Grand Central Transmitter Theories

Grok Headline matches for Grand Central Transmitter Theories

Mystery Wireless Transmitter in Grand
Central Station

Mystery Wireless Transmitter in Grand
Central Station 08/30/2004 09:56 AM

Reader Rob Cherry sent this interesting tidbit:

Just walked through Grand Central station and saw some guys working on a transmitter just above the sign for track (23 I think). The first track you come to passing Olivier's Italian shop as you come into the main concourse from Lex entrance heading towards Vanderbilt. It looked suspiciously like a microwave repeater like you often see on top of GSM cellphone stores.

Sadly I am cameraphoneless - I suck - but this either means we are about to get kick ass phone reception in GC or they are installing 802.11 (yeah right - dream on).

Anybody seen/heard/confirmed/whatevered this? My guess is that it's probably just some sort of equipment for the trains, otherwise we'd be hearing a big stink about it from whoever is installing it.

At Grand Central, Stuck After 1:30 A.M.

At Grand Central, Stuck After 1:30 A.M. 06/10/2004 10:23 PM
New York may be the city that never sleeps, but late night commuters have discovered that such truisms do not apply at Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central adds BPEL

Grand Central adds BPEL 12/02/2003 01:18 AM
"Using the new service I can provision new BPEL services into the network without having to deploy any software, ...

telling time in grand central

telling time in grand central 07/06/2004 03:18 PM
people notice the inaccuracy is because the clocks are so beautiful

Got the Time? At Grand Central, It Has
Never Been That Simple

Got the Time? At Grand Central, It Has
Never Been That Simple 07/05/2004 09:09 PM
For years, Grand Central Terminal's clocks have maddened riders. Soon, however, a new system will synchronize every second of every day with the Boulder atomic clock.

Grand Central adds non-Internet
connectivity

Grand Central adds non-Internet
connectivity 05/14/2004 07:40 AM
Hosted integration services provider Grand Central Communications on Monday plans to spruce up its Business Services Network with non-Internet connectivity and improvements in Java functionality.

Grand Central services model leaves
station

Grand Central services model leaves
station 08/11/2004 09:00 PM
ZDNet Aug 12 2004 0:33AM GMT

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theories 11/07/2003 08:47 AM
CBC's long-running series The Fifth Estate recently ran a very unsettling episode (in Canada) entitled 'Conspirac y Theories'. The show dealt with all manner of claims surrouding 9-11 including a possible US/Saudi/ Bin Laden connection, major intelligence breakdowns, etc. Their website provides further reading for those who like to believe the worst.

Beagle 2 Failure Theories

Beagle 2 Failure Theories 03/09/2004 01:27 AM

Conspiracy theories springing up

Conspiracy theories springing up 02/03/2003 10:14 AM
One person on Google noted that shuttle debris came down in the general area of Palestine, Texas, while another observed that this was the first time that an ...

New tech theories two centuries old

New tech theories two centuries old 02/18/2003 03:14 PM
Search giant Google and Autonomy, a company that sells information retrieval tools, both employ Bayesian principles to provide likely (but technically never ...

On adaptive success and theories of
homosexuality...

On adaptive success and theories of
homosexuality... 01/22/2004 02:14 AM

The latest issue of New Scientist contains an article - "The In Crowd" - that is both profoundly interesting and yet totally unavailable online. Gradually, I'm delighted to say, this situation is becoming more rare and more of a surprise each time it occurs.

Anyway, the article - written by Joan Roughgarden - contends that: "Same-sex relationships are not a biological dead end. They are a glue that helps hold many animal societies together, and a fatal flaw in one of Darwin's central ideas." Here are a few choice chunks of the article that I think encompass most of the article:

Author Bruce Bahemihl, in his book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and natural diversity, has catalogued over 200 vertebrate species in which same-sex genital contact regularly occurs. In some species, homosexuality is not very common - around 1 to 10 per cent of all mating. In others, such a bonobos, homosexual mating occurs as often as heterosexual mating. In some species only males participate, in others only females, in still others both sexes. Sometimes homosexuality is associated with pair bonds that last for years, and in others with short-term courtships. This broad occurrence of homosexuality among vertebrates raises the possibility that if it has a genetic basis at all, it has some broad adaptive significance, and is not an aberrant condition just a few species happen to be stuck with.

