I'm absolutely fascinated. It's one of those things I never give much thought but now that I know, I'm just truly fascinated.
I suppose, being familiar with Canada and its use of the metric system for everything, and (however unfairly) identifying it as more similar to the UK, you're right - I just assumed that the UK used the metric system too. Over here, growing up, we're told that the U.S. is one of the last hold-outs on the imperial system and the whole world has converted to the metric system; we go to Canada and see the signs; I've never had any reason to assume that the UK *doesn't* use km. It just seemed so obvious that I (and I'll bet most people I know) never give it a second thought.
Well... I suppose my being safety concious or conscious, however brits misspell it, is really a moot point since I never drive anywhere. I can't get the hang of driving on the wrong side of the road.
I walked, rode the tube in London, rode around with my cousins, took a train, or rode a bus. At no point was anyone in danger of me not realizing that the next town was 40% farther away than I assumed.
"Hey, Bob! Come check this out - Just bought it. 8 cylinders. Listen to that baby purr! Yep, $22-5 out the door; Catnip supercharger; 3 year / 36000 hairball warranty. Got a great deal on it - you oughta think about trading in that heap of yours too!"
I'm in the "MIS/IT is not CS" camp. I don't think IS/IT or even CE grads are as prepared to enter into a career as a developer as CS grads. Having said that, I also don't believe that all CS degrees are created equal either.
One of the most frustrating things I see are 2 year schools churning out "programmers" with Associate's degrees with impressive-sounding names like "Computer Science and Engineering Technology" that turns out to be 4 or 5 semesters of vocational PHP and Java programming. If you ask any of those grads to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on their programming expertise, nearly all of them will rate themselves at or above a 6. Usually it's a case of they don't know what they don't know and, in reality, they're more like a 2 or 3. Ask them to explain MVC or the difference between composition and aggregation and they're lost. I think there's a place for these 2 year colleges but I think they are doing these students a disservice by cranking them out with some vo-tech skills and leading them to believe that they're prepared to be software developers. I would be remiss to lump all of those grads together - I've met some that are highly dedicated and passionate about compy sci and just throw themselves at learning it and bettering themselves, so don't get me wrong it depends on the individual as well.
Another problem I see frequently are programmers with a lot of knowledge about encumbrance and descent database design skills but no knowledge of their business domain. I always explain to prospective candidates that I'm interviewing that it's great that they know how to multiply a number by 4 by with a bit-shift but that's only half of what they need to know. It's not enough to be a good programmer, they have to be, or become, knowledgeable about the business too. We write accounting and human resources software. It's difficult, nay impossible, to write that kind of software without the requisite knowledge of accounting procedures and processes and learning the rules. (Believe me, there are a lot of freakin' accounting rules. Sheesh.) One has to learn how accountants work and process journal entries and how the payroll taxes are paid and filed and what the SUI and OASDI caps and rules are and a mountain of other non-CS things before writing payroll software. Knowing how to code and knowing how to design are absolutely essential. Knowing how to *learn* and knowing your business domain is just as essential too. I don't consider that a problem with computer science - it's a fact that's inherent to a lot of disciplines such as law - but it is something that seems, for whatever reason, to be minimized or overlooked frequently.
It seems that CS programs are becoming more standardized, boiler-plate curriculums that are as expected at most schools as much as accounting and business management majors. One thing that may help - it would be a step in the right direction - would be to make the CS curriculum a 5 year program and mandate, at minimum, a minor in another non-cs-related discipline. CS is a difficult major and it can be a hard life if one isn't prepared to invest in it. It takes a lot of passion and a lot of ambition to excel and it's imperative to continue learning long after college is over. Once the degree is conferred the learning just begins. I'm a believer in new cs grads are now ready to learn how to be programmers. One other thing I always ask new grads that I interview is "How does it make you feel that every language and technology you're going to learn in the next 6 months or year might be obsolete and worthless very soon?" I'm looking to assess their dedication to learning and their passion for their chosen field. If they don't have it then they won't last very long.
