I keep hearing people saying the interface is yuckky, but I don't understand the complaint. At least not without a bit more elaboration.
I like being able to have the picture I am working on take up the full screen, without some menu bar taking up some of the screen real-estate. The tool boxes are just a click (or keyboard shortcut) away. What's so hard about that?
And, FWIW, I have used PhotoShop in the past (whatever the version was that came out around the same time as Win95), and I didn't find it any more, or less intuitive than The Gimp.
I realize there are those out there who ask for help, then keep doing stupid stuff (against our advice), but if us geeks all stop cleaning up friends'/family's computers, then what's to stop the zombie population from getting even worse than it is?
I know all the objections, we've had that thread many times before. Still, if you are getting tired of helping everyone, at least help someone -- like the parent is still doing.
By doing that at least there are a couple less zombie PSc out there. And that helps all of us, doesen't it?
Now what I want to discuss, is how come there aren't any IT-centric unions? IT folk tend to work long hours and we don't necessarily get paid for it either, as my former boss said, "it's expected that you put in 60-80 hours a week and get paid for 40".
You don't nescessarily need a union for that. Check what your local labo(u)r laws can do for you.
Biodiesel can also be made from animal sourced fats.
Large amounts of animal by-product that was at one time re-processed for animal feed, is now (since BSE/mad cow has become better understood) being dumped in landfills.
Ummm.. Don't official policies get based on promises made by/during political campaigns? (discounting, of course, that politicians lie through their teeth while campaigning)
..and in Winnipeg too (although my employer's ISP has it's gateway in Toronto, so I guess I should claim that's where it really works, even though I'm not actually there.)(Eeek, what a long winded parenthetic comment.)
The best solution (other than some well aimed ass-kicking) is to disable the zombies.
That's not to say it is the easiest solution. It will take massive effort on the part of every geek out there.
*warning; hippy-esque feel good plan follows*
What we really need to do (yeah us techies) is to educate users that their home computer is probably doing bad stuff without their knowledge. Then we show them how to stop it, or offer to help them clean up their machines.
All users. Not just the ones we are "responsible" for at work. -The folks you play pickup basketball with. -Your distant (and close) relatives. -People at your $place_of_worship. -Old folks at the seniors center.
Everyone.
Until the zombies are offline for good, there's no permanent way to stop these kind of attacks.
how fiber is going to make a significant weight difference over copper.
Especially given that you can't replace all the wire in a car with fibre. Everything still needs to get power (the heaviest single chunk of wire in a car runs from the battery to the starter). All the various devices that are communicating via the fibre still need to get power from somewhere. And all the lights (sure, the dash indicators could be fibre based, I suppose) still need power.
Sure, it's a cool application of technology, but much of that 50 pounds of wire in a car is for power, not for signalling.
*sigh*
1) I never called myself an expert
2) Obviously financial services are computerized.
What I intended, and apparently should have explicitly said, was that
I don't (yet) trust the security of systems that are directly connected to the public internet. At least I don't trust them enough to bet my own money.
Well, I think many companies are hesitant to move to online platforms, though, because they feel that it's a security risk. Putting sensitive data on a closed intranet seems safer in many ways, especially to those unfamiliar with encrpytion and other modern security measures.
As someone who has a reasonable understanding of "modern security measures", I don't do any online financial stuff.
I do have a reasonable trust in the security of the data in transit. What I don't trust (yet) is the security of the transaction information once it's stored on someone else's server. I've lost count of how many times there have been news reports of credit card info (among other things) "leaking" off some supposedly secure system. Or of some worm taking out a bank's system, or some other breach of data storage.
Nope, I'll keep moving my money around the old fasioned way for a while longer.
Another favourite is James Burke's Connections, which also re-inforces the idea that many of the best science shows wouldn't be half as appealing were it not for a good host.
When labor goes to India, that means Indians get richer and start buying goods. Some of those goods will be produced in America.
An increasingly shrinking portion of those goods will be produced in America, due to continued offshoring of the manufacturing. The other side of the arguement goes something like: "Sending manufacturing overseas allows for less expensive goods to come on the market." Sure, maybe. But how are all the displaced, out-of-work former employees going to buy those cheaper goods if they haven't got any income?
Is there any mechanism to cause the global economic system to reach equalibrium before gutting the economy of a once-wealthy nation?
