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User: jnowlan

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  1. Re:Who is whipslash? on SpaceX Successfully Tests Crew Dragon Landing Parachutes · · Score: 1

    If the rocket can land that precisely, then wouldn't capturing it and getting rid of the weight of the landing gear make sense?

  2. Re:Bobbing in ocean on SpaceX Dragon Launches Successfully, But No Rocket Recovery · · Score: 1

    Amazing. So they could use drones to 'capture' the rocket! In conjunction with parachutes?

    I wonder why they are not using parachutes now? I admit I haven't been following closely.

  3. Re:We Are All Under Suspicion Now on Fugitive Child Sex Abuser Caught By Face-Recognition Technology · · Score: 1

    > 'whatever means available'
    Way too much latitude.

    I'm Canadian. I came into the U.S. recently and, as part of the automated process, had my picture taken. I'm o.k. with that. What I am not o.k. with is that picture being kept beyond some REASONABLE amount of time, like the time I am in the country.

  4. What about a dart plugin? on Dart 1.0 Released · · Score: 2

    How much effort would it take to create a plug-in for FF and/or i.e. that contained the dart vm?
    Would it get you anything? What would the issues be?

  5. Re:Hope she's learned something on Google Science Fair Finalist Invents Peltier-Powered Flashlight · · Score: 2

    'shake' flashlights are great. No need to wonder if you have a charge, just shake the thing. Great for when you just need the occasional minute of light, like at the cottage when you need to find the outhouse in the middle of the night. Batteries are always dead when you need them most.

    I've used different ones and some are definitely better quality than others.

  6. It's about the circling vultures on Former Nortel Execs Await Corporate Fraud Ruling · · Score: 1

    It's pretty clear that this case isn't so much about the three defendants as it is about the vultures circling wanting what is left of the Nortel carcass for themselves. To gorge on that carrion someone has to be shown to be guilty. The problem is even the judge is having problems seeing guilt when the accounting practices were accepted by the auditors.

    What isn't clear to me, is how all this might affect the pensioners and former employees claims. They are the ones who really got screwed by this whole mess.

  7. amen on The Science of Thanks Giving · · Score: 1

    to that

  8. What about the non-mobile devices? on The Past, Present, and Future of OSS · · Score: 2

    I couldn't agree with this more.

    I just bought a Samsung 'smart' tv. I own a cable hd box. While trying to get things to work I discovered by accident that both of these pieces of equipment have oss pieces, which has led me down a rabbit hole of investigating licenses, checking firmware releases and jailbreaking tutorials.

    These boxes should be able to talk to each other. Easily. I can see their ip addresses. I am not an expert but I don't want to have to buy a seperate device for each piece of functionality I'd like.

    Making equipment inaccessible by doing end runs around the GPL is just making me want to support the GPL more (and these companies less), but I need more 'middle ground' info from the great people who have provided open software.

    i.e. it is disheartening that slashdot spends more time debating licenses these days than tech, but it has become nescessary. I'd like to see more discussions about how to enable the equipment we own. I didn't even appreciate that this is what jailbreaking is. I think.

  9. Re:Not defending them, on Google Patents Profit-Maximizing Dynamic Pricing · · Score: 1

    While I agree with your comment, I still think it will happen. Automated systems will make these price calculations and _eventually_ dissatisfied customers will leave, but it will take time and the cause&effect won't be clear. The results will eventually speak for themselves.

  10. Re:Don't try on Ask Slashdot: Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy For Kids? · · Score: 1

    Forgot he wrote those. I gained my love of reading from them. I know the Martians are still hiding out there.

  11. My daughter's teacher emailed everyday! on Ask Slashdot: Why Aren't Schools Connected? · · Score: 1

    When my daughter was in senior kindergartern here in Canada she had a great teacher who emailed us everyday. Just a one liner of what the kids did that day - coloring, sang a song, whatever. It was fantastic. I know some of the kids were recent immigrants and I'm going to assume some of the families were poor, but the email list seemed to have all the families names on it. Having your name on the list was optional.

    So it can be done, and I don't think it needs much infrastructure or effort for a simple system.

    Now, the next year, when my daughter changed schools and teachers I mentioned this to the new teacher at the first parent-teacher meeting. She said: 'I've heard about that teacher. I won't promise anything.' She implied that she would take it up with the union as to whether it was a requirement of her job.

    I am now getting more and more familiar with the educational bureacracy, but there are good teachers out there, and simple, appropriate solutions that help.