We use RSS as a client tool in several ways. We use it to notify clients of our Web-based HRIS system of system updates and enhancements. In addition, we have a messaging sub-system where clients can post messages that are then handled by the appropriate department or employee. When the client's message receives a response it will update the RSS feed rather than us sending an e-mail to tell notify them. E-mail defeats the purpose of the messaging system but RSS is voluntary for the group that refuses to keep checking back for a reply. It really does make a handy replacment for e-mail in some situations.
The IRS has established a 20-point checklist the can be used as a guideline in determining whether or not a contractor can legally be paid on a 1099. This checklist helps determine who has the "right of control." Does the employer have control or the "right of control" over the individual's performance of the job and how the individual accomplishes the job? The greater the control exercised over the terms and conditions of employment, the greater the chance that the controlling entity will be held to be the employer. The right to control (not the act itself) determines the status as an independent contractor or employee. The 20-point checklist is only a guideline, it does not guarantee that a person is correctly classified. There is no one single homogenous definition of the term "employee." Most agencies and courts typically look to the totality of the circumstances and balance the factors to determine whether a worker is an employee.
Following are the 20-points that have been established:
1. Must the individual take instructions from your management staff regarding when, where, and how work is to be done?
2. Does the individual receive training from your company?
3. Is the success or continuation of your business somewhat dependent on the type of service provided by the individual?
4. Must the individual personally perform the contracted services?
5. Have you hired, supervised, or paid individuals to assist the worker in completing the project stated in the contract?
6. Is there a continuing relationship between your company and the individual?
7. Must the individual work set hours?
8. Is the individual required to work full time at your company?
9. Is the work performed on company premises?
10. Is the individual required to follow a set sequence or routine in the performance of his work?
11. Must the individual give you reports regarding his/her work?
12. Is the individual paid by the hour, week, or month?
13. Do you reimburse the individual for business/travel expenses?
14. Do you supply the individual with needed tools or materials?
15. Have you made a significant investment in facilities used by the individual to perform services?
16. Is the individual free from suffering a loss or realizing a profit based on his work?
17. Does the individual only perform services for your company?
18. Does the individual limit the availability of his services to the general public?
19. Do you have the right to discharge the individual?
20. May the individual terminate his services at any time?
In addition, the IRS generally holds that any employment that goes longer than 12 months is grounds for a W2.
I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV but I do work for a Human Resources Outsourcing firm.
We have the worst governor in the country. Gray Davis has nothing on Bob Taft.
Just recently he's imposed a new tax that will require everyone to pay to use state parks. As taxpayers, aren't they our parks to begin with? He wants to take money away from schools that are already some of the worst in the country. The largest county in the state is down to one of the smallest sheriff departments due to cuts. Yet he spent $2 million on a bicentennial party?
He's got two years left to pulverize the economy and the rest of the taxpayers.
FTA: "Kim and his team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a global positioning device to keep track of its mileage." and "A computer inside the gas pump would communicate with your car's odometer to calculate how much you owe."
It talks to the GPS or it talks to the odometer - which is it?
GPS?
WAAS-enabled GPS is accurate to +/- 3 meters, or 9.84251969 feet.
Of course, there's no way to tell just how accurately the GPS will reflect your actual mileage since it will depend heavily on the frequency of your jaunts, not the actual mileage. If you assume that every trip has only 2 stops - there and back - then you're off by +/- 20 feet every time you get in the car to go somewhere. If usage is billed by the quarter mile, for every 66 two-stop trips you make, you pay a variance penalty.
I'm so tired of this argument "Our software is more secure than their software". It's ridiculous. What they're really saying is "Our programmers and development processes are better than your programmers and processes." These security debates, whitepapers, and arguments are always subjective, never solve anything, and only prove that someone has time to waste.
