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IT

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: How did you become a Linux professional?

Submitted by
ternarybit
ternarybit writes: "By 'Linux professional,' I mean anyone in a paid IT position who uses or administers Linux systems on a daily basis.

Over the past five years, I've developed an affection for Linux, and use it every day as a freelance IT consultant. I've built a breadth of somewhat intermediate skills, using several distros for everything from everyday desktop use, to building servers from scratch, to performing data recovery. I'm interested in taking my skills to the next level—and making a career out of it—but I'm not sure how best to appeal to prospective employers, or even what to specialize in (I refuse to believe the only option is "sysadmin," though I'm certainly not opposed to that).

Most specifically, I'm interested in what practical steps I can take to build meaningful skills that an employer can verify, and will find valuable. So, what do you do, and how did you get there? How did you conquer the catch-22 of needing experience to get the position that gives you the experience to get the position? Did you get certified, devour books and manpages, apprentice under an expert, some combination of the above, or something else entirely?"
Technology

Submission + - AirPod, a car that runs on air is coming to India (gizmocrazed.com)

Submitted by Diggester
Diggester writes: Tata Motors (an Indian car manufacturer) is changing things up with the first car to run on air, the Airpod.

The Airpod's technology was originally created in France at Motor Development International but has since been bought buy Tata in hopes to bring it to the Indian consumer car market. With virtually zero emissions and at the cost of about a penny per kilometer, it is definitely one of the most environmentally and economically friendly vehicles in the world. The tank holds about 175 liters of compressed air that can be filled at special stations or by activating the on-board electric motor to suck air in from the outside. Costing about $10,000, this car could beat out most smart cars from the market.

Comment I'm going to play Devi'ls Advocate (Score 1) 1307

by theKiyote (#35864040) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Do I Give IT a Login On Our Dept. Server?

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate and go against the IT sympathizing majority and say that it depends. I can see it being entirely possible that inside a place like a hospital, in a department that is as high tech as the OP is claiming, that a Department Head may be in charge of organizing the set up and maintenance of medical equipment that is outside of IT's direct (or at least day to day) control. A territorial Department Head, especially a knowledgeable, may want to keep IT's involvement as minimal as possible, if only to avoid red tape.

I work as the head of IT for a library which, admittedly, is not nearly as regulated as a hospital, but we've had some similar issues. The library system we are a member of will, for a fee, manage our network, we choose to run our network and servers internally. Every once in a while, we'll make a change to our internal network, such as a superscope addition, and they'll scream bloody murder, and say we can't do that, that they need access to everything to keep it all from blowing up or something. Without telling us why. So, without knowing the full scope of IT's role at the hospital, I can potentially see a situation where the Department Head may not be completely unjustified in asking why IT wants access.

Comment Re:For years... (Score 2, Insightful) 369

by theKiyote (#27729335) Attached to: Cosmetic Neurology

Pot has roughly the same effect as vallium on some, which allows them to get past their own anxiety to accomplish a task better like public speaking. It does nothing to make them more creative, just lets them use their existing talents better.

But, in this particular example, if a person performs the task more because they have less anxiety, they develop a higher level of ability, just through extended practice.

And as far as the hallucinogenics go, you can't actually perform more efficiently on them, but sometimes it's possible to get a flash of insight that you can apply when you come off of them.

Comment Re:Honesty? (Score 1) 113

by theKiyote (#27181913) Attached to: Cybercrime-As-a-Service Takes Off
Honestly? Yes. I think it's a matter of risk more than anything. A writer of a trojan could claim that it wasn't intended to be used for illegal purposes, he didn't mean for it to have any purpose but pen-testing and research, etc., that may help him avoid heavier prosecution than the person who is actually committing the act.
Businesses

Submission + - Bank on Your Cell Phone

Submitted by AnonGirl
AnonGirl writes: Big banks are launching mobile banks to "keep customers and generate more payment revenue down the line." Citibank is working on two pilots one with Obopay the other for contact less payments. AT&T phones will have Wachovia already installed in their phones by fourth quarter 2007. The downside: "Even though banks are not charging for their service, carriers do charge for accessing data through their phone."
Classic Games (Games)

The History and Future of Zork 69

Posted by Zonk from the just-one-letter-off dept.
Matt Barton writes "I thought folks might be interested in my History of Zork feature on Gamasutra. I interviewed three of the original 'imps' for the piece (you can read the full interviews online) as well as Nick Montfort (author of Twisty Little Passages) and Howard Sherman (president of Malinche Entertainment). The article covers the original trilogy, as well as Enchanter and the later Activision games such as Zork: Grand Inquisitor."
Networking

US Lags World In Broadband Access 608

Posted by Zonk from the get-cracking-tube-layers dept.
An anonymous reader writes "When It Comes To Broadband, U.S. Plays Follow The Leader says a story in IWeek. Their thesis is that, while broadband access in the United States rose from 60 million users in March 2005 to 84 million in March 2006, the US is well behind countries like England and China. Indeed, what you may not realize is that the U.S. ranks a surprisingly poor 12th in worldwide broadband access, a situation which could threaten its ability to maintain its technological lead. The federal government is no help: the FCC has almost no data on the rate of hi-speed adoption, or of what the speed and quality of those services are. Broadband is more expensive here than in other nations, as well, almost 10 times as expensive by some estimates. The cost and poor quality of service aren't from population density, aren't from lack of interest, and are not from lack of technical know-how. So, what is holding us back?
PC Games (Games)

Gears of War Heading To PC Someday 69

Posted by Zonk from the taking-cover-behind-your-video-card dept.
Mark Rein, of Epic Studios, told the folks over at Team Xbox that sooner or later Gears of War will be heading for the PC. With Microsoft's 'ownership' of both the 360 and PC platforms, it's a no-brainer that Epic's epic will make its way there eventually; the question is one of keeping quality high and satisfying fans of the franchise. They also discuss the hopeful-looking future for the game, as a part of the Marketplace download ecology and in future games. Rein states: "The big challenge is to make a game that was designed solely for the console, to take advantage of every last little corner of that console, to fill every little crack and run as many threads as we could and do as much to exploit the power of that machine, and make it run well on enough PCs to be worth releasing. That's a challenge." For another look back and forward on the game, 1up has a chat with CliffyB up on their site.
Privacy

Journal Journal: MySpace Not Guilty in Child Assault Case 228

Journal by AppleButter
The Washington Post reports that a Texas judge dismissed a $30 million case against MySpace for their role in a child assault case. 19-year old Peter Solis lied about his age on MySpace to gain the confidence the confidence of a 13-year old girl. The judge ruled, "If anyone had a duty to protect Julie Doe, it was her parents, not MySpace."

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