Monthly Archives: January 2010

No iTunes Subscriptions from the Ashes of LaLa, Just Streaming Your Library from the Cloud [Rumor]

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Apple isn't going to use LaLa to launch a subscription service, a "variety of insider sources" have told the founder of MP3.com. It's exactly what we speculated: Storing your iTunes library in the cloud and access it from anywhere.

It's a bit hard to tell where his insider sources stop and his own thoughts begin, but Robertson says that the next version of iTunes will integrate one of LaLa's premiere features: scanning you entire music library, and letting you access the whole thing from the internet (it uploads any songs it doesn't already have on the service), via a "personal URL using a browser-based iTunes experience," not to mention from your iPhone.

The reason Apple didn't just build it themselves, he says, is speed. We'll probably see in September, like always with Apple and music events. [TechCrunch]


Dell Latitude Screen

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Hi. I have been given a Dell Latitude to have a look at by a friend, because the backlight for the screen doesn't work. I am not sure whether this is due to the inverter or the backlight not working, and I don't have any way to test them. The laptop will turn on, and if a VGA cable is plugged in,

Avantgarde Lives Up To Their Name With The G2 Speakers [Speakers]

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Teac and German manufacturer Avantgarde Acoustics have teamed up to produce a line of speakers that I can only hope sound as good as they look.

The G2 line consists of three models: the Duo, Duo Omega and Uno. All three models feature a frequency range of around 170-20,000Hz for speakers and 20-350Hz for the subwoofer, but the Duo Omega is the most expensive at the equivalent of $41,592. Even if you could afford it, there is no word on whether or not the speakers will be available outside of Japan. [Avantgarde via Le Journal du Geek via Newlaunches]


Vector group changing

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An internally connected Dyn11 transformer can be changed to either Dyn3 , Dyn5 , Dyn7 , Dyn9 or Dyn11 transformer , by doing external changes on both sides of the transformer . Verify the above mentioned statement....

Facing the Facebook music | Bad Astronomy

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facebook_logoWell, I finally succumbed. I had to. I made a Facebook fan page for myself.

Sigh.

When you sit in your office at home without pants on, writing about whatever you feel like, you can sometimes forget that what you do has an impact on the greater world. People from all over the planet read this blog (I’ll need to contact someone at NASA sometime to get it put in the ISS RSS feed reader), which is something I try to keep in mind when I write it.

I also love using social media, which is a great way to keep such a community together. I follow a lot of folks on Twitter, for example, and I use Facebook, too, though my list of complaints about it would reach from here to, well, the ISS.

One of those complaints is that there is a limit to the number of friends you can have. A FB page was never really intended for use by people to promote social media, but for some of us that’s what’s happened; for me it morphed from its original use as a personal page for IRL friends to something bigger. But I’ve run up against that limit, and cannot add any more friends.

So, to get around this, I had to bite the bullet and make that fan page (which has no limit). If you’re already a friend on my original page, then consider adding that as well. I’ll note that a while back someone started a fan page for me, which was very cool, and much appreciated. But I don’t control that one, and wanted one where I do, something more official.

I’ll start using the fan page more and more as time goes on. I have my Twitter feed going to my original page, and I’ve added it to the fan page too. I’ll eventually post more pictures there, and so on. If you join the page you can add stuff there as well. I can also add events to the calendar, more info about what I’m doing, and eventually, who knows? It may have some actual use!


Capacitor for Philco/Ford Air Conditioner

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I have an old philco/ford air conditioner Model AC505 8,000 btu that needs a dual capacitor. Compressor is fine but fan needs a boost by hand. one side of cap is rusted and starting to leak, markings are gone. It's one of the old quart size caps.

Most fan caps are 5uf but i don't know what

From Eternity to Book Club: Chapter One | Cosmic Variance

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Welcome to the first installment of the From Eternity to Here book club. We’re starting at the beginning, with Chapter One, “The Past is Present Memory.”

Excerpt:

The world does not present us with abstract concepts wrapped up with pretty bows, which we then must work to understand and reconcile with other concepts. Rather, the world presents us with phenomena, things that we observe and make note of, from which we must then work to derive concepts that help us understand how those phenomena relate to the rest of our experience. For subtle concepts such as entropy, this is pretty clear. You don’t walk down the street and bump into some entropy; you have to observe a variety of phenomena in nature and discern a pattern that is best thought of in terms of a new concept you label “entropy.” Armed with this helpful new concept, you observe even more phenomena, and you are inspired to refine and improve upon your original notion of what entropy really is.

For an idea as primitive and indispensable as “time,” the fact that we invent the concept rather than having it handed to us by the universe is less obvious—time is something we literally don’t know how to live without. Nevertheless, part of the task of science (and philosophy) is to take our intuitive notion of a basic concept such as “time” and turn it into something rigorous. What we find along the way is that we haven’t been using this word in a single unambiguous fashion; it has a few different meanings, each of which merits its own careful elucidation.

