No, my hand held limp isn't flat - nor is it cupped with the base of the middle finger raised, it's cupped and tilted outward. (And any position which raises the center of the hand above the balance seems to be particularly painful and pointless.) And it's not a particularly comfortable position.
Nor is typing relevant, as the joints of the hand and fingers are in constant motion when typing as opposed to being held mostly still when using a mouse.
I don't think he has much liability for harassing a criminal in the act of committing a crime.
Since the criminal isn't in the act of stealing the laptop... Your point would be what?
Or, the few times I've seen anyone do anything about it, the cops arrested the criminal and congratulated the persona who was doing the harassment.
I've seen quite the opposite happen - the person who was 'doing the harassment' ended up being arrested for trespassing and malicious mischief (and ended up getting convicted). I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' be arrested and convicted for assault. I've also seen the the person 'doing the harassment' end up in the hospital or the mortuary.
I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' do so to an innocent party and get arrested. I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' do so to the wrong innocent party and end up in a casket.
The real world is a much messier place than your fantasy one.
And for someone mentioning the rights of the criminal, you managed to miss the obvious.
Had I mentioned the rights of the criminal, you'd have a point. But here I should point out the obvious to you - the limitations on the persons whose property was stolen are not the same as the rights of the accused (insofar as they are not the rights of the accused, but the rights of all citizens) - remember, innocent until convicted.
And then, have you considered that the person in possession of the laptop may not be the one who stole it? It could be he bought off eBay and for whatever reason, is examing what's on the hard drive.
So? It's still the poster's laptop, and he has a right to try to get it back.
That right however is pretty limited - and doesn't stretch much further than phoning him up and politely asking for it back.
Just because another innocent person may have gotten involved, doesn't mean the poster shouldn't attempt to regain his rightful property and bring the criminal to justice.
So long as his attempts don't stretch into harassment or other actionable civil or criminal pursuits, he's home free.
Ladies and Gentleman; let me present to you your new ICBM replacement (and don't worry about treaties with the Russians, these qualify as airplanes not missles, so we are clear to rebuild our stockpiles!)
Protip: Learn what you're talking about before posting - airplanes are limited by treaty as well, as are warhead counts.
Yes, I have checked inflation for 2009 - it varied between 3 and 5 percent. So no, I didn't come out ahead. Even with your (slightly more risky) other solutions, I still wouldn't have come out ahead.
They see inflation as "eating up your savings" (which is doesn't so long as you put them in an interest bearing account)
Have you actually checked the rates available on savings accounts from reputable banks lately? Inflation outpaces those by a wide margin.
Re:Thank God for standardized testing
on
The Creativity Crisis
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Small wonder the kids have no creativity.
Horseshit.
I had the same schedule, as did millions of other kids of my generation - and we're in the demographic where creativity was rising, and continued to rise for a decade after we graduate high school.
The problem is, that IT people dream up all these "write only" applications that record data, without any rational plan for what the data might actually be used for in the business.
Seems to me that the IT folks shouldn't be making these decisions (what data to capture and store) any more than they should be deciding what to stock for the Memorial Day sale.
Not saying that we don't need RTGs, we do of course (for further missions or more complex ones; using solar panels whenever possible saves RTGs for those...), but part of the premises of TFS is not terribly accurate.
Well, yes they are. Juno (the NASA probe) could settle for solar panels and a somewhat reduced science mission precisely because solar cells have improved - but it still takes a large and heavy array and makes considerable impact on operations. They'd much prefer to use RTGs, but the fuel simply isn't available. To use the inevitable Slashdot automobile analogy, it's like settling for a compact when you really would prefer a sedan.
I should not in passing that this isn't a new situation, as the plutonium isotopes used in RTGs is a by product of nuclear weapons processing - which ended with the end of the Cold War. We've known this is going to happen for some time.
The friend to friend model is proven to be the most secure way to do it.
Right up until one of the friends rats out the others. Or until the spurned ex-[girl|boy]friend rats out one of the friends. Or until one of the friends does something that brings him to the attention of the authorities (say rape, or murder) and he rats out his subversive friends to save his own hide...
