I believe it's in this one that one of the side stories is about a "space golf" tournament in an astroid field that involves lobbing a small clump of rocket propelled debris at a "hole" astroid and using gravity of others to bend the path of the ball. In a humours take, the whole event is VERY dull, anti-climatic and ends in a draw for lack of time/recalculation by both "participants".
Almost like the original sport is without debauchery... 8^)
Okay, love Linux... LOVE IT! Been using Linux since I installed Slackware off of 3.5" floppies. Had to drop it professionally for a few years when I was in the corporate Windows-is-ubiquitous world. Came back to it three years ago with REL2.1 and SLES 8 as platforms for IBM Websphere.
This year I'm a crazy Ubuntu person (my work laptop runs Hoary/5.04 for business and pleasure).
Now, Linus is god of the kernel and if he says one processing model is better than the other, then I'll listen. BUT, Linus has never shown himself to be an expert at UI nor do I think he should be passing off idiot vs. expert judgements about users.
Computers should be as easy to use as toasters whether you're an idiot or a savant. Windows ain't there. Macs are pretty close. KDE has always felt like it was trying very very very hard to be Windows and instead making for just as cluttered a mess. Gnome is easy, simple and gets what you need done. For me (and I am a UI designer with an HCI background) Gnome is to Linux/BSDs Desktop application what Tivo is to Linux Media Center application.
Does Gnome need more work, sure it does. But the framework and methodology lend themselves towards simplification rather than confusions and obfuscation.
Now... they do have a crappy website and the optical 1/8" jack "memory modules" tickle the crap out of me, but it looks like this may actually have some legs.
So... how about adding some colored wax and putting all the components at the bottom of a tall/hexagonal aquarium and making a PC that IS a LavaLamp?
Not sure if the heat would get high enough to provide the necessary melting of the wax or fluid current in the oil, but as I recall, it doesn't require too much heat... my circa-1976 official LavaLamp only used a 30-watt appliance bulb.
I'm sure a bunch of you are already flaming this item to a crisp, but here's my two-cents and hear me out:
1) This doesn't change how current users use their TiVo. Since everyone fastforwards anyway, it just makes adds more visible in case you do have an interest in one of them.
2) This keeps the networks and their advertisers (the ones who really pay for the television programming) happy and friendly with TiVo.
3) It opens the door for custom advertising based on viewer's interests and demographic profiles. This is already being done with the programming on television. TiVo does this with their suggestions feature. It's known that unless you block it, TiVo is collecting >aggregate non-correlated data about your viewing habits. So why not have ads that you might actually be interested in watching?
I've been an avid and dedicated TiVo and DirecTiVo user since the technology hit the market and I applaud this approach to using non-invasive techniques to let everyone in the television broadcast market (from networks to advertisers to providers to customers) have their respective cake and eat it too./.ers should be embracing this type of innovation and not railing against it. I'm not defending the networks here, but to get the television we've all come to love requires more than just subscription revenue. As for the crappy stuff, let the market dynamics deal with that (see the recent attrition of the "me too" reality shows).
It's not just an eccentric wheel because there's a speed control that allows you to vary the eccentric wheel's rotational frequency thereby changing the intensity of vibration.
It was a truly improved means of making a simple haptic feedback device. They also coupled later technology with an in-device accelerometer circuit which would provide closed-loop micro-adjustments to the motor speed to limit/fine-tune the oscillation.
eccentric def.: One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior.
I have a Logitech "3D Mouse" I bought in 1995 to play Descent and experiment with a cheap (~$50) Six-Degrees-of-Freedom input device for a VR-related project I was working on in college.
It also had a crude feedback mechanism that was licensed from Immersion that was just like the dualshock's offset-balast on a DC-motor with a simple motor speed control. Great device despite it having a slow RS232 interface. Anyway... Immersion was in devices being used for gaming atleast as early as 1995, perhaps even as early as 1994. The patent reference for the "interactive feedback device" is "Patent Pending"...
So, your claim of frivolous patent claim sniping is a bit off-base. The 2000/2001 dates you reference could be the dates of official patent number filing/issuance. Also it is not uncommon for a patent developer to re-file addenda or refinements to patents they have already put in for review if the addenda do not change the nature of the patented item from its original filing.
