There is another serious flaw here as well. IIRC, the Xeons you can buy for $250 are the dual-proc capable Xeons. The Xeon MP's, which are designed for use in 4-way boxes and up are considerably more expensive...
I took up ballroom/latin/swing dancing while in college, and I enjoy it immensely. It even served as a fulltime job for a couple years for me. I've since decided to get back into IT for my primary "9-to5-to-pay-the-bills" job, as I didn't really dig the business end of teaching dance.
It's a great way to meet people, exercise (if you're into that sort of thing:), and I find that the physical contact with lots of people is quite refreshing. It seems too often that these days people are afraid to touch each other, like we'd catch some horrid disease if we occasionally brush up against each other.
Dancing's also a great way to really get a handle on how your body works (from a mechanics perspective), if you're not naturally a graceful person...
...if you know of a way to precisely estimate the costs and timeframe of a job no human being on earth has ever done before, might I suggest a future in project management for you?
This flame is directed towards the appropriations committees much moreso than to the previous poster (do any congress-critters read slashdot?:). The idea that the folks at NASA can predict with even any minor degree of accuracy what it's going to take to perform the feats they do suggests to me that they're damn good at their jobs.
How many times on a daily basis do you realize that you just spent $N of your employer's money discovering about 2,000 different methods that won't solve the problem you're trying to solve? Of course this can be minimized by hiring competent folks, good troubleshooters, etc., but when your business is to "go where no man has gone before", I'd guess that gets a bit more difficult. The challenge must be thrilling, but I think we'd get much farther as a species/nation if the budget folks would try to appreciate NASA's charter, and not only it's budget...
I don't know which tiller the poster was referring to, but I've had excellent experiences with Troy-Bilt tillers. My father's got 20 years on his, and except for normal maintenance and a new set of blades every 10 years or so, they're darn-near indestructible. The blades'll dull pretty quickly if you use them on cinderblocks (my parents' old house was built--unbeknownst to them--on an old dump:), but under general heavy use they're a dream...
doing the same with 120 VAC would almost certainly stop your heart.
I used to do this as a child every day after school. I'd come home and take a 120AC plug (US NEMA-style), put my index fingers on the side of the prongs, and plug it in. I did this every day for some period of time, and left it plugged in for minutes at a time. I don't know what the index finger to index finger (across the chest) resistance of a 10 year old kid is, but I seem to be none the worse for --[twitch]-- it...
As a sidenote, I played with electricity consistently as a child, and it took a very scary experience to get me to stop. I was making a tesla coil (standard n00b type with homemade high-voltage caps from vodka bottles & a 12KVolt transformer), and forgot to short across the caps before adjusting something-or-other and got a helluva shock. I was barefoot at the time, and remember feeling a strange burning sensation in my ankle (as the current went to ground). The next thing I knew I was 15 feet away from where I started, having slammed into the freezer my parents kept in the basement. I don't know if the shock threw me there or if it was a natural flight response, but I cut way back on casual experimentation with electricity. I now pay attention before touching things...:)
I thought it was 26-34-26, and only if she's 5'3".
...that would be *36-24-36*, and only if she's 5'3"...assuming we're talking about the same song:) (Sir Mix-a-lot, Baby Got Back)
Just to clear this up, women's measurements are expressed in inches (well, I've never heard them referred to in metric, but I'm an American imperialist pig-dog:), and they are expressed using the following format:
[bust]-[waist]-[hips] eg: 36-24-36
Occasionally you'll see the cup size expressed as well, and that is expressed in the following fashion:
[bust][cupsize]-[waist]-[hips] eg: 36D-24-36
Now you may be interested in a woman whose waist is 8 inches larger than her bust or hip measurements, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a (legal) woman with only 26 inch hips or bust.
If you want to get really good at estimating these things, you could probably take up tailoring. I'm a ballroom/latin/swing dancer/teacher, and got to be really good at estimating these things after measuring students for costumes for various performances (my partner is a seamstress/tailor).