In humans, moreover, homosexuality is much too common for it to be considered a genetic aberration. Real genetic diseases are really rare, and their frequency inevitably depends on their severity. A disease that is uniformly lethal must arise anew each generation, so its frequency is equal to the mutation rate, say one in 1 million. A disease that causes only a 10 per cent drop in offspring production (fitness) is 10 times more common than a lethal disease - about one in 100,000. Similarly, a mere 1 per cent drop in fitness leads to a frequency of one in 10,000. If homosexuality has a frequency of 1 in 10, the fitness loss could be no more than 0.001 per cent, which is completely undetectable. A "common genetic disease" is a contradiction in terms, and homosexuality is three to four orders of magnitude more common than true genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease.

All this seems eminently reasonable to me so far. I mean, clearly I'm no expert in evolutionary biology, so my opinion really counts for less than nothing. But on the other hand, as an engaged reader and a gay man I've at least got a legitimate interest in the subject and have found myself relatively compelled by the idea that if homosexual behaviour has a genetic component, that at least some of the genes that result in it must have some adaptive utility. The most commonly cited example is that perhaps a gene might exist that in an heterosexual adult provided a significant reproductive advantage of some kind - but which had the side effect of producing a certain proportion of children who were gay. As long as the cumulative effect was to mean that - on average - the familial line would produce more sexually productive offspring than a line which did not have the gene, then it would be clear that the genes that result in gay people had a reproductive advantage.

Of course while that theory has a certain compelling logic to it, it doesn't (perhaps shouldn't) have anything to say about what it means to be gay in this context. In other words - it makes no statement that homosexual behaviour is itself somehow useful or positive with regard to human behaviour, survival or evolution. Homosexual behaviour then, is not considered adaptively useful.

Now back to Joan Roughgarden's piece (carrying on directly from what was written above):

Indeed, I challenge the presumption that homosexuality leads to any reduction in fitness whatever. Throughout history and across cultures, homoerotic attraction has not precluded heteroerotic attraction. And there is little evidence that people who feel homoerotic attraction have, as a group, any less Darwinian fitness than those who don't. After all, many exclusively heterosexual people do not have offspring either. Even if those with homoerotic attraction did have marginally fewed children, they might make up for it by a better chance of survival - during wars, for example, when homoerotic bonds might lead soldiers to protect one another more vigorously.

So what then, is the adaptive significance of homosexuality? Homosexuality has many uses, much as the ability to speak does. Homosexual contact is a way to communicate pleasure. And I suggest that homosexuality is a social inclusionary trait - that is, it provides animals, including perhaps humans at times, with admission to social groups. It evolves, I suggest, whenever same-sex cooperation helps achieve an evolutionary successful life: to survive, find mates and protect one's young from harm. This plays out in different ways in different sexes and species. Sometimes, as with bonobos, same-sex cooperation provides group security and access to food that females need to successfully rear their young. For others, such as male Savanna baboons and probably some whales, it provides the allies they need to survive conflicts so that they may later mate. But the unifying principle is the same - homosexuality cements relationships that are crucial for a successful life.

At which point, I'm afraid, I think my scepticism comes to the fore. It seems to me that any theory of homosexuality that operates in direct opposition to people's experience of contemporary human sexuality seems to be at least flawed. While bonobo homosexuality might be seen to be useful in the creation of social inclusion, often exactly the opposite occurs in human society. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's classic book Between Men specifically talks about the continual need to disavow sexual components to male homosocial relationships (ie. male-on-male friendship / bonding relationships). We're all familiar with this kind of experience - that the most common and most potent sources of anti-gay tirades are tightly-bound social groups of men. At the very least more is going on in those situations than simple homoeroticism bringing those men together to express solidarity and closeness. Even at our most open-minded, surely we have to state that in those circumstances, the fact that any vestigial or situational erotics have to be so vigorously denied makes it clear that there's a distinction to be drawn between homoerotic behaviour, homosexual behaviour and homosexual identities that is much more complex than anything that Roughgarden supplies us with.