Immersion had a booth at the Spring 1995 VR Expo mini-con that was held in NYC. I was there. Besides context-variable vibration feedback they also had sample devices using directional linear-bumping feedback using small, variable current solenoids. They're legit...
What's worse in this typical knee-jerk Slashdot goon response that I'm seeing all over this topic is that a JUDGE in a COURT held a protracted HEARING with a lot of EVIDENCE and FACTS in the case and came to an >>INFORMED decision. But one look at the news in the U.S. and one can see that the idea of and respect for the judiciary process is completely lost on most people (including many folks in the legislative domain).
Anyone seen the estimated retail prices on OLED compared to similar LCD/Plasma displays?
I keep reading in the speculative press that these will be more cost-effective from a fab/production stand point, but what will that translate to for the consumer?
A 20" WXGA display for a price comparable to CRTs sure would be nice.
Agreed on that point... just thinking outside of the box a bit...
To your point, it could be that P@1m's [snicker] current quandry is a partially caused by such a closed-source policy. Given the success of independent/third-party development w/r/t applications for their platform one would hope they'd see the light when it comes to fostering a community development process... sigh...
This is also further illustrated in the fact that many of the best P@1m-based devices are those made by licensees of the platform. Sony had done some great things with their Clie line and it kills me that they haven't entered the P@1m-phone business... talk about a Treo-killer...
Regardless, pa1mOne and PalmSource are now in a "tight spot" given this recent problem concurring with the introduction of two significant hardware releases. If they don't deal with this in a creative fashion, they may find themselves with a double-wammy loss on two products that should otherwise be flourishing.
Call me wacked but sometimes the best way to wipe egg (or in this case, a whole omlette) off your face is to ask someone to wipe for you (eek...).
Palm could reach out to the OSS community for help in dealing with this...
1) Rapidly turn around a six-month trial developers kit and a limited-licensed SDK for OS development. 2) Make it extremely easy to find/download/bootstrap. 3) Setup a contest... List the top five major issues/flaws in the software at any given moment with corresponding prizes for the individual/team that develops a viable solution for a given issue/flaw. 4) Filter solution entries though a rapid in-house QA and system testing process. 5) Release patches in "leap frog" pattern (i.e. say four-month cycles overlapping for bi-monthly update releases). 6) Build and distribute a Palm Desktop conduit for System and Application updates. Call in "pa1m OneUpdate Utilities" or such.
Just an idea... Run with it at will...
I have a Treo 600 that I waited for two update cycles to occur before I bought... I've been burnt by Palm and WinCE before. And while I loved Handspring products, I can't think of a single one that didn't have some odd problem (shiver, the Visor Edge...).
Microvision (www.mvis.com) has been doing intra-occular and retinal projection displays for the military and medical applications for atleast a decade... I recall trying out one of their red-beam 800x600 systems at 1996's SIGGRAPH.
It's an impressive system and just needs serious miniaturization, but I look forward to a day when I can see the world "in code" a la The Matrix.... or some of the really bad dreams I've had of late... 8^}
The applications are pretty amazing if they can really keep the size to the sleek design that all their geek-runway prototypes portend.
No, it was closed in the Spring of 1996 sans for a very small group of OS/2 Warp support techs who were later moved to Austin, TX. At that point the majority of their OS/2 customers were owners of point-of-sale/warehousing devices that used the OS (grocery stores, warehouses, etc.)
When I was there, I'd say that ~50% of the facility was mothball'd due to the abysmal performance of OS/2 and related PC-OS/Software products. The remaining areas were either supporting said product or conducting random internet/web/hardware R&D work.
They've recently reopenned Boca for Websphere dev, I believe... I'll have to ask a friend of mine who's in Poughkeepsie...
By the time I left in Dec of 1995, I'd say half of our developers were using Windows 95 on their PC's (HA!). Most of my work was done on AIX or Slackware. Tho an interesting note was that it took only about two weeks to port our Doom1/2-like 3D engine from AIX/Linux to OS/2 using the OWL development tools. Hardest part was getting direct-write access to the OS/2 window's graphics context.
