Wow... I'm actually a US citizen and (holiday-wise) I'm far better off than my friends in the states, so I guess you've got a pretty decent gig.
The other thing I love over here is that people actually respect my vacation. I've had more than a few US holidays interupted with business calls. Over here, it seems to be in the culture that someone on holiday is hands off. No matter what the circumstance. It took me a *long* time to get over that.
I've quit twice and both times I made the decision only after a 2-week holiday. That gave me plenty of time to talk it over with people and think about it away from the pressure of work.
PS. Both jobs were in Europe, where a 2-week holiday is only 1/2 of the total yearly vacation time... sorry to those in the US...
I'm sure they've got that covered. On every phone I've ever owned, you can dial 911 and it will instantly unlock the keys and allow you to dial.
I originally purchased my phone in the UK. It does the same for 999 until I switch to a US SIM card... 999 stops unlocking (it just complains about the keys being locked) and 911 performs an emergency unlock.
Bunch of smarties behind GSM. I'm sure they won't leave a feature like that out of the new camera phones.
... my continued holding out for one of these guys is paying off.
Is there any reason why you should be feeling smug for "knowing" the obvious? Tech prices always fall. The competitors' prices have fallen too. As a percentage of price, the iPod still demands about the same premium as it did two years ago.
Another way of looking at it: I paid $450 for a 30GB about two years ago. You can get a 20GB (the closest model) for $300 now. The battery on the 20GB is newer but my HD is bigger and I got a dock with my iPod... so let's call them roughly equivalent. That means I paid $150 for two years of having this wonderful device instead of either swapping CDs or carrying around some other bulky, obtuse mp3 player.
Look at where WiFi has gone in the last 2 years...
While I'd be tempted to install loads of conduit, etc, I think wires will be going away very soon. And I mean wireless everything. Computer networking is already there. Audio and video aren't far behind (Tivo w/ WiFi and the AirTunes are hints of the future).
I'm an Oregonian... so you know it takes a lot for me to say anything nice about California but...
I just want to thank California for their identity fraud laws that force businesses to disclose when an unauthorized person has accessed records illegally. If it weren't for that, we probably wouldn't know anything about this.
That's why you limit the number of "abuse" tags each person gets significantly. You and your pals can go ahead and do that but you'll only be able to to it to 5-10 people *a*year*... I imagine that the threshold for top abusers would be high enough that your "club" wouldn't get anywhere near it.
Obviously, a company would need to play around with the numbers (1 tag per month vs. 12 per year...) but I still think you could get this to catch the people who are idiots to everyone they meet.
When I was 12, I saw a Gallagher comedy sketch where he proposed that you should be able to shoot little suction darts with a sign saying "Stupid" at cars when the driver does something dumb. That way, everyone will know who the stupid drivers are.
Could a similar system work online? Maybe everyone gets 5-10 "abuse" tags each year. They can hand them out whenever they feel its appropriate.
The top abusers could get dealt with in a number of ways: a big "ABUSER" sign, weapon/equipment/movement limitations, account termination (sadly... probably for a refund), server move, etc.
Of course, you can tweak the number of tags and other parameters. Maybe you can only give one "abuse" tag to an individual every month (stops people from using all their tags on one person).
Public demand? Public RIGHTS. We have the right to make backups of our owned discs
But the media companies have the right to make that as easy or as difficult as they want.
They can make uncrackable discs and it would be legal. There's nothing in law that says they have to make backups technically possible... only that we can backup once we figure out how.
I've tried everything to get the same sound in multiple rooms using wifi and I could never get it working.
I have a smallish 1bdr flat and I like to have the same music playing in my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom as I roam through the flat in the morning (my neighbors must love me). I tried to stream mp3 from a central server but the laptops would all have a different buffer and the sound was out of sync in all three locations.
My final solution was to use an FM transmitter. The upside is I can use cheap receivers in the kitchen and bathroom. The downside is poor sound quality in those locations (the bedroom is wired to the source).
I just took an EE course where we used several different Xilinx-based boards. I've put up a load of links and documentation for VHDL and the Xilinx tools here.
