I guess you've never worked at a job where they DON'T allow personal phone calls, OR monitor bathroom breaks - Yes bathroom breaks! Work on an assembly line, and they limit the number of BR breaks
The electronics rules came about due to an air crash (Midair) over Staten Island (NY) back in the early 60s. The results of the investigation blamed navigation error due to interference due to a portable AM/FM Radio (yes, one of those old transistor radios)
The FAA Banned inflight electronics after that. Eventually, the loosened the standard to allow use at altitude, where you are in less croweded skys
Me? My interest? Nay - My BOSSES - yes - and I write in what language he wants, and how he wants. Frankly, I've written code in 2 differnet languages, for 2 different platforms. It doesn't bother me writing for Linux, of Windows - BUT a LOT of businesses have a LARGE investment in custom software
It's one of the reasons there are so many mainframes still around. Prior to Y2K, when the software had to be re-written anyway, a LOT of MORE mainfranes stayed around to run this legacy code. Windows is like that, a lot of the reson it's out there is legacy
More specific, and even more important than things like autocad - How about 10 years woth of investment in custom developed inhouse software? I've been in places where there are LOTS of business critical apps that have 10-15 man years of development EACH. Now figure a fully loaded man year of development is well over $250,000 and your looking at apps that cost 2.5mil and UP - EACH. Plus the fact that if you said "we need to switch", it's still going to take 2+ years to develop each replacement for the new platform
I figure there is 30mil+ worth of development that the small group I'm in is responsible for, and a port to a new desktop will take 3 years for the 10 of us - 30 man years - 7.5 million bucks, and no new software for 3 years. And that's just our group!
I moved the stuff down the old basement, and down the new basement myself. When time came to move, I had 3 days to move and clean the old house. NOT fun with 2 kids. If I had a week or two, I would have done it myself!
I labeled each room in the new house, so the movers would know where things went
I also moved the ULTRA fragile stuff myself (short move)
The biggest job in my move? My workshop - That cost as much as the rest of the move, and still isn't fully unpacked, over a year later. Then again, moving my shop required calling in a rigger. Yes, it a big shop - I have a Bridgeport in the basement
The number of lands/groves and the twist rate does NOT necessarly even stay the same, particularly with rifles!
When you buy a replacement barrel, you don't necessarly by it from the original mfg - in fact, if you want a really GOOD barrel, I can tell you that it doesn't - it probably comes from one of a half dozen or so companies that specialize in barrels (there are more than that, but I did say good). The barrels come unchambered, and maybe even uncontoured - thats where the gunsmith comes in.
Anyway, when you buy your barrel blank, you can specify what twist you want, and each maker might use a different land/grove pattern. For instance, in a.308, the "standard" twist is 1:10 (one twist in 10") - but you can get barrels in 8 thru 18 twists. For.223 barrels, you can get them in 6 thru 16 twists - and what twist you want depends on what cartridge you'll use, and what you want to use the cartridge for (heavier bullets - faster twist (for the same caliber))
The biggest problem I see in using Geoprofiling in _THIS_ case is that there is VERY little "Previous data" to start the profile with. Almost ALL previous sniper incidents in the US have been the "Guy locks himself in a tower, and keeps shooting till the cops kill/catch him" type - In fact, I can't think of another serial sniper incident that wasn't a tower type.
That's not to say it isn't a useful tool. Criminal Geo-profiling have a in common with various other GIS systems - ESRI is a big player, a lot of the folks doing this kind of work use SAS. The problem is in figuring out what is significant data vs what is not! It would be REAL interesting to see what a good statistian could do with "regular" crime in developing a model.
Reading the article, it seems that a lot of the variables are on intuition. Sometimes it turns out that variables you don't think are important are, and the reverse is just as often true
Disclaimer - I am NOT a statistican, but I am married to one who used to do some GIS work
RE 1/4 audio - this was the standard - the 1/8th is the "Mini" - gos back to the days of manual switchboards - yep, 1/4" audio plugs
BTW properly done line level audio is 600 ohms impedience all through the chain - and is a relic of the phone company - as is "Line Level" - as in telephone line
As a parent of 2 children, it's quite simple - TV is ONLY for special occasions - We own the Toy Story DVDs, but I think they've been played once or twice! Ditto every other DVD in the house.
