Power cycling VoIP? We do that all the time. Our N+1 infrastructure is not dependent on spinning disks for dialtones like Avaya or Cisco's system and is based on VXWorks (a realtime OS like pace makers and ABS brakes). Any single box can be taken out and calls are not even interrupted (provided there are free channels in the remaining infrastrucutre).
Hosted services are an issue when you reboot routers, non-redundant switches, etc, but this also does NOT apply to local telco versions of VoIP that would run on your existing PoTS lines like DSL, and not simpy over whatever internet connection you might choose to use which would be far less reliable. The phones will be native SIP devices on their network, and not require routers to be used (it;s baked in).
Cervices like Centrex rely on sending call data halfway across the country, then back again to make a local call, and many inexpensive commercial VIP systems rely both on spinning disk and microsoft OSes (BAD ideas both), and also rely on customers actually buying a fully redundant architecture (which they rarely do since most systems require a doubling of infrastrcuture and calls are still dropped if a switch goes down).
Check out ShoreTel, currently they're the provider we have the best services with. Cisco is god awful. Avaya is only reasonable if you buy into their 8500 series systems but it;s still baked by OS clusters which support dialtone and call tree systems...
Apple may not have the best approval process based on how engineers review apps for functionality, but this is NOT the only process apps go through...
Apple has a whole series of programs that crawl the source code of each app (which is how apps are submitted, not in compiled form). First of all, they look for apps that touch unapproved APIs, and summarily reject them (with thus far 1 exception noted recently, and they were told not to include that function in their next release...) next, any app that accesses contact information, account information, or sends and receives data from external sources is HIGHLY scrutinized, far more than other apps. Red flags are reised by scripts and programs analyzing code, and people read THE CODE to see what the app does, in addition to simply using it.
Further, all connectivity in and out of the devices used for app testing is monitored.
Any app entering the apple review process that attempt to copy and distribute user data will be quickly and easily spotted.
In the very early days of the app review process, many of these automated tools did not exist, and several apps that violated apple's policies did slip through. This has been resolved, in the favor of reject first, appeal and release second. Getting an app that violates user security, or steals data, through the app store at this time can basically be considdered a non-existant threat. Even if they could, you still have to convince people to download the app, and run the app, for it to do anything... which means the apps going to actually have to be a developed program with a hidden tojan. Also, any app that accesses contact information or location information has a pop-up by the iPhone OS security subsystem requiring user authorixzation, so an app that does so better have a good reason for doing it the user will believe......and what's it going to get? contacts? e-mail addresses? It can't get passwords, it can't monitor your website activity through safari, you have no file system for it to read files in... even IF there was a realeased threat, what it can get is negligible and worthless.
This is a replacement for POTS using VoIP, not Voice over INTERNET. Further, the calls will terminate at your local NOC directly, not go out multiple hops through your firewall, then your ISP, then their external connection, then the the backbone, then to a phone company's network, possibly a 3rd party carrier depending on where your ISP's headend is, and finally to your local NOC to place a local call....
The SIP connections would have nothing to do with your internet connection, and would work in most cases even if you lost that connection (as it would optionall be a seperate connection) Of cource low cost central providers like Vonage would still operate, but the call quality and reliability would be designed like a business class VoIP network, not like a centrex style hosted solution which has questionable quality and reliability.
Keep in mind, to replace POTS, the government and emergency services require at least as reliable of a system in emergencies. The only thing that should stop calls are massive power outages (affecting multiple square miles or more), or actual down lines. Such systems do exist, and SIP terminals cost about $100 each today.
this is also a 15-25 year plan, not something they'll slap in over a few years. The DTV transition started being discussed in 1988 and became an actionable task in 1992, with a formal plan in 1996, finally completed 13 years later... This process will take longer...
You're confising a centralized provider like Vonage or Skype, using internet routed protocols that have to pass through multiple ISP services and eventually to telco NOCs to place calls with a SIP service over IP like Centrex or West.
I have deployed VoIP systems for businesses with dozens of worldwide locations, some with over 50,000 handset deployments, all interconnected. The call quality and reliability is FAR superior to even hig grade business class digital phone systems. Switching POTS to VoIP does NOT mean simply letting everyone have phone lines over their existing internet ala Vonage, it means converting local NOCs to be VoIP SIP servers, and interconnecting a voice grid, seperate from the internet. Calls placed though companies like Vonage would still pass through this as they do today to POTS lines, but the VoIP quality would not be what you;re used to today.
Besides, most of your VoIP issues are not VoIP, but how the SIP device was installed in the home (typically behind another existing firewall, lacking QoS of any kind, and on spotty, low performance internet connections.
yes, thank you for bringing some reason. Especially since they admit it will be a massive and complex migration, I'd say 20 years would be an aggressive timeline.
Please do not confuse provider based VoIP services as a replacement for POTS with VOInternet services. These are seperate things that happen to use the same call letters. It is entirely possible for a local phone company (not an ISP) to offer VoIP services direct to a compatible SIP device. This can be on a dedicated connection or chanel from internet exactly the same way a cable company can seperate analog, digital, and internet traffic on the same cable line.
Do NOT confuse Voice over internet with Voice over IP. They are not necessarily the same.
Your existing POTS lines today ARE running VOIP under the covers. The last mile is all that's really still a traditional POTS service in most cities. Once the calls hit central hubs, most of it is packetized traffic.
Your home VoIP service likely sucks because either your internet connection is spotty, you're too far from reasonable servers, your VoIP modem is not properly installed and QoS (likely because it;s begind a router in your home instead of being directly connected to your modem), your modem is old and doesn't properly recognize and prioritize VoIP traffic, your ISP is purposefully degrading your ViOP service, or your VoIP provider (Vonage likely) is using a poor protocol and providing poor service quality themselves.
