(With only 1 outside wall with few windows, the supposed jerk's ability to waste energy is limited anyway.)
A commercial landlord who's "paying the heat & A/C" on 100+ units has ample incentive, opportunity, & economies of scale to upgrade the energy efficiency. We're not talking about busy homeowners who don't understand cashflow strategy.
This rental market is neither tight nor immobile - raising the rent will raise the vacancy rate.
If energy prices rise enough to force $100 more per month onto my apartment rent, then the fools in those miles of McMansion sprawl will be seeing $1000+ monthly utility bills. It seems safer to be renting when the real estate market bubble pops.
It's an easy 2-mile walk from home to where I work. I drive a small diesel car anyway.
The landlord pays the heat & A/C for my modest 1-bedroom apartment...but with few exterior walls & appropriate clothing, my thermostat is almost always set to "OFF".
I turn off unneeded lights, shut the 'fridge door, don't run a home server farm, etc. - my electric bill is usually about $15 per month.
I don't know if a 400% jump in energy prices would bother me that much. If the rest of America lived like I do, our country would probably have lots of surplus oil, natural gas, etc. to export.
First, put it in the Apple section. Then re-write it as:
"Jordan Hubbard, Apple's Darwin OS leader, and Matt Dillion, DragonFlyBSD founder & head guru, both formerly leading developers at the FreeBSD project that was the basis for Darwin, are refusing to confirm that the awesome new multi-processing and clustering technologies in DragonFlyBSD will be the rocket fuel that takes Darwin, Mac OS XI (G6 CPUs), and Mac OS XII (Cell-based CPUs) to #1 on the TOP500 Supercomputer list and keeps them there.
"With the run-away successes of the G5 Xserver and Mac Mini, Apple is clearly positioning itself to deliver blockbuster breakthrough distributed computing everywhere from average people's homes to the world's cutting-edge research laboratories...
"Continuing their 'hide it in plain sight' development of these awesome new technologies, Matt Dillion gave an interview..."
Do it that way, and i'll guarantee you 1000+ responses in 3 hours.
In a more sober vein, there probably aren't many people here who know much about DragonFlyBSD or are interested in the low-level technologies that Matt's focused on.
Chop the cooling system out of a cheap old dorm fridge, install the cold part in an biggish old tupperware tub (that has room for the camera too), cut a hole in the tub's side & install a little 2-layer window of optical quality glass for the camera to see out through, and either dry & seal the space 'tween the panes or rig a couple tubes to blow heated air through there (preventing condensation either way). Then cut holes in the tupperware top, run your camera controls through the holes, and insulate the whole thing with spray-on foam.
If you don't have anybody who can be trusted to fill in the details and do this safely, then spend money on something pretty.
Find somebody decent in the Legal Dept. Quietly express concern that, expecially now that the U.S. Goverment has gone on record against using security-swiss-cheese IE, you might face professional liability - similar to an electrician who'd been pressured into doing something clearly dangerous that caused a fire.
Played right, this approach probably has a better chance than any other of getting a no-appeal "IE is banned" rule from on high.
Is the PTO's business model the same as that of a diploma mill? Well, is there anything to stop you from applying for a boatload of abusive patents yourself, then launching swarms of lawsuits against all those vile corporations that are stealing your ideas to transport energy through metal wires, represent infomation as '0's and '1's, make money by selling above cost, etc.?
If you can transform the PTO into a national lottery for millions of little people, with the courts clogged with drawing the winners, and big business bankrolling the prizes, then the system might get fixed. Might.
On another front, the U.S. has signed plenty of treaties promising free trade. Can you argue that the PTO's cluelessness is, in effect, just another form of government subsidy for U.S. companies and/or a red-tape barrier to imports - and thus is a violation of a treaty? Can you find a foreign government eager for an excuse to yell "no fair!" and slap a retaliatory tariff on politically sensitive U.S.-made goods? Take a good look at the recent fuss over protecting the U.S. steel industry - Uncle Sam was forced to back down, eat crow, and change his rules.
Reading the linked articles, i don't think that their authors understood how this system is supposed to work.
