I'm sure you were just kidding around, but I doubt that asking for asylum is really neccesary.
I'd like to do it at least partially as a political protest to the way this country is run. It'd be very serious, too - once done, there'd be no way I'd go back.
As for immigrating, yeah, I work for the Canadian offices of a large American defense contractor. I love my job, and I don't want to start applying for transfers without anything solid, because I don't want to risk my current position. I'm the lone administrator of a small flight information project that has a steep learning curve - if I make any bad noises, I'm sure the project will be cancelled. Therefore, the question is either one of a solid offer or an e-mail from my boss asking me if I want to move to Arlington VA.
Visas and things are complicated: I'm self-taught. Further, I want US citizenship; not just a yearly-renewed work visa. Once settled in the US, I'd love to work towards a university degree in my spare time, at least for the challenge, but more practically for the security.
So yeah, I guess I am dead serious.
Resume available on request to the above e-mail address.
My view of what it means to be Canadian is slightly different, that it is the lack of homogenization of our immigrant population that makes our nation unique. I mean, you go back far enough we are all pretty much immigrants.
But that individuality of custom prevents the cohesiveness which makes our Southern neighbor so great. The differences between a New Yorker and a Los Angeleno are less than the differences between a Montrealer and a Torontonian.
Further, a Torontonian or Montrealer or Vancouverite will probably identify himself or herself by nation of origin - even several generations back. Ie. "I'm Chinese", or "I'm Pakistani", or "I'm German" or whatever.
In the US, the melting pot that makes the country great is also what builds the cohesiveness and the pride in American citizenship. So, the answers to the above questions would be, "I am an American of Chinese descent," or "I am an American of Pakistani descent" or "I am an American of German descent". Again, I contrast this to the dangerous embrace of multiculturalism that I'm sure I can use to account for all of Canada's problems.
Thank you for posting this. Too many people seem to think transparent X widgets are the definition of "cool hack" these days. Your washing machine is one of the coolest things I've heard of in a long time.
No, *this* is a cool hack. But thanks for your appreciation of the washing machine!:)
A Vic-20 to washing machine interface? Why did you need your washing machine to talk to something as primitive as a Vic-20?;)
I told you not to ask.:)
Actually, the washing machine is far more primitive than the Vic-20!
Seriously, it's a 1954 Maytag Automatic. It's been washing dirty underwear for almost 50 years. When I got it, it needed a hose, a belt and a timer. Not bad for reliability - I love Maytag stuff.
The hose and the belt were readily available from any Maytag dealer, since they're still used on today's coin-op washers. And take care, since Maytag belts are meant to slip, not like a comparable automotive fanbelt. Spend the extra for a genuine Maytag part.
The timer was another story. I didn't want to kill the look of the original timer, so I didn't try to hack another one in. I just disconnected all the leads off the timer and ran them to a relay board.
The relays are controlled by a Vic-20 with an EPROM that I programmed back when I still programmed in assembly language. (I haven't programmed anything more than HTML lately, and you start to forget all the op-code labels and important addresses when you haven't done assembly in a while.)
The washer sits in the laundry area of my kitchen, with the Vic-20 and a small black-and-white TV set right beside it. Turn it on, and the washer immediately asks you the usual sorts of washing-machine questions.
Tub water level is read through the joystick port. A little bit of custom I/O turns on and off the water solenoid and motor relays. And an analog to digital converter pulled from an early digital voltmeter reads the temperature of the tub with a thermistor, and the software opens and closes the water solenoids to set the temperature to whatever you desire.
I did have a crashing problem with the first EPROM I blew - there was a bug in the software that tried to divide by zero, causing the computer to lock up. Of course, it was in the routine that was reading the joystick port to determine the level. With the water solenoids open and the computer locked up, a crash caused a flood. I added a deadman switch to the circuit and the software as a safety device, corrected the bug, and it's been great since. 5 years later.:)
It's really cool, not very useful, but a lot of fun. I think I'll put it on the Internet someday.
Not that I can actually imagine any practical applications... Not much of an imagination.All together now...Beowulf
Yeah, but running on a LAN in my dinner jacket?
A friend of mine installed a Chevette engine onto an ordinary snowblower. It took a lot of work. It was (still is) really cool, but practical applications are limited. Once the neighbor in the next driveway has gotten over the fact that you have a 1.6L four-cylinder overhead cam self-starting snowblower, the original 20" path makes it less exciting. It doesn't throw snow any further than a more practical engine would. And it's way too heavy to actually do anything with. You have to start it up to move it three feet in the garage; it's too heavy to roll on its own.
Once you replace the shear pins on the auger with something stronger (grade 8 bolts!), it will throw earth, shred forklift pallets and generally make short work of taking out the garbage.
But, in a practical sense, it's little more than a curiousity. A fun conversation piece. Just like a dinner jacket Beowulf cluster.
The only problem could be etching your own PCB's. Anyone want to do a batch of them?
In Canada, there's a company called Olympic Circuits just outside of Toronto. Good boards, good prices, good service. And they'll do double-sided/multilayer boards, which I'm sure this thing will require. (ugh.)
On the other hand, an enterprising do-it-yourselfer can easily roll his/her own single/double-sided boards. All you need is to print the patterns out onto overhead projector transparencies. Use a *good* laser printer, and make sure the "Toner Saver" mode is *off*. Iron the transparencies to the clean blank copper boards. Peel off, leaving the toner on the copper. If the board is to be double-sided, you're going to have to be very careful to make sure the top and bottom patterns are lined up properly.
Etch the board in either ferric chloride or ammonium persulfate, drill holes, and mount your components. Plated-through holes aren't going to be possible with this method, so to pass a signal from top to bottom (and vice-versa), I just use a little scrap of wire through the hole and soldered to the top and bottom pads.
Everything you need to do this is available at you local Staples and Radio Shack stores.
Boards done this way are ugly, but they work, and they're cheap. My Vic-20 to washing machine interface was done this way, and still works, 5+ years later. (Don't ask.)
First off, it's not hate. It's frustration. I see no net benefit, nothing to show for the tax money that is taken from me with every paycheck.
If there was maintenance of infrastructure, good health care and a good military to protect me from the rest of the big, bad world, I'd consider it to be money well spent. But there's none of that. There's just government pet projects with no redeeming features to the majority of Canadian taxpayers.
You're not going to get scabies from riding the public transit system.
Yes, actually, it can and does happen. And, less troublesome but certainly annoying, sitting on a subway with fleas, lice and generally smelly people.
While I can afford to drive, I will. When the lack of new roads and things makes driving so unattractive or expensive that I'm more or less forced to use transit, that's okay, I'll just take my skills and talents to somewhere that I don't have to ride a subway with career parking attendants.
And declaring that supporting labor unions will turn Canada into a third world nation is just plain foolish. Unions have a place, and when they are kept in balance, their place is important. Without unions, companies could exploit their workers into a state of slavery. It has happened enough times in the past, and it happens today
Sure. Labor unions have their place. No question. But, on the other hand, when someone with no skills, no education and no command of either one of the official languages has his/her wages inflated by a union, it does no one any good.