Then it becomes one of the least secure ways.
Seriously, there's a reason why classical clandestine groups seeks to limit the number of people who know who anyone else in the group is and who can communicate with who and in what direction and under what conditions. Your 'secure' method is not only limited to the strength of the weakest link - it has no damage limitation method. Once you're in, you've got the whole enchilada, whether you're a trusted friend or the authorities. Once you're and can communicate with everyone, a little social engineering hands you the whole network on a platter.
And why is the "interest" placed under expense? I've always thought of interest as income...
Ah, so you count interest you pay on a loan as income? You're ready to be a Hollywood accountant.
More seriously, whether interest is an income or an expense depends on which side of the transaction you're on. And, as my accountant wife occasionally reminds me, reading a financial statement or a balance sheet is every bit as specialized a skill are reading a wiring diagram or a subroutine. You have to know what you're looking at and how to read the language. Just because it looks like a trick to untrained eyes doesn't make it one. (Which isn't to say that Hollywood isn't pulling fast ones, just that what looks like magic to the untrained eye looks routine to the professional.)
Going through college, I had classes like this. The hardest tests were open book, open note, bring your calculator tests.
Indeed, the hardest test I ever took in the Navy was one where I could use any resource I wanted *other* than asking another individual for help or advise. But in the interests of full disclosure, that was a practical exam where they took us into a room and presented us with a completely disassembled (old style/washing machine) hard drive and expected us to put it back together and align and calibrate it. It was pass fail too, either the machine worked or it did not.
But not every topic or even every test within a topic is suitable for that style of testing. Different types of tests test for different things in different ways. Consider the difference between an equation and a word problem on a math test for example.
Well, then a short, ten minute talk with the student should be able to determine if the student simply cut and pasted, or if he or she really understands what they wrote in the paper.
Not for any subject of significance.
think a good prof should be able to determine that.
Some people believe the Earth is only 6000 years old too.
My brother in law, an economics professor, recently had to grade a paper from the freshman class he was teaching. He found that virtually every paper had the same ideas in the same sequence, and frequently the exact same wording (I.E. cut-and-paste). Even more interesting, and disturbing, he found that by comparing the texts they could be roughly grouped by the race of the student.
His theory is that the current generation is so used to forwarding, re-tweeting, re-blogging, and re-posting that they literally don't see it as cheating.
So we have millions of people desperate for work, and a whole lot of dangerous wiring all over New York City. Why aren't we (and by "we", I mean ConEd or any level of government) investing in training up as many electricians as we can and replacing the bad wiring while it's relatively cheaper to do so?
Because "relatively cheaper" is still pretty dang expensive - because you still have to buy all the tools, vehicles, etc... these 'cheap' employees will need to do their jobs. (As well as paying medical, pensions contributions, taxes, etc...) Then there's the factor of the difficulty of ensuring that you don't send out a 'trained' but inexperienced team without competent supervision. (Which is going to mean promoting at least some existing personnel - but not having jobs for them when the temporary surge is over.) Etc... etc...
IOW, while not hugely complex, it's more complicated and there are more considerations than you might think. (There's also unions.)
Oh, wait, maybe because there are no financial consequences to any organization if a manhole cover gets launched 300' up and lands on some 3-year-old.
And you don't think there will be financial consequences in sending masses of inexperienced workers to do a skilled job in a dangerous environment? (Not only with regards to the workers, but with regards to the quality of work they do and the consequences of them not doing it quite right.) Again, not as simple as you might think.
the military doesn't care about the costs of fuel or operation.
I'm guessing all those times I spent at the end of a fiscal quarter or a fiscal year hoping I had enough budget to buy my spares and consumables were figments of my imagination. The same goes for the gradual accumulation of ships at the piers towards the end of a quarter, after all they didn't have a quarterly fuel budget... (And this was at the height of the Cold War!)
Or, IOW, bovine exhaust. The military does care about the costs of fuel and operations as they don't have a blank check.
