Posts by Dave 126 10675 publicly visible posts • joined 21 Jul 2010
Er, its under 'Special Projects Bureau', which is a cover term for 'things that Reg readers and staff might like to play around with in their own time', such as unmanned aircraft, Arduino and small computers such as the Raspberry Pi, 3D printers and other gadgets. Think of it as the Reg's garden shed / garage.
Anyway, this is the Reg, where reviews of computer games were filed under 'Hardware'.
BBC will probably show it again at some point - perhaps if an eagle-eyed reader spots it in the TV listings, they'll tip off The Reg so we can all have a heads-up?
If the BBC do show it again, there are of course ways and means of keeping it, from using modified firmware on your PVR to using that piece of software that has 'iplayer' in its name (in essence no different to recording the show onto VHS or DVD, legal technicalities aside)
http://www.fuel-3d.com/files/Fuel3D_Whitepaper_1.0.pdf [!! .PDF !!]
Even more technical info - it has equations and everything:
http://carlos-hernandez.org/papers/icvss_chapter2010_photometric.pdf
There is software available that can create - with some human intervention - 3D models from photographs, but it relies on the cameras being calibrated (lens aberrations will throw it off the scent) and work better for obkects that aren't moving. Moving objects can be captured, but that requires several cameras to synchronised. The cheapest way to do that is probably with some low-end Canon compact cameras, since many models support the use of a temporary firmware, CHDK, which allows home-made remote shutter releases to be used.
AutoDesk also have a service where you can upload a series of 2D photographs, and receive back a 3D model.
Personally, I'm tempted to wait and see how well Intel's upcoming 'RealSense' scanner performs - it's likely to be far cheaper than this, though aimed at a different market.
Ideally, I'd like a 3D scanner to be able to give positional feedback to a 3D printer during the printing process - i.e automate the axis calibration process and correct for any errors that occur.
For 'scanning' shiny things (machined metal) to a very high level of accuracy, you want want of these probes from the British company Renishaw (oh, and an expensive CNC machine to mount it on):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPFB7NiW0UY
Another of their probes was featured 4:57 the iPhone 5 video, without Renishaw knowing about it - it's rare for Apple to featured a branded object that isn't theirs in their marketing.
(The fancy house featured in the latest episode of Sherlock was built by Renishaw's founder)
They were strange times, those early nineties when Nintendo and Sega ruled the console roost... weird things like Pippin, Amstrad Mega-PC and Sega Teradrve (PC/Megadrive combined machine), Philip's CDi, the 3DO concept, Sega Mega-CD, Amiga-CD were being announced... many of which were trying to get into the latest 'thing' at the time: multimedia.
Is it reference to the incidences in the early nineties (when RAM prices were very high) of thieves breaking into premises to steal RAM from computers? The left of the computers were left in place.
No one would break into a business to steal typewriter ribbons... though they might ink-jet cartridges.
Until about ten years ago, a member of my family used an Imperial typewriter, c1930, for typing out invoices on carbon paper. This was eventually replaced by an Epsom dot-matrix printer, under the control of Sage on XP (don't know about their migration plans!) The typewriter looked like this one: http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/assets/0802/0000/0143/ict_equipment16_mid.jpg
Bits of kit I've found in a new workplace: a large data tape machine (not cassette) shoved under the desk of a NHS mailroom.
In another workplace, a box of compact cassettes with Dyno labels, marking them out as containing instructions for a CNC machine.
> "the keys to a multi-billion dollar car."
My first thoughts on reading that were of the car that Homer Simpson designed:
http://laughingsquid.com/the-homer-car-a-real-life-version-of-homer-simpsons-dream-car/
(I didn't know some crazy soul had built a real life version of it until I went looking for an image a moment ago! Heck!)
...of his previous musings... specifically, on the subject of The Ultimate Device for The Consumer. Basically, there may be aspects of iPhones and iOS he likes, and aspects of Android and of Android handsets he likes - and he knows that he will never see all these aspects rolled together into his ideal handset, because companies jealously guard what they believe to be competitive advantages.
