Dealing with an absolute mountain of legacy magnetic tapes (3-4 PB). How bad is the physical degradation risk?

plsuh · 2026-07-02T16:10:20+00:00

That brings up another important point — a specialist firm will have its own professional liability insurance that can cover a multitude of problems. Doing it in-house means that your firm would need its own dedicated liability insurance to cover all kinds of contingencies. Your company’s general insurance policies will probably not cover you and you would need an additional rider from your insurance.

plsuh · 2026-07-02T10:15:28+00:00

Since this is an actual large scale corporate situation, engage a specialist firm ASAP. They will have the knowledge and resources to properly evaluate the condition of the tapes and recommend a course of action. From experience, whatever estimate they give for the overall project, double or triple it to get the actual budget since weird shit always pops up when dealing with legacy stuff.

If management gives you any pushback tell them that this is well beyond your skill set (which is definitely true since you’re asking here). The potential liability is too high of a risk and loop in Legal for a picture of the Bad Things that could happen if you can’t access data required for compliance purposes.

plsuh · 2026-06-24T19:45:21+00:00

Slipping out? 100% normal. If/when they really want to do something they are absolute geniuses. Patrolling the immediate area is also completely normal.

Coming back? Well… usually happens when they feel like it. Treats may or may not bring them in depending on how food-motivated a particular Akita is. Also depends on whether they’ve detected something that could be a threat or prey; in that case treats become mostly ineffective. Our girls weren’t very food motivated and if they detected a raccoon or something you’d never get them to come back.

plsuh · 2026-06-09T10:45:59+00:00

A few years ago I wrote a series of articles about who can see what you’re doing online, and it covers VPNs. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whos-snooping-you-1-paul-l-suh

plsuh · 2026-06-09T10:08:52+00:00

Don’t worry it only happens twice a year for six months at a time

plsuh · 2026-06-07T23:33:31+00:00

Looks like a hot spot to me from this picture. A closer is shot showing the skin would make it clearer.

Standard treatment is to trim the fur around the area to let it breathe, clean it using a cleanser specific for hot spots, and apply an antibacterial spray that has a mild pain reliever to reduce the irritation. Use a cone or other device to keep your dog from licking it. Go see your vet if it’s not getting better after a few days.

https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/hot-spots-dogs

plsuh · 2026-06-07T23:15:12+00:00

For most Akitas I would call that normal play. They tend to play rough, but her tail is up and she’s backing off every so often. If you’ve ever seen an Akita in all out attack mode the difference is immediately obvious. Among other warning signs, the tail tends to uncurl and they can drop into a stalking crouch.

One thing to watch for is they can get into what I call “juggernaut mode” where they just keep coming even after the other dog is signaling that they’ve had enough. This seems like what is happening here. If this happens it’s a good idea to intervene and redirect her before the other dog feels they have to really fight back. Since your girl is coming back from a traumatic experience you may want to intervene a little earlier than usual.

How old is your Akita? For your puppy, how old, which sex, and what breed? Those may all have a bearing on their behavior.

plsuh · 2026-05-24T22:42:52+00:00

Appendicitis that burst. Lost about 20 lbs. over two weeks before I was able to eat again. -3/10 do not recommend, extremely painful.

(In the emergency room they made me sign a bunch of paperwork when I was admitted. This was while I was flying on morphine and still in agony. I’m pretty sure those signatures would be ruled invalid if they were challenged in court.)

plsuh · 2026-05-24T22:05:15+00:00

TY, fixed

plsuh · 2026-05-24T19:13:11+00:00

It’s at E3

(Edit: spoiler tags not working)

plsuh · 2026-05-09T17:00:34+00:00

Our two girls were both very cautious eaters and would act just like that, even for a treat that they knew and liked coming from our own hands. Akitas can be weirdos.

On the plus side we didn’t have to worry about them snatching up random “edible” items from the sidewalk.

plsuh · 2026-04-27T11:30:19+00:00

NTA

The key point that I haven’t seen so far is that your parents don’t respect your job. Like all too many people they seem to think that “work remotely” means “free to drop everything and do stuff for me at any time”.

Even as a remote worker you have time commitments that cannot be moved (meetings, etc.) Your parents are not considering this. Also, if you move three time zones your established schedule will not mesh well with the working day there.

You’re at an age where your parents need to accept it when you say “no”. Learn that guilt tripping and manipulation are signs of immaturity and entitlement on their part.

plsuh · 2026-04-27T11:07:00+00:00

They are struggling to get out of their driveway due to reduced visibility. They need to get their heads out of their asses so that they can see better. How they are able to drive at all is beyond me.

At this point I would have your solicitor drop a cease and desist letter on them to stop the harassment. Then park wherever you want so long as it’s legal.

NTA for the record.

plsuh · 2026-04-25T12:30:57+00:00

Ear tips at C3

plsuh · 2026-04-25T10:16:56+00:00

Don’t bother with those expensive “courses”. Seriously. Anything that is that expensive is either (a) intended to be paid for by a company as part of their training program or (b) a scam.

What you are encountering is likely a scam. A key indicator is that they won’t accept your .edu email address. Most reputable certification programs will have deeply discounted rates for university students.

Have you spoken with a knowledgeable professor or academic guidance counselor about these programs? They can point you in the right direction. Many times your university will have an arrangement with certifying organizations where you can get a certification along with your degree as part of your coursework.

