[And I don't mean 'detect what browser they're using, and serve them a page that's specially tailored to their browser', I mean making a single page that is written to the standards, and doesn't look like crap when some new unknown browser renders it]
We know JavaScript isn't good for 'Any Browser', as there are browsers that don't support it -- and it's even frowned upon by the WAI
Wait for the first person you see use a turn signal.
Even odds the vehicle doesn't have Kentucky plates.
[I'm originally from the DC area -- I lived in Lexington, KY for a couple of years. When I first got there, I was driving with some co-workers in my car, and I looked over my shoulder before changing lanes -- they asked me why I did that. I told them I was checking my blind spot. One of them asked me why I would have to do that.]
No, you'll still get the idiot trying to make a call, and hear through the bad static.
I'm guessing you'll get a better impact from the EMF causing brain tumors, and killing people before they get to their geriatric-should-have-had-their-license-revoked-th ree-decades ago point.
You need either a sizeable lip and locking mechanism (ie, a submarine) for a hinged door to create a good seal an provide resistance to pressure from both directions.
With a tracked, sliding door, you could in theory get a decent seal, but I doubt it'd be enough to withstand both wear from repeated opening and closing, and the pressure created by the explosive decompression of a spaceship.
I would assume that this comes down to one of three things --
It is presumed that there is some sort of super-material that can withstand the wear for regular use, while still maintaining the necessary seal to resist the pressure difference in their worst case scenario.
The directors of the movie have decided their ability to tell the story would be hindered if the characters had to interact with doors.
If the viewers are wiling to suspend their disbelief enough to accept aliens that communicate telepathically and/or have acid for blood and/or reproduce by exposure to water, then asking them to believe that doors that go 'whoosh' are a good idea, or that it's perfectly normal to run 440V power to a computer console isn't a big leap of faith by comparison.
They're supposed to withstand it.
on
The Trouble with RFID
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· Score: 4, Informative
My understanding, based on earlier articles that have been posted on this website, is that the RFID tags are specifically built to withstand these sorts of problems.
They disconnect their antenna if they sense a surge to protect their circuitry.
And it makes sense -- if you're using these for tracking merchandice, you wouldn't want some shoplifter taking the RFID equivalent to a tazer with them, shorting out the RFIDs, and then walking out with your product.
(personally, I didn't see anything new from this article than any of the other articles posted before on the subject. I don't think there have been particular suggestions of targeting window shoppers, but the general proximity issues have mentioned repeatedly before)
I care about functionality related to its being a phone, and being useful to me as a phone. I don't care about it being used as a web browser, game system, PDA, remote terminal, phone, instant messaging client, or any of the other new features they're merging into today's phones.
I do care about ease of use, clarity of signal, size, weight, expected time on a single charge, cost and availability of replacement chargers, and hell, I'd even like to have it receive phone calls, as well as be able to make them.
Better?
[And I also miss rubber buttons -- these all metal ones might look nice, but you have to look at the phone to use it, as they're so slick, you can't tell if you're on the button or not when holding it]
My cellphone up and died last month, and I went to replace it. I asked at a few other carriers how long it would take to get my number moved to their service, and when they were telling me anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 weeks, I went back to SprintPCS.
Unfortunately, they no longer carry the plain, simple phone style that I prefer. [I was using an LG 4NE1, and before that, a Touchpoint, and before that, one of the early Sony models].
They tried pushing a picture phone one me, and I didn't want it. I got stuck with a Samsung that I'm really unhappy with. It may look all slick with its color screen, and flip action, but it just doesn't deliver in terms of simple functionality that I used to have.
I only bought this particular model because it closed, so the buttons were protected, so I wouldn't call people accidentially when it presses against my keys. Unfortunately, I can't easily open it one handed, and with the screen on the inside, I have to open it to see who's calling.
I should've just dealt with not having a phone for a week or so, and have bought a replacement 4NE1 off of eBay.
Hell, even the ring tones are particularly annoying -- most likely, so you'll use the cool feature of downloading new, snazzy ringtones they can charge $2 each for. And of course, the $15/month service to be able to download the ringtones. But they don't even have The Liberty Bell March, so I can't get back my old one.
It all comes down to the basics of an product design -- the more features you put into something, the more likely it's going to break. I want a phone that makes phone calls, and has a way to store phone numbers. That's all I care about.
[And I'd like a service provider that doesn't make me wait 3 hrs, then tell me there's nothing they can do about the fact there's constant static on my new phone. Mind you, it took them all of 30 sec to tell me that, after they wasted 3 hrs to flash it to new firmware, which was NOT what I brought it in for]
With POP, your mail program grabs the files without your asking. For those people using Outlook (assuming it hasn't changed since I did tech support for an ISP), they only have an indication as to what number message they're on.
So, when they've been sitting there for 10 minutes, and it hasn't progressed, they think something's wrong, break the connection, and try again.
With a web based mail client, you know there's an attachment ahead of time, and with good ones, it'll give you an indication of size, so you can estimate how long it'll take... and you know who it's from, and the name of it, so you can delete it if it's a duplicate, or something that you don't care about, without being forced to download it, then delete it.
[I remember once, I had someone call up -- complained her mail was broken. I checked out her mailbox size, and it was huge... she gave me permission to look at her mail, and I found 4 large messages from the same person. She told me that was her brother, to delete them all, and that she'd tell him to stop sending her crap]
I mean, when you say 'College Curriculum' are you talking about Associates, Bachelors, or Masters?