Sure, being a parking attendant sucks. You have a rush in the morning as hundreds of cars need to be parked at once. Then you sit, bored, until the 5 o'clock evening rush. But is that really worth anything more than minimum wage? Who should get minimum wage, if not a parking attendant?
If their skills and abilities were in demand, don't you think that the marketplace laws of supply and demand would push their hourly pay up? Doesn't it seem like this is a better way of coping than inflating their value unnaturally?
If no one will pick up my garbage for $7/hr, then the city will have to attempt to hire people at $8/hr. If they can then staff the sanitation department, I guess that becomes the going rate for that kind of work.
It's not glamorous; not everything can be. And really, I don't care. Let the market choose the price. Those who work hard will find a way of making their own successes.
Estimated pricing on Tiqit's website was "$1,xxx.00", which even on the low end ($1,000) is WAY too expensive.
Yeah. Way too expensive for a 486SX desktop or notebook. But, like a notebook is more expensive and maintains more value than a desktop - even if upgrades and hardware compatibility are nil - this thing will certainly find a very useful and distinct niche for those willing to pay a premium.
I'm sure mass-production will be highly viable and will bring the cost down greatly, though admittedly the 486SX will limit the usefulness to fairly specialized apps.
But think of it. The whole computer is smaller than a Pentium II/III processor. Not bad, in my books.
Wow! What's pricing and availability going to be like? I can think of a dozen uses, both at home and at work.
Ya know, sneaking this thing into Canada without having to pay duty on it should be pretty easy. It's possible that it might even elude a body cavity search if you're determined. (And have it well packaged...)
Amen - those Tamil fellas even come to highschools selling progaganda to finance blatant terrorism against Sri Lanka. And worst is our govt knows everything about it and does nothing to stop it. In fact liberal MPs, especially Axworthy came personally to visit these folks.
I really don't care about the politics in their home countries. As a Canadian citizen, it's not my problem. Let them kill each other, if that's what they want to do. Just leave me out of it.
My big problem is that the government lets them in without screening them very well. Then the government gives them settlement bonuses - paid for from my tax money. They take that money and either buy a nicer car than I can afford, or they send it back to finance whatever wars are going on in their homelands.
Finally, these people aren't interested in integrating with Canadian society. They're not Canadians, and don't want to be - but they expect all the benefits and know more about how to claim them than I do. They drive around with "I Love Uganda" or "I Love Sri Lanka" bumperstickers on the back of their cars, and call themselves Ugandans (etc.), not Canadian.
Fundamentally, this proves that multiculturalism cannot work. You cannot have a country made up of millions of people from thousands of distinct societies and expect that they'll all pull together in a war. If Canada went to war against Sri Lanka, we've already got a lovely built-in supply of guerrillas and terrorists who are still loyal to Sri Lanka.
Joe Canada from the Molson beer ads is an idiot. The Melting Pot is the way to go. You only need to live in Toronto for a few years to prove that. Quebec has been on the verge of separating for 30 years. Imagine if a state tried to split from the Union today? Not gonna happen - hell, why would it want to?
Change things in Canada? Not gonna happen. You know why? Like a car that's old and worn out, you can fix one little problem after another, but it's never going to be reliable or make you happy. Give up.
As for me, whenever I manage to escape this socialist hellhole, you can rest assured that the Stars and Stripes will be flying proudly over the house I'll buy in my adopted country.
Okay. Ranting about this wasn't how I wanted to spend my lunchbreak.
Hmm... Okay. The NDP government is responsible for the deplorable, congested condition of our roads: they took the huge gas taxes we pay out of highway maintenance because cars aren't environmentally friendly. (And I'm not riding on transit while there are homeless people and other derelicts riding beside me and giving me scabies.) Further, the NDP's policies generally support labor unions; between the huge corporate tax load in Canada and labor rates cranked up by unions, Canada will fall from being a second-world country to a third-world country. On a local level, you can thank the unions for the fact that Toronto property taxes help to pay the $21/hr that the municipal parking attendants make. I can't figure out why they don't get minimum wage. They're parking attendants, for God's sake. One step above convenience store clerks.
I was generally in support of Dalton McGinty, but after the lies about where the money for his platform was going to come from, I decided to vote again for the devil I know.
I don't like any of the choices that I'm ever given in any federal or provincial election. The choices always suck.
In five years if there's no positive change, I'm probably going to have to move.
I disagree with just about everything else you've said in your post. But the above, I agree with. I'd hope for a shorter time frame, myself.
Speaking of not making 'em like they used to, anybody here have a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A?
If you had the "PEB" (Periperal Expansion Box), an expensive add-on that let you have card slots, you'd know why the old TI came immediately to mind.
The PEB protected all the cards from the outside world with *two* layers of steel. But that wasn't the best part.
The best part was that the cards themselves were housed in cast aluminum chassis. The 32k RAM expansion alone weighed 6 pounds. Imagine if your video card came like that today?
Arguably offtopic, but I think that the following is highly pertinent to the discussion of the sort of government that collects data like this.
Between this database, high taxes, crumbling infrastructure and continued investment of my tax dollars into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, does anyone here with any legal or immigrations experience think that I might have enough of a case to claim refugee status to the United States?
Tamil warfare occurs in two places in the world: Sri Lanka and my neighborhood. Thanks, Pierre Trudeau, for opening the borders to all of the world's effluence, hatreds and terrorists.
Not to mention that the Canadian Government specifically changed federal laws to allow a former crown corporation (but now a private company, evidently with big friends in government) a monopoly status over Canada's airways.
Makes me sick.
Re:Well all the old computer people i know are use
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And maybye bye then attitudes will have changed or then again we could be useless and start having to get our children to set up our VCR's for us. scary thought eh?
If I ever have to commission someone to set my VCR for me, please don't hesitate to shoot me, okay?
Oh, and use a big caliber, right? I'll want the job done properly.
Silicon Valley Age Discrimination
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Age breeds wisdom. I work for a defense contractor, and though I'm only 26, my boss and mentor is in his 50s. He has knowledge, relevant today, in the field of radar video and electronics that still can't be matched by any of the "young upstarts". His knowledge can only be built by the years of experience that he has.
Even more importantly, Nigel knows how to bias a 12AX7 into distortion. (Look that up if you're into tube guitar amplifiers.)
As the computer industry matures, if you keep your skills up, I'm sure that there will be more and more positions available for those of us who were on the Internet before Yahoo.
Besides, by the time you're too old to code, you should have already socked away a nice portfolio of mutual funds and stuff. New Viper every year?
I'm from Toronto, Canada, and as such, Moxie isn't available here. I love the United States and travel fairly frequently, more so to the midwest now, but I'm still in New England twice a year.
I had a job offer a while ago from a friend of mine in Livermore Falls, Maine.
