Posts by ML1
Posts by ML1 |
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1)
Message boards :
Science (non-SETI) :
How do you measure time in space?
(Message 1508192)
Posted 4 hours ago by  ML1
How do you measure time in space? Firstly, how can we 'measure' that which we believe is 'time'? At the moment, the best we can do is to mark the passage of distance and assume that some 'time has passed' whilst traveling that distance. The iconic visible example of that is the swing of the pendulum of a clock. Note that the pendulum experiences movement. We assume that there is a passing (or 'flow') of time along with that... We have no direct detection or measure of that which we call 'time'... Keep searchin', Martin |
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2)
Message boards :
Science (non-SETI) :
Einstein's Intuition - Quantum Space Theory
(Message 1507976)
Posted 13 hours ago by ML1
Methinks you are waxing a bit lyrical Martin! How many beers have you had? For some people, a few beers may well definitely be needed to help relax preconceptions enough to be able to follow the general flow of ideas. Then a few reruns will allow more of the detail to be appreciated... :-P Time is merely a measure of the durations of events and the intervals between them. You can measure these elapsed periods in rotations of a planet, or of a planet around it's star, or whatever... That is indeed a long used "working measure" of what we assume is "time". The swing of a pendulum or other such oscillation of whatever device is similarly an indicator of distance traveled. We then make the assumption that the timepiece has experienced a 'constant rate' of 'time' throughout its motion. In all cases, what we are taking note of is the motion (distance traveled). A fundamental aspect of Science is to be "self-consistent" (just as is the case for mathematics). To be self-consistent, note that we have no fundamental measure of "time". We do not even know if what we call 'time' actually is a real and distinct entity/feature of our universe... A whole new thread awaits for anyone wishing to explore Time ... One of my interests following on my intuition of consistency is for Quantized Time. Perhaps you should stick to promoting Linux, Linus Torvalds probably pays more commission that Einstein's estate does :-)) Good to see you have the True Gods so much in mind. Can you now forsake the false devils luring you through the Gates of Ballmer and Nadella?... ;-) Keep searchin', Martin |
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3)
Message boards :
SETI@home Science :
Antenna polarity?
(Message 1507833)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
Thanks for the reply Joe! Err... Is not each beam listed as polarity 0 and polarity 1?... For any strong enough signal, a plane polarized signal will be picked up at anything between 0dB in one polarity and -3dB in the 90deg-off other polarity, or equally across both polarities if 45deg to both. Similarly, a circularly polarized signal will be picked up equally by both polarities. Now for a question: Does the s@h signal processing make any attempt at determining signal polarization? We only process only one channel at a time so I suspect not. Keep searchin', Martin |
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4)
Message boards :
SETI@home Science :
Antenna polarity?
(Message 1507832)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
Hi Bob, Yes, you can have "clockwise" or "anticlockwise" circular polarization. That is often used for satellite communications... And despite the vast distances of space, a specific polarization will remain distinct until the signal is eventually lost in the cosmic cacophony of noise. Keep searchin', Martin |
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5)
Message boards :
Science (non-SETI) :
Einstein's Intuition - Quantum Space Theory
(Message 1507831)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
Hold onto your hats! A few beers, food, and a long night may help. For some folk in the USA: WARNING!! Here be "SCIENCE Learnin'"... For all others who have the interest and curiosity to see a glimpse of how our universe might really exist... Ok, so this is some rather deep science that answers some of the fundamental science questions beautifully. Myself, I still have the question of whether time itself is quantized... To try to cushion a little for the lead-in... So far, throughout our history of natural philosophy and later scientific achievements: The greatest discoveries enabling us to better describe the world about us, and our universe, have been enabled by being able to relax previous assumptions about previously assumed ways of physical movement. For example, the orbits of our planets were for the first time accurately predicted only when the "perfection" of the circle was abandoned to instead allow for the possibility of non-circular orbits and instead consider elliptic orbits. Einstein made his breakthrough thoughts when he allowed time to progress at a different relative rate. (Indeed, time itself is expressed as a movement. Clocks for example merely indicate to us 'movement/travel' 'through' that which we abstractly describe to ourselves as 'time'.) Here we have a breathtakingly brief explanation to pull together some breathtaking beauty to explain some of the scientific mystery of what we see in our universe: YouTube: TEDxBoulder - Thad Roberts - Visualizing Eleven Dimensions Keep with it. There is quite a revelation for how the pieces of our universe fit together... More of what Quantum Space Theory is about can be found on his website at: Einstein's Intuition - Quantum Space Theory There is a lot there to dive through. Fascinating. Scarily, it may well all be real. In some ways, at least that is less scary than some of the "Quantum Spookiness" that we see when only considering what we experience for our 3 dimensions + time. Keep searchin', Martin |
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6)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1507666)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
Why Microsoft Is Dumping Support For Windows 8.1 In all the awesome positively awesomeness Marketing spin, you can be forgiven to have missed the implication of: Why Microsoft Is Dumping Support For Windows 8.1: ... The software giant is urging all Windows 8 and 8.1 users to upgrade now as any patches released in next month’s Patch Tuesday on May 13 “will be dependent on Windows 8.1 Update“. No Update means no further security patches will be installed... Update or die?... But what "Update" (noun, verb, adverb, adjective, Microsoft Marketing name or term)? IT is what we make it... Martin |