It's amazing how few women these days know how to take accurate measurements--especially women in the 18-25 year old age bracket. They don't seem to understand the importance either, until it's too late. A 1 or 2 inch difference in one direction or the other can mean that a costume will either cut off circulation or fall right off...
All it takes is one *really* large project. If somebody like the Library of Congress started scanning/digitizing their collection (I know--subject/verb agreement:), it would obviate the need for just about any smaller libraries to do so. You don't need thousands of libraries to scan the same book, you only need one, and then you can replicate electronically. Surely there are specialty libraries around that have unique collections, but again--all you need is one...
I didn't RTFA, but this could be useful not only for developing countries, but as a "force-multiplier" of sorts for smaller community libraries. En masse digitizing of published works would allow smaller libraries to compete on a more even footing with larger ones, without having to invest loads of money into their collections and facilities to hold them.
Any well-heeled library patrons out there want to donate some money earmarked for one of these things to the large library of your choice?
Umm, assuming we're both living in the USA, driving is only a privilege because the states found a moderately clever way to get people to sign forms acknowledging it as such. The right to travel on public roads is guaranteed in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, IIRC. Note the *RIGHT*, not the privilege.
To be truly anal about this, wouldn't requiring a black-box in every vehicle be directly interfering with my Constitutional right to transport my property on the open roads, and therefore require a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate to be approved?:)
They may not be able to change your system by booting Knoppix, but they can by booting Windows XP from CD. There was a semi-recent NTBugtraq thread on the topic...
(please note that I'm not bashing NTFS, but it's not the panacea Microsoft would like you to think it is:)
I think I may have worked near her programs. I used to work in actuarial at an insurance company in Mass that had actuarial black-boxes dating back to around then (written in Assembly, of course)--a friend of mine got the envious task of rewriting some of them into C to make them a little more maintainable/usable...
Greyhound does not ban cell phones on their buses, nor does Peter Pan bus lines (the two largest in the Northeast--I think Peter Pan bought out Greyhound). I ride the bus on a fairly regular basis, and about half the time the driver makes an announcement requesting that you turn your ringers down, answer the phone promptly, and keep phone conversations to a minimum. The other half of the time they say nothing at all. They are very clear in the announcements that the priority is courtesy towards your fellow passengers...
I have to read slashdot at 9AM on a Sunday morning in order to get first post...
Anyhow--this mouse idea is great; as long as it's not too easy to accidentally push the wrong direction (like it seems to be on so many other rotary-button devices), it could be a major time-saver. Picture legions of cube-dwellers working on large spreadsheets. This has the potential of saving immense amounts of time...
Dancing is a great way to stay fit, not to mention meet people. You'd be amazed at how many computer/engineering types dance. I'm a professional ballroom dancer/dance teacher, and staying fit isn't a problem; eating enough to keep up with my metabolism is! Social activity is a wonderful thing, and ballroom dancing is a great way to meet like-minded people. You don't need to bring a partner; just stop by your local studio and sign up! (disclaimer: some studios can be quite expensive; call around for price as well as for certified instructors)...
This used to be common practice at franchised studios for ballroom dance teachers (it may still be--I'm not sure). The idea is that the company will invest $X in your training over the next year (tens of thousands is common, and EASY to spend in our business), and they make you sign a promissory note for the sum, which they redeem if you leave.
As it turns out, many of these "legal documents" weren't worth the paper they were written on, but anything with a signature and legalese can be a powerful motivator for the uneducated. My fiance (and partner) won in court when her former employer tried to sue her after she left, but she's more informed than most and pretty familiar with the legal system.
I left midway through my Junior year of Computer Engineering because I got sick of classes and mindless busywork. I also had the job experience to know that it wouldn't be much better (for me) outside academia.
I spoke with advisors, friends, parents, and anyone else I could think of and they all recommended I stay in school and at least get that damn piece of paper.
