Search Results

Search found 10563 results on 423 pages for 'complex numbers'.

Page 222/423 | < Previous Page | 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229  | Next Page >

• Critical Patch Update For Oracle Fusion Middleware - CPU October 2012

  - by Daniel Mortimer

  The latest Critical Patch Update (CPU) has been released for Oracle products. Start your reading hereCritical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Third Party Bulletin  This is the home page containing links to all "Critical Patch Updates" released to date, along with sections detailing  Security Alerts  Third Party Bulletin Public Vulnerabilities Fixed Policies Reporting Security Vulnerabilities  On this page you will find the link to the Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - October 2012 The advisory lists the support documents that cover the patch availability for all Oracle products. From an Oracle Fusion Middleware perspective, you can cut to the chase by using the links below which take you to the appropriate sections inPatch Set Update and Critical Patch Update October 2012 Availability Document [ID 1477727.1] Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 2  11.1.2.0 Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 11.1.1.4 (Portal,Forms,Reports and Discoverer) 11.1.1.5 11.1.1.6 Oracle Application Server 10g Release 3 10.1.3.5 The #anchor links above should work in Firefox and IE provided you have already logged into My Oracle Support within the same browser session. For some reason, Chrome always takes you to the top of the document :-/ Tip: Error Correction Support for Oracle Identity Management 10g, version 10.1.4.x ended in December 2011. For this reason, there is no section which is specific to this version. However, Error Correction Support remains in place, until end of this year, for the Oracle Identity Management 10.1.4.x components Single Sign On (SSO) Delegated Administration Services (OIDDAS) provided you are using them as part of a Single Sign-On solution (OID 11g + SSO / OIDDAS 10.1.4.3) for a Portal / Forms / Reports and Discoverer 11.1.1.x architecture.    As such there are security related patches available for Fusion Middleware Single Sign On. You will find the patch numbers listed in the sections for 11.1.1.4, 11.1.1.5 and 11.1.1.6 And finally, if you are hit any unexpected errors when applying the CPU patches, check out the known issues documented in these two support documents. Critical Patch Update October 2012 Oracle Fusion Middleware Known Issues (Doc ID 1455408.1) Critical Patch Update October 2012 Database Known Issues (Doc ID 1477865.1)

  Read the article

• What is a Data Warehouse?

  Typically Data Warehouses are considered to be non-volatile in comparison to traditional databasesdue to the fact that data within the warehouse does not change that often.  In addition, Data Warehouses typically represent data through the use of Multidimensional Conceptual Views that allow data to be extracted based on the view and the current position within the view. Common Data Warehouse Traits Relatively Non-volatile Data Supports Data Extraction and Analysis Optimized for Data Retrieval and Analysis Multidimensional Views of Data Flexible Reporting Multi User Support Generic Dimensionality Transparent Accessible Unlimited Dimensions of Data Unlimited Aggregation levels of Data Normally, Data Warehouses are much larger then there traditional database counterparts due to the fact that they store the basis data along with derived data via Multidimensional Conceptual Views. As companies store larger and larger amounts of data, they will need a way to effectively and accurately extract analysis information that can be used to aide in formulating current and future business decisions. This process can be done currently through data mining within a Data Warehouse. Data Warehouses provide access to data derived through complex analysis, knowledge discovery and decision making. Secondly, they support the demands for high performance in regards to analyzing an organization’s existing and current data. Data Warehouses provide support for an organization’s data and acquired business knowledge.  Within a Data Warehouse multiple types of operations/sub systems are supported. Common Data Warehouse Sub Systems Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) Decision –Support Systems (DSS) Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)

  Read the article

• Drawing particles as a smooth blob

  - by Nömmik

  I'm new to game/graphics development and I'm playing around with particles (in 2D). I want to draw particles close to each other as a blob, just as liquid/water. I do not want to draw big circles overlapping as the blob won't be smooth (and too big). I don't really know physics but I assume what I want is something looking similar to surface tension. I haven't been able to find anything on stackexchange or on Google (maybe I do not know the correct keywords?). So far I have found two possible solutions, but I am unable to find any concrete information about algorithms. One of them is to calculate the concave hull of particles I consider being a blob. I can calculate the blob by creating an equivalence class (on the relation "close to each other"). Strangely enough I haven't been able to find any algorithm explaining how to calculate the concave hull. Many posts (and among stackexchange) links to libraries or commercial products that do this (I need libraries to work in C#), but never any algorithm. Also this solution might have a problem with a circle of particles, which would not detect the empty space in the middle. While researching concave hull I stumbled upon something called alpha shapes. Which seems to be exactly what I want to do, however just as with concave hull I haven't found any source explaining how they actually work. I have found some presentation materials but not enough to go on. It's like a big secret everyone knows except me :-/ After calculating the concave hull or alpha shape I want to make it a Bézier curve to make it smooth and nice. Although I do find my approach a bit too complex, maybe I am trying to solve this the wrong way? If you can either suggest any other solution to my problem, or explain the pieces I am missing I would be very happy and grateful :-) Thanks.