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7)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1507663)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
UPDATE... UPDATE... UPDATE! OK, for some fun 'balance' to that YouTube clip, here's: YouTube: The best of Steve Ballmer Enjoy! :-) IT is what we make it! Martin |
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8)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507653)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
... For the sake of accuracy: Good to see I'm staying consistent! :-P Please note to read all of the words in the sentence... I'm sure we don't need to go into the subtleties of viruses, worms, trojans, exploits, and malware... And you're wrong that no other systems "suffer or support" malware. Malware is merely software designed to take advantage of flaws in an application's coding for malicious purposes. Windows, having the largest marketshare... There are various ways to design computer systems/software and there is an often stereotyped excuse about making a compromise between useability, security, and cost. However, there is also the important aspect of what the design goals are. For Microsoft Windows, my own personal interpretation of what I've seen, I believe the overriding design goal has been to gain market share and to profit from such a dominant market share. For that, Microsoft has undeniably been very successful so far (by 'whatever' means). However, note that such an assumed design goal can require very different features and operation compared to what is actually usable or good for those using such software/systems... ... I hate marketing as much as the next person, but don't you ever get tired of complaining about every bit of marketing out there? I mean, we live in a capitalistic society and some marketing is to be expected. Does that excuse all Marketing? Even Marketing that is deliberately misleading or coercive or worse? ... most software is still "unreasonably" priced to many people. Heck, if it weren't for my TechNet subscription, I'd be using OpenOffice or LibreOffice exclusively (and I'll probably be switching over once my TechNet runs out in August unless they reverse their decision to close it down). It is very good to have alternatives and a choice. For real choice, we really do need at least another two big options with useful market share to choose from the present big players of Google, Apple, Microsoft and the Linux family. Maybe then we will be able to break away from being expensively "locked in" into any one world of one company and instead enjoy the freedom of free inter-operation and cooperation... Note this example for an all too familiar story for the 'game of play' in the proprietary Marketing driven world: Windows8 thread Message 1507648 Or... Could our governments police a truly level cyber playing field?... IT is what we make it... Martin |
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9)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1507648)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
And for an intriguing review: Put to the test: Microsoft's Office 365 on the iPad and Mac The good news: Office and Exchange now work credibly on the iPad. The bad news: Microsoft is being as proprietary as Apple For years, the world has been begging Microsoft to release its Office suite for the iPad. Finally, in February, Microsoft finally did so -- and Microsoft produced a solid set of apps in the form of Office for iPad. But there was a price: You must have an Office 365 subscription, and your files are essentially locked into Microsoft's own storage services (OneDrive and SharePoint)... ... All in all, Office 365 feels rickety when it comes to connectivity and interoperability. My company's operations team that hadles Office 365 says bluntly that the issue is that Microsoft's compatibility with its own services across platforms is poor, with OS X and Android particularly shortchanged. It's raised the issues with Microsoft in hopes that Microsoft will level the playing field... ... Apple and Google play the same walled-garden game, particularly in the mobile environment. Though Apple's iWork suite in iOS lets you open and save files from some cloud storage services, the process is awkward and easily missed. Google's Quickoffice and Drive apps also let you share files with other iOS apps, including cloud-storage clients, but Google won't let you edit cloud-stored Drive files in its Quickoffice app for iOS or Android ... You're again forced to stay in a locked-down cloud storage environment... ... Overall, though, Office 365 is rarely better and sometimes worse than an environment that lets users mix their preferred apps and clients. That is progress for Microsoft, but not necessarily for all of us. All by design? IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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10)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1507644)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
Here we go... Where do you want to go from here? Windows9? Soon?? Microsoft may actually be on the right track with Windows 9 New leaked details -- including some from the reemerged Russian blogger Wzor -- bring renewed hope for a better Windows 9... And all via "viral" "underground" (Marketing ruse?) announcements?! Really?! IT is what we make it... Martin |
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11)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1507642)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
