Somewhat Useful Facts Thread

[Armondikov]

Edit: Ok, and another one. You used to be able to put folder shortcuts in the quick launch in WinXP, which you can't in Win7. However, presumably most people have a windows explorer icon there. Apparently if you drag a folder to the taskbar, it does pin it, but it pins it "inside the windows explorer icon". In order to see it, you have to right click it instead of left clicking it.

It appears I've either done that accidentally, or it automatically puts the most commonly used folders there as right-clicking windows explorer has brought up a wide range of folders that I've been using a lot such as my photoshop file and the misc file for lightwave; both of which are miles apart in the directory structure so it's not like it's just showing the My Docs.

Here are some more. Win+Tab on Windows 7 rocks! (but I'm easily pleased)
http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/key/

EDIT: Oh, and I quite like how the desktop sort of "acts like" a window so is accessible from the tab short-cuts.

[Senator]

1 EUR = 0.92 GBP :3

[captain_obvious]

1 EUR = 0.92 GBP :3

Is no good!

The Mk2 VW golf was available from 1984 until 1992 (with some stragglers still being available until early 1993)

[Senator]

...didn't we use to have a cool technology thread or something? Anyway.

Intel Lightpeak. If, they do this right, (aka, not Firewire style), it's going to be awesome. And it's actually very close to being done ("shipping in 2010").

Basically, it is the USB idea, using optical fiber cables.
However even the initial version of it would have such a giganormous bandwidth (10gb/s and up), that you'd pretty much not need another cable.

So it could replace all USB cables. But it could also replace all HDMI, DVI, AVG and such cables. And even SATA and eSATA cables.
So you could finally have a case, that has only one type of ports on it and you would need just one type of cable to connect everything.
And they have already thought to include a copper wire along it, so devices like mobile phones / external hard disks would still charge / work.
(Power is something which you don't care how fast it arrives, as long as it does)

And because it would be fiber optics (light), it would have no electromagnetic interference and less degradation/distance, and you could have ultra long cables. Someone could have his motherboard on the basement, his hard disks on the first floor, and the display on the third, and the communication times between them would still be smaller than 1inch electric cables.

Oh, and Star Trek is proven right once again.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Optical_data_network

[Lionus]

Uh.. who charges a phone through USB port?  :wtf They do have their own, separate chargers..

[limey BSc.]

Uh.. who charges a phone through USB port?  :wtf They do have their own, separate chargers..

*Puts up hand* For a while (while I was working in London) I left my normal charger there and charged purely through the USB cable at home. I also charge my iPod purely through USB.

[Lionus]

Each to their own, i guess.. but back on topic.

During childbirth, the uterus exerts 100 to 400 N (25 to 100 lbf) of downward force with each contraction.

[Armondikov]

Today is International Blasphemy Day.  :evil

[Armondikov]

So given that today is International Blasphemy Day, I'd like to point out that both Picard and Kirk suck balls, Janeway is the man.

[Lionus]

well, she has bigger balls than either of them. just how many times did she actually blow up Voyager when you count the phase fluctuations, temporal distortions and alternate timelines/universes?

[Armondikov]

well, she has bigger balls than either of them. just how many times did she actually blow up Voyager when you count the phase fluctuations, temporal distortions and alternate timelines/universes?

Yeah, "self-destruct is a last resort" my arse. I blame the narrativium.


Both e^ix and cos x + i sin x are solutions to the first order ODE dy/dx = iy with initial condition y(0)=1. Since f(y) = iy is Lipschitz-continuous in y, any solution to the above system must be unique by the Picard?Lindel?f theorem. Therefore e^ix = cos x + i sin x. QED.

[Senator]

The "Kettering Bug", something like a WWI cruise missile, which actually makes it a flying bomb way before the V1. (Except that it got canceled before seeing any action)

Of cource, being long before ENIAC, its "flight computer" was clockwork. Basically setting a "distance" (which it would judge by counting revolutions of the propeller) and "direction" (which it would, kind of, follow using a gyroscope) before it dropped.

[JimmyB76]

until 1857, any foreign coins made of precious metal were legal tender in the United States...

[Senator]

Humanity is gloriously fighting against the Grey bases in the moon. Homo Sapiens Eternalis! Hoorah!

...err.

What I meant is that NASA is sending a probe to the moon to do science to it. And with science, I mean, hit it hard and watch what happens.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/overview/index.html

[Armondikov]

It's interesting that there are some groups protesting that on account of such an impact "hurting" the moon without permission from it. Odd spiritualist nutters driving my Poe's Law sense into a frenzy...

[Senator]

Grey sympathizers.

[Nebula]

Humanity is gloriously fighting against the Grey bases in the moon. Homo Sapiens Eternalis! Hoorah!

...err.

What I meant is that NASA is sending a probe to the moon to do science to it. And with science, I mean, hit it hard and watch what happens.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/overview/index.html

I watched the whole thing live... it was cool though we will get better images and data hours from now.

[captain_obvious]

Humanity is gloriously fighting against the Grey bases in the moon. Homo Sapiens Eternalis! Hoorah!

...err.

What I meant is that NASA is sending a probe to the moon to do science to it. And with science, I mean, hit it hard and watch what happens.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/overview/index.html

I watched the whole thing live... it was cool though we will get better images and data hours from now.

I missed it. DAMNED SHITTY ARMY INTERNET CONNECTION!!!!!! :FURY:

[Armondikov]

Grey sympathizers.

I dug up the link as someone elsewhere was asking for it and I figured it was relevant. I also highly recommend the BBC's coverage of the impact, their flash-based diagrams of it are quite shiny.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2912-Seattle-Exopolitics-Examiner~y2009m6d19-NASA-moon-bombing-violates-space-law--may-cause-conflict-with-lunar-extraterrestrial-civilizations

[Senator]

A pretty blue iceberg: