada had the balls to call it as they saw it.
I for one am glad that the Hilter Youth ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Boy Scouts are fighting Americans excersing their rights ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H illegally downloading files.
Michael
Its also quite a stretch for me to get FF on my work computer.
Just how much problems are you having with Firefox? I have never had any problems installing FF to work. Or is it a problem with your works IT department not wanting you to install it?
I just can't see how it can be a problem to install it on your home computer....
Michael
"...[O]rganised gambling isn't nearly as widespread and deeply rooted in Western culture as consuming alcohol is."
Dat's right. And don't youse forget it. Or do I have to makes youse an offer youse can't refuse? Now just sits your hiney down, have some hooch, and play a few more hands, ok?
There's nothing wrong with 800 MHz as long as you recognize that it takes more base stations to get the same level of coverage as an existing VHF/UHF system.
Don't forget that the higher the frequency, the smaller an object needs to be to attenuate the signal. The 800 MHz spectrum begins to show attenuation from leaves on trees! Modern buildings with reinforced concrete or metal skins attenuate the signal easily and makes the signals so weak that they can't be received. I can think of several stores and buildings in my area where officers can not get a signal out when they can not get a signal out in case of an emergency. Not exactly what you want when lives are at stake. But this is becoming the norm now. Just imagine how the officer feels when he is depending on this radio to get assistance and he hears nothing on the other end....
Of course, according to those who bought the system, there is no problem. Just wait until this causes an officer to die in the line of duty....
Another problem is that in many cases, those who make the decisions on what to buy have no experience in using the equipment. They believe whatever the sales reps tell them and the end users get stuck with equipment that works poorly while getting told that there is nothting wrong with it. Public Safety personell are cursed with equipment that does not work as well as the equipment they used to use.
I know this because I work in public safety and we have this problem. 800 Mhz systems are being pushed heavily right now, yet nobody thinks of the problems. Sales reps gloss over problems, saying that these systems will work so much better than the VHF systems they are replacing. But these new radio systems work in the same general frequency range as the cell phones everybody has. How many times are your calls dropped because you drove into a valley or walked into a building? How would you like to be an officer searching for an armed suspect when that happens? I have had that happen, and trust me, it is not a good feeling when it does.
The sales reps will say you don't need any extra tower sites for the new system, what you have will be more than enough. But for decent coverage in the UHF band you need your antennas on the high ground so you can cover the low areas of your coverage area and you need a lot of them. Cell phone companies understand this and put their towers on the high ground near areas of heavy usage. Unfortunately, public safety does not get anywhere near as many, and those that they do have are often set up where they already have land, such as the back yard of fire stations. These are frequently not in the best location geographically for radio coverage, and money is not spent on obtaining decent transmitter locations.
Sales reps don't care about this. All they care about are sales. They know that once the sale is made, they are out of there and it is no longer their problem, but the buyer's. Sounds a lot like the IT field, doesn't it?
There are 4 types of liars (in order):
4. Liars
3. Pathalogical Liars
2. Car Salesmen
1. Sales Reps
So remember the Dispatchers saying, "Beware of Sales Reps bearing gifts."
Laid-off workers got one to three weeks pay for each year of service, up to 16 weeks for hourly employees and 36 weeks for those with base bay of at least $90,000, the company said.
Hey, at least they are taking care of their upper management with up to 36 weeks of severence pay. Otherwise, they might have to actually give up a whole week of vacation in the Bahamas! Who cares about the nameless masses below them. That's why they are nameless masses!
With the device's wireless networking abilities turned on, people can send and receive photos, as well as "promotional copies of songs, albums and playlists," according to the filing.
With the way Micro$oft sets defaults on security issues, these things will be shipped wide open. Your music will be interrupted by "Drive-by" spam. Every major box store will be streaming commercials to these poor wretches.
And when the script kiddies get a hold of it, millions of portable zombie-bots! Blue screen of death right in the middle of your jam session.
Forget trying escape in your car from the loud bass in the car next door. Thanks to this gizmo, they can beam it to your Zune!
And think, you can broadcast your kiddie pron to all the highschool cuties. The predators rejoyce!
Doesn't the new definition demote Neptune too? Pluto crosses its orbit, so Neptune has not cleared its orbit of other bodies either....
Hmmmm, 7 planets and counting....
Wait, Jupiter has Trojan asteroids sharing an orbit. Make that 6....
Oops! Earth has Trojans too. Guess what, we don't live on a planet! 5 and dropping fast....
The Project Apollo mission patch (image at http://www.goroadachi.com/etemenanki/apollo-logo.j pg)has the constellation of Orion in "A" in the center of the patch, so Orion is a continuation of the Apollo legacy and a commitment to the return to the Moon.
Michael
Slashdot Mirror
Well, in Dallas we know who is watching the Watchmen....
That's what they want you to think....
Michael
What power? There is only one citizen in the UK, HM Queen Elizabeth II. Everybody else is a Subject of the Crown....
Long Live the Queen!
Michael
1) E-mail.
2) ???
3) Profit!
