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User: vinn

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  1. Horrible marketing at work. on Windows 8 Roundup · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So here's what everyone is hearing in the Windows world about Win8: "We're changing Windows. A lot. It's gonna look completely different. It's gonna act completely different. A lot of the things you do today probably need to be thought about differently".

    Here's how IT management is interpreting that: "We might completely break Windows again. A lot. It's gonna confuse users. It's gonna make them less productive. Don't even think about using this product in a business environment without considering all of the extra support they're going to need."

    Guess what? Based on what I've already seen, there's no way I'm even bringing this product into our environment for even a test basis until it's been out for over a year. If we're gonna have to completely retrain users how to do something, we're going to consider other things. That new Motorola Bionic with it's full screen dock and keyboard is looking more and more like something I want to own.

  2. FAIL on Microsoft Reveals More Windows 8 Details · · Score: 1

    'nuff said.

  3. Lies on Ask Slashdot: Math Curriculum To Understand General Relativity? · · Score: 1

    To fully appreciate special and general relativity, you should really take the normal courseload of physics and calc that work up to it.

    Because, in the beginning you learn algebra and then you learn physics with it using standard equations like d=rt.

    Then, you take your first or second calc class and take something like mechanics or dynamics and realize everything you learned was lie. Everything was a special case and physics is truly based on calculus.

    Then, you take your third and fourth calc (vector calc and differential equations) classes and take general relativity. Then you find out once again everything you learned in mechanics was a special case and really a bunch of lies.

    One of the best thought puzzles, and one that still sticks in my head to this day, is one that Feynman (I believe) used to illustrate how reference frames change things. He basically used an example of light bouncing between two mirrors on a moving train. For an observer on the train, the light is simply going up and down. To an observer on the platform, the light is bouncing in a path like a "wwww" shape. Since Michelson-Morley had proved the speed of light is constant the only explanation for how the basic distance=rate*time equation could hold true is if each observer experiences time in a different manner. Each sees a different "distance" and the rate, the speed of light, is constant for both. So the only other variable that can change is time.

  4. Rob - I owe ya a beer on So Long, CmdrTaco, and Thanks For All The Posts · · Score: 1

    Well, I've been along for most of the ride so far, I think it's pretty likely I'll stick around for quite a while longer.

    Rob, I owe ya a beer next time I'm in Michigan. Maybe I'll try to make it to a LUG meeting there or something. I definitely appreciate all of the work you've put into Slashdot over the years. You've done a fantastic job and you should definitely be proud of the community you've developed here. Good luck on everything in the future.

  5. Damn on Linux Journal Goes — Surprise! — Digital · · Score: 1

    I stopped subscribing to Linux Journal about ten years ago.. then last year I resubscribed because I'm starting to get interested in Linux again.

    It's sad the publishing industry is jumping so hard and fast on the digital bandwagon. I suspect in the future we're going to see a reverse digital movement - companies who set up shop solely to take online content and put it print form. It'll be a novelty and a niche industry, similar to vinyl records. The headlines in 2030 could very well read something like "Printed books have best selling year since 2010."

    I like my words printed on dead trees.

  6. Don't forget: cable modems, cable TV boxes, etc on Google To Acquire Motorola Mobility For $12.5 Bill · · Score: 1

    Don't forget, Motorola Mobility is more than just phones, and those businesses align with other areas Google wants to develop. Including:

    1. Cable modems and other home networking gear. Toss in a analog telephone adapter and a small software stack, and suddenly Google Voice competes against Vonage... except... they also have Android, so you start seeing unified communications for the home user.

    2. All those white boxed cable TV boxes, who do you think makes stuff like that? Companies like Motorola. And, Motorola has IP video capabilities as well. Combine that with Google TV and other streaming services, and suddenly Google competes against Netflix... except, they also have Android, so you start seeing cloud-based video available for purchase and viewable on any device.

