You are so right. What's so wrong with posting that little song here and getting a +5? it's +5 funny, not +5 original geek humor material that's funny. sheesh.
Re:This has to be tough for familes to hear...
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Latest Columbia News
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The ISS holds can only hold three people because its escape/rescue pod only holds three people.
What they should do now is send up the shuttles and park them at the ISS, for emergency escape.
Then use the soyuz modules for regularly scheduled crew rotations. I know a shuttle can hold at least 7 astronauts...
99 times out of 100 it will let you reenter safely. Not too bad in a time of emergency.
If we must accept that, it's the end of the program.
No, it's just the end of the Shuttle program. The USA probablu won't have manned space flight again anytime soon.
But I can't really believe that we won't send astronauts up -- maybe in a conventional rocket, launched in the EU or Russia or maybe Japan or SeaLaunch or something.
One launch in 50 not making it back is pretty bad. But really, they never should have launched Challenger since it was 29 degrees that morning and the dang thing was frozen. We can chalk that one up to "peer pressure" -- Reagan wanted the "Teacher in Space" PR coup to be part of his State of The Union address scheduled for the next day (which was cancelled that year, by the way.)
The loss of Columbia (in spite of headlines like "NASA IGNORED SAFETY WARNINGS" seems to be much more in the realm of engineering/science, and less about the politics of the space program.
But, it's still too early to tell. Talk to me again in three years.
I think the problem in my particular circumstance is that the previous admin had a complete disregard for license compliance. It's like he simply didn't care or want to be bothered.
Unfortunately the culture that this has left behind is one where everyone in the office thinks they can borrow CDs from the MSDN subscription and install whatever they like. Our road warriors all think they're entitled to MapPoint -- The CD is right there, and the last guy installed it for us. What's my problem??
Here is a (paraphrased) transcript of a real email thread between myself and my boss from just this week.
[me] Boss I need your approval to spend $400 on WebTrends Log Analyzer. We need it so we can track who's visitng the web site, etc.
[boss] Hmmm do we really have to pay for that? We used to get printouts every month, and I don't remember having to buy any software.
[me] Those were from Microsoft Site Server, which we don't have a license for
[boss] OK go ahead and get WebTrends then.
The company isn't trying to pirate software, they're all just license-ignorant. Our CFO clicks thru the EULAs and uses demo versions of software that explicity state they are for non-commercial use only. Aarrrrrrggh. His attitude is like "it was free" - becuase he downloaded it for free. Arrrrrrrgh.
I think it's doing that because it is trying to generate previews of all those pictures. Open the folder and from the View menu Select List
That's not it. I thought of that...
I always set my folders to Detail view anyway...Doesn't matter if it's in Thumbnail or Detail or List or if I Open the folder or browse it with Explorer...it still becomes extraordinarily CPU-intensive to navigate/browse/what have you a folder with 20,000 jpgs and 500 MPG/AVIs.
It seems to work a little better when I am using the two-pane Explorer (with the hierarch on the left and the folder contents on the right) than when I Open it into a single window (with no hierarcy and the previews on the lower left) -- but only a little better.
I eventually did my own internal audit, found out where our compliance issues were, and determined that the cheapest way to get our ducks in a row was to become a Microsoft Certified Partner. That program costs $1500 a year but includes about $15,000 worth of Microsoft licenses, of which we use about $10,000.
Thanks to the people who pointed out why this is indeed the company's problem, not the bad admin's. As the guy who walked into this situation, it makes a lot more sense (politically) to vent my frustration towards the guy who was fired than the management who failed to oversee him...
But it still does seem like an easy way to sabotage a company. Say you're the admin, and you know your time is coming. Just install stuff willy-nilly, then when you get the boot, call the BSA and rat out all the illegal software they have -- including stuff that noone else knows is installed because it's hiding in a back room or a closet.
As we slide further towards an unwanted and potentially disastrous war, It's heartening to see that there might be some common ground between the US and Iraq: We both have a flagrant disregard for international treaties.
