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User: georgeha

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  1. A warning about today's repression, spoilers! on Cities in Flight · · Score: 2

    They Shall Have the Stars is a dystopic view of the West, so obsessed with national security that most rights have been suppressed, including such goodies like freedom of speech, due process, etc. The director of the FBI is a hereditary post, and more concerned with his own position than the country's. In the end, the Soviet's cause the US to become a mirror image of their society, complete with corruption, fear, stasis and repression.

    Today, the Soviets are a shadow of themselves, but the government keeps finding new ways to repress our rights. Remember when packages over a pound had to be mailed in person, because they were worried TWA 800 was brought down by a mail bomb? Everyone agrees that it wasn't a mail bomb, but good luck putting package weighing more than a pound in the mailbox. Another minor right chipped away.

    SPOILER below























    In the end, the senator that worked hard to make an interstellar drive and anti-agathics and allowed humanity to reach the stars gets locked up in a radioactive waste dump. Joy.

    George

  2. Does the stars spectrum overwhelm the planets? on Extrasolar Planet's Light Observed · · Score: 2

    Could someone tell me why there are heavier elements like Silicon and Magnesium and no Hydrogen?

    From the article, it sounds like they looked at the spectra of the star and planet, and saw what varied over 3.3 days. I'm assuming the hydrogen and helium spectra from the star was so much higher in magnitude than the hydrogen and helium from the planet that differences caused by the planets orbit were undetectable.

    Oxygen, silicon and magnesium must be rare enough in the star to allow a noticeable difference in the spectra when the planet rotates.

    George

  3. Dan Quayle's comment on Tau Boote on Extrasolar Planet's Light Observed · · Score: 1

    We know there's oxygen there, and where there's oxygen there's water, and where there's water there's life. Now it's just a matter of finding out how much the life wants to donate to the Republican party.

    More seriously, why couldn't they detect hydrogen and helium? Would the amount of light with hydrogen and helium spectra in it be overwhelmed by the huge amount of light from the star (also filled with helium and hydrogen)?

    George

  4. Re:Simulation games are so realistic.. on Game Ratings; Are Combat Sims Worse Than FPSs? · · Score: 1

    whenever anyone causes me any trouble, I run straight home to my garage to start building a few tanks

    You think too small. I'm working on taking over the reunified Germany, bulding up the armed forces, and taking over Europe (may favorite sim game was the old analog Third Reich).

    Of course, pretty soon all those soft hearted do gooders will start trying to ban paper, cardboard and dice.

    George

  5. Now I feel guilty about Panzer General on Game Ratings; Are Combat Sims Worse Than FPSs? · · Score: 1

    But I think they're out of line, saying it distorts my view point.

    Ooh, look at the time, 16:38, time to fire up the Panzerkampfwagen and begin an orderly maneuver to ArmeeGruppe Haupt, to prepare for Operation Wochenende.

    George

  6. Re:Should convert to Judaism on Happy Odd Day! · · Score: 1

    And aren't there some years where there are two of the same month? Must make it tough to schedule appointments.

    George

  7. Should convert to Judaism on Happy Odd Day! · · Score: 2

    I think their year just turned to 5760, so in 11 years it will be 5771.

    George

  8. Using Samba from O'Reilly open sourced on Samba 2.06 Released · · Score: 1

    Also, the Samba page mentions that Using Samba from O'Reilly will be available for downloading.

    George

  9. Your Canon 4300 on What is a Good Printer for Linux? · · Score: 1

    Do you have it directly connected to your Linux box?

    Mine is on a FreeBSD/Samba box, and it works okay form a Windows client, but remote printing to it from Linux is iffy. Any hints?

    George

  10. Imagine the EULA on Tap-Tap-Tapping the Net · · Score: 1

    If you break open the seals on MS Horseman, you absolve MS of all damages incurred by plague, war, hunger, sun turned black, moon turned to blood, earthquake, accidental loss of damage, as well as any implied responsibilities or liabilities in this kingdom, and the one to follow.

    George

  11. I'll worry when Bill has a near fatal head injury on Tap-Tap-Tapping the Net · · Score: 1

    But then recovers, and proposes a worldwide ID number.

    And then launches MS Four Horsemen

    George

  12. Is it the Mac? Could it be the Mac? on IT Salary Comparisons Worldwide · · Score: 1

    I'm not trolling, you sound underpaid for a computer professional, though paid okay for a print shop worker.

    If you're looking, I'm wondering if you should underplay the Mac and pump up the PC end of things. Lots of people (HR, PHB) assume Macs are for pretty pictures, and don't even realize that you can run a decent web server on them.

    I don't see many Macs jobs in the local ads, and the ones I do see are for prepress work.

    George

  13. Define northeast, define bandwidth, please on IT Salary Comparisons Worldwide · · Score: 1

    The northeast is sort of a foreign country. Bandwidth is nonexistent unless you are in Boston or VERY close to New York. There are no POPs around.

    Here in Rochester New York, lots of people have cable modems, is that what you mean by bandwidth? I'd have it to, but I'm moving in a few months. I don't know the availability of DSL or ISDN, though.

    George

  14. possibly useless suggestions on IT Salary Comparisons Worldwide · · Score: 2

    I'm not sure what the IT situation is in Orlando, though I haven't heard much good about Florida. Are you committed to staying in Florida, or are you willing to relocate? Northern Virginia isn't too far away, and seems to need people.