    I think the real important thing for Google right now is to be Google - they need to rapidly integrate this company and then immediately try to do a hundred different things. Most of those things will fail, but Google isn't afraid to toss those projects aside and keep moving on. That's what differentiates them from everyone else. Along the way, they'll create a real winner, and perhaps completely by accident.

  7. Invite: brian.vincent @ gmail . com on Google+ Already At 10 Million Users · · Score: 1

    Please!

  8. Enterprise - gone. Gov't - staying. on RIM Responds To an Employee's Open Letter · · Score: 2

    Mostly I agree that Blackberry is very quickly losing the enterprise. Next January my phone contract will be up and I plan on getting a new Android phone to demo. If I can make everything work (calendaring, mail, etc) work with our enterprise, then I plan on ditching Blackberry by the end of 2012 for the whole company. I see no reason to keep Blackberry at this point. They went from being a year ahead of everyone to being at least 1 year behind, most likely 2.

    However, don't forget that Blackberry really got it's start as a government provider. That's why the security has been ultra high and why it took them so long to get a phone with a camera. Because of those government contracts, they'll continue to exist for quite a while. I don't see those changing any time soon.

  9. Value == 0 on Ask Slashdot: Best Certifications To Get? · · Score: 1

    When I hire people, I don't look at certs at all. They're 100% meaningless. If anything, the people I've hired with certs over the years have been the worst performing employees I've had.

    There's almost one exception to that - a CCNA. If someone has that, then I know they understand networking, and WAN networking is something that can cause the problems that keep me up at night. Again, I used the word "almost" in that first sentence. If the kid only has a CCNA cert, he better have a great attitude, decent experience and great references.

    Maybe the career path you should be on is to get a job somewhere and try to move into management? Otherwise, trying to jump from job to job will be pretty hard - you're going to get filtered out at the HR level, or tossed aside by people like me who don't care about your silly MCSE or A+. Or, if you like networking at all, I highly recommend getting into telecom work. It's an area you can go a really long way without certs and can learn a job from the ground up. Oh, and the pay and bennies are usually great.

  10. I <3 URL Bars on Mozilla Labs: the URL Bar Has To Go · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I like URL bars. They're quick and easy to type into, they let me see exactly where I'm browsing at (in theory), and when it comes time to copy and paste a link it's simple. The added 33 pixels means nothing to me.

    Alternatively, we could consider removing the URL bar if it was replaced with a button that gave David Regev electroshock therapy every time it was clicked. Oh, and that Google guy too who's removing it.

  11. I agree on Ask Slashdot: How To Ask For Equity In a Startup? · · Score: 1

    My first instinct was to reply to that first post up there that basically says: "You're replaceable". Because... you are quite replaceable whether you think so or not.

    However, thinking a bit more, the second thing that crossed my mind is simply: it's ok to just ask. This post is along the right track - do some homework and try to figure out what your value is. I'm not sure I necessarily agree with asking for a review unless there's already a formal review process in place. Also, simply being a hard worker and intelligent probably isn't enough. Leadership and ambition are almost harder qualities to find, so stoke those fires well.

  12. Facebook for people with no social lives on Massive LinkedIn IPO Raises Dotcom Bubble Concerns · · Score: 1

    Ok, I'm a big fan of networking with people. It's probably led to every job I've ever had.

    But, it doesn't get around the fact the LinkedIn SUCKS. I mean, do you really want to drag your job into your social media? Hell no. Connecting with friends = fun. Connecting with friends you happen to work with = fun. Connecting with that brown-nosing, tattletale bitch down the hall = not fun. So, as almost useful of a purpose LinkedIn serves, it will never outgrow what it already is. It's hopes, dreams and aspirations are limited. Oh, you want me to post a status update about how I drank a case of beer and pissed on the neighbor's lawn? Maybe on Facebook, certainly not on LinkedIn.

    This valuation is definitely bullshit.

  13. Re:Oh fuck off on When AIM Was Our Facebook · · Score: 1

    Hey fuckwit, nice generalization. Guess you're also proving the point that there's pricks all around the world.

