Posts by Mage 9271 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Nov 2007
Misses the point. It's not about how amazing it is.
There are good and bad predictions. This one is about how people might use <random technology>
Rocket motors to power only ICBMs or space exploration?
See also "Shock Wave Rider". Far better than Toffler's book that inspired it.
Does anyone know any longer ...
The guys trying to blow up your car, shoot you on the beach, or destroy the theatre are deffo bad guys.
The Governments spying on their own citizens with out specific warrant, killing people in countries they are not at war with, detaining people without trail... They are probably bad guys even if they claim it's for our own good.
Perhaps they ARE inefficient, or Apple pays too little out of greed (their margins are fat) and others pay too little because of very slim margins.
On many products there is a retailer driven rush to the bottom on prices.
I don't know what's wrong. Sure their ought to be still a good market for MIPS in Routers, TVs, Setboxes even if ARM dominates Phones and Tablets?
Based on updating XP, I'd buy 5 copies.
Maybe the same of Office 2003. I HATE THE LATER OFFICES, ESPECIALLY "FLAT" and RIBBON!!!
Meanwhile two machines are staying XP (but not online) and the rest are now migrated to Linux Mint, Mate Desktop, WINE. Copied all my Windows True Type Fonts to server, then downloaded to all the Linux computers.
Everything has Libre Office, which once you figure the quirks and disable some silly defaults isn't bad.
Probably An Teagasc and the NDC promote Cheese in Ireland.
There is a MASSIVE variety of Irish cheeses, today, a far cry from 30 years ago when there was Galtee processed cheese, Calvita milder processed cheese and rather suspiciously rubbery "Chedder" style cheese.
There is Cow, Goat and Sheep cheeses, in Danish, English, Swiss, French and Greek styles as well as local styles.
Since it needs an iphone anyway, I suspect such a gadget can be under $30 retail inc postage including decent case and strap.
I wonder what all those < $20 Chinese watches do, often more functions with an Android phone than iOS. (Via Bluetooth). Some have camera and SIM, appear to be complete "Dick Tracy" and more gadgets. They are being used to cheat in exams.
I think you are wrong. It's 100,000,000 faster now. A 1979 8bit cpu is in the 100,000 times quicker class.
If we knew how to do real AI, then any computer could do it, but slowly. It's nonsense to suggest that AI is "held up" by lack of computing power. A Raspberry pi and big NAS ought to be able to be intelligent, if we knew how to write an AI program.
AI today, as is "Expert Systems" and so called "Neural Networks" are all just specialist "fragile"* database applications.
[* In sense that it's useless if it encounters anything not pertaining to the programmed domain]
Go is really really hard for a computer.
Is winning Chess, Jeopardy! and Go significant? YES
Is any of it a milestone for real AI? NO.
We don't even know what AI might be. This is specialist programming. If we had real AI, the SAME program could start learning and eventually be the best at every game, as well as many other problems.
A rook (crow) or a baby that can't play chess, go or answer Jeopardy! at all is smarter. This is searching a database for solutions using a program written by very smart humans.
ALL so called AI is marketing of specialist interfaces to databases, often for a single domain per AI program (Driving, chess, go, bridge etc)
FM is better.
Even AM can be better.
DAB is too power hungry, bit rate is too low (to save money), coverage is too poor.
A DTT tuner would be more use!
Some phones have had great easy to use FM radio for ages. Ergonomics for Digital Radio is inherently poor too. DAB is a failed format. DRM on Shortwave, MW and LW has failed to get traction.
DAB and Digital Broadcast, esp. using SFN and because of pressure to save money on Mux costs, inherently benefits national stations over local and reduction of bit rate to less than FM quality. DAB+ isn't used for more quality either, just to halve the bit rate at similar quality (too poor) to reduce costs.
The BBC, Ofcom, RTE and Comreg will drool over this. It's bad for the consumer.
If it's anything important a relative or workmate etc needs to access, write down the passwords, user, email, machine, website etc. EVERYTHING.
Put it with your will or something else that will not be accessible to neer-do-wells, thieves, small children and will 100% turn up if you are knocked down / heart attack / stroke / randomly shot etc.
When they came out you could buy a Dumb TV and a phone/tablet/laptop and still have change. Some even you can buy Dumb TV + PS4 and have change!
TV as Monitor + Tuner is all you need. But many newer sets have far less I/O. Even lacking analogue audio out for better than laptop speakers that are built in!
I was lucky I think to get a "dumb" TV with 2 x USB (more handy to power gadgets than for intended HDD / USB photo/video playback), 4 x HDMI, SCART I/O, composite, Y/C, Component (SD or HD) and VGA.
Security, privacy (microphone, gesture camera etc), updates and compatibility is a horror on them.
Biometrics is stupid for a security as you can't change a fingerprint or retina.