Anyway... I now babble...
time time time, see what's become of me, Levendis47
I did a co-op with one of IBM's software R&D groups in Boca Raton back in 1995 (just before they turned Boca the "Grave of OS/2")... at the time, Java had just been making waves with Netscape turning LiveScript into JavaScript (the bane) and the first baby-tiger book was hitting the shelves.
I recall that IBM had an entire crew of Rexx developers who spent most of their time crying into their coffee-machine cups of mirth about how they had developed a virtual machine, bytecode-based system "a whole decade before Visual Basic and Java."
It was a classic case of "we got their first and didn't do anything with it" that IBM was famous for throughout the 80's and 90's.
The project I was on, for example, had developed a web/CGI-based mail/newsgroup/PIM system that included (I kid you not) a 3D chat system myself and two other developers built as a Netscape 1.0 helper application. Mind you this was before Hotmail/Yahoo! mail/GMail were even on the horizon... They demo'd it a few times and then broke the team up... priceless...
I have a Kensington Saddlebag that I bought in 1997 for ~$50US. It's lived through four notebook computers, New York City-Hoboken commuting for two years, bi-costal/bi-monthly travel NY-to/from-San Fran for two years, a roadcoder stint up and down the California coastline for a year and the past two years of commuting between Richmond, VA and Philadelphia. Still a champ...
Besides being a great shoulder bag, the bag also has decent backpack shoulder straps that can be stowed in a zippered compartment on the back panel. There's a robust padded pocket for a notebook as well as a good number of accessories pockets.
If you go for this or any other sling/backpack convertable option I recommend shelling out the extra $15US for a wide neoprene/nylon shoulder strap with metal spring hooks. I bought one branded "Air Shoulder System" which also had these great "inverted waffle" airpads on the neoprene section of the strap. Got it in a Sharper Image's luggage section about five years ago and it makes a world of difference in both an over-the-shoulder and sling-bag configuration... no more shoulder-strap bruises after running down a concourse to catch a flight. 8^)
Don't know if you'll ever see this, but read my first post. I currently have a Jetta Wagon GLX 1.8T that I absolutely love. Get about 34MPG on the highway and 26-28MPG in the city. It's a great car...
A coworker of mine bought an Audi A4 wagon for about $12k more than what I paid for the Jetta not knowing that they're nearly identical cars...
If only VW would hope on the alternative-fuel/energy bandwagon instead of making SUV's now...
Valid point! But again, what's the impact of the recycling process?
I'm not against hybrids at all. My wife and I are actually considering a Prius or Civic hybrid as a replacement for our aging Golf GLX (yes, I'm something of a VW nut).
I just think it's a classic case of misrepresentation when people don't look at the big picture.
There was an interview on NPR a few weeks back (I think with J.C.Watts, I just can't find it right now) that discussed the impact of hydrogen-powered vehicles in an energy market that isn't oriented towards a hydrogen infrastructure. In a nutsack: hydrogen-powered cars are hyper-efficient and nearly-zero-emission (except for H20), BUT would currently have a worse impact on the environment. Why? Because the coal and oil that would be burnt to power the grid to elecrolyze hydrogen gas out of water ends up having a greater polution impact than just burning gasoline. I'll try to find the link...
Again, I'm no fan of petrol/gasoline's impact on our natural environment (or our economic/political environment for that matter), but if we're going to move away from a petrol-based energy economy, bridging steps like hybrid cars are an excellent way to start.
I get 32MPG out of my 1.8T Jetta (5-speed stick) on the highway. But I've read all over the place that the zippy little turbo belches all kinds of nasties when fully engaged.
What I'd be more interested in is the air and environment impact of charging batteries vs. providing high torgue. Not to mention what one does with batteries that can no longer hold a charge. Land fills?
Let's not look at just the MPG's on this. Let's look at the over-all impact of the vehicle throughout it's lifespan. Even if it doesn't immediately effect your bottom-line... it could effect your quality of life in 25 years.
This is great, but if you're looking for an easy and eductional introduction to electronics/embedded control then LEGO has really done already this with Mindstorms. And provided a great interface for learning basic process-oriented logic through their PC programming application. It's like Turtle-Logic++..