I've been installing VoIP systems since 2001. MAJOR firms use tens of throusands of VoIP lines between offices worldwide with far superior call quality, routing capabilities, and redundancy, and for less money, than using PRIs and POTS lines.
Having your local telcom switch to VOIP as a core solution has NOTHING TO DO with the VOIP service you are used to over the internet ala Centrex style.
Me, I just put the base station, modem, and VoIP device on an old APC1000. My 5 handsets run nearly 5 days each on standby with about 10 hours talk time. The UPS can run the 3 devices for about a day if i leave it on, but turning it off when not home would extend that to several days at least.
Naturally, upstream connectivity would have to exist, but the kind of storms that take out DSL around here take out POTS anyway (nothing you can do about wide area power failure, all the lines here are underground and not storm effected themselves).
The bandwidth requirement for VoIP is either 32 or 64k, depending on the codec, to be considdered the equivalent of a toll call. 128k voip conections for "high definition" voice are around as well. This can be handled easily over any existing phone line that already supports a 56k modem.
you assume there was a district policy to shut down at night, which most districts around here insist you reboot only, and NOT power off, so that patches can be installed at night, and systems can be imaged.
You assume 24 hours a day/168 per week (but there in use 40-50 hours a week by teachers and students and SETI is not running then).
You further assume these machines, even if left on, supported, and had enabled idle sleep functions in the CPU, without which on and idle uses no less poewr than on and working aside from 4-5 watts to keep the HDD spinning... with machines from 2003, its not likely these sleep states were enabled.
You yet still assume the machines were not on a scheduled power off rotation. My computers I ran SETI on only ran SETI when I had them on. They were off at night (and shutdown automatically if I didn't override it)... Quite possibly, they only ran SETI once a student or teacher powered them on, and then only when idle with a screen saver enabled (the default and most common SETI configuration.
If he in fact did have SETI set to idle using some CPU all day, including when in use, then yes, he impacted users and slowed work. unlikey he'd have done that for years on end on multiple thousand machines without complaints piling up much sooner.
This guy was doing this for 9 years! he was obviously fairly careful, and certainly a LOT of people knew about this... I'm certain his firing has nothing to do with SETI, that's just the excuse they're using to avoid wrongful termination... The treat of charges is likely only to ensure he does not counter sue.
OK, assuming the district had a policy in place to shutdown unneeded systems at night, and assuming he instead configured SETI to run all night, they yes, there would have been a significant power draw. Or, if he had SETI set to run at 100% and prevent idle modes, perhaps (assuming all the PCs supported a low power state). If it doesn't support sleep states (most computers in 2003 didn't, or were not configured for it if they did) then on is on and off/sleep is off, than that's about the only differences.
SETI uses very little HDD resources, and set to run in standby only modes automatically suspending, with reasonable CPU limits, and considdering schools use warranties on the systems they don't lease anyway, there's little technical reason to believe SETI increased the rate of system failure. Maybe if he tweaked them to run at full out 100% CPU, and chose bad settings for user mode interactions he could have run into some heat issues, but if a retail/business PC can't run at 100% CPU for extended periods, that's a warranty issue anyway...
I don't buy this. Years of running it, and noone noticed? No, they;re using this as an excuse to fire him on some other issue, probably a personal one, that they can't otherwise fire him for, and leveraging SETI as a counter to any wrongfull dissmissal suit he might otherwise file (which pretty much guarantee's he'll HAVE to countersue at this point...
Another case of a school system loosing millions of taxpayer dollars fighting frivilous suits.
Um, no. Regardless of what the people vote for in terms of laws, we still have a constitution and branced government with balances. A Direct Democracy would simply replace the Senate and House (which would mostly still exest to WRITE the laws they would simply no longer have a part in passing them), but it would not replace the executive or judicial branch, nor scould the people pass (or courts not overturn) a piece of legislation that violated our constitution.
Remember, we still CAN vote direct, to change the constitution itself (that's the only way other than simple ammendements) The PEOPLE vote to hold a constitutional congress....
You are correct sir, mostly. The USA is NOT a "true democracy", but it is a democratic for of government. Technically, it's a Federated Constitutional Republic utilizing a Globalized Presidential system and representive democracy. Spelled out, Federated (national, state, and locally subdivided), Constitutional (document providing powers to seperated executive and legislative branches), Republic (where the head of state is not a monarch but subject to both pubic vote and suffrage). Presidential (to preside) over a representative democracy (people do not directly vote on laws nor do they have direct power over those elected/appointed). By Globalized, our president gets permission from various world organizations and other governments to perform certain acts, and world opinion has nearly as much influence on our government as our own voters do.
By "true democracy" you must be refering to "direct democracy" instead of "representative" democracy. The USA is only marginally a "representative" as elected politicians are in no way bound to vote in the favor of their constituents, nor is there a formal feedback process (only letters and complaints, which can be easily ignored in favor of lobyists who are not typically working the the favor of the constituents or people, but of themselves or a corporation). This is where the Capitolism enters the playing filed, and where the USA is somewhat apart from others.
