Not only first... you can bid more in the hopes of moving *last*. There's something to be said for bidding -1 per round, letting some other shmoe's bot push you to the package (reboots be damned), then blowing your wad during the endgame.
Whoa! Back it up a few miles there... DVD is a *million* times better than VHS? I beg to differ.
Yes, DVD has better picture and sound. But try these tests:
1. Scratch a section of your VHS tape away. Can you still watch the movie? Now gouge a section of your DVD. Same question. On a side note, funny that this talks about a Sony product, when Sony DVD players are some of the worst (in my opinion) at playing scratched disks.
2. Put a VHS tape in your VCR. The movie starts playing (after the usual FBI bs). Put a DVD in your player. Does the movie start? No, you have to understand how to manipulate menus (which differ on every DVD) to get from the stupid-ass opening menu to the actual movie. Count out the entire elderly generation who don't want to have to learn a sequence of commands just to watch a flick.
3. When that VHS tape is in your VCR, can you fast forward past the FBI warnings, previews, and other intro stuff? Now try it on your DVD. Unless you've hacked it, you are forced to wait for several seconds (a minute? more?) just to get to that same stupid-ass menu from item 2.
4. If I buy a VHS tape in non-USA country X, I can come home and play it for my friends. Oftentimes not so for DVD (again, unless you hacked the system, although recent Slashdot articles indicate this may shift).
Are DVDs better than VHS? In terms of watching the actual movie, yes. But I also hate them with a passion and loathing I never felt for VHS.
What would I like to see? 1. A DVD player that lets you fast-forward anywhere. (This may be a DVD format restriction though... not up on the details there.) 2. A common DVD menu format for accessing actor bios, making-of stuff, etc. without the crappy glitz that gets mashed into today's DVDs. Just give me a directory structure any day... I can navigate that. 3. DVDs that start the movie automatically, and only pull up the menu if you ask for it. (Wow, I'd love to find out this is a feature... would never be more happy to be declared ignorant.) 4. Finally, I think the only way to avoid DVDs getting scratched (either via poor handling or sometimes by the DVD players themselves... thank Panasonic for that one, mucked up 2 of my Buffy DVDs) is to put them in a cartridge of some sort. I know, it bulks them up and everybody hates that, but as our removable media density increases those teeny scratches are going to ruin the works. They already make some DVDs unplayable (at least on Sony players).
That's my input on how to make DVDs much more palatable, anyway.
Forget a dictionary, just a link to OneLook is fine. Good for both spelling and definitions, I use it almost daily.
For subversives:
Wireless camera constantly recording to her computer. Or maybe motion-activated. *shrug* Catch those damn dorm-thieves in the act.
Motion-Sensor light aimed toward the door. Maybe the light will scare them off. If not, it'll help the camera take a better picture.;)
Water-balloon slingshot. Especially good for launching pudding cups and/or eggs out windows at people, cars, and loud swans.
In response to all the condom posts... if you really value this chick, buy her ass a chastity belt.
Leather pants. You can't be subversive without a good, tight pair of leather pants. Plus they look hot on chicks. Although the lock on the chastity belt might make an unsightly bulge...
I'm a big fan of Yahoo Messenger for this. You can display the top X news items in any categories you want to follow, and present the categories in any order you like. I have top 8 stories by Reuters and AP, followed by science from Reuters and AP, tech by Reuters, AP, CNET, ZDnet, and Reuters Internet Report, entertainment from E! Online and oddly enough from Reuters.
Also follow stocks, check the weather, see if I have Yahoo e-mail, and chat with the same application. And there's only one minor ad at the top, which I don't notice anymore. I'm not saying you should change from ICQ or AIM or whatever, but Yahoo Messenger is a pretty cool app for keeping up with the world outside your cube.;)
Although I understand that many electromagnets and "bulk erasers" aren't up to the task on newer, high-density disks, as they are highly resistant to magnetic fields.
Additionally, wiping a drive with an electromagnet can also render it inoperable, so don't do this if you expect to use the drive in the future.
bilge (SHIP) noun:
the bottom inside part of a ship where dirty water collects.
The bilges had been pumped and the ship was ready to set sail once again.
