An “Elmer” is the guy you go to, to ask questions about topics in Ham
Radio that you don't’understand. In that vein, you know it's’time for you
to find an Elmer if...
*Your friend tells you he has a new two meter radio and you figure
one of the meters must be for swr and the other for power out.
*You hear a conversation on the low bands about CW and you think they'r’
referring to the cold war.
*You hear someone sign with “this is N8XXX, mobile 4,” and you think
it's’because he has three other radios.
*You hear that someone won a 40 meter radio at a hamfest and you wonder
how they're going to get something that large in their house.
*You build a Morse code key out of Plexiglas and can't figure out why
it won't key your radio.
*You think the difference between short wave and long wave is the speed
at which you move your wrist back and forth.
*You're thinking about joining your other ham friends in the local
ATV group because you own a four wheel drive vehicle that will go just
about anywhere.
*You won't use a repeater because you've heard that using a repeater
could be dangerous. You've heard an alligator could get you.
*You think a collinear antenna can only be used with two amplifiers.
*You think FM is the modulation type that came after EM, DM, CM, BM,
and AM.
*You wouldn't mind getting into Packet Radio but no matter how much
you practice you can't get the hang of sending those beeps and braps with
your keyer.
*You wonder what sound a short wave makes and why anyone would want
to listen to one.
*You think the repeater owner would be a lot happier if instead of
talking about his cavities he just went to the dentist and got them filled.
*You think a CW ID is the number the Army gave you on your dog tags
during the cold war.
"We're
more than just a radio club, we're Family!"
A potentially serious flaw discovered in the Pentium microprocessor can be fixed, Intel Corp. says, by using software, but it could take a while for Intel to distribute the patch to customers. Reporting from Santa Clara, California, the Reuter News Service says the flaw would let a malicious programmer send an illegal command to the Pentium chip that would freeze the operations of the personal computer or network server.
"The flaw appears in the original Pentium and Pentium with MMX, two of the most popular chips in the world," Reuters notes. "It does not appear in the newer Pentium II."
Intel says it found a software solution to block exploitation of the flaw and is working with major software vendors, such as Microsoft Corp., to implement the fix in various operating system software.
"An Intel spokesman said a specific timeline is not available because there are at least eight operating systems on the market, and delivery of the fix would vary from company to company," says Reuters. Meanwhile, Intel told the wire service the flaw would not occur in everyday use of personal computers. Instead, a programmer would have to intentionally issue a specific command to the Pentium, which would "crash" the system. The machine would have to be turned off and back on to recoverfrom the crash.
Scientists at Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs have come up with a transistor that is five times faster and one-fourth the size of conventional models.
The tiny transistor -- about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair -- is also a power miser, consuming between 60 and 160 times less power than transistors currently in use.
Lucent Technologies has not said when the new technology will become commercially available, but industry experts project such transistors to be standard by the year 2010.
Tnx: The Wall Street Journal
Associated Press & Hudson Division Loop