Posts by Echo

IBM's monster tape will take three days to fill

Maybe not so slow

Compared to LTO4: 44x the areal bit density, 25x the track density, so the number of bits/track is only about double, so the write time might also be less than double (assuming a head-per-track design). Of course, we're talking 3-4GB/s, so you'd need a 40Gb/s or so channel.

Toyota Prius fourth-generation e-car

B-mode, joystick, and keyless operation

"B" stands for brake: In B-mode, engine braking is engaged: the fuel is cut off, and the transmission is allowed to drive the engine to slow the car. It saves wear and tear on your brakes on long downhill stretches which provide far more energy than is needed to recharge the battery.

The drive-by-wire joystick is the inevitable consequence of the purely electric/electronic design of the transmission: there nothing in the transmission to push or pull, so why should there be a mechanical linkage: what would it connect to? Of course, you can argue with the styling of the "gear shift": that's a matter of taste, but that doesn't change the fact that it is, in the end, just an input into the electronics.

Finally, keyless operation may be a gimmick, but it's quite a convenience, nonetheless. When it's -20C outside (as it often is where I live), it is a great pleasure to not have to fish for my keys when I go to my car: I just open the door (it unlocks automatically), and press "On". You only have to drop your keys once into a puddle or snow to appreciate a system that allows your key to stay permanently in your pocket.