The one day I don't have mod-points. +5 ROFLMAO.

On the other hand (I'm also an economist, sue me!), when/if Google were to try this, there would be open rebellion among the interneterati. Not that most people would even notice, but then again, they don't seem to think much, if at all, about the NSA spying scandals either. For those of us that actually might care about this, couple of clicks or one shell-script and we're invisible.

Partially true, at best. If you are serious about using GPU's for anything whose erroneous result can kill people, you don't use consumer-grade GPU cards. I don't know what you have but I only use workstation-grade and then I verify the results, just as I would do with anything hazardous. As an engineer, I can't afford those types of mistakes.

And on the whole database thang? The GPU is chained to a database-eating machine (5.65 GBps SSD array, and yes, that's GigaBytes). Yeah, it can make pretty graphics with the results of a crunching session, but that was not why it was picked. Taking lots of big data and teasing out predictive analytics was the chosen role. 'Sides, I don't twitch right.

I get your point but mostly due to the fact that I've been a heretic for the last forty-four years. The funny part is, what I was doing then is what everyone else is doing now, just twenty or so years later. The difference being, in one case, having to forklift my big data into the data center. It keeps me amused.

Frankly I'd resign before working with an EHR system on XP that was also even remotely (pun intended) facing the internet. The penalties from the government alone are frightening and should a patient be harmed or di?. No way. I've done every kind of engineering and analysis that even remotely touch the medical field and I also know the laws around medical systems. If what you represent is true, run. now. Maybe you'll get far enough away.

That needs a real answer. For close on a decade, the first thing to go on any Windows system here was the desktop. I can tolerate Windows 8 and 8.1 enough to use it. And on the Server side if they had a bunch of apps that displayed useful information, it'd be usable over there but that's a lack of foresight and also the fact most people don't even look at a server most of the time. [I use the high-end servers for my workstations as the memory management just works.] But I'm an old Amiga heretic, so ....

Thank you!

Got a chuckle here.

Yes, those alternative history stories are what immediately brought this to mind in reference to Mandela. And on the bright side, alternative history based stories have actually created paid employment for historians. [Rather than being bus drivers, ....]

And another nice piece of analysis. If you haven't been anywhere outside the 'First World' then you haven't got even a glimmering of the 'truth.' Sadly, much of the governing on this planet is less than useless since they don't even attempt to enforce anything resembling justice and even will take the opportunity to shake you down for more than the criminals got. Come to think of it, that's true in the 'First World.' You have to see it and experience it before you understand just what power means and how often it is misused. Then you get back home and guess what, you begin to 'notice things.'

Nice. Thank you for that. Ghandi was lucky in that his opponent, the British Empire, did accede to a non-violent approach.

Actually, Wikileaks has the same problem as the NSA and CIA (& other TLA agencies); far and away too much data assembled. They could definitely use a hell of a lot more eyes tied to brains that aren't turned to mush. There are torrent links to the various bodies of data out there if you want to help.

Unfortunately, Ad Hominem far too often works, which is why it is so often used. Interesting coincidence that a rape charge is brought somewhat far in the future after the Wikileaks/Manning incident. I don't believe in coincidence.

Mechanical mice here have really lasted more than five years but, then again, every Sunday they get disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and where necessary lubricated. Optical mice really depends on when the optical component succumbs to quantum failure. They get the same routine for the switches and sensors cleaned, but I have yet to break out the soldering iron to fix 'em given component cost. I do still miss mi Amiga's Boing! Mouse. The optical in that lasted a decade.

Monitoring the hell out of your environment before you ship anything there is the key to running anything on someone else's datacenter. Then run it through the sausage-making estimation routines to find an approximate costs. I keep looking at the player's cost structures here and to be honest, it's not cost effective. Yet.