Heh:) Doing anything having to do with software for businesses without traceability, version control, etc. is seriously beyond stupid. Every time I join a project and I learn they don't know what version control is or simply don't want to use it, I consider myself stuck in deep, deep shit. I like good procedures and the supporting tools, they helps keep things organised and complexity manageable. A lot of devs or pm's don't seem to grasp it...
Of course, if you dispense this sort of ruminations to colleagues, friends... people start thinking you're a pinko commie or a paranoid fruitcake. Welcome to the land of the blind:-/
>The Pentagon's interest in such an effort stems from >the need to acquire energy on the battlefield, which >today often comes at a painful premium.
My guess is, if not some pork-barrel/prestige project, this is at most about getting energy to the battlefield, out of practical reach from conventional power plants, while being out of reach from enemy fire/sabotage. (If not in a standoff with an opponent capable of EMP-ing or otherwise disabling the device in orbit.) All the other civil reasons stated are horseshit to make it sound like a good idea that can be sold to the public.
Hypothesis : Maybe it has something to do with net neutrality ? If I had google-sized server farms and local network/backbone providers start pinching my bandwidth with QOS because I don't pay them the extortion money to get normal bandwidth needed for operating my business, I too would be considering other options. For example, transportable data centers, and moving the whole operation to a region where they welcome my business instead of threatening it with legislation that destroys net neutrality, and by consequence threatens my business.
Just finished it yesterday night, this is a very polished single player mod. Lots of surprises, clever and ironic puzzles, some unexpected twists, good timing and event triggering, and not easy. I was very impressed by the dynamic layout of the levels with everything interconnecting organically as the player explores the environment. This takes gameplay a bit more off the rails as well. And the level of detail is beyond what you'd expect from SP mods. (Minerva is more fun than a lot of HL2's original chapters imho)
> The restraints we have in place (it begins with secular Democracy)
I don't think that means what you think it means.
I honestly don't want to flame or troll here, but as far as I can tell, the US is not a secular democracy.
Let's be honest here, it has nothing to do with being a democracy or one of the 'good guys'.
The US gets away with this sort of hypocrisy *because it can*.
Other countries that have nukes or nuclear facilities have them because the US/Soviets/China did not have enough leverage to strong-arm them out of their nuclear ambitions.
If I recall correctly from physics lessons (many years ago), there is a significant loss of power when transporting electricity over long distances. I think it was around 40% loss for 100km. This would limit the distance from the generator plant to the point of consumption. (This is from memory and I'm not a specialist, so add salt where appropriate. I may be completely wrong here.)
But to demonstrate that I don't have an exuberant lifestyle : (:$ converted at 1:1,4) I'm sure I could quit smoking, but other than that I don't have many sacrifices to make. I have basic services (cellphone, dsl). No TV (rots the brain). My expenses on luxury items are around 100-150$ a month : books, dvds, etc. When I travel, I go to cheaper places like Eastern Europe. I rent an appartment, at $660 a month which is normal here. (cheap, actually) Buying an appartment or a house begins at $300,000 up to $400,000 for something decent. (Impossible since I'm single.)
Compare this to 5 years ago : I regularly bought new hardware and gadgetry, I went on vacation to places like Ibiza, I went out to restaurants with friends at least twice a week, and drank fine wines. I had cash surplus at the end of the month. Other than that the situation was comparable. Except that I made about $500 *less* a month.
I'm working on getting a bigger income together by looking for a raise, or another job altogether; and by doing some freelance projects on the side (but it doesn't amount to much at the moment).
Belgium has become a bloody expensive place to live in. (So perhaps my whining is a slightly off-topic; it's not just the IT salaries that are out of proportion compared to the cost of living here.)
Same here (Europe). Inflation figures seem way to positive to me. Over the last years I saw my salary rise around 40%-50%, but the cost of living nearly *doubled*.
I can't even put enough money aside to get a loan for a house and am currently stuck at renting, which is a waste of money.
As to some of the remarks that this may be a result of a more exuberant lifestyle : Bullshit. I have to be very careful I don't spend more than I earn, and the end of the month is always a difficult period. (I can't even afford to buy a second-hand car at the moment.)
IMHO this has a lot to do with : - Prices rising after introduction of the Euro. Overnight everything became ~+25% more expensive. - Recession around 2000, only compounded after events of 9/11.
Responding to extremism with equal extremism is.. well.. extreme:) And it will provoke exactly the kind of reaction that you don't want : further polarisation, more extremism.
