Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Balloons on the streets of Beijing

Balloon seller © Evelyn Howard 2011

I was on the way to lunch when I saw this lady arrive on her bicycle, with lots of balloons for sale. I love balloons; they seem like happy objects to me.

Balloon on a bike © Evelyn Howard 2011

Well, looks like I am not the only one who loves balloons. I took this photo after lunch. I guess business was good.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

A few sketches

Apartment entrance Beijing © Evelyn Howard 2011

Entrance to an apartment block in Beijing. It was fun to chat with a girl who came by to have a look. We managed a conversation with my limited Chinese. Earlier, a young man stopped to have a look, but he left quite quickly when he discovered that I am a foreigner, who knew only a little Chinese.

Electric bike sketch © Evelyn Howard 2011

I managed to make a rough sketch before it was moved. That seems to happen a lot, so I try to be quick when drawing vehicles.

Exercise equipemtn © Evelyn Howard 2011Exercise equipemtn © Evelyn Howard 2011

I went to a park earlier in the week. There were lots of equipment for public use. When I started drawing, a girl came into my picture (left). She had just washed her hair and brought her comb along. She sat on the bench and combed her, while I drew.

Exercise equipemtn © Evelyn Howard 2011

The 4 “discs” can be turned. I have seen people placing their palms on the edge of 2 discs and turning them at the same time. First one way, then the other way…

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

A few people

I hope you had a nice week. It’s Friday already – where has the week gone. My internet is back in working order – yay!

I’ve been drawing people recently. I am quite slow so the people I drew here were usually studying or having a meal… so they stayed in position for a while :).

Happy Weekend!

Girl studying Sketch © Evelyn Howard 2011

Watercolour of Golden haired girl with glasses © Evelyn Howard 2011 Girl with a bun sketch © Evelyn Howard 2011Girl 3/4 face sketch © Evelyn Howard 2011

Boy with cap sketch © Evelyn Howard 2011

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Food - hot stuff

I never thought Chinese food could be so hot.

Sichuan chicken dish © Evelyn Howard 2011

When I was living in Malaysia, Chinese food seemed to be quite mild, as most Chinese food in Malaysia are variations of Cantonese cuisine.

The above photo shows one of the dishes we had when we first arrived in Beijing. This is a Sichuan dish. There is probably as much chilli in there as chicken.

Sichuan prawn dish © Evelyn Howard 2011

In Beijing, there are varieties of cuisine from all over the country. I love Sichuan food, but they are often very hot. In this 2nd photo (above), the prawn dish on the right seemed quite harmless, doesn't it? Actually, there are lots of bits of chilli scattered all over. These dishes are eaten with steamed rice.

Skewered food © Evelyn Howard 2011

Skewers of vegetables, meatballs, tofu, mushrooms…. I have not eaten this. Sure looks hot! I am not sure if this is Sichuan food…

Sichuan capsicum dish © Evelyn Howard 2011

The best capsicum I have ever tasted, but it was extremely hot.

Chicken Gaifan © Evelyn Howard 2011

If you are alone, ordering food from a menu can sometimes be a challenge as most dishes are for 2 or more people.  But some menus offer the lone diner a portion of a dish over rice… So here’s hot spicy chicken over rice…

Pork gaifan © Evelyn Howard 2011

And hot spicy pork strips with vegetables over rice

Hot dumplings

Hot dumplings are yummy but it felt like I was torturing myself. Yet, I could not stop eating…

Hot Sichuan food © Evelyn Howard 2011

And another hot chicken dish… Now, where are the tissues? And where is the cold drink I ordered?

Sichiuan Chicken © Evelyn Howard 2011

Quite a presentation… hot chook.

Sichuan meat © Evelyn Howard 2011

Finally, one last hot dish…

Sichuan peppercorns are widely used in these dishes. It has a very distinctive flavour and sensation (numbing effect) in the mouth… Here’s a link if you are interested to read more about Sichuan food.

Friday, May 20, 2011

No internet connection

PC No Connection © Evelyn Howard 2011

Life seems different this week, due to no internet connection. I hope it returns soon, before I spend too much time at the internet cafe and drinking too much coffee.

Happy Weekend.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

william shatner

william shatner. Actor William Shatner is among
  • Actor William Shatner is among



  • rovex
    Mar 12, 08:20 AM
    Er,China leads the world in Nuclear generation design (not that I'm saying this is a good thing).

    Let's put things into perspective...

    60% of china's electricity is generated through the burning of coal - a heavy pollutant, which is not a renewable source. Thus not viable.

    china has 9 nuclear power plants which account for 2% of chinas energy, whilst France has 59 plants accounting for 80% of the country's energy. And Nuclear power IS a viable form of energy in contrast to coal. And fundamentally better for the environment (although not totally unharmful).





    william shatner. William Shatner and Leonard
  • William Shatner and Leonard



  • greenstork
    Sep 12, 06:01 PM
    This is the device I've been waiting for 2+ years for Apple to come out with. Those who think this isn't a Tivo killer don't understand Tivo's plans. This hasn't just killed the current Tivo, this has killed the gen4 Tivo that isn't even out yet. It's stolen its thunder by at least a year if not much more.

    It's been obvious for awhile now that Tivo has been moving in their slow ponderous way towards a method of content delivery over internet. They have been doing it for ads for years now, and they want to do it with content so bad they can taste it. They hired a key guy from bittorrent several years ago, but haven't done anything impressive since. They want it, but with it taking them 3 years to go with cable card and dual tuner, they just aren't able to get their act together in time.

