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User: kooganani

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  1. PDP8 on 'Retro Programming' Teaches Using 1980s Machines · · Score: 1

    I think it's an awesome approach. When I was in school in 1992 I took a class called "Computer structure." It was basically an assembly programming course, but we started on a PDP8, programming in machine language on the 12-bit front panel of the machine. One of our projects was to write a program that completely erased all of the memory locations on the machine, including the ones that contained the program. I think I got down to one populated location; it was surprisingly challenging. I did an independent project making a small programmable logic gate out of transistors, and with a bit more $ I could have made a 1-bit memory device. Definitely my favorite class in college. Working at that basic level gives you such a great perspective on what's happening under the hood of today's machines.

  2. 1972 Buick on 45-Year-Old Modem Used To Surf the Web · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure if this counts, but I once fixed a Commodore 64 with a fuse from a 1972 Buick Electra. The C64 has a big automotive-style fuse holder right there in the middle of the motherboard.

  3. Why all these remakes? on Independence Day for Transformers Live Action · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why all these remakes of crap shows? Why can't they do cool shows from the Olde Days like Falcon Crest or Knott's Landing?

  4. Dynamic webpage on Software Engineering Demo for a K-5 Career Fair? · · Score: 1

    I've been thinking about this, because I need to do the same kind of demo for a girl scout troop. I think the best thing would be to build a dynamic web page. Run Apache, perl, and a browser on your laptop. It would be easy to make dramatic-looking changes that would grab the kids' attention, and they will probably be familiar with the interface. While many of us had those transendental moments with a Trash-80 or a PDP-8, a lot of the kids won't end up being computer programmers. I think a less technical demo that outputs to something other than a text terminal would be more approachable to more of them.

  5. A bit bigger than 35 trillion on The Impending IP Crisis · · Score: 1

    The actual number of IPv6 addresses available is 3.4 x 10^38, or 3.4 million trillion trillion trillion. Seems like a pretty big number, although a 10MB hard drive seemed massive when I was thirteen. The main thing that bums me out is that IPv4 is so much more convenient to remember and type. I guess some lucky sysadmins will have networks that spell out easy-to-remember phrases using only letters A-F.

  6. Bounces on My Short Life As An Unintentional Porn Spammer · · Score: 2, Informative

    36 hours is about right for receiving bounces. Many messages bounce immediately, mainly the 'user unknown' or 'mailbox full' variety. For errors like 'connection refused' or 'server timed out', the sending mail server will attempts to deliver the message periodically over the course of 36 hours. This period of time is generally configurable can change from mail server to mail server.

    The specifications for bounce messages are extremely loose, and while many mailservers adhere to the definitions, many do not. Most bounces are sent to the 'envelope from' address listed in the header as the 'Return Path:' address, but some go to the header 'To:' or the 'Reply-To:'.

  7. how to donate to nasa? on Space Shuttle Columbia Breaks Up Over Texas · · Score: 1

    Does anyone know how to donate to NASA? I'm not sure if it's even possible, but I want to do something to support the space program. This tragedy is even more far-reaching than the lives and the families of the astronauts -- it threatens the future of space exploration. The best way to honor the astronauts is to continue manned space missions with renewed vigor. I disagree with the view that this disaster is senseless. More can often be learned from failures than from successes, but although more funding for the space program is the obvious answer to me, I fear the the opposite will be the result. I encourage /.ers to write their congresspeople in support of the space program.