Bilge water is the dirty water that collects in the bottom inside part of a ship.
So maybe call it Bilge (the pronunciation of BillG) in association with being a large collection of scum at the base of a sinking ship.
But while it's a nice shot at BillG, it's not very flattering to mySQL is it.;)
You should join me in my campaign for tuna-free dolphin products. Mmmm... dolphin patty with mayo. Forget the dolphins, save the millions of innocent tuna!:)
Don't be silly. Of course they are centered on the bottom line... any corporation that doesn't focus on making a profit goes under. Here in America we like to call it "capitalism". From the Cambridge dictionary online,
capitalism (noun): an economic, political and social system based on private ownership of property, business and industry, and directed towards making the greatest possible profits for successful organizations and people
I agree, if Monsanto employees knowingly polluted a water supply then Monsanto should have to repair the damage and compensate those who suffered because of it. But don't believe Monsanto is an evil entity just because they want to make money. They pour tons of money into valuable products like herbicide/fungicide/pesticide resistant crops (corn, wheat, etc.) in an effort to improve yields. Farmers pay for these products because they realize the benefit: higher yeild for a lower total cost.
Why shouldn't Monsanto protect their investment? If I spent millions developing a herbicide-resistant canola I'd damn well fight to protect it, and I'd certainly sue a farmer who was harvesting and planting the seeds instead of paying me for new ones, as he had promised when he bought his original batch.
It's exactly the same protection that drug companies have (and require!). Sure, somebody could figure out the composition of a new pill for depression and make a generic version. Luckily in America we're smart enough to prevent them from producing that generic version for a period of time, so the drug company can regain their research and development costs and make a healthy profit. Without that protection why the hell would anybody make the new drugs? Do you know anybody willing to spend a few hundred million dollars just to get a warm fuzzy feeling in return?
And the judge is right, you don't just "accidentally" grow an entire crop of Monsanto canola. There is a minor chance that a few plants might be pollinated due to drift, but even this should be rare because (if I recall correctly) there is supposed to be a crop-free drift zone around genetically modified plants specifically so the pollen *doesn't* drift into other crops.
Yes, Monsanto screwed up and polluted this place. Many companies have a shady past. But try to see things on a larger scale. Via its research and products, more people in the world can get food because crops will be easier to grow and have higher yields. Doesn't sound so bad to me.
(No, I don't work for Monsanto. But I know some plant biologists who do, and they aren't the inhuman mad scientists being portrayed in some of the comments here. They're decent people, scientists and geeks just like you and I, trying to make the best product they can without hurting anybody.)
Each iteration in technology takes us closer to the real goal: Direct sensory transmission from person to person. If for no other reason, improved technology for transferring *any* data is important as a stepping stone.
For example, I take a trip to Seattle. Back home my girlfriend "calls" me, and I let her share my senses. The advanced technology allows her an immersive experience... she sees the skyscrapers, hears cars below, smells the funnel cakes, feels the wind blowing while I'm looking out from the observation deck of the Space Needle. And she doesn't have to be there.
Obviously it's all vaporware today. But each step takes us closer to the goal. Even if it is a commercial failure, we still need to take these steps.
This is one more reason people turn to Windows instead of Linux: The uber-geek egotistical superiority complex of the loudest Linux users. And unfortunately, the loudest are the ones who get heard.
Do you even realize what you just wrote? You completely discounted about about 7 years worth of students (assuming "late 90s" includes 1995 forward). Well guess what? I graduated in the "late 90s" and I was in love with UNIX. And it was taught to me by others who would also graduate in the "late 90s". They taught me about all kinds of flavors (FreeBSD, Solaris, Irix, HP-UX, and Ultrix to name a few). And yes, even Linux (I popped my cherry on Slackware).
I think we can all agree, each class has those who exceed, those who do just enough to pass, and those who suck. Those who suck are probably too lazy to learn Visual Basic, so screw them. Those who do just enough to pass might not be "Uber-Geeks", but they'll get jobs doing the easier work, and get paid handsomely for it. Good for them. They probably don't want to work in your on-campus lab anyway, since you sound about as friendly and willing to teach as the BOFH.
As for those who exceed... let's just hope they can work their magic without being as jaded and biased as you seem to be.
