Research scientists have to fight for funding like everyone else in academia. It's a sad truth they must relate all research to global climate change to get any funding anymore. A gentleman in the BBC film 'The Great Global Warming Swindle' said something like this: If I wanted to do research on the nut-gathering habits of squirrels in Sussex, I wouldn't get any funding to do the research unless I added the phrase 'as it relates to global climate change.'
Besides, global warming is not something scientists can have a consensus about. That heavy things fall to the ground is something scientists can have consensus about.
I purchased a Handspring Visor Deluxe in December 1999 and have been using it constantly since.
Initially, it was a replacement for the Franklin day planner I'd been carrying around for years which not only contained an address book and a day-planner, but also contained all my credit cards and cash. So, I had to make a slight adjustment to my lifestyle and start carrying a wallet again.
The Visor replaced the Franklin planner very effectively. It comes in handy every time I need to look up an address or telephone number. However, just like in the old days of paper-based address books, there still isn't a magic way to keep entries up to date.
I also use the Visor to keep a running to-do list. This is something the Visor does 300% better than any paper-based planner I've used before which gives you a new to-do list to fill out each day.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes. I found a PalmOS program called Glucopilot which helps diabetics track their blood glucose levels, diet, and insulin dosages. This has come in very helpful in helping me get control of my health.
In the last year, my company bought reconditioned Visor Deluxes for each of my business partners. When we met for weekly status meetings, we would beam the meeting agenda to each other so everyone had the same memo document in front of them.
So, in summary, my PDA has changed my life for the better. While the Visor has been great for me, I'm starting to wonder if it's time to move on to the next level. I've been eying the new Zauruses (Zauri?) in this regard.
IMO, the best thing you can do to protect sensitive data like this is to put it behind firewalls/proxies in addition to using data encryption. Also, do intrusion detection. Don't assume the security policy you implement is going to be "enough" to prevent anything nasty from happening.
Make sure encryption keys are either readable only by root and the machine is locked down to make it very, very hard to get root.
My experience has been that when you're too busy to handle your own hardware/software support, you should find a competent local firm who can build machines to your specifications, support them, and provide warranties.
I have found that name-brand systems (i.e. Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc.) are overpriced, underfeatured, and have a very limited hardware upgrade path.
When you find a local computer reseller who will provide you with the support you need you can get the AMD systems you want with the componentry you want, without the hassle of taking the time to order, build, and load them.
This arrangment is especially valuable if any of your hardware is DOA. The vendor will take care of any returns. You only get working hardware.
Finding a competent local vendor is tough. Everyone thinks they know their hardware and their hardware is the best. It pays to go with someone who has been in business at least a couple years. Talk to their customers and get feedback. Check out ResellerRatings.com for comments on some of the larger resellers.
Jakob Nielsen has written TONS of material on this subject. Following his words will result in a good website, most of the time. Check out his site at Useit.com.
I think the thing most website designers forget to do is place useability before aesthetics.
I've been using Oracle Small Business for the last year or so to manage the books for my business. It's reasonable to subscribe to, is completely web based, and includes Quickbooks/Peachtree import/export facilities.
Re:Running Ethernet With Phone Lines
on
Wiring A New House?
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Actually, phone lines are low-voltage and should not represent much of an interference problem with your ethernet signals. Keeping your CAT5 at least 6-12 inches away from any 120V AC lines running parallel is always a good idea.
Always cross your CAT5 and 120V power cables as perpendicular as possible to avoid crosstalk.
Actually, the IEEE1394 specification allows for speeds up to 3.2 GB/s- but no chipsets have been manufactured which support this yet. I do believe, however, that 800 MB/s is supported by some IEEE 1394 chipsets.
I got my home theater put together last year I was on a budget too, but wanted decent Dolby Digital and DTS decoding and a nice set of speakers
I went with the
JVC RX-7000VBK AV receiver and the AudioSource System-100 6-piece speaker s
ystem.