Just for sake of reference, especially if you're either travelling to, or have, Canadian connections:
Mountain Dew in Canada is not caffeinated. Apparently, the Canadian Federal Health Gestapo has decided that colas are the only soft drinks that should be allowed to be caffeinated. I've heard this from several sources, so I don't think it's urban myth; however, a quick Yahoo search failed to confirm it.
I think Wet Planet Beverages (makers of Jolt Cola) is small enough that they're able to slip under the radar, since XTC can occasionally be found, even though it is a soft drink but not a cola, and is highly caffeinated.
Jolt Cola is no problem to get here; most larger convenience stores, especially in downtown Toronto, sell it.
My personal technique has been to order the caffeine sampler from Think Geek, have it mailed to a friend's place in Buffalo, and then sneak it across the border when convenient.
You can diode-isolate a 5V power supply section before the main decoupling capacitors and before the voltage regulator. A little R-C-Diode circuit here, fed to a comparator, can be used to switch on/off the high voltage. A lowpass configuration RC here, with the comparator set to ~2/3 of nominal voltage, will delay the turn on by the desired RC time constant. The trick is to add a diode and a load resistor so that when the power
Too complicated. Comparators are non-linear op-amps. Support requires at least a chain of resistors to set thresholds, or the RC constant. And it's a chip with current overheads, cost overheads, size overheads and reliability overheads - that you can do completely without.
First off, I've solved the problem of the power supply itself; just use a backlighting inverter for a notebook computer. (See the earlier thread.)
Now, it seems to me that the current required was 0.5mA in the 265V range... That's under 0.15 watts. Even assuming a really inefficient inverter circuit, I'll bet that the operating power consumed by the inverter and the piezos will be less than 0.25W. But, for calculation sake - and because I design failsafe military equipment which gets you into the habit of building brick outhouses - let's assume that the RMS operating current is 0.5W.
Now, we know the power consumed based on estimated efficiency, and we're in the ballpark. 0.5W at 5V means that we're drawing 100mA. So, add that to the logic circuit requirements when designing the main power supply.
As for the power-up sequencing, comparators and stuff are cool; relays would be more elegant, but they're big, expensive and unreliable. So, how do we do it as easily as possible?
Between the 5V power supply and in series with the logic, put in a forward-biased garden variety diode. 1N4001 or similar, or if the current required by the logic cicuits are low, you might even get away with a 1N34 or similar germanium diode with a low forward voltage drop.
Now, across the logic, isolated from the power supply by the diode, put in a good size filter capacitor. Calculate the value as a compromise between keepalive time for the logic, power supply output impedance, and inrush current as the capacitor charges.
To make sure that the logic goes on before the high voltage supply, put a reverse-biased zener diode in series between the inverter and the logic. The zener diode will remain non-conducting until the power supply voltage has risen to the zener voltage, at which point power will be applied. Calculate the zener voltage once you know the load for sure, and you've got a handle on whether the logic is CMOS or TTL, and therefore how forgiving it is. The direct use of a zener diode here is only practical because the inverter's current rating will be so low. Do *not* add any capacitance to this side of the circuit, BTW.
In operation, the power supply will turn on and the voltage will ramp up. As it rises, the logic circuits will receive power through the diode. At the same time, the capacitor will charge. At some point, the logic will be fully operational and it will internally generate a reset vector and the system will come up.
Meanwhile, the capacitor charging in the logic circuit will load the power supply enough that the voltage won't ramp up to nominal levels as quickly. Once it does, the capacitor will also help stabilize the logic when the inverter is turned on by the zener diode (mini brownout).
When the power supply reaches the zener voltage, the logic will already be on and the zener diode will apply power to the inverter. The power supply voltage might fluctuate a little as this happens, making the inverter stumble a bit as it starts - which will slow the charging of the secondary capacitors in the inverter. Either way, the logic remains protected by its own capacitor.
Power down is the opposite. The power supply will fall below the zener voltage and the inverter will cut out. As the power supply voltage continues to fall, the capacitor associated with the logic circuit is protected from being discharged thanks to the diode. The logic continues to run off this capacitor for a few moments, providing the necessary shutdown sequence.
Parts list?
One zener diode (calculate voltage) reverse biased and in series with the inverter.
One el-cheapo silicon rectifier diode, or, if current requirements are light, a 1N34 germanium diode, forward biased and in series with the logic.
One electrolytic capacitor, value to be calculated, across the power input to the logic circuit, and "downstream" from the diode.
Even in the electronics 7-Eleven that is Radio Shack, these parts should be readily available and won't cost more than $6 or $7. (At Newark, Mouser, DigiKey or MCM or something, I'd be surprised if the bill for these parts broke $2.00)
Next lesson, build a tesla coil and amuse your friends!:)
Have a delayed signal from the "logic voltage" start up a 50Hz (or so) sine wave oscillator (simple 555 circuit + small IC-based audio power amp would do), feeding a mains transformer in reverse. Put the output from the transformer through a suitably-rated full-wave bridge rectifier and smoothing circuit. The input to the transformer will have to be capable of driving at least 0.5*265/x mA, where x is the rms voltage output of the amp.
Yeah, that's exactly right, this is by far the best way to do it.
However, I'd suggest that you change the frequency of the inverter. The higher the frequency, the smaller and lighter the step-up transformer can be. It's for this reason that, when you open up a computer's power supply, the transformer that couples the mains voltage to the secondary side of the circuit tends to be pretty small despite a 200W+ rating.
In order to achieve 200W current rating from a 50/60Hz transformer, it has to be pretty large, heavy and expensive. The reason is that in order to have a given reactance (effective resistance at a given AC frequency) so as to not overload your low-voltage supply, at a lower frequency you will need more windings. The math for this is:
Xl = 2*pi*f*l
Xl = reactance of the inductor (transformer) winding in ohms
pi = 3.14159...
f = operating frequency in hertz
l = inductance of winding in henries. (Inductance is tough to calculate since it depends on gauge of windings, shape and size of the transformer core, etc.)
Copper is expensive and heavy, not to mention the iron laminates that make the best transformer cores that this lower frequency.
As the frequency moves up, you can cut your needs down to even just one or two turns of winding if the math behind it makes sense. With small and cheap powdered iron (ferrite) core, you're well ahead.
Most switching power supplies in computers tend to run somewhere in the range of 50kHz. That allows for nice small transformers that can be easily mounted to a compact printed circuit board. If you try to center your inverter to run around 50kHz, you'll be able to use readily-available switching power supply transformers. Kick it into the circuit backwards and you'll step up your voltage nicely.
Designing and building a small switching supply to do this with any great degree of efficiency will require an electrical engineer. And, the large component count that will be required to do this may seem daunting. But if you're producing more than a few hundred of these things, the cost savings on being able to use a cheaper and far smaller transformer will more than make up for it.