Are you trying to build network admins, system admins, user support personel, operations staff, or what?
I've actually thought quite a bit about this, as I used to work in higher education (user support, programming, system administration), and I believe that there are two key aspects that you're missing:
Focus on generalizations, not specifics -- They change a hell of a lot less often, and with a good solid base, the student should be able to figure out the fine details (details are for electives, not core classes)
Don't discount real-world experience -- Classroom learning can only go so far. Look at successful programs like Drexel, where you alternate between interning and classes
You also have to give the students some choices. You should have more classes offered than are needed to graduate, and designate them as core and elective.
I'm going to assume that a person is going to take 15 credits per semester, with there being 4 semesters for an associate's degree, 8 semesters for a bachelor's, and am going to ignore master's, and assume that those folks would be in IT management (MIS, or Engineering Management degrees).
I would want someone working on an associates to intern at least one summer, and a bachelor at least two. Also, work study [about 10hrs per week, qualifying for 3 credit hours per semester] for 1/2 their semesters. I'd prefer each of them to do their first semester in user services, no matter what the discipline, as system administrators need to have an appreciation for what the front line support has to go through.
Work study tasks might include such IT related tasks at the university as telephone support, supporting a computer lab, or being assigned to a specific academic or administrative department to handle their support issues. They might work inside the university's data center, helping with network wiring, configuring hardware and racking systems, but well, that all depends on the size of the data center.
They should be working with full time staff members, not left on their own, like overnight operators monitoring logs. [maybe as a paid job if they're known to be trustworthy, but not as part of work study]. For those doing user support, they should be able to escallate problems to other full time staff members, should it be outside of their scope.
Okay, this message is getting too damned long... Here's a few thoughts about classes. Which ones are core, and which ones are elective, and which go with which specialization can be worked out later. [some should be apparent] Not all of these would be 3 credits.
Introduction to Information Systems -- general concepts on networking, security, data, etc
Intro to Computer Security -- cover the NSTISSI training requirements
Psychology for System Admins -- aka. how to deal with problem users (and sysadmins, and managers)
Intro to Networking
Intro to System Administration -- permissions, user provisioning, logging, etc
Mail Services -- smtp, imap, pop. Issues with spam prevention, viruses, etc.
Databases -- compare and contrast OLAP vs. data warehouse issues
Network Design -- firewalls, gateways and documentation
Scripting for Admins -- shell scripts, perl, expect
Well, you get the idea... There's so many more classes that you could teach. I haven't even touched upon hardware, and only barely on OSes.
Oh, and for the core c
You have to sell your strengths...
on
Exporting Myself?
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· Score: 1
I mean, someone with a BA or BS in Computer Science is just another person looking for a job...
Now, if you push some of your other traits, you might have some better luck.
First, you're willing to relocate, and that's a big thing... it means that you'll go to where they pay's good. But then you also have that liberal arts degree... you might want to look at a company that's trying to sell products to spanish speaking persons -- I would assume that having programmers who are mutlilingual would be an advantage over needing seperate programmers and translators to handle everything. [Yes, yes, I know about i18n, but it helps to have someone who can help debug in the different languages]
Personally, I work as a programmer, and just spent a siginificant time in finding a new job, but I wasn't willing to relocate [not even locally], I'm not willing to deal with a long commute (Washington, DC metro area, but I'm not willing to go to Virginia or Rockville), and I'm rather strict about who I work for [non-profits, education, government]. Luckily, I had some good code samples, and enough savings so I wasn't forced into taking another job where I would slowly killing myself from stress.
Oh...and the other advantage to working oversees -- the first um....$65k? $85k? is tax exempt...check with an accountant. [federal, is my understanding...not sure if it applies to states, too.]
You could also join the military, if you're so inclined...lots of travel there.
When dealing with data storage, you have to look at how and when you attempt to retrieve data. If you only have to look through your records once a year, and it takes 2 hours to go through it, it's not efficient to sort anything if it's going to take you more than 2 hours per year.
Now, yes, there are issues with risk, and that if you have reason to go through the records twice as often, then it becomes worthwhile to index, but likewise, if you have no reason to go through the records, you're wasting time by organizing.
If you're thinking of this as a data warehouse, you'd heavily index it, but rarely update it. That's not the case with this, unless you're looking for something multiple times per month, you're updating it more often than retrieving. So you have to balance how much work goes into indexing, and how much time is saved by that indexing.
So, anyway, here's my method --
I have a hanging folders with major categories (utilities, telecommunications, financial, insurance, home, receipts, etc). In each of those, I have various manilla folders for each company or account that I have to deal with (eg, Utilities : electric, oil; Telecom: land line, DSL, DSS, cell phone)
I then do absolutely nothing with them, and let all of my bills collect up throughout my house, and forget to pay my bills... once I notice I'm overdue on a bill, I pay it, and enough to cover me for 3-4 months past that. Every 6-9 months or so, I get sick of the piles of crap, and sort them into the folders.
If you read the article, no where in it does it use the word 'invent', which would be to make a novel (ie, new) item. The person paraphrasing the article either thought it was new, or didn't understand the implications of the word.
The whole motor in the wheel concept has been in use for axial-flux motors for at least eight years that I can confirm, as I helped to build one for the 1995 GM SunRayce. I have no idea how much older than that they've been in use, but I know we were working off of an Australian design.
