Security is our responsibility
on
Hackers
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· Score: 3
There's been alot written about why crackers do what they do - in articles, books, and on websites.   And there are even interviews and quotes from White Hats who tell you exactly why they do what they do - that is, to point out the casualness and outright laziness of many sysadmins and sysops regarding security and proper configuration of their systems.   Microsoft has recently pointed out the ebay fiasco in their rather cagy dot-truth" page.   In reality, the problem was one of misconfiguration and not some defect in the OS or hardware.   This extends to many of the major sites and particularly to their router configurations (or misconfigurations).   It's also been said that much of the DDoSing going on can be reduced dramatically if one pays close attention to how their equipment is configured.
The topic of security is a fascinating one and with the proliferation of 24/7 broadband access, ie., ADSL, cable, ISDN, it is prudent that whether you plan to put a windoze box, *nix box, Mac box, or Be box on the net, you RESEARCH security before you put that box out there.
The latest DDoS attacks were blamed on zombie Linux boxen out on the net.   Alot of the reports focussed particularly on those PCs sitting on college campuses with big pipes.   I think that in the education arena, particulary in the CS departments at the colleges, driving home the issue of computer security is a MUST
As long as the mass media and Hollywood continue to perpetuate the term "hacker" in a negative sense, then the confusion will continue.   However, there is an unfortunate possibility that the press avoids the use of the term "cracker" for other reasons, ie., that term has been used in the south for years to represent poor whites and might be considered perjorative.
And the secuirty issues are a bit more complex than you say. When they talk about secuirty, I think they are saying they want to be the OpenBSD of the linux world, but I was never too interested in the secuirty anyway.
When I was attempting to choose a "free as in beer" *BSD to install at home, I looked at the 3 most popular - FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD.   I read through their sites thoroughly and was impressed with OpenBSD's security focus (I have a 5-machine LAN at home with a Linux firewall).   I decided to opt with NetBSD as they appeared to be like the "Debian of the BSD world", without the hype, and with a promise of "no code released before its time".
I did not mean to simplify any security issues (believe me, with a cable modem and a box on the net 24/7, security is a supreme concern).   I only meant to say that there's alot of discussion out there that makes it seem as though the owner of the box can simply pick what is billed as a "secure" distribution and thus have no responsibility for learning about security nor the responsibility to diligently try to maintain a secure envirnoment.   No machine or software can do that for you.
The LDP is a great project and a great site.   Although most if not all distros allow you to install the HOW-TOs on your box, many of us are low on hd space and would prefer the central location.   Also it's good to see that alot of the HOW-TOs have been updated to reflect the latest kernels, etc., plus they offer.pdfs.
I took a look at the site (I'd been hearing about this distro for some time.)   The below was interesting to comment on:
There is no distribution optimized for newer machines. Lets face it, our new Pentium/K6/Whatever should not be running code optimized for a 386/486
There is not really a distribution available that has updated packages and security as it's number one goals. This needed to happen.
We feel that even the easiest distribution out there is not easy enough to install for the new user. If the Linux revolution is to take place, we need something easier to install and use than DOS/Win95.
Hmmm...   looking at these points, although they are commercial entities, Mandrake, Caldera, and CorelLinux seemed to have focussed on points #1 & #3, ie., optimizing for the newest boxen and making a "for-dummies" install program for win/dos users.   I have both Mandrake and Caldera and their main "selling point" (as it were) is to go after the win desktop market, so I don't see much new here except that Stampede is apparently not a traditional "corporate" entity like Macmillan, Caldera, or Corel.
Item #2 seems confusing unless they are referring to the fact that if you choose to install the server features, you basically have an "open wide" system that needs to be locked down.
Over the past couple of months, I've seen some really bizarre comments about security and Linux and alot of it has to do with mixing up "server" with "workstation".   I know that Linux does both, but you can choose either via most of the install programs, and then take responsibility for securing the system in the manner required.
Everyone always sights that pages don't work with Lynx but i have to ask, does anyone really still use it?
