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User: darkwing_bmf

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  1. But what if I WANT to design my bridge wrong? What if I want my blueprints to be misunderstood so that it could be built incorrectly and collapse after the first good thunderstorm? I should be allowed to do that right?

    That's basically what you're arguing.

  2. Ada (not ADA) is widely used in the Aerospace industry if that's what you mean.

  3. There's a new battlefiled coming out?! on The Simultaneous Rise and Decline of Battlefield · · Score: 1

    I better get my pre-order in now!

  4. Re:Good! on 2 US Senators Propose 12-Cent Gas Tax Increase · · Score: 5, Informative

    Our petrol costs $NZ2.20/L. It's been over $2 for years now.

    Translation:
    Our gasoline costs $7.24/gallon. It's been over $6.50 for years now.

  5. Re:You make it... on Teacher Tenure Laws Ruled Unconstitutional In California · · Score: 1

    My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

  6. Re:Blizzard Shizzard on Blizzard Sues Starcraft II Cheat Creators · · Score: 2

    Diablo 3 is better now. Or so I've heard. I was gifted it and its expansion not long ago and it's just as fun as the first two but with better graphics and sound.

  7. Re:" why T-Mobile finds it profitable" on Really, Why Are Smartphones Still Tied To Contracts? · · Score: 1

    You can use a T-Mobile phone as a hotspot. It's $10 a month.

  8. What makes a language good? on C++ and the STL 12 Years Later: What Do You Think Now? · · Score: 1

    What makes a language good? I'd argue that most will let you do what you want. And you may be proficient in any given language. But what makes one language better than another is the following.

    When you are given someone else's unintentionally screwed up code, is the language easy to understand so that you can find the bug(s) in a reasonable amount of time? Does the language disallow questionable code so that the other guy is less likely to screw up in the first place?

    I'm fairly certain that if I'm the only person working on a project C++ would be great. Not my first choice but not bad by any stretch. But if I have to debug someone else's code, C++ would not be fun.

  9. Re:Anything built before 2001 on Ask Slashdot: What Tech Products Were Built To Last? · · Score: 5, Informative

    We always get a false impression of the reliability and quality of old stuff, because the stuff that sucked and broke got thrown out years ago, and the only things that we still encounter are the ones that were well made. It's true with old houses, old cars, old furniture, pretty much everything. I'm sure there's a law for this phenomenon with some pompous dude's name on it but it's a well established and discussed phenomenon.

    I believe the term you are looking for is Survivorship bias.

  10. Sales tax on Australia May 'Pause' Trades To Tackle High-Frequency Trading · · Score: 1

    Just charge a tax on the total value of whatever is bought/sold. Like 0.1%. This would eliminate any incentive for the micro-game of HFT.

  11. Re:software on Fifty Years Ago IBM 'Bet the Company' On the 360 Series Mainframe · · Score: 1

    Really? How much are you willing to offer for this motivation?

  12. I doubt it. on Data Mining the Web Reveals What Makes Puzzles Hard For Humans · · Score: 1

    One possibility is that puzzles that are hard for computers must also be hard for people. That's undoubtedly true...

    Not really. I would imagine something like a riddle would be easier for a human than a computer. On a more mundane level, computers, even with robotic bodies, so far can't interact with the world we live in as easily as humans do. Yes, they can do some things we can't but the reverse is also true.

  13. Re:us fta worth it? on Ask Slashdot: Experiences With Free To Air Satellite TV? · · Score: 1

    Sounds like an opportunity to install an antenna tower!

  14. If only there was a way... on Toward Better Programming · · Score: 1

    If only there was a way to take a real life need or want and make the machine do it. Oh wait, that's called programming. Well, what if I want to use only human language to describe what I want? Well, there's a solution for that too. Hire a programmer.

  15. Re:Yet another reason... on IRS: Bitcoin Is Property, Not Currency · · Score: 1

    There are plenty of reasons to not use bitcoin but taxes ain't one of them. You're going to be legally liable for taxes on any income (including any coming from bitcoin) regardless of the IRS ruling but the ruling adds clarity on how it's taxed.

  16. Re:Did Fluke request this? on $30K Worth of Multimeters Must Be Destroyed Because They're Yellow · · Score: 2

    30k was probably cheaper than a full time staff of lawyers anyway.

  17. Microsoft Surface on Ask Slashdot: Linux For Grandma? · · Score: 1

    I don't know why the focus is on Linux.

    I got a Microsoft Surface (rt) for my Mom and she loves the thing. It gets a lot of negative press for not being a "real" windows but it fits her needs well (web, email, Netflix, solitaire), has a touch screen and keyboard. It's relatively inexpensive and moreover, Microsoft offers two years of training for $99 (one lesson per week). You can't beat that price if your grandma is interested in learning more about her computer (assuming she's somewhat close to a Microsoft Store).

  18. Re:Microsoft just doesn't get it. on Steve Ballmer Blew Up At the Microsoft Board Before Retiring · · Score: 1

    I think the surface is pretty cool. Got a first generation one for my mom and she loves the thing. Granted, she's not a power user, but for email, office, (very) simple games, and Netflix, it's a great device.

  19. Re:Can someone explain this theft? on Mt. Gox Shuts Down: Collapse Should Come As No Surprise · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's say you deposit your retirement money at the Bonnie and Clyde savings and loan. They then take that money and move to Mexico and use it for their retirement. They may or may not use a car to get there. Either way, you're never going to see that money again.

  20. Re:Microsoft had another option to be different on Sony's Favorite Gadget Is Kinect · · Score: 1

    But, it comes with a cost--the inability to buy used discs or discs from third parties at a discount will keep prices outrageously high for games.

    Steam is diskless. It also has games that are just as cheap, if not cheaper, than used disk games (especially during sales). There are other benefits as well, such as no disks for the kids to scratch up or thieves to steal that you have to re-buy if you want to play again.

  21. Re:FTL Faster Than Light on Ask Slashdot: What Games Are You Playing? · · Score: 1

    While you're pondering what question to ask a dead frog, the ceiling squashes you. Your life and your adventure end here.

  22. Re:Star Trek world has scarcity on Star Trek Economics · · Score: 1

    Thanks for responding. I do disagree with you about free trade though. I believe it to be good. It might be disruptive but it is economically efficient (overall) and it is peaceful. In fact, surpluses created by trade and other means are essential if we want to fund all the good things societies want. The problem isn't trade per se, it's that the benefits aren't reallocated back to the people that might be displaced by it.

  23. Re:Star Trek world has scarcity on Star Trek Economics · · Score: 2

    Seems like a good idea to me. What happened?

  24. Re:I see his point on Good Engineering Managers Just "Don't Exist" · · Score: 1

    I don't know. Our managers, good or bad, are tasked with some pretty mind numbing things like tracking progress on things that are hard to measure and endless days of nothing but meetings. Why would anyone want that job?

  25. Re:How is presenting all theories a problem? on South Carolina Education Committee Removes Evolution From Standards · · Score: 1

    He should be tossed out for violating the constitution.

    How about just not re-electing him?