* Posts by Matt

5 publicly visible posts • joined 27 Jan 2009

Boffin builds better display from... a cuttlefish

Matt

No more adverts

A screen with an extremely limited viewing area that can only be used in well-lit conditions is being foisted as a good idea for bill boards? Those same billboards that can be seen from all angles, and even in poor lighting conditions? Might be more useful on mobile phones where low voltage is a requirement and viewing angle is very easily adjusted or even VR headsets where light weight is a benefit and the viewing angle can be fixed.

Wally found on Street View

Matt

What a shocker

As if it were going to be in any other city.

Somewhere in the UK - that kidney shaped country encircled by a border called The M25.

California to get 'space age' three-wheel EV

Matt
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Too wide

Mr Kev quotes the width as 91" (2.3 m).

Most cars in the UK measure in the region of 1.7 m wide, being 1.9 - 2 m with wingmirrors. Even a BMW X5 is only ~1.9 m + wingmirrors.

Picture the proximity of driver and passenger and the size of the seats in relation to the vehicle.

Look at the pictures of the Aptera 2e from the front.

If the vehicle is 2.3 m wide, then those seats are on the small side. I reckon that with ~1.6 m cabin (the seats do appear pretty close together) that the overall vehicle in those pictures is more like 2.5 - 2.6m wide.

Either way it's far wider than the roads are built for. It'd be like everyone driving bus-wide cars.(Routemaster double-deckers were ~2.45 m)

Yes! It's the cardboard PC!

Matt
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Gimicky and counter-productive.

It looks kinda cool but cardboard will do more harm than good. It's a protective shell for damagable parts that aren't so easily recycled.

Cases are easily re-used, and they aren't subject to the usual rules of obsolescence. I ditched my 1st ATX case at the end of 2007, it had been in service since 1997 and I've plenty more machines running in cases of a similar age. The one I'm working at right now is a 1998 model. With the exception of monitors I don't think there's another area of kit that stands the test of time so well.

IMO cases would be better improved with easier access and replacability of the power switch and any front panel controls as they're about the only parts that ever get damaged beyond simple repair.

Obama reverses Dubya's tailpipe emissions

Matt

Making use of existing structure

"Surely, the country would be better served if he pushed through federal regulation that mimics California's tailpipe standards"

I don't think this makes Mr Obama any less green. How long would new legislation take? The lobbyists would get a fresh chance to stick their oars in. One of the difficulties faced by any new leader is to be seen to be making things happen quickly. I get the impression that the US expected their world to change overnight with the arrival of Obama. He's just using existing legislation to make that a reality.

I'm sure their country would benefit for increased nation-wide regulations, but in the short term, and as a test project, there's no good reason not to use the methods already in place; Methods that had rendered pointless by the previous administration's refusal to grant the necessary waiver.