Comment Identification (Score 1) 837
Other than to identify you as someone who should be touching their computer, I see no value. How about a special badge (if people at your company wear badges) or a jester's hat? ;->
Comment Evolved? (Score 1) 162
Not only are we throwing the word vegetarian around but also the word evolve. The blog and the article it references do not give any basis for evolution. The following concepts are related but far from being the same.
From dictionary.com: evolution: Biology. change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
From dictionary.com: adaptation: Biology. a. any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.
The spider continues to need protein as its primary diet but found a different source. Other posters recognized similar situations. For example, if a type of dog lives in an area with lots of rabbits it will probably eat rabbits and still be the same type of dog. In the same way, it could be squirrels... or even peanuts!
From dictionary.com: evolution: Biology. change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
From dictionary.com: adaptation: Biology. a. any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.
The spider continues to need protein as its primary diet but found a different source. Other posters recognized similar situations. For example, if a type of dog lives in an area with lots of rabbits it will probably eat rabbits and still be the same type of dog. In the same way, it could be squirrels... or even peanuts!
Comment Re:Like most anything it depends on how it is used (Score 1) 352
Ah, but if the local wench offers you a magic blue pill...
Comment Geekdom fini (Score 1) 623
The more you mix business and government with IT the less fun it will be. Perhaps technology being more widespread gives a similar effect. IT Geeks once were like modern day wizards wielding their craft across the land. We were unique, somewhat scary, and to most, unnecessary. Now IT is everywhere and IT Geeks are probably more like pharmacists. Everybody needs them but they are far from impressive and it is easy enough to find one who will do an adequate job.
Comment Re:10 minute trainer (Score 1) 865
I have been using P90X from the same company and it is very good. P90X wants 60-90 minutes a day but the 10 minute trainer sounds more like what the poster wants to fight off weight gain.
Comment another missing option (Score 1) 291
I use Snowmint Budget...you insensitive clod!
Comment A good book... (Score 1) 168
Managing Software Development Projects by Neal Whitten is approachable and has been very helpful to me.
Comment Re:You're doing it wrong (Score 1) 360
The original post is concerned about employees not being able to use instant messaging out to the rest of the world, which implies they are actually networked to the rest of the world. The setup you describe is not that situation. A KVM switch should not be Internet Protocol connection between the isolated and non-isolated PCs you are describing [I know, it is possible to have an IP KVM switch, but if the switch is IP then you have left open an obvious attack vector should the (more directly) Internet connected PC become compromised]. The point in the army lab would be accessibility to outside information on the Internet connected PC without potential threat to sensitive data on the PC not connected to the Internet.
Comment Do Recycled Battery Parts Just Go Underground? (Score 1) 520
A couple of informative sites on battery recycling and the real good it can do as opposed to stuffing them in the landfill...
http://www.batteryrecycling.com/Battery+Recycling+Process
http://earth911.org/blog/2007/07/05/how-to-recycle-and-properly-dispose-of-batteries/
Submission + - Violent media makes you violent: Neural Study (physorg.com)
Spy der Mann writes: "Although research has shown some correlation between exposure to media violence and real-life violent behavior, there has been little direct neuroscientific support for this theory... until now. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center's Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Research Center have shown that watching violent programs can cause parts of your brain that suppress aggressive behaviors to become less active. The study did not show if this was also true with videogames, however."
Submission + - Is Co2 Good or bad? The truth is that nobody knows (talkclimatechange.com)
marklad2020 writes: "A short discussion on the science of Co2 reveals that the real truth is that nobody really knows what they are talking about when it comes to climate change. Shouldn't that worry us the most?
http://www.talkclimatechange.com/2007/12/06/co2-good-or-bad-nobody-knows/"
Submission + - Dam the Red Sea, Dam the Mediterranean?
An anonymous reader writes: Physorg reports that Damming the Red Sea could solve the growing energy demands of millions of people in the Middle East and alleviate some of the region's tensions pertaining to oil supplies through hydroelectric power. Equally, such a massive engineering project may cause untold ecological harm and displace countless people from their homes. Herman Sörgel had this idea before about damning the Mediterranean sea. Present technology allows us to shift and shape the earth on a relatively large scale and to control lakes and reservoirs for hydroelectric power generation. In the near future, however, it might be possible to build dams large enough to separate a body of water as large as the Red Sea, from the world oceans.
Submission + - Atlantis Shuttle flight scrubbed (nasa.gov)
An anonymous reader writes: During tanking, two of four LH2 Engine Cutoff (ECO) sensors failed to respond appropriately. The launch was scrubbed and the next attempt will be tomorrow, at 4:09 p.m.
Submission + - Discouraging Students from Taking Math
Coryoth writes: "Following on from a previous story about UK schools encouraging students to drop mathematics, an article in The Age accuses Australian schools of much the same. The claim is that Australian schools are actively discouraging students from taking upper level math courses to boost their academic results on school league tables. How widespread is this phenomenon? Are schools taking similar measures in the US and Canada?"
Submission + - NASA GISS finds new record warmest year 1
SleptThroughClass writes: NASA's GISS climate researchers have reexamined their temperature records and determined that the warmest recorded year in the USA was: 1938. The change was noticed by ClimateAudit and Pielke's blog. The change seems to not have been noticed by GISS, as there is no news release on their web site, so you have to look for the "U.S. Temperature" graph on this page or directly view the graph.
