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Comment Re:Not very plausible (Score 1) 745

Boy... I sure agree with this....

The issue we're really dealing with is "omniscience". In order to effectively run an infinite simulation, you have to be able to observe the state of every variable 100% of the time. No computer will ever be able to do this, because the data set is infinite requiring infinite observations.

That's the difference between matter, and simulated matter. Any simulated universe is estimating infinite interactions at varying levels of granularity. But that system breaks down eventually because the data set is still infinite. Even for events unobserved- the data must still exist. Where with "real matter" the actions are caused by the *nature* of the material/energy... requiring no storage of data,

Comment One thing I've learned.... (Score 3, Insightful) 2219

Gawd, I'll admit it I'm old now. I was young then... but creeping up on 50 makes me old.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that MBAs and IT people are enemies. And this new beta site is a prime example of that. Sometimes things are "good enough". Slashdot is good enough- and has been for a long time. But the MBAs say "we need more profit". And now they are going to make things shiny.

Slashdot by itself makes money. But it needs to make more money. DIGG was destroyed that way. Didn't that site finally sell to it's new owners fro a small sum?

Want to fix Slashdot? Make it a site that technical people "graduate to" as they become seasoned. Which would mean making no changes whatsoever!

Slowly, I'm watching MBA types eviscerate, good, profitable websites for short term profit. Don't do it to Slashdot.

Comment Truth- what is truth? (Score 1) 679

Tech is still climbing the "rockstar ladder of media attention". At this point it's a feeding frenzy- and "journalists" with no clue about tech are running around everywhere looking for a story.

The difference these days is a good one though. The debates are not lost in history- because much more material is retained digitally. Unlike something in the past where only a handful of sources were available (like Roman history), people looking back 50 years from now will have a clearer view.

As volatile as digital storage is, the fact that so much is actually stored digitally, means that Steve Jobs may not be forgotten. Right down to his abuse of the handicapped parking spot.

RadioShack To Rebrand As "The Shack"? 629

Harry writes "Rumor has it that RadioShack is planning to re-brand itself as The Shack later this year, after eighty-eight years under the old name (most of them with a space in between 'Radio' and 'Shack'). I hope it's not true, because I don't think the move would do a thing to make the retailer a better, more successful business." Where will we go to buy soldering irons and those RCA to headphone jack adapters now?

Comment Now Serving Mexican... (Score 1) 1

For us old folks- Radio Shack.... or Ahem... Allied Radio has been dead and gone for a long time.

Just try finding a high quality capacitor in that place. Their staff doesn't even know what they are.

There was a time when you could get components through them for general electronics repair, breadboarding, and design. These days it's substandard computers and cell phones.

I think the name change to "The Shack" is a good thing. They have nothing to do with Radio, and with the changed name thay can start selling spicy chicken strips.

FWIW

Businesses

Submission + - Nine reasons RadioShack shouldn't change its name (technologizer.com) 1

Harry writes: "Rumor has it that RadioShack is planning to rebrand itself as The Shack later this year, after eighty-eight years under the old name (most of them with a space inbetween "Radio" and "Shack"). I hope it's not true, because I don't think the move would do a thing to make the retailer a better, more successful business."

Comment Re:Even the nerds hate sysadmins (Score 1, Offtopic) 232

Wow- well said.

I happen to the the IT Director for a national charity.

I'm 43 years old, and the rest of the management team is 30 years older than me. These guys have no idea what I do. They gave me a mandate 5 years ago to bring the company up to date technologically. So I did that. And I'm still doing that.

About 6 weeks ago part of the management team showed up at my house on a Friday and fired me. It was surreal. I couldn't believe it.

Apparently- someone's poker buddy had trashed my work at a poker game- convincing several important people that I wasn't doing my job. And they fired me.

Needless to say it was one hell of a weekend while my wife and I scrambled to make sure bills would be payed.

By Monday things cooled off. And I was looking around for contracts and talking to a major linux vendor about coming on as a systems engineer. My phone rings and it's my former comptroller. He asks if I can meet my former management team for dinner. I wasn't so hot on the idea but since he is a friend I figured it was the right thing to do.

So I show up, and they offer me my job back with a massive raise, apologies, and major ass kissing.

Apparently, the so called "expert" who had trashed my work, had convinced them that the local computer store could do my job for them. The local computer store showed up and told the board that they were nuts for firing me, and they couldn't handle it. Then the "expert" lobbied for my job, took a look at the systems, and then decided he couldn't handle it.

So code monkeys aren't the only people with false assumptions.

But the upshot is that now the computer store offered me a nice fat contract to maintain their Linux clients in my spare time. And I still have my management position.

Karma is wonderful. Competence is king.

Although it would be nice to get a thank you for those 3am pager calls. That's what sysadmin day is about.

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