In your response, you are showing exactly the kind of behavior that Linus Torvalds is criticizing in himself.
It often happens that people in the U.S. consider new information as an attack, or a possible attack, and feel that they need to defend themselves. What I said is not an attack, it is ideas about how to fix a problem Linus Torvalds says he has.
I don't find that cultural element in Brazil, for example. In Brazil, people are likely to consider anything that is said as just what it is, something someone else has said. They are not likely to feel attacked, especially when the statement was about someone else.
By being open about his shortcoming, Linus Torvalds gains 2 advantages: 1) People feel more friendly toward others who don't try to hide their problems, and 2) Linus gains the attention of those who might like to be helpful toward him. Someone may contribute ideas he finds helpful.
People gain advantages from being open and honest.
It is interesting that trying to discuss lack of social ability caused a demonstration of exactly the lack of social ability Torvalds mentioned about himself.
Git uses poor naming, is poorly documented, and is, in my opinion, an example of the worst of the lack of social sophistication in programmers.
Functionally Git is advanced, but the Git interface is a mess created by someone who thinks, "You should just know what I mean. I don't have to be careful about communicating."
Effectively, Git is abusive. It drags every user through a steep learning curve. Git is an example of Linus Torvalds at his worst, in my opinion: Great ideas, sometimes a poor communicator.
A program is not finished until the user interface and documentation make using the program as easy as possible. If Torvalds fixed the difficulties that make Git hard to learn, as he did that he would have a chance to become more aware of his problems with communication. Facing that ugliness would take courage, but resolving the problems would make his entire life easier.
Yes, Torvalds deserves a lot of praise. If we care about him, and we should, we must help him become more socially capable. For example, he could recognize when his anger is caused by not getting enough caring in childhood, and not think that events in the present caused his anger, when events in the present only made him aware of his anger.
I'm writing a book about how people use their brains. I'm not saying I have a perfect understanding, but I have spent decades studying the issues. If you don't like my explanations, it is not sufficient to drop the subject or just complain; it is necessary to make your own theories about the problems.
I think there would be too much power loss in the diodes. Quote from Wikipedia about diodes:
"In a small silicon diode at rated currents, the voltage drop is about 0.6 to 0.7 volts. The value is different for other diode types -- Schottky diodes can be rated as low as 0.2 V, Germanium diodes 0.25 to 0.3 V, and red or blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can have values of 1.4 V and 4.0 V respectively.[16]
At higher currents the forward voltage drop of the diode increases. A drop of 1 V to 1.5 V is typical at full rated current for power diodes."
At 400 Amps, the power loss with a 1 volt drop is 400 Watts.
Comcast: Most obviously abusive -- In my opinion, Comcast is apparently the most obviously abusive organization in the United States. (The financial system of the U.S. government is more abusive, in my opinion, but not as obvious.)
I've just started Comcast internet service. It took several hours of my time to get connected because of needing to avoid the dishonesty. I've been over-billed perhaps 7 times, spent hours protesting that, and my first bill is not due yet.
Comcast employees abuse Comcast. It's interesting to note that, when Comcast encourages employees to abuse customers, Comcast employees hear that as permission to also abuse Comcast. Comcast employees waste an enormous amount of time pretending to be friendly, apparently so they can get good results on surveys.
Comcast abuse discussion on Reddit -- The Comcast abuse Sub-Reddit is one place to voice complaints.
"In April 2014, Comcast was awarded the 2014 "Worst Company in America" award; an annual contest by the consumer affairs blog The Consumerist that runs a series of reader polls to determine the least popular company in America."
But the subject is about Comcast abuse. Here is just one example, from Comcast's "Automatic Payment Terms & Conditions", retrieved a few minutes ago:
"6. COMCAST SHALL BEAR NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSSES OF ANY KIND THAT YOU MAY INCUR AS A RESULT OF A PAYMENT MADE ON ITEMS INCORRECTLY BILLED..."
Most people don't have time to read legal language. Many would not understand it fully. It is overly broad. And, in my experience, Comcast often tries to over-bill.
It is really, really difficult to protect ourselves from every abuse to which a corporation might subject us.
It's important in this conversation to understand that batteries have limited lifetimes, perhaps as little as 2 years, or less if defective.
I was standing in a store thinking of buying a top-of-the-line unlocked HTC phone for $750. Then the salesperson told me that the battery is not replaceable! That caused me to try to avoid buying anything from HTC. I don't like helping abusers.
I never would have guessed that an expensive phone would be considered a throwaway.