I left anyway.
I found out shortly thereafter what each of those individuals personal agendas were and why they wanted me to stay, and that they recommended a course of action for me that satisfied their own objectives. I learned lots from this, and have remembered since that other people (even those who care) don't always have your best interests at heart--and frequently they're not aware that they don't.
After I left, I accepted an offer of a job/partnership as a professional ballroom dancer/teacher. My first serious pro performance was on Broadway, and my partner and I run a studio in Massachusetts. We're entering pro competition next season (re-entering for her; she's a Nationals Champion), and I've never been happier. We stumbled upon a fantastic investment and purchased our own building about 6 months ago, and I used my computer skills and network of friends/associates to get a second fulltime job created for me (from which I'm posting this now) as padding for the mortgage until our business recovers from the move. Now I don't have much free time, but I keep up with tech news and Slashdot, and even get to play with tech (as a tax writeoff!) when I get a chance. I get to maintain our website (see URL above) when I get a chance (currently out of date, but I'm booking myself time to update this weekend)--and what used to be mindless tedium has become an enjoyable tease of the tech I used to live.
In short, find that one thing that lights you up, and do it. It doesn't matter what it is (for me, teaching is much more rewarding --and challenging-- than profiteering ever could be), just do it, and when you look back you'll discover that not only do you not regret, but you'll find enjoyment in teases of the life you used to live. (like my current project of a TB+ fileserver to store our CD collection losslessly:)
Slashdot Mirror
I certainly wouldn't mind a GPL-ed bible. I'd be more than happy to release my modifications to the world...
*evil grin*
I disagree about the Computer Museum. I recall being extraordinarily bored there.
The Boston Science Museum, on the other hand, has the largest Van de Graf machine in the world, IIRC, and the lightning show is *not* to be missed...
There is another serious flaw here as well. IIRC, the Xeons you can buy for $250 are the dual-proc capable Xeons. The Xeon MP's, which are designed for use in 4-way boxes and up are considerably more expensive...
I took up ballroom/latin/swing dancing while in college, and I enjoy it immensely. It even served as a fulltime job for a couple years for me. I've since decided to get back into IT for my primary "9-to5-to-pay-the-bills" job, as I didn't really dig the business end of teaching dance.
:), and I find that the physical contact with lots of people is quite refreshing. It seems too often that these days people are afraid to touch each other, like we'd catch some horrid disease if we occasionally brush up against each other.
It's a great way to meet people, exercise (if you're into that sort of thing
Dancing's also a great way to really get a handle on how your body works (from a mechanics perspective), if you're not naturally a graceful person...
...if you know of a way to precisely estimate the costs and timeframe of a job no human being on earth has ever done before, might I suggest a future in project management for you?
:). The idea that the folks at NASA can predict with even any minor degree of accuracy what it's going to take to perform the feats they do suggests to me that they're damn good at their jobs.
This flame is directed towards the appropriations committees much moreso than to the previous poster (do any congress-critters read slashdot?
How many times on a daily basis do you realize that you just spent $N of your employer's money discovering about 2,000 different methods that won't solve the problem you're trying to solve? Of course this can be minimized by hiring competent folks, good troubleshooters, etc., but when your business is to "go where no man has gone before", I'd guess that gets a bit more difficult. The challenge must be thrilling, but I think we'd get much farther as a species/nation if the budget folks would try to appreciate NASA's charter, and not only it's budget...
I don't know which tiller the poster was referring to, but I've had excellent experiences with Troy-Bilt tillers. My father's got 20 years on his, and except for normal maintenance and a new set of blades every 10 years or so, they're darn-near indestructible. The blades'll dull pretty quickly if you use them on cinderblocks (my parents' old house was built--unbeknownst to them--on an old dump :), but under general heavy use they're a dream...
This is the first I've seen of these--my German is so bad as to be unworthy of the name :)--would somebody mind posting an English translation?
