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User: Seismologist

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  1. Re:Programmers != Engineers on How Facebook Ships Code · · Score: 1
    Professional Engineers (P.E.) is a trademark in the US much like a PhD, MD, JD, etc. To attain the tittle of a P.E. (disclaimer, I have a P.E. in WA and a P.Eng. in Canada) an individual must meet a certain set of education, and vocational (job) experience requirements and take a notationally administered exam to prove competency in his/her field of expertise. An additional ethics exam is administered by each State. My state offers many types of professional licenses.

    Under the "Engineer" category the following P.E. licenses are given:

    Agricultural

    Architectural

    Chemical

    Civil: Construction

    Civil: Geotechnical

    Civil: Structural

    Civil: Transportation

    Civil: Water Resources and Environmental

    Control Systems

    Electrical and Computer: Computer Engineering

    Electrical and Computer: Electrical and Electronics

    Electrical and Computer: Power

    Environmental

    Fire Protection

    Industrial

    Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration

    Mechanical: Mechanical Systems and Materials

    Mechanical: Thermal and Fluids Systems

    Metallurgical and Materials

    Mining and Mineral Processing

    Naval Architecture and Marine

    Nuclear

    Petroleum

  2. Re:HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED, KIDS !! on Mathematics As the Most Misunderstood Subject · · Score: 2
    I'm not to sure if this just a rouse (which I suspect it is based on the replies) but I might point out the corresponding subsection of the "divide by zero" wikipedia entry:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divide_by_zero#Fallacies_based_on_division_by_zero

  3. Dr. Gordon Freeman on Sciencey Heroes For Young Children? · · Score: 1

    Dr. Freeman Gorden; He is a theoretical physicist (Ph.D. from MIT) who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and the (Orwellian) human forces.

  4. Rather weak reporting... on NASA Announces Discovery of 30-Year-Old Black Hole · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As this matter falls onto the newly created black hole, it gets heated to unimaginable temperatures — millions of degrees— and blasts out X-rays

    Translation: The temperature is so high, it is somehow unimaginable using numbers. But since you are reading on, let me just pull a totally random number out of my ass and say a million degrees... wait no.. make it a millions, as in more than 1 million, which makes my claim sound sorta vague and not precise but makes it nevertheless appear I know what I'm talking about. That should cover the unimaginable bit of it. Besides, its not like you're going to check anyways so fuck it, lets and some em dashes for extra emphasis for no other reason other than because its really "HOT". I mean wow, can you imagine a place this hot? I'm just siting here in my office, thinking to myself, geeze this black hole stuff is not the usual environment I'm used to, most likely because I would have been obliterated and spit out as really "HOT" x-rays... there, you see where I'm coming from? HOT!

  5. Re:Oh yeah? on Nicholas Sze of Yahoo Finds Two-Quadrillionth Digit of Pi · · Score: 1

    Well, the 243,000,500,000,000,000,002th digit of pi is "4".

    Go on, prove me wrong.

    I can't readily disprove your theory, but I can disprove your grammar in that the 243,000,500,000,000,000,002th digit of Pi should in fact be the 243,000,500,000,000,000,002nd digit of Pi.

  6. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free on Controversy Arises Over Taliban Option In Medal of Honor · · Score: 1

    She said, 'My son didn't get to start over when he was killed. His life was over and I had to deal with that every day. There's 1200 families from Afghanistan that have to live with this every day. And we live it -- it's not a game..

    That's funny, I hear that's what the people on the other side said too, except possibly in another language.

    Last I heard, American soldiers were supposed to be fighting to preserve a way of life, a way which includes freedom of expression.

    Reminds of the saying :opinions are like assholes, everyone has one."

    Same goes for movies, whaaa... , what about "the Green Zone", "the Hurt Lock" (over-hyped POS movie, btw), and all of the other movies about the current conflicts the US is/has engaged in. True, they are in the point of USA, but only since a movie in the freedom fighter’s, uh sorry, I meant terrorist’s point of view wouldn't make it pas inception stage with the studios because BS backlash like this.

