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User: mistermocha

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  1. Re:Maybe Valve should concentrate on other things. on Pay Less If You're a Nice Person: Valve's Freemium Model For DOTA 2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Can't resist.... Maybe Valve should finally finish the Half-Life series

  2. Concerned about the audience on Technology Makes It Harder To Save Money · · Score: 1

    "8 percent said they would stop downloading songs and digital products." -- what if only 8% of the sample audience actually spent money on downloaded music and digital products? Pandora and Spotify offer music for free. It would, perhaps carry more validity and clarify the facts to say that X% of people who spend money on [product Y] would give it up in tough times.

  3. Re:The bass response really sucks... on Musical Tesla Coils Perform Zelda · · Score: 1

    What do you have against ozone?

  4. Re:VOLTS, not Watts.. Big difference... on Musical Tesla Coils Perform Zelda · · Score: 1

    Really? I thought they were all about the size of the... uh ... sparks?

  5. Work out a good deal and stick to it on Should You Be Paid For Being On Call? · · Score: 1

    My last job had a cellphone rotation system where everyone took turns taking home one of the two emergency cellphones and keeping it for two weeks. The period of rotation varied with the size of the staff, which grew (and occasionally shrank) over time. We'd get paid $50 per resolved issue. Those weeks would be challenging because we'd have to stay within arms reach of a computer, but most of the calls that came in were only ten minutes long. Clients didn't see the expense because they subscribed to a general 24x7 support package. Dumb calls were mitigated by stating that after-hours calls were valid for emergencies only. I'd still live a normal life, doing things like going to the store and going on dates and such, and any calls that came while I couldn't touch a computer, I'd tell the client that I'd call back in fifteen minutes. Okay, all that said... it sucked to have to drag the extra phone around for two weeks, but it was worth it to get that extra check at the end of the session. We'd pretty much be guaranteed at least a couple of after-hours calls each week. A typical two-week session would yield about $400. Now what does this mean for you? Take some time to think about what's going to make your life liveable when on-call. Do that with a mix of applying conditions to emergency calls, charging back per incident, and reminding your clients that you are a human with a life and may have to call back after you get out of the pooper. Clients are people and will understand that you are a person too and are deserving of a life of your own. Also, applying conditions (e.g., charge per incident) will deter excessive calls.

  6. Project Management on What To Cover In a Short "DIY Tech" Course? · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I would encourage you to teach the students about project management. Put them into groups of three, tell them to come up with a concept of a project, and develop a plan to bring it to fruition. Have them search for resources among peers. Encourage them to form relationships with other groups so that projects can support each other. Teach them about managing resources - time, money, talent, etc.

    Let them figure out the specific details of their projects and approach subject matter from a higher level - skills in leadership, teamwork, resource planning, and organization. This will encourage them to make their own decisions about what they want to do, which leaves detailed subject matter open to the students' interests and strengths. You could also take it a step further and see if you can get the hours in place towards PMP certification. This way, the education *directly* applies to a potential career after high school is over.

  7. Gah! The bad grammar kills me! on Universal "Death Stench" Repels Bugs of All Types · · Score: 1

    "were repelled leading scientists to think..."

    WTF!?

  8. Spell checking used to be a luxury on Is Typing Ruining Your Ability To Spell? · · Score: 1

    ... then the fine folks at SpellStar came up with their version of relief: http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/mark/Mr_Magenta_Personal_Folder/notRolaids-small.jpg

  9. Reminds me of "The Life of Brian" on Ireland Criminalizes Blasphemy · · Score: 1

    I suppose a huge fine like that is better than being stoned to death

  10. Re:They have this in DS9 on Software Converts 2D Images To 3D · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's nothing! CSI Miami takes crappy security cam shots from hundreds of feet away to turn a speck that covers eight pixels into a full 3D model of the killer every week, and that's in THIS century and planet!

  11. Re:Aren't there others like this? on Drop-In Replacement For Exchange Now Open Source · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well, there are some of us who work at mom & pop software shops that do have a clatch of intelligent developers on site but don't have a huge budget to buy an email solution.... and we're a lot more than 0.0000001% of all companies.

  12. Re:No Safari or Opera Support on Google Gears is Launched · · Score: 1

    Hmm... isn't it "Beta" software? Give them a chance to catch up to the real goods.

  13. Can you say... "slippery slope"? on Some Soft Drinks May Damage Your DNA · · Score: 1

    Regardless, I'm sure I may end up telling this to my kid so he will drink healthier beverages in the future.

  14. I'm getting skeptical here... on PBS To Air Six New Monty Python Specials · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... which I hate do do, since I so much adore the Monty Python gang. Televised events of this nature seldom do well, and seldom excite me. An attempt to drudge up the past will only prove how far the mighty have fallen. We just might see ol' Graham "Wormy" Chapman on screen. Recently, I saw The Meaning of Life for the first time, and although parts were delightfully pleasing, I could tell that the quality of story was stepping aside for mere shock value, which is the dead end where all comic genius eventually comes to die. Part of what made the troupe so funny was that it was funny during their time. We see success from modern-day comedy troupes, such as Saturday Night Live, because they do their best to stay with the times. Context of creation period has a lot to do with the quality of the performance. (e.g., there's only so many Bill Clinton jokes that will fly nowadays). Trying to make Monty Python work for a modern era would be like trying to install vacuum tubes into a 939-pin socket... you'd have to have one hell of an adapter kit. That said, TiVo is armed and ready!

  15. Just get more speakers on Building Your Own KVM Switch...With Audio Connectors? · · Score: 1

    PC Speakers are reasonably inexpensive. Just get a second set for the second comp for $9.97 at Radio Shack.