Why would you have critical systems like that directly connected to the 'Net anyways?
To reduce costs. Its cheaper for an engineer to remote-in to check on something than have them physically drag their butt to work. Fewer people are able to monitor more 24/7 systems this way.
And its almost always cheaper to use an Internet connection than a dedicated leased line for this sort of thing.
You're right, I was not trolling or trying to start a flame war or whatever the Internet catch-phrase of the microsecond is.
But we can always trust slashdot readers to knock others who don't share uber-nerd opinions that new technology is always better. Its nice to see there are at least a few folks with some healthy doubt regarding mainstream technology trends.
I believe that a properly maintained used car is far better off for the environment than a brand new hybrid. I just bought a 1991 Toyota 2-seater sports car and it gets 27MPG combined city+highway when driven aggressively. And that's a sports car! If I use some hypermiling techniques, I can easily get over 30MPG combined city+highway.
I only drive about 8,000 miles per year so a cheap used car is far more effective at saving the environment and saving my wallet than buying a hybrid or new "clean diesel" car.
I bought it because it is a damn reliable car that puts less crap in the atmosphere than the average.
Are you sure about that?
Think about the production of lead-acid or Nickel-based batteries in your hybrid. First they mine the lead, nickel, and other ingredients (which costs fuel and pollutes the environment a lot) Then they refine the ingredients (costs fuel and further pollutes) Then manufacture the battery (costs fuel). Then ship the battery from China to Japan to add sensitive electronic control devices (costs fuel) Then ship it back to China for final packaging (costs fuel) Then back to Japan for final placement in the vehicle (costs fuel). Then they ship the car over to the USA where we're all crazed into thinking that hybrids actually solve a problem costing even more fuel.
Even if the batteries come from mostly recycled sources, the amount of fuel used to recycle and manufacture the batteries is enormous.
So what is the net environmental impact of the hybrid car? Is it really much better than a conventional gas or diesel vehicle?
BMW's and other luxury cars aside, the choice to buy a hybrid to reduce impact on the environment only makes sense if you have to drive a lot. And therein lies the fundamental flaw in all this: People think they have to drive.
Many people are addicted to cars; I know I am. I have more respect for someone who says "F*ck it - gimme leather and the I-drive joystick thing" than someone who is deluded about saving the environment.
Best choice ever: MkI VW Golf with a 1.4l diesel. With proper maintenance and biodiesel compatible fuel lines, you can get 50MPG+ and very low emissions to boot! Of course you're royally f*cked when a Toyota hybrid SUV weighing ~2200kg T-bones you, but that's a debate for another day:)
Consider a machine with Intel integrated graphics and an add-in ATI card. While this machine is considered a "sale" towards both AMD and Intel graphics, chances are that the end-user is only actually using the AMD card while the Intel part is disabled.
So if you look at the overall marketplace, it stands to reason that Intel's market share is somewhat inflated. Sure they are selling lots of parts, but fewer people are actually using them.
If you're a developer, perhaps the Valve hardware survey is more valuable than Cnet or Gartner sales figures.
Seattle has a whole load of problems that are probably beyond the scope of this discussion.
But I wonder how many other cities of ~1 million have multiple referendum/votes fail on public transport? Its getting ridiculous. Everybody is such a big wuss in Seattle: the politicians are afraid of making big decisions and the voters are afraid of any new taxes.
Hopefully these high gas prices will convince both the politicians and the populace of Puget Sound that we need to invest big bucks in public transport to keep Seattle competitive. At least companies like Microsoft are stepping up with their own private bus transport services for employees to fill the huge gap left by the public transit system. Hopefully, Boeing, Starbucks, Amazon and others will follow suit.
If you look through the physical windows at Microsoft main campus in Redmond, you can see that just about everyone leaves their machines on at night. But a lot of the machines are running automated stress test scenarios so its not a total waste.
My statement about faith in randomness has absolutely nothing to do with religion. I was actually trying to make a joke but it seems to have backfired. Does faith=troll on slashdot?
Deterministic selection might be obvious. But can anyone offer an explanation how the very first instance of a successful trait comes about?
I have faith that the first instance of a long neck was due to one or more coincident random mutations.
Seems ironic that you'd test and certify open source software with closed source test code.