I bought both receiver and speakers from Camera Sphere, a Yahoo Shopping partner. I ended up spending under $600 for the receiver and the speakers.
Looking back, I probably should have gone for the JVC RX-8000VBK instead, because it has more input options, but I've been real happy with it.
The AudioSource System-100 comes with a powered 100-watt subwoofer which delivers plenty of bass for movies in my 16x16 family room, but I can see how it would be a little underpowered in a larger setting.
Overall, I've been very happy with the purchases.
Along with the receiver, I have a Sony DVP-530D DVD player and a JVC 20-inch TV (soon to be replaced with either a 27-inch Sony WEGA or a LCD projector.
If you're behind a NAT firewall like Linux's IP Masquerade, this doesn't pose a problem. The server-side CGI which sends parameters to the Java applet sets the address of your NAT gateway- which, of course, is not the address of the system running Netscape Navigator.
A number of cancer researchers have found evidence that dogs (with their superior sense of smell) can detect certain kinds of cancer. Melanoma being the most obvious because it's outside the body. Sounds like if someone can create a sensitive enough smelling device, it could go a long way in the area of cancer detection.
Re:Why is MySQL more popular than PostgreSQL?
on
Why Not MySQL?
·
· Score: 2
I think it's because so many people have developed libraries and support code (in Perl/PHP) for MySQL- probably moreso than for PostgreSQL. Plus, big website players like Bugzilla and Slashdot make an impact on the newbie web developer making a decision on which DBMS to use.
I've been using PostgreSQL since Postgres95 (so... uhm... 1995) and haven't had any problems with it at all. It is actively maintained by an excellent group of open-source developers and, IMO, is VERY easy to administer.
What ever happened to those stories I read in WiReD a few years ago about the guys who were planning on building floating platforms that would hover in place over a metropolitan area and provide high speed wireless voice and data services? They were going to use some new technology to generate power from the atmosophere AND collect ozone-harmful CFCs at the same time.
Seems to me all the problems with satellite-based data services would be solved by something like this.:-)
The point being made here is that Microsoft, because of the closed-source nature of their business, has "deep bugs." These are bugs which never get resolved because despite the size of the company, they just can't afford to get around to them all. The open-source community, on the other hand, has "shallow bugs" and they are typically resolved quickly and completely. When was the last time your LInux machine blue screened? (besides the BSOD screen saver)
I imagine they haven't ported it to UNIX because of several factors: 1) Problems with the Sorensen Licence
As a developer for Sorenson, I can vouch for the fact this is not true. Sorenson would be more than happy to go along with a Linux port of QuickTime. Apple is the entity which has been holding off and because of licensing between Apple and Sorenson, there is nothing we can do about it (i.e. we can't just give a binary of Sorenson codec to xanim camp, etc.)
2) Not enough consumers use UNIX (Remember, Apple's new focus is on consumers, those brainless sheep who use their CD-ROM trays as cup holders)
This is an interesting theory, but there must be SOMETHING about Unix at Apple because of the direction they're going with OS X.
3) Tux didn't try to muscle them out of the content delivery market in exchange for a less lucrative market
There you go. Linux isn't perceived as a threat... yet.
I've been told by sources close to Apple that a Linux port will probably appear in a few months. Of course, that is just rumor, but these sources were pretty reliable.
So... settle down, give them time to do it right. Apple is feeling the heat from the Linux users.
I really do. Most of the reason is because I never learned to type correctly, so my reaches are all messed up...
Same here. I can type over 100 wpm, especially when coding C or Perl, but only on a standard keyboard.
My wife bought me a MiNK for Christmas a couple years ago and I used it for about 9 months at home and ended up selling it to a guy for $10 because it just slowed me down too much. I got a Focus FK-6200 to replace it. It's a Windows keyboard, but I just love the feel of the Focus keyboards. It's like the keyboard becomes an "extension of my mind."
I've learned, in the last ten years I've been hacking code, it's not the keyboard you use that determines whether or not you get unbearable pain in your wrist and forearms. It's the breaks you must take to stretch. If you neglect your stretching, you might as well book an appointment for surgery today.
