I haven't re-run these prices in a few months, but we spec'ed a dual-CPU 2Tb RAID5 server at the office around $5,800. Cut it down to 2Gb RAM, 1Tb disk, single CPU, cheaper mobo....I dunno, $2,500? E-Mail me if you want the price/parts list.
Unless I missed something, that would require knowing not only the energy released but also the depth of the event and composition of the surrounding area. They're already estimating the energy and a fairly large geographical area, so I see no way for them to use the Mercalli scale.
I suppose the problem that I (and so many others, it seems) have with PHBs is not so much knowledge, but intelligence. If he *knows* that we know far more than he does about topic_X, he should be smart enough to listen to us. If he keeps us on the payroll, the he should have enough confidence in us to take us at our word when his understanding is limited.
What really ticks me (us?) off is being ignored when we I know a better way, or being over-ruled because he doesn't understand some basic concept. (like IP addressing, hardware interaction, RAID levels, or software security).
My oft-used analogy is that I would *never* go tell Ford engineers how to design a car (i.e. number of wheels, layout of engine, etc) because they know *far* more about it than I do. If I was somehow in charge of a group of such engineers, I would NOT dictate things to them. I'd ask for pros & cons on major choices, and decide from there.
Worst of all is having an insultant (consultant or other "outsider") brought in to do a task that I or anyone else in the department (other than the PHB) could easily take care of. If they have more experience and a better idea, that's one thing. If they simply have more letters after their name and a higher hourly rate, that's another.
No, I'm not just being bitter and spouting off. My bosses have made some really boneheaded decisions that I (and others) warned them about. We've seen "professional" "consultants" brought in and totally screw things up because they knew *less* than we did. Most distressing, we are currently watching The Powers That Be relying on a consulting firm for the blessing of *every* decision and task, no matter how trivial, on a certain system. Why? "They're professionals." What, and we aren't?!
"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. Shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple. Teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep. Waken him. He who knows, and knows that he knows is wise. Follow him."
Could also say "What is [some-64k-chunk] ANDed with [64k-of-1s]?". To make it "safer", actually send the all-1s block (gzipped, of course) each time.
So long as the not-quite-uploading machine actually takes the time to check every bit, it should pass legal muster. Well, if the lawyers don't grasp boolean operations...
If you really wanted to muddy the protocol, send a random chunk of 1's and 0's that the not-quite-uploading system can XOR against the file. Seems to me that would help the "I'm only asking questions about the file" argument.
Talking about AIDS does little. Not talking about AIDS does little. Promiscuous sex spreads AIDS. Abstinence stops the spread. Simple, yes?
Similarly: Talking about viruses does little. Not talking about them does little (the people who would listen probably know already). Running Windows spreads viruses. Running anything else stops them.
The increased network traffic is there without the extra e-mails anyway. Notifying the sysadmin of the infected boxen is, IMHO, a Good Thing [tm]. The trick is getting that message to the right person.
Yeah, job security. Bear in mind that for many of us, our unofficial job is to make ourselves unnecessary. 8-)
The US hasn't performed live nuclear tests in quite a while (20 years?). There are two reasons why sims aren't enough: 1) They are based on theories that don't always match reality and 2) they cannot simulate *everything*.
Don't get me wrong, theories and simulations are great for preliminary work, but in the end you have to test it to be sure. On the wall over my monitor right now is a board from the Cray 1-S/1000, used at Kirtland AFB in 1980 for blast effects sims.
Besides, the world could use a good 10-30 megaton test every decade or so. It would give the media a chance to remind everyone just how dangerous and powerful they are. Good photo op, too.:)
I agree. I've been setting up a WLAN at the office and have decided to leave the AP's wide open, no WEP, no MAC filtering, SSID broadcast on. Their only connection is to one Linux box running a PPTP VPN daemon (PoPToP) and a DHCP server. If you get past the VPN, you're on the LAN. Otherwise, you're stuck. Only drawback is the VPN's overhead (and having a PPTP client).