It is also correct, though not completely in the traditional sense, to add the work "socialist" in front of Republic, as the USA does use numerous socialist policies. Socialism is not itself a form of government, but can be used to describe any form of government. Commonly, socialism is put by many people on a scale between democracy and communism, as if those could be directly compared as government types, and often it is confused with Marxism. Also, many confuse "socialized" with "socialist" but these are completely different terms. In a socialist nation, goods and saervices are litterally OWNED by the people, and your work efforts provide you a share of those resources equal to the work others do. Socialized services are services provided to those by others who can not afford them otherwise, regardless of effort put forward. Socialized healthcare for example does not mean you have to perform services for the government, nor that you receive certain preferential treatment in healthcare, MEDICARE is already defined as socialized medicine. So long as joinging a government run program is not COMPULSORY (options to select from both public and private options exist), then "socialized healthcare" is simply the fallback coverage for those without coverage, and the choice for others.
first was while playing a game online, and I though it was the game that crashed. Black screen, nothing worked, but the background music from the game kept playing. I waited longer than 5 minutes to see if the game would exit. When it did not I got suspicios since protected memory in 7 should not have allowed the gamr to crash the kernel. NOTHIGN was in the error logs related to it (other than the obligitory "you did not shut down properly" errors after I hit the reset button on the tower.
Next day, I had just turned it on about 20 minutes earlier, and the only thing running was Opera. Same deal, complete lock up.
7 has been running great on this machine since the day it hit my MAPS dowload queue and I installed it. Not one crash prior except an issue installing HP's printer system first time around (second try, it worked flawlessly).
and that's the problem. The board itself does not carry an OEM license, so upgrade copies still do not apply.
Granted, it works flawlessly and installs Apple updates automatically, and I don't think Apple would give a crap since they clearly don't have to support it, and likely profited off the OS license, iLife license, and the spare parts too...
Apple doesn't want COMPANIES making systems, or facilitating hacks, but they have made it know they actualyl appreciate the general hacking community and have no intention of persuing people who use LEGAL copies of the software paid for in a store on home-built components.
if he did it for less than the cost of buying the same model Mac (used, and out of waranty), then it's a win. If a used/refurb Mac of the same or better model WITH a waranty costs less, then it;s a big lose... In fact, I'd say, to be a viable system and worth the effort, it would have to cost 70% or less than a used Mac with a waranty, including all the parts needed to make this what it is.
The "20 questions" list was replaced by a 6 qustion list when i worked in CT.
Currently, the proper process is to file form SS-8 when hiring a "questionable" contract position.
It can be summed up simply as: - are you paid by the job, or by the week (expected automatic termination date, and predetermined pay for the job)? - Do others do your job that are on the books? - Are you required to attend any company meetings other than those directly linked to your job task? - Do you receive ANY benefits - Do you lease or are you provided equipment to do your job? (including flat, not itemized internet or phone compensation)
The IRS has made a swing back to strictly enforing independent contractor misclasification in the last 2 years, and they're getting stricter still. My company is currenly under an audit for it as i type this, but I think they're getting away with it as although about 30% of us are "contractors", we're actually all employees of a contracting agency (about 10 different ones actually), and all paid hourly by those firms.
Well, bestBuy paid $34 million to settle a 360 million lawsuit by the government for time clock violations. Walmart fought one an paid out over 400 million. the IRS does NOT screw around when it comes to proprly classifying, paying (and most importantly taxing) employees.
If you have 1 "customer" and work more than 36 hours per week for more than 90 days, and do not have a contracted scope of work (say, completing a specific project, after which you are no longer to show up to work), they you are not a contractor doing a job, but an employee working a position. Independent contracts by law must be paid by the JOB, not by time, so a "salaried" contractor, paid a fixed wage weekly with an undetermined end date is NOT a contractor by IRS regulations.
If you are provided a workplace and equipment, or lease equipment, or are compensated for equipment required to perform your "job" that you provide, then that alone clasifies you as an employee (unless it is explicitly again a task determined position, with a contracted end date, and flat TOTAL pay for the JOB.
I have used ALL of the above reasons IN COURT againt 2 previous employers, and won.
yes, they're not "hard fact rules" but they are generally excepted, and strictly enforced rules, and commonly accepted means. When in doubt, form SS-8 is filled out and the IRS makes the determination. If not, the contractor can file social security form 8919 and shift the FICA and SS tax burdens to the employer even if you were not properly classified prior.
Yes, the "exempt" clasification is often misused. The IRS can "help" your employer properly classify your position status. Form SS-8 is the starting point to determine contractor/emplyee classifications. Other forms similar identify who can and can't be exempt.
As for FLSA specific exempt exceptions, there are only 6, one of which is for "computer professionals" "Employees in this category include those employed as computer programmers, computer systems analysts, and other skilled workers in the computer or technology fields. Their primary job duties involve designing, developing, testing, and analyzing computer systems and programs. Note: the computer exemption does not include employees engaged in the manufacturing or repairing of computer hardware and systems." NOTE SPECIFICALLY this does NOT list "support" personell, and in fact excludes those who repair or manufacture systems or programs. This would also include folks in deployment and operations departments who "build" systems or administer them. A web designer might be exempt, but someone who supports web customers is not.
As i have successfully sued 2 previous employers (after obtaining work at a new employer and fully disclosing my intent to sue the previous), the IRS does not take FLSA violations lightly.
Simply ensure you have a written statement from your boss. Ask upon hire, or position change if on-call time is paid and get in writing their statements on it (as part of your employment contract, job description, pay rate, or statement of work as required in your state, etc). Later, when you're prepared to leave the firm, show them the FLSA they violated, and validation of the fines that would be levied if you reported them, and if they don;lt settle, sue. You are practically guaranteed a victory. In both my cases, I never even appeared in court, never took time off, and 100% of the legal fees were covered by the settlement, as well as 2X unpaid back pay (at time and a half), plus additional compensation. yea, it took 4 years in 1 case, and 7 in the other, but i got 2 nice big paydays tax free.