  Read the article

• Should I use procedural animation?

  - by user712092

  I have started to make a fantasy 3d fps swordplay game and I want to add animations. I don't want to animate everything by hand because it would take a lot of time, so I decided to use procedural animation. I would certainly use IK (starting with simple reaching an object with hand ...). I also assume procedural generation of animations will make less animations to do by hand (I can blend animations ...). I want also to have a planner for animation which would simplify complex animations; those which can be split to a sequence - run and then jump, jump and then roll - or which are separable - legs running and torso swinging with sword -. I want for example a character to chop a head of a big troll. If troll crouches character would just chop his head off, if it is standing he would climb on a troll. I know that I would have to describe the state ("troll is low", "troll is high", "chop troll head" ..) which would imply what regions animation will be in (if there is a gap between them character would jump), which would imply what places character can have some of legs and hands or would choose an predefined animation. My main goal is simplicity of coding, but I want my game to be looking cool also. Is it worthy to use procedural animation or does it make more troubles that it solves? (there can be lot of twiddling ...) I am using Blender Game Engine (therefore Python for scripting, and Bullet Physics).

  Read the article

• How to Setup Birthday Reminders for Your Facebook Friends in Google Calendar

  - by The Geek

  If you want to keep on top of birthdays for all your Facebook friends, but you don’t want to check Facebook all the time, you can import those birthdays into Google Calendar, where you can then setup reminders. To accomplish this, we’ll use fdCal to pull the calendars from Facebook and then import them. Read on to know about how you can get this accomplished in a matter of a few minutes. Editor’s Note: of course, if you just want to get an email when your Facebook friends have a birthday coming up, Facebook has that feature under Account Settings –> Notifications. If you want to consolidate everything into Google Calendar, this also works. This is a guest post by Shankar Ganesh. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? How To Make Hundreds of Complex Photo Edits in Seconds With Photoshop Actions How to Enable User-Specific Wireless Networks in Windows 7 DriveSafe.ly Reads Your Text Messages Aloud The Likability of Angry Birds [Infographic] Dim an Overly Bright Alarm Clock with a Binder Divider Preliminary List of Keyboard Shortcuts for Unity Now Available Bring a Touch of the Wild West to Your Desktop with the Rango Theme for Windows 7 Manage Your Favorite Social Accounts in Chrome and Iron with Seesmic

  Read the article

• The How-To Geek Video Guide to Using Windows 7 Speech Recognition

  - by YatriTrivedi

  Ever get the desire to control your computer, Star Trek-style? With Windows 7’s Speech Recognition, it’s easier than you might think. Microsoft has been working on its voice command steadily over the years. XP introduced it, Vista smoothed it, and 7 has it polished. It’s strangely not advertised as a feature, even though other voice command and speech recognition programs are hundreds of dollars. It may not be as perfect as some of them, but there’s definitely something amazing about vocally telling your computer to do things and it actually working Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How To Create Your Own Custom ASCII Art from Any Image How To Process Camera Raw Without Paying for Adobe Photoshop How Do You Block Annoying Text Message (SMS) Spam? How to Use and Master the Notoriously Difficult Pen Tool in Photoshop HTG Explains: What Are the Differences Between All Those Audio Formats? How To Use Layer Masks and Vector Masks to Remove Complex Backgrounds in Photoshop Bring Summer Back to Your Desktop with the LandscapeTheme for Chrome and Iron The Prospector – Home Dash Extension Creates a Whole New Browsing Experience in Firefox KinEmote Links Kinect to Windows Why Nobody Reads Web Site Privacy Policies [Infographic] Asian Temple in the Snow Wallpaper 10 Weird Gaming Records from the Guinness Book

  Read the article

• How do I choose the scaling factor of a 3D game world?