  7. Re:Paranoia on 75% Use Same Password For Social Media & Email · · Score: 1

    ...If someone wants your shit, they're going to get it. I'll tell you all right now, I have maybe 3 online handles that pop up everywhere. I use the same basic password for each (adding a 1 to the end on occasion where it's OMG REQUIRED). I'm sure if someone started googling me, they'd find out a lot...

    So, is this a challenge you are inviting...? Just saying because it seems like people have too much free time on their hands these days.

    On topic to the post though, I find a (for me) good pw policy to go by for the multitude of sites out there is to have a basic password "frame" such as your hometown or whatever spelled backwards (to pass dictionay filters). This is easy for you to remember, and spelled backwards, the word is incompressible, seemingly random:

    elttaes = seattle,

    anozira=arizona,

    nilreb=berlin

    then you add on the frame for websites for online banking such as follows:

    BOA## = Bank of America, ## = any digit(s) of numbers you like such as area code, year of birth, etc.

    The password might end up looking like: elttaesBOA10

    I know there are some sites that have silly PW requirements. I've seen requirements any or a combination that forbid some of the following:

    - no special characters: " { ' / , @ ! etc. (escape character problems in code?)

    - certain special characters ok, others not such as: @, !, %, (), * (why? hits to close to home, programming-wise? Afraid of invoking variables somehow through password string?)

    - no number at end of password (this I've experienced only at financial institutions, must be an oracle DB thing?)

    - no capitalization (why not...?, must be a MS legacy thing)

    - not enough capital characters, too many capital characters (not sure why this is bad other than the ol' cap locks on thing)

    - no all special characters (is this because of "!@#$%^&*()" abuse?)

    - no repeating or incrementing, 1234... abcde... (but most likely 1!2@3#... aAbBcCdD... would be fine with such rules)

    - no numbers at all (um ok...)

    - too short / too long passwords

    – misconfigured passphrase entry (I've been on a university SUN Unix systems where passwords were simply truncated to 8 characters; anything after the 8 legit pass phrase char, you can type wildly and your credentials would be accepted anyway.)

    - then there’s keychain number thing (don’t remember what its called), biometric fingerprint, etc. in addition to password

  8. Re:TFA has a punch line! on Wikileaks To Publish Remaining Afghan Documents · · Score: 1

    I'm willing to bet that if his passport was scanned at an airport anywhere in North America, they (US Feds) would know and immediately detain in an interrogation room a la Swordfish/Jason Bourne style. I’m also willing to go as far to thinking that he’s a bagable asset (in the sense of unmarked van with a bunch of guys ready to jump out with zip ties and head shroud) almost anywhere else in world. The janitors have been activated in Europe via secure cell phone picture message, after emerging from their previous holding pattern consisting of lying on a hotel bed with gun in hand in Madrid, or driving their scooter randomly throughout Rome, or sitting in a shill boardroom meeting in Brussels, or giving Piano lessons to a child in Berlin.

  9. Re:Now you can literally deep six unwelcome data on Servers Ahoy — Startup To Build Floating Data Centers · · Score: 1
    Well, I for one am tired of reading about server room floodings (data center in Istambul) and welcome reading about sinking data centers in the near future. As an added bonus, I can even link to this posting.

    [bookmarked for future use under /. predictions come true catagory] -- done

  10. Re:Digg is just a reflection of our political dial on Buried By The Brigade At Digg · · Score: 1

    Does anybody still remember the digg revolt: en.wikinews.org/wiki/Digg.com_suffers_user_revolt

  11. Re:Do these H1-B stay in the US on Microsoft & Intel Get a Pass On Higher H-1B Fees · · Score: 1

    As I've been the beneficiary of an H-1B with Microsoft, I know very well that MS also does a good job at sending H1-B permit holders back home after 1-2 years, before they get a green card. They actually paid for my 1-way ticket back to Europe. I'd be interested to see what is the proportion of H-1B visa holders who end up staying permanently in the US and which company hired them.

    In not trying to read into any underlying cynicism with your post, I assume you going back to Europe, and thus forgoing the greencard process, is what you wanted.

  12. Re:Zero is a great goal even if it's unreachable on Building the Zero-Fatality Car · · Score: 1

    Mechanical safety features like stability control, rollover and cabin-crush-in prevention, improved air bags and seat belts, and other features increase survivability. So, can we ever get to zero fatalities and still drive on roads where other drivers have non-computer-controlled cars? No. Can we have a car that's a lot safer? Yes. Will we be able to afford it? That's the real question.

