Wimbledon uses laptops to run the control room's displays.
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If you head down to the slides, you can see this gem:
(caption: A bunch of ThinkPad laptops, driving displays around the room.)I ... just ... come on IBM just use a server with some video cards.
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I would say that maybe it's done for portability...
But (seeing as how I know nothing of Tennis) isn't the Wimbledon held in the same spot every time?
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I would say that maybe it's done for portability...
But (seeing as how I know nothing of Tennis) isn't the Wimbledon held in the same spot every time?
It is - at the All England Club in Wimbeldon
Edit: plus wouldn't a half server rack on wheels be more portable?
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It is more "distributable" than a server rack....just send the number of laptops needed. During "regionals" send laptops to multiple locations. Also, due to a fluke with shipping companies, multiple smaller, lighter, lower value packages can be significantly cheaper to ship than single big heavy expensive....
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Edit: plus wouldn't a half server rack on wheels be more portable?
Try lifting that. Try lifting a bunch of laptops.
I would say that maybe it's done for portability...
I think it's more:
"Hello, IBM? Wimbledon speaking. We need a rack of your best servers! No cutting costs! We expect six nines at the very least!"
"Okay, gotcha... and what would you be using it for?"
"You know those screens people have hanging around? We just got some, and we need to, like, show stuff on 'em"
"Right, one sec... *mutes the phone* Hey, got any spare hardware around?"
"Um, there's a bunch of refurbished Lenovos in the basement..."
"Yeah, that'll do. *unmutes* All set, sir!"
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@rad131304 said:
Edit: plus wouldn't a half server rack on wheels be more portable?
Try lifting that. Try lifting a bunch of laptops.
Why? it has wheels, I'll just roll it.
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Why? it has wheels, I'll just roll it.
http://cdn.staticneo.com/w/doctorwho/thumb/f/fa/Punch_daleks.gif/450px-Punch_daleks.gif
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@rad131304 said:
Why? it has wheels, I'll just roll it.
http://cdn.staticneo.com/w/doctorwho/thumb/f/fa/Punch_daleks.gif/450px-Punch_daleks.gif
These things called elevators exist ....
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You've clearly not done much in the events industry. Elevators never exist when you're wheeling a big heavy thing into an old venue. And even if it does, it will inevitably be just too small to fit the thing you're carrying in.
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Also, due to a fluke with shipping companies, multiple smaller, lighter, lower value packages can be significantly cheaper to ship than single big heavy expensive....
Surely it is possible to build a server rack sized as a standard pallet? Though if you're moving servers around on that scale they probably aren't going in a server room, so a shipping container would be better? Add in airco, just add power...
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Surely it is possible to build a server rack sized as a standard pallet? Though if you're moving servers around on that scale they probably aren't going in a server room, so a shipping container would be better? Add in airco, just add power
Go to UPS (or FedEx, or DHL, or), and do a price check - with insurance on that shipment. I do a far (but not overly large) amount of tech shipping across the country (and a few times internationally). Commodity lap-tops that could be easily replaced (and therefore do not need high insurance) and reloaded is WAY cheaper.
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You've clearly not done much in the events industry. Elevators never exist when you're wheeling a big heavy thing into an old venue. And even if it does, it will inevitably be just too small to fit the thing you're carrying in.
You must clearly be a genius.
[spoiler]You're not.[/spoiler]
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Backhanders, embezzlement of budget, etc.
Plus everybody gets to go home with one after the event, and they just buy more for next year.
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You've clearly not done much in the events industry. Elevators never exist when you're wheeling a big heavy thing into an old venue. And even if it does, it will inevitably be just too small to fit the thing you're carrying in.
The new building for our school actually has an largish elevator - it is supposed to accomodate a wheelchair, after all.
However, I heard the administrative staff (which are not from our school, the building is actually owned by a private company) tell the moving company that they're not allowed to use it to transport "heavy" stuff like desks, desktop PCs and assorted equipment inside the elevator; stuff which is not heavy on its own as a single unit - but try lugging some hundred pieces up two flights of stairs...
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However, I heard the administrative staff (which are not from our school, the building is actually owned by a private company) tell the moving company that they're not allowed to use it to transport "heavy" stuff like desks, desktop PCs and assorted equipment inside the elevator; stuff which is not heavy on its own as a single unit - but try lugging some hundred pieces up two flights of stairs...