Land it. Fuel it up. Send it out again
The military also cares deeply about endurance and cycle time - because the shorter they are, the more units you need to maintain coverage. All else being equal (and taking budget into account) they'll chose the system with maximum endurance and minimum cycle time consistent with minimal life cycle costs.
Yeah, my guess is that the person who was running this moved on to something else, left the company, etc, and no one took ownership of it after he left Meanwhile, those higher up are more concerned with making money, not giving away money.
I think you've hit the real problem pretty closely... There's nobody steering the ship. I mean, Google has their infamous "army of PhD's" - but above the "company" level (in that army), there seems to be nobody in charge. Nobody making decisions and making them stick and following through. (Their "eternal beta" being a key symptom of this.)
Slashdot Mirror
No, my hand held limp isn't flat - nor is it cupped with the base of the middle finger raised, it's cupped and tilted outward. (And any position which raises the center of the hand above the balance seems to be particularly painful and pointless.) And it's not a particularly comfortable position.
Nor is typing relevant, as the joints of the hand and fingers are in constant motion when typing as opposed to being held mostly still when using a mouse.
Just use a block of wood, a dead optical mouse, or a mechanical mouse with the cord snipped as a palm rest.
My mom doesn't have a basement, and lives 3000 miles away. Hell, I don't have a basement either.
Since the criminal isn't in the act of stealing the laptop... Your point would be what?
I've seen quite the opposite happen - the person who was 'doing the harassment' ended up being arrested for trespassing and malicious mischief (and ended up getting convicted). I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' be arrested and convicted for assault. I've also seen the the person 'doing the harassment' end up in the hospital or the mortuary.
I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' do so to an innocent party and get arrested. I've also seen the person 'doing the harassment' do so to the wrong innocent party and end up in a casket.
The real world is a much messier place than your fantasy one.
Had I mentioned the rights of the criminal, you'd have a point. But here I should point out the obvious to you - the limitations on the persons whose property was stolen are not the same as the rights of the accused (insofar as they are not the rights of the accused, but the rights of all citizens) - remember, innocent until convicted.
That right however is pretty limited - and doesn't stretch much further than phoning him up and politely asking for it back.
So long as his attempts don't stretch into harassment or other actionable civil or criminal pursuits, he's home free.
It also imposes a huge penalty in the form of the massive tanks required to hold a reasonable quantity.
Yeah, after all there won't be a ground handling and maintenance crew, and the fuel won't have to be shipped or handled either. Oh, wait...
Is it higher than the rate of inflation *this* year?
Protip: Learn what you're talking about before posting - airplanes are limited by treaty as well, as are warhead counts.
Yes, I have checked inflation for 2009 - it varied between 3 and 5 percent. So no, I didn't come out ahead. Even with your (slightly more risky) other solutions, I still wouldn't have come out ahead.
Have you actually checked the rates available on savings accounts from reputable banks lately? Inflation outpaces those by a wide margin.
Horseshit.
I had the same schedule, as did millions of other kids of my generation - and we're in the demographic where creativity was rising, and continued to rise for a decade after we graduate high school.
Seems to me that the IT folks shouldn't be making these decisions (what data to capture and store) any more than they should be deciding what to stock for the Memorial Day sale.
Well, yes they are. Juno (the NASA probe) could settle for solar panels and a somewhat reduced science mission precisely because solar cells have improved - but it still takes a large and heavy array and makes considerable impact on operations. They'd much prefer to use RTGs, but the fuel simply isn't available. To use the inevitable Slashdot automobile analogy, it's like settling for a compact when you really would prefer a sedan.
I should not in passing that this isn't a new situation, as the plutonium isotopes used in RTGs is a by product of nuclear weapons processing - which ended with the end of the Cold War. We've known this is going to happen for some time.
Right up until one of the friends rats out the others. Or until the spurned ex-[girl|boy]friend rats out one of the friends. Or until one of the friends does something that brings him to the attention of the authorities (say rape, or murder) and he rats out his subversive friends to save his own hide...
Then it becomes one of the least secure ways.
