Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
On 11/09/10 19:35, Andrew Morgan wrote: Now lets get rid of all this spying technology and start treating each other like humans. A noble thought Andrew, but it is precisely because of human nature that we find ourselves in this state. There are humans out there who put precisely zero value on your peace of mind or your physical safety. When those people start to play nice with the rest of us I guess the need for physical and technological policing will be much reduced and we will all live in a much safer society. And whilst I don't like the idea of being spied on by the state or by my peers, I do appreciate that in order to cost-effectively police this country technology has been introduced in pretty much the same way it has throughout every other industry. There may indeed be a better way of doing it, but pulling the plug on every camera over night is unlikely to achieve that. Look at the county where the police, in a recent (admittedly political) move, did precisely that with their speed cameras. There was an immediate increase in speeding offences. I accept many of the arguments about the potential for abuse of camera technology, databases and biometrics, but rarely do I hear anyone state that they have suffered directly as a result of that sort of thing. Almost always, in my personal experience, the people most vocal in this debate eventually reveal that they were ticketed for doing 40 in a 30 zone, and then go on to complain about the cameras being revenue generators for the county, deviously placed, etc. And sadly, in another indictment of human nature, I suspect that hard-hitting TV commercials educating folks to the dangers of speeding have far less effect on the numbers speeding than the fear of punishment. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:25:00 +0100, Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk wrote: precisely zero value on your peace of mind or your physical safety I'll admit I speed at times. This doesn't mean I put precisely zero value on your safety. As with anything in life I take a calculated risk that something could go wrong. The limits are not based on scientific fact. In reality the 70mph limit was a snap judgement by a government put on the spot. Other limits have more basis and some are just fillers. At 3am when I am the only car on the motorway, that 70 restriction goes out the window. Does that mean I'm not thinking about your safety? Similarly when I see a car on the hard shoulder I will often move to the middle lane. The rules are not hard and fast set and sometimes driving to the conditions is more appropriate than driving to the law. I will agree there are people that don't drive to the conditions. Often though I think its the condition they are not watching, not their speed. As a final point, a bad condition car (tires, brakes etc.) will have as much impact on a potential 30mph collision as doing 40mph in a modern good condition car. Stopping distances etc. taken into account. Remembering that fun TV advert (hitting at 30 has a 80% chance of survival - hitting at 40 has an 80% chance of death). The statistics are interesting if you swap cars around. That old Land Rover, even at 30 has a pretty high fatality rate. That modern small car has a pretty high survival rate at 40. So am I placing less value on your safety just for driving a bigger car? am I placing more for driving a smaller one with pedestrian friendly bumpers? Look at the county where the police, in a recent (admittedly political) move You mean the politicians did something their voters _wanted_ them to do. It's a revelation. (On second reading this sound like I'm having a dig at Sean. This isn't my intention, more to have a dig at our current political position) did precisely that with their speed cameras. There was an immediate increase in speeding offences. In offences or in convictions? And more importantly, what about the accident/injury/death rates? Were people getting from a - b faster and not doing any damage? I accept many of the arguments about the potential for abuse of camera technology, databases and biometrics, but rarely do I hear anyone state that they have suffered directly as a result of that sort of thing. Almost always, in my personal experience, the people most vocal in this debate eventually reveal that they were ticketed for doing 40 in a 30 zone, and then go on to complain about the cameras being revenue generators for the county, deviously placed, etc. 98 on a dual carriageway late at night, mid summer - good visibility dry roads - with no other cars in sight. Bright yellow standing camera. I was more interested in looking at the slip road to my left ensuring there were no cars looking to merge. Taking me to court over the whole thing cost them more than the fine I received. 62 (average over a quarter mile from standing) in a 40 - pegged by a big BMW estate sitting right on my tail. Turned out he had blue lights behind his front grill. Egg on face time. He was shocked I slowed when I entered the 30 and slowed down. More shocked that I justified myself. The 40 was in place because of a near-bye school, which I don't consider a hazard at 00:30. Pavements all had fences to them and a grass verge before the road. Pedestrian bridge minimised the chances of anyone crossing anyway. Well lit road etc. good visibility. And sadly, in another indictment of human nature, I suspect that hard-hitting TV commercials educating folks to the dangers of speeding have far less effect on the numbers speeding than the fear of punishment. Very possibly. Is this because people have got too used to being provided half the facts and knowing the results from the data don't always mean very much? -- Robert Bronsdon -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
