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User: 3dr

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  1. Re:recent? on Why Reactive Programming For Databases Is Awesome · · Score: 1

    Exactly. So far RP in the article sounds a lot like data-flow engines (spreadsheets, various visualization tools, DB triggers, even make builds). It has spanned decades and fields, too. Many artificial intelligence systems used this type of reactive engine; for example, the CLIPS engine "reacted" by matching conditions to a subset of currently-asserted facts to trigger actions (which can then cascade by asserting new facts and causing other patterns to match). The common aspect to all these applications of a data-flow engine is that a Result has Dependencies, and those Dependencies may be "atomic" (like a file timestamp in make), or a Result from an earlier conclusion. At any point in time, the entire scenario can be paused, and each pending Result has a list of Dependencies that may or may not be satisfied at that point. Spreadsheet calculation 101.

  2. Re:Assumes we still could do that moon thing on Why Can't Big Government Launch a Website? · · Score: 1

    " I've seen a few WWII era rifles stamped "manufactured by IBM" or similar...that's because they needed to use the manufacturing capacity."

    Oh god. I can imagine every 5th shell stamped with "This shell intentionally made blank."

  3. Re:Wilderness? on An Animated, Open Letter To J.J. Abrams About Star Wars · · Score: 1

    You'll need some weed to get through "Star Wars 7: Jar Jar's Big Adventure" and "Star Wars 8: R2D2 Makes A Friend (A Musical)". And we all thought the ewoks were bad!

  4. Re:Have you HURD? on GNU Hurd 0.5, GNU Mach 1.4, GNU MIG 1.4 Released · · Score: 1

    Oh, perhaps of a certain ornithological topic.

  5. Re:Proxy approval on NSA Posts Opening For "Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer" · · Score: 1

    38%? Are you sure?

    "... Thursday's report, from the Center for the Study of the American Electorate, put 2012 voter turnout at 57.5% of all eligible voters." - http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/election-results-2012-voter-turnout-lower-than-2008-and-2004-report-says

    And the Bipartisan Research Center, clearly a liberal media tool, also reports 57.5%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections

    I could go on. Oh, and finally, if only 20% voted for Obama, then by your stats only 18% voted for Romney. You weren't trying to imply 80% was against Obama, were you?

  6. Re:ouch on FEMA Grounds Private Drones That Were Helping To Map Boulder Floods · · Score: 1

    Yeahh. Who was that? Yogi Bear's sidekick?

  7. Re:Fire Sale on Samsung Unveils Galaxy Gear Smartwatch · · Score: 1

    Me too. The Xoom has been a great tablet, we take it everywhere.

  8. Re:It's not about the money on Microsoft Stock Drops 11% In a Day · · Score: 2

    Going from 1 user to 3 users is indeed a growth rate of 200%, but relying on rate without quantity (measured in absolute units or market share percentage) means nothing.

  9. Re:Metro UI on Microsoft Stock Drops 11% In a Day · · Score: 1

    Please astroturf somewhere else.

  10. Re:Metro UI on Microsoft Stock Drops 11% In a Day · · Score: 2

    And don't forget the Kin phone Microsoft released a couple years ago (2009/10 IIRC). You know, that was pushed in the commercials where the awkward dude stalked the girl, took pictures of her, and geeked out on his computer about it, while she gives the final "Go To Hell" look at him? Yep, the Microsoft Kin -- the cell phone designed for stalkers.

    @Follow Meeee, you are on crack. Microsoft has absolutely failed at mobile devices, including the Zune, Zune HD, Kin, and Surface RT. Considering they have only sold 900,000 Surface RT & Pro tablets with an estimated 6 million unsold devices on hand, nobody can declare their Surface tablets anything like a success. As a retail product, as well as a technology demonstrator to spur other manufacturers to produce Win 8 mobile devices, it is an absolute failure. No other manufacturers are getting behind it.

  11. Re:Tahir's blog is currently 500 on NSA Recruitment Drive Goes Horribly Wrong · · Score: 1

    The blue bird eats a taco.

    I repeat, the blue bird eats a taco.

  12. Re:Dumbasses on NSA Recruitment Drive Goes Horribly Wrong · · Score: 1

    I have a porch in the front and back of my house, and a "real swimming pool" versus one of those hastily-programmed "virtual swimming pools".

  13. Re:Code Talkers? on Star Wars Episode 4 To Be Dubbed In Navajo · · Score: 1

    There's a difference between "dubbing" and "merely including a snippet of" a language in a movie.

  14. Re:This guy is such a fucking loser on Interview: John McAfee Answers Your Questions · · Score: 2

    I remain unimpressed by the whole load of bullshit.

  15. Re:I use it for linux distributions on Ask Slashdot: Do You Move Legal Data With Torrents? · · Score: 2

    It doesn't need to compare the file contents bytewise. Each end of the rsync connection generates hashes of blocks of the file, and the hashes that do not match indicate underlying file differences. If a 1MB chunk in the middle of a 100MB database file generates different hashes, then only that 1MB chunk is transferred. That's how bandwidth savings are guaranteed.

