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User: richardlvance

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  1. Re: Can't turn, can't climb, can't run on The New F-35 Is So Stealthy, It's Harder To Train Pilots (airforcetimes.com) · · Score: 1

    Close air support is done with drone swarms

  2. Re: so first she claims there was no server on Clinton Home Servers Had Ports Open (ap.org) · · Score: 1

    Pls ppl. Govt officials are lawyers. Lawyers know what a "server" is? Seriously?

    That page boy/girl that you may harrass for sex and drinks is the political server.

  3. Must know the foundation that you are building on. on What Are the Genuinely Useful Ideas In Programming? · · Score: 1

    Load Accumulator (lda)
    Add an integer (add)
    Store Accumulator (sta)

    Most CS graduates have no idea what this is, and that's the problem with CS.

  4. Re:When you don't want a reference on Ask Slashdot: When Is It OK To Not Give Notice? · · Score: 1

    Do not EVER burn bridges. You may have decided you would rather live under a bridge than go back. But forever is a long time and all things do change in time.

  5. Re:Computers can't add? on Medical Costs Bankrupt Patients; It's the Computer's Fault · · Score: 1

    It is always the management. And always about $. Their personal pocket $. If no more $ for them they move on. Always.

  6. Re:simple on Ask Slashdot: Preventing Snowden-Style Security Breaches? · · Score: 1

    Simple. Do good, make people working for you feel they're doing something good for the world.

    Nobody is talking about the fact that these government agencies, contractors, and individuals can easily do a silent Snowden and sell their secrets to the highest corporate bidder, giving inside access to the juicy contracts, and ways to destroy competition. The commercial aspects of the government AND CONTRACTORS seeing all eye is much worse than the governmental prosecution fears. Those on the inside have the gold and make the rules. Our President his staff, the entire useless congress and their staffs have no clue what the NSA/CIA/FBI/DHS is saying to them.... They have NO imagination and live in fear bowing to the Generals to "protect" us. Ben Franklin should have talked louder..

  7. Re:Of course not on Ask Slashdot: Will the NSA Controversy Drive People To Use Privacy Software? · · Score: 1

    Why would the average person give a fuck about their privacy? Most people have nothing to hide, and unless they are a fanatic or a hobbyist, they could not care less who reads their stuff.

    This security stuff is NOT about the average guy, though. It's about movers and shakers... politicians, lawyers, businessmen, members of the media... people who have power in some ways to affect change, and who communicate in ways which REQUIRE privacy.

    Likewise, the NSA monitoring the average person does not matter in the least. It is about them monitoring movers and shakers. It's about people who could potentially upset the powers that be.

    So cut me a break with the ruminations about whether Joe Six Pack or Susy Soccer Mom is going to encrypt their email. The real question will be, will the next candidate for high office, who aims to shake things up, and who thinks the current Republicratic overlords need to GTFO... the question is... will he us it, and will he continue to be monitored.

    Joe six pack is being watched.

  8. No I don't have anything to hide. So what! Damn snoops have no business in my business. I'm trying the new Japanese University experiment VPN. Works pretty good, so far. And anything private goes on over something NOT called YAHOO, GOOGLE, MICROSUCKS, etc.

    Have you hear of management by exception? That "meta-data"? Those supercomputers work continuously building patterns for each person, each device. Then when your pattern changes, voila, the evil roving eye swings your way. The FBI is a domestic shill for the NSA so as to allow monitoring of citizens that is expressly forbidden by law (or was). And they have a file on every citizen and not in the USA and likely most of the planet. Mess with them. Move your IP to Japan, Korea, Mexico. Move lots. And post as a coward.

  9. Re:Smart Guy on Ask Slashdot: How Would You Convince Someone To Give Up an Old System? · · Score: 1

    The smart people know that you never suggest something unless you are prepared to do the work yourself. Its called volunteering your time for free. So smart people just work around it until a new "smarter" guy comes along and suggests and gets nominated to do the work. Do not EVER volunteer.

  10. Re:I think that's all college students on Ask Slashdot: Rectifying Nerd Arrogance? · · Score: 1

    Yes, a few weeks at Paris Island is what's needed..

  11. Re:Yes on Ask Slashdot: The Search For the Ultimate Engineer's Pen · · Score: 1

    It's called a pencil.

    Agreed, mechanical pencil.

  12. Re:Signal isn't chaning, the noise floor is on Ask Slashdot: Why Does Wireless Gear Degrade Over Time? · · Score: 1

    Agree. What's missing from this debate is science AKA the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
    All things degrade over time and at differing rates.
    The big decay amplifier is heat.
    So focus on heat and you find the power supply #1, the actual transmitter #2.
    heat X time = degradation

    Things known to degrade at a high rate, capacitors, other analog devices.
    Digital devices degrade but with only two states it typically takes longer for the states to become non-deterministic and the new devices with very low voltages have less room for error.

    A gentleman above provided an elegant solution. Measure the output of the power supply and if lagging get a new one.
    Problem fixed.

    There is a huge problem in the knowledge set of slashdot being software people who have no clue of the underlying structures and perticularly reliability and safety disciplines.

  13. Re:Extreme on New Material Can Store Vast Amounts of Energy · · Score: 1

    Hmmm,

    Not sure of the physics here but if it can store that much energy and energy always finds its way (eventually) to heat don't we have a fantastic heat engine source? Drive your heat engine car coast to coast no refueling?

  14. OldEngineer on Why Are Digital Hearing Aids So Expensive? · · Score: 1

    Size Matters

  15. High Speed Rail on Obama Proposes High-Speed Rail System For the US · · Score: 1

    Yes I would travel on it and in many cases I would prefer that to air travel.
    To work the rail needs a mixture of Express and Roundabout. There must also be a car/train on the major routes as in the Amtrak train to Florida where you take the car with you on a flat bed.

