BinaryWolf

Currently Fry’s has these terabyte storage units. Handy for backup, archive space, and as a file server for smaller companies.

Combining advanced fault tolerant data solutions, robust file security, and Gigabit Ethernet networking, Buffalo TeraStation allows users to deploy a simple, cost-effective data or media server to their office or home network in literally minutes without cutting corners on features and expandability. By offering a total of four USB 2.0 ports, the device can accommodate additional external USB hard drives for expanded networked storage or as backup targets, a USB printer that can be managed and shared on the network or even up to two USB TV tuners to allow the recording of television programs for later viewing.

Standard – Four 250 GB Individual Network Shares
Spanning – One 1 TB (1000 GB) Massive Network Share in RAID 0 Disk Array (all four drives arrayed into a single volume)
Mirroring – Two 250 GB Individual Network Shares in RAID 1 Disk Mirroring (two drives are separately mirrored automatically to another drive)
RAID 5 – One 750 GB Massive Network Share in RAID 5 Disk Array (all four drives arrayed into a single volume with parity)

Stanford began demolition of the five 60 foot dishes of the Bracewell Observatory.

Here are some remarkable photos of the construction of the Bracewell Observatory dishes on-site, circa 1967.

———————————————–
STANFORD NEWS RELEASE
March 10, 2006

Contact: Elaine Ray, News Service: (650) 723-7162, ray@stanford.edu

Relevant Web URLs:
Demolition delayed for decaying radio antenna farm with glorious past

Stanford University begins removal of Site 515 antennas

Stanford University today began the process of removing five radio antennas at Site 515 that were decommissioned for research purposes in 1979. The removal process is likely to take up to a week.

The antennas’ concrete mounting piers, with carved signatures of many visiting scientists, are being preserved, and the university is looking for a suitable place to relocate them on campus.

For almost two years, the School of Engineering gave serious consideration to the possibility of restoring and operating the antennas. After looking at all the possibilities that were brought forward, including some from outside the university, the university concluded that there was no program for use of the dishes that served its academic mission. While various ideas were suggested, none of the proposals received the support of academic departments or faculty members—managerial and financial support that would be critical if the site were used for teaching or research.

Site 515 and the five dishes were last used in research conducted 30 years ago. In the intervening years, research and teaching have progressed in a way that makes the academic use of these antennas impractical and inefficient. No compelling academic mission was identified that would justify the substantial resources necessary to restore and operate the dishes.

Removing the dishes in no way diminishes the recognition of the significant research contributions made by Professor Ron Bracewell at Site 515, particularly through the use of the original 32 dishes that were dismantled in the 1970s. The antennas and buildings at Site 515 are not historic under any definition contained in the General Use Permit, Santa Clara County ordinances or Stanford’s own stringent guidelines and practices for historic structures. The university evaluated the dishes using the same criteria used to preserve many historic buildings on campus and found that they do not warrant preservation.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The removal of the antennas is not open to press coverage. However, the News Service can provide photographic and other background material on the site. Contact the News Service at (650) 723-2558.

-30-

Copy this badge to your website/blog/server and link it to Friends of the Bracewell Observatory.

Five 60-foot dish antennas at Stanford, known as the Bracewell Observatory, are about to be demolished by the school. Saving these dishes should matter to all of us. They can be part of a new world of “open-source hardware” infrastructure that can be managed and shared, just as open-source software projects are done today. The promise of the benefits that might come from having this infrastructure available for citizen science should weigh more heavily in Stanford’s consideration of this issue. Show your support and help persuade Stanford to do the right thing.

One of the legendary keyboards of the early PC era was the Northgate Omnikey. You can still find them on eBay, going for a king’s ransom. The Avant Prime, sold by Creative Vision Technologies is a near-clone of the old Omnikey, right down to the clicky, Alps-style metal buckle key mechanism. Unlike most membrane-style keyboards, it’s also more responsive. It’s very durable, if somewhat pricey.

Instead of purchasing a fancy car alarm that’ll go off in the middle of the night when a bird flies by and annoy the whole neighborhood, you can protect your car with a simple cell phone and the following set-up. You will have to pay the monthly bill for the mobile connection. That will be the minimum, since you’ll not making any outgoing calls.

Things You’ll Need

• GSM Mobile Phone (CDMA phones often doesn’t have roaming facility.)
• Car Mobile Charger
• Soldering Iron, Solder, Wires and Insulation Tape
• Clamps, Screws, Screw Driver and Strong Resin
• A reliable PostPaid Mobile Connection

How to make it.