This article doesn't refer to Red Hat as an operating system, it refers to it as a Network Operating System. There's a big difference. Linux by itself is not a NOS. Red Hat, OTOH, is.
Re:A polite appeal to the web authors
on
TIE-Tanic Movie
·
· Score: 1
Ok. Ok...so there *is* a Qt player for Linux...I think I covered that base anyway. Simply letting them know that a lot of people out there are into "open" file-types...
Don't complain to the content producers... they're just using the best technology available to them (which happens to be Quicktime right now). Instead, complain to Apple and the producers of the codecs included in Quicktime.
I work for one of the companies responsible for one of the Quicktime codecs and while the company would love to explore the possibility of opening the codec to the world or releasing binaries or libraries to people like the xanim folks, Apple's licensing just won't allow it.
I don't understand why people use these formats, when good ol' MPEG and AVI work just fine, and have players for virtually everything.
As much as I detest Apple's decision to keep Quicktime technology on the Windows and Macintosh platforms for the time being, I have to hail them for what they've done. Quicktime v3 and v4 hail the best video compression and video streaming technology available. Nothing else comes close.
Now that Mac OS X is based on BSD Unix, we'll probably get a lot closer to Quicktime for/.*n[iu]x/.
Alan Turing would have to be my pick for the list.
Here was a closet homosexual who defined much of the underlying architecture for how computers are used and programmed today and was instrumental in helping the western allied forces in their defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with his codebreaking efforts at Bletchley Park in England. His fundamental Turing Machine is taught in automata courses throughout the world in Computer Science schools.
Turing was a complete geek. An overachieving social retard who ultimately took his own life in 1954 after being tried in the British courts for being gay and having his security clearance stolen for on the basis of his sexual orientation.
I am the opposite. Last month I went to the local electronics store and looked at a Sony DVD player. After talking to a sales guy and playing around with it, I went back to my computer and ordered it from Amazon.com for $50 less.
Slashdot Mirror
Research scientists have to fight for funding like everyone else in academia. It's a sad truth they must relate all research to global climate change to get any funding anymore. A gentleman in the BBC film 'The Great Global Warming Swindle' said something like this: If I wanted to do research on the nut-gathering habits of squirrels in Sussex, I wouldn't get any funding to do the research unless I added the phrase 'as it relates to global climate change.'
Besides, global warming is not something scientists can have a consensus about. That heavy things fall to the ground is something scientists can have consensus about.
"Man! That fat chick over there looks so hot... and I can't stop talking about it!"
I purchased a Handspring Visor Deluxe in December 1999 and have been using it constantly since.
Initially, it was a replacement for the Franklin day planner I'd been carrying around for years which not only contained an address book and a day-planner, but also contained all my credit cards and cash. So, I had to make a slight adjustment to my lifestyle and start carrying a wallet again.
The Visor replaced the Franklin planner very effectively. It comes in handy every time I need to look up an address or telephone number. However, just like in the old days of paper-based address books, there still isn't a magic way to keep entries up to date.
I also use the Visor to keep a running to-do list. This is something the Visor does 300% better than any paper-based planner I've used before which gives you a new to-do list to fill out each day.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes. I found a PalmOS program called Glucopilot which helps diabetics track their blood glucose levels, diet, and insulin dosages. This has come in very helpful in helping me get control of my health.
In the last year, my company bought reconditioned Visor Deluxes for each of my business partners. When we met for weekly status meetings, we would beam the meeting agenda to each other so everyone had the same memo document in front of them.
So, in summary, my PDA has changed my life for the better. While the Visor has been great for me, I'm starting to wonder if it's time to move on to the next level. I've been eying the new Zauruses (Zauri?) in this regard.
Taking digital photos of letter-sized documents is probably more than a half-way decent option to feeding change into photocopiers.
The result probably won't be quite as crisp as a sheet-fed scanner or a handheld wand-type scanner, but it will work.