There's shit I cant figure out in XP. I have like a bajillion pr0n pictures/movies in one folder -- C:\Program Files\Agent -- and when I open the folder, explorer like pins the cpu at 99.99999%. Having that folder open (even minimized) means explorer is at about 25% cpu on average. (1.4 GHz Athlon XP by the way)
Then, every once in a while, explorer throws a C++ Runtime error, and the shell goes presto-changeo
I have no idea what is going on with either of these. I wonder if I could fix the first one somehow in System Policy (or registy), but who knows where to look. And the second one is anybody's guess.
It's one of those strange things....802.11g sounded cool becuase it was 54Mbit, but actually it sucks compared to 802.11b because.11g like watching some UHF channel with a coat hangar antenna.
What generally happens is that the BSA gets a tip from some disgruntled employee/ex-employee that company X is using pirated software
Just a real world example..
I'm the network schmuck at a small company. I got the job because after a year of ineptitude, they let the previous guy go.
About a week after I started, I got a menacing letter from the BSA. It said we might not be compliant....yadda yadda yadda.
Well, it turns out that the previous network admin had installed Windows 2000 and Office XP on a lot of computers without having licenses for them...
He installed the software while worknig there, knowing we didn't have licenses, then when he got fired, he called the BSA.
Explain to me again why this is the fault of the company, and not the individual who knowingly broke the rules? (And yes I am very hesistant to say "law")
Well, if you have that many hosts, do you really think it's unreasonable for your ISP to want to charge you more?
You're clearly going to use more resources than the AOL n00bs next door.
I guess I didn't catch the fine print about an extra five bucks a month, that is bogus. Just hook up your router and forget about it, though. If they get nasty, point AT&T to their own FAQ which makes no mention of an extra fee.
You have ten hosts, clearly you're a big ol' computer geek. Is it unreasonalbe that you pay for two AT&T Broadband connections to handle all ten? (Conversely, do all ten need to be on at the same time? How much power are you wasting vs. the cost of another cable modem? And yes I know power is cheaper.)
[THE TIME: Afterschool] [THE PLACE: Ellison Onizuka's boyhood home, around a kitchen table]
[MOM] Ellison, we need to talk to you about the car.
[DAD] Son, we know you borrowed the shuttle without telling us, but that's not what we're upset about. It's that you had a little fender-bender and used Bondo to fix the heat shield tiles. Do you realize what could happen if you reentered the Earth's atmoshpere with the shuttle like that?
[ELLISON] But...
[MOM] But nothing! Go to your room. And no space travel for One Whole Month!
[DAD] Think about what you've done, son. Your mother and I are both very disappointed in you.
--------
I'll tell you who my hero isn't: That cameraman who panned over to get Christie McAullife's parents' reaction as they watched the Challenger blow up. Icky.
I don't really think they're "heroes" either (in the same way getting trapped in a mine doesn't make you a hero) but there is something "heroic" about peopel who willingly risk their lives to explore space, etc. Or at least a lot of people feel that way about it.
I had this frined, in a wheelchair. People used to come up to him and tell him how "brave" he was. It really pissed him off. It's really self-serving to tell some poor guy whose legs dont work that he's brave. Even if he is. All it does is make *you* feel good that you have compassion for others. I think it's the same with calling (insert victims of tragedy here) "heroes".
But if you're gonna pick someone in today's world to call "hero", astronaut is probably a pretty good choice. They're very disciplined, highly trained, responsible people. It's really really hard to become an astronaut and they dedicate (sometimes) their whole lives to it.
One sec. in the microwave will do it. Less than that is even better, or they will smell the burnt circuitry. just hit stop and then pop the door immediately.
You might want to do it with the screen open in case the lcd shielding keeps the mobo from getting fried. either way, it wont be pretty.
If you do this, take some pics, okay? That would be sweet.
