Comment You can also access YouTube on Roku via Plex (Score 4, Informative) 80
Goodness sakes, Plex is wonderful.
Comment Re:College wasn't an option for some (Score 1) 655
When I went to school, my current job (network admin) didn't even exist.
I went to school for computer repair. As in- find the bad component on this circuit board, unsolder it and install a new one. PC LANs wouldn't exist in any meaningful way for several more years.
I owe a lot to the sheer luck of timing. I had a good base of knowledge when PC LANs did roll around and I've just been adjusting to new technologies ever since.
I went to school for computer repair. As in- find the bad component on this circuit board, unsolder it and install a new one. PC LANs wouldn't exist in any meaningful way for several more years.
I owe a lot to the sheer luck of timing. I had a good base of knowledge when PC LANs did roll around and I've just been adjusting to new technologies ever since.
Comment Re:Lost decade? Not quite (Score 1) 407
My memory is shaky on this, but I believe quite a large number of machines with OEM Vista licenses shipped with XP installed, via downgrade rights. I know the organizations I was working with at the time bought quite a few HP machines configured this way. MS kept extending XP's availability in this way, somewhat masking the almost complete lack of interest in Vista for corporate clients.
What failed to happen was a mass migration to Vista by corporations. They mostly just waited for Win 7.
What failed to happen was a mass migration to Vista by corporations. They mostly just waited for Win 7.
Comment Thanks for everything, CmdrTaco (Score 1) 1521
Best of luck, Rob.
Comment Nice one, Taco. (Score 1) 1307
Any more red meat like this in the submission queue?
Selling Incandescent Light Bulbs As Heating Devices 557
Csiko writes "The European Union has banned by law trading of incandescent light bulbs due to their bad efficiency/ecology (most of the energy is transformed into heat). A company is now trying to bypass this restriction by offering their incandescent light bulb products as a heating device (article in German) instead of a light device. Still, their 'heat balls' give light as well as heating. So — every law can be bypassed if you have some creativity!"
Comment Wow. (Score 1) 133
If this works well, I have a bunch of use for this. Thank you for the heads-up.
Correcting Poor Typing Technique? 425
An anonymous reader writes "When beginning to use keyboards I did not pay much attention to touch typing technique. Instead, I eventually achieved decent rates by simply doing what felt natural to me. These days my qwerty typing speed is in the range of 90-110 WPM, probably more toward the lower end. While this isn't too shabby, I feel some awkwardness in my technique (such as not using my little and ring fingers when I really should). Has anyone been in a similar situation, wanted to fix it, and actually done so? What do you reckon is the best way to fix half-broken typing? Touch training sessions? Should I switch to Dvorak and pretty much learn typing from scratch, but properly this time?"
Comment Re:When I became self-employed (Score 1) 1197
I believe the concept of "pre-existing condition" only comes into play when changing providers. Since her diagnosis occurred with our current provider, she's covered for that diagnosis (she still gets regular (and expensive) screenings) as well as future health issues.
Also, disability insurance should be considered in addition to health insurance. It isn't horribly expensive and the younger you start the policy, the less expensive it will be.
Comment When I became self-employed (Score 2, Insightful) 1197
I got an individual plan from the same provider that my company had been with. It was really pretty simple. Not cheap, but simple.
I'm damned glad that I did, too. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years later (she's fine now). We would have been wiped out if not for insurance.
I'm damned glad that I did, too. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years later (she's fine now). We would have been wiped out if not for insurance.
Comment Re:Pentium Pride! (Score 1) 354
I'm still running a Pentium Pro 200 as my firewall. It just keeps chugging along.
It's sitting next to an IBM 5150 that I just can't bear to throw out. It still runs. I have Minix on it.
It's sitting next to an IBM 5150 that I just can't bear to throw out. It still runs. I have Minix on it.
US Colleges Say Hiring US Students a Bad Deal 490
theodp writes "Many US colleges and universities have notices posted on their websites informing US companies that they're tax chumps if they hire students who are US citizens. 'In fact, a company may save money by hiring international students because the majority of them are exempt from Social Security (FICA) and Medicare tax requirements,' advises the taxpayer-supported University of Pittsburgh (pdf) as it makes the case against hiring its own US students. You'll find identical pitches made by the University of Delaware, the University of Cincinnati, Kansas State University, the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin, Iowa State University, and other public colleges and universities. The same message is also echoed by private schools, such as John Hopkins University, Brown University, Rollins College and Loyola University Chicago."
Comment Phillies fans rejoice! (Score 1) 274
Frank Herbert's Moisture Traps May Be a Reality 226
Omomyid writes "In the seminal science fiction book 'Dune,' Frank Herbert envisioned the Fremen collecting water from the air via moisture traps and dew collectors. Science Daily reprints a press release from the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart, where scientists working with colleagues from Logos Innovationen have developed a closed-loop and self-sustaining method, no external power required, for teasing the humidity out of desert air and into potable water."
Palm Pre Is Out, Time For Discussion 283
caffiend666 writes "Palm Pre is out, let's discuss the status and compare stories. The first day seems to have gone as well as expected, with many selling out before noon. I bought the second at the local Sprint store, and so far I like it. Much more one-hand friendly than the iPhone. I haven't gotten the main apps to sync with Linux, but the media portion functions much like a thumb-drive with my Fedora-8 Linux system. For the Pre-verts out there, here's some Palm Pre dismantling pictures."