    Apple has played their cards exactly right. They've done what Tivo, Netflix, Microsoft, Sony, and Blockbuster would all give their collective left nut to do. They've done what every local cable company and even every media mogul SHOULD have been laying awake worrying about, which is to have made them irrelevant in one fell swoop. Not to every single consumer by a long shot, but to a significant demographic of tech-savvy consumers who know what they want and will shift paradigms to get it.

    As much as I want this right this very second, waiting for 802.11n is the right thing to do and I'm glad Apple did it. I don't have a TV, but I'll buy a 20" monitor and one of these the day it comes out. I'll buy a second one and a projector as soon as possible afterwards.

    This is going to be a much bigger deal than the iPod, and that's saying a lot.

    While it may be what you think it is some day, it sure ain't today. Dream on...





    william shatner. William Shatner to host Genie
  • William Shatner to host Genie



  • ct2k7
    Apr 24, 03:10 PM
    The Qur'an is considered the perfect and literal word of allah.

    muhammad is considered allah's perfect man and messenger on earth to be emulated by all men.

    Sharia law is derived from the qur'an and the sayings of muhammad (hadith, sunna).

    Secular Democracy and democratic laws are made by human beings.

    Human beings are necessarily not as perfect as God.

    Therefore, under Islam adhering to man-made laws over divinely mandated laws is considered blasphemy.

    Which is why is it expressly stated by the Sharia law that the law of the land is to be abided first, up to the point where the principle law contradicts the principle teachings in the Islam, which would cause the person(s) subjective, to sin.

    I must also express that Sharia Law is a framework, and is based on both Quran and examples set of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) { which are derived from the Quran}.





    william shatner. William Shatner hates gay
  • William Shatner hates gay



  • TangoCharlie
    Jul 12, 02:50 AM
    As even AI note, there's not much difference between the two chips.
    The cores for all the "Core 2" processors are all basically the same, but the packaging is different. Using Xeon 5100 in the Mac Pro makes sense because they are going to want to use dual-cpu (quad core) configurations. Although this may not seem of much importance, the Xeon will cost a lot more, which is an issue.

    I still maintain that there's a "hole" in the new line-up, which is there isn't a single-cpu high-clock-rate system. I think Apple needs a Core 2 Extreme based system with the Conroe XE CPU (initially 2.93 GHz then 3.2 GHz).

    Oh.... I think the recently introduced edu-iMac will keep its current Core Duo (Yonah) processor after the full iMac has been upgraded to Core 2 Duo. Another thing..... I think the iMac will get Meroms, not Conroes so that Apple doesn't have to change the socket. (Which also implies that the top CPU speed we're going to see in the iMac will be 2.33GHz, leaving a space for faster (2.4GHz to 2.93GHz) in a new enclosure. :cool:





    william shatner. Ignore the imperfect Shatner
  • Ignore the imperfect Shatner



  • Young Spade
    Apr 21, 12:04 AM
    I received my refurb iPad 1 yesterday and was very impressed with how Apple packages their refurbs. Nice!

    Went into the Apple store last night to buy a case for the iPad and was ONCE AGAIN drawn to the MacBook Air. Beautiful machine.

    Ahhhh, maybe someday... maybe someday. :)

    Haha yea I was actually planning on getting one as my first Mac but couldn't at the moment because I didn't have enough cash on hand and would have to wait until the summer. Lo and behold that same day while surfing another forum site, someone was selling their BlackBook which was upgraded for a very good price and I ended up snagging it that night.

    Good times.





    william shatner. William Shatner Picture
  • William Shatner Picture



  • jamesbjenkins
    May 12, 11:14 AM
    The ONLY reason I'm ATT is the iPhone. I get dropped calls all the time, billing issues out the yin-yang, terrible customer service who I can't even understand 75% of the time.......the list goes on.

    I know it's not only ATT, but the notion that I have to pay an additional $20/month for SMS when I already pay those *$%&#^%s $30/month for "unlimited" data. WTF about it is unlimited if I can't send text messages (read: data) as part of the package. It's legalized robbery. I wish the other major carriers would follow Sprint's lead of the $69/month truly unlimited plan.

    I wish I could do something worse than just leave ATT...like crap in a UPS box and ship it to their home office.

    I swear I will leave ATT the very instant the iPhone becomes available on Verizon or Sprint. I'd really prefer Sprint, but Verizon will do.

    ATT has been riding the iPhone train for almost 3 years, knowing that people will put up with their crappy service and other misc BS because they want the iPhone bad enough. It just makes me sick. I hope they go bankrupt when they lose the exclusivity on the iPhone. Booooo.





    william shatner. William Shatner
  • William Shatner



  • ericinboston
    Apr 28, 09:17 AM
    I would LOVE to buy an iMac...and have been wanting for a few years...but $1200 for essentially a web surfing machine and iPod syncing machine is just too expensive for what it will be used for. My 4+ year old Mac Mini works just fine and even that was a lot of money when I got it ($1200).

    A very high percentage of consumers (as is reflected still now in 2011 personal computer marketshare) primarily do web-based activities, a little bit of Office productivity, and iTunes and thus do not need to spend 2x the money for product B when product A is fine. Why buy a Mac for $1200+ when a $600 Windows box (including nice 20"+ monitor) will fit the bill just fine?

    Not trying to start the never-ending debate but this is the reality.