IMO, the best thing you can do to protect sensitive data like this is to put it behind firewalls/proxies in addition to using data encryption. Also, do intrusion detection. Don't assume the security policy you implement is going to be "enough" to prevent anything nasty from happening.
Make sure encryption keys are either readable only by root and the machine is locked down to make it very, very hard to get root.
My experience has been that when you're too busy to handle your own hardware/software support, you should find a competent local firm who can build machines to your specifications, support them, and provide warranties.
I have found that name-brand systems (i.e. Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc.) are overpriced, underfeatured, and have a very limited hardware upgrade path.
When you find a local computer reseller who will provide you with the support you need you can get the AMD systems you want with the componentry you want, without the hassle of taking the time to order, build, and load them.
This arrangment is especially valuable if any of your hardware is DOA. The vendor will take care of any returns. You only get working hardware.
Finding a competent local vendor is tough. Everyone thinks they know their hardware and their hardware is the best. It pays to go with someone who has been in business at least a couple years. Talk to their customers and get feedback. Check out ResellerRatings.com for comments on some of the larger resellers.
Good luck.
Jakob Nielsen has written TONS of material on this subject. Following his words will result in a good website, most of the time. Check out his site at Useit.com.
I think the thing most website designers forget to do is place useability before aesthetics.
I've been using Oracle Small Business for the last year or so to manage the books for my business. It's reasonable to subscribe to, is completely web based, and includes Quickbooks/Peachtree import/export facilities.
Actually, phone lines are low-voltage and should not represent much of an interference problem with your ethernet signals. Keeping your CAT5 at least 6-12 inches away from any 120V AC lines running parallel is always a good idea.
Always cross your CAT5 and 120V power cables as perpendicular as possible to avoid crosstalk.
Actually, the IEEE1394 specification allows for speeds up to 3.2 GB/s- but no chipsets have been manufactured which support this yet. I do believe, however, that 800 MB/s is supported by some IEEE 1394 chipsets.
I wonder if the mysterious "parent company" is NetBeam - a national wireless provider funded by Lucent. Hmmmm.
I got my home theater put together last year I was on a budget too, but wanted decent Dolby Digital and DTS decoding and a nice set of speakers
I went with the JVC RX-7000VBK AV receiver and the AudioSource System-100 6-piece speaker s ystem.
I bought both receiver and speakers from Camera Sphere, a Yahoo Shopping partner. I ended up spending under $600 for the receiver and the speakers.
Looking back, I probably should have gone for the JVC RX-8000VBK instead, because it has more input options, but I've been real happy with it.
The AudioSource System-100 comes with a powered 100-watt subwoofer which delivers plenty of bass for movies in my 16x16 family room, but I can see how it would be a little underpowered in a larger setting.
Overall, I've been very happy with the purchases.
Along with the receiver, I have a Sony DVP-530D DVD player and a JVC 20-inch TV (soon to be replaced with either a 27-inch Sony WEGA or a LCD projector.
If you're behind a NAT firewall like Linux's IP Masquerade, this doesn't pose a problem. The server-side CGI which sends parameters to the Java applet sets the address of your NAT gateway- which, of course, is not the address of the system running Netscape Navigator.
A number of cancer researchers have found evidence that dogs (with their superior sense of smell) can detect certain kinds of cancer. Melanoma being the most obvious because it's outside the body. Sounds like if someone can create a sensitive enough smelling device, it could go a long way in the area of cancer detection.
I think it's because so many people have developed libraries and support code (in Perl/PHP) for MySQL- probably moreso than for PostgreSQL. Plus, big website players like Bugzilla and Slashdot make an impact on the newbie web developer making a decision on which DBMS to use.
I've been using PostgreSQL since Postgres95 (so... uhm... 1995) and haven't had any problems with it at all. It is actively maintained by an excellent group of open-source developers and, IMO, is VERY easy to administer.
What ever happened to those stories I read in WiReD a few years ago about the guys who were planning on building floating platforms that would hover in place over a metropolitan area and provide high speed wireless voice and data services? They were going to use some new technology to generate power from the atmosophere AND collect ozone-harmful CFCs at the same time.