My guess is that this is some pointy-hairbrained Plan B that they came up with at the last minute, after both Nessie and the Loch locals said "hell no!" to the treadmill/generator idea.
Ummm...didn't it say that these were soil bacteria from Antarctica? Wouldn't they have had umpteen jillion bacterial generations of adopting to being frozen frequently (without any high-tech chemical preservatives, ultra-cool or temp-controlled freezers, etc.) before things got a bit colder and turned 'em into Rip Van Winkle's?
You say that you "recently applied for a job three rungs up"...mostly to get noticed. Okay, they've obviously noticed. If you knew what it took to do well in that higher-up job AND HAD IT, then leading and fixing the screwed-up team is something that you could do, and enjoy the chance to prove yourself.
Now they're wondering whether you're a silly twit with fantasies of being a big shot, a wimp who is allergic to any hard or dirty work, somebody who's drive & ambition ride a mood-swing yo-yo, or what.
I'd say that it's time for you to either: (a) Put on your Able & Motivated Leader hat, start telling them about the prompt & sure moves that you feel are needed to get Team Screw-Up producing, and solicit their views on the subject. (b) Admit that you've screwed up, and that noticing you was a big waste of their time.
So Many Interesting Uses...
on
A.I. Helicopter?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
What's the most interesting use for this unmanned mini "A.I. robot" chopper?
- Loads more cool camera angles on sporting events
- Program a few to scope out the White House & Pentagon, scrub off all fingerprints, launch, and then see how long you can outrun Uncle Sam's big, manned Apache choppers
- "Inspect" popular beaches from the comfort of your A/C'ed basement on hot summer days
- Geek farmers arm 'em with BB guns and throw away the stupid old scarecrows.
- Fly around the Shuttle looking for damage - maybe even sacrifice itself to stop a hurling piece of space junk from hitting!
- Deliver small gifts to your geek SO
- Cowboy Neil Is Watching Your Every Move
Apple could sell a *lot* of G5 Xserves, and (looking at G4 Xserve prices) any undercutting of G5 PowerMac sales would only *increase* Apple's profits. A recent "Page 2" rumor on MacRumors.com put the G5 Xserve 4 to 5 months out - suggesting that 970's built on the new 90nm process are required.
Why aren't they shipping already? A few ideas:
- Legal constraint from IBM? Seems unlikely - IBM's bottom line is supposedly hurting for lack of business to keep their pricy new 970 fab busy. Frustrated wanna-be G5 Xserver customers are unlikely to buy all-IBM stuff instead - racks powered by Intel (IBM's arch-enemy) are probably more likely.
- Too damn hot? Current G5's are much hotter then Xserve's current G4's. Having taken a financial bath on their noisy G4 PowerMac, Apple may have concluded that "1U size", "current G5 chips", and "noise level acceptable to customers" is an impossible combo. If Steve vetoed a >1U size, they'd just have to wait for cooler-running G5's from IBM. But Dell is busy selling dual 3.2GHz Xeon 1U servers, and Xeons supposedly run much hotter than G5's. Is Apple's hot-air-blowing technology actually too sucky to keep up with Dell?
- R&D brain bottleneck? Apple's hard-core chipset/motherboard design gurus may be stretched thin by too many current projects. Pointy-Haired Bonehead decisions may have set them way back. Intel may have lured key brains away. Quality "the hard parts" engineers aren't a "find, hire, & get productive overnight" item that Apple could fix the problem quickly - *especially* if Steve PHB'ed things to begin with.
Short of a Darwin-class bonehead decision or two, i don't buy "product cycle" reasons. They've refreshed the Xserve about this fast in the past, and every day of delay is costing $$$ in lost profits.
Two independent lines of logic strongly suggest that the G5 PowerBook ain't coming any time soon:
- Apple just updated the PowerBooks. History says that they are very unlikely to update 'em again quick. (See MacRumor.com's Buyer's Guide page for dates of past revisions.)