Fair points, and you cover the costs / benefits of wearable tech.
The 'costs' (compromises) of wearable tech are fairly clear: small displays, less scope for user input, limited battery life, aesthetic concerns, size/weight constraints...
The benefits of wearable tech - taking my wristwatch as a model - is that it is always with me (should my phone run out of batteries, or I haven't taken with on the canoe trip / music festival); I can still tell the time. It is more accessible than my phone - which usually requires fumbling in my pocket to retrieve.
An added advantage, which is relevant to our population that is getting both older and fatter, is that wearble tech can be in constant contact with the body... so potentially could be used for monitering the heart rate, blood pressure, or maybe even blood sugar levels (for diabetics). It's worth noting that Sony are getting into healthcare, and Apple might be (they bought a hearing company, but maybe they bought it for IP applicable to phones, I don't know)
A piece of wearble tech has to sit in a niche (if such a niche exists) where the benefits to the user outweigh the costs. A monitoring / data logging device, for example, doesn't require a display (or traditional user input at all), so those two 'costs' can be potentially struck off the list in that context.
>In other words, the wearables market is going to be characterised by a small handful of devices with a reasonable per-unit return (like Glass), counterbalanced by a mass of very low-value, low-margin products.
Possibly - many people had experience of early low-end touch-screen phones, and found them annoying to use compared to their previous dumb phone with buttons. I suspect that the early generations of low end 'wearables' might be so compromised as to be unusable.
>Telcos barracked for the smartphone revolution, and helped it happen in the form of handset subsidies. But with the slimmest-of-slim margins available and barely detectable user traffic, there's no reason for them to join the wearable “revolution”.
It depends on what the device does. It's not completely implausible that health insurance companies might take the place of the Telcos by subsidising heart rate loggers, for example. Of course, the economics of such a scheme means it would only applicable to a smaller market than that for smartphones.
There is small trend for people buying their smartphones outright- in part because a £300 Nexus 5 offers much the same performance and features as a £600 flagship phone from last year. This offers the user flexibility in their phone tariff, and as a bonus they are covered by the Sales of Goods Act should the unit develop a fault ("Give me a replacement or a full refund right now - don't give me any of your 'two weeks to repair' spiel or I'll report you to Trading Standards")
>How does it justify a US$90 price tag?
Specialist control surfaces often cost more. The price is determined by the unit cost (a function of quantity sold) and by how much people will pay (which is a function of how much time they think it will save them).
My mouse had an RRP of £90, though I waited a few years to get it for half that in a sale. It's worth it for me.
>Recording studios have big desks too.
Yeah , though for sliders and knobs. Not only is an array of sliders an input method, it also offers visual feedback on the current state, i.e, you can see the position of the slider at a glance.
That said, the video colour ocrrecvtion suite 'DaVinci' has its own dedicated control surface:
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/davinciresolve
For Photoshop, placing the commands on a tablet makes more sense in my opinion. Not all commands are applicable in all circumstance, so it has to be dynamic.
Also, the solution shown seems to give equal weight tyo all commands, whereas in reality some commands are very often used, and others rarely.
>The article is titled, "Fujitsu launches lappie for oldies."
Jake has been on The Reg long enough to know that a Reg headlione does not always reflect the marketing message of the company in question.
The bulk of the article discussed the actual features of the laptop.
Tha said, I know a lot of crap is marketed at oldr people - just look at Telegraph 'Reader Offers'.
>Why the numerical keypad? I never use it and I don't think granny is heavy on data entry either. It's useless and just clutters the design.
If a bigger screen is easier to read, and there is room for it, a numerical keyboard is good. FFS, it is easier to type any number (telephone number, credit card number) on a numerical keypad than it is by whipping your hand from left to right above the Q to P keys. If you have limited dexterity and arm strength, this is even more important.
