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Comment Re:Already found (Score 1) 98

The unfortunate human who probably opened the container with the Cobalt-60 without proper protective gear however, is most likely no longer intact.

I was thinking the same thing. Can you picture the schmucks who hijacked this?

Criminal 1: Hey man, I wonder what we got? Maybe a truck full of ps4/Xbox one systems?
Criminal 2: (Opens box/removes shielding) Wait..what the f...is this?


On a more serious note, a former coworker works for a shipping company that is moving the xbox ones for Microsoft. There are a great deal of security measures on the trucks. Even though it's Mexico I'd expect they had some kind of security protocol if they were moving radioactive material.

Comment Re:How do you claim the prize? (Score 1) 291

I personally, don't like most governments, however total anarchy is worse than the government we currently have.

Total Anarchy could never exist for very long. If every government disappeared tomorrow, it would create a power vacuum which would be filled by some other entity. Perhaps a church, gang, tribal council, etc. People like controlling one another (and harming one another) way too much to ever make "overlords" extinct.

Comment These will be a gold mine for exterminators. (Score 1) 512

Once they get these to the point that they can hook a small camera on to the cockroach, they will be a gold mine for exterminators. Set up an ad campaign a week or two before in a nice neighborhood, go buy a few roachdroids, run them through a few houses at night and wait for the calls to come rolling in.

Comment Re:Lesson not learned (Score 1) 331

That's sort of the point though. Most of Yahoo's properties have been stagnant for years, some even for over a decade.

I've been playing fantasy football on yahoo since 2000. The update is awful, and most of the users hate it. It's added no discernible functionality, but changed a user interface that has been in place for at least ten years. While you can deride users for being 'change resistant', the fact is a consistent, usable interface is a feature.

Lots of times power users, or IT workers don't realize just how offputting a major UI revamp can be. While we get caught up in things like, "Agile", "Features", "Web x.0" most users just want to be left alone.

Really, though, I think this whole "I'm taking my ball and going home" attitude is quite dumb. If you're willing to leave and learn a new platform in protest, why not stay and learn the new upgraded platform where your data already lives?

Users will stay with a platform they know, even if it isn't feature rich. The opportunity cost of switching to another platform is losing the time they've invested in learning the original platform. Once that cost is forced upon them, they might as well investigate other platforms, either out of spite, or simply because they've got to learn something new anyway.

Comment Re:Gawd (Score 1) 434

Java is per definition a programming langauge for amatuers

The definition of Amateur is unpaid, not too many people would use Java if they weren't being paid for it.

Comment Re:Hrm. (Score 4, Interesting) 203

WOW may be losing subscribers, but it's still insanely profitable.

I wonder what's leading them to lose subscribers. If it's just fatigue, since the game is so old. One pattern I've noticed is as they've shortened the timeline between patches and expansions, players seem to quit more often. Once and expansion is announced, in game players (and I would assume subscriptions) drop. It seems like now it even happens in between patches. I assume it is because players feel whatever they earn will be worth less by the new patch/expansion. I wonder sometimes if they wouldn't be better served by not announcing patches so early, and having longer cycles between expansions.

Comment You will be fine. (Score 1) 314

Java, Javascript, JSTL, EL, JSP, regular expressions, Spring, Hibernate, SQL, etc. And, you know what? I did. I'm not an expert, of course, but I'm really interested in continuing to learn. Is my new-born career a dead end

Programming isn't a dead end. You can move into management, or if you're happy programming you can still program. If you can't find a job, you can freelance. It's not the type of skill that you need a lot of fancy equipment for (i.e.- you aren't flying planes).

, or do I have a chance of becoming good at programming?"

Being good is subjective. If you want to be good at programming simply reading the right websites, books and learning new things will put you ahead of 50% of the programmers out there. If your idea of good is "Employable as a web developer" you should be fine. If your idea of good is John Carmack, then you're probably not going to end up being "good" by that definition.

Also to most employers, especially ones who don't delver software as their main business function the idea of a good programmer is someone who can deliver on deadlines, adapt to changes in specs, and get along with their coworkers. If you're going to work for a company that makes software as their main business practice, their standards will be higher. Their idea of a good programer is probably someone who has read TAOCP, knows design patters, knows whatever framework is currently trendy and can read the mind of their interviewer and know what books/blogs they like/respect.

Good luck. My dad was a programmer, just as I am. He was laid off when he was in his late 50s, and the only thing that kept getting him jobs were his contacts he built up over his long career. Another piece of advice: Make "friends" who appreciate your skills.

Comment Re:I don't care. . . (Score 4, Insightful) 326

Because at the end of the day you will pay either way. Either pay more for your products and give your fellow citizens a reasonable living or pay more in taxes for their unemployment, food stamps and welfare and on top of that deal with the social ills such as higher crime rates that can come when someone has nothing to lose.

Comment Re:Yeah (Score 1) 759

Humans will continue plodding along exactly as they always have

Yes, I remember reading about how 1000 years ago people plodded around the interrnet, went to the moon, and worried about their environment.

I have no idea how anyone could find your comment insightful, it is dimwitted and shortsighted.
Government

Alan Turing Apology Campaign Grows 653

chrb writes "Several British news sources have recently reported on the growing campaign that calls for an apology to Alan Turing for his persecution by the British government. The petition to the Prime Minister was started by John Graham-Cumming, who has also written to the Queen requesting a Knighthood for Turing, but admits that a pardon is 'unlikely,' saying, 'The most important thing to me is that people hear about Alan Turing and realize his incredible impact on the modern world, and how terrible the impact of prejudice was on him.'"

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