RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Yeah Chris, you would win a handful of Lindt chocky balls which I'm giving away as prizes for good answers. 3km was a reasonable guess, as most people think it's a few hundred metres or so. And Ben, my grain of sand I picked up from Mentone beach is 0.7000mm in diameter, and it's a perfect Silicon Dioxide sphere of course. Another question I ask is how many grains of sand are in the jar (PHOTO LINK http://www.docuscope.com.au/temp/sand.jpg ). The book pictured behind the jar is book 1 of the pair T-SQL Querying and T-SQL Programming. I accidentally bought book 2 first and found it discussed things like triggers, performance and rarer topics like spatial data, auditing (by Greg Low), service broker, etc. A lot of that wasn't of much interest to me as a pure developer, so I rushed out and bought book 1. I must now report that the book 1 is very heavy and dense reading with a lot of maths and algorithm discussions that I guess would be university course level. If you just want to be a good T-SQL and proc coder then there are probably many books that are easier to digest. If you're a bit geeky and like full coverage and deep technical background information then I think the pair of Inside SQL Server 2008 books will tickle your fancy. Cheers, Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Hi Greg, J As an aside, for someone starting with T-SQL, the first book that Itzik had in that series is probably more appropriate: Inside T-SQL: Fundamentals - http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft%C2%AE-Server%C2%AE-T-SQL-Fundamentals-PRO-De veloper/dp/0735626014/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8 http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft%C2%AE-Server%C2%AE-T-SQL-Fundamentals-PRO-D eveloper/dp/0735626014/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8qid=1310714811sr=8-10 qid=1310714811sr=8-10 Regards, Greg From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Friday, 15 July 2011 4:43 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector Yeah Chris, you would win a handful of Lindt chocky balls which I'm giving away as prizes for good answers. 3km was a reasonable guess, as most people think it's a few hundred metres or so. And Ben, my grain of sand I picked up from Mentone beach is 0.7000mm in diameter, and it's a perfect Silicon Dioxide sphere of course. Another question I ask is how many grains of sand are in the jar (PHOTO LINK http://www.docuscope.com.au/temp/sand.jpg ). The book pictured behind the jar is book 1 of the pair T-SQL Querying and T-SQL Programming. I accidentally bought book 2 first and found it discussed things like triggers, performance and rarer topics like spatial data, auditing (by Greg Low), service broker, etc. A lot of that wasn't of much interest to me as a pure developer, so I rushed out and bought book 1. I must now report that the book 1 is very heavy and dense reading with a lot of maths and algorithm discussions that I guess would be university course level. If you just want to be a good T-SQL and proc coder then there are probably many books that are easier to digest. If you're a bit geeky and like full coverage and deep technical background information then I think the pair of Inside SQL Server 2008 books will tickle your fancy. Cheers, Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Exactly twice the distance from one end to the middle. (answer to how long is a piece of string) Maybe I should have waited for Friday when people are possibly more affable - Greg
Re: [OT] Renting a data projector
On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 3:16 PM, Greg Keogh g...@mira.net wrote: If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) ** ** After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those “fake search engine” sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they’d block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. ** ** It’s not Friday, but here is a quiz question I’m going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... ** ** *If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997?* ** ** 20m (which approximates one hell of a lot of things) -- Meski http://courteous.ly/aAOZcv Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. Sure, you'll get it, but it's going to be rough - Adam Hills
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Well if I can recall correctly some arcane information imparted long ago, Alpha Centauri is a binary star system, and each would technically be a sun; but I'm not sure how far apart they are. Have I missed a trick question? My excuse: I'm recovering from some expensive dental torture this afternoon. _ Ian Thomas Victoria Park, Western Australia _ From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 1:17 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those fake search engine sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they'd block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. It's not Friday, but here is a quiz question I'm going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997? Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
OK, I'll bite - about 3 kms. From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 3:17 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those fake search engine sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they'd block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. It's not Friday, but here is a quiz question I'm going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997? Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
I get 20.8 km. Assuming (from Wikipedia): diameter of Sun = 1.391980 x10pow9 metres dist to Alpha Centauri = 4.37 light years 1 light year = 9.4605284 x10pow15 metres From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Fredericks, Chris Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 3:43 PM To: ozDotNet Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector OK, I'll bite - about 3 kms. From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 3:17 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those fake search engine sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they'd block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. It's not Friday, but here is a quiz question I'm going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997? Greg This email is intended for the named recipient only. The information it contains may be confidential or commercially sensitive. If you are not the intended recipient you must not reproduce or distribute any part of this email, disclose its contents to any other party, or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the message from your computer.