Have you even thought this through?
Does that mean manufacturers of hearing aids are ageist?
Does that mean BMW are ageist for implementing softer floors in their factories for the benefit of an ageing German workforce?
I don't get why you object to a product being designed to mitigate the effects that aging has on many people's bodies. Nobody is saying that all older people have arthritis or poor eye-sight, but some do.
FFS, this is Japan, where the birth rate is so low that much of their research into robots is aimed at caring for their older population.
The engineers aren't overly worried about the wheels getting a bit dog-eared because the torque is so high that even square wheels would allow the rover to travel about.
And yeah, and Holtsmark has noted, a combination of aluminium wheels, adhesive and a rubber-like material would introduce far more variables than just aluminium alone.
Your question has made me wonder "Why aluminium and titanium?". Though I can't find a quote from a JPL engineer on the internet, the answers given on the internet are plausible... for example, forming aluminium is a very mature technology, and denser (and thus thinner) titanium wheels would be more prone to point stress.
>It's getting rare to see a guy wearing a watch who's not some kind of suit trying to look important.
Your statement suggests you work in an office environment. Many people do not.
Offices tend to feature clocks on walls and in the corner of every computer screen. Many other work places do not.
Clear?
>Who actually wears a watch these days?
Anyone who wants to know the time without fumbling in a pocket or bag. Watches are waterproof, easy to carry, and have a battery life measured in years - as opposed to the mere hours that phones last.
In many workplaces it is not a good idea to check the time on your phone - some middle manager might assume you're faffing around on FaceBook or whatever - so a watch avoids the misunderstanding.
Beyond the conventional use of telling the time, watches are in contact with the skin; fitness aids aren't uncommon today. With our ageing population in the developed world, there is scope for wrist-worn medical devices. If having a week's log of heart-rate data helps doctors prevent heart attacks, insurance companies might subsidise these devices.
Try the King of Shaves Azor razors... they typically work out at less than a quid a blade, but I find they work better for me than Gillette.
Would someone tell me how this happened? We were the fucking vanguard of shaving in this country. The Gillette Mach3 was the razor to own. Then the other guy came out with a three-blade razor. Were we scared? Hell, no. Because we hit back with a little thing called the Mach3Turbo. That's three blades and an aloe strip. For moisture. But you know what happened next? Shut up, I'm telling you what happened—the bastards went to four blades. Now we're standing around with our cocks in our hands, selling three blades and a strip. Moisture or no, suddenly we're the chumps. Well, fuck it. We're going to five blades.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades,11056/
>Nor are we sure just how Duracell will deliver on a claim that it is “ 250-1000 times faster than most cloud storage providers” as the site is silent on how Duracell pulls off that trick.
If I had to guess, the small-print might read: " * 250 times faster for backups after the initial upload" i.e it might be using some ZFS-style magic to only backup to the cloud the blocks that have changed.
But yeah, either that or homing bunnies with HDDs strapped to their backs.
I suspect you're correct Frank Bough, but I can't see for myself: clicking the link was the first time in months I've been reminded I uninstalled QT a year ago.
The trouble with Windows 7 is that when QT or Java or whatever wants updating, the Win7 taskbar comes out of hiding and obscures the lowermost status/toolbar of whatever application you are using- and won't disappear again until you've told the offending 'notification' to sod off. An annoyance.
A 'computer for the people' should be both affordable for the average Joe and usable by the average Joe. Most of us here, using a computer to post on The Reg, could afford a Mac if we wanted one, i.e if we saw that we could make enough use of its features for it to be fair value for us personally. Also, most of here would have no trouble chasing down driver updates or whatever else it takes to smooth off the rough edges of whatever machine we're using - i.e we don't necessarily represent the average Joe.
A good number of people in this world would struggle to afford a Raspberry Pi, let alone a a cheap n cheerful Windows / Linux netbook.