HTC CEO: If you learn that I have joined the board of directors of HTC, I will try to convince the other board members that abuse is bad practice. If I am successful, leave the building immediately. You are fired! It's unlikely I would be asked to join the board of directors, but that is a way of expressing the intensity of my dislike for abuse.
Why buy an unlocked phone? Travelers in other countries buy local SIM cards for GSM phones. That means anyone you meet can call you at a local number while you are in the area.
It is the responsibility of the CEO to coordinate the work of all the employees. The CEO must try new products and reject them if they need improvements. Steve Jobs did that.
Good answer: "... the Oregon attorney general doesn't have the technical ability to prove the fraud and lies. The state has already proven they don't understand what they're doing."
Also, Oracle has been through this perhaps thousands of times. Apparently the major profit center for companies like Oracle is being late and more expensive than predicted. For example, see this quote from the book, Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment:
"... a recent General Accounting Office report on U.S. military equipment procurement concluded that only 1% of major military purchases involving high technology were delivered on time and on budget."
That book says the problem is due to a sociological mistake. My understanding is that it is entirely intended, a way of making money from the largely hidden military purchases of the U.S. government. For the U.S. government, killing people is an enormous, extremely profitable business.
An even bigger issue than buying replacement batteries is replacing batteries in cell phones that are said to have batteries that aren't replaceable.
It shocks me that companies can be so hostile to their customers as to force them to buy new cell phones after the inevitable degradation of the batteries.
I was wondering why the Washington Post was spamming me! How did the Washington Post get my email address? Now I know. Jeff Bezos is allowing his "personal purchase" to have the email address I gave to Amazon.
Bezos apparently bought the Washington Post so that he can use it to try to force legislators to give him attention. The U.S. is becoming even more a rich-get-richer country.
The subjects of the spam messages:
{SPECIAL PREVIEW} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
{24 HOURS ONLY} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
{EXTENDED} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
I think it is a very effective advertising campaign. The effect will be that people will try to avoid buying things from Amazon. Also, after the "Summer Sale", digital access to the Washington Post will cost $100 per year!
In other states, like Oregon, part of the recording must include a question about whether it is okay to record, and the answer. So the question is asked twice.
Does anyone know whether it is okay to record conversations when the other party's recorded message says the call is recorded? Washington state and Oregon are 2 about which I'd like to know, with links to the law.
It's crazy that each state has its own laws! It's crazy that Comcast is allowed to be so abusive. CenturyLink, the phone company in Oregon and SW Washington state, is also hostile to customers, in my experience. We are becoming a country where the rich can do anything they want to everyone else.
Is the answer always to record? If legal, I think yes.
This is part of the extreme hostility toward men in the U.S. culture.
The body is extremely complicated. There are maybe a million chemicals? Choosing one supposedly connected with men but actually present in both men and women, testosterone, and talking about its importance is thinly veiled hostility.
The current wave of hostility of women toward men began with the book The Second Sex, by Simone de Beauvoir, a woman who was very confused about life. The book mentioned negative things men do, and avoided mentioning the negative things women do. Part of her viewpoint was influenced by the fact that she was trying to get women to have sex with her.
There is a movie that shows Simone de Beauvoir was treated as an equal by Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher and friend. She was not second.
Both Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre had terrible childhoods and both did things in their adult lives that demonstrated their confusion.
The Washington Post article linked in the Slashdot summary says, "No, this isnâ(TM)t some jab at dudes." Yes it is, and extremely stupid about biochemistry and civilization, also.
Dilbert is not accurate, I think, about Microsoft. For Microsoft, the 6th panel, "I expect the decline in morale to lead to violence" should be "I expect the decline in morale to lead to more decline in morale."
It seems to me that anyone who says this, I synthesized our strategic direction..., is utterly incompetent at coordinating a large group. That is unthinking corporate-speak. It communicates non-verbally that he has no understanding of what is needed.
More:
"... realign our workforce..."
"... work toward synergies and strategic alignment..."
"... drive greater accountability..."
"... become more agile and move faster."
"... fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways,..."
"... flattening organizations..."
"... increasing the span of control of people managers."
"... our business processes and support models will be more lean and efficient with greater trust between teams." Comment: Corporate-speak does not build trust, it destroys trust.
"... more productive, impactful teams..."
"Each organization is starting at different points and moving at different paces." Comment: That is utterly obvious.
"We will realize the synergies..."
"... align to Microsoft's strategic direction."
"... we will focus on breakthrough innovation that expresses and enlivens..."
"... builds on our success in the affordable smartphone space..."
"... aligns with our focus..."
