both these devicse are basically digital VCRs, and unless i'm wrong, they record the commercials along with the program?
This reminds me, why doesn't someone come up with a mainstream VCR that automatically edits out commmercials? I think I saw one once that did it on the basis of volume levels, since ads are usually several decibels louder than the actual program, but I haven't seen one since.
It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to create. You could use several criteria, such as volume level, dead space (black screen between shows and commercials), length of time since last commercial. With digital recorders, you could just record everything, and the machine could automatically skip what thought were ads. If it was wrong and skipped part of the real program, you could always go back and view it later.
There is no doubt in my mind that someone else has thought of this. Is the television industry's power so great that it has precluded a device like this from making it to the consumer market?
It would definitely be nice to be able to watch all of my Simpson's episodes commercial free. If I see one more ad for the Bose wave radio, I will puke on myself.
You sound like you are in the same situation as I. I live in a rural area, and my connection speeds have never exceeded 26400. Here is a breakdown of the problems I have had with BellSouth, my local telco:
Last December: phone connection fizzles out when it rains - no connection for a week at one point. This happens at least 4 times. BS "fixes" the problem each time, but it keeps coming back.
January: After many complaints on my part, and some phone calls to the Public Service Commission, BS informs me that the aerial line servicing my area is faulty, and they run a temporary line (looks like regular cat 5 to me) over the ground. It's ugly, but problem solved...for awhile.
This summer: Connection begins to go out during rainstorms again. I experience more outages, and each time BS claims to have "fixed" the problem. Finally, they bury a new line from the road to my house, and I haven't had any more outages. However, my line is constantly noisy, and my connections are still low, especially after it rains.
I am of the opinion that BS could fix this problem correctly, but is unwilling to spend the money. It really makes one wonder why this is so, when they have a complete monopoly on local phone service in this area, and every single person pays them $20-$30 a month.
So, when people talk about broadband, I sit here sulking at my 2.8K (on a good day) downstream throughput, wondering when it will go out again, and counting the days until I can move.
Of course, since you only have one drive, you may want to take the easy way out. Why not have one and only one partition: root. If you will never fill the full 20 gig and these are workstations and not servers, why have the headache?
One reason might be to prevent your logfiles from filling up all the space that your database or other user apps use, for example. If someone's running a DoS against you to generate huge logfiles, you could find yourself unable to write to that partition.
Separating partitions like/var, which have this potential, can increase the robustness of your system. Do I do this? No, because it's just too much of a pain, but the poster might wish to if he is logging from 50+ boxes, as he says he is.
I would have to recommend OpenBSD also. As far as ease of use, it's not any harder to configure than BSD, and it has arguably better security defaults.
I was able to DoS my FreeBSD 3.4 machine (default install) using Nessus, but OpenBSD had no problems. Of course, I realize this means little, if anything in the real world. Any system will have holes.
Now, anyone will tell you that it's the admin that makes your system secure, and I will have to agree. Even with the most secure OS, if you create holes or don't look out for new exploits, you will be owned eventually. Conversely, if you know what you're doing, you can produce a relatively secure machine running almost any OS.
As far as the specifics of your implementation, Linux or any of the BSD's would do a fine job. It's just a matter of setting up NAT or IP forwarding to route the correct ports between the two networks.
Because the RBL filters at the server level (typically), you are depriving your users of their freedom of choice. Sure, they could go elsewhere. Just like I could "go elsewhere" for my high speed cablemodem. If there was any competition. *cough*
Umm, why don't you just use hotmail, or one of the other *free* mail providers. I'm sure you can find one that doesn't subscribe to the RBL, and then you'll be able to get all the wonderful spam you seem to want, plus some.
Report the sites listed in the headers to ORBS. If they have open mail relays, ORBS will log them in its database and send a notification to the postmaster. Mail relays which support ORBS will not relay mail coming from unsecured hosts. If the sites are clean, no harm done, ORBS will not flag them.
Finally, you can always work up a procmail script to filter out most spam. Sure, it doesn't keep spammers from using your network resources, but if everyone did it, spamming would be a lot less profitable.
