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User: sysadmn

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  1. Re:Regarding the closed eBay auction... on Slashback: Ascent, Patents, Transferability · · Score: 1

    Nah, the RIAA would have loved to see this auction complete. Imagine being able to tell the judge, "He had 1200 illegally downloaded songs, each worth $16,600! That's over $19 Million. With triple damages, we demand his first born as reparations!"

  2. TZ is your friend on Managing Batch Jobs for Several Time Zones? · · Score: 4, Informative
    Fun Facts:
    • The TZ environment variable is used to determine how to interpret times.
    • Most shells allow you to set environment variables for a single command by specifying them on the command line

    i.e.
    $ TZ=EST5EDT at 12 am
    ...
    $ TZ=PST8PDT at 12 am
    ...
    $ at -l
    1058932800.a Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 2003
    1058943600.a Wed Jul 23 03:00:00 2003
  3. Pricing on Time Warner DVR box vs. TiVo? · · Score: 1

    In Cinci, it looks like pricing will be a one-time fee of $19.95 for training (?) and $9.95 if you already have digital cable.

  4. No. on Are Printers What They Used To Be? · · Score: 1

    Now they're razors. In order to cheapen them, small parts that used to be metal are thin plastic. I've stripped two drive wheels in normal use. In each case, it was cheaper to replace the printer than repair it.

  5. Re:Liar! on The Ethics of Stealing Wireless Bandwidth? · · Score: 1

    But inteligent ones do, apparently.

  6. Dispenser on Creative Uses for 5.25" Drive Bays? · · Score: 1

    Use it as a condom dispenser. With all the time this crowd spends at the computer, it'll hold a lifetime supply!

  7. Coolest Dad on Build Your Own Sherman Tank · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, he's got my vote for coolest dad of the year!

  8. Re:IBM on SCO Sues IBM for Sharing Secrets with Unix and Linux · · Score: 1
    Either way though, you just know this is going to become a bullet point on Microsoft's next Linux FUD page ("see, use linux and you can get sued).
    Glass Houses. Google for "sql server" AND patent AND lawsuit.
  9. Here's two on What High End Unix Features are Missing from Linux? · · Score: 1
    I haven't looked closely at linux for a while. These or similar functionality might have been added recently.
    1. Network Multipathing

      Configure two or more network adaptors on the same subnet. A daemon sends pings out both. If one goes down, the other automatically picks up it's IP address. If the failed path heals, the OS automatically migrates the IP back. As a bonus you get (an admittedly lame) implementation of load balancing for outbound packets.

    2. Live Upgrade

      Choose a set of spare partitions and LU will mirror your current configuration on them. You can use cron to keep it in sync (it is not sw RAID -there are other tools for that). LU is smart enough to fix up your fstab and boot prom, so the alternate set is bootable. Why bother? Cause you can mount the alternates and use the standard patch or OS upgrade utilities to patch or rebuild them while the system is running. Then tell LU that you want to use the new config next boot. Something goes wrong? Fallback to your original set.

  10. Re:Popular Front for the Liberation of Europe on Building the A380 · · Score: 1

    Without these, the A380's just an expensive paperweight. Two of the three major engine manufacturers are building the engines. Hint: the European manufacturer got left out.

  11. Don't impersonate... on Ebay's Flexible Privacy Policy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Don't bother emailing eBay in cases of fraud. You may or may not get an answer. Sounds like the way to go is to get a local police department to take a complaint. Hand them the request for information to fax for you. Post the results...

  12. Re:The problem with content filtering on Spam Catchers Block Latest Crypto-Gram · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Which is why most bayesian-type filters react to a subset of the keywords. By estimating based on the 10 or so best indicators the dilution is less effective...