And finally, here's an excellent idea. Take a look at a notebook computer. Most of their displays are backlit by either tiny fluorescent tubes or electroluminescent sheets. Either one of these backlight solutions requires somewhere in the range of 100-300v to run. Notebook display inverters tend to be tiny, cheap to make, lightweight and efficient, all for obvious reasons. As for suppliers of these things, I'm sure Aztec Power Supplies made the inverter module in my old Compaq 386SX.
Old, soon-to-be-dead technologies, those fingerprint and retinal scanners and stuff.
I'm pleased to informally unveil for the Slashdot community the NEWEST of the new in user authentication.
The
GLANSPRINT SCANNER!
The glansprint is a completely unique identifier, and it's far less likely to be scarred and damaged in the course of normal life than a fingerprint... (one would hope).
Further, the unique user position required to operate the Glansprint Scanner affords an excellent opportunity for punitive actions to be automatically taken against an individual attempting to fraudulently gain access to the secured system. Repeated attempts to circumvent the Glansprint Scanner would therefore be rendered impossible. Sirens to alert nearby security personnel would not be necessary, thus reducing total cost of ownership and installation.
Being heavily influenced by the Linux movement, it goes without saying that the software drivers required will be open source; a link will be posted here when the first version of the software is released.
Okay, now here's a slightly off-topic post, and while I really don't want to be moderated down on my *very first day* with an actual Slashdot user account, this has to be said.
I'm not interested in a temporary work visa since that won't qualify me as a landed immigrant, if I understand correctly the above comments and all the US Immigrations info I've already read.
Now, as a Canadian citizen tired of seeing hundreds of dollars in taxes gone with every paycheck to fund really silly things like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and canoe museums while our infrastructure crumbles, I can't say that I'm proud to be a Canadian. I curse my parents every day for the fact that they couldn't have driven to Buffalo for my birth. {grin}
More importantly, I love the US, and actually look forward to having to send taxes to the IRS. (At least they don't build canoe museums with it while the federal debt runs out of control!) I love the American people, the American spirit, the American resolve. I'm well-informed about current affairs in the US; I follow US domestic news constantly. Being in Toronto now, I've visited a large percentage of the 50 states on many driving trips to visit with friends and family. One day, I look forward to the responsibility and the honor of being an American citizen.
So, have any of my fellow computer geeks out there in Slashdot land heard of, tried, or seen an effective way of being hired by a US employer and pursuing landed immigrant or permanent resident status?
Sort of off topic, but if you're an American employer looking for an ambitious, young, self-taught and loyal Canuck computer geek with:
Analog and digital hardware experience
Lots of Windows 9x and apps experience, little bit of NT and Linux, former programmer in TMS9900 assembly language
Professional audio, video, simultaneous interpretation and lighting experience (includes lots broadcast video equipment, care and feeding of NTSC video signals)
Experience in radio, PA and TV voice-over work (kinda got asked to do it by a director who heard me do a mic check once)
Proprietary marine radar and engine control experience, including analog design and prototype assembly of failsafe radar video circuitry for a major American defense contractor (Fortune 500, you *have* heard of the company)
Airport security policy and flight information system (FIDS) experience
Automotive engine control electronics, as well almost all other aspects of automotive repair and maintenance (hobby - I actually enjoy getting dirty on weekends)
Dangerously literate, warped sense of humor and a excellent work ethic
Can name every state capitol
...you can get a hold of me at GetMeAGreenCard@yahoo.com. I'd love to forward a resume to all interested.
(You wouldn't moderate this down if you saw my Canadian federal income tax payments last year.)
Install Windoze 95 onto your old 486-33 boat anchor.
Plop in a network card and a modem, go get pppShar or other lightweight freeware Windows proxy.
Plug the two computers into each other with your handy-dandy ethernet crossover, get Windows talking with your real machine.
Presto, you're done. In my instance, the banner ads and stuff run all over my Windows computer's monitor (off), and your Linux box is up and running. The fact that my main machine is no longer wasting overhead on decompressing ad banners more than makes up for the small proxy and ethernet lag.
And you're insulated in a layer of mediocrity, just in case you have any worries of a free ISP sneaking around in your system. It's also great for anonymity. Just remember the gaping hole in Windows file and print sharing security.
As an addred bonus, install Windows 95B instead of the more common Windows 95A or upgrade editions, and you might only have to reboot your proxy machine every 2-3 hours. {bitter grin}
Not everybody is able to do IT work. In my company, we hire some mentaly deficient people who are great at recycling cardboard but could never use a computer if their life depended on it. You have to understand that the old adage "every one is born equal" is a myth. In the same respect,not everyone has the urge to go forward like you do.
So, we'll bring everyone down to the level of those who have no motivation, no intelligence. Goody. I can't wait. When are where can I report for my lobotomy?
(I'm sure my life will be a lot less stressful.)
Not everyone has the competitive edge.
And that's my fault how?
Some people actualy like manual work, getting their hands dirty.
I like manual work. A lot of my job involves manual work. Even been in the crankcase of an engine that is 4 stories tall? Ever had to climb to the top of the mast on a Great Lakes bulker to change an EPROM in a radar transceiver?
you might say that these people are weak and that they should be eliminated by natural selection.
I might. In fact, I do. It's ironic how those who espouse the most socialist views (countering Darwin) are also those who most fanatically defend Mother Nature, who is about nothing but the survival of the fittest.
Why can't socialists reconcile their beliefs? It undermines your credibility as a group.
(And don't tell me about socialism, trust me: I *live* in a socialist country. And don't tell me you're not a socialist, either - you and Stalin would have been buddies.)
I say they bring us back to earth. they ground us into reality.
Well, they ground us, anyway.
IANAAC: I Am Not A Anonymous Coward (i am just too lazy to register)
Hmmm... You're not helping your point all that much. Are you also too lazy to show up at work on time?
So the first thing that has happened is that instead of making our lives easier, technology has been used to automate "easy" jobs (at the cost of the people who used to be paid to do those jobs).
No way, dude.
Agreed, those jobs are disappearing, but it's not at the expense of those who would have worked in whatever slave labor put-tab-A-into-slot-B job that we're discussing.
It's to their benefit; now, they have opportunity.
They can sit down, read a book or two, save their beer and cigarette money to buy a computer, sit down, play with it, and move on into the fast-paced IT world. Among other opportunies that are open to them.
The fact is, most of those people who have menial punch-the-clock use-no-brains kinds of jobs are there for a reason: they lack motivation. If they had motivation, they'd have found some way to get into a more exciting field.
Technology has offered them a *world* of opportunity simply by replacing them with robots. Instead of doing the job replaced by the robots, why don't you schmooze up the robot repair guy into having him take you on as a volunteer on weekends? Between knowing intimately well the job that the robot does, as well as showing an interest in the field, you'll probably get yourself a position.
