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User: hambone142

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  1. They were a hoot on The Death of the American Drive-in · · Score: 1

    Back in the good ol' days, younguns used to bring their favorite cheap beer and their horney ladies there. Additionally, it was a "family place" in that they usually had playgrounds with "pre-lawyer" play toys. Things like swing sets (gasp!), those rotating platforms that everyone pitched in powering and a sand lot. We'd empty our shoes out before re-entering the car. Dad used to bring a six pack, some pre-popped pop corn and assorted snacks. We'd be told to lie about our ages to get a discount upon entering. Nowadays,, folks are just "nesting" (read: hermetizing) and not venturing outside their living rooms. Shessh... we'd meet so many interesting people at the drive in. I guess it's all been replaced with Facebook. Too bad.

  2. Dang! on Geeks.com Online Shop Has Closed · · Score: 1

    Sorry to hear they've gone out of business. I've bought 4 desktops and two laptops from them over the years and a couple of thousand bucks worth of assorted electronics. When I went to their site today, I was rather shocked to see they threw in the towel. I never realized they were having financial problems. I've found them to be a great place to pick up refurb. equipment at a decent price. Heck, I bought my first desktop from them (a HP 750C) back in the 90's. I've never seen deals on the purported "gorillas" that could compete with them. RIP Geeks.

  3. Why focus on Apple? on Apple Faces New China Worker Abuse Claims · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Several other computer manufacturers use Foxconn and Pegatron. H.P. is one of them for example. We get the behavior we measure. Cost cutting is the constant mantra of U.S. corporate management. We turn a blind eye to such practices. I won't even get in to the pollution issue they cause in China.

  4. Re:"weed out the naysayers" on Steve Jobs' First Boss: 'Very Few Companies Would Hire Steve, Even Today' · · Score: 1

    "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Having worked in a Failure Analysis Lab for several years, I have developed the ability to (mostly) see and *correct* problems before they become catastrophes. When I see a design or a process, I think "what might go wrong" . Then I try to prevent it from going wrong. This often necessitates correcting some bad ideas. Is that a "naysayer"? Should I just it crash and keep agreeable and happy? The most frustrating thing is to have seen a problem before and to watch some idiot in my company repeat the failure a couple of years later.

  5. Re:Greedy Upper Management. on Large Corporations Displacing Aging IT Workers With H-1B Visa Workers · · Score: 1

    I recently retired from an engineering position the second or third largest computer company in the youess. My replacement could be: 1. Someone in India. 2. Someone in China. 3. Someone starting 2 pay grades lower than I. or... 4. A college hire. My position was one that required a rather high degree of experience to complete the job. The skill set typically requires someone with 10+ years of experience. Qualified engineers were told the story above. We saw how "concerned about quality" the company was. At the same time, we paid our CEO about 16 million to drive the stock price down. Rather sad.

  6. Re:It's very possible on Steve Jobs Was Wrong About Touchscreen Laptops · · Score: 1

    I have a tablet and a netbook as well as a couple of laptops and desktops. I find myself using the netbook most of the time. Portable, long battery life, real keyboard (although a little smaller) and a screen that I can read. Tablets are OK for some web browsing however I need to expand the screen to tap on very small hyperlinks. If I hook a keyboard to a tablet, what's the point? I may as well use my netbook. I find the touchscreens on darned near any device a PITA due to their small size and inability to type on them (I do type well).

  7. Re:A Review? on Windows 8 Is 'a Work of Art.' But It's No Linux · · Score: 1

    Why not admit you wouldn't be a good interviewer for a Windows technical interview and refer the job to someone more-knowledgeable of the subject?

  8. Re:Thee Megabit? on 19 Million Americans Cannot Get Broadband Access · · Score: 1

    The killer with Wildblue and other satellite internet providers is the FCC's "Fair Access Policy" . After a very small data cap is met, the connection is hobbled to a very slow speed. That makes it impossible for streaming video for any length of time.

