Slashdot Mirror

If you have a Chamberlain or Liftmaster garage door opener, you can buy this gateway for $37 which tells if the door is open or closed and can move the door plus other functions on Android and iPhone... probably easier than DIY (unless you like tinkering).
http://www.amazon.com/Chamberl...

Market share is not everything. Just look at Apple.

The Alienware Steam Machine I linked to earlier is ranks about #240 in desktop sales at Amazon. While a pimped-out Cybertron Win 10 gaming rig retailing at $6,000 ranks about #40. CybertronPC Thallium X99 Red Gaming Desktop-Intel i7-5960X, 64GB DDR4,3x NVIDIA GTX980 Ti, Microsoft Windows 10

This should make it easier for developers to write and optimize games for SteamOS

It's difficult to get solid numbers on Steam Machine sales. But they don't appear to be setting the world on fire:

Alienware Steam Machine ASM100-6980BLK Desktop Console (Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD) NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU 3.1 Stars. #3,293 in Computers & Accessories #237 in Computers & Accessories > Desktops

The Steam Hardware & Software Survey: January 2016 doesn't offer much to feed on:

Windows 95%
Win 10 64 Bit 33% and Trending upward.

OSX 4% No change.

Linux 1% No change.
Ubuntu 0.4%. Mint 0.2%

> and therefore God, and hence Baby Jesus

I'm not really going to disagree with that (you'll probably find me in church on Sunday), but you might find this SciFi book an interesting read: http://www.amazon.com/Calculat... ("Calculating God")

http://www.amazon.com/Glow-Fob...

Why is it that when you apply a Kalman filter to http://inhabitat.com/ all the content vanished?

If interested in this potential star-reaching tech, read Robert L. Forward's book Rocheworld.

or ... go back a ways, and read The Mote in God's Eye (1974) ... where the aliens' craft is propelled by a solar sail

"Citizens comprise the government."

Except that's not the case.

"Intended as an internal document. Good reading to understand the nature of rich democracies and the fact that the common people are not allowed to play a role."

The crisis of democracy - eBook

Amazon book link

If interested in this potential star-reaching tech, read Robert L. Forward's book Rocheworld.

Great book with very interesting space travel concepts as well as very creative world dynamics. I highly recommend this book. The problem of decelerating for orbital insertion was solved by reflecting the laser thrust back to a secondary mirror system much like thrust is deflected from jet thrusters on harriers or today's F-22 vectored thrust.

If interested in this potential star-reaching tech, read Robert L. Forward's book Rocheworld.

With the broad based yet in depth material you are looking for, you will need several books. I know how you feel though, finding well written and laid out 800 - 1000+ page books that were written for experts is not as simple as it used to be. After first reading your question I went and took a look at a bookshelf I have containing my oldest tech books from fifteen or more years ago. You really can't find stuff like that anymore. I actually left out some Windows 10 books in my list below because 80 out of 800 pages being useful isn't worth it, at least not to me. So as a long time and frequent tech book buyer, here is this best I can come up with:

The first would be: Windows 10 Inside Out http://www.amazon.com/Windows-.... It's about 900 pages of too simple for you through very complex concepts and procedures as they apply to that platform. It sounds like you would skip quite a bit, but there is enough in there to make it worth it.

Then of course there is the Windows 10: The Missing Manual http://www.amazon.com/Windows-... This is another example where you will likely skip over a lot of material but the good stuff is in fact pretty good.

Overwhelmingly above and beyond I want to recommend the Windows Internals series. However, I cannot find anything specific to Windows 10. As far as Windows 8 is concerned, this series is a stop here and buy this now kinda thing. If someone else can point in the right direction for Windows 10 coverage by this series, I myself would be grateful.

Once you've covered broad based expertise which likely won't take you long, you really need to start thinking along the lines of studying a few highly specific topics.

Oh, and then for either broad or focused based learning there is always the official MS Press series. I'm always a bit leery of that series though. I never purchase an MS Press book, especially recently released, unless I can find a substantial number of reviews across multiple sites for any one book. IMHO MS Press is the worst when it comes to publishing materials riddled with factually incorrect information, and reviews are the best way to get a heads up. Otherwise I think they make some of the greatest tech books. Sorry for not having a perfectly straight answer.

