Posts by Eddy Ito

Re: @Eddy Ito

Lamont, in business there are these things called liability and risk. I don't have to read anything into the photo but it would only be prudent for me to avoid an unnecessary risk. Given two nearly identical candidates with the only difference being photos of each candidate, one jogging on the beach and the other downing a bottle of rum with a spliff in hand. Even if the jogger didn't do quite as well in the interview, the pic could easily be the deciding factor. Hell, given current health care costs employers are quietly screening out smokers and the obese what makes you think they aren't screening out other people. Besides, in a competitive market, it's a little foolish to think that you and your snaps aren't competing with the healthy jogger on the beach.

Re: End the Drug War or No More Debt

I don't know that you can pin the entire drug war on the red shirts. The tipping point was when Len Bias died from a cocaine overdose and that caused the blue shirts to become drug warriors en masse.

To me it's just more proof that when the red and blue shirts agree the result is the people get the worst of it.

I waited to buy a new phone for the launch of the Z10 but they missed my price point by a wide margin for an unlocked unit and I figured it would be quite a while before I figured the price would drop to a point I considered acceptable so I bought another make. Now of course it's a bit below what I had paid for my current phone and I'd be happy to switch if I didn't have this other brand new phone.

Re: Oh, the choices...

You're pocketing it wrong.

Huh, wait, what? No, you're meme? Oh, sorry.

Re: @toadwarrior (Bronze badge)

"They don't want the competition that Apple brings."

I imagine they are like most folks and the fandroids don't mind a bit of competition, it's the round corners patent trolling that gets their goat just like the FRAND nonsense going the other way smacks a hair across the arse of most fanbois.

Re: Weighty

Given I can comfortably reach my arms across the kitchen to touch the counter on each side I know where I won't be putting a 7 foot unit. Now depending on how tall they lights are then a suitable bracket that would hold the light flat against the wall would make it a rather interesting wall sconce with the potential to use the inside of the ring as something like a bookcase or a cabinet for the entertainment center. Reversing the light so it illuminated the inside of the ring might make for an option to highlight artwork. I'd avoid putting it in a narrow passage, as it looks about a foot thick if that's the three footer shown in the pics.

Re: Kids are faster

I always felt it was the opposite and that kids were a bit dull witted. They are smart arses for sure but a bit slow on the uptake. Then again, as I wane into past through the second half on middle age I do notice that a week goes by quite quickly whilst the youngsters about complain that it takes forever for the weekend to arrive and I can only explain that since a week is a tiny fraction of my total temporal experience it should seem quite a bit smaller than for one whom a week is a more substantial fraction of their existence. Certainly a difference in the perception of time would also account for it but I also find I haven't tripped, stumbled or fell for many years where the chitlin's are constantly getting back up with scrapes on their knee so that's a fat lot of good all that speedy perception does them unless I also fall more slowly and thereby have more time to catch myself¹.

Meh, I unscientifically maintain that bodily energy is constant and small critters have to use more energy per pound in a given amount of time and that some of that is put toward paying attention to the lesser details like "are we there yet?" and that is why little children and small dogs tend to be yappy and never settle down until the crash that results when their body simply can't keep up because the individual brain and muscle cells appreciate neither size nor time.

¹Being taller, I actually do have more time to catch myself but shouldn't that be compensated for in my slowed perception of time?

But it's not a good deal for the taxpayer since Google isn't paying market rates and saying they get to write off the NASA usage on their tax bill and that they have to pay 75% of normal fuel costs and a bit of a million in rent just makes my heart bleeds purple piss for them. Shit, park either Boeing at San Jose for a day and it will cost about $300 per day just for parking and that doesn't count the 20 cent per 1000 pound ramp fees.

Re: Paranoia

"If I were such a researcher, I'd be having a word with my lawyers now about the potential for a suit for defamation to authors of posts like this."

And your lawyers would be laughing at you all the way to the bank as they wonder just how much they can soak you for. Questioning the integrity of any government entity isn't exactly paranoia since government has to be constantly challenged to hold them in check or they will overreach their bounds. Even if NIST does everything perfectly they still require someone to come in and ask questions.

FYI, an appeal to authority is a bit less useful than bat guano or even sheep shit in these parts so try selling that fertilizer elsewhere. Unless you're going to argue that investment bankers are magical specialists who keep the engine of the economy going smoothly and never require an audit once in a while.