It seems to me that the only reason for not allowing servers it the potential for hogging bandwidth. This is completely ludicrous because they should not sell you the bandwidth of a DSL line if they do not expect you to use it.
They should allow you to put whatever the hell you want at the other end, and just charge for the bandwidth you actually use. Then it wouldn't matter.
Theoretically, if you dug a hole to China and jumped in, you would accelerate all the way to the center or the earth and start decelerating on the other
Why would I want to jump in after digging the hole? I would already be in China, so jumping in would put me back on the wrong side of the planet.
No, I think I'll stick to my original plan, thank you.
Anyway, not to stray too far off topic, It seems that this guy could have picked a better lauch location than his back yard. Not only that, I would think he could find a better platform too. It would seem to be *much* less expensive for him to simply hire a large jet to carry his device aloft to a high altitude, and then use the rockets to get the rest of the way to "space".
I personally don't care. Major hardware vendors can ship linux systems all they want, but I won't be satisfied until I can pick up a magazine and see Linux right there with Windows as an option in Dell & Gateway's glossy computer ads.
I mean, come on. If you don't know it's an option, 99% of people will never think of having buying a computer with Linux preloaded. At least offer it on a second partition. If the user doesn't like it, they can delete it.
Sorry, I just think it's high time Dell, Gateway, and IBM got moving on this. I am an avid Linux user, but I still realize that most people use whatever comes installed on their computer.
If I remember correctly (and I may not), MSNBC initially used macs on shows like "The Site" when they had just started out. I remember thinking it rather odd.
Soon after, I realized their reporting was cartoonish and sensational, and I haven't watched since.
given that the UN is Ted Turner's wet dream. He's probably still trying to convince himself that donating 1 *billion* dollars to the UN recently was something other than a monumentally idiotic plan, akin to dumping the money into Iridium satellites.
I know the UN does some useful humanitarian work, but I don't see where this gives it the authority to meddle with commercial politics.
but I assume this requires a direct line of sight, am I right?
Still, the last company I worked at had a microwave link between 2 offices that cost about 5,000 to install, and only ran at about 1 or 2MB/s, if I recall. I guess it wouln't really matter for a business, though, since amateur radio cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Anyone know how hard it would be to extend this to, say, 6 miles?
What I did was contact the local high school's (which happens to be the hs I attended way back when) computer instructor and set up a demonstration for their students. Our lug, the Univ. of Southern Miss LUG (orca.st.usm.edu/~rniess/usmlug.html), installed linux on a spare server they had so their students could use it.
The instructor (who also happens to be the school district's webmaster) appreciated us helping them out, and has asked us to aid with a linux project at the district's central office. Public schools usually like to have visitors from the community work with them, so try that if any of your members have connections.
As far as meeting places go, our other local lug meets at the Books a Million bookstore in the coffee shop. They can bring in machines for demos, and the managers like the extra business.
I'm using a P166 w/ 64M to burn, and I occasionally make coasters. This usually happens when I try and do image conversions on the fly, while burning. Say, if I've got.wav files and I try to convert to.cdr and burn simultanously. Sometimes if I try and burn cheaper blanks at 4x I'll get bad results too.
I don't know if it's the machine being too slow to handle the conversion overhead, but if I stick to 2x or if I make images before burning, it works better.
As far as software, I have had much better luck using Linux's set of tools than with any windows software. The Linux software is scriptable too, which is more convenient.
But I can see two reasons why hardware companies might be unlikely to opensource their designs:
1. Said hardware contains design secrets used in current products.
2. Designs employ proprietary specs possibly used under license from other companies.
If I'm not mistaken, #2 is one reason why IBM is unlikely to ever opensource OS/2. Doesn't it contain some code written by MS?
It can't hurt to push for open hardware though. I would like to see these companies contribute something back to the community that has made them so wealthy.
My guess is that the worlds of junk food and computing will finally completely merge. Then, as soon as I build that 30ft catheter system, I will have no reason to leave my room.