  - by concept3d

  I am making a 3D tank game prototype with some physics simulation, am using C++. One of the decisions I need to make is the scale of the game world in relation to reality. For example, I could consider 1 in-game unit of measurement to correspond to 1 meter in reality. This feels intuitive, but I feel like I might be missing something. I can think of the following as potential problems: 3D modelling program compatibility. (?) Numerical accuracy. (Does this matter?) Especially at large scales, how games like Battlefield have huge maps: How don't they lose numerical accuracy if they use 1:1 mapping with real world scale, since floating point representation tend to lose more precision with larger numbers (e.g. with ray casting, physics simulation)? Gameplay. I don't want the movement of units to feel slow or fast while using almost real world values like -9.8 m/s^2 for gravity. (This might be subjective.) Is it ok to scale up/down imported assets or it's best fit with a world with its original scale? Rendering performance. Are large meshes with the same vertex count slower to render? I'm wondering if I should split this into multiple questions...

  Read the article

• How to number nested ordered lists.

  - by Wes

  Is there any way through CSS to style nested ordered lists to display sub numbers? The idea is similar to using heading levels. However what I'd really like to see is the following. Note each of these subsections has text not just a title. This isn't a real example just some organisational stuff. Now I know I can use <h1>-<h6> but nested lists would be much clearer and allow for different indentation styling. Also it would be symentically correct. Note I don't think that <h1>-<h6> are correct in many ways as the name doesn't apply to the whole section. 1 Introduction. 1.1 Scope Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah 1.2 Purpose Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah 2 Cars Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah 2.1 engines sub Blah Blah Blah sub Blah Blah Blah 2.2 Wheels ... ... 2.10.21 hub caps sub-sub Blah Blah Blah sub-sub Blah Blah Blah 2.10.21.1 hub cap paint sub-sub-sub Blah Blah Blah sub-sub-sub Blah Blah Blah 3 Planes 3.1 Commercial Airlines. ... ... 212 Glossary

  Read the article

• Oracle Inroduces a New Line of Defense for Databases

  - by roxana.bradescu

  Today at the 2011 RSA Conference, we announced the immediate availability of our new Oracle Database Firewall, the latest addition to a comprehensive portfolio of database security solutions. Oracle Database Firewall is a network-based software solution that monitors database traffic, and can detect and block SQL injection and other attacks from reaching Oracle and non-Oracle databases. According to the 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, SQL injection attacks against databases are responsible for 89% of all breached data. SQL injection attacks are a technique for controlling responses from the database server through applications. This attack exploits the inherent trust between application layer and the back-end database. Previously the only way organizations had to safeguard against SQL injection attacks was a complete overhaul of their application code. Obviously a very costly, complex, and often impossible undertaking for most organizations. Enter the new Oracle Database Firewall. It can help prevent SQL injection attacks by establishing a defensive perimeter around your databases. The Oracle Database Firewall uses an innovative SQL grammar analysis to inspect the database traffic against pre-defined policies. Normal expected traffic is allowed to pass (and can be optionally logged to demonstrate regulatory compliance), ensuring no false positives or disruption to your business. SQL statements that are explicitly forbidden or unknown SQL statements can either pass, be logged, alert, block or be substitute with pre-defined SQL statements. Being able to substitute an unknown potentially harmful SQL statement with a harmless statement is especially powerful since it foils an attack while allowing the application to operate normally and preventing DoS attacks. So, if you're at RSA, stop by our booth or attend the session with Steve Moyle, Oracle Database Firewall CTO. Or if you want to learn more immediately, please watch our on-demand webcast and download the new Oracle Database Firewall Resource Kit with everything you need to get started today.

  Read the article

• Data Networks Visualized via Light Paintings [Video]

  - by ETC

  All around you are wireless data networks: cellular networks, Wi-Fi networks, a world of wireless communication. Check out this awesome video of network signals mapped over a cityscape. What would happen if you made a device that allowed you to map signal strength onto film? In the following video electronics tinkerers craft an LED meter and use it to paint onto long exposure photographs with phenomenal results. Immaterials: light painting Wi-Fi [via Make] Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? How To Make Hundreds of Complex Photo Edits in Seconds With Photoshop Actions Add a “Textmate Style” Lightweight Text Editor with Dropbox Syncing to Chrome and Iron Is the Forcefield Really On or Not? [Star Wars Parody Video] Google Updates Picasa Web Albums; Emphasis on Sharing and Showcasing Uwall.tv Turns YouTube into a Video Jukebox Early Morning Sunrise at the Beach Wallpaper Data Networks Visualized via Light Paintings [Video]

  Read the article

• JQuery / JSON + .Net Service Layer - to WCF or Not to WCF?