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
No look-ups, but an interpretation of the wording at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri - I assumed that the how far would it be to was from one sun to the other, in the AC pair of suns. Not far at all, would be my guess. That is, origin != earth. _ Ian Thomas Victoria Park, Western Australia _ From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of ben.robb...@jlta.com.au Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 4:49 PM To: ozdotnet@ozdotnet.com Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector I get 20.8 km. Assuming (from Wikipedia): diameter of Sun = 1.391980 x10pow9 metres dist to Alpha Centauri = 4.37 light years 1 light year = 9.4605284 x10pow15 metres _ From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Fredericks, Chris Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 3:43 PM To: ozDotNet Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector OK, I'll bite - about 3 kms. From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 3:17 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those fake search engine sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they'd block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. It's not Friday, but here is a quiz question I'm going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997? Greg This email is intended for the named recipient only. The information it contains may be confidential or commercially sensitive. If you are not the intended recipient you must not reproduce or distribute any part of this email, disclose its contents to any other party, or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the message from your computer.
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Yeah well, despite all the expected nitpicking (it’s supposed to a fun educational night): My calculations in Excel make it 20.65 km (not metres!) Sun diameter = 1,400,4000 km Light year = 9,460,730,472,581 km Sand grain diameter = 7e-7 km Size scaling factor = 5e-13 Distance to alpha Centauri = 41,296,088,512,815 km (4.365±0.007 LY) Re-scaled distance = 20.65 km Although to be a nitpicker myself, the red digits are meaningless due to the rounding error on the exact distance to Alpha Centauri. The resulting distance is in the range 20.615 to 20.681 km. Even worse, the exact diameter of the sun is a bit fudgy, and you could argue about the size of the beach sand grains, and you can dispute how they measure the speed of light, but the important thing is the shocking realisation of how much empty space there is out there. It is a binary system, but it’s not a trick question. If someone wants to work out the variation of distance of the A and B stars taking into the account the eccentricity and high inclination of the plane of orbit of A and B and scale that back, then I leave it as an exercise for the reader. My guess is that it would be less than a couple of metres variation over the 20 km. And don’t mention Proxima Centauri, that dilapidated crappy star should be erased like Pluto. We know that the space between us and A Centauri is not empty, as Lost in Space showed us it’s full of space hippies, pirates, miners, teenagers, dragons, vegetables, beauty quests and prison planets. Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Actually, I dont think you can dispute the speed of light. I vaguely recall reading the metre was redefined so we would have an exact measure of the speed of light. Ie, its exactly 299792458 m/s (assuming I remembered that correctly). Just joining in the nitpicking :) On 14/07/2011 9:34 PM, Greg Keogh g...@mira.net wrote: Yeah well, despite all the expected nitpicking (it’s supposed to a fun educational night): My calculations in Excel make it 20.65 km (not metres!) Sun diameter = 1,400,4000 km Light year = 9,460,730,472,581 km Sand grain diameter = 7e-7 km Size scaling factor = 5e-13 Distance to alpha Centauri = 41,296,088,512,815 km (4.365±0.007 LY) Re-scaled distance = 20.65 km Although to be a nitpicker myself, the red digits are meaningless due to the rounding error on the exact distance to Alpha Centauri. The resulting distance is in the range 20.615 to 20.681 km. Even worse, the exact diameter of the sun is a bit fudgy, and you could argue about the size of the beach sand grains, and you can dispute how they measure the speed of light, but the important thing is the shocking realisation of how much empty space there is out there. It is a binary system, but it’s not a trick question. If someone wants to work out the variation of distance of the A and B stars taking into the account the eccentricity and high inclination of the plane of orbit of A and B and scale that back, then I leave it as an exercise for the reader. My guess is that it would be less than a couple of metres variation over the 20 km. And don’t mention Proxima Centauri, that dilapidated crappy star should be erased like Pluto. We know that the space between us and A Centauri is not empty, as Lost in Space showed us it’s full of space hippies, pirates, miners, teenagers, dragons, vegetables, beauty quests and prison planets. Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Actually, I dont think you can dispute the speed of light. I vaguely recall reading the metre was redefined so we would have an exact measure of the speed of light. Ie, its exactly 299792458 m/s (assuming I remembered that correctly). Yoiiks! I just hope the speed of light doesn't change, otherwise every measuring tape and ruler in the world will be useless. I use a similar technique in my software testing. I adjust the unit tests to define every output from my code as being correct. I simply redefine my code as being correct. Greg
