The rudest thing about cellphone conversations currently is that the conversation intrudes upon you, but you are excluded from participating because you only hear half the conversation.
At least with communicator pins you hear both sides and can "contribute" with your own comments...
That's true, but I'll often trade "the best" for "gets the job done" if it means I can carry around fewer gadgets. I used to have a watch. I don't bother -- the time is on my cellphone. Okay, I have to pull it out of my pocket, so it doesn't tell time as well as a watch in that regard. Then again, my cell phone time is always correct since it gets the time from my carrier.
Likewise, I used to carry a PDA. Kept me organized. Phone numbers? Now those are in my cell phone. Schedule? In my phone. Alarm clock while traveling? Yep, phone.
It isn't as convenient a timepiece as a watch, doesn't store addresses as well as my PDA, has much more limited calendar functions, and isn't as good as a bedside alarm, but I only have to carry ONE item to replace all those others... so I do.
"What's to keep Google-bombers from marking down the significance of real links in order to increase the rank of their links?"
One way to mitigate it is simply to let a given IP address mark a link as good or bad only once. The bomber would have to use a multitude of IP addresses in order to make any significant counter to the huge number of legitimate users that would be marking them down. It would be too labor intensive and therefore cost prohibitive.
My favorite two games are Civilization 3 and The Sims. Civ is pretty darn linear, but The Sims is definitely non-linear. Yes, you can play it linearly, but only if you CHOOSE to do so. Sims 2 comes out this fall and looks incredible compared to the original.
Since we already have non-linear games (not even counting MMORPHs) -- and they're already more engaging than most movies -- I'd say that there is no stretch in predicting that in 30 years we'll be playing games that are non-linear and more engaging than most movies... That prediction would have been a bit more timely 30 years ago than it is today.
A guy I know that works at SLAC as an astrophysicist theorized it's not something that's expanding the universe, it's nothing. He was referring to a possible 'vacuum of space' that is pulling the matter and energy into the...uh, nothingness I guess.
It's an interesting thought, but it assumes that something exists outside the universe which acts on the universe. If something interacts with our universe then it is PART of our universe. All interaction is mediated by some exchange: photons, gravitons, etc. If the particles in question can move from "here" to "there" and back again, then the place in question is INSIDE the universe.
Also, the idea that it is a pressure gradient at work is contrary to the evidence. The rate of expansion is INCREASING. If this is a pressure gradient of some form it would be DECREASING over time. It's just like an aerosol can: when it's full the contents spray very quickly, but as it gets close to empty the velocity of the emitted contents diminishes.
The Register article links to an April 9th Register article which quotes the Wall Street Journal as their source for saying that the Big Five wanted the higher prices and were trying to force Apple to comply:
Jobs today said that Apple has the largest online music catalog in the world, touting over 700,000 songs from over 450 independent labels as well as the big Five.
I've also read that Apple offered the SAME EXACT TERMS to indies that the Big Five get.
Full article here:
http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=24469
Say the distance to the top is 40 feet. Bring a 39 foot tall bucket and fill it to the top. Stick your 40 foot straw into it (thus reaching the ground). The water level in the straw will be (approximately) the same as the water level in the bucket. Just suck it the remaining foot.
Thanks for the URL. That's a useful looking list. Glancing through it, I notice that the postings appear predominantly to be from various interested individuals and from security research firms. In line with the original discussion here, does Apple post the details of the vulnerabilities here or is it strictly third-party?
Because we all know Security by Obscurity is the best approach. Funny, Microsoft gets attacked at slashdot for taking too long to patch an issue, and Apple gets a free pass for ignoring them?
No, that's NOT what is being discussed. Apple tends to patch very quickly and quite regularly. However, the information about exactly what is being patched is usually limited to the programs or processes being patched (Safari, Finder, etc.). The discussion is whether or not Apple should be communicating more completely the nature of the security problems it is fixing.
As a geek I'd like to know exactly what the problems were, but that's strictly to satisfy my idle curiosity. I have to admit that it may be better that the details aren't published. I can live without the details (i.e.: a buffer overflow in the XYZ module), but others may feel that the exact exploit *should* be announced. Since I don't have access to the rest of the code, I don't see any reason we should be given the details of a particular patch.
Anyway, the point is that it's not about Apple ignoring or responding to holes: it's Apple's publication of the nature of the holes that is at issue here.
Email gets picked up by your email client. An email virus must then be run from the message either by opening the attachment or (for some Outlook versions) by having Outlook open it for you. Even just receiving a copy of an email virus requires that you run your email client.