I think the more important value of the eBlock concept is the purpose stated on the site; to make it easy to create custome electronic devices for the home and everyday use. Too bad the physical interface of these isn't as straight forward as LEGO or Capcela (a product-line whose day has sadly passed)...
Read the Red/Blue/Green Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. He had a fun idea of throwing out the extra 39 minutes in day-to-day life. Or more succinctly, the first second of observed-time in the day lasted 39 minutes. Effectively giving them a "zero hour". He never goes on to explain the scientific/technical ramifications of this, but the idea was interesting in that instead of doing day-fitting of the time, they just ignored it.
For that matter, why not create a more decimal/metric friendly time all together? That's been worked on too... check this out: http://zapatopi.net/metrictime.html
All and all, as we move away from Earth to other heavenly bodies (including artificial ones) we're going to be faced with the awkward test of determining what time it is where ever we may be. Relativity be d@mned...
Opinions... ideas... further knowledge? let 'er rip...
I'll let all the other trolls duke it out over wired vs. wireless. My only comment there being that if you can afford 54Mbit wireless for the data and 900mhz/2.4Ghz "rabbit-ear" relays for the audio, it'll save you a lot of headache w/r/t running wiring, breakout boxes and having a central cabling hub. If you do go wireless, remember that 2.4GHZ cordless phones and certain microwave ovens will toast your band width when in use. I'm using a 5.4Ghz cordless system in a 54Mbit 2.4GHz wireless field and have seen little to no cross-over interference.
What I'd recommend from an system infrastructure standpoint is to consider the Mini-ITX form factor for building "media nodes". The nice thing is that for less than $500US you can build a complete mini-itx system with 120GB+ of storage capable of 5.1 audio (via optical out) and s-video out. For a bare audio server with no optical drive you can even get that price closer to $300US. The core idea here being that you can start small and expand your system just by adding new nodes with specific functions.
e.g. Make a single audio server node first, once you're done with that you can inexpensively add another box to the system that supports video file serving and sits under your TV and can play directly onto such. Etc, etc for adding digital player nodes elsewhere... I'm pricing a mini-itx system for about $250 with an old 6gb HD and 128mb of RAM that can serve as a streaming video/audio node for the TV in my bedroom. The idea is to also make some nice simple, large-text rendering web interfaces for managing all of this from a central machine anywhere in the house.
For more info on mini-itx: http://www.mini-itx.com
ATI's Remote Wonder wireless remote control is pretty nice too. X-10 makes a similar model that can also be integrated to control their digital-home power/audio/video transmitters and switchs.
All and all, have fun with it and think more task-oriented about how you want to use the technology that's so readily available.
Gollum/Serkis will have a second chance at an Oscar nod... Perhaps building momentum in the press and creating a cause is the best the WETA-gang could hope for in this round...?
Next it'll be "Meet The Feebles 2: Feebles Invade America" rallying for Academy recognition... 8^)
Heyall, Killington Mountain in Vermont has been doing this for over a decade if memory serves.
Even "natural" snow is filthy...
It would be interesting to do a broad chem comparison of melted natural snow versus "waste-product" snow ("This mountain is PURE SNOW!!! Do you know the street value of this slope?!")
Slashdot Mirror
KSR, Author of the ever-popular Red, Green, Blue Mars trilogy of novels as well as a host of other extra- and neo-terrestrial adventures had a good one in his novella collection Icehenge http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312866097/qid=11 41145898/sr=1-27/ref=sr_1_27/104-7802270-0079101?s =books&v=glance&n=283155
I believe it's in this one that one of the side stories is about a "space golf" tournament in an astroid field that involves lobbing a small clump of rocket propelled debris at a "hole" astroid and using gravity of others to bend the path of the ball. In a humours take, the whole event is VERY dull, anti-climatic and ends in a draw for lack of time/recalculation by both "participants".
Almost like the original sport is without debauchery... 8^)
priceless,
l8r,
Levendis47
Okay, love Linux... LOVE IT! Been using Linux since I installed Slackware off of 3.5" floppies. Had to drop it professionally for a few years when I was in the corporate Windows-is-ubiquitous world. Came back to it three years ago with REL2.1 and SLES 8 as platforms for IBM Websphere.