"Hackers are having a real hard time finding work in the U.S.," ...earned a reputation as a "black hat" hacker after bursting onto the scene in 2001....he gained notoriety for releasing.... a program designed to perform distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.... and the FBI raided Kittridge's home and took six computers away as evidence.
Yeah, when you have earned a reputation for creating DDoS tools, and you have been raideed by the FBI, it is probably a bit difficult to find a job with a respectable company.
Our company bought Rakgear backpacks for all the field techs who cary laptops. These things can handle a bunch of weight, and plenty of bulk (manuals, cables and adapters, and a handful of tools).
They have well padded straps, back pad, and a waist belt (like any real backpack should). There are several compartments and plasec to stash stuff. They are quite comfortable to carry for short distancse, or while hiking up a mountain path for an hour.
We've been using them over 2 years, and I haven't heard of one being damaged in any way. We toss 'em in the back of service vans, let them bounce around in the cargo area of helicopters, freezez/thaw, snag them on fences, and they're still solid, and decent looking. And the laptops in them are also still running fine.
And then imagine some people doing the same, but using "creative" photograpy to make it look like the peaceful crowd (or elements of it) were in the process of committing some heinous act when the police cracked down on them. Also transmitted "live" to the watching world.
The worst is that there is a very steep learning curve. Configuration of both hardware and software is complex. While the documentation is thorough, it is not oriented towards the first time set-up.
Sure, but have you ever tried to configure a "traditional" PBX? It's not a trivial task to be undertaken by a first timer, either.
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the Desktop Fabricator
I prefer to call it a Santa Claus Machine.
Hardly anyone ever used a VCR to tape shows
Really? Apparently you know a completely differet sort of people than I do. I wonder who was buying blank VHS tapes a dozen at a time at WallMart?
And, please, stop telling me how great TiVo is. At least until it is sold in more than 2 countries (neither of which are where I live).
Actually, so do I.
I keep hearing people saying the interface is yuckky, but I don't understand the complaint. At least not without a bit more elaboration.
I like being able to have the picture I am working on take up the full screen, without some menu bar taking up some of the screen real-estate. The tool boxes are just a click (or keyboard shortcut) away. What's so hard about that?
And, FWIW, I have used PhotoShop in the past (whatever the version was that came out around the same time as Win95), and I didn't find it any more, or less intuitive than The Gimp.
At least you are still helping someone.
I realize there are those out there who ask for help, then keep doing stupid stuff (against our advice), but if us geeks all stop cleaning up friends'/family's computers, then what's to stop the zombie population from getting even worse than it is?
I know all the objections, we've had that thread many times before. Still, if you are getting tired of helping everyone, at least help someone -- like the parent is still doing.
By doing that at least there are a couple less zombie PSc out there. And that helps all of us, doesen't it?
Now what I want to discuss, is how come there aren't any IT-centric unions? IT folk tend to work long hours and we don't necessarily get paid for it either, as my former boss said, "it's expected that you put in 60-80 hours a week and get paid for 40".
You don't nescessarily need a union for that. Check what your local labo(u)r laws can do for you.
(you know, sleep on the book and "absorb" the information). If there are any links to academic material proving its existance .
I don't have a link to the publication, but I remember that particular hypothesis being promoted some 25 years ago by Linus Van Pelt
Biodiesel can also be made from animal sourced fats.
Large amounts of animal by-product that was at one time re-processed for animal feed, is now (since BSE/mad cow has become better understood) being dumped in landfills.
Free raw material for Biodiesel production.
Ummm.. Don't official policies get based on promises made by/during political campaigns? (discounting, of course, that politicians lie through their teeth while campaigning)
..and in Winnipeg too (although my employer's ISP has it's gateway in Toronto, so I guess I should claim that's where it really works, even though I'm not actually there.)(Eeek, what a long winded parenthetic comment.)
Unfortunately, this sounds good, but does not work.
Yeah, I know. I never said my plan was a good plan, or particularly practical, just that it was feel-good.
A guy can dream, can't he?
That's not to say it is the easiest solution. It will take massive effort on the part of every geek out there.
*warning; hippy-esque feel good plan follows*
What we really need to do (yeah us techies) is to educate users that their home computer is probably doing bad stuff without their knowledge. Then we show them how to stop it, or offer to help them clean up their machines.
All users. Not just the ones we are "responsible" for at work.