On 17/09/10 09:35, Robert Bronsdon wrote: On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:25:00 +0100, Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk wrote: precisely zero value on your peace of mind or your physical safety I'll admit I speed at times. This doesn't mean I put precisely zero value on your safety. As with anything in life I take a calculated risk that something could go wrong. The limits are not based on scientific fact. In reality the 70mph limit was a snap judgement by a government put on the spot. Other limits have more basis and some are just fillers. At 3am when I am the only car on the motorway, that 70 restriction goes out the window. Does that mean I'm not thinking about your safety? Similarly when I see a car on the hard shoulder I will often move to the middle lane. The rules are not hard and fast set and sometimes driving to the conditions is more appropriate than driving to the law. I will agree there are people that don't drive to the conditions. Often though I think its the condition they are not watching, not their speed. As a final point, a bad condition car (tires, brakes etc.) will have as much impact on a potential 30mph collision as doing 40mph in a modern good condition car. Stopping distances etc. taken into account. Remembering that fun TV advert (hitting at 30 has a 80% chance of survival - hitting at 40 has an 80% chance of death). The statistics are interesting if you swap cars around. That old Land Rover, even at 30 has a pretty high fatality rate. That modern small car has a pretty high survival rate at 40. So am I placing less value on your safety just for driving a bigger car? am I placing more for driving a smaller one with pedestrian friendly bumpers? You've identified a number of factors that suggest variable speed limits to sensible people, but you haven't identified how you would apply them across the board to everyone. Do we do away entirely with speed limits and leave it to the individual to judge? Driving on a motorway in appalling conditions and watching cars tailgating each other exceeding the speed limit for /good/ conditions might indicate this is a very bad idea. We tend to make judgements based on circumstances (I was late for work officer - I have an important meeting) and not always on common sense or what we suspect is right. What about drink driving? Some people can handle more alcohol than others - do we allow arbitrary limits where that is concerned, based on how much they think they can drink before their judgement is impaired, or on how few people are likely to find themselves in their way when they exceed that limit? No, we draw a line in the hope that it allows most people a reasonable amount of freedom while protecting others from drunk drivers. Same with speeding. Look at the county where the police, in a recent (admittedly political) move You mean the politicians did something their voters _wanted_ them to do. It's a revelation. (On second reading this sound like I'm having a dig at Sean. This isn't my intention, more to have a dig at our current political position) did precisely that with their speed cameras. There was an immediateincrease in speeding offences. In offences or in convictions? Offences, apparently: http://tinyurl.com/2agqsjl [Indepent report from Thursday, 12 August 2010] And more importantly, what about the accident/injury/death rates? Were people getting from a - b faster and not doing any damage? I accept many of the arguments about the potential for abuse of camera technology, databases and biometrics, but rarely do I hear anyone state that they have suffered directly as a result of that sort of thing. Almost always, in my personal experience, the people most vocal in this debate eventually reveal that they were ticketed for doing 40 in a 30 zone, and then go on to complain about the cameras being revenue generators for the county, deviously placed, etc. 98 on a dual carriageway late at night, mid summer - good visibility dry roads - with no other cars in sight. Bright yellow standing camera. I was more interested in looking at the slip road to my left ensuring there were no cars looking to merge. Taking me to court over the whole thing cost them more than the fine I received. Out of interest, what upper limit would you place on that road? Would 100mph be fair? Or 150mph where the car in question was designed for that sort of speed? Or unlimited perhaps, based on the skill of the driver and the effectiveness of the brakes? I'm pretty sure you'd agree that variable limits on that basis are pretty difficult for the driver to understand and the law to enforce. An alternative might be to select a limit that represents something of a compromise taking into account average conditions, average drivers and average cars. Easy to understand, easy to enforce. 62 (average over a quarter mile from standing) in a 40 - pegged by a big BMW estate sitting right on my tail. Turned out he
Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:15:15 +0100, Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk wrote: Do we do away entirely with speed limits and leave it to the individual to judge? Not quite - but maybe we should have speed limits based on scientific judgement. Limits should also be variable given certain conditions, as they often are on the motorway. Why is the out of town road near a school a 30 at 2am? Offences, apparently: The report doesn't mention the accident rates - though across a one week period its hardly a fair judgement. Always mentioned is the reduction rate of accidents. Is this the camera being put in place or the warning of a dangerous site, that reduces accidents? Out of interest, what upper limit would you place on that road? Maybe we should consider how the isle of man handles national limits? There is no direct speeding offence (on national limit roads) but you can be stopped for driving in a reckless manner. Works over there. -- Robert Bronsdon -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
[Dorset] Ring out the bells!