Apparently, people have this belief that passenger elevators somehow cannot be used for moving freight/goods under any circumstances. Does the elevator care what's in it, as long as it's not overloaded? NO!
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elevator
http://img2.game-oldies.com/sites/default/files/packshots/nintendo-nes/elevator-action-usa.png
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Too true. People who work in the events industry are real idiots. Not like us glorious developers.
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Apparently, people have this belief that passenger elevators somehow cannot be used for moving freight/goods under any circumstances. Does the elevator care what's in it, as long as it's not overloaded? NO!
If the moving people are like the ones we've got at work, they'll let the administrative types talk and then go straight back to what they were doing.
“Hey, Marv! What were they saying?”
“Dunno, Bert. They just kept on moving their mouths a lot but I wasn't listening.”
“You done moving that filing cabinet yet?”
“Almost. I'll be down with it in a few minutes.”
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Maybe sign language would have helped?
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We just moved buildings at work. The movers took one look at the "elevator" in the old building and decided that carrying things down the stairs was a better idea.
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The concern is somewhat founded in that passenger elevators often have stupid pieces of trim and junk placed at exactly the height a pallet jack, hand cart, etc. is most likely to cause damage.
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The building I used to work in handled this by hanging padded moving blankets over the walls of one of the elevators when it was being used freight service. In fact, I think there were little metal studs or hooks or something permanently attached to the walls just below the ceiling specifically for this purpose. They were small and blended with the trim, so you didn't even notice them if they weren't in use.
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The dorms I lived in did the exact same thing at move-in and move-out time...
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One day there will be an earthquake, and all those lids will slam shut.
And it will be cheaper to buy a new system, than to figure out why things stopped working.
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One day there will be an earthquake, and all those lids will slam shut.
The likelihood of that happening with those particular laptops is… minimal.
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Earthquakes do happen on our little island, but with sufficient irregularity, and generally insufficient ferocity, that as you say, it's probably OK.
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Earthquakes do happen on our little island, but with sufficient irregularity, and generally insufficient ferocity, that as you say, it's probably OK.
We get plenty of small earthquakes, but they're usually of the kind where you'd only notice them if you have a seismometer. A magnitude 4 happens about once every 2 years or so. Larger events are less common.
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all those lids will slam shut.
Those foam earplugs would solve that rather nicely... Just wedge one in there...
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More portable than a CD with the software and instructions to borrow or buy however many laptops are needed?
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More portable than a CD with the software
My laptop doesn't have a CD drive. Where's your portability now?
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My laptop doesn't have a CD drive. Where's your portability now?
Why would you do that to yourself? Are you sure it isn't some sort of tablet?
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Where do you even buy a non-lame laptop with an optical drive nowadays?
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25 options at bestbuy.com, 2571 at newegg.com, still an option with Dell, …
Do you even try?
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Nope.
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Installing off a memory stick is a thing…
Really‽ I thought you still had to use these:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2010/04/701458596b828a68d2b.jpg
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USB CD drive. Or copy the contents of the CD onto a flash drive or network share folder and install to all the laptops from that. Surely you have at least one computer with a drive capable of reading CDs.
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Yep, we share out the optical drive on servers for just that reason. Pop the disk in the server drive, go to the machine and type in the path.
Also, I know of one very large multimedia advertising company that runs almost all of their installations off of Mac Minis with Win7 loaded on to them. They are basically laptops without the screens. Huge interactive touchscreen installs in museums and airports, all running off of Mac Minis.
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network
Install-booting off the network is a wonderful thing, provided you've got the network set up right.
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It is the same place every year, but all the stuff in that room is temporary. As IBM do several other sporting events - that pile of laptops will end up in a flight case along with the many others spread across the site for kiosks, scoreboards and the like. At the next event they'll be reimaged and used for something completely different.
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Where do you even buy a non-lame laptop with an optical drive nowadays?
Got an optical drive in the laptop, but that disc will not fit!!!!!
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ooh! laserdisc!
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I know all about laserdisc.
Leonard Nimoy told me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f3524BQ0Ms
And his beautiful, beautiful mustache. And his squeaky rock-thing.
He uses it to watch Abba music videos.
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Touchḝ.