[The only difference being, in that case, the stator was a disk, and so, we had some issues with centrifugal action trying to fling the magnets off, which you wouldn't have with a cylinder]
By my read on the article, I agree with your take on the first contact issue -- after one connection, you're whitelisted.
However, there would be a load on the server handling the mailing list, as in the case of a client/server system like SMTP, when you make a connection, you're acting as a client. In a 'typical' mail setup these days, sending to a mailing list, when you're not reading mail local to the server:
The sender generates the message on their local system, and sends it to their local outbound SMTP relay.
The local outbound SMTP relay delivers the message to the MX for the mailing list.
The list server multiplexes the messages, and delivers a copy of the message to the associated MX for each list recipient
The recipient pulls the message down from their local server
So, in this, we have three SMTP transfers, and the last connection is IMAP, POP, or whatever. The mailing list has overhead, as they have to perform the check each time they have a new mail server to send to. Therefore, the issue isn't linked to the number of new messages pumped through, but to the number of new signups on the list. So long as the list server sends out a 'welcome' message, the load is spread out with the new signups, not a sudden hit of a message going out after a hundred new signups.
And with a good confirmation system, that would happen spread out with the list subscription, not when the list is sending the message. So, it's not a real issue, but the list server does originate the transfer at one stage in the message path.
Odds are, your parents never will be. The only way you'll get the majority of the population to linux is to bring linux down to them.
c'mon, we live in a society where people can't figure out how to set the time on a VCR. You think they're going to take the time to 'learn' an OS? Most people are happy with a 4 year old system that lets them check their e-mail, save the pictures people send them, view web pages, and maybe word processing and a spreadsheet.
Now, to keep this from being completely off topic -- you're probably doing more harm than good by putting them behind a home brew firewall, unless you're going to be keeping it updated for them. I'd recommend for general consumer use sticking with ZoneAlarm, along with AdAware and some virus protection software, and maybe some anti-spam service.
Of the languages I've learned, quite a few have been from academic sources:
Academic
C
C++
Fortran
PL/SQL
Pascal
68000 Assembly
At Work
Perl
PHP
CFScript
JavaScript
VBA
Unix Shell (sh, ksh, csh, etc)
For Fun
Logo
Basic/Basica
LPC
But I'd have to say that the class that helped me so much wasn't relevant to the language itself -- it was how you thought about the programming.
These days, resources are so cheap, that it's no big deal if it takes too long to run, runs out of memory, or is 25M of source on disk -- you just upgrade the computer. But in taking assembly, you had to learn the tradeoffs between code size, memory usage, and speed. That's helped me more than anything else, in my opinion, as it's helped me look at my work in a different light. If you understand how the computer's handling your code, you can optimize it. eg:
for (my $i=0; $i<sizeof(@array); $i++)
is slower than
for (my $i=sizeof(@aray); $i--; )
You just have to think of your arrays in backwards order, or make sure they're not order dependent.
Reasons for the speed increase:
calculating sizeof(array) once, not for every loop
comparing an inequality against 0, not another value
If you do it as
my $max = sizeof(@array);
for (my $i = 0; $i < $max; $i--)
Doesn't solve the second issue, and it requires more memory.
The intro to Fortran class I took also stressed language independant concepts -- pseudocode -- breaking everything down into its component parts before you write it. I was never a fan of flowcharts, but I often have
blocks of pseudocode in the comments of a perl or PHP script, so I can go back years later, and remember what I was trying to do.
'Unlimited' may not be 'Unlimited Bandwidth'. It may be 'Unlimited Time' or something else unlimited.
Normally, when ISPs are quoting speeds, they specifically state that it is a 'up to' whatever speed. There's also what's known as a CIR -- Committed Information Rate, which is the speed they promise that you will always get. However, most companies don't promise a CIR anymore. Most residential connections don't come with any form of SLA [a service level agreement, basically a guaranteed level of service].
Trust me on this -- the companies have lawyers who have looked over what's required to make sure they stay profitable, and there are very good odds that their actions are legal [although, it may be required for a judge to make the final determination], but it's very doubtful they're just doing this out of the blue.
I have fought an ISP and won -- when they raised my rates over 100% without notification, but it took me many hours of work to get it all cleared up. [And I switched carriers as soon as I could get a new circuit up, as they refused to file a Covad switch form]
Right now, I'm using SpeakEasy, and I'm very happy with them, and have refered others to them, but they have covered themselves, so they could shut me off if they felt I was a problem user:
There's normally some sort of clause in there, about how they have the right to refluse you service. It's true in almost every industry out there. [I think medical, and insurance have some issues, where they're not allowed to reject you outright, but I'm not in either of those industries, so I'm bound to be wrong].
ISPs are not in the business to lose money. If they have someone filling their pipe 24x7, it's costing them more money than what they're bringing in. It doesn't make sense from a commercial standpoint to provide service to these people, and it's entirely possible that those people are detrimentally impacting the service for the rest of the customers.
I used to work for an ISP, but before the days of DSL, and I know our main issue was people staying dialed up all the time (a phone line was costing us $70/month, we were charging $20/month). Our AUP had stated specifically 'unlimited personal interactive use'. Now, we didn't go after those people who were sharing with their family, or stuff like that, but if you were up 24x7, we took issue -- you had to sleep sometime, and that was not part of the 'unlimited' plan.
[that's not to say that someone downloading a software update overnight, they weren't, unless they were doing it every night (we had a user who had less than 1 hour offline, over a 3 week period, and we had a plan for dedicated line, and it was more than $20/months).
