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User: bandersnatch

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Comments · 37

  1. living under the gun on Japan Plans For 100ft Tsunami (thesun.ie) · · Score: 1

    I live in southern Japan under the threat of the Nanaki trough earthquake.

    > Unfortunately, the report doesn't outline how the government plans to get people out of harm's way.

    My local area is expected to be about 7m under water (roughly 22 feet for you Neanderthals) and there are yearly evacuation drills, tsunami siren tests, tall buildings have agreed to be shelters and a lot of money poured into awareness and prep. Everyone is encouraged to work our their evac plan and meeting points in advanced, and most have some form of a bug-out bag. Where I live in particular the elevation is low and there are few tall buildings. Many area senior citizens have a bit of a fatalistic attitude of if everyone prepares but if it happens, they will do what they can but beyond that, who knows.

  2. Re:Noo, really?!?!? on Enterprise Software Sales Dried Up In September · · Score: 1

    Informative?!? more like troll.

    Many projects in the financial sector require 100s of developers and 1000s of man-months (yeah, yeah, mythical man-month and all that still apply). Are you willing to work for $1 a month?

    Thought not.

  3. Google Failboat on The Google Navy · · Score: 1

    So when can we get on board?

  4. Re:Great, but maintenance will be EXPENSIVE. on China Sets Sights On Rail Record · · Score: 1

    Expensive yes, but Japan, France, etc do it. I would imagine that China has the volume of traffic to pay for the majority of maint costs.

    The real bitch is laying all of the new lines, tunnels, bridges, etc. Very capital intensive

  5. Gilb's law on Appeals Court Rules US Can Block Mad Cow Testing · · Score: 1

    Some measurement has to be better than (virtually) nothing as per Gilb's law:

    Anything you need to quantify can be measured in some way that is superior to not measuring it at all.

  6. Re:Vista... Microsoft's "New Coke" on Making the Switch To Windows "Workstation" 2008 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Windows2000 Professional saved the world from Windows ME.

    There, fixed that for you.

    Something will save us from Vista.

    Like Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Xubuntu.

    Cthulhu?

  7. Make new laws on Two Powerful Blows Against Air Pollution Controls · · Score: 1

    The obvious result of this ruling is not that heat-trapping gases will remain unregulated, but that the Bush (and by extension the Rupblican) version of said regulation failed. The next administration will take a shot, and under a possibly Democratic Party controlled White House and Congress you can expect something dramatically different. Which is most likely the reason for the dismay from the litigating utility companies.

  8. Re:Possibly a behavior of countries in their twili on Japan "Running Out of Engineers" · · Score: 1

    Hmm - USA, Japan, both very rich countries for several generations now. Umm, Japan on average was pretty poor until the late 60s. If you ask the older generation about growing up, many talk about not having shoes and going hungry.

  9. Re:French on French Judge Orders Refund For Pre-Installed XP · · Score: 1

    I've been living in Japan for 12 years now, and it's really amazing how perseveringly most English native speakers manage not to learn the local language beyond the level of a 4-year-old. It's amazing. I too have lived in Japan for a similar length of time and have found the same lack of willingness to learn the language from time to time. However, I am not really amazed as whenever I head back to the States, I have noticed that most can't speak any language beyond the level of a 4-year-old so...

  10. Podcasts on Decent Book Clubs for Sci-Fi Fans? · · Score: 1

    Try listening to some podcasts for new authors.

    Here are two outstanding sf podcasts:

    Escape Pod
    StarShipSofa

  11. Re:You shouldn't be supporting standards on IE 5.5 Beats IE6 and IE7 On Acid 3 · · Score: 1

    My point was that it's not the customer that pays the bills, it's the customer's employer that pays the bills. That is my point.

    Frankly, in the global economy with the complexities of international ownership and investment, if the "employer" and "employee/customer" in your argument is limited to a strict national basis, particularly for a major industry (we are not talking about Mom & Pop outfits here) they are both screwed and if they are inefficient, they are doubly screwed.

    Because that $200'000 cd player was made here in Canada/U.S.. But your $25 player that you have now, came from Taiwan. So you've given $25 of your economy's worth away to another country, another culture, and to other people. You've exported cash. You've eliminated jobs.