    How about the physical environment in which we drive...? Sounds to me like you live somewhere in the plains, but where I live we got mountains that you can drive right of the edge to your probable death because you might have been distracted for less than one second. Sure there might be a guiderail present, but it's mostly there to make you think you got some safety... This is not to say the mountain might hurdle a boulder at you at anytime, anywhere. Let's not talk about weather conditions, or a big elk smashing trough your windshield either. All these are independent of other drivers and engineered safety devices both in car and of the roadway. I can tell you from experience that nothing makes your fancy "stabili-track, AWD, 4x4, anti-lock, whatever" vehicle technology more useless than black ice on an inclining slope with an outward banking turn.

  13. Re:They collected $75,000... on Officials Use Google Earth To Find Unlicensed Pools · · Score: 1

    Wait...you actually have to get a freakin' license for a swimming pool on your own property?!?!?

    Wow..never heard that one before.

    What's next, having to apply for a license to own a fscking charcoal grill on your own patio?

    I think it has mostly to do with insurance as well... If there is no license for the pool in a township/municipality that has ordinances on the books that do require permits, then you are most likely required to get the proper insurance coverage as well. I read a report of a leaking pool in California causing a small landslide that affected several houses down slope and caused several millions in damage.

    No imagine if the guy built the pool without permit. I can’t an insurance underwriter would cover this without a permit in place that might at least attest to the quality stands used in the construction. What assets do you think those affected home owners are going to go after then?

  14. Re:Bosses earn too much on High-Frequency Programmers Revolt Over Pay · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wrote a program that takes the remainder of thousands of fincial transactions that would be otherwise be rounded off... and puts them into a bank account under my control. It would accumulate these funds slowly over time. Hopefully I got the decimal place right in my program.

  15. Re:Wow, interesting! on The Physics of a Rolling Rubber Band · · Score: 1

    Network Engineer (data plumber)

    I never understood the whole "engineer" term being attached to everything in IT anyway such as network engineer. I used to work in a role as what can be described nowadays as a "network engineer", but I don't see any of the virtues of engineering applied to this occupation.

    Engineering is a profession (a profession in the sense of being a lawyer, doctor, etc. with certification behind it -- as opposed to an occupation such as a plumber) that uses and applies the knowledge of basic engineering principals and math to address practical issues that may have direct consequences to property and the public. Data networking is more of a business problem sort of philosophy.

    Now maybe if you were to design a layout of conduits and had to calculate power usage used by equipment, breaker panels, and other things of that nature for a system/installation (such as at a data center), I would certainly consider this to be engineering, and you would most likely be required to apply your PE (professional engineer) stamp as an “electrical engineer” to the design and drawings of said system and NOT as a “network engineer”. I don’t foresee a stamp being used by a “network engineer” unless that engineer happens to be a registered “Professional electrical Engineer”.

    Also, be aware that using “engineer” in your title, while not being a certified as engineer (as defined by your State/Provincial department of licensing) is just as misleading as saying you’re a network doctor, or network lawyer. The title PE, or Professional Engineer, is a registered trademark in the US.

    The term “engineer” in any title in Canada is regarded as a trademark. This got Microsoft into trouble in Canada when they were offering “MS engineering certificates”. There is a Wikipedia entry (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_over_the_term_Engineer) about this all this as well well.

    Now network researcher, network scientist, network analyst, these are all more appropriate title to the occupation.

  16. Re:Physics... on The Physics of a Rolling Rubber Band · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...is mind-boggingly awesome.

    Actually you can often make a simple assumption and work off of F = m*a or some other well established theorem...

    As for the math, now that is some pretty mind boggling stuff. Some of the math that was used to pull string theory together is pretty bleeding edge on top of the physics part of it. PBS had a interesting show on string theory(you can watch in three installments on PBS). What struck me the most was how splintered the physics community was as many researches were doing the math a certain way different from each other, but it was found to be all the same by another physics/math guru when he proposed 11 dimensions instead of 9 like the other researches had inferred.

