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User: davonshire

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  1. Perhaps Bitscope can help with some Pi on Ask Slashdot: PC-Based Oscilloscopes On a Microbudget? · · Score: 2

    http://www.raspberrypi.org/bitscope-micro/

    This seemed like something that while passed your price has oodles of potential for all kinds of teaching uses.

  2. Intoduction? what the hell? on The Linux Foundation and edX Team Up for Intoduction to Linux Class · · Score: 1

    Ok what is intoduction? I can't find it in any dictionary but it's in the title of the post.

  3. Re:"In the short or medium term"? No. on Ask Slashdot: What Are the Implications of Finding the Higgs Boson? · · Score: 1

    Nicely said. But it troubles me, If most of what makes me up was created in the heart of a star. Why does it feel like I'm burning up when it's 103' F outside? You'd think I'd be freezing my genitals off.

    Thanks for the reply though. I think it's the best bit of truthful science we've heard in a while.

    DS

  4. All part of the problem a lack of balance. on Another YouTube Conversion Site Clipped · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Everyone complains that DRM is keeping them from having what they want. And Those producing what people want, would like to be paid for what they produce.
    And companies find they can use some GPL code to keep from having to develop their own bit of code, while people decry that that company isn't giving the source of their product back like the GPL requires etc. etc.

    In the end it really comes down to some very basic things that are weakening in the 'moral' spirit of humans. People don't really question any more if they can do something, should they do it?

    I can convert any video I choose into a file I can play anywhere any time on a number of machines, but if a friend wants to see it, why shouldn't I offer it to them as well? Or am I a dick for saying. Sorry man, I'll send you the dvd if you like?

    Companies try to heap more intrenched DRM into things because they don't see anything working. Media assholes spout nonsense numbers about how much money they are losing, when if you did the math there is no possible way they could have made that much. etc etc.

    Politicians pile crap into bills for their own good and when it fall apart they blame someone else for it not going through.

    In every case, it's people who think because they are in a position to do something that they want to do, that they can simply do it without there being any consequences.

    And we have this idea that's given to us through Hollywood and oodles of books that just one person can make a difference. Almost always that's applied to improving things. Freeing the slaves, ending a war or slaying a Sith. In movies where one person does something really wrong that messes things up for everyone. like destroying the world or creating a new world order, they are considered evil and the bad guy. But it's really just an amplification of the result of when many people decide to do a small bad thing instead of the right thing.

    The thing is if you look at say the analysis of the Stock market crash of a few years ago, you will see time and again, the magic plan that made so many so much money worked just fine, till everyone started doing the same thing. Every win requires a loss, it's the order of balance in the world.

    I could run on this for days but that's not what posting to something like this is about. I do hope someday people will start to realize that everyone can't have everything, and just because you don't have something, doesn't mean you're not going to have a worth while life.

    Cheers.

    DS.

  5. The Silver Electrode is very expensive? on New Rechargeable Battery Uses Water · · Score: 2

    From the article:

    "The Stanford scientists are currently working on modifications to get the battery ready for commercial production. For example, the silver electrode is very expensive, and they hope to develop a cheaper alternative."

    I'm really at a loss on this. How expensive can a silver electrode be, if you're producing enough power to charge for it? Silver while pricey (currently ~ $39.00/oz) It's just a tad more expensive than Lithium (currently ~ $31.50/oz) and if this thing really worked. they'd pay for the silver they used in a very short order. 50Megawatt would be around $3000.00 / hr at just $0.06/kwh.

    It's gotta be cheaper than building a power plant and running coal to it all day.

    Just my 6 cents worth.

    DS

  6. Re:3rd in the series on Super Principia Mathematica · · Score: 1

    That looks like it's some of the lectures. but not all of them. Sorry if the Silverlight is a problem but since the hardbound versions are about $130.00 new.

