This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (50 messages)
>> The real pity in updating textbooks is the need to write out the >> meaning to rewrite something. I've noticed that in other cases. I think it gets worse when someone other than the original author does the revisions. I suppose the revisor has to change things just to…
Nathan, The differences in custom for publishing is understandable, I guess. Publishers usually have a number of authors anxious to be published, whereas computer consultants are generally only writing something because the client wants it badly enough to pay for it. It is customary that a client is given an…
>> within inches of the true position" has very limited meaning to a >> surveyor That's OK, 'cause I'm not a surveyor . The info came from a USGS publication intended for schoolkids, as I recall. I'm sure that it was intended to give a feel for the type of…
Rob, >> relative height difference between 2 points should be computable to >> around 0.5 mm plus 1ppm of the baseline length at the 2drms >> confidence level I think I'm feeling symptoms of future shock . I once read a 1966 revision of "Surveying: Theory and Practice", Davis, Foote…
Jon, Thanks for the info about the Adirondacks. It raised one question at the end: >> "Even though the old surveys were far less accurate than what we'll get >> with GPS, I wonder how they're getting that kind of accuracy with GPS? Maybe they have access to the military…
Nathan, >> trickier questions of copyright law, such as who has reprint rights to >> an article. For software products, it's fairly straightforward. If the author is an independent, he owns the product, even if someone is paying him to write it. If an employee (W2 type), the employer owns…
Don, I thought that was too obvious to mention. Al
Hi, Doug I've made an effort to stay prepared, since our week in the cold after the ice storm, but it's surprising how soon we forget. The first year after, there were an amazing number of electrical generators in people's garages. The second year, there were an amazing number offered…
Doug, I'm not really up on it, but I know there have been quakes within a couple of hendred miles of Rochester, as I recall, on the edge of the Adirondacks near the Canadian border. You're right about the potential for big trouble. In the urban areas, we're fairly well…
Doug, Luckily, the only noticable quake we've had around here in recent years turned out to really be a massive salt mine collapse. It did jiggle the seismographs, though, and fooled some people for a while. Al
Doug, >> Don't be too hard on the "scuzballs Interesting point. Here in NY, it's illegal to raise prices in the wake of a disaster, unless you can prove that it was a "natural" increase you're just passing on the the buyer. Several local merchants were prosecuted after the big…
Doug, With the souped up laser, we could cut the specimen out of the mountain it came in, too. I suspect the power pack is getting a bit heavy at this point. Al
>>don't see where the subtle difference makes or breaks a photograph or design I'm especially embarrassed about fonts. I'm told that each of the thousands has their use, and it's vitally important to use the right ones, but other than a few which strike me as particulary horrible, I usually…
Lanny, I think (and from other feedback here) that most monitors would be close enough. Most people (like me) are not really trained to see differences the way a publisher or graphic artist would. I've heard people complain about horrible gross mismatches that I couldn't even see. Unneccessary precision is…
Lanny, Foxpro's a good package. I think the text form would certainly be good enough for the first version. Once you test the market, you have a better idea of how much resources you want to invest. Al
Doug, >> wonder if somehow it could decide luster also from that scan… Hmmm… There should be enough information there, but you'd have to get so close to the hardware it would probably be different for every brand. A scanner has a lot of stuff not needed, too. I wonder…
>> with GPS data included Lanny, stop that! you're making me drool! Keep me in mind for help on the next round, too. Since it's a public service, I won't even charge my usual exorbitant fees. Al
>> This is a complicated subject! I can believe that!. Do you have any feel for whether the typical monitor (VGA, 1MB video RAM) is "good enough" for the rather fuzzy matching we're talking about here? Al
Lanny, I think most modern computers are fairly good, but even though I'm a computer consultant, this isn't my area of expertise. I used to design logic circuits for Bausch & Lomb – that's where the color-blindness experts are. Maybe we could ask for help from the engineering section? >>…
Lanny, Xbase refers to the Dbase, Rbase, etc bunch of database programs. They are by different publishers but use the same data structures, hence have been lumped into the "X"base category, at least colloquially. >> exporting it as ASCII with a return separating records and a tab >> separating fields…
Hi, John, I thought there was a Pantone program to make monitor colors match the printed page, but I may be thinking of another product. Sort of a WYSIWYG for colors. Al
>> waste too much time fine-tuning RGB slides How about interfacing to a color hand scanner ? Automatic color input. >> I wonder how dependent color display is on monitor choice? It's dependent on both the monitor and the display adapter, but would undoubtedly be good enough for the purpose.…
The nice part is the ability to colormatch on screen, with the program fitting the result into a range of possibilities in the DB. Within the limits of color reproduction on the average screen, of course. OTOH, even that can be calibrated, as I understand it (I think Pantone is…
>> as an Xbase (standard database) file, it could be used with most >> spreadsheet and database programs. Actually, most modern word processors can handle Xbase files, as well, so there isn't a serious tradeoff. But please do make it Xbase. Al
>> most useful item I can think of is "in what place(s), _specifically_ Seconded. Al