Trust me, when 750 watts of microwaves hit those printed circuit boards -- game over
Well, you should know that alcohol is a carbohydrate, and it is also the source of calories in beer.
alcohol = calories = carbohydrate
To sum up: Aside from the carbohydrate called alcohol which is the source of calories in beer, there's little else of nutritional importance in the bottle. (Unless you're drinking bottle-fermented beer with yeast in it, which Michelob Ultra isn't).
Im a smoker. I can go without smoking for a few days if the need be. I'm not as addicted to the nicotine as I am the psychological connection to the action of smoking.
In other words, there's no real reason you'd choose this cigarette over one with nicotine.
To extrapolate... who the *hell* wants nicotine-free cigarettes? The whole POINT of cigarettes is that by smoking, you get some nicotine in your blood stream.
I guess, maybe, that the deal is that you can try to wean yourself off the nicotine by smoking ciggies with no nicotine in them. But taste is really important to smokers, so unless they have Nicotine-free Marlboros and Camels and American Spirits, I can't see that working too well. You'll try one pack of these things and go back to your favorite brand.
This is even worse than that new Michelob Ultra Light beer. You know where the calories in beer come from? Alcohol. So what's gonna happen? You'll have more Ultra Light beers until you get the buzz you are looking for. Except that here, you just keep smoking, looking for the buzz that never comes, until you get emphyzema from huffing nicotine-free smoke hoping to get the nonexistent rush.
If anyone can see a use for this product, let me know. Maybe, you could use it to educate kids that smoking is gross (by forcing them to smoke) without exposing them to nicotine, but that's certainly a niche market.
Of course, if marketed properly this could be something HUGE. Just because I don't see a need for it doesn't mean that sexy chicks can't sell it to horny guys.
It's likely that the people who are most into napster et.al. are the "kiddies" who have more of an interest in Britney than U2. People who are past college age are probably not so well represented on napster.
Also, people who are older (and thus more likely to be U2 fans) are probably more likely to buy the CD:
1. they can afford it since they're not poor college or high school kids 2. they are more mature and might think that "stealing music" was okay when in college but wouldnt do it now 3. they would like to be able to listen to the music in their (new) car (with CD player), something they didnt even own when in HS/college
Just my thought. But i bet that both U2 and Britney are HEAVILY traded on P2P, because they're both quite popular.
I wonder if there's some study/survey of like the 100 most popular P2P files being shared (this month). Kinda like google's zeitgeist. That would be kewl.
As I'm reading these Britney vs. U2 comparisons, I can't help but think how much I disagree with them.
U2 is the product of marketing hype, even moreso than Britney. How many Grammys does U2 have? Realize that U2 is marketed towards thirtysomethings, Britney to teeny-boppers.
Look, it's a matter of personal preference. Personally I'm not going to be downloading any U2 or Britney anytime soon, I'd rather listen to Skinny Puppy or Muslim Gauze. YMMV.
But comments like $30 a CD of people who fall for marketing bullshit remind me of why we need to all boycott the MP....OMG the new LOTR movie is out I'm gonna be first in line!!!
Okay, back to the topic:
Sony's biggest problem is that, on both sides of the house, their (consumer-oriented) products are disposable. Or maybe that's their strength. I don't understand a civilization whose raison d-etre is the quick-flip, the economy of which has relegated works of lasting value (be it CDs that you'll want to listen to in ten years, or CD players that will still work in ten years) to a cultish minority that remembers when things were made of metal and lasted forever. Sony used to "get it", my Betamax built in 1981 outlasted four latter-day VHS machies. Not anymore.
Perhaps, if we're lucky, Capitalism will eat itself. Certainly, the sea change brought on by lossless copying vs. crappy content has Sony et. al. burning the candle at both ends.
So long as manufacturers can externalize their costs, they'll be able to make profits for themselves while poisoning (a rather antiprofitable process) others.
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You are so right. What's so wrong with posting that little song here and getting a +5? it's +5 funny, not +5 original geek humor material that's funny. sheesh.
The ISS holds can only hold three people because its escape/rescue pod only holds three people.
