The police force here has been working 4/10s for at least a couple of decades... and they seem to have everything covered in a city of a couple million.
Since many businesses no longer do the 9-5, Mon-Fri thing anyway (open 7 days a week), split shifts (2 on, 3 off, 2 on, 2 off for some, 4 on, 4 off for others, etc.) can meet a lot of people's desires for more free blocks of time while creating less need to lay people off to reduce labour costs.
A lot of people don't "get" the idea that we don't "need" a lifestyle supported by huge mountains of debt. That's what started this whole problem - people (and countries) piling on more and more debt as they over-leveraged themselves. If you have no debts, and your work hours and pay are both cut 10%, you'll probably be okay. If debt payments represent half your net income, a 10% pay and hours cut is going to mean you don't "make your nut" each month. It's not the lower income, but the high debt level that leaves NO room to maneuver.
When you take into account that as many as 1 in 2 mortgages (and even the most conservative estimate now puts it at 1 in 4) will be under-water over the next 5 years, now is the time to be shedding debt, not taking on more.
The debt that is being incurred in everyone's name for all the bailouts isn't free money - every $ the government borrows is one buck less that consumers can borrow (or, if the government just revs up the printing presses, the excess currency forces the value of the consumers' dollars down by an equal amount).
Depending on who you talk to, the dollar has lost between 93% and 97% of its' value in 40 years - the typical "generation". Why should anyone lend you money for 40 years if history shows that in terms of real purchasing power, it's worth less? The answer is, they won't lend, so watch for the US Dollar to continue to fall in value.
Propping up the banks pretty much guaranteed a Japan-style "lost decade", unfortunately. Bail-outs don't put money in the consumers' pocket - they suck it out to prop up an inefficient system or create an artificially-high floor price.
(Hey, most of the last 10% is taxes anyway, right)
Not Right.
Depends on where you work, what deductions you have, and your tax bracket. Come up to Kanuckistan and you'll see just how much higher your marginal tax rate is on the last few hours income each week.
Also, which is more economically efficient - to pay people a marginal amount to sit around (unemployment - which comes out of taxes, remember), or for everyone to get some extra time off? I'd love a 9/36 w.a 10% pay cut. Between the lower taxes and the cost savings and sheer convenience and higher quality of life, who wouldn't?
I'd rather have 4x9hour days, a 10% cut in pay, and 3 days off every week. (Hey, most of the last 10% is taxes anyway, right). If everyone did this, we could avoid tons of layoffs nationwide, lower energy costs (4 days commuting instead of 5), and 3-day weekends every week...
"As if the online hardware review business is any different? We all know this is true, yet you act as if Microsoft, the oh so evil corporation, is the only one that does it."
Consumer Reports doesn't do it. They buy everything they test, anonymously. That's why they have credibility. Hardware review sights on the web, by contrast, never had much credibility.
"Where would you people be without Microsoft? Yeah, go ahead and answer that with some sort of utopian-linux-crap concocted comment. But the truth is, you guys are just unhappy that your fav OS, be it Solaris, OSX, or Linux or whatever is not the one that the masses are leaning towards currently. "
Some of us were using computers before Windows, or even before DOS. Neither of my first two computers were PCs. So, where would we be without Microsoft? Probably a better place...
"News flash, guys, one OS is not the perfect solution for everything. That includes Windows, because I'm not a hypocrite. I will admit Windows is not perfect, nor is it perfect for everyone and everything. But to constantly bash it as horrible and useless, perhaps even without seeing/trying it for yourself, is just plain wrong and down right hypocritical. Even more so if you base that opinion on the fact that Microsoft gave free laptops or whatever to reviewers."
My opinion is based on a couple of decades of seeing (and sometimes in the past having to use) the shit that Microsoft produces. There's nothing hypocritical about it - I've paid my dues in this industry, and the world would have been a much better place if Bill Gates hadn't been born.
"I'm not going to post this AC because someone has to stand up and say things the way they are. And I'm willing to put myself and my opinion out there."