So, let's look at this from the ISP's side -- they let you get away with it. They let your friends get away with it. They lose money. They go out of business. You have to find a new ISP, that might be even less forgiving.
So, my message to you -- get over it. There is no such thing as a free ride, and you shouldn't ever expect to get one. Talk to your ISP. Talk to a supervisor or manager, explain what your usage pattern is, and why you're doing it. Ask them if they can work with you. Odds are, they will, if you make some concessions. They might tell you what their off-peak times are, and so, if you run all of your massive downloads at that time, it won't impact them as much. Maybe you can agree to traffic shaping at the really bad times.
[we had users that we agreed to leave on, even with them online for 16+hrs/day, with the understanding that should the modem banks fill up, they'd be knocked offline to make room for other users]
You want more lines than the current box allows (second phone, SDSL, etc)
The current box doesn't have a place for you to tap off of to check the lines (ie, if you can't get a dial tone from that point, it's the LEC's problem, not yours)
older, sub standard wiring (mine had a football [markings of a cable splice]) already on the line
You're getting below 4800 bps on your modem
I'm sure there are others, too, but those are the ones I can think of.
I bought my house, and was scheduled for an install before the 2000 Verizon strike -- when the guy came out, he saw that I had an old box (1930's home), I told him I was planning on getting a DSL line (I'm maybe 500 yards from the CO), and there were signs that the line had been spiced at least once before --
He said this was his territory, and he'd rather fix it up now, rather than have to come back later, so got a second guy to come down and direct traffic around him while he climbed the pole. He did a great job.
Although, when my SDSL line came in, they put it on pair 6, not pair 2, like we were expecting, so the Covad folks spent a bit of time trying to debug, not realizing why they weren't getting signal.
I guess it's my packrat nature, but well, I know I got two telco racks for free (someone moving out of the building we were moving our offices into, and they were tossed in the dumpster).
I also watch the auctions. (in the DC area, Rasmus.com has quite a few). Of course, they're not as often as they were a couple years back, but you can still dig up good deals on racks/cabinets/UPSes/whatever.
However, the original poster asked for detailed specifications, on the order of the BTX form factor specifications. You don't need that level of detail (ie, hole patterns), if you're buying rails. He didn't ask for suggestions on building your own, just the specifications. He did ask for some cost effective solutions for UPSes, switches, and cases, but not the racks. [and for those, I'd go with auctions, although, for a UPS, you'll have to change out the batteries sooner than if bought new]
Personally, I'd never build my own, as it'd require a lot of precision drilling and tapping, and I'm just not set up for doing that sort of work in my shop.
What you're looking for is "EIA-310-D". Unfortunately, when I try to search for it, all I'm finding is companies quoting that their racks comply with the specifications.
Plano's great for storing small stuff, but well, it's all about what you're storing.
I use an older model, similar to the 1234 for miniatures (Warhammer 40k). The trays are good for sorting arms and weapons and such, and you can drop the bits for a guy you're working on in one of the compartments, and the larger space in the top I use for paints, and the top bit for my pin vice, brushes, and other long items [had to make some modifications to the case for that]
For small computer parts that you have to be more mobile with (ie, drop it in a bag, and go), I prefer something that has a more durable lock. For that, I use the 'tough cases' from DeWalt -- you have to release two locks to get things out (one to split it in half, a second to open a side), and you can't close it without making sure the two sides are locked.
I keep compartments for PCI blanks, assorted Sun and rack keys, 10-32 rack screws, smaller screws, etc.
Plano tackle boxes are best if you have lots and lots of little bits, but only a small volume of each thing. I don't think I could keep my legos in Plano, as I have too many, and well, there are so many parts that wouldn't fit well into the sizes that I've seen available.
However, I stick with clear storage (although it's not as pretty, when people are looking at the stuff inside, but it doesn't look that disorganized, as I stick with smaller containers, so you just see the repetition of 18qt containers.)
Unfortunately, the 18qt containers are just a shade too large to fit 3 wide on a 36" shelf. [it's a press fit, and the middle one goes in last]. As for the Wire Tech shelves, I use the same, and have consolidated multiple sets to get better shelf density. [I've been collecting them at Target when there are sales...although they don't tend to have the 24x48 ones anymore]
Anyway, one of the important things to consider is what the size of the items you're looking to store, and the bulkiness. To put things into perspective, the 18qt containers fit the parts for a rebel blocade runner with room to spare, and it's a damned tight fit for the imperial star destroyer.
But I find that with too large of containers, I'm in no better situation then when I started for computer parts -- using the 18qts, I have one each for scsi cables, power cables, audio/visual, mice and peripherals, internal drives, internal cables, misc. cards, etc. I have 24 bins crammed into 18"x36" shelving [8 shelves], and I have another set of shelves for random computers and larger stuff.