You need your own column on /. This is one of the funniest posts I've read in a very long time...
doing the same with 120 VAC would almost certainly stop your heart.
:)
I used to do this as a child every day after school. I'd come home and take a 120AC plug (US NEMA-style), put my index fingers on the side of the prongs, and plug it in. I did this every day for some period of time, and left it plugged in for minutes at a time. I don't know what the index finger to index finger (across the chest) resistance of a 10 year old kid is, but I seem to be none the worse for --[twitch]-- it...
As a sidenote, I played with electricity consistently as a child, and it took a very scary experience to get me to stop. I was making a tesla coil (standard n00b type with homemade high-voltage caps from vodka bottles & a 12KVolt transformer), and forgot to short across the caps before adjusting something-or-other and got a helluva shock. I was barefoot at the time, and remember feeling a strange burning sensation in my ankle (as the current went to ground). The next thing I knew I was 15 feet away from where I started, having slammed into the freezer my parents kept in the basement. I don't know if the shock threw me there or if it was a natural flight response, but I cut way back on casual experimentation with electricity. I now pay attention before touching things...
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!!!
:)
Oh--wait--the ground is rising...
umm--nevermind
I thought it was 26-34-26, and only if she's 5'3".
...that would be *36-24-36*, and only if she's 5'3"...assuming we're talking about the same song :) (Sir Mix-a-lot, Baby Got Back)
:), and they are expressed using the following format:
Just to clear this up, women's measurements are expressed in inches (well, I've never heard them referred to in metric, but I'm an American imperialist pig-dog
[bust]-[waist]-[hips]
eg: 36-24-36
Occasionally you'll see the cup size expressed as well, and that is expressed in the following fashion:
[bust][cupsize]-[waist]-[hips]
eg: 36D-24-36
Now you may be interested in a woman whose waist is 8 inches larger than her bust or hip measurements, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a (legal) woman with only 26 inch hips or bust.
If you want to get really good at estimating these things, you could probably take up tailoring. I'm a ballroom/latin/swing dancer/teacher, and got to be really good at estimating these things after measuring students for costumes for various performances (my partner is a seamstress/tailor).
It's amazing how few women these days know how to take accurate measurements--especially women in the 18-25 year old age bracket. They don't seem to understand the importance either, until it's too late. A 1 or 2 inch difference in one direction or the other can mean that a costume will either cut off circulation or fall right off...
n/t
As a former co-worker used to say when asked about explaining his modules to somebody else so they could be maintained after he left:
"..but COBOL is self-documenting!"
They look like this.
:)
--except you mostly see them through small wire-reinforced windows on doors with keypads or biometric locks on them...
All it takes is one *really* large project. If somebody like the Library of Congress started scanning/digitizing their collection (I know--subject/verb agreement :), it would obviate the need for just about any smaller libraries to do so. You don't need thousands of libraries to scan the same book, you only need one, and then you can replicate electronically. Surely there are specialty libraries around that have unique collections, but again--all you need is one...
I didn't RTFA, but this could be useful not only for developing countries, but as a "force-multiplier" of sorts for smaller community libraries. En masse digitizing of published works would allow smaller libraries to compete on a more even footing with larger ones, without having to invest loads of money into their collections and facilities to hold them.
Any well-heeled library patrons out there want to donate some money earmarked for one of these things to the large library of your choice?
Umm, assuming we're both living in the USA, driving is only a privilege because the states found a moderately clever way to get people to sign forms acknowledging it as such. The right to travel on public roads is guaranteed in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, IIRC. Note the *RIGHT*, not the privilege.
:)
To be truly anal about this, wouldn't requiring a black-box in every vehicle be directly interfering with my Constitutional right to transport my property on the open roads, and therefore require a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate to be approved?
Just checking...
They may not be able to change your system by booting Knoppix, but they can by booting Windows XP from CD. There was a semi-recent NTBugtraq thread on the topic...