The book is divided into four major parts — Part One gives an overview of the issues, Part Two discusses relativity and time travel, Part Three (the longest and best part of the book) is about reversibility, entropy, and the arrow of time proper, and Part Four puts it all into a cosmological context. So Part One is somewhat out of logical order — it’s an attempt to survey the terrain and raise some ideas that will come to fruition later in the book.

The basic point of Chapter One is to examine the ways in which we use the concept of “time.” I’ll readily admit that this doesn’t sound like the sexiest idea for an opening chapter. (In my next book, an important character will be murdered within the first few pages, after which his beautiful daughter will be compelled to search for his killer in various exotic locales.) The first chapter has to serve multiple purposes — it obviously needs to provide some background for the rest of the book, but this is not a classroom where you can assume the audience will necessarily follow you to the end. So the first chapter also has to be fun and engaging, hinting at some of the mysteries to come.

In fact, I juggled the first three chapters back and forth. Chapter Two explains the basics of entropy and the arrow of time, while Chapter Three explains the basics of cosmology. At one point I had the current Chapter One placed after these two chapters, on the theory that we could be precise about definitions after we had been exposed to some of the big and exciting ideas. This was a well-intentioned theory, but not an especially good one. Test readers balked, so the current Chapter One was put back in the beginning.

Despite being about definitions and so forth, I think Chapter One turned out to be pretty interesting — indeed, I wonder now whether it shouldn’t have been longer. When you talk to people on the street about “time,” the first questions they ask tend to be along the lines of “what is time, really?” or “is time real, or just an illusion?” This chapter tries to answer those questions, or at least spell out the perspective I’ll be taking for the rest of the book. And they’re important questions, interesting in their own right, even if I breeze through them — lots of philosophical work, not to mention physics, has been addressed to these issues.

We distinguish between three ideas of time — time is a coordinate, time is what clocks measure, and time is the agent of change. These aren’t really “definitions” in any careful sense, so much as “ways we use the notion of time.” And my readers were right — it’s important to set out these different senses right from the start, as I’ve discovered that even physicists tend to blur them together in their minds.

The most important non-obvious stance I take in this chapter is to come down firmly on the side of an “eternalist” or “block universe” conception of time. The past, present, and future are equally real. Philosophers and other deep thinkers have been arguing about this for years, and I kind of dismiss the whole discussion in a couple of paragraphs. Sorry, philosophers! It’s an important issue, but we have other conceptual fish to fry.

So let me know what you thought, and what questions still remain — either about the substance of the chapter, or the stylistic choices made along the way. I’ll try to respond, although I reserve to right to say “hold that thought until we get to Chapter X.” And of course everyone else is encouraged to chime in, too.


Entire Population of Italy Will be Censored

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The Italian government really has a firm grasp of the age of the intertubes, doesn't it?

New rules to be introduced by government decree will require people who upload videos onto the Internet to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry similar to that required by television broadcasters, drastically reducing freedom to communicate over the Web, opposition lawmakers have warned.

"Italy joins the club of the censors, together with China, Iran and North Korea," said Gentiloni's party colleague Vincenzo Vita.

Here is insult added to injury:

The decree did not intend to restrict freedom of information "or the possibility of expressing one's ideas and opinions through blogs and social networks," Romani told the ANSA news agency.

I love how government officials, when speaking of restrictions on freedom of the people, always insist that "It was never intended to restrict the people," or some such nonsense. I love how they insist that government actions have unintended consequences and act as if this supposed lack of intent somehow makes it okay. Do they really think that gross incompetence instead of deliberate malice excuses the whole thing and makes it okay? Well, apparently they are right because most of the world today is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, and almost nobody can help but to suck government dick and toss government salad all day long.

I pray that the Italian people wake up, and resist this "government decree" en masse, and all of them start uploading multiple videos to every hosting site in existence. And they should dissolve the Communications Ministry in its entirety.

When Scientists Speak Out: The Anti-MTR Message Makes it to Colbert | The Intersection

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Last week, I wrote at Science Progress about how a group of scientists had dealt a devastating blow to the practice of MTR (mountaintop removal mining) with a good paper, some luck, and a good communications plan.

Now, the point is driven home further, as the chief scientist involved, Dr. Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland, was actually invited on The Colbert Report to discuss her work. Of course, the blowing up of mountains is a perfect Colbert topic, but I felt that Dr. Palmer did a good job, er, sticking to the science. Watch the whole thing:

The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Coal Comfort – Margaret Palmer
http://www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorEconomy

The Complete iPhone v.4 Rumor Roundup [Apple]

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Yes, the Apple Tablet is coming next week! But do you know what gets me even more excited? A new version of the iPhone. But how will it be different? Let's look at the rumors.