  12. Re:ASP.NET MVC is OK, but C# is awesome on Microsoft Releases ASP.NET MVC Under the Apache License · · Score: 1

    Why c# over python? I usually hear positives about c# but python just lets me 'get things done'.

    I haven't used c# but on occasion have to wrangle java, and it is painful after the freedom of python. No boilerplate. Based on c#'s lineage I find it hard to imagine that there isn't a fair amount of boilerplate involved with using it.

  13. If you donate are your funeral costs covered? on When Are You Dead? · · Score: 1

    Can anyone comment on this? Seems the least that could be done if your an organ donor.

  14. so where is the contract information? on Oracle To Pay US Almost $200M To Resolve False Claims Lawsuit · · Score: 1

    Any way to see what the discounts, etc were that are part of this contract? Freedom of Information request?

  15. Re:Which island? on Ask Slashdot: Mobile Data In Canada For a US Citizen? · · Score: 1

    absolutely this. I usually spend a week each summer on an island near Gibsons - Pasley. Coverage is weak and erratic, despite the cell companies claims.

  16. Re:If they want academics to dedicate... on Wikipedia Wants More Contributions From Academics · · Score: 1

    agreed. None of the complainers has bothered to cite any examples.

  17. Re:The situation is much more complicated than tha on Usage Based Billing In Canada To Be Rescinded · · Score: 1

    That is excellent analysis. Thanks. Unfortunately we are now operating in the realm of politics. I signed the petition, but I agree UBB is not the problem. It is the ridiculously low caps. I'm not sure how that point is going to come across in the political discourse we are about to engage in.

  18. another way to spin this... on Microsoft May Back Off of .NET Languages · · Score: 1
    is that Python is becoming so popular that they don't want to support it in any shape or form as it is another avenue that (can) lead away from windows dependence.

    I draw this amazing conclusion based on the trends from http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1753576&cid=33241516 but using just last 12months and comparing c#, python, java, and ruby.

  19. aah, the old cli vs. gui debate in wolfs clothing on Adding Some Spice To *nix Shell Scripts · · Score: 1
    sure, I'll chime in.

    I use unix and windows but would no longer consider myself an expert in all the bits. Thats why a gui wins when I need to search through files in a file system ... but I digress.

    The best advice I've read for scripts had something to do with ennabling a script to know if it was interactive or not and present and appropriate interface accordingly. Whether it was through a flag or checking for some other interactive vs. non type thingy (which I can't recall at the moment. :)

  20. reframe: how can i get my employer to contribute? on How Can I Contribute To Open Source? · · Score: 1

    I'd like to reframe the question as above.

    We use OSS where I work (uni.) but a lot of it is through the back door. When our CIO started he disparaged OSS so that the mgr's were wary of suggesting/promoting it. Yet in all the hallway conversations people are pushing it and it has become a significant proportion of our infrastructure, but I do not think it gets the support it deserves.

    The vendors get the money but we use OSS/Free software when it is appropriate. So the question I’ve been pondering is how to get the org. to recognize this increasingly obvious fact through more financial support for the projects that are really making a difference.

    Of course one big question is: when is OSS/Free software appropriate? Often we rely on vendors because they provide a complete solution where the alternatives just don’t measure up. It’s hard to argue against a COTS solution here, but I feel it often abdicates responsibility for a solution in favor of a check box against the problem.

  21. Re:Good on BetaNet Sues Everyone For Remote SW Activation · · Score: 1

    Great idea. It really fits in, but nicely counterbalances, the whole corporation as legal individual idea (albeit a psychopath - http://www.thecorporation.com/)
    At least from my gut reaction.

  22. I want a 'soft' mute button. on "Loud Commercial" Legislation Proposed In US Congress · · Score: 1

    I listen to ads sometimes. I'd like to have a mute button that just lowered the volume. Imagine. I'd even listen to a reasonable ad, at a reasonable volume.

  23. Re:In Smaller Markets, Kijiji Dominates on eBay vs. Craigslist Courtroom Fisticuffs Start Today · · Score: 1

    Or people can spell Kijiji in the markets it dominates.

  24. Less interest in browsing on Google Wants To Ease News Browsing With Fast Flip · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or is it getting harder to find interesting things to read? Fast flip / Micropayments would be fine if it weren't for my belief that constant browsing leads to decreased interest for general news.

  25. Start with your p.c./workstation on How Do I Start a University Transition To Open Source? · · Score: 1

    If you believe something is better then install it on your machine (if you have admin rights), wether that be linux or notepad++.

    Isn't that how it started with p.c.'s and spreadsheets?