What they should do now is send up the shuttles and park them at the ISS, for emergency escape.
Then use the soyuz modules for regularly scheduled crew rotations. I know a shuttle can hold at least 7 astronauts...
99 times out of 100 it will let you reenter safely. Not too bad in a time of emergency.
If we must accept that, it's the end of the program.
No, it's just the end of the Shuttle program. The USA probablu won't have manned space flight again anytime soon.
But I can't really believe that we won't send astronauts up -- maybe in a conventional rocket, launched in the EU or Russia or maybe Japan or SeaLaunch or something.
One launch in 50 not making it back is pretty bad. But really, they never should have launched Challenger since it was 29 degrees that morning and the dang thing was frozen. We can chalk that one up to "peer pressure" -- Reagan wanted the "Teacher in Space" PR coup to be part of his State of The Union address scheduled for the next day (which was cancelled that year, by the way.)
The loss of Columbia (in spite of headlines like "NASA IGNORED SAFETY WARNINGS" seems to be much more in the realm of engineering/science, and less about the politics of the space program.
But, it's still too early to tell. Talk to me again in three years.
Unfortunately the culture that this has left behind is one where everyone in the office thinks they can borrow CDs from the MSDN subscription and install whatever they like. Our road warriors all think they're entitled to MapPoint -- The CD is right there, and the last guy installed it for us. What's my problem??
Here is a (paraphrased) transcript of a real email thread between myself and my boss from just this week.
The company isn't trying to pirate software, they're all just license-ignorant. Our CFO clicks thru the EULAs and uses demo versions of software that explicity state they are for non-commercial use only. Aarrrrrrggh. His attitude is like "it was free" - becuase he downloaded it for free. Arrrrrrrgh.
I think it's doing that because it is trying to generate previews of all those pictures.
Open the folder and from the View menu Select List
That's not it. I thought of that...
I always set my folders to Detail view anyway...Doesn't matter if it's in Thumbnail or Detail or List or if I Open the folder or browse it with Explorer...it still becomes extraordinarily CPU-intensive to navigate/browse/what have you a folder with 20,000 jpgs and 500 MPG/AVIs.
It seems to work a little better when I am using the two-pane Explorer (with the hierarch on the left and the folder contents on the right) than when I Open it into a single window (with no hierarcy and the previews on the lower left) -- but only a little better.
I could just delete my pr0n, I suppose....nah
Just to reply to myself....
I eventually did my own internal audit, found out where our compliance issues were, and determined that the cheapest way to get our ducks in a row was to become a Microsoft Certified Partner. That program costs $1500 a year but includes about $15,000 worth of Microsoft licenses, of which we use about $10,000.
Thanks to the people who pointed out why this is indeed the company's problem, not the bad admin's. As the guy who walked into this situation, it makes a lot more sense (politically) to vent my frustration towards the guy who was fired than the management who failed to oversee him...
But it still does seem like an easy way to sabotage a company. Say you're the admin, and you know your time is coming. Just install stuff willy-nilly, then when you get the boot, call the BSA and rat out all the illegal software they have -- including stuff that noone else knows is installed because it's hiding in a back room or a closet.
As we slide further towards an unwanted and potentially disastrous war, It's heartening to see that there might be some common ground between the US and Iraq: We both have a flagrant disregard for international treaties.
There's shit I cant figure out in XP. I have like a bajillion pr0n pictures/movies in one folder -- C:\Program Files\Agent -- and when I open the folder, explorer like pins the cpu at 99.99999%. Having that folder open (even minimized) means explorer is at about 25% cpu on average. (1.4 GHz Athlon XP by the way)
Then, every once in a while, explorer throws a C++ Runtime error, and the shell goes presto-changeo
I have no idea what is going on with either of these. I wonder if I could fix the first one somehow in System Policy (or registy), but who knows where to look. And the second one is anybody's guess.
XP sucks, 2000 is still their best product.
