Posts by Jim Wilkinson 108 publicly visible posts • joined 29 Aug 2008
John's right about the communications part. But the task of amplifying the signal to drive the loudspeaker requires power and that is not really the realm of digital wireless links. And DSP is already in use in many amplifiers.
A better scenario is where the digital link feeds the speaker directly and the speaker contains the DSP, ADC and power amplifier. Speakers can only work on an analogue signal (or a high power PWM signal), but the DSP could be used to provide better optimized speaker crossover circuits and use a separate power amp for each speaker unit. This also means that such speakers will need another plug for the mains power feed. Where this technique wins is that the hunky power bit is up close to the actual speaker units and not being sent through those 'oh so special' speaker cables that claim so much performance. This is what many pro-monitor speakers do today, so what's really new?
The downside will be trying to get all interested manufacturers to agree the digital link interface specification.
We do have our 1/2 hour daily regional news in the south-west and that certainly does cover local issues. But even in this rural area, coverage of farming and other countryside issues is meager at best.
As for 'Countryside'; it's bit like some country magazines - all gloss and no muck.
I too am cynical about "cloud" computing and have successfully avoided it so far. As a mac user, I did not upgrade to Mavericks because they removed sync services to force users to sync calendar and contact accounts via their cloud server. I keep separate personal and business accounts and need to sync these accounts. There's no way I'll accept syncing of such personal information via cloud services. So I now remain at 10.8 unless there's a change of policy. Probably for as long as I continue to use Macs then. But why force something to be cloud-based when there's a perfectly acceptable non-cloud solution? And what the hell do you do when you're off-line for any reason?
I do have a smart TV. But only in the sense of having internet video playback - yes iPlayer and other multicast services. But I *would* worry about a mic and/or camera. You have to ask the first question - what problems do they solve, followed rapidly by the second question - are there obvious risks? Answers - none & yes.
Most "STEM" graduates are viewed from a business sense as potentially good material that needs several years of real-world application before they become recognised as a valuable engineering resource that can command good pay and conditions.
No-one has yet mentioned the role of the engineering institutions that provide the backbone for the recognition of chartered engineers as those who have the necessary academic qualifications plus a period of recognized engineering achievement(s). They have the post nominals C.Eng etc., which can, for many, command good pay.
I've still got several organisers - now gathering dust under my work desk. Psion Revo of course, but also the 5MX. Plus the Sony NX70 and a TH55. This last item is very similar in style to modern gadgets - but way lower specs, memory etc. None were phones of course though the last could bluetooth messages to the candybar phones of the day. That was a killer at the time (I could never get the hang of texting on candybar mobiles).
I'm on 10.8 and generally upgrade. But 10.9 was a no-no when they finally removed sync services (earlier "upgrades" left out SS, but they could easily be re-installed - but not so 10.9). I like to sync the contacts and calendars between my personal and business accounts locally (using Sync Together which I kept installed in spite of its removal in earlier "upgrades"). The latest OS now forces all users towards using the cloud. But no way am I going to use the cloud for intra-machine account syncing). The worst thing Apple have done in all the time I've used the OS (and I started with a NeXT slab).
This latest "upgrade" is a definite downgrade for me. AFAIAC, Apple has gone sour. I sympathize with others who are using Snow Leopard.
My handheld GPS device uses 2 AA cells (rechargable or standard) and lasts over 24 hours. I do long cycle rides and rely on the GPS to get me around - typically 10 or 12 hours. I did the 1000 mile Lands to John O'Groats ride and only used 6 AA cells in total with continuous map location tracking.
OTOH, my smartphone lasts a limited number of hours on a charge and is not sufficiently rugged to use in inclement weather, vibration etc. so it's kept well protected from the elements.
Both have their uses, but if I wanted to have a reliable location for all conditions, it's the dedicated device that wins hands down.
It'll be interesting to see if this low level of battery usage remains when tracking several GPS systems.
