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Comment Re:Ethernet still the best (Score 1) 260

It still raises the question of exactly what you plan to do data-wise that will require 40Gbit Ethernet. While I admit nobody knows what the future holds, we can make reasonable extrapolations. Word and Excel documents aren't going to magically ballon in size. It's highly unlikely you run a 100TB database on your home server. MP3's and even FLAC audio files aren't magically growing in size, and even some new fangled HD audio format an order of magnitude bigger wouldn't stress GigE. Your Internet connection isn't going to be 40Gbit anytime soon (and even if it was, your ISP is unlikely to provide an upstream link that isn't woefully oversubscribed). Netflix 4K streaming already works fine over typical 20Mbit Internet service. And as I stated in earlier posts, even Blu-ray's, which are the higest definition standard media currently available for sale (with no real successor in sight) peak at 40Mbit/sec with average bitrates well below that.

The only conceivable thing that's even remotely close to logical would be uncompressed 4k video editing. And most people do that off high-speed local storage array or, if you're a big boy, a Fibre Channel array. If you've got the need for a FC array at home...well, my hat's off to you. You're unique.

Comment Re:Ethernet still the best (Score 2) 260

Seriously, unless you plan on having the need to stream uncompressed 4K video to every corner of your house, Cat6A is ridiculous overkill. The average Blu-ray video stream is well under 40Mbit/sec, and that's decent HD for almost anyone. 4K could maybe quadruple that (depends on codec) but you STILL have plenty of bandwidth for something like that in plain Gigabit Ethernet. Hell, you could put perhaps 6-8 4K streams on GigE and still be fine.

And there's really no logic in trying to future-proof your home network for something that's not going to be remotely affordable until maybe 10 years from now (have you priced 10Gbit gear lately???). In that time frame, lots of things can and will change and the likelihood of you still wanting AND being able to use that Cat6A for its original purpose is dubious.

Comment And I want... (Score 1) 727

And I want a week long orgy with the Victoria's Secret supermodels, but I'm intelligent to know the likelihood of that happening is pretty damned small. Linus should be exhorbitantly happy Linux has made the inroads it has in the server and mobile markets. Desktop, if it ever does follow, will probably not resemble "desktop" as we now know it.

Comment Re:Who needs oil? (Score 1) 305

Fusion would break the stranglehold of petro-exporting countries in the Middle East as well as belligerent exporters like Russia and Iran.

You're assuming said fusion plants would be radically cheaper to construct and operate than existing fission plants...something the anti-nuclear activists would probably complicate despite the obvious benefits of fusion over fission. Never underestimate the public fear of the word "nuclear" even if the processes involved are ridiculously different.

I can hear the rallying cry now: "They want to build a plant that works the same way as a thermonuclear bomb! Do you want a nuclear bomb IN YOUR BACKYARD???"

People are still terrified of fluoride in their water. Can you imagine their reponse to the above?

Comment The power of the future... (Score 2) 305

Fusion power is roughly 20 years away from being viable...and has been for the last 40 years LOL.

Seriously, I'll start worrying about proliferation risks when a commercially viable fusion reactor DESIGN is created. Building one -- assuming it's ever viable to begin with -- would take years, which is plenty of time to address proliferation concerns before it came online.

Comment Jacobsen Egg Chair (Score 1) 154

This is one of the most comfy chairs I own, reproductions are affordable, and they are gorgeous. The recline is comfortable while still allowing non-desk work (the Eames is *too* reclined for my taste), the arms are wide enough to curl up in, and the back is high enough to support your head. Many reproductions allow adjusting the recline tension.

You'll need to supply your own power and a stand for the laptop.

Comment A few thoughts (Score 1) 199

1. Integrate the documentation with the application. Treat it like code rather than as a separate document.

2. When new features are proposed, plan them by FIRST forking and changing the documentation, THEN implement the change based on the change in the story. This not only guarantees good documentation, it ensures the developers are all on the same page about what the changes should/shouldn't do.

3. Focus documentation on the common tasks, software limitations, and side-effects. Far too much documentation wastes reams of paper telling people "to create a new widget, click the New button." If the "New button" is hard to find, difficult to click, or does something other than creating a new widget, that is a failure of the UI, not the documentation.

Comment How big is it? (Score 5, Insightful) 184

To put this in perspective, 5,000 sq. mi. is a square about 71 miles on a side. Compare this to the total area of the Gulf (615,000 sq. mi) and you'll see this "dead zone" occupies just 0.8% of the Gulf. Is this something that needs addressing? Absolutely. But it's not some horrific cauldron of death like the headline tries to make it out to be.

Comment RUN. (Score 1) 209

In my experience, the word "Enterprise" usually means a shitty piece of uselessly generic and hopelessly complex software combined with an expensive consultant team who spend 5% of their time configuring/using the software as intended and 95% of their time hacking around its limitations by glomming on little "tumor" systems to shoehorn it into your business.

But I admit I'm a little jaded.

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