I got into the TV field by walking into a local TV station and volunteering. It wasn't even an internship. Within 2 weeks, I was doing studio camera on the 6:PM news - paid. Then, ENG, audio, video, finally, bench tech, repairing the innards of $40,000 professional VTRs, switchers and timebase correctors. Hell, they even put me on the air, doing short opinions and commentary. And a couple of TV commercials, too.
I don't believe for a second that anyone is trapped in any position that they don't like.
They're just lazy, and I have no sympathy for them.
Opportunities exist for anyone in any field. All it takes is a little work.
Remember, no matter what, *you* are the deciding factor in how successful you will be.
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I'd like to do it at least partially as a political protest to the way this country is run. It'd be very serious, too - once done, there'd be no way I'd go back.
As for immigrating, yeah, I work for the Canadian offices of a large American defense contractor. I love my job, and I don't want to start applying for transfers without anything solid, because I don't want to risk my current position. I'm the lone administrator of a small flight information project that has a steep learning curve - if I make any bad noises, I'm sure the project will be cancelled. Therefore, the question is either one of a solid offer or an e-mail from my boss asking me if I want to move to Arlington VA.
Visas and things are complicated: I'm self-taught. Further, I want US citizenship; not just a yearly-renewed work visa. Once settled in the US, I'd love to work towards a university degree in my spare time, at least for the challenge, but more practically for the security.
So yeah, I guess I am dead serious.
Resume available on request to the above e-mail address.
But that individuality of custom prevents the cohesiveness which makes our Southern neighbor so great. The differences between a New Yorker and a Los Angeleno are less than the differences between a Montrealer and a Torontonian.
Further, a Torontonian or Montrealer or Vancouverite will probably identify himself or herself by nation of origin - even several generations back. Ie. "I'm Chinese", or "I'm Pakistani", or "I'm German" or whatever.
In the US, the melting pot that makes the country great is also what builds the cohesiveness and the pride in American citizenship. So, the answers to the above questions would be, "I am an American of Chinese descent," or "I am an American of Pakistani descent" or "I am an American of German descent". Again, I contrast this to the dangerous embrace of multiculturalism that I'm sure I can use to account for all of Canada's problems.
Would I like to live in the U.S. version 2.0?Nah. I want to live in the U.S. version 1.0.
No, *this* is a cool hack. But thanks for your appreciation of the washing machine! :)
Why did you need your washing machine to talk to something as primitive as a Vic-20?
I told you not to ask. :)
Actually, the washing machine is far more primitive than the Vic-20!
Seriously, it's a 1954 Maytag Automatic. It's been washing dirty underwear for almost 50 years. When I got it, it needed a hose, a belt and a timer. Not bad for reliability - I love Maytag stuff.
The hose and the belt were readily available from any Maytag dealer, since they're still used on today's coin-op washers. And take care, since Maytag belts are meant to slip, not like a comparable automotive fanbelt. Spend the extra for a genuine Maytag part.
The timer was another story. I didn't want to kill the look of the original timer, so I didn't try to hack another one in. I just disconnected all the leads off the timer and ran them to a relay board.
The relays are controlled by a Vic-20 with an EPROM that I programmed back when I still programmed in assembly language. (I haven't programmed anything more than HTML lately, and you start to forget all the op-code labels and important addresses when you haven't done assembly in a while.)
The washer sits in the laundry area of my kitchen, with the Vic-20 and a small black-and-white TV set right beside it. Turn it on, and the washer immediately asks you the usual sorts of washing-machine questions.
Tub water level is read through the joystick port. A little bit of custom I/O turns on and off the water solenoid and motor relays. And an analog to digital converter pulled from an early digital voltmeter reads the temperature of the tub with a thermistor, and the software opens and closes the water solenoids to set the temperature to whatever you desire.
I did have a crashing problem with the first EPROM I blew - there was a bug in the software that tried to divide by zero, causing the computer to lock up. Of course, it was in the routine that was reading the joystick port to determine the level. With the water solenoids open and the computer locked up, a crash caused a flood. I added a deadman switch to the circuit and the software as a safety device, corrected the bug, and it's been great since. 5 years later. :)
It's really cool, not very useful, but a lot of fun. I think I'll put it on the Internet someday.
Not much of an imagination. All together now...Beowulf
Yeah, but running on a LAN in my dinner jacket?
A friend of mine installed a Chevette engine onto an ordinary snowblower. It took a lot of work. It was (still is) really cool, but practical applications are limited. Once the neighbor in the next driveway has gotten over the fact that you have a 1.6L four-cylinder overhead cam self-starting snowblower, the original 20" path makes it less exciting. It doesn't throw snow any further than a more practical engine would. And it's way too heavy to actually do anything with. You have to start it up to move it three feet in the garage; it's too heavy to roll on its own.
Once you replace the shear pins on the auger with something stronger (grade 8 bolts!), it will throw earth, shred forklift pallets and generally make short work of taking out the garbage.
But, in a practical sense, it's little more than a curiousity. A fun conversation piece. Just like a dinner jacket Beowulf cluster.
In Canada, there's a company called Olympic Circuits just outside of Toronto. Good boards, good prices, good service. And they'll do double-sided/multilayer boards, which I'm sure this thing will require. (ugh.)
On the other hand, an enterprising do-it-yourselfer can easily roll his/her own single/double-sided boards. All you need is to print the patterns out onto overhead projector transparencies. Use a *good* laser printer, and make sure the "Toner Saver" mode is *off*. Iron the transparencies to the clean blank copper boards. Peel off, leaving the toner on the copper. If the board is to be double-sided, you're going to have to be very careful to make sure the top and bottom patterns are lined up properly.
Etch the board in either ferric chloride or ammonium persulfate, drill holes, and mount your components. Plated-through holes aren't going to be possible with this method, so to pass a signal from top to bottom (and vice-versa), I just use a little scrap of wire through the hole and soldered to the top and bottom pads.
Everything you need to do this is available at you local Staples and Radio Shack stores.
Boards done this way are ugly, but they work, and they're cheap. My Vic-20 to washing machine interface was done this way, and still works, 5+ years later. (Don't ask.)
First off, it's not hate. It's frustration. I see no net benefit, nothing to show for the tax money that is taken from me with every paycheck.
If there was maintenance of infrastructure, good health care and a good military to protect me from the rest of the big, bad world, I'd consider it to be money well spent. But there's none of that. There's just government pet projects with no redeeming features to the majority of Canadian taxpayers.
You're not going to get scabies from riding the public transit system.Yes, actually, it can and does happen. And, less troublesome but certainly annoying, sitting on a subway with fleas, lice and generally smelly people.
While I can afford to drive, I will. When the lack of new roads and things makes driving so unattractive or expensive that I'm more or less forced to use transit, that's okay, I'll just take my skills and talents to somewhere that I don't have to ride a subway with career parking attendants.
And declaring that supporting labor unions will turn Canada into a third world nation is just plain foolish. Unions have a place, and when they are kept in balance, their place is important. Without unions, companies could exploit their workers into a state of slavery. It has happened enough times in the past, and it happens todaySure. Labor unions have their place. No question. But, on the other hand, when someone with no skills, no education and no command of either one of the official languages has his/her wages inflated by a union, it does no one any good.