    You do mention working in college computer labs. Is this a big college town? That seems to be the kiss of death for salary, since your competition is hungry college students who need beer and pizza money.

    You mentioned certifications, but didn't list any of the three and four letter acronyms that resume reading software and PHB's like, you know, CNA, CNE, MCP, MCSE. Do you have those, have you considered working for those?

    How about networking? Do you belong to any local users groups, where you can meet someone who can get you in?

    How about getting a BS? Some companies have the luxury of throwing all non-BS/BA resumes in the trash, especially if they're older/more conservative, or the labor market is tight. Tying this together with my company, some divisions won't look at you without a four year degree, others will start you at $30k+ if you know computers and are willing to work on the hotline. If you didn't know which division to apply to, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

    Hope this helps.

    George

  15. Re:What would Bill win? on Candidates for 1999 GNU Free Software Award · · Score: 1

    Yes, greedy and monopolistic practises are reprehensible behaviour, but physical violence is far far worse. Why are you all stooping to a level even lower than his?

    Oops, I forgot a few.

    How about a lit bundle of dynamite, in one of Melinda's dresses, with a brown wig and bright red lipstick (the Roadrunner almost always falls for this one).

    Or make him stand on a big, black X on marked on the floor, while overhead a grand piano hangs precariously from a single rope.

    Or maybe tell him that his present is behind a door, but there's really a cannon there, with a lit fuse!

    Or we'll give him some Godiva chocolate with steel BBs in it, and then bring in the crane with giant electro magnet!

    Sheesh, some people.

    George

  16. What would Bill win? on Candidates for 1999 GNU Free Software Award · · Score: 1

    Assuming he wins, what kind of prize would he get?

    A bag of scorpions?

    A bear trap, ready to go?

    A super glue coated bowling ball?

    A package with a concealed taser, aimed at his testicles?

    George

  17. It reminds me of the AT&T breakup on The Post-Microsoft Era · · Score: 4

    There was a time, a few decades ago, when the only telephone service in America was AT&T, except for a few, rural phone corporations.

    If you wanted a second phone, you could go to only one place, a Bell/AT&T shop, and pay an arm and a leg for a phone. True, the phone was so overengineered that it could survive being run over by tank, but it was very pricey.

    Long distance was pricey.

    Second phone lines were presumably pricey.

    My parents were hackers, in a weird sort of way. Their biggest find at a garage sale was a telephone. Telephones were rare at garage sales, and much cheaper than buying one from AT&T.

    They used their garage sale phones to wire every room of the house, but these were not AT&T authorized extensions, and the phones were not authorized phones, so if a repairman came over, we had to disconnect and hide the extensions.

    Substitute Miscrosoft for AT&T, and phones for applications, and you can see what might happen.

    In the future, you might get asked to switch word processors, this new competitor's word processor is 100% compatible, and cheaper too.

    Operating systems might drop to commodity prices, except for the worthy free ones.

    New ideas for computers might pop up and proliferate.

    Exciting times,

    George

  18. do-gooding claymation? on Linux on a Magazine Cover? · · Score: 2

    You mean that old claymation cartoon with the dog and the boy.

    "Hey Goliath, do you think we should write a competitor to Windows?"

    "Aw gee, Davey, I don't know, is that right?"

    George

  19. I'd pay for a good, stable browser for Linux on The Battle That Could Lose Us The War · · Score: 2

    There's a real market opportunity there, and Mozilla and Netscape aren't there yet.

    And what about all the companies with $200 surfing boxes we keep reading about, do they have some cool browser up there sleeves?

    George

  20. Tux in green, with a bow and arrow on Linux on a Magazine Cover? · · Score: 2

    While Sheriff Adobe, Microsoft and Apple hold up a struggling graphic artist.

    "Arghh, take from the poor graphic artists and give to King Gates!"

    George

  21. Re:Simply Amazing on Interview: Queen Elizabeth II's Webmaster Answers · · Score: 1

    I put an offer in to slashdot to be interviewed, "man refreshes slashdot dozens of times an hour in quest for karma and on-topic first post", I expect to hear from Rob real soon now.

    But you need something to make yourself stand out from 10K other people doing the same thing!


    You mean I'm not the only one?

    George

  22. Re:Simply Amazing on Interview: Queen Elizabeth II's Webmaster Answers · · Score: 1

    He may have volunteered to be interviewed, apparently he does read slashdot.

    In his answer to features wanted for Linux, he mentions polling Bugtraq, and then responding:

    "I'm OK now, you can go back to reading /.".

    I put an offer in to slashdot to be interviewed, "man refreshes slashdot dozens of times an hour in quest for karma and on-topic first post", I expect to hear from Rob real soon now.

    George

  23. But Cobalt has a physical product on Cobalt IPO Opens...High · · Score: 1

    They take a PC, put Linux on it, and offer it as a server, just valued added economics.

    What a wild ride.

    George

  24. WTF! I suck Re:TPM models on Quickie Fu · · Score: 1

    There's also some new TPM models, but who cares about those?

    I though the Nandoo Flash Speeder would be a good source for lots of green, and the wide windshield.

    George

  25. TPM models on Quickie Fu · · Score: 1

    There's also some new TPM models, but who cares about those?

    I thought that would be a good source for lots fo green, and the wide windshield.

    And you forgot the Tatooine Air Skiff", with yet another Luke.

    George