With the broad based yet in depth material you are looking for, you will need several books. I know how you feel though, finding well written and laid out 800 - 1000+ page books that were written for experts is not as simple as it used to be. After first reading your question I went and took a look at a bookshelf I have containing my oldest tech books from fifteen or more years ago. You really can't find stuff like that anymore. I actually left out some Windows 10 books in my list below because 80 out of 800 pages being useful isn't worth it, at least not to me. So as a long time and frequent tech book buyer, here is this best I can come up with:

The first would be: Windows 10 Inside Out http://www.amazon.com/Windows-.... It's about 900 pages of too simple for you through very complex concepts and procedures as they apply to that platform. It sounds like you would skip quite a bit, but there is enough in there to make it worth it.

Then of course there is the Windows 10: The Missing Manual http://www.amazon.com/Windows-... This is another example where you will likely skip over a lot of material but the good stuff is in fact pretty good.

Overwhelmingly above and beyond I want to recommend the Windows Internals series. However, I cannot find anything specific to Windows 10. As far as Windows 8 is concerned, this series is a stop here and buy this now kinda thing. If someone else can point in the right direction for Windows 10 coverage by this series, I myself would be grateful.

Once you've covered broad based expertise which likely won't take you long, you really need to start thinking along the lines of studying a few highly specific topics.

Oh, and then for either broad or focused based learning there is always the official MS Press series. I'm always a bit leery of that series though. I never purchase an MS Press book, especially recently released, unless I can find a substantial number of reviews across multiple sites for any one book. IMHO MS Press is the worst when it comes to publishing materials riddled with factually incorrect information, and reviews are the best way to get a heads up. Otherwise I think they make some of the greatest tech books. Sorry for not having a perfectly straight answer.

So I know the kinds of books you're talking about. I used them in school, bought them used for reference material, and generally don't mind them as a bookshelf occupant. However as the internet and online documentation have gotten more ubiquitous, I've used them more and more often as they are easier to search and I don't always have access to them.

Here are two of the books I own:
Win 2000 Bible
Win 2003 Server Bible

Now here is a Windows 10 version.

That took me under 10 seconds to find using google. The first three results are 700+ reference guides for advanced users. My advice to you would be, "JFC use a good search before you submit an ask slashdot like this."

So I know the kinds of books you're talking about. I used them in school, bought them used for reference material, and generally don't mind them as a bookshelf occupant. However as the internet and online documentation have gotten more ubiquitous, I've used them more and more often as they are easier to search and I don't always have access to them.

Here are two of the books I own:
Win 2000 Bible
Win 2003 Server Bible

Now here is a Windows 10 version.

That took me under 10 seconds to find using google. The first three results are 700+ reference guides for advanced users. My advice to you would be, "JFC use a good search before you submit an ask slashdot like this."

So I know the kinds of books you're talking about. I used them in school, bought them used for reference material, and generally don't mind them as a bookshelf occupant. However as the internet and online documentation have gotten more ubiquitous, I've used them more and more often as they are easier to search and I don't always have access to them.

Here are two of the books I own:
Win 2000 Bible
Win 2003 Server Bible

Now here is a Windows 10 version.

That took me under 10 seconds to find using google. The first three results are 700+ reference guides for advanced users. My advice to you would be, "JFC use a good search before you submit an ask slashdot like this."

Missing Manual:

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-...

Microsoft Books:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/micros...

Way to go, completely misunderstanding the point.

Yup. I did.

Carrying 10x the weight is a disadvantage if I don't need more than one recharge.

Gotcha.

http://www.amazon.com/Crank-Po...

At 2.2oz It actually weighs LESS than than the 2.9oz OEM S5 battery.

Look around. Read the posts. Ladies and gentlemen, watch Slashdot being transformed into a right wing echo chamber. Behold, the paid posters, who's job description is to participate in what initially looks like actual debate, but which is actually carefully constructed propaganda designed to demoralize any earnest poster who thinks what goes on here is actual debate. Watch the true believers who choose their truth like picking a football team to cheer for. Witness the undermining of democracy, as climate denial propaganda companies and think tanks try to undermine the common sense of truth and fact necessary for a democracy to make wise decisions for our collective well being.