  16. Re:Missing Option on Radio Shack TRS-80 Vs. Commodore 64: Battle of the Titans · · Score: 1

    I forget which software exposed their assembly environment, but it was the third language I used on the 99/4a. First was Logo, second was their Basic & Extended Basic, and third was assembler. The poster a few parents up from here may not have known that TI's extended basic included poke, peek like other systems. TI's built-in Basic did not have those calls.

    How many of you 99/4a owners had the disk drive (180KB single-sided awesomeness) AND learned to punch holes in floppy sleeves to use the other side?

  17. Re:Waiting to see commercial uptake on Gartner Says 3D Printers Will Cost Less Than $2,000 By 2016 · · Score: 1

    - in automotive service departments to print trim pieces in the right colour

    A friend of mine has a ferrari of some kind, and I asked about maintenance costs since I was curious how it was. Overall, he said it was certainly more than a ford, but his car had been well maintained and hadn't had any big problems. But recently, a plastic clip inside the door broke, and it rendered the outside handle useless.

    To fix it, the shop got a replacement part to the tune of US$1200, plus labor to install it.

    It's parts like these that I would look to print on a 3d printer. Not every part can be satisfactorily printed, however, but it's worth checking.

    I offered to only charge my friend $500 for the part, what a deal! He was not amused.

  18. Re:3D printers will not be popular at any price on Gartner Says 3D Printers Will Cost Less Than $2,000 By 2016 · · Score: 1

    Re: the comment about "$5 per cubic inch". I just calculated the material cost of a calibration object of volume 4cm^3, with a fairly moderate infill. On my printer it consumed 3g of plastic, which costs $40/kg. This object cost $0.12 in plastic, or about $0.03/cm^3. Continuing.... 1 cubic inch is 16.4 cm^3, or an equivalent cost of about $0.49. Five dollars is a bit high for a personal machine cost, even including the electricity.

    Printing services will double or triple the material cost to account for waste & setup and include machine time in the price. With triple material charges, the above object would be $1.50, and it would take about 10 minutes at $0.15/min ($1.50). This is a total cost of $3.00 for an object of this size, in plastic.

  19. Re:It's called the key on Driver Trapped In Speeding Car At 125 Mph · · Score: 2

    No, it's a separate system. The parking/emergency brake is an entirely separate brake system that uses a mechanical linkage instead of the main hydraulic system. Even if your car has 4-wheel disc brakes, the rear rotors have a small drum brake designed into them, actuated by the parking brake pedal, lever, etc. A loss of brake fluid or other outright failure in the primary system does not affect this mechanical backup.

    The bad part is that so many cars are FWD, and the parking brake is on the rear wheels. This is a testament to it doubling as an emergency brake (you do not want e-brake on the front, steering wheels), yet being nearly useless in FWD cars. That is, instead of fighting directly the output torque of the engine at the wheels, e-brakes in FWD cars can only add slight drag to the car. A runaway throttle in a FWD car can't be directly fought with the e-brake like RWD cars.

  20. Re:Statistical analysis = MINITAB on Ask Slashdot: Spreadsheet With Decent Programming Language? · · Score: 1

    Well, like they say, "when all you have is a battery-powered drill from Home Depot, make lemons." Or something like that.

  21. Re:It is. on Is the Concept of 'Cyberspace' Stupid? · · Score: 1

    But it's *Salon* magazine. There is plenty more to say.

  22. Re:Understocking on Surface Pro Sold Out; Was It Just Understocked? · · Score: 1

    I don't have a horse in this race, but before everybody gets all excited and accusatory about which tech megacorp is gaming the marketing (oops, too late!), let's see those sales numbers. There's a *big* difference in a company selling tens of millions of units and running out of stock, and a company selling, I don't know, tens of thousands of units and running out. Apple and Samsung both sell millions of devices rapidly because they have demand for their excellent devices. The fact is, there has simply not been that demand for Microsoft's devices (Kin, WP7, WP8, Surface). So again, it would be interesting to see what the actual sales numbers are.

    I've been in the industry long enough to realize that when a company says "This was a proof of concept, we aren't going after big sales figures" that that actually means they are disappointed with sales. But again, hearing actual sales numbers would be interesting.

  23. Re:i would like one on Surface Pro Sold Out; Was It Just Understocked? · · Score: 1

    Lay off the 'roids, brah. You seem a little tense.

  24. Re:Is the same true for the Nexus 4? on Surface Pro Sold Out; Was It Just Understocked? · · Score: 1

    The Kin was a neat, small device, but I think what killed it was their marketing. The theme was "small, concealable cell phone for stalkers" as the commercials showed some languished dude following and snapping pictures of ... His ex? His annoyed current-SO? A total stranger? Whoever she is, her sassy fuck-off smirk is classic in those ads. Overall, a very annoying marketing theme, but I suppose it would sell to a few people. If the internet has taught us anything, it's that there's a market for everything.

    I know some of the folks who worked on the Kin. They really pulled things together to make that device.

  25. Re:Leave a fax machine plugged in during the day. on FTC Gets 744 New Ideas On How To Hang Up On Robocallers · · Score: 1

    As if a "solution" for unwanted mobile calls could be solved by an *android* app pushed by *anonymous coward*. Forgive me if I remain a bit skeptical.