Oh, BTW, why is it that everyone thinks DeVry is for total idiots that can't get more than a low-paying job?
I completely agree -- I went through the full time Devry program in Canada, and I assure anyone reading this that I had to work as hard or harder for my degree than anyone attending most state universities. In fact, in the full time program, if you add up all of the hours of instructional and lab time in the 3 year full time program, it adds up to more than four and a half years of a traditional semester program with summer breaks! All of my instructors were great -- a couple were PhDs.
I started out the course with a lot of idiots -- around 20 students in my cohort to begin with. At graduation, only 7 of the original cohort were left. The people who stayed were there for the right reasons.
My reward out of the program was a good starting salary at a fortune 500 company in the US -- I was hired a month before I graduated, and I've been employed, and advancing, for nearly 5 years now. Perhaps it's not a 'top-rung' job, but I'm happy with it, and I would certainly not classify it as a 'bottom-rung' job in the slightest (maybe upper-mid-rung).
The author uses -fast for all compilation with the Sun compiler, but that really isn't what it's meant for. The manual page for the compiler states that -fast is only good for a small portion of code in a program which requires the most optimization. In most cases, it results in optimizations that increase code size, and in my experience, change results of some operations. For instance, attempting to compile OpenPGP extensions to Perl (Crypt::OpenPGP, Crypt::RSA, Crypt::DSA, etc.) resulted in some strange departures from the expected test suite results. Compiling with a more reasonable optimization level (and no other changes) resulted in correct test suite results.
Basically, the compiler docs suggest that -fast is intended to be used with the -# flag, which expands the -fast macro into all of it's component switches. It is then up to the user to pick and choose the optimizations that are kept on for the entire code base, and which are only kept for sections of code which beneifit from extreme optimization.
Long and short: it would be interesting to see these results with a reasonable set of switches. I use Solaris 9 on a dual 450MHz Ultra 60 workstation, compiling with Forte C 5.5. For most tasks, I use the optimization flags '-xO3 -xarch=v8plusa -xspace'.
The interconnect used for Sun's USIII CPU is not something that anyone at home would be able to deal with. There's a socket, the CPU, then a mylar pad, then a bolster plate and then the heatsink. The heatsink needs to be torqued down with a precise amount of pressure, or else the CPU can't make electrical connection through the socket to the board.
You need some relatively major tooling just to get it connected in just the right way, with no carpet fibers or hair in between the CPU/Socket or Socket/Baseboard. These interconnects are not for the average user -- so -- can you imagine having to return your PC motherboard to the factory to have your CPU swapped/upgraded?
I did take some time and decompress a StarOffice document -- I was attempting to write a couple of modules for manipulating StarDraw images to create dynamic flowcharts.
It took some time to get up to speed, as the compressed XML is split across four different files (content, meta data, settings and styles). Mostly, I was concerned with modifying the content document.
Each of the documents is written with space in mind, and for the document I was dealing with, the content was 20K on a single line. I had to process the XML just so I could understand the physical structure. Once that was done, it really wasn't that difficult to manipulate the doc by hand, re-zip the content and open in StarOffice.
(Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to even start, much less complete, the modules. Damn day job).
...you're doing the right thing in the first place? Maybe it's a bit cryptic of me, but really -- are you studying the right field if you can't get motivated to learn about it?
Dispite what anyone says here about 'low carb' this or 'low fat' that, there is really no substitute for hard work! Work out regularly and intensely, both cardio and resistance training. Eat frequent, balanced small meals. Don't fall for fads like Atkins -- if you're going to fall for anything, fall for something that at least makes sense:
http://www.bodyforlife.com/
I have a sedentary desk job as well - and I spend a *lot* of time at work these days. However, I care enough about how I look, and more importantly how I feel, to get up early before work to bust my ass for 20m (cardio days) or 1h (weight days). It's really all in the planning, and you don't have to buy expensive supplements or anything to keep with it (although, the supplement game has become a lot like buying computer hardware for me these days -- what I used to spend on a new sound or video card, or some RAM I now spend on some creatine or some protein powder:) ). Just get a set of body fat calipers (throw out your scale) and invest in some healthy food and a gym membership. It's as worth it as a Radeon 9800 All-In-Wonder.
