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User: Wansu

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  1. Re:Average of 60 hours on How many hours did you work this week? · · Score: 1

    Assuming you're in the same job market most of us are, you could probably quit your job and get another in 2 weeks. We need to stop whining and realize how good we really have it.

    Yeah, if you're 20-something. In 20 years, it's very likely you'll still need to work and then it will not be so easy to change jobs, even if times are good.

  2. Re:I work... on How many hours did you work this week? · · Score: 1

    But I figure: "Hey, I'm 22 now and I won't be able to pull this off when I'm 40!". Burn out while you still can.

    What do you think is going to happen when you turn 40? When you're working your butt off, time flies. 18 years can pass mighty fast. I don't know very many people who are really well off enough to retire at 40 or even 50 for that matter. It's likely you'll have to do something to make a living at 40.

    This tech worker overtime started in the mid 80s. It became the norm during the early 90s recession. When times got better, the overtime continued. For the past 15 years, everyone has been floor-boarded, maxxed out. We won't be able to work ourselves out of the next recession with productivity gains because everyone is already driven into the stops as it is.

  3. Re:It just makes me want to roll my eyes... on What the Linux Community Needs to Grok · · Score: 1

    I don't fully understand how it is the Linux community in particular seems to attract so many of these people that have so much anger.

    Yeah, it reminds me of the Libertarian Party. Lots of the people who gravitated to it were inclined to engage in power driven arguments.

  4. some animals are more equal than others on Virginia House Passes UCITA · · Score: 1


    These pigs seek the right to violate rights.

  5. a greedy, old reactionary kurmudgeon on Salon Interview With Head Of MPAA · · Score: 1

    It seems like the only way some things progress in the world is for some hidebound kurmudgeon to die of old age. Here is a prime example of it. The trouble is, now these buttholes can live a long time.

    Incidentally, Jack ain't no baby boomer. I can't speak for the early boomers but the ones born in the late 50s to early 60s are probably more in tune with the mindset of the geeks than with Valenti.

  6. 6 loci, 10 loci, loci-schmoci on British DNA Database Mismatch · · Score: 1

    What we're talking about here is pattern matching on something that looks like blobs of crap anyway. 1 in 37 million chance pretty much means it can't happen, assuming that figure is accurate ;^) . But it did. 10 loci gives another, larger but equally astronomical figure. But I've got a hunch this will happen again because this has the look and feel of a fundamental problem. I'm not saying that in theory DNA testing won't work; I'm saying the way we're doing it is fundamentally flawed. The price of a mistake is too high. I'm even more adamant about drug testing. The tolerable accuracy and effacy of a test depends on the eventual use of the results. This is what happens when greedy, unscrupulous companies slap together some half-assed but profitable methodology and put it forth as "science". True science gets a black eye.

  7. not a matter of taking free PC on Northwest Searches Employees' Home Computers · · Score: 1

    Uhhhh, the story did not mention anything about Northwest Airlines giving these employees computers. It said the home computers of employees were being seized. It was not my impression that these flight attendants were using company property in any way. I got the impression Northwest Airlines management caught wind of the message site, went and read it themselves and decided to to use good old fashioned bully tactics to bust up this union sickout.

    Suppose me and some coworkers got on here badmouthing our employer, word got back to them and they sent the cops to get our PCs? I believe that is the issue here. If so, this seizure is a particularly egregious abuse of our civil liberties.

  8. Music Industry is a racket on Is SDMI a Consumer's Nightmare? · · Score: 1

    The music industry has been screwing everyone for decades. Most artists get a pittance for each sale. It can't cost more than about $1 to make a CD. So the other $10-$15 dollars goes to these record companies. LPs were about $8 in 1987. The next year, they abruptly disappeared off the shelves to be replaced by CDs costing twice as much. I have no doubt that if the industry were to succeed in pushing a new standard, they would double prices again.

  9. INS fubar, H1-B a racket on Workers - Including Linus - Left in Limbo by INS · · Score: 1

    Our immigration laws are a mess because of too many conflicting interests tugging on the system, each wanting this or that provision, ad infinitum. H1-Bs are nothing more than a way to ensure cheap labor. H1-Bs are indentured workers and therefore cheaper workers than they would be as green card holders or citizens. Industry lobbied for this in the name of competitiveness. They knew lots of foreign nationals would jump at the chance to come to the US if they dangled the prospect of a green card in front of them. Now, it seems there's too much stick and not enough carrot. The whole thing has become rotten to the core and there will be scandals a plenty. The Reddy case is only the tip of the iceberg.