- There is no G5 Xserve yet. If Apple can't get a G5 working within the Xserve's size/power/noise limits (with sales doubtless in the pits as folks wait for G5), then they're likely a *long* way from doing G5 within the PowerBook's (far tighter) limits.
Okay, the bottom of your fry pan is covered with jillions of those teflon microspikes, so your eggs can't possibly stick. But will all those microspikes (and the air trapped between 'em) conduct heat well enough for your eggs to cook decently?
Now comes time to take up your eggs, and you slip your trusty pancake flippy in to move 'em to your plate. Did you just damage a bunch of those skinny, fragile-looking microspikes?
Next, you put the microspike coating on your boat's hull. How long does it take to degrade it to uselessness? Lots of microorganisms might find the little spaces between those spikes to be a cozy home...you've got a not-so-special familiar kind of slimy slipperyness once they displace the air in there.
These systems are busy trying to figure out who's eager to blow big bucks (to charge him through the nose) and who's barely interested & very price sensitive (to charge their lowest price). Guess what - if you're willing to act poor when Big Bro's watching (and quietly pay cash after dickering price whenever you can for your luxuries), you can make this system work for you.
Much of the social status of being rich (vs. poor) comes from the blow-through-the-dough-and-don't-have-to-care (vs. sweating every penny) lifestyle & attitude. This system ain't much different from a bazaar 3000 years ago - the merchants knew perfectly well who was rich and who was poor.
What the hell is with all these whistle-blowers? Anybody's who's heard of fire and the wheel knows that Uncle Sam & Co. have demoted/fired/blacklisted virtually every idiot who's ever stuck his head up to rat on the system (while the folks being ratted on get far more promotions that prosecutions).
Is there some DNA test that'd prevent hiring from the shallow end of the gene pool?
Ever look at banks offering "free checking" (no minimum balance, no monthly fee, etc.)? The banks are getting rich on it - $0.00 minimum balance means loads of customers bounce lots of checks - at $20+/pop "overdraft fee". Many of 'em have lots of other fees - for using an ATM, too many or too few transactions, etc.
Similar for the arbitrary, horribly complex, and ever-changing pricing rules that airlines use to maximize their revenue.
Many hosting companies are doing similar things. The first (sounds big) GB's of bandwidth are really cheap, more is at a $$$$/MB rate that a drug lord would be too honest to charge. Ditto disk space.
"Although Apple (AAPL ) won't talk about it, IBM (IBM ) is developing a new set of chips that Apple will likely use to replace the aging Motorola processors used in its G4 line."
TO REPEAT: "...CHIPS THAT APPLE WILL LIKELY USE..."
In other words, THIS IS JUST MORE FACT-FREE SPECULATION.
A young grad student is getting time on some of professional astronomy's top-tier toys, then publishing his results in Nature? Very interesting indeed...
Even if it's a fix, this guy seems a shoe-in to get (*extremely* scarce) good job offers in astronomy.
*IF* Apple has fixed the huge early-failure defect problem they were having with eMacs, then these look like nice econo-G4 systems. Base price is about where the much weaker G3/15" CRT iMac was until recently.
They're really short on memory for most uses, but good 3rd party memory is so cheap that it's often thrown in free when you buy the system.
Size & weight are what you pay for the eMac being a G4 at G3 prices - look, lift it, & measure your desk before you buy.
Brain Scanners Work On Politicians - No Problem!
on
Brain Privacy
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Once a lie-detecting brain scanner is reasonably available, there'll be some public challenges to sleazy politicians to answer (under the scanner, with cameras rolling) questions like "did your vote on bill X have more to do with that fat campaign donation than with the good of the country?"
The media will hype this up so far, it'll make the Clinton sex scandals look like a 5-over-limit speeding ticket.
Conclusion - self-serving sleazy politicians will make sure than brain scanners are *extremely* illegal.
So our junior genius is working with a client's tip-top-secret documents, 10,000-to-1 he's signed some heavy-duty non-disclosure agreement and knows his uncle's company could get fried if anything leaks, yet he decided to make a hobby out of sending copies of the documents to the whole world.