  - by hanzolo

  I Recently had a discussion with a colleague of mine about the pros / cons of WCF. He mentioned about how much code is generated to support WCF, and also the overhead required. It was mentioned that a simple jQuery /Ajax post to a .aspx page (or a handler for that matter) that returns JSON would work more efficiently and takes much less code to implement. I am also aware of the new WCF Web API and feel that technology may solve the "bloated"-ness required in attaining a proxy etc... by just outputting JSON. So when developing a relational DB (MSSQL) storage model, with a fairly complex Business Layer (C#) and Data Access Layer (EntityFW).. what's a good technology for creating a "service layer" which will spit out View Models represented in JSON, with a CQRS(Command Query..) approach in mind.. The app would use the service layer to support it's required UI, as well as provide an available subset of services (outputting JSON data) for service subscribers.. In other words an admin panel to support the admin UI, and service endpoints that return JSON to access the configurations made from the administration UI. What are some potential technologies to use as the transport / communication layer. I'd like to use a pure RESTful approach, but am not against doing some URL rewriting with IIS. Obviously some of the available technologies are: WCF WCF Web API (should this even be separate?) Straight request / response (query string to .aspx / handler) Would using MVC .Net solve this entire problem? maybe their single page app approach? any suggestions / feedback from developing this type of application? Thanks,

  Read the article

• How to manage a developer who has poor communication skills

  - by djcredo

  I manage a small team of developers on an application which is in the mid-point of its lifecycle, within a big firm. This unfortunately means there is commonly a 30/70 split of Programming tasks to "other technical work". This work includes: Working with DBA / Unix / Network / Loadbalancer teams on various tasks Placing & managing orders for hardware or infrastructure in different regions Running tests that have not yet been migrated to CI Analysis Support / Investigation Its fair to say that the Developers would all prefer to be coding, rather than doing these more mundane tasks, so I try to hand out the fun programming jobs evenly amongst the team. Most of the team was hired because, though they may not have the elite programming skills to write their own compiler / game engine / high-frequency trading system etc., they are good communicators who "can get stuff done", work with other teams, and somewhat navigate the complex beaurocracy here. They are good developers, but they are also good all-round technical staff. However, one member of the team probably has above-average coding skills, but below-average communication skills. Traditionally, the previous Development Manager tended to give him the Programming tasks and not the more mundane tasks listed above. However, I don't feel that this is fair to the rest of the team, who have shown an aptitute for developing a well-rounded skillset that is commonly required in a big-business IT department. What should I do in this situation? If I continue to give him more programming work, I know that it will be done faster (and conversly, I would expect him to complete the other work slower). But it goes against my principles, and promotes the idea that you can carve out a "comfortable niche" for yourself simply by being bad at the tasks you don't like.

  Read the article

• SQLAuthority News – 6th Anniversary and 50 Million Views and Over 2300 Blog Posts – Thank You Thank You

  - by pinaldave

  Six years ago, I started this SQLAuthority.com blog. There are so many things I want to say today – it is very very emotional. Instead of writing long I am including few images and cartoons. Last month we have also reached 50 Million Total Views on this blog. Here is the screen captured at that time. Click Image to Enlarge In 6 years there are total 2192 days (including 2 leap year day) and my total blog post count is 2300. That means I have been blogging more than 1 blog post every day. Here is the quick glance to all the numbers. Here you can find the list of all the 2300 blog posts. I am very glad to see my many of the friends stay in USA, India, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia in that order. You can see the geographic distribution of the support I receive on the blog from worldwide. On this day I would like to call out one 2 individuals who contribute equally or more in my success. When I started this blog 6 years ago, I was walking alone. After 2 years my wife Nupur joined my journey and 3 years later my daughter Shaivi joined the journey. Here is the example of the common conversation among us almost every day - Shaivi: Daddy, play catch-catch. Nupur: Shaivi, daddy will play with you once he finishes tomorrow’s blog. Shaivi: Daddy, Finish Blog. Okey. I play catch-catch (alone). SQLAuthority Family Well, thank you very much! We all love you! Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: About Me, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

  Read the article

• How to evaluate a user against optimal performance?