The course focused on soft processors, so some of the talk about Microblaze won't apply to you unless you can pony up the $500 for Xilinx's EDK.
Even without the EDK, there are a load of cool things you can do with these FPGAs. Consider this guy's implementation of the original Pac Man hardware on a single chip.
Really? The mouse requires more movement than the keyboard but the mouse is definitely a step forwards in terms of UI. Sure, CLI hackers can do a lot more with a keyboard but the mouse has helped bring computers to the masses.
A UI shouldn't be judged on how much the user has to move but on how intuitive it is. I move a lot more with my evolution but it's much more intuitive (and infinitely faster) than working with a mouse on Reason.
FPGAs can do what you're suggesting. Check out opencores for some examples of processor implementations already written. Assuming a large enough FPGA, you could implement any processor out there (and throw an Ethernet controller, VGA controller, etc onto the same chip).
That said, there's a huge performance difference between a real processor and a "soft" processor. The soft processors can't be clocked anywhere near as fast as an Intel/AMD chip. I think Xilinx is boasting a 200MHz Microblaze on their newest FPGAs.
I managed to get some great offers with a dismal GPA but several solid internships. As most of the previous posters pointed out, experience matters more than anything.
However, one thing that good schools get is a better range of employers at their career fairs. There were several companies that came to my school (U of Washington) but didn't bother going to the other Washington state schools or the Oregon state schools. In my experience, meeting companies at university career fairs and career centers is much more likely to net you a job than random applications via their web site.
Back in maybe 1994 or 1995, I remember using a system that some student developed. You would upload a list of your CDs and it would find similarities between your list and other people's lists and then recommend CDs that were present in many other people's lists but not yours. For instance, if it found five boy band CDs in your collection and 90% of the lists with those five boy band CDs also had a Debbie Gibson CD, it would recommend the Debbie Gibson CD.
I'm pretty sure this was pre-web (I think it worked via email) And it had some fancy mathematical name like the 'difference engine'.
I wish I could remember more but hopefully this jogs someone's memory...
Anyone who recommends Monster cables (or any other cables) over generic wires, has ears that are far better than the ordinary person.
I don't take exception to that but I do have a problem with super-audiophiles like yourself trying to give advice to regular people. You guys end up telling us to spend too much money on the wrong things.
10% on cables!! Ha! If you're only spending $500-1000 on a system, just use the cables that come with the speakers... I've never met anyone that can tell the difference between cables on a mid-range system.
I agree that the price difference is staggering, but I've found a 20" LCD at 1600x1200 is much more readable than a 21" CRT. Like others on this forum, I have a 1600x1200 15.1" laptop screen and it's incredibly readable. 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT (about the same screen size) is nowhere near as comfortable on the eyes.
For gaming and so many other applications, LCDs come up short. But for small text at high resolution, an an LCD is much sharper.
It's not a big problem to drive to the nearest school to punch a few buttons and hit "cast vote".
I can't go to the nearest school on voting day. Voting by post is currently the only option available to voters abroad.
I realize that computer voting is in it's infancy and has a load of bad history, but given that I spend thousands of dollars each year in online shops, I don't think it's hard to imagine that safe, secure computer voting is in our near future. I know that I'd definitely trust a well-designed internet voting site more than I'd trust the international post.
Testing internet voting on those abroad would make a lot of sense. We constitute a tiny fraction of the entire voting population so mistakes would have very limited effect.
All of this is assuming that they put smart people on the job of designing and securing the site... something that our government hasn't figured out yet.
Slashdot Mirror
Imagine the targeted links they'll put on calendar entries for your mother's birthday, your quarterly performance review and a blind date...
I can't wait.
Wow... I'm actually a US citizen and (holiday-wise) I'm far better off than my friends in the states, so I guess you've got a pretty decent gig.
The other thing I love over here is that people actually respect my vacation. I've had more than a few US holidays interupted with business calls. Over here, it seems to be in the culture that someone on holiday is hands off. No matter what the circumstance. It took me a *long* time to get over that.
