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Comment Re:tagged: !change (Score 1) 384

To add insult to injury, I wonder if it was a no bid contract?

For anybody who thinks "18 million" is "pocket change," how about this bid: For ONE Million, I'll start working on TransparentAccounting.org again, hire a team of four other developers (making the team total FIVE including myself), pay each of the four $210,000 for a yearly salary, and account for the differences between their pay an mine for a whole entire year.

Comment Re:Hawaii, Where All the Action Is (Score 1) 23

No, you are right. The reason the Pacific Ocean floor is newer is because it's still actively growing quickly as the surrounding plates move away. So while the Atlantic is newer than the Pacific, the *floor* of the Pacific is generally newer than the floor of the Atlantic. So, in a sense, the parent was correct, but only in a limited sense.

Yes, I did mean the Atlantic coast of the US is older than the west coast / Pacific Rim of Fire side.

I also think it could be reasonably hypothesized that on the Atlantic coast, the gradual slope of the continental shelf / slope / rise could be explained by a longer time period of waves lapping the sediments and such into finer and finer particles. Perhaps explaining how quickly the continents have been drifting apart.

East-coast (of the US) sand is also generally much more fine-grained than west-coast sand, at least south of the glacial areas of the Great Lakes.

Comment Hawaii, Where All the Action Is (Score 2, Informative) 23

The Pacific Ocean is geologically much more new and deeper than the Atlantic side, which has a much more gradual slope on the continental shelf / continental slope / continental rise subduction system between continents. So we know the Atlantic is older.

Another fun (dynamic) map showing some actual geologic and volcanic activity:

http://oss.zentu.net/?q=node/118

The Media

Submission + - PBS Just Gave You...Everything (pbs.org)

D Ninja writes: In a recent blog post, Verne Gay points out that PBS has launched its own video portal featuring thousands of hours of television shows. This includes full seasons of Antiques Road Show, Frontline, and many others. From his post:

Unlike the commercial networks which, in most cases, simply put up certain episodes or certain programs, PBS will be putting up complete seasons of almost all programs. Ultimately, thousands of hours of PBS video will be included — extensive archives & back-catalog, content from PBS broadcast TV spanning all its genres, as well as from local PBS stations, feature-length films and documentaries, live events and performances, exclusive web-only content, and more.


Government

Submission + - Is TLD .eco logical? Al Gore thinks so. (bbc.co.uk)

indiejade writes: "The BBC News is reporting about the creation of an .eco domain extension for top-level domains. The measure, initiated by Dot Eco LLC, has also gained support by Al Gore, who won a Nobel prize in 2007 for his efforts to battle global warming issues. "The firm said proceeds from the registration would be used to fund research on climate change and other environmental issues," the article reports. An official ICANN application is expected to happen later in 2009."

Comment Better than cable (Score 3, Interesting) 265

The Olympics last year were what motivated me to attempt to do the TV thing . . . so I found a very small set and got some rabbit ears. It was pleasantly surprising to discover the dual nature of the channel settings available . . . the old analog signal is still full of snow and noise while the digital airwaves really are better than cable. Channels are a little bit longer (e.g. KQED is 09-003, needs to be manually entered with the dash and all. Best of all, no monthly cable bill!

It's likely that the cable / satellite television industry is going to take a hard hit once people figure out that the can get clarity without paying for ridiculous "service contracts" and "package deals" and "bundles".

Comment Edit (Score 1) 3

Fact check (I dug up the old email; apologies to Nasa Ames Research). It was actually with Lockheed Martin.

Here is the job description:

Responsible for installing, configuring and maintaining PC, Macintosh and Linux/Unix, workstations for Lockheed Martin at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. Ideal candidates will have recent experience working in a large corporate or government IT environment. Work consists of Tier 2 support providing using desk side, telephone and remote access to assist end users in resolving computer related issues. Candidate should have experience working with systems an Active Directory and familiar with various LAN configurations. Efficient troubleshooting skills and resolving problems with little or no documentation are a must. The ability to produce detailed problem descriptions and keep extensive notes must be shown on a daily basis. Position requires shift flexibility and may include night, weekend or holiday work when scheduled. Move computer related equipment up to 50lbs. Required to pass government background check.