  9. A matter of economics on 19 Million Americans Cannot Get Broadband Access · · Score: 1

    I live in a rural area (Sierra Foothills of California). I chose to live there because I don't like high density housing and the problems related to it. With this "nice place to live" I also have no sewer (but have septic system), no public water (but have a well and you can't tell the difference except I don't get a water bill) and slow internet. Until recent, my choices were dial up modem and satellite internet (a ripoff at $119/month with imposed FCC "Fair Access Policy".) FAP ensures you really can't stream video or use internet radio for any period of time. Else, if very small data download limits are exceeded, you're reduced to something near dialup modem speed. Recently, there are a few companies that have installed various forms of wireless internet services. I'm paying $59/month for 1.2 megabit (maximum) download using a 900 mHz. "Motorola Canopy" system. That's the fastest available out here. DSL would seem like lightening speed. The problem is that cable companies have to run a relatively long length of cable to "maybe" connect a couple of users. It's just not cost effective for them to do so. Unless wireless speeds rapidly increase or until there's an available means to superimpose internet signals on the power mains, this is likely what I'm going to be stuck with. Cellphone reception is also sketchy here. I really don't believe I have a "right to high speed internet". Rural living has it's pros and cons. I've made my own choice and I'm happy with it.

  10. Re:I did... on 400,000 American Homes Have Dumped Pay TV This Year · · Score: 1

    My son and I were clicking through the channels of cable TV when at a motel when we were traveling. We laughed at "200 channels of crap" that we witnessed. It confirmed to me that I do not need to purchase cable or satellite television. It's an intellectual wasteland saturated with commercials.

  11. Better like travel to India on Study Shows Teen Gamers Like Tech, But Don't All Crave IT Jobs · · Score: 1

    I.T. jobs are one of the most-easy to outsource to India. I would advise my son against taking any job that fits this category. Perhaps one may begin in domestic I.T. but it's also likely that some time in one's career, it'd be necessary to train their Indian counterpart to perform their job, only to have it transferred to the country at 1/3 to 1/2 one's salary. Having spent an engineering career at one of America's "big computer companies", I've personally seen this happen on many occasions. I walk through our campus and observe large empty parking lots with weeds popping up through the asphalt, looking at the empty buildings they surround. I tell my son "these lots used to be full of cars and those buildings used to be full of working people." They've all lost their jobs mostly to India and China. It's sad.

  12. Deja vu all over again on HP To Combine PC, Printer Divisions · · Score: 1

    Carly Fiorina combined PCs and printers in 2005. Mark Hurd un-combined them during his reign. Now Meg combines them and under Bradley. Bradley should have been fired with the Touchpad fiasco but now heads HP's most profitable division. What's wrong with this picture?

  13. Engineering shortage? on Reversing the Loss of Science and Engineering Careers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't believe there is an engineering shortage in the U.S. If there were, engineer's wages would be increasing. They are not. I work for a very large computer company and wages have been pretty much stagnant for 10 years here. The real "problem" is there is a shortage of cheap engineers. Ones like those in India and China. US companies are hiring overseas like crazy and reducing employee count domestically.

  14. Re:not a sterling example on Defendant Ordered To Decrypt Laptop Claims She Had Forgotten Password · · Score: 1

    I was the only person to know the password to my old computer's login - no longer have any idea what it was. I figure I will just reformat it or bypass the login if I have a need to use it. However, if it was encrypted, I would currently have a legal timebomb sitting on my desk. This is not right and is clearly unconstitutional. Dressing up the matter does not change that.

    For a Windows password, all one needs to do is run ERD or boot a Linux disc and view the HDD's contents.

  15. Goofy on Ask Slashdot: Techie Wedding Invitation Ideas? · · Score: 1

    Next, you'll be asking for a robot design to "take care" of your wife for you on the wedding night. Take a day off from geekdom.