When you're given a month to finish a project you calculated at three months, it's kinda hard to compensate for every possibility. But then, I don't program for aircraft, I hope their schedules allow for programming proper error recovery. As it does so happens, I'm designing an error handling system right now. This article reminds me I've got to put in the "fried by radiation" routine.

The turbines in a nuclear power plant are run by steam, sonny.

Is it just me, or is it the responsibility of all software engineers to find the hardware problem in order to prove to people that the cause isn't software?

The most important reason why people have to go to school is not to learn how to read or write. That is secondary. The most important reason is to train children to get up in the morning, go someplace they don't want to go, and do something they don't want to do. This prepares them for the working world and is essential for the first world economy. If your population is not so trained, you live in a third world hell-hole. Another very important purpose of school is to weed out those who can't defer gratification. If you can't work for an A that you will get at the end of the grade period, your impulse control is insufficient for professional life. As long as the employment model exists as it does, the educational model will be the same.

It is poor tradecraft to reveal an adversary's weakness if you plan to continue to exploit it.

...like a giant, psionic squid exploding my brain.

I don't directly experience what my former "self" experiences. I experience memories of "my" past that exist now. I also don't experience what my future "self" experiences. The idea that the self exists in multiple points in time is an illusion. That which qualifies as a unique identity exists only at a particular point in time. That is why it is possible that I just came into existence now, built with a full set of memories. Fortunately for those who want to be immortal, we probably are, since all points in time probably have existence beyond time. (think of Einsteinian 4 dimensional space-time)

I prefer the amputation analogy. Stealing is bad. Chopping off the thief's hand is even worse. Chopping off the thief's hand and the hand of anyone who bought stolen goods from the thief is even worse than that. Chopping off the thief's hand, the hand of anyone who bought stolen goods, and anyone who might or might not have bought stolen goods is SOPA.

Ah, I'm glad you caught that. So now Fred, the CEO of OmniMegaCorp can create a web site, called JoeMoneyBagsIsGreat, using his own money. What is to stop him from doing that? You think Joe MoneyBags is going to appreciate that? Maybe give him some favors in return? Or why can't he make commercials for Joe MoneyBags? It's his own money. If you advocate in a way that costs money, it is considered a donation to the campaign (at least if it make any difference).

Let's say all direct financial contributions by anyone were banned. And let's say there's a candidate that you like, named Jane Smith. She's up against a billionaire incumbent named Joe Moneybags. You decide to help Jane Smith by putting up a web site called ILikeJaneSmith.com. You write about how good she is. Joe Moneybags sees this and says, "Hey, you have put your money into her campaign, that is illegal." Your web site is shut down. Meanwhile, Joe Moneybags puts up a web site called ILikeJoeMoneyBags.com He finances it himself, which is fine and legal. If no one could put money into campaigns, only billionaires would be in government.