I have always struggled to understand why there was never a single network provider that had the responsibility to provide good national coverage and the mobile companies paid the network provider through usage charges. That's the way the TV system works and it ensures mostly good coverage.
I guess they're heading the right way with the mast/aerial sharing. As it is, coverage is always quoted as % population and not % area. They are far from the same thing and this will not do much to improve areal coverage.
"Recent disclosures over domestic surveillance and GCHQ spying on citizens aren't much of an issue to the public"
The trouble is that those who wish to create mayhem for whatever reason are not so easily identifiable and keep a low profile. So how do you find out if there is terrorist activity afoot? I'd rather GCHQ did their job than end up with a major terrorist incident. I guess most folks recognise that domestic surveillance is both a curse and a blessing. The question is whether surveillance is used for the right reasons. It's not an excuse for keeping tabs on everyone. It's also essential we maintain an independent press to bring wayward politicos to heel. My 2c.
As I've posted before, 4K is about the same resolution of the eye. For large screens it really does makes a difference. D-Cinema wrote 4K resolution into their standards (but 24Fps only, not 48Fps and so no stereo-3D - hurrah!). It's not new. I suspect there are 4K D-Cinema systems in use already.
Engineers have been talking about 4K and beyond for years. NHK even demo-ed 8K at IBC some years ago. As with all new tech developments, the prices will fall to levels that will sell - to those with fat wallets first, but with trickle down over the years to the more cost-conscious. Optical discs first at a guess (Violet-Ray?). Then maybe sat channels. Freeview bandwidth is somewhat limited so that'll probably be last. But it will happen IMO.
To "Piro" - optics and quality is a given. There's no point in doing this unless you can see the difference.
This post is very enlightening. I'm reading a book ATM which shocked me... when the universe began, it was space-time that started. There was no time before the BB. How could time alone exist when there was nothing else? So prior to the BB, there was nothing, no matter, no space, no time, absolutely nothing at all. It makes sense but it's still hard to grasp because it's beyond our experience.
The medics requested I desist drinking coffee as it was contributing to my heart flutter. I managed to negotiate 1 mug a day. It's great stuff, but too much can allegedly affect some folks adversely. A quick search of recent literature (http://www.menshealth.com/health/protect-your-heart-with-coffee - other sources also available) suggests that a daily cup or 2 might actually help heart function, but drinking 10 or more is asking for trouble.
It's a bit like CD v SACD in the audio world where Joe Punter responded with a yawn. Yes, SACDs exist and if you have good kit and ears you can tell the difference, but it hasn't been the success that was originally anticipated.
Likewise with 4K TV - a just noticeable difference compared to 2K TV that many could not care less about. Cinema also has 4K imaging, but most theaters use 2K and their screens impact more of the viewers eyeballs than a typical domestic TV layout.
You can create a great UI with minimal effort using Cocoa. But the bit under the hood still needs real work, depending, of course, on what exactly you want to do. Maybe there's core code out there that does the tricky bits you want, but then it's hardly going to be a truly novel app if you're just putting together a few lego blocks. But Cocoa is really great if you're a creative and need to create a custom or non-commercial app that can address some specific requirements not met by commercial software.
It's good policy to use a different password for everything. So you know what they all are, use a password keychain with one memorable but really strong master keyword to unlock the keychain. Yeh, I know that word is used by the fruit vendor, but there are third party cross-platform keychains which also do the job. The one I use is available for at least android and apple on both desktop and portable devices. But it doesn't excuse using a poor password in any instance. It only makes it easier to assign strong and different passwords for everything and have easy access to each of those individual passwords through a master password.
I also went to a Poly and my employer (now BT) sponsored me to take HND. I then had to leave employment to get onto the CEI Pt2c course to get onto the C.Eng route. Got that and have the post-nominals. I did at least find a company that respected the qualifications and I was part of an r&d group full of well qualified people. But that was because the parent company was a well-known Japanese organisation that respects engineers and continues to do so.
