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On Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:42:20 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 14/09/2013 9:33 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Sat, 14 Sep 2013 20:52:35 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>
>
>> See how much I know about cars? I changed the battery once and was
>> shown how to change the brake pads once, but I'm no expert. Amy knows
>> a lot more about that sort of stuff - which makes sense, since she grew
>> up in a family that works on cars (her brother teaches auto body repair
>> at the local vocational/technical school where she grew up).
>>
>>
> It was necessity that taught me. Not a love of getting my hands dirty.
I think that was the case for Amy as well. Family business, everyone
chips in.
> I was going to say, not quite idiot proof, but then I thought of one of
> my brothers-in-law. Who is handless but only knackers his computer
> because he downloads every free game he can. So I suppose it is.
:)
> Maybe it is age that makes me feel that I can't be bothered keeping up
> with the times but want to stay with something that works the way I know
> it works. And since I don't want all the touch screen junk. I might buy
> an ultra laptop (what a name) and buy a copy of Win7 and install that
> over Win 8.
Well, you just want to use it as a tool - you don't want to be a
mechanic. :)
>>> I might as well ask here. Does anyone have any recommendations for a
>>> light weight laptop that has a reasonable spec to run PovRay and
>>> Blender and weighs a lot less the the 3kg (6.6 lb) DTR I have to lug
>>> around?
>>
>> I've been happy with my Dell laptop, but I'm not sure how much it
>> weighs. It's a couple years old - the 17R (N7110 is another number I
>> see associated with it), but is pretty speedy (i7 processor) and has
>> plenty of memory (8GB, max for this model).
>>
>>
> It looks good, similar spec to my Toshiba but with a bigger HDD. Still
> it is hefty at > 3 kg. I want something lighter even if it has a lower
> spec. All the travelling that I'm doing atm means my tennis elbow is
> playing up.
Some of the ultras are supposed to be pretty good - ISTR that Dell has
something like the Macbook Air now. I'm actually a little surprised that
Apple hasn't sued them yet.
Jim
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On 15/09/2013 7:08 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
.
>
> Well, you just want to use it as a tool - you don't want to be a
> mechanic. :)
>
But the sad thing is, I did want to be a mechanic. Well an electronic,
mechanic. And I was for many years.
When I started working with computers. You had to enter about a dozen
instructions in binary (or BCD) into switch registers just to tell it
that you wanted it to read from a paper tape reader. Then you would load
an operating system then load the program. Then wind the tape back into
rolls.
Now it is a washing machine. That does (or mostly not) what I want it to do.
> Some of the ultras are supposed to be pretty good - ISTR that Dell has
> something like the Macbook Air now.
Why is that a standard?
Anyway I will look into it, I don't want to spend a fortune for
something that will run Blender, I can't see me seriously using Pov on
it for a while.
> I'm actually a little surprised that
> Apple hasn't sued them yet.
>
They have probably got enough on their plate atm.
--
Regards
Stephen
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On Sun, 15 Sep 2013 22:09:36 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 15/09/2013 7:08 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Well, you just want to use it as a tool - you don't want to be a
>> mechanic. :)
>>
> But the sad thing is, I did want to be a mechanic. Well an electronic,
> mechanic. And I was for many years.
People change over time, though - obviously. I may well get to that
point myself.
> When I started working with computers. You had to enter about a dozen
> instructions in binary (or BCD) into switch registers just to tell it
> that you wanted it to read from a paper tape reader. Then you would load
> an operating system then load the program. Then wind the tape back into
> rolls.
> Now it is a washing machine. That does (or mostly not) what I want it to
> do.
I don't remember those days, but I do remember entering BASIC programs
from Dragon magazine to generate characters for D&D. We didn't have a
cassette drive or disk drive at first, so if I wanted to run the program,
I had to enter it by hand. That meant the computer stayed on more than
it probably needed to be, and on more than one occasion, my parents
turned it off without realizing that they'd caused a day's worth of data
entry to be lost.
>> Some of the ultras are supposed to be pretty good - ISTR that Dell has
>> something like the Macbook Air now.
>
> Why is that a standard?
Because it's small and lightweight, and generally (I hear) has good
battery life.
> Anyway I will look into it, I don't want to spend a fortune for
> something that will run Blender, I can't see me seriously using Pov on
> it for a while.
That's part of the tradeoff these days, I think - you can have small and
lightweight, or you can have power. Granted, the power in the smaller
systems is increasing. :)
>> I'm actually a little surprised that Apple hasn't sued them yet.
>>
> They have probably got enough on their plate atm.
*snortlaugh* like that ever stopped them. ;)
Jim
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>> But a microchip is just a tad more complex than a combustion engine,
>> too.
>
> Not any more it's not. ;-)
Especially given that most engines have needed several microchips even
to start for at least a decade or two.