BTW The only way to enforce this rule, and make it stick, is to do it yourself. I haven't watched TV in months (and I work for a TV station)
OK, poorly phrased - I went home, pulled out the old final (on my own) and took it (for myself, NOT for the class - I wasn't taking the course at that time)
I don't know the answer to this - I'm serious. You can teach people the syntax of the languages, you can teach them the basics, but how to SEE the algorithm? No Idea
Now a confession - 20 years ago, when I was in college, I had NO problems with my general programming courses, but I could NOT figure out boolean algebra to save my life - I flunked it - not once, but twice (1st time doesn't really count, and isn't on my transcript - out of 500 students, 498 flunked that term). I just could NOT get it.
Then that summer I was taking an electronics course that had about 2 classes in logic. I don't know what the teacher said, but whatever it was, boolean algebra just "clicked", I actually went home that night, and was able to get an A on the final (I took it by myself). Since that time, I usually have co-workers come to me for logic problems
So sometimes, the right person, saying the right thing, at the right time, can make all the difference
...snip... >The sooner people accept that 'Ginny' >and 'gInNy' are not the same the >sooner they will understand how to interact >with a computer....snip...
One of the big questions - should the end user learn to interact with the computer, or should the computer learn to interact with the person?
Most "real" folks (aka, not us geeks) want the computer to do the work - the ultimate computer would have ONE command - DO WHAT I WANT
First, a disclaimer - I work as a software developer for a living, so I'm biased
I've seen projects that have no value - I've seen projects that had great value - it all depends. For instance, one project the department I'm in is working on will allow our end users to turn around their job in hours instead of days, and cut the handling of their product by about 50% - this will allow the company to do one of two things 1)Produce more product, or more sophisticated product
or 2)Lay off a bunch of folks
Another product allowed us to digitize a document production system, so we could reproduce the documents on demand - being we had a 7 year LEGAL requirement to store the documents, this was a BIG deal - you see, we got to eliminate 8 file cabinets in NYC, plus the off premisis stuff in NJ. Who cares about file cabinets, right? But when you realize that floor space costs $150/month/sq ft, and that horizontal file cabinet takes up 9 sq feet, thats over $16K in rent per year/cabinet - or 129k/year in savings just in RENT, never mind needing less staff to get those documents, and better turn around time.
The CURRENT project I'm on used to take 300 temp employees over 1 month to do, every 2 years. Now it's me and one other person, and I send a few months every two years updating the software and testing
It's harder to justify upgrading to the latest copy of Office - XP doesn't do much more than Office2k - but when it comes to custom software, sometimes it's a no brainer - particularly when you don't have to rely on customers, just on increased efficency
Other than the personal attack - yes all you need is a whetstone - the reason I use the waterstones has NOTHING to do with my kitchen knives, but the fact that I sharpen planes and chisels, and find it gives a better edge
That said, for a person who does NOT know how to sharpen a knife, one of the many V stick shapeners is probably the most foolproof, and I think the Spyderco is one of the best
Pros send their knives out to be sharpened because they really don't have the time. At home, you CAN learn to do it yourself - it's not hard - current favorite method is a pair of Water stones - a 600, followed by a silver stone
But then again, I'm a knife nut - for GOOD basic sharpening, go out and buy a Spyderco Model 204 sharpenee - and USE IT
Gad I hate dull knives - Mine are usually shaving sharp
Slashdot Mirror
I guess you've never worked at a job where they DON'T allow personal phone calls, OR monitor bathroom breaks - Yes bathroom breaks! Work on an assembly line, and they limit the number of BR breaks
Paintball guns are illegal in NYC, just like BB guns, and any firearm without a permit
Want to take a felony rap?