In the case of the Sasser worm, it is using an open port to crawl directly into your computer when you connect to the internet. There is no action required on the part of the user and no infected file to load. Windows simple accepts the connection and installs the worm.
That's why worms are "more directly from the internet" than email-based viruses.
If it takes several hours of brow-beating to elicit a confession, maybe your users are simply confessing to make the torture stop.
Seriously, if this is how you support your clients you're causing more problems than you're fixing, and your clients are probably just living with a large number of problems you never see simply because they dread the thought of calling you. At this point you likely have NO CLUE what the real situation is among your workforce.
I can't say I blame you for posting as AC. That's shameful.
I think you're worried about something that happens, but isn't a useful eavesdropping technique. Suppose that you have a device for emitting single photons. Further suppose that the emitter accidentally emits two photons for a single bit 1% of the time.
If an eavesdropper successfully split the extra photons off, they have successfully captured 1% of the data stream. First off, that's not much data if you want to reconstruct something meaningful in the way of information carried by the stream.
Another problem, however, is the effect of the splitter on the rest of the stream. When a single photon passes the splitter, which path does it choose? If I'm not mistaken, that choice will be at random. If so, then the presence of the splitter becomes immediately detectable because half the single photon pulses never reach their destination. In fact, the number missing is likely to be so close to 50% that the presence of the splitter should be obvious to the bank.
Here's the quote: Median hourly earnings of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters were $16.67. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.81 and $22.18. The lowest ten percent earned less than $10.16 and the highest ten percent earned more than $30.99.
Thanks, but I'll stick to IT. By the way, while I'd like to make more than I do (I'm a departmental SysAdmin at UNC-CH) I *LOVE* my job.
I don't think a lack of credulity on the part of Brits has much to do with -- just do a Google search for "site:.uk crop circles" if you have any doubts. Unconvinced? Try "site:.uk ufo". How about "site:.uk psychic"?
I do suspect that American media has a greater tendency than British media to give coverage to sensational crackpot stories.
Then again, Americans do tend to be more religious than Europeans so we (as a group) are more likely to believe in things the existence of which we cannot prove.
I'm worried that the root of the problem can be found in the words of Arthur C. Clarke: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. For many, many people we have passed that point. Since they don't have any inkling how the technology around them works, it is truly indistinguishable from magic. How can they distinguish herbal remedy snake oil from clinically tested pharmaceuticals? They have no idea what is involved in landing a probe on Mars, they only know we've done it, so why are we surprised that they believe aliens are there as well -- or visiting Earth for that matter?
What we need, IMHO, is to do a better job of teaching critical thinking skills in our schools. We generally teach science in our schools as a big collection of facts while making very little effort to teach the critical thinking skills on which science is founded. When science is presented simply as a collection of facts without really teaching the methodology of science we reduce science to just another belief system. Science is NOT just another faith because it demands testability. When people understand that fact, and understand the methodology of scientific inquiry, only then have we equipped them to separate science from pseudo-science.
"the researchers estimate that the wires should be able to withstand several thousand cycles of extension and contraction."
That's no where NEAR what would be needed for any of the applications they mention. For example, at 70 beats per minute your heart beats 100,800 times per day. Assuming each step a runner takes covers 3 feet (very approximate here), then a "cycle" (back to starting configuration) is 6 ft. That's 880 "cycles" per mile. A single 6 mile run is therefore over 5000 cycles.
Several thousand "cycles of extension and contraction" is not even close to enough for any real world app. Who wants to have that internal heart monitor replaced several times each day? How about that high-tech single use "smart" sweatshirt?
These will need to be in the 100's of thousands to millions of cycles for their lifespan before they have any real utility.
Probably the only actual record the big mac can claim is the shortest time to obsolescence. Not to downplay the achievement though...
Well, it's the fastest supercomputer ever built with off-the-shelf components and the number three fastest machine on the planet -- and that's before the upgrade.
They will probably make quite a decent profit out of this, despite the $200 discount. They must have got pretty decent discount from apple for both bulk buying and promotion. And any self respecting geek will want one of these over a stock G5
As someone else pointed out, these are refurbished by Apple and then sold through MacMall. VT isn't selling them, but traded them back in to Apple for credit towards the Xserves.
Maybe some folks buy Apples without the educational discount because they aren't eligible for it and figure taking a couple of hundred dollars in discounts for which they don't qualify would be stealing.
Honesty/Intregrity can mean paying list price sometimes.
I'm going to have to disagree with you concerning the amount of wear and tear.