Seems to me all the problems with satellite-based data services would be solved by something like this. :-)
The point being made here is that Microsoft, because of the closed-source nature of their business, has "deep bugs." These are bugs which never get resolved because despite the size of the company, they just can't afford to get around to them all. The open-source community, on the other hand, has "shallow bugs" and they are typically resolved quickly and completely. When was the last time your LInux machine blue screened? (besides the BSOD screen saver)
I imagine they haven't ported it to UNIX because of several factors:
1) Problems with the Sorensen Licence
As a developer for Sorenson, I can vouch for the fact this is not true. Sorenson would be more than happy to go along with a Linux port of QuickTime. Apple is the entity which has been holding off and because of licensing between Apple and Sorenson, there is nothing we can do about it (i.e. we can't just give a binary of Sorenson codec to xanim camp, etc.)
2) Not enough consumers use UNIX (Remember, Apple's new focus is on consumers, those brainless sheep who use their CD-ROM trays as cup holders)
This is an interesting theory, but there must be SOMETHING about Unix at Apple because of the direction they're going with OS X.
3) Tux didn't try to muscle them out of the content delivery market in exchange for a less lucrative market
There you go. Linux isn't perceived as a threat... yet.
I've been told by sources close to Apple that a Linux port will probably appear in a few months. Of course, that is just rumor, but these sources were pretty reliable.
So... settle down, give them time to do it right. Apple is feeling the heat from the Linux users.
I really do. Most of the reason is because I never learned to type correctly, so my reaches are all messed up...
Same here. I can type over 100 wpm, especially when coding C or Perl, but only on a standard keyboard.
My wife bought me a MiNK for Christmas a couple years ago and I used it for about 9 months at home and ended up selling it to a guy for $10 because it just slowed me down too much. I got a Focus FK-6200 to replace it. It's a Windows keyboard, but I just love the feel of the Focus keyboards. It's like the keyboard becomes an "extension of my mind."
I've learned, in the last ten years I've been hacking code, it's not the keyboard you use that determines whether or not you get unbearable pain in your wrist and forearms. It's the breaks you must take to stretch. If you neglect your stretching, you might as well book an appointment for surgery today.
This article doesn't refer to Red Hat as an operating system, it refers to it as a Network Operating System. There's a big difference. Linux by itself is not a NOS. Red Hat, OTOH, is.
Don't complain to the content producers... they're just using the best technology available to them (which happens to be Quicktime right now). Instead, complain to Apple and the producers of the codecs included in Quicktime.
I work for one of the companies responsible for one of the Quicktime codecs and while the company would love to explore the possibility of opening the codec to the world or releasing binaries or libraries to people like the xanim folks, Apple's licensing just won't allow it.
*shrugs*
As much as I detest Apple's decision to keep Quicktime technology on the Windows and Macintosh platforms for the time being, I have to hail them for what they've done. Quicktime v3 and v4 hail the best video compression and video streaming technology available. Nothing else comes close.
Now that Mac OS X is based on BSD Unix, we'll probably get a lot closer to Quicktime for /.*n[iu]x/.
Alan Turing would have to be my pick for the list.
Here was a closet homosexual who defined much of the underlying architecture for how computers are used and programmed today and was instrumental in helping the western allied forces in their defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with his codebreaking efforts at Bletchley Park in England. His fundamental Turing Machine is taught in automata courses throughout the world in Computer Science schools.
Turing was a complete geek. An overachieving social retard who ultimately took his own life in 1954 after being tried in the British courts for being gay and having his security clearance stolen for on the basis of his sexual orientation.
Alan Turing. A top-10 geek of the millenium.
Oh? Like Katz? :-) :-)
I am the opposite. Last month I went to the local electronics store and looked at a Sony DVD player. After talking to a sales guy and playing around with it, I went back to my computer and ordered it from Amazon.com for $50 less.