    As for spouses having to jump through so many hoops, that is the flip side of the coin. We let Castro dump his prisons and crazy houses on us. We let Haitians in because they claim to be refugees. But when someone comes over from Finland or Ireland, they are subjected to much more scutiny. Go figure.

  10. Magnets, zip drives and floppies on On Data Obsolescence and Media Decay · · Score: 2

    Try this. Get a strong magnet. I used an old speaker magnet. It had lots of force, enough to support a hammer. Pass the the magnet over the zip drive a few times. Heck, leave it on there a while. Now try and read it. Do the same with a floppy and see whether you can read it. I could read both just fine. I would have thought a strong magnet would totally wipe them but apparently not. A buddy of mine asked how he could quickly "destroy evidence" on storage media. I told him a strong magnet was bound to do it. I had another thought coming. Apparently, magnets are not a reliable way to destroy data.

  11. Re:This has happened before - you bet! on Citizen Case, DVD-CCA, Napster, and MP3 · · Score: 1

    You just hit the nail on the head!

    This is exactly why the Libertarian types are so wrong about this and other similar issues.

  12. his punishment seems too harsh on Kevin Mitnick Free Today · · Score: 2

    It isn't just Mitnick. The Melissa author also stands ready to be keelhauled. There are lots of people eager to lock 'em up and throw away the key but look at what Mitnick did and what he got. Then look at some of the sentences violent criminals are getting. It seems like nearly any offense gets 3-5 years. That doesn't make sense. In fairness, we either need to ease up on the Mitnicks or come down harder on violent criminals.

  13. no love lost on FCC: Legal Low-Power FM Broadcasting Coming Soon · · Score: 1


    Most radio stations pump out the same jingly billboard stuff. Commercials are way too numerous. I tend to listen to college stations or listen supported stations. Perhaps there will be more of them now.

  14. Re:Is "politeness" dead? on Please Die3: The Abuse of Freedom · · Score: 1

    Yes, I think perhaps politeness is dead, at least with these young whippersnappers. Some of the things I've read here over the last couple years have been fighting words. I wonder whether these flamers have ever been in a fight. I recommend karate, boxing or wrestling. These activities are a very good workout, provide self defense skills and have a strong tendency to promote politeness and respect. Yessir.

  15. Common knowledge on What Computers Really Can't Do · · Score: 1

    Computatbility problems are covered in Automata courses. So, the findings of this book don't sound novel at all. The question is not whether there are problems computers can't solve but which problems can't they solve. This seems as basic an idea to me as the laws of thermodynamics.

  16. Re:The greatest boon open source has ever seen? on Software Licensing, 2001 · · Score: 1

    The fact of the matter is, most businesses haven't even read the licensing agreements that exist in mass market software and have no idea the kinds of restrictions that already exist in the EULAs and such, ... If businesses were aware of the restrictions that already exist, they wouldn't buy the software. Either that or they are aware of them and they just don't care.


    After some lawsuits and some people go to jail over this they'll care. I agree with you that people don't pay attention to these licenses. Such licenses are widely regarded as rubbish. I found Borland's license refreshing. It's like a book, they said. That makes sense to me. None of this other stuff does.



  17. How do you properly set up the proxy server? on @Home Responds to the UDP Notice · · Score: 1

    As more Linux users connect via ADSL and Cable, this is liable to become a more common problem. I set up a proxy with Red Hat 5.1 on a dialup just to see if I could but I don't know whether it would be vulnerable to spammers or script kiddies.

    As I understand it, the filtering is done with ipfwadm. I added the following lines to /etc/rc.d/rc.local

    /sbin/ipfwadm -F -p deny
    /sbin/ipfwadm -F -a m -S 192.168.1.1/24 -D 0.0.0.0/0 -W ppp0

    Is this correct? If anyone sees a problem with this, please respond. Are there non-optimum aspects, etc.?