If you actually are a real human being who is concerned about the well being of our nation and our world, I urge you to read Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. It details the history of how billionaires like Tea Party founders Charles and David Koch have transformed this nation into one that is actually on the verge of fascism. It is worth noting that the Koch brothers' father built Hitler's third largest oil refinery. He saw fit to hire an ardent Nazi sympathizing nanny to raise Charles and David Koch. With an upbringing like that, it is hard to imagine how they wouldn't have deep fascist tendencies. These two brothers are amongst the largest funders of climate change denial, and with the ascendence of the Tea Party, they have nearly taken over the Republican Party.

As for debating the denier trolls around here, you might have better luck going into a Hitler youth camp and trying to convert them. See how that goes for you.

To piggyback on this, buy a USB voltmeter/ammeter. They are stupid cheap and will tell you exactly what is going on with your wires. I use this because i needed a way to find a right angle USB connector that wouldnt drop below 4.75 volts (still looking btw) when running a Raspberry Pi + touchscreen. http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Mul...

You can turn a Galaxy S5 into a thicker phone by replacing the stock battery with a 5600 mAh battery.

The replacement battery is much thicker than the standard one, so it requires a new back cover for the phone. The result is a phone that is about twice as thick as the original, and twice as heavy. Since I always wear mine in a magnetic holster on my belt, I don't care about the extra weight.

I also carry several external batteries in my laptop bag, but I rarely need them. (I needed them more with my older phones, and for my wife's phone.)
http://www.amazon.com/Jackery-...
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Po...

You can turn a Galaxy S5 into a thicker phone by replacing the stock battery with a 5600 mAh battery.

The replacement battery is much thicker than the standard one, so it requires a new back cover for the phone. The result is a phone that is about twice as thick as the original, and twice as heavy. Since I always wear mine in a magnetic holster on my belt, I don't care about the extra weight.

I also carry several external batteries in my laptop bag, but I rarely need them. (I needed them more with my older phones, and for my wife's phone.)
http://www.amazon.com/Jackery-...
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Po...

Furthermore people who claim a replaceable battery isn't necessary must be boring city dwellers without a sense of adventure.

Or maybe we think outside the box and buy things things like:

http://www.amazon.com/X-DRAGON...

http://www.amazon.com/Nekteck-...

Which work with multiple phones and even other devices, and tend also to be much more competitively priced than an OEM internal battery which only likely works with one particular model.

Furthermore people who claim a replaceable battery isn't necessary must be boring city dwellers without a sense of adventure.

Or maybe we think outside the box and buy things things like:

http://www.amazon.com/X-DRAGON...

http://www.amazon.com/Nekteck-...

Which work with multiple phones and even other devices, and tend also to be much more competitively priced than an OEM internal battery which only likely works with one particular model.

Replaceable batteries are not necessary. There, I claimed it. Just get one of these.

if we were to assume that this data is never misused, it seems like an enormous amount of marketing analytics. ...perhaps enough to offset the cost of windows 10?

http://www.amazon.com/Microsof...

Home is 119
Pro is 199

About the same as 7 and 8. You can get an OEM copy a bit cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...

About the same as 7 and 8.

Windows 10 isn't free.

They ARE offering (or aggressively pushing) a limited time free upgrade to existing licensed users of 7 and 8 get adoption rates up on the theories that they'll make some money back on the in-app advertising on the app store stuff, and the (mostly correct) assumption that almost nobody pays to upgrade windows anyway, so giving away the upgrade REALLY doesn't cost them much.

But if you bought a new PC with Windows 10 on it, that copy was paid for.

Further, "telemetry" isn't *supposed* to be used for marketing. It's "supposed" to be used for product improvement. Using it for marketing IS misusing it as far as I'd be concerned.

Read and learn.

Read and learn.

Most other violent socialist factions "just" slaughter people who disagree with the new government.

There are three informative works that are worth looking into, or at least to be aware of.

The first is the documentary The Soviet Story. (on demand) Its creation was supported by a committee of the European Parliament, among others. Review is below, and here is a trailer. I suggest watching the entire documentary some time.

Telling the Soviet story - A new film about Nazi-Soviet links

The film is gripping, audacious and uncompromising. Though it starts by telling the story of the murder of 7m Ukrainians in 1933, it is no mere catalogue of atrocities. The main aim of the film is to show the close connections—philosophical, political and organisational—between the Nazi and Soviet systems.