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I haven't re-run these prices in a few months, but we spec'ed a dual-CPU 2Tb RAID5 server at the office around $5,800. Cut it down to 2Gb RAM, 1Tb disk, single CPU, cheaper mobo....I dunno, $2,500? E-Mail me if you want the price/parts list.
Unless I missed something, that would require knowing not only the energy released but also the depth of the event and composition of the surrounding area. They're already estimating the energy and a fairly large geographical area, so I see no way for them to use the Mercalli scale.
I suppose the problem that I (and so many others, it seems) have with PHBs is not so much knowledge, but intelligence. If he *knows* that we know far more than he does about topic_X, he should be smart enough to listen to us. If he keeps us on the payroll, the he should have enough confidence in us to take us at our word when his understanding is limited.
What really ticks me (us?) off is being ignored when we I know a better way, or being over-ruled because he doesn't understand some basic concept. (like IP addressing, hardware interaction, RAID levels, or software security).
My oft-used analogy is that I would *never* go tell Ford engineers how to design a car (i.e. number of wheels, layout of engine, etc) because they know *far* more about it than I do. If I was somehow in charge of a group of such engineers, I would NOT dictate things to them. I'd ask for pros & cons on major choices, and decide from there.
Worst of all is having an insultant (consultant or other "outsider") brought in to do a task that I or anyone else in the department (other than the PHB) could easily take care of. If they have more experience and a better idea, that's one thing. If they simply have more letters after their name and a higher hourly rate, that's another.
No, I'm not just being bitter and spouting off. My bosses have made some really boneheaded decisions that I (and others) warned them about. We've seen "professional" "consultants" brought in and totally screw things up because they knew *less* than we did. Most distressing, we are currently watching The Powers That Be relying on a consulting firm for the blessing of *every* decision and task, no matter how trivial, on a certain system. Why? "They're professionals." What, and we aren't?!
"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. Shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple. Teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep. Waken him. He who knows, and knows that he knows is wise. Follow him."
Could also say "What is [some-64k-chunk] ANDed with [64k-of-1s]?". To make it "safer", actually send the all-1s block (gzipped, of course) each time.
So long as the not-quite-uploading machine actually takes the time to check every bit, it should pass legal muster. Well, if the lawyers don't grasp boolean operations...
If you really wanted to muddy the protocol, send a random chunk of 1's and 0's that the not-quite-uploading system can XOR against the file. Seems to me that would help the "I'm only asking questions about the file" argument.
No, you missed something:
Talking about AIDS does little. Not talking about AIDS does little. Promiscuous sex spreads AIDS. Abstinence stops the spread. Simple, yes?
Similarly: Talking about viruses does little. Not talking about them does little (the people who would listen probably know already). Running Windows spreads viruses. Running anything else stops them.
The increased network traffic is there without the extra e-mails anyway. Notifying the sysadmin of the infected boxen is, IMHO, a Good Thing [tm]. The trick is getting that message to the right person.
Yeah, job security. Bear in mind that for many of us, our unofficial job is to make ourselves unnecessary. 8-)
The US hasn't performed live nuclear tests in quite a while (20 years?). There are two reasons why sims aren't enough: 1) They are based on theories that don't always match reality and 2) they cannot simulate *everything*.
:)
Don't get me wrong, theories and simulations are great for preliminary work, but in the end you have to test it to be sure. On the wall over my monitor right now is a board from the Cray 1-S/1000, used at Kirtland AFB in 1980 for blast effects sims.
Besides, the world could use a good 10-30 megaton test every decade or so. It would give the media a chance to remind everyone just how dangerous and powerful they are. Good photo op, too.
I agree. I've been setting up a WLAN at the office and have decided to leave the AP's wide open, no WEP, no MAC filtering, SSID broadcast on. Their only connection is to one Linux box running a PPTP VPN daemon (PoPToP) and a DHCP server. If you get past the VPN, you're on the LAN. Otherwise, you're stuck. Only drawback is the VPN's overhead (and having a PPTP client).