I've quit twice and both times I made the decision only after a 2-week holiday. That gave me plenty of time to talk it over with people and think about it away from the pressure of work.
PS. Both jobs were in Europe, where a 2-week holiday is only 1/2 of the total yearly vacation time... sorry to those in the US...
I'm sure they've got that covered. On every phone I've ever owned, you can dial 911 and it will instantly unlock the keys and allow you to dial.
I originally purchased my phone in the UK. It does the same for 999 until I switch to a US SIM card... 999 stops unlocking (it just complains about the keys being locked) and 911 performs an emergency unlock.
Bunch of smarties behind GSM. I'm sure they won't leave a feature like that out of the new camera phones.
what is the best way to rate productivity in an OS?
Here's how not to: post to Ask Slashdot and see which OS garners the most fanboy posts.
This is an excellent example of the state of political debate today.
Side 1 issues a nearly apocalyptic result if said legislation doesn't pass: "Nobody will develop or sell software in the EU"
Side 2 responds with an equally dire result if the legislation does pass: "Nobody will be able to develop OSS"
Both scenarios are equally preposterous.
Intelligent analysis doesn't figure into the debate, just FUD.
... my continued holding out for one of these guys is paying off.
Is there any reason why you should be feeling smug for "knowing" the obvious? Tech prices always fall. The competitors' prices have fallen too. As a percentage of price, the iPod still demands about the same premium as it did two years ago.
Another way of looking at it: I paid $450 for a 30GB about two years ago. You can get a 20GB (the closest model) for $300 now. The battery on the 20GB is newer but my HD is bigger and I got a dock with my iPod... so let's call them roughly equivalent. That means I paid $150 for two years of having this wonderful device instead of either swapping CDs or carrying around some other bulky, obtuse mp3 player.
That seems like a great deal to me.
Look at where WiFi has gone in the last 2 years...
While I'd be tempted to install loads of conduit, etc, I think wires will be going away very soon. And I mean wireless everything. Computer networking is already there. Audio and video aren't far behind (Tivo w/ WiFi and the AirTunes are hints of the future).
I'm an Oregonian... so you know it takes a lot for me to say anything nice about California but...
I just want to thank California for their identity fraud laws that force businesses to disclose when an unauthorized person has accessed records illegally. If it weren't for that, we probably wouldn't know anything about this.
That's why you limit the number of "abuse" tags each person gets significantly. You and your pals can go ahead and do that but you'll only be able to to it to 5-10 people *a*year*... I imagine that the threshold for top abusers would be high enough that your "club" wouldn't get anywhere near it.
Obviously, a company would need to play around with the numbers (1 tag per month vs. 12 per year...) but I still think you could get this to catch the people who are idiots to everyone they meet.
When I was 12, I saw a Gallagher comedy sketch where he proposed that you should be able to shoot little suction darts with a sign saying "Stupid" at cars when the driver does something dumb. That way, everyone will know who the stupid drivers are.
Could a similar system work online? Maybe everyone gets 5-10 "abuse" tags each year. They can hand them out whenever they feel its appropriate.
The top abusers could get dealt with in a number of ways: a big "ABUSER" sign, weapon/equipment/movement limitations, account termination (sadly... probably for a refund), server move, etc.
Of course, you can tweak the number of tags and other parameters. Maybe you can only give one "abuse" tag to an individual every month (stops people from using all their tags on one person).
Public demand? Public RIGHTS. We have the right to make backups of our owned discs
But the media companies have the right to make that as easy or as difficult as they want.
They can make uncrackable discs and it would be legal. There's nothing in law that says they have to make backups technically possible... only that we can backup once we figure out how.
I've tried everything to get the same sound in multiple rooms using wifi and I could never get it working.
I have a smallish 1bdr flat and I like to have the same music playing in my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom as I roam through the flat in the morning (my neighbors must love me). I tried to stream mp3 from a central server but the laptops would all have a different buffer and the sound was out of sync in all three locations.
My final solution was to use an FM transmitter. The upside is I can use cheap receivers in the kitchen and bathroom. The downside is poor sound quality in those locations (the bedroom is wired to the source).