I'm very interested in the sociology of this. My understanding is that the Microsoft board of directors is utterly incompetent, has little understanding of technology, and merely chose the person to be CEO who was consistently most pleasant and ingratiating.
A competent CEO would not announce a huge advancement until it was already accomplished.
The sweeping changes Satya Nadella is announcing require huge amounts of research and understanding. It is simply not possible to accomplish successfully a re-organization of a huge company as though it were one action.
A competent top coordinator would announce a little at a time and provide meaningful and detailed explanation about why each change was necessary, and how decisions were made.
A competent top coordinator would make it clear that much of the wisdom of ideas about changes came from other people inside the company.
Our programs use 4-digit years. We tell our customers that they must notify us by the year 9,995 if they want year-10,000 updates. And, if we are expected to go to a different galaxy, they must pay for travel.
A few days ago I was thinking of buying an HTC One M8 because the camera takes very clear close-ups. When I discovered that the battery cannot be removed, I decided I probably won't ever buy anything from HTC.
If a company engages in sneaky, tricky behavior, I try to avoid buy its products. The sneakiness and trickery I know about may be only part of the attempts to trick the customers.
Slashdot Mirror
Another article with video is in The Washington Post: Elon Musk: 'With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon.'
Or, see the entire webcast. (The MIT web site is probably overloaded.)
Facebook solves a very serious problem. Are you too happy? Is it uncomfortable being happier than everyone else? Facebook is the answer. Read Facebook use predicts declines in happiness, new study finds. Or download the scientific paper.
In your response, you are showing exactly the kind of behavior that Linus Torvalds is criticizing in himself.
It often happens that people in the U.S. consider new information as an attack, or a possible attack, and feel that they need to defend themselves. What I said is not an attack, it is ideas about how to fix a problem Linus Torvalds says he has.
I don't find that cultural element in Brazil, for example. In Brazil, people are likely to consider anything that is said as just what it is, something someone else has said. They are not likely to feel attacked, especially when the statement was about someone else.
By being open about his shortcoming, Linus Torvalds gains 2 advantages: 1) People feel more friendly toward others who don't try to hide their problems, and 2) Linus gains the attention of those who might like to be helpful toward him. Someone may contribute ideas he finds helpful.
People gain advantages from being open and honest.
It is interesting that trying to discuss lack of social ability caused a demonstration of exactly the lack of social ability Torvalds mentioned about himself.
"... he gave us git."
Git uses poor naming, is poorly documented, and is, in my opinion, an example of the worst of the lack of social sophistication in programmers.
Functionally Git is advanced, but the Git interface is a mess created by someone who thinks, "You should just know what I mean. I don't have to be careful about communicating."
Effectively, Git is abusive. It drags every user through a steep learning curve. Git is an example of Linus Torvalds at his worst, in my opinion: Great ideas, sometimes a poor communicator.
A program is not finished until the user interface and documentation make using the program as easy as possible. If Torvalds fixed the difficulties that make Git hard to learn, as he did that he would have a chance to become more aware of his problems with communication. Facing that ugliness would take courage, but resolving the problems would make his entire life easier.
Yes, Torvalds deserves a lot of praise. If we care about him, and we should, we must help him become more socially capable. For example, he could recognize when his anger is caused by not getting enough caring in childhood, and not think that events in the present caused his anger, when events in the present only made him aware of his anger.
I'm writing a book about how people use their brains. I'm not saying I have a perfect understanding, but I have spent decades studying the issues. If you don't like my explanations, it is not sufficient to drop the subject or just complain; it is necessary to make your own theories about the problems.
Diodes get very hot because they are dissipating power.
I think there would be too much power loss in the diodes. Quote from Wikipedia about diodes:
"In a small silicon diode at rated currents, the voltage drop is about 0.6 to 0.7 volts. The value is different for other diode types -- Schottky diodes can be rated as low as 0.2 V, Germanium diodes 0.25 to 0.3 V, and red or blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can have values of 1.4 V and 4.0 V respectively.[16]
At higher currents the forward voltage drop of the diode increases. A drop of 1 V to 1.5 V is typical at full rated current for power diodes."
At 400 Amps, the power loss with a 1 volt drop is 400 Watts.
Comcast: Most obviously abusive -- In my opinion, Comcast is apparently the most obviously abusive organization in the United States. (The financial system of the U.S. government is more abusive, in my opinion, but not as obvious.)
I've just started Comcast internet service. It took several hours of my time to get connected because of needing to avoid the dishonesty. I've been over-billed perhaps 7 times, spent hours protesting that, and my first bill is not due yet.