Sure, being a parking attendant sucks. You have a rush in the morning as hundreds of cars need to be parked at once. Then you sit, bored, until the 5 o'clock evening rush. But is that really worth anything more than minimum wage? Who should get minimum wage, if not a parking attendant?
If their skills and abilities were in demand, don't you think that the marketplace laws of supply and demand would push their hourly pay up? Doesn't it seem like this is a better way of coping than inflating their value unnaturally?
If no one will pick up my garbage for $7/hr, then the city will have to attempt to hire people at $8/hr. If they can then staff the sanitation department, I guess that becomes the going rate for that kind of work.
It's not glamorous; not everything can be. And really, I don't care. Let the market choose the price. Those who work hard will find a way of making their own successes.
No way, dude! Just take the LAN party with you!
Firewall/proxy/gateway in one pocket (with your cellphone).
Fileserver in another pocket.
Client on your belt.
Client strapped to your wrist.
...
Forget world's smallest webserver, how about world's smallest LAN? The hub could conceivably be bigger than all the clients.
Not that I can actually imagine any practical applications...
Yeah. Way too expensive for a 486SX desktop or notebook. But, like a notebook is more expensive and maintains more value than a desktop - even if upgrades and hardware compatibility are nil - this thing will certainly find a very useful and distinct niche for those willing to pay a premium.
I'm sure mass-production will be highly viable and will bring the cost down greatly, though admittedly the 486SX will limit the usefulness to fairly specialized apps.
But think of it. The whole computer is smaller than a Pentium II/III processor. Not bad, in my books.
Wow! What's pricing and availability going to be like? I can think of a dozen uses, both at home and at work.
Ya know, sneaking this thing into Canada without having to pay duty on it should be pretty easy. It's possible that it might even elude a body cavity search if you're determined. (And have it well packaged...)
This webpage served live from the colon...
I really don't care about the politics in their home countries. As a Canadian citizen, it's not my problem. Let them kill each other, if that's what they want to do. Just leave me out of it.
My big problem is that the government lets them in without screening them very well. Then the government gives them settlement bonuses - paid for from my tax money. They take that money and either buy a nicer car than I can afford, or they send it back to finance whatever wars are going on in their homelands.
Finally, these people aren't interested in integrating with Canadian society. They're not Canadians, and don't want to be - but they expect all the benefits and know more about how to claim them than I do. They drive around with "I Love Uganda" or "I Love Sri Lanka" bumperstickers on the back of their cars, and call themselves Ugandans (etc.), not Canadian.
Fundamentally, this proves that multiculturalism cannot work. You cannot have a country made up of millions of people from thousands of distinct societies and expect that they'll all pull together in a war. If Canada went to war against Sri Lanka, we've already got a lovely built-in supply of guerrillas and terrorists who are still loyal to Sri Lanka.
Joe Canada from the Molson beer ads is an idiot. The Melting Pot is the way to go. You only need to live in Toronto for a few years to prove that. Quebec has been on the verge of separating for 30 years. Imagine if a state tried to split from the Union today? Not gonna happen - hell, why would it want to?
Change things in Canada? Not gonna happen. You know why? Like a car that's old and worn out, you can fix one little problem after another, but it's never going to be reliable or make you happy. Give up.
As for me, whenever I manage to escape this socialist hellhole, you can rest assured that the Stars and Stripes will be flying proudly over the house I'll buy in my adopted country.
Okay. Ranting about this wasn't how I wanted to spend my lunchbreak.
Hmm... Okay. The NDP government is responsible for the deplorable, congested condition of our roads: they took the huge gas taxes we pay out of highway maintenance because cars aren't environmentally friendly. (And I'm not riding on transit while there are homeless people and other derelicts riding beside me and giving me scabies.) Further, the NDP's policies generally support labor unions; between the huge corporate tax load in Canada and labor rates cranked up by unions, Canada will fall from being a second-world country to a third-world country. On a local level, you can thank the unions for the fact that Toronto property taxes help to pay the $21/hr that the municipal parking attendants make. I can't figure out why they don't get minimum wage. They're parking attendants, for God's sake. One step above convenience store clerks.
I was generally in support of Dalton McGinty, but after the lies about where the money for his platform was going to come from, I decided to vote again for the devil I know.
I don't like any of the choices that I'm ever given in any federal or provincial election. The choices always suck.
In five years if there's no positive change, I'm probably going to have to move.I disagree with just about everything else you've said in your post. But the above, I agree with. I'd hope for a shorter time frame, myself.
Speaking of not making 'em like they used to, anybody here have a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A?
If you had the "PEB" (Periperal Expansion Box), an expensive add-on that let you have card slots, you'd know why the old TI came immediately to mind.
The PEB protected all the cards from the outside world with *two* layers of steel. But that wasn't the best part.
The best part was that the cards themselves were housed in cast aluminum chassis. The 32k RAM expansion alone weighed 6 pounds. Imagine if your video card came like that today?
http://www.concentric.net/~Alxevans/ti99_4a.htmlArguably offtopic, but I think that the following is highly pertinent to the discussion of the sort of government that collects data like this.
Between this database, high taxes, crumbling infrastructure and continued investment of my tax dollars into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, does anyone here with any legal or immigrations experience think that I might have enough of a case to claim refugee status to the United States?
Tamil warfare occurs in two places in the world: Sri Lanka and my neighborhood. Thanks, Pierre Trudeau, for opening the borders to all of the world's effluence, hatreds and terrorists.
Not to mention that the Canadian Government specifically changed federal laws to allow a former crown corporation (but now a private company, evidently with big friends in government) a monopoly status over Canada's airways.
Makes me sick.
If I ever have to commission someone to set my VCR for me, please don't hesitate to shoot me, okay?
Oh, and use a big caliber, right? I'll want the job done properly.
Age breeds wisdom. I work for a defense contractor, and though I'm only 26, my boss and mentor is in his 50s. He has knowledge, relevant today, in the field of radar video and electronics that still can't be matched by any of the "young upstarts". His knowledge can only be built by the years of experience that he has.
Even more importantly, Nigel knows how to bias a 12AX7 into distortion. (Look that up if you're into tube guitar amplifiers.)
As the computer industry matures, if you keep your skills up, I'm sure that there will be more and more positions available for those of us who were on the Internet before Yahoo.
Besides, by the time you're too old to code, you should have already socked away a nice portfolio of mutual funds and stuff. New Viper every year?
I'm from Toronto, Canada, and as such, Moxie isn't available here. I love the United States and travel fairly frequently, more so to the midwest now, but I'm still in New England twice a year.
I had a job offer a while ago from a friend of mine in Livermore Falls, Maine.
Excerpt from my Pros/Cons list:
Con: Town's name says it all.
Pro: Moxie is available everywhere.