Sure.   Alot of folks who manage *BSD servers find that they don't need X, along with others who just prefer the command line, thank you.   You also have alot of folks out there with older 386/486 machines with small drives or who run the tiny Linux distros on floppies only, and thus may not have the space to install X, but still want to be able to browse the web unhindered.
Because of those who still want/need a text-based browser and because I'm sensitive to that, I support the Campaign for a Non-Browser Specific WWW.   I really think that this is the way to go, ie., stop making sites that are optimized for one type of browser or can only be read by one browser.   Give folks the option to NOT have to accept cookies to visit (ie., don't force them - you drive away a whole bevy of customers by doing that).
This browser "campaign" site also points to pages that show you how to design a site that can still be spiffy for graphical browsers while also being READABLE by text-based ones.
Support this movement!
I now step down off my platform.   Thank you.   Thank you.
No, it's not. It's provitamin A, converted to A in your body. Good, and good for you! Plus, it can turn you yellowish-orange, if consumed in staggering quantities.
I stand corrected.   It's one of those fat-soluable substances, popularly used in tanning pills.   I've seen people who got carried away with taking them and wished they hadn't. -)
The Presario 5301 (which is the version of FreePC I received) runs RedHat Linux v6.1, and Win98 as is. The imbedded SiS530 video makes X suck, so I'm mostly running without X, but if 800x600x8 is fine with you, then by all means X away. Neither BeOS nor Caldera OpenLinux work on it. I don't have BSD to try it out.
I have a Presario 5360 (not a FreePC) with NetBSD and a Presario 5070 (also not a FreePC) but both with the SIS530 chip.   The latest XFree86 (3.3.6) is supposed to *finally* support this chip and that is what I'm running on the *BSD.   I didn't even bother with it on the 5070 and popped an S3 Virge in there and am running Mandrake 6.1 with XFree86 3.3.2 (I believe) - real pretty.
Actually, the cereal you're thinking of was called "King Vitaman."
Yeah, I think you're right.   Too much flying around in my brain to recall it accurately.   I still remember that song on the commercial though...   How hokey.
I never had the pleasure(?) of trying it.
Count your blessings.   At least you don't have to walk around wondering why pieces of metal are flying through the air attaching to your body and compasses go haywire when you go near them... -)
Dude, no way. By far the best cereal was "Halfsies".
But Cap'n Crunch had/has all those spin-offs - like my MOST favorite - Peanut Butter Crunch!
Hell... any of those cereals are the ultimate geek food - just munch 'em right out the box!
In the early 80s (83) I actually won something out of the box. A fullsize Sega Star Trek arcade machine. It came with a vector graphics monitor, and digitized spock voice. It was shipped to us broken, my dad managed to get it working again. Man, that was really a hit at my 8th birthday party!!!!
Now that IS cool!   I'm jealous.   If you still had that thing, it'd be worth a pretty penny on the collector's market.
Do you have a url for MetRx bars? I'm really looking at simplifying my diet.. these dilbert things would rock, but the prepartion and size is a problem..
This is a shame...   I actually got off my duff, went into the kitchen, and pulled out my "MET-Rx Extreme Chocolate Total Nutrition Mix" pack. -)
Now you're geting 100% of some vitamins and minerals. Complete balanced nutrition. And the extra sugar for those late night kernel tweakings.
Awww man...   You just hit my soft spot!   Cap'n Crunch has ALWAYS been my favorite cereal since I was little (and we're talking early 60s)!
But if you want to talk about 100% of your daily vitamins, there was a cereal back in the 70s called "King Vitamin" ("breakfast for a king"), which was supposed to be one of those sugary sweet (ie., bad for you) cereals that tried to counter the sugar with like a rock-load (literally) of vitamins.   You could actually smell and taste the damn iron and whatever else they put in it (like drinking the 'ole "beef, iron, and wine" Geritol).   I mean, you'd crunch that stuff and hit metal!
Those were the days...
