Comment Re:I blame the cold weather (Score 1) 272
Rest assured we are still waiting for Black Mesa. The vaporware list will be long and healthy this year.
Comment Re:Don't *put* your data on it. (Score 1) 395
I don't why the parent has been moderated as funny... It's actually insightful. I use the Ubuntu live CD and web services for information storage when I need to do personal stuff and all I have is my company issued laptop. It keeps my data seperate, away from their prying eyes and in a single location so I can work with it when I have my personal laptop available.
Comment Who is more evil than satan himself (Score 2, Funny) 582
At least "Who is more evil than Satan himself" search provides accurate and timely information.
Repairman Steals Hard Drive And Charges To Reinstall It
181
Phase 1: Break into a realty office, and steal a computer hard drive.
Phase 2: Ask if they will pay you $50 to fix the computer.
Phase 3: Get charged with theft and receiving stolen property!
Phase 2: Ask if they will pay you $50 to fix the computer.
Phase 3: Get charged with theft and receiving stolen property!
Comment Re:After-hours Maintenance (Score 2, Informative) 576
The issue with powering on machines is solved with wake on LAN.
However, it seems everyone has implemented this differently. I administer a Dell shop. Not all the workstations seem to respond to the same magic packet. The division is across NIC chipset manufacturers. The Broadcoms work one way and the Intels work another.
In my experience, leaving the machines one is still the best solution.
Comment No incentive for those who do not pay per kwh... (Score 3, Insightful) 576
I work in a high rise office building. Our power is included in our lease for the space. There is no incentive for me to power down workstations at night. That being said, you could argue that I would be helping everyone for the greater good. It still comes down to me expending resources without any direct benefit either way. The lease is not cheaper if I use less power. If my office paid per kwh, then it makes sense. Till then, my workstations stay on at night.
Oh and my workstations do not sit idle. Full anti-virus scans and updates are performed in off hours in order to minimize impact during the work day.
Open Source Usability — Joomla! Vs. WordPress 240
An anonymous reader writes "PlayingWithWire profiles two open source tools for Web development, comparing Joomla! and WordPress through the lens of usability. The article has apparently upset a few people at the Joomla! forum, but it does bring up a good point. Many open source projects are developed by engineers for engineers — should they focus more on usability? PlayingWithWire makes a bold analogy: 'If Joomla! is Linux, then WordPress is Mac OS X. WordPress might offer only 90% of the features of Joomla!, but in most cases WordPress is both easier to use and faster to get up and running.'" The article repeatedly stresses that blogging platform WordPress and CMS harness Joomla! occupy different levels of the content hierarchy. How fair is it to twit Joomla! on usability?
New Bill To Rein In DHS Laptop Seizures 311
twigles writes with news of a new proposed bill that seeks to curtail DHS's power to search and seize laptops at the border without suspicion of wrongdoing. Here is Sen. Feingold's press release on the bill. The new bill has more privacy-protecting safeguards than the previous one, which we discussed last month. "The Travelers Privacy Protection Act, a bill written by US Senators Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., would allow border agents to search electronic devices only if they had reasonable suspicions of wrongdoing. In addition, the legislation would limit the length of time that a device could be out of its owner's possession to 24 hours, after which the search becomes a seizure, requiring probable cause."
Comment Re:Nonissue. (Score 1) 352
I agree and experience the same things.
As for the sporting events, I find it more fulfilling to go to a friends house or the local bar and watch it. Makes the whole game more entertaining.
The greatest advantage to watching sports with friends... beer!
Apparent Suicide In Anthrax Case 339
penguin_dance passes along the news that a respected anthrax researcher, about to be indicted, has committed suicide. The FBI has been investigating the case since anthrax-contaminated letters were sent to the media and various politicians in 2001. The AP's coverage mentions that prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty. The suicide was not the one you might imagine if you've been following the story. "A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned. Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who for the last 18 years worked at the government's elite biodefense research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Md., had been informed of his impending prosecution... The extraordinary turn of events followed the government's payment in June of a settlement valued at $5.82 million to a former government scientist, Steven J. Hatfill, who was long targeted as the FBI's chief suspect despite a lack of any evidence that he had ever possessed anthrax."