Ok, I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I just had to do it:
I was in my local hardware store yesterday, buying some stuff for the yard. At the till, the cashier began ringing in my purchases, and suddenly - the till crashed. She commented to another cashier - "this is the third time today that this stupid register has crashed!". Being the curious type, I watched the screen of the till as it rebooted, and what did I see? (c) The Santa Cruz Operation. I think even M$ can run a cash register without crashing... So, I guess the question remains, with that sort of reliability ---
Who would *want* to steal from SCO???
P/S A few months back, I saw another sales system crash in a retail store, but it was OS/2... what's up with retail outlets using crappy OSes for critical systems??!?
I just went through the entire process of buying a monitor two months ago - from idea in head to hooking it up on the day it arrived. I had two objectives: get a high quality display and pay as little as possible.
Research was the first step, so I checked out the stock at my local Fry's - pretty much everything was a flat panel, and what wasn't was garbage. I have a dual 21" setup at work, so I wanted at least 21" at home - plasma display was not an option for me. Local compter shops didn't have much better to offer - some Viewsonic or Optiquest models that I found were relatively inexpensive, and had good specs. Most of the monitors in the 21"+ range in my local shops were either too expensive or had crappy specs.
Out of all of my local research, I made a couple of brand decisions, and went to the net to get more info. I spent some time comparing between manufacturer's sites to get a good idea of what was 'state of the shelf' at that time. Using pricewatch, I was able to find a feature/price point. Then, I hit epinions.com and consumer reports online to get some further information on the brands.
At this point, I had found the monitor that I wanted - 22" NEC MultiSync FE1250+. I then began to shop around for the best price I could find. There were several retailers that were (relatively) highly rated on pricegrabber that had decent prices for this item. I picked one and followed their order process to see how much I would pay in shipping. The total seemed acceptable (~600USD) so I confirmed the order and moved into the buyer's guilt stage of the purchase.
Here's the big D'oh. As most people do, I went searching to see if I could find a better deal after the fact. I went to some of the larger computer retailers like Gateway and Dell, and wow! they had huge sales and free shipping deals. Not only that, but Dell's price on the same NEC monitor with no shipping charge was nearly 200USD cheaper than the retailer from pricegrabber. I promptly cancelled my order with the smaller retailer and placed an order with Dell. The next week I was bathing in the glow of my new 22" monitor!
So I guess the moral of the story is to research, research, research. Get info, then reinforce it with opinion and testimonials. You don't necessarily have to see it to get a good deal. Oh, and don't rule out the big guys - they often can beat out everyone else, even on stuff they don't normally sell individually!
"Claims that the oil companies are frustrating the invention of an automobile that runs on water, for instance, are a sure sign that the idea of such a car is baloney."
Agreed - big whoop. I've bought *hundreds* of CDs over the last several years, and $20.00 doesn't seem like enough if the prices were in fact 'fixed'. This entire activity seems like an easy way for the recording companies to 'make good' on their past, present and future monopolizing.
Between the several large conglomerates, I've got to believe that it wasn't hard to come up with $67 million to pay out this settlement. Will this really change anything?
Most modern fiber does not like to be wrapped in a radius less than 1', as it begins to mess with the refractive index of the cable... You get a noticable loss of power as you wrap it more and more tightly. This is really the reason why you can't wrap cables tightly - durability has very little to do with it...
How did this possibly get moderated up? Maybe it's just me, but I don't think enough time has passed where this event could be the source of any joke. Have some respect for the people who lost their lives today.
Slashdot Mirror
the killer AJAX app will be a XUL app, not a web page.