Instead, setting up conditions in which extremism cannot thrive seems a better plan : good local economy, good education that promotes independent critical thinking, etc. Why is this not happening more today ? My guess is that too many people derive their power from the current situation to the detriment of a lot of those they have power over. (Some governments come to mind... and some marriages - but that's beside the point;)
I concede that religion seems to be some inescapable trait of humankind. I don't mind religious people if they don't mind my ideas and behavior. Usually, once the topic comes up, the conversation gets unpleasant very fast because they can't respect my views, while I respect theirs. Nice of them to try and save my soul and all, but I don't like to be treated like a misguided idiot just because I don't believe in their fairy tales. (Bible, Quran, Thora, you name it.) Personally, I dislike viral memes that skip the step of logical argumentation.
To add to that, a lot of religious groups push their agenda and intrude upon territory I consider personal choice. For instance, education of my kids. I don't want them to be exposed to some idiot who teaches Intelligent Design while *denouncing* evolution theory because Christian interest groups lobbied that ID nonsense into the curriculum. (Thankfully not much of a problem in Europe at the moment, but what I saw happening in some states in the US over the last years is worrying.)
Ok... that became somewhat of a rant. Back on-topic. Religion and politics are a dangerous combination, especially if the religious laws have higher priority than the secular. Religious ideology that denounces critical thinking *will* be abused for acquisition of power. Religiously inspired government will lead to the implosion of any state employing it as political regime. Religion stifles progress, while other states, unencumbered by religious taboos, will over time gain a significant edge on the economic front, and by consequence on other fronts.
(I'm not good at writing down my thoughts in a structured way when I'm tired, so I'm sorry if I jump all over the place in this post. Off to bed!)
Slashdot Mirror
Heh :)
Doing anything having to do with software for businesses without traceability, version control, etc. is seriously beyond stupid.
Every time I join a project and I learn they don't know what version control is or simply don't want to use it, I consider myself stuck in deep, deep shit.
I like good procedures and the supporting tools, they helps keep things organised and complexity manageable. A lot of devs or pm's don't seem to grasp it...
Well said.
:-/
Of course, if you dispense this sort of ruminations to colleagues, friends... people start thinking you're a pinko commie or a paranoid fruitcake.
Welcome to the land of the blind
This isn't about ending the energy crisis :
>The Pentagon's interest in such an effort stems from
>the need to acquire energy on the battlefield, which
>today often comes at a painful premium.
My guess is, if not some pork-barrel/prestige project, this is at most about getting energy to the battlefield, out of practical reach from conventional power plants, while being out of reach from enemy fire/sabotage. (If not in a standoff with an opponent capable of EMP-ing or otherwise disabling the device in orbit.)
All the other civil reasons stated are horseshit to make it sound like a good idea that can be sold to the public.
Perhaps YRO is just where /. posts all the tinfoil hat stories.
Hypothesis : Maybe it has something to do with net neutrality ?
If I had google-sized server farms and local network/backbone providers start pinching my bandwidth with QOS because I don't pay them the extortion money to get normal bandwidth needed for operating my business, I too would be considering other options.
For example, transportable data centers, and moving the whole operation to a region where they welcome my business instead of threatening it with legislation that destroys net neutrality, and by consequence threatens my business.
Use of one service does not exclude use of the other. (Yet.)
Just finished it yesterday night, this is a very polished single player mod.
Lots of surprises, clever and ironic puzzles, some unexpected twists, good timing and event triggering, and not easy.
I was very impressed by the dynamic layout of the levels with everything interconnecting organically as the player explores the environment. This takes gameplay a bit more off the rails as well. And the level of detail is beyond what you'd expect from SP mods.
(Minerva is more fun than a lot of HL2's original chapters imho)
Mr Foster & team, thanks for making this.
Ok, I'm done fawning.
It even has Qwghlm on it. /geekgasm
"Tremors" ? ;-)
What's next ? Hollerith numbers tattooed on wrists ?
> The restraints we have in place (it begins with secular Democracy)
I don't think that means what you think it means.
I honestly don't want to flame or troll here, but as far as I can tell, the US is not a secular democracy.
Let's be honest here, it has nothing to do with being a democracy or one of the 'good guys'.
The US gets away with this sort of hypocrisy *because it can*.
Other countries that have nukes or nuclear facilities have them because the US/Soviets/China did not have enough leverage to strong-arm them out of their nuclear ambitions.
(Battening the hatches for incoming -1 troll)
If I recall correctly from physics lessons (many years ago), there is a significant loss of power when transporting electricity over long distances. I think it was around 40% loss for 100km.
This would limit the distance from the generator plant to the point of consumption.
(This is from memory and I'm not a specialist, so add salt where appropriate. I may be completely wrong here.)
> Ever play a game of url russian roulette?
Thank you sir, you just inspired our next boy scout activity !