Any given OS, in the hands of an expert, is just as stable or secure as the next. There's just no way to effectively prove otherwise. The test domain to definitively prove which OS is truly the most secure is incredibly huge. As long as human beings code it, it's insecure. There is no version of Unix or Linux that has a higher Evaluation Assurance Level than Windows 2000. That doesn't necessarily mean that any novice could actually secure it either.
Reality is that Windows has a huge number of desktop installations and it's used by a large number of people that can't even open up Notepad or a command prompt if you asked them to. Those same people couldn't even install Linux so it's not reasonable to even suggest. So, how are they supposed to have any idea about security? Most of them can barely get online. It's no fluke that AOL and Windows are as popular as they are - they're easy to use and they have a small learning curve.
Furthermore, Linux and Windows are so different that's almost ridiculous to even compare them. They solve different problems, they both have their strengths and weaknesses, and other than the fact that they're both operating systems they don't have much else in common. In many ways comparing those two systems is like comparing an F-16 to a Leer jet - they both fly; they both have wings; they both have cockpits, throttles, and tails; they're both airplanes but they don't look the same; they don't have the same internal components; they aren't operated the same; and they aren't made for the same purpose.
Security arguments are out of style. It's safe to say that no major software maker is intentionally designing insecure software. Move on. Innovate. Come up with something original.
Clearly, the answer is to avoid Linux altogether since you'll just have to buy a license anyway.
I highly recommend going straight to the source for the be-all, end-all "Linux" - Unixware.
After all, if you're looking for stability, security, et al, then wouldn't you want to get the "real deal" rather than some hacked-up, 3rd-party, pirated crud that you probably can't trust anyway? Even Microsoft says it's crap.
If you're truly looking for an enterprise-ready system with the best balance of stability, high-level support options, security, rapid updates, I suggest you look to OS/2 Warp
Just this morning, mozingod had to come rescue my win2k workstation with knoppix to reset the local admin password.
*Somehow* my machine got deleted off of an AD domain so I coulnd't log on. Everything's been running so smooth with this machine - no, seriously - that no one, me included, knew the local admin password.
Knoppix to the rescue, 13 reboots later, I'm back in and the new admin password is 'asdf'.... I mean... it's really long and... un-crackable....
I'm with you. I don't have a friggin' clue what a DS is either. Regardless if it's made by Nintendo or freakin' NASA, I wouldn't know what 2 effing letters are supposed to stand for - especially when it doesn't mention ANYwhere in the story what the context of a DS even is. It doesn't even say handheld anywhere in the story.
For the rest of the goons that point out the links in the story - Well, do you follow every link on CNN.com to find out what the hell the story is about or does it explain it in the story?
Things I used to know by heart I've purged from my mind (mostly unintentionally) over the years. Although, I did purge my computer architecture class - MUXes, flip-flops, etc. on purpose. ugh.
Partly because I don't use that knowledge as much and partly because it's WAY too easy to jump on *.google.com and look something up. Heck, in a lot of cases, just typing a query and pounding the enter key is enough. I can usually find that nugget of information or trivia fact I'm looking for in the short description that shows up on the results screen without ever having to follow any links. Google dumbs me down.
I've turned to reading more books to combat the problem. I try to read a variety of topics that interest me such as physics, math, biology, and economics and even fiction novels too. I find that the variety of information and learning new things helps keep me "fresh" and sharp in spite of google and kcalc.
I think it's way too easy to open up a calculator, spreadsheet, web browser, [insert app here] to do things one should be able to do, or at least know how to do, by hand.
That's like saying roads cause accidents and chemical spills because they are there. That is utter nonesense and complete BS.
Accidents people are having include: running stop signs, speeding, DUI, and road rage. The road isn't the cause of this, it is the road upon which this happens.
It happens because companies built crappy cars that focuses more on bells and whistles than solid and secure safety features.
It happens because companies create crappy brakes that affect peoples' cars, making them even less safe(ie, running stop signs).
This is NOT the fault of the road, but rather the fault of the people who continue to create weak cars for people to drive on the road.