    DS

  7. 3rd in the series on Super Principia Mathematica · · Score: 1

    Apparently, by visiting the website http://www.superprincipia.com/index.htm this would be the 3rd in his series. But I do find it hard to locate any independent review of his work.

    I honestly would love to find a good source for information and illumination like this. But so far the best I've seen are the Feynman Lectures put on line by Microsoft.

    http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/index.html

    I do think I'll look into it further though.

    DS

  8. Software Patents Are in trouble on Oracle Sues Google For Infringing Java Patents · · Score: 1

    Perhaps I'm overly optimistic, but this could be the very best thing to happen for programmers and computer science, since the switch statement.

    Software patents have hindered developers and companies for decades now. When SCO sued IBM it brought into public view the horrendous state of our patent system. But SCO is just a piddling little company that destroyed itself financially in one of the greatest self delusions of the last decade.

    But now we have 2 industry titans going at it, that will I'm fairly sure bring to light, how asinine IP and it's patentability can be. The down side will be, if software patents and such are finally set free. It will burst the bubble with such force it will unsettle a great number of industries.

    Just a thought.

    DS

  9. You know Vegetarians will have their Day. on Salad Spinner Made Into Life-Saving Centrifuge · · Score: 1

    This is really a great idea, bravo to the students. Though they use
    to make hand crank centrifuges I'm pretty certain. This wouldn't
    require being clamped to the lab bench or screwed down.

    On the other hoof, were it not for salads and Vegetarians we
    wouldn't have such a cool something to hack.

    (subnote: could be other reasons a salad spinner was created.)

    Davonshire.

  10. Is it Vaporware already? on Bill Gates May Build Small Nuclear Reactor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I can't help but notice all the comments about Gates and the cuts over shadowed the main focus of the article being this Traveling Wave Reactor.

    A run over to Wikipedia gave me some reason to doubt this amazing power system. Mostly being that it was theorized in 1958, but to date unlike many other reactor types, no one has built a prototype even.

    So the question then comes, does anyone know of newer information or why a prototype hasn't been built for testing? It may not put out as much power as a LWR, but it seems it would have exceptional commercial value considering the kind of fuel it uses.

    Just curious.

    D.S.

  11. Re:Grumble on Opera Open Sources Dragonfly · · Score: 1

    Go Matt Go! Opera is for the rich and snooty! And you can only enjoy it if the acoustics are just right and you have a decent.. ooh wait....the browser currently known as Opera.

    I'll have to sing a different tune now.

    Davonshire

  12. Re:Ridiculous! on Teenager Invents Cheap Solar Panel From Human Hair · · Score: 1

    I fully agree this is a 999 hoax. 9 volts is an interesting arbitrary number,
    what's more to get 2 amps is pretty ridiculously high amount of power.

    So I'm calling BS as well.

  13. The cost of Keeping Us Safe. on IBM Building 20 Petaflop Computer For the US Gov't · · Score: 1

    When it is complete, it will be yet another amazing accomplishment of computer science, answering a call for a problem created by people who we elected or selected to help guard the citizens of the united states and the world.

    The problem of course isn't the focus of article. Nor are the resources this new answer will require made totally clear but at least it gives us a glimps of how much we're willing to spend to maintain the national vision of 'Safe'.

    The Hoover dam produces 2.8 Million kilowatts, this consumes about 0.11% of Hoover's capacity, now with the power conversion and distance to source you can expect that to pretty much quadruple in real energy terms. So let's say 0.44%, no mention of how much power the entire facility will need to operate it. (cooling, lighting, communications etc.) but I bet it's at least another 0.1% when properly tallied in.

    I think it's great that the government can spend this much money on a machine to help ensure the readiness of our amazing nuclear arsenal. But since this is an enhancment to another machine not long ago built to do the same thing. You have to wonder how much power, money, heat, carbon and whatever else we worry about will be used to build the next machine for the same purpose.

    The stockpile of our arsenal should be dwindling till we end up with a nice comfy number of weapons that can only wipe us out 2 or 3 times over.