    In general, I think a well targetted set of instructions would be very helpful. FAQs can become ponderous. They are certainly worthwhile but I feel this problem would be better served by a smaller, more focused document which describes exactly how to set this up to avoid these types of problems. Several posts have suggested that high speed providers have already balked at Linux because they don't trust people to set it up properly. Well, lets work out those details in a concise, clear, short format and post it someplace. If this know-how is made available, it will remove this objection that some high speed ISPs have.

  18. library computers and feel-good local politics on View from the Censorware Trenches · · Score: 1


    most of the computers I've seen in libraries were hosed anyway. People dick around them, deleting files and so forth.

    As the article says, do libraries really have a porn problem anyway? I doubt it.

    This is nothing more than feel-good politics. See, we're doing something, however ineffective and irrelevant, about internet porn.

    The internet has been fun up until now. Once all the jack-booted christians, splashy porn sites and company stores got on, things went downhill.

  19. Re:Furthermore, here is exactly WHY you are wrong: on AOL Nation · · Score: 1

    Virginia Postrel is smart (and purdy). I like her book and agree with most of it. However, it doesn't take much extrapolation to see where this merger is going. I figure in maybe 2-3 years AhOLeTW will have us all by the short hairs. We probably won't be here debating this kind of stuff. :-)

  20. whose truth on Live or Memorex? · · Score: 1


    It will soon be mighty easy to manufacture evidence against someone and frame them. So what if lots of people know that this capability exists. The onus will be on the accused to prove they were framed in this manner.

  21. they deserve each other on AOL and Time Warner Confirm Merger Plans · · Score: 1


    Time Warner cable service is lousy. They gouge their customers and then run these incredibly obnoxious ads about people stealing cable, exhorting kids to snitch on their parents and so forth. Then, they run ads with this bald guy eating an apple, extolling the virtues of cable, as compared with satellite dishes. Their billing practices have reached a par with the phone company, which is only a short hop from outright fraud. They want the government to protect them.

    The quality of life on the net experienced a atep function decrease the day AhOLe unleashed it's unwashed hordes. Most spam tends to originate there. Everytime you read about a pedophile, AOL's name is sure to be mentioned. In the early days, they oversold their service and people got busy signals. They turned in that Navy guy for being gay. They are a match made in heaven for Time Warner.

  22. Re:All this bandwidth only for colleges... on Whatever Happened to Internet II? · · Score: 1

    You are correct. As soon as AOL let loose, things went downhill. It as a big negative step function. The internet would be much better off without AOL. High binary traffic, spam, pedophiles, ... , you name it. The potential for these problems was there from the git-go but once AOL unleased it's minions, these problems leapt to the fore. Add to that so many companies setting up shop. No wonder the net ain't what it used to be.

  23. Most companies don't want telecommuting anyway on OSHA Trying to "Protect" Telecommuters · · Score: 1


    Many managers figure if they can't walk around the corner anytime they want and look in on you, you ain't working. They pick at the idea anyway. These are the same people who gripe about traffic jams. We don't need expensive commuter trains few will ride. Most office workers do not need to be at the workplace between 8 and 5 every day. The reasons why telecommuting isn't more widely deployed are mostly political now anyway. OSHA's announcement gives them another reason to stonewall.

  24. Re:Scary stuff on UK Satellites May Keep Cars From Speeding · · Score: 1

    The idea of speed governors is inherently screwball.

    I've had to punch it in order to avoid being hit by a car. It's virtue of not being there.

    I've had to run away from a lunatic on the highway who was trying run me off the road.

    Any system like this can and will be hacked and\or circumvented. Any system like this can and will break.

  25. ISO 6 Baldridge on Do You Buy Into Management Methodologies In IT? · · Score: 1

    ISO 9000, 6 Sigma and pursuit of the Malcom Baldridge awards are basically a good way to burn money. These are well intentioned but counter-productive trends which swept through various manufacturing businesses during the early 90s. I've seen companies literally shut down while trying to implement these faddish ideas. 5 years later, you ask them what it bought and they don't want to talk about it, officially. Unofficially, they say it was a waste of time and money. ISO 9000, which in a nutshell is "document what you do; do what you document", is seductively common-sensical. But those who have implemented it have spent much and gained little. Did anyone notice all the ISO stuff on the Firestone sign outside the Decatur plant?

    Resist this trend in the software business. It hasn't worked in the hardware business except to line consultant's pockets.