Soon we'll be using this to play Syndicate in real life.

Why should changing the name of a company cause an out-of-memory error? That's just bad usability. What's the user going to assume form this; "I need more memory", which is not truly the root cause of the problem.

This is just one example of common problems with software today; the error messages often do not accurately identify the root cause of the problem. These days I'm a user, not a programmer (although I have done some very simple programming in the distant past), and this sort of thing really bugs me as a user. Uninformative or innaccurate error messages serve absolutely no purpose.

Some of the humor can be found in the familiarity of the situation. Remembering how you experienced a similar situation, whether it was as innocent as this child's, or a bit more adult and experienced, the memories and familiarity help to trigger the laughter.

I agree with the choice of using the 'Wi-Spy' tool. It has been the most useful tool I have ever owned, for troubleshooting 2.4GHz interference problems. While it is not a high-quality directional spectrum analyzer, it is a cheap and useful visualization too. Want to make it directional? Just surround it with something that blocks or reduces RF signals (like a tin can).

Laptop + Wi-Spy + short USB extension cable + tin can = a very useful tool for isolating sources of 2.4GHz RF interference.

Yup. 2-3 hours is about right.

Data volume for 10MB = 83886080 bits
      10 Mega Bytes * (1024 Kilo Bytes / Mega Byte) * (1024 Bytes / Kilo Byte) * (8 bits / Byte)

Time to transfer 83886080 bits at 9600bps = just over 2.4 hours
      83886080 bits / (9600 bits/second) / (60 seconds/minute) / (60 minutes/hour)

Of course id did; it's a developer tool so it immediately has street cred at /.
Everything else that has nothing to do with coding or Linux is immediately a 3rd rate info byte unworthy of these hallowed pages ;->

Second Life? Is that where you go after you die? Not everyone believes in reincarnation.

Here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada I have zero network (Rogers wireless) connection problems with my iPhone, however when I took that same phone to Houston, Texas, U.S.A. (with data roaming turned off) it connected to the AT&T network for roaming and my phone calls were routinely disconnected at random. Sometimes I would be only able to say hello and speak a few words before the call would be lost and I needed to redial. This pissed me off something fierce. I'm not surprised people are not happy with the AT&T network in the U.S.A.

O.K., so setting aside the ethical concerns, the absolute morbidity of this idea, and the "is this really appropriate for a general television audience" concerns; I'd rather have plastination instead of mummification.

I believe this result is not about blue-collar vs white collar, nor more education vs less education. I believe this is about a person's ability to understand and use circumstances that are not specifically related to the exact task at hand. In the case of a software developer or a hardware engineer, those with the best coding skills or engineering skills may not be fully understanding of the true needs of the product owner, product user, or project manager (which are often poorly presented, and require interpretation). I think that those who have a more encompassing education also generally have more exposure to the rest of the world, which can impact the project at hand. Therefore they are more likely to recognize and react to things that affect the project than those who are more purely focused on the details of the work at hand. This has value in the real world, and I think this may be why those types of people are generally more highly paid.

The most useful and far reaching thing you could teach in such a limited time are skills surrounding how to structure online information searches, how to clearly ask the right questions when speaking or writing, who to ask various types of questions, and how to understand the validity of the answers (marketing, technical, or just FUD).

The students would then be able to make use of these skills to find more appropriate and direct information about whatever interests them now, and into the future.

That's a lot of money alright, and it's the primary reason I don't play any game that requires a monthly fee just to play it. I don't care how good it is, no video game is worth more than a one-time cost for the game, and one-time costs for any expansions, additional content, etc.

Now, try this same math with your Cable TV, or cel phone bills. 4 years and 8 months is the period of the article, that's 56 months. If you're paying $100/month for cable TV, that's $5,600; more than this guy paid to play this game.