  - by Alex K

  I have trouble coming up with a system of assigning a rating to player's performance. Well, technically there is is a trivial rating system, but I don't like it because it would mean assigning negative scores, which I think most players will be discouraged by. The problem is that I only know the ideal number of actions to get the desired result. The worst case is infinite number of actions, so there is no obvious scale. The trivial way I referred to above is to take score = (#optimal-moves - #players-moves), with ideal score being zero. However, psychologically people like big numbers. No one wants to win by getting a mark of 0. I wonder if there is a system that someone else has come up with before to solve this problem? Essentially I wish to score the players based on: How close they've come to the ideal solution. Different challenges will have different optimal number of actions, so the scoring system needs to take that into account, e.g. Challenge 1 - max 10 points, Challenge 2 - max 20 points. I don't mind giving the players negative scores if they've performed exceptionally badly, I just don't want all scores to be <=0

  Read the article

• What You Said: Malware Fighting Tips and Tricks

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite malware fighting tricks. Now we’re back to highlight some of the tips and tricks you shared. Our Ask the Readers series gives our awesome and technologically literate readers a chance to show off their know-how. Today we’re rounding up some of the tips and tricks from Wednesday’s Ask the Reader post What Are Your Best Malware Fighting Tricks and highlighting them here. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? How To Make Hundreds of Complex Photo Edits in Seconds With Photoshop Actions Awesome 10 Meter Curved Touchscreen at the University of Groningen [Video] TV Antenna Helper Makes HDTV Antenna Calibration a Snap Turn a Green Laser into a Microscope Projector [Science] The Open Road Awaits [Wallpaper] N64oid Brings N64 Emulation to Android Devices Super-Charge GIMP’s Image Editing Capabilities with G’MIC [Cross-Platform]

  Read the article

• I'm tasked with leading the documentation effort for an existing, entirely undocumented, software product - what resources are there to help me?

  - by Ben Rose

  I'm a software developer at a technology company. I have been tasked with leading the documentation effort for the product I work on. The goal is to produce documentation internal to developer, and the project spills over into the business side, where it covers requirements documentation. This project is challenging. Specifically, I'm dealing with a product which: - has been around for a long time, at least 6 years. - has no form of documentation other than some small, outdated pieces here and there. - has comments in the code, but they are technical and do not convey any over-arching behavior (even on technical side). - as a consequence of having little to no documentation, is often unnecessarily complex under the covers In addition, we have not been given a lot of time to work on this project. I do not have any formal documentation or writing background, training, or experience. I have displayed some ability in writing/communication around the office, which may be why I was assigned to this project. Please share your advice or recommendation for resources to help me prepare and deal with this project. I'm looking for references to books/website/forums/whatever, to help me come up with the design of a plan with milestones, learn about best practices, task delegation, templates, buy-in, etc. I'm hoping specifically for resources targeting or giving special mention of introducing good documentation to existing, undocumented, projects. I would be very grateful for your responses. Ben

  Read the article

• Rhino Mocks, AssertWasCalled with Arg Constraint on array parameter

  - by Etienne Giust

  Today, I had a hard time unit testing a function to make sure a Method with some array parameters was called. Method to be called : void AddUsersToRoles(string[] usernames, string[] roleNames);   I had previously used Arg<T>.Matches on complex types in other unit tests, but for some reason I was unable to find out how to apply the same logic with an array of strings.   It is actually quite simple to do, T really is a string[], so we use Arg<string[]>. As for the Matching part, a ToList() allows us to leverage the lambda expression.   sut.PermissionServices.AssertWasCalled(                 l => l.AddUsersToRoles(                     Arg<string[]>.Matches(a => a.ToList().First() == UserId.ToString())                     ,Arg<string[]>.Matches(a => a.ToList().First() == expectedRole1 && a.ToList()[1] == expectedRole2)                     )                     );   Of course, iw we expect an array with 2 or more values, the math would be something like : a => a.ToList()[0] == value1 && a.ToList()[1] == value2    … etc.

