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User: cmeans

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  1. Less than impressed on Interviews: Ask Lawrence Lessig About His Mayday PAC · · Score: 1

    These are supposed to be technical people, but their email list subscription system doesn't work... It's happy to send me an email, but denies that my email address is in the system. Very disappointing. Makes me wonder how well they're going to be spending the SuperPAC money if their own systems work no better than anyone else's.

  2. Revolution (the TV Show) on Movie and TV GUIs: Cracking the Code · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Feb. 27th, Revolution had code scrolling on the screen (yes they were debugging at light speed), but they stopped at a C function that did actually have a runtime bug that matched the story line (an unused/released C malloc). The only thing that spoiled it was that the same statement was missing a semi-colon, so the code wouldn't have actually compiled in the first place.
    Oh well...it was nice to see some code that did actually match what the characters were babbling about...even if there were other things that they did that didn't make any sense what-so-ever to someone who actually understood what they were seeing on the computer screen.

  3. Re:passwords are not the issue on Storing Your Encrypted Passwords Offline On a Dedicated Device · · Score: 1

    I store the secret questions & answers in my KeePass file, and I make sure to use suitably different answers from the questions being asked, so there's no correlation between the two...they're like additional passwords.

  4. Re:Users... on Ask Slashdot: What Are the Hardest Things Programmers Have To Do? · · Score: 1

    We're a small shop...everyone wears many hats. They don't always fit, but we try to look fashionable :)

  5. Users... on Ask Slashdot: What Are the Hardest Things Programmers Have To Do? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And their ever changing specifications, indecisiveness, lack of comprehension of the time it takes to implement, then re-implement something, and their general reluctance to pay once it's done.

  6. Psychohistory on Sequoia Supercomputer Sets Record With 'Time Warp' · · Score: 1

    Finally, we can start computing where we're going to end up, and who/what we have to manipulate to end up somewhere else.

  7. 9 out of 10 mice agree... on Drug Testing In Mice May Be a Waste of Time, Researchers Warn · · Score: 1

    they shouldn't be used for testing. The 10th mouse is actually the inventor of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, and also has 42 good reasons to recommend mice as the perfect lab experiment creatures.

  8. Tweed or Herringbone... on Ask Slashdot: Is There a Professional Geek Dress Code? · · Score: 1

    A tweed or Herringbone jacket, and jeans should be enough. You can switch off on a collared shirt & T-shirt. I wouldn't bother with the tie either way.

  9. Re:Copyright infringement? on Judge Rules Pi-Based Music Is Non-Copyrightable · · Score: 1

    That clearly wasn't factored into the earlier posts.

  10. Beam me up Scotty! on Scientists Build Graphene From Scratch, Atom By Atom · · Score: 1

    So, now we can assemble the molecules, just add in disassembling (or at least being able to read/scan what molecules are present etc.) and we've got beaming technology. Sorry that we'll have to kill you after we copy you (once we've got confirmation that your copy has been assembled at the destination), but the copy probably won't mind.

  11. Bad dreams have a purpose... on Manufacturing Dreams · · Score: 1

    Maybe it would be a better idea to leverage the bad dreams...which are, among other things, ways that we cope with the real world or things in it that we're "afraid" of. I would think that simply denying/blocking someone's ability to have the bad dreams could be worse. We need to learn how to work with how things work, rather than assume they're wrong and try to change them.

    Sometimes we're able to process the bad dreams and move forward, sometimes that's not as easy as it sounds...especially for those with PTSD. Forcing someone to have good dreams sounds like giving them a kind-of Advil...it blocks the pain receptors (as I understand it) rather than fixing the actual problem.

    Advil is OK for some things, but it won't fix a broken leg.

  12. Re:Sure, but... on Chinese Want To Capture an Asteroid · · Score: 1

    Sure, as is the possibility that something would hit the earth. But, that's one way that we explain the dinosaurs going extinct. Though I'm no math-head, I would assume that our chances for being hit would increase...even a tiny, tiny amount.
    I now refer you to Murphy.
    I don't want to come off as a chicken-little, just want to voice an additional note of caution...no matter how unlikely it might be.

  13. Sure, but... on Chinese Want To Capture an Asteroid · · Score: 1

    even if they do get it into a stable orbit around us, what's to stop something else (another asteroid) that we'd usually not worry about (because it wasn't going to come too close) going ahead and hitting the orbiting asteroid, and possibly sending it our way (or just destabilizing it's orbit).

