That is a common problem, nationwide today. When companies go bankrupt, it seldom has anything to do with the employees. That is especially true when there is no union to protect incompetent or lazy employees. Companies tank every day it seems - and management always cites problems caused by employees. That is true in high tech, low tech, and everything in between.

We just experienced a takeover. Call it hostile, or not - fact is, management ran the company into the ground in a number of ways. A decade of neglect in maintenance resulted in a number of machines that require overhauls costing nearly half of their new purchase price. The new owners certainly don't WANT to spend that money, but they are spending.

Quality control? The company's weakest point - we simply don't have people qualified to read micrometers or calipers. They find parts that don't guage, and immediately QC calls on maintenance and tooling to "fix it". Well - fuck me running - I can't fix an incompetent fool who can't read a precision measuring instrument! But, the new owners are almost as bad as the old - they won't HIRE qualified personnel to read those instruments! They seem to believe that a ten dollar employee off of the street can do the job of a thirty or fifty dollar trained and experienced person! The QC people aren't even the best of the people available - the jobs are put up for bid, and the people with the flappiest gums get the job. Bidding? Might as well just admit that nepotism rules, and not bother with the bidding process.

To put things in perspective - the old owners had plants in 5 different states. Each of the other plants consistently lost money. Our plant consistently MADE MONEY, despite mismanagement. Quarter after quarter, the accountants posted profits from our plant. In effect, we carried four other money losing plants for years. The owners could never bring themselves to unload the money losers, instead taking the profits we earned to shore up the other plants. They followed that policy until bankruptcy put them out of the game completely.

How much more incompetent can any group of managers be?

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid

It works.

http://planes.findthebest.com/...

http://planes.findthebest.com/...

If you prefer a commercial or private jet example, this should work.

http://planes.findthebest.com/...

I think that twin engine jets are most common, there are triple engine jets out there, and quads aplenty in the larger craft. But, yes, there are single jet engine aircraft.

Not all jet aircraft have multiple engines. And, with single engine aircraft, the odds of having a suitably-competent pilot at the controls is somewhat lower than with huge passenger or cargo carriers.

Basically - GGP is overly optimistic, GP seems pessimistic, and you defend GGP's optimism.

Let's just say that when the shit hits the fan (literally, in this case) bad things can happen. I'd rather not be aboard any aircraft in flight when something is sucked through the turbine(s). The ultimate catastrophic failure of a turbine COULD take the wing off. Highly unlikely, but it COULD do so. That's a ride that I would like to take a pass on, thank you very much.

Remotely related to such a failure (note the word "remotely", and let me stress that word) I had a small engine start knocking on a job site many years ago. Little 20 horse Briggs and Stratton. Before it could be shut down, the piston came out THROUGH the side of the engine, sailed about 150 feet, and impacted a concrete building. The impact caused some chipping in the concrete. Had there been a window right there, with someone looking out the window - we would have had a serious injury, and a possible fatality.

Catastrophic failures are pretty unpredictable - that is why they are "catastrophic".

I suggest that you visit Youtube, and do a search for Isle of Man TT. There are a lot of videos, and the very best are shot from helicopters. The second best are shot from beside the roadway, by professionals. Onboard video shot with GoPros are decidedly lesser quality in most cases, but the are still better quality than professional equipment was when I was a child. All that quality, packed into a unit easily mounted on a person's head, or on the forks of a motorcycle.

GoPros are damned good!

Most of the schools that I am familiar with classify such classes as "computer science". My eldest son sat through all of his high school's "CS" classes, and got top grades in everything. He is barely computer literate. That is - he can install Windows on a machine. And, he excels at gaming.

The youngest son stated quite clearly all through school that the so-called "CS" classes were a waste. He spent his school hours on computers teaching himself. He would whip out that pathetic excuse of an "exercise", and instead of joining an online game, he would study programming. You know - something related to "computer science". I can claim credit for teaching that youngest son ABOUT Linux, but he taught himself Linux while sitting in front of a wasted computer at school.

