Comment Re:Hmm... (Score 1) 35
Yessir I vote on everything, 'cuz I'm a patriot, and sometimes the tree
Comment Re:Bring back copyright renewal (Score 1) 331
This would have the happy side effect of making all of those old family portraits of yours public domain.
The same would go for all of those ancient coin-op games that were ignored by their authors until emulators came along.
Nonsense like "happy birthday" would not interfere with historical documentaries.
Comment Re:Whoever proposed a bigger memory footprint than (Score 1) 452
That's probably because you don't have much on your Win7 install yet, and your old XP system has tons of stuff.
Why do we need to rehash this every time WIndows comes out with a new version? Windows runs well, until you get it a few iterations away from a clean install, and then it bogs down. The registry is clogged, it takes forever to do things that should be instantaneous to a human observer, and we all wind up realizing "Oh yeah, this is still just Windows".
Is there any reason to think that your Win7 system won't run like a dog in a year or two?
Comment Re:As a broadcast engineer... (Score 1) 97
If they can figure out a way to implement something like the Emergency Alert System [Wikipedia] on the internet, you might be able to convince me
I would suspect that it should be possible to railroad connections using packet inspection and mangling and railroad people off to a page, video stream, audio stream, Autocad document, or whatever. It would be a fairly brutal thing to do, but it would be functionally equivalent to BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP and a blue screen on your TV. Of course, the repercussions are significantly more severe. On the other hand, the EAS already doesn't help me if I am one of the many who have given up on broadcast television and radio entirely. And, uh, I am. It's not like I "don't watch TV" but I don't watch broadcast TV. I rent TV shows via Netflix.
Comment Re:Is this statement misleading? (Score 1) 97
>>>Each TV channel occupies 10mHz...space 640mBPS
Also your numbers are wrong. 10 millihertz? 640 millibits/s? I'm going to assume you mean 10 Megahertz which is still not correct. Each channel spacing is 6 or 8 MHz, and the maximum theoretical bandwidth on these channels is 96 and 128 Megabits/s respectively, although a more realistic speed with 16VSB or COFDM plus error correction is only 40-60 Mbps - nowhere near 640.
Computer-Aided ESP Transmits Binary Numbers, Slowly 148
High-C writes "Dr. Christopher James of the University of Southampton has demonstrated what is being termed 'Brain to Brain' communication. In binary, no less. In essence, one person imagined a binary number, which was picked up by an EEG and transmitted via the net to another PC. The received signal was displayed on LEDs flashing at two different frequencies. The receiver's EEG correctly deciphered the string, resulting in a 1:1 transmission of binary data via thought. The throughput isn't great so far, at .14 bits per second, but it's an incredibly geeky proof-of-concept all the same."
Comment Re:GE (Score 1) 238
At the beginning of the first BTTF, Doc had a replica of the old clock tower with a figurine hanging from one of the hands. I had always assumed that Doc had already been to the past/future, & simply feigned ignorance to Marty; therefore, he wasn't too concerned
about being shot in the head/legs/groin, the "first" time around.
Comment Re:But... (Score 1, Insightful) 553
... or only have it come on, when a sensor(s) actually detect a human/animal nearby (visually, thermally etc.).
Comment Re:Trying not to sound condescending... (Score 1) 600
What was that, that Martin Prince said about Bradbury...?
Comment Re:Why does NASA suck so much? (Score 1) 261
I read GP as meaning that we would have expected delta- and scissor- wing SST's, VTOL saucery thingies, etc. by the 21st century.
AMD Overclocks New Phenom II X4 To 7 GHz 288
CWmike writes "Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday introduced the latest member of its Phenom II X4 family of high-performance quad-core CPUs, which the No. 2 chip maker said it had run as fast as 7 GHz in extreme overclocking tests. Out of the box, the new X4 955 Black Edition, which is aimed at gamers and hobbyists, runs at 3.2 GHz, giving it similar performance to Intel's fastest desktop chips at lower cost, AMD says. The company was able to more than double the CPU's speed during its tests using extreme cooling technology that is not safe at home, said Brent Barry, an AMD product manager. The Web site Ripping.org notes that hobbyists with early access to the X4 955 chip have been able to clock it at up to 6.7 GHz. AMD said the chip was safe with fan cooling at up to 3.8 GHz."
Digital Schwarzenegger Set For New 'Terminator' 309
Hugh Pickens writes "The Governator revealed this week that he may appear in the upcoming 'Terminator Salvation,' but when he said he didn't want to act, he left many fans scratching their heads. Turns out Schwarzenegger has been secretly working with helmer McG and the effects team to reprise his signature role ... without lifting a finger. 'I made it very clear that I don't have the time to do the movie,' says Schwarzenegger. 'I said that I would be willing to be in the movie if they get the technology together, and so they are working on that right now.' A body-cast mold of Schwarzenegger, created when he first appeared as the muscle-ripped cyborg, provided the basis for a digital-effects version of his famous character so the figure can appear in 'Terminator Salvation' as a living, breathing actor. Warner first screens the movie in early May, and opens it May 21. 'I think it's cool to continue on with the franchise ... in case I want to jump over again and get into the acting after I'm through here,' adds Schwarzenegger."
Watchmen 50 Days On, Was It Worth the Gamble? 448
brumgrunt writes "Friday marks the 50th day on general release for what was the long-awaited Watchmen movie. But how much money has it made, and how has it measured up to Warner Bros' expectations? Has it, bluntly, been worth the gamble, expense and hassle? "
Comment Re:Now we need a robotic shark.... (Score 1) 118
Still, one of, if not the most graceful robots I have ever seen in operation (the He floaters); and one of the few youtube videos I'd want to watch a second time, and probably will!
LEGO Rock Band Confirmed 98
SailorSpork writes to tell us that the rumored LEGO Rock Band has been confirmed, and it's set to be released later this year. The game is being developed for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and DS. The press release lists the first five songs selected for the game, and says players will "work their way through local venues, stadiums and fantasy locations on Earth and beyond, that mimic the imaginative settings that the LEGO world offers. Also continuing the LEGO 'build-and-play' gaming experience, players will be able to create their own LEGO Rock Band style as they customize their minifigure avatars, band and entourage, including roadies, managers and crew." A new page on the Xbox website provides more (slightly odd) details: "Play killer riffs to destroy a giant robot, summon a storm, and demolish a skyscraper using the power of rock!"