Comcast employees abuse Comcast. It's interesting to note that, when Comcast encourages employees to abuse customers, Comcast employees hear that as permission to also abuse Comcast. Comcast employees waste an enormous amount of time pretending to be friendly, apparently so they can get good results on surveys.
Comcast abuse discussion on Reddit -- The Comcast abuse Sub-Reddit is one place to voice complaints.
DSL Reports has information about Comcast. For example, Comcast High Speed Internet FAQ.
Reddit has many stories in other sub-reddits like this one: Comcast, without my permission and knowledge, adds services to my account and charges me extra for it.
The real internet connection speeds are much lower than the advertised speeds. Try the DSL Reports Flash Speed Test. There are other DSL Reports speed tests, also.
The Numion speed test is accurate, but requires the Java plug-in.
Most "speed tests" just show electrical connection speeds (the "line speed"), not actual data delivery speeds. They know what you want, and they lie.
Is Apple CEO Tim Cook competent?
From the Wikipedia entry for Comcast:
"In April 2014, Comcast was awarded the 2014 "Worst Company in America" award; an annual contest by the consumer affairs blog The Consumerist that runs a series of reader polls to determine the least popular company in America."
More from the same Wikipedia article:
In 2004 and 2007, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey found that Comcast had the worst customer satisfaction rating of any company or government agency in the country, including the Internal Revenue Service.
Yes, use the NoScript add-on for Firefox.
But the subject is about Comcast abuse. Here is just one example, from Comcast's "Automatic Payment Terms & Conditions", retrieved a few minutes ago:
"6. COMCAST SHALL BEAR NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSSES OF ANY KIND THAT YOU MAY INCUR AS A RESULT OF A PAYMENT MADE ON ITEMS INCORRECTLY BILLED..."
Most people don't have time to read legal language. Many would not understand it fully. It is overly broad. And, in my experience, Comcast often tries to over-bill.
My opinion? Chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts (The page jumps around if you move the mouse over the menu.), and Tom Karinshak, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Comcast (See the bottom of the page.), should be removed from office.
Another example: The Login page has a link at the bottom left, Contact Us. As of Tuesday, September 9, 2014, 4:18 am Pacific Time, it is a dead link.
I really like your answer!
It is really, really difficult to protect ourselves from every abuse to which a corporation might subject us.
It's important in this conversation to understand that batteries have limited lifetimes, perhaps as little as 2 years, or less if defective.
I was standing in a store thinking of buying a top-of-the-line unlocked HTC phone for $750. Then the salesperson told me that the battery is not replaceable! That caused me to try to avoid buying anything from HTC. I don't like helping abusers.
I never would have guessed that an expensive phone would be considered a throwaway.
HTC CEO: If you learn that I have joined the board of directors of HTC, I will try to convince the other board members that abuse is bad practice. If I am successful, leave the building immediately. You are fired! It's unlikely I would be asked to join the board of directors, but that is a way of expressing the intensity of my dislike for abuse.
Why buy an unlocked phone? Travelers in other countries buy local SIM cards for GSM phones. That means anyone you meet can call you at a local number while you are in the area.
It is the responsibility of the CEO to coordinate the work of all the employees. The CEO must try new products and reject them if they need improvements. Steve Jobs did that.
I should have said, "an enormous, extremely profitable business for those who control the government".
Good answer: "... the Oregon attorney general doesn't have the technical ability to prove the fraud and lies. The state has already proven they don't understand what they're doing."
Also, Oracle has been through this perhaps thousands of times. Apparently the major profit center for companies like Oracle is being late and more expensive than predicted. For example, see this quote from the book, Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment:
"... a recent General Accounting Office report on U.S. military equipment procurement concluded that only 1% of major military purchases involving high technology were delivered on time and on budget."
That book says the problem is due to a sociological mistake. My understanding is that it is entirely intended, a way of making money from the largely hidden military purchases of the U.S. government. For the U.S. government, killing people is an enormous, extremely profitable business.
An even bigger issue than buying replacement batteries is replacing batteries in cell phones that are said to have batteries that aren't replaceable.
It shocks me that companies can be so hostile to their customers as to force them to buy new cell phones after the inevitable degradation of the batteries.
I was wondering why the Washington Post was spamming me! How did the Washington Post get my email address? Now I know. Jeff Bezos is allowing his "personal purchase" to have the email address I gave to Amazon.
Bezos apparently bought the Washington Post so that he can use it to try to force legislators to give him attention. The U.S. is becoming even more a rich-get-richer country.
