Slips happen in real life. Vendors fuck up. Planes get grounded. The paperwork takes longer than you thought. You're just plain out of Iridium. The inspector wants Euros and you only have...never mind, the point is, Things Happen.
If they don't slip the date, then Ubuntu can never be trusted as a product ever again. What bugs will be in the next release, with a planned quick fix "right away"? I've always said that if your best friend, whom you would trust with your life, says, "I promise that you'll have the software tomorrow," then that software doesn't exist until you have it in your hands. (I started saying this when you'd have software on disks. No, not like CDs. They looked like the "save" icon.)
Some companies aren't dicks. For example, I've taken my 18-year-old Timex Ironman SCUBA diving to 100' and it's been fine. Timex has replaced about a dozen watches for me over the years (they stopped ticking) and up until they changed the warranty they never, ever cared about what I had done with them.
That said, if I crack open my Wii (ouch?) and solder (extra ouch?) some new chips inside, then I have no expectations that Nintendo is responsible. If, however, I install the Homebrew channel and Nintendo purposefully goes out of their way to break my machine, then I start to have a problem with it.
I've got a six-year-old girl, and the only one that I'm worried about is #1. If that happens before she's ready, then I have failed as a father.
#2 gets rewarded. "WTF did you do here? I've got physical access and you've locked me out. Let me order you some RAM and you can show me what you did." (She uses Puppy now.)
Long before #3 happens, there would be a legal and media shitstorm to keep her out of jail. We've got a family lawyer, and really, Blackboard, do you want Everyone to know that a teenager can easily bypass your security protocols?
She got one of her friends to give up their "webkins" password. It's really hard to tell her "that's wrong" when you're really thinking, "fucking AWESOME! High five and ice cream!"
I often do wear contacts. I wear them for SCUBA diving, I wear them to work half the time. I wore them to Avatar just so I wouldn't have to worry about the two pairs of glasses conflicting. Nevertheless, by the time I'm home for the day I like to take them off and put on glasses so my eyes can breathe. Twelve hours is about my limit, although I can stretch it occasionally.
Tech geeks and engineers should be heavily concerned with appearance -- if nobody will buy your product then you might as well have never put it on the market to begin with.
So, can you tell me why an electrical current flowing in a wire creates a magnetic field? I know that it does, and don't bring out a cross-product and think that saying "oh look B" but tell me how the forces of electricity create a magnet. It just does, right?
You should be able to answer this in twenty words or less, unless you got your degrees in a Happy Meal.
Can you tell me how current creates a magnetic field? I know that it does, we can all agree that the right-hand-rule is valid, and it's a fact. If I'm not mistaken, it's classified as a Law.
Well, I've got a B.Eng, and I spent a lot of time studying device behaviour and the quantum physics of semiconductors. Not quite Happy Meal level, I admit, but I did once have a burrito during a lecture.
One thing that you'll find useful in your career is a sense of humour. Despite what you're going to hear at school, Engineering is about 50% social interaction, 25% shopping and vendor relations, 20% drawing pretty pictures, and 5% actual technical work. So yes, 75% of the time is talking to other people. Get a sense of humour and learn to relate to other people. FOr example, my post is not accurate. It is, however, geared for the Greater Internet Audience. It's funny. It's insightful. It's readable, Mr. tl;dr.
As for EM causing cancer, birth defects, and in some cases instant death -- I assure you that it can and does happen. Yes, I am aware that the ionization can cause RNA sequencing to behave in unpredictable ways. Unlike, say, radioactive material, which does the same thing via a different physical operation, there aren't any EM counters that are parallels to a Geiger counter.
And if you think devices behave as intended, you have to get your head out of your ass and your body out of the lab. Try using an RF device outside for once and see what happens.
See, this is why I like Electrical Engineering. Everything I work with is invisible, nobody can explain how it works (there aren't even any good theories*), and it can kill you if you forget to turn it off. Even if it doesn't kill you, it might give you cancer or muck up your offspring. The behaviour of any given device is erratic at best, taken for granted, or just plain whacky.
But for some reason, nobody comes up with a "God did it" explanation. Sure, we've got the magic smoke explanation, but nobody takes that seriously except the Rastafarians.
*No, really. Look at the quantum level, but try not to think about it or you'll go blind.
We just need to leave energy packs at strategic places...
We do that already. They're called "UN Aid stations" or "soup kitchens" for those without money. Those with higher levels of credits can use "restaurants", "grocery stores", or even procure player housing with built-in stations.
... and have checkpoints where we can save our status.
There's an autosave but you can't restore.
