I have never really seen an IT department that was not a fiefdom. Some are run by nice people, making them benevolent dictatorships; but they still hold the keys to the kingdom. Usually they are not that nice.

IT departments are relics of the past in any case. All these employees, they have networks at home. They buy and administer computers, share files and send messages all by themselves. Most even backup their own machines. What do they need me for?

They show up for work and their machine here is far crappier than the one they have at home. An issue that would have cost them a few minutes productivity on their own machine, completely paralyzes them at work. The IT department nowadays is often a net loss for the company.

I have realized that we have just now really entered the information age. People are still all over the place in their levels of technical proficiency, so there is still some need for tech support. But we have (recently) passed a threshold, a point where most people do technical things with computers just fine by themselves.

For the regular type of company, that sells pipe or cleaning supplies; I'm not sure I would even have a company network and company computers. I'd have whatever company servers we need (need means must have this device to sell pipe, not because the IT guy really wants it), and my employees that need access get an account. That server needs to be secure against hackers from China, so hopefully a virus-laden employee owned laptop cant hurt it.

I understand that what I am talking about is easier said than done (no printers in my office? Hm.), but the day is coming soon. Even now, I watch as IT departments begin to unravel around me.

"Hatred is a core value of conservative Christians."

Wow. You're possibly the meanest poster on /. And that's saying something.

Yes, if memory serves, it was passed in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.

Really something to be proud of...

"upfront costs"

That's how you killed it.

That and carbon are the two power sources stored in the Earth's crust.

Choose one.

Nice try. There might be young people here, so I'm going to out you on this one:

You don't see them because you have been politically successful for the past 50-odd years, and forbid them from being built.

Fine.

We got all the nuclear fuel we need sitting around in pools of water.

Never thought I would see anyone 'FOR' nuclear waste, but the times they are a changin'. ;)

Best use of excess thorium generated electricity: Scrubbing the atmosphere of CO2, to be made into usable oil.

What 'damage'? You got Chernobyl. Which was done on purpose.

People like to point at Japan, but not to point out the futility of a 15 foot seawall against a 20 foot tsunami. And so far the 'damage' in Japan is noisy geiger counters. (There were 2 old men overexposed trying to fix generators - I haven't seen what happened to them.)

There are so many people that think something bad actually happened at Three Mile Island. When I remind them that nobody died or even got sick; well they don't believe me. And then they don't even hear you when you say that nobody is suggesting that we build TMI-style plants.

No, my TV won't care.

But my 1000 mile range electric car will.

And I imagine my Amana brand kitchen replicator will use more power than that.

You used the right word when you said 'need'. There are only two forms of power stored in the Earth's crust, carbon and nuclear.

We eventually will have no choice in the matter, but today we can choose to delay advancement of the human condition as long as possible...

You're right about the thousands of tons of nuclear 'waste' sitting all over the country with no plan on how to get rid of it.

Most here are science types, and realize there is only one thing that can be done with it. Burn it up.

The reality on the ground today is, if you are against nuclear power, then you are for nuclear waste. (It would be nice to see a Greenpeace-type marcher carry that sign in a fit of honesty.)

"Souls are a myth from prescientific times."

So sez the scientist... Do you see the irony?

But that does get at why we will never see AI from digital computers; machines full of levers and switches that simply execute programs. Your program may become so complex that it is unpredictable, but that doesn't make it intelligent.

Didn't even make a big explosion that I saw. Just pieces flying apart.

At first I thought all that vapor coming off was atmospheric.

Apparently it was not.

So really, they are doing him a favor by ignoring him.

If they acknowledge it, they have to kill his account and possibly report him to the authorities.

Dammit, we had an unbroken thread running down the stupid people. And now you go and point out a plausible explanation.

How am I supposed to pretend to know everything if you bring your open mind to the forum?