I'll agree that the law's a poor fit, and this young kid's whole life is toasted bad, but I feel sorry for him about like I feel sorry for the guy who tried pissin' on a 100,000 volt line knocked down in a storm.
They had only guesses as to what kind of material (foam, ice, ice-loaded foam, etc.) hit the wing. Only crude estimates as to how much hit, & where. They'd NEVER done real inspections (ultrasound, X-ray, etc.) of those carbon-carbon composite leading edges (to look for delamination, fractures, internal erosion from oxygen entering through surface pinholes, etc.) I haven't heard that they had ANY real test data from larger hits.
In this context, it doesn't much matter whether the "program" is half a million lines of gigaflop-sucking Fortran or a Buck Rogers Secret Decoder Ring. They were (fairly contentedly) starved for meaningful input.
If the Board of Directors is a farcical pile of yes-man dead wood, then stuffing it with busy superstars, celebs, & trendy talking heads is the best strategy.
If the Board of Directors is actually in charge of Apple and running it for the long-term benefit of the shareholders, then the most desirable Directors are those with time to do the job, and experience & ability in areas like running large organizations.
I think Jobs is pretty good, but his ego, pay, etc. are long overdue for some real control.
Dear AC,
You seem to have some "special source" of information on my beliefs that i'm not aware of.
Unfortunately, your "special source" appears to be either miserably incorrect or a pathological liar.
I suggest that you start using more reliable sources of information.
The cheapness of human life in WWII wasn't really related to nuclear weapons. The Allied Air Forces were firebombing "enemy" cities with conventional weapons long before Hiroshima. Objective: create blast-furnace-hot city-sized fires that left nothing but half-melted human bones amid the ash & rubble. Method: hundreds or thousands of bombers and an unlimited supply of incendiary bombs.
The Japanese experts who looked over Hiroshima shortly after the A-bombing initially concluded that Uncle Satan had merely invented a bigger & badder conventional firebomb.
It was only later, when nukes got bigger and far more plentiful, that "hit 'em with nukes" became meaningfully worse than "hit 'em with firebombing".
Slashdot Mirror
What Fred said.
(With only 1 outside wall with few windows, the supposed jerk's ability to waste energy is limited anyway.)
A commercial landlord who's "paying the heat & A/C" on 100+ units has ample incentive, opportunity, & economies of scale to upgrade the energy efficiency. We're not talking about busy homeowners who don't understand cashflow strategy.
This rental market is neither tight nor immobile - raising the rent will raise the vacancy rate.
If energy prices rise enough to force $100 more per month onto my apartment rent, then the fools in those miles of McMansion sprawl will be seeing $1000+ monthly utility bills. It seems safer to be renting when the real estate market bubble pops.
It's an easy 2-mile walk from home to where I work. I drive a small diesel car anyway.
The landlord pays the heat & A/C for my modest 1-bedroom apartment...but with few exterior walls & appropriate clothing, my thermostat is almost always set to "OFF".
I turn off unneeded lights, shut the 'fridge door, don't run a home server farm, etc. - my electric bill is usually about $15 per month.
I don't know if a 400% jump in energy prices would bother me that much. If the rest of America lived like I do, our country would probably have lots of surplus oil, natural gas, etc. to export.
First, put it in the Apple section. Then re-write it as:
"Jordan Hubbard, Apple's Darwin OS leader, and Matt Dillion, DragonFlyBSD founder & head guru, both formerly leading developers at the FreeBSD project that was the basis for Darwin, are refusing to confirm that the awesome new multi-processing and clustering technologies in DragonFlyBSD will be the rocket fuel that takes Darwin, Mac OS XI (G6 CPUs), and Mac OS XII (Cell-based CPUs) to #1 on the TOP500 Supercomputer list and keeps them there.
"With the run-away successes of the G5 Xserver and Mac Mini, Apple is clearly positioning itself to deliver blockbuster breakthrough distributed computing everywhere from average people's homes to the world's cutting-edge research laboratories...
"Continuing their 'hide it in plain sight' development of these awesome new technologies, Matt Dillion gave an interview..."