Re:Okay... This is going to sound disgusting, BUT.
on
The Ultimate Geek Food
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· Score: 1
I've got a friend of mine here at the office who gets around that problem by substituting the milk or water for.... =drum roll= non-dairy creamer! =shudder=
Yuck!   But you know what you could use?   Condensed milk.   You can buy a can of that and it'll last forever.   Just add some water to a little bit of it and you're good to go...   hee hee.
Re:cooking for Chem majors, part 3: dairy products
on
The Ultimate Geek Food
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· Score: 1
I grew up on macaroni and cheese.
Me too...
One of the first things I did when I came home after my first night back for winter break was make myself a box of the stuff
The orange kind, I hope... hee hee.
and sit down and watch Army of Darkness (but that's another obsession for another time.)
I used to watch Remington Steele on Fridays and A-Team on Tuesdays and Cheers on Thursdays and... hee hee.
The problem with macaroni and cheese when living by one's self in a dorm (especially a single like mine) is milk.
Yeah...   I can't for the life of me (it's been almost 20 years) figure out what we used to do...   I know there were times when we were desperate and just used water, but we might have had a vending machine nearby to get pints...   Sometimes we'd grab some from the dining commons (Massachusetts-speak for dining hall... hee hee) to store for over the weekend.
Also, I don't drink enough milk while I'm in my room to warrant stocking it in my fridge, and usually when I get a craving for food while I'm in my room it's too late (or too much of a hassle) to run out and buy a pint of milk to I can make macaroni.
Ain't it the truth!   More often than not, we could bum some (it doesn't take much - maybe a quarter cup).   BUT...   butter for it was a little trickier to get!
So, sadly, I turned to ramen. Granted, ramen is good stuff, but I still can't wait until spring break:)
Yeah, ramen today is ALOT cheaper than what we had available - the thing that started it all... Oodles of Noodles!   My mom bought like 2 cases of ramen beef flavored for Y2K.... hee hee.
Don't forget that Quaker Oats instant oatmeal is pretty cool and fast to make too...   The maple syrup kind is yummy!
Re:Why ramen and not Kraft Macaroni and Cheese???
on
The Ultimate Geek Food
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· Score: 1
Maybe its just me but I never understood why ramen is so popular. If price is a factor then sphagetti or pasta is available for slightly more. It takes about the same time and tastes a lot better. Hell, baked potatoes cook in the same time as ramen and taste much better.
Agreed!   Way back when I was in college, the big rage was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.   Buy like 5 boxes for 1-2 dollars and you were good to go! -)
I know that they're hyped to no end as a sports supplement, but MetRx bars are the closest thing I've found to Human Chow.
I would agree!
They meet all of your criteria (don't spoil, easy to carry, no prep, high nutritional value).
And come in a sinful chocolate and peanut butter-flavor too (my favorites)!
Personally, I've always thought MetRx bars come closer to being "geek food" than Ramen noodles, pizza, burritos, or Doritos. They're much healthier and you can eat them at the keyboard. Heck, they're even labeled "Engineered Food".
Getting that wrapper open can be a doozy sometimes though... The milkshake is kinda cool too... -)
"News for Nerds. Stuff that matters." should be changed to "New Products. Stuff you can buy." Can we go one day without a non-computer related marketable product? PUULLLLLLEEEAAASE?
IMHO, I think that aside from the geek nutritional value and convenience of the product (something that can be thrown in the microwave and doesn't explode), the story is also a "Dilbert" one and alot of geeks and non-geeks alike who are forced to live and breathe in a cubicle, relate to the whole Dilbert, Dogbert, Ratbert, Catbert, and Pointy haired boss scenario.   To further relate it to computers, Dilbert had one funny Y2K episode, BTW.   Reminded me of our Y2k preparation...;-)
You are assuming that the big bang originated from our current position in the universe. Assuming we are on the edge of the universe ourselves (maybe, maybe not), the farthest object would be 30 billion light years away. Who knows, maybe the Universe wraps around, so an edge would never be detected.
