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Comment Re:After five years... (Score 1) 655

BCS 1995 Grad Skills still relevant: Operating Systems (Was Unix, but the growth in Linux let me reuse that knowledge) Databases - using daily. Compiler Construction - Very useful in conjunction with the programming languages I learned. C++/Fortran/Modula-2/Scheme/Cobol/APL/JCL - Apart from C++, do not use these, but newer languages are quite easy for me to pick up. Algorithms - Occasional use in analysing performance issues. Lessons from this inform most of my decisions when programming. Sometimes I think people exaggerate just how much different things are from what came before - perhaps it just points to how easily pick up on new technologies.

Comment Re:One major difference (Score 1) 82

by valadaar (#43935387) Attached to: ROVs Discover Deep Sea Trash
Well, the _plan_ is to remove all that stuff. I'm not so sure in practice this is done. Lowest bidder and all. If they remove everything down to the steel, and then sandblast every inch, then I'd agree, but I sincerely doubt they are that meticulous in practice. When I see people use the words ALL, always, never, etc, my bullshit meter goes off the chart. I have rarely seen absolute statements be accurate, especially when there is no financial gain as an end result.
United Kingdom

Dogs Can Be Pessimistic 99

Posted by samzenpus from the dog-in-black dept.
Not that it will change anything, but researchers at Bristol University say that your dog might be a gloom-monger. In addition to the downer dogs, the study also found a few that seemed happy no matter how uncaring the world around them was. "We know that people's emotional states affect their judgments and that happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively. What our study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs," said professor Mike Mendl, an author of the study and head of animal welfare and behavior at Bristol University.
Businesses

Game Prices — a Historical Perspective 225

Posted by Soulskill from the all-about-the-benjamins dept.
The Opposable Thumbs blog scrutinizes the common wisdom that video games are too expensive, or that they're more expensive than they were in the past. They found that while in some cases the sticker price has increased, it generally hasn't outpaced inflation, making 2010 a cheaper time to be a gamer than the '80s and '90s. Quoting: "... we tracked down a press release putting the suggested retail price of both Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 at $69.99. [Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumer's Association] says that the N64 launch game pricing only tells you part of the story. 'Yes, some N64 games retailed for as high as $80, but it was also the high end of a 60 to 80 dollar range,' he told Ars. 'Retailers had more flexibility with pricing back then — though they've consistently maintained that the Suggested Retail Price was/is just a guide. Adjusted for inflation, we're generally paying less now than we have historically. But to be fair, DLC isn't factored in.' He also points out all the different ways that we can now access games: you can buy a game used, rent a game, or play certain online games for free. There are multiple ways to sell your old console games, and the competition in the market causes prices to fall quickly."
PlayStation (Games)

Best Buy Unapologetic About Charging For PS3 Firmware Updates 454

Posted by Soulskill from the a-fool-and-his-money dept.
donniebaseball23 writes "After discovering that electronics retailer Best Buy was charging ignorant customers $30 for the 'service' of installing updated firmware on PS3s, IndustryGamers got word from the company on its policy. Best Buy sees no problem with charging for this convenience, even though it's something Sony provides to PS3 owners completely free. 'While many gamers can handle firmware upgrades easily on their own, those customers who do want help can get it from Geek Squad, and we continue to evaluate this offering to ensure it meets their needs. The service goes beyond a firmware updates, and includes user account setup, parental control setup and other components,' a representative said."

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