    I love the iMac look...but after a few minutes of pondering, I can get a machine for 1/2 the price with the same size monitor that will do exactly what I (and 90% of consumers) need. If you're a Mac lover or have to use the Mac for particular reasons, of course the Mac is going to be your choice. But for the high majority of consumers in the world...there's just no need to spend twice the price.





    william shatner. William Shatner is a Canadian
  • William Shatner is a Canadian



  • Evangelion
    Apr 15, 10:54 AM
    I have a couple problems with this approach. There's so much attention brought to this issue of specifically gay bullying that it's hard to see this outside of the framework of identity politics.

    Where's the videos and support for fat kids being bullied?

    I was a fat kid at school, and received my share of bullying. Nothing extraordinary, though.

    So, what's the difference between fat kids and gay kids. Well, there's nothing you can do about being gay. Obesity is something you can deal with. Eat less crap, excersize more. There are some medical conditions that cause obesity, but usually it's self-caused.

    Bullying is a universal problem that affects just about anyone with some kind of difference others choose to pick on. It seems like everyone is just ignoring all that for this hip, trendy cause.

    bullying is never ok. But it's even worse when you are bullied because of something you have no say over.





    william shatner. William Shatner
  • William Shatner



  • KingYaba
    May 2, 01:21 PM
    So few virus for MAC than when one appears it is news... :)

    It's news because Apple has paraded though commercials explaining how they're safe and Windows is not. Safe from viruses, yes, but even as I looked through this thread I noticed some people don't understand the difference.

    CHFy6egYcUg





    william shatner. William Shatner
  • William Shatner



  • NathanMuir
    Mar 24, 07:34 PM
    As cool as that poster might be, I doubt that he has the political or monetary muscle that the Catholic Church does.

    That doesn't take away from how utterly hypocritical that train of thought is.




    william shatner. William Shatner (left) with
  • William Shatner (left) with



  • edifyingGerbil
    Apr 24, 05:18 PM
    don't thank me, thank ct2k7 for saying just why islam is a threat to democracy.




    So, follow the local law unless a sane muslim man commits apostasy (then sentence him to death as under sharia law).

    follow local law unless someone insults the name of muhammad or who is critical of islam.

    you say it only applies to muslims yet the victims in blasphemy cases in pakistan, for example, are mostly christians.



    I do understand that correlation doesn't equal causation. However, Morocco is thousands of miles away from Pakistan yet both condone honour killing, do you understand the significance of that?

    My view may not be shared by ~1.5 billion muslims but it is shared by the many millions of muslims (ten million in africa by some estimates) who leave islam despite the death penalty levelled against them for apostasy.

    Lauren Booth isn't a very good advocate to endorse anything, except perhaps anti-psychotic medication.

    Lots of intellectuals supported the Nazi party yet many would be hard pressed to not call the Nazi party evil. the Qur'an and Mein Kampf are very similar. Both are chauvinistic, misogynistic and supremacist. Who wouldn't want to join a group that told you you can do whatever you want to your wife/children and that you're "the best of people" and going to heaven for emulating a degenerate warlord from the 7th century, and that all other people who disagree with you are wrong wrong wrong?

    The "war" against islam that you speak of is being encouraged by imams, and at saudi funded madrassas in the UK and beyond.

    in the US more hate crimes were perpetrated against jews in 2010 than any other group. hate crimes against muslims had gone down in 2010. so, i guess the islamophobia is really poisonous and rampant...

    interestingly, as the muslim population increases so too do reported cases of anti-semitic hate crimes.





    william shatner. William Shatner poster
  • William Shatner poster



  • Caliber26
    Apr 15, 10:50 AM
    Well, the LGBT folks can't tolerate anyone having an idea like that - they'll even organize and boycott and pressure Apple until they remove some lame, lonely little app from the App Store.

    Meanwhile - need to find a glory hole or a cruising area nearby? There's an App for That!
    BEST. POST. EVER.

    Ok, everyone needs to chill. And Darth Maul...back off Caliber. Your militant defense of morals is counter productive.

    I'm straight and I understand your point fine. Because you don't fit into the other gay gentlemans stereotype of "what it is to be gay to him" he labeled you a self hater, which is absurd. How hard is it to understand that?

    Thank goodness for people that are able to have a neutral mentality. That much is refreshing and encouraging. You all have a FABULOUS day! (I gotta go out and buy something to wear for the Lady Gaga concert tonight!) :p





    william shatner. William Shatner, already
  • William Shatner, already



  • dgree03
    Apr 28, 02:38 PM
    Huh? A 2008 MBP should have no problem running iTunes.



    Flash for Mac sucks even on the most high-end Macs. Why do you think Mac users tend to dislike Flash? It's not the Mac - it's Adobe.

