Comment Re:Evaluation (Score 1) 41
The Apple forums were really useful once, too. I haven't looked at them in 20 years tho.
Comment Re:Raises questions for sure (Score 1) 76
Good analysis.
Submission + - Power Grids on 5 Continents Pulse Every 60s. Scientists Think They Know Why (sciencealert.com)
fahrbot-bot writes: ScienceAlert is reporting that researchers may have finally determined why, for many years, power grids around the world have been pulsing every 60 seconds: uninterruptible power supplies running routine battery checks.
Every minute, some uninterruptible power supplies perform routine battery checks, creating small but measurable surges in electricity demand. And it's like clockwork.
"Even benign control routines can become systemically relevant when many devices act coherently," writes a team led by physicist Dirk Witthaut of the University of Cologne, Germany, in a paper published in Nature Energy.
"Unintended synchronization can generate recurrent and potentially amplified oscillatory behavior in large-scale cyber-physical energy systems."
To figure it out, Witthaut and his colleagues analyzed high-resolution electricity measurements from buildings at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research campus in Germany. They found the 60-second pattern appeared in four buildings, all of which contained uninterruptible power supplies. None of the buildings they measured without these systems showed the same pattern.
Following the electrical signals more closely, the researchers detected tiny bursts of current from the batteries at precisely one-minute intervals. They were able to trace the resulting fluctuations through one building's electrical system, all the way to the connection with the public high-voltage grid.
The manufacturer subsequently confirmed the culprit's identity – routine battery self-tests, conducted automatically by the systems' management software.
But why would equipment in different buildings, let alone different countries, be doing this at the same time? The answer appears to lie in the clocks. Digital devices can synchronize their internal clocks using external time signals, meaning that independently operating systems can end up performing their scheduled tasks together.
Individually, these small checks are insignificant. But when enough devices act in synchrony, their combined electricity demand can produce a measurable effect across an entire power grid.
Every minute, some uninterruptible power supplies perform routine battery checks, creating small but measurable surges in electricity demand. And it's like clockwork.
"Even benign control routines can become systemically relevant when many devices act coherently," writes a team led by physicist Dirk Witthaut of the University of Cologne, Germany, in a paper published in Nature Energy.
"Unintended synchronization can generate recurrent and potentially amplified oscillatory behavior in large-scale cyber-physical energy systems."
To figure it out, Witthaut and his colleagues analyzed high-resolution electricity measurements from buildings at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research campus in Germany. They found the 60-second pattern appeared in four buildings, all of which contained uninterruptible power supplies. None of the buildings they measured without these systems showed the same pattern.
Following the electrical signals more closely, the researchers detected tiny bursts of current from the batteries at precisely one-minute intervals. They were able to trace the resulting fluctuations through one building's electrical system, all the way to the connection with the public high-voltage grid.
The manufacturer subsequently confirmed the culprit's identity – routine battery self-tests, conducted automatically by the systems' management software.
But why would equipment in different buildings, let alone different countries, be doing this at the same time? The answer appears to lie in the clocks. Digital devices can synchronize their internal clocks using external time signals, meaning that independently operating systems can end up performing their scheduled tasks together.
Individually, these small checks are insignificant. But when enough devices act in synchrony, their combined electricity demand can produce a measurable effect across an entire power grid.
Comment Re:GTA? (Score 2) 55
I only play Nintendo remakes from 1996, you insensitive clod!
Comment Re:Unfortunately (Score 0) 225
Dang every time I see him it reminds me how much I hate that president.
Comment Re:Grow A Pair (Score 1) 186
North Korea regularly attacks the south in some way or another.
Their rational plan will be to attack simultaneously with China, in a way that draws some attention, but doesn't fully start another war. For example, they might send commandos in to kidnap the president (been done before), or they might fire artillery across the DMZ into a low population area (been done before).
If China succeeds on the battlefield, then North Korea will escalate. If China does not succeed on the battlefield, then North Korea will turn around and go home and say, "They weren't bombs, they were bread baskets." It keeps happening.
Their rational plan will be to attack simultaneously with China, in a way that draws some attention, but doesn't fully start another war. For example, they might send commandos in to kidnap the president (been done before), or they might fire artillery across the DMZ into a low population area (been done before).
If China succeeds on the battlefield, then North Korea will escalate. If China does not succeed on the battlefield, then North Korea will turn around and go home and say, "They weren't bombs, they were bread baskets." It keeps happening.
Comment Re: Vibes from the PHB (Score 1) 74
ROTFL you lose the argument, so you threaten me. Well guess what, your money is no good here.
If you ever decide to not be an asshole boss/manager, this book is waiting for you. Go with God.
If you ever decide to not be an asshole boss/manager, this book is waiting for you. Go with God.
Comment Re:Sovereignty or Vassalhood (Score 1) 41
Ideally we shouldn't need to be independent, because we can trust each other to not invade each other. Europe has largely achieved that, hopefully the rest of the world will soon, too.
It might be better to be interdependent because it makes war harder.
It might be better to be interdependent because it makes war harder.
Comment Re:Where's the profit in that? (Score 1) 30
I've seen a lot of people use "illegal" as if it specifically meant a crime, not a tort. In most cases, copyright infringement is a tort, not a crime.
Comment Re:Rent seeking (Score 1) 20
I know it's old hat to talk about traditional software engineering techniques, especially when there's the taxpayer's purse to loot, but there already exist solutions to these problems. I get it - these folks would rather have someone else pay for their ignorance, but the beauty of AI is that it can be counted on to break in new and novel ways. It's funny when AI swears when autocorrecting texts, but if you should find yourself blown to bits because you let AI control your air defense network, it's hard to blame anyone except yourself.
I ask this genuinely, because I expected a summary of the solutions but you didn't go into those...what are they? I'm not a software engineer so I don't know what solutions you think would work. As an electrical engineer, I can design test procedures to test hardware and discrete components to make sure they do what I expect, but I'm fuzzy on how you test AI when, in my limited use with it, I can get similar yet different results from the same prompts.
Comment Re: MIT vs GPL (Score 1) 190
He has relented to pressure from the Linux foundation at least a couple times since then (CoC and AI). The Linux foundation is a way for corporations to partially control Linux with money.
Which makes me admire Theo even more.
Which makes me admire Theo even more.
Comment Re:Grow A Pair (Score 1) 186
There are 3 countries that are a) opposed to the US and would like to reshape the world along different lines, b) big enough to make a difference, c) positioned in important geographic spots, d) with a big enough economy, e) with a big enough military, and f) they might be willing to bleed to make it happen. It’s a short list. China, Russia, Iran.
You should add North Korea to that list. A simultaneous attack by China and N Korea would pose a dilemma.
Comment Re:Grow A Pair (Score 1) 186
A military siege is a strategic way to approach the Iran situation. (NB. I don't claim to know what Trump is doing)
Comment Re:they will keep selling them (Score 1) 285
These things are all well-documented. From our past conversations, I know you are smart, certainly smart enough to use a search engine. So why are you suddenly talking like a Soviet operative?
Did your account get hacked?
Did your account get hacked?
Comment Re:MIT vs GPL (Score 1) 190
It's a worthy question, Linux gets more use than BSD.
But also, companies do avoid using code that is GPL'ed.
But also, companies do avoid using code that is GPL'ed.