BFD. Want a lollipop? No matter how much you whine, it won't change the fact that Microsoft continues to make crappy products. You're such a shill...
Canada will deny you entry if you've been convicted of drug possession or DWI -- even if said conviction was a misdemeanor/civil affair if your home country. Why don't I see anybody complaining about that?
Because in Canada drunk driving is an indictable offense (think felony), not a misdemeanor. Jail, not fine.
Same as the US and Canada both will charge people with child abuse for buying an 8-year-old prostitute in Thailand.
"where's the evidence of improvement in the way business runs or works? Cars are shoddy, consumer goods are junk."
So Dvorak would want us to all drive the biodegradable pieces of crap cars from 1979? Those Fords and K-Cars were really awful. Then there was the AMC Pacer... a goldfish bowl on wheels...
Last I looked, computers were consumer goods. My laptop is a lot higher quality, and much more capable, than the Heathkit 4004 I would have had to settle for 30 years ago. Ditto my cell phone compared to ANY "portable/mobile" phone 30 years ago. And both, after adjusting for inflation, are MUCH cheaper today.
But can you get any real work done with it? I know a guy who "upgraded" to a quad-core, 6 gigs ram, and Vista - and now he can't get any real work done. The interface changes were "change for the sake of change", and that, coupled with the basic fuck-up that has been the default file system layout since Win95, means that it's just stupid not to switch away from Windows if you need to work.
The popup alert - and YES the obviously never heard of "\n" - it's all_one_long_paragraph:
"You are about to access a Department of Homeland Security computer system. This computer system and data therein are property of the U.S. Government and provided for official U.S. Government information and use. There is no expectation of privacy when you use this computer system. The use of a password or any other security measure does not establish an expectation of privacy. By using this system, you consent to the terms set forth in this notice. You may not process classified national security information on this computer system. Access to this system is restricted to authorized users only. Unauthorized access, use, or modification of this system or of data contained herein, or in transit to/from this system, may constitute a violation of section 1030 of title 18 of the U.S. Code and other criminal laws. Anyone who accesses a Federal computer system without authorization or exceeds access authority, or obtains, alters, damages, destroys, or discloses information, or prevents authorized use of information on the computer system, may be subject to penalties, fines or imprisonment. This computer system and any related equipment is subject to monitoring for administrative oversight, law enforcement, criminal investigative purposes, inquiries into alleged wrongdoing or misuse, and to ensure proper performance of applicable security features and procedures. DHS may conduct monitoring activities without further notice."
Elsewhere:
"Is this Web site secure and private?
Yes. This Web site is operated by the United States Government and employs technology to prevent unauthorized access to the information you enter and view. Additionally, this Web site operates under the rules and regulations as specified by the United States Privacy Act and this Privacy Statement to insure the privacy of your information."
So, since we can't "process national security information on this computer", and our application is made pursuant to national security requirements, aren't we in violation if we apply?
Also, as they point out, you waive your expectation of privacy on use.
Really comforting... (well, actually, not.)
Countries have every right to set the terms for other people to enter their borders. This, unfortunately, is just security theatre. Then again, expect this to be required (along with a dna sample) of US citizens 10 years from now when they want to send their kids to the local school, or get a bank account, or fly on a plane, or buy a cell phone or get Internet access (restricted by the Great Firewall of America, of course)... they'll do it "because they can."
I used it on a brand new dual core 64-bit laptop w. nvidia graphics card and 2 gigs of ram - not exactly a slouch of a machine. I then parked the laptop for half a year - it just wasn't useable. Then I threw linux on it and it became an AWESOME machine - enough so that I upgraded to 4 gigs of ram.
If you think Vista is "good", you have a strange definition of "good." If you think it's "a modern OS", you're at least a decade behind the times. Windows is obsolete. Get a mac if you need the hand-holding.
Sun is "running the clock" because the longer the clock runs, the more NetApp patents will be invalidated, and the fewer they'll have to deal with in court.