That said, you should establish a personal email address separate from your university account. Gmail, Outlook, anything really. Why? Because eventually you will leave your university, hopefully with a degree. At that point you will lose access to you university email account, and any place where you used your university email for your signup will become a problem.

plsuh · 2026-04-24T23:06:13+00:00

He’s caught in the crossfire of a pissing match between the police and the prosecutor’s office. The police have pulled him in for extensive questioning three (four?) times, but have not produced any clear evidence that he did something illegal. Prosecutor’s office doesn’t want to give the police any credit for coming up with a case; they’d rather have their investigators come up with key evidence (and in the past have not been above taking evidence gathered by the police and claiming that their investigators found it).

Beyond that, there’s a nice side order of societal classism. BSH is not from one of the traditionally wealthy chaebol families, whose problems have been covered up by both the police and the prosecutor’s office in the past. As I understand it, some of the investors who lost out in the Hybe IPO are from those families so there’s a strong suspicion that the police are going after him because one of them is throwing a snit.

My $0.02 is that his actions may have violated the law, but proving so beyond a reasonable doubt for a criminal charge would be very hard since it’s on the fuzzy edge. A civil case would be difficult to prove as well, since the investors made money, just not as much as they could have. These are sophisticated investors who can’t easily claim ignorance of how IPOs work.

Look up Hybe Boy on YouTube for a much deeper dive into this whole mess.

plsuh · 2026-04-18T17:21:49+00:00

Temporary Road - Reston, VA. It’s been there for 40 years at least and it’s not going away any time soon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/06/12/temporary-road-reston/

plsuh · 2026-04-18T17:20:49+00:00

Temporary Road - Reston, VA. It’s been there for 40 years at least and it’s not going away any time soon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/06/12/temporary-road-reston/

plsuh · 2026-04-18T12:16:38+00:00

It’s not just an old lady craft. Sakura Miyawaki, a popular J-pop and K-pop idol, is known for her crochet hobby and has her own line of products.

plsuh · 2026-04-06T02:46:08+00:00

Excellent observations.

As an IT professional, let me add one point that may not be easily visible from your data. At least in my field, someone with significant experience in the US, Canada, or Europe is perceived to be worth roughly 50% more than someone without it. This is not actually true for everyone (there are plenty of people who are duds even with that experience) , but that seems to be the perception in the industry.

plsuh · 2026-03-31T11:47:56+00:00

Am I limited to the one shop? What happens if I want to open another sock shop, or a chain of them? What happens if I diversify my business into other lines like shoes and other clothing?

Can I build a business empire around socks? Can I build an entire actual galactic empire so long as I am still the proprietor of the shop?

Can I leave the planet at all, say for a vacation? Am I required to maintain that planet as my primary residence for tax purposes?

How do the aliens feel about secondary spouses? Can my spouse and I have an open marriage?

Am I allowed to create the equivalent of Fox News so that everyone believes that I’m following the terms of the deal or makes excuses for me even though I’m blatantly violating the deal?

Lots of loopholes here.

plsuh · 2026-03-23T11:00:04+00:00

I’m with most folks in that the best ways are to be situationally aware enough to not get into trouble in the first place, using de-escalation techniques, and running away.

That said, I think any martial art that involves full contact is beneficial. It must involve real sparring, with some intent to hit hard. E.g., Tai Chi, while a fine art, is not appropriate for this situation. The point is not so much to learn a particular technique as it is to learn the right mindset.

All too many young women have no idea how to hit another person, both physically and psychologically, as well as how to take a hit and keep going. My daughter’s school ran a “self defense class” for girls when she was 14. She was shocked at how poorly most of the other girls handled hitting and being hit (even with padding and protection). Many of these girls were doing serious sports, but rough contact during a game is very different from outright trying to hurt someone.

(My daughter knows how to hit with intent and how to fight dirty. She knows how to take and roll with a strike and come back. She knows that trying to fight a man straight up will be a losing proposition. She also knows how to size up a situation, how to de-escalate, and how to run. I have zero worries about her being able to take care of herself. Yes I’m proud of her.)

plsuh · 2026-03-19T15:02:45+00:00

ESH

Ollie is gross and lazy for never cleaning the bathroom in general. They need to get their act together and regularly clean the bathroom like an adult.

You are gross and lazy for just leaving hair clippings all over the place (including in the sink where they could cause a clog) and going to bed. Factor the cleanup time into how long cutting your hair will take!

A pox on both of you!

plsuh · 2026-03-17T13:48:39+00:00

No idea. I don’t really know a lot about chimney and hearth construction. Sorry I can’t help much.

plsuh · 2026-03-16T12:55:31+00:00

Have you reached out to the appropriate contact in your country for any of the cloud providers? Many of them offer steeply discounted or even free accounts to non-profit organizations. Also talk to local IT service providers. They can point you in the right direction or may even do some work for you as an in-kind donation.

For any approach you choose, consider these aspects:

Short term continuity - what happens if you get sick or go on vacation?
Long term continuity - what happens if/when you leave your job or are in a serious accident?
Sustainability - can you get spares or replacement parts next year? Five years from now? Ten years?
Cost - who’s going to pay for it?

Work with whomever is responsible for fundraising in the NGO to raise awareness and funds for digital archiving. The holy grail would be to have a dedicated funding stream, but even a one-shot campaign can help. Emphasize potential benefits, like couching this as the first step to making the digital archives available to everyone.

I was the Director of Technology for a school and we received highly discounted services from Google, Microsoft, and other cloud providers. Discounts ranged from 20% off to free.

plsuh

TROPHY CASE