Think about this for a minute...   If (ie, for those who believe in the Big Bang) our universe originally began as a single "particle" (or whatever) of energy that then exploded outwards - would not the leading edge (think of it as the sheath of a balloon as it is being blown up) represent the oldest (it was the first to go) portion of what has become the universe as we know it and define it and describe it (ie., energy that has condensed into matter)?   And thus, does not that edge best represent the beginning (although it is not now in the same form as it was in the beginning)?????
Also some food for thought... the sun in our solar system has been described as a "2nd generation" star, ie., formed after some cataclysmic event, eg., nova of a very large "1st generation" star (one formed after the big bang) or perhaps a collision between stars, etc., and was not an original formation after the big bang.   Assuming this is true (and it's a good possibilty based on the estimated age of our system), would this not help position us in the universe a little better?
And here's something else to ponder...   What if the reverse were true?   What if we are actually closer to the beginning (ie., the originator point or "time zero") than we really think, ie., assuming that at the time of the big bang, a vast majority of the material (energy/plasma) had already been ejected and had raced away, thus leaving the immediate area considerably vacant and cooled.   And then at some point our little piece of the pie finally ejected (so to speak) into what was now a barren part of space (say, 10 billion years after the initial bang), and then coalesced to form our galaxy and the little system we call Sol...   Seems most of what I've read over the years suggests that when the bang occured, everything dispersed at once, basically leaving nothing behind at the originator point.   I'm wondering if maybe some "smoldering" piece of energy was actually still left (sortof like what happens with a real bomb) that continued (or continues) to eject or spew energy/plasma, further populating the universe.   Of course, the theory also says that the entire bang occurred in an almost infinitesmal fraction of a second - ie., as soon as the stuff started moving, time began.   However, maybe that delayed ejection makes for a big difference in the spread and our age, especially since the calculation of "time" then can't possibly be the same as how "time" operates for us now!
Now hold on there... These things last at most days.
Sure... this particular event is a flare...
I can't imagine that having that large an impact on CB sales. Perhaps you're thinking of the mid-seventies solar minimum? That lasted several years. The low sunspot numbers would have shut down skip propigation on 11 meters (CB).
Folks writing on the main threads for this story have indicated that we're approaching the peak of the approx. every 11-year sunspot cycle.   I'm just recalling a somewhat significant cycle that had occurred in the mid-70's.   I remember reading some articles discussing the "fads" of the 70s and how CBing was portrayed (movies, songs, commercials, etc) and then all of a sudden, it "disappeared" (of course alot of fads do that).   However in that case, a 2-way radio technology that had mostly only been used by police, military, emergency personnel, truckers, hams, and other hobbyists, had suddenly become popular with the average joe driving something other than a rig.   Back then, "everyone" knew what "Channel 9" was, blah blah...   Then suddenly you didn't hear any more about it.   Of course we all know that the gas prices had skyrocketed - like they're doing today (and the interest rates were moving through the roof and there was this "energy crisis", etc)...;-)   But alot of the articles (I wish I had the references - but this was like 10 years ago) pointed to the increased sunspot activity that was apparently "peaking" during that time and of course this goes on for several years.   No, I'm not saying that a single solar flare or ejection would shutdown life as we know it (unless it was pretty huge, IMHO), but a several year period of increased sunspot activity will interfere with our more prolific communications!
As for shortwave... All this will do is move the "maximum useable frequency" (MUF) up. It will close down the 41m shortwave band,
But I listen to stuff in that band...:-(   I think some stuff from Japan used to broadcast in that range...
and cause great propigation for amateur radio operators on 12, 10, and 6 meters. Far from being a shame, this is when you take your 2m (144Mhz) rig up to the top of some hill, and try for those 1000+ mile contacts.:-)
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There's been alot written about why crackers do what they do - in articles, books, and on websites.   And there are even interviews and quotes from White Hats who tell you exactly why they do what they do - that is, to point out the casualness and outright laziness of many sysadmins and sysops regarding security and proper configuration of their systems.   Microsoft has recently pointed out the ebay fiasco in their rather cagy dot-truth" page.   In reality, the problem was one of misconfiguration and not some defect in the OS or hardware.   This extends to many of the major sites and particularly to their router configurations (or misconfigurations).   It's also been said that much of the DDoSing going on can be reduced dramatically if one pays close attention to how their equipment is configured.
