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Comment Re:Something to think about (Score 1) 170

As the VP8 vs x264 test is using SSIM, I found these important from the article about encoder cheating.

3. Making invalid comparisons using objective metrics. I explained this earlier in the linked blog post, but in short, if you’re going to measure PSNR, make sure all the encoders are optimized for PSNR. Equally, if you’re going to leave the encoder optimized for visual quality, don’t measure PSNR — post screenshots instead. Same with SSIM or any other objective metric. Furthermore, don’t blindly do metric comparisons — always at least look at the output as a sanity test. Finally, do not claim that PSNR is particularly representative of visual quality, because it isn’t.

How to spot it: Encoders with psy optimizations, such as x264 or Theora 1.2, do considerably worse than expected in PSNR tests, but look much better in visual comparisons.

4. Lying with graphs. Using misleading scales on graphs is a great way to make the differences between encoders seem larger or smaller than they actually are. A common mistake is to scale SSIM linearly: in fact, 0.99 is about twice as good as 0.98, not 1% better. One solution for this is to use db to compare SSIM values.

Comment Re:Your post doesn't make sense. (Score 1) 159

100% of the system is read only? I assume you are using a ramdrive or something like that for tmp files and the like? I don't know shit about windows, but I don't think it's going to run without any kind of writable space.

OTOH, if you want a simple solution to this issue, and the system is read-only, I think your simplest antivirus solution is called "reboot".

Of course, you should be looking into running GNU/Linux in this babies. It certainly runs better on Atom than windows ever will.

The flash drive is a read only maintenance tool. The system is not read only. He wants something that he can run from the flash drive.

Comment Re:Commercialisation (Score 1) 319

The Apollo project, even though run by NASA, was really a military project. It was an extension of the Cold War. It was all about beating the Soviet Union, and not about the science of getting to the Moon.

Any project to the Moon, to be cost effective, would have to use existing technologies. And it's questionable if the the President and Congress will fund NASA enough to develop those technologies.

Comment Re:60% more bitrate for same quality (Score 2, Informative) 325

I had to use the direct links, but noticed that the ogg version was 10% taller but the same contents. A skewing like this could easily explain bad perceived quality, did anybody else notice this or it is just my Firefox 3.5 beta on linux that's messed up?

10% taller visually? I think that's because that both videos were encoded at 704x576. That gives us an 11:9 aspect ratio for both, however the H.264 version has a 4:3 display aspect ratio set, so that it looks correct. It would be better if they had used square pixels for their raw source, so we don't need to compare anamorphic displaying of the videos as well.

Comment Re:Sipping From a Firehose (Score 1) 214

Additionally, such waste heat might not actually be "free" - depending on some of the implementation details.

The engine works by generating heat and then converting it to mechanical motion while dissipating that heat to a cold sink. If you don't "waste" that heat by sending it to a cold sink then the engine operates less efficiently.

Again, it depends on the details - the energy might be "free," or it might just rob the engine of power just as an alternator does. You can't get around the laws of thermodynamics, though...

I'm pretty sure BMW places these in the exhaust manifod (or elsewhere in the exhaust system) where all the heat comes from gases that are indeed waste. Indeed if this were placed within the combustion chamber or conducted heat from it than it would have a negativ impact on the efficiency of the engine. You can use novel methods to convert one form of energy to another without breaking the laws of thermodynamics.

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 291

"It's difficult to come up with a faux urine, explained NASA's Jim Lewis, the systems manager overseeing development of Orion's potty. 'That's why we depend on collections.'" They can tell my sex, blood type, color of my eyes and hair, my favorite brand of cigarettes and my probability of being obese from a drop of my blood but they can't synthesize urine? Where there heck did things go so wrong?

Actually I'm quite sure they could synthesize it. However, why build a cow when you can get the milk for free? They could spent a ton of money developing synthetic urine, but even then there is no guarantee its going to behave exactly the same. Why not just use the real thing?

Comment Relationships (Score 1) 209

"Hurin wedded Morwen, the daught of Baradund son of Gregolas of the House of Beor, and she was thus of close kin to Beren One-hand. Morwen was dark-haired and tall, and for the light of her glance and the beauty of her face men called her Eledhwen, the elfen-fair; but she was somewhat stern of mood and proud. The sorrows of the house of Beor saddened her heart; for she came as an exile to Dorlomin from Dorthonion after the ruin of the Bragollach."

First it should be Bregolas of the House of Beor, and not Gregolas. Morwen is the granddaughter of Bregolas, a Lord of the House of Beor. Beren is Bregolas' nephew, thus making Morwen and Beren first-cousins once-removed. Because of her beauty she is also called Edhelwen.

Dor-lómin is the land that she was exiled to. She was originally from Dorthonion, a region that overrun by Morgoth during the Dagor Bragollach (Battle of the Southern Flame).

Interestingly her relationship with Beren makes her Elrond's second cousins twice removed and also first cousin three times removed.
Power

Saving Power in your Home Office 285

cweditor writes "Rob Mitchell shows how he measured energy use of all his home office equipment, and then targeted the energy pigs for replacement. With better equipment choices, he'd save $90/year. If you've got more than a couple of computers and printers at home (and if you're a Slashdot reader, you probably do), the savings would be a lot higher. Includes detailed formulas as well as a spreadsheet on monitor energy usage."
Television

Submission + - Senator to FCC: no broadcast flag for you!

Flag waver writes: Senator John Sununu (R-NH) will introduce legislation that will prevent the FCC from creating technology mandates for the consumer electronics industry. As a result, the FCC would be hamstrung in its efforts to revive the broadcast flag. '"The FCC seems to be under the belief that it should occasionally impose technology mandates," Sununu said in a statement. "These misguided requirements distort the marketplace by forcing industry to adopt agency-blessed solutions rather than allow innovative and competitive approaches to develop."' Sen. Sununu previously tried without success to remove the broadcast flag provisions from the massive telecommunications bill that died before reaching the Senate floor during the last Congress.
Biotech

Submission + - Sense of smell may be tied to quantum physics

SpaceAdmiral writes: "A controversial theory that says our sense of smell is based not on the shape of the molecules that enter our nose but on their vibrations was given a boost recently when researchers at University College London determined that the quantum physics involved makes sense. The theory, which suggests electron tunneling initiates the smell signal being sent to the brain, could explain why very similarly shaped molecules have very different smells."

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