  Read the article

• Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET

  - by Eric Z Goodnight

  Brightness and Contrast tools are for beginners! Ever wondered what graphics programs offer advanced users to ensure their photographs have a great value range? Read on to learn about Levels, Curves, and Histograms in three major programs. Curves and Levels are not as intuitive as the more basic Brightness and Contrast sliders Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET all share. However, they offer a great deal more control over images that professionals and skilled image editors will demand. Combine these tools with a knowledge of how basic histograms work, and you’ll be well on your way to editing contrast like a pro! Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? How To Make Hundreds of Complex Photo Edits in Seconds With Photoshop Actions Add a “Textmate Style” Lightweight Text Editor with Dropbox Syncing to Chrome and Iron Is the Forcefield Really On or Not? [Star Wars Parody Video] Google Updates Picasa Web Albums; Emphasis on Sharing and Showcasing Uwall.tv Turns YouTube into a Video Jukebox Early Morning Sunrise at the Beach Wallpaper Data Networks Visualized via Light Paintings [Video]

  Read the article

• Continual Professional Development - proving new skills to non-technical employers

  - by Tom

  Background I work in a non-IT based company, as a professional software developer, building a large scale internal database system. I am fortunate to have a fairly senior position within the company, and have been working here for around 4 years. Often I get asked by management "how do you learn new things?". To be honest, I don't know how to answer this. Over the last 6 months, I've really gotten my teeth into some new techniques and technologies to make my level of coding far better and hopefully improve the quality of the software. Even if it's just refreshing my skills on things I've learnt already. Like last week I dived into some complex XLinq and TPL code (.net). Nothing revolutionary, but I feel like I am a bit better than before. Question The question is, how do I prove this to my employer? It'd be nice to be able to put this on paper. Possibilities I could: Keep a journal of what I've learnt - keeping the technical bits in (nobody would understand or care, but it's better than them being omitted) ???? (I've run out of ideas already) Any ideas? Thanks, Tom

  Read the article

• 2-D Codes in Retail

  - by David Dorf

  The UPC you find on packaging is a one-dimensional barcode that's been in use, in one form or another, since the 1970s. While its a good symbology to encode numbers like a product identifier, its not really big enough to hold much more. It also requires a barcode scanner (like those connected to the POS), although iPhone apps like RedLaser have proved a mobile camera can be made to work in many situations. The next generation barcodes are two-dimensional and therefore capable of holding much more information as well as being more conducive to cameras. The most popular format is the QR Code, widely used in Japan because almost every mobile phone has a built-in reader. A typical use for QR Codes is to embed a URL so that that a mobile phone can quickly navigate to the specified web page. QR Codes can be found on posters, billboards, catalogs, and circulars. Speaking of which, Best Buy recently put a QR code in their circular as shown below. If fact, they even updated their iPhone application to include a QR Code reader. I was able to scan the barcode above right from the screen with my iPhone without issues, even though its fairly small in this image. Clearly they are planning to incorporate more QR Codes in their stores and advertising. If you haven't seen QR Codes before, you're not looking hard enough. They are around and will continue to spread.

  Read the article

• SMART Status Data Interpretation - Disk Utility

  - by Mah

  Last week my external harddisk (Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB in a custom enclosure) showed signs of failure (Disk Utility SMART Pre-failure status - several bad sectors) and I decided to change it. I bought a new HDD (Seagate Barracuda 2TB) and connected it to my Ubuntu box with a SATA to USB cable that could not report SMART status. I copied all the contents of the old HDD to the new HDD (one partition with rsync, the other with parted cp) and then gently replaced the old HDD with the new one inside my aluminum enclosure. For obscure reasons after reconnecting the new HDD through the old enclosure, the Linux box could not detect my partitions. I recovered the partitions with testdisk and restarted the computer. After the restart I checked the SMART status of the new HDD an I get this: Read Error Rate --------------- Normalized 108 Worst 99 Threshold 6 Value 16737944 I got a high value on the Seek Error Rate as well. Wondering why this happens I copied 2 GB directory from one partition to the other and rechecked the SMART status (5 minutes later). This time I got the following: Read Error Rate --------------- Normalized 109 Worst 99 Threshold 6 Value 24792504 As you see there has been an increase in the error rate. I am unable to interpret these numbers. Is my new hard disk already dying? What are the acceptable values in these fields for Seagate hard disks? Then why the assessment is still good? While I could get temperature and airflow temperature data from my old HDD, I can not fetch them for the new one. I noticed that my old hdd had got really hot sometimes. Is it possible that the enclosure is killing the harddisks due to high temperature?... Thanks