The electronics rules came about due to an air crash (Midair) over Staten Island (NY) back in the early 60s. The results of the investigation blamed navigation error due to interference due to a portable AM/FM Radio (yes, one of those old transistor radios)
The FAA Banned inflight electronics after that. Eventually, the loosened the standard to allow use at altitude, where you are in less croweded skys
Me? My interest? Nay - My BOSSES - yes - and I write in what language he wants, and how he wants. Frankly, I've written code in 2 differnet languages, for 2 different platforms. It doesn't bother me writing for Linux, of Windows - BUT a LOT of businesses have a LARGE investment in custom software
It's one of the reasons there are so many mainframes still around. Prior to Y2K, when the software had to be re-written anyway, a LOT of MORE mainfranes stayed around to run this legacy code. Windows is like that, a lot of the reson it's out there is legacy
And what about that 10 year old piece of software that was written BEFORE Kylix, Java, Qt etc?
More specific, and even more important than things like autocad - How about 10 years woth of investment in custom developed inhouse software? I've been in places where there are LOTS of business critical apps that have 10-15 man years of development EACH. Now figure a fully loaded man year of development is well over $250,000 and your looking at apps that cost 2.5mil and UP - EACH. Plus the fact that if you said "we need to switch", it's still going to take 2+ years to develop each replacement for the new platform
I figure there is 30mil+ worth of development that the small group I'm in is responsible for, and a port to a new desktop will take 3 years for the 10 of us - 30 man years - 7.5 million bucks, and no new software for 3 years. And that's just our group!
:-)
I moved the stuff down the old basement, and down the new basement myself. When time came to move, I had 3 days to move and clean the old house. NOT fun with 2 kids. If I had a week or two, I would have done it myself!
I'll just add these thoughts
I labeled each room in the new house, so the movers would know where things went
I also moved the ULTRA fragile stuff myself (short move)
The biggest job in my move? My workshop - That cost as much as the rest of the move, and still isn't fully unpacked, over a year later. Then again, moving my shop required calling in a rigger. Yes, it a big shop - I have a Bridgeport in the basement
The number of lands/groves and the twist rate does NOT necessarly even stay the same, particularly with rifles!
.308, the "standard" twist is 1:10 (one twist in 10") - but you can get barrels in 8 thru 18 twists. For .223 barrels, you can get them in 6 thru 16 twists - and what twist you want depends on what cartridge you'll use, and what you want to use the cartridge for (heavier bullets - faster twist (for the same caliber))
When you buy a replacement barrel, you don't necessarly by it from the original mfg - in fact, if you want a really GOOD barrel, I can tell you that it doesn't - it probably comes from one of a half dozen or so companies that specialize in barrels (there are more than that, but I did say good). The barrels come unchambered, and maybe even uncontoured - thats where the gunsmith comes in.
Anyway, when you buy your barrel blank, you can specify what twist you want, and each maker might use a different land/grove pattern. For instance, in a
The biggest problem I see in using Geoprofiling in _THIS_ case is that there is VERY little "Previous data" to start the profile with. Almost ALL previous sniper incidents in the US have been the "Guy locks himself in a tower, and keeps shooting till the cops kill/catch him" type - In fact, I can't think of another serial sniper incident that wasn't a tower type.
That's not to say it isn't a useful tool. Criminal Geo-profiling have a in common with various other GIS systems - ESRI is a big player, a lot of the folks doing this kind of work use SAS. The problem is in figuring out what is significant data vs what is not! It would be REAL interesting to see what a good statistian could do with "regular" crime in developing a model.
Reading the article, it seems that a lot of the variables are on intuition. Sometimes it turns out that variables you don't think are important are, and the reverse is just as often true
Disclaimer - I am NOT a statistican, but I am married to one who used to do some GIS work
Yes, "dotting" someone is in bad taste, and in some states (Like NY) a felony - same category as pointing a loaded gun at someone!
Nope, not at all Read the book
The quick answer is - Your asking the wrong question, the right question is, Why does software cost so little?
And around here, the supermaket cashiers aren't exactly minimum wage - they're UNION! It was the job you WANTED to get while you were in school
I can (barely) remember watching Gemini launches on TV - I guess that makes ME old
Powerpoles ARE nice - al my rigs have been converted (I'm the Queens County (NYC) AEC) Surpizingly not everyone in ARES has converted!