Do it that way, and i'll guarantee you 1000+ responses in 3 hours.
In a more sober vein, there probably aren't many people here who know much about DragonFlyBSD or are interested in the low-level technologies that Matt's focused on.
Chop the cooling system out of a cheap old dorm fridge, install the cold part in an biggish old tupperware tub (that has room for the camera too), cut a hole in the tub's side & install a little 2-layer window of optical quality glass for the camera to see out through, and either dry & seal the space 'tween the panes or rig a couple tubes to blow heated air through there (preventing condensation either way). Then cut holes in the tupperware top, run your camera controls through the holes, and insulate the whole thing with spray-on foam.
If you don't have anybody who can be trusted to fill in the details and do this safely, then spend money on something pretty.
Find somebody decent in the Legal Dept. Quietly express concern that, expecially now that the U.S. Goverment has gone on record against using security-swiss-cheese IE, you might face professional liability - similar to an electrician who'd been pressured into doing something clearly dangerous that caused a fire.
Played right, this approach probably has a better chance than any other of getting a no-appeal "IE is banned" rule from on high.
Is the PTO's business model the same as that of a diploma mill? Well, is there anything to stop you from applying for a boatload of abusive patents yourself, then launching swarms of lawsuits against all those vile corporations that are stealing your ideas to transport energy through metal wires, represent infomation as '0's and '1's, make money by selling above cost, etc.?
If you can transform the PTO into a national lottery for millions of little people, with the courts clogged with drawing the winners, and big business bankrolling the prizes, then the system might get fixed. Might.
On another front, the U.S. has signed plenty of treaties promising free trade. Can you argue that the PTO's cluelessness is, in effect, just another form of government subsidy for U.S. companies and/or a red-tape barrier to imports - and thus is a violation of a treaty? Can you find a foreign government eager for an excuse to yell "no fair!" and slap a retaliatory tariff on politically sensitive U.S.-made goods? Take a good look at the recent fuss over protecting the U.S. steel industry - Uncle Sam was forced to back down, eat crow, and change his rules.
Reading the linked articles, i don't think that their authors understood how this system is supposed to work.
My guess is that this is some pointy-hairbrained Plan B that they came up with at the last minute, after both Nessie and the Loch locals said "hell no!" to the treadmill/generator idea.
Ummm...didn't it say that these were soil bacteria from Antarctica? Wouldn't they have had umpteen jillion bacterial generations of adopting to being frozen frequently (without any high-tech chemical preservatives, ultra-cool or temp-controlled freezers, etc.) before things got a bit colder and turned 'em into Rip Van Winkle's?
You say that you "recently applied for a job three rungs up"...mostly to get noticed. Okay, they've obviously noticed. If you knew what it took to do well in that higher-up job AND HAD IT, then leading and fixing the screwed-up team is something that you could do, and enjoy the chance to prove yourself.
Now they're wondering whether you're a silly twit with fantasies of being a big shot, a wimp who is allergic to any hard or dirty work, somebody who's drive & ambition ride a mood-swing yo-yo, or what.
I'd say that it's time for you to either:
(a) Put on your Able & Motivated Leader hat, start telling them about the prompt & sure moves that you feel are needed to get Team Screw-Up producing, and solicit their views on the subject.
(b) Admit that you've screwed up, and that noticing you was a big waste of their time.
What's the most interesting use for this unmanned mini "A.I. robot" chopper?
- Loads more cool camera angles on sporting events
- Program a few to scope out the White House & Pentagon, scrub off all fingerprints, launch, and then see how long you can outrun Uncle Sam's big, manned Apache choppers
- "Inspect" popular beaches from the comfort of your A/C'ed basement on hot summer days
- Geek farmers arm 'em with BB guns and throw away the stupid old scarecrows.
- Fly around the Shuttle looking for damage - maybe even sacrifice itself to stop a hurling piece of space junk from hitting!