    I guess there's lots of things they could do...but all of them have risks...does the reward out-weigh the risk (and the effort)?

  14. Fractured Atlas? maybe not... on Kickstarter-Like Service For Charities? · · Score: 1

    They seem more geared towards art and artists, but maybe they'd be a good resource to connect with. They can certainly handle 501(c)3 donations as a Kickstarter project I backed didn't get funded in time, but they went through Fractured Atlas as an alternate source. http://www.fracturedatlas.org/

  15. A stack of books... on World's Servers Process 9.57ZB of Data a Year · · Score: 2

    ...so high, or just 1 really large PDF.

  16. Re:This is why I don't like online on Sony Blames 'External Intrusion' For Lengthy PSN Outage · · Score: 1

    I had Netflix working earlier today, but later in the evening I was unable to get anything to playback...that was after even logging into my Netflix account directly through the Netflix app on the PS3.

  17. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 1
    Let's break it down:
    • "there are serious problems with Kiva"...do you have any actual substantiated facts that would hold up to scrutinization?
    • 'local "loan enforcement" agents harassing people who received these loans'...Kiva doesn't actually loan money to people, it gives money to MFIs that make the loans. Kiva does try to vet and rate the MFIs on a number of levels, but I can't imagine it's perfect. Kiva gives lower, and lower ratings to MFIs that aren't performing up to the standards, and has disassociated itself with MFIs in the past.
    • "the interest being charged to the people you're lending to is often effectively much higher once everything is considered"...many of the interest rates of Kiva MFIs do seem high, however, once the rate of inflation in the given country is taken into account, and what the current bank loan rates are, the numbers come into perspective. No, they're not perfect, but they're better than a loan-shark, and it's still their choice whether or not to take out a loan.
    • It's not a perfect system, India (where Micro-loaning was pioneered) is definitely having lots of problems, but Kiva doesn't operate in India.
    • There are going to be MFIs (or their employees) that might be crossing the line regarding getting a loan repaid...however, that could be exacerbated by the fact that maybe the person shouldn't have been approved for the loan in the first place, and/or that the person misrepresented their ability to repay the loan.

    Should the few "bad eggs" put the whole idea out to pasture? Do you have another site/company that you recommend, or are you just against the whole idea?

  18. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 1

    You're welcome. I've given away more than 50 Kiva Gift cards, and haven't had as much impact as this single comment on /.

    You might also be interested in joining a Kiva Team. My favorite is Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious at http://www.kiva.org/team/atheists. It helps promote healthy competition, and helps other people at the same time.

  19. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 2

    You're correct. Your losses are much greater than mine. I've been with Kiva for 2 years this month, and I'm at a default rate of 0.58%, but the average Kiva user has a default rate of 1.08%.
    It definitely "pays" to review the loanee (how they're going to use and payback the money...loaning to groups generally helps guarantee more of a return), and review the MFI, it's default rate and current rating etc..
    A 30% loss is significant...and can't be written off as a donation. So loan carefully if you'd rather get your money back.

  20. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 1

    If you were actually interested in getting a loan, look for a Micro Finance Institute. If you're in the US, look for ACCION USA or Opportunity Fund, though I'm sure there are others. If you're not in the US, then you'll have to do a bit more research...but there are lots of MFIs around.

  21. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 1

    Check-out www.microplace.com. There you loan money to MFIs (Micro Finance Institutions), and you can make interest of 0.5% to 3% or more. At one time they had loans of 6%, but I've not seen those in about a year.

  22. Re:Here's what I'd do on When Should I Buy an Android Tablet? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Better yet, use the $1000 to make 40 loans to people all around the world at www.kiva.org. Make sure the loans are short term, so they'll be done within the 6 month time frame. You won't make any money...and there is the risk of loosing some of what you've loaned, but the Karma (and good feelings) of helping 40+ people around the world should far out weigh the $3.50 or more you might make in interest. -Chris

  23. Just in time... on Intel Shows 48-Core x86 Processor · · Score: 1

    for Windows 8!

  24. Re:Certified on Firefox Most Vulnerable Browser, Safari Close · · Score: 5, Informative
    And then there's this:

    http://www.cenzic.com/pr_20061011/

  25. Re:Been doing this for months... on Netflix Coming To Sony PS3 · · Score: 1

    Not HD, but does fill the screen nicely for me, on an HD TV. FF works well enough for my needs, better for Netflix streams than for Hulu though.