Another problem takes the form of weak habits of the average driver out there. The concept of security is so absent as to be unknown. Almost every person I used to talk to about security always said the same thing: "Why would anyone stop at stop signs? There's nothing important on about it!" Thankfully, today, most of the people I talk to who have ANY contact with car mechanics are more prone to ask me "Can you give me any tips on how to make my car safer?".
If the end user doesn't take steps to ensure that their own cars are safe when the people who sold them the cars don't, then they are just sitting ducks on the road. Their cars end up contributing to the problem.
The road doesn't need to be restricted. From what most safety reports say, only one thing needs to be restricted or re-engineered: General Motor's SUV's - all versions and the accessories that they create(hood ornaments, in-dash radios, rims, antennas, etc.)
If GM can become secured, then a significant chunk of the safety issues on the road will go away.
You're absolutely right. It has nothing to do with the users at all.
The internet is the road. And the accidents people are having include: adware/malware, virii, worms, and hacked systems.
Seriously, it's viruses - www.m-w.com or www.dictionary.com
This is just a waste of karma but....
on
Adieu to Ken Jennings
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
Have you found a great job, but the company does not want to add you to their internal payroll? Use our Employer of Record(TM) service. You become our employee, and we invoice the company for your services.
Staffers use quick interviews to pigeonhole shoppers.
Shoppers with large families are steered toward larger appliances and time-saving products.
The company hopes to lure the Barrys and Jills by helping them save time with services like a "personal shopper"...
The goal is to steer them into a back room that showcases $12,000 high-definition home-theater systems.
That sounds worse than any commission sales environment when, ironically, they're not. I could be in the minority here but I can't think of a single person I know that would like any of those ideas at all.
I don't think I could ever shop there again. I don't want to be hounded and pestered by every sales person in the store and pressured to buy something I couldn't afford, don't like, or don't even want. I can hear the counter-arguments now - "If you don't want it, don't buy it" That's not my point - I don't want to be bothered in the first place. That's my point. I'm not a fan of retail *sales* people, I've always been more of the opinion that a retail sales person should be more of a consultant type than a used car salesman type.
Nobody wants to be "sold" - people like to "figure it out" for themselves. Secondhand Lions is the only story I can think of where someone just sat around waiting to be "sold". Seriously - the last time you went to Best Buy or a store like it, why did you go? If you went to purchase a television, did you just go on a whim and say to yourself "I'm gonna go to Best Buy, look around at what they've got in the $XXXX range. Maybe talk to an associate and see what the differences are. Maybe pick up Rocky III while I'm there 'cause Clubber Lang predicts 'Pain'." or did you say "I'm gonna go to Best Buy, look around, and wait for the sales person to tell me just what to buy. Hopefully he'll suggest Rocky III." or best yet "I'm gonna go to Best Buy for the Rocky III DVD 'cause Clubber Lang pities me, and see if the sales person will upsell me to a $12000 home theatre."?
I'll be takin' these Rocky's and whatever tv ya got. (gratuitous Rasing Arizona mis-quote for the film-challenged)
I've met Mike Keskey and Brad Anderson and I've spoken with them several times (I used to be in middle management for Best Buy) - Mike is a down-to-earth guy and I have to say, I think he's dead on when he told Brad Anderson "You've lost touch with what's happening in your business."
For some people, this may be the best idea since 6 beers at the same time but I think it's slow suicide. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm absolutely fascinated. It's one of those things I never give much thought but now that I know, I'm just truly fascinated.
I suppose, being familiar with Canada and its use of the metric system for everything, and (however unfairly) identifying it as more similar to the UK, you're right - I just assumed that the UK used the metric system too. Over here, growing up, we're told that the U.S. is one of the last hold-outs on the imperial system and the whole world has converted to the metric system; we go to Canada and see the signs; I've never had any reason to assume that the UK *doesn't* use km. It just seemed so obvious that I (and I'll bet most people I know) never give it a second thought.