    Flash on my Air runs wonderfully... :rolleyes:





    william shatner. William Shatner:The
  • William Shatner:The



  • gugy
    Sep 12, 03:26 PM
    I think it's a great device.
    The big question is about if the wireless transmission is good enough.
    I had Airtunes and it was horrible using it from 40 feet from my computer to my living room. I don't have brick walls.
    I guess it's safe now to buy Elgato use as PVR and transmit the show wirelessly to ITV hookup up to my TV.
    That's sweet!:)





    william shatner. William Shatner wasn#39;t only
  • William Shatner wasn#39;t only



  • takao
    Mar 16, 06:08 AM
    And now France are making $3bn EUR a year from exporting electricity - also probably laughing heartily when they see at the price of oil.

    good for them that means finally the EDF can pay back those dozens of billions euro they are in debt
    ;)

    for comparison:
    EdF: 150.000 employees: 65 billion revenue, 1 billion profit in 2010
    the 2 big german energy companies
    RWE: 70.000 employees: 50 billion of revenue, 3 billion of profit
    E.ON: 85.000 employees: 92 billion revenue, 5 billion of profit

    looking at the competition which focus less on nuclear power plants they are doing actually rather bad





    william shatner. William Shatner
  • William Shatner



  • dudemac
    Mar 18, 07:11 PM
    DRM has everything
    However, this is a major breach of security for Apple, that a home-brew front end can access their music store. Apple, will have to move on this big-time with everything they have. But it will require a major shift in their infrastructure to permanently fix.


    I have to disagree that this is somehow a security breach. I have seen other front-end for the itms, just not ones that allowed purchase. It has been awhile but I think there was a extension in firefox that allowed you to access the itms database. So really this is just a feature enhancement of that.





    william shatner. William Shatner
  • William Shatner



  • Cutwolf
    Mar 18, 11:46 AM
    Does anyone know when the tethering clause was added to AT&T contract? It couldn't have always been there since the concept hasnt always been around.





    william shatner. William Shatner Picture
  • William Shatner Picture



  • munkery
    May 2, 01:38 PM
    That's what I'd like to know. I can't even open HTML pages downloaded from my own website without OS X warning me before opening it, and yet this story makes it sound as if the file contained in the zip is somehow launching on its own without any user notification. Sounds like BS to me. What is the source for this?

    It decompressed the zip file and executes code to launch an installer. This is considered a safe action because the user still has to continue to run the installer.

    Installation of MacDefender via the installer requires password authentication by the user.





    william shatner. William Shatner picture
  • William Shatner picture



  • DrGruv1
    Sep 26, 02:37 PM
    Quad-core Clovertown server CPUs to appear on November 16

    Intel will announce two-way quad-core server Clovertown processors, which will be marketed under the Xeon 5300-series name, on November 16, according to Taiwan-based motherboard makers. The quad-core Clovertown processors contain two dual-core Woodcrest chips housed in a single package.

    The Xeon 5300 CPU family will debut with the Xeon X5355 (2.66GHz/1333MHz FSB/8MB L2 cache), E5345 (2.33GHz/1333MHz FSB/8MB L2 cache), E5320 (1.86GHz/1066MHz FSB/8MB L2 cache) and E5310 (1.60GHz/1066MHz FSB/8MB L2 cache), with unit prices ranging from US$455 to US$1,172, indicated the sources.

    In addition, Intel is scheduled to launch one-way quad-core Kentsfield processors under the Xeon 3200 lineup in January the makers said. By the third quarter of next year, Intel will launch its four-way quad-core Tigerton CPUs, the makers added.

    Rival AMD will announce its first dual-core server processors manufactured using 65-nanometer (65nm) process technology by the first quarter of according to the makers.

    http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20060925A5022.html





    840quadra
    Apr 28, 10:50 AM
    Uhm, I still use an iPod. It carries all my music, usable contacts and calendar now and some games. And a touch interface. You are saying that my iPod Touch is not an Ipod. Guess we need to call it iTouch after all.

    I still use a classic style iPod too, I even said that in the post you quoted.

    Apple may market the iPod touch as an "iPod", but in all reality it is just an advanced PDA that has a really good music player inside it. More of an iPod by Label, than it is by past definition.


    I think it is stretching it to call the iPod a fad. One of the defining aspects of a fad is its temporary nature. 8-10 years temporary? Everything is temporary.

    I don't think it is. There are many past examples of fads that lasted an entire decade, even longer.

    Multifunction devices (PDAs & Phones) existed during the peak of iPod popularity, however they were not sought after by the masses in the way the iPod was. Even now Apple still offers a clickwheel iPod alongside the Touch / iPhone. Because of that, you can't exactly say it has been replaced, when it is still offered (along with other smaller iPod music player offerings).

    People have been migrating away from the dedicated iPod MP3 player, since the introduction of the iPhone, and Android devices. Many of us still buy and use classic iPod music players, but it is becoming more of an enthusiast / niche market than it is mainstream.

    You may not want to call it a Fad even though it meets many of the criteria, which is fine. I am only one person with one opinion.

    Like it or not, the iPod fad (or era) is drawing to a close, it is now the turn of the iPhone / Touch (or Android) and iPad (or Tablet).





    After G
    Sep 12, 08:05 PM
    I don't watch TV - the market for it is not me ... TV these days is too full of crap. No DVR because I don't want to save crap.

    My watching model is: I watch it once, I know what happened, I don't care for keeping it. Because of this, I don't buy DVDs. I don't want to pay $20 for a watch-once movie. And most of the $5-11 deals aren't. The theater is a better offer for me, but the environment sucked a long time ago, and still does.

    Hmm ... I find myself doing more with the computer ... and less everywhere else. Sounds like I fit right in to the iTV demographic, that "digital hub" thing.