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Also nitpicking: If the numbers in red are meaningless then you only know dist to AC to two significant figures. Therefore the rescaled distance is 21 km. I'm happy to round my 20.8 km to 21 km so I'm glad we agree ;-) And if we're getting *reeeally* nitpicky then the grain of sand was only ever defined to one sig figure so the answer is 20 km Ben From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 7:34 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector Yeah well, despite all the expected nitpicking (it's supposed to a fun educational night): My calculations in Excel make it 20.65 km (not metres!) Sun diameter = 1,400,4000 km Light year = 9,460,730,472,581 km Sand grain diameter = 7e-7 km Size scaling factor = 5e-13 Distance to alpha Centauri = 41,296,088,512,815 km (4.365±0.007 LY) Re-scaled distance = 20.65 km Although to be a nitpicker myself, the red digits are meaningless due to the rounding error on the exact distance to Alpha Centauri. The resulting distance is in the range 20.615 to 20.681 km. Even worse, the exact diameter of the sun is a bit fudgy, and you could argue about the size of the beach sand grains, and you can dispute how they measure the speed of light, but the important thing is the shocking realisation of how much empty space there is out there. It is a binary system, but it's not a trick question. If someone wants to work out the variation of distance of the A and B stars taking into the account the eccentricity and high inclination of the plane of orbit of A and B and scale that back, then I leave it as an exercise for the reader. My guess is that it would be less than a couple of metres variation over the 20 km. And don't mention Proxima Centauri, that dilapidated crappy star should be erased like Pluto. We know that the space between us and A Centauri is not empty, as Lost in Space showed us it's full of space hippies, pirates, miners, teenagers, dragons, vegetables, beauty quests and prison planets. Greg This email is intended for the named recipient only. The information it contains may be confidential or commercially sensitive. If you are not the intended recipient you must not reproduce or distribute any part of this email, disclose its contents to any other party, or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the message from your computer.
RE: [OT] Renting a data projector
Well I am really nitpicking as well. I must win because Greg stated Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... So, considering I didn't use anything other than a vague recollection of the answer to a similar Trivia Night question, my 'guess' of 3 km was damn close! Chris From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of ben.robb...@jlta.com.au Sent: Friday, 15 July 2011 10:57 AM To: ozdotnet@ozdotnet.com Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector Also nitpicking: If the numbers in red are meaningless then you only know dist to AC to two significant figures. Therefore the rescaled distance is 21 km. I'm happy to round my 20.8 km to 21 km so I'm glad we agree ;-) And if we're getting *reeeally* nitpicky then the grain of sand was only ever defined to one sig figure so the answer is 20 km Ben From: ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com [mailto:ozdotnet-boun...@ozdotnet.com] On Behalf Of Greg Keogh Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2011 7:34 PM To: 'ozDotNet' Subject: RE: [OT] Renting a data projector Yeah well, despite all the expected nitpicking (it's supposed to a fun educational night): My calculations in Excel make it 20.65 km (not metres!) Sun diameter = 1,400,4000 km Light year = 9,460,730,472,581 km Sand grain diameter = 7e-7 km Size scaling factor = 5e-13 Distance to alpha Centauri = 41,296,088,512,815 km (4.365±0.007 LY) Re-scaled distance = 20.65 km Although to be a nitpicker myself, the red digits are meaningless due to the rounding error on the exact distance to Alpha Centauri. The resulting distance is in the range 20.615 to 20.681 km. Even worse, the exact diameter of the sun is a bit fudgy, and you could argue about the size of the beach sand grains, and you can dispute how they measure the speed of light, but the important thing is the shocking realisation of how much empty space there is out there. It is a binary system, but it's not a trick question. If someone wants to work out the variation of distance of the A and B stars taking into the account the eccentricity and high inclination of the plane of orbit of A and B and scale that back, then I leave it as an exercise for the reader. My guess is that it would be less than a couple of metres variation over the 20 km. And don't mention Proxima Centauri, that dilapidated crappy star should be erased like Pluto. We know that the space between us and A Centauri is not empty, as Lost in Space showed us it's full of space hippies, pirates, miners, teenagers, dragons, vegetables, beauty quests and prison planets. Greg This email is intended for the named recipient only. The information it contains may be confidential or commercially sensitive. If you are not the intended recipient you must not reproduce or distribute any part of this email, disclose its contents to any other party, or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the message from your computer.
