You are talking about having 3 devices: big screen (desktop), mid-screen (tablet), and pocket screen (phone).
That's a lot of devices. The average household has a hard time affording all 3 sizes.
And 2 sizes are arguably good enough. If most of your travel is for business, then you already have the "big" business apps screen. You don't often need a mid-sized screen: you typically are not going to carry a tablet to a restaurant most of the time after hours, you use your smart-phone.
Further, if the same apps are on all 3 size types, or at least 2, then you don't have to learn new software to use the same thing on multiple. You may lose some features or navigation ability between sizes, but that may be better than using a completely different app brand.
The practical bottom line is that if you want to do business in the USA, you have to comply with US law. If you refuse, your company will be booted out of the US.
The same is true for any country: they can block whatever the heck they want at their border if one doesn't follow their laws.
Now, companies may make a legal plea otherwise, but if it doesn't fly, the door will lock behind them.
I don't mind tiles as long as they stay put. I'll get used to where things are and as long as they stay that way, I don't care if a Goatse interface is used. (Well, okay, not that far, I got carried away.)
Most non-trivial software is still written for desktops, and that probably won't change any time soon because tablets lack the screen real-estate; and plugging a mouse (for fine pointing) and keyboard into them is not always convenient.
When it comes to work and productivity, desktops still rule (writing, reports, spreadsheets, CRUD, graphics, sound editing, high-end gaming, etc.) Maybe that will change one day as the market for tablets grows so large that "productivity" application makers target tablets first. Then people will start purchasing bigger tablets for productivity usage rather than a Windows PC.
That tipping point is roughly 4 to 12 years off, I would gander a guess.
If MS plays their cards right, then maybe they can get decent Windows tablets on the market so that the dream of one device for all usage is closer to a reality such that those who want productivity applications AND a nice tablet can have both. However, their Window of opportunity (pun intended) is closing fast: Google is hot on their heals.
As it leaves the Pluto system, New Horizons will burn its rockets and head toward a new destination. The team plans to send it to another Kuiper belt object, though exactly which one has not yet been decided. Hubble is right now searching for candidates...
That seems a waste of Hubble's precious time. Why can't Earth-based telescopes do that? You don't really need resolution to find moving specs, just lots of light-gathering ability, which Earth scopes can do better than Hubble.
Typically a scope takes an image of the same area of the sky on different days, then a computer or human compare the two images for any changes. If anything is spotted different, then subsequent observations are done to narrow down the nature of the movement.
(Hubble could image a candidate once identified, but please not for the search phase.)
Here's hoping they don't discover a moon orbiting Pluto at about 6000 miles, or forget to take the lens cap off.
My understanding is that the probe will fly right through Charon's orbit when in Pluto's orbital plane to reduce the risk of collision with small moons or ring-like bits. Charon would likely clear out anything in the same orbit. (Outside of the "ratio" spots like 1/3 or 1/2 ahead or behind, which are avoided.)
In case there is an undiscovered moon of Pluto in another orbit, I wonder if there is not a way to have it look for non-star bright spots and then image and/or track them more carefully if found.
However, to keep the mission relatively inexpensive, this craft limits the movement of instruments to a narrow range. The whole probe rotates to point groups of instruments, unlike Voyager which had some semi-independent instrument booms. (A side-effect of this is that the main antenna can't point to Earth during most observations.)
Plus, the fly-by will be relatively quick such that there is not a lot of empty time to process images and/or react. That's one fast-moving probe.
"Planet" is NOT Boolean. There is no clear-but boundary and all attempts to draw one depend on too many arbitrary features like hardness of crust, percentage of metals, etc. Nobody wants to use size alone because there are really big moons and asteroids also, and some feel that mass should be used instead of size.
So, let's start debating percentages. "It's 60% planet! No it's 35% planet, your fat mama is 60% planet!..."
Slashdot Mirror
Thorisa, Thorinda, Thoranda, Thorita, Thorbalina, Thorese, Thorazine...
What limits earth scopes to 28? Light pollution? Haze?
True, a point source will be blurred on Earth compared to in space, but if you have a big enough lens, it will be a bright blur.
It should be called the Oz Effect, as in "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!".
StreisandEffect.com ?