I'm thinking of getting a digital camera, but I want one that duplicates the functionality and durability of my Canon Sure Shot A1. This camera is waterPROOF, and can actually take underwater photos. It is great for things like canoe trips and such, where sand and water would kill a regular camera.
If I could find a similar waterproof digital P&S, I might consider buying it. Does anyone know if these exist (for a reasonable price)?
There is a simple test to determine the lifespan of your CD-R media. Just place a disc in the microwave, and set for 50 seconds. Count the number of seconds until the sparks stop, and that number is the number of years your CDR would have lasted had you not microwaved it.
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This reminds me, why doesn't someone come up with a mainstream VCR that automatically edits out commmercials? I think I saw one once that did it on the basis of volume levels, since ads are usually several decibels louder than the actual program, but I haven't seen one since.
It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to create. You could use several criteria, such as volume level, dead space (black screen between shows and commercials), length of time since last commercial. With digital recorders, you could just record everything, and the machine could automatically skip what thought were ads. If it was wrong and skipped part of the real program, you could always go back and view it later.
There is no doubt in my mind that someone else has thought of this. Is the television industry's power so great that it has precluded a device like this from making it to the consumer market?
It would definitely be nice to be able to watch all of my Simpson's episodes commercial free. If I see one more ad for the Bose wave radio, I will puke on myself.
You sound like you are in the same situation as I. I live in a rural area, and my connection speeds have never exceeded 26400. Here is a breakdown of the problems I have had with BellSouth, my local telco:
Last December: phone connection fizzles out when it rains - no connection for a week at one point. This happens at least 4 times. BS "fixes" the problem each time, but it keeps coming back.
January: After many complaints on my part, and some phone calls to the Public Service Commission, BS informs me that the aerial line servicing my area is faulty, and they run a temporary line (looks like regular cat 5 to me) over the ground. It's ugly, but problem solved...for awhile.
This summer: Connection begins to go out during rainstorms again. I experience more outages, and each time BS claims to have "fixed" the problem. Finally, they bury a new line from the road to my house, and I haven't had any more outages. However, my line is constantly noisy, and my connections are still low, especially after it rains.
I am of the opinion that BS could fix this problem correctly, but is unwilling to spend the money. It really makes one wonder why this is so, when they have a complete monopoly on local phone service in this area, and every single person pays them $20-$30 a month.
So, when people talk about broadband, I sit here sulking at my 2.8K (on a good day) downstream throughput, wondering when it will go out again, and counting the days until I can move.
One reason might be to prevent your logfiles from filling up all the space that your database or other user apps use, for example. If someone's running a DoS against you to generate huge logfiles, you could find yourself unable to write to that partition.
Separating partitions like /var, which have this potential, can increase the robustness of your system. Do I do this? No, because it's just too much of a pain, but the poster might wish to if he is logging from 50+ boxes, as he says he is.
I was able to DoS my FreeBSD 3.4 machine (default install) using Nessus, but OpenBSD had no problems. Of course, I realize this means little, if anything in the real world. Any system will have holes.
Now, anyone will tell you that it's the admin that makes your system secure, and I will have to agree. Even with the most secure OS, if you create holes or don't look out for new exploits, you will be owned eventually. Conversely, if you know what you're doing, you can produce a relatively secure machine running almost any OS.
As far as the specifics of your implementation, Linux or any of the BSD's would do a fine job. It's just a matter of setting up NAT or IP forwarding to route the correct ports between the two networks.
Umm, why don't you just use hotmail, or one of the other *free* mail providers. I'm sure you can find one that doesn't subscribe to the RBL, and then you'll be able to get all the wonderful spam you seem to want, plus some.
Try joining the MAPS Realtime Blacklist of spammers.
Report the sites listed in the headers to ORBS. If they have open mail relays, ORBS will log them in its database and send a notification to the postmaster. Mail relays which support ORBS will not relay mail coming from unsecured hosts. If the sites are clean, no harm done, ORBS will not flag them.