    Does it make you wonder what could happen if this tool was used to help solve some of 'it's own problems?' the one that will ensure come 2012 there's enough power to power it?

    Let's hope the DOE has plans to use spare cpu power to find better materials for power production, conduction and storage. The quickest way to ensure prosperity is to have enough power to do all you need and some of your wants.

    There is not a single future world utopia that does not demonstrate a ubiquitous availibility of energy. Not Star Trek, Star Wars, Back to the Future II etc etc etc.

    While it's reasonable to consider lowering our energy needs in all things, the less we consume, the more, there should be for the future. It is no guarentee. Energy is one thing I do not think anyone can argue, life can exist without in some form or another.

    Fusion I prophetically believe is a blind alley that will never produce a sustainable energy credit. At least not in the way it's described currently.

    It's not just a question of being able to generate power either, we have to have cheap, economical and plentiful ways to convey the power and store it. We've done great things to increase the efficiency of the things that use the power we currently produce. But no matter how much better we make them eventually it will not outpace our current propensity to consume the power we make.

    Turn the problem on it's head and see if any change falls out.

    Have a nice day.

    <1 kiloflops

  14. Voracious Bandwidth Devourers on AT&T Could Cut Off P2P Users · · Score: 4, Interesting

    AT&T can certainly change their contract as they deem apropriate. I'm pretty certain that's become a common practice. But A lot of you decriers of 'FOUL' are kind of missing the point.

    The whole "Legitimate" reason for using P2P / BitTorrent whatever is to try and ensure that there will be more bandwidth for a desired file than will be availible by any one provider.

    That is to say, now adays files are so large and there is so much demand that unless you have oodles and oodles of upstream bandwidth, someone is going to get denied access because of too many users. (any of you who may remember ftp archives like WU) or downloads that are much slower than that 8Gb fiberline you just had run the last mile to your house.

    It's the same philosophy that you all bitched about when you'd say MS Windows expands to fill all resources. Just because you can use P2P doesn't mean you should. A lot of you are savvy enough to know how to limit the number of upstream clients you can provide for. But in general uncontrolled P2P will consume as much of your upstream as it can while your downloading your Pr0n.

    Anyone who plays WoW will know their P2P is vicious, and this is from a company with the most popular MMORPG in the world, Billions of dollars a month from user fees and such and they have to use your network to help spread their updates?

    So cry if you get thumped by the 'Corporate Giant' trying to keep the hard working hacker down. It's not about unlimited data, it's about people using tools that crush everyone elses fun using that service.

    Think about it, you paid to move data for yourself up and down that line, P2P makes you a data dealer for 2 - 100's more all on that one line you are paying for.

    Probably blew my Karm but oh Well.

    DS

  15. How do you stun with a howitzer? on New Rifle Tech Offers Variable Muzzle Speed · · Score: 1

    I know it's a bit to the end but can you imagine? Maybe using marshmellow fluff
    perhaps?

  16. What you Make of it on Second Life Faces Open Source Challenges · · Score: 1

    Opensimulator is by and large a terrific bit of work. It is as of yet, no substitute for SL's grid and servers but it certainly is making progress. And in some cases leaps past some of the technologies SL uses now.

    Anyone who thinks the graphics are 1998 game graphics probably never saw some of the places I've seen or the builds I've witnessed. Yes they use prims, yes these objects are parametric clumsy things. But the skills some people have developed to turn these bits into objects you'd have a hard time discerning from a real place are amazing.

    Anyone can take a PC and get on the internet now adays. But how many can make a PC from resistors, silicon, rare elements and capacitors? Or just logic IC's. It's the same kind of thing. You can complain about what you have and build nothing, or learn work around the limitations with scale and craft.

    As for this discussion, lots of reasons to want Opensimulator to work with the SL grid, but it's for different kinds of people. Yes the Sims are pricey, yes there are limitations and everything is changing almost on a daily basis as far as limitations go.