In the end, a Moxie-deprived existance won out.
Just for sake of reference, especially if you're either travelling to, or have, Canadian connections:
Mountain Dew in Canada is not caffeinated. Apparently, the Canadian Federal Health Gestapo has decided that colas are the only soft drinks that should be allowed to be caffeinated. I've heard this from several sources, so I don't think it's urban myth; however, a quick Yahoo search failed to confirm it.
I think Wet Planet Beverages (makers of Jolt Cola) is small enough that they're able to slip under the radar, since XTC can occasionally be found, even though it is a soft drink but not a cola, and is highly caffeinated.
Jolt Cola is no problem to get here; most larger convenience stores, especially in downtown Toronto, sell it.
My personal technique has been to order the caffeine sampler from Think Geek, have it mailed to a friend's place in Buffalo, and then sneak it across the border when convenient.
Too complicated. Comparators are non-linear op-amps. Support requires at least a chain of resistors to set thresholds, or the RC constant. And it's a chip with current overheads, cost overheads, size overheads and reliability overheads - that you can do completely without.
First off, I've solved the problem of the power supply itself; just use a backlighting inverter for a notebook computer. (See the earlier thread.)
Now, it seems to me that the current required was 0.5mA in the 265V range... That's under 0.15 watts. Even assuming a really inefficient inverter circuit, I'll bet that the operating power consumed by the inverter and the piezos will be less than 0.25W. But, for calculation sake - and because I design failsafe military equipment which gets you into the habit of building brick outhouses - let's assume that the RMS operating current is 0.5W.
Now, we know the power consumed based on estimated efficiency, and we're in the ballpark. 0.5W at 5V means that we're drawing 100mA. So, add that to the logic circuit requirements when designing the main power supply.
As for the power-up sequencing, comparators and stuff are cool; relays would be more elegant, but they're big, expensive and unreliable. So, how do we do it as easily as possible?
Between the 5V power supply and in series with the logic, put in a forward-biased garden variety diode. 1N4001 or similar, or if the current required by the logic cicuits are low, you might even get away with a 1N34 or similar germanium diode with a low forward voltage drop.
Now, across the logic, isolated from the power supply by the diode, put in a good size filter capacitor. Calculate the value as a compromise between keepalive time for the logic, power supply output impedance, and inrush current as the capacitor charges.
To make sure that the logic goes on before the high voltage supply, put a reverse-biased zener diode in series between the inverter and the logic. The zener diode will remain non-conducting until the power supply voltage has risen to the zener voltage, at which point power will be applied. Calculate the zener voltage once you know the load for sure, and you've got a handle on whether the logic is CMOS or TTL, and therefore how forgiving it is. The direct use of a zener diode here is only practical because the inverter's current rating will be so low. Do *not* add any capacitance to this side of the circuit, BTW.
In operation, the power supply will turn on and the voltage will ramp up. As it rises, the logic circuits will receive power through the diode. At the same time, the capacitor will charge. At some point, the logic will be fully operational and it will internally generate a reset vector and the system will come up.
Meanwhile, the capacitor charging in the logic circuit will load the power supply enough that the voltage won't ramp up to nominal levels as quickly. Once it does, the capacitor will also help stabilize the logic when the inverter is turned on by the zener diode (mini brownout).
When the power supply reaches the zener voltage, the logic will already be on and the zener diode will apply power to the inverter. The power supply voltage might fluctuate a little as this happens, making the inverter stumble a bit as it starts - which will slow the charging of the secondary capacitors in the inverter. Either way, the logic remains protected by its own capacitor.
Power down is the opposite. The power supply will fall below the zener voltage and the inverter will cut out. As the power supply voltage continues to fall, the capacitor associated with the logic circuit is protected from being discharged thanks to the diode. The logic continues to run off this capacitor for a few moments, providing the necessary shutdown sequence.
Parts list?
One zener diode (calculate voltage) reverse biased and in series with the inverter.
One el-cheapo silicon rectifier diode, or, if current requirements are light, a 1N34 germanium diode, forward biased and in series with the logic.
One electrolytic capacitor, value to be calculated, across the power input to the logic circuit, and "downstream" from the diode.
Even in the electronics 7-Eleven that is Radio Shack, these parts should be readily available and won't cost more than $6 or $7. (At Newark, Mouser, DigiKey or MCM or something, I'd be surprised if the bill for these parts broke $2.00)
Next lesson, build a tesla coil and amuse your friends! :)
GetMeAGreenCard@spam.really.sucks.yahoo.com
Yeah, that's exactly right, this is by far the best way to do it.
However, I'd suggest that you change the frequency of the inverter. The higher the frequency, the smaller and lighter the step-up transformer can be. It's for this reason that, when you open up a computer's power supply, the transformer that couples the mains voltage to the secondary side of the circuit tends to be pretty small despite a 200W+ rating.
In order to achieve 200W current rating from a 50/60Hz transformer, it has to be pretty large, heavy and expensive. The reason is that in order to have a given reactance (effective resistance at a given AC frequency) so as to not overload your low-voltage supply, at a lower frequency you will need more windings. The math for this is:
Xl = 2*pi*f*l
Xl = reactance of the inductor (transformer) winding in ohms
pi = 3.14159...
f = operating frequency in hertz
l = inductance of winding in henries. (Inductance is tough to calculate since it depends on gauge of windings, shape and size of the transformer core, etc.)
Copper is expensive and heavy, not to mention the iron laminates that make the best transformer cores that this lower frequency.As the frequency moves up, you can cut your needs down to even just one or two turns of winding if the math behind it makes sense. With small and cheap powdered iron (ferrite) core, you're well ahead.
Most switching power supplies in computers tend to run somewhere in the range of 50kHz. That allows for nice small transformers that can be easily mounted to a compact printed circuit board. If you try to center your inverter to run around 50kHz, you'll be able to use readily-available switching power supply transformers. Kick it into the circuit backwards and you'll step up your voltage nicely.
Designing and building a small switching supply to do this with any great degree of efficiency will require an electrical engineer. And, the large component count that will be required to do this may seem daunting. But if you're producing more than a few hundred of these things, the cost savings on being able to use a cheaper and far smaller transformer will more than make up for it.
And finally, here's an excellent idea. Take a look at a notebook computer. Most of their displays are backlit by either tiny fluorescent tubes or electroluminescent sheets. Either one of these backlight solutions requires somewhere in the range of 100-300v to run. Notebook display inverters tend to be tiny, cheap to make, lightweight and efficient, all for obvious reasons. As for suppliers of these things, I'm sure Aztec Power Supplies made the inverter module in my old Compaq 386SX.
Best of luck! :)
lwade@i.hate.all.spammers.the-wire.com
Old, soon-to-be-dead technologies, those fingerprint and retinal scanners and stuff.
I'm pleased to informally unveil for the Slashdot community the NEWEST of the new in user authentication.