I'm not saying that Macs are the last word in usability, but they are made with less technically-literate people in mind. The difference is less pronounced today, but in the nineties DOS/ Win 3x / 95 machines did require a bit more from their users than Macs did.
If it was a one-off failure, it's hard to generalise about one make of gear over another. We've all had kit not talk to other kit - of any flavour - either because its playing silly buggers (not completely unknown on Windows machines) or just because we can't find the right cable on the night.
If you were making a more general point about how most Windows laptops have either VGA or HDMI or both, just as most projectors - then fair enough, but do just say so.
You said previous presentation played from a USB stick- perhaps it was a file format issue that prevented the same approach being used for the Macs. Again, you leave us none the wiser.
What we can learn from your anecdote is that it's usually best, when performing iin front of an audience, to stick with a combination of gear you know works. That might, as in your case, mean a PC, but in other scenarios it could well mean a Mac.
>Seriously, corporate whores are the only people left using Windows.
That's 'serious'?
There's mechanical engineers running some flavours of CAD, and people using the likes of Adobe's offerings (if they aren't using OSX). Oh, and small business using Sage and its 3rd-party plugins for tax, payroll, and stock keeping. Not forgetting people using niche workshop hardware that is controlled using Windows software. And PC gamers, whose desire for more graphics power has lowered the cost of GPUs for the rest of us...
There may be trends in some areas away from Windows (Rhino 3D on OSX, games on ValveOS, applications running in web-browsers a la ChromeOS, office applications on mobile OSs like Android) but a Windows-free computing life is not yet here for a lot of us. Though we might respect the principles of Open Source Software - and be frustrated by aspects of propriety software caused by commercial thinking - sometimes paying people to write applications results in better products.
>supply trains for any enemy clever enough to push the on switch on a GPS spoofer
There aretechniques for coping with that situation. Basically, the system uses GPS or GLONASS, but as it does so it builds an 'atlas' of other radio (across a range of frequencies) sources, such as civilian broadcast towers which it can fall back on should someone try and spoof the GPS.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/02/bae_navsop/
>I've no idea how it really works but I am choosing to picture this battle as being like something from an Iain M. Banks novel
That's how it comes across to me. Banks always fleshed out his 'Culture' universe with alliances, hierarchies (Matter), political shenanigans (Look To Windward), mercenaries (Consider Phlebas), dirty tricks and lots and lots of big feck-off spaceships (Excession). I won't knock the complexity of Eve, but my personal taste in gaming is usually a quick bout of shooting an alien (or a homephobic American teenager) in the face - though the only game I played in 2013 was 'Worms'.
Having said that, 'Halo' and 'Mass Effect' also remind me of Banks. RIP.
My mechanic has been using toughened Windows laptops with touch-screens for years, for the purpose of running engine diagnostic software.
>Using pinkies only, making choices from drop-down menus was a challenge, and will no doubt be a toe-curling experience for field workers.
And the software he uses is designed to be touch-screen friendly.
>Worse, Apple opted for hard disk technology while every other manufacturer believed solid-state storage was the ideal portable storage.
>It duly signed up the only supplier of miniature hard disks that would fit the iPod form-factor and locked them into an exclusivity contract, in return guaranteeing that it would purchase its entire stock regardless.
That meant no one else could make hard disk MP3 players, even if they had wanted to. Don'tcha just love the free market?
So on the one hand, you're suggesting that nobody else wanted to make HDD-based players, but also saying that nobody else could make HDD-based players?
It was very hard to get hold of those little Toshiba HDDs... The only way I could hold of one to fix my iRiver H320 was to dissect an iPod with a broken screen. I chose the iRiver over the iPod because of wider Codec support, drag-n-drop support, USB-host support, line in and microphone recording, and supposed audio quality... oh, and it was slightly cheaper. I later found out that Rockbox let my play Doom on it (a pointless exercise really, but cool) and Gameboy classics.