    I don't think Opensimulator will ever replace SL for however long SL lasts. But Opensimulator can certainly give people who build and design a great platform that when they decide their work works right they can transfer to SL if that is their choice.

    Sure it's buggy and built with many flaws and has network troubles. But anyone who says they left because it was slow and looked old probably has never built their own house, and written the scripts that open the doors or tell you who's been at your home while you were offline.

    Always people spend more times bitching about the bad things they percieve than touting and applauding the good things. Humanity as a whole is quick to judge and bitch. I for one was dubious, but I took the time to learn, see and be amazed.

    Just 2 bits but you're free to do as you like virtually :)

    DS

  17. Re:material on Open-Source 3D Printer Lets Users Make Anything · · Score: 1

    Might I suggest a photo setting resin. Something
    sensitive to ultraviolet light etc. I've had my
    cavities patched with such stuff. Quite durable
    controllable and it's curing rate can be directly
    controlled by the intensity of the applied light
    source.

  18. It's Memory Usable for Good or Evil. on Researchers Achieve Amazing Memory Density · · Score: 1

    Granted this does seem like a technology of whimsical smoke. However I think it is one of many very high density solutions that are just on the horizon. And helps define some of the brighter and scarier aspects of this technology.

    Today it's estimated that given almost any city, you can expect in a day to be viewed by hundreds if not thousands of cameras. Many of these cameras feed into security suites to be recorded just in case something happens and evidence is needed etc.

    Here we have a very high density, extremely low power, probably non-volatile mode memory device. It would make dependable suspect tracking and recording attractively small. Spy devices need to be small and innocuous.

    Then there is the question of usability as dependable storage. Would it be as dependable as current hard drives? If it was, why in the world would we keep making hard drives if these could take their place? So we get a boon for storage and the HD industry does a big belly flop because they are making huge, noisy, heat generating, power sucking monsters.

    Yeah with every good there is always a bad. :) Some how some way.

    Just some thoughts.
    Happy Holloween.

  19. Re:Non-free licence means minor event on QNX "Opens" Source Code · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I disagree.
        Opening the source means people who could never afford to work with and learn this vital and amazing operating system, will have a real chance now. Just because it's not GPL'd doesn't mean this chance isn't a really good thing for people who want to program. Want to earn a living writing good software for something an industry needs and uses.

        If more companies would do things like this with their products. I think you would see a great deal more enhancements and improvements in peoples ability to find employment and enhance their skills.

        Take for example Blender3D. It's the little linux that could of the 3D CGI world. It has made amazing strides since it was purchased and it's source opened for the 3D and programming community. There you have OPEN Source. But still most major companies are using 3D Studio, Maya, Autodesk etc to make movies, commercials etc. None of who have a full version for hobbiests to use and build their talents on. While some may have education versions, most of them fall far shy of a full system so you learn how to do physics, and full lighting, cloth and hair for characters etc.

        Without the chance to really play with all the bells and whistles you can't fully explore what something can do for you. And while you may build small animations they are heavily watermarked with 'Made with Bladiblah 3D trial version' etc.

        I'm all for Free software and open source. But I'd never devalue the contribution of an effort like this.

    Thank you for your patience.

  20. Re:Wish the iPod Touch had a microphone on Apple Releases New Touch Screen iPod · · Score: 1

    As the iPod Touch has USB 2.0 and Firewire,
    it's not inconceivable that someone could
    hack together a docking port adaptor with
    a microphone or even a microphone and camera.

    But that's for the great code wizzes, or new
    improved Ipod features yet to be.

    You think about wireless VOIP but just 10 years
    ago, people might have thought you daft trying
    to make a phone call on your walkman. :)

    Cheers

  21. Still no Bluetooth A2DP on Apple Releases New Touch Screen iPod · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From my best and latest information gathering about the
    new Ipod Touch. You will still be tethered to the new
    Apple wonder via headphone wires.