As Françoise Thom (one of many anti-communist luminaries appearing in the film) puts it: “Nazism was based on false biology; Marxism was based on false sociology”. The Marxist dream of the “new man”, for example, mirrored the Nazi idea of racial superiority. The Nazis murdered chiefly on racial grounds, while the Soviets concentrated on class. But mass murder is mass murder

Those who keep a soft spot for Marxism may flinch to hear that the sage of Highgate referred to backward societies as Völkerabfälle (racial trash) who must “perish in the revolutionary holocaust”. Or that the Nazi party in its early days idolised Lenin (Josef Goebbels said he was second only to Adolf Hitler in greatness).

Perhaps the best sequence in the film shows pairs of posters using almost identical designs: muscular workers strike heroic attitudes in support of the party and the state, blonde little girls beam, fists smash enemies, hammers break chains. Without the swastika and hammer and sickle as clues, it would be hard to know which is which.

The illustration of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact is compelling: Soviet radio transmitters guided German bombers in their attacks on Poland. A Soviet naval base near Murmansk helped the Nazi attack on Norway. The Soviet secret police helped train the Gestapo and discussed how to deal with the “Jewish question” in occupied Poland. . . . Read the whole thing

The second work is, The Black Book of Communism
There are multiple reviews at the link for the book, but this is also informative: So, how many did Communism kill?

The third work is this book: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change

We find in it a great deal of history that people would like us to forget, including how fascism was admired by many, how progressives influenced and were influenced by fascist movements in Europe, and how common threads of ideas and values continue to influence events today.

And since we have a self-described socialist running for office:

Communist Party USA Chairman Vows Cooperation With Democratic Party

Most other violent socialist factions "just" slaughter people who disagree with the new government.

There are three informative works that are worth looking into, or at least to be aware of.

The first is the documentary The Soviet Story. (on demand) Its creation was supported by a committee of the European Parliament, among others. Review is below, and here is a trailer. I suggest watching the entire documentary some time.

Telling the Soviet story - A new film about Nazi-Soviet links

The film is gripping, audacious and uncompromising. Though it starts by telling the story of the murder of 7m Ukrainians in 1933, it is no mere catalogue of atrocities. The main aim of the film is to show the close connections—philosophical, political and organisational—between the Nazi and Soviet systems.

As Françoise Thom (one of many anti-communist luminaries appearing in the film) puts it: “Nazism was based on false biology; Marxism was based on false sociology”. The Marxist dream of the “new man”, for example, mirrored the Nazi idea of racial superiority. The Nazis murdered chiefly on racial grounds, while the Soviets concentrated on class. But mass murder is mass murder

Those who keep a soft spot for Marxism may flinch to hear that the sage of Highgate referred to backward societies as Völkerabfälle (racial trash) who must “perish in the revolutionary holocaust”. Or that the Nazi party in its early days idolised Lenin (Josef Goebbels said he was second only to Adolf Hitler in greatness).

Perhaps the best sequence in the film shows pairs of posters using almost identical designs: muscular workers strike heroic attitudes in support of the party and the state, blonde little girls beam, fists smash enemies, hammers break chains. Without the swastika and hammer and sickle as clues, it would be hard to know which is which.

The illustration of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact is compelling: Soviet radio transmitters guided German bombers in their attacks on Poland. A Soviet naval base near Murmansk helped the Nazi attack on Norway. The Soviet secret police helped train the Gestapo and discussed how to deal with the “Jewish question” in occupied Poland. . . . Read the whole thing

The second work is, The Black Book of Communism
There are multiple reviews at the link for the book, but this is also informative: So, how many did Communism kill?

The third work is this book: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change

We find in it a great deal of history that people would like us to forget, including how fascism was admired by many, how progressives influenced and were influenced by fascist movements in Europe, and how common threads of ideas and values continue to influence events today.

And since we have a self-described socialist running for office:

Communist Party USA Chairman Vows Cooperation With Democratic Party

Most other violent socialist factions "just" slaughter people who disagree with the new government.

There are three informative works that are worth looking into, or at least to be aware of.

The first is the documentary The Soviet Story. (on demand) Its creation was supported by a committee of the European Parliament, among others. Review is below, and here is a trailer. I suggest watching the entire documentary some time.

Telling the Soviet story - A new film about Nazi-Soviet links

The film is gripping, audacious and uncompromising. Though it starts by telling the story of the murder of 7m Ukrainians in 1933, it is no mere catalogue of atrocities. The main aim of the film is to show the close connections—philosophical, political and organisational—between the Nazi and Soviet systems.