The subjects of the spam messages:
{SPECIAL PREVIEW} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
{24 HOURS ONLY} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
{EXTENDED} Summer Sale: JUST $19 -- SAVE UP TO 81% OFF -- for One Year of Unlimited Digital Access!
I think it is a very effective advertising campaign. The effect will be that people will try to avoid buying things from Amazon. Also, after the "Summer Sale", digital access to the Washington Post will cost $100 per year!
In other states, like Oregon, part of the recording must include a question about whether it is okay to record, and the answer. So the question is asked twice.
Does anyone know whether it is okay to record conversations when the other party's recorded message says the call is recorded? Washington state and Oregon are 2 about which I'd like to know, with links to the law.
It's crazy that each state has its own laws! It's crazy that Comcast is allowed to be so abusive. CenturyLink, the phone company in Oregon and SW Washington state, is also hostile to customers, in my experience. We are becoming a country where the rich can do anything they want to everyone else.
Is the answer always to record? If legal, I think yes.
This is part of the extreme hostility toward men in the U.S. culture.
The body is extremely complicated. There are maybe a million chemicals? Choosing one supposedly connected with men but actually present in both men and women, testosterone, and talking about its importance is thinly veiled hostility.
The current wave of hostility of women toward men began with the book The Second Sex, by Simone de Beauvoir, a woman who was very confused about life. The book mentioned negative things men do, and avoided mentioning the negative things women do. Part of her viewpoint was influenced by the fact that she was trying to get women to have sex with her.
There is a movie that shows Simone de Beauvoir was treated as an equal by Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher and friend. She was not second.
Both Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre had terrible childhoods and both did things in their adult lives that demonstrated their confusion.
The Washington Post article linked in the Slashdot summary says, "No, this isnâ(TM)t some jab at dudes." Yes it is, and extremely stupid about biochemistry and civilization, also.
It amazes me how often news companies fail to understand technological issues: The New York Times authors are would-be novelists.
Was it smart for Apple to buy Beats by Dre?
For a moment I was worried that Dilbert cartoon craziness was falling behind real-world craziness. I'm relieved that Dilbert is still ahead:
Most of us are only pretending to work while secretly hoping the project gets canceled after you get fired by the board.
Dilbert is not accurate, I think, about Microsoft. For Microsoft, the 6th panel,
"I expect the decline in morale to lead to violence"
should be
"I expect the decline in morale to lead to more decline in morale."
It seems to me that anyone who says this, I synthesized our strategic direction..., is utterly incompetent at coordinating a large group. That is unthinking corporate-speak. It communicates non-verbally that he has no understanding of what is needed.
..."
More:
"... realign our workforce..."
"... work toward synergies and strategic alignment..."
"... drive greater accountability..."
"... become more agile and move faster."
"... fewer layers of management, both top down and sideways,
"... flattening organizations..."
"... increasing the span of control of people managers."
"... our business processes and support models will be more lean and efficient with greater trust between teams."
Comment: Corporate-speak does not build trust, it destroys trust.
"... more productive, impactful teams..."
"Each organization is starting at different points and moving at different paces."
Comment: That is utterly obvious.
"We will realize the synergies..."
"... align to Microsoft's strategic direction."
"... we will focus on breakthrough innovation that expresses and enlivens..."
"... builds on our success in the affordable smartphone space..."
"... aligns with our focus..."
I'm very interested in the sociology of this. My understanding is that the Microsoft board of directors is utterly incompetent, has little understanding of technology, and merely chose the person to be CEO who was consistently most pleasant and ingratiating.
A competent CEO would not announce a huge advancement until it was already accomplished.
The sweeping changes Satya Nadella is announcing require huge amounts of research and understanding. It is simply not possible to accomplish successfully a re-organization of a huge company as though it were one action.
A competent top coordinator would announce a little at a time and provide meaningful and detailed explanation about why each change was necessary, and how decisions were made.
A competent top coordinator would make it clear that much of the wisdom of ideas about changes came from other people inside the company.
My opinions.
Our programs use 4-digit years. We tell our customers that they must notify us by the year 9,995 if they want year-10,000 updates. And, if we are expected to go to a different galaxy, they must pay for travel.
(The word "buy" should have been "buying".)
A small percentage of batteries are defective and have a short life.
A few days ago I was thinking of buying an HTC One M8 because the camera takes very clear close-ups. When I discovered that the battery cannot be removed, I decided I probably won't ever buy anything from HTC.
If a company engages in sneaky, tricky behavior, I try to avoid buy its products. The sneakiness and trickery I know about may be only part of the attempts to trick the customers.