This year I'm a crazy Ubuntu person (my work laptop runs Hoary/5.04 for business and pleasure).
Now, Linus is god of the kernel and if he says one processing model is better than the other, then I'll listen. BUT, Linus has never shown himself to be an expert at UI nor do I think he should be passing off idiot vs. expert judgements about users.
Computers should be as easy to use as toasters whether you're an idiot or a savant. Windows ain't there. Macs are pretty close. KDE has always felt like it was trying very very very hard to be Windows and instead making for just as cluttered a mess. Gnome is easy, simple and gets what you need done. For me (and I am a UI designer with an HCI background) Gnome is to Linux/BSDs Desktop application what Tivo is to Linux Media Center application.
Does Gnome need more work, sure it does. But the framework and methodology lend themselves towards simplification rather than confusions and obfuscation.
my 2 cents,
cheers,
Levendis47
On the fence on this one myself, but this does seem to ligitmize them a bit more:_ 2005honorees.asp?category=48
http://cesweb.org/attendees/awards/innovations/rd
Now... they do have a crappy website and the optical 1/8" jack "memory modules" tickle the crap out of me, but it looks like this may actually have some legs.
Also see the under-the-hood photos at: http://p2pnet.net/story/6160
I'm sure Thomas Edison's first light bulb experiments didn't look all that ligitimate either...
cheers,
Levendis47
So... how about adding some colored wax and putting all the components at the bottom of a tall/hexagonal aquarium and making a PC that IS a LavaLamp?
Not sure if the heat would get high enough to provide the necessary melting of the wax or fluid current in the oil, but as I recall, it doesn't require too much heat... my circa-1976 official LavaLamp only used a 30-watt appliance bulb.
see: http://www.oozinggoo.com/ for other such madness
Now I've gone and admitted that I owned a LavaLamp... in 1977... sigh.
cheers,
Levendis47
I'm sure a bunch of you are already flaming this item to a crisp, but here's my two-cents and hear me out:
/.ers should be embracing this type of innovation and not railing against it. I'm not defending the networks here, but to get the television we've all come to love requires more than just subscription revenue. As for the crappy stuff, let the market dynamics deal with that (see the recent attrition of the "me too" reality shows).
1) This doesn't change how current users use their TiVo. Since everyone fastforwards anyway, it just makes adds more visible in case you do have an interest in one of them.
2) This keeps the networks and their advertisers (the ones who really pay for the television programming) happy and friendly with TiVo.
3) It opens the door for custom advertising based on viewer's interests and demographic profiles. This is already being done with the programming on television. TiVo does this with their suggestions feature. It's known that unless you block it, TiVo is collecting >aggregate non-correlated data about your viewing habits. So why not have ads that you might actually be interested in watching?
I've been an avid and dedicated TiVo and DirecTiVo user since the technology hit the market and I applaud this approach to using non-invasive techniques to let everyone in the television broadcast market (from networks to advertisers to providers to customers) have their respective cake and eat it too.
cheers,
Levendis47
It's not just an eccentric wheel because there's a speed control that allows you to vary the eccentric wheel's rotational frequency thereby changing the intensity of vibration.
It was a truly improved means of making a simple haptic feedback device. They also coupled later technology with an in-device accelerometer circuit which would provide closed-loop micro-adjustments to the motor speed to limit/fine-tune the oscillation.
eccentric def.: One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior.
Ironic, isn't it?
itsraininginvirginia,
got ark?,
Levendis47
For the record,
I have a Logitech "3D Mouse" I bought in 1995 to play Descent and experiment with a cheap (~$50) Six-Degrees-of-Freedom input device for a VR-related project I was working on in college.
It also had a crude feedback mechanism that was licensed from Immersion that was just like the dualshock's offset-balast on a DC-motor with a simple motor speed control. Great device despite it having a slow RS232 interface. Anyway... Immersion was in devices being used for gaming atleast as early as 1995, perhaps even as early as 1994. The patent reference for the "interactive feedback device" is "Patent Pending"...
So, your claim of frivolous patent claim sniping is a bit off-base. The 2000/2001 dates you reference could be the dates of official patent number filing/issuance. Also it is not uncommon for a patent developer to re-file addenda or refinements to patents they have already put in for review if the addenda do not change the nature of the patented item from its original filing.