UPDATE... UPDATE... UPDATE! Nope. That's not for new news. IT's supposedly what is good for you! For thrice an update in the news: Chinese Government Shuns 'Expensive' Windows 8 Senior officials are looking to patch up the outdated Windows XP software rather than pay for an "expensive" upgrade... Why Microsoft Is Dumping Support For Windows 8.1 In a move certain to raise the ire of users of Microsoft’s Windows operating system the software giant has announced that next month it will cease support for Windows 8.1. But that operating system is barely eight months old and already [is] an upgraded version of the Windows 8 system that failed to impress many users... so why is it ending support for Windows 8.1?... Microsoft's new, new Windows cadence: Once a year is not enough What comes after Windows 8.1 Update? Sources say a second update is on its way, and that Microsoft's unified OS group is picking up the delivery pace... ... The need for speed in "fixing" Windows 8/8.1 is no doubt also spurring OSG. Even with Windows 8.1 Update, which added features that help mouse/keyboard users better navigate Windows 8, many business customers still don't find Microsoft's latest version of Windows familiar and compelling enough for mass adoption... Or should the Microsoft mantra be: Upgrade, UPgrade, come and get yer UPgrades!? (For those humorously unaware, Steve Ballmer was famous for his repeated implorations to the faithful! :-O ) IT is what we make it! Martin |
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12)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1507561)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
The UK is quite a way behind Spain's electrically windy 21%. However, hopefully we are gaining a following wind: Eight renewable energy projects approved Eight major renewable energy projects, expected to support 8,500 jobs, have been given government approval. The contracts, which include offshore wind farms and conversions of coal-powered plants to run on biomass, are the first awarded under the government's energy market reforms. Energy Secretary Ed Davey said the projects would help power up to three million homes. He also expects them to attract £12bn in private investment... ... Mr Davey also said the projects would add nearly 5% to the UK clean energy supply... ... However, he added that the measures would add 2% to household energy bills by 2020, when it is hoped some 30% of electricity will come through renewable means... Projects: Beatrice offshore wind, Outer Moray Firth Burbo Bank offshore wind, Liverpool Bay Drax 3rd biomass conversion unit, Selby Dudgeon offshore wind, north of Cromer Hornsea offshore wind, off the East Yorkshire coast Lynemouth biomass conversion, Ashington, Northumberland Teesside biomass with combined heat and power, Middlesbrough Walney extension offshore wind, off Walney island Unfortunately, there looks to be a bit of a spin on the numbers... Is that "5%" of 'new', 'existing', or 'total' of what supply being added? Biomass can be a good idea but for the example for Drax, that scheme is already having to import biomass from abroad!... I'm not so sure how well that balances out... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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13)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507556)
Posted 1 day ago by ML1
... "all other OSes have eradicated viruses" or talking about all the "marketing" of Windows. ... For the sake of accuracy: I have never said that "all other OSes have eradicated viruses". What you will find is that my observations and personal opinion are that no other systems suffer or support (whether by ineptitude or by design or whatever) malware in the same way that Windows systems have evolved into. Note that unfortunately now from what I observe, a second widely used system is risking slipping in a similar malware direction for the sake of Marketing... But that is for another thread! And as for the Marketing specifically for Windows: Can you simply individually buy the latest Microsoft Word word processing application all on its own and for a reasonable price? (... Thought not. All a game of 'vertical integration/entrapment'? IT needn't be...) IT is what we allow it to be... Martin All just my humble personal observations and opinions from working with all this IT stuff... |
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14)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507436)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
And as for the politics that we allow to happen: Whoever you vote for, Google gets in Analysis Google's lobbying and influence-courting in Washington DC is more intense and extensive than even Google-watchers thought, a must-read Washington Post investigation has revealed. That's because much of it takes place off the books, where formal spending is not declared, according to the article... IT is all that we allow it to be... Martin |
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15)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507434)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
And no, those WinXP systems cannot be replaced...) Note the emphasis is on the "systems". It is very much the case that it is not that WinXP itself is irreplaceable... :-P The "systems" include equipment connected to the WinXP computers that rely on software that only runs on WinXP... And the reason we can't move to anything else is that old monopolistic boondoggle of proprietary lock-in and physical license key dongles... The client is not going to wastefully throw away perfectly useable and profitable equipment into the skip just because "Microsoft say so" and also due in part to a supplier hiding behind the word "proprietary"... There is significant irritation and cost as it is at the inconvenience caused through no fault of the users... :-( IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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16)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507334)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
Obviously I don't think that Martin really understands the workings of Windows at all which is why he tries to push Linux at people. Because I see too much of this sort of thing?... OK, we get the message, Microsoft: Windows Defender splats 1000s of WinXP, Server 2k3 PCs Microsoft has fixed a snafu with Windows Defender that took down thousands of business PCs and servers running Windows XP and Server 2003. The software giant responded to sysadmins complaining on TechNet that large numbers of their machines were borked after they’d installed Microsoft’s latest set of antivirus definitions... On this occasion, the still many WinXP machines I look after are all segregated on their own isolated network and so missed out on the latest updates from Microsoft. Just as well! (Expensive but the segregation is cheapest. And no, those WinXP systems cannot be replaced...) I'm sure many others were greatly inconvenienced... IT is what we allow it to be, Martin |
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17)
Message boards :
Science (non-SETI) :
Big Bang or Big Blooper??