How about if classic Windows has a Start button, and Tiles has a Stop button (as in Stop the F*ing Tiles).
I'm just the messenger. I did not anywhere give it a value judgement (good/bad).
You are talking about having 3 devices: big screen (desktop), mid-screen (tablet), and pocket screen (phone).
That's a lot of devices. The average household has a hard time affording all 3 sizes.
And 2 sizes are arguably good enough. If most of your travel is for business, then you already have the "big" business apps screen. You don't often need a mid-sized screen: you typically are not going to carry a tablet to a restaurant most of the time after hours, you use your smart-phone.
Further, if the same apps are on all 3 size types, or at least 2, then you don't have to learn new software to use the same thing on multiple. You may lose some features or navigation ability between sizes, but that may be better than using a completely different app brand.
I for one welcome the convergence overlords.
Yes. Install DOS 5 on it.
The practical bottom line is that if you want to do business in the USA, you have to comply with US law. If you refuse, your company will be booted out of the US.
The same is true for any country: they can block whatever the heck they want at their border if one doesn't follow their laws.
Now, companies may make a legal plea otherwise, but if it doesn't fly, the door will lock behind them.
I don't mind tiles as long as they stay put. I'll get used to where things are and as long as they stay that way, I don't care if a Goatse interface is used. (Well, okay, not that far, I got carried away.)
Most non-trivial software is still written for desktops, and that probably won't change any time soon because tablets lack the screen real-estate; and plugging a mouse (for fine pointing) and keyboard into them is not always convenient.
When it comes to work and productivity, desktops still rule (writing, reports, spreadsheets, CRUD, graphics, sound editing, high-end gaming, etc.) Maybe that will change one day as the market for tablets grows so large that "productivity" application makers target tablets first. Then people will start purchasing bigger tablets for productivity usage rather than a Windows PC.
That tipping point is roughly 4 to 12 years off, I would gander a guess.
If MS plays their cards right, then maybe they can get decent Windows tablets on the market so that the dream of one device for all usage is closer to a reality such that those who want productivity applications AND a nice tablet can have both. However, their Window of opportunity (pun intended) is closing fast: Google is hot on their heals.
That could be fun: BSOD fireworks while playing Bach on your MSablet.
more like worm-holes. [Bleep] come out.
That seems a waste of Hubble's precious time. Why can't Earth-based telescopes do that? You don't really need resolution to find moving specs, just lots of light-gathering ability, which Earth scopes can do better than Hubble.
Typically a scope takes an image of the same area of the sky on different days, then a computer or human compare the two images for any changes. If anything is spotted different, then subsequent observations are done to narrow down the nature of the movement.
(Hubble could image a candidate once identified, but please not for the search phase.)
My understanding is that the probe will fly right through Charon's orbit when in Pluto's orbital plane to reduce the risk of collision with small moons or ring-like bits. Charon would likely clear out anything in the same orbit. (Outside of the "ratio" spots like 1/3 or 1/2 ahead or behind, which are avoided.)
In case there is an undiscovered moon of Pluto in another orbit, I wonder if there is not a way to have it look for non-star bright spots and then image and/or track them more carefully if found.
However, to keep the mission relatively inexpensive, this craft limits the movement of instruments to a narrow range. The whole probe rotates to point groups of instruments, unlike Voyager which had some semi-independent instrument booms. (A side-effect of this is that the main antenna can't point to Earth during most observations.)
Plus, the fly-by will be relatively quick such that there is not a lot of empty time to process images and/or react. That's one fast-moving probe.
The first is more appropriate for Pluto's region.
I see you've never had TimeWarner.
"Planet" is NOT Boolean. There is no clear-but boundary and all attempts to draw one depend on too many arbitrary features like hardness of crust, percentage of metals, etc. Nobody wants to use size alone because there are really big moons and asteroids also, and some feel that mass should be used instead of size.
So, let's start debating percentages. "It's 60% planet! No it's 35% planet, your fat mama is 60% planet!..."
But PacMan keeps eating my pieces
A "shortage"! Quick, import more H1B's!
Some tan dude in John Lennon glasses keeps asking me to select between 2 pills there
Goatse I, Goatse II, Goatse III, Goatse IV...
It's now 1D
it's already on Uranus
but we don't want to start an interplanetary war