Immersion had a booth at the Spring 1995 VR Expo mini-con that was held in NYC. I was there. Besides context-variable vibration feedback they also had sample devices using directional linear-bumping feedback using small, variable current solenoids. They're legit...
What's worse in this typical knee-jerk Slashdot goon response that I'm seeing all over this topic is that a JUDGE in a COURT held a protracted HEARING with a lot of EVIDENCE and FACTS in the case and came to an >>INFORMED decision. But one look at the news in the U.S. and one can see that the idea of and respect for the judiciary process is completely lost on most people (including many folks in the legislative domain).
youareaclown,
peace,
and carrots,
Levendis47
Anyone seen the estimated retail prices on OLED compared to similar LCD/Plasma displays?
I keep reading in the speculative press that these will be more cost-effective from a fab/production stand point, but what will that translate to for the consumer?
A 20" WXGA display for a price comparable to CRTs sure would be nice.
word,
Levendis47
Agreed on that point... just thinking outside of the box a bit...
To your point, it could be that P@1m's [snicker] current quandry is a partially caused by such a closed-source policy. Given the success of independent/third-party development w/r/t applications for their platform one would hope they'd see the light when it comes to fostering a community development process... sigh...
This is also further illustrated in the fact that many of the best P@1m-based devices are those made by licensees of the platform. Sony had done some great things with their Clie line and it kills me that they haven't entered the P@1m-phone business... talk about a Treo-killer...
Regardless, pa1mOne and PalmSource are now in a "tight spot" given this recent problem concurring with the introduction of two significant hardware releases. If they don't deal with this in a creative fashion, they may find themselves with a double-wammy loss on two products that should otherwise be flourishing.
my two cents,
cheers,
Levendis47
Call me wacked but sometimes the best way to wipe egg (or in this case, a whole omlette) off your face is to ask someone to wipe for you (eek...).
Palm could reach out to the OSS community for help in dealing with this...
1) Rapidly turn around a six-month trial developers kit and a limited-licensed SDK for OS development.
2) Make it extremely easy to find/download/bootstrap.
3) Setup a contest... List the top five major issues/flaws in the software at any given moment with corresponding prizes for the individual/team that develops a viable solution for a given issue/flaw.
4) Filter solution entries though a rapid in-house QA and system testing process.
5) Release patches in "leap frog" pattern (i.e. say four-month cycles overlapping for bi-monthly update releases).
6) Build and distribute a Palm Desktop conduit for System and Application updates. Call in "pa1m OneUpdate Utilities" or such.
Just an idea... Run with it at will...
I have a Treo 600 that I waited for two update cycles to occur before I bought... I've been burnt by Palm and WinCE before. And while I loved Handspring products, I can't think of a single one that didn't have some odd problem (shiver, the Visor Edge...).
cheers,
Levendis47
Microvision (www.mvis.com) has been doing intra-occular and retinal projection displays for the military and medical applications for atleast a decade... I recall trying out one of their red-beam 800x600 systems at 1996's SIGGRAPH.
It's an impressive system and just needs serious miniaturization, but I look forward to a day when I can see the world "in code" a la The Matrix.... or some of the really bad dreams I've had of late... 8^}
The applications are pretty amazing if they can really keep the size to the sleek design that all their geek-runway prototypes portend.
word,
Levendis47
No, it was closed in the Spring of 1996 sans for a very small group of OS/2 Warp support techs who were later moved to Austin, TX. At that point the majority of their OS/2 customers were owners of point-of-sale/warehousing devices that used the OS (grocery stores, warehouses, etc.)
When I was there, I'd say that ~50% of the facility was mothball'd due to the abysmal performance of OS/2 and related PC-OS/Software products. The remaining areas were either supporting said product or conducting random internet/web/hardware R&D work.
They've recently reopenned Boca for Websphere dev, I believe... I'll have to ask a friend of mine who's in Poughkeepsie...
By the time I left in Dec of 1995, I'd say half of our developers were using Windows 95 on their PC's (HA!). Most of my work was done on AIX or Slackware. Tho an interesting note was that it took only about two weeks to port our Doom1/2-like 3D engine from AIX/Linux to OS/2 using the OWL development tools. Hardest part was getting direct-write access to the OS/2 window's graphics context.
