Comment Re:Gameplay - Utility, Vanity, and Gambling (Score 0) 308
Duh - forgot to log in. Above comment mine.
Comment Threads That Bind (Score 1) 242
As if EULA on software wasn't bad enough...
Comment Re:B-2 Spirit unit price - $3b? Said who? (Score 1) 403
Point taken. The main idea is airframe cost vs total development and delivery cost. The 747 and subsequent models have had R&D split among the several thousand airframes built. The B-2 had only 21 build, so while the airframe cost is low, the overall cost is huge, split among very few airframes.
Comment Re:B-2 Spirit unit price - $3b? Said who? (Score 4, Interesting) 403
By comparison, a unit cost for a Boeing 747-8 is around $330 Million, vs the around $1,000 Million for a full production run B-2. Just remember the 747 cost does not include the R&D costs of the decade it took to develop the design and build the factory, etc, whereas the full R&D cost is part of the B-2 cost. If you strip out the development costs, a B-2 airframe runs around $600 M, roughly twice the 747 costs for an aircraft with much, much more, very specialized capability. Overall, not a bad price for what it can do - haul 20+ tons of weapons 8,000+ miles unrefuled, invisibly, and hit a 3 foot circle. Many of them.
Comment Training and Visualization (Score 5, Interesting) 104
As a retired weather guy with over 25 years working with and training weathermen, this is one of the best tools I've seen. Applause!
Understanding fluid flow and visualizing it is not easy, but it crucial to meteorology because that dynamic drives and reveals the mechanisms that create the weather systems we track, such as fronts, storms, and so on. Given the tools seen are usually something like this (from ADDS) or this (from CoolWx), the WindMap does a much more intuitive job of showing the strength and patterns in merging flow.
So, well done! The only improvement I can think of for better use operationally would be an hourly looper of, say, the past six hours with a 3-4 second pause for each hour. This would let you track specific features as the day goes on.
Understanding fluid flow and visualizing it is not easy, but it crucial to meteorology because that dynamic drives and reveals the mechanisms that create the weather systems we track, such as fronts, storms, and so on. Given the tools seen are usually something like this (from ADDS) or this (from CoolWx), the WindMap does a much more intuitive job of showing the strength and patterns in merging flow.
So, well done! The only improvement I can think of for better use operationally would be an hourly looper of, say, the past six hours with a 3-4 second pause for each hour. This would let you track specific features as the day goes on.
Submission + - How to Undelete Camera Phone Images? (abc24.com)
AtomicSnarl writes: "What tools are out there to recover deleted camera phone and other similar video or imagery? Consider this case, for example, where a Memphis News photographer had his images deleted by police, but was not charged or otherwise detained. I know Hard Drive file undelete is a simple process — how do you do it with memory cards and phone camera? Lawsuits are much more fun with recovered evidence!"
Submission + - NASA's 16 top tech challenges for the next 5 years (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: "Drastically reduce the costs of safely and reliably getting into space; more effectively mitigate the impact of space radiation on humans; develop more robust mobile robotics and build a new generation of space telescopes to more effectively study space are just a few of the 16 high-priority technologies NASA should be working on in the next five years. The high-priority technology directions come from a NASA-commissioned National Research Council space technology roadmap report entitled "NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities: Restoring NASA's Technological Edge and Paving the Way for a New Era in Space," issued today"
Submission + - Teen uses robot to continue learning from home (pittsburghlive.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Sick teen uses robot to attend school because he cannot.
Submission + - 'No Immediate Plans' to Delete Megaupload Data (datacenterknowledge.com)
1sockchuck writes: Carpathia Hosting said today that it has “no immediate plans” to delete data stored on servers operated by Megaupload, and will provide advance notice before any deletions take place. The company, which hosted Megaupload's servers, is directing inquirers to MegaRetrieval.com, where they can connect with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to investigate their options.
Submission + - Steam proves we don't own the games we buy (geek.com) 1
An anonymous reader writes: A recent decision to ban a user account has reminded us all we don’t technically own the games bought through the service. If your account is banned, you can’t login and play your games. All that money you spent on tens, or even hundreds of titles doesn’t count for anything.
The example that proves this is the story of a Russian gamer who goes by the name of gimperial. He has a Steam account with over 250 games stored on it that he paid for legitimately, spending over $1,500 purchasing them. However, Steam decided to ban his account for a terms of service violation. The problem is, they wouldn’t tell him what rule had been broken, and Steam’s support service refused to respond to his tickets after initially confirming the ban.