So where can you download the source code for the Prevent suite and all its plugins?
You still have a fundamental problem with radio communications - how to tune the antenna for multiple frequency bands in a small package. Not an easy task.
I reckon this is a wee bit offtopic, but it struck me - are there any scientific models that are not "computer models"? It used to be the case that if it was a computer model, you'd think, "Ooooh they are using computers, they must be smart". But now?
This stuff is absolutely fascinating. Good stuff from Colorado as always.
http://www.nav4all.com/ - I haven't tried this so I can't vouch for it, but it looks interesting and is also free.
Note that when people say "GPS" in the context of cellphones, they are usually talking about GPRS/GSM location-based services which use celltower triangulation. There are very few cellphones that have GPS satellite antennas, although there are a few Bluetooth GPS add-on devices available.
Telecommunications: FCC Should Take Steps to Ensure Equal Access to Rulemaking Information
GAO-07-1046 September 6, 2007
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 34 pages)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 established that FCC should promote competition and reduce regulation to secure lower prices and higher-quality services for American consumers. FCC implements its policy aims through rulemaking, whereby the agency notifies the public of a proposed rule and provides an opportunity for the public to participate in the rule's development. These rulemakings are documented within a public docket that contains the rulemaking record. In response to a congressional request on FCC rulemaking, GAO (1) described FCC's rulemaking process; (2) determined, for specific rulemakings, the extent to which FCC followed its process; and (3) identified factors that contributed to some dockets and rulemakings remaining open. GAO reviewed recent FCC rules, interviewed FCC officials and stakeholders, and conducted case studies of rulemakings.
FCC's rulemaking process includes multiple steps as outlined by law, with several opportunities for public participation. FCC generally begins the process by releasing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and establishing a docket to gather information submitted by the public or developed within FCC to support the proposed rule. Outside parties may meet with FCC officials but must file a disclosure in the docket, called an ex parte filing, that includes any new data or arguments presented at the meeting. FCC analyzes information in the docket and drafts a final rule for the commission to adopt. The FCC chairman decides which rules the commission will consider and whether to adopt them by vote at a public meeting or by circulating them to each commissioner for approval. Stakeholders unsatisfied with a rule may file a petition for reconsideration with the commission or petition for review in federal court. FCC generally followed the rulemaking process in the four case studies of completed rulemakings that GAO reviewed, but several stakeholders had access to nonpublic information. Specifically, each of the four rulemakings included steps as required by law and opportunities for public participation. Within the case studies, most ex parte filings complied with FCC rules. However, in the case studies and in discussions with other stakeholders that regularly participate in FCC rulemakings, multiple stakeholders generally knew when the commission scheduled votes on proposed rules well before FCC notified the public. FCC rules prohibit disclosing this information outside of FCC. Other stakeholders said that they cannot learn when rules are scheduled for a vote until FCC releases the public meeting agenda, at which time FCC rules prohibit stakeholders from lobbying FCC. As a result, stakeholders with advance information about which rules are scheduled for a vote would know when it is most effective to lobby FCC, while stakeholders without this information would not. The complexity and number of rulemakings within a docket and the priority the commission places on a rulemaking contribute to dockets and rulemakings remaining open. The commission determines when to open and close a docket and which rulemakings are a priority; therefore, the commission determines how a docket and rulemaking progress. Dockets and the rulemakings within them may remain open because the dockets are broad and include multiple rulemakings, or because the commission has not yet voted to close the dockets even though they include completed rules. Within dockets, some rule
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Why would you have critical systems like that directly connected to the 'Net anyways?
To reduce costs. Its cheaper for an engineer to remote-in to check on something than have them physically drag their butt to work. Fewer people are able to monitor more 24/7 systems this way.
And its almost always cheaper to use an Internet connection than a dedicated leased line for this sort of thing.
I find it odd that my post last week in the Honda insight thread on this EXACT topic was modded down as troll: http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=954363&cid=24883999
I reckon I should have posted my comment as an ask slashdot story to get the super ultra mega karma points.
Cocaine... is a helluva drug.
You're right, I was not trolling or trying to start a flame war or whatever the Internet catch-phrase of the microsecond is.
