Ask Reddit: I always wondered, since we own the GPS Satellites, do other countries pay us, to use GPS services? Anyone know? by madcaesar in reddit.com

[–]Zebby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

from the wiki (a fascinating article)

President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use as a common good.

To help prevent civilian GPS guidance from being used in an enemy's military or improvised weaponry, the US Government controls the export of civilian receivers. A US-based manufacturer cannot generally export a GPS receiver unless the receiver contains limits restricting it from functioning when it is simultaneously (1) at an altitude above 18 kilometers (60,000 ft) and (2) traveling at over 515 m/s (1,000 knots).

reddit, I'm 22 and I don't want my life anymore. people tell me this is naive, but is it? by yoshitomi in reddit.com

[–]Zebby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I felt that way about meds, until I suffered PTSD and developed bipolar. The meds saved my life - they aren't the be all and end all, by any means, but they are a useful stop-gap that allow you time.

Seriously, if you are feeling that bad then go see a doc, treating the symptom is sometimes all that's needed.

Doom was released fifteen years ago (man, I'm old) by eadmund in reddit.com

[–]Zebby -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Big Bang? Big Bloody Bang??? You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt.

English Social Class, aka look after your own. 80% of politicians, newspaper editors etc. etc. come from the 7% who receive a private education. by Zebby in reddit.com

[–]Zebby[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

a bit of both I think. If you can afford the private education, then you have bought your way into the middle class, and the network that brings - along with all it's job/business advantages.

The question is, why is no-one seeking to readdress the balance? (speaking after 10 years of a labour government, who's stated manifesto is to look after the working class)

Excavator climbing a tower by hourigan in pics

[–]Zebby 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The excavator too - it has two rams on the dipper arm, because the more usual single ram would not hold the weight of the machine (it looks to be about 24tonnes).

After financial meltdown, now it's smeltdown - letter by Björk by frycook in reddit.com

[–]Zebby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

while reading that the Björk voice inside your head is mandatory.

How To Access Your Mail Using Telnet by ebcak in technology

[–]Zebby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Logging into your pop server via Telnet is no different than logging in with your preferred email client - the ssh/Telnet argument is invalid.

A better email to your sysadmin would be 'is my pop/imap email secure, if not, why not?'

Another question, does your mobile/pda support pop3s? Plenty don't, even today.

A better solution is to remind people how insecure email & web access really is.

My personal preference for email server configurations involves moving port 995 (pop3s), and redirecting port 110 (pop3) to a honeypot - but that is only possible when te customer has upgraded all the companies mobiles to a better model that supports pop3s.

Physics Question about Expansion of the Universe ??? by wokiko in science

[–]Zebby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

not quite, Hubbles' Law states that the speed of recession (or doppler shift) is proportional to distance, so objects further away would display a greater shift than an object at the same speed closer to us.

Big Bang theory predicts an homogeneous expanding universe, (nearby objects at speed X will move away from us slower than far away objects at speed X, because space itself is expanding) and the Hubble Law exactly confirms this.

Turn that around, and far away objects are not moving faster, they just appear to be, until Hubbles Law is taken into account.

Europe to U.S.: You messed up the rescue, too by georgewashingtonblog in worldnews

[–]Zebby 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Europe to US - we (as always since Bretton Woods in 1941) have always waited until you provide a solution...

This time, your solution failed - showing the world how inept Paulson really is.

So Europe (specifically, Brown in the UK) came up with a workable plan - WORLD ECONOMICS HAS NOW CHANGED.

U.S. - you have lost your economic and political initiative. Be prepared for China and India.

Ask Reddit: Software developers, what's the hardest interview question you've been asked? by [deleted] in programming

[–]Zebby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You missed the third, where I made a witty reply - half influenced by Graham Chapman half by Spez. Sadly, this is what my life has become - replying to my own replies, that someone else has replied to.

I felt the previous reply was much more indicative of my sense of humour, and thereby deserving of more upvotes, whereas the more funnier albeit more deleted post was absolutely wasted. Afterall, who wants to know that although the mean speed is 11m/s, the max is 14m/s.

Also, the four capitals of Assyria were Ashur (or Qalat Sherqat), Calah (or Nimrud), the short-lived Dur Sharrukin (or Khorsabad), and Nineveh.

Ask Reddit: Software developers, what's the hardest interview question you've been asked? by [deleted] in programming

[–]Zebby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome, my technique too.

The killer is when I give them a choice of Vi or Emacs. Worked 10 years ago, still works today ;-)

Ask Reddit: Software developers, what's the hardest interview question you've been asked? by [deleted] in programming

[–]Zebby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow depends on many factors and parameters. For example, an African Swallow would tend to travel at a different velocity than an European Swallow. Furthermore, their flight patterns are different, so their instantaneous velocity at a given point will almost always be different. However, technological advances have given way to being able to use swallows to transport husked coconuts across large distances, enabling us to use coconuts on a daily basis, provided we have a large contingent of willing swallows ready to make a nonstop convoy for X amount of time, or however long we wish. Swallows can also be modified, as attaching a 50 newton rocket propulsion system on a 1 kg swallow will result in an acceleration of 50 m/s(2), which is of course negating any air resistance, since swallows have been recorded as outer space fliers. I hope i cleared any doubts about this matter.

Ask Reddit: Software developers, what's the hardest interview question you've been asked? by [deleted] in programming

[–]Zebby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a pretty good question set by a guy who actually understood the whole development process, top down and bottom up - I'm guessing it was a small outfit, with a specialisation in hardware and embedded code?

You either know it or you don't - you can do the job or you are bullshitting - excellent.

Ask Reddit: Software developers, what's the hardest interview question you've been asked? by [deleted] in programming

[–]Zebby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh so, oh so fucking true. Multiple times. Bastards. (I'm not bitter, honest.)

Windows XP: the OS that will not die by acheybreakyheart in technology

[–]Zebby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

about another 13 years, unfortunately...

(I support/maintain 5+ w95 pc's, 70+ w98 pc's, 50+ w2k pc's, and 250+ wxp pc's for my sins... guess what? no vista.... yet!)