    Sydde
    Mar 12, 01:02 PM
    You think they built the plant 40 years ago and have done literally nothing in terms of maintenance and/or upgrades since that time?
    Do you understand what high ambient radiation does to the crystal structure of construction materials? 40 years is a very very long time in the operational lifespan of any nuclear power plant. Unless they have completely replaced the core hardware itself at least once, as well as the heat management system (which is entirely possible) the reactor could very well be in a seriously weakened state from the intense exposure. Every functional part of a plant is exposed to elevated radiation levels, spreading the material degradation throughout the system.
    Nuclear energy is substantially better for the environment...
    Not really. The enormous amount of energy that goes into fuel acquisition and refinement makes it nearly a wash when compared with other forms of electric energy production. When you add in the disposal of waste, both spent fuel and low level radioactive construction materials, the equation starts to creep into the red. Of course, you might be able to prove me wrong, if you could find me an example of an operational nuclear power plant built and run entirely, or even largely, with private funding.





    ~Shard~
    Oct 31, 08:42 PM
    No kidding. :rolleyes: All I want is to compress video faster than I can with the 4-core Mac Pro - that's IT. So if it won't do that, I'll just have a cow and go to bed for six months. :eek:

    Haha, sounds like a good plan! ;) :)





    Andronicus
    Apr 28, 07:35 AM
    I dont think iPads should be included. A computer shouldn't need a computer to be usable.



    wii 2

    wii 2. Wii 2 has been announced
  • Wii 2 has been announced



  • Multimedia
    Sep 26, 11:52 PM
    Yes, Intel will be shipping Clovertowns then - but when will Apple get around to putting them in systems? (November - well, that can wait for The Lord God Jobs' keynote in January, for sure.)

    Most vendors are putting Merom systems in their customers' hands, but Apple is still shipping Yonahs in the MacIntelBooks.

    I'm at IDF at Moscone, and most of the booths have Kentsfield or Clovertown systems running. (Apple isn't in the hall.)

    I think that you're being very brave in assuming that Apple will ship quads in systems when Intel releases them...Maybe I'm just naive and overly optimistic or just plain dumb. I always think of MacWorld as a consumer event so I thought Steve wouldn't care to present the Dual Clovertown Mac Pro there. But I guess you're probably right. Nevertheless, I feel there is good reason to feel optimistic and happy about the prospect of 8-core computing in 2007.





    wii 2. wii 2 hd.
  • wii 2 hd.



  • pdjudd
    Oct 7, 11:24 PM
    I'm sorry OSX market share would most definitely go up. From a business perspective though it would would be a terrible move, you are right about that. Profits would drop as Apple would get next to nothing from the sale of software only. The market share of OSX would drop once Apple went bankrupt.

    Which is kinda the point. Short term improvements are meaningless if they go right back down. I don;t contend that they would go up, but the whole point of increasing sales is to hope that they stay up. Otherwise it�s just a waste of time. You can;t just say �market share will go up�. Their market share goes up the minute a Mac gets sold. We have to look at the long run which you point out, will invariably go down and possibly lower than the base. A net loss kinda contradicts the idea of increased market share.

    But this is all conjecture since Apple has already indicated that they are not playing the market share game.

    [QUOTE]Allowing greater access to your product almost always leads to larger sales volumes, but it isn't always in your best interest.
    Of course that statement is true. But does that require Apple to license their hardware out to others? I argue that it�s not the case. Taking the MS approach fundamentally changes Apple�s business. They don�t have to do that. Of course the Grueber article covers that too. There are tones of ways to increase access to your product. The tough part is making it profitable. Both Microsoft and Apple accomplish that goal just fine without getting into a fight that results in a bad outcome for Apple or MS.





    wii 2. Wii 2 specs leaked,
  • Wii 2 specs leaked,



  • takao
    Mar 13, 05:18 PM
    To quote one of your articles:
    Notice the part about it being used to test a wide variety of fuels and machinery? Also the fuel temperature instabilities? That's what caused the Cs-137 and Sr-90 contamination, as noted above. A reactor that's properly designed (with properly fabricated fuel) won't have the disadvantages of a test reactor, and shouldn't have that contamination. I'm not saying it's perfect now, but controlling those instabilities shouldn't be an issue, especially in light of salt or liquid fuel possibilities. Furthermore, what about MSR? It's not a pebble bed; it's molten. That itself should even out the fuel temperature instabilities a little, just the liquid fuel based system.

    You raise a very valid point about Thorium, however I think one instance of a test reactor hardly justifies dinging the entire concept because the initial reactor wasn't designed well (see the cracked bottom of the AVR...), but rather it serves as a basis for future designs. Also, what about India planning to use thorium? They're not approaching this with guesswork-- there's clear advantages to using it over uranium. Differences in opinion I guess, but hey, to each his own.

    EDIT: Also, I know my initial wording was a little fuzzy; what I meant to say was PBR with uranium, and MSR with thorium-- at least for now.

    the second link actually is the "power-delivered-to-the-grid" 300 mw powerplant ... not an testing reactor
    in reality creating the pebbles and preventing the pebbles from cracking was also highly difficult (and costly)... the production facility for them was afaik also involved in some radioactive leakages

    i have nothing against further testing out reactor types or different fuels if it means finding safer and more efficient ways for nuclear power plants but the combination peddle reactor + thorium has been neither been safe nor economical (especially the pebble part)

    also two general problems about the thorium fuel cycle:
    - it actually needs to the requirement of having a full scale fuel recyling facility which so far few countries posess, of which all were in involved in major radioactive leakages and exactly none are operating economically
    - Nulcear non profileration contract issues: the 'cycle' involves stuff like plutonium and uranium usable for nuclear weapons being produced or used: not exactly something the world needs more

    perhaps a safer thorium reactor can be constructed but using it in actually power production is still problematic
    perhaps MSR can solve the problems but that technology has yet to prove it's full scale usability especially if the high temperatures can be handled or if they have a massive impact on reliability on large scale reactors
    it might take decades to develop such a large scale reactor at which point cost has to come into play wether it is useful to invest dozens of (taxpayer) billions into such a project

    i'm just saying that sometimes governmental money might perhaps better be spent elsewhere





    wii 2. for Wii and PS3 Reviewed
  • for Wii and PS3 Reviewed



  • Photics
    Apr 9, 10:26 AM
    No amount of arguing is going to change this fundamental issue.