Most computers fail either in the first month or so of use or after many years of good use. In the first case it's usually a bad component that slipped by quality control. In the latter it is simply the ravages of time. Longer quality control "burn-in" times would eliminate many of those first month failures, but the vendor really doesn't have the time/space for long burn-ins.
Now, the Number One way to shorten the life of your computer is to turn it on and off frequently. The computer heats up when you run it and cools when it's off. The expansion and contraction of components associated with these temperature changes stresses every solder joint on every component -- and may even stress the chip-level components themselves. To lengthen the life of your hardware (at the cost of extra electricity), leave your system on unless you aren't going to be using it for a significant length of time (i.e.: don't power cycle more than once a day).
These G5's have been on for approximately six months straight in a very well-controlled temperature environment. This is a burn-in that virtually guarantees that there were no manufacturing defects. However, since they weren't power-cycling on a regular basis, it was actually a VERY low-stress environment.
In that case, the 512MB USB Flash drive players are WAY out of your reach since the cheapest of them costs about the same as the Mini iPod, but they have a fraction of the capacity (read the article). In the price range in which the Mini sits it is the best deal for your buck by a long shot.
I don't see you making a point beyond "I wouldn't spend $250 for an MP3 player". Don't know how that modded up "Insightful". The fact that YOU aren't that interested doesn't strike me as particularly "insightful", especially coming from an "Anonymous Coward"...
Well, you can have two kinds of poles: geographic and magnetic.
Magnetic is the way your compass points. Planets do not have to have an appreciable magnetic field, so it is possible to have a planet without a magnetic north.
Geographic is based on the direction of a planet's spin. Here's one way to choose geographic north: the right-hand rule.
Stick out your right-hand like you are going to shake hands, but with your thumb pointing upwards. Now curl your fingers in towards your palm. If the curling of your fingers occurs in the same direction as the planet is spinning then north is in the direction of your thumb. If your fingers are curling opposite to the direction of the spin then your thumb is pointing south.
The right-hand rule is used a great deal in the world of physics.
Actually, wherever you go, you are the center of your observable universe. So for Earth-dwellers, Earth really *is* the center of the (observable) universe.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know -- they could be a real improvement.
The rudest thing about cellphone conversations currently is that the conversation intrudes upon you, but you are excluded from participating because you only hear half the conversation.
At least with communicator pins you hear both sides and can "contribute" with your own comments...
That's true, but I'll often trade "the best" for "gets the job done" if it means I can carry around fewer gadgets. I used to have a watch. I don't bother -- the time is on my cellphone. Okay, I have to pull it out of my pocket, so it doesn't tell time as well as a watch in that regard. Then again, my cell phone time is always correct since it gets the time from my carrier.
Likewise, I used to carry a PDA. Kept me organized. Phone numbers? Now those are in my cell phone. Schedule? In my phone. Alarm clock while traveling? Yep, phone.
It isn't as convenient a timepiece as a watch, doesn't store addresses as well as my PDA, has much more limited calendar functions, and isn't as good as a bedside alarm, but I only have to carry ONE item to replace all those others... so I do.
I'm guessing that you are asking:
"What's to keep Google-bombers from marking down the significance of real links in order to increase the rank of their links?"
One way to mitigate it is simply to let a given IP address mark a link as good or bad only once. The bomber would have to use a multitude of IP addresses in order to make any significant counter to the huge number of legitimate users that would be marking them down. It would be too labor intensive and therefore cost prohibitive.
My favorite two games are Civilization 3 and The Sims. Civ is pretty darn linear, but The Sims is definitely non-linear. Yes, you can play it linearly, but only if you CHOOSE to do so. Sims 2 comes out this fall and looks incredible compared to the original.
Since we already have non-linear games (not even counting MMORPHs) -- and they're already more engaging than most movies -- I'd say that there is no stretch in predicting that in 30 years we'll be playing games that are non-linear and more engaging than most movies... That prediction would have been a bit more timely 30 years ago than it is today.
As far as I can tell, they are NOT suing people for downloading songs. They're suing them for UPLOADS.
A guy I know that works at SLAC as an astrophysicist theorized it's not something that's expanding the universe, it's nothing. He was referring to a possible 'vacuum of space' that is pulling the matter and energy into the...uh, nothingness I guess.
It's an interesting thought, but it assumes that something exists outside the universe which acts on the universe. If something interacts with our universe then it is PART of our universe. All interaction is mediated by some exchange: photons, gravitons, etc. If the particles in question can move from "here" to "there" and back again, then the place in question is INSIDE the universe.