The topic of security is a fascinating one and with the proliferation of 24/7 broadband access, ie., ADSL, cable, ISDN, it is prudent that whether you plan to put a windoze box, *nix box, Mac box, or Be box on the net, you RESEARCH security before you put that box out there.
The latest DDoS attacks were blamed on zombie Linux boxen out on the net.   Alot of the reports focussed particularly on those PCs sitting on college campuses with big pipes.   I think that in the education arena, particulary in the CS departments at the colleges, driving home the issue of computer security is a MUST
.
As long as the mass media and Hollywood continue to perpetuate the term "hacker" in a negative sense, then the confusion will continue.   However, there is an unfortunate possibility that the press avoids the use of the term "cracker" for other reasons, ie., that term has been used in the south for years to represent poor whites and might be considered perjorative.
And the secuirty issues are a bit more complex than you say. When they talk about secuirty, I think they are saying they want to be the OpenBSD of the linux world, but I was never too interested in the secuirty anyway.
When I was attempting to choose a "free as in beer" *BSD to install at home, I looked at the 3 most popular - FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD.   I read through their sites thoroughly and was impressed with OpenBSD's security focus (I have a 5-machine LAN at home with a Linux firewall).   I decided to opt with NetBSD as they appeared to be like the "Debian of the BSD world", without the hype, and with a promise of "no code released before its time".
I did not mean to simplify any security issues (believe me, with a cable modem and a box on the net 24/7, security is a supreme concern).   I only meant to say that there's alot of discussion out there that makes it seem as though the owner of the box can simply pick what is billed as a "secure" distribution and thus have no responsibility for learning about security nor the responsibility to diligently try to maintain a secure envirnoment.   No machine or software can do that for you.
The LDP is a great project and a great site.   Although most if not all distros allow you to install the HOW-TOs on your box, many of us are low on hd space and would prefer the central location.   Also it's good to see that alot of the HOW-TOs have been updated to reflect the latest kernels, etc., plus they offer .pdfs.
Good job!
And this one will help answer your question.
;=)
- There is no distribution optimized for newer machines. Lets face it, our new Pentium/K6/Whatever should not be running code optimized for a 386/486
- There is not really a distribution available that has updated packages and security as it's number one goals. This needed to happen.
- We feel that even the easiest distribution out there is not easy enough to install for the new user. If the Linux revolution is to take place, we need something easier to install and use than DOS/Win95.
Hmmm...   looking at these points, although they are commercial entities, Mandrake, Caldera, and CorelLinux seemed to have focussed on points #1 & #3, ie., optimizing for the newest boxen and making a "for-dummies" install program for win/dos users.   I have both Mandrake and Caldera and their main "selling point" (as it were) is to go after the win desktop market, so I don't see much new here except that Stampede is apparently not a traditional "corporate" entity like Macmillan, Caldera, or Corel.Item #2 seems confusing unless they are referring to the fact that if you choose to install the server features, you basically have an "open wide" system that needs to be locked down.
Over the past couple of months, I've seen some really bizarre comments about security and Linux and alot of it has to do with mixing up "server" with "workstation".   I know that Linux does both, but you can choose either via most of the install programs, and then take responsibility for securing the system in the manner required.
Everyone always sights that pages don't work with Lynx but i have to ask, does anyone really still use it?
Sure.   Alot of folks who manage *BSD servers find that they don't need X, along with others who just prefer the command line, thank you.   You also have alot of folks out there with older 386/486 machines with small drives or who run the tiny Linux distros on floppies only, and thus may not have the space to install X, but still want to be able to browse the web unhindered.
Because of those who still want/need a text-based browser and because I'm sensitive to that, I support the Campaign for a Non-Browser Specific WWW.   I really think that this is the way to go, ie., stop making sites that are optimized for one type of browser or can only be read by one browser.   Give folks the option to NOT have to accept cookies to visit (ie., don't force them - you drive away a whole bevy of customers by doing that).
