Comment Re:No FIOS here, but... (Score 1) 168
yeah, the OP used the silly "put something important only on the subject line so the body lacks context" method of posting and I missed it.
yeah, the OP used the silly "put something important only on the subject line so the body lacks context" method of posting and I missed it.
...if I downgrade my broadband speed by a factor of 5-10 from cable
You have a 300Mbps cable connection? What market is that in?
So, I take it you have a plan for survival (theirs and yours) if your source of income dries up and blows away?
Yes, and the plan includes not blowing the safety net in a fit of pique. The emergency fund is for emergencies, not "I'm feeling like a prima donna today and want to be a jerk to my boss".
when you're a technophile who has lost touch with reality
For all the bitching about glibc, it works very well. I'd guess that most of the people complaining in this thread don't really know what they're talking about. (E.g., the complaints about ABI compatibility, which is really quite good.) And glibc has been improving over time, not getting worse. (That's not to say that there are no valid points, but the pile-on is way out of control.)
when you installed the reader plugin you told the browser to transparently display any pdf content. Hint: if you don't install the plugin you'll get prompted about what to do with pdfs (save/open/etc). I recommend not installing the reader plugin.
SGI bought out part of Cray, the supercomputing/interconnect part. Sun bought out the other part of Cray, the storage systems part. Even if a company is in debt and has no sales, the patent portfolio is worth something even if it is for counter-litigation purposes.
No, Sun bought the interconnect (it was eventually sold as the E10k series and made a ton of money outside the supercomputing space). SGI bought the nameplate, the legacy systems (you could buy a Cray T3E or SV1 from SGI and it would come with a Sun workstation to boot it up), and entry into a shrinking market. SGI never made any money on their purchase and ended up selling it for a loss. This kind of brain dead management is why SGI is in the trouble it is in.
SGI's storage systems came from its StorageTek acquisition. (And, before that, it had its own SunStorage hardware. Best to forget about that.)
And I do not see any broadcaster shelling out for 200% increase in power bills..for 0% revenue increase.
It actually turns out to be a major net reduction in costs once they cut off the hugely inefficient analog transmitters.
Ad servers have been distributing malware for years. The way it works is that the "big name" ad server posts content directing your browser to a "partner" who has paid them money. That "partner" could be a legitimate advertiser, or it could be a sleazy malware purveyor who will launch an exploit to install junk on your computer. (No, I'm not sure how you distinguish between "legitimate" and "sleazy" advertisers.) The "big name" ad company doesn't care, they've already been paid. What does this have to do with ZD (or any of the other web sites that have ads)? One might ask whether they've got a "due diligence" requirement to ensure that visitors to their site aren't exposed to malware via their ad server "partner". Unfortunately, the ads are controlled by the business guys, not the technical guys, and there's way too much money involved.
This is why it's ridiculous when microsoft mentions "attacker would have to convince user to visit a web site" as a mitigating factor. This is code for "attack is only viable if user visits web sites with ads". That sure mitigates exposure, doesn't it?
Coming from an IT background, we view work as something which we can personally accomplish. It's what we know and how we apply it which is important.
And frankly, that view of work as something which "we can personally accomplish" is outdated and does not scale in any company larger than a hundred or so people, maybe even less.
And that's the kind of MBA-babble that brought us such titans of industry as GE or BofA, which we are all collectively bailing out because they "scaled" to the point that nobody could "personally accomplish" figuring out how they worked. You're right, pushing things like "skills" doesn't scale very far because it's hard work, and requires people to really understand what the people working for them do. That's a good thing.
As for the coupons, there was no reason they couldn't have extended the coupon program but still kept the original timeline.
No reason except all of the money allocated by Congress for the program was out in the form of coupons and no more was available and won't be until they find out how many coupons got redeemed and how many went unused and can be re-issued.
So your theory is that congress couldn't authorize a few million more for the converter box program? They just spent a trillion dollars they didn't have, I'm sure they could have tossed out a few more coupons.
If two submarines crash in the ocean, and neither is running sonar, does it make a sound?
yes. it sounds like "crunch" followed by "oh, shit".
And then there's channel 11 in Baltimore which will be going to a *lower* signal that just barely covers the city.
Where on earth did you get that information? WBAL should be viewable past DC into the NoVA suburbs after the transition. (No way to know for sure just where the reception line will be until next month, but it'll be way past the Balto city limits.)
(3) Stations beyond 50 miles admittedly look like crap, but at least they're watchable in analog format. DTV displays nothing. I've lost channels 10,11,12,13,21,27,29,45,48,51. I used to be able to watch Ravens and Orioles games but no more. I lost my PBS station and my ABC station and a few independents that played movies or scifi shows.
Remind me again about how DTV is "superior" when I've lost more than I had before?
You're blaming "DTV" for transmission issues. I'm guessing that you live in PA, and the "45" you referred to is WBFF. That's one of the stations that will make major changes for the transition, boosting the signal strength considerably and using a higher tower. I can't get it at the moment either, but it was rock solid for a little while a couple of months ago (I suspect they were doing some testing). A lot of the smaller stations can't afford to broadcast multiple frequencies at full power, and have been sending only a weak signal for now. Unfortunately, "DTV" has been blamed for this and a lot of people have given up, even though the situation will improve for many of them next month (unless the transition is delayed).
No DTV stations are increasing power on February 18. At leaat none in the DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Harrisburg markets.
A number of stations are changing frequency, relocating transmitters, or otherwise making changes which will affect (generally, improve) reception. In DC, a quick glance shows only two of five major stations that aren't changing something.
Being at a higher frequency is a disadvantage because they break-up more easily, and can be blocked by trees or sheds. Lower frequencies pass right through the tree/shed as if it wasn't there.
Multiple stations in the DC area are switching from UHF to VHF at digital transition, which should greatly improve reception for a lot of people.
Overall, I expect that people will have a very different DTV experience in February than they'll have today.
To restore a sense of reality, I think Walt Disney should have a Hardluckland. -- Jack Paar