It needs to be removed from passports.
Fingerprint readers and retinal scanners etc should be illegal. They serve no purpose other than exposing privacy. Trivial to copy a fingerprint from a door or glass. You can even add a pulse.
The sad fact is there is no secure alternative to old fashioned passwords.
I have a couple of good ones that are learnt. I let a password manager remember all the ones that are non-financial and not local machine access. I have an address book in a safe place (never in laptop bag / with phone) that has email, user, website password.
Different password and often different user and email for every website. None are real words or words with numbers or number substitutes.
Biometrics is a lazy failure of a solution to security.
So the Germans need to complain to irish Data Commissioner. Eventually, the ECJ or EU will tell the Irish Commissioner to do something. Sometimes though they do react. Sky Ireland automatically opted everyone into a Marketing for 3rd parties and the IDC protested, Sky backed down.
But Sky Ireland only sells in Ireland, certainly back then only INSTALL VAT went to Ireland, all subscription VAT went to UK.
Save every download to PC, not direct to device.
Calibre has plug-ins to remove DRM. DRM is ultimately contrary to Berne Convention on Copyright.
Don't ever give copies to someone else after you remove DRM.
I read Kindle content with DRM on a my Kindle and my Kobo (using my Kindle's serial number).
Amazon leaves it to Publisher to decide if AZW file has DRM or not.
Macros can be much more evil than GOTO and only exist because C was partly conceived as a machine independent Macro assembler to make porting UNIX simple and easy.
Numerous ways to shoot off your legs with a Macro.
Learning C++, we were told they shouldn't be used at all, only part of the evil backward compatibility. I learnt C++ in 1988. Why after nearly 30 years are we still using C?
I have to use a plug-in on Firefox because of MORONS coding websites.
People like Amazon ONLY put the download links for the browser stats detected.
1) You might be downloading for a different OS to what you are running, dual boot or multiple computers.
2) You might want to run a Windows application on Wine on Linux (The kindle reader works fine on Wine as does Notepad++, Orbitron, Digiguide and other windows stuff.)
So often my Linux Mint (Mate desktop) system reports Windows.
I still have two windows laptops for very occasional older apps, that are not used on the Internet, one is Win3.11/Win98/Win2K multiboot and one is Windows XP SP3.
My video media PC has 2x DVB-S2 sat PCI cards and 2 x DVB-T tuners on Windows XP with MHEG5 support. I can't get the required HW / SW support on anything else reliably. It's not used on Internet either.
I added a CF adaptor and a 32G Byte CF card to replace the original very slow Flash memory. I had to fold the ZIF cable end over and put it wrong way up into the CF adaptor to have the correct cable order. Always check the dot!
Works find with Linux Mint 17.x and Mate desktop. I had to add the broadcom WiFi driver, the ethernet was fine.
The previous owner had replaced the original Linux with XP, which was too slow on it.
I changed some settings to minimise disk writes etc too.
"variety is too much to take on for the machines," Schaefer said. "They can't work with all the different options and keep pace with changes"
Actually, while the programmers might be great and VERY intelligent, programming is really time consuming and difficult, when you care about doing it properly.
Not in a major office, but common in a home or small office. Toasters will even do it with build up of carbonising crumbs, don't forget to empty the crumb tray or shake it upside down.
A L-N short will just knock the individual trip, but an L-N imbalance of less than 50mA (due to leakage to case / earth) will trip the main safety trip. Some countries the lighting isn't on it. Usually Cooker, Immersion/water heater etc isn't on it. So a toaster with a shorted filament / Kettle shorted element on a socket wired on cooker supply (used to be common in UK) will hit the cooker fuse or trip only.
Despite being funded by naive people in USA and supplied by Libya. (Early before the Provos (current SF & IRA) split with officials, the Russians did help them a bit, inc blowing up NATO microwave links in N.I.).
I'm implacable in my disdain for Apple Marketing and Pricing, but I'm on their side on this one.
Unsocial behaviour, gangs, corporate greed, personal greed, lack of GOOD government regulation, drunkeness, bad driving, un-controlled guns, over-eating, drug dealers, theft, weather, flu etc are all far worse threats than Terrorists. Esp. in USA.
Apart from "9-11" how many people on USA soil have been killed by terrorism or even war since 1916 (last 100 years)?
Ultimately the Public, consumers. Qualcomm is no-one's friend, they are out to sell chips & licences. They will want this. I'm not convinced Operators do. I know decent ISPs won't touch unlicensed spectrum.
I think this is Qualcomm greed.
Mobile Operators misuse far too much spectrum (Coverage in Ireland FALLING due to lack of regulator conditions) already because Regulators love the licence fees.
Mobile Services and other paid for subscription services should actually be forbidden to use ISM, which should be short range free consumer ad hoc use only/
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