Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 January 27

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[edit] January 27

[edit] online sex robot

is it possible to make a robot so that two people have sex over the internet here is the plan:

  • woman has penis bot
  • man has vagina bot
  • they have sex with the bots, which collect data about what their doing and then send it to the partner bot that then does what the person did —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.185.129.228 (talk) 01:41, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
Teledildonics. —Steve Summit (talk) 01:46, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
The article doesn't mention it but bear in mind latency is always an issue when you have real time communication devices. For some purposes, e.g. normal vocal communication 500 ms or so latency isn't a big issue. I would imagine it could be an issue in something like this Nil Einne (talk) 15:01, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

it could also be used for game controller! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.185.129.228 (talk) 01:51, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Integer Variables

Hello. In the Turing programming language or maybe other programming languages, why must font variables be assigned as integers? To draw a font in graphics mode, the syntax must be

    var font : int := Font.New ("Arial:10:bold")
    Font.Draw ("Say what you must", x, y, font, black)
    Font.Free (font)

x and y are coordinates where the font is drawn. Thanks in advance. --Mayfare (talk) 02:19, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

It is common for the "font" variable or argument to be either a pointer to a font or an index in an array of fonts. Both pointers and array indexes are commonly represented as integers. -- kainaw™ 03:53, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
More generically than Kainaw's answer, it's common in programming when you have a bunch of things that have no natural order to just number them from 1 to X and refer to them by that number. This is done in real life, too, like when they label menu items with numbers for easy reference. --Sean 13:25, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] pdf creator for Apple

Is there some ready-to-use software for Apple that allows to create pdf files--possibly out of any programs? I'm thinking of something along the lines of pdfcreator, but it seems pdfcreator exists only for Windows. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks for answering (talk) 11:18, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Saving a document as a PDF file --Sean 14:02, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
As the article Sean links to indicates, every "Print" menu in OS X has a "Save as PDF" option on it. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 18:47, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] follow-up: extracting pictures/ graphics from pdf files

And the opposite question: How do I extract pictures, tables etc. from pdf files (using Windows or Apple)? Are there tricks to receive a good resolution? I'd like to use them in a printed document (obviously including proper citations). Thanks! Thanks! Thanks for answering (talk) 15:08, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

"Proper citations" do not change the fact that if you are copying images without permissioin, you are commiting a crime. You must have permission from the copyright holder. - PauliKL (talk) 20:47, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Are screenshots good enough? Command + Shift + 3 for whole screen and Command + Shift + 4 for selection (drag the pointer across the place you want. Apple Mac OS X (mine is 10.4) outputs the image as a PNG on the desktop. Hope that helps.

Regards,

Kushalt 16:11, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I know how to do screenshots, but they're not really the quality I'd need for the document. I assume they'll the best possible way for tables... but is there some trick to extract pictures without such a loss of quality? Thanks for answering (talk) 16:51, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
In the newer versions of Adobe Reader (e.g. Reader 8) you can select the images with the normal select tool and then "Copy Image" by right clicking on it. Then you can paste it into an image editing program at full resolution. Sometimes I've had this not work correctly—it'll paste the image in with a very incorrect aspect ratio—but usually it works. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 18:47, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Authenticated protocols

What are they? Will they ever become universally used? If not why not? If so, when? MrsBucket (talk) 11:22, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I assume this is in reference to the "my first spam" thread above. See E-mail authentication. Another potential defense against spam is Hashcash. -- BenRG (talk) 13:29, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
Basically SMTP-AUTH is like SMTP except that the server requires a password in order to let you send mail through it. With regular SMTP, I can claim to be anyone and usually the server will be fine with that; with SMTP-AUTH, the server makes sure you're actually who you claim to be. Pretty dopey that they never did it that way to begin with, but oh well. Will they ever become universally used? I'd be surprised—aside from being a pain to set up (for reasons I do not understand), in order for their use to be "universal" you'd have to shut down all support for SMTP. I can't imagine how you'd ever implement that at this stage. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 18:52, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] More DIY computer help please!

So I've looked round the web, but am still at a loss; how does one decide how big a PSU is required, I can list the components used if required. MHDIV ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 12:25, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

If you can find enough documentation, you should be able to find the power usage for the major components (the CPU, the graphics adaptor, optical drives, and hard drives). Add these up, then multiply by some handwavy fudge-factor to account for the other stuff, and you're done. It's best to err on the upside (although this will generally make for a louder PSU) rather than underestimating the requirement (which can cause all manner of weird post-boot crashes and reboots). With a built system you can verify that all the power lines are at their requisite levels with a voltmeter - you need to test the system when everything is really cranking (a modern graphics-intensive videogame which cranks the CPU and graphics, and ideally is running the hard drives too); it's a common mistake to test the system at boot (when the CPU and GPU aren't working very hard) and then wondering why the system locks up (due to something undervolting) when its asked to do something heavy. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 12:42, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
Start at 300 Watts and move up from there if you're connecting a lotta stuff. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 13:15, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
Most graphics cards require at least 400 watts, so don't go less than that. Useight (talk) 22:36, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
Graphics cards power dissipation 400W???? I dont think so. --TreeSmiler (talk) 23:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
OK maybe one or 2 do, but most only use about 50W--TreeSmiler (talk) 23:26, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
No, no, I wasn't saying that the graphics card itself uses 400 watts, but if you look at the system requirements on a graphics card box, it will list 400 watts as a mininum and usually 600 watts if you're using SLI. Of course the 400 watts powers the graphics card, motherboard, hard drives, optical drives, PCI cards, and whatever else you have in the machine. Before you add the graphics card, you should be fine with the ~300 watt PSU that came with the PC, but after adding the video card, you'll likely need 400 or more. Useight (talk) 00:02, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
And also beware that the generic brands will probably unable to deliver the full rated wattage for very long time. My generic 400W power supply couldn't take it anymore 2 weeks after I put my 250gig drive in. Now my 430W Thermaltake PSU is doing fine with the new drive, overclocking and a new array of fans. --antilivedT | C | G 23:59, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Short-term broadband?

Does anyone know whether I can get a short-term broadband, with no installation charges, in the UK? I will be between jobs so I only need a connection for a few months, and everything I need is already installed. Most companies seem to require a minimum one year contract plus an installation charge. Thanks.--Shantavira|feed me 19:45, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Freedom2surf do not have a contract (I use them, they are very good but not the cheapest around). I have also looked at The 3-network's mobile-broadband (http://www.three.co.uk/personal/products_services_/mobile_broadband_/index.omp) they do a pay-as-you-go system that is £15 for 3GB and you get a month to use that quota (or 7gig for £25). It uses the mobile-network and gets broadband speeds (though not as quick as landlines). The pay as you go has no contract but you need to buy their dongle-modem which costs £100... I'm moving to that system soon to trial it, see whether it works - because it has the added benefit of letting me take my laptop with me anywhere and as long as I have a mobile-signal I can access the net. The price is a bit high but I don't do a whole lot of 'high Mb' surfing. ny156uk (talk) 22:36, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
You could look at the guide at http://www.thinkbroadband.com for this, as well other information and user feedback on suppliers. You could also try the knowledgable people on the newsgroup uk.telecom.broadband. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 22:40, 27 January 2008 (UTC)