Seriously, there's a reason why classical clandestine groups seeks to limit the number of people who know who anyone else in the group is and who can communicate with who and in what direction and under what conditions. Your 'secure' method is not only limited to the strength of the weakest link - it has no damage limitation method. Once you're in, you've got the whole enchilada, whether you're a trusted friend or the authorities. Once you're and can communicate with everyone, a little social engineering hands you the whole network on a platter.
Just because you don't read the language doesn't mean it isn't based on logic.
Yeah, that's why JMS is starving in the street and posting from a laptop salvaged from the trash. (IOW, horseshit.)
Ah, so you count interest you pay on a loan as income? You're ready to be a Hollywood accountant.
More seriously, whether interest is an income or an expense depends on which side of the transaction you're on. And, as my accountant wife occasionally reminds me, reading a financial statement or a balance sheet is every bit as specialized a skill are reading a wiring diagram or a subroutine. You have to know what you're looking at and how to read the language. Just because it looks like a trick to untrained eyes doesn't make it one. (Which isn't to say that Hollywood isn't pulling fast ones, just that what looks like magic to the untrained eye looks routine to the professional.)
Indeed, the hardest test I ever took in the Navy was one where I could use any resource I wanted *other* than asking another individual for help or advise. But in the interests of full disclosure, that was a practical exam where they took us into a room and presented us with a completely disassembled (old style/washing machine) hard drive and expected us to put it back together and align and calibrate it. It was pass fail too, either the machine worked or it did not.
But not every topic or even every test within a topic is suitable for that style of testing. Different types of tests test for different things in different ways. Consider the difference between an equation and a word problem on a math test for example.
Not for any subject of significance.
Some people believe the Earth is only 6000 years old too.
My brother in law, an economics professor, recently had to grade a paper from the freshman class he was teaching. He found that virtually every paper had the same ideas in the same sequence, and frequently the exact same wording (I.E. cut-and-paste). Even more interesting, and disturbing, he found that by comparing the texts they could be roughly grouped by the race of the student.
His theory is that the current generation is so used to forwarding, re-tweeting, re-blogging, and re-posting that they literally don't see it as cheating.
Because "relatively cheaper" is still pretty dang expensive - because you still have to buy all the tools, vehicles, etc... these 'cheap' employees will need to do their jobs. (As well as paying medical, pensions contributions, taxes, etc...) Then there's the factor of the difficulty of ensuring that you don't send out a 'trained' but inexperienced team without competent supervision. (Which is going to mean promoting at least some existing personnel - but not having jobs for them when the temporary surge is over.) Etc... etc...
IOW, while not hugely complex, it's more complicated and there are more considerations than you might think. (There's also unions.)
And you don't think there will be financial consequences in sending masses of inexperienced workers to do a skilled job in a dangerous environment? (Not only with regards to the workers, but with regards to the quality of work they do and the consequences of them not doing it quite right.) Again, not as simple as you might think.
And still makes me wonder what else is involved in their navigation given the steady change in magnetic declination over time.
I'm guessing all those times I spent at the end of a fiscal quarter or a fiscal year hoping I had enough budget to buy my spares and consumables were figments of my imagination. The same goes for the gradual accumulation of ships at the piers towards the end of a quarter, after all they didn't have a quarterly fuel budget... (And this was at the height of the Cold War!)
Or, IOW, bovine exhaust. The military does care about the costs of fuel and operations as they don't have a blank check.
The military also cares deeply about endurance and cycle time - because the shorter they are, the more units you need to maintain coverage. All else being equal (and taking budget into account) they'll chose the system with maximum endurance and minimum cycle time consistent with minimal life cycle costs.
I think you've hit the real problem pretty closely... There's nobody steering the ship. I mean, Google has their infamous "army of PhD's" - but above the "company" level (in that army), there seems to be nobody in charge. Nobody making decisions and making them stick and following through. (Their "eternal beta" being a key symptom of this.)
That's not only one of the funnier things I've read on Slashdot, it has a significant ring of truth. :)