I completely agree -- I went through the full time Devry program in Canada, and I assure anyone reading this that I had to work as hard or harder for my degree than anyone attending most state universities. In fact, in the full time program, if you add up all of the hours of instructional and lab time in the 3 year full time program, it adds up to more than four and a half years of a traditional semester program with summer breaks! All of my instructors were great -- a couple were PhDs.
I started out the course with a lot of idiots -- around 20 students in my cohort to begin with. At graduation, only 7 of the original cohort were left. The people who stayed were there for the right reasons.
My reward out of the program was a good starting salary at a fortune 500 company in the US -- I was hired a month before I graduated, and I've been employed, and advancing, for nearly 5 years now. Perhaps it's not a 'top-rung' job, but I'm happy with it, and I would certainly not classify it as a 'bottom-rung' job in the slightest (maybe upper-mid-rung).
Will it have an 'I Feel Productive' button?
...ESR was found beaten severely, with the names of several CUPS developers found tatoo'd on his forehead....
The author uses -fast for all compilation with the Sun compiler, but that really isn't what it's meant for. The manual page for the compiler states that -fast is only good for a small portion of code in a program which requires the most optimization. In most cases, it results in optimizations that increase code size, and in my experience, change results of some operations. For instance, attempting to compile OpenPGP extensions to Perl (Crypt::OpenPGP, Crypt::RSA, Crypt::DSA, etc.) resulted in some strange departures from the expected test suite results. Compiling with a more reasonable optimization level (and no other changes) resulted in correct test suite results.
Basically, the compiler docs suggest that -fast is intended to be used with the -# flag, which expands the -fast macro into all of it's component switches. It is then up to the user to pick and choose the optimizations that are kept on for the entire code base, and which are only kept for sections of code which beneifit from extreme optimization.
Long and short: it would be interesting to see these results with a reasonable set of switches. I use Solaris 9 on a dual 450MHz Ultra 60 workstation, compiling with Forte C 5.5. For most tasks, I use the optimization flags '-xO3 -xarch=v8plusa -xspace'.
My $0.02
are belong to us
The interconnect used for Sun's USIII CPU is not something that anyone at home would be able to deal with. There's a socket, the CPU, then a mylar pad, then a bolster plate and then the heatsink. The heatsink needs to be torqued down with a precise amount of pressure, or else the CPU can't make electrical connection through the socket to the board.
You need some relatively major tooling just to get it connected in just the right way, with no carpet fibers or hair in between the CPU/Socket or Socket/Baseboard. These interconnects are not for the average user -- so -- can you imagine having to return your PC motherboard to the factory to have your CPU swapped/upgraded?
I did take some time and decompress a StarOffice document -- I was attempting to write a couple of modules for manipulating StarDraw images to create dynamic flowcharts.
It took some time to get up to speed, as the compressed XML is split across four different files (content, meta data, settings and styles). Mostly, I was concerned with modifying the content document.
Each of the documents is written with space in mind, and for the document I was dealing with, the content was 20K on a single line. I had to process the XML just so I could understand the physical structure. Once that was done, it really wasn't that difficult to manipulate the doc by hand, re-zip the content and open in StarOffice.
(Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to even start, much less complete, the modules. Damn day job).
Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
...you're doing the right thing in the first place? Maybe it's a bit cryptic of me, but really -- are you studying the right field if you can't get motivated to learn about it?