Thanks.
Well... I suppose my being safety concious or conscious, however brits misspell it, is really a moot point since I never drive anywhere. I can't get the hang of driving on the wrong side of the road.
I walked, rode the tube in London, rode around with my cousins, took a train, or rode a bus. At no point was anyone in danger of me not realizing that the next town was 40% farther away than I assumed.
I have family there. I've been there. I've never seen a single sign anywhere from Peterborough to the Isle of Wight that says anything about miles.
Excuse my ignorance.
Perhaps goons on slashdot could simply answer a question without displaying their own ignorance.
When did the UK switch from using kilometers to miles??
huh.
I can see it now.
"Hey, Bob! Come check this out - Just bought it. 8 cylinders. Listen to that baby purr! Yep, $22-5 out the door; Catnip supercharger; 3 year / 36000 hairball warranty. Got a great deal on it - you oughta think about trading in that heap of yours too!"
I'm in the "MIS/IT is not CS" camp. I don't think IS/IT or even CE grads are as prepared to enter into a career as a developer as CS grads. Having said that, I also don't believe that all CS degrees are created equal either.
One of the most frustrating things I see are 2 year schools churning out "programmers" with Associate's degrees with impressive-sounding names like "Computer Science and Engineering Technology" that turns out to be 4 or 5 semesters of vocational PHP and Java programming. If you ask any of those grads to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on their programming expertise, nearly all of them will rate themselves at or above a 6. Usually it's a case of they don't know what they don't know and, in reality, they're more like a 2 or 3. Ask them to explain MVC or the difference between composition and aggregation and they're lost. I think there's a place for these 2 year colleges but I think they are doing these students a disservice by cranking them out with some vo-tech skills and leading them to believe that they're prepared to be software developers. I would be remiss to lump all of those grads together - I've met some that are highly dedicated and passionate about compy sci and just throw themselves at learning it and bettering themselves, so don't get me wrong it depends on the individual as well.
Another problem I see frequently are programmers with a lot of knowledge about encumbrance and descent database design skills but no knowledge of their business domain. I always explain to prospective candidates that I'm interviewing that it's great that they know how to multiply a number by 4 by with a bit-shift but that's only half of what they need to know. It's not enough to be a good programmer, they have to be, or become, knowledgeable about the business too. We write accounting and human resources software. It's difficult, nay impossible, to write that kind of software without the requisite knowledge of accounting procedures and processes and learning the rules. (Believe me, there are a lot of freakin' accounting rules. Sheesh.) One has to learn how accountants work and process journal entries and how the payroll taxes are paid and filed and what the SUI and OASDI caps and rules are and a mountain of other non-CS things before writing payroll software. Knowing how to code and knowing how to design are absolutely essential. Knowing how to *learn* and knowing your business domain is just as essential too. I don't consider that a problem with computer science - it's a fact that's inherent to a lot of disciplines such as law - but it is something that seems, for whatever reason, to be minimized or overlooked frequently.
It seems that CS programs are becoming more standardized, boiler-plate curriculums that are as expected at most schools as much as accounting and business management majors. One thing that may help - it would be a step in the right direction - would be to make the CS curriculum a 5 year program and mandate, at minimum, a minor in another non-cs-related discipline. CS is a difficult major and it can be a hard life if one isn't prepared to invest in it. It takes a lot of passion and a lot of ambition to excel and it's imperative to continue learning long after college is over. Once the degree is conferred the learning just begins. I'm a believer in new cs grads are now ready to learn how to be programmers. One other thing I always ask new grads that I interview is "How does it make you feel that every language and technology you're going to learn in the next 6 months or year might be obsolete and worthless very soon?" I'm looking to assess their dedication to learning and their passion for their chosen field. If they don't have it then they won't last very long.
