I found a pretty neat site that has a lot of cool pictures of what appears to be a modern Russian plant.

In this picture we see the control panel and yeah, it looks like it is big fucking analog panel meters and red buttons. But there's a display that is obviously some sort of digital status..not sure if it's electrical or some valve array thing, but as OP said there is already apparently some digital already.

I'm sure this will work out just fine.

As digital a geek as I am, I actually downgraded my pool. The garbage "computers" I''ve had foisted upon me by pool guys are absolute crap. So I pulled all the expensive valve actuators and run it by turning valves, and backwashing manually.

I love tech and all the things I do and can do with it. But sometimes, simpler and analog works.

If this keeps up, they might even consider introducing innovations like "maintenance contracts" on their server systems, so you can replace a power supply on a three year old machine without scouring eBay for parts.

Bastards.

To add to the list: The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson.

I guess the main benefit of the GP's method is that you won't actually need a "safe" to store your passwords. You can re-generate the same password anytime, anywhere, as long as you remember the master password and "reason."

However, a problem with this implementation is that generated passwords will be hexadecimal only. Not really much entropy per character there (4 bits vs. 6.5x bits for all ASCII printable chars). Just extend the generated password length, I guess.

Personally, I'd use HMAC-SHA-256 or HMAC-SHA-512 or something. Then derive the password from the hash using as many characters as allowed, i.e. alphanumeric or alphanumeric + symbols, etc. I guess something like that might not be easily expressible in a shell script, though. But hey, that's why we have other scripting languages. (Python comes to mind, since hashlib and hmac are part of the base system.)

But yeah, as someone else pointed out, "random" is not the right word for this.

Not the AC either, but Citibank offers such a service. I've used it a few times for those random one-off purchases, especially from stores I will probably never do business with again.

Though, it's probably not very useful for subscription-type services or places you do business with regularly. (Unless you really want to generate a new CC number for each order.) I guess the previous poster's suggestion of having a low-limit card would be helpful in that case, something I plan to look into for myself.

Almost sounds like, aptly enough, Quarantine by Greg Egan. Though I could have sworn there was another novel with a similar premise. (Herbert, perhaps?)

And hey, maybe we'll get to the point where we won't even have to physically leave the Earth's gravity well in order for us to explore space. Send the machines out first. Even if propulsion tech never advances beyond what we have today, who cares how long they take to reach their destinations?

But once they arrive, they point their receivers back to Earth.

Because, after all, what travels as fast as light? Well for one, there's light itself...

Send minds, not bodies.

Yeah, yeah, I'm a Space Nutter crossed with a Singularitarian, twice the loon. Well, either that or a Greg Egan fan. ;)

No aid needed. The GOP has voted to send an emergency humanitarian shipment of tax cuts to the affected area.

Actually, truly passive was when I was shoveling my life's memories into a dumpster after a flood. Lots of passive media looking like pig slop.

May I again take this opportunity to recommend flood insurance. B)

I used to have such huge amounts of retro storage media as well. Thousands of records, a basement full of books and photos.

May I take this opportunity to recommend flood insurance.

Isn't CI "Confidential Informant" to the feds?