Bullshit. That's exactly the kind of nonsense that comes from somebody with too much free time on their hands, who doesn't mind digging three files deep to figure out what a simple function is supposed to accomplish. I've gone into the kernel source and can say with confidence that the comments are horribly lacking.
This isn't to say the code isn't good. In many cases it is excellent, even brilliant. But regardless of the code quality, maintainers are screwed if the code isn't well-documented. And anybody who's seriously dealt with software can tell you that maintenance is by far the largest portion of the work.
I shouldn't have to dig three files deep to find out what some silly function or procedure does... the initial coder should put in a couple lines to describe what the section does and why it needs to exist. I believe many bugs could be avoided by some simple design work and planning... think of exactly what the code should accomplish and write it out in comments before-hand rather than throwing in a few lines of code that "seem to fix the problem".
I agree, when the bugs come around it's time to delve into the source. But wouldn't it be much easier to locate the problem if the author had properly commented each portion of his code?
Head and Shoulders receives broad patent regarding method and implementation for shampoo application, "Lather, Rinse, Repeat". After careful consideration, the U.S. Patent Office determined said patent was not overly broad because, "There are other ways of doing it, such as 'Rinse, Repeat, Lather.'"
When: 12/4/2001
Company: The United States of America
Severity: 100 - new hall of fame inductee!
Points: 0 (The rest of the world already knew)
1. These attachments usually get opened by the non-technical people in HR, or the supposedly technical people in remote offices, and the same people just keep opening them?
2. The actions of these few people limit the productivity of *everybody*.
I think companies should implement harsh policies against this. Open an attachment once, you get chastized by the IT department. Open another one and you get fined/fired. Natural selection... if they can't figure this stuff out, then they probably aren't smart enough for their job.
Break into computers, copy or trash data, delete logs, break bank computers to get funds, create fake credentials...
Hmm... does Ender's Game spring to mind for anyone else?
Imagine the unknowing parents of a 7-year-old:
"Look dear, little Timmy just pretend-hacked into the FBI! Ooh, he's applied the pretend-rootkit for permanent access, and added us to the pretend-list of known terrorists! He even cleaned up after himself! I'm so proud of him!"
"but after you've done it for a few years, it's all the same"?
The computer industry makes huge leaps in no time. New tools and new technologies develop constantly. Do you hear that ringing beside you? It's a cell phone with an integrated PDA. See that black rectangle on the desktop? It's a laptop computer with a wireless network connection. These aren't just hardware... they've got software inside and somebody wrote it.
Not impressed by the newest gadgets? Ok, how about instant messaging? Internet telephony? StarCraft and Monsters Inc. for God's sake! Do you think Monsters Inc. could have been made 10 years ago?
And you think it's all the same? Open your eyes, look at all the new stuff you can do, and try to keep up.
I use Gnutella by way of LimeWire and it works great for me. I frequently have thousands of hosts and over 10 TB of files to search. My only complaint is that I haven't found a Gnutella servent with strong advanced searching capability (i.e. use of AND, OR, NOT operators). Or if they do it wasn't in the documentation.:)
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Anne. She has a great range of books, from the Dragonriders of Pern (Harper Hall Trilogy is excellent) to the Acorna series, Crystal Singer series... she creates an excellent blend of fantasy and science fiction.
Comfy chair with glider footstool (get rid of that chair they give you... be original).
Mini fridge with abundant beverages.
Remove part of your counter space, replace it with a cushy loveseat and blanket. Bonus points if it matches the chair.
Drawer with bulk candy bars from Sams Club (sell to other employees for 30 cents a piece, they'll love you for saving them money).
Cordless headphone setup for listening to your mp3s.
At least one decorative mirror (mirrors make a place seem larger, plus you can check your teeth for lunch leftovers).
Abundant artwork and other eye-candy.
Something to give the impression of a door (beaded curtain, actual curtain, maybe vertical blinds?).
Wear sunglasses to block out the over-bright fluorescent lights.
Organization is key. A cd rack, bookshelf, file everything in its place.
One or two plants (don't make a jungle).
A fan for when your company tries to save money by turning up the temp to cut down on A/C costs.
A fish tank... having a live creature besides yourself in the cube is very relaxing.