We use RSS as a client tool in several ways. We use it to notify clients of our Web-based HRIS system of system updates and enhancements. In addition, we have a messaging sub-system where clients can post messages that are then handled by the appropriate department or employee. When the client's message receives a response it will update the RSS feed rather than us sending an e-mail to tell notify them. E-mail defeats the purpose of the messaging system but RSS is voluntary for the group that refuses to keep checking back for a reply. It really does make a handy replacment for e-mail in some situations.
I still have a bunch of the nifty paper MRE heaters Uncle Sam gave me back in.... '93. Sheesh. I'm getting old.
We're making our own Volcano. It'll be neat.
sometimes, that these silly physicists just over-think everything?
The IRS has established a 20-point checklist the can be used as a guideline in determining whether or not a contractor can legally be paid on a 1099. This checklist helps determine who has the "right of control." Does the employer have control or the "right of control" over the individual's performance of the job and how the individual accomplishes the job? The greater the control exercised over the terms and conditions of employment, the greater the chance that the controlling entity will be held to be the employer. The right to control (not the act itself) determines the status as an independent contractor or employee. The 20-point checklist is only a guideline, it does not guarantee that a person is correctly classified. There is no one single homogenous definition of the term "employee." Most agencies and courts typically look to the totality of the circumstances and balance the factors to determine whether a worker is an employee.
Following are the 20-points that have been established:
1. Must the individual take instructions from your management staff regarding when, where, and how work is to be done?
2. Does the individual receive training from your company?
3. Is the success or continuation of your business somewhat dependent on the type of service provided by the individual?
4. Must the individual personally perform the contracted services?
5. Have you hired, supervised, or paid individuals to assist the worker in completing the project stated in the contract?
6. Is there a continuing relationship between your company and the individual?
7. Must the individual work set hours?
8. Is the individual required to work full time at your company?
9. Is the work performed on company premises?
10. Is the individual required to follow a set sequence or routine in the performance of his work?
11. Must the individual give you reports regarding his/her work?
12. Is the individual paid by the hour, week, or month?
13. Do you reimburse the individual for business/travel expenses?
14. Do you supply the individual with needed tools or materials?
15. Have you made a significant investment in facilities used by the individual to perform services?
16. Is the individual free from suffering a loss or realizing a profit based on his work?
17. Does the individual only perform services for your company?
18. Does the individual limit the availability of his services to the general public?
19. Do you have the right to discharge the individual?
20. May the individual terminate his services at any time?
In addition, the IRS generally holds that any employment that goes longer than 12 months is grounds for a W2.
I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV but I do work for a Human Resources Outsourcing firm.
We have the worst governor in the country. Gray Davis has nothing on Bob Taft.
Just recently he's imposed a new tax that will require everyone to pay to use state parks. As taxpayers, aren't they our parks to begin with? He wants to take money away from schools that are already some of the worst in the country. The largest county in the state is down to one of the smallest sheriff departments due to cuts. Yet he spent $2 million on a bicentennial party?
He's got two years left to pulverize the economy and the rest of the taxpayers.
Except one thing - I've been to many, many auctions (there's an auction house very near where I live) and they WILL allow you to specify a bid amount.
When the auctioneer yells "$150" and the guy in the second row yells back "$110" then the bid is his and the auctioneer continues.
That's how it works at physical auctions.
FTA:
"Kim and his team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a global positioning device to keep track of its mileage."
and
"A computer inside the gas pump would communicate with your car's odometer to calculate how much you owe."
It talks to the GPS or it talks to the odometer - which is it?
GPS?
WAAS-enabled GPS is accurate to +/- 3 meters, or 9.84251969 feet.
Of course, there's no way to tell just how accurately the GPS will reflect your actual mileage since it will depend heavily on the frequency of your jaunts, not the actual mileage. If you assume that every trip has only 2 stops - there and back - then you're off by +/- 20 feet every time you get in the car to go somewhere. If usage is billed by the quarter mile, for every 66 two-stop trips you make, you pay a variance penalty.
Silly.
You know.... as extreme as that sounds at first, the more I think about it the more reasonable it seems.