Thanks for the hints. I completely agree.
But to demonstrate that I don't have an exuberant lifestyle :
(:$ converted at 1:1,4)
I'm sure I could quit smoking, but other than that I don't have many sacrifices to make.
I have basic services (cellphone, dsl).
No TV (rots the brain).
My expenses on luxury items are around 100-150$ a month : books, dvds, etc.
When I travel, I go to cheaper places like Eastern Europe.
I rent an appartment, at $660 a month which is normal here. (cheap, actually)
Buying an appartment or a house begins at $300,000 up to $400,000 for something decent. (Impossible since I'm single.)
Compare this to 5 years ago :
I regularly bought new hardware and gadgetry, I went on vacation to places like Ibiza, I went out to restaurants with friends at least twice a week, and drank fine wines. I had cash surplus at the end of the month.
Other than that the situation was comparable.
Except that I made about $500 *less* a month.
I'm working on getting a bigger income together by looking for a raise, or another job altogether; and by doing some freelance projects on the side (but it doesn't amount to much at the moment).
Belgium has become a bloody expensive place to live in.
(So perhaps my whining is a slightly off-topic; it's not just the IT salaries that are out of proportion compared to the cost of living here.)
Same here (Europe). Inflation figures seem way to positive to me.
... except labor.
Over the last years I saw my salary rise around 40%-50%, but the cost of living nearly *doubled*.
I can't even put enough money aside to get a loan for a house and am currently stuck at renting, which is a waste of money.
As to some of the remarks that this may be a result of a more exuberant lifestyle : Bullshit.
I have to be very careful I don't spend more than I earn, and the end of the month is always a difficult period.
(I can't even afford to buy a second-hand car at the moment.)
IMHO this has a lot to do with :
- Prices rising after introduction of the Euro. Overnight everything became ~+25% more expensive.
- Recession around 2000, only compounded after events of 9/11.
Prices rose for everything
Indeed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublespeak
Don't forget who gets to pay for it with his tax dollars if dhs burns cash on this.
> But we taser people too often, so we're worse.
:)
No, not worse.
But being better than the NKVD doesn't mean jack shit, really.
Comparing to something worse is lowering your standards.
I hope you hold up your police officers to better standards than comparing them to the NKVD
Guns don't kill video games, Lawyers do.
(I'm sure there's a soviet russia joke in there somewhere.)
In honour of Jack Thompson, could we please name one of those new elementary particles "morons" ?
Responding to extremism with equal extremism is.. well.. extreme :)
;)
And it will provoke exactly the kind of reaction that you don't want : further polarisation, more extremism.
Instead, setting up conditions in which extremism cannot thrive seems a better plan : good local economy, good education that promotes independent critical thinking, etc.
Why is this not happening more today ? My guess is that too many people derive their power from the current situation to the detriment of a lot of those they have power over. (Some governments come to mind... and some marriages - but that's beside the point
I concede that religion seems to be some inescapable trait of humankind. I don't mind religious people if they don't mind my ideas and behavior. Usually, once the topic comes up, the conversation gets unpleasant very fast because they can't respect my views, while I respect theirs. Nice of them to try and save my soul and all, but I don't like to be treated like a misguided idiot just because I don't believe in their fairy tales. (Bible, Quran, Thora, you name it.)
Personally, I dislike viral memes that skip the step of logical argumentation.
To add to that, a lot of religious groups push their agenda and intrude upon territory I consider personal choice. For instance, education of my kids. I don't want them to be exposed to some idiot who teaches Intelligent Design while *denouncing* evolution theory because Christian interest groups lobbied that ID nonsense into the curriculum. (Thankfully not much of a problem in Europe at the moment, but what I saw happening in some states in the US over the last years is worrying.)
Ok... that became somewhat of a rant. Back on-topic.
Religion and politics are a dangerous combination, especially if the religious laws have higher priority than the secular.
Religious ideology that denounces critical thinking *will* be abused for acquisition of power. Religiously inspired government will lead to the implosion of any state employing it as political regime. Religion stifles progress, while other states, unencumbered by religious taboos, will over time gain a significant edge on the economic front, and by consequence on other fronts.
(I'm not good at writing down my thoughts in a structured way when I'm tired, so I'm sorry if I jump all over the place in this post. Off to bed!)
>religion and government don't mix.
Oh, but they mix very well.
But the results are always detrimental.
Religion worries me because it is prone to get hijacked by manipulative bastards for their own gain.
I'm not sure they have KFC in France.
Don't forget Poland.
Word on the street is Branson recently acquired Fosset frozen in a Carbonite plate to adorn the departure hall.
(Ok, bad taste, sorry.)