Comment Re:Interesting choice of words, CNBC... (Score 1) 138
Sonoma Raceway (acck, ack, cough) Sears Point, thank you ... has right turns. That would never work.
Comment Re:Who writes these crappy intros? (Score 1) 11
TBH, I didn't watch the video and just read the transcript. :)
An hour with him is worth it. He's been around since before
Comment Re:Who writes these crappy intros? (Score -1, Offtopic) 11
Some people don't need embellished intros. How would you have done it?
Submission + - 35% of (American) Adults Have Debt "In Collections" 1
meeotch writes: According to a new study by the Urban Institute, 35% of U.S. adults with a credit history (91% of the adult population of the U.S.) have debt "in collections" — a status generally not acquired until payments are at least 180 days past due. Debt problems seem to be worse in the South, with states hovering in the 40%+ range, while the Northeast has it better, at less than 30%. The study's authors claim their findings actually underrepresent low-income consumers, because "adults without a credit file are more likely to be financially disadvantaged."
Oddly, only 5% of adults have debt 30-180 days past due. This latter fact is partially accounted for by the fact that a broader range of debt can enter "in collections" status than "past due" status (e.g. parking tickets)... But also perhaps demonstrates that as one falls far enough along the debt spiral, escape becomes impossible. Particularly in the case of high-interest debt such as credit cards — the issuers of which cluster in states such as South Dakota, following a 1978 Supreme Court ruling that found that states' usury laws did not apply to banks headquartered in other states.
Even taking into account the folks to lost a parking ticket under their passenger seat, 35% is a pretty shocking number. Anyone have other theories why this number is so much higher than the 5% of people who are just "late"? How about some napkin math on the debt spiral? (And unfortunately, cue the inevitable geek snobbery about how people in debt must be "idiots".)
Oddly, only 5% of adults have debt 30-180 days past due. This latter fact is partially accounted for by the fact that a broader range of debt can enter "in collections" status than "past due" status (e.g. parking tickets)... But also perhaps demonstrates that as one falls far enough along the debt spiral, escape becomes impossible. Particularly in the case of high-interest debt such as credit cards — the issuers of which cluster in states such as South Dakota, following a 1978 Supreme Court ruling that found that states' usury laws did not apply to banks headquartered in other states.
Even taking into account the folks to lost a parking ticket under their passenger seat, 35% is a pretty shocking number. Anyone have other theories why this number is so much higher than the 5% of people who are just "late"? How about some napkin math on the debt spiral? (And unfortunately, cue the inevitable geek snobbery about how people in debt must be "idiots".)
Comment Re:Maybe it's just me ... (Score 2) 131
But think of the children! Oh. Wait. Yeah. They'd be scarred for life either way.
Comment Re:Maybe it's just me ... (Score 2) 131
There is always a fix. I doubt people are going to be wardriving for Chromecasts. Does it suck from a security standpoint? Yes. But the guys at least have a sense of humour. Better than goatse, right?
Comment Maybe it's just me ... (Score 2) 131
But I find that kind of awesome. :)
Kind of.
New Class of Stars Are Totally Metal, Says Astrophysicist 119
KentuckyFC writes Stars form when clouds of gas and dust collapse under their own gravity, generating enough heat and pressure to fuse the atoms inside them together. When this cloud of dust and gas is the remnants of a supernova, it can contain all kinds of heavy elements in addition to primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium. Now one astrophysicist has calculated that a recently discovered phenomenon of turbulence, called preferential concentration, can profoundly alter star formation. He points out that turbulence is essentially vortices rotating on many scales of time and space. On certain scales, the inertial forces these eddies create can push heavy particles into the calmer space between the vortices, thereby increasing their concentration. In giant clouds of interstellar gas, this concentrates heavy elements, increasing their gravitational field, attracting more mass and so on. The result is the formation of a star that is made entirely of heavy elements rather than primordial ones. Astrophysicists call the amount of heavy elements in a star its "metallicity". Including preferential concentration in the standard model of star formation leads to the prediction that 1 in 10,000 stars should be totally metal. Now the race is on to find the first of this new class of entirely metal stars.
Comment Once past 50, you're fucked. (Score 2) 370
I'm feeling this. I worked for Netscape back in the 90's. I'm considerig trimming that from my resume simply because it make me look too old-school. There is definite discrimination amongst up and coming companies. It's incredibly frustrating for me, a guy in his early 50's. I know a metric shit-ton of stuff, and especially the shortest path to get to the goal. Do I get hired, or even a reply on sending in a resume? No. My long work history stretching back to 1983 has me handcuffed.
Comment Nope (Score 1) 190
I lived in the Sacramento region for over 10 years, Fair Oaks, Folsm, Grass Valley after a long and successful career in the peninsula of the Bay Area.
Fact: There are very few "traditional" tech companies around Sacramento.
Fact: The pones that are there, know that and they consistently offer ~50-60% of Bay Area wages. They only want to hire recent college grads, not experienced people.
Fact: I recently left and won't be heading back. Besides, there are lots more good looking women here in the Bay Area.
Comment How much influence has The Well had on your life? (Score 1) 60
n/t
Comment Re:No, it affects MORE THAN ONE SPECIES ! (Score 3, Informative) 172
We had mites through the fall, and killed most of them by dosing the entire colony with .... powdered sugar. Yes, we lost a bunch of bees, but the mites are gone.
Comment Re:You're not trying hard enough (Score 1) 629
I'm 72 now, and still gainfully employed...just not by 35-year-old "managers" (or worse, "executives") who haven't got any substantive experience to evaluate competence. After a career consulting to IBM, Intel, HP, Amoco, DuPont (and lots more) at the CxO level on IT strategy, I semi-retired in 2001, to a small mountain town nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Interestingly enough, I too (and I'm the guy who Asked Slashdot this question) I located myself in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Howdy, neighbor.
Comment Re:Lie a little (Score 1) 629
But when I send out a perfectly good resume and use the more obvious resources there are still precious few bites for someone requiring to work remotely
How come nobody has commented on this part? No matter what age you are, requiring that you work remotely is going to make things difficult, no matter your age.
When you live in a rather remote part of the world (by choice and necessity) there aren't a lot of options. I get that I may not be paid as well for doing so, and am totally fine with that. But I'm simply not willing to move back to Silicon Valley just to make a living wage.
Comment Re:Ageism is real, but... (Score 1) 2
The thing is, I have relevant and current skills and if something new comes up I will learn it faster than anyone. I can lead a team of newcomers (common in SQA) like no ones business. I've worked with outsourced teams, and am quite well versed in overseas contacts. I've worked with github and 27signals through their earlier work and others along with tons of FOSS and OSS projects. My name is out there. You, as a fan of my side project (www.motopodcast.com) know how hard we work and how incredibly diverse we are.
It's just frustrating. I'm not done yet breaking things.