I will of course give her the benefit of the doubt in this case - the article is evidently a truncation of a body of work that no doubt includes a massive set of sample data from which to draw conclusions as well as the applied expertise of a lifetime of training. If I get the chance to read any more of her work, I will make sure that I do so vigorously. But in the meantime, I'm afraid I must remain interested but unconvinced.

Read the comments

Let a thousand conspiracy theories bloom

Let a thousand conspiracy theories bloom 12/17/2004 06:33 PM

I'm about to hit the sack, but current indications are that Bush has won Ohio by a couple of percentage points and thus has been re-elected as President of the United States.

Ohio. Isn't that the state that Diebold president Walden O'Dell promised to deliver to the Republicans?

I don't know if Ohio voters used Diebold machines. If they did, I'm certainly not about to say that the machines were fixed in any way. But the problem with voting machines without a paper trail is that there's no way anyone can be absolutely certain that the election wasn't stolen. In a modern democracy, that just ain't healthy.

Cassini Shatters Titan Theories

Cassini Shatters Titan Theories 07/04/2004 01:40 PM

Readers' Quantum Internet theories

Readers' Quantum Internet theories 12/30/2003 06:31 PM
Letters Enough goodness to go round?

Management methods, models, theories

Management methods, models, theories 12/25/2004 05:20 PM
Management methods, models, thoeries Kick off 2005 sounding and/or being smarter than everyone else. Minds will spin given the amount of info available here.

Bird Brains Challenge Theories of Mind

Bird Brains Challenge Theories of Mind 05/15/2004 03:49 PM
A previously accepted difference between Humans and other animals was that only Humans could possess a "theory of mind" - that is, understanding that other beings have internal thoughts, mental states, and intentions. In recent years, higher mammals such as Gorillas have show evidence of having theories of mind. An article in the Economist summarizes two new studies in which biologists have found evidence of theories of mind in birds, a much older and more primitive form of life. One study by Berd Heinrich and others demonstrated that Ravens understood the significance of the visual behaviour of other creatures and were able to project gaze trajectories around obstacles. In a second study, Thomas Bugnyar and Kurt Kotrschal describe a strategy developed by a raven to deceive competing ravens in a way demonstrating understanding of the competitor's intentions. Oh well, we still have syntactic language and time binding.

Cassini's photos of moon support far-out
theories

Cassini's photos of moon support far-out
theories 06/14/2004 02:06 AM
USA Today Jun 14 2004 6:15AM GMT

N.Korea Blast Cause Unclear But Many
Theories (Reuters)

N.Korea Blast Cause Unclear But Many
Theories (Reuters) 09/12/2004 09:55 PM
Reuters - An accident at an underground munitions depot or a weapons factory was the likely cause of a huge explosion in North Korea last week, and there were possibly two blasts, South Korean media reports said on Monday.

Grokster scorecard: what theories of
liability do the amici endorse?

Grokster scorecard: what theories of
liability do the amici endorse? 03/19/2005 03:03 AM
Cory Doctorow: Jonathan Band, a copyfightin' lawyer from Morrison & Foerster, has created a great roundup of the amicus briefs in Grokster, the Supreme Court case where EFF will argue the right of P2P developers to make tools without having to anticipate and prevent copyright infringement in their designs. The highlight of this is a chart in which the various positions of each of the amici is summed up on a grid. You can't tell the players without a scorecard. 460K PDF Link

JTT iCue FM Transmitter

JTT iCue FM Transmitter 08/09/2004 10:01 PM

JTT's "iCue" FM transmitter is pretty straightforward. It's so straightforward, in fact, basically all of the improvements are visible in the image at the right. Yes, it's here and it's clear - the headphone cable and batteries are visible inside of the unit through the transparant blue plastic cover.