A motivated student can't ever be held back. IMHO, these CS classes are designed to hold people back. Familiarize the student with Microsoft-centric programs, and stop education right there.

I read something about this - quite a long time ago. Two years, maybe even three? Can't really recall now.

It wasn't JUST the humming of the power grid that was being used, as I recall.

Anyway - how hard would it be to force a generating plant to INTRODUCE a unique identifier, if one didn't exist already?

Sounds like something from the 1800's and the Indian wars in the USA.

Only the government would believe that you can cut a foot from the top of the blanket, sew it to the bottom of the blanket, and have a longer blanket.
http://lolzombie.com/wp-conten...

"I tell college students, "It's your own damn fault.""

I can't agree with that. Or, not fully, anyway. What is a student, after all? Someone who is learning about life, along with whatever he is majoring and minoring in. Yeah - the student probably ought to be a little smarter - but what about his parents, grandparents, counselors, etc? Each and every one of those individuals have FAILED the student.

My youngest son put himself through college. He had a scholarship, but didn't like it. (Please, don't ask me - the kid never did share all of his thoughts with his dad.) Instead of using the scholarship, he chose to strike out on his own, and do things HIS WAY. He now has a couple degrees, albeit not from a high class, well known school, but through Texas' community colleges.

True, Mom and I helped some, but the kid basically put himself through college, and he is almost debt free. He has one motorcycle that is worth more than he owes.

And, knowing that kid like I know that kid - he WILL pay off the student loans BEFORE the high interest rates kick in. He pinches a penny until it bleeds, so he's not going to pay exorbitant interest rates on a few thousand dollars.

"Conflict of interest is a standard economic feature."

Thank you, Sir!

Never trust an economist, until you've checked his math. Even then, you don't trust him. You've got to understand economics so well that you can recognize his base assumptions from his math, or you're still not qualified to check his math.

Remember the collapse from the housing bubble burst? Who predicted that? Precious few men and women knew it was coming, and damned near none had any idea how bad it could be.

I participated in a discussion three years before it burst. My take then was, "I don't know how bad it can be, but it sure as hell won't be pretty!" I'm not even an economist, but I knew the shit would hit the fan. All those experts are either complete, utter fools - or they were outright lying to all of us!

CISPA was authored by corporations, for the purpose of reigning in "pirates" and the like. Every "rights holder" in the world will become partners with the government, and search out any of us who don't comply with every draconian rule they can think up.

CISPA is most definitely unconstitutional.

I get most of my books from qbittorrent. I didn't realize they might have a resell value. A lot of my other books come from Kindle Cloud. I knew that I could loan a book out, but I had no idea that I could "resell" it.

This is why I like dead tree books. I can do with it what I want. Hell, I can even shred it, roll it, and smoke it if I want.

Good point. I remember the '60's, and the radio jingles. I was just a kid then, but some of the jingles would stick in my head. Talked to someone who knew about such things, and he told me that even if it pissed me off, the advertisers thought it was a "GOOD THING" when those jingles stuck.

Now, today, I don't see advertising. I know that advertising doesn't influence me. I just don't see it.

When I need or want something, I get online, and start researching. I find a hundred products that claim to do what I need, so I narrow it down some. Compare some specs, and decide which of the specs really feel right to me. Is precision more important, or durability? Do I need tensile strength, abrasion resistance, or what do I need? Find some products with the specs I can live with. Finally, look at the prices. HOLY SHITE!! Reject the highest priced 25% right off the bat. Compare the specs again. Hell, those cheap things barely squeak in to the acceptability picture. I'm usually left with a half dozen or less products to choose from - at this point it's a matter of deciding whether to take the high or low end of the price spectrum.

Research pays off. When I finally get my stuff, it actually works for whatever I need. And, I usually got it for about 60% of whatever my workmates found their substandard items for.

And, you've glossed over the point that GOVERNMENT is the problem.

When the administration changed, was there a major upheaval, accompanied by a massive change of personnel at NSA? I don't remember any such thing. Had you been employed at the NSA, it would have been a pretty smooth transition. Old business would have become new business. Same old same old - just continue with the routine.