  16. Re:Wow. Just wow. on SCO Proposes Sale of Assets To Continue Litigation · · Score: 1

    Sorry to burst your bubble but those lawyers who deserve worse than death were paid by the hour and are laughing all the way to the bank.

    So tell me again why you didn't go to law school?

  17. Only have to ask Old Engineers why law and medicin on Why Is US Grad School Mainly Non-US Students? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I graduated with a BSE in 1973 and later received an MBA. In my wide experience an engineer has about 15 good years before the $ increases cease and the juicy assignments start flowing to new grads. The terminal phase of an engineer is management and he will never equal his law and medicine alumni in wages earned. There is no respect for engineering in America, you will never see a 'Marcus Welby, PE" show on TV. Until one actually has to have a PE license to practice engineering this will not change. Corporate America has always controlled the engineering salaries by manipulating supply and demand. Now there is unlimited supply from India, China, and the like. So the "smarter" Americans go into Law and Medicine so they can make money from those newly minted foreign born engineers. As an aside I would recommend that the new grads go into international finance and move to London.

    Cheers,
    Old Engineer

  18. Tech support on CBC Recommends Linux To Average User · · Score: 2, Informative

    Tech support. I switched to LINUX and my browser won't work. Hello? Tech support??

  19. Mercury pollution on GE Announces Advancement in Incandescent Technology · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Note that micro-flourescents contain mercury that if not re-cycled ends up in landfills. Any legislating that mandates the use of mercury devices shall also mandate a recycling by manufacturers and consumers. In this instance (though I also have reservations about GE "timing) I say GO FOR IT GE. If incandescents can match or come close to mercury devices we should have it.

  20. I'll take Plasma on Plasma or LCD? · · Score: 1

    Plasma is BRIGHT even in sunlight (tho obviously not as you would wish). The colors contrast nicely. LCDs do not have the contrast. If you live in an area where your home air conditioning consists mostly of heating the plasma adds a nice set of BTUs to the room. If you need mostly cooling go for the LCD.

  21. IT and Divorce on IT and Divorce? · · Score: 1

    Need statistical evaluation to see the relation between IT and divorce. There are always multiple factors and cause and effect are not what they seem. You may want to look at your commmunity situation. Some areas of the country have very high divorce rates and you will find concentrations of some type of work or profession there that may provide a casual link. For example, here in Huntsville, AL we are chock full of engineers and scientists, mostly male. The ratio of men to women is high. The women have their pick and they don't mind the divorce to move up that ladder. American women in general are spoiled; so many Americn men are going overseas to find brides. Look for that phenomena to continue.

  22. Don't use non-deterministic features on Ultra-Stable Software Design in C++? · · Score: 1

    Just use the C stuff within C++. Spawning stuff in run time (with hope it actually gets killed when you destruct) is dangerous to stability. Don't use virtual file systems (operating system). Go back to good old days of static coding. Load once and everything you need is in memory, data is initialized at load time as well as at first useage. Kepp it simple and it should be predictable, (stable).

  23. moving to contracts on Moving from a Permanent Position to Contract Work? · · Score: 1

    The only thing "better" about contracting is dropping the facade
    of job security. The golden handcuffs are gone and both sides
    know that it only takes a minute to close up your laptop and
    fill your carry out box. Two weeks notice not required, though
    with a good rlationship a contractor wil have more notice than that.
    One talks to the customer about contract money frequently. You will
    know where you stand.

    The downside is all the self employment paperwork hassle from the
    government who is "here to help you." Between Fed/State/Unemployment/licenses
    you will be driven to distracion.

    As to working hours there is the odd job where you can be free. But
    it is a working day world and the customer expects you to be there
    when he is there. No, you don't have to live with the employee manual
    but if you are not there when the customer needs you, you may not
    be there very long. Very few projects are "team of one."

    I've had two nice gigs. One was telework with a customer in another state.
    The other was pulling the graveyard shift in a lab of tech company.
    The military computer box being developed was too expensive to make
    more. For development work the prototype was put to work 24/7 and
    the contractor got it all to himself till the sun did rise.

    Another perk is to be able to work for different companies
    at the same time. It gives you new views and opportunities.

    Be sure to fill your retirement accounts as that is all you can count on.
    You ain't getting any younger.

    OldEngineer

  24. Re:As a resident of Manhattan... on Many Tools of Big Brother Are Up and Running · · Score: 1

    The job of the government is NOT to protect
    Manhatten or any other place or people.
    The job of the government is to protect
    and defend the sacred constitution of this
    United States of America.

    Think hard about the difference.

    By denigrating our constitution we are not
    America anymore. The terrorists have easily
    won already. The US government is working
    to aid them in the destruction of our way of life.

    This is fundamental stuff. I wonder what Patrick
    Henry would say to you wimps who think it
    is the governments' job to protect your hairy butts?

  25. Re:Too Late on Many Tools of Big Brother Are Up and Running · · Score: 1

    How many of you folks know that a photo image is
    made of the front of every piece of snail mail sent? I'm not making this up (wish I was).
    I can just see Poindexter grinning as he databases
    all your snail mail whilst you thought he was
    just looking at your cyber stuff.

    The reason for the photo copy is to aid the
    automated handwriting analyzer. If it is
    stumped the image is projected on to the screen
    of a human who then enters corrections, etc.
    The fact that each one is imaged leads to
    the possibility of a huge civilian spying
    operation AND WE HAD NO CLUE.

    Big Brother was never as nice.