Just LOG ALL YOUR TIME ACCURATELY. and if you got interupted at a meal, a movie, sleeping, etc, note that as well...
The FLSA is clear on on-call time, and this even applies to exempt employees... (they have to stipulate in your contract a max number of hours you can be on call beyond which overtime IS paid, and have to be very lenient in your restrictions, and in many cases have to at least give you minimum wage for all hours on-call not actually spent working, sleeping, or eating.
IRS sais this is illegal. "independent contractor" is a misnomer, and form SS-8 tells your employer wether you can or can't be a contractor.
Basically: - if you have only 1 job, and do not contract to multiple firms - are provided or lease equipment or services from your company needed to perform your job (including flat coverage for pager, cell phone, home internet, etc) - If you receive ANY benefits of any kind - If your job is not tied to a specific task with an automatic termination at completion of the task - if you are required to attend any company meetings not directly associated with a contracted task...then you can't be a contractor by law.
I've fought 2 FLSA cases against previous employers who pulled contractor bullshit on us, and I've also been a party to 2 family members filing work time violations against employers, and worked for 1 company that got sued by the federal government for on-call time violations.
1) anytime someone else's billing issues can effect my payents to a completely different company, we have a problem, espeically when there's not an agency to complain to and with it being a god awful nightmare to get adjusted and back credited later when the mistake is admitted by the other firm, and 2 months later the correction FINALLY shows on your credit report.
2) tens of thousands of americans are getting hit with this. It;s not 80% yet, but it's a new phenomenon in credit companies. it's effecting some 20% now and 2 years ago it was about 1%. If it;s not regulated, it will get out of hand, especially with automatic bill payments that don't automatically adjust to interest changes (or worse, auto-CANCEL the payment if there's a mismatch), leading to yet more interest and late fees that are legitimate and not mistakes, and they the trigger other creditors. i had a friend who lost 200 beacon points in 3 monhts time because he applied for a first home. The application hit his score to offset 2 cards into default status, and the late (underpayment) on those triggered 3 others. He'd not missed a payment in 9 years since he had an automatic payment set up from his bank to the credit card co, but an APPLICATION for a loan prevented him for closing on the house due to default credit status and underpayments and late fees hitting his credit report. He got it worked out, but he missed his closing date by 2 months, and it cost him about $3000 in penalties to do so.
3) using credit doesn't impact your rating, not wathcin git 24x7 with their current policies very well might. It should not be this hard to avoid overages and increased interest when you actually do pay on time every month. And yes, APPLYING for credit cards DOES hurt your credit. BAD if its for revolving accounts. frequently leaving a bad bank to join another one is BAD FOR YOUR CREDIT. Not leaving is BAD FOR YOUR WALLET.
4) And what do you pay for your debit card??? Every one I've ever had has been free. Also, since your credit card likely has a few thousand dollar cap, I doubt you're getting your $100 as often as me, and bet if you reconciled your accoutn back 12 months, i can almost guarantee youi paid finance charges on at least some transactions. Also, my debit card doubles all waranties for free (up to an additional year), and gives me a ton of services and credit protections in addition to the $150-200 I get anually by using it.
Credit isn't BAD, it's just not as good as debit. It takes careful monitoring, and can bite you HARD for not using it properly.
My mother, in contrast, is a credit card master. They have about 14 credit cards, none with any annual fees. They use 1 to buy everything, then use the other 13 to pay each other one off. Each weeknight she has a routine of running through each card and pays another one. They earn a few grand a year in bonuses, and have more free hotel nights and air mileage than they could use in several years. Of course, we argue this consumes about 4 hours a week of her time, and if she just worked that extra 4 hours at her job (which pays overtime without limits), the benefits doing that would be much higher...
If the contract did specify it, he'd have tobe paid for it. If they did not specify, but threaten to terminate his contract if he does not, then it also has to be compensated. As a contractor, without an internal defined job title, he;s got to be paid at least 150% per hour.
But really, per the IRS, he's not a contractor but an employee. It;s called "conversion" and it's penalized HEAVILY. i had 1 previous employer pull that shit, and when I got stuck with the tax bill for medicare and SS in April, I flipped, several of us filed a greivance, and he's rotting in jail after he refused to pay the severl hundred thousand dollar fines and tried to evade collections by reassigning all his assets. (scumbag).
If ANY of the following apply, you are considdered an employee by the IRS, and can not be issued a 1099 (the short list, there's a LOT more, these are the obvious ones): - you have predefined work hours in a job role not bound to a short term project where your employment is automatically terminated with the completion of a project - the employer is your only employer of at least 36 hours per week averaged over 90 days. - you are issued a uniform and/or business identification bearing the name of your employer (and your name/title on business cards) - You have a desk or specific location in the building assinged for your work to be done at. - you report to a manager for work assignments and reviews - your are salried, or receive work benefits of any kind (vacation, accrual of pension, 401K, insurance, etc) - you filled out a job application for the position, not a contract bid. - others do the same job at the company and are not contractors. - are required to attend ANY company meetings or functions not directly tied to a specific assigned you contract is contingent on. - you lease or are provided equipment from the company to do your job (or part of your phone bill, or personal equipment is compensated, only mileage and meal expenses is exempt from this) - you solicit sales or other income for the firm under their name.
IRS form SS-8 should be filled out if there is ANY doubt. You can request your employer do this on your behalf (or fill it out yourself on their behalf and file it with the IRS for a job judgement.)