    As one of those "americans" I just got back from being in Indonesia for a month. Went to South Korea for a bit before that. Thailand and Malaysia were on the list this year too. So guess what, I do give a fuck what happens around the world.

  14. Re:Painstaking? on Bin Laden's Sneakernet Email System · · Score: 1

    I totally agree - that was the first thought that crossed my mind when I read this. This system is dumb and simple.

    What would be more interesting to find out is why the US couldn't eavesdrop on the email and figure out where it came from. I was under the impression with things like ECHELON we could just read every email ever sent anywhere in the world. Or, did bin Laden write in such a way that it didn't trigger it to get picked up? Or, did he actually use some kind of encryption?

  15. You know what I want to see more of? Shop class. on IT Graduates Not "Well-Trained, Ready-To-Go" · · Score: 2

    I think everyone should be required to take a year of shop class in high school and learn to use basic power tools. It really pisses me off when I hire someone and they can't even use a simple tool like a drill. Latest example: we hired a kid who's still in school doing some kind IT background. About a week and half ago I asked him to hang up some coat hooks in the office. It didn't get done, it didn't get done, and then this morning I get an email that says something like, "I tried to do it, but I don't know how and I think you'll be better." Alright kids, putting a drywall anchor in a wall and screwing in a coat hook ain't rocket science.

  16. This is Jupiter Direct on NASA Pitches Heavy Lift Vehicle To Congress · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is basically the Jupiter Direct program advocated by quite a few insiders at NASA. It was designed by some NASA engineers moonlighting. So, this isn't some half-baked scheme by Congress to try to engineer something themselves. I didn't look at these final details, but it does sound like they added more SRB's than originally planned.

    For more information, see the wikipedia entry:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIRECT

  17. Let's be clear - this is a business license on Pot Grower's Privacy Challenged · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let's be clear - this is a business license. The city is well within their right to place requirements on a business as part of a business license application. Now, the term used here was waive their "right to privacy", but this is almost certainly not what the city ordinance will say. The ordinance will likely say that inspections can be done to ensure compliance with state law as well as for public safety reasons to make sure that there isn't a fire danger.

    I'm not sure what the intentions of Boulder are, but we just got done crafting our own city ordinances for our small town in Montana. I think we did a fantastic job and one of the key objectives of writing it was to set up the guidelines under which the business license could be issued. The other major concern was zoning. At no time did any of us think, "Oh, we gotta collect all this information so we can do a raid." We collected it because a) it's the same information we collect for other businesses and b) there are some special concerns related to public safety and it would be completely irresponsible to to ignore those. For example, we require a security system and an inspection to make sure one was installed.

  18. Re:Net Neutrality can't be implemented by FCC on Al Franken Makes a Case For Net Neutrality · · Score: 1

    That's not true. Most analysts and even several FCC commissioners (including the chairman) believe that net neutrality can be enforced by the FCC using Title II or possibly Title I of the Communications Act. The FCC up until very recently seemed poised to go down that path.

  19. Read Commissioner Baker's remarks on Al Franken Makes a Case For Net Neutrality · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you're wondering the FCC is thinking, read this:

    http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db1209/DOC-303457A1.pdf

    Let me summarize:
    * They only see this as a checkbox on the Obama administration's to-do list. ("Work on net neutrality." DONE.)
    * They don't see any problem with the status quo other than some "isolated incidents"
    * They feel they are overstepping their regulatory bounds and this should be an action undertaken by the courts or Congress.

    In other words - kiss your open access goodbye.

  20. Why do open source projects pick stupid names? on OpenOffice.org Declares Independence From Oracle, Becomes LibreOffice · · Score: 4, Insightful

    LibreOffice? Seriously? What a horrid name. We're not French and the percentage of the population that understands what Libre means is nil.

    There's a reason we're all geeks and not in marketing. However, we all have friends who have a bit savviness when it comes to creativity. Quit being a geek and ask for help.