Will it be announced on January 27th?

While the original iPhone was announced in January 2007, a full six months before it was released, the 3G was announced two months before its release and most recent version, the 3GS, was announced a mere month before its release. There's no real reason for Apple to announce a new version of the iPhone months before its release at this point, and if they really are announcing the tablet on the 27th, there's no reason to overdo it by announcing both. The only way they'd announce it next week is if it was being released much sooner than anticipated. Probability: 20%

When is it coming out?

Yes, a new iPhone will be released this year. Foxconn, Apple's main manufacturer, is rumored to have already received the order. But when, exactly, should we expect to see it?

If Apple continues along the schedule they've stuck to for the past three iterations, look for the iPhone 4 to drop this summer. The original iPhone dropped on June 29, 2007, the 3G came on July 11, 2008 and the 3GS arrived on June 19, 2009. While there have been rumors about a new iPhone showing up in April, those are sketchy at best. The good money is on late June/Early July. Probability: 95%

Will it run on a 4G wireless network?

The 3G and 3GS both run on AT&T's 3G network, with the 3GS supporting the speedier 7.2 Mbps HSDPA network. AT&T is also working on its 4G LTE network, and some people think the next-gen iPhone could run on that.

It's unlikely. 3G networks were technically available when the first iPhone was released, but Apple held off until the network was robust enough to handle a good number of people before releasing the 3G. And LTE phones are probably a good six months off still, so expect the new iPhone to continue running on the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA network.

The good news is that the network is far from running at full capacity, so as AT&T beefs it up we should see speeds increase until the v5 LTE iPhone shows up in 2011. Probability: 10%

OMG is it coming to Verizon?!

One analyst seems to think so, and he also claims Apple and Verizon are disagreeing on pricing. Unfortunately, these claims are just his assumptions and aren't based on any solid information, as is analyst's wont.

The real motivation for Apple to bring the phone to Verizon is that AT&T's serious network limitations in NYC and SF have given the iPhone's once-sterling reputation a black eye. Add to that the fact that Android is starting to encroach on Apple's hype train, and you've got the makings of a good time to expand to other networks.

However, the fact that Apple would need to make a totally new iPhone to run on Verizon's (and Sprint's, for that matter) CDMA network is a big roadblock here. It's not insurmountable, however. Verizon would have to be willing to play ball (although they've given hints of that lately), and a lot would have to be worked out.

Our guess is that this is still another year away. After all, both Verizon and AT&T are turning to LTE for their 4G networks, which would make it easier to release one LTE iPhone for both networks. And we all know how Apple likes to keep its product lines simple. Probability: 30% that it happens this year, 60% next year

What processor will it have?

The sketchy source that claimed the new iPhone would be out in April also claimed that it will feature a multi-core ARM Cortex-A9, capable of speeds over 2GHz. While the source isn't great, this part of the rumor isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Another option is Apple using chips designed by PA Semi, their in-house chip foundry. There are rumors of PA Semi chips running the forthcoming tablet, and it would make sense that Apple would go a similar route for the next iPhone. Specs are unclear, but it's safe to say that it would be a bump up from the 3GS.

How much storage will it have?

64GB, probably. Both Samsung and Toshiba have some new 64GB NAND chips that are exactly what Apple would put in an updated iPhone. And the 3GS already has 32GB, so doubling that number is a pretty obvious upgrade. Probability: 95%

What about the graphics chip?

Imagination Technologies, the company behind the iPhone 3GS's PowerVR SGX535 GPU, recently announced the next version in that line, the SGX545. It has OpenGL 3.2 and Open CL 1.0 support, runs at 200MHz, supports DirectX 10.1 and can do HD output. It seems like a natural next step for the guts of the iPhone, unless Apple wanted to keep the product line simpler by continuing to use the 3GS GPU for another year. Another GPU upgrade would allow for more visually impressive games, just not on older models. Probability: 85%

Will it have video chat?

This was strongly rumored for the 3GS, but didn't happen: a second camera on the front of the phone, allowing for mobile video chat. Jesus wants it very badly.

The main argument against this happening is that AT&T's network just couldn't handle it, which is probably true. But it could be done with a Wi-Fi-only implementation. Then again, maybe it's just one of those features that just sounds better than it actually is; the idea of holding your phone up in front of your face at arm's length seems pretty stupid to me. Probability: 30%

Potential New Features

A High-Res AMOLED Screen:
The iPhone's screen is starting to look a little dated when compared to the beauties found on the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One. The Droid's screen is 3.7 inches with a 480x854 resolution, while the Nexus One sports a particularly lovely 3.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 480x800 resolution. Compare these numbers to the iPhone, which sports a 3.5-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 320x480, and it becomes clear that a screen upgrade is inevitable.