Keep in mind that NetApp doesn't mention that the last time they sued another country over IP, they also lost and had to pay. Quite a business model -
leave company to start new company,
sue former employer for IP infringement
lose.
If NetApp were sure their patents would hold up under review, they'd have no problem with letting the reviews all run their courses, since that would make winning much easier, as well as letting them claim more ongoing damages. It also doesn't help that they tried to license the patents that Sun is now countering with from the company that Sun bought.
The simple fact is that their market is in trouble - people are cutting back, shifting what they do have to buy to more commodity hardware/software solutions, etc. They won't be around in 5 years.
That's a very good answer, but any good answer would be one that didn't involve declaring an array of all the number between 0 and 100 and then iterating over the array. Yes, that's a typical solution.
I really REALLY hope you're joking, and that nobody actually proposed creating an array of numbers and adding up the array . . .
Just for fun, if / when anyone proposes that, why not give them the task of summing up the total number of different combinations of numbers to a 6/49 or other related lottery . . . how many arrays of arrays of arrays of... gak! Talk about brain-dead "solutions."
The program he left worked wonderfully and was incredibly complicated until he wasn't there due to poor coding practice with documentation/comments to allow others to manage the tool.
It's called "coding for job security . .."
It also comes with a companion use case "coding for future consultancy gigs . .."
Huh?!? What do you people DO up there during the winters?
It's not the winters; everyone looks the same under 4 layers of coats and hats and gloves.
It's the summers. If you want to be polite, you address people in their mother tongue, which is usually either english or french, so you quickly learn the visual cues for determining, before they've said a word, what language group they're from, especially since, if you work wth the public, getting it wrong can sometimes lead to a certain nastiness from people who insist on being served in "their own language."
It gets trickier with other ethnic groups, so you again have to figure out, of the 2 official languages, which one are they going to be more comfortable in. Again, you learn to figure it out to the point where it's just instinctive.
To the contrary, NetApp may end up like SCO vs Novell, where the initial complainant ends up owing the respondent. Sun could very well end up both pwning AND owning NetApp.
As for the antivirus companies - I wish, but there will always be *some* "useful fools" around, and people whose financial self-interest aligns with enabling them to stay dumb and foolish.
They've convinced themselves they are above the rest of the world with their little societal rules. There is no disease or disorder, they're just stupid.
mod parent troll. the clue is the nasty deliberate mis-spelling there.
I've seen too many people, whether they're nerds or not, justify their social isolation by saying that they reject society's rules, or that people shouldn't be trusted, etc.
It's a universal trait, to self-justify a wrong decision, rather than go "man, did I fuck up!" and then have to "lose their investment" in their current behaviour/situation. Nothing to do with nerds or geeks specifically. Same with many social interactions - look how many women (and men) stay with abusive spouses after getting the sh*t beaten out of them over and over, or how many men (and women) stay with cheating spouses. "They'll change." "They really love me." "It's my fault."
What's needed is for parents to give their kids enough self-assurance that they instinctively won't take that sort of shit - the "nerd" problem would disappear, since the biggest problem nerds have is a lack of self-confidence and self-respect.
"Gaming companies by and large insist that they own everything within the game. Basically a player "owns" stuff the same way a monopoly player "owns" his cards, houses and money, i. e. only in the context of the game. If there is a transition to real world money (gold on ebay), that is already taxable."
Why are you giving them even more stupid ideas? This is Washington we're talking about. Politicians who've never met a stupid idea they didn't like... like the bailouts.
Mind you, if they're going to start treating all game transactions as real-life, I'm going to play Risk, conquer the world, and tell the IRS their new job is to collect tribute for me.
Slashdot Mirror
The police force here has been working 4/10s for at least a couple of decades ... and they seem to have everything covered in a city of a couple million.
Since many businesses no longer do the 9-5, Mon-Fri thing anyway (open 7 days a week), split shifts (2 on, 3 off, 2 on, 2 off for some, 4 on, 4 off for others, etc.) can meet a lot of people's desires for more free blocks of time while creating less need to lay people off to reduce labour costs.
