Posts by Peter Simpson 85 publicly visible posts • joined 13 Apr 2007
"Finally, students would procrastinate about actually starting work, leaving a task until the last possible minute and deliberately completing it under severe time pressure. Leonardi says this was not laziness, but rather a form of boasting designed to show off one's competence among other students."
One of the few things I recall in great detail from my school days, is putting work off till the last moment.
One word: Synaptic. It will make your life much easier. If you're still confused, I suggest a trip to the local bookstore, or a Google for an introductory Linux user's guide.
And by the way...how'd you manage to install Ubuntu 9.04 and not get Open Office automatically installed? It should have been right there under Applications/Office.
"What century are these americans in again?"
Boston's Green Line is the oldest line in the oldest subway system in the US - so that would be the 19th century (parts of it at least).
Riding it is an experience you won't soon forget -- the sounds, the smells, the sights...
Usually, the train stops without the assistance of the one in front of it...
"BOFH-wannabee". Clearly an amateur.
A real BOFH would already be on the beach in the tropics, with the money untouchably in a Cayman Islands bank.
The boss would, of course, be "sleeping with the fishes" in the East River, after a tragic accident when his BMW's computer commanded full speed ahead and right turn, while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.
(Mine's the one with the code listing marked "Property of BMW" in the pocket)
A remarkable job. I visited BP when I was last in the UK, it's a very worthwhile visit, and remarkable that it has been preserved.
For those in the US, the NCR version of the Bombe is available for your viewing pleasure (though behind a glass shield) at the NSA Museum in Maryland.
Mine's the one with the Enigma rotor in the pocket
Because, you know, the whole CAN-SPAM act worked so well to totally prevent anyone from sending us email spam. Why couldn't we legislate porn away as well?
It would be interesting to take a vote and see how many wish to continue receiving porn on port 80 vs how many want it banned.
Paris...who else?
Just got it. Opened the email on my Linux system with Firefox and NoScript, and it reads as follows:
"Powerful explosion burst in this morning.
At least 12 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded in a bomb blast near market in . Authorities suggested that..."
Nice try.
...is the "Organized" part.
Only in an organization, do you need a hierarchy, support structure, funding, followers in sufficient number to raise the appropriate funding...and then, of course, you need to "defend your turf", lest the "others" lure your followers to their heretical beliefs (along with their donations). It all goes downhill from there.
Believe what you want. Just don't hurt anyone else.
...Peace, Love and Linux
"Early adopters will have to fork out extra for a new telly capable of displaying the stereoscopic images and special specs to separate out the left- and right-eye views."
So, I need a special TV *and* shuttered glasses for each viewer. Something tells me that this, along with a lack of content (two cameras for each shot?) makes this plan a non-starter.
What are those folks at Sky smoking, and where can I get some?
//mine's the one with the red/blue cardboard glasses in the pocket
"Why don't you FreeTARDS get yourselves more than 1% of the operating system market and maybe you will get more than 1% of the development monies spent in the system dedicated to supporting you!"
I believe the point here is that there is no additional effort required to support Linux/other OS. The effort seems to have been exerted to *prevent* use by anything other than a few OS/browser combinations.
Now, does that make any sense to you?
FTA: "Heartland is deeply committed to maintaining the security of cardholder data, and we will continue doing everything reasonably possible to achieve this objective."
Apparently, their definition of "everything reasonably possible" doesn't include anti-malware scans or software like Tripwire.
Someone should be asking themselves if this is any way to run a financial business.
//Paris -- because like Heartland's credit card info, she's available to all
To look at all calls within the period of time of interest, and disallow the suspect phones from the network? That allows police and innocent civilians to continue using the system.
Should be easy enough to identify the culprits' cells...they would be PAYG, calling the same number or small group of numbers. With the surveillance society currently being developed in the US, I should think this is already being done...
So, these items probably wouldn't be much use to anyone but another telephone exchange, would they? I mean, they don't improve your home phone service, or make your stereo or microwave work any better, right?
So who's buying them? And I assume they have serial numbers on them, so any maintenance calls would pop up a red flag at the manufacturer's service facility.
deCastro left DEC, the story goes, not because Olsen didn't want a 16-bit minicomputer, but because Olsen didn't want *his* 16-bit mini. deCastro's team's design was passed over for the design that was to become the PDP-11.
The story continues that deCastro took the failed design, allegedly a 16-bit extension of the PDP-8 architecture, and went off to start DG, the design becoming the first NOVA. The story's probably not completely true, but there was a lot of bad feeling between Olsen and deCastro.
Though I worked at DG doing communications hardware, I always preferred the PDP-11 architecture.
//tombstone for dead minicomputer market
As I get ready to go and vote, you remind me of the importance of the act. I cannot thank you enough, even though I'm in MA, for doing *more* than your part to make sure everyone who's eligable to vote, gets to vote.
Keep up the good work, and sleep soundly tonight, knowing that your work is appreciated.
Peter
...if only for the quaint terminology: "secretary", "card punch", "typewriter", etc.
Seriously, though, it's an excellent book, and contains some timeless advice for managing large software projects (and software developers)
// mine's the one with the chads in the pocket
...as a Red Sox fan (down 3-1 in the playoffs), getting beat pretty badly by Tampa, our situation doesn't seem so bad in comparison to these poor guys.
In any case, (say it with me, Sox fans) "there's always next year".
// Nice to have our old Sox back
/// But then again, it's not over, till it's over...
I have been following your tribulations and your four point plan for OU makes complete sense. If OU were sensible enough to follow your suggestions, they could only come out ahead in this.
Who would have thought that "publish or perish" might lead to junk papers...
//Paris...currently doing this course as well
There appears to be a subculture of "universities" that cater to those trying to acquire a degree while working. There are several around me here in Boston. I have always suspected that they (a) attach themselves (or are spun off from) universities that have a good reputation for traditional (full time) undergraduate programs, and (b) know that employers are paying a portion of the fees.
The true skeptic would say that they see a market and exploit it. A good example is a well known university in this area which has long emphasised a co-operative education, sending its undergraduates out for a semester or two working in industry. It has an excellent reputation. However, its evening and part time division has a reputation which is not quite as stellar. This organization hires part-time instructors (who often work a day job and are picking up some extra cash by working nights as part-time instructors) and somewhat more lax standards (both for instructors and course content). Suffice it to say that the evening courses are nowhere near the standard of the day, full time, ones. But they cost the same (or more, as you're taking them a-la-carte, if you will, rather than as a 4-year integrated program). Degree requirements can almost be guaranteed to change during the time you spend trying to get enough evening courses taken to finish. This means more courses than you had planned, and, of course, more of your time and money.
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