I've also gone to the trouble of labelling the bins, so there's no confusion -- I highly suggest Brother P-Touch, especially the 3/4" TZ tapes, as you get the most color choices [I use bright yellow]. Although the computer printer one lets you print the most varied stuff, for organization, you just want to be able to grab it and get a label, and the ones with the built in keyboard do better for that. I've also labeled power bricks, so I have some clue what they're for [both stored, and when I need to pull something to free up a plug on the power strip, so the ones in use, as well]
Oh, and for some reason, all of my home improvement projects seem to involve security [replacing doors], or adding shelving. I've also adapted the crawl space that's accessed from my basement so I have an extra 16' x 4' of storage that takes the long term storage, which I keep in the 70qt containers [stacked two high, and two deep, so I could fit lots more, if need be, but I need to better organize, so I don't have to pull out 5+ of 'em next year when I'm searching for halloween stuff again]
Well, I don't know about this website, with with any browser discussion, there always seems to be that one person who states something like 'only x% of people use a browser other than [the one I checked my site it], so I didn't see the point in being cross-browser compatable'.
Well, if the average person visits 5 pages on your site, but those with a browser in which the site renders like crap bug out after the first page, looking at logs for percentages are completely useless. And the odds of them returning are significantly slimmer, which can significantly affect the logs further.
So, we have to ask ourselves -- are there blind people who want to read Slashdot, but have tried in the past, and decided it was useless, and gave up? Those people are more important to capture as an audience in the long run that those who muddle through. [But it's nice to help those who muddle through, as well]
Slashdot Mirror
Most people haven't even figured out how to make a page look good in more than one browser.
See the Any Browser Campaign.
[And I don't mean 'detect what browser they're using, and serve them a page that's specially tailored to their browser', I mean making a single page that is written to the standards, and doesn't look like crap when some new unknown browser renders it]
We know JavaScript isn't good for 'Any Browser', as there are browsers that don't support it -- and it's even frowned upon by the WAI
Wait for the first person you see use a turn signal.
Even odds the vehicle doesn't have Kentucky plates.
[I'm originally from the DC area -- I lived in Lexington, KY for a couple of years. When I first got there, I was driving with some co-workers in my car, and I looked over my shoulder before changing lanes -- they asked me why I did that. I told them I was checking my blind spot. One of them asked me why I would have to do that.]
No, you'll still get the idiot trying to make a call, and hear through the bad static.
h ree-decades ago point.
I'm guessing you'll get a better impact from the EMF causing brain tumors, and killing people before they get to their geriatric-should-have-had-their-license-revoked-t
With a tracked, sliding door, you could in theory get a decent seal, but I doubt it'd be enough to withstand both wear from repeated opening and closing, and the pressure created by the explosive decompression of a spaceship.
I would assume that this comes down to one of three things --
My understanding, based on earlier articles that have been posted on this website, is that the RFID tags are specifically built to withstand these sorts of problems.
They disconnect their antenna if they sense a surge to protect their circuitry.
And it makes sense -- if you're using these for tracking merchandice, you wouldn't want some shoplifter taking the RFID equivalent to a tazer with them, shorting out the RFIDs, and then walking out with your product.
(personally, I didn't see anything new from this article than any of the other articles posted before on the subject. I don't think there have been particular suggestions of targeting window shoppers, but the general proximity issues have mentioned repeatedly before)
Let me rephrase that...
I care about functionality related to its being a phone, and being useful to me as a phone. I don't care about it being used as a web browser, game system, PDA, remote terminal, phone, instant messaging client, or any of the other new features they're merging into today's phones.
I do care about ease of use, clarity of signal, size, weight, expected time on a single charge, cost and availability of replacement chargers, and hell, I'd even like to have it receive phone calls, as well as be able to make them.
Better?
[And I also miss rubber buttons -- these all metal ones might look nice, but you have to look at the phone to use it, as they're so slick, you can't tell if you're on the button or not when holding it]
My cellphone up and died last month, and I went to replace it. I asked at a few other carriers how long it would take to get my number moved to their service, and when they were telling me anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 weeks, I went back to SprintPCS.
Unfortunately, they no longer carry the plain, simple phone style that I prefer. [I was using an LG 4NE1, and before that, a Touchpoint, and before that, one of the early Sony models].
They tried pushing a picture phone one me, and I didn't want it. I got stuck with a Samsung that I'm really unhappy with. It may look all slick with its color screen, and flip action, but it just doesn't deliver in terms of simple functionality that I used to have.
I only bought this particular model because it closed, so the buttons were protected, so I wouldn't call people accidentially when it presses against my keys. Unfortunately, I can't easily open it one handed, and with the screen on the inside, I have to open it to see who's calling.
I should've just dealt with not having a phone for a week or so, and have bought a replacement 4NE1 off of eBay.
Hell, even the ring tones are particularly annoying -- most likely, so you'll use the cool feature of downloading new, snazzy ringtones they can charge $2 each for. And of course, the $15/month service to be able to download the ringtones. But they don't even have The Liberty Bell March, so I can't get back my old one.
It all comes down to the basics of an product design -- the more features you put into something, the more likely it's going to break. I want a phone that makes phone calls, and has a way to store phone numbers. That's all I care about.
[And I'd like a service provider that doesn't make me wait 3 hrs, then tell me there's nothing they can do about the fact there's constant static on my new phone. Mind you, it took them all of 30 sec to tell me that, after they wasted 3 hrs to flash it to new firmware, which was NOT what I brought it in for]
With POP, your mail program grabs the files without your asking. For those people using Outlook (assuming it hasn't changed since I did tech support for an ISP), they only have an indication as to what number message they're on.
... she gave me permission to look at her mail, and I found 4 large messages from the same person. She told me that was her brother, to delete them all, and that she'd tell him to stop sending her crap]
So, when they've been sitting there for 10 minutes, and it hasn't progressed, they think something's wrong, break the connection, and try again.