One "feature" that struck me as odd about this transmitter is how it can only change between four different frequencies, all on the 88MHz band. Why? That sucks! It also claims to have a 10-meter range, though if my experience with other products has taught me anything, it gets close to useless around 1-meter.

Read - Product Information [JTT]

AD File Transmitter v1.3

AD File Transmitter v1.3 01/06/2004 10:39 AM
AD File Transmitter is an application, allows you to automate frequent file transfer operations between different offices or different computers and process data replication tasks. The files can be sent thru the local area network (file copy tasks) or sent by e-mail. [Shareware $49.00 765 KB]

New: DiskGO FM Transmitter

New: DiskGO FM Transmitter 07/21/2004 11:08 AM
The DiskGO FM Transmitter (for iPods and other audio players) can transmit audio to home or car radios on three frequencies ((87.7MHz, 88.1MHz, 88.5MHz).

Game Theories: Are these virtual worlds
the best place to study the real one?

Game Theories: Are these virtual worlds
the best place to study the real one? 05/17/2004 08:55 AM
Game Theories: Are these virtual worlds the best place to study the real one? The Gross National Product of EverQuest, measured by how much wealth all the players together created in a single year inside the game. It turned out to be $2,266 U.S. per capita. By World Bank rankings, that made EverQuest richer than India, Bulgaria, or China, and nearly as wealthy as Russia. (by Clive Thompson)

An FM Broadcast Transmitter For Your
Home

An FM Broadcast Transmitter For Your
Home 01/07/2005 04:10 AM

New: RoadTrip FM transmitter for iPods

New: RoadTrip FM transmitter for iPods 08/20/2004 12:59 AM
Newer Technology and Other World Computing released the RoadTrip FM transmitter, which enables iPods to broadcast through a car radio or other FM audio system.

New-Found Old Galaxies Upsetting
Astronomers' Long-Held Theories on the
Big Bang

New-Found Old Galaxies Upsetting
Astronomers' Long-Held Theories on the
Big Bang 01/08/2004 08:37 PM
Astronomers have found that the early universe, a couple of billion years after the Big Bang, looks remarkably like the present-day universe.

Flying Saucer Fever Grips Iran, Theories
Abound (Reuters)

Flying Saucer Fever Grips Iran, Theories
Abound (Reuters) 04/28/2004 01:04 PM
Reuters - Is Iran about to be invaded by little green men or are the Americans racing through the night sky in spaceships to spy on the Islamic Republic?

DiskGo! FM Transmitter for iPod debuts

DiskGo! FM Transmitter for iPod debuts 07/20/2004 08:10 AM
Peripheral Enhancements Corp. has introduced the latest addition to its DiskGo! line: FM Transmitter, which allows you to listen to the music on your iPod, or other MP3 player, on your home or car stereo. It operates on the 87.7MHz, 88.1MHz, or 88.5MHz frequency and receives power through two AAA batteries or with a DC adapter, which is sold separately. The suggested retail price is US$29.95, with a $10 mail-in rebate available. The rebate expires July 31.

iPod Bluetooth Audio Transmitter

iPod Bluetooth Audio Transmitter 10/30/2003 04:52 AM
No, it's not from Apple... but this ExtremeTech article reports on currently prototype designs of Bluetooth (wireless) audio transmitters from a compa...

asking why AirPort Express doesn't
include an FM transmitter

asking why AirPort Express doesn't
include an FM transmitter 06/07/2004 08:29 PM
Doc Searls displays his radio fixation by as king why AirPort Express doesn't include an FM transmitter. The answer seems obvious to me: Why use a $140 device to relay music from your Mac to your FM radio when you can attach a $30 FM transmitter to your Mac directly?

iTrip mini FM Transmitter announced

iTrip mini FM Transmitter announced 06/02/2004 05:41 AM
Griffin Technology has announced the iTrip mini FM Transmitter for Apple's iPod mini...

