Any engineer worth his salt is going to design the board and layout to minimize the possibility of static discharge damage.
There's only so much you can do. Where I work (and most electronic companies, actually), boards and components are handled with care to minimize static discharges. This includes workplaces and packaging made from low static material, ionized air blowers, wrist straps and other things.
The human threshold for even feeling the static discharge is 3500V. Some CMOS components can be damaged by as little as 500V or less. I've seen space qualified ASIC dies that were sensitive down to 50V. You have to wear special clothing to even get near them.
You can cause damage, not just a scrambling of numbers, with a discharge you wouldn't even feel. I've seen it happen. If there's metal on the outside of a voting unit that's floating (not grounded) and provides a direct path to anything sensitive, it could happen. Multiple bits could get flipped to different values.
Watching it reminded me of the kind of news propaganda that the Nazi's used in WW2 to convince their population that their cause was just and righteous, and demoralize their enemies. I know that sounds a bit strong...
If by "a bit strong" you mean "a major exaggeration of Godwinesque proportions that completely undermines the rest of your post" then, yes.
I thought we were 10 years past the point where clueless people said, "We need to reach a wider audience. Quick, make a rap song!" First the LHC and now this.
Ninjas have become boring. I couldn't muster more than a single "Arr!" on Talk Like A Pirate Day. Vampires have lost their bite. Even robots are all same old same old, or they look like us now.
We need a new, interesting character archetype before even cybernetic lesbian assassins lose their luster.
Personally, I'm in favour of a nice, simple system where if a politician makes a promise before an election and then breaks it, a court can remove him or her from office.
Great! So if a politician makes a promise, and then that big chaotic thing out there (you know, The World?) coughs up a global crisis or planetary paradigm shift that makes the promised thing really impractical or stupid, the politician still has to do it for fear of being hauled into court? FUCKING AWESOME!!!!:-)
Those who just say whatever the current audience wants to hear but never really promise anything would stand out by a mile.
That's all you'd be left with. No one would promise anything, ever. *shrug* Maybe that is better.
I had the same thought. My old Powerbook G4 turns on near instantly from sleep. I only reboots it for system updates. Keep something like BBEdit loaded and open on the screen, and there ya go.
This definitely affects Democrats, too. My father-in-law is a staunch democrat, and he's also very anxious all the time
I was reading some blog comments last month, and an Obama supporter claimed to be having "panic attacks" just thinking about McCain winning. I mean, talk about spineless. I can't stand McCain (can't stand Obama, either), and think he'd be a disaster, but we'd weather it, just like we weathered eight years of Bush.
Slashdot Mirror
You can condemn the aggression even if you don't like the victim.
Or I can laugh at one pack of assholes beating up on another pack of assholes. Each to his own, I guess. ;-)
This is Sauron versus Palpatine. Is there a good guy? Don't think so.
...conducive to well functioning electronic equipment.
Anyone else smell (other than the cows) a technical maintenance nightmare?
Although if you can get them going in a conga line or spell out words, it might be worth it. Make a good halftime show.
Any engineer worth his salt is going to design the board and layout to minimize the possibility of static discharge damage.
There's only so much you can do. Where I work (and most electronic companies, actually), boards and components are handled with care to minimize static discharges. This includes workplaces and packaging made from low static material, ionized air blowers, wrist straps and other things.
The human threshold for even feeling the static discharge is 3500V. Some CMOS components can be damaged by as little as 500V or less. I've seen space qualified ASIC dies that were sensitive down to 50V. You have to wear special clothing to even get near them.
You can cause damage, not just a scrambling of numbers, with a discharge you wouldn't even feel. I've seen it happen. If there's metal on the outside of a voting unit that's floating (not grounded) and provides a direct path to anything sensitive, it could happen. Multiple bits could get flipped to different values.
It's late ...
I understand. :)
Look at kids' movies and TV shows. The message is that all you have to do is believe in yourself. Nothing else.
Yeah! It's that evil Spongebob! Corrupting our youth and tainting their precious bodily fluids! Grrr! Damn his yellow, porous absorbency!
The best milk comes from the happiest cows.
I am nots a cow! I am a hooman being!!!!
Watching it reminded me of the kind of news propaganda that the Nazi's used in WW2 to convince their population that their cause was just and righteous, and demoralize their enemies. I know that sounds a bit strong...
If by "a bit strong" you mean "a major exaggeration of Godwinesque proportions that completely undermines the rest of your post" then, yes.
Click this link to visit a big, fat pile of assholes.
Pfft! And they try to gain cred by claiming to be "Pro Bono". I bet they've never even MET Bono. :-)
I thought they could, like, warp the firmament or woof the continuum or something. Can't they fix it yesterday?
I think everyone remembers their first segmentation fault or core dump.
I thought we were 10 years past the point where clueless people said, "We need to reach a wider audience. Quick, make a rap song!" First the LHC and now this.
Ninjas have become boring. I couldn't muster more than a single "Arr!" on Talk Like A Pirate Day. Vampires have lost their bite. Even robots are all same old same old, or they look like us now.
We need a new, interesting character archetype before even cybernetic lesbian assassins lose their luster.
Weather causes weather anomaly! Film at 11!
Personally, I'm in favour of a nice, simple system where if a politician makes a promise before an election and then breaks it, a court can remove him or her from office.
Great! So if a politician makes a promise, and then that big chaotic thing out there (you know, The World?) coughs up a global crisis or planetary paradigm shift that makes the promised thing really impractical or stupid, the politician still has to do it for fear of being hauled into court? FUCKING AWESOME!!!! :-)
Those who just say whatever the current audience wants to hear but never really promise anything would stand out by a mile.
That's all you'd be left with. No one would promise anything, ever. *shrug* Maybe that is better.
Funny, I'm sick of third-party supporters telling me that the democrats are the republicans are "the same,"
How about: "They are two sides of the same coin."
So vote the edge. ;-)
1. Don't post a message anywhere describing what you did
Can we finally drive a stake (heh heh) into the "dead tree" meme?
Call me a Luddite, but I carry a small, pocket sized Mead pad around and a small pen.
Behold: http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10051_10006_126671_-1_false_10051
And you can get it in a different color each time! :)
I had the same thought. My old Powerbook G4 turns on near instantly from sleep. I only reboots it for system updates. Keep something like BBEdit loaded and open on the screen, and there ya go.
I thought Cisco was the imaginary company that runs the internet in Eureka?
Ack! You gave me major flashbacks to the old Cyber systems I used in college. *And* made me feel old. Bastard!
This definitely affects Democrats, too. My father-in-law is a staunch democrat, and he's also very anxious all the time
I was reading some blog comments last month, and an Obama supporter claimed to be having "panic attacks" just thinking about McCain winning. I mean, talk about spineless. I can't stand McCain (can't stand Obama, either), and think he'd be a disaster, but we'd weather it, just like we weathered eight years of Bush.
I think they picked the wrong subcontractor to build the prototype.
and a guy with a beard
Oh. *That* guy.