> I used to service my own cars and bikes. Other than check the fluids all
> I can do with the engine nowadays is check that it is still there. :-)
All cars have a diagnostic port, there is pretty cheap equipment you can
buy to attach to this and do lots of useful things. I was able to
diagnose a faulty fuel pressure sensor, replace it and reset the fault
codes. It cost me almost nothing, whereas the garage wanted it for 3
days to diagnose (surely $$$).
Engines have got a lot more complicated, but now we have the internet so
unless you have a *really* exotic car, there is always going to be
someone somewhere who has done/fixed what you want and documented it.
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Le 2013-09-17 05:51, scott a écrit :
>>> But a microchip is just a tad more complex than a combustion engine,
>>> too.
>>
>> Not any more it's not. ;-)
>
> Especially given that most engines have needed several microchips even
> to start for at least a decade or two.
>
>> I used to service my own cars and bikes. Other than check the fluids all
>> I can do with the engine nowadays is check that it is still there. :-)
>
> All cars have a diagnostic port, there is pretty cheap equipment you can
> buy to attach to this and do lots of useful things. I was able to
> diagnose a faulty fuel pressure sensor, replace it and reset the fault
> codes. It cost me almost nothing, whereas the garage wanted it for 3
> days to diagnose (surely $$$).
>
There's usually also a sequence with your car key that you can do to get
the "service engine" light to blink error codes. If you don't have an
R2 unit handy to interface with the onboard computers.
> Engines have got a lot more complicated, but now we have the internet so
> unless you have a *really* exotic car, there is always going to be
> someone somewhere who has done/fixed what you want and documented it.
Yep.
--
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/* flabreque */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/* @ */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/* gmail.com */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }
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>> I don't see how it's any different to any other modern GUI in terms of
>> graphical capabilities. The icons are much bigger because it's meant for
>> much higher dpi screens and using your fingers rather than a mouse.
>
> And the reduced colour set and the all-caps sans serif text and the
> square button edges?
The buttons seem to me to be full resolution 24bit colour, and I don't
see how all-caps and square edges are anything to do with graphical
capability - that's just design decisions.
If you want to see what it would look like with 30-year-old graphics
capability then take any of the screen-grabs of Win8 from Google image
search, and convert it to 160x256x3bpp or 640x256x1bpp (the modes the
BBC had at the time). Then scroll it across your screen at 1fps :-)
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On 15/09/2013 10:13 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Sep 2013 22:09:36 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
> People change over time, though - obviously. I may well get to that
> point myself.
>
You may indeed when new challenges arrive.
>
> I don't remember those days, but I do remember entering BASIC programs
> from Dragon magazine to generate characters for D&D. We didn't have a
> cassette drive or disk drive at first, so if I wanted to run the program,
> I had to enter it by hand. That meant the computer stayed on more than
> it probably needed to be, and on more than one occasion, my parents
> turned it off without realizing that they'd caused a day's worth of data
> entry to be lost.
>
Groan!
>>
>> Why is that a standard?
>
> Because it's small and lightweight, and generally (I hear) has good
> battery life.
>
That makes sense.
>> Anyway I will look into it, I don't want to spend a fortune for
>> something that will run Blender, I can't see me seriously using Pov on
>> it for a while.
>
> That's part of the tradeoff these days, I think - you can have small and
> lightweight, or you can have power. Granted, the power in the smaller
> systems is increasing. :)
>
I know that but I don't want it to be so. :-)
If I keep wishing then maybe...
>>> I'm actually a little surprised that Apple hasn't sued them yet.
>>>
>> They have probably got enough on their plate atm.
>
> *snortlaugh* like that ever stopped them. ;)
>
Lawsuit ping pong.
--
Regards
Stephen
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On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 09:11:47 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>> People change over time, though - obviously. I may well get to that
>> point myself.
>>
> You may indeed when new challenges arrive.
Indeed. Douglas Adams had a theory about that:
"Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary
and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's
invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting
and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything
invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."
I'm now 43 (as of a couple weeks ago) - I think the ages aren't
necessarily set in stone, but in principle, this makes sense. You
eventually get to the point where keeping up is too much of a bother, and
things were "always" better "back in the old days". :)
>> I had to enter it by hand. That meant the computer stayed on more than
>> it probably needed to be, and on more than one occasion, my parents
>> turned it off without realizing that they'd caused a day's worth of
>> data entry to be lost.
>>
> Groan!
One of a couple things my parents did when I was a kid that drove me
crazy. Another was deciding when the one TV programme I wanted to watch
that day was on that *that* was the time I needed to be told to go clean
my room/take out the trash/whatever. 30 or 60 minutes later wasn't good
enough, it had to be done *right then*.
Before we had a VCR, it was even worse.
>>> Anyway I will look into it, I don't want to spend a fortune for
>>> something that will run Blender, I can't see me seriously using Pov on
>>> it for a while.
