Posts by mark fernandes
14 posts • joined Tuesday 16th October 2007 11:45 GMT
Already done on Big Bang (prior art?)
Sheldon Cooper already did this for his socks prior to going on a trip (Big Bang Theory)
Bazinga!
Big Bang Theory comment
Just don't let Wolowitz near the rover controls...
Apples & oranges
Vega's final stage can stop/start multiple times to deliver different payloads to different orbits from same launch. Also, another player in the field means that there will be more opportunity for cube-sat launches i.e. cheap launches that can do good science for smaller outlay.
The price difference (compared to Soyuz) delivers more flexibility...
Also, the money spent on launches remains in European economies (admittedly, a political advantage).
Obligatory Big Bang Comment
"Your check engine light is on..."
Dammit Jim, I'm a cook not a fireman!
Try the shatner advert on how not to deep fry. Y-o-u c-a-n n-o-t b-e-l-i-e-v-e t-h-e d-a-n-g-e-r...
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/william-shatner-teaches-thanksgiving-turkey-frying-safety-state-farm-insurance-video-article-1.978564
Posted in IBM chips in with Golfball anniversary
Fondest memory of golfball
Is of the one in the title sequences for Gerry Anderson's UFO series...
Posted in IBM chips in with Golfball anniversary
Vid clip for UFO featuring golfball
The obligatory youtube link to UFO title sequence...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQUdcYk82U
Greek previous art
Remember this from school history classes...
Spartan Cipher Rod (Message Stick; Okytala)
A simple solution to insure the security and privacy of messages.
A strip of paper or cloth was wrapped in a spiral around a round wooden rod. Message was written on the paper and then unwrapped and dispatched to the intended receiver.
If unwrapped paper was viewed, the message was incomprehensible but when re-wrapped
around a wooden rod of the same diameter the message became clear.
Raising money
Couldn't Doesn't Always Broadcast(DAB) just get a business loan from one of our
successfully bonused-to-the-gunwhales banks?
No? Oh well, cap in hand to the tax-payer then...
Billion Dollar Bubble
Probably Billion Dollar bubble (1976) Equity Funding Corporation of America(Los Angeles) fraud.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074206/
Watched that at school in O-level Computer Studies as probably did the Script-writer of Sperman III...
obligatory quote
These aren't the knock-offs you're looking for.
He can go about his business...
Hope competition leads to better deals
I'll probably go for an eeepc but hopefully competition will be good news in the price stakes (Several manufacturers are aiming at this niche now that Asus have shown how lucrative it is).
For those who've expressed a preference for blondes, Elonex has that covered too : http://www.elonexone.co.uk/overview.html
Posted in Sellers price up 8GB Eee PC
eepc ssd
Hope that this is helpful.
SSD is surface-mounted to motherboard (so not easily upgraded)
SSD is faster than flash memory e.g. USB sticks & SD
Some people have reported that later model (sold in UK?) eeepcs no longer have second pcie slot connector installed, just the pads (possible parts shortage?)
Posted in Mars rovers can keep on rovin'
re: Operating system
Afraid not - they use the VxWorks embedded OS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VxWorks)
It's still a pretty impressive & ingenious gizmo - I hope that the Martians are equally impressed :-)
More on the Rovers systems on the Whacky Wiki Web:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Exploration_Rover