As Françoise Thom (one of many anti-communist luminaries appearing in the film) puts it: “Nazism was based on false biology; Marxism was based on false sociology”. The Marxist dream of the “new man”, for example, mirrored the Nazi idea of racial superiority. The Nazis murdered chiefly on racial grounds, while the Soviets concentrated on class. But mass murder is mass murder

Those who keep a soft spot for Marxism may flinch to hear that the sage of Highgate referred to backward societies as Völkerabfälle (racial trash) who must “perish in the revolutionary holocaust”. Or that the Nazi party in its early days idolised Lenin (Josef Goebbels said he was second only to Adolf Hitler in greatness).

Perhaps the best sequence in the film shows pairs of posters using almost identical designs: muscular workers strike heroic attitudes in support of the party and the state, blonde little girls beam, fists smash enemies, hammers break chains. Without the swastika and hammer and sickle as clues, it would be hard to know which is which.

The illustration of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact is compelling: Soviet radio transmitters guided German bombers in their attacks on Poland. A Soviet naval base near Murmansk helped the Nazi attack on Norway. The Soviet secret police helped train the Gestapo and discussed how to deal with the “Jewish question” in occupied Poland. . . . Read the whole thing

The second work is, The Black Book of Communism
There are multiple reviews at the link for the book, but this is also informative: So, how many did Communism kill?

The third work is this book: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change

We find in it a great deal of history that people would like us to forget, including how fascism was admired by many, how progressives influenced and were influenced by fascist movements in Europe, and how common threads of ideas and values continue to influence events today.

And since we have a self-described socialist running for office:

Communist Party USA Chairman Vows Cooperation With Democratic Party

Blu-ray releases March 8th:
http://www.amazon.com/Howard-D...

Close enough?

Electrons move thru gates faster when there is less capacitance and less heat from reduction of resistance.
Article is silent on the idea of 200 GHZ processors. There are many ways to get to 100 times faster.

If you seriously believe that charge carrier speed in the substrate is limiting factor in device speed there is not much I can do for you except recommend a book

http://www.amazon.com/Semicond...

and maybe the following courses of study Electronic circuits I-IV or whatever they may be calling it these days.

How is this even legal? Is there not a requirement to prove that the required skilled labour cannot be sourced locally? The race to the bottom how really moved into the final stretch!

Read http://smile.amazon.com/gp/pro... and you'll see that the government isn't allowed to investigate, nor is there any obligation for companies to prove it. It's truly a racket designed to enrich the businesses.

Not worth getting. For $15 more you can get a 1TB Samsung EVO 1TB - better reliance and better performance.

(while we're trading amazon ads on slashdot: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-... )

I picked one up at a similar prices in a sale a few months back. It has my entire Steam library on it, and all of games have the shortest loading delays that I've ever experienced. Lovin it.

Photo organizers, locally installed, Windows:
Zoner Photo Studio
xnView
Nero Mediahome
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Media Pro (Not Freeware)
ACDSee (Not Freeware>
Corel Aftershot (Not Freeware)

Photo editors, browser based:
Pixlr
Polarr
Fotor
iPiccy

Image Hosting:
Piwigo (free to self-host; first party hosting available)
Zenphoto (free to self-host; third party hosting available)
JuiceBox (freemium; self-hosted only)
Flickr
Amazon Prime Photos (you have to be Prime)

Okay, I'm tired of adding links...but depending on what functions of Picasa you're looking to replace, there are plenty of alternatives.

If I was exterminated today my diary could not be published for 95 years.

No, that's utter rubbish.

The legal holder of the copyright would have exclusive control for 95 years.

That might be some assignee that you sold right to, your heirs, etc. etc.

Nobody is being denied reading The Diary of Ann Frank. You can buy it on Amazon. Or in probably any of the remaining walk-in bookstores.

http://www.amazon.com/Diary-An...

While, yes, a copyright holder might without a work from the market for some political or other nefarious purpose, you've chosen a poor example. And, the sad fact is, most unavailable works are unavailable through neglect or disinterest on the part of the copyright holder, not willful withholding from the market.

Crucial/Micron BX200 is 65$ for 240gb
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-...

It's a much better MLC drive, with SM2246EN controller.
No reason to buy 2D TLC at all (unless it's sold for dirt cheap prices, e.g. 0.20$/GB like on last Black Friday).
Either buy MLC or 3D TLC now.