Also, the idea that it is a pressure gradient at work is contrary to the evidence. The rate of expansion is INCREASING. If this is a pressure gradient of some form it would be DECREASING over time. It's just like an aerosol can: when it's full the contents spray very quickly, but as it gets close to empty the velocity of the emitted contents diminishes.
The Register article links to an April 9th Register article which quotes the Wall Street Journal as their source for saying that the Big Five wanted the higher prices and were trying to force Apple to comply:
t _price_hike/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/09/pigopolis
From Mac News Network:
Jobs today said that Apple has the largest online music catalog in the world, touting over 700,000 songs from over 450 independent labels as well as the big Five.
I've also read that Apple offered the SAME EXACT TERMS to indies that the Big Five get.
Full article here:
http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=24469
Say the distance to the top is 40 feet. Bring a 39 foot tall bucket and fill it to the top. Stick your 40 foot straw into it (thus reaching the ground). The water level in the straw will be (approximately) the same as the water level in the bucket. Just suck it the remaining foot.
The trick to this one is "you provide the bucket". Bring a tall enough bucket and this one is easy...
Thanks for the URL. That's a useful looking list. Glancing through it, I notice that the postings appear predominantly to be from various interested individuals and from security research firms. In line with the original discussion here, does Apple post the details of the vulnerabilities here or is it strictly third-party?
Because we all know Security by Obscurity is the best approach. Funny, Microsoft gets attacked at slashdot for taking too long to patch an issue, and Apple gets a free pass for ignoring them?
No, that's NOT what is being discussed. Apple tends to patch very quickly and quite regularly. However, the information about exactly what is being patched is usually limited to the programs or processes being patched (Safari, Finder, etc.). The discussion is whether or not Apple should be communicating more completely the nature of the security problems it is fixing.
As a geek I'd like to know exactly what the problems were, but that's strictly to satisfy my idle curiosity. I have to admit that it may be better that the details aren't published. I can live without the details (i.e.: a buffer overflow in the XYZ module), but others may feel that the exact exploit *should* be announced. Since I don't have access to the rest of the code, I don't see any reason we should be given the details of a particular patch.
Anyway, the point is that it's not about Apple ignoring or responding to holes: it's Apple's publication of the nature of the holes that is at issue here.
Email gets picked up by your email client. An email virus must then be run from the message either by opening the attachment or (for some Outlook versions) by having Outlook open it for you. Even just receiving a copy of an email virus requires that you run your email client.
In the case of the Sasser worm, it is using an open port to crawl directly into your computer when you connect to the internet. There is no action required on the part of the user and no infected file to load. Windows simple accepts the connection and installs the worm.
That's why worms are "more directly from the internet" than email-based viruses.
If it takes several hours of brow-beating to elicit a confession, maybe your users are simply confessing to make the torture stop.
Seriously, if this is how you support your clients you're causing more problems than you're fixing, and your clients are probably just living with a large number of problems you never see simply because they dread the thought of calling you. At this point you likely have NO CLUE what the real situation is among your workforce.
I can't say I blame you for posting as AC. That's shameful.
I think you're worried about something that happens, but isn't a useful eavesdropping technique. Suppose that you have a device for emitting single photons. Further suppose that the emitter accidentally emits two photons for a single bit 1% of the time.
If an eavesdropper successfully split the extra photons off, they have successfully captured 1% of the data stream. First off, that's not much data if you want to reconstruct something meaningful in the way of information carried by the stream.
Another problem, however, is the effect of the splitter on the rest of the stream. When a single photon passes the splitter, which path does it choose? If I'm not mistaken, that choice will be at random. If so, then the presence of the splitter becomes immediately detectable because half the single photon pulses never reach their destination. In fact, the number missing is likely to be so close to 50% that the presence of the splitter should be obvious to the bank.
Plumbers' salary information
Here's the quote:
Median hourly earnings of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters were $16.67. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.81 and $22.18. The lowest ten percent earned less than $10.16 and the highest ten percent earned more than $30.99.
Thanks, but I'll stick to IT. By the way, while I'd like to make more than I do (I'm a departmental SysAdmin at UNC-CH) I *LOVE* my job.
I don't think a lack of credulity on the part of Brits has much to do with -- just do a Google search for "site:.uk crop circles" if you have any doubts. Unconvinced? Try "site:.uk ufo". How about "site:.uk psychic"?
I do suspect that American media has a greater tendency than British media to give coverage to sensational crackpot stories.
Then again, Americans do tend to be more religious than Europeans so we (as a group) are more likely to believe in things the existence of which we cannot prove.