The glansprint is a completely unique identifier, and it's far less likely to be scarred and damaged in the course of normal life than a fingerprint... (one would hope).
Further, the unique user position required to operate the Glansprint Scanner affords an excellent opportunity for punitive actions to be automatically taken against an individual attempting to fraudulently gain access to the secured system. Repeated attempts to circumvent the Glansprint Scanner would therefore be rendered impossible. Sirens to alert nearby security personnel would not be necessary, thus reducing total cost of ownership and installation.
Being heavily influenced by the Linux movement, it goes without saying that the software drivers required will be open source; a link will be posted here when the first version of the software is released.
yiddophile@i.hope.all.spammers.get.colon.cancer. and.die.slow.horrible.deaths.yahoo.com
Okay, now here's a slightly off-topic post, and while I really don't want to be moderated down on my *very first day* with an actual Slashdot user account, this has to be said.
I'm not interested in a temporary work visa since that won't qualify me as a landed immigrant, if I understand correctly the above comments and all the US Immigrations info I've already read.
Now, as a Canadian citizen tired of seeing hundreds of dollars in taxes gone with every paycheck to fund really silly things like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and canoe museums while our infrastructure crumbles, I can't say that I'm proud to be a Canadian. I curse my parents every day for the fact that they couldn't have driven to Buffalo for my birth. {grin}
More importantly, I love the US, and actually look forward to having to send taxes to the IRS. (At least they don't build canoe museums with it while the federal debt runs out of control!) I love the American people, the American spirit, the American resolve. I'm well-informed about current affairs in the US; I follow US domestic news constantly. Being in Toronto now, I've visited a large percentage of the 50 states on many driving trips to visit with friends and family. One day, I look forward to the responsibility and the honor of being an American citizen.
So, have any of my fellow computer geeks out there in Slashdot land heard of, tried, or seen an effective way of being hired by a US employer and pursuing landed immigrant or permanent resident status?
Sort of off topic, but if you're an American employer looking for an ambitious, young, self-taught and loyal Canuck computer geek with:
Analog and digital hardware experience
Lots of Windows 9x and apps experience, little bit of NT and Linux, former programmer in TMS9900 assembly language
Professional audio, video, simultaneous interpretation and lighting experience (includes lots broadcast video equipment, care and feeding of NTSC video signals)
Experience in radio, PA and TV voice-over work (kinda got asked to do it by a director who heard me do a mic check once)
Proprietary marine radar and engine control experience, including analog design and prototype assembly of failsafe radar video circuitry for a major American defense contractor (Fortune 500, you *have* heard of the company)
Airport security policy and flight information system (FIDS) experience
Automotive engine control electronics, as well almost all other aspects of automotive repair and maintenance (hobby - I actually enjoy getting dirty on weekends)
Dangerously literate, warped sense of humor and a excellent work ethic
Can name every state capitol
...you can get a hold of me at GetMeAGreenCard@yahoo.com. I'd love to forward a resume to all interested.
(You wouldn't moderate this down if you saw my Canadian federal income tax payments last year.)
BigBlockMopar
Here's another thought.
Install Windoze 95 onto your old 486-33 boat anchor.
Plop in a network card and a modem, go get pppShar or other lightweight freeware Windows proxy.
Plug the two computers into each other with your handy-dandy ethernet crossover, get Windows talking with your real machine.
Presto, you're done. In my instance, the banner ads and stuff run all over my Windows computer's monitor (off), and your Linux box is up and running. The fact that my main machine is no longer wasting overhead on decompressing ad banners more than makes up for the small proxy and ethernet lag.
And you're insulated in a layer of mediocrity, just in case you have any worries of a free ISP sneaking around in your system. It's also great for anonymity. Just remember the gaping hole in Windows file and print sharing security.
As an addred bonus, install Windows 95B instead of the more common Windows 95A or upgrade editions, and you might only have to reboot your proxy machine every 2-3 hours. {bitter grin}
BigBlockMopar
Not everybody is able to do IT work. In my company, we hire some mentaly deficient people who are great at recycling cardboard but could never use a computer if their life depended on it. You have to understand that the old adage "every one is born equal" is a myth. In the same respect,not everyone has the urge to go forward like you do.
So, we'll bring everyone down to the level of those who have no motivation, no intelligence. Goody. I can't wait. When are where can I report for my lobotomy?
(I'm sure my life will be a lot less stressful.)
Not everyone has the competitive edge.And that's my fault how?
Some people actualy like manual work, getting their hands dirty.I like manual work. A lot of my job involves manual work. Even been in the crankcase of an engine that is 4 stories tall? Ever had to climb to the top of the mast on a Great Lakes bulker to change an EPROM in a radar transceiver?
you might say that these people are weak and that they should be eliminated by natural selection.I might. In fact, I do. It's ironic how those who espouse the most socialist views (countering Darwin) are also those who most fanatically defend Mother Nature, who is about nothing but the survival of the fittest.
Why can't socialists reconcile their beliefs? It undermines your credibility as a group.
(And don't tell me about socialism, trust me: I *live* in a socialist country. And don't tell me you're not a socialist, either - you and Stalin would have been buddies.)
I say they bring us back to earth. they ground us into reality.Well, they ground us, anyway.
IANAAC: I Am Not A Anonymous Coward (i am just too lazy to register)Hmmm... You're not helping your point all that much. Are you also too lazy to show up at work on time?
So the first thing that has happened is that instead of making our lives easier, technology has been used to automate "easy" jobs (at the cost of the people who used to be paid to do those jobs).
No way, dude.
Agreed, those jobs are disappearing, but it's not at the expense of those who would have worked in whatever slave labor put-tab-A-into-slot-B job that we're discussing.
It's to their benefit; now, they have opportunity.
They can sit down, read a book or two, save their beer and cigarette money to buy a computer, sit down, play with it, and move on into the fast-paced IT world. Among other opportunies that are open to them.
The fact is, most of those people who have menial punch-the-clock use-no-brains kinds of jobs are there for a reason: they lack motivation. If they had motivation, they'd have found some way to get into a more exciting field.
Technology has offered them a *world* of opportunity simply by replacing them with robots. Instead of doing the job replaced by the robots, why don't you schmooze up the robot repair guy into having him take you on as a volunteer on weekends? Between knowing intimately well the job that the robot does, as well as showing an interest in the field, you'll probably get yourself a position.
I got into the TV field by walking into a local TV station and volunteering. It wasn't even an internship. Within 2 weeks, I was doing studio camera on the 6:PM news - paid. Then, ENG, audio, video, finally, bench tech, repairing the innards of $40,000 professional VTRs, switchers and timebase correctors. Hell, they even put me on the air, doing short opinions and commentary. And a couple of TV commercials, too.
I don't believe for a second that anyone is trapped in any position that they don't like.
They're just lazy, and I have no sympathy for them.
Opportunities exist for anyone in any field. All it takes is a little work.
Remember, no matter what, *you* are the deciding factor in how successful you will be.