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Just got a Droid 2 and was transferring my old phone numbers over. I had just transferred the Google 411 number, and then jumped on Slashdot and determined I shouldn't bother!

It was nice to have, even though I suppose it's not as necessary with a smartphone. Still, cheaper than calling 411 on my carrier!

So long and thanks for all the fish!

6d

Heh, I see. Perhaps the old meme "^([0-9]*)(PB|GB|TB|MB|KB|B|Pb|Gb|Tb|Mb|Kb|b) should be enough for anyone$" needs to be revised since we're always running out of something, somewhere.

So the answer really comes down to.. need to boil the ocean? Get a bigger pot!

I was once told by another fellow Slashgeek, regarding the IPv6/IPv4 debate, that "one cannot boil the ocean"! I think we probably need these interim steps and solutions.. that's probably the only way things will continue working during the changeover. We do have to be careful not to fall into the trap of implementing an interim measure and getting stuck with it for a long time, when the better solution is almost never reached as soon as was desired. How many systems get implemented to be "temporary" and then become production for years?

At the same time, massive direct cutover changes almost never work. Although, that may not be entirely true - the recent change from analog to digital television seems to have gone reasonably well and that was a direct cutover.

6d

Some professional associations offer group health insurance plans, like IEEE. I don't know how good the coverage is, but it might be worth researching.

SixD

Bada bing! Well played! :) 6d

Now if I could just get Windows Vista booting on my TI-82!

Hmm.. first complex HTML5 app maybe?

I'm probably not the first person to say it, but thank GOODNESS somebody is pushing HTML and web markup tech forward again. Even though some folks don't like some of the new elements present in HTML5, at least it's progressing again. Let's hope this continues!

-6d

Whatever happened to Internet2?

As someone who has tried to do exactly what this article suggests, I feel obligated to chime in and say that I think it's absolutely correct. People with the ability to apply technology skills to business or societal needs of a particular discipline are extremely valuable.

For example, in my case, I combined healthcare knowledge, social science and information systems and now work in a very interesting and challenging segment of the healthcare industry.

I would point out that it is very challenging and can be difficult to focus one's study when you are trying to learn something technically oriented, like writing software in C++, and combine it with something else very different, like building construction, for example. Some things simply take skill and raw ability, or a long time to learn. There might be a lot of similarities in building software and building a building, but being an expert in both takes a while. Still though, a person who can apply knowledge of software development (or even build or implement software) that makes the process of building a building more efficient is a good person to have around.

Perhaps, in other words, all this is saying is, having people who are cross-disciplinary and can apply their skills in more than one scenario is a good thing. That's not much of a stretch of the imagination, in my opinion. More skills are better than less, and people who can mix and match are helpful.

We must, however, also be leery of the "jack of all trades, master of none" issue.

It would be interesting to know if the technology includes any stipulation for nuclear pulse propulsion. From the sound of it, that tech was pretty far along over 30 years ago. Space is a big place - would it not be awesome to have a new space race, MINUS the aggression, this time? Or is that simply impossible?

I can't believe nobody has figured it out yet! The moon IS made of CHEESE! I think the Centaur and LCROSS just went straight through, and came out the opposite side in a stream of molten mozzarella!

I scoff at the "good data" NASA received - seriously, what do you expect lobbing a satellite into a hunk of gouda?

Golly, IANARS (not a rocket scientist) and even I figured that one out!

-SixD

In a way, I think Joel might just be restating what I have always found to be a core axiom of software design/development:

"Use the right tool for the job".

I would add the corollary, if one is a master of a tool, the tool has reasonable support, and one can get a job done with that tool, then there is no need for anything else other than that tool for that specific job.

It's when you don't have the right tool in your toolkit that things get more difficult. Knowing when you have the right tool/approach, and when you don't and you need another person, approach, or tool makes all the difference.

I think the idea of saying 50% is good enough is about the fact that you can do a whole lot with just one tool, like using a screwdriver to hammer a nail. It's not the exact right tool for a job, but actually can also get it done too.

IMHO, anyway,

SixD

P.S. Just don't get caught being a tool!

Microsoft demonstrated a similar application at CES 2008, although they called it "software camera recognition" (Bill Gates in fact did the demo at the keynote). There are pictures at Engadget

Looks like Apple and the iPhone are beating them to the punch for RTM!

SixD