With a web based mail client, you know there's an attachment ahead of time, and with good ones, it'll give you an indication of size, so you can estimate how long it'll take... and you know who it's from, and the name of it, so you can delete it if it's a duplicate, or something that you don't care about, without being forced to download it, then delete it.
[I remember once, I had someone call up -- complained her mail was broken. I checked out her mailbox size, and it was huge
Are you trying to build network admins, system admins, user support personel, operations staff, or what?
I've actually thought quite a bit about this, as I used to work in higher education (user support, programming, system administration), and I believe that there are two key aspects that you're missing:
You also have to give the students some choices. You should have more classes offered than are needed to graduate, and designate them as core and elective.
I'm going to assume that a person is going to take 15 credits per semester, with there being 4 semesters for an associate's degree, 8 semesters for a bachelor's, and am going to ignore master's, and assume that those folks would be in IT management (MIS, or Engineering Management degrees).
I would want someone working on an associates to intern at least one summer, and a bachelor at least two. Also, work study [about 10hrs per week, qualifying for 3 credit hours per semester] for 1/2 their semesters. I'd prefer each of them to do their first semester in user services, no matter what the discipline, as system administrators need to have an appreciation for what the front line support has to go through.
Work study tasks might include such IT related tasks at the university as telephone support, supporting a computer lab, or being assigned to a specific academic or administrative department to handle their support issues. They might work inside the university's data center, helping with network wiring, configuring hardware and racking systems, but well, that all depends on the size of the data center.
They should be working with full time staff members, not left on their own, like overnight operators monitoring logs. [maybe as a paid job if they're known to be trustworthy, but not as part of work study]. For those doing user support, they should be able to escallate problems to other full time staff members, should it be outside of their scope.
Okay, this message is getting too damned long... Here's a few thoughts about classes. Which ones are core, and which ones are elective, and which go with which specialization can be worked out later. [some should be apparent] Not all of these would be 3 credits.
Well, you get the idea... There's so many more classes that you could teach. I haven't even touched upon hardware, and only barely on OSes.
Oh, and for the core c
I mean, someone with a BA or BS in Computer Science is just another person looking for a job...
Now, if you push some of your other traits, you might have some better luck.
First, you're willing to relocate, and that's a big thing... it means that you'll go to where they pay's good. But then you also have that liberal arts degree... you might want to look at a company that's trying to sell products to spanish speaking persons -- I would assume that having programmers who are mutlilingual would be an advantage over needing seperate programmers and translators to handle everything. [Yes, yes, I know about i18n, but it helps to have someone who can help debug in the different languages]
Personally, I work as a programmer, and just spent a siginificant time in finding a new job, but I wasn't willing to relocate [not even locally], I'm not willing to deal with a long commute (Washington, DC metro area, but I'm not willing to go to Virginia or Rockville), and I'm rather strict about who I work for [non-profits, education, government]. Luckily, I had some good code samples, and enough savings so I wasn't forced into taking another job where I would slowly killing myself from stress.
Oh...and the other advantage to working oversees -- the first um....$65k? $85k? is tax exempt...check with an accountant. [federal, is my understanding...not sure if it applies to states, too.]
You could also join the military, if you're so inclined...lots of travel there.
When dealing with data storage, you have to look at how and when you attempt to retrieve data. If you only have to look through your records once a year, and it takes 2 hours to go through it, it's not efficient to sort anything if it's going to take you more than 2 hours per year.
Now, yes, there are issues with risk, and that if you have reason to go through the records twice as often, then it becomes worthwhile to index, but likewise, if you have no reason to go through the records, you're wasting time by organizing.
If you're thinking of this as a data warehouse, you'd heavily index it, but rarely update it. That's not the case with this, unless you're looking for something multiple times per month, you're updating it more often than retrieving. So you have to balance how much work goes into indexing, and how much time is saved by that indexing.
So, anyway, here's my method --
I have a hanging folders with major categories (utilities, telecommunications, financial, insurance, home, receipts, etc). In each of those, I have various manilla folders for each company or account that I have to deal with (eg, Utilities : electric, oil; Telecom: land line, DSL, DSS, cell phone)
I then do absolutely nothing with them, and let all of my bills collect up throughout my house, and forget to pay my bills... once I notice I'm overdue on a bill, I pay it, and enough to cover me for 3-4 months past that. Every 6-9 months or so, I get sick of the piles of crap, and sort them into the folders.
If you read the article, no where in it does it use the word 'invent', which would be to make a novel (ie, new) item. The person paraphrasing the article either thought it was new, or didn't understand the implications of the word.
The whole motor in the wheel concept has been in use for axial-flux motors for at least eight years that I can confirm, as I helped to build one for the 1995 GM SunRayce. I have no idea how much older than that they've been in use, but I know we were working off of an Australian design.
[The only difference being, in that case, the stator was a disk, and so, we had some issues with centrifugal action trying to fling the magnets off, which you wouldn't have with a cylinder]
However, there would be a load on the server handling the mailing list, as in the case of a client/server system like SMTP, when you make a connection, you're acting as a client. In a 'typical' mail setup these days, sending to a mailing list, when you're not reading mail local to the server:
- The sender generates the message on their local system, and sends it to their local outbound SMTP relay.
- The local outbound SMTP relay delivers the message to the MX for the mailing list.
