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Comment Re:pixel perfect synched scrolling (Score 1) 249

by QuietR10t (#28082863) Attached to: What Made Those Old, 2D Platformers So Great?
This is not at all "nostalgia": it's not something I'm making up. It is not an opinion, it is a *fact*. You cannot argue with a fact.

It could be argued that your fact is not really a fact. Or, even, a fact of relevance to the whole discussion. Or it could be argued that, yes, you can most certainly argue with a fact, in fact, some people call it a discussion, and/or politics, and/or television.
Education

Submission + - The Case for Working With Your Hands 1

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "At a time when the question of what a good job looks like is wide open, the NY Times says it's time to take a fresh look at the trades. High-school shop-class programs were dismantled in the '90s as educators prepared students to become 'knowledge workers' in a pure information economy. Was this was a huge mistake? A gifted young person who chooses to become a mechanic instead of accumulating academic credentials is now viewed as eccentric, if not self-destructive, complains Matthew Crawford, who took his U. of C. PhD and opened a motorcycle repair shop. Princeton economist Alan Blinder argues that the crucial distinction in the emerging labor market is not between those with more or less education, but between those whose services can be delivered over a wire and those who must do their work in person or on site. The latter will find their livelihoods more secure against outsourcing to distant countries. As Blinder puts it, 'You can't hammer a nail over the Internet' (never say never). Guess we all should have paid more attention to Nicholas Negroponte's landmark-in-retrospect Being Digital (ironically, no Kindle version)."

Comment Why are turntables sales up? (Score 1) 743

by QuietR10t (#27152105) Attached to: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
The old MP3 topic comes around once again. It's a pity the article doesn't give more data and how the research was conducted.

Indeed, people probably prefer what they're used to. No matter how many times people pronounce the death of high quality audio because of increasing sales MP3 players and music, an interesting side effect happens. Vinyl sales and turntables keep on going up. Sure, the new vinyl sales numbers are not stratospheric compared to digital distribution, it's, nonetheless, amazing that not only vinyl has survived, but it's growing amid all this. (Steve Guttenberg from CNet wrote about this today.)

Mal Waldrom used to hang out in a 2nd hand audio store and no matter how hard the owner of the store tried to give him a proper hifi system, he persisted on listening to his portable CD player with plastic Sony speakers. He said that the music system was only there to remind him of the music that existed in his head. Admittedly, he had the advantage of having played with jazz greats and no matter which system, the music in his head was indeed better.

Comment LinkedIn through the eyes of a headhunter (Score 2, Insightful) 474

by QuietR10t (#26956599) Attached to: Linked In Or Out?
I work for one of the top executive search companies in the world and LinkedIn is an indispensable tool.

In the past, headhunting was very much about who you knew, the company's own database, thrashing through newsfeeds, list of associations, etc., and a lot of cold calling. LinkedIn has, in a very short time, topped them all.

LinkedIn provides a headhunter with a database that updates itself and that constantly grows without much effort (each connection who adds a connection "expands" my network). It also gives direct access to top executives and allows the headhunter to read the executive's profile before speaking with him/her.

Through the eyes of the user, indeed, the entry price is a little loss of privacy, but I believe the gains outweigh the losses. A LinkedIn user enters the radar screen of headhunters, allows you to stay in touch with former colleagues and friends, and, who knows?!, lands you a job.
Encryption

Submission + - WWII Colossus codecracker outdone by a German (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by
superglaze
superglaze writes: "More on the World War II-era Colossus codecracker project. Not only has it been outdone in a cipher-breaking challenge, but — irony of ironies — it was beaten by a German! From the story: The winner was Joachim Schüth, from Bonn, who completed the task using software he wrote himself. "[Schüth] cracked the most difficult code yesterday," said the museum's spokesperson on Friday. "We're absolutely delighted. He used specially written software for the challenge. Colossus is still chugging away, as we got the signals late. Yesterday the atmospheric conditions were such that we couldn't get good signals.""

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