No, decompression is easy, too. Just go into the Recycle Bin, find the compressed JPEG and click "Restore"
I just took an EE course where we used several different Xilinx-based boards. I've put up a load of links and documentation for VHDL and the Xilinx tools here.
The course focused on soft processors, so some of the talk about Microblaze won't apply to you unless you can pony up the $500 for Xilinx's EDK.
Even without the EDK, there are a load of cool things you can do with these FPGAs. Consider this guy's implementation of the original Pac Man hardware on a single chip.
Deathifier?!?!
How does a guy with a name like that get $26,500?
Buy a better name first.
Really? The mouse requires more movement than the keyboard but the mouse is definitely a step forwards in terms of UI. Sure, CLI hackers can do a lot more with a keyboard but the mouse has helped bring computers to the masses.
A UI shouldn't be judged on how much the user has to move but on how intuitive it is. I move a lot more with my evolution but it's much more intuitive (and infinitely faster) than working with a mouse on Reason.
Considering that the year's two most-anticipated games and a new hardware system were released in November, I'd say the November data is a bit skewed.
It's normal for big releases to come out in November but I think Halo 2 and Half Life 2 are special cases.
FPGAs can do what you're suggesting. Check out opencores for some examples of processor implementations already written. Assuming a large enough FPGA, you could implement any processor out there (and throw an Ethernet controller, VGA controller, etc onto the same chip).
That said, there's a huge performance difference between a real processor and a "soft" processor. The soft processors can't be clocked anywhere near as fast as an Intel/AMD chip. I think Xilinx is boasting a 200MHz Microblaze on their newest FPGAs.
I managed to get some great offers with a dismal GPA but several solid internships. As most of the previous posters pointed out, experience matters more than anything.
However, one thing that good schools get is a better range of employers at their career fairs. There were several companies that came to my school (U of Washington) but didn't bother going to the other Washington state schools or the Oregon state schools. In my experience, meeting companies at university career fairs and career centers is much more likely to net you a job than random applications via their web site.
Back in maybe 1994 or 1995, I remember using a system that some student developed. You would upload a list of your CDs and it would find similarities between your list and other people's lists and then recommend CDs that were present in many other people's lists but not yours. For instance, if it found five boy band CDs in your collection and 90% of the lists with those five boy band CDs also had a Debbie Gibson CD, it would recommend the Debbie Gibson CD.
I'm pretty sure this was pre-web (I think it worked via email) And it had some fancy mathematical name like the 'difference engine'.
I wish I could remember more but hopefully this jogs someone's memory...
Anyone who recommends Monster cables (or any other cables) over generic wires, has ears that are far better than the ordinary person.
I don't take exception to that but I do have a problem with super-audiophiles like yourself trying to give advice to regular people. You guys end up telling us to spend too much money on the wrong things.
10% on cables!! Ha! If you're only spending $500-1000 on a system, just use the cables that come with the speakers... I've never met anyone that can tell the difference between cables on a mid-range system.
I agree that the price difference is staggering, but I've found a 20" LCD at 1600x1200 is much more readable than a 21" CRT. Like others on this forum, I have a 1600x1200 15.1" laptop screen and it's incredibly readable. 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT (about the same screen size) is nowhere near as comfortable on the eyes.
For gaming and so many other applications, LCDs come up short. But for small text at high resolution, an an LCD is much sharper.
It's not a big problem to drive to the nearest school to punch a few buttons and hit "cast vote".
I can't go to the nearest school on voting day. Voting by post is currently the only option available to voters abroad.
I realize that computer voting is in it's infancy and has a load of bad history, but given that I spend thousands of dollars each year in online shops, I don't think it's hard to imagine that safe, secure computer voting is in our near future. I know that I'd definitely trust a well-designed internet voting site more than I'd trust the international post.
Testing internet voting on those abroad would make a lot of sense. We constitute a tiny fraction of the entire voting population so mistakes would have very limited effect.
All of this is assuming that they put smart people on the job of designing and securing the site... something that our government hasn't figured out yet.
Jean-Louis Gassee beat to you that 11 years ago...