    This is no different than the Diaspora project. Even if that project had the technical side working, it'd still fail because the name is so stupid. You can't compete against a product named "Facebook" when your name is "Diaspora".

  21. It ain't sexy on The Best Near-Term Future of Space Exploration? · · Score: 1

    NASA needs high profile missions that inspire awe. They need to build excitement and inspire awe. They need to thrive on whiz-bang technology and showcase what the human spirit is capable of achieving. Those are the fundamentals the space program is built on. For the last twenty years they've sucked at it.

    I don't want to pass too much judgement on landing on hunks of rock a couple of AU's away, but it sure doesn't seem too sexy to me. I think most people get excited about other things. Throw some rovers on a red planet, give them a lifespan of a few months, and then watch everyone be amazed when they last five years. New Horizons should get everyone fairly excited when it gets out there. Heck, even Cassini can still generate some excitement. (The spaceflight electronics I worked on for Huygen's are now sitting on Titan and I find that incredibly cool.) But landing on a rock? Um... yeah... not really too into that. Oh, it has a lot of iron deposits or strangetanium? Be sure to poke me to wake me up when that news comes out.

    NASA needs to go big. I know these new probes can be done on a shoestring budget, say $200 million or so. But please go build us a new heavy lift rocket and shoot some guys into space. Most of us haven't seen a man land on the moon in our lifetime, so can we just try that again?

  22. Bailout Money for San Francisco on Senate Approves the ______Act Of____ · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I was speaking with our congressional representative last Thursday, Denny Rehberg, and he said the reason for the 'emergency' was that the bill contained $20 million (or something) in "bailout" (his words, not mine) money for San Francisco - Pelosi's home district. I'm not sure if that's true or not, Denny plays A LOT of partisan politics and just likes to stir the pot whenever he can. About 50% of what comes out of his mouth is bullshit, so it's hard to say, but I do think Nancy Pelosi is complete c*nt and it's sickening she won't be voted out.

  23. I agree on Stanford's New Solar Tech Harnesses Heat, Light · · Score: 1

    I agree. I was going to reply and say the exact same thing. I'm sick of hearing about solar breakthroughs because nothing has been done to make this technology both affordable and practical for a homeowner. I live in one of the better parts of the country for solar power, and an installation would cost more than $15,000 to even begin to be practical.

    I'd love to find a conspiracy theory in this, such as oil companies purchasing the patents and never developing the technology. Sadly though, I suspect much of it can be attributed to overzealous researchers who don't understand practical manufacturing, deployment and maintenance concerns.

  24. Work back from Kryder's Law on Internal Costs Per Gigabyte — What Do You Pay? · · Score: 1

    Certainly at some point in the past whatever you're doing and the costs behind it made sense. Other's have raised the question why or how you'd do this but none of us can answer it without knowing some extremely detailed numbers from your organization.

    So, let's make an assumption: the level of complexity of your IT operations, as well as the IT overhead costs in the G&A section of your organizations budget, have remained constant since the $30 /GB rule was enacted. We're also assuming that those were the factors that led to the $30 /GB rule. (The reality is, a past IT director probably threw a dart at the wall and picked a number from thin air that he thought was reasonable.)

    Therefore, you can extrapolate from that roughly what the 2010 cost should be based on Kryder's Law, which basically can be summarized as: storage density doubles annually. So, if you enacted the $30 /GB rule 5 years ago, then you should either: give them 32GB for $30 or charge them $.93 /GB.

  25. Linux Journal? on Modern Day Equivalent of Byte/Compute! Magazine? · · Score: 1

    There certainly isn't anything remotely close to those old magazines. I remember devouring issue after issue of Ahoy! (!) Remember having to run your code through the checker to make sure you typed in each line right?

    These days, about the only thing I can really think of that has code in it and projects like that is Linux Journal. Sure, Make has some things in it, but it's definitely not focused solely on computers. The one area that remains extremely accessible for a beginner and also has a very high practical value is the web. Some of the coding projects in Linux Journal for PHP and such are extremely useful and even readable for someone young.