A lot of people don't "get" the idea that we don't "need" a lifestyle supported by huge mountains of debt. That's what started this whole problem - people (and countries) piling on more and more debt as they over-leveraged themselves. If you have no debts, and your work hours and pay are both cut 10%, you'll probably be okay. If debt payments represent half your net income, a 10% pay and hours cut is going to mean you don't "make your nut" each month. It's not the lower income, but the high debt level that leaves NO room to maneuver.
When you take into account that as many as 1 in 2 mortgages (and even the most conservative estimate now puts it at 1 in 4) will be under-water over the next 5 years, now is the time to be shedding debt, not taking on more.
The debt that is being incurred in everyone's name for all the bailouts isn't free money - every $ the government borrows is one buck less that consumers can borrow (or, if the government just revs up the printing presses, the excess currency forces the value of the consumers' dollars down by an equal amount).
Depending on who you talk to, the dollar has lost between 93% and 97% of its' value in 40 years - the typical "generation". Why should anyone lend you money for 40 years if history shows that in terms of real purchasing power, it's worth less? The answer is, they won't lend, so watch for the US Dollar to continue to fall in value.
Propping up the banks pretty much guaranteed a Japan-style "lost decade", unfortunately. Bail-outs don't put money in the consumers' pocket - they suck it out to prop up an inefficient system or create an artificially-high floor price.
But that's another story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pduy96-kES4&NR=1
Depends on where you work, what deductions you have, and your tax bracket. Come up to Kanuckistan and you'll see just how much higher your marginal tax rate is on the last few hours income each week.
Also, which is more economically efficient - to pay people a marginal amount to sit around (unemployment - which comes out of taxes, remember), or for everyone to get some extra time off? I'd love a 9/36 w.a 10% pay cut. Between the lower taxes and the cost savings and sheer convenience and higher quality of life, who wouldn't?
I'd rather have 4x9hour days, a 10% cut in pay, and 3 days off every week. (Hey, most of the last 10% is taxes anyway, right). If everyone did this, we could avoid tons of layoffs nationwide, lower energy costs (4 days commuting instead of 5), and 3-day weekends every week ...
"As if the online hardware review business is any different? We all know this is true, yet you act as if Microsoft, the oh so evil corporation, is the only one that does it."
Consumer Reports doesn't do it. They buy everything they test, anonymously. That's why they have credibility. Hardware review sights on the web, by contrast, never had much credibility.
"Where would you people be without Microsoft? Yeah, go ahead and answer that with some sort of utopian-linux-crap concocted comment. But the truth is, you guys are just unhappy that your fav OS, be it Solaris, OSX, or Linux or whatever is not the one that the masses are leaning towards currently. "
Some of us were using computers before Windows, or even before DOS. Neither of my first two computers were PCs. So, where would we be without Microsoft? Probably a better place ...
"News flash, guys, one OS is not the perfect solution for everything. That includes Windows, because I'm not a hypocrite. I will admit Windows is not perfect, nor is it perfect for everyone and everything. But to constantly bash it as horrible and useless, perhaps even without seeing/trying it for yourself, is just plain wrong and down right hypocritical. Even more so if you base that opinion on the fact that Microsoft gave free laptops or whatever to reviewers."
My opinion is based on a couple of decades of seeing (and sometimes in the past having to use) the shit that Microsoft produces. There's nothing hypocritical about it - I've paid my dues in this industry, and the world would have been a much better place if Bill Gates hadn't been born.
"I'm not going to post this AC because someone has to stand up and say things the way they are. And I'm willing to put myself and my opinion out there."
BFD. Want a lollipop? No matter how much you whine, it won't change the fact that Microsoft continues to make crappy products. You're such a shill ...
Because in Canada drunk driving is an indictable offense (think felony), not a misdemeanor. Jail, not fine.
Same as the US and Canada both will charge people with child abuse for buying an 8-year-old prostitute in Thailand.