- The list server multiplexes the messages, and delivers a copy of the message to the associated MX for each list recipient
- The recipient pulls the message down from their local server
So, in this, we have three SMTP transfers, and the last connection is IMAP, POP, or whatever. The mailing list has overhead, as they have to perform the check each time they have a new mail server to send to. Therefore, the issue isn't linked to the number of new messages pumped through, but to the number of new signups on the list. So long as the list server sends out a 'welcome' message, the load is spread out with the new signups, not a sudden hit of a message going out after a hundred new signups.And with a good confirmation system, that would happen spread out with the list subscription, not when the list is sending the message. So, it's not a real issue, but the list server does originate the transfer at one stage in the message path.
Odds are, your parents never will be. The only way you'll get the majority of the population to linux is to bring linux down to them.
c'mon, we live in a society where people can't figure out how to set the time on a VCR. You think they're going to take the time to 'learn' an OS? Most people are happy with a 4 year old system that lets them check their e-mail, save the pictures people send them, view web pages, and maybe word processing and a spreadsheet.
Now, to keep this from being completely off topic -- you're probably doing more harm than good by putting them behind a home brew firewall, unless you're going to be keeping it updated for them. I'd recommend for general consumer use sticking with ZoneAlarm, along with AdAware and some virus protection software, and maybe some anti-spam service.
The reason the movie website is 'irobotnow.com' is that iRobot is the folks that make the Roomba vaccuum, and military robots.
So well, if Apple had an issue, they'd have already been bitching.
Of the languages I've learned, quite a few have been from academic sources:
But I'd have to say that the class that helped me so much wasn't relevant to the language itself -- it was how you thought about the programming.
These days, resources are so cheap, that it's no big deal if it takes too long to run, runs out of memory, or is 25M of source on disk -- you just upgrade the computer. But in taking assembly, you had to learn the tradeoffs between code size, memory usage, and speed. That's helped me more than anything else, in my opinion, as it's helped me look at my work in a different light. If you understand how the computer's handling your code, you can optimize it. eg:
is slower than
You just have to think of your arrays in backwards order, or make sure they're not order dependent.
Reasons for the speed increase:
If you do it as
Doesn't solve the second issue, and it requires more memory.
The intro to Fortran class I took also stressed language independant concepts -- pseudocode -- breaking everything down into its component parts before you write it. I was never a fan of flowcharts, but I often have blocks of pseudocode in the comments of a perl or PHP script, so I can go back years later, and remember what I was trying to do.
Normally, when ISPs are quoting speeds, they specifically state that it is a 'up to' whatever speed. There's also what's known as a CIR -- Committed Information Rate, which is the speed they promise that you will always get. However, most companies don't promise a CIR anymore. Most residential connections don't come with any form of SLA [a service level agreement, basically a guaranteed level of service].
Trust me on this -- the companies have lawyers who have looked over what's required to make sure they stay profitable, and there are very good odds that their actions are legal [although, it may be required for a judge to make the final determination], but it's very doubtful they're just doing this out of the blue.
I have fought an ISP and won -- when they raised my rates over 100% without notification, but it took me many hours of work to get it all cleared up. [And I switched carriers as soon as I could get a new circuit up, as they refused to file a Covad switch form]
Right now, I'm using SpeakEasy, and I'm very happy with them, and have refered others to them, but they have covered themselves, so they could shut me off if they felt I was a problem user:
(Acceptable Usage Policy / Terms of Service)
There's normally some sort of clause in there, about how they have the right to refluse you service. It's true in almost every industry out there. [I think medical, and insurance have some issues, where they're not allowed to reject you outright, but I'm not in either of those industries, so I'm bound to be wrong].
ISPs are not in the business to lose money. If they have someone filling their pipe 24x7, it's costing them more money than what they're bringing in. It doesn't make sense from a commercial standpoint to provide service to these people, and it's entirely possible that those people are detrimentally impacting the service for the rest of the customers.
I used to work for an ISP, but before the days of DSL, and I know our main issue was people staying dialed up all the time (a phone line was costing us $70/month, we were charging $20/month). Our AUP had stated specifically 'unlimited personal interactive use'. Now, we didn't go after those people who were sharing with their family, or stuff like that, but if you were up 24x7, we took issue -- you had to sleep sometime, and that was not part of the 'unlimited' plan.
[that's not to say that someone downloading a software update overnight, they weren't, unless they were doing it every night (we had a user who had less than 1 hour offline, over a 3 week period, and we had a plan for dedicated line, and it was more than $20/months).
So, let's look at this from the ISP's side -- they let you get away with it. They let your friends get away with it. They lose money. They go out of business. You have to find a new ISP, that might be even less forgiving.
So, my message to you -- get over it. There is no such thing as a free ride, and you shouldn't ever expect to get one. Talk to your ISP. Talk to a supervisor or manager, explain what your usage pattern is, and why you're doing it. Ask them if they can work with you. Odds are, they will, if you make some concessions. They might tell you what their off-peak times are, and so, if you run all of your massive downloads at that time, it won't impact them as much. Maybe you can agree to traffic shaping at the really bad times.
