I loved my Amazon Kindle. For about 3 weeks, after which it broke. It wasn't abused; I just wasn't willing to spend another 30% of the purchase price for a cover. I replaced it with a smartphone and haven't missed the Kindle since.
Sweet! For the two-and-a-half years since I earned my Ham license, I have been singularly unable to find a kit for making a transmitter I could use. I can re-learn to read circuit diagrams, etc., but designing and building a radio from scratch is too far beyond my current skills.
I'm no botanist, but I've seen Japanese maples and rainbow Swiss chard. I've also read enough Dawkins and Ridley to understand that even extremely complex biological evolution is not only possible but inevitable. If photosynthesis can be improved, it probably would have been. If we increase photosynthetic efficiency, what are we trading? TAANSTAFL, and all that.
That's 43% of the folks surveyed who know they've been bitten. I'd guess there are at least half again as many who don't know that their IE keeps taking them to that new "search screen" because of something they downloaded.
At the risk of sounding dim, how would that help me get to Gmail?
I've seen some stuff on using SSH tunnelling and PuTTY to get through, but I haven't been willing to set up my WinXP box to be externally accessible. (I know, I should be on Linux, but I can't give up City of Heroes.)
Firewalls. Where I work, we're blocked from all the known webmail providers and all known "anonymizer/translator" services. (I stumbled across a new anonymizer through digg, but it only worked for about a week before it was blocked too.)
IANAL, and I suppose things could have changed since last I checked, but neither a matching signature nor ID are necessary to make a valid credit card purchase. It's a bearer instrument.
Look who the ID checking helps: the issuing bank. All you're liable for is the first $50. If your card is stolen, it doesn't make a difference if the thief charges only $50 or runs up $5K. The banks have done a great job with the propaganda that consumers are protected by the hassle, but it's all bull.
Re:Not sure I agree with all of the article
on
QA != Testing
·
· Score: 1
Independence is critical.
Way back in my tech support days (before support broke down industry-wide, but that's another rant), I was with a software company that had the programmers, testers, and support folks all reporting to the same boss. If a "showstopper" bug was too difficult to fix--that is, if it would delay moving from beta to release--it was usually simply dismissed.
They spent a lot of money sending me out on site to fix things that never should have seen the light of day.
Of course, this was a company that (I later heard) had shipped boxes in which they'd "forgotten" to include the distro diskettes so they could claim the revenue.
Re:I haven't taken anything like this...
on
IT Literacy Test
·
· Score: 1
If you're looking for a test that is "accurate, fair, and relevant," I would suggest that you look somewhere other than ETS. It's been a few years since I read that book, but it sure did open my eyes.
Actually, for most of what shows up here on slashdot, Bookpool is often the best choice. Even after the membership discount I get at BooksaMillion.com, Bookpool usually comes out ahead.
I knew I should have put the dictionary.com links. Verbage is a deliberate misspelling, implying garbage. I get a kick out of the usage here at my job for a major US bank, because the two are used interchangeably. I have not yet found a positive correlation between the use of "verbage" and the subject matter being such tripe as mission statements and the like, so I usually just snicker to myself at the ignorance. Simple things, and all that.
This makes single-issue voting pretty tricky. I had my doubts about some of the calls to "vote the bum out" over the CBDPTA(?) nonsense simply because my political views are more in line with the (D) side of the aisle. I'm glad I'm in NC now and don't have to make *that* choice.
Warning: If you start playing this game, you will be unable to stop. Your every waking moment away from the game will be filled with desire to get back. You will lose friends, family, your job, and your health. You won't need them: you'll have the game.
Yes, the comment was most definitely made in jest--and appreciation.
I have been railing for years to anyone who would listen about the sad state of America's "coming of age" rules. A kid can drive (in most states) at about 16. He can go to R-movies without Mom at 17. He can vote and die for his country at 18. If he's Jewish or Catholic (and probably others), he can become an "adult" in his religious life somewhere between 9 and 13. But although he can't have a beer before he turns 21 and most companies won't rent him a car before 25, he can be tried as an adult as young as 10. I figured most of my frustration would pass as I left those years behind, but as a 36-year-old father of four, it hasn't diminished a bit. My eldest will turn 13 this summer, so his "fun" is just beginning.
I also appreciate Finlay's use of the language. It has always bothered me that so many geeks--the same ones that can keep the syntax of 6 different coding languages separate in their minds--are completely incapable of writing a sentence where the subject agrees with the verb.
As for your advice to him to get blasted this weekend, I would only add this: Get somewhere safe. Don't drive drunk, and don't ride with anyone who's been drinking. If you have to, call home for a ride. Your folks would probably rather pick you up sloshed than have to identify your body. And being grounded and chewed out is better than being dead.
15 years old. Accomplished coder. AND literate? I don't buy it. Where were the typos and spelling errors? We all know that anyone that geek and that young has to be a script kiddie, but at no time did he slip into l33t c0d3.
I don't buy it. He's probably a back-to-college mother of three English major just trying to stir things up.