Don't forget the toys. Stuffed animals, magnet poetry, anything from thinkgeek.
However, be warned of the consequences. If your cube is decorated *too* well, your co-workers will think you are gay. This may or may not be a problem for you.;)
Slashdot Mirror
This is my tree. There are many like it but this one is mine.
-FF
(If you don't get that, do us all a favor and moderate something else.)
Hmm. You're correct, I really should consider my wording more before I post. :)
:)
Wait... is somebody going to take "post" as a sexual reference?
Wait... did I just say "take post"?
I give up.
-FF
Not only first... you can bid more in the hopes of moving *last*. There's something to be said for bidding -1 per round, letting some other shmoe's bot push you to the package (reboots be damned), then blowing your wad during the endgame.
-FF
Whoa! Back it up a few miles there... DVD is a *million* times better than VHS? I beg to differ.
Yes, DVD has better picture and sound. But try these tests:
1. Scratch a section of your VHS tape away. Can you still watch the movie? Now gouge a section of your DVD. Same question. On a side note, funny that this talks about a Sony product, when Sony DVD players are some of the worst (in my opinion) at playing scratched disks.
2. Put a VHS tape in your VCR. The movie starts playing (after the usual FBI bs). Put a DVD in your player. Does the movie start? No, you have to understand how to manipulate menus (which differ on every DVD) to get from the stupid-ass opening menu to the actual movie. Count out the entire elderly generation who don't want to have to learn a sequence of commands just to watch a flick.
3. When that VHS tape is in your VCR, can you fast forward past the FBI warnings, previews, and other intro stuff? Now try it on your DVD. Unless you've hacked it, you are forced to wait for several seconds (a minute? more?) just to get to that same stupid-ass menu from item 2.
4. If I buy a VHS tape in non-USA country X, I can come home and play it for my friends. Oftentimes not so for DVD (again, unless you hacked the system, although recent Slashdot articles indicate this may shift).
Are DVDs better than VHS? In terms of watching the actual movie, yes. But I also hate them with a passion and loathing I never felt for VHS.
What would I like to see?
1. A DVD player that lets you fast-forward anywhere. (This may be a DVD format restriction though... not up on the details there.)
2. A common DVD menu format for accessing actor bios, making-of stuff, etc. without the crappy glitz that gets mashed into today's DVDs. Just give me a directory structure any day... I can navigate that.
3. DVDs that start the movie automatically, and only pull up the menu if you ask for it. (Wow, I'd love to find out this is a feature... would never be more happy to be declared ignorant.)
4. Finally, I think the only way to avoid DVDs getting scratched (either via poor handling or sometimes by the DVD players themselves... thank Panasonic for that one, mucked up 2 of my Buffy DVDs) is to put them in a cartridge of some sort. I know, it bulks them up and everybody hates that, but as our removable media density increases those teeny scratches are going to ruin the works. They already make some DVDs unplayable (at least on Sony players).
That's my input on how to make DVDs much more palatable, anyway.
-FF
For subversives:
-FF
Why? I thought it was funny as hell. :)
-FF
I'm a big fan of Yahoo Messenger for this. You can display the top X news items in any categories you want to follow, and present the categories in any order you like. I have top 8 stories by Reuters and AP, followed by science from Reuters and AP, tech by Reuters, AP, CNET, ZDnet, and Reuters Internet Report, entertainment from E! Online and oddly enough from Reuters.
;)
Also follow stocks, check the weather, see if I have Yahoo e-mail, and chat with the same application. And there's only one minor ad at the top, which I don't notice anymore. I'm not saying you should change from ICQ or AIM or whatever, but Yahoo Messenger is a pretty cool app for keeping up with the world outside your cube.
-FF
Although I understand that many electromagnets and "bulk erasers" aren't up to the task on newer, high-density disks, as they are highly resistant to magnetic fields.
Additionally, wiping a drive with an electromagnet can also render it inoperable, so don't do this if you expect to use the drive in the future.
-FF
Nah, if it's in a CD case it's a DVD, 'cause they're worth protecting and a CD case is smaller than those extra-jumbo DVD cases.