[we had users that we agreed to leave on, even with them online for 16+hrs/day, with the understanding that should the modem banks fill up, they'd be knocked offline to make room for other users]
- You want more lines than the current box allows (second phone, SDSL, etc)
- The current box doesn't have a place for you to tap off of to check the lines (ie, if you can't get a dial tone from that point, it's the LEC's problem, not yours)
- older, sub standard wiring (mine had a football [markings of a cable splice]) already on the line
- You're getting below 4800 bps on your modem
I'm sure there are others, too, but those are the ones I can think of.I bought my house, and was scheduled for an install before the 2000 Verizon strike -- when the guy came out, he saw that I had an old box (1930's home), I told him I was planning on getting a DSL line (I'm maybe 500 yards from the CO), and there were signs that the line had been spiced at least once before --
He said this was his territory, and he'd rather fix it up now, rather than have to come back later, so got a second guy to come down and direct traffic around him while he climbed the pole. He did a great job.
Although, when my SDSL line came in, they put it on pair 6, not pair 2, like we were expecting, so the Covad folks spent a bit of time trying to debug, not realizing why they weren't getting signal.
I guess it's my packrat nature, but well, I know I got two telco racks for free (someone moving out of the building we were moving our offices into, and they were tossed in the dumpster).
I also watch the auctions. (in the DC area, Rasmus.com has quite a few). Of course, they're not as often as they were a couple years back, but you can still dig up good deals on racks/cabinets/UPSes/whatever.
However, the original poster asked for detailed specifications, on the order of the BTX form factor specifications. You don't need that level of detail (ie, hole patterns), if you're buying rails. He didn't ask for suggestions on building your own, just the specifications. He did ask for some cost effective solutions for UPSes, switches, and cases, but not the racks. [and for those, I'd go with auctions, although, for a UPS, you'll have to change out the batteries sooner than if bought new]
Personally, I'd never build my own, as it'd require a lot of precision drilling and tapping, and I'm just not set up for doing that sort of work in my shop.
What you're looking for is "EIA-310-D". Unfortunately, when I try to search for it, all I'm finding is companies quoting that their racks comply with the specifications.
And would that error be who should have rightfully been elected?
Or is it an off-by-one error on the count?
[Two very different errors, in my opinion]
Plano's great for storing small stuff, but well, it's all about what you're storing.
I use an older model, similar to the 1234 for miniatures (Warhammer 40k). The trays are good for sorting arms and weapons and such, and you can drop the bits for a guy you're working on in one of the compartments, and the larger space in the top I use for paints, and the top bit for my pin vice, brushes, and other long items [had to make some modifications to the case for that]
For small computer parts that you have to be more mobile with (ie, drop it in a bag, and go), I prefer something that has a more durable lock. For that, I use the 'tough cases' from DeWalt -- you have to release two locks to get things out (one to split it in half, a second to open a side), and you can't close it without making sure the two sides are locked.
I keep compartments for PCI blanks, assorted Sun and rack keys, 10-32 rack screws, smaller screws, etc.
Plano tackle boxes are best if you have lots and lots of little bits, but only a small volume of each thing. I don't think I could keep my legos in Plano, as I have too many, and well, there are so many parts that wouldn't fit well into the sizes that I've seen available.
However, I stick with clear storage (although it's not as pretty, when people are looking at the stuff inside, but it doesn't look that disorganized, as I stick with smaller containers, so you just see the repetition of 18qt containers.)
Unfortunately, the 18qt containers are just a shade too large to fit 3 wide on a 36" shelf. [it's a press fit, and the middle one goes in last]. As for the Wire Tech shelves, I use the same, and have consolidated multiple sets to get better shelf density. [I've been collecting them at Target when there are sales...although they don't tend to have the 24x48 ones anymore]
Anyway, one of the important things to consider is what the size of the items you're looking to store, and the bulkiness. To put things into perspective, the 18qt containers fit the parts for a rebel blocade runner with room to spare, and it's a damned tight fit for the imperial star destroyer.
But I find that with too large of containers, I'm in no better situation then when I started for computer parts -- using the 18qts, I have one each for scsi cables, power cables, audio/visual, mice and peripherals, internal drives, internal cables, misc. cards, etc. I have 24 bins crammed into 18"x36" shelving [8 shelves], and I have another set of shelves for random computers and larger stuff.
I've also gone to the trouble of labelling the bins, so there's no confusion -- I highly suggest Brother P-Touch, especially the 3/4" TZ tapes, as you get the most color choices [I use bright yellow]. Although the computer printer one lets you print the most varied stuff, for organization, you just want to be able to grab it and get a label, and the ones with the built in keyboard do better for that. I've also labeled power bricks, so I have some clue what they're for [both stored, and when I need to pull something to free up a plug on the power strip, so the ones in use, as well]
Oh, and for some reason, all of my home improvement projects seem to involve security [replacing doors], or adding shelving. I've also adapted the crawl space that's accessed from my basement so I have an extra 16' x 4' of storage that takes the long term storage, which I keep in the 70qt containers [stacked two high, and two deep, so I could fit lots more, if need be, but I need to better organize, so I don't have to pull out 5+ of 'em next year when I'm searching for halloween stuff again]
Well, I don't know about this website, with with any browser discussion, there always seems to be that one person who states something like 'only x% of people use a browser other than [the one I checked my site it], so I didn't see the point in being cross-browser compatable'.
Well, if the average person visits 5 pages on your site, but those with a browser in which the site renders like crap bug out after the first page, looking at logs for percentages are completely useless. And the odds of them returning are significantly slimmer, which can significantly affect the logs further.
So, we have to ask ourselves -- are there blind people who want to read Slashdot, but have tried in the past, and decided it was useless, and gave up? Those people are more important to capture as an audience in the long run that those who muddle through. [But it's nice to help those who muddle through, as well]