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Comment Re:Stick with Win7 (Score 1) 545

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47923319) Attached to: What To Expect With Windows 9

Why upgrade, Windows7 does everything I need.

Good for you. However, you won't be too happy when you get a new machine that doesn't come with anything other than 9. Or when your windows 7 drivers need an update to fix a bug or add a feature and the only available ones are for Windows 9. Or you want that snazzy new program and it's minimum requirements are Windows 9.

Like it or not, the world moves on. If standing still works for you then more power to you.

XP still works for me. There is no downside. Snazzy new features don't improve my efficiency at work.

I agree, when a computer breaks and we have to get Windows 7 because we are forced to, a painful upgrade period occurs because the software never seems to work on the new OS. There is no advantage except for the newer hardware computation power. Who cares about Windows 9?

Comment Already? (Score 1) 545

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47923155) Attached to: What To Expect With Windows 9

What about industrial businesses? My company is just finally minimizing XP to only a handful of lab computers and ones necessary for legacy support such as our single remaining Windows 2k system. We are struggling to get one more system moved to Windows 7 (under the guise of a faster computer and therefore less time waiting on the computations) and the application just doesn't work on that OS yet. The vendor is working with us to find a solution, but it may take several months (if ever) because they licensed the software from someone else.

The computer is a tool to do RF measurements and calculations and prepare presentations. I just got my first VNA with no floppy drive and more than one USB port! That is a big event.

Comment Re:Not really new. (Score 1) 216

The basis for the inspectors complaint is, in large part, not that the plant is not capable of withstanding the quake, nor that the analsyis is faulty or incorrect, but rather that the licensing basis document has not been revised to require a higher peak acceleration design level. It is debateable whether such a would make any difference, since they are already required to analyze for the higher levels. Meanwhile, the concern is being handled through the appropriate processes.

I agree with your conclusion however I took away a different interpretation from TFA: the Hosgri fault was discovered during construction and not properly accounted for in the first place- making the comparison of the Shoreline fault to the Hosgri fault data questionable.

"Peck wrote that after officials learned of the Hosgri fault's potential shaking power, the NRC never changed the requirements for the structural strength of many systems and components in the plant."

Submission + - Employees Revolt out of Loyalty to Management (bostonglobe.com)

Submitted by Goetterdaemmerung
Goetterdaemmerung writes: The employees and managers of a regional grocery have walked off their jobs in dedication to their former CEO. His cousin ousted him and instilled two outsider CEO's — one from Radio Shack fame. Several of his supporters have resigned or were fired. They believe the new management will take away their generous benefits, raise prices and otherwise "extract more cash" from the business.

Comment Re:Looks ok to me (Score 1) 229

Yes it does. Any toleration of law breaking undermines the order of society.

Order of society flows from legitimacy rather than enforcement of law. While related the capability to enforce law is directly dependent on ability to obtain legitimacy.

Loss of legitimacy undermines the order of society. Unenforceable law erodes legitimacy.

Tolerance of law breaking is an important safety valve.

See the feedback loop?

If you need convincing you need only look into history of prohibition and war on drugs to see what happens when legitimacy is eroded.

Realities of environment in which people live matters. In extreme circumstance if enough people are desperate enough even normally universally agreeable rules against stealing can temporarily fall into the realm of unenforceable where the peoples only perceived choice is steal or starve/die. This is why governance is difficult and why zero tolerance is reserved for North Koreans, decapitated dictators and hypothetical alien overlords.

THIS. I wish I had mod-points.

Comment Re:Cash Needs To Go Away (Score 3, Interesting) 753

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47445985) Attached to: Predicting a Future Free of Dollar Bills

"Cashless" is also a giant vacuum sucking service fees back to the banks and so on. Retailers pay a certain amount per transaction to a payment processor, even if you the customer don't pay directly. Think that doesn't come out of your pocket in the end through higher prices?

THIS. I can't believe everyone is so supportive of a cashless society when cash is the only transaction-free method of payment (also anonymous). Paying 3-5 percent convenience charge simply to not use cash boggles my mind. I often ask for a cash discount on large purchases and usually the merchant is quite eager.

Cash is king.

Comment Re: 2 months, but they all quit! (Score 1) 278

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47436101) Attached to: My most recent energy-saving bulbs last ...

Ever heard of "moving"?

Wow. Moving to get better power quality to make the efficient light bulbs last longer is a great solution.

Ballasts go because of poor quality power, nothing more and nothing less (or putting a non-dimmable one on a dimmer circuit - same thing, just self-inflicted poor power quality).

Some people just have bad power quality. A product *should* be of high enough quality to deal with it. All you are defending is an elitist attitude and poor product designs.

Comment Re:Incandescent will be best for the environment. (Score 1) 278

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47435807) Attached to: My most recent energy-saving bulbs last ...

I've user a variety of materials.
Lead isn't needed and if you can't use it right, well..that's a skill problem.

A lowered skill level is an advantage. Lead makes it much easier for solder to flow, and also for use at lower temperatures. It wicks well and is our solder of choice. Certain materials we use will melt at the higher temperatures of lead-free. It's also more reliable due to no tin whiskers.

As far as I know there are no technical advantages to lead-free. As to environmental impact, I don't know. Is lead worse for the environment than the other materials used in electronics? I believe lead is largely inert.

Comment Re:I found this article to be more informative (Score 1) 219

The Gestapo actually wasn't that good at spying. The German people were, however, quite good at turning their neighbors in to the Gestapo.

How is this different than public cameras, ISPs, your phones and internet-of-things supplying your information, exactly? The NSA generously collects data from external sources.

Comment Re:They shouldn't have immunity then (Score 1) 534

*BINGO* the left loves to co-opt libertarian arguments about privatization to create these 'public-private' partnerships specifically because they create legal gray areas where tons of power, weapons, and money are moved outside accountability.

FTFY. Massachusetts is one of the bluest of the blue states.

Comment Re:They hate our freedom (Score 1) 404

by Goetterdaemmerung (#47311997) Attached to: San Francisco Bans Parking Spot Auctioning App

Absolutely. People cannot sell things they do not own. That is public space they are trying to sell.

I don't get this. The parking space is rented, the person parking pays to use the space. It's not a public park free to all.

These people are simply subletting their rented space with a convenience charge. I don't see why the city should care.

Of course San Francisco also recently put the kibosh on people renting their apartments out to travelers, so it's par for the course.

Comment Re:Work the way down to no license (Score 1) 301

If your car hits my car I don't care if you are driving it or not, I care that someone pays for the damage done. So I think it's more than reasonable to require vehicles on the road autonomous or not to have a named entity who will be required and able to pay up in the first instance for the damage they do.

Exactly how the responsibility should be split between manufacturer and owner is more open to question. I could see an arrangement where the autonomous car has a service arrangement which includes liability cover.

Be careful what you wish for: autonomous cars are going to contain such a huge array of cameras and other sensors that they will readily be able to prove if you for one split second diverted your attention, strayed from your lane, followed too close, exceeded the speed limit, or committed any other violation (which every human driver does dozens of times on every drive) and you will be summarily lawyered to death to prove you were actually not liable.

Cameras Are Infallable, right?

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