;)
Now if it's on a horizontal surface covered with dust, it's a CD. No need to worry if it gets damaged... I have copies.
-FF
So maybe call it Bilge (the pronunciation of BillG) in association with being a large collection of scum at the base of a sinking ship.
But while it's a nice shot at BillG, it's not very flattering to mySQL is it. ;)
-FF
-FF
I agree, if Monsanto employees knowingly polluted a water supply then Monsanto should have to repair the damage and compensate those who suffered because of it. But don't believe Monsanto is an evil entity just because they want to make money. They pour tons of money into valuable products like herbicide/fungicide/pesticide resistant crops (corn, wheat, etc.) in an effort to improve yields. Farmers pay for these products because they realize the benefit: higher yeild for a lower total cost.
Why shouldn't Monsanto protect their investment? If I spent millions developing a herbicide-resistant canola I'd damn well fight to protect it, and I'd certainly sue a farmer who was harvesting and planting the seeds instead of paying me for new ones, as he had promised when he bought his original batch.
It's exactly the same protection that drug companies have (and require!). Sure, somebody could figure out the composition of a new pill for depression and make a generic version. Luckily in America we're smart enough to prevent them from producing that generic version for a period of time, so the drug company can regain their research and development costs and make a healthy profit. Without that protection why the hell would anybody make the new drugs? Do you know anybody willing to spend a few hundred million dollars just to get a warm fuzzy feeling in return?
And the judge is right, you don't just "accidentally" grow an entire crop of Monsanto canola. There is a minor chance that a few plants might be pollinated due to drift, but even this should be rare because (if I recall correctly) there is supposed to be a crop-free drift zone around genetically modified plants specifically so the pollen *doesn't* drift into other crops.
Yes, Monsanto screwed up and polluted this place. Many companies have a shady past. But try to see things on a larger scale. Via its research and products, more people in the world can get food because crops will be easier to grow and have higher yields. Doesn't sound so bad to me.
(No, I don't work for Monsanto. But I know some plant biologists who do, and they aren't the inhuman mad scientists being portrayed in some of the comments here. They're decent people, scientists and geeks just like you and I, trying to make the best product they can without hurting anybody.)
-FF
Each iteration in technology takes us closer to the real goal: Direct sensory transmission from person to person. If for no other reason, improved technology for transferring *any* data is important as a stepping stone.
For example, I take a trip to Seattle. Back home my girlfriend "calls" me, and I let her share my senses. The advanced technology allows her an immersive experience... she sees the skyscrapers, hears cars below, smells the funnel cakes, feels the wind blowing while I'm looking out from the observation deck of the Space Needle. And she doesn't have to be there.
Obviously it's all vaporware today. But each step takes us closer to the goal. Even if it is a commercial failure, we still need to take these steps.
Or are my expecations of the future too great?
-FF
This is one more reason people turn to Windows instead of Linux: The uber-geek egotistical superiority complex of the loudest Linux users. And unfortunately, the loudest are the ones who get heard.
Do you even realize what you just wrote? You completely discounted about about 7 years worth of students (assuming "late 90s" includes 1995 forward). Well guess what? I graduated in the "late 90s" and I was in love with UNIX. And it was taught to me by others who would also graduate in the "late 90s". They taught me about all kinds of flavors (FreeBSD, Solaris, Irix, HP-UX, and Ultrix to name a few). And yes, even Linux (I popped my cherry on Slackware).
I think we can all agree, each class has those who exceed, those who do just enough to pass, and those who suck. Those who suck are probably too lazy to learn Visual Basic, so screw them. Those who do just enough to pass might not be "Uber-Geeks", but they'll get jobs doing the easier work, and get paid handsomely for it. Good for them. They probably don't want to work in your on-campus lab anyway, since you sound about as friendly and willing to teach as the BOFH.
As for those who exceed... let's just hope they can work their magic without being as jaded and biased as you seem to be.
-FF
Bullshit. That's exactly the kind of nonsense that comes from somebody with too much free time on their hands, who doesn't mind digging three files deep to figure out what a simple function is supposed to accomplish. I've gone into the kernel source and can say with confidence that the comments are horribly lacking.