This browser "campaign" site also points to pages that show you how to design a site that can still be spiffy for graphical browsers while also being READABLE by text-based ones.
Support this movement!
I now step down off my platform.   Thank you.   Thank you.
Is that a real picture?
.sig!
If so is there a good story behind it?
Linux Today pointed to Fairfax IT's brief mention and link to the photo.
I was literally ROTFLMAO.   Need to make it my
EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 015f:bff9d709. Registers: EAX=c00300f0 CS=015f EIP=bff9d709 EFLGS=00010216 EBX=0312ff88 SS=0167 ESP=030efe3c EBP=030f00d8 ECX=00000000 DS=0167 ESI=030f0228 FS=3fc7 EDX=bff76859 ES=0167 EDI=0312ff80 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP:
Like this?
It would be if they didn't *salt* it! I mean, really, who in the hell thought of sweet, maply (is that a word?) oatmeal with salt?
Hee hee hee...   Seems everything with Oatmeal is salty - even Oatmeal cookies...   You always get that salty after taste.
No, it's not. It's provitamin A, converted to A in your body. Good, and good for you! Plus, it can turn you yellowish-orange, if consumed in staggering quantities.
;-)
I stand corrected.   It's one of those fat-soluable substances, popularly used in tanning pills.   I've seen people who got carried away with taking them and wished they hadn't.  
The Presario 5301 (which is the version of FreePC I received) runs RedHat Linux v6.1, and Win98 as is. The imbedded SiS530 video makes X suck, so I'm mostly running without X, but if 800x600x8 is fine with you, then by all means X away. Neither BeOS nor Caldera OpenLinux work on it. I don't have BSD to try it out.
I have a Presario 5360 (not a FreePC) with NetBSD and a Presario 5070 (also not a FreePC) but both with the SIS530 chip.   The latest XFree86 (3.3.6) is supposed to *finally* support this chip and that is what I'm running on the *BSD.   I didn't even bother with it on the 5070 and popped an S3 Virge in there and am running Mandrake 6.1 with XFree86 3.3.2 (I believe) - real pretty.
Actually, the cereal you're thinking of was called "King Vitaman."
;-)
Yeah, I think you're right.   Too much flying around in my brain to recall it accurately.   I still remember that song on the commercial though...   How hokey.
I never had the pleasure(?) of trying it.
Count your blessings.   At least you don't have to walk around wondering why pieces of metal are flying through the air attaching to your body and compasses go haywire when you go near them...  
Dude, no way. By far the best cereal was "Halfsies".
But Cap'n Crunch had/has all those spin-offs - like my MOST favorite - Peanut Butter Crunch!
Hell... any of those cereals are the ultimate geek food - just munch 'em right out the box!
In the early 80s (83) I actually won something out of the box. A fullsize Sega Star Trek arcade machine. It came with a vector graphics monitor, and digitized spock voice. It was shipped to us broken, my dad managed to get it working again. Man, that was really a hit at my 8th birthday party!!!!
Now that IS cool!   I'm jealous.   If you still had that thing, it'd be worth a pretty penny on the collector's market.
Beta Carotene I think is one of the B vitamins.
Actually, it's Vitamin K.
Do you have a url for MetRx bars? I'm really looking at simplifying my diet.. these dilbert things would rock, but the prepartion and size is a problem..
;-)
This is a shame...   I actually got off my duff, went into the kitchen, and pulled out my "MET-Rx Extreme Chocolate Total Nutrition Mix" pack.  
The URL is http://www.met-rx.com.   I just checked it and the site is there.
Now you're geting 100% of some vitamins and minerals. Complete balanced nutrition. And the extra sugar for those late night kernel tweakings.
Awww man...   You just hit my soft spot!   Cap'n Crunch has ALWAYS been my favorite cereal since I was little (and we're talking early 60s)!