    How does a company that is so tech savvy and audio rich,
    miss this feature? A number of cell phones sport A2DP
    Profile. Which basically allows you to use bluetooth
    stereo headphones to listen in excellent audio quality
    to your music or movies and not have to be strangled
    by a cord.

    Either someone is making a mint off the little headphones,
    Apple is saving such a cool feature for a software update.
    (only for the current Iphones.) Or Another still yet to be
    released Ipod is coming that has bluetooth and A2DP.
    It's also possible that Apple hasn't the money or skills
    to bring A2DP to it's products. Who'd a thunk it?

  22. Re:DVR for PC on Best Non-Subscription DVR? · · Score: 1

    I am currently testing SageTV as well, and I'm very tempted to buy the package. It does require some extensive tweaking and adjustments. But by and large it's EPG is non subscription and it's intelligent recording has already guessed that I like Family Guy and Futurama. (Neither I have chosen to record with it yet.)

    As I understand it there is also a fairly worthy package called Meedio Pro, who's technology was purchased by Yahoo. http://www.meedio.com/home.html I haven't
    tested it yet, but I will before I decide which to buy.

  23. Several Scifi shows have demonstrated this. on Controlling Computers With the Brain · · Score: 1

    Ok a bit on the trivia side. But first the article talks about head bands perhaps someday for non impared people. And this kind of thing was demonstrated in Sliders, (the newer) Outer Limits, as well as probably a a few dozen movies Saturn 5 for instance.

    You'll have all the conspiracy people talking up about how it will be easier to control the masses, about people becoming fatter and less physically conditioned etc. But you will almost not hear about the following.

    The social disconnect that people experience just in emails and forums should indicate the social damage you are risking creating a device that even takes typing away and makes communication just act of mental activity. Because of the disconnect, people react much more visciously with flame wars, tirades, rants. Extreme responses that generally would not be demonstrated in public or direct personal contact with the other party/s.

    And so I say, even if there were ways to check against the decay of physical body, personal privacy and general sanity. Socially such a thing would cause great upheavals. Because when something becomes so simple as thinking a message and sending it off, you lose the best most important filter that gives us a chance to be civil and diplomatic and even charming. Time.

    Just a few thoughts may your cranium beep with pleasure.

  24. Re:I'm continually amazed at on Treating the Dead · · Score: 1

    Were they to establish a dependable protocol for restarting someone as it's described here, it could very well change invasive surgery more than anything we've established to date. Being able to stop someone like this means, you could do heart transplants, open heart surgury, lung transplants etc without the need of a heart lung machine, and liters of blood.

    Vascular graffs etc would be almost as simple as replacing pipes in your house.. after reading this article and being more hopeful about this than for say, desktop fusion to power my house. I'd definitely keep track of this science. As it is, if someone died because of a loss of blood, would this science have a chance of reserrecting the person with an infusion of blood so they could walk the earth once more. (Insert suitable vampire theme)

    But really it does sound amazing. As for brain damage, I'm sure if they find a way to restore normal oxygen levels to a dead body they will check about the brain working right too.

    I am so reminded of a previous article in 2005 I think it was about inducing hybernation in mice using hyrdogen sulfide. The important thing had been to reduce oxygen in the body of the animal so it would go into deep hybernation.

    http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/2 3/068257

    If nothing else it just proves humans are much harder to kill than have previously been advertised.

  25. Re:Super computers on our desks? on New Top500 List Released at Supercomputing '06 · · Score: 1

    Holy cats guys,
      I appreciate your technowiz history etc. But my primary
    reason for posting was to get a sense of how amazing and
    valuable our computers are today that they would have been
    back then.

      Would / could my laptop beat the fastest commercial
    computer if that day.

      For all the talk of SIMD / MMX etc they didn't have Windows
    XP or even LINPACK back then. So it's more a question of relative
    value than technical analysis.

      Still many thanks for your replies.