Required Skills:

Bachelor Degree in related field or equivalent

Excellent verbal and written communication

High technical proficiency in:

MS Windows XP/2000, OS X, Linux, UNIX, MS Word, MS Outlook, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Entourage, , Active Directory, Palm Desktop, Mozilla, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape, Safari and MS Remote Desktop Working knowledge of TCP/IP networking, SSH.

Desired Skills;

Technical proficiency in:

SMS, NFS, Perl, Unix shell scripting, Remedy, MS Access, Eudora, Informed Filler, Cisco VPN, Timbuktu, Tivoli, SAP, WebEx, Oracle Calendar, Thunderbird, Windows 2003 Server, Symantec Ghost

Since Microsoft is the most common OS. I would imagine the hurdle here would be to find people who know the rest of the software. I'm sure that is why they interviewed me.

Nowhere in the job description does it say anything about needing to own a car.

SO interesting about the Google doc version is that I don't recall it having so many references to MS products.

I guess since it was a government-type job, and recruiters were involved, somebody got paid for the interview. Unfortunately, that person was not me.

Operating Systems

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Should I Sue? (ycombinator.com) 3

indiejade writes: "True story: I had an interview with Nasa Ames Research. A recruiter had called me up and said he had some Linux-oriented position for which they were hiring last year.

So I made it out to the interview, was interviewed by a couple of people, and alas, forced to work upon a Microsoft machine during the last part of the interview. I was then ridiculed because I couldn't remember off the top of my head how to get to the default C:\\command-prompt on a Microsoft Windows machine because I have been working almost exclusively on Unix variant machines for the past 4 or 5 years. I eventually got it, but almost felt like the interviewer put me in a position where I was made to look and feel stupid, despite the fact that the recruiter had told me that I was interviewing for a Unix-type position.

I was not hired. The recruiter told me it was because I don't have a car. (This info was NOT in the job description or requirements, and I'm pretty sure it is illegal to deny somebody employment for not owning a car — should I sue?). I suspect the real reason I wasn't hired was because I am a female. I suspect if I were to attempt to "fight it," I'd also lose because I'm female (well, maybe only during the Bush Administration's reign). :)

All in all, I was out almost a full day of my time, public transportation costs, and down a whole lot of hope for females in this industry.

P.S. This is the real deal Real Deal

So . . . Should and (if so) Who should I sue? The "recruiter" company or the US Government? At this point, I'm thinking the recruiter company is more liable, but just thought I'd ask for a broad opinion."

Wireless Networking

Submission + - SPAM: City takes back Wi-Fi net it sold to Earthlink

alphadogg writes: The City of Corpus Christi, Texas, has taken back ownership of the wireless mesh network it sold last year to Earthlink. City officials earlier this week inked the deal with Earthlink, which is trying to unload network properties it bought or built during the past three years. The company pulled the plug on its municipal wireless business a year ago. The deal with Corpus Christi could spark a flurry of activity as cities and Wi-Fi network operators reassess their often troubled relationships and work out new ones.
Link to Original Source
Space

Submission + - Newfound Planet "Theoretically Should Not Exis

indiejade writes: "Various sources are reporting on the discovery of an extra-solar planet that is "20 times larger than Earth and circling a star 1,400 light-years away." It is thought to be the largest planet found so far for which we actually know the size, and one which some scientists say "theoretically should not even exist." TrES-4 is approximately "70 percent larger than Jupiter," according to Georgi Mandushev, the Lowell Observatory astronomer and lead author of the paper announcing the discovery."
The Internet

Submission + - Mapping the Net, Node by Node (technologyreview.com)

indiejade writes: "To the Big Node: little node Department Creating a unique functional mapping of the Internet, one that plots topography as well as function, was the goal of researchers at the Bar Ilan University in Israel. Their findings rank nodes according to efficiency. "The increased use of peer-to-peer communications could improve the overall capacity of the Internet and make it run much more smoothly," their study concluded.

"A dense core of 80 or so critical nodes surrounded by an outer shell of 5,000 sparsely connected, isolated nodes that are very much dependent upon this core. Separating the core from the outer shell are approximately 15,000 peer-connected and self-sufficient nodes. Take away the core, and an interesting thing happens: about 30 percent of the nodes from the outer shell become completely cut off. . . . Three distinct regions are apparent: an inner core of highly connected nodes, an outer periphery of isolated networks, and a mantle-like mass of peer-connected nodes. The bigger the node, the more connections it has."
The mapping, which was based on data from the assistance of 5,000 online volunteers, was published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences magazine."

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