"If you were to walk into the room where the vats are without first ventilating the room, you would pass out because the oxygen in your lungs feels like it is literally sucked out (not sure of the actual physical process involved)."
Diffusion of oxygen against a concentration gradient. It's basically the same process that happens when you sprinkle salt on a slug and it dies: the salt lowers the water concentration outside of the slug, and water flows out of the slug to balance the water concentrations in and out of the slug.
Partial pressure of oxygen outside of the lungs (pressure produced only by oxygen molecules, nothing else) is much lower than the partial pressure of oxygen inside the lungs. Oxygen flows out of the lungs to equalize the partial pressures. CO2 flows into the lungs to replace the displaced oxygen.
I often wonder if some of this Microsoft backlash isn't just the product of the (immature) desire to fit in. I can remember a time when it was simply popular to bash Microsoft. No other motivation to do so existed, other than that everyone else was doing it.
I would advise that likewise, the same is true today, though it is certainly changing for the better. Within our "community", it is still PC to bash Microsoft because that is what is expected.
What I'd really be interested to see is the amount of pollution that is caused by the production of electricity needed to run a hybrid car. That energy has to come from somewhere.
Take, for instance, one type of hybrid vehicle that must plugin to a local grid: that power must be produced at a power plant, which also pollutes the environment.
For cars that run off of battery packs, if those batteries are disposed, do they pollute the environment, also?
Basically, does anyone have any information on how much pollution is given off as a byproduct of the electricity required to run a hybrid vehicle? Is it more or less than a combustion engine only? Or is this energy produced in a way that is friendly with the environment? Where might I search for this information>
Too true, friend; the Slashdot community does have a problem with "comment first, ask questions later (if ever)". But a reminder every once in a while can help things (let us pray).
In all honesty, this is probably the simplest solution.
In my humble opinion, nuking a Windows machine every six months or so can be a healthy thing anyway, so long as important files are preserved. I typically nuke my Linux partitions on a comparable time frame, also. It's just a good way to clean up.
If the above partitioning idea doesn't work or is not feasible (say the solution is too complicated for the user), teach the user to make regular backups on CD, or to invest in a 1Gig thumbdrive or so, and keep his personal files there.
Let me summarize for you:
Bill Hilf works for Microsoft, reporting on the progress and direction of the open source projects and the OSS community in general.
I don't believe that the article was written with Slashdot users in mind, but rather for corporations who have vested interest in either (or both) Microsoft and Linux, but are as yet uninformed.
For them, this article is encouraging because it shows that Microsoft has formally awknowledged the importance of *nix to IT, and is working with it. This is good news for us, because more companies will be willing to take the plunge and invest in OSS.
The title of this article is misleading: "95% Percent of IT _Projects_ Not Delivered on Time".
In actuality, the article quotes differently: " Info-Tech Research Group says 95 per cent of information technology _groups_ are not delivering _some_number_ of projects on time".
This "some number" could easily be disproportionate to the number of projects that are available, according to Info-Tech's original wording.
The facts, according to Info-Tech's study as quoted in the article, nearly every IT group, sooner or later, has difficulty releasing a project. Whether or not the problem is "95% of all projects" is not discussed by Info-Tech, as quoted.
This is hardly unsurprising, and barely qualifies as news since such difficulties are inevitable for any company.
Perhaps an offtopic comment, but I find this similar to the generous daemonization the Catholic Church received from the media regarding the not-so-prevalent phenomenon of child abuse by clergy.
The media is most certainly in the habit of making isolated observations of reality, and then placing them on a podium for all to see. Problem is, that's all that we all see. The subsequent conclusion by the uneducated and inundated public is that the rare is real, and common.
Jean Baudrillard wrote of such a phenomenon in his book, Simulacrum and Simulation. (Interesting side note, Simulacrum was featured in the original Matrix movie: it is the book that Neo uses to hide his pirated software in the opening scenes). Here's a link:
WE... HAVE... A... MANDATE... from the US voters to handle those fuckers with extreme prejudice, no matter how unfair it seems.
Typically, "extreme prejudice" means discriminating the good from the bad, and attacking only the bad. "Extreme prejudice" is very fair, and is generally the only way that the American military does business in urban target areas.
Please, sir, be more respectful. Unilateral bashing of other countries and countrymen will do nothing to rid America of its present war problems. Running low on resources, it won't be long before we face true financial and military crises.
Kris Kerwin
Perhaps, to avoid all possible arbitrariness as you say, a new standard should be proposed.
Instead of measuring the distance across an object, as this seems to lead to some problems in our definition, perhaps we should look at it's mass, in respect to the force of gravity between it and our sun.
Newton came up with a very simple equation to figure this out:
f = GMm/r^2
Where f is the force of gravitation between the two objects; G is the universal gravitation constant, 6.67 * 10^-11 Newton*Meters^2/kg^2; M is the mass of our sun; m is the mass of the object in question, and r is the (average) distance between the two.
The smaller the force of gravitation, the less likely that object is to become captured within the sun's gravitational pull. By setting a limit on how low f may drop before the object is no longer considered a planet, we very clearly define what may be considered a planet, what an asteroid, and what just space junk.
This throws into question not relative size, or diameter of the planet, but rather it's average density in respect to the density of our sun, and the distance between the two; ie, the force of gravity between the object and our sun.
Google for universal gravitation for more specifics.
But what the virus does do is shed light on the SCO v IBM controversy. Anyone heard anything about SCO on NBC?
How about MyDoom? It's all over the place.
While it certainly does little to aid our cause, and probably more to hinder it, it does make the general public aware of it.