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Power cycling VoIP? We do that all the time. Our N+1 infrastructure is not dependent on spinning disks for dialtones like Avaya or Cisco's system and is based on VXWorks (a realtime OS like pace makers and ABS brakes). Any single box can be taken out and calls are not even interrupted (provided there are free channels in the remaining infrastrucutre).
Hosted services are an issue when you reboot routers, non-redundant switches, etc, but this also does NOT apply to local telco versions of VoIP that would run on your existing PoTS lines like DSL, and not simpy over whatever internet connection you might choose to use which would be far less reliable. The phones will be native SIP devices on their network, and not require routers to be used (it;s baked in).
Cervices like Centrex rely on sending call data halfway across the country, then back again to make a local call, and many inexpensive commercial VIP systems rely both on spinning disk and microsoft OSes (BAD ideas both), and also rely on customers actually buying a fully redundant architecture (which they rarely do since most systems require a doubling of infrastrcuture and calls are still dropped if a switch goes down).
Check out ShoreTel, currently they're the provider we have the best services with. Cisco is god awful. Avaya is only reasonable if you buy into their 8500 series systems but it;s still baked by OS clusters which support dialtone and call tree systems...
Apple may not have the best approval process based on how engineers review apps for functionality, but this is NOT the only process apps go through...
Apple has a whole series of programs that crawl the source code of each app (which is how apps are submitted, not in compiled form). First of all, they look for apps that touch unapproved APIs, and summarily reject them (with thus far 1 exception noted recently, and they were told not to include that function in their next release...) next, any app that accesses contact information, account information, or sends and receives data from external sources is HIGHLY scrutinized, far more than other apps. Red flags are reised by scripts and programs analyzing code, and people read THE CODE to see what the app does, in addition to simply using it.
Further, all connectivity in and out of the devices used for app testing is monitored.
Any app entering the apple review process that attempt to copy and distribute user data will be quickly and easily spotted.
In the very early days of the app review process, many of these automated tools did not exist, and several apps that violated apple's policies did slip through. This has been resolved, in the favor of reject first, appeal and release second. Getting an app that violates user security, or steals data, through the app store at this time can basically be considdered a non-existant threat. Even if they could, you still have to convince people to download the app, and run the app, for it to do anything... which means the apps going to actually have to be a developed program with a hidden tojan. Also, any app that accesses contact information or location information has a pop-up by the iPhone OS security subsystem requiring user authorixzation, so an app that does so better have a good reason for doing it the user will believe... ...and what's it going to get? contacts? e-mail addresses? It can't get passwords, it can't monitor your website activity through safari, you have no file system for it to read files in... even IF there was a realeased threat, what it can get is negligible and worthless.
This is a replacement for POTS using VoIP, not Voice over INTERNET. Further, the calls will terminate at your local NOC directly, not go out multiple hops through your firewall, then your ISP, then their external connection, then the the backbone, then to a phone company's network, possibly a 3rd party carrier depending on where your ISP's headend is, and finally to your local NOC to place a local call....
The SIP connections would have nothing to do with your internet connection, and would work in most cases even if you lost that connection (as it would optionall be a seperate connection) Of cource low cost central providers like Vonage would still operate, but the call quality and reliability would be designed like a business class VoIP network, not like a centrex style hosted solution which has questionable quality and reliability.
Keep in mind, to replace POTS, the government and emergency services require at least as reliable of a system in emergencies. The only thing that should stop calls are massive power outages (affecting multiple square miles or more), or actual down lines. Such systems do exist, and SIP terminals cost about $100 each today.
this is also a 15-25 year plan, not something they'll slap in over a few years. The DTV transition started being discussed in 1988 and became an actionable task in 1992, with a formal plan in 1996, finally completed 13 years later... This process will take longer...
You're confising a centralized provider like Vonage or Skype, using internet routed protocols that have to pass through multiple ISP services and eventually to telco NOCs to place calls with a SIP service over IP like Centrex or West.
I have deployed VoIP systems for businesses with dozens of worldwide locations, some with over 50,000 handset deployments, all interconnected. The call quality and reliability is FAR superior to even hig grade business class digital phone systems. Switching POTS to VoIP does NOT mean simply letting everyone have phone lines over their existing internet ala Vonage, it means converting local NOCs to be VoIP SIP servers, and interconnecting a voice grid, seperate from the internet. Calls placed though companies like Vonage would still pass through this as they do today to POTS lines, but the VoIP quality would not be what you;re used to today.
Besides, most of your VoIP issues are not VoIP, but how the SIP device was installed in the home (typically behind another existing firewall, lacking QoS of any kind, and on spotty, low performance internet connections.
yes, thank you for bringing some reason. Especially since they admit it will be a massive and complex migration, I'd say 20 years would be an aggressive timeline.
Please do not confuse provider based VoIP services as a replacement for POTS with VOInternet services. These are seperate things that happen to use the same call letters. It is entirely possible for a local phone company (not an ISP) to offer VoIP services direct to a compatible SIP device. This can be on a dedicated connection or chanel from internet exactly the same way a cable company can seperate analog, digital, and internet traffic on the same cable line.
Do NOT confuse Voice over internet with Voice over IP. They are not necessarily the same.
Your existing POTS lines today ARE running VOIP under the covers. The last mile is all that's really still a traditional POTS service in most cities. Once the calls hit central hubs, most of it is packetized traffic.
Your home VoIP service likely sucks because either your internet connection is spotty, you're too far from reasonable servers, your VoIP modem is not properly installed and QoS (likely because it;s begind a router in your home instead of being directly connected to your modem), your modem is old and doesn't properly recognize and prioritize VoIP traffic, your ISP is purposefully degrading your ViOP service, or your VoIP provider (Vonage likely) is using a poor protocol and providing poor service quality themselves.