It was frustrating a year or two later to be unable to buy a non-iPod HDD player.
Nor did the iPod introduce the 'scroll wheel' to portable audio- I had one on my Sharp minidisc player/recorder, though it wasn't used for track select - instead it was for jogging through tracks, and for entering text.
The pre-iPod HDD players were often a bit shit, though. The Creative that looked like a portable CD player was a silly form factor, and the later Creative Nomad was unreliable (the audio-out jack was soldered directly to the PCB, and so was unforgiving of longer audio jacks)
LEGO Technic encouraged my engineering side. Cranes, JCB diggers, cars with gear boxes and suspension, plus electric motors - all good things. Suspension, gearing, chain drives, pneumatics...
The LEGO Mindstorms kits (sensors, motors, programmable logic) look good, but a bit pricey.
FFS!
You DO NOT teach pigs to sing.
What you do is select a few dozen pigs, and determine the natural pitch of squeel for each. Armed
with this data, you then get a MIDI keyboard, an Arduino, and as many relays, crocodile clips and step-up transformers as you have pigs...
Then it's just a case of "a bunch of German microphones, a very expensive British mixing desk and absolutely no EQ whatsoever - just as the good Lord intended".
- with apologies to Monty Python and Hayseed Dixie
'Foucalt's Pendulum' by Umberto Eco is an excellent treatise on conspiracy theorists and their desire to believe, presented in the form of a thriller. It's very readable, if a bit dense at times, and has an overarching structure that prevents the fatigue one can feel after successive plot twists a la Robert Anton Wilson's 'Schrodinger Cat Trilogy'.
However, you don't need to have read it to consider Dan Brown a prick.
Re Waterproof.
If it won't be waterproof in its first version, has any thought been given at this early stage that will make waterproofing easier to implement at a later date? For example, concentric grooves or flanges could be added to the moulded parts for version 1.0, so that labyrinth seals can be more easily added for version 1.5.
Whilst waterproofing the design would add cost - especially the testing, if it is to be sold as waterproof - this decision does seem to limit the market considerably. [Anecdotal, I know: In my local pub (some distance from the coast) there are a couple of paragliding enthusiasts, a few motorcrossers, a couple of dozen mountain-bikers and maybe a dozen surfers. ]
I'd be interested to read of your experience of learning to use Solidworks, too, with respect to more common software: What did you make of the UI, for example, or did you find quite straight forward after you got the hang of the conventions (sketches > bodies > parts > assemblies, the feature tree etc)? Did you just play with it, or did you follow tutorials on YouTube and look at user forums?
Best of luck with this project.
And thanks to The Reg for publishing a story about people using IT in the real world.
Foucault (of pendulum fame) observed that if he placed a metal rod in the chuck of a lathe and hit it from above, it would vibrate up and down - as one would expect. What he found notable, however, was that if he then rotated the chuck of the lathe, the plane of vibration didn't change, i,e, he didn't observe the rod wobbling from side to side, it was still up and down.
MEMs gyros are based upon this same principle, but are constructed using techniques developed for silicon chips.
>(if you need all those peripherals: ethernet, micro-SD and what looks like an extremely dodgy sheild interface) then you really shouldn't be trying to do it with an Arduino
I'm a complete novice at Arduino and the like. My only experience is the custom Arduino board that runs my RepRap Ormerod 3D printer - I note that it has ethernet and a microSD slot, though.
EDIT: Link added. It's one of these:
http://blog.think3dprint3d.com/2013/12/Duet-Arduino-Due-compatible-3DPrinter-controller.html
Seriously though, Stephen Fry seems a natural fit to champion this cause. Though some might criticise him on points of detail, he a genuine interest in technology, gay rights, languages and German history - and has a larger profile amongst the wider population than The Reg does.
Don't forget that he was vocal in his support of Paul Chambers, the man who was prosecuted (and later acquitted) after he tweeted jokingly that he would 'blow up Robin Hood airport'.
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