(Message 1507329)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
... This kind of belief in this day and age truly mystifies me. And the rest of the world! Is USA "education" actually an extension of USA religion?!... Most Americans doubt Big Bang, not too sure about evolution, climate change Science no match for religion, politics, business interests... Only in the USA?... Martin |
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18)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507270)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
Obviously I don't think that Martin really understands the workings of Windows at all which is why he tries to push Linux at people. Just two recent examples to let you see what you think... This first one had some disbelieving users hung up for a week with failed snapshots/backups and absolutely convinced that my server support was 'on the blink'. This is an old and "well known" problem for those that know. However, it is painful system idiocy repeatedly repeated for those that don't know: Bug: Excel, PowerPoint files timestamp is always updated even when the file is not [used] Confusingly: Excel changes Modified date and time when you open the workbook And a buggerup: The modified date of the original.xls file is not reset to the original modified time stamp And the "workaround" is something that no users will ever remember to do or indeed should even need to know about! And no, for financial reasons the client is NOT going to upgrade everyone to Office 2013/365... Another example is needing to buy third-party add-ons to Outlook for users so that they can interact with the rest of the world that is NOT Microsoft Exchange... All rather silly. And there is no anticipation that the file timestamp juggling is ever going to be fixed by Microsoft. IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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19)
Message boards :
Politics :
Computers & Technology 2
(Message 1507266)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
Obviously I don't think that Martin really understands the workings of Windows at all which is why he tries to push Linux at people... It's more that I understand it rather deeply and see what is hidden behind the thin surface veneer... So... I support various 'hybrid' office/research systems spanning multiple vendors so I get to see and 'experience' first hand how they all work and importantly how well or otherwise they work with other vendors. For my multiple examples, the Microsoft support has by far the highest costs and greatest needless frustration. Should I cynically take the customer money and run with it? Or is it 'better' to do what is better for the users and lessen the user frustrations? IT is supposed to be of help to 'empower' people to do things better, faster, more easily. Not to be a plaything of Marketing to enslave the users with lock-in and the forever promises of "it'll be better after the next upgrade"... (Or indeed dictate that "Thou must expensively 'upgrade'"...) Alternatively, take a look around at what else there might be? IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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20)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1507066)
Posted 3 days ago by ML1
All a victim of a windy gale of success? Will the wind in Spain blow slower on the plain? For the first time in Spain's history, wind contributed the same proportion (21%) of electricity as nuclear last year... Both now contribute more than any other power source. ... ... In Spain's renewable energy success story, encompassing wind, solar (photovoltaic and thermal) and hydro, installed power capacity has risen to 49.1%... [But] "Installation levels in Spain have been declining sharply [since the government withdrew its support]," ... "There used to be 41,000 wind energy jobs in Spain; now there are only 23,000. The politics of this have been really toxic." The figures speak for themselves. In 2012, Spain installed 1,110 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity. By the end of last year, this figure had dropped to just 175MW. But Spain is not alone. Most EU countries have scaled back on their level of new wind capacity installation. By contrast, Germany has powered ahead, increasing new capacity by 2,297MW in 2012 and by 3,238MW last year. The UK also strongly increased new capacity. This is especially ironic given the impression that wind is a controversial and difficult issue in the country... [And yet...] ... "Lower costs have enabled subsidies for new projects to be reduced, and brought wind and solar much closer to full competitiveness with fossil-fuel alternatives," it states. The report says that, in the absence of cheap indigenous coal or gas, and given plentiful sunshine and wind, solar and wind power can be cheaper than fossil fuel generation... As always, all more a game of politics and financial games rather than anything to do with technical merit... And our planet be damned... Hopefully, the winds of good will prevail! All on our only one planet, Martin |
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