That'd be funny if it weren't so scary. When I started work at a large bank about two years ago, I found the Deja archive blocked because it had "no legitimate business use." (Apparently, having some illegitimate uses equates to having no legitimate ones.) It's only recently that I tracked down a different proxy system that allows me to get through to Google's groups.Of course, this is the same company that effectively barred me from participation in a platform-specific mailing list because having my real name attached to the bank's domain was feared to be enough information to let "hackers" compromise our network.I'm still here because the pay is good and my boss is easy to work for. Illegitimi non carborundum.
Yuck. Can't read it, can't resize it, and print doesn't work.
To: feedback@popsci.com, webmaster@popsci.com
Subject: Web site feedback
I normally don't bother with web site feedback, but I had such a difficult time navigating one of your articles that I felt I had to say something.
The article on Augmented Reality, http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,1 2543,190327-1,00.html, was very difficult to get through. The type in the main text was too small and I was unable to change it with my browser settings. The "print this" option, unlike format-for-print options on other newspaper and magazine sites (e.g., http://www.sciam.com) did not format the whole article, just the page I was on.
Nor was I able to find a feedback email on the site. I'm guessing at feedback@popsci.com and webmaster@popsci.com, and if those bounce, I'll try something less appropriate (subscription services, etc.).
If I were visually challenged, less computer literate, or even less interested in the particular article, you would have lost me on the first screen. The web is about accessibility: I would have thought a magazine about innovation would recognize that.
Best regards,
It's pretty simple, actually. In a nutshell, items don't leave the economy so supply goes up even as demand remains steady. Characters upgrade their equipment as the gain levels, but their old stuff does not degrade or disappear. Further, it's rare for someone to stop playing, particularly if s/he has a high level character (lots of time invested) and even when they do leave, most of the good stuff is passed out to friends before leaving.
This might seem pretty obvious, but if you're trolling/. for name recognition in the geek community, you might at least pay lip service to the plank in your platform. If Open Source ranks behind the marketing terms "sustainable growth, protection of our environment, improving quality of life, building a stronger school/community relationship and improving the economic status of all city residents" and is just tossed in "among other things", why bother to bring it up?
If, on the other hand, it is something you care about, your constituency is probably down the road in Blacksburg.
Slashdot Mirror
I loved my Amazon Kindle. For about 3 weeks, after which it broke. It wasn't abused; I just wasn't willing to spend another 30% of the purchase price for a cover. I replaced it with a smartphone and haven't missed the Kindle since.
Sweet! For the two-and-a-half years since I earned my Ham license, I have been singularly unable to find a kit for making a transmitter I could use. I can re-learn to read circuit diagrams, etc., but designing and building a radio from scratch is too far beyond my current skills.
I'm no botanist, but I've seen Japanese maples and rainbow Swiss chard. I've also read enough Dawkins and Ridley to understand that even extremely complex biological evolution is not only possible but inevitable. If photosynthesis can be improved, it probably would have been. If we increase photosynthetic efficiency, what are we trading? TAANSTAFL, and all that.
I remember those swining orgies. I didn't mind the squealing so much, but it always took weeks to get all the mud washed away.
That's 43% of the folks surveyed who know they've been bitten. I'd guess there are at least half again as many who don't know that their IE keeps taking them to that new "search screen" because of something they downloaded.
At the risk of sounding dim, how would that help me get to Gmail?
I've seen some stuff on using SSH tunnelling and PuTTY to get through, but I haven't been willing to set up my WinXP box to be externally accessible. (I know, I should be on Linux, but I can't give up City of Heroes.)
Firewalls. Where I work, we're blocked from all the known webmail providers and all known "anonymizer/translator" services. (I stumbled across a new anonymizer through digg, but it only worked for about a week before it was blocked too.)
IANAL, and I suppose things could have changed since last I checked, but neither a matching signature nor ID are necessary to make a valid credit card purchase. It's a bearer instrument.
Look who the ID checking helps: the issuing bank. All you're liable for is the first $50. If your card is stolen, it doesn't make a difference if the thief charges only $50 or runs up $5K. The banks have done a great job with the propaganda that consumers are protected by the hassle, but it's all bull.
Independence is critical.
Way back in my tech support days (before support broke down industry-wide, but that's another rant), I was with a software company that had the programmers, testers, and support folks all reporting to the same boss. If a "showstopper" bug was too difficult to fix--that is, if it would delay moving from beta to release--it was usually simply dismissed.
They spent a lot of money sending me out on site to fix things that never should have seen the light of day.
Of course, this was a company that (I later heard) had shipped boxes in which they'd "forgotten" to include the distro diskettes so they could claim the revenue.
If you're looking for a test that is "accurate, fair, and relevant," I would suggest that you look somewhere other than ETS. It's been a few years since I read that book, but it sure did open my eyes.
Actually, for most of what shows up here on slashdot, Bookpool is often the best choice. Even after the membership discount I get at BooksaMillion.com, Bookpool usually comes out ahead.