  13. Re:Columbia Picture on Slashback: Regalia, Godseye, Undetection · · Score: 2, Informative
    You see, they can't release the photos from the Starfire Optical Range until NASA's examined them,
    More likely, they won't release the photos from the Starfire Optical Range, since that would allow other governments to figure out how good the equipment is.
  14. ObMicrosoftJoke on What is Your Best Tech Joke? · · Score: 1

    Did you hear the one about the Microsoft programmer who was constipated?
    His system crashed and he had to work it out with pencil and paper...

  15. Re:One that always pissed me off... on Buzz Words, Catch Phrases, and Manager Speak? · · Score: 2, Funny

    "It's time to think outside the box!" My standard response: Then why the eff did you put us in cubicles?

  16. Re:Mandatory overtime payment on Are Coders Exempt From California's Overtime Laws? · · Score: 1

    TOIL? Heck, they just give us lots of Special High Intensity Training instead. Heaps and heaps of it.

  17. Rotsa Ruck, Rastro on Dealing with Employers Who Perform Credit Checks? · · Score: 1

    When I worked for a VBC, I had to take a set of required courses before being allowed to interview - mostly to protect the company from liability. In one of them, the trainer pointed out that the best protection the company had against claims of discrimination in hiring was to treat everyone exactly alike. So if every new hire since the policy was adopted has had a credit check, the company's lawyers will advise them to check yours as well.

  18. Re:dead tree is bad, but... on Prime Time Freeware Manual: the Dossier Series · · Score: 1
    Does anyone out there read books on PDA's? How do you find it compared to reading from the computer or reading from a dead-tree book?
    How do I find it? Come on, my pda is small, but it's not that small!

    In my experience, the PalmOS 160x160 screen ok for fiction, particularly short stories or other fare you can read in small chunks (even novels, if you don't lose too much continuity reading 1/2 chapters at a time.) It's pretty well useless for long PDF files (too slow, too little onscreen) and for detailed info with code, command line or other wide text. (Imagine reading the 'examples' section in a 20x40 xterm...)
  19. Re:Sun and GNOME on Gnome 2.0 Officially Available For Solaris · · Score: 1
    This is the issue as I understand it -- someone will certainly come along and correct me if I'm wrong.
    Hell, this is slashdot! Someone will certainly come along and correct you if you're right.
  20. Re:So basically... on Pentagon and Wi-Fi Deal Reached · · Score: 1

    More likely the AP will stop using overlapping channels or reduce the power in those freqency bands...

  21. Re:Who wins? Not me, apparently. on Pentagon and Wi-Fi Deal Reached · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wouldn't it be cheaper to just put up a sign that says, "Speed Limits Enforced Via Radar, 10 yards ahead"?

  22. Re:news? on AT&T Identifies Widespread Security Hole - In Locks · · Score: 1

    Because this isn't just picking a lock. It's picking every lock in a building, given access to a single key. Do you still feel safe staying at a hotel that uses a mastered lock system?

  23. Re:Coldbringer? on U.S. Air Force Developing Microwave Weapon · · Score: 1
    I don't think any army has ever been overly concerned with civilian casualties.
    That statement has been largely untrue since satellite television transmission brought war to the evening news. Nowadays the PR war is more important than ever. Especially since the only hope for 'victory' for an outclassed opponent is to convince the enemy public that they don't want to fight. That's not just a Vietnam era strategy - Lee used it in the American Civil War. As late as the election of 1864, it almost worked.
  24. You want data. on Six Sigma-fying Your IT Department? · · Score: 1
    Here's a hint. You want data. Lots and lots of beautiful data. Continuous is better, but discrete is ok if you have enough. Here's another hint. A big part of Six Sigma is reducing variation. Do you have a process that
    • is expensive, or
    • annoys your customer and
    • is highly variable, and
    • is easy to instrument?
    Projects I've worked on in the last year include LDAP server response times, OS image size, OS image development time, application server capacity planning, database server consolidation...
  25. Re:i'm disgusted with it on DirecWay Satellite Configurations and LAN Configurations? · · Score: 2
    I admit the DirecWay "class" was a joke.

    Do not look at uplink with remaining eye.