But we can always trust slashdot readers to knock others who don't share uber-nerd opinions that new technology is always better. Its nice to see there are at least a few folks with some healthy doubt regarding mainstream technology trends.
I believe that a properly maintained used car is far better off for the environment than a brand new hybrid. I just bought a 1991 Toyota 2-seater sports car and it gets 27MPG combined city+highway when driven aggressively. And that's a sports car! If I use some hypermiling techniques, I can easily get over 30MPG combined city+highway.
I only drive about 8,000 miles per year so a cheap used car is far more effective at saving the environment and saving my wallet than buying a hybrid or new "clean diesel" car.
I bought it because it is a damn reliable car that puts less crap in the atmosphere than the average.
Are you sure about that?
:)
Think about the production of lead-acid or Nickel-based batteries in your hybrid. First they mine the lead, nickel, and other ingredients (which costs fuel and pollutes the environment a lot) Then they refine the ingredients (costs fuel and further pollutes) Then manufacture the battery (costs fuel). Then ship the battery from China to Japan to add sensitive electronic control devices (costs fuel) Then ship it back to China for final packaging (costs fuel) Then back to Japan for final placement in the vehicle (costs fuel). Then they ship the car over to the USA where we're all crazed into thinking that hybrids actually solve a problem costing even more fuel.
Even if the batteries come from mostly recycled sources, the amount of fuel used to recycle and manufacture the batteries is enormous.
So what is the net environmental impact of the hybrid car? Is it really much better than a conventional gas or diesel vehicle?
BMW's and other luxury cars aside, the choice to buy a hybrid to reduce impact on the environment only makes sense if you have to drive a lot. And therein lies the fundamental flaw in all this: People think they have to drive.
Many people are addicted to cars; I know I am. I have more respect for someone who says "F*ck it - gimme leather and the I-drive joystick thing" than someone who is deluded about saving the environment.
Best choice ever: MkI VW Golf with a 1.4l diesel. With proper maintenance and biodiesel compatible fuel lines, you can get 50MPG+ and very low emissions to boot! Of course you're royally f*cked when a Toyota hybrid SUV weighing ~2200kg T-bones you, but that's a debate for another day
Consider a machine with Intel integrated graphics and an add-in ATI card. While this machine is considered a "sale" towards both AMD and Intel graphics, chances are that the end-user is only actually using the AMD card while the Intel part is disabled.
So if you look at the overall marketplace, it stands to reason that Intel's market share is somewhat inflated. Sure they are selling lots of parts, but fewer people are actually using them.
If you're a developer, perhaps the Valve hardware survey is more valuable than Cnet or Gartner sales figures.
As if trekkies needed another other reason to stay in their parent's basements...
I love the power clove. It's so bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCEsLHNT0Bc&feature=related
Hey guys these devices have been around for a while. See Steve Mann's DIY septambic keyer project. More info on keyers.
Do any of you remember the Nintendo powerglove? Now that was the pinnacle of interface design IMHO!!!
Seattle has a whole load of problems that are probably beyond the scope of this discussion.
But I wonder how many other cities of ~1 million have multiple referendum/votes fail on public transport? Its getting ridiculous. Everybody is such a big wuss in Seattle: the politicians are afraid of making big decisions and the voters are afraid of any new taxes.
Hopefully these high gas prices will convince both the politicians and the populace of Puget Sound that we need to invest big bucks in public transport to keep Seattle competitive. At least companies like Microsoft are stepping up with their own private bus transport services for employees to fill the huge gap left by the public transit system. Hopefully, Boeing, Starbucks, Amazon and others will follow suit.
More Seattle transport discussion at: http://seattletransitblog.com/
Windows update has literally thousands of 3rd party drivers. You can search for them directly without having to use the Windows Update application: http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Home.aspx
Note that IE6+ is required to search the driver catalog. Try searching for ATI, Nvidia, or simply just "video"!
More like Bioveil...
If you look through the physical windows at Microsoft main campus in Redmond, you can see that just about everyone leaves their machines on at night. But a lot of the machines are running automated stress test scenarios so its not a total waste.
My statement about faith in randomness has absolutely nothing to do with religion. I was actually trying to make a joke but it seems to have backfired. Does faith=troll on slashdot?