-The folks you play pickup basketball with.
-Your distant (and close) relatives.
-People at your $place_of_worship.
-Old folks at the seniors center.
Everyone.
Until the zombies are offline for good, there's no permanent way to stop these kind of attacks.
how fiber is going to make a significant weight difference over copper.
Especially given that you can't replace all the wire in a car with fibre. Everything still needs to get power (the heaviest single chunk of wire in a car runs from the battery to the starter). All the various devices that are communicating via the fibre still need to get power from somewhere.
And all the lights (sure, the dash indicators could be fibre based, I suppose) still need power.
Sure, it's a cool application of technology, but much of that 50 pounds of wire in a car is for power, not for signalling.
*sigh* 1) I never called myself an expert 2) Obviously financial services are computerized.
What I intended, and apparently should have explicitly said, was that I don't (yet) trust the security of systems that are directly connected to the public internet. At least I don't trust them enough to bet my own money.
Well, I think many companies are hesitant to move to online platforms, though, because they feel that it's a security risk. Putting sensitive data on a closed intranet seems safer in many ways, especially to those unfamiliar with encrpytion and other modern security measures.
As someone who has a reasonable understanding of "modern security measures", I don't do any online financial stuff.
I do have a reasonable trust in the security of the data in transit. What I don't trust (yet) is the security of the transaction information once it's stored on someone else's server.
I've lost count of how many times there have been news reports of credit card info (among other things) "leaking" off some supposedly secure system. Or of some worm taking out a bank's system, or some other breach of data storage.
Nope, I'll keep moving my money around the old fasioned way for a while longer.
The former marketing crew where I work discovered first hand how customers react after they discover that the reality doesn't match the hype.
The current mantra that new marketing folks are giving to sales is "Managing Expectations". That translates roughly to "don't bullshit the customers".
And guess what? Customer satisfaction is up, and Sales are up.
Another favourite is James Burke's Connections, which also re-inforces the idea that many of the best science shows wouldn't be half as appealing were it not for a good host.
When labor goes to India, that means Indians get richer and start buying goods. Some of those goods will be produced in America.
An increasingly shrinking portion of those goods will be produced in America, due to continued offshoring of the manufacturing. The other side of the arguement goes something like: "Sending manufacturing overseas allows for less expensive goods to come on the market." Sure, maybe. But how are all the displaced, out-of-work former employees going to buy those cheaper goods if they haven't got any income?
Is there any mechanism to cause the global economic system to reach equalibrium before gutting the economy of a once-wealthy nation?
"Hackers are having a real hard time finding work in the U.S.,"
...earned a reputation as a "black hat" hacker after bursting onto the scene in 2001....he gained notoriety for releasing .... a program designed to perform distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. ... and the FBI raided Kittridge's home and took six computers away as evidence.
Yeah, when you have earned a reputation for creating DDoS tools, and you have been raideed by the FBI, it is probably a bit difficult to find a job with a respectable company.
Our company bought Rakgear backpacks for all the field techs who cary laptops. These things can handle a bunch of weight, and plenty of bulk (manuals, cables and adapters, and a handful of tools).
They have well padded straps, back pad, and a waist belt (like any real backpack should). There are several compartments and plasec to stash stuff. They are quite comfortable to carry for short distancse, or while hiking up a mountain path for an hour.
We've been using them over 2 years, and I haven't heard of one being damaged in any way. We toss 'em in the back of service vans, let them bounce around in the cargo area of helicopters, freezez/thaw, snag them on fences, and they're still solid, and decent looking. And the laptops in them are also still running fine.
And then imagine some people doing the same, but using "creative" photograpy to make it look like the peaceful crowd (or elements of it) were in the process of committing some heinous act when the police cracked down on them.
/adjusts tinfoil hat
Also transmitted "live" to the watching world.
The worst is that there is a very steep learning curve. Configuration of both hardware and software is complex. While the documentation is thorough, it is not oriented towards the first time set-up.
Sure, but have you ever tried to configure a "traditional" PBX? It's not a trivial task to be undertaken by a first timer, either.
What? I'm invisible the the mighty Google?
Cool!
Now people just need disposable real names and physical addresses to be set...
Physical address is no problem.
And disposable names just take a bit of creativity. There are still people who call me Frank Sloan!
Fine, then everyone can use disposable e-mail addresses.