I don't know why it is that so many engineering companies do not understand that highly qualified engineering staff may be expensive, but are the creative force that makes many a company tick. Accountants and managers do not create wealth, only re-distribute it (and then take the credit).
If there's a chance of life, it will happen IMO. How that develops will depend on many factors, but intelligent life will depend on a long development trail under favorable conditions. I agree that, given the number of stars in our local galaxy it will be teeming with life. Some of it might be even beyond TV ;)
I use Pocket Permissions to see what's going on, Task Manager to see what's running and Uninstall Master to remove anything remotely untoward. Watchdog is useful too. But ack, there's always a risk with the Android market. Probably a greater risk on the alternative markets. But then which is more fun - a Volvo or an old-style Mini?
I've rooted my Xperia P so that I can get more control over my phone and get certain apps to work properly. I did install a new ROM for a previously rooted phone, but the difference wasn't worth the trouble. That's not to say there's no benefit to using a custom ROM; it's that getting control of your phone with root access allows a number of useful admin apps to do their job as intended.
A patent requires novelty in whatever form the novelty is implemented. If it's implemented in software, so be it. Just as with hardware.
That patents are sometimes poorly examined for their novelty is down to the examiner. And there is a ton of prior art so sometimes a patent is granted mistakenly. An outright ban on software patents is a mistake IMO. But any proposed patent implemented in software does need to make clear that it is the novelty behind the code that is being patented - not the software itself. Specific software code should be protected under copyright, not patent.
Had a P model for nearly a year now and loving it. Yes, some compromises with memory etc, but that was my choice. Sound quality on the supplied earphones is outstanding. Camera shots acceptable, but no mobile phone can really compete with a dedicated camera that has a decent lens. Syncs contacts and calendar to my Mac with SyncMate. Biggest issue is that Android apps are less well presented than equivalents on my iPod. But that's Android and not the phone.
There are already cars with settings customizable for an individual driver. Useful, but don't pick up the wife's key :)
This all hinges on car designers wanting to offer the interface and protocols to operate with a mobile device. If one of the big manufacturers really wants this, then it might just take off and other car manufacturers adopt. Though patent licensing fees would need to be low IMO. Or wait until the patent(s) expire.
I'm no defender of the fruity firm, but this patent could just have some legs. And if it does get implemented, don't pick up the wife's PDA....
Even our local galaxy is so large that it's almost certain that there's life in some form within it. So the questions are one of transmitted power and temporal coincidence rather than "if".
Even in terms of our local galaxy, the probability of having those two factors in our favour is very, very small IMO. Our problem is that if (and that's a big "if") we receive a signal with some form of structure that could be regarded as having some form of intelligent component, any response we sent would probably not be received until after our demise. But that should not stop us trying. It's part of human nature to be curious about our surroundings - even if they are beyond reach.
Given the choice, I agree we need to pay more attention to the large rocky objects within our own solar system that could do us serious harm. Hugely more important than the detection of LGM.
Interesting comment on interlace. For the record, it was a neat attempt at the time to halve the bandwidth by deleting information the eye could not see so well. Crude, but effective. There's no excuse now with far better methods to get the transmission/recording bandwidth reduced which, for the most part, keep the important parts of the picture intact. In an ideal world, we'd shoot the original material at obscenely high picture rates and resolutions, then use the best techniques to get the bandwidth down to the available transmission rate or recording capacity for optimal reception at the eyeballs. We're not there yet, but we've now at least got away from the crude analogue compression techniques.
Nice article BTW.
Enigma was cracked by Bletchley Park, but actions were only taken when it could not point back to the code-crackers success. This undoubtedly meant some tough decisions at times. Clearly the art is to act in stealth and leave your target perhaps guessing, but not knowing. The devil is in the detail; but leaving any form of evidence is careless and can only lead to the target trying to evade the embrace and perhaps succeeding in their endeavour.
Since the intelligence agencies know this well, I suspect it's more complex than made out. Then again......
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