Furthermore, Apple filed a patent for a slimmer, lighter dual-function touchscreen back in 2008. The new touchscreens feature capacitors included in the pixels of the screen, able to operate individually, eliminating the need for a touch sensor panel overlaid on the display. This would allow the screens to be manufactured more cheaply and easily while also allowing for a thinner profile.

Whether or not the new screens are AMOLEDs or Apple's new LCD technology, the chances are good that the resolution will get a bump. The trouble is that all of the apps in the App Store have been coded for a native resolution of 320x480, so a lot of work will have to be done to get those upscaled for a higher-resolution screen. That's no reason to keep a last-gen screen on a new product, however, so we think a resolution upgrade is highly likely. Probability: 90%

A Stylus:
A recently-unearthed Apple patent shows an iPhone being used with a stylus with a conductive tip. The patent was filed back in July of 2008, however, so this seems like more of an ass-covering patent than a product-defining patent. After all, Steve famously said "yuck" to styluses at the first iPhone keynote. So the chances of the new iPhone coming with a stylus are slim to none. Probability: 5%

Removable Battery:
The same flimsy source that claimed that the new iPhone will be released in April also said we should expect a removable battery. This is highly doubtful. Apple has just revamped all of its laptops to have non-user-removable batteries, why would it suddenly do an about-face with the new iPhone? Don't count on it. Probability: 5%

Touch-Sensitive Casing:
This is an interesting one. A Goldman Sachs analyst seems to think that the back of the new iPhone will be touch-sensitive, like the Magic Mouse. This would allow for gesture-based control, like scrolling, without your fat fingers blocking the screen. This one's purely speculative, but makes a certain amount of sense. Probability: 35%

Wireless N Support:
This one is pretty obvious. The newest iPod Touch already has a Broadcom BCM4329 chip inside that supports 802.11n and FM transmission, so it's natural that the next iPhone would get the same thing. A recent job posting by Apple for a Wi-Fi software engineer just adds credence to the rumor. Probability: 95%

5-Megapixel Camera:
Digitimes claims that OmniVision Technologies, the company behind the iPhone 3GS's 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor, has won a new contract with Apple to produce millions of 5-megapixel sensors this year. This one makes sense, as the MP count (as well as storage size) is one of the most basic ways to show that the phone's been upgraded. Probability: 95%

LED Flash:
On the one hand, the iPhone's camera could be better, especially in low light, and a flash could help with that. On the other hand, cellphone flashes are almost universally terrible and useless. Nevertheless, there's a rumor out there that Apple has ordered "tens of millions" of Philips' LumiLEDs. Probability: 60%

Push-Button Antenna:
Apple filed a patent for an antenna that pops out like a button. This looks to pretty clearly them covering their asses rather than leaking new product designs, so don't count on seeing a big, ugly antenna button popping out of the top of the new iPhone. Probability: 5%

Spongey Dock:
This is another weirdo patent, one that in all likelihood will never actually be made. Probability: 5%

A Bumpy Screen:
Yet another patent that could be for a tablet or a phone, this shows a touchscreen device with a screen that "create[s] physical bumps or dots for the user to feel when it is in keyboard mode." Interesting! But also, merely a patent, and a left-field patent at that. Probability: 5%


Zune Phone Expected in 2 Months? [Rumors]

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All of that Project Pink/Zune Phone rumor madness is back with one statement by Jefferies analyst Katherine Egbert:

"Our recent industry checks indicate Microsoft will be debuting its own phone sometime in the next two months...We expect the new phone to debut soon, at either the Feb 15-18 Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona Spain, or possibly at CTIA in Las Vegas one month later."

Egbert believes that the Zune Phone will be birthed from a Microsoft/OEM partnership similar to what we've seen between Google and HTC with the Nexus One. She also believes the phone will feature a 5MP camera and 720P video support—neither of which are huge stretches of the imagination. [AllThingsD]


Stuck "A" Key on Dell Laptop

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We have a Dell laptop with a stuck "A" key. We plugged in an external keyboard, but the A key on the laptop periodically (every few minutes) goes berserk and inserts a string of "AAAAAAAAAAA" until we jab the A key a zillion times to get it to stop.

Whilst we await the arrival of a replacem

FEA aqauculture net pen

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Need someone that can show the analysis of a net, Suspended at the surface by floats and bouys, anchored to the bottom continously, 1000 yards in diameter,circular in shape. Mesh is 1/2", material is extruded poly.

Zero Sequence Impedance of Transformers

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hello, I am trying to do a model of a very old transformer and autotransformers using the Etap computer program and I need to know how to get the zero sequenze impedance to do some shortcircuit test. those are YYn transformer 7,5 MVa 67,56/0,575 Kv Z=7.5pu are there some Ieee book or som