- Deliver small gifts to your geek SO
- Cowboy Neil Is Watching Your Every Move
Apple could sell a *lot* of G5 Xserves, and (looking at G4 Xserve prices) any undercutting of G5 PowerMac sales would only *increase* Apple's profits. A recent "Page 2" rumor on MacRumors.com put the G5 Xserve 4 to 5 months out - suggesting that 970's built on the new 90nm process are required.
Why aren't they shipping already? A few ideas:
- Legal constraint from IBM? Seems unlikely - IBM's bottom line is supposedly hurting for lack of business to keep their pricy new 970 fab busy. Frustrated wanna-be G5 Xserver customers are unlikely to buy all-IBM stuff instead - racks powered by Intel (IBM's arch-enemy) are probably more likely.
- Too damn hot? Current G5's are much hotter then Xserve's current G4's. Having taken a financial bath on their noisy G4 PowerMac, Apple may have concluded that "1U size", "current G5 chips", and "noise level acceptable to customers" is an impossible combo. If Steve vetoed a >1U size, they'd just have to wait for cooler-running G5's from IBM. But Dell is busy selling dual 3.2GHz Xeon 1U servers, and Xeons supposedly run much hotter than G5's. Is Apple's hot-air-blowing technology actually too sucky to keep up with Dell?
- R&D brain bottleneck? Apple's hard-core chipset/motherboard design gurus may be stretched thin by too many current projects. Pointy-Haired Bonehead decisions may have set them way back. Intel may have lured key brains away. Quality "the hard parts" engineers aren't a "find, hire, & get productive overnight" item that Apple could fix the problem quickly - *especially* if Steve PHB'ed things to begin with.
Short of a Darwin-class bonehead decision or two, i don't buy "product cycle" reasons. They've refreshed the Xserve about this fast in the past, and every day of delay is costing $$$ in lost profits.
Two independent lines of logic strongly suggest that the G5 PowerBook ain't coming any time soon:
- Apple just updated the PowerBooks. History says that they are very unlikely to update 'em again quick. (See MacRumor.com's Buyer's Guide page for dates of past revisions.)
- There is no G5 Xserve yet. If Apple can't get a G5 working within the Xserve's size/power/noise limits (with sales doubtless in the pits as folks wait for G5), then they're likely a *long* way from doing G5 within the PowerBook's (far tighter) limits.
Okay, the bottom of your fry pan is covered with jillions of those teflon microspikes, so your eggs can't possibly stick. But will all those microspikes (and the air trapped between 'em) conduct heat well enough for your eggs to cook decently?
Now comes time to take up your eggs, and you slip your trusty pancake flippy in to move 'em to your plate. Did you just damage a bunch of those skinny, fragile-looking microspikes?
Next, you put the microspike coating on your boat's hull. How long does it take to degrade it to uselessness? Lots of microorganisms might find the little spaces between those spikes to be a cozy home...you've got a not-so-special familiar kind of slimy slipperyness once they displace the air in there.
These systems are busy trying to figure out who's eager to blow big bucks (to charge him through the nose) and who's barely interested & very price sensitive (to charge their lowest price). Guess what - if you're willing to act poor when Big Bro's watching (and quietly pay cash after dickering price whenever you can for your luxuries), you can make this system work for you.
Much of the social status of being rich (vs. poor) comes from the blow-through-the-dough-and-don't-have-to-care (vs. sweating every penny) lifestyle & attitude. This system ain't much different from a bazaar 3000 years ago - the merchants knew perfectly well who was rich and who was poor.
What the hell is with all these whistle-blowers? Anybody's who's heard of fire and the wheel knows that Uncle Sam & Co. have demoted/fired/blacklisted virtually every idiot who's ever stuck his head up to rat on the system (while the folks being ratted on get far more promotions that prosecutions).
Is there some DNA test that'd prevent hiring from the shallow end of the gene pool?
Ever look at banks offering "free checking" (no minimum balance, no monthly fee, etc.)? The banks are getting rich on it - $0.00 minimum balance means loads of customers bounce lots of checks - at $20+/pop "overdraft fee". Many of 'em have lots of other fees - for using an ATM, too many or too few transactions, etc.