Wait wait! I just thought of another thing that would help. Spawn points.
It's called a Hospital. That's also where they keep the health kits.
I'm _still in_ a technical field and my post made that confusing. To be clear, I didn't swap trades -- I swapped employers. I now work for a large company that treats me with respect. I've got benefits, RRSP matching, bonuses, training, etc.
My job is one that can never be outsourced, so I am quite secure in that aspect.
But yes, I've worked actual labour jobs, and what I do now is pretty easy, even if I have to go aloft every now and then.
Possibly, but maybe not to where you are expecting.
The thing is, if you're in IT, you're probably smart. You understand basic math. For example, you can easily see that [(weekly pay) / 60] [(weekly pay) / 40]. If you're expected to work longer hours for less pay, you'll understand that you're getting paid less. There's a reason overtime is supposed to be time +; it's because it's shitty work that makes you neglect your Real Life. Women are just as smart as men, and they are surely aware of the same basic math. Why end up as a slave with worse pay than retail sales? It's not worth the hassle. I'm sure a lot of folks are moving into management, HR, and other fields that don't have 3am emergencies.
For what's it's worth, my pay is 165% of what I made at my first post-grad job in 2004. I've left a job that wanted me to work 60+ hours a week "because I'm a computer guy" (I'm an EE). Now, I never work overtime. I've also got an 8% raise coming up this summer. If you look for better work and hold the same level of loyalty to a company as they do to you (i.e. none at all) then you can be more successful at home and at work.
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Nah, post without caring. THis is the Internet and it's okay to be wrong. I already did.
Agreed. Let it slip.
Slips happen in real life. Vendors fuck up. Planes get grounded. The paperwork takes longer than you thought. You're just plain out of Iridium. The inspector wants Euros and you only have...never mind, the point is, Things Happen.
If they don't slip the date, then Ubuntu can never be trusted as a product ever again. What bugs will be in the next release, with a planned quick fix "right away"? I've always said that if your best friend, whom you would trust with your life, says, "I promise that you'll have the software tomorrow," then that software doesn't exist until you have it in your hands. (I started saying this when you'd have software on disks. No, not like CDs. They looked like the "save" icon.)
Either that or LinuxMint, which is effectively "Ubuntu with the ugly removed".
... and Flash installed OOTB.
Still no love for ATI cards, though.
I have a better solution:
Install Linux.
She had a pathetic password, so I wasn't too surprised.
Was it "penis" or "hunter2"?
You and I might be the only people on /. who understand this. Thank you.
Some companies aren't dicks. For example, I've taken my 18-year-old Timex Ironman SCUBA diving to 100' and it's been fine. Timex has replaced about a dozen watches for me over the years (they stopped ticking) and up until they changed the warranty they never, ever cared about what I had done with them.
That said, if I crack open my Wii (ouch?) and solder (extra ouch?) some new chips inside, then I have no expectations that Nintendo is responsible. If, however, I install the Homebrew channel and Nintendo purposefully goes out of their way to break my machine, then I start to have a problem with it.
Oh, you mean little Bobby Table?
') DROP TABLE
There's an xkcd for that, but it's firewalled at work. I can only assume one of the IT folks reads /.
I was programming BASIC on a CoCo2 when I was 8.
My six-year-old can use Linux and knows that passwords are never given out to anyone.
I've got a six-year-old girl, and the only one that I'm worried about is #1. If that happens before she's ready, then I have failed as a father.
#2 gets rewarded. "WTF did you do here? I've got physical access and you've locked me out. Let me order you some RAM and you can show me what you did." (She uses Puppy now.)
Long before #3 happens, there would be a legal and media shitstorm to keep her out of jail. We've got a family lawyer, and really, Blackboard, do you want Everyone to know that a teenager can easily bypass your security protocols?
She got one of her friends to give up their "webkins" password. It's really hard to tell her "that's wrong" when you're really thinking, "fucking AWESOME! High five and ice cream!"
I thought that what's left of me after I'm dead will be invaluable parts for organ recipients and/or medical schools.
All that's left of me shall be just enough to fertilize an apple tree.
In Canada, legal precedent shows that slugging someone, even if "they deserve it" is worth about $20k. (That's about $20k US.)
I am not a lawyer, but I do have one on retainer.
RPG much?
No, I RPG lots. I still paint my minifigs (you know, the older pewter style) and I own the stainless steel dice.
I often do wear contacts. I wear them for SCUBA diving, I wear them to work half the time. I wore them to Avatar just so I wouldn't have to worry about the two pairs of glasses conflicting. Nevertheless, by the time I'm home for the day I like to take them off and put on glasses so my eyes can breathe. Twelve hours is about my limit, although I can stretch it occasionally.