I'm worried that the root of the problem can be found in the words of Arthur C. Clarke: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. For many, many people we have passed that point. Since they don't have any inkling how the technology around them works, it is truly indistinguishable from magic. How can they distinguish herbal remedy snake oil from clinically tested pharmaceuticals? They have no idea what is involved in landing a probe on Mars, they only know we've done it, so why are we surprised that they believe aliens are there as well -- or visiting Earth for that matter?
What we need, IMHO, is to do a better job of teaching critical thinking skills in our schools. We generally teach science in our schools as a big collection of facts while making very little effort to teach the critical thinking skills on which science is founded. When science is presented simply as a collection of facts without really teaching the methodology of science we reduce science to just another belief system. Science is NOT just another faith because it demands testability. When people understand that fact, and understand the methodology of scientific inquiry, only then have we equipped them to separate science from pseudo-science.
From the article:
"the researchers estimate that the wires should be able to withstand several thousand cycles of extension and contraction."
That's no where NEAR what would be needed for any of the applications they mention. For example, at 70 beats per minute your heart beats 100,800 times per day. Assuming each step a runner takes covers 3 feet (very approximate here), then a "cycle" (back to starting configuration) is 6 ft. That's 880 "cycles" per mile. A single 6 mile run is therefore over 5000 cycles.
Several thousand "cycles of extension and contraction" is not even close to enough for any real world app. Who wants to have that internal heart monitor replaced several times each day? How about that high-tech single use "smart" sweatshirt?
These will need to be in the 100's of thousands to millions of cycles for their lifespan before they have any real utility.
Probably the only actual record the big mac can claim is the shortest time to obsolescence. Not to downplay the achievement though...
Well, it's the fastest supercomputer ever built with off-the-shelf components and the number three fastest machine on the planet -- and that's before the upgrade.
They will probably make quite a decent profit out of this, despite the $200 discount. They must have got pretty decent discount from apple for both bulk buying and promotion. And any self respecting geek will want one of these over a stock G5
As someone else pointed out, these are refurbished by Apple and then sold through MacMall. VT isn't selling them, but traded them back in to Apple for credit towards the Xserves.
Maybe some folks buy Apples without the educational discount because they aren't eligible for it and figure taking a couple of hundred dollars in discounts for which they don't qualify would be stealing.
Honesty/Intregrity can mean paying list price sometimes.
I'm going to have to disagree with you concerning the amount of wear and tear.
Most computers fail either in the first month or so of use or after many years of good use. In the first case it's usually a bad component that slipped by quality control. In the latter it is simply the ravages of time. Longer quality control "burn-in" times would eliminate many of those first month failures, but the vendor really doesn't have the time/space for long burn-ins.
Now, the Number One way to shorten the life of your computer is to turn it on and off frequently. The computer heats up when you run it and cools when it's off. The expansion and contraction of components associated with these temperature changes stresses every solder joint on every component -- and may even stress the chip-level components themselves. To lengthen the life of your hardware (at the cost of extra electricity), leave your system on unless you aren't going to be using it for a significant length of time (i.e.: don't power cycle more than once a day).
These G5's have been on for approximately six months straight in a very well-controlled temperature environment. This is a burn-in that virtually guarantees that there were no manufacturing defects. However, since they weren't power-cycling on a regular basis, it was actually a VERY low-stress environment.
In that case, the 512MB USB Flash drive players are WAY out of your reach since the cheapest of them costs about the same as the Mini iPod, but they have a fraction of the capacity (read the article). In the price range in which the Mini sits it is the best deal for your buck by a long shot.
I don't see you making a point beyond "I wouldn't spend $250 for an MP3 player". Don't know how that modded up "Insightful". The fact that YOU aren't that interested doesn't strike me as particularly "insightful", especially coming from an "Anonymous Coward"...
...because he reads Slashdot and might just read this and might just actually POST his desktop where I can see it!
Well, you can have two kinds of poles: geographic and magnetic.
Magnetic is the way your compass points. Planets do not have to have an appreciable magnetic field, so it is possible to have a planet without a magnetic north.
Geographic is based on the direction of a planet's spin. Here's one way to choose geographic north: the right-hand rule.
Stick out your right-hand like you are going to shake hands, but with your thumb pointing upwards. Now curl your fingers in towards your palm. If the curling of your fingers occurs in the same direction as the planet is spinning then north is in the direction of your thumb. If your fingers are curling opposite to the direction of the spin then your thumb is pointing south.
The right-hand rule is used a great deal in the world of physics.
Actually, wherever you go, you are the center of your observable universe. So for Earth-dwellers, Earth really *is* the center of the (observable) universe.