Comment Possible predictor: StackOverflow? (Score 1) 86
I wonder if we could predict future success of this approach by trying to understand if previous startups used StackOverflow very heavily with great success.
Comment Re:Facebook goes offline (Score 1) 151
Thank you for the info... Would you mind sharing your source on "isn't expected back up until this evening"? I'm currently doing my own personal forensic work into the situation.
Comment Re:Just give the option to turn it off... (Score 1) 823
The day that two of the most efficiency-bound on-road ICE applications (cross-country 18-wheel trucking and NASCAR racing) switch to automatic transmissions is the day I'll consider one for my personal vehicle.
Comment Re:Dissimilar markets (Score 3, Informative) 99
They're buying off-the-shelf batteries from the same suppliers that build batteries for the rest of the portable electronics industry. Since batteries are a resource intensive product (they're made from commodity materials that must be mined and processed), there is always going to be a fixed cost associated with their production. Here's a free hint: more electric cars being sold will only put more demand on battery manufacturers, and I don't have to explain how supply and demand works.
You are dead-on with with the reflection on the maturity of electric vehicles. They've been around a LONG time.
But regarding battery manufacturing, you may have missed the recent news about Tesla's plans for building the world's largest battery factory this year - it seems that Musk has anticipated your concern:
http://gigaom.com/2014/02/19/t...
Comment Re:Make Caps Lock another Shift key (Score 1) 939
I do the same thing in xwindows. I added this to my ~/.bash_profile :
xmodmap -e "remove Lock = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "remove Shift = Shift_L"
xmodmap -e "keysym Shift_L = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "keysym Caps_Lock = Shift_L"
xmodmap -e "add Lock = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "add Shift = Shift_L"
xmodmap -e "remove Lock = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "remove Shift = Shift_L"
xmodmap -e "keysym Shift_L = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "keysym Caps_Lock = Shift_L"
xmodmap -e "add Lock = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "add Shift = Shift_L"
Comment Re:That's it? (Score 1) 594
I haven't done the math, but I suspect that even if MANY millions of people were charging cars at night, it still wouldn't approach the daytime load of the grid. Keep in mind that most people would only need to top off their charge from their short (25 miles perhaps) daily commute.
This is exactly my description. I have a 12.5 mile commute each way to work and back. I am currently converting a 2002 Ford Focus to full electric. I expect to have a total range of about 40 miles per charge.
The charger I'm using is what I would consider a middle-of-the-road charger, in terms of power consumption (about 4.8KW). It is wired for a 240 VAC, 20 amp circuit, and should be able to charge my 144 volt, 28 KWH pack in about 6 hours. Keep in mind, 4.8KW is less than the steady state power consumption of a typical 1.5 ton capacity heat pump. The grid will trivially be able to handle this kind of load during the night.
Comment Re:Something lost (Score 1) 295
By the way, what's the "it" in "It's enough for basic point and shoot needs"? Are you talking about 16 MP??
Yes. The 5D is still considered "prosumer," albeit high-end.
Yes. The 5D is still considered "prosumer," albeit high-end.
Comment Re:Something lost (Score 1, Interesting) 295
It's enough for basic point and shoot needs (i.e. grandma who uses the $5 disposable and runs down to the 1-hour photo lab at Wal Mart). Beyond that- no.
1. Film resolution is measured by granularity of the crystals used. In other words, MOLECULES. Digital resolution is measured in pixels. Molecules are more granular than pixels.
2. Color saturation of prosumer image capture devices are about an order of magnitude worse than good film. This is why all the mucking about in photoshop, etc is required to artificially enhance digital photos and make them "pop." Even so, in many cases, no amount of postprocessing can correct this deficiency. Remember that rule #1 in photography is "good light."
3. Longevity. What's the longevity of a pixel on digital media? I have lots of negatives and slides, over 100 years old, which still produce very nice prints.
1. Film resolution is measured by granularity of the crystals used. In other words, MOLECULES. Digital resolution is measured in pixels. Molecules are more granular than pixels.
