Slashdot Mirror


User: gmclapp

gmclapp's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
119
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 119

  1. Re:Kodak paid for their lack of vision on The Internet's Network Efficiencies Are Destroying the Middle Class · · Score: 1

    That is true. But the oft quoted 'You can have any color you want, as long as its black' was in response to the fact that it really was all that was available to the assembly line vehicle. As far as this being an example for companies that couldn't adapt, Ford did eventually come around to the 'customer is always right' mentality because of the competition with GM as stated above.

  2. Re:Kodak paid for their lack of vision on The Internet's Network Efficiencies Are Destroying the Middle Class · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The reason you could only have black was because at the time of the assembly line's advent, the only 'fast-drying' paint available was black. When GM came along, different colors had been developed to meet the demand. Which Ford also used.

    FYI

  3. Re:Bad call on Bill Nye To Debate Creationist Museum Founder Ken Ham · · Score: 2

    I hear this a lot. Science is not a view point. Science is a tool. Science is a method of observation. You can't blame science for bad concepts any more than you can blame a hammer for a badly constructed house. If you want a better house, learn to use a hammer better. If you want a better, more correct worldview, learn to use science better.

  4. Re:Bigger than Jesus? on Why Charles Stross Wants Bitcoin To Die In a Fire · · Score: 1

    His comment is utilizing hyperbole....

  5. Re:Robots on Amazon Workers Strike In Germany As Christmas Orders Peak · · Score: 1

    A robot is as smart as the controls engineer. If fault detection and handling are lacking, I'd leave the blame, barring unusual circumstances, on the engineer. Our engineers are (a little biased here admittedly) the best in the biz.

    That said, there are environments in which union labor makes more sense than non-union labor. Unfortunately, where union labor has advantages in long-term skill development, they seem to lack in work ethic. I'm not saying that this is universal by any means... It's just that the protection of the union provides a breeding ground for leeches that are impossible for management to remove. Maybe your experience is with a stricter union?

    I worked in an environment similar to the one mentioned in the article through college. I actually did make more than $8/hr as the article suggests, so it seems likely that Amazon is under paying these people. But, the heart of my point is this: I work in a company that designs and implements automation solutions, and we'd barely be able to exist if it weren't for displacing expensive union labor.

  6. Re:Robots on Amazon Workers Strike In Germany As Christmas Orders Peak · · Score: 1

    Despite having never seen this type of hard working union worker you claim to know about, that is still not my point. My point is that automation is cheaper than union labor. Robots don't need lunch breaks, vacation, heat or lights. They never get hurt, never get tired, and never file paperwork for some imaginary slight to get an extra break.

  7. Re:Robots on Amazon Workers Strike In Germany As Christmas Orders Peak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Union labor is never cheaper than automation. I'm a design engineer at an automation company FYI

  8. Re:Robots on Amazon Workers Strike In Germany As Christmas Orders Peak · · Score: 0

    I work for an automation company. And it would not be hard to automate these jobs. We've tackled much more complex processes.

    It has been done in the past.

  9. It makes me a little sad that while the conditions were probably right for life as we know it, there is little to no chance any evidence of a specific civilization survives to the present day...

  10. Re:It's a doomed race against time on Get Ready For a Streaming Music Die-Off · · Score: 2

    Even if you take the meaning to be 'taking part in a conversation' it still works. Saying 'Conversely, I find it hard...' Is essentially the same as: 'For the sake of conversation, I find it hard...'

    Which is perfectly correct. So glrotate is not just a douche, he's a dumb douche.

  11. Re:Top talent is always hard to find on Inside the War For Top Developer Talent · · Score: 1

    If you're handled that way, you need to find a better job. If you're good enough you can get away with a lot before they'll fire you. And, if it turns out taking it slow for a few days after a project makes you more productive in the long run, a good manager will key on that and even require it. Your productivity is his/her success. Every employer I've ever had has given me a very long leash because they know I'm a hard worker and I won't hang myself with it.

