Comment: Remember (Score 0) 376
If the service is free, you are not the customer, you are the product. Hi Slashdot.
Comment: Smoke + Ass (Score 1) 276
So they are just blowing smoke up our asses AGAIN.
Comment: Different World? (Score 5, Insightful) 582
We would kill for more Cobol programmers. Many of our big iron people have retired and we need to replace them. None of the younger applicants have the experience that we need to maintain our mainframe systems... and they don't want to learn. These systems are not going away but the human resources are.
Comment: Dutchman (Score 1) 229
Am I the only one here who always puts "Flying" in front of "Dutchman" whenever I see that word?
Comment: Great Deal (Score 1) 154
All for $11,000 ($6125 adjusted for 2011) you can get 128KB of RAM, a monochrome monitor, one floppy disk drive, a printer, and Visicalc.
Comment: Well.. (Score 1) 128
I can give you a tour of where they clean out port-a-potties. You'll never forget it.
Comment: I Tried (Score 1) 383
A couple of years ago I tried to get my (now) 15yo son interested in development. He was all excited because he envisioned writing his own video games and what not. You can understand his disappointment with "Hello World". I can't blame him with all the amazing technology that is out there these days. I was dazzled at computer technology (TRS-80) when I was his age with things like Oregon Trail.
Comment: Re:Don't (Score 1) 565
I'm sorry to say, you are wrong. In the past 20+ years I've been a PC programmer surrounded by legacy mainframe systems for various older financial, insurance, and manufacturing companies. COBOL programmers are retiring but the systems are not so companies are hiring with any decent experience. I'm taking up COBOL now to help cover the slack (and make more cash) at one of the worlds largest tire makers.
That being said. Maybe the poster is not interested in going backwards and wants a challenge. The best way for that is to look for a job where they interfacing legacy mainframe systems with modern systems (where there are is a major need for frame programmers). He can start where he is familiar and work towards the more modern systems. That is how I'm learning older system (but in reverse).
The Race To Beer With 50% Alcohol By Volume 297
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the good-stiff-12-pack dept.
from the good-stiff-12-pack dept.
ElectricSteve writes "Most of the world's beer has between 4% and 6% alcohol by volume (ABV). The strength of beer achieved by traditional fermentation brewing methods has limits, but a well-crafted beer that is repeatedly 'freeze distilled' can achieve exquisite qualities and much higher alcohol concentrations. An escalation in the use of this relatively new methodology over the last 12 months has seen man's favorite beverage suddenly move into the 40+% ABV realm of spirits such as gin, rum, brandy, whiskey, and vodka, creating a new category of extreme beer. The world's strongest beer was 27% ABV, but amidst an informal contest to claim the title of the world's strongest beer, the top beer has jumped in strength dramatically. This week Gizmag spoke to the brewers at the center of the escalating competition. New contestants are gathering, and the race is now on to break 50% alcohol by volume."
US Air Force To Suffer From PS3 Update 349
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the sounds-like-an-act-of-terrorism-to-me dept.
from the sounds-like-an-act-of-terrorism-to-me dept.
tlhIngan writes "The US Air Force, having purchased PS3s for supercomputing research, is now the latest victim of Sony's removal of the Install Other OS feature. It turns out that while their PS3s don't need the firmware update, it will be impossible to replace PS3s that fail. PS3s with the Other OS feature are no longer produced since the Slim was introduced, so replacements will have to come from the existing stock of used PS3s. However, as most gamers have probably updated their PS3s, that used stock is no longer suitable for the USAF's research. In addition, smaller educational clusters using PS3s will share the same fate — unable to replace machines that die in their clusters."
In related news, Sony has been hit with two more lawsuits over this issue.