:)
(please note that I'm not bashing NTFS, but it's not the panacea Microsoft would like you to think it is
Is there going to be a "CowboyNeal" option? ;)
I think I may have worked near her programs. I used to work in actuarial at an insurance company in Mass that had actuarial black-boxes dating back to around then (written in Assembly, of course)--a friend of mine got the envious task of rewriting some of them into C to make them a little more maintainable/usable...
Greyhound does not ban cell phones on their buses, nor does Peter Pan bus lines (the two largest in the Northeast--I think Peter Pan bought out Greyhound). I ride the bus on a fairly regular basis, and about half the time the driver makes an announcement requesting that you turn your ringers down, answer the phone promptly, and keep phone conversations to a minimum. The other half of the time they say nothing at all. They are very clear in the announcements that the priority is courtesy towards your fellow passengers...
I have to read slashdot at 9AM on a Sunday morning in order to get first post...
Anyhow--this mouse idea is great; as long as it's not too easy to accidentally push the wrong direction (like it seems to be on so many other rotary-button devices), it could be a major time-saver. Picture legions of cube-dwellers working on large spreadsheets. This has the potential of saving immense amounts of time...
Dancing is a great way to stay fit, not to mention meet people. You'd be amazed at how many computer/engineering types dance. I'm a professional ballroom dancer/dance teacher, and staying fit isn't a problem; eating enough to keep up with my metabolism is! Social activity is a wonderful thing, and ballroom dancing is a great way to meet like-minded people. You don't need to bring a partner; just stop by your local studio and sign up! (disclaimer: some studios can be quite expensive; call around for price as well as for certified instructors)...
This used to be common practice at franchised studios for ballroom dance teachers (it may still be--I'm not sure). The idea is that the company will invest $X in your training over the next year (tens of thousands is common, and EASY to spend in our business), and they make you sign a promissory note for the sum, which they redeem if you leave.
As it turns out, many of these "legal documents" weren't worth the paper they were written on, but anything with a signature and legalese can be a powerful motivator for the uneducated. My fiance (and partner) won in court when her former employer tried to sue her after she left, but she's more informed than most and pretty familiar with the legal system.
I did this.
:)
I left midway through my Junior year of Computer Engineering because I got sick of classes and mindless busywork. I also had the job experience to know that it wouldn't be much better (for me) outside academia.
I spoke with advisors, friends, parents, and anyone else I could think of and they all recommended I stay in school and at least get that damn piece of paper.
I left anyway.
I found out shortly thereafter what each of those individuals personal agendas were and why they wanted me to stay, and that they recommended a course of action for me that satisfied their own objectives. I learned lots from this, and have remembered since that other people (even those who care) don't always have your best interests at heart--and frequently they're not aware that they don't.
After I left, I accepted an offer of a job/partnership as a professional ballroom dancer/teacher. My first serious pro performance was on Broadway, and my partner and I run a studio in Massachusetts. We're entering pro competition next season (re-entering for her; she's a Nationals Champion), and I've never been happier. We stumbled upon a fantastic investment and purchased our own building about 6 months ago, and I used my computer skills and network of friends/associates to get a second fulltime job created for me (from which I'm posting this now) as padding for the mortgage until our business recovers from the move. Now I don't have much free time, but I keep up with tech news and Slashdot, and even get to play with tech (as a tax writeoff!) when I get a chance. I get to maintain our website (see URL above) when I get a chance (currently out of date, but I'm booking myself time to update this weekend)--and what used to be mindless tedium has become an enjoyable tease of the tech I used to live.
In short, find that one thing that lights you up, and do it. It doesn't matter what it is (for me, teaching is much more rewarding --and challenging-- than profiteering ever could be), just do it, and when you look back you'll discover that not only do you not regret, but you'll find enjoyment in teases of the life you used to live. (like my current project of a TB+ fileserver to store our CD collection losslessly
Good luck!
Dan