But if you want to talk about 100% of your daily vitamins, there was a cereal back in the 70s called "King Vitamin" ("breakfast for a king"), which was supposed to be one of those sugary sweet (ie., bad for you) cereals that tried to counter the sugar with like a rock-load (literally) of vitamins.   You could actually smell and taste the damn iron and whatever else they put in it (like drinking the 'ole "beef, iron, and wine" Geritol).   I mean, you'd crunch that stuff and hit metal!
Those were the days...
I've got a friend of mine here at the office who gets around that problem by substituting the milk or water for.... =drum roll= non-dairy creamer! =shudder=
Yuck!   But you know what you could use?   Condensed milk.   You can buy a can of that and it'll last forever.   Just add some water to a little bit of it and you're good to go...   hee hee.
I grew up on macaroni and cheese.
:)
Me too...
One of the first things I did when I came home after my first night back for winter break was make myself a box of the stuff
The orange kind, I hope... hee hee.
and sit down and watch Army of Darkness (but that's another obsession for another time.)
I used to watch Remington Steele on Fridays and A-Team on Tuesdays and Cheers on Thursdays and... hee hee.
The problem with macaroni and cheese when living by one's self in a dorm (especially a single like mine) is milk.
Yeah...   I can't for the life of me (it's been almost 20 years) figure out what we used to do...   I know there were times when we were desperate and just used water, but we might have had a vending machine nearby to get pints...   Sometimes we'd grab some from the dining commons (Massachusetts-speak for dining hall... hee hee) to store for over the weekend.
Also, I don't drink enough milk while I'm in my room to warrant stocking it in my fridge, and usually when I get a craving for food while I'm in my room it's too late (or too much of a hassle) to run out and buy a pint of milk to I can make macaroni.
Ain't it the truth!   More often than not, we could bum some (it doesn't take much - maybe a quarter cup).   BUT...   butter for it was a little trickier to get!
So, sadly, I turned to ramen. Granted, ramen is good stuff, but I still can't wait until spring break
Yeah, ramen today is ALOT cheaper than what we had available - the thing that started it all... Oodles of Noodles!   My mom bought like 2 cases of ramen beef flavored for Y2K.... hee hee.
Don't forget that Quaker Oats instant oatmeal is pretty cool and fast to make too...   The maple syrup kind is yummy!
Maybe its just me but I never understood why ramen is so popular. If price is a factor then sphagetti or pasta is available for slightly more. It takes about the same time and tastes a lot better. Hell, baked potatoes cook in the same time as ramen and taste much better.
;-)
Agreed!   Way back when I was in college, the big rage was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.   Buy like 5 boxes for 1-2 dollars and you were good to go!  
I know that they're hyped to no end as a sports supplement, but MetRx bars are the closest thing I've found to Human Chow.
;-)
I would agree!
They meet all of your criteria (don't spoil, easy to carry, no prep, high nutritional value).
And come in a sinful chocolate and peanut butter-flavor too (my favorites)!
Personally, I've always thought MetRx bars come closer to being "geek food" than Ramen noodles, pizza, burritos, or Doritos. They're much healthier and you can eat them at the keyboard. Heck, they're even labeled "Engineered Food".
Getting that wrapper open can be a doozy sometimes though... The milkshake is kinda cool too...  
"News for Nerds. Stuff that matters." should be changed to "New Products. Stuff you can buy." Can we go one day without a non-computer related marketable product? PUULLLLLLEEEAAASE?
IMHO, I think that aside from the geek nutritional value and convenience of the product (something that can be thrown in the microwave and doesn't explode), the story is also a "Dilbert" one and alot of geeks and non-geeks alike who are forced to live and breathe in a cubicle, relate to the whole Dilbert, Dogbert, Ratbert, Catbert, and Pointy haired boss scenario.   To further relate it to computers, Dilbert had one funny Y2K episode, BTW.   Reminded me of our Y2k preparation...;-)
JMHO.
I wonder what percentage of Ratbert the FDA will allow in this...
