I think the instructions to support BCD went the way of the Dodo when AMD created their x86-64 dialect which is the defacto today.

I gave up on my multifunction Epson... Especially as it would refuse to scan or send/receive a fax if only one one the cartridges was "empty".
Solution was simple and obvious.

I purchased a Brother colour laser printer.
I purchased a Xerox scanner.
I purchased an USB fax/modem adaptor.

Now, no such problems. It all just works with much less headaches.

Meanwhile, I plan to strip apart the Epson multifunction device for parts - it's not worth selling nor giving away. Inkjet? Never again.

H-2 visa holders are the ones who are replacing US workers because they need no qualifications.
H-1B holders are workers who are filling in because there isn't enough qualified workers already in the US.

BAe Systems is looking at developing an autonomous prototype, called Taranis, which uses the SkyNet military communications satellite network to communicate to base. I believe the concept is that it flies by itself and executes orders transmitted to it and sending back surveillance data back.

In my opinion, a hypothetical super-intelligent AI couldn't possibly do more damage than what our politicians are actually doing now.

There is an excellent argument for sentient robot soldiers and that is in the realm of collateral damage.

Today's "smart bombs" typically have a kill radius of 30m and a maim radius of 50m. This means that for one "surgical kill", dozens of non combatant deaths are likely (and do) occur.

A smart sentient robot could, instead, enter an area, only killing to gain access, before assassinating the intended target. There may be nearly zero non combatant deaths. There would also be a lot fewer maimed and no unnecessary infrastructure damage.

Surely, a war with sentient AIs would be more humane than todays so-called precision bombings?

Some projects, such as MySQL, have improved massively under Oracle's stewardship. Much more progress has occurred during the past year under Oracle than the couple of years under Sun or even the last year that MySQL was independent.

However, it is sad that VirtualBox's development has slowed. It's suffered from being "good enough".

If I were a Comcast or Verizon etc employee, I'd keep the priority cards for myself to use when I have a problem. I doubt they'd give most of their employees enough codes to handle all their comms problems.

Not true. They went bankrupt because they sold crappy cars which cost them a fortune in warranty repairs.

I purchased a GM car in 2005. By the time we got rid of it in 2009, it had received the following repair warranties:
2 wheel bearings, 3 steering columns, 2 ECUs, 5 replacement door hinges, 2 brake discs, 2 auto transmissions and 1 door window motor.

In compensation, we were promised a $400 check but we never did receive it and to be honest, I don't care. We don't have the deathtrap anymore.

With all the billable hours that the vehicle spent in the shop, the vehicle must have been a big fat loss. Given how busy they were fixing up other vehicles, ours wasn't a unique case. This is what made GM go bankrupt.

I have never had a vehicle which was so unreliable before or since. As a consequence, I shall never buy another GM vehicle.

I don't care if MSU holds a anti-science conference... It's their freedom of choice in the same way that I have the freedom to be just a little bit prejudiced against any MSU alumni when I am evaluating the resumes/CVs of job candidates.

Raspberry Pi. You can get it, plus necessary cables, mouse, keyboard and SDCard for under $100. All you need to bring to the table is a TV.

I am guessing that part of the reason for an all-metal milled wheel is because of the (largely) unshielded RTG power source which Curiosity uses may seriously degrade organic-based materials.

Could someone with more knowledge of materials near RTG sources comment?

It has been around 20 years since I was in a shop environment but I remember that we were explicitly told by the shop's bank that the only valid and acceptable source for authorisation codes was the shop's bank itself and any other number will be invalid because the POS will accept any random number. The phone number to call is the same number as the phone number to call for authorisation when using the old-fashioned card impress when the POS machine was not working.

Once upon a time, the retailer would have to take the blame for this because it is the retailer who is supposed to make the call to the financial institution on the retailer's own phone line, not using the cardholder's phone or trusting the cardholder's ability to dial the number.

Unfortunately, the retailers are successfully using the police to cover for the incompetence of their staff.

The WHO recommendation is like a drug cartel/warlord's worst nightmare come true.