  17. RE: the post on Our Video Game Heritage Is Rotting Away · · Score: 1
    Nice article title. Video games, rotting, and heritage in one formulation (I do believe that would be a more correct order of the words). Now all you have to determine is which heritage to pick that applies here... I'm at lost because I frankly don't see any heritage associated with video gaming, other than perhaps a heritage of a western-industrialized pre-pubescent through early 30's typically male individual, growing up with some or a lot of free time to paly games THAT COMES AFTER school/university/job/relationship/family obligations.

    My thoughts of instilling a frame work that would preserve games more readily might be something akin to Valve's Steam content management system. Reason being that you purchase a title at it stays with you even over different computers installations and upgrades. Valve also seems to be upgrading older games such as Half-Life 1 (1999) to accommodate recent architectures implementations (such as mandatory SSE2 cpu instructions, though I don’t see the benefit of this with HL1) as well as a new OS’s (such with Apple/Intels). I realize this framework also relies on the continued operation of Valve as in painfully potent of a reminder when the Steam authentication servers go down (you can’t play any of your titles, at all, even if you are already in game).

    Perhaps the best way to preserve game older titles is as many here have already suggested is through emulators.

  18. Re:PC gaming never went away. on Is PC Gaming Set For a Comeback? · · Score: 1

    Speaking about Steam... I was no fan when it was first implemented back in 2003 but I've since warmed up to the "content delivery system" that Steam provides. I do find the system a rather slick implementation. I do like the ability to demo "block buster" games before I decide to by as was the case for me for L4D2. Though, I can't say that I'm a fan of Steams' ability to dictate hardware cycles by forcing compatibility. Steam is thus to me like a benevolent dictator

    Example in point is the Source Engine build 38 patch (April 2010), which among other things made SSE2 processor instructions mandatory. Fine, I understand that for source engine-based games, but why force it onto the older hlds servers binaries for the original half-life 1 engine? Yes I understand Steam’s hardware survey shows that less than 2% of processors don’t support SSE2, and pretty soon because of this rather silent update, SSE2 will be 100% implemented, forced by virtue of the force hardware requirement.

    My old system was working fine as a hlds_l linux server using a non-SSE2 chip (AMD Athalon XP +1400) for a chip now considered obsolete now a days. But for a stand-alone, stripped-down server implementation ruining a 10 year old game engine, I see no reason to force specific hardware specifications . At least leave us a non-SSE2 binary for the Linux half-life 1 engine.

    Now I’m more or less force to upgrade my system at cost and my time to track down a cheap used system (via Craigslist) because of this forced hardware upgrade

  19. Orwellian thought crime? on Police In Britain Arrest Man For Bomb-Threat Joke On Twitter · · Score: 4, Informative
    This pretty much sums it up for me from TFA:

    The civil libertarian Tessa Mayes, an expert on privacy law and free speech issues, said: "Making jokes about terrorism is considered a thought crime, mistakenly seen as a real act of harm or intention to commit harm. "The police's actions seem laughable and suggest desperation in their efforts to combat terrorism, yet they have serious repercussions for all of us. In a democracy, our right to say what we please to each other should be non-negotiable, even on Twitter."

  20. Re:Could you be more vague? on What To Do When a Megacorp Wants To Buy You? · · Score: 1

    You have given us nothing to go on here as far as your business case, so I'll be brief:

    Can't you read into it... ???

    They are in the hydroponics business growing "herbs" on a small scale. Now, they have been found by a larger "cartel" group, most likely from Mexico, whom are giving them an "incentive" to join forces...

  21. My perferred antivirus solution... on Let Big Brother Hawk Anti-Virus Software · · Score: 1

    Uninstall the Redmond virus using live distro Ubuntu CD...

  22. Invisible Ink... on New Font Uses Holes To Cut Ink Use · · Score: 1

    I use invisible ink so you can't see how much ink I use. I also use CIA font for this ink in case you're wondering.

  23. Re:the bulk of "his" pipes... on How Networks Interact — Peering and Transit Explained · · Score: 1

    Good summary indeed, Sir.

  24. Have you tried this fine tuned approach? on Any Suggestions For a Meaningful Geeky Wedding Band? · · Score: 1
  25. Re:Sad on Hans Reiser Leads Police To Nina's Body · · Score: 1

    In case you miss it, look carefully at the far right column