  12. Re:Attitude Control? on Solar Pressure May Help Kepler Return To Planet-Hunting Duties · · Score: 4, Informative

    Attitude describes position in a rotational sense. TFS is correct.

  13. Re:price on 62% of 16 To 24-Year-Olds Prefer Printed Books Over eBooks · · Score: 1

    You sound mad. I probably couldn't continue practicing as a professional engineer if I smoked...

    Also, having read books for 45 years puts you well outside the target demographic for the survey making your opinion irrelevant. Have a nice day.

  14. Re:Printed books on 62% of 16 To 24-Year-Olds Prefer Printed Books Over eBooks · · Score: 1

    You don't read 500+ books all at once. I understand if you have limited storage at your house, but you certainly don't mean to argue that you need to carry them all with you...

  15. Re:price on 62% of 16 To 24-Year-Olds Prefer Printed Books Over eBooks · · Score: 1

    I'll be your citation. I'm 24 and I prefer printed books because they are on paper. It's kind of nice to take a break from staring at a screen all day. Also, you don't need a special setting to read a real live book in direct sunlight, and finally, you're exactly right; I've never had to charge any of my books.

  16. Re:kWh/day is stupid. on Tesla Model S Has Bizarre 'Vampire-Like' Thirst For Electricity At Night · · Score: 1

    There are some units that, while mathematically redundant, give you additional information. This is one of those cases. Another is in mechanical strain which is measured in inch/inch. It tells you how many inches something stretches per inch of length. Mathematically redundant, but not meaningless.

  17. The fusion process is hydrogen being converted to helium. Mass is not destroyed in this process.

  18. Re:Does the glasses pose any danger to the eyes ? on New Smart Glasses Allow Nurses To See Veins Through Skin · · Score: 1

    Insightful (+10)

  19. Re:Does the glasses pose any danger to the eyes ? on New Smart Glasses Allow Nurses To See Veins Through Skin · · Score: 1

    The glasses have two cameras that capture near infrared light that is already coming from the patient. The image projected on the glasses for the nurse to actually see is in the normal visible light spectrum.

    Additionally, your eyes are exposed to infrared light constantly. It just happens that your eyes don't "see" it.

  20. Re:Awesome on NASA's Next Frontier: Growing Plants On the Moon · · Score: 1

    Haha, nice. I'd give you a (+1) but no mod points. :(

  21. Re:get real, people on Musk Lashes Back Over Tesla Fire Controversy · · Score: 1

    Citation needed.

    I have never heard that number in my life. Last I checked the top 1% earners in the world earned between $30k/yr and $40k/yr

    Usually, numbers as high as the one you just posited are intentionally excluding large groups of underprivileged people for the express purpose of skewing the statistic.

  22. Re:get real, people on Musk Lashes Back Over Tesla Fire Controversy · · Score: 1

    Not everyone in the top 1% of earners can afford a Tesla.

  23. Re:People are bad on Musk Lashes Back Over Tesla Fire Controversy · · Score: 1

    You just implied that TV news is a more reliable source of information than Wikipedia. While Wikipedia has its drawbacks, it is not commonly sensationalized for entertainment value. I also carry and am an advocate of protecting the second amendment. But, people like you hurt the cause more than you help it.

  24. Re:An officer on duty has no expectation of privac on Boston Cops Outraged Over Plans to Watch Their Movements Using GPS · · Score: 1

    You can't lie to a GPS system. Therein lies the rub. If every cop was a saint, you'd have a valid point. Their 'privacy' is their ability to lie.

  25. Re:Aww, what's wrong? on Boston Cops Outraged Over Plans to Watch Their Movements Using GPS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My thoughts exactly. This whole thing reeks of hypocrisy. Turns out cops don't like their rights violated? Huh... weird...

    That said, I don't think public servants should have a right to privacy while on duty.

    To police: You can have your privacy or your handcuffs. You pick.