I've been installing VoIP systems since 2001. MAJOR firms use tens of throusands of VoIP lines between offices worldwide with far superior call quality, routing capabilities, and redundancy, and for less money, than using PRIs and POTS lines.
Having your local telcom switch to VOIP as a core solution has NOTHING TO DO with the VOIP service you are used to over the internet ala Centrex style.
Me, I just put the base station, modem, and VoIP device on an old APC1000. My 5 handsets run nearly 5 days each on standby with about 10 hours talk time. The UPS can run the 3 devices for about a day if i leave it on, but turning it off when not home would extend that to several days at least.
Naturally, upstream connectivity would have to exist, but the kind of storms that take out DSL around here take out POTS anyway (nothing you can do about wide area power failure, all the lines here are underground and not storm effected themselves).
The bandwidth requirement for VoIP is either 32 or 64k, depending on the codec, to be considdered the equivalent of a toll call. 128k voip conections for "high definition" voice are around as well. This can be handled easily over any existing phone line that already supports a 56k modem.
you assume there was a district policy to shut down at night, which most districts around here insist you reboot only, and NOT power off, so that patches can be installed at night, and systems can be imaged.
You assume 24 hours a day/168 per week (but there in use 40-50 hours a week by teachers and students and SETI is not running then).
You further assume these machines, even if left on, supported, and had enabled idle sleep functions in the CPU, without which on and idle uses no less poewr than on and working aside from 4-5 watts to keep the HDD spinning... with machines from 2003, its not likely these sleep states were enabled.
You yet still assume the machines were not on a scheduled power off rotation. My computers I ran SETI on only ran SETI when I had them on. They were off at night (and shutdown automatically if I didn't override it)... Quite possibly, they only ran SETI once a student or teacher powered them on, and then only when idle with a screen saver enabled (the default and most common SETI configuration.
If he in fact did have SETI set to idle using some CPU all day, including when in use, then yes, he impacted users and slowed work. unlikey he'd have done that for years on end on multiple thousand machines without complaints piling up much sooner.
This guy was doing this for 9 years! he was obviously fairly careful, and certainly a LOT of people knew about this... I'm certain his firing has nothing to do with SETI, that's just the excuse they're using to avoid wrongful termination... The treat of charges is likely only to ensure he does not counter sue.
OK, assuming the district had a policy in place to shutdown unneeded systems at night, and assuming he instead configured SETI to run all night, they yes, there would have been a significant power draw. Or, if he had SETI set to run at 100% and prevent idle modes, perhaps (assuming all the PCs supported a low power state). If it doesn't support sleep states (most computers in 2003 didn't, or were not configured for it if they did) then on is on and off/sleep is off, than that's about the only differences.
SETI uses very little HDD resources, and set to run in standby only modes automatically suspending, with reasonable CPU limits, and considdering schools use warranties on the systems they don't lease anyway, there's little technical reason to believe SETI increased the rate of system failure. Maybe if he tweaked them to run at full out 100% CPU, and chose bad settings for user mode interactions he could have run into some heat issues, but if a retail/business PC can't run at 100% CPU for extended periods, that's a warranty issue anyway...
I don't buy this. Years of running it, and noone noticed? No, they;re using this as an excuse to fire him on some other issue, probably a personal one, that they can't otherwise fire him for, and leveraging SETI as a counter to any wrongfull dissmissal suit he might otherwise file (which pretty much guarantee's he'll HAVE to countersue at this point...
Another case of a school system loosing millions of taxpayer dollars fighting frivilous suits.
Um, no. Regardless of what the people vote for in terms of laws, we still have a constitution and branced government with balances. A Direct Democracy would simply replace the Senate and House (which would mostly still exest to WRITE the laws they would simply no longer have a part in passing them), but it would not replace the executive or judicial branch, nor scould the people pass (or courts not overturn) a piece of legislation that violated our constitution.
Remember, we still CAN vote direct, to change the constitution itself (that's the only way other than simple ammendements) The PEOPLE vote to hold a constitutional congress....
You are correct sir, mostly. The USA is NOT a "true democracy", but it is a democratic for of government. Technically, it's a Federated Constitutional Republic utilizing a Globalized Presidential system and representive democracy. Spelled out, Federated (national, state, and locally subdivided), Constitutional (document providing powers to seperated executive and legislative branches), Republic (where the head of state is not a monarch but subject to both pubic vote and suffrage). Presidential (to preside) over a representative democracy (people do not directly vote on laws nor do they have direct power over those elected/appointed). By Globalized, our president gets permission from various world organizations and other governments to perform certain acts, and world opinion has nearly as much influence on our government as our own voters do.
By "true democracy" you must be refering to "direct democracy" instead of "representative" democracy. The USA is only marginally a "representative" as elected politicians are in no way bound to vote in the favor of their constituents, nor is there a formal feedback process (only letters and complaints, which can be easily ignored in favor of lobyists who are not typically working the the favor of the constituents or people, but of themselves or a corporation). This is where the Capitolism enters the playing filed, and where the USA is somewhat apart from others.
