... that the first day of Autumn offered no relief. It was 38degC in the Victorian Central Highlands where I live and looks like being not much cooler than that today.
I guess it's not so much strange as silly, but lots of companies seem to want their datacentres in the most expensive real estate the company occupies - apparently so that the C-class employees can watch the flashing lights. I've never been able to understand why, if you can get good connectivity, etc, etc, you would not put your datacentre into low-cost real estate and save a little cash.
Those who have been around for a while know that bits and pieces in a box *can* live for as long as a beautifully crafted industrial strength server device. They also know that if the time of the user community for the services the device in question provides is worth anything, the price difference becomes irrelevant the first time you have an outage. What happens when a part breaks and you cannot find a plug-replacement? Or when you have to spend hours ripping the thing apart to replace said bit?
In my part of the world, if one of our HP/Compaq servers dies, a phone call to the warranty centre results in a replacement arriving almost before you put the phone down. If it is a disk, or a power supply, or a fan (which seem to be the most problematic bits), the redundancy you built in will keep the box running until you can bring it down (if you have to) to replace the dead bit.
Bottom line: If you're supporting a business, do them a favour and do it properly (or like Google does it with massive redundancy of cheap stuff).
Don't trust the moderation 'Informative' - I suspect the author was joking.
Al Warild, apart from being a well known caver in Australia, is also the author of the book 'Vertical', which is held by many to be a somewhat seminal work on the Single Rope Technique - a method of descending and ascending static climbing ropes and something which I am sure he used quite a bit of during his visit to Krubera-Voronia. (Australians seem to prefer 'the frog' over that more favoured by Americans - the 'rope walker'.)
I'll get out of your hair now... *smile*
If you are getting the building cladding as well as the PV units in the one unit, the cost equation looks even better. I don't know what normal 13mm glass might cost, but figure it is fairly expensive in itself. The TCO of these things might not be that bad after all?
Re:Bingo.
on
The 3Com Saga
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Ummm.. In my part of the world, we get somewhat better response than this. But, more importantly, 3Com offer a lifetime warranty on their smaller edge switches (610, 630, 3300, etc...) so, although I don't know what a lifetime is, I have had 6 year old switches replaced 'under warranty'. Who am I to complain?
If the purveyors of beer really wanted to solve the problem this addresses, they could put more staff on (as others have said), or just install a 'service' button on each table/booth/whatever?
Sorry. Antarctica is the driest continent on the planet. It's also the coldest, windiest and most poorly Internet-connected (although I don't know what that boils down to in terms of kbps/head of population).
For more on Antarctica (while I go and clean my pocket protector), check out http://www.antdiv.gov.au
I offer you my condolences. There is no place on the planet to live like Australia.
No other country can boast the total ineptitude of the current federal government that we can.
Of course, if you believe in education for the rich only, healthcare if you can afford it, maintainting the technological and social state of the 1960's, international politics that ignore your neighbours... then you will probably disagree...
Think about what it costs for a litre of non-renewable, non-sustainable hydrocarbons.
Now think about what it costs for a litre of milk. (Substitute hogsheads for litres if you prefer - 1 hogshead = 240.624 litres.)
Personally, I don't think petrol is expensive *enough*. I'd happily pay a 100% Let's Find A Better Alternative Tax on my petrol. Think how much better off we might be if rail became a better bulk-transport alternative to road again.
Mind you, I am a leftist greenie and was stoned when I wrote this.
Speaking as someone who is not quite a fan of Microsoft, I do find it interesting that the mention of a release (or its delay) of a new MS 'Operating System' is generally simply used in this place as yet another excuse to kick the crap out of them.
Compare this with the usual reaction to a release announcement of an open software product.
Sure, there are always people who will take the opportunity to show just how much they hate the world and everything in it, but there is certainly a lot more MS bashing (to which I do not *totally* object) around when they (MS) announce a product or make an announcement that they are delaying the release of same.
Isn't it just possible that they are starting to get the message?
Now that I read back over this, I feel so ashamed...
This Case is A Good Thing (tm)
on
SCO SCO SCO!
·
· Score: 1
Let's say that this thing goes to court.
Let's say that SCO win. Net effect on Linux: Someone gets to write some code to remedy the situation. (I can't see any court fining every ninth company and every second computer geek in the world for using Linux, but then I am naive.) Linux would continue regardless - at worst it would be a set-back.
Let's say that SCO lose. Net effect on Linux: Proof that it doesn't violate SCO's IP (in as much as you can prove a negative). Certainly, SCO are not going to be able to do this sort of thing repeatedly.