All of it as long as it's declared on the label. (seriously)
You are assuming that the big bang originated from our current position in the universe. Assuming we are on the edge of the universe ourselves (maybe, maybe not), the farthest object would be 30 billion light years away. Who knows, maybe the Universe wraps around, so an edge would never be detected.
Think about this for a minute...   If (ie, for those who believe in the Big Bang) our universe originally began as a single "particle" (or whatever) of energy that then exploded outwards - would not the leading edge (think of it as the sheath of a balloon as it is being blown up) represent the oldest (it was the first to go) portion of what has become the universe as we know it and define it and describe it (ie., energy that has condensed into matter)?   And thus, does not that edge best represent the beginning (although it is not now in the same form as it was in the beginning)?????
Also some food for thought... the sun in our solar system has been described as a "2nd generation" star, ie., formed after some cataclysmic event, eg., nova of a very large "1st generation" star (one formed after the big bang) or perhaps a collision between stars, etc., and was not an original formation after the big bang.   Assuming this is true (and it's a good possibilty based on the estimated age of our system), would this not help position us in the universe a little better?
And here's something else to ponder...   What if the reverse were true?   What if we are actually closer to the beginning (ie., the originator point or "time zero") than we really think, ie., assuming that at the time of the big bang, a vast majority of the material (energy/plasma) had already been ejected and had raced away, thus leaving the immediate area considerably vacant and cooled.   And then at some point our little piece of the pie finally ejected (so to speak) into what was now a barren part of space (say, 10 billion years after the initial bang), and then coalesced to form our galaxy and the little system we call Sol...   Seems most of what I've read over the years suggests that when the bang occured, everything dispersed at once, basically leaving nothing behind at the originator point.   I'm wondering if maybe some "smoldering" piece of energy was actually still left (sortof like what happens with a real bomb) that continued (or continues) to eject or spew energy/plasma, further populating the universe.   Of course, the theory also says that the entire bang occurred in an almost infinitesmal fraction of a second - ie., as soon as the stuff started moving, time began.   However, maybe that delayed ejection makes for a big difference in the spread and our age, especially since the calculation of "time" then can't possibly be the same as how "time" operates for us now!
Now hold on there... These things last at most days.
:-(   I think some stuff from Japan used to broadcast in that range...
:-)
Sure... this particular event is a flare...
I can't imagine that having that large an impact on CB sales. Perhaps you're thinking of the mid-seventies solar minimum? That lasted several years. The low sunspot numbers would have shut down skip propigation on 11 meters (CB).
Folks writing on the main threads for this story have indicated that we're approaching the peak of the approx. every 11-year sunspot cycle.   I'm just recalling a somewhat significant cycle that had occurred in the mid-70's.   I remember reading some articles discussing the "fads" of the 70s and how CBing was portrayed (movies, songs, commercials, etc) and then all of a sudden, it "disappeared" (of course alot of fads do that).   However in that case, a 2-way radio technology that had mostly only been used by police, military, emergency personnel, truckers, hams, and other hobbyists, had suddenly become popular with the average joe driving something other than a rig.   Back then, "everyone" knew what "Channel 9" was, blah blah...   Then suddenly you didn't hear any more about it.   Of course we all know that the gas prices had skyrocketed - like they're doing today (and the interest rates were moving through the roof and there was this "energy crisis", etc)...;-)   But alot of the articles (I wish I had the references - but this was like 10 years ago) pointed to the increased sunspot activity that was apparently "peaking" during that time and of course this goes on for several years.   No, I'm not saying that a single solar flare or ejection would shutdown life as we know it (unless it was pretty huge, IMHO), but a several year period of increased sunspot activity will interfere with our more prolific communications!
As for shortwave... All this will do is move the "maximum useable frequency" (MUF) up. It will close down the 41m shortwave band,
But I listen to stuff in that band...
and cause great propigation for amateur radio operators on 12, 10, and 6 meters. Far from being a shame, this is when you take your 2m (144Mhz) rig up to the top of some hill, and try for those 1000+ mile contacts.
Hee hee hee...