I second that.
I'm so tired of this argument "Our software is more secure than their software". It's ridiculous. What they're really saying is "Our programmers and development processes are better than your programmers and processes." These security debates, whitepapers, and arguments are always subjective, never solve anything, and only prove that someone has time to waste.
Any given OS, in the hands of an expert, is just as stable or secure as the next. There's just no way to effectively prove otherwise. The test domain to definitively prove which OS is truly the most secure is incredibly huge. As long as human beings code it, it's insecure. There is no version of Unix or Linux that has a higher Evaluation Assurance Level than Windows 2000. That doesn't necessarily mean that any novice could actually secure it either.
Reality is that Windows has a huge number of desktop installations and it's used by a large number of people that can't even open up Notepad or a command prompt if you asked them to. Those same people couldn't even install Linux so it's not reasonable to even suggest. So, how are they supposed to have any idea about security? Most of them can barely get online. It's no fluke that AOL and Windows are as popular as they are - they're easy to use and they have a small learning curve.
Furthermore, Linux and Windows are so different that's almost ridiculous to even compare them. They solve different problems, they both have their strengths and weaknesses, and other than the fact that they're both operating systems they don't have much else in common. In many ways comparing those two systems is like comparing an F-16 to a Leer jet - they both fly; they both have wings; they both have cockpits, throttles, and tails; they're both airplanes but they don't look the same; they don't have the same internal components; they aren't operated the same; and they aren't made for the same purpose.
Security arguments are out of style. It's safe to say that no major software maker is intentionally designing insecure software. Move on. Innovate. Come up with something original.
Clearly, the answer is to avoid Linux altogether since you'll just have to buy a license anyway.
I highly recommend going straight to the source for the be-all, end-all "Linux" - Unixware.
After all, if you're looking for stability, security, et al, then wouldn't you want to get the "real deal" rather than some hacked-up, 3rd-party, pirated crud that you probably can't trust anyway? Even Microsoft says it's crap.
If you're truly looking for an enterprise-ready system with the best balance of stability, high-level support options, security, rapid updates, I suggest you look to OS/2 Warp
</sarcasm>
Just this morning, mozingod had to come rescue my win2k workstation with knoppix to reset the local admin password.
*Somehow* my machine got deleted off of an AD domain so I coulnd't log on. Everything's been running so smooth with this machine - no, seriously - that no one, me included, knew the local admin password.
Knoppix to the rescue, 13 reboots later, I'm back in and the new admin password is 'asdf'.... I mean... it's really long and... un-crackable....
So, what's a DS?
I'm with you. I don't have a friggin' clue what a DS is either. Regardless if it's made by Nintendo or freakin' NASA, I wouldn't know what 2 effing letters are supposed to stand for - especially when it doesn't mention ANYwhere in the story what the context of a DS even is. It doesn't even say handheld anywhere in the story.
For the rest of the goons that point out the links in the story - Well, do you follow every link on CNN.com to find out what the hell the story is about or does it explain it in the story?
sheesh.
I'm a code monkey and a moderately smart.
Things I used to know by heart I've purged from my mind (mostly unintentionally) over the years. Although, I did purge my computer architecture class - MUXes, flip-flops, etc. on purpose. ugh.
Partly because I don't use that knowledge as much and partly because it's WAY too easy to jump on *.google.com and look something up. Heck, in a lot of cases, just typing a query and pounding the enter key is enough. I can usually find that nugget of information or trivia fact I'm looking for in the short description that shows up on the results screen without ever having to follow any links. Google dumbs me down.
I've turned to reading more books to combat the problem. I try to read a variety of topics that interest me such as physics, math, biology, and economics and even fiction novels too. I find that the variety of information and learning new things helps keep me "fresh" and sharp in spite of google and kcalc.
I think it's way too easy to open up a calculator, spreadsheet, web browser, [insert app here] to do things one should be able to do, or at least know how to do, by hand.