This isn't to say the code isn't good. In many cases it is excellent, even brilliant. But regardless of the code quality, maintainers are screwed if the code isn't well-documented. And anybody who's seriously dealt with software can tell you that maintenance is by far the largest portion of the work.
I shouldn't have to dig three files deep to find out what some silly function or procedure does... the initial coder should put in a couple lines to describe what the section does and why it needs to exist. I believe many bugs could be avoided by some simple design work and planning... think of exactly what the code should accomplish and write it out in comments before-hand rather than throwing in a few lines of code that "seem to fix the problem".
I agree, when the bugs come around it's time to delve into the source. But wouldn't it be much easier to locate the problem if the author had properly commented each portion of his code?
-FF
And in other news:
Head and Shoulders receives broad patent regarding method and implementation for shampoo application, "Lather, Rinse, Repeat". After careful consideration, the U.S. Patent Office determined said patent was not overly broad because, "There are other ways of doing it, such as 'Rinse, Repeat, Lather.'"
When: 12/4/2001
Company: The United States of America
Severity: 100 - new hall of fame inductee!
Points: 0 (The rest of the world already knew)
-FF
Has anybody else noticed:
1. These attachments usually get opened by the non-technical people in HR, or the supposedly technical people in remote offices, and the same people just keep opening them?
2. The actions of these few people limit the productivity of *everybody*.
I think companies should implement harsh policies against this. Open an attachment once, you get chastized by the IT department. Open another one and you get fined/fired. Natural selection... if they can't figure this stuff out, then they probably aren't smart enough for their job.
-FF
Hmm... does Ender's Game spring to mind for anyone else?
Imagine the unknowing parents of a 7-year-old:
"Look dear, little Timmy just pretend-hacked into the FBI! Ooh, he's applied the pretend-rootkit for permanent access, and added us to the pretend-list of known terrorists! He even cleaned up after himself! I'm so proud of him!"
"but after you've done it for a few years, it's all the same"?
The computer industry makes huge leaps in no time. New tools and new technologies develop constantly. Do you hear that ringing beside you? It's a cell phone with an integrated PDA. See that black rectangle on the desktop? It's a laptop computer with a wireless network connection. These aren't just hardware... they've got software inside and somebody wrote it.
Not impressed by the newest gadgets? Ok, how about instant messaging? Internet telephony? StarCraft and Monsters Inc. for God's sake! Do you think Monsters Inc. could have been made 10 years ago?
And you think it's all the same? Open your eyes, look at all the new stuff you can do, and try to keep up.
I use Gnutella by way of LimeWire and it works great for me. I frequently have thousands of hosts and over 10 TB of files to search. My only complaint is that I haven't found a Gnutella servent with strong advanced searching capability (i.e. use of AND, OR, NOT operators). Or if they do it wasn't in the documentation. :)
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Anne. She has a great range of books, from the Dragonriders of Pern (Harper Hall Trilogy is excellent) to the Acorna series, Crystal Singer series... she creates an excellent blend of fantasy and science fiction.
-
Oriental rug (adds color and class).
-
Comfy chair with glider footstool (get rid of that chair they give you... be original).
-
Mini fridge with abundant beverages.
-
Remove part of your counter space, replace it with a cushy loveseat and blanket. Bonus points if it matches the chair.
-
Drawer with bulk candy bars from Sams Club (sell to other employees for 30 cents a piece, they'll love you for saving them money).
-
Cordless headphone setup for listening to your mp3s.
-
At least one decorative mirror (mirrors make a place seem larger, plus you can check your teeth for lunch leftovers).
-
Abundant artwork and other eye-candy.
-
Something to give the impression of a door (beaded curtain, actual curtain, maybe vertical blinds?).
-
Wear sunglasses to block out the over-bright fluorescent lights.
-
Organization is key. A cd rack, bookshelf, file everything in its place.
-
One or two plants (don't make a jungle).
-
A fan for when your company tries to save money by turning up the temp to cut down on A/C costs.
-
A fish tank... having a live creature besides yourself in the cube is very relaxing.
-
Don't forget the toys. Stuffed animals, magnet poetry, anything from thinkgeek.
However, be warned of the consequences. If your cube is decorated *too* well, your co-workers will think you are gay. This may or may not be a problem for you.-FF