Re: wasn't there a dystopian film

That's the problem with dystopian films, every time the government sees one it can't help but think, 'hey, that isn't such a bad idea'.

Of course with the war in Iraq still quite visible in the rear view mirror can anyone honestly fault President Rousseff's conclusion?

Re: Bring ALL the manufacturing back...

I think you're missing something. Manufacturing != jobs. Most jobs "lost" to outsourcing aren't coming back and will eventually be lost completely as automation takes over these jobs. Repetitive manual labor isn't competing with cheap labor sources in other countries, it is competing with machines that don't need bio-breaks, training or overtime and, if machines aren't already, they will be cheaper, faster and more accurate.

Actually I think you'll find the biggest drain to union power came from a combination of sources from labor laws to a good economy. When folks can pretty much get a good deal by default there isn't much point paying $1 in union dues for a benefit bump worth 80 cents. Notice that it's only now when the economy is poor there a bunch of talk about strikes and unions with the current focus on fast food which will only hasten the rise of the machines.

That's harsh

"myself excluded, of coarse."

Not to put too fine a point on it but you should clean that up a bit, it's a little rough around the edges.

Re: It sounds like@Eddy Ito

The point is that 4 is an unlucky number because in Mandarin Chinese it is pronounced 'si4' (fourth tone) which differs only in tone from the word for dead or death, which is pronounced 'si3' (third tone). Likewise, four point four is pronounced si4 dian3 si4 and my attempt at humor "dead sediment dead" would be pronounced si3 dian4 si3.

Re: Really? - it doesn't matter if you are in the IRA,

... in places like Boston. By "actively allowing" I mean "with the co-operation of the police"

In Boston! I'm shocked Whitey Bulger would let such a thing happen on his turf. Certainly not in Southie. Oh wait.

Re: Talk about bad timing ..

" not an easy task to get the pins lined up"

That's the part I don't get. Instead of pins, why not use a pad contact on each side of the tag so it becomes a simple edge type connector although I grant that gets a bit difficult for something like a wine bottle. Also, what is the useful life of these tags and can they be salvaged by some nefarious garbage picker and sold on the black market?

Re: Who cares

Oddly, no. I do remember saying things like "when will I ever have a decent signal at home so I can dump the fixed line leach and be mobile only". Of course that was when the base + per minute + long distance on the landline was higher than that of cellular each month on my Motorola 2950. Then again, part of that was a local call included cities 40 miles away which I never called and my brother, two towns and 7 miles away, was long distance.

Yeah, it strikes me as about $200 too high. Then again there are probably a few people with more dollars than sense who will be ready, willing and able to drop $300 on an accessory to their $700 phone.

Just one question, will the watch work with phones that are cheaper than it is?

Re: So forget about presumption of innocence

Unfortunately too many in law enforcement feel most folks are merely criminals who have yet to be caught. In my experience it generally runs from 30% to 60% of any given agency, department or station house and of that percentage about half are themselves criminals. I guess the last group must figure that since they are both criminals and super cops then the average schlub must be axe murders who only eat live human children. Well up until the children are capable of expressing an opinion anyway, at which point they become perps in waiting just like everyone else.

Re: "The local council has voted to make sure the island is carpeted with bland housing estates"

Have to do something to keep the tax base up while keeping that filthy nouveau riche at arms length.

Re: @dogged Too bad

"Because the code is there for all to see"

Source is only useful if you trust everything in the tool chain or have you not read Ken Thompsons "Reflections on Trusting Trust"? That isn't to say you couldn't apply Wheeler's Diverse Double-Compiling method but that doesn't tell you about the hardware the software is being run on. Do you really think it would be that hard for the hardware maker to subvert all your code reading with a simple chip that provided whatever information it felt like to some agency?

Re: Need some new certs

Google doesn't advertise their NSACBP either.

Does a hot pink Tesla S count as a red sports car?

Re: "Trademark", "patent", "copyright" and "intellectual property"

Positively brilliant! It only seems fitting that "Boardwalk" and "Park Place" be replaced by "USPTO" and "USITC".

Re: Survey

According to Obama & Co. the only users are terrorists.

Re: Does it only have rudders?

Judging from the mount, it looks like the canard will be functional providing pitch control.