    One of the things I liked about the Nintendo 3DS was the thumbstick.

    A lack of a physical keyboard, and a better controller for games, can be an issue with the iPhone. It certainly was a design problem with BOT (http://photics.com/bot-game-design-and-progress-reports). I'm designing a game specifically with touch controls in mind. The original design had a flaw. A lot of the action would be covered by the player's hand.

    Yet, I don't think it's impossible to create great gaming experiences with just a touch screen. Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope are excellent examples of touch-based gaming. I don't think that could be easily duplicated with a controller.

    What should Apple do about it?

    ...a slide-out controller?
    ...an Apple accessory?

    Doesn't Steve Jobs hate buttons? I thought I read that somewhere.





    wii 2. Wii 2 Rumors: Project
  • Wii 2 Rumors: Project



  • javajedi
    Oct 10, 06:45 PM
    This weekend I'm going to try to vectorize it with the Altivec and make it available for you guys. Frankly I don't know how simple or difficult this will be, but I'm going to look into it. As far as the code itself.. well.. it's very basic. Not only was it not vectorized for the G4, it wasn't vectorized for the P4. If anything the other platforms are at a software disadvatage because it's being ran under Java. The Mac OS X version is native code.

    I think what we have learned from all this is that the G4 has a *REAL* problem with integer and double precision floating point. Ofcourse going to Altivec would bypass these registers and help considerably. But that just goes to show you without Altivec code you are far behind everything else.

    Once again I'll see what I can do about an Altivec version, it should be very intresting indeed.

    EDIT: I should also note that your 500MP didn't benifit from the extra processor, all of the math is being done in the main event loop.





    wii 2. actually be for the Wii 2,
  • actually be for the Wii 2,



  • javajedi
    Oct 11, 12:50 PM
    http://members.ij.net/javajedi

    You're more than welcome to download the Java version, or the Mac OS X native one. When I said C, I really should clarify. It's actually a Cocoa version so the source is a .m objective c file, however the math function itself is from the C library. It's really cool how in objective c you can use regular C :)


    For integer testing:

    int x1,x2,x3;
    for (x1=1; x1<=20000; x1++) {




    wii 2. One-off gold plated Wii for
  • One-off gold plated Wii for



  • Photics
    Apr 9, 11:32 AM
    I do think the market can sustain 4 companies, perhaps even especially the casual market which is significantly larger. I would challenge you to answer why you think the smaller top-end console market can sustain 2 large players, but the broader casual market could not?

    I think the difference here is that Apple represents casual gaming, perhaps on a level that's greater than Nintendo. It was divide and conquer last generation. The "hardcore" players chose between the XBOX 360 and the PlayStation 3, while Nintendo opened a new market with casual gaming.

    Like mentioned in my previous post, Radio survived the invention of the television. Nintendo could survive Apple's entry into gaming. Yet, I think it means harder times for Nintendo. In addition to competing over price, Nintendo has to compete for the player's time.

    With the Internet, free casual games like FarmVille / CityVille, cheap iOS games, cheap Android games... even Microsoft trying to make something happen in Mobile... there are a lot of big guns in this arena.

    I bought Super Mario Bros. Wii and I thought it was a great game. But soon after, having completed every possible objective in the game, I realized that it was expensive. The game just sits idle now... a $40-$50 dust collector. That's basically the overall fate for my Wii. It's not because I'm a casual gamer. It's because I'm tired of spending so much money for such a short entertainment experience.

    While you might look down on the nine games I got for less than $10, I think it's great. I'm more likely to play Fruit Ninja and Tiny Wings than Super Mario Bros Wii. So, for approximately $40 less, I got more entertainment value from my iOS games... and many of these games are being updated. Is Nintendo going to go back and release a patch for the pixelation problem I see in the background of Super Mario Bros Wii?

    I think Apple is better for the gaming industry... and I think the results of future competition will reflect that. I don't see the logic in how Nintendo stays the dominate player in the industry when Apple is making so many smart moves for gaming.

    Game Center... GREAT!
    iTunes App Store games... Awesome for me, as a developer and a consumer
    iPhone 4... awesome!
    Xcode / GameSalad... great!





    wii 2. wii 2 pictures. wii 2
  • wii 2 pictures. wii 2



  • Heavyhitter504
    Mar 18, 11:31 AM
    I actually paid for MyWi and I only use it to tether my iPad. I use it instead of (not in addition to) my iPhone and only when wifi is not available.

    This is what I do, I'm on the "unlimited" plan and I haven't received any text or email regarding the warning about tethering, i hope it's because I dont surpass the 5 gb cap





    wii 2. wii 2. nintendo wii game
  • wii 2. nintendo wii game



  • CorvusCamenarum
    Mar 25, 10:58 AM
    Ah yes, the old, call it a privilege when you try to deny it to a class of people and not a right trick. :rolleyes:

    No, it's a right. The United States continues to violate human rights. Not a new phenomenon, your opinion or how this country is.