The one thing I am seriously looking forward to is when the industry 'matures' *cough* so that the various used car salesmen and those who think they know what they're doing move on and let those of us who do get on with it...
Anyway... I have to go and install a new graphics card in my file&print server - the old one is just way too slow.
What will Broadband be in 50 years time?
on
How Broad is Broadband?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
A few years ago, sitting in front of my 1200/75 MODEM, I was in awe of those with 33.8kbps devices... Today, with my 512/128kbps connection, I still wish it was faster.
The difference, apart from my own impatience, is the content that forms the dominant delivery paradigm. In 1990, high-bandwidth content was not in the same universe as what we will consider to be high-bandwidth content in 2020. Thankfully, the days of ASCII porn are over...
If you choose to determine the nature of broadband by the speed of the connection, you need a sliding scale, linked to what content developers and users use it for - almost an Internet Societal Norm - as I think that speeds and the size of content 'atoms' will continue to grow.
Of course, I make these comments from a position of complete ignorance...
Where I work, the single most vital piece of technology is the telephone. We can do without key bits of our computer infrastructure for hours at a time. Computer failures of one sort or another happen all the time and are (kind of) accepted. But, if the telephone system in an office fails at all, senior executives start looking for someone to decapitate.
Introducing extra complexity through demonstrably fragile technologies is not going to make friends of any business-person who has come to rely on the good old telephone system.
You don't even have to wonder if the application comes from MS or not - even the market and technology leaders are not there yet, and when they do get there, you can bet your proverbial that there will be some crap network product or cowboy technician in the loop who is going to impinge upon your guaranteed uptime.
Of course, my opinion is worth exactly what you just paid for it...
Hey! If *he* is on your show, can I be too??
I reckon I'd be good because:
I am not as funny as him (No threat to anyone);
I don't do stand-up, TV, or movies (Nothing to constrain the discussion);
I don't have a web-site (Well, I do but I don't like it anyway);
I am a much bigger geek (OK..maybe just a little bit bigger).
Sorry.
No, really.
Sorry.
Slashdot Mirror
... that the first day of Autumn offered no relief. It was 38degC in the Victorian Central Highlands where I live and looks like being not much cooler than that today.
... and here is *your* copy of our employment contract...
I guess it's not so much strange as silly, but lots of companies seem to want their datacentres in the most expensive real estate the company occupies - apparently so that the C-class employees can watch the flashing lights. I've never been able to understand why, if you can get good connectivity, etc, etc, you would not put your datacentre into low-cost real estate and save a little cash.
...does every shot of it hovering have a crane in the background?
Is this their answer to Google Maps? *ducks*
... since he invented that silly keyboard thing.
I just did exactly this (translate from English to German to English).
I now understand how several of my coworkers write their emails.
How would that have helped Australia's most famous parcel carrier - Schappelle Corby? Sheesh!
... they knock it off course and it comes plummetting into Earth, thus fulfilling the prophecy that one day, one of these things will hit us.
Those who have been around for a while know that bits and pieces in a box *can* live for as long as a beautifully crafted industrial strength server device. They also know that if the time of the user community for the services the device in question provides is worth anything, the price difference becomes irrelevant the first time you have an outage. What happens when a part breaks and you cannot find a plug-replacement? Or when you have to spend hours ripping the thing apart to replace said bit?
In my part of the world, if one of our HP/Compaq servers dies, a phone call to the warranty centre results in a replacement arriving almost before you put the phone down. If it is a disk, or a power supply, or a fan (which seem to be the most problematic bits), the redundancy you built in will keep the box running until you can bring it down (if you have to) to replace the dead bit.
Bottom line: If you're supporting a business, do them a favour and do it properly (or like Google does it with massive redundancy of cheap stuff).
Does this look like a police helicopter?
Don't trust the moderation 'Informative' - I suspect the author was joking.
Al Warild, apart from being a well known caver in Australia, is also the author of the book 'Vertical', which is held by many to be a somewhat seminal work on the Single Rope Technique - a method of descending and ascending static climbing ropes and something which I am sure he used quite a bit of during his visit to Krubera-Voronia. (Australians seem to prefer 'the frog' over that more favoured by Americans - the 'rope walker'.) I'll get out of your hair now... *smile*
If you are getting the building cladding as well as the PV units in the one unit, the cost equation looks even better. I don't know what normal 13mm glass might cost, but figure it is fairly expensive in itself. The TCO of these things might not be that bad after all?