As of 9:20 am (EDT) on December 6:
When I type groups.google.com into my address bar, I go to the new interface.
Even if I clear my gmail "remember me" cookie, I go to the new version.
The initial search interface is the same but he results are the new interface.
That's like saying roads cause accidents and chemical spills because they are there. That is utter nonesense and complete BS.
Accidents people are having include: running stop signs, speeding, DUI, and road rage. The road isn't the cause of this, it is the road upon which this happens.
It happens because companies built crappy cars that focuses more on bells and whistles than solid and secure safety features.
It happens because companies create crappy brakes that affect peoples' cars, making them even less safe(ie, running stop signs).
This is NOT the fault of the road, but rather the fault of the people who continue to create weak cars for people to drive on the road.
Another problem takes the form of weak habits of the average driver out there. The concept of security is so absent as to be unknown. Almost every person I used to talk to about security always said the same thing: "Why would anyone stop at stop signs? There's nothing important on about it!" Thankfully, today, most of the people I talk to who have ANY contact with car mechanics are more prone to ask me "Can you give me any tips on how to make my car safer?".
If the end user doesn't take steps to ensure that their own cars are safe when the people who sold them the cars don't, then they are just sitting ducks on the road. Their cars end up contributing to the problem.
The road doesn't need to be restricted. From what most safety reports say, only one thing needs to be restricted or re-engineered: General Motor's SUV's - all versions and the accessories that they create(hood ornaments, in-dash radios, rims, antennas, etc.)
If GM can become secured, then a significant chunk of the safety issues on the road will go away.
You're absolutely right. It has nothing to do with the users at all.
The internet is the road. And the accidents people are having include: adware/malware, virii, worms, and hacked systems.
Seriously, it's viruses - www.m-w.com or www.dictionary.com
I, for one, welcome our new Zerg overlord.
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Staffers use quick interviews to pigeonhole shoppers.
Shoppers with large families are steered toward larger appliances and time-saving products.
The company hopes to lure the Barrys and Jills by helping them save time with services like a "personal shopper"...
The goal is to steer them into a back room that showcases $12,000 high-definition home-theater systems.
That sounds worse than any commission sales environment when, ironically, they're not. I could be in the minority here but I can't think of a single person I know that would like any of those ideas at all.
I don't think I could ever shop there again. I don't want to be hounded and pestered by every sales person in the store and pressured to buy something I couldn't afford, don't like, or don't even want. I can hear the counter-arguments now - "If you don't want it, don't buy it" That's not my point - I don't want to be bothered in the first place. That's my point. I'm not a fan of retail *sales* people, I've always been more of the opinion that a retail sales person should be more of a consultant type than a used car salesman type.
Nobody wants to be "sold" - people like to "figure it out" for themselves. Secondhand Lions is the only story I can think of where someone just sat around waiting to be "sold". Seriously - the last time you went to Best Buy or a store like it, why did you go? If you went to purchase a television, did you just go on a whim and say to yourself "I'm gonna go to Best Buy, look around at what they've got in the $XXXX range. Maybe talk to an associate and see what the differences are. Maybe pick up Rocky III while I'm there 'cause Clubber Lang predicts 'Pain'." or did you say "I'm gonna go to Best Buy, look around, and wait for the sales person to tell me just what to buy. Hopefully he'll suggest Rocky III." or best yet "I'm gonna go to Best Buy for the Rocky III DVD 'cause Clubber Lang pities me, and see if the sales person will upsell me to a $12000 home theatre."?
I'll be takin' these Rocky's and whatever tv ya got. (gratuitous Rasing Arizona mis-quote for the film-challenged)
I've met Mike Keskey and Brad Anderson and I've spoken with them several times (I used to be in middle management for Best Buy) - Mike is a down-to-earth guy and I have to say, I think he's dead on when he told Brad Anderson "You've lost touch with what's happening in your business."
For some people, this may be the best idea since 6 beers at the same time but I think it's slow suicide. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Best of luck to them.