Finally, you can always work up a procmail script to filter out most spam. Sure, it doesn't keep spammers from using your network resources, but if everyone did it, spamming would be a lot less profitable.
Hope this helps
They should allow you to put whatever the hell you want at the other end, and just charge for the bandwidth you actually use. Then it wouldn't matter.
This is a discussion up with which I am completely fed.
Why would I want to jump in after digging the hole? I would already be in China, so jumping in would put me back on the wrong side of the planet.
No, I think I'll stick to my original plan, thank you.
Anyway, not to stray too far off topic, It seems that this guy could have picked a better lauch location than his back yard. Not only that, I would think he could find a better platform too. It would seem to be *much* less expensive for him to simply hire a large jet to carry his device aloft to a high altitude, and then use the rockets to get the rest of the way to "space".
Yes, and I am going to dig a tunnel to China. Pick me up on the other side.
I mean, come on. If you don't know it's an option, 99% of people will never think of having buying a computer with Linux preloaded. At least offer it on a second partition. If the user doesn't like it, they can delete it.
Sorry, I just think it's high time Dell, Gateway, and IBM got moving on this. I am an avid Linux user, but I still realize that most people use whatever comes installed on their computer.
If I remember correctly (and I may not), MSNBC initially used macs on shows like "The Site" when they had just started out. I remember thinking it rather odd.
Soon after, I realized their reporting was cartoonish and sensational, and I haven't watched since.
given that the UN is Ted Turner's wet dream. He's probably still trying to convince himself that donating 1 *billion* dollars to the UN recently was something other than a monumentally idiotic plan, akin to dumping the money into Iridium satellites.
I know the UN does some useful humanitarian work, but I don't see where this gives it the authority to meddle with commercial politics.
but I assume this requires a direct line of sight, am I right?
Still, the last company I worked at had a microwave link between 2 offices that cost about 5,000 to install, and only ran at about 1 or 2MB/s, if I recall. I guess it wouln't really matter for a business, though, since amateur radio cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Anyone know how hard it would be to extend this to, say, 6 miles?
RADON GAS ROT
ROAD RAT SONG
DRAGON ROAST
ARROGANT SOD
GRAND AS ROOT
SODA GRANTOR
NAG STARR DOO
ORGAN RAT DOS
And my personal favorite: SATAN ROD GOO
Conspiracy theories, anyone?
The instructor (who also happens to be the school district's webmaster) appreciated us helping them out, and has asked us to aid with a linux project at the district's central office. Public schools usually like to have visitors from the community work with them, so try that if any of your members have connections.
As far as meeting places go, our other local lug meets at the Books a Million bookstore in the coffee shop. They can bring in machines for demos, and the managers like the extra business.
I don't know if it's the machine being too slow to handle the conversion overhead, but if I stick to 2x or if I make images before burning, it works better.
As far as software, I have had much better luck using Linux's set of tools than with any windows software. The Linux software is scriptable too, which is more convenient.
1. Said hardware contains design secrets used in current products.
2. Designs employ proprietary specs possibly used under license from other companies.
If I'm not mistaken, #2 is one reason why IBM is unlikely to ever opensource OS/2. Doesn't it contain some code written by MS?
It can't hurt to push for open hardware though. I would like to see these companies contribute something back to the community that has made them so wealthy.
Those IBM 70G hard drives that appeared on /. a few weeks ago are starting to look small now.
My guess is that the worlds of junk food and computing will finally completely merge. Then, as soon as I build that 30ft catheter system, I will have no reason to leave my room.
If I could find a similar waterproof digital P&S, I might consider buying it. Does anyone know if these exist (for a reasonable price)?
I made it up, and I have patented the procedure. Licensing starts at 3 million dollars.
There is a simple test to determine the lifespan of your CD-R media. Just place a disc in the microwave, and set for 50 seconds. Count the number of seconds until the sparks stop, and that number is the number of years your CDR would have lasted had you not microwaved it.
a beowolf cluster of Cray machin. . . oh, wait, that's the whole reason why they are in trouble.
I heard some guy's beowolf system was attacked by this virus...leveled an entire city block.