Sign in / up

* Posts by LoneStranger

4 publicly visible posts • joined 4 Jan 2013

UK govt preps World War 2 energy rationing to keep the lights on

LoneStranger
Reply Icon

Re: Let's get Fracking

So, regulate the industry to set high standards for drillers.

In America the 2 sides (Frackers/Government) got together too late after the Frackers had started drilling - with the obvious big-business consequences.

Let's get people around a table to talk about this rather than have lots of scare stories about a little bit of earth movement under Blackpool.

Now that fracking in the US is "properly" regulated, they have slashed the US energy costs.

Is fracking any worse than the alternatives?

5 0
LoneStranger

Let's get Fracking

Finally some home truths about how expensive UK energy is. This goes back much further than 2012 - successive governments have been warned that our spare capacity was running out.

So, we have a number of options. Nuclear, Old Fossil Fuels, or Fracking.

Nuclear will take too long to build the power stations

Old Fossil fuels will still be quite expensive

Fracking - true it may not be 100% clean, but it is still better than the other options

Admittedly, restarting the coal stations would have Maggie spinning in her grave.

However, we need to get on with Fracking, or do we listen to the same uniformed public/politicians.

9 8

Finance bods probe RBS over bank-crippling IT cock-up

LoneStranger
Reply Icon

Re: Not outsourced

So, this "15 Million per annum" costs 174 Million.

On that basis, I'm glad I've never been promoted to management.

0 0

What Compsci textbooks don't tell you: Real world code sucks

LoneStranger
Reply Icon

Re: Flawed Assumption

I agree - Investment Banking, especially the front-office sections - is generally not a hot-bed of talent for computer programmers.

Having worked at some of the same companies (even the same teams) as the OP, other considerations generally get in the way of writing 100% correct/stylish code.

Investment Banks are not software houses. A lot of the code will be written by people with no CS or CEng background so it is not fair to expect them to write beautiful or perfect code. Time considerations generally man that you only get 1 shot at writing most of the code, and you very rarely get the time(aka money) to refactor the code at a later stage.

However, the OP seems to miss the point about teaching programming. You don't teach people how to program badly, they just have to learn that for themselves.

0 0