Comment android backups not included in google takeout (Score 1) 166
Here's another gotcha: If you use google takeout to back up your google drive, your android backups are not included.
Comment Re:Uber = Public subsidized (Score 2) 204
Uber rates are of course cheaper because the drivers don't carry commercial insurance, paying regular insurance rates, and thus raising the rates for everyone else as consequence.
I'm not sure why this fiction keeps getting repeated. Uber carries commercial insurance covering its drivers to the tune of $100k in primary insurance and $200k in supplemental liability coverage while logged in awaiting a fare and $1 million while dispatched. Those limits are well above what's required for medallion taxis and livery cars in my area.
Why CES Is a Bad Scene For Startups 89
Nerval's Lobster writes "If you're a small-to-midsize tech company, CES isn't exactly the best place to get noticed. Every January, thousands of developers and startup executives flood Vegas with dreams of a big score. But they're not headed to the poker and blackjack tables in pursuit of that filthy lucre—instead, many of them have dropped thousands of dollars on a booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), arguably the highest-profile technology conference of the year. (In addition to the tens of thousands of dollars it costs to reserve a space on the convention-hall floor, that money goes to demo units, flying employees to Vegas, and much, much more.) If they haven't managed to secure a spot in one of the Convention Center's massive halls, they've set up a demonstration area in a suite at some hotel on the Strip. And if they're too under-capitalized or unprepared for a hotel, they're lurking in the Convention Center parking lot. Seriously. It's a little insane. But in a certain way, you can't blame the startups: at some point, someone told them that CES is the best way to get their company noticed, even if it means blowing the equivalent of three employees' yearly salaries. On paper, the get-a-booth strategy makes sense—aside from SXSW, CES hosts possibly the greatest concentration of tech journalists in a relatively small space. What many first-timers don't realize (until it's too late) is that startups have a hard time standing out amidst the chaos: there are too many companies at too many booths attempting to sell (at top volume) too many variations of the same core ideas. If that wasn't bad enough, a fair portion of those companies are trying to draw attention with flashing screens, giveaways, music pumping at top volume, and other gimmicks. (Hey, it's Vegas.) So not only does your Nike FuelBand knockoff need to compete against a hundred other 'smart bracelets' on display, but you somehow need to make yourself visible despite the plus-size Elvis impersonator belting out 'Don't Be Cruel' in front of that chip-vendor's booth a few steps away. That's just the sort of quixotic endeavor that would drive even the most stalwart startup founder to drinking before 9 A.M."
FAA Wants All Aircraft Flying On Unleaded Fuel By 2018 366
coondoggie writes "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week put out a call to fuel producers to offer options that would safely let general aviation aircraft stop using leaded fuel by 2018. The FAA says there are approximately 167,000 aircraft in the United States and a total of 230,000 worldwide that rely on the current 100 octane, low lead fuel for safe operation. It is the only remaining transportation fuel in the United States that contains the addition of tetraethyl lead, a toxic substance, to create the very high octane levels needed for high-performance aircraft engines. Operations with inadequate octane can result in engine failures, the FAA noted."
Comment Re:Cheap Digital SLR (Score 2) 569
I'm gonna second this recommendation. You can get last year's entry level DSLR and a normal zoom as a refurb or open box for under $400 and it'll take better quality pictures than pretty much any current pocket camera model. If you're frustrated by modern smartphone cameras (which are on the low end performance wise as far as pocket-sized cameras go), most compact P&S models aren't going to be a huge improvement. The cheapest DSLR will make a night and day difference in terms of focus speed, focus accuracy, exposure accuracy, and image quality. Compared to a pocket camera, a DSLR (even in full auto mode) will get you more keepers and fewer photos ruined by the camera being too slow, bad exposures, poor dynamic range, and so on.
Also, don't be fooled by bogus megapixel and ISO ratings. While many pocket cameras claim to have enormous numbers of pixels, the optics and focus accuracy are very rarely good enough to make every pixel count. As a result, the effective usable resolution could be be half or even a quarter of the advertised number. ISO sensitivity is similarly exaggerated, with most pocket cameras producing snowy, washed out looking pictures well below the claimed maximum sensitivity. On the other hand, a 6 or 8 megapixel DSLR really does provide the claimed number of distinct pixels and on last year's DSLR models, ISO 1600 and often ISO 3200 and beyond will produce perfectly usable pictures. Even if the lighting is bad and you totally mess up the composition and have to crop out 80% of the photo you'll still have enough left to post on the web or make a small print that's not embarrassingly bad.
Comment Existing Smartphones Have Similar Features (Score 1) 226
Current Blackberry smartphone models include a feature which will allow the user to place an emergency call, even when the device is operating in "battery too low for radio use" mode. Dialing 911 (us models), 112, or picking "make emergency call" from the screen lock menu will turn the mobile radio back on and attempt to complete the call regardless of battery level. (On a side note, it's also possible to pick the emergency call option and cancel it before the call begins in order to bypass the usual delay between when a charger is connected and when the handset considers the battery charged enough to make calls again).
Comment Re:Dual Air Conditioning Issues (Score 1) 414
[...]We had a couple of chilled-water Liebert units that were bigger than the computers, and management had decided to get two of them so we'd never lose cooling. Turned out we couldn't actually run them both at once, though I don't remember if they were fighting more about temperature or humidity - one unit would be pushing a bunch of cold dry air under the floor, which would blow into the sensors of the other unit, which would push a bunch of warm wet air under the floor, etc. [...]
Newer Liebert DS computer room air conditioner systems have a teamwork mode that helps units cooperate instead of competing. A network-wide election occurs to determine if the system will heat/cool and if the humidifiers will run. Unfortunately, this gear is expensive enough that it will make the original poster's $600 pricetag seem like pocket change...
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