Ummm.. In my part of the world, we get somewhat better response than this. But, more importantly, 3Com offer a lifetime warranty on their smaller edge switches (610, 630, 3300, etc...) so, although I don't know what a lifetime is, I have had 6 year old switches replaced 'under warranty'. Who am I to complain?
If the purveyors of beer really wanted to solve the problem this addresses, they could put more staff on (as others have said), or just install a 'service' button on each table/booth/whatever?
It worked one time for the airline industry.
Gee, I'm thirsty...
Sorry. Antarctica is the driest continent on the planet. It's also the coldest, windiest and most poorly Internet-connected (although I don't know what that boils down to in terms of kbps/head of population).
For more on Antarctica (while I go and clean my pocket protector), check out http://www.antdiv.gov.au
I offer you my condolences. There is no place on the planet to live like Australia.
No other country can boast the total ineptitude of the current federal government that we can.
Of course, if you believe in education for the rich only, healthcare if you can afford it, maintainting the technological and social state of the 1960's, international politics that ignore your neighbours... then you will probably disagree...
Think about what it costs for a litre of non-renewable, non-sustainable hydrocarbons.
Now think about what it costs for a litre of milk. (Substitute hogsheads for litres if you prefer - 1 hogshead = 240.624 litres.)
Personally, I don't think petrol is expensive *enough*. I'd happily pay a 100% Let's Find A Better Alternative Tax on my petrol. Think how much better off we might be if rail became a better bulk-transport alternative to road again.
Mind you, I am a leftist greenie and was stoned when I wrote this.
Speaking as someone who is not quite a fan of Microsoft, I do find it interesting that the mention of a release (or its delay) of a new MS 'Operating System' is generally simply used in this place as yet another excuse to kick the crap out of them.
Compare this with the usual reaction to a release announcement of an open software product.
Sure, there are always people who will take the opportunity to show just how much they hate the world and everything in it, but there is certainly a lot more MS bashing (to which I do not *totally* object) around when they (MS) announce a product or make an announcement that they are delaying the release of same.
Isn't it just possible that they are starting to get the message?
Now that I read back over this, I feel so ashamed...
Let's say that this thing goes to court.
Let's say that SCO win. Net effect on Linux: Someone gets to write some code to remedy the situation. (I can't see any court fining every ninth company and every second computer geek in the world for using Linux, but then I am naive.) Linux would continue regardless - at worst it would be a set-back.
Let's say that SCO lose. Net effect on Linux:
Proof that it doesn't violate SCO's IP (in as much as you can prove a negative). Certainly, SCO are not going to be able to do this sort of thing repeatedly.
Or am I missing something obvious?
email me for grey-market rat brains. Up to 90% off retail!!!
This offer can't last!
Ummm... Because you don't?
The one thing I am seriously looking forward to is when the industry 'matures' *cough* so that the various used car salesmen and those who think they know what they're doing move on and let those of us who do get on with it...
Anyway... I have to go and install a new graphics card in my file&print server - the old one is just way too slow.
A few years ago, sitting in front of my 1200/75 MODEM, I was in awe of those with 33.8kbps devices... Today, with my 512/128kbps connection, I still wish it was faster.
The difference, apart from my own impatience, is the content that forms the dominant delivery paradigm. In 1990, high-bandwidth content was not in the same universe as what we will consider to be high-bandwidth content in 2020. Thankfully, the days of ASCII porn are over...
If you choose to determine the nature of broadband by the speed of the connection, you need a sliding scale, linked to what content developers and users use it for - almost an Internet Societal Norm - as I think that speeds and the size of content 'atoms' will continue to grow.
Of course, I make these comments from a position of complete ignorance...
Where I work, the single most vital piece of technology is the telephone. We can do without key bits of our computer infrastructure for hours at a time. Computer failures of one sort or another happen all the time and are (kind of) accepted. But, if the telephone system in an office fails at all, senior executives start looking for someone to decapitate.
Introducing extra complexity through demonstrably fragile technologies is not going to make friends of any business-person who has come to rely on the good old telephone system.
You don't even have to wonder if the application comes from MS or not - even the market and technology leaders are not there yet, and when they do get there, you can bet your proverbial that there will be some crap network product or cowboy technician in the loop who is going to impinge upon your guaranteed uptime.
Of course, my opinion is worth exactly what you just paid for it...
Hey! If *he* is on your show, can I be too?? I reckon I'd be good because: I am not as funny as him (No threat to anyone); I don't do stand-up, TV, or movies (Nothing to constrain the discussion); I don't have a web-site (Well, I do but I don't like it anyway); I am a much bigger geek (OK..maybe just a little bit bigger). Sorry. No, really. Sorry.