It is also correct, though not completely in the traditional sense, to add the work "socialist" in front of Republic, as the USA does use numerous socialist policies. Socialism is not itself a form of government, but can be used to describe any form of government. Commonly, socialism is put by many people on a scale between democracy and communism, as if those could be directly compared as government types, and often it is confused with Marxism. Also, many confuse "socialized" with "socialist" but these are completely different terms. In a socialist nation, goods and saervices are litterally OWNED by the people, and your work efforts provide you a share of those resources equal to the work others do. Socialized services are services provided to those by others who can not afford them otherwise, regardless of effort put forward. Socialized healthcare for example does not mean you have to perform services for the government, nor that you receive certain preferential treatment in healthcare, MEDICARE is already defined as socialized medicine. So long as joinging a government run program is not COMPULSORY (options to select from both public and private options exist), then "socialized healthcare" is simply the fallback coverage for those without coverage, and the choice for others.
first was while playing a game online, and I though it was the game that crashed. Black screen, nothing worked, but the background music from the game kept playing. I waited longer than 5 minutes to see if the game would exit. When it did not I got suspicios since protected memory in 7 should not have allowed the gamr to crash the kernel. NOTHIGN was in the error logs related to it (other than the obligitory "you did not shut down properly" errors after I hit the reset button on the tower.
Next day, I had just turned it on about 20 minutes earlier, and the only thing running was Opera. Same deal, complete lock up.
7 has been running great on this machine since the day it hit my MAPS dowload queue and I installed it. Not one crash prior except an issue installing HP's printer system first time around (second try, it worked flawlessly).
and that's the problem. The board itself does not carry an OEM license, so upgrade copies still do not apply.
Granted, it works flawlessly and installs Apple updates automatically, and I don't think Apple would give a crap since they clearly don't have to support it, and likely profited off the OS license, iLife license, and the spare parts too...
Apple doesn't want COMPANIES making systems, or facilitating hacks, but they have made it know they actualyl appreciate the general hacking community and have no intention of persuing people who use LEGAL copies of the software paid for in a store on home-built components.
if he did it for less than the cost of buying the same model Mac (used, and out of waranty), then it's a win. If a used/refurb Mac of the same or better model WITH a waranty costs less, then it;s a big lose... In fact, I'd say, to be a viable system and worth the effort, it would have to cost 70% or less than a used Mac with a waranty, including all the parts needed to make this what it is.
The "20 questions" list was replaced by a 6 qustion list when i worked in CT.
Currently, the proper process is to file form SS-8 when hiring a "questionable" contract position.
It can be summed up simply as:
- are you paid by the job, or by the week (expected automatic termination date, and predetermined pay for the job)?
- Do others do your job that are on the books?
- Are you required to attend any company meetings other than those directly linked to your job task?
- Do you receive ANY benefits
- Do you lease or are you provided equipment to do your job? (including flat, not itemized internet or phone compensation)
The IRS has made a swing back to strictly enforing independent contractor misclasification in the last 2 years, and they're getting stricter still. My company is currenly under an audit for it as i type this, but I think they're getting away with it as although about 30% of us are "contractors", we're actually all employees of a contracting agency (about 10 different ones actually), and all paid hourly by those firms.
Well, bestBuy paid $34 million to settle a 360 million lawsuit by the government for time clock violations. Walmart fought one an paid out over 400 million. the IRS does NOT screw around when it comes to proprly classifying, paying (and most importantly taxing) employees.
Taken straight from the IRS form SS-8..
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss8.pdf
Further clarification:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html
If you have 1 "customer" and work more than 36 hours per week for more than 90 days, and do not have a contracted scope of work (say, completing a specific project, after which you are no longer to show up to work), they you are not a contractor doing a job, but an employee working a position. Independent contracts by law must be paid by the JOB, not by time, so a "salaried" contractor, paid a fixed wage weekly with an undetermined end date is NOT a contractor by IRS regulations.
If you are provided a workplace and equipment, or lease equipment, or are compensated for equipment required to perform your "job" that you provide, then that alone clasifies you as an employee (unless it is explicitly again a task determined position, with a contracted end date, and flat TOTAL pay for the JOB.
I have used ALL of the above reasons IN COURT againt 2 previous employers, and won.
yes, they're not "hard fact rules" but they are generally excepted, and strictly enforced rules, and commonly accepted means. When in doubt, form SS-8 is filled out and the IRS makes the determination. If not, the contractor can file social security form 8919 and shift the FICA and SS tax burdens to the employer even if you were not properly classified prior.
Yes, the "exempt" clasification is often misused. The IRS can "help" your employer properly classify your position status. Form SS-8 is the starting point to determine contractor/emplyee classifications. Other forms similar identify who can and can't be exempt.
As for FLSA specific exempt exceptions, there are only 6, one of which is for "computer professionals" "Employees in this category include those employed as computer programmers, computer systems analysts, and other skilled workers in the computer or technology fields. Their primary job duties involve designing, developing, testing, and analyzing computer systems and programs. Note: the computer exemption does not include employees engaged in the manufacturing or repairing of computer hardware and systems." NOTE SPECIFICALLY this does NOT list "support" personell, and in fact excludes those who repair or manufacture systems or programs. This would also include folks in deployment and operations departments who "build" systems or administer them. A web designer might be exempt, but someone who supports web customers is not.
As i have successfully sued 2 previous employers (after obtaining work at a new employer and fully disclosing my intent to sue the previous), the IRS does not take FLSA violations lightly.
Simply ensure you have a written statement from your boss. Ask upon hire, or position change if on-call time is paid and get in writing their statements on it (as part of your employment contract, job description, pay rate, or statement of work as required in your state, etc). Later, when you're prepared to leave the firm, show them the FLSA they violated, and validation of the fines that would be levied if you reported them, and if they don;lt settle, sue. You are practically guaranteed a victory. In both my cases, I never even appeared in court, never took time off, and 100% of the legal fees were covered by the settlement, as well as 2X unpaid back pay (at time and a half), plus additional compensation. yea, it took 4 years in 1 case, and 7 in the other, but i got 2 nice big paydays tax free.