Anyway... I now babble...
time time time, see what's become of me,
Levendis47
I did a co-op with one of IBM's software R&D groups in Boca Raton back in 1995 (just before they turned Boca the "Grave of OS/2")... at the time, Java had just been making waves with Netscape turning LiveScript into JavaScript (the bane) and the first baby-tiger book was hitting the shelves.
I recall that IBM had an entire crew of Rexx developers who spent most of their time crying into their coffee-machine cups of mirth about how they had developed a virtual machine, bytecode-based system "a whole decade before Visual Basic and Java."
It was a classic case of "we got their first and didn't do anything with it" that IBM was famous for throughout the 80's and 90's.
The project I was on, for example, had developed a web/CGI-based mail/newsgroup/PIM system that included (I kid you not) a 3D chat system myself and two other developers built as a Netscape 1.0 helper application. Mind you this was before Hotmail/Yahoo! mail/GMail were even on the horizon... They demo'd it a few times and then broke the team up... priceless...
Oh, look... my cup of mirth is getting low...
l8r,
Levendis47
I have a Kensington Saddlebag that I bought in 1997 for ~$50US. It's lived through four notebook computers, New York City-Hoboken commuting for two years, bi-costal/bi-monthly travel NY-to/from-San Fran for two years, a roadcoder stint up and down the California coastline for a year and the past two years of commuting between Richmond, VA and Philadelphia. Still a champ...
Besides being a great shoulder bag, the bag also has decent backpack shoulder straps that can be stowed in a zippered compartment on the back panel. There's a robust padded pocket for a notebook as well as a good number of accessories pockets.
If you go for this or any other sling/backpack convertable option I recommend shelling out the extra $15US for a wide neoprene/nylon shoulder strap with metal spring hooks. I bought one branded "Air Shoulder System" which also had these great "inverted waffle" airpads on the neoprene section of the strap. Got it in a Sharper Image's luggage section about five years ago and it makes a world of difference in both an over-the-shoulder and sling-bag configuration... no more shoulder-strap bruises after running down a concourse to catch a flight. 8^)
Word,
Levendis47
nate1138,
Don't know if you'll ever see this, but read my first post. I currently have a Jetta Wagon GLX 1.8T that I absolutely love. Get about 34MPG on the highway and 26-28MPG in the city. It's a great car...
A coworker of mine bought an Audi A4 wagon for about $12k more than what I paid for the Jetta not knowing that they're nearly identical cars...
If only VW would hope on the alternative-fuel/energy bandwagon instead of making SUV's now...
sigh,
l8r,
Levendis47
Touché...
Next time I'll put quotes around my facetious comments.
cheers,
Levendis47
Valid point! But again, what's the impact of the recycling process?
I'm not against hybrids at all. My wife and I are actually considering a Prius or Civic hybrid as a replacement for our aging Golf GLX (yes, I'm something of a VW nut).
I just think it's a classic case of misrepresentation when people don't look at the big picture.
There was an interview on NPR a few weeks back (I think with J.C.Watts, I just can't find it right now) that discussed the impact of hydrogen-powered vehicles in an energy market that isn't oriented towards a hydrogen infrastructure. In a nutsack: hydrogen-powered cars are hyper-efficient and nearly-zero-emission (except for H20), BUT would currently have a worse impact on the environment. Why? Because the coal and oil that would be burnt to power the grid to elecrolyze hydrogen gas out of water ends up having a greater polution impact than just burning gasoline. I'll try to find the link...
Again, I'm no fan of petrol/gasoline's impact on our natural environment (or our economic/political environment for that matter), but if we're going to move away from a petrol-based energy economy, bridging steps like hybrid cars are an excellent way to start.
off my soapbox,
into my cubicle,
sign,
Levendis47
I get 32MPG out of my 1.8T Jetta (5-speed stick) on the highway. But I've read all over the place that the zippy little turbo belches all kinds of nasties when fully engaged.
What I'd be more interested in is the air and environment impact of charging batteries vs. providing high torgue. Not to mention what one does with batteries that can no longer hold a charge. Land fills?