"where's the evidence of improvement in the way business runs or works? Cars are shoddy, consumer goods are junk."
So Dvorak would want us to all drive the biodegradable pieces of crap cars from 1979? Those Fords and K-Cars were really awful. Then there was the AMC Pacer ... a goldfish bowl on wheels ...
Last I looked, computers were consumer goods. My laptop is a lot higher quality, and much more capable, than the Heathkit 4004 I would have had to settle for 30 years ago. Ditto my cell phone compared to ANY "portable/mobile" phone 30 years ago. And both, after adjusting for inflation, are MUCH cheaper today.
But can you get any real work done with it? I know a guy who "upgraded" to a quad-core, 6 gigs ram, and Vista - and now he can't get any real work done. The interface changes were "change for the sake of change", and that, coupled with the basic fuck-up that has been the default file system layout since Win95, means that it's just stupid not to switch away from Windows if you need to work.
It's slashdotted anyway - must be a "terr'rist cyber-attack" :-)
"Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.
The popup alert - and YES the obviously never heard of "\n" - it's all_one_long_paragraph:
"You are about to access a Department of Homeland Security computer system. This computer system and data therein are property of the U.S. Government and provided for official U.S. Government information and use. There is no expectation of privacy when you use this computer system. The use of a password or any other security measure does not establish an expectation of privacy. By using this system, you consent to the terms set forth in this notice. You may not process classified national security information on this computer system. Access to this system is restricted to authorized users only. Unauthorized access, use, or modification of this system or of data contained herein, or in transit to/from this system, may constitute a violation of section 1030 of title 18 of the U.S. Code and other criminal laws. Anyone who accesses a Federal computer system without authorization or exceeds access authority, or obtains, alters, damages, destroys, or discloses information, or prevents authorized use of information on the computer system, may be subject to penalties, fines or imprisonment. This computer system and any related equipment is subject to monitoring for administrative oversight, law enforcement, criminal investigative purposes, inquiries into alleged wrongdoing or misuse, and to ensure proper performance of applicable security features and procedures. DHS may conduct monitoring activities without further notice."
Elsewhere:
"Is this Web site secure and private?
Yes. This Web site is operated by the United States Government and employs technology to prevent unauthorized access to the information you enter and view. Additionally, this Web site operates under the rules and regulations as specified by the United States Privacy Act and this Privacy Statement to insure the privacy of your information."
So, since we can't "process national security information on this computer", and our application is made pursuant to national security requirements, aren't we in violation if we apply?
Also, as they point out, you waive your expectation of privacy on use.
Really comforting ... (well, actually, not.)
Countries have every right to set the terms for other people to enter their borders. This, unfortunately, is just security theatre. Then again, expect this to be required (along with a dna sample) of US citizens 10 years from now when they want to send their kids to the local school, or get a bank account, or fly on a plane, or buy a cell phone or get Internet access (restricted by the Great Firewall of America, of course) ... they'll do it "because they can."
I used it on a brand new dual core 64-bit laptop w. nvidia graphics card and 2 gigs of ram - not exactly a slouch of a machine. I then parked the laptop for half a year - it just wasn't useable. Then I threw linux on it and it became an AWESOME machine - enough so that I upgraded to 4 gigs of ram.
If you think Vista is "good", you have a strange definition of "good." If you think it's "a modern OS", you're at least a decade behind the times. Windows is obsolete. Get a mac if you need the hand-holding.
Cheaper TCP. Less hassles. Better support.
Same reasons they switch to Apple - cheaper TCO. Less hassles. Better support.
Don't forget that those shills were given Acer Ferrari laptops with Vista and a wink-wink-nudge-nudge "Don't bother sending them back after you finish reviewing"
Hand-picked hardware - and not some el-cheapo base model netbook. Bought-and-paid-for reviews.
Labels could include:
And for the bonus round:
Q: What do you call 1,000 politicians buried up to their necks in sand?
A: Not enough sand.