    Are you speaking religiously or legally? By law, it is a right. However if the church doesn't want to marry gay couples, that's their own stupid business.

    As marriage is licensed by the state, it is in fact a privilege. The fact that it is near-universally granted doesn't make it any more a right.





    wii 2. Rune Factory: Frontier - WII -
  • Rune Factory: Frontier - WII -



  • SimD
    Apr 12, 10:50 PM
    I know what grading is. Prove to me that this App has no grading capability.

    But you can't prove that it does...

    Color really needs to stay stand alone I feel. If Apple were to merge both, I feel it would be immensely bloated.

    Plus, at least in our case, our primary editing machines don't really have Color setup. Only our colour correction studios.





    wii 2. Nintendo Wii 2 Console:
  • Nintendo Wii 2 Console:



  • matticus008
    Mar 20, 04:59 AM
    It is nice that some folks here feel they know the "law". Look at the world your "law" has created. Look back in history and review what "law" has allowed humans to do to other humans and our planet.

    Personally, I stand for moral relativism every day. It is more important to me that individuals make decisions based on what they feel - individually - are right and wrong. I am glad that some here believe blindly following the "law" keeps them safe both morally and in the eyes of our fine government.

    But let me ask you this... in your soul (if you believe in such things), do you really believe it is "wrong" to purchase a song off the iTMS without DRM? I am all for breaking the "law" as long as you know the consequences.

    As the argument for abortion rights goes; "Against abortion? Don't have one." If you are a Linux sysadmin and do not agree that using this app is "good", then do not use it. And I applaud your efforts to sway people to your logic and world view. But at the end of the day, every person must sleep with themselves and must make up their own minds as to what to do. I am glad that people here care enough to talk about this issue in the hopes of finding where they stand.

    [...]

    Those arguing for the supremacy of "laws" over moral reason simply hide the fact that they are dividing humans from one another. If you choose to abide by a law, do so. But do not confuse your knowledge of what the law states with a morally superior stance.

    It's not "law," it's law. You live in a country, I presume? That means you're bound to the laws of your government, whether you find them morally sound or not. If you don't agree with the laws, renounce your citizenship and start your own community. It's great that you have morals and that they drive you to an understanding of what is acceptable, but your morality does not place you above the law. Law is a common morality imposed to preserve order and protect rights. It's not perfect all the time, but neither is human reasoning (including morality). People cannot make decisions based on their personal beliefs and just what they can do, as this causes the strong to dominate the weak. Basic social theory. Law and governance serve to protect rights and to act as a guardian against actions that harm others. Acting based on the Will to Power will divide the strong from the weak, causing even greater "division" among people. The same reasoning you use for your position can be used against your position--the common logical fallacy of ignorance.

    Do not confuse your personal beliefs with supremacy over the law. If you know the law, know the consequences of breaking the law, and still choose to do so, that's your decision as an individual. You might not think that it was wrong to do what you did, but correctness is not solely up to you. We do not live in a Nietzschean world, and if the government finds you in violation of laws, you must face the consequences. This software is wrong because it breaks laws and furthermore is used to gain something to which you are not entitled (which is wrong, even without the multiple laws saying so).

    People will do what they choose, whether it's right or wrong. Doing the right thing is easy enough. But if it's wrong, they'll attempt to rationalize until they arrive at a way for them to believe it was right, or they'll justify the decision based on a series of other evils/corruptions to cloak the decision in a grey area. Neither changes the reality or frees you from the consequences or potential consequences.





    wii 2. nintendo-kuro-wii-2
  • nintendo-kuro-wii-2



  • econgeek
    Apr 12, 10:40 PM
    All video is native, it sounds like. It ingests, and as it ingests it makes a working copy that you edit with. On output it works with the original. I think they have eliminated (effectively) the distinction between "edit format" and "capture format".

    It sounds like some of the features of motion are built in.

    Live Type and other parts of the suite seem to be built in, from what I can gather.





    wii 2. Wii 2 system mock-up.
  • Wii 2 system mock-up.



  • DakotaGuy
    May 7, 09:23 PM
    I don't understand why someone would stay with AT&T if they are having so many dropped calls. With Verizon offering phones like the Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid it is possible to switch to a more reliable carrier and still have an "iPhone like" experience. I don't see the iPhone coming to Verizon anytime soon. If you really want an iPhone then just get a Touch and get a Verizon Android phone to go with it.

    Of course it is your money, but I would be upset if I was paying my phone bill every month and not getting reliable service.





    wii 2. nintendo wii 2 pictures
  • nintendo wii 2 pictures



  • Macaroony
    Apr 24, 01:34 PM
    I'll support any group (religious or secular) that:

    A: Doesn't try to curtail my freedom and liberty and

    B: Acts as a bulwark against any group which does seek to curtail my freedom and liberty.

    Currently the biggest threat to freedom and democracy is Islam. Call me a bigot or "islamophobe" but that's just burying one's head in the sand. Thus, I support Rational Secularists, Atheists, Agnostics, Israel, Judaism (Orthodox), Christians, and Eastern faiths like Baha'i, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Hindus, etc etc.

    Apologies if I've left anyone out.
    If it weren't a generous attitude I would call it naive. People following the Jewish or the Christian faith to a tee can be just as threatening to everyone's freedom and all-around democracy p just look at your own doorstep. It takes a secular Jew, Christian or even Islamist (of which there are more than you would think) to fit that bill.





    wii 2. wii 2 pictures.
  • wii 2 pictures.