-- Kris
Slashdot Mirror
"If you were to walk into the room where the vats are without first ventilating the room, you would pass out because the oxygen in your lungs feels like it is literally sucked out (not sure of the actual physical process involved)."
:-)
Diffusion of oxygen against a concentration gradient. It's basically the same process that happens when you sprinkle salt on a slug and it dies: the salt lowers the water concentration outside of the slug, and water flows out of the slug to balance the water concentrations in and out of the slug.
Partial pressure of oxygen outside of the lungs (pressure produced only by oxygen molecules, nothing else) is much lower than the partial pressure of oxygen inside the lungs. Oxygen flows out of the lungs to equalize the partial pressures. CO2 flows into the lungs to replace the displaced oxygen.
And, you die, just like the slug.
ScuttleMonkey posts that:
"Ryan writes to tell us [that] Applexnet is reporting that Zack Rusin ... has confirmed that ..."
Slashdot: News for Nerds. Stuff that matters.(c) Straight from the source ...
But they can't see it or hear it ... am I to assume that they can't control it either? So much for that "first" ....
Could we please drop the Anti-Microsoft FUD? It doesn't get us anywhere!
I would advise that likewise, the same is true today, though it is certainly changing for the better. Within our "community", it is still PC to bash Microsoft because that is what is expected.
Microsoft, within the past couple of months, has changed its business tactics from spreading FUD, as has been shown in the Halloween Documents (BTW, have these been shown to be anti-MS FUD?), to recognizing the validity of it's opensource competition.
Perhaps we as a community should extend the same professional courtesy, for once? No more anti-Microsoft FUD ...
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
Will certainly check it out.
Take, for instance, one type of hybrid vehicle that must plugin to a local grid: that power must be produced at a power plant, which also pollutes the environment.
For cars that run off of battery packs, if those batteries are disposed, do they pollute the environment, also?
Basically, does anyone have any information on how much pollution is given off as a byproduct of the electricity required to run a hybrid vehicle? Is it more or less than a combustion engine only? Or is this energy produced in a way that is friendly with the environment? Where might I search for this information>
Thanks!
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
Too true, friend; the Slashdot community does have a problem with "comment first, ask questions later (if ever)". But a reminder every once in a while can help things (let us pray).
In my humble opinion, nuking a Windows machine every six months or so can be a healthy thing anyway, so long as important files are preserved. I typically nuke my Linux partitions on a comparable time frame, also. It's just a good way to clean up.
If the above partitioning idea doesn't work or is not feasible (say the solution is too complicated for the user), teach the user to make regular backups on CD, or to invest in a 1Gig thumbdrive or so, and keep his personal files there.
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
Please read the fine article, then post.
I don't believe that the article was written with Slashdot users in mind, but rather for corporations who have vested interest in either (or both) Microsoft and Linux, but are as yet uninformed.
For them, this article is encouraging because it shows that Microsoft has formally awknowledged the importance of *nix to IT, and is working with it. This is good news for us, because more companies will be willing to take the plunge and invest in OSS.
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
Just what the Catholic Church needs ... ewok porn.
Damn!
Yeah. I'm going to take my entire hard drive, and write it to RAM. Six times.
Yay for geek penis-envy: "My RAM stick is bigger than your RAM stick."
The title of this article is misleading: "95% Percent of IT _Projects_ Not Delivered on Time".
In actuality, the article quotes differently: " Info-Tech Research Group says 95 per cent of information technology _groups_ are not delivering _some_number_ of projects on time".
This "some number" could easily be disproportionate to the number of projects that are available, according to Info-Tech's original wording.
The facts, according to Info-Tech's study as quoted in the article, nearly every IT group, sooner or later, has difficulty releasing a project. Whether or not the problem is "95% of all projects" is not discussed by Info-Tech, as quoted.
This is hardly unsurprising, and barely qualifies as news since such difficulties are inevitable for any company.
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
The media is most certainly in the habit of making isolated observations of reality, and then placing them on a podium for all to see. Problem is, that's all that we all see. The subsequent conclusion by the uneducated and inundated public is that the rare is real, and common.
Jean Baudrillard wrote of such a phenomenon in his book, Simulacrum and Simulation. (Interesting side note, Simulacrum was featured in the original Matrix movie: it is the book that Neo uses to hide his pirated software in the opening scenes). Here's a link:
http://www.uta.edu/english/hawk/semiotics/baud.htm
Kris Kerwin
kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
Instead of measuring the distance across an object, as this seems to lead to some problems in our definition, perhaps we should look at it's mass, in respect to the force of gravity between it and our sun.
Newton came up with a very simple equation to figure this out:
f = GMm/r^2
Where f is the force of gravitation between the two objects; G is the universal gravitation constant, 6.67 * 10^-11 Newton*Meters^2/kg^2; M is the mass of our sun; m is the mass of the object in question, and r is the (average) distance between the two.
The smaller the force of gravitation, the less likely that object is to become captured within the sun's gravitational pull. By setting a limit on how low f may drop before the object is no longer considered a planet, we very clearly define what may be considered a planet, what an asteroid, and what just space junk.
This throws into question not relative size, or diameter of the planet, but rather it's average density in respect to the density of our sun, and the distance between the two; ie, the force of gravity between the object and our sun.
Google for universal gravitation for more specifics.
- Kris Kerwin
We see news every day that IBM is constantly making inroads to victory, both in and out of the courtroom.
Attacking SCO now is a lot like attempting to escape from prison two weeks from being paroled.
But what the virus does do is shed light on the SCO v IBM controversy. Anyone heard anything about SCO on NBC? How about MyDoom? It's all over the place. While it certainly does little to aid our cause, and probably more to hinder it, it does make the general public aware of it. -- Kris