Let's not look at just the MPG's on this. Let's look at the over-all impact of the vehicle throughout it's lifespan. Even if it doesn't immediately effect your bottom-line... it could effect your quality of life in 25 years.
cheers,
Levendis47
This is great, but if you're looking for an easy and eductional introduction to electronics/embedded control then LEGO has really done already this with Mindstorms. And provided a great interface for learning basic process-oriented logic through their PC programming application. It's like Turtle-Logic++..
I think the more important value of the eBlock concept is the purpose stated on the site; to make it easy to create custome electronic devices for the home and everyday use. Too bad the physical interface of these isn't as straight forward as LEGO or Capcela (a product-line whose day has sadly passed)...
2-cents,
Levendis47
Read the Red/Blue/Green Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. He had a fun idea of throwing out the extra 39 minutes in day-to-day life. Or more succinctly, the first second of observed-time in the day lasted 39 minutes. Effectively giving them a "zero hour". He never goes on to explain the scientific/technical ramifications of this, but the idea was interesting in that instead of doing day-fitting of the time, they just ignored it.
For that matter, why not create a more decimal/metric friendly time all together? That's been worked on too... check this out: http://zapatopi.net/metrictime.html
All and all, as we move away from Earth to other heavenly bodies (including artificial ones) we're going to be faced with the awkward test of determining what time it is where ever we may be. Relativity be d@mned...
Opinions... ideas... further knowledge? let 'er rip...
what time is it?
It's party time!!!
-Levendis47
THE MAN DRAKES YOU!!!
Someone go joestar in a grammar lesson will be good... cripes...
I won't brattle on, but how about using a Wiki to fascilitate the creation of various public participation law draftings?
This would be an excellent application of the wiki technology and mantra of all-and-any user participation.
Just an idea...
cheers,
Levendis47
I'll let all the other trolls duke it out over wired vs. wireless. My only comment there being that if you can afford 54Mbit wireless for the data and 900mhz/2.4Ghz "rabbit-ear" relays for the audio, it'll save you a lot of headache w/r/t running wiring, breakout boxes and having a central cabling hub. If you do go wireless, remember that 2.4GHZ cordless phones and certain microwave ovens will toast your band width when in use. I'm using a 5.4Ghz cordless system in a 54Mbit 2.4GHz wireless field and have seen little to no cross-over interference.
What I'd recommend from an system infrastructure standpoint is to consider the Mini-ITX form factor for building "media nodes". The nice thing is that for less than $500US you can build a complete mini-itx system with 120GB+ of storage capable of 5.1 audio (via optical out) and s-video out. For a bare audio server with no optical drive you can even get that price closer to $300US. The core idea here being that you can start small and expand your system just by adding new nodes with specific functions.
e.g. Make a single audio server node first, once you're done with that you can inexpensively add another box to the system that supports video file serving and sits under your TV and can play directly onto such. Etc, etc for adding digital player nodes elsewhere... I'm pricing a mini-itx system for about $250 with an old 6gb HD and 128mb of RAM that can serve as a streaming video/audio node for the TV in my bedroom. The idea is to also make some nice simple, large-text rendering web interfaces for managing all of this from a central machine anywhere in the house.
For more info on mini-itx: http://www.mini-itx.com
ATI's Remote Wonder wireless remote control is pretty nice too. X-10 makes a similar model that can also be integrated to control their digital-home power/audio/video transmitters and switchs.
All and all, have fun with it and think more task-oriented about how you want to use the technology that's so readily available.
cheers,
Levendis47
Gollum/Serkis will have a second chance at an Oscar nod... Perhaps building momentum in the press and creating a cause is the best the WETA-gang could hope for in this round...?
Next it'll be "Meet The Feebles 2: Feebles Invade America" rallying for Academy recognition... 8^)
ch(j)eers,
Levendis47
Heyall, Killington Mountain in Vermont has been doing this for over a decade if memory serves.
Even "natural" snow is filthy...
It would be interesting to do a broad chem comparison of melted natural snow versus "waste-product" snow ("This mountain is PURE SNOW!!! Do you know the street value of this slope?!")
Now where'd I put those "lemon" snow cones... 8^)
-Levendis47