  • peharri
    Sep 20, 09:59 AM
    This is good news. When they announced it, I was pretty convinced they weren't talking about a box that required an additional computer, although USB storage or a dedicated server box seemed likely based upon the absense of evidence for an in-built hard disk.

    So it's actually confirmed it can be used standalone. The missing piece is complete. This is iTunes for the rest of us. For those who don't want cable, who want to be able to subscribe to (and fund) specific TV shows and order movies on demand, this is for you. No computer required. Go home, flop on the couch, and watch what you want. Want something more powerful? Well, it'll integrate with your computers and presumably if someone wants to create devices that export iTunes libraries, like some sort of networked DVR, then it'll work with that too.

    Wonderful. This deserves to be a success.





    wii 2. Nintendo Wii
  • Nintendo Wii



  • sawah
    Mar 18, 08:30 AM
    Poor thing... he doesn't realize napster and limewire are history. Also, once the data hits my device, it's mine to do with as I please. Thank you very much.

    >laughing_girls.jpg.tiff.


    It is yours to do as you please with on YOUR PHONE! Not your computer, or your friends computer. This is why new customers can't get unlimited data anymore.
    When you don't follow the rules, and you get caught, don't get mad.





    wii 2. Brando Wii 2 in 1 Combined
  • Brando Wii 2 in 1 Combined



  • liketom
    Sep 20, 02:09 AM
    to make this work better and for apple to take the number 1 slot of internet download movies - they need an TV ad like the mac/pc ones

    movie trailer then apple text - jack Sparrow+ Apple - download from $12.99 - iTunes store. simple infact i just made one as a looksy

    Apple might also do well in selling the DVD + download for $19.99 - 24.99 as an option.

    they have proved this concept works with the 125k downloads in 1 week now they need to feed people with movies for there iTV device


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFwhVsSDr_4





    wii 2. Nintendo Wii 2 Console:
  • Nintendo Wii 2 Console:



  • Thunderhawks
    Apr 21, 07:24 AM
    Wondering why Android users are on a Mac forum?

    The discussion of who has the better device is useless.

    Whatever works for you is fine. Whatever works for me is fine.

    The day something really good comes out on either platform the media will report it , we will see advertising and we can read reviews and check things out and decide what to buy next.

    Do I feel ghz or chip envy about standby time, camera resolution mp, or app availability?

    Couldn't care less, if my device does what I want it to do.

    So, Android guys, you have the best device if you decide so.

    No need to look at what Apple does. It will come to your device too, just a little later when the copies are ready.





    wii 2. New Wii Game Console System
  • New Wii Game Console System



  • Apple OC
    Mar 11, 01:03 AM
    Watching these Tsunami pictures on CNN ... I hope people will be OK.

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

    Edit ... 2:15am watching it Live on CNN ... unbelievable footage





    GGJstudios
    Apr 14, 03:03 PM
    Stompy, a few posts back somebody mentioned that the OP was later banned. That might explain why he hasn't come back.
    The OP was not banned. Just check the 1st post of this thread to see the OP is still around.





    handsome pete
    Apr 12, 10:54 PM
    Hard to take anyone seriously as a professional who uses Adobe. Avid, sure, but the industry has moved to Final Cut Pro, at least the part of the industry I interface with.

    You calling this Final Cut a "toy" after it was just presented to a room full of professionals who loved it seems odd. Why the need to diminish it when it is clear that if you werent' there, there's much we don't yet know?

    Your quick denigration of Adobe shows how much you don't know about the industry. And as a whole, Final Cut still plays second fiddle to Avid.

    As a Final Cut editor the prospects of this new version are very promising, but I'm still withholding judgment until some more info comes out and I can get my hands on it.





    AhmedFaisal
    Mar 15, 10:41 PM
    Chernobyl was 25 years ago and Russia was not very open to outside help ... no matter how bad this escalades ... somehow this will be contained.

    Irrespective of that, given that the reactor design is not the same as Chernobyl an accident of that sort is simply not possible with these reactor types. Chernobyl was a supercriticality event, a runaway nuclear reaction which is a high risk in a high positive void coefficient design like the RBMK which uses graphite as a moderator and water simply for cooling. Loss of cooling in this design leads to a nuclear explosion due to gas bubbles being less off a neutron absorber than liquid and burning graphite along with it. BWR designs such as the ones in Fukushima can't go supercritical if coolant is lost. Thus an explosion and moderator burn such as the one in Chernobyl can't happen. As such, the worst case is a local loss of containment and core melt that can lead to moderate amounts of radioactivity escaping into the immediate local environment. A widespread contamination over hundreds of square miles is simply not possible. As such, the current news reporting is irresponsible spreading of half baked information and knowledge and nothing but fearmongering.
    The same goes for some of the BS that is being posted about Germany's reactors or other reactors in western Europe for that matter. Western EU countries do not use RBMK type technology or other high positive void coefficient designs, the only ones that still do is the Czech Republic and a few other former Soviet countries and these reactors are being phased out and being replaced by modern LWR and other designs with western aid.





    Lesser Evets
    Apr 28, 07:27 AM
    188% growth... that's impressive.





    jefhatfield
    Oct 12, 08:30 PM
    ya guys lost me way back there, too ;)

    hey, do they use aluminum bats in the majors sometimes;) :p



    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...