You also forgot to mention that they are genderless
73
KC2IXE
RE 1/4 audio - this was the standard - the 1/8th is the "Mini" - gos back to the days of manual switchboards - yep, 1/4" audio plugs
BTW properly done line level audio is 600 ohms impedience all through the chain - and is a relic of the phone company - as is "Line Level" - as in telephone line
As a parent of 2 children, it's quite simple - TV is ONLY for special occasions - We own the Toy Story DVDs, but I think they've been played once or twice! Ditto every other DVD in the house.
BTW The only way to enforce this rule, and make it stick, is to do it yourself. I haven't watched TV in months (and I work for a TV station)
OK, poorly phrased - I went home, pulled out the old final (on my own) and took it (for myself, NOT for the class - I wasn't taking the course at that time)
I don't know the answer to this - I'm serious. You can teach people the syntax of the languages, you can teach them the basics, but how to SEE the algorithm? No Idea
Now a confession - 20 years ago, when I was in college, I had NO problems with my general programming courses, but I could NOT figure out boolean algebra to save my life - I flunked it - not once, but twice (1st time doesn't really count, and isn't on my transcript - out of 500 students, 498 flunked that term). I just could NOT get it.
Then that summer I was taking an electronics course that had about 2 classes in logic. I don't know what the teacher said, but whatever it was, boolean algebra just "clicked", I actually went home that night, and was able to get an A on the final (I took it by myself). Since that time, I usually have co-workers come to me for logic problems
So sometimes, the right person, saying the right thing, at the right time, can make all the difference
A million?
Your off by a factor of 8 - 8 million as of 2000
...snip... ...snip...
>The sooner people accept that 'Ginny' >and 'gInNy' are not the same the
>sooner they will understand how to interact >with a computer.
One of the big questions - should the end user learn to interact with the computer, or should the computer learn to interact with the person?
Most "real" folks (aka, not us geeks) want the computer to do the work - the ultimate computer would have ONE command - DO WHAT I WANT
Charlie
First, a disclaimer - I work as a software developer for a living, so I'm biased
I've seen projects that have no value - I've seen projects that had great value - it all depends. For instance, one project the department I'm in is working on will allow our end users to turn around their job in hours instead of days, and cut the handling of their product by about 50% - this will allow the company to do one of two things
1)Produce more product, or more sophisticated product
or
2)Lay off a bunch of folks
Another product allowed us to digitize a document production system, so we could reproduce the documents on demand - being we had a 7 year LEGAL requirement to store the documents, this was a BIG deal - you see, we got to eliminate 8 file cabinets in NYC, plus the off premisis stuff in NJ. Who cares about file cabinets, right? But when you realize that floor space costs $150/month/sq ft, and that horizontal file cabinet takes up 9 sq feet, thats over $16K in rent per year/cabinet - or 129k/year in savings just in RENT, never mind needing less staff to get those documents, and better turn around time.
The CURRENT project I'm on used to take 300 temp employees over 1 month to do, every 2 years. Now it's me and one other person, and I send a few months every two years updating the software and testing
It's harder to justify upgrading to the latest copy of Office - XP doesn't do much more than Office2k - but when it comes to custom software, sometimes it's a no brainer - particularly when you don't have to rely on customers, just on increased efficency
Other than the personal attack - yes all you need is a whetstone - the reason I use the waterstones has NOTHING to do with my kitchen knives, but the fact that I sharpen planes and chisels, and find it gives a better edge
That said, for a person who does NOT know how to sharpen a knife, one of the many V stick shapeners is probably the most foolproof, and I think the Spyderco is one of the best
It's not electric - stay away from electric! It's a Vee type sharpener
Pros send their knives out to be sharpened because they really don't have the time. At home, you CAN learn to do it yourself - it's not hard - current favorite method is a pair of Water stones - a 600, followed by a silver stone
But then again, I'm a knife nut - for GOOD basic sharpening, go out and buy a Spyderco Model 204 sharpenee - and USE IT
Gad I hate dull knives - Mine are usually shaving sharp