Sssssssshhhhhhhh! You'll give away our secret! Michael
No, because a politician does not have to be held accountable to what he says in a campaign. They can (and often do) lie their backsides off to get a vote and never intend to do what they promised. I would pay more attention to how they
- have
voted as an determination if I would vote for them or not. Remember, their only job is to make sure they get re-elected. Every thing else is secondary to that role. MichaelOut of a country of 300 MILLION the people have spoken and the majority of Americans want nothing to do with EITHER format right now. For crying out loud, most people have just gotten around to getting a DVD player (and as low as $25.00 in some markets). Why change format now when what you want is on DVD and not the HD DVD? It's like the Digital TV fiasco, nobody but the manufacturers want it and they are intent on shoving it down your throat. McFortner
I for one welcome our Dispatcher Overlords. Oh, wait, I'm a Dispatcher! BOW DOWN BEFORE ME SWINE! McF
My main concern is in previous upgrades, BW to color, mono to stereo, it HAD to be backwards compatable. The manufacturers waved enough money around for it not to be the case this time. And why do we have to get rid of something that still works. FM, contrary to popular myth, has yet to kill AM radio. Don't force me to get equipment to make what I have now work. And how many TVs will hit the landfills once we go all digital? What a waste. Planned obsolescence that makes the car makers in Detroit green with envy! McF
HDTV is a solution in search of a problem. If it is so darn good, why phase out the old broadcast standard? Only so we all have to buy new TVs and converters for the old. The makers get rich and fat off of a bought FCC and the consumer gets screwed. Only Canada had the balls to call it as they saw it.
McF
Yep, that will leave a mark.
I for one am glad that the Hilter Youth ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Boy Scouts are fighting Americans excersing their rights ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H illegally downloading files. Michael
....nah, too easy.
So, can somebody tell me why you would have a patent if you are not going to enforce it?
"Pay no attention to the Patent Lawyers behind the curtains...."
Dat's right. And don't youse forget it. Or do I have to makes youse an offer youse can't refuse? Now just sits your hiney down, have some hooch, and play a few more hands, ok?
There's nothing wrong with 800 MHz as long as you recognize that it takes more base stations to get the same level of coverage as an existing VHF/UHF system.
Don't forget that the higher the frequency, the smaller an object needs to be to attenuate the signal. The 800 MHz spectrum begins to show attenuation from leaves on trees! Modern buildings with reinforced concrete or metal skins attenuate the signal easily and makes the signals so weak that they can't be received. I can think of several stores and buildings in my area where officers can not get a signal out when they can not get a signal out in case of an emergency. Not exactly what you want when lives are at stake. But this is becoming the norm now. Just imagine how the officer feels when he is depending on this radio to get assistance and he hears nothing on the other end....
Of course, according to those who bought the system, there is no problem. Just wait until this causes an officer to die in the line of duty....
Another problem is that in many cases, those who make the decisions on what to buy have no experience in using the equipment. They believe whatever the sales reps tell them and the end users get stuck with equipment that works poorly while getting told that there is nothting wrong with it. Public Safety personell are cursed with equipment that does not work as well as the equipment they used to use.
I know this because I work in public safety and we have this problem. 800 Mhz systems are being pushed heavily right now, yet nobody thinks of the problems. Sales reps gloss over problems, saying that these systems will work so much better than the VHF systems they are replacing. But these new radio systems work in the same general frequency range as the cell phones everybody has. How many times are your calls dropped because you drove into a valley or walked into a building? How would you like to be an officer searching for an armed suspect when that happens? I have had that happen, and trust me, it is not a good feeling when it does.
The sales reps will say you don't need any extra tower sites for the new system, what you have will be more than enough. But for decent coverage in the UHF band you need your antennas on the high ground so you can cover the low areas of your coverage area and you need a lot of them. Cell phone companies understand this and put their towers on the high ground near areas of heavy usage. Unfortunately, public safety does not get anywhere near as many, and those that they do have are often set up where they already have land, such as the back yard of fire stations. These are frequently not in the best location geographically for radio coverage, and money is not spent on obtaining decent transmitter locations.
Sales reps don't care about this. All they care about are sales. They know that once the sale is made, they are out of there and it is no longer their problem, but the buyer's. Sounds a lot like the IT field, doesn't it?
There are 4 types of liars (in order):
4. Liars
3. Pathalogical Liars
2. Car Salesmen
1. Sales Reps
So remember the Dispatchers saying, "Beware of Sales Reps bearing gifts."
Laid-off workers got one to three weeks pay for each year of service, up to 16 weeks for hourly employees and 36 weeks for those with base bay of at least $90,000, the company said.
Hey, at least they are taking care of their upper management with up to 36 weeks of severence pay. Otherwise, they might have to actually give up a whole week of vacation in the Bahamas! Who cares about the nameless masses below them. That's why they are nameless masses!
With the device's wireless networking abilities turned on, people can send and receive photos, as well as "promotional copies of songs, albums and playlists," according to the filing.
With the way Micro$oft sets defaults on security issues, these things will be shipped wide open. Your music will be interrupted by "Drive-by" spam. Every major box store will be streaming commercials to these poor wretches.
And when the script kiddies get a hold of it, millions of portable zombie-bots! Blue screen of death right in the middle of your jam session.
Forget trying escape in your car from the loud bass in the car next door. Thanks to this gizmo, they can beam it to your Zune!
And think, you can broadcast your kiddie pron to all the highschool cuties. The predators rejoyce!
No thanks, Redmond.
Doesn't the new definition demote Neptune too? Pluto crosses its orbit, so Neptune has not cleared its orbit of other bodies either.... Hmmmm, 7 planets and counting.... Wait, Jupiter has Trojan asteroids sharing an orbit. Make that 6.... Oops! Earth has Trojans too. Guess what, we don't live on a planet! 5 and dropping fast....
The Project Apollo mission patch (image at http://www.goroadachi.com/etemenanki/apollo-logo.j pg)has the constellation of Orion in "A" in the center of the patch, so Orion is a continuation of the Apollo legacy and a commitment to the return to the Moon.
Michael