    The economy and the job market are not zero sum (I refuse to call it a game). Yes, there are real people affected with one whole segment of the economy goes and is replaced by something/someone/somewhere more efficient. However, that is hardly a reason to specifically build in inefficiencies (or non standards compliance) into the goods/services we produce in the hope that no one else will offer anything better and/or cheaper. There are a few lucky exceptions (usually due to regulations(safety, secrecy, make work, trade barriers, etc), but in general the market (or human nature if you prefer) will route around you and leave you high and dry quite quickly.

    I suppose it's possible to "raise awareness" as in the various "Made In *" programs, but frankly that's not business, it's charity.
  12. Re:You shouldn't be supporting standards on IE 5.5 Beats IE6 and IE7 On Acid 3 · · Score: 1

    So non-standards compliance browsers are now "high quality"? and we should all be creating more "high quality" crap and so the gravy train never ends? Competition will bite you in the ass sooner or later, just ask Detroit or RIAA.

    In the meanwhile, why don't you enjoy some music and chill? What' that? Oh sorry, that non-standards compliant DRM'd CD doesn't play on your PC/Player/etc. I'll sell you one. It's a bit pricey at $200000, but it's "high quality" and my employees will that you for it.

    Ultimately, it's the customer that pays the bills. You may be able to make a temporary living off of inefficiency by providing less at a higher cost, but I wouldn't make it my business model. The market adjustment is a bitch.

  13. overlords on National "Dragnet" Connecting at State, Local Level · · Score: 1

    I, for one, welcome our new Dragnet overlords.

    Why Sergeant Friday! So nice to see you!

    On another note, coming soon to a government office near you:
    "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have NOT been changed to protect the innocent."

  14. Re:Already fixed on Security Holes In Google's Android SDK · · Score: 1

    As Marvin the Paranoid Android might say -- Don't Panic

  15. Cyber-googles on Cyber-Goggles Record and Identify Every Object You See · · Score: 1

    Read the title as "cyber-googles" and got all worked up for nothing.

    Move on. Nothing to see here.

  16. waving on Wave Powered Boat to Sail From Hawaii to Japan · · Score: 2, Funny

    When he leaves, he always waves goodbye

  17. Lucy? on NASA Looking For "Diamonds In The Sky" · · Score: 1

    They should first search in the sky for Lucy. I have heard that she is always accompanied by diamonds.

  18. A lot going around on "GiFi" — Short-Range, 5-Gbps Wireless For $10/Chip · · Score: 5, Interesting
  19. MS Project on Did Amazon Induce Vista's Premature Birth? · · Score: 1
    I'm shocked and ashamed at /. Were are the MS Project flame wars that should rightly take place after a statement like:

    have to shell out $999.95 for MS-Project to come up with accurate planned completion dates
  20. Floppy disks on Obsolete Technical Skills · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Turning a single-sided floppy into a double-sided floppy with a hole punch.

  21. Re:A good reminder on Milky Way Is Twice the Size We Thought · · Score: 3, Insightful

    because like the internet is like TOTALLY a definitave source mkay?

  22. Re:errr on Switch to Digital Television Picking up Steam · · Score: 1

    It doesn't really. Here in Japan (yes Japan.. again) at my (albeit peculiar) home I get, analog by cable, digital by cable, and digital by satellite and with a booster and some work, all on the same coaxial cable with no interference. In Japan the frequencies don't overlap and for the past 2 years almost all tv sets sold handle all three.

    I have to say, that the digital quality is really great... for shows originating in Japan where they are shot in 1125i. Shows from the US are shot with really poor equipment and the image quality is for shit. I watched a bit of American football last night and had to change the channel, the quality was so poor. Funny thing though, MLB shown in Japan has excellent image quality.

  23. Energy Use? on Microsoft Sees No Conflicts With Patent Initiatives · · Score: 1

    Awash in the near-infrared

    five cameras

    So much for energy efficient computing.
  24. Re:Big brother here we come! on License Plate Tracking for the Average Citizen · · Score: 1

    This things (plastic covers) are pretty popular among a certain driving set in Japan, where these types of readers are placed at almost all major roads, highways, and other choke points (see N system). Other common practices are using tinted covers, moving the plates to unusual locations and angles, and tilting the plates way out of verticle. A lot of these strategies are of unknown effectiveness and legality but are fairly common. On motorcycles most of these are just a quick bend into an L shape...

  25. Re:Yet another reason... on The Worst Bill You've Never Heard Of · · Score: 1
    David M. Israelite President and Chief Executive Officer, National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA)

    Am I the only one who hears that damn song by the recently desceased Desmond Dekker run through his head?

    Ooooh, oooh, the Israelites! baby