  Read the article

• Decoupling software components via naming convention

  - by csteinmueller

  I'm currently evaluating alternatives to refactor a drivermanagement. In my multitier architecture I have Baseclass DAL.Device //my entity Interfaces BL.IDriver //handles the dataprocessing between application and device BL.IDriverCreator //creates an IDriver from a Device BL.IDriverFactory //handles the driver creation requests Every specialization of Device has a corresponding IDriver implementation and a corresponding IDriverCreator implementation. At the moment the mapping is fix via a type check within the business layer / DriverFactory. That means every new driver needs a) changing code within the DriverFactory and b) referencing the new IDriver implementation / assembly. On a customers point of view that means, every new driver, used or not, needs a complex revalidation of their hardware environment, because it's a critical process. My first inspiration was to use a caliburn micro like nameconvention see Caliburn.Micro: Xaml Made Easy BL.RestDriver BL.RestDriverCreator DAL.RestDevice After receiving the RestDevicewithin the IDriverFactory I can load all driver dlls via reflection and do a namesplitting/comparing (extracting the xx from xxDriverCreator and xxDevice) Another idea would be a custom attribute (which also leads to comparing strings). My question: is that a good approach above layer borders? If not, what would be a good approach?

  Read the article

• Reader Poll: Are You Going to Buy the New iPad 2?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 moments ago which will touch off a flurry of new purchases, upgrades, and general Apple-centric muttering and fist shaking. Will you be buying an iPad 2? Photo courtesy of Endgadget’s liveblog coverage of the iPad 2 launch. The first iPad sales exceeded everyones expectations, Apple fans and detractors alike, with a crazy 15 million units moved last year. The new iPad rocks a dual-core processor, a front and rear-facing camera, improved graphics, and a razor thinness (33% thinner than the current model), among other improvements. Are the improvements enough to entice you into buying one? Hit up the poll below to log your vote and then fill in the details in the comments. How-To Geek Polls require Javascript. Please Click Here to View the Poll. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? How To Make Hundreds of Complex Photo Edits in Seconds With Photoshop Actions Add a “Textmate Style” Lightweight Text Editor with Dropbox Syncing to Chrome and Iron Is the Forcefield Really On or Not? [Star Wars Parody Video] Google Updates Picasa Web Albums; Emphasis on Sharing and Showcasing Uwall.tv Turns YouTube into a Video Jukebox Early Morning Sunrise at the Beach Wallpaper Data Networks Visualized via Light Paintings [Video]

  Read the article

• Reading source code to learn

  - by perl.j

  As you develop as a programmer, IMO, you begin to see different practices, different Algorithms, and "more than one way to do it". Seeing this code can be a great learning experience for you, even though you did not write the code. But is doing this only going to confuse you? For example, let's say you have a library in any language that was created by a colleague, and you have been using it for a while. You decide to look at the actual source code, regardless of how extensive it is, and get a better look at how this library is written. For the sake of example, the function you use most often from this library is the max function, which finds the largest of two numbers. But this function is a lot more complicated than it needs to be. The way it is written is confusing the heck out of you, and you don't know how this works. Will this make you a better programmer, because you realize how complicated it is for such a simple function, or will it make you a worse coder because you feel less confidant? So my question, in general, is does reading source code make you a better programmer and if so how? If not why do people still do it?.

  Read the article

• Does Unity's "Transparent Bumped Specular" translate to "semi-shiny must be semi-transparent"?

  - by Shivan Dragon

  Unity's documentation for the "Transparent Bumped Specular" shader/material-type is simply a concatenation of each of the descriptions for its Transparent and Specular Shaders (and also Bumped, but that doesn't apply to the question): Transparent Properties This shader can make mesh geometry partially or fully transparent by reading the alpha channel of the main texture. In the alpha, 0 (black) is completely transparent while 255 (white) is completely opaque. If your main texture does not have an alpha channel, the object will appear completely opaque. (...) Specular Properties (...) Additionally, the alpha channel of the main texture acts as a Specular Map (sometimes called "gloss map"), defining which areas of the object are more reflective than others. Black areas of the alpha will be zero specular reflection, while white areas will be full specular reflection. To me this translates to: I have a mesh representig a car tire The texture need to be very shiny on the rims parts, and almost not shiny at all for the rubber parts Also since the rim is really complex, (with like cut-out decoretions and such), I will not build that into the mesh, but fake it with transparency in the texture I can't do all this using Unity's "Transparent Bumped Specular" shader, because the "rubber" part of the texture will become semi transparent due to me painting the alpha channel dark-grey (because I want it to also be less shiny). Is this correct? If not, how can I make this work?

  Read the article

< Previous Page | 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229  | Next Page >