As has been pointed out, the biggest obstacle seems to be in the area of infrastructure. My main short-distance vehical runs off a mixture of complex carbohydates, fats, simple and complex sugars, and various malted beverages:-). I made the decision to live in somewhat of a hovel to facilitate having a bikeable distance to work. Plus, I had to wait for the showers to be built (at the request of co-workers:-) ).
The point is that every ride is a battle with really nasty, aggressive drivers. I end up cursing, yelling and making rude gestures just to keep from ending up being fertilizer on my way to work. Sure I could take some of the bike routes, if I wanted to add an extra 30% to my commuting time and distance.
The problem is that cars (and more specifically gasoline powered cars) are king of the road in the U.S. And I seriously doubt that the powerful automobile and even more powerful oil lobbies want to see the car's regal status altered any time soon.
Disclaimer: my recent header has forced me to go back to a less efficient means of transport until my shoulder heals (any day now).
Getting away is still possible, it just requires a little more creativity than before. This year we (the SO and I) went to Death Canyon for a multi-day backpacking trip. Absolutely no cell coverage. And a laptop is not something one takes backpacking! Unbeknowst to me, the network melted while I was away and consultants had to be brought in to fix the mess caused during the ensuing panic. It is nice to be needed.
There were a couple of ideas from the article that struct me. A) Java is run-time optimized B) Java requires (most of the time except things like jcc) a JVM. Another point mentioned was that the size of memory blocks allocated by one of the JVMs (HotSpot?) would adjust to conditions given enough time. Well, I wonder if any one has considered a system whereby the JVM caches and constantly improves operating parameters for a given program (somewhat like Transmeta's architecture).
Of course, this raises some classic questions about amount of resources to spend on optimization vs. running the code, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Oh well. It is early and it is going to be a long day....
Yelp, this is pretty prime advertising space. I might see it once every two months or so. (Last reboot was a processor upgrade; time before that was another stick of memory; time before that was a scheduled power outage to upgrade the building's power; time before that was moving to a new building;)
The real conspiracy happens when these evil corporations realize that the linux kernel does not need rebooting and start introducing instability into the kernel itself to accomplish their own evil ends. They are already planning to pay-off Linus and Alan. They'll stop at nothing. Whose kernel is next? Maybe even yours....
Nothing helps boost a falling Internet stock like being at the receiving end of the/. effect every once in a while.
"Hmmm...the stock price is dropping like a stone. Better write a clueless article to piss off the open source crowd."
A short while later...
"Wow, would you look at all the irate geeks. The stock just recovered another 5 points! Good job John!"
Really, whose cause are we helping by flocking to sites which write such tripe. We should elect one or two individuals to set them straight and not inflate their "eyeball" count, any more than necessary.
These mice are great. I never did like the wheel, so instead these have a rocker switch. No more rolling the finger. The "middle" button has been moved to the thumb which is a bit weird. Overall, a great mouse.
Did you take a look at the "streaming audio" link? It is just a list of urls to mp3s to play. You can just download the mp3s as well. I found it interesting to actually hear Stallman as well as his ideas.
I was also impressed with how Stallman held it together in the face of semi-informed reporters. I had expected Stallman to rip the reporters apart when they said Linux was not GNU (I can see how rms can become irrate with the fame of Linux but the obscurity of GNU/FSF).
I worked out of my home for nearly a year. My SO was working during the same time period, so I was alone all day. My co-worker also worked at home (different than mine). My biggest problem is that I could not handle the total isolation. I have been working in an office for the last year or so. I do get annoyed when I am bothered while trying to concentrate on a program, but without the interpersonal interaction, I would go nuts.
Granted. Caffeine is not a harmless drug (there is no such thing AFAIK), but it sure beats setting oneself on fire to get rid of the bugs!:-)
I am all for kicking the caffeine habit. In summer, when I ride my bike to work, I find that I desire much less caffeine than I do in winter. But, I have not done a real study about this. There are many things I would like to change about my lifestyle once I get out of startup phase.
It would seem to me that the "drug" of choice would have to be caffeine! By far, this probably the most used (and abused) drug amongst the programmer types that I know. Of course, the effects of caffeine are much less harsh than the hardcore drugs refered to in the article. Well, that is until you try to interact with a caffeine addict in withdrawl. (Do so at great personal risk...).