Belkin announces TuneCast II FM
transmitter

Belkin announces TuneCast II FM
transmitter 01/05/2004 11:33 PM
Belkin has announced the TuneCast II FM transmitter for Apple's iPod and other portable players...

ALTech MP3-Car Flash Drive MP3 Player/FM
Transmitter

ALTech MP3-Car Flash Drive MP3 Player/FM
Transmitter 05/28/2004 11:00 AM

So this 'MP3-Car' is sort of interesting, if cheap looking. It looks like the idea is that you plug any USB flash drive into the FM transmitter base, which then presumably just reads file with an .mp3 extension off the drive an plays it. It has a line out, as well, that deactivates the FM broadcasting when in use. Problem is, the Anyware.com site that has the picture doesn't have a price or a 'buy now' link, and if the Altech MP3-WM32 or MP3-RF38 are the same units, the price is listed as $118. Without an integrated LCD screen at least, I'm thinking $40 is more like it.
Read - Product Page [Anywhere]
Read - Manufacturer's Page [Altech]

Update: Reader Callum Prentice found a review of the device, which includes a link to a vendor that is selling them for $60. That sounds about right.
Read< /b> [Tech-Mods]

There's one at I4U, too.
Read [I4U]

Belkin PureAV Wireless Video Transmitter

Belkin PureAV Wireless Video Transmitter 09/15/2004 06:07 AM

For something that costs $500 and has 40Mbit of wireless bandwidth at its disposal, you'd think the Belkin PureAV could do a little better than SDTV signal (Standard Definition), even if it does have component input and output. Basically a wireless wire, the PureAV is designed to let you transmit video signal up to 350 feet (depending on interference, like walls, or hurricanes). And it looks like it is compressing the signal via MEPG2 before it beams it, which probably isn't that big a deal, but come on! How could anyone drop $500 on something these days that can't at least support higher resolution formats? Maybe there's something going on here I'm missing.

Oh, here are the last four DiscHub codes. What a fun contest. We'll definitely do this again: RFG987 FIG398 2587RT RE58TH

Read - Press Release [PureAV]

3G Test Transmitter First to Mimics Base
Station

3G Test Transmitter First to Mimics Base
Station 02/10/2004 06:56 AM
3G Feb 10 2004 9:46AM GMT

FM Transmitter Adds Even More Features
to All-in-One iPod Accessory

FM Transmitter Adds Even More Features
to All-in-One iPod Accessory 03/24/2005 08:33 PM
Tekkeon today announced myPower FM, a mobile FM transmitter for iPod that adds an FM transmitter feature to the company's myPower for iPod rechargeable battery/portable dock. myPower FM simply snaps on to myPower for iPod to provide an even more complete solution in one sleek package: a 32 hour battery, portable dock, and FM transmitter--all in one!

Reviewed: Sonnet PodFreq FM Transmitter
for iPod

Reviewed: Sonnet PodFreq FM Transmitter
for iPod 03/22/2005 05:05 PM
About a month ago, we had a question posted to our Forums looking for FM transmitter recommendations. One forum member suggested looking into the Sonnet PodFreq. We took on that challenge and test drove the PodFreq and now you can read the results in our review.

Griffin announces iTrip mini FM
transmitter

Griffin announces iTrip mini FM
transmitter 06/02/2004 07:10 AM
Griffin Technology Inc. has created a new iTrip mini FM transmitter for iPod mini users. The iTrip mini works the same as its predecessor for the larger iPod: It plugs into the top of the iPod mini and transmits an FM signal that you can play back on any FM receiver within range, enabling you to play your iPod's music on nearby stereo receivers in homes, cars, hotel rooms and elsewhere. The iTrip mini works without batteries and can be tuned to any FM frequency. The iTrip mini is expected to ship in July and is available for pre-order for US$39.99.
Grok Description matches for Grand Central Transmitter Theories
GrokA matches for Grand Central Transmitter Theories

Grand Central Transmitter Theories