Tech geeks and engineers should be heavily concerned with appearance -- if nobody will buy your product then you might as well have never put it on the market to begin with.
It's double stupid because the geeks who buy this stuff first tend to wear glasses.
Hey dumbasses, that slot is full and I'm not wearing a helmet to watch TV.
Pfft.
I haven't passed a class in six years.
So, can you tell me why an electrical current flowing in a wire creates a magnetic field? I know that it does, and don't bring out a cross-product and think that saying "oh look B" but tell me how the forces of electricity create a magnet. It just does, right?
You should be able to answer this in twenty words or less, unless you got your degrees in a Happy Meal.
Can you tell me how current creates a magnetic field? I know that it does, we can all agree that the right-hand-rule is valid, and it's a fact. If I'm not mistaken, it's classified as a Law.
But how the FUCK does it do that?
It just does, right?
Well, I've got a B.Eng, and I spent a lot of time studying device behaviour and the quantum physics of semiconductors. Not quite Happy Meal level, I admit, but I did once have a burrito during a lecture.
One thing that you'll find useful in your career is a sense of humour. Despite what you're going to hear at school, Engineering is about 50% social interaction, 25% shopping and vendor relations, 20% drawing pretty pictures, and 5% actual technical work. So yes, 75% of the time is talking to other people. Get a sense of humour and learn to relate to other people. FOr example, my post is not accurate. It is, however, geared for the Greater Internet Audience. It's funny. It's insightful. It's readable, Mr. tl;dr.
As for EM causing cancer, birth defects, and in some cases instant death -- I assure you that it can and does happen. Yes, I am aware that the ionization can cause RNA sequencing to behave in unpredictable ways. Unlike, say, radioactive material, which does the same thing via a different physical operation, there aren't any EM counters that are parallels to a Geiger counter.
And if you think devices behave as intended, you have to get your head out of your ass and your body out of the lab. Try using an RF device outside for once and see what happens.
Ah, Lucas -- the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper.
See, this is why I like Electrical Engineering. Everything I work with is invisible, nobody can explain how it works (there aren't even any good theories*), and it can kill you if you forget to turn it off. Even if it doesn't kill you, it might give you cancer or muck up your offspring. The behaviour of any given device is erratic at best, taken for granted, or just plain whacky.
But for some reason, nobody comes up with a "God did it" explanation. Sure, we've got the magic smoke explanation, but nobody takes that seriously except the Rastafarians.
*No, really. Look at the quantum level, but try not to think about it or you'll go blind.
We just need to leave energy packs at strategic places ...
We do that already. They're called "UN Aid stations" or "soup kitchens" for those without money. Those with higher levels of credits can use "restaurants", "grocery stores", or even procure player housing with built-in stations.
... and have checkpoints where we can save our status.
There's an autosave but you can't restore.
Wait wait! I just thought of another thing that would help. Spawn points.
It's called a Hospital. That's also where they keep the health kits.
"While your character does not have to eat, remember that YOU do. We don't want to lose any dedicated players."
I'm _still in_ a technical field and my post made that confusing. To be clear, I didn't swap trades -- I swapped employers. I now work for a large company that treats me with respect. I've got benefits, RRSP matching, bonuses, training, etc.
My job is one that can never be outsourced, so I am quite secure in that aspect.
But yes, I've worked actual labour jobs, and what I do now is pretty easy, even if I have to go aloft every now and then.
You can deal with a 3am barf emergency without actually waking up.
Trust me, I'm a father of two.
Possibly, but maybe not to where you are expecting.
The thing is, if you're in IT, you're probably smart. You understand basic math. For example, you can easily see that [(weekly pay) / 60] [(weekly pay) / 40]. If you're expected to work longer hours for less pay, you'll understand that you're getting paid less. There's a reason overtime is supposed to be time +; it's because it's shitty work that makes you neglect your Real Life. Women are just as smart as men, and they are surely aware of the same basic math. Why end up as a slave with worse pay than retail sales? It's not worth the hassle. I'm sure a lot of folks are moving into management, HR, and other fields that don't have 3am emergencies.
For what's it's worth, my pay is 165% of what I made at my first post-grad job in 2004. I've left a job that wanted me to work 60+ hours a week "because I'm a computer guy" (I'm an EE). Now, I never work overtime. I've also got an 8% raise coming up this summer. If you look for better work and hold the same level of loyalty to a company as they do to you (i.e. none at all) then you can be more successful at home and at work.