2. Color saturation of prosumer image capture devices are about an order of magnitude worse than good film. This is why all the mucking about in photoshop, etc is required to artificially enhance digital photos and make them "pop." Even so, in many cases, no amount of postprocessing can correct this deficiency. Remember that rule #1 in photography is "good light."
3. Longevity. What's the longevity of a pixel on digital media? I have lots of negatives and slides, over 100 years old, which still produce very nice prints.
Comment Re:Power off command (Score 1) 324
That reminds me many years ago, when my friend worked as a programmer in a major bank writing small programs for an online international financial system. He issued an 'shutdown' command through JCL(Job Control Language) and that really shutdown the entire system. He didn't realize he had the privilege to issue administration commands.
[rant] I'm forced to wonder, did the sysadmin who granted a programmer (one responsible for "small programs," natch) administrative priveledge get fired? How about the manager that signed off on it (assuming a proper change control system)? How about the executive that probably wrote off the proper change control system as "unnecessary overhead"? [/rant]
Journal Journal: new article on camshaft advance vs mpg
just finished doing what should have been a simple experiment, figuring out what the best position to set your camshaft to get the best mileage possible.
article is not that exciting since anyone that cares about mileage has probably already figured out advancing the cam slightly will give better bottom end power and better mileage. But, it is still interesting to get some halfway decent numbers.
Journal Journal: Larval Stage 1
They used to say you were a geek in "larval stage" if you pulled more than one all nighter in a row. It was a sign that you were gestating some major hackage. I've noted that "larval stage" symptoms have recurred at different times in my life. Each time I learn a new programming language I kind of geek-out for a while, up late, up early, forget to eat, forget about a lot of things while I hyper focus on learning the new technology in front of me. I'm coming out of the longest "larval stage" I've
Journal Journal: MvixUSA, Unicorn Bends to Pressure, Releases GPL Source Code
After being pressured by their user base, MvixUSA, the distributor of the Mvix MX-760HD Wireless Media Center, has obtained the source code to the firmware from the Korean manufacturer, Unicorn Network Total Solution, and made it available for download on their website. The firmware is based on the uClinux kernel. This is reminiscent of the fight that the community had to go through with GamePark Holdings, Inc. to have them
Submission + - Where are all the hdtv tuners?
An anonymous reader writes: Today I read about rabbit ears making a comeback with OTA HTDV. I want to purchase a standalone ATSC HDTV tuner to go with my projector, but I am having a very hard time finding one. The big-box stores seem to only stock one or two models and are frequently sold out. Searching online yields similar results. It would seem that there would be ever increasing demand for these tuners given that many HDTVs were sold without internal tuners in years past and these tuners will be necessary for all old NTSC TVs after the February, 2009 shutdown of analog broadcasts. Where should I look to buy one of these devices? Of the currently available models, which are the best? Will the standalone HDTV tuner become a ubiquitous item as the 2009 deadline approaches?
Submission + - Study finds P2P has no effect on legal music sales
MBrichacek writes: "A new study in the has found that illegal music downloads have had no noticeable effects on the sale of music, contrary to the claims of the recording industry. Analyzing data from the final four months of 2002, the researchers estimated that P2P affected no more than 0.7% of sales in that timeframe. The study reports that 803 million CDs were sold in 2002, which was a decrease of about 80 million from the previous year. The RIAA has blamed the majority of the decrease on piracy, and has maintained that argument in recent years as music sales have faltered. Yet according to the study, the impact from file sharing could not have been more than 6 million albums total in 2002, leaving 74 million unsold CDs without an excuse for sitting on shelves."
Submission + - VeriSign implants 222 people with RFID chips
cnet-declan writes: "Anyone remember VeriChip, a company that came up with the idea of implanting chips in humans for tracking them? They've been behind ideas like RFID tagging immigrant and guest workers at the border, and they've persuaded a former Bush Health Secretary to get himself chipped. In this CNET News.com article, we offer an update on how successful the idea has been. It turns out that, according to IPO documents, 222 people have been implanted, with sales revenue of $100,000."
