Slashdot Mirror

In an effort to connect images of the tragedy with sites that allow people to make donations to the relief effort, myself and a number of friends have posted a list of mirrors to my weblog. Please use this to take some of the load off video.contemporaryinsanity.org and help get the word out.

Correct reflected on my weblog entry.

If you want a RAID solution that is not absolutely awful without spending loads of money on SCSI hardware, the only way to go is 3ware. They are the only ATA hardware RAID solution (which means dedicated hardware on the controller is responsible for RAID operations, not some stupid kernel-space driver) and offer controllers with either parallel or serial ATA interfaces. I myself am using two Escalade 7006-2 cards (32-bit PCI interface, parallel ATA, two disks per controller) under FreeBSD and they are excellent. Performance is good, disaster recovery is flawless (they support background mirror rebuilding), and compatability is perfect.

They are also quite cheap. If you go to Monarch Computer, you can find the model I have for around $110 with free shipping.

I know it's hard to trust advice from Slashdot, but this is the best way to go. As many others have pointed out, RAID-1 is the obvious choice for personal uses. And always stay away from software RAID. Whether it's the Linux kernel RAID subsystem or Promise, Highpoint, etc. (these "RAID cards" are in fact software), software RAID sucks and will increase the chances of data loss, not reduce it.

I have a blog entry that talks a little bit more about this.

It looks like these cars are more hype than help in the battle against pollution and foreign fuel reliance.

Naturally, the technology, not the drivers, that is responsible for the poor fuel economy.

Nonsense. When I drive my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (yes, I actually own one, potentially unlike many other people posting here) on the highway, I am careful on the gas (I take a speed hit going up hills, I utilize descents, et cetera). On the Pittsburgh, PA - Washington, DC drive, I consistently average 51 MPG for the length of I76, I70, and I270. On the George Washington Memorial Highway along the Potomac, I can keep it above 53 going in and out of the city. For local traffic, I accelerate slowly and brake slowly (when possible) and that helps keep it above 48 MPG.

On the otherhand, when I feel like having some fun, the gas miliage can drop down into the low 40s (42-46 MPG). For my Civic, that is terrible, but still better than 90% of the cars on the road. I consistently score 575+ miles out of my 12.7 gallon tank.

A terrible driver could take an NSX and lose every race. An excellent driver can take a Kia and kick some serious ass. Likewise with fuel economy, a bad driver can make the most efficient vehicle guzzle gas while a good driver could get some decent range out of an SUV. The point is, a car's technology is only as good as the driver.

I think a lot of people out there get a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle and assume that they don't have to think. That's not the case. There's a very good reason why the Prius and the Civic Hybrid show you whether the motor is assisting or charging and show you your instantaneous fuel economy. These tools help the driver alter their habits to get the best performance. If people are dumb enough to spend the money on one of these vehicles and then not use the technology correctly (understand how to drive with maximum efficienty and change their habits), it's not the fault of the engineering, it's the fault of the consumer.

Does my car look like a ricer to you? No, didn't think so. :)

It also helps if your sites and blogs point to other sites and blogs that have instances of litigious bastards.

For example, see my blog entry on the matter. I maintain a list at the bottom of the summary. So, please add comments to my blog entry with links to other litigious bastards references!

Make sure you add this to your weblogs! Here's an entry I made on the matter.