Sun is "running the clock" because the longer the clock runs, the more NetApp patents will be invalidated, and the fewer they'll have to deal with in court.
Keep in mind that NetApp doesn't mention that the last time they sued another country over IP, they also lost and had to pay. Quite a business model -
If NetApp were sure their patents would hold up under review, they'd have no problem with letting the reviews all run their courses, since that would make winning much easier, as well as letting them claim more ongoing damages. It also doesn't help that they tried to license the patents that Sun is now countering with from the company that Sun bought.
The simple fact is that their market is in trouble - people are cutting back, shifting what they do have to buy to more commodity hardware/software solutions, etc. They won't be around in 5 years.
I really REALLY hope you're joking, and that nobody actually proposed creating an array of numbers and adding up the array . . .
Just for fun, if / when anyone proposes that, why not give them the task of summing up the total number of different combinations of numbers to a 6/49 or other related lottery . . . how many arrays of arrays of arrays of ... gak! Talk about brain-dead "solutions."
It's called "coding for job security . . ."
It also comes with a companion use case "coding for future consultancy gigs . . ."
It's not the winters; everyone looks the same under 4 layers of coats and hats and gloves.
It's the summers. If you want to be polite, you address people in their mother tongue, which is usually either english or french, so you quickly learn the visual cues for determining, before they've said a word, what language group they're from, especially since, if you work wth the public, getting it wrong can sometimes lead to a certain nastiness from people who insist on being served in "their own language."
It gets trickier with other ethnic groups, so you again have to figure out, of the 2 official languages, which one are they going to be more comfortable in. Again, you learn to figure it out to the point where it's just instinctive.
Some people are better at it than others ...
The NetApp vs Sun lawsuit over ZFS isn't going the way NetApp would like it to ...
http://www.sun.com/lawsuit/zfs/index.jsp
To the contrary, NetApp may end up like SCO vs Novell, where the initial complainant ends up owing the respondent. Sun could very well end up both pwning AND owning NetApp.
As for the antivirus companies - I wish, but there will always be *some* "useful fools" around, and people whose financial self-interest aligns with enabling them to stay dumb and foolish.
I've seen too many people, whether they're nerds or not, justify their social isolation by saying that they reject society's rules, or that people shouldn't be trusted, etc.
It's a universal trait, to self-justify a wrong decision, rather than go "man, did I fuck up!" and then have to "lose their investment" in their current behaviour/situation. Nothing to do with nerds or geeks specifically. Same with many social interactions - look how many women (and men) stay with abusive spouses after getting the sh*t beaten out of them over and over, or how many men (and women) stay with cheating spouses. "They'll change." "They really love me." "It's my fault."
What's needed is for parents to give their kids enough self-assurance that they instinctively won't take that sort of shit - the "nerd" problem would disappear, since the biggest problem nerds have is a lack of self-confidence and self-respect.
Ignoring the women and pretending you're sexually ambiguous or gay".
Wear the french-style beret, the artsy-fartsy turtleneck, always be polite and quiet ... and you won't be able to beat them off with a stick.
In other words, maybe the Mac Fanbois are on to something ...
I'm sure FROST PISS will go over SO much better :-)
Actually, it will if you're offering them a REALLY COLD beer. "'ave some frosty piss"
"Gaming companies by and large insist that they own everything within the game. Basically a player "owns" stuff the same way a monopoly player "owns" his cards, houses and money, i. e. only in the context of the game. If there is a transition to real world money (gold on ebay), that is already taxable."
Why are you giving them even more stupid ideas? This is Washington we're talking about. Politicians who've never met a stupid idea they didn't like ... like the bailouts.
Mind you, if they're going to start treating all game transactions as real-life, I'm going to play Risk, conquer the world, and tell the IRS their new job is to collect tribute for me.
Don't tell me you didn't notice the quick switch at the end and "He was wearing a cowboy hat". CowboyNeal (Or in this case, Cowboy-Kneal :-)
I could always say that's above my pay grade, but why not just send an email to the ultimate authority :-)