It's one of those strange things....802.11g sounded cool becuase it was 54Mbit, but actually it sucks compared to 802.11b because .11g like watching some UHF channel with a coat hangar antenna.
I seem to recall the Quadra/Centris convergence points were conformal with the Watts/candlepower relationship.
Second is on you!!!
What generally happens is that the BSA gets a tip from some disgruntled employee/ex-employee that company X is using pirated software
Just a real world example..
I'm the network schmuck at a small company. I got the job because after a year of ineptitude, they let the previous guy go.
About a week after I started, I got a menacing letter from the BSA. It said we might not be compliant....yadda yadda yadda.
Well, it turns out that the previous network admin had installed Windows 2000 and Office XP on a lot of computers without having licenses for them...
He installed the software while worknig there, knowing we didn't have licenses, then when he got fired, he called the BSA.
Explain to me again why this is the fault of the company, and not the individual who knowingly broke the rules? (And yes I am very hesistant to say "law")
Well, if you have that many hosts, do you really think it's unreasonable for your ISP to want to charge you more?
You're clearly going to use more resources than the AOL n00bs next door.
I guess I didn't catch the fine print about an extra five bucks a month, that is bogus. Just hook up your router and forget about it, though. If they get nasty, point AT&T to their own FAQ which makes no mention of an extra fee.
You have ten hosts, clearly you're a big ol' computer geek. Is it unreasonalbe that you pay for two AT&T Broadband connections to handle all ten? (Conversely, do all ten need to be on at the same time? How much power are you wasting vs. the cost of another cable modem? And yes I know power is cheaper.)
According to their FAQ, AT&T lets you connect "four additional computers" to your cable modem.
I'm thinking that even for Slashdot readers, five computers in the house with broadband internet will be sufficient.
Read it here:
Connect Multiple Computers to the AT&T Broadband Internet Service
LOL "Space Shuttle fender-benders"
[THE TIME: Afterschool]
[THE PLACE: Ellison Onizuka's boyhood home, around a kitchen table]
[MOM] Ellison, we need to talk to you about the car.
[DAD] Son, we know you borrowed the shuttle without telling us, but that's not what we're upset about. It's that you had a little fender-bender and used Bondo to fix the heat shield tiles. Do you realize what could happen if you reentered the Earth's atmoshpere with the shuttle like that?
[ELLISON] But...
[MOM] But nothing! Go to your room. And no space travel for One Whole Month!
[DAD] Think about what you've done, son. Your mother and I are both very disappointed in you.
--------
I'll tell you who my hero isn't: That cameraman who panned over to get Christie McAullife's parents' reaction as they watched the Challenger blow up. Icky.
I don't really think they're "heroes" either (in the same way getting trapped in a mine doesn't make you a hero) but there is something "heroic" about peopel who willingly risk their lives to explore space, etc. Or at least a lot of people feel that way about it.
I had this frined, in a wheelchair. People used to come up to him and tell him how "brave" he was. It really pissed him off. It's really self-serving to tell some poor guy whose legs dont work that he's brave. Even if he is. All it does is make *you* feel good that you have compassion for others. I think it's the same with calling (insert victims of tragedy here) "heroes".
But if you're gonna pick someone in today's world to call "hero", astronaut is probably a pretty good choice. They're very disciplined, highly trained, responsible people. It's really really hard to become an astronaut and they dedicate (sometimes) their whole lives to it.
One sec. in the microwave will do it. Less than that is even better, or they will smell the burnt circuitry. just hit stop and then pop the door immediately.
You might want to do it with the screen open in case the lcd shielding keeps the mobo from getting fried. either way, it wont be pretty.
If you do this, take some pics, okay? That would be sweet.
Trust me, when 750 watts of microwaves hit those printed circuit boards -- game over
Just back up your important stuff on floppies or whatever, and accidentally knock it off your desk. Presto! new laptop!