For me at least, the only concern I have is the vast amounts of coffee I drink (welcome to the startup scene; a pot a day keeps the investors happy:-) ) and the Guiness I drink for fun (less time for that these daze!). "Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine", by Stephen Braun, was a great read about the drugs I abuse on a constant basis.
Please bear in mind that although the assailants targetted many of the "alpha primates", at least one of the shootings was motivated by race. Do not feel sorry for the gun men. This situation which lead up to the incident is extremely bad, but these killers were certainly not martyrs! What cause did they die for other than their own twisted form of revenge?!
Let's also not forget that the worst of the massacre happened in the library!
I, too, was not a happy conformist in high school. I was rather depressed (and terribly bored) during most of my high school "sentence". College was better but I still did not quite fit in. I ended up graduating early from a school notorious for most people graduating late.
I have long believed that we live in a society where we a worked on like some raw materials. Think bout how often the terms "molded" and such are used in regard to education. This is probably ok for the status quo. But what about those of us who do not fit the mold? Conform or break seems to be the prevailing additude.
But this is the age of the geeks. After having served my time through out school, I am happily married to a wonderful engineer "babe", I am on the brink of financial success, and I live pretty much how I want.
I finally made the rather socking discovery that I was not socially maladjusted, it was just that I was trying to be part of a society to foreign to myself.
I am still of the conviction that the kids who did this were completely and unquestionalably wrong in their actions. But I cannot but think that high school is very difficult society to live in. One that I want no part of.
I have always been amused by the interesting conclusions which can made about a person by the literature in their bathroom. A carpenter friend has copies of woodworking magazines, etc. Another friend of mine has a worn version of Stroustrup, third edition, and a stack of mathematical texts.
In my facility, there is a book of Richard Feynman's physics lectures, and a tattered copy of the New Hacker's Dictionary.
It would be nice to see both the libs and the compiler as Open Source. They can still charge for them (i.e., think free as in freedom). Maybe if Compaq were influenced ever so slightly by a couple of million "restrained"/.'ers. It think that these boxes are a bit beyond my requirements (though I bet these things scream at Quake!).
For those of you interested, here is a link about the whole tetris history and why Tetris.com might have a valid claim. Still, I do not agree with the fact that they are after the little guys who are not making any money from their code.
Slashdot Mirror
As has been pointed out, the biggest obstacle seems to be in the area of infrastructure. My main short-distance vehical runs off a mixture of complex carbohydates, fats, simple and complex sugars, and various malted beverages :-). I made the decision to live in somewhat of a hovel to facilitate having a bikeable distance to work. Plus, I had to wait for the showers to be built (at the request of co-workers :-) ).
The point is that every ride is a battle with really nasty, aggressive drivers. I end up cursing, yelling and making rude gestures just to keep from ending up being fertilizer on my way to work. Sure I could take some of the bike routes, if I wanted to add an extra 30% to my commuting time and distance.
The problem is that cars (and more specifically gasoline powered cars) are king of the road in the U.S. And I seriously doubt that the powerful automobile and even more powerful oil lobbies want to see the car's regal status altered any time soon.
Disclaimer: my recent header has forced me to go back to a less efficient means of transport until my shoulder heals (any day now).
Getting away is still possible, it just requires a little more creativity than before. This year we (the SO and I) went to Death Canyon for a multi-day backpacking trip. Absolutely no cell coverage. And a laptop is not something one takes backpacking! Unbeknowst to me, the network melted while I was away and consultants had to be brought in to fix the mess caused during the ensuing panic. It is nice to be needed.
There were a couple of ideas from the article that struct me. A) Java is run-time optimized B) Java requires (most of the time except things like jcc) a JVM. Another point mentioned was that the size of memory blocks allocated by one of the JVMs (HotSpot?) would adjust to conditions given enough time. Well, I wonder if any one has considered a system whereby the JVM caches and constantly improves operating parameters for a given program (somewhat like Transmeta's architecture).
Of course, this raises some classic questions about amount of resources to spend on optimization vs. running the code, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Oh well. It is early and it is going to be a long day....
Yelp, this is pretty prime advertising space. I might see it once every two months or so. (Last reboot was a processor upgrade; time before that was another stick of memory; time before that was a scheduled power outage to upgrade the building's power; time before that was moving to a new building;)
The real conspiracy happens when these evil corporations realize that the linux kernel does not need rebooting and start introducing instability into the kernel itself to accomplish their own evil ends. They are already planning to pay-off Linus and Alan. They'll stop at nothing. Whose kernel is next? Maybe even yours....