>> I can imagine an interface that would let the user set a color >> on-screen, with sliders, and then the program would use the resulting >> RGB value to find matches within a certain range of that value. Nice idea, John! My first inclination was to vote for the…
Thanks, Lanny, I must have missed the list, but I'll get it post-haste. Sometimes I go blind staring at long lists of file descriptions. Al
Ben, Thanks for the weather info. Hmmm-Arizona in Feb, work around to Montana by mid-June. If I win the lottery and don't have to waste time working. Actually, we could schedule our trip in March, the SW is still tolerable then. I'll look for Lanny's book, but will probably have…
Ben, >> Lanny's name could sell some copies, while MY name is likely to do >> nothing at all. Not to belittle Lanny's reputation, but I wonder if it really makes much difference. It's not as if there are hundreds of field guides available to choose from. I know that…
Ben, >> I know of lots of good Montana sites for collecting… Interested? Silly question. I'm sure lots of people are interested. Have you thought about writing them up? There's a serious lack of current field guides – a lot of those on the market are several decades old. BTW,…
Russ, Too far for me to go (from NY), but could you give us a summary after the meeting? Please? Al
Rick, Thank you. Al
#News flash messages
Message #160126
May I make a suggestion? In the news flash items, you have several times recommended reading a particular message number. Could you also indicate what section it's posted to? Many people use off-line readers, and don't read or even quickscan every section. Thanks, Al
>> white carving stone in the Tenn/Kentucky area? Sherry, Sounds like alabaster, which is a form of gypsum. It's nice carving material, and sometimes is found in pink. What kind of info are you looking for? Al
Russ, I think polarized light is used in industry for stress analysis of light-transmitting materials. I've been meaning to build an instrument for polarization testing anyway. I think the idea is roughly to put the sample between 2 polarizers, adjust for minimum transmission, and the stresses show up. Maybe someone…
>> tempering Sorry if I confused everybody – I meant annealing, of course. >> 5 gallon Arrowhead water bottles, it took about 12 hours I can understand that – they contain a lot of glass, and carry a lot of weight. You don't want any stresses. For ordinary laboratory projects…
PMJI, Thanks for an informative discussion. I love opal, but am strictly an amateur cutter. I haven't dared to spend money for really good stuff yet. >> Knowing something about valuation has helped me immensely in deciding >> how to orient and cut particular pieces of rough. One of those…
David, One book I have lists occurrances in Italy, Finland, USSR, Greenland, Canada (on the Labrador Peninsula), California, and South Dakota. I also know that it has been reported in upstate NY. It's usefulness as a gem will depend on many factors, mostly play of color. It's not a highly…
>> dot matrix printer Lanny, Didn't matter for me – I still made mistakes I only saw after printing, it just took a little longer. BTW, I still see new 9-pin printers for sale, in the < $100 range. At that price, there are still uses for them (but not…
>> I see a higher percentage of typos on a page from my laser printer than >> on the screen A universal phenomenon – one of the many derivatives of Murphy's Law . It doesn't have to be a laser printer, any printer will do. Al
Mark, PMJI – >> Details eventually come down to dots per inch. I agree with your main premise, that printed material is far superior for many things, but I think that "dots per inch" is oversimplifying a bit. After all, I can make the apparent dots per inch as much…
>> When it comes to photos, would a CDROM encyclopedia be better than a >> paper one There are, of course, CDROM general encyclopedias on the market. The one I have is Grolier (not a recommendation, I got it "free" and haven't compared with any others). The photos seem acceptable…
>> Herkimer, Little Falls area (Been too many years–can't remember which >> road). Route 28. The town of Fonda also has a fee area, but it closes after this weekend. >> kids area where the kids can pick thru rubble for small crystals I don't think there's a specific area…
>> Cooperstown and Lake George Almost due north of Cooperstown (maybe 25 miles) is the town of Herkimer, which the famous Herkimer "diamonds" are named for. There are two fee sites five miles or so north of Herkimer in the town of Middleville, both on route 28. This is not…
Greetings, >> ARC format for archives makes them accessible to a wider variety of >> computer types True – I remember ARC from the CPM days. They're not all gone yet, either. I have a friend who still boots up his Osborne occasionally, and I'm currently engaged in porting a…
Lapidary & Collecting
Message #143897
Guy, >> There be lapidaries here Glad to hear it. I don't have as much time to pursue the sport as I'd like, but do occasionally cut a rock. I'll probably be posting a question occasionally. I actually spend more time collecting, at least when it's warm enough. Matter of…
Thanks, Tom, I'll go get it.
Jerry, Thanks for the pointer – I'll get it from IBMNEW. >> ARC is still a widespread utility I was a bit surprised to see it – of the dozen or so forums I frequent, several BBS's and lots of commercial and shareware software, this is the only place I've…
#UNARC program
Message #143196
Many of the forum files I might be interested in are in ARC format, but I can't seem to find an unarc program. Is there one in this forum's files? Like most people, I stopped using ARC in favor of PKZIP years ago, and can't find an old copy. Thanks,…
Welcome, new rockhounds
Message #137920
>> We are looking for new participants! Doug, You've found one – or rather I've found you, at last. May I suggest that you get some keywords added to the CIS index (FIND)? I tried rocks, gems, minerals, lapidary, rockhound, and some others with no results (other than finding the…