Dispite what anyone says here about 'low carb' this or 'low fat' that, there is really no substitute for hard work! Work out regularly and intensely, both cardio and resistance training. Eat frequent, balanced small meals. Don't fall for fads like Atkins -- if you're going to fall for anything, fall for something that at least makes sense:
:) ). Just get a set of body fat calipers (throw out your scale) and invest in some healthy food and a gym membership. It's as worth it as a Radeon 9800 All-In-Wonder.
http://www.bodyforlife.com/
I have a sedentary desk job as well - and I spend a *lot* of time at work these days. However, I care enough about how I look, and more importantly how I feel, to get up early before work to bust my ass for 20m (cardio days) or 1h (weight days). It's really all in the planning, and you don't have to buy expensive supplements or anything to keep with it (although, the supplement game has become a lot like buying computer hardware for me these days -- what I used to spend on a new sound or video card, or some RAM I now spend on some creatine or some protein powder
Ok, I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I just had to do it:
... what's up with retail outlets using crappy OSes for critical systems??!?
I was in my local hardware store yesterday, buying some stuff for the yard. At the till, the cashier began ringing in my purchases, and suddenly - the till crashed. She commented to another cashier - "this is the third time today that this stupid register has crashed!". Being the curious type, I watched the screen of the till as it rebooted, and what did I see? (c) The Santa Cruz Operation. I think even M$ can run a cash register without crashing... So, I guess the question remains, with that sort of reliability ---
Who would *want* to steal from SCO???
P/S A few months back, I saw another sales system crash in a retail store, but it was OS/2
Research was the first step, so I checked out the stock at my local Fry's - pretty much everything was a flat panel, and what wasn't was garbage. I have a dual 21" setup at work, so I wanted at least 21" at home - plasma display was not an option for me. Local compter shops didn't have much better to offer - some Viewsonic or Optiquest models that I found were relatively inexpensive, and had good specs. Most of the monitors in the 21"+ range in my local shops were either too expensive or had crappy specs.
Out of all of my local research, I made a couple of brand decisions, and went to the net to get more info. I spent some time comparing between manufacturer's sites to get a good idea of what was 'state of the shelf' at that time. Using pricewatch, I was able to find a feature/price point. Then, I hit epinions.com and consumer reports online to get some further information on the brands.
At this point, I had found the monitor that I wanted - 22" NEC MultiSync FE1250+. I then began to shop around for the best price I could find. There were several retailers that were (relatively) highly rated on pricegrabber that had decent prices for this item. I picked one and followed their order process to see how much I would pay in shipping. The total seemed acceptable (~600USD) so I confirmed the order and moved into the buyer's guilt stage of the purchase.
Here's the big D'oh. As most people do, I went searching to see if I could find a better deal after the fact. I went to some of the larger computer retailers like Gateway and Dell, and wow! they had huge sales and free shipping deals. Not only that, but Dell's price on the same NEC monitor with no shipping charge was nearly 200USD cheaper than the retailer from pricegrabber. I promptly cancelled my order with the smaller retailer and placed an order with Dell. The next week I was bathing in the glow of my new 22" monitor!
So I guess the moral of the story is to research, research, research. Get info, then reinforce it with opinion and testimonials. You don't necessarily have to see it to get a good deal. Oh, and don't rule out the big guys - they often can beat out everyone else, even on stuff they don't normally sell individually!
Part II: How to Spot Propaganda
Agreed - big whoop. I've bought *hundreds* of CDs over the last several years, and $20.00 doesn't seem like enough if the prices were in fact 'fixed'. This entire activity seems like an easy way for the recording companies to 'make good' on their past, present and future monopolizing.
Between the several large conglomerates, I've got to believe that it wasn't hard to come up with $67 million to pay out this settlement. Will this really change anything?
Sun does this too
Most modern fiber does not like to be wrapped in a radius less than 1', as it begins to mess with the refractive index of the cable... You get a noticable loss of power as you wrap it more and more tightly. This is really the reason why you can't wrap cables tightly - durability has very little to do with it...
...wouldn't you rather _watch_ the movie?
If viruses are terrorism, does that mean we get to invade Microsoft for harboring terrorism?
How did this possibly get moderated up? Maybe it's just me, but I don't think enough time has passed where this event could be the source of any joke. Have some respect for the people who lost their lives today.
So I guess my plan to reimplement the Linux kernel in C# is out the window too?