Deterministic selection might be obvious. But can anyone offer an explanation how the very first instance of a successful trait comes about?
I have faith that the first instance of a long neck was due to one or more coincident random mutations.
Seems ironic that you'd test and certify open source software with closed source test code.
So where can you download the source code for the Prevent suite and all its plugins?
Yes bricks=dookie and you're putting it in a toilet. Very clever. Thats not even funny. Who writes this crap? The old lines were way better:
Indeed. See the article I linked too. Perhaps Intel will make an announcement about a new antenna switch module to go along with the DSP :)
You still have a fundamental problem with radio communications - how to tune the antenna for multiple frequency bands in a small package. Not an easy task.
I reckon this is a wee bit offtopic, but it struck me - are there any scientific models that are not "computer models"? It used to be the case that if it was a computer model, you'd think, "Ooooh they are using computers, they must be smart". But now?
This stuff is absolutely fascinating. Good stuff from Colorado as always.
Is this significantly different than sites like www.experts-exchange.com which allow you to buy and sell solutions/code snippets?
http://www.nav4all.com/ - I haven't tried this so I can't vouch for it, but it looks interesting and is also free.
Note that when people say "GPS" in the context of cellphones, they are usually talking about GPRS/GSM location-based services which use celltower triangulation. There are very few cellphones that have GPS satellite antennas, although there are a few Bluetooth GPS add-on devices available.
I believe MapPoint Location Server had these same features based on GPRS/GSM available back in 2004. For a price of course :)
Actual report: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071046.pdf
Report Summary http://gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-1046
Telecommunications: FCC Should Take Steps to Ensure Equal Access to Rulemaking Information
GAO-07-1046 September 6, 2007
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 34 pages)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 established that FCC should promote competition and reduce regulation to secure lower prices and higher-quality services for American consumers. FCC implements its policy aims through rulemaking, whereby the agency notifies the public of a proposed rule and provides an opportunity for the public to participate in the rule's development. These rulemakings are documented within a public docket that contains the rulemaking record. In response to a congressional request on FCC rulemaking, GAO (1) described FCC's rulemaking process; (2) determined, for specific rulemakings, the extent to which FCC followed its process; and (3) identified factors that contributed to some dockets and rulemakings remaining open. GAO reviewed recent FCC rules, interviewed FCC officials and stakeholders, and conducted case studies of rulemakings.
FCC's rulemaking process includes multiple steps as outlined by law, with several opportunities for public participation. FCC generally begins the process by releasing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and establishing a docket to gather information submitted by the public or developed within FCC to support the proposed rule. Outside parties may meet with FCC officials but must file a disclosure in the docket, called an ex parte filing, that includes any new data or arguments presented at the meeting. FCC analyzes information in the docket and drafts a final rule for the commission to adopt. The FCC chairman decides which rules the commission will consider and whether to adopt them by vote at a public meeting or by circulating them to each commissioner for approval. Stakeholders unsatisfied with a rule may file a petition for reconsideration with the commission or petition for review in federal court. FCC generally followed the rulemaking process in the four case studies of completed rulemakings that GAO reviewed, but several stakeholders had access to nonpublic information. Specifically, each of the four rulemakings included steps as required by law and opportunities for public participation. Within the case studies, most ex parte filings complied with FCC rules. However, in the case studies and in discussions with other stakeholders that regularly participate in FCC rulemakings, multiple stakeholders generally knew when the commission scheduled votes on proposed rules well before FCC notified the public. FCC rules prohibit disclosing this information outside of FCC. Other stakeholders said that they cannot learn when rules are scheduled for a vote until FCC releases the public meeting agenda, at which time FCC rules prohibit stakeholders from lobbying FCC. As a result, stakeholders with advance information about which rules are scheduled for a vote would know when it is most effective to lobby FCC, while stakeholders without this information would not. The complexity and number of rulemakings within a docket and the priority the commission places on a rulemaking contribute to dockets and rulemakings remaining open. The commission determines when to open and close a docket and which rulemakings are a priority; therefore, the commission determines how a docket and rulemaking progress. Dockets and the rulemakings within them may remain open because the dockets are broad and include multiple rulemakings, or because the commission has not yet voted to close the dockets even though they include completed rules. Within dockets, some rule