Similar for the arbitrary, horribly complex, and ever-changing pricing rules that airlines use to maximize their revenue.
Many hosting companies are doing similar things. The first (sounds big) GB's of bandwidth are really cheap, more is at a $$$$/MB rate that a drug lord would be too honest to charge. Ditto disk space.
Here is what the article actually says:
"Although Apple (AAPL ) won't talk about it, IBM (IBM ) is developing a new set of chips that Apple will likely use to replace the aging Motorola processors used in its G4 line."
TO REPEAT: "...CHIPS THAT APPLE WILL LIKELY USE..."
In other words, THIS IS JUST MORE FACT-FREE SPECULATION.
A young grad student is getting time on some of professional astronomy's top-tier toys, then publishing his results in Nature? Very interesting indeed...
Even if it's a fix, this guy seems a shoe-in to get (*extremely* scarce) good job offers in astronomy.
*IF* Apple has fixed the huge early-failure defect problem they were having with eMacs, then these look like nice econo-G4 systems. Base price is about where the much weaker G3/15" CRT iMac was until recently.
They're really short on memory for most uses, but good 3rd party memory is so cheap that it's often thrown in free when you buy the system.
Size & weight are what you pay for the eMac being a G4 at G3 prices - look, lift it, & measure your desk before you buy.
Once a lie-detecting brain scanner is reasonably available, there'll be some public challenges to sleazy politicians to answer (under the scanner, with cameras rolling) questions like "did your vote on bill X have more to do with that fat campaign donation than with the good of the country?"
The media will hype this up so far, it'll make the Clinton sex scandals look like a 5-over-limit speeding ticket.
Conclusion - self-serving sleazy politicians will make sure than brain scanners are *extremely* illegal.
So our junior genius is working with a client's tip-top-secret documents, 10,000-to-1 he's signed some heavy-duty non-disclosure agreement and knows his uncle's company could get fried if anything leaks, yet he decided to make a hobby out of sending copies of the documents to the whole world.
I'll agree that the law's a poor fit, and this young kid's whole life is toasted bad, but I feel sorry for him about like I feel sorry for the guy who tried pissin' on a 100,000 volt line knocked down in a storm.
They had only guesses as to what kind of material (foam, ice, ice-loaded foam, etc.) hit the wing. Only crude estimates as to how much hit, & where. They'd NEVER done real inspections (ultrasound, X-ray, etc.) of those carbon-carbon composite leading edges (to look for delamination, fractures, internal erosion from oxygen entering through surface pinholes, etc.) I haven't heard that they had ANY real test data from larger hits.
In this context, it doesn't much matter whether the "program" is half a million lines of gigaflop-sucking Fortran or a Buck Rogers Secret Decoder Ring. They were (fairly contentedly) starved for meaningful input.
GIGO.
If the Board of Directors is a farcical pile of yes-man dead wood, then stuffing it with busy superstars, celebs, & trendy talking heads is the best strategy.
If the Board of Directors is actually in charge of Apple and running it for the long-term benefit of the shareholders, then the most desirable Directors are those with time to do the job, and experience & ability in areas like running large organizations.
I think Jobs is pretty good, but his ego, pay, etc. are long overdue for some real control.
Dear AC,
You seem to have some "special source" of information on my beliefs that i'm not aware of.
Unfortunately, your "special source" appears to be either miserably incorrect or a pathological liar.
I suggest that you start using more reliable sources of information.
Sincerely,
0x69
The cheapness of human life in WWII wasn't really related to nuclear weapons. The Allied Air Forces were firebombing "enemy" cities with conventional weapons long before Hiroshima. Objective: create blast-furnace-hot city-sized fires that left nothing but half-melted human bones amid the ash & rubble. Method: hundreds or thousands of bombers and an unlimited supply of incendiary bombs.
The Japanese experts who looked over Hiroshima shortly after the A-bombing initially concluded that Uncle Satan had merely invented a bigger & badder conventional firebomb.
It was only later, when nukes got bigger and far more plentiful, that "hit 'em with nukes" became meaningfully worse than "hit 'em with firebombing".