I knew we shouldn't have signed that contract that says we have to eat a dick during every TV break!

May I recommend the Bachelorette Party Weenie Bites as a temporary work-around while you re-negotiate. :)

> In Mac-land, we oven referred to programs as apps back then.

Indeed, Apple even called their first object-oriented framework MacApp. The term was not unfamiliar to developers before that.

Here, at WWDC 1998 Steve Jobs says, "people want an advanced OS that runs Mac apps."

The barrier the broke is boring as I have purchased better brands for the same price or less recently.

They broke the OCZ barrier, Crucial has been there for a while.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-...

OCZ is way behind the price points of pretty much all the big boys.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...

$69.99 new.

Amazon: $69.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...

SP2 owner here.

When I got my recall notice (via Amazon, where I bought it), my first thought was "good thing I don't keep mine plugged in all the time" (it sees very light usage, and the battery holds up nicely for weeks on end while powered down)

Then I clicked on the actual notice and was puzzled for a bit. The charger pictured in the notice didn't look anything like the one that came with my Surface. Mine was a compact wall wart with folding prongs. More searching led me to a listing for a Surface 24-watt charger that looked just like the one packed with my SP2, and taking another look at the logo on mine, it says "Surface RT". I'd been using the thing on-and-off for almost a year and never noticed. Turns out the RT and Pro could use each other's chargers.

Anyone else get an RT charger bundled with their Surface Pro 2 or 3?

---PCJ

"Example: In some cultures, insects are a tasty snack. In America, "ZOMG, time to sue someone a cricket is in my soup!"
I have tried these, and they're actually pretty good. Also carried at Whole Paycheck.

http://smile.amazon.com/Chapul...

What you need are some of these cord extensions

When do I get my money back? How can I screw over the founders to make more money?

"Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure" by Jerry Kaplan is great book on how his pen-based computer company got screwed over by the VC's, Microsoft, Apple and IBM.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L0M749M

...And have a better educated populace some years hence. For example, this children's book on cryptography.

Oh for fuck's sake, are you really this stupid? Here's a fucking link:
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX...

$96.72. No, it's probably not the most expensive Hakko station. There's also this one:

http://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN...

At $236.40, it's still less than half of that mythical $500 Hakko. Hakkos have never been highly expensive. I got my first Hakko (a 936 IIRC) over a decade ago for less than $100 at Fry's.

You need at least 2 temp settings for two dif solder types, you need quick and intuitive airflow manipulation for rework.

There's no "airflow manipulation" on a soldering station. You're thinking of a "SMT rework station", which is something else altogether. A "soldering station" is a soldering iron that's temperature-controlled, and usually has a handy stand with sponge and/or brass mesh for tip cleaning.

Yes, the ~$200 rework stations are indeed Chinese and not terribly high-quality. However, they actually work just fine for hot-air rework in my experience. (The soldering iron side, on the other hand, is complete junk.)

Oh for fuck's sake, are you really this stupid? Here's a fucking link:
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX...

$96.72. No, it's probably not the most expensive Hakko station. There's also this one:

http://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN...

At $236.40, it's still less than half of that mythical $500 Hakko. Hakkos have never been highly expensive. I got my first Hakko (a 936 IIRC) over a decade ago for less than $100 at Fry's.

You need at least 2 temp settings for two dif solder types, you need quick and intuitive airflow manipulation for rework.

There's no "airflow manipulation" on a soldering station. You're thinking of a "SMT rework station", which is something else altogether. A "soldering station" is a soldering iron that's temperature-controlled, and usually has a handy stand with sponge and/or brass mesh for tip cleaning.

Yes, the ~$200 rework stations are indeed Chinese and not terribly high-quality. However, they actually work just fine for hot-air rework in my experience. (The soldering iron side, on the other hand, is complete junk.)

This reminds me of the worst interface design I've seen in a long time. This Holmes heater: http://www.amazon.com/Holmes-H...

Brilliant idea. One single button. You have to push it repeatedly to go through every temperature setting with low fan, then press it repeatedly to go through all the temperatures again in high fan speed. Absolutely the stupidest design I've ever seen. I would like to see them design a computer keyboard. Those brilliant minds would give us a keyboard with one button you press repeatedly a hundred times to enter a single character.

Ah, so that's who Bethesda has been hiring to design the Fallout PC interfaces! It all makes sense now...