[OT] Renting a data projector
Folks, on Saturday night I'm running an astronomy night at home with a dozen people and I want to use a data projector and screen. I've been running web searches for keywords and all I can find are high-end machines for use in large venues and the costs start at around $200 for two days and rapidly go up. A lot of other companies are up in Carlton and Kensington, but I'm down in the south east Melbourne in Cheltenham. I'm still searching, but has anyone got a suggestion of how to get hold of a home-use projector and screen for a weekend without emptying my wallet? I might ring Officeworks and the local home entertainment shop as well. Cheers, Greg
Re: [OT] Renting a data projector
I got an Epson from Harvey Norman for about $900. It's resoloution isnt top of the line but it does the job well enough. I've been using it for almost 2 years (once a month) so it's worked out quite cost effective. If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 7:21 AM, Greg Keogh g...@mira.net wrote: Folks, on Saturday night I’m running an “astronomy night” at home with a dozen people and I want to use a data projector and screen. I’ve been running web searches for keywords and all I can find are high-end machines for use in large venues and the costs start at around $200 for two days and rapidly go up. A lot of other companies are up in Carlton and Kensington, but I’m down in the south east Melbourne in Cheltenham. ** ** I’m still searching, but has anyone got a suggestion of how to get hold of a home-use projector and screen for a weekend without emptying my wallet? I might ring Officeworks and the local home entertainment shop as well. ** ** Cheers, Greg
Re: [OT] Renting a data projector
Hi Greg, If you're ok with buying, City Software has one on sale for $572 on their website - http://www.citysoftware.com.au/Projector_Units.aspx You can pick it up from their store in Mt Waverly (if you select that option). There's also a BENQ one at a city shop for $489 - http://www.tammex.com.au/store/benq-ms510-2700-ansi-svgaprojector-p-10165.html This was found via staticice - http://staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=projector%20state%3Avic%20price%3A300..1000start=21links=20showadres=1pos=2 Anyway, just found a Sublime Audio Visual place on Google, which does Projects/screen hire and are located in the East Bentleigh area. Costs start from $132 per day. http://www.sublimeav.com.au/Projectors-and-Projector-Screen-Hire-Melbourne.php Hope that helps :) Will On 14 July 2011 11:01, Stephen Price step...@littlevoices.com wrote: I got an Epson from Harvey Norman for about $900. It's resoloution isnt top of the line but it does the job well enough. I've been using it for almost 2 years (once a month) so it's worked out quite cost effective. If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 7:21 AM, Greg Keogh g...@mira.net wrote: Folks, on Saturday night I’m running an “astronomy night” at home with a dozen people and I want to use a data projector and screen. I’ve been running web searches for keywords and all I can find are high-end machines for use in large venues and the costs start at around $200 for two days and rapidly go up. A lot of other companies are up in Carlton and Kensington, but I’m down in the south east Melbourne in Cheltenham. ** ** I’m still searching, but has anyone got a suggestion of how to get hold of a home-use projector and screen for a weekend without emptying my wallet? I might ring Officeworks and the local home entertainment shop as well. ** ** Cheers, Greg
Re: [OT] Renting a data projector
Exactly twice the distance from one end to the middle… (answer to how long is a piece of string) HTH TJ On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 3:16 PM, Greg Keogh g...@mira.net wrote: If you fancy a flight to Perth and back you can borrow it for the weekend, but I need it back by the 27th. :) After an hour of searching and searching and searching (I think search engines are broken!) I finally found a place about 4 suburbs away from home that will do a weekend deal for the projector and screen for $150 from Friday to Monday. The worst thing in web searching these days are those “fake search engine” sites that intercept your request, reformat it unreadably and recommend stupid results which are probably just paid advertising. I think there was some furore a few months ago when Google said they’d block these irritating sites in their search results. I hope they do. It’s not Friday, but here is a quiz question I’m going to ask people on Saturday night. Using only mental calculations and guestimates ... If our sun was the size of grain of coarse beach sand (about 0.7mm across), at that scale how far would it be to our close neighbour star Alpha Centauri where the Space Family Robinson blasted off for back in 1997? Greg