The example that proves this is the story of a Russian gamer who goes by the name of gimperial. He has a Steam account with over 250 games stored on it that he paid for legitimately, spending over $1,500 purchasing them. However, Steam decided to ban his account for a terms of service violation. The problem is, they wouldn’t tell him what rule had been broken, and Steam’s support service refused to respond to his tickets after initially confirming the ban.
Submission + - Why National Internet IDs Won't Work (securityweek.com)
wiredmikey writes: Have you heard? All of our security problems will be solved. How? Each and every citizen will be issued with a unique, secure online identity, so that the originator of any and all transactions, connections and requests can be readily and easily identified. Really?
At least according to the newly proposed “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace” and Obama’s Cyber Zsar, Howard Schmidt.
Sounds too good to be true, right? And like so many other simple ideas, that at first seem to make perfect sense, it really is too good to be true.
Sure, this tactic will hinder some hackers. Your Granny, your seven year-old, and your dog will find it next to impossible to bypass this. But then again, they aren’t really able to do much harm anyway. Whether any serious criminal or foreign entity will be negatively impacted is highly doubtful.... Why? Because hackers don’t play by the rules. They will use and abuse other peoples’ connections, devices and identities against their owners’ will, permission, and knowledge....
At least according to the newly proposed “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace” and Obama’s Cyber Zsar, Howard Schmidt.
Sounds too good to be true, right? And like so many other simple ideas, that at first seem to make perfect sense, it really is too good to be true.
Sure, this tactic will hinder some hackers. Your Granny, your seven year-old, and your dog will find it next to impossible to bypass this. But then again, they aren’t really able to do much harm anyway. Whether any serious criminal or foreign entity will be negatively impacted is highly doubtful.... Why? Because hackers don’t play by the rules. They will use and abuse other peoples’ connections, devices and identities against their owners’ will, permission, and knowledge....
Comment Orwell (Score 4, Interesting) 312
Cue the Big Brother - thoughcrimes comments.
So, really -- what's the point of this? PC enforcement? Social modeling? Productivity improvement? Lawsuit prevention?
If it isn't about productivity, it is probably a drag on the organization.
So, really -- what's the point of this? PC enforcement? Social modeling? Productivity improvement? Lawsuit prevention?
If it isn't about productivity, it is probably a drag on the organization.
Comment Decisions, decisions... (Score 1) 735
Even a crap job is tolerable if the people are decent and the money is fair. Loyalty is due where loyalty is repaid. Granted, employment contracts and Non-Compete clauses always limit and grate, but is where you are now giving/getting you what you want? Will the green grass over the fence do better for you in the long run? Do you accept the burdens of those changes in the short run?
It can be pretty cheesy to attempt to "measure" your friendship, much less deliberately test it, but if you feel you're part of something larger (and a good part at that), then you don't even need to ask the question.
It's the old 4-panel plan problem. Take a sheet of paper, fold it in four, and mark them 6, 12, 5, 100. Then list things you want to do in the next 6 weeks, 12 months, 5 years, and 100 years. Review it carefully. The 6/12/5 items should lead somehow to the 100 year items. Climb a mountain? Sure! Learn mountain climbing? Yeah, I can do that in 5 years easy. Ah -- get fit first. Yep, can start that this year. Six weeks to find a good trainer -- can do!
So -- where are you going, and and is where you are (or wish you were) part of getting there?
It can be pretty cheesy to attempt to "measure" your friendship, much less deliberately test it, but if you feel you're part of something larger (and a good part at that), then you don't even need to ask the question.
It's the old 4-panel plan problem. Take a sheet of paper, fold it in four, and mark them 6, 12, 5, 100. Then list things you want to do in the next 6 weeks, 12 months, 5 years, and 100 years. Review it carefully. The 6/12/5 items should lead somehow to the 100 year items. Climb a mountain? Sure! Learn mountain climbing? Yeah, I can do that in 5 years easy. Ah -- get fit first. Yep, can start that this year. Six weeks to find a good trainer -- can do!
So -- where are you going, and and is where you are (or wish you were) part of getting there?
Comment Re:Now solve the problem... (Score 1) 514
Harvesting wheat? Don't you want the 20 foot head with the 20' turning radius?
Comment Re:CLEP Tests (Score 1) 913
Yes.. CLEP and DANTES tests if you can get them. Based on work experience, I was able to max the 2 year stuff with just those tests. I then submitted for an AA Business degree that needed only 2 residency courses for business related topics. The AA then covered all the Gen-ED stuff for my 4 year degree, again except for 3 residency courses on English and Geography (elective minor related to my work). The rest was all directly related to my focus.
Shop around and see what you can stack to speed up your path.
Shop around and see what you can stack to speed up your path.
