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Comment Re:You can't negotiate WRONG (Score 1) 467

Sorry, but you are completely wrong. There is even a term for it:

        Renegotiating a Contract.

You can speak with your employer about negotiating an exemption, or new terms entirely.
They are by no means required to renegotiate, but if they do, the new contract replaces the old.

You may want to hire an attorney to draft the modified agreement and/or be present at negotiations.

In professional circles, this sort of thing happens all the time; no need for all the drama being suggested.

Comment Re:Does bandwidth cost money? (Score 1) 433

A _single_ fiber strand is capable of transmitting the entire electromagnetic spectrum from DC to well into the Ghz range. A fiber bundle the size of Arnold Schwartzenegger's biceps would be capable of handling all of the wireless traffic in the United States with absurd room for growth.

The issue is not backhaul. The issue is that in certain urban areas, the high user density results in wireless bandwidth exhaustion. The answer for this is simple. In those areas where bandwidth is exhausted, ration it so that everyone gets a fair amount. Note that exhaustion is location and time dependent, so even in those areas, its not usually a 24/7 issue.

AT&T could charge a flat rate of $1 per GB and still make a great profit, and as long as they had a sensible rationing strategy for those times where it is unavoidable, people wouldn't complain.

Comment The Printer and The Paperclip (Score 1) 181

One day I get a call from one of the office secretaries. "The printer is putting paperclips on everything we print" she says. As I sit there thinking about how you would even design a printer that could put paperclips on the print-outs, she says "I'm serious, its putting paperclips on everything, and no, I'm not making this up. Just get up here."

I get in the elevator, and walk to her office, trying to imagine what I was going to find when I got there. I walk in, and she hands me a sheet of paper. "See! a paperclip." At first I don't see anything, but then a glint of light reflects off an indention in the paper. I hold it up to the light, and sure enough, the embossed outline of a paper clip. She shows me a few more pages, all with a paperclip embossed into them. On closer inspection, I notice more than one paperclip per page, and deduce that the spacing between indentations is about the circumference of the printer drum. I pull the cartridge out, lift the cover, and sure enough, a paperclip had made its way into the printer and melted toner had fused it to the drum. We mounted that cartridge on the wall in the IT office, and got the secretary a new cartridge, and a sign warning them not to drop paperclips into the printers...

Comment At least now I know I'm not a freak (Score 1) 314

A few years ago I bought a waterproof cordless phone, then use a VOIP gateway to connect it as an extension on my office PBX. Why, you ask? Because my clients have this uncanny ability to call me when I am in the shower. Doesn't matter when, or what day, if I am in the shower, they call. I tried the cell phone in a ziplock bag, but the waterproof phone works even better. I am not sure that waterproofing my cellphone would be an improvement. Sure it would work, but what about soap scum?

Comment How is this news? (Score 1) 110

ANY hashing algorithm which generates hash values which are shorter than the original input value is GUARANTEED to have collisions. This is basic mathematics; you can't have a smaller set which has a 1:1 correspondence with a larger set.

and no, I'm not a mathematician, but I did actually stay awake in a few math classes, which the original poster apparently did not...

Comment Just Say No to Zinio (Score 1) 125

The real problem I have with magazines going digital isn't the loss of paper; it's the loss of freedom. Many magazines (Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, CQ, etc.) have handed their digital operations over to Zinio, which heavily DRMs their content. Don't renew your subscription? - lose access to previous copies you've already paid for.

If you want me to buy your eMagazine, give it to me in PDF, epub, or some other format where I can keep it and view it where I please.

Comment Have these people never heard of Discovery? (Score 2) 232

Allowing or requiring employees to use their personal devices in direct connection with the workplace is a bad idea for both the company and the employee. The moment that company enters litigation, all of the computers used by that company's employees are open to search. Establish a pattern of personal device use in the workplace, and you've opened every employee's devices to discovery. If that employee gets involved in litigation or prosecution, and the company computers become vulnerable. You are far better off separating personal from business, and I personally would refuse to use any of my personal devices on behalf of the business.

Comment An Easy Solution (Score 1) 402

1. Place all of this important information into a file.

2. Encrypt that file with a long (30 char) password.

3. Break the password into sections, (char 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc) and give each of your trusted family/friends a copy of the file, and a portion of the password.
.
.
.
4. Upon your death, they can communicate with each other to reassemble the full password, and access the file.

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