Nothing helps boost a falling Internet stock like being at the receiving end of the /. effect every once in a while.
"Hmmm...the stock price is dropping like a stone. Better write a clueless article to piss off the open source crowd."
A short while later...
"Wow, would you look at all the irate geeks. The stock just recovered another 5 points! Good job John!"
Really, whose cause are we helping by flocking to sites which write such tripe. We should elect one or two individuals to set them straight and not inflate their "eyeball" count, any more than necessary.
These mice are great. I never did like the wheel, so instead these have a rocker switch. No more rolling the finger. The "middle" button has been moved to the thumb which is a bit weird. Overall, a great mouse.
I was also impressed with how Stallman held it together in the face of semi-informed reporters. I had expected Stallman to rip the reporters apart when they said Linux was not GNU (I can see how rms can become irrate with the fame of Linux but the obscurity of GNU/FSF).
I worked out of my home for nearly a year. My SO was working during the same time period, so I was alone all day. My co-worker also worked at home (different than mine). My biggest problem is that I could not handle the total isolation. I have been working in an office for the last year or so. I do get annoyed when I am bothered while trying to concentrate on a program, but without the interpersonal interaction, I would go nuts.
Now I really will have to work on a device driver.
Granted. Caffeine is not a harmless drug (there is no such thing AFAIK), but it sure beats setting oneself on fire to get rid of the bugs! :-)
I am all for kicking the caffeine habit. In summer, when I ride my bike to work, I find that I desire much less caffeine than I do in winter. But, I have not done a real study about this. There are many things I would like to change about my lifestyle once I get out of startup phase.
It would seem to me that the "drug" of choice would have to be caffeine! By far, this probably the most used (and abused) drug amongst the programmer types that I know. Of course, the effects of caffeine are much less harsh than the hardcore drugs refered to in the article. Well, that is until you try to interact with a caffeine addict in withdrawl. (Do so at great personal risk...).
:-) ) and the Guiness I drink for fun (less time for that these daze!). "Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine", by Stephen Braun, was a great read about the drugs I abuse on a constant basis.
For me at least, the only concern I have is the vast amounts of coffee I drink (welcome to the startup scene; a pot a day keeps the investors happy
nothing more to say...
I find that I am attracted to AC. Very disturbing!
Please bear in mind that although the assailants targetted many of the "alpha primates", at least one of the shootings was motivated by race. Do not feel sorry for the gun men. This situation which lead up to the incident is extremely bad, but these killers were certainly not martyrs! What cause did they die for other than their own twisted form of revenge?!
Let's also not forget that the worst of the massacre happened in the library!
I, too, was not a happy conformist in high school. I was rather depressed (and terribly bored) during most of my high school "sentence". College was better but I still did not quite fit in. I ended up graduating early from a school notorious for most people graduating late.
I have long believed that we live in a society where we a worked on like some raw materials. Think bout how often the terms "molded" and such are used in regard to education. This is probably ok for the status quo. But what about those of us who do not fit the mold? Conform or break seems to be the prevailing additude.
But this is the age of the geeks. After having served my time through out school, I am happily married to a wonderful engineer "babe", I am on the brink of financial success, and I live pretty much how I want.
I finally made the rather socking discovery that I was not socially maladjusted, it was just that I was trying to be part of a society to foreign to myself.
I am still of the conviction that the kids who did this were completely and unquestionalably wrong in their actions. But I cannot but think that high school is very difficult society to live in. One that I want no part of.
CL,
Littleton, CO
In my facility, there is a book of Richard Feynman's physics lectures, and a tattered copy of the New Hacker's Dictionary.
It would be nice to see both the libs and the compiler as Open Source. They can still charge for them (i.e., think free as in freedom). Maybe if Compaq were influenced ever so slightly by a couple of million "restrained" /.'ers. It think that these boxes are a bit beyond my requirements (though I bet these things scream at Quake!).
For those of you interested, here is a link about the whole tetris history and why Tetris.com might have a valid claim. Still, I do not agree with the fact that they are after the little guys who are not making any money from their code.
http://atarihq.com/tsr/special/tetrishist.html