Well, you should know that alcohol is a carbohydrate, and it is also the source of calories in beer.
alcohol = calories = carbohydrate
To sum up:
Aside from the carbohydrate called alcohol which is the source of calories in beer, there's little else of nutritional importance in the bottle. (Unless you're drinking bottle-fermented beer with yeast in it, which Michelob Ultra isn't).
Im a smoker. I can go without smoking for a few days if the need be. I'm not as addicted to the nicotine as I am the psychological connection to the action of smoking.
In other words, there's no real reason you'd choose this cigarette over one with nicotine.
To extrapolate... who the *hell* wants nicotine-free cigarettes? The whole POINT of cigarettes is that by smoking, you get some nicotine in your blood stream.
I guess, maybe, that the deal is that you can try to wean yourself off the nicotine by smoking ciggies with no nicotine in them. But taste is really important to smokers, so unless they have Nicotine-free Marlboros and Camels and American Spirits, I can't see that working too well. You'll try one pack of these things and go back to your favorite brand.
This is even worse than that new Michelob Ultra Light beer. You know where the calories in beer come from? Alcohol. So what's gonna happen? You'll have more Ultra Light beers until you get the buzz you are looking for. Except that here, you just keep smoking, looking for the buzz that never comes, until you get emphyzema from huffing nicotine-free smoke hoping to get the nonexistent rush.
If anyone can see a use for this product, let me know. Maybe, you could use it to educate kids that smoking is gross (by forcing them to smoke) without exposing them to nicotine, but that's certainly a niche market.
Of course, if marketed properly this could be something HUGE. Just because I don't see a need for it doesn't mean that sexy chicks can't sell it to horny guys.
FTFA. I'm so worked up about Palladium, I don't have time to read!
Well, since I love arguing...
It's likely that the people who are most into napster et.al. are the "kiddies" who have more of an interest in Britney than U2. People who are past college age are probably not so well represented on napster.
Also, people who are older (and thus more likely to be U2 fans) are probably more likely to buy the CD:
1. they can afford it since they're not poor college or high school kids
2. they are more mature and might think that "stealing music" was okay when in college but wouldnt do it now
3. they would like to be able to listen to the music in their (new) car (with CD player), something they didnt even own when in HS/college
Just my thought. But i bet that both U2 and Britney are HEAVILY traded on P2P, because they're both quite popular.
I wonder if there's some study/survey of like the 100 most popular P2P files being shared (this month). Kinda like google's zeitgeist. That would be kewl.
Commercial-free, listener-sponsored radio ROCKS. The regular kind does indeed suck.
WFMU for example will rock your socks off.
As I'm reading these Britney vs. U2 comparisons, I can't help but think how much I disagree with them.
U2 is the product of marketing hype, even moreso than Britney. How many Grammys does U2 have? Realize that U2 is marketed towards thirtysomethings, Britney to teeny-boppers.
Look, it's a matter of personal preference. Personally I'm not going to be downloading any U2 or Britney anytime soon, I'd rather listen to Skinny Puppy or Muslim Gauze. YMMV.
But comments like $30 a CD of people who fall for marketing bullshit remind me of why we need to all boycott the MP....OMG the new LOTR movie is out I'm gonna be first in line!!!
Okay, back to the topic:
Sony's biggest problem is that, on both sides of the house, their (consumer-oriented) products are disposable. Or maybe that's their strength. I don't understand a civilization whose raison d-etre is the quick-flip, the economy of which has relegated works of lasting value (be it CDs that you'll want to listen to in ten years, or CD players that will still work in ten years) to a cultish minority that remembers when things were made of metal and lasted forever. Sony used to "get it", my Betamax built in 1981 outlasted four latter-day VHS machies. Not anymore.
Perhaps, if we're lucky, Capitalism will eat itself. Certainly, the sea change brought on by lossless copying vs. crappy content has Sony et. al. burning the candle at both ends.
So long as manufacturers can externalize their costs, they'll be able to make profits for themselves while poisoning (a rather antiprofitable process) others.
Bingo!
see also: "corporate welfare"