Insane, yes, but this was the type of corporate environment where, as a VP, head-count was a status symbol and meant you could command a bigger budget. Of course, this was also an environment that took lessons from the Fairchild Semiconductor school of rank-has-it's-privileges which often meant that higher rank garnered you better furniture and a better computer. Stupid. I once got yelled at by a petty office manager for swapping a product manager's computer with one of that manager's graphic artists at his request so the artist could do their work.

From my own experience in a mixed Windows PC/Macintosh corporate environment, the computer-to-IT staff ratio for PCs was 10:1, meaning that one IT person could handle maintaining 10 PC users. On the Mac side of things, the ratio was closer to 100:1. Given that, if IT staff can suddenly demand overtime pay, corporate is going to find a way to reduce the costs which translates to less-demanding platforms.

This makes me wonder what the development process is like in non-commercial environments versus commercials ones. COCOMO is supposed to let you estimate the time and costs of a project but that hinges on your estimation of the number of lines of code. The model also assumes that the average programmer can create a certain number of lines of code per day. Seems to me that this pace is MUCH slower in aerospace than it is at Google or Facebook. So perhaps COCOMO needs to be revised with an industry factor.

This also makes me wonder how old SpaceX's computers are.

obviously.

Recently, over on Gizmodo, et al, there was a quadcopter video flying over Pripyat and you can clearly see the reactor site in the background along with the huge dome that's being constructed. What I found interesting is that the plants seem to be doing quite well for a radiation zone.

Feh...memory pig.

Tort Reform. Now is the time.

Anyone remember what happened to the last people who tried to use a radio transmitter to speak to God? They all melted.

First, at what time of year are CO2 levels being measured for use in writing environmental research papers (and dictating policy)? Second, if corn is such a big contributor, then corn ethanol is adding to CO2 levels not reducing them. Third, by pissing away water on bait fish in California instead of allowing farms to grow CO2-inhaling crops (of plant types that aren't completely cut down each harvest), we are effectively adding to CO2 levels.

Teach kids to be polite and to keep their attitude in check. No, as a matter of fact, you AREN'T special. No, as a matter of fact, even if you are special, you still need to be humble and treat other people as you would have them treat you.

Can we also sue the Business Software Alliance?

So I shouldn't feel too guilty about eating a bagel with a mountain of cream cheese on it. Woohoo!!!

Unless these students contributed said charitable funds, they have no legal standing on their use.