I knew I should have put the dictionary.com links. Verbage is a deliberate misspelling, implying garbage. I get a kick out of the usage here at my job for a major US bank, because the two are used interchangeably. I have not yet found a positive correlation between the use of "verbage" and the subject matter being such tripe as mission statements and the like, so I usually just snicker to myself at the ignorance. Simple things, and all that.
...and in context, "verbage" would probably have fit better than "verbiage."
...and it should (*not*)^2 corrupt any firmware...
(*not*)^2 == (*not*)(*not*)
So you're saying it should corrupt firmware, etc.?
Alternatively:
(*not*)^2 == (*not*)(*not*) == (*^4)(n^2)(o^2)(t^2), but that makes even less sense.
This makes single-issue voting pretty tricky. I had my doubts about some of the calls to "vote the bum out" over the CBDPTA(?) nonsense simply because my political views are more in line with the (D) side of the aisle. I'm glad I'm in NC now and don't have to make *that* choice.
Warning: If you start playing this game, you will be unable to stop. Your every waking moment away from the game will be filled with desire to get back. You will lose friends, family, your job, and your health. You won't need them: you'll have the game.
Hell, sign me up for two.
Yes, the comment was most definitely made in jest--and appreciation.
I have been railing for years to anyone who would listen about the sad state of America's "coming of age" rules. A kid can drive (in most states) at about 16. He can go to R-movies without Mom at 17. He can vote and die for his country at 18. If he's Jewish or Catholic (and probably others), he can become an "adult" in his religious life somewhere between 9 and 13. But although he can't have a beer before he turns 21 and most companies won't rent him a car before 25, he can be tried as an adult as young as 10. I figured most of my frustration would pass as I left those years behind, but as a 36-year-old father of four, it hasn't diminished a bit. My eldest will turn 13 this summer, so his "fun" is just beginning.
I also appreciate Finlay's use of the language. It has always bothered me that so many geeks--the same ones that can keep the syntax of 6 different coding languages separate in their minds--are completely incapable of writing a sentence where the subject agrees with the verb.
As for your advice to him to get blasted this weekend, I would only add this: Get somewhere safe. Don't drive drunk, and don't ride with anyone who's been drinking. If you have to, call home for a ride. Your folks would probably rather pick you up sloshed than have to identify your body. And being grounded and chewed out is better than being dead.
15 years old. Accomplished coder. AND literate? I don't buy it. Where were the typos and spelling errors? We all know that anyone that geek and that young has to be a script kiddie, but at no time did he slip into l33t c0d3.
I don't buy it. He's probably a back-to-college mother of three English major just trying to stir things up.
...except now they're out of stock. I think Bookpool got /.ed.
That'd be funny if it weren't so scary. When I started work at a large bank about two years ago, I found the Deja archive blocked because it had "no legitimate business use." (Apparently, having some illegitimate uses equates to having no legitimate ones.) It's only recently that I tracked down a different proxy system that allows me to get through to Google's groups.Of course, this is the same company that effectively barred me from participation in a platform-specific mailing list because having my real name attached to the bank's domain was feared to be enough information to let "hackers" compromise our network.I'm still here because the pay is good and my boss is easy to work for. Illegitimi non carborundum.
Yuck. Can't read it, can't resize it, and print doesn't work. To: feedback@popsci.com, webmaster@popsci.com1 2543,190327-1,00.html, was very difficult to get through. The type in the main text was too small and I was unable to change it with my browser settings. The "print this" option, unlike format-for-print options on other newspaper and magazine sites (e.g., http://www.sciam.com) did not format the whole article, just the page I was on.
Nor was I able to find a feedback email on the site. I'm guessing at feedback@popsci.com and webmaster@popsci.com, and if those bounce, I'll try something less appropriate (subscription services, etc.).
If I were visually challenged, less computer literate, or even less interested in the particular article, you would have lost me on the first screen. The web is about accessibility: I would have thought a magazine about innovation would recognize that.
Best regards,
Subject: Web site feedback I normally don't bother with web site feedback, but I had such a difficult time navigating one of your articles that I felt I had to say something. The article on Augmented Reality, http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,
Heh. That should be "Russian." Or maybe I'm just getting the hang of posting around here.
Sometimes they drink bourbon, scotch, gin, wine, beer, or Sterno(tm). Just like Americans.
It's pretty simple, actually. In a nutshell, items don't leave the economy so supply goes up even as demand remains steady. Characters upgrade their equipment as the gain levels, but their old stuff does not degrade or disappear. Further, it's rare for someone to stop playing, particularly if s/he has a high level character (lots of time invested) and even when they do leave, most of the good stuff is passed out to friends before leaving.
This might seem pretty obvious, but if you're trolling /. for name recognition in the geek community, you might at least pay lip service to the plank in your platform. If Open Source ranks behind the marketing terms "sustainable growth, protection of our environment, improving quality of life, building a stronger school/community relationship and improving the economic status of all city residents" and is just tossed in "among other things", why bother to bring it up?
If, on the other hand, it is something you care about, your constituency is probably down the road in Blacksburg.