>>
>> That's part of the tradeoff these days, I think - you can have small
>> and lightweight, or you can have power. Granted, the power in the
>> smaller systems is increasing. :)
>>
>>
> I know that but I don't want it to be so. :-)
> If I keep wishing then maybe...
LOL
>>>> I'm actually a little surprised that Apple hasn't sued them yet.
>>>>
>>> They have probably got enough on their plate atm.
>>
>> *snortlaugh* like that ever stopped them. ;)
>>
> Lawsuit ping pong.
Indeed.
Jim
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On 21/09/2013 8:10 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 09:11:47 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
> Indeed. Douglas Adams had a theory about that:
>
Pity, he did not have a theory about keeping deadlines.
> "Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary
> and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's
> invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting
> and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything
> invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."
>
It sounds like a good theory but I don't really think that it cuts the
mustard.
> I'm now 43 (as of a couple weeks ago)
Belated happy birthday.
> - I think the ages aren't
> necessarily set in stone, but in principle, this makes sense. You
> eventually get to the point where keeping up is too much of a bother, and
Yes, but at midlife?
I've reached the stage where keeping up with domestic computer tech is
too much bother. I don't think that it is because I'm nearing retirement
age but that the effort is not worth the return. Especially, when
changes are done more in the spirit of selling new products rather than
for innovative functionality.
> things were "always" better "back in the old days". :)
>
I see the smiley. And I hear it often.
It falls into two categories, IMO.
Life was better when I was young, people were better educated, more
polite and had time for others. Better quality of life etc.
And: Technology is too complicated, things were better when you could
understand how they worked. Such as a baud rate of 9600, RAM memory 640
kB. Cars that did not have ABS, seat belts, crumple zones. I cold go on.
I've heard it since I was a kid and if you extrapolate backwards...
>
> One of a couple things my parents did when I was a kid that drove me
> crazy. Another was deciding when the one TV programme I wanted to watch
> that day was on that *that* was the time I needed to be told to go clean
> my room/take out the trash/whatever. 30 or 60 minutes later wasn't good
> enough, it had to be done *right then*.
>
> Before we had a VCR, it was even worse.
>
As long as you didn't repeat their mistakes.
--
Regards
Stephen
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On Sun, 22 Sep 2013 11:18:21 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 21/09/2013 8:10 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 09:11:47 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>
>> Indeed. Douglas Adams had a theory about that:
>>
>>
> Pity, he did not have a theory about keeping deadlines.
:)
Well, he sort of did, but it had to do more with the noise they made as
they went past. :)
>> "Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary
>> and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's
>> invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and
>> exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
>> Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order
>> of things."
>>
>>
> It sounds like a good theory but I don't really think that it cuts the
> mustard.
Well, like I said, the ages involved perhaps aren't accurate for
everyone, but for a large number of people, I think this makes a lot of
sense.
>> I'm now 43 (as of a couple weeks ago)
>
> Belated happy birthday.
Thanks!
>> - I think the ages aren't necessarily set in stone, but in principle,
>> this makes sense. You eventually get to the point where keeping up is
>> too much of a bother, and
>
> Yes, but at midlife?
Well, like I said, it depends on the person. I know some people who hit
that "35" point much earlier, and some who hit it much later. I think
the point isn't so much the specific values, but that this happens to
pretty much everyone at some point.
> I've reached the stage where keeping up with domestic computer tech is
> too much bother. I don't think that it is because I'm nearing retirement
> age but that the effort is not worth the return. Especially, when
> changes are done more in the spirit of selling new products rather than
> for innovative functionality.
Another Adams quote applies:
"We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that
works."
>> things were "always" better "back in the old days". :)
>>
>>
> I see the smiley. And I hear it often.
Yup.
> It falls into two categories, IMO.
> Life was better when I was young, people were better educated, more
> polite and had time for others. Better quality of life etc.
> And: Technology is too complicated, things were better when you could
> understand how they worked. Such as a baud rate of 9600, RAM memory 640
> kB. Cars that did not have ABS, seat belts, crumple zones. I cold go on.
Both situations are true - but I think it also is a trick the mind plays
by idealizing the past as well. I hear this sort of thing, for example,
said by pundits here talking about how much better things were back when
they were kids. But the average American kid back in the 70s (or
earlier) wasn't exposed to all the world's problems unless they were on a
very huge scale. So memories of the time tend to be far more idyllic
than the actual time.
> I've heard it since I was a kid and if you extrapolate backwards...
:)
>
>> One of a couple things my parents did when I was a kid that drove me
>> crazy. Another was deciding when the one TV programme I wanted to watch
>> that day was on that *that* was the time I needed to be told to go
>> clean my room/take out the trash/whatever. 30 or 60 minutes later
>> wasn't good enough, it had to be done *right then*.
>>
>> Before we had a VCR, it was even worse.
>>
>>
> As long as you didn't repeat their mistakes.
I made a conscious effort not to. I'm happy to say that our kid is
pretty well adjusted, too. ;)
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