My HP2133 now has full soundcard support; some bright guy on the fora published instructions and a script to completely rebuild ALSA on the 2133. Takes about an hour, and obviously you need gcc, but apart from that plain sailing and everything works. I can even use Skype on the 2133. The version of ALSA you need to install is 1.0.23-2 Simono -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
Hi Peter, Can/Should/Will - I was thinking of it as an academic exercise. I am not interested in buying kit. Simono has written the programs. How would one go about measuring velocity of things passing? Take three shots at known time intervals and measure the change in width/height of the moving object? Try and measure distance from a known fixed object such as a lamp-post? It might not be in the same plane. Use position relative to (vertical) fence posts instead of markings on the road? It all calls for powerful ability to pick out items form pictures. Without radar? Perhaps spot number plates and measure their change in size over time. Or get a community of like-minded folks, all with home-brew ANPR on NTP-synced machines, and known lat/lons, then analyse afterwards to give average speed. For a rat-run you may only need one at each end to come up with data for the council. Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] Ring out the bells!
On 16/09/10 21:45, Simon O'Riordan wrote: My HP2133 now has full soundcard support; some bright guy on the fora published instructions and a script to completely rebuild ALSA on the 2133. How about sharing the instructions? -- -- Discover Linux - Open Source Solutions to Business and Schools http://discoverlinux.co.uk -- -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] Ring out the bells!
I'll certainly get on it tonight, John. Meantime, if you google HP2133 Upgrade Alsa Ubuntu 10.04, you should not have to go too far. It's linked in the Ubuntu bug status reports, and the Forum entry is absolutely comprehensive, downloads, instructions and all. It really is great having a full system! Simono On Fri, 2010-09-17 at 12:20 +0100, John Cooper wrote: On 16/09/10 21:45, Simon O'Riordan wrote: My HP2133 now has full soundcard support; some bright guy on the fora published instructions and a script to completely rebuild ALSA on the 2133. How about sharing the instructions? -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] It's been a year in the pipeline.
On 17/09/10 10:39, Robert Bronsdon wrote: On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:15:15 +0100, Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk wrote: Do we do away entirely with speed limits and leave it to the individual to judge? Not quite - but maybe we should have speed limits based on scientific judgement. ---8--- There is no direct speeding offence (on national limit roads) but you can be stopped for driving in a reckless manner. That's not very scientific is it? Surely, that comes down to judgement on the part of a police officer. I can almost hear all the people stopped for that offence complaining about a lack of objectivity! Like I said before, variable limits are tough to enforce, and where I have seen them they were enforced with cameras. As much as it grates the only answer is to either drive more carefully (to avoid detection) or pay the fine. I read that 'Mr Loophole' [1], the lawyer who gets the rich and famous off speeding offences with technicalities, recently refused to perform the service for his daughter, stating that she needed to learn a valuable lesson [2]. Perhaps there's wisdom in that story for all of us. Sean [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Freeman [2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11251125 -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] And while we're at it.
So they don't work without it even when they're configured in Monitors? On 17 Sep 2010 19:59, Simon Oapos;Riordan voluntar...@btopenworld.com wrote: To make the HP 2133 external VGA port work, create an xorg.conf file(it doesn't come with one in 10.04). Contents: Section Device Identifier Configured Video Device Option ActiveDevice LCD, CRT Option SWCursor on EndSection Section Monitor Identifier Configured Monitor EndSection Section Screen Identifier Default Screen Monitor Configured Monitor Device Configured Video Device EndSection When this file is placed in the xorg.conf.d folder, when you reboot, external monitors connected to the vga port will magically work! Simono -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
Re: [Dorset] And while we're at it.
Not on the HP 2133. On Fri, 2010-09-17 at 20:03 +0100, Dan Dart wrote: So they don't work without it even when they're configured in Monitors? -- Next meeting: Bournemouth? TBD, Wednesday 2010-10-06 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://bit.ly/4sACa
