I jettisoned Quicken and TurboTax several years ago after they started forcing upgrades to keep up with my investments. I moved to MoneyDance (no affiliation), and it doesn't do everything as well, but it's faster and more than sufficient for my needs. It's not OSS, but you never have to upgrade (yet!).
This does not surprise me. I have two systems on which the update process was broken on Windows 7. With auto-updates set for automatic mode, updates would not install. If you manually force the system to check for updates, it gets stuck in an endless loop showing a moving progress indicator. This is the best link I found to deal with the issue: http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-7-keeps-checking-for-updates-for-hours/
If the process is broken and there's no notification, then all of these systems are vulnerable.
A much more modern version of this is NASA's SOFIA aircraft. It observes in infrared with a large telescope. I worked on SOFIA, but had never heard of this! Incredible... even though the results were meh, that ride must have been amazing. I hope the visual portholes were good!
My previous phone was a Droid Razr Maxx, and I really wanted similar battery life. I ended up getting the HTC One M8 (*not* the M9, which I still believe is inferior). The battery under normal / light use lasts 2 days. Though I'm not happy with the way HTC the company has headed, I'm still happy with my phone 4 months later!
No affiliation, just a satisfied customer for many years. Best way to view and store your pictures. $40 / year for unlimited uploads. The above link will get you $5 off for the first year. I also use an external disk for backing up my RAW files.
I received the following e-mail from MLB.com today (I purchased a game in 2006, which still works!):
MLB.com Fri, Nov 9, 2007 at 7:36 AM To: me@gmail.com
Dear Valued Customer,
It has come to our attention that a small subset of our MLB.com Digital Download customers are unable to access and watch certain games that they purchased prior to 2007. MLB.com is committed to ensuring that all non-functioning MLB.com Digital Downloads that were previously purchased are again made available at no additional cost to our customers.
If you are unable to view any MLB.com Digital Download game that you purchased prior to 2007, please contact MLB.com Customer Service by either (1) sending an e-mail to customerservice@website.mlb.com listing the games that are no longer accessible, or (2) by calling 1-866-800-1275 to speak to a representative.
We will then send you an e-mail containing information on how to re-download and access these games. Please note that all Regular Season games will be available, in the originally purchased format, and all Postseason games will be made available, in the same format currently used on mlb.com/downloads.
We regret any inconvenience, and value your continued support.
I use a Linux server running Samba. The laptops login to the Samba domain, and the user profile information is synchronized when they logout. The server gets backed up at night. If a system fails, rebuild it, log the user in, and they're immediately back in business. There are some shortcomings, but if the group is small, education isn't that difficult.
There is some hope within the industry that Bob Eiger will mend some fences that Eisner has broken (starting with Pixar). Eisner is/was a notorious micro-manager. He did manage to turn around Disney when he came on board, but he hung around too long and became surrounded by yes-men.
A great warm up to Puerto Rico is the card game San Juan. Many similar concepts, but easier to learn and play. There's also some luck involved to give less experienced players a shot.
It's also more portable, so I can easily take it when travelling!
I had a very positive experience with my only contracting experience. It lasted six months, and I was offered a full time position at the end of my contract (though in the end I accepted a different position more in tune with my goals).
The hourly rate worked out to much greater than my previous salary (about 40% more). Since I was working through an employment firm, I was able to get some benefits, though not even close to the same league as a full-time position.
If the employer is sincere in the his full-time offer, and the employee proves worthy over the term of the contract, then it is usally in the best interests of both parties for the employee to be hired on. Finding, hiring, and re-training someone new are very costly.
I'd say if you like the company, the people who work there, and the work, then go for it! It can be a great way to get a foot in the door. A short commute is just a bonus.
Slashdot Mirror
I jettisoned Quicken and TurboTax several years ago after they started forcing upgrades to keep up with my investments. I moved to MoneyDance (no affiliation), and it doesn't do everything as well, but it's faster and more than sufficient for my needs. It's not OSS, but you never have to upgrade (yet!).
This does not surprise me. I have two systems on which the update process was broken on Windows 7. With auto-updates set for automatic mode, updates would not install. If you manually force the system to check for updates, it gets stuck in an endless loop showing a moving progress indicator. This is the best link I found to deal with the issue: http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-7-keeps-checking-for-updates-for-hours/
If the process is broken and there's no notification, then all of these systems are vulnerable.
A much more modern version of this is NASA's SOFIA aircraft. It observes in infrared with a large telescope. I worked on SOFIA, but had never heard of this! Incredible... even though the results were meh, that ride must have been amazing. I hope the visual portholes were good!
My previous phone was a Droid Razr Maxx, and I really wanted similar battery life. I ended up getting the HTC One M8 (*not* the M9, which I still believe is inferior). The battery under normal / light use lasts 2 days. Though I'm not happy with the way HTC the company has headed, I'm still happy with my phone 4 months later!
No affiliation, just a satisfied customer for many years. Best way to view and store your pictures. $40 / year for unlimited uploads. The above link will get you $5 off for the first year. I also use an external disk for backing up my RAW files.
Did anyone else read this and think: Oh no, it's the Ghost Light!
I received the following e-mail from MLB.com today (I purchased a game in 2006, which still works!):
MLB.com Fri, Nov 9, 2007 at 7:36 AM
To: me@gmail.com
Dear Valued Customer,
It has come to our attention that a small subset of our MLB.com Digital Download customers are unable to access and watch certain games that they purchased prior to 2007. MLB.com is committed to ensuring that all non-functioning MLB.com Digital Downloads that were previously purchased are again made available at no additional cost to our customers.
If you are unable to view any MLB.com Digital Download game that you purchased prior to 2007, please contact MLB.com Customer Service by either (1) sending an e-mail to customerservice@website.mlb.com listing the games that are no longer accessible, or (2) by calling 1-866-800-1275 to speak to a representative.
We will then send you an e-mail containing information on how to re-download and access these games. Please note that all Regular Season games will be available, in the originally purchased format, and all Postseason games will be made available, in the same format currently used on mlb.com/downloads.
We regret any inconvenience, and value your continued support.
Sincerely,
MLB.com
I use a Linux server running Samba. The laptops login to the Samba domain, and the user profile information is synchronized when they logout. The server gets backed up at night. If a system fails, rebuild it, log the user in, and they're immediately back in business. There are some shortcomings, but if the group is small, education isn't that difficult.
There is some hope within the industry that Bob Eiger will mend some fences that Eisner has broken (starting with Pixar). Eisner is/was a notorious micro-manager. He did manage to turn around Disney when he came on board, but he hung around too long and became surrounded by yes-men.
Mod this one up... this fits my experience as well.
A great warm up to Puerto Rico is the card game San Juan. Many similar concepts, but easier to learn and play. There's also some luck involved to give less experienced players a shot. It's also more portable, so I can easily take it when travelling!
I had a very positive experience with my only contracting experience. It lasted six months, and I was offered a full time position at the end of my contract (though in the end I accepted a different position more in tune with my goals).
The hourly rate worked out to much greater than my previous salary (about 40% more). Since I was working through an employment firm, I was able to get some benefits, though not even close to the same league as a full-time position.
If the employer is sincere in the his full-time offer, and the employee proves worthy over the term of the contract, then it is usally in the best interests of both parties for the employee to be hired on. Finding, hiring, and re-training someone new are very costly.
I'd say if you like the company, the people who work there, and the work, then go for it! It can be a great way to get a foot in the door. A short commute is just a bonus.