Just LOG ALL YOUR TIME ACCURATELY. and if you got interupted at a meal, a movie, sleeping, etc, note that as well...
The FLSA is clear on on-call time, and this even applies to exempt employees... (they have to stipulate in your contract a max number of hours you can be on call beyond which overtime IS paid, and have to be very lenient in your restrictions, and in many cases have to at least give you minimum wage for all hours on-call not actually spent working, sleeping, or eating.
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html
IRS sais this is illegal. "independent contractor" is a misnomer, and form SS-8 tells your employer wether you can or can't be a contractor.
Basically: ...then you can't be a contractor by law.
- if you have only 1 job, and do not contract to multiple firms
- are provided or lease equipment or services from your company needed to perform your job (including flat coverage for pager, cell phone, home internet, etc)
- If you receive ANY benefits of any kind
- If your job is not tied to a specific task with an automatic termination at completion of the task
- if you are required to attend any company meetings not directly associated with a contracted task
I've fought 2 FLSA cases against previous employers who pulled contractor bullshit on us, and I've also been a party to 2 family members filing work time violations against employers, and worked for 1 company that got sued by the federal government for on-call time violations.
I am VERY aware of how this all works.
motherload:
http://www.aele.org/law/Digests/empl94.html
1) anytime someone else's billing issues can effect my payents to a completely different company, we have a problem, espeically when there's not an agency to complain to and with it being a god awful nightmare to get adjusted and back credited later when the mistake is admitted by the other firm, and 2 months later the correction FINALLY shows on your credit report.
2) tens of thousands of americans are getting hit with this. It;s not 80% yet, but it's a new phenomenon in credit companies. it's effecting some 20% now and 2 years ago it was about 1%. If it;s not regulated, it will get out of hand, especially with automatic bill payments that don't automatically adjust to interest changes (or worse, auto-CANCEL the payment if there's a mismatch), leading to yet more interest and late fees that are legitimate and not mistakes, and they the trigger other creditors. i had a friend who lost 200 beacon points in 3 monhts time because he applied for a first home. The application hit his score to offset 2 cards into default status, and the late (underpayment) on those triggered 3 others. He'd not missed a payment in 9 years since he had an automatic payment set up from his bank to the credit card co, but an APPLICATION for a loan prevented him for closing on the house due to default credit status and underpayments and late fees hitting his credit report. He got it worked out, but he missed his closing date by 2 months, and it cost him about $3000 in penalties to do so.
3) using credit doesn't impact your rating, not wathcin git 24x7 with their current policies very well might. It should not be this hard to avoid overages and increased interest when you actually do pay on time every month. And yes, APPLYING for credit cards DOES hurt your credit. BAD if its for revolving accounts. frequently leaving a bad bank to join another one is BAD FOR YOUR CREDIT. Not leaving is BAD FOR YOUR WALLET.
4) And what do you pay for your debit card??? Every one I've ever had has been free. Also, since your credit card likely has a few thousand dollar cap, I doubt you're getting your $100 as often as me, and bet if you reconciled your accoutn back 12 months, i can almost guarantee youi paid finance charges on at least some transactions. Also, my debit card doubles all waranties for free (up to an additional year), and gives me a ton of services and credit protections in addition to the $150-200 I get anually by using it.
Credit isn't BAD, it's just not as good as debit. It takes careful monitoring, and can bite you HARD for not using it properly.
My mother, in contrast, is a credit card master. They have about 14 credit cards, none with any annual fees. They use 1 to buy everything, then use the other 13 to pay each other one off. Each weeknight she has a routine of running through each card and pays another one. They earn a few grand a year in bonuses, and have more free hotel nights and air mileage than they could use in several years. Of course, we argue this consumes about 4 hours a week of her time, and if she just worked that extra 4 hours at her job (which pays overtime without limits), the benefits doing that would be much higher...
If the contract did specify it, he'd have tobe paid for it. If they did not specify, but threaten to terminate his contract if he does not, then it also has to be compensated. As a contractor, without an internal defined job title, he;s got to be paid at least 150% per hour.
But really, per the IRS, he's not a contractor but an employee. It;s called "conversion" and it's penalized HEAVILY. i had 1 previous employer pull that shit, and when I got stuck with the tax bill for medicare and SS in April, I flipped, several of us filed a greivance, and he's rotting in jail after he refused to pay the severl hundred thousand dollar fines and tried to evade collections by reassigning all his assets. (scumbag).
If ANY of the following apply, you are considdered an employee by the IRS, and can not be issued a 1099 (the short list, there's a LOT more, these are the obvious ones):
- you have predefined work hours in a job role not bound to a short term project where your employment is automatically terminated with the completion of a project
- the employer is your only employer of at least 36 hours per week averaged over 90 days.
- you are issued a uniform and/or business identification bearing the name of your employer (and your name/title on business cards)
- You have a desk or specific location in the building assinged for your work to be done at.
- you report to a manager for work assignments and reviews
- your are salried, or receive work benefits of any kind (vacation, accrual of pension, 401K, insurance, etc)
- you filled out a job application for the position, not a contract bid.
- others do the same job at the company and are not contractors.
- are required to attend ANY company meetings or functions not directly tied to a specific assigned you contract is contingent on.
- you lease or are provided equipment from the company to do your job (or part of your phone bill, or personal equipment is compensated, only mileage and meal expenses is exempt from this)
- you solicit sales or other income for the firm under their name.
IRS form SS-8 should be filled out if there is ANY doubt. You can request your employer do this on your behalf (or fill it out yourself on their behalf and file it with the IRS for a job judgement.)