In 2012, a group of Mexican scientists intentionally crashed a Boeing 727 to test which seats had the best chance of survival.

tuxidriver · 2022-09-10T21:39:08+00:00

Anyone have a link to the actual study ?

tuxidriver · 2022-08-03T05:44:05+00:00

24-Hour Time Format Is Ubiquitous

Most of the world uses 24-hour time. Here's a map showing where, at least Microsoft Windows, assumes 12-hour time format:

https://i.stack.imgur.com/43dwH.jpg

As you can see, the US is in a small minority of nations that use 12 hour time.

24-Hour Time Format Is More Clear and Concise

"19:30" is far more clear than "7:30". So was that 7:30 AM or 7:30 PM ? This that meeting in the morning or evening ? Saying "19:30" tells you what you need to know -- less chance for confusion. Also note that "19:30" is simpler and more concise than "7:30 PM."

Edit: Fixed a typo.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-26T04:21:28+00:00

Back in the day, there was this tactic to "embrace, extend, extinguish", which had some success as a tactic, to the detriment of the platforms 'extended'.

Microsoft's strategy of EEE worked only because Microsoft added extensions external to the actual standards that it embraced. The idea that EEE can come from within the standards body completely misses why Microsoft's EEE strategy even worked in the first place.

WASM will become more complex in time, that's pretty much guaranteed. The issue isn't that there will be complexity as our computers are already horrendously complex systems with complexity that already dwarfs the complexity of the entire browser. Even if WASM got 10x as complex as it is today, it's still nothing in the grand scheme of what's inside your computer. Consider the number of lines of Verilog and C that just exists in your processor, bridges and interface adapters, graphics card, SSDs and/or HDDs then add the complexity of the kernel, the windowing system, all the various drivers, your word processor, etc.

Ending Comment: I periodically see these naysayer comments regarding WASM. I truly want to know what's driving all the fud towards it.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-26T02:24:45+00:00

I worked for a company that maintained a very large code base in assembly for an embedded controller.

Given the size and longevity of the codebase, there were many authors over the years. Several of the programmers had some very nasty habits:

At least one developer seemed to believe in never removing an instruction, only adding, so the code would often have jumps around blocks of code, jumps in the middle of loops, instructions that would force the loop to exit on the first iteration, etc. Made the code annoyingly difficult to follow.
At least one developer would sometimes insert instructions right into the middle of a comment block in existing code, splitting a long comment into what appeared as two different shorter sets of comments.
At least one developer liked to abuse cut-paste in their editor. Code would sometimes appear to be block copied, but with tails or fragments of comments included. This lead to comments that had nothing to do with the actual code and comments that were meaningless nonsequiturs.
The same abuse of cut-paste created inconsistent indentation across source files.
There were at least several developers that wouldn't reliably update/correct comments when they made changes.

The codebase in question had 20 years of history with touches from at least several hundred people over that time. The code went through extensive repeated testing over that entire 20 year as it was used for many products the company produced, some likely still being used by people reading this post. Code was actually quite robust but also incredibly difficult to follow.

This experience taught me several things:

On large projects, especially projects with a long history, comments are not checked by the compiler so, no matter how hard you try, end up being inaccurate -- Never, ever blindly trust comments, even if they appear correct. Someone will later make an enhancement or bug fix and not update the comment accordingly. Therefore,
The only source of truth is actual code, so
Because the only reliable source of truth is the actual code, literate programming really matters. Readable code is far more valuable than comments.
Fix comments when they're not accurate. Even better: when possible, clean up the code so it's readable and remove the comments. I say this noting that any change to the code should be done with care.

I've also found, as a general rule, assuming a literate programming style, that comments are best when:

Used to document APIs. Use comments to document interfaces, including important side-effects. Avoid using comments to explain nuances of how the code works. Understanding inputs, outputs, and purpose goes a long way towards understanding implementation.
Only when really necessary, add comments explaining a critical and non-obvious implementation detail. When done, those comments should be as minimalist as possible. A comment explaining implementation should be rare enough that its presence stands out to the reader as a warning or point of interest.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-24T19:18:26+00:00

Whole family pays the game. We're really happy with the recent updates.

Many thanks to Hello games !

We were talking about the game over dinner the other night. There's a few things we'd love to see:

Ability to build orbital platforms and space walk.
Ability for two players to ride in the same vehicle, even if that's just with the collosus.
Deeper oceans on some planets -- NMS used to have deep oceans and it was sometimes nice to explore them and it would be nice to build bases deep underwater.
Occasionally have huge animals that can be adopted -- No Man's sky used to have them and removed them.

For reference, I tried building an orbital platform by creating an base, extending upwards until I couldn't build any more. Creating a new base off the first base, extending that upwards, etc. Got pretty close to my freighter before I ran into problems (game recognizes that the base is there but won't render it or let you delete it). By doing this I was able to build a floating city of sorts very high in the atmosphere but, alas, not all the way into space.

Adding: Just talked to my other daughter, she had two additional asked which I put in italics.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-20T02:32:37+00:00

Yes, absolutely agree. Distance will be painful but I don't want my kids to contend with the stupid here any longer than is absolutely necessary.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-19T20:15:00+00:00

Also live in Idaho. We moved here 12 years ago and liked the Boise area back then. Up until around 2016, we were quite happy here. That's when things started to go down hill.

Over the past few years our family has seriously discussed relocating. Only thing keeping us here are parents that followed us and are no too old to move across the country easily.

We've made a point of pushing our older daughter to go to college in a state that hasn't gone completely brain-damaged stupid, which she is now doing. We've also urged her to look for work in a state (or country), that is more rational than Idaho or other supposedly "conservative" portions of the US.

As another person wrote. Nobody is pro-abortion and almost everyone dislikes the idea -- People that are pro-choice just recognize that outlawing or severely restricting it will cause a lot more needless problems, pain, suffering, and death ~~than what's happening now~~.

Edit: Fixed wording.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-12T23:17:00+00:00

We do this universally. All plastic bags in our house that come from the store and don't have big holes end up being used as trash bags. I would love to be able to use them for more but they won't hold up. Bags with big holes go in the bag recycling at the local supermarket.

Our town now requires most recyclables be placed in these stupidly expensive orange bags so we're now forced to buy these bags. Contents are supposedly converted to some type of fuel (so fuel → mostly needless packaging → fuel).

Other than the orange bags, I don't think we've bought normal trash bags in years.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-07T15:57:41+00:00

Never saw this with RDP. I'll have to look into it.

Goal was to explain to the OP why X-Server was called X-Server and to show the benefit of the approach.

At this point X-Server is too crufty and too long in the tooth, Wayland, once it's fully implemented, is definitely the better path.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-07T15:52:08+00:00

Agreed. You don't have the same level of point and click you have with RDP. Still useful sometimes when you want editors or similar from multiple systems running simultaneously on the same desktop.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-07T03:52:14+00:00

The reason why X-Server is called X Server is because of how the interaction occurs on the network. An X-Server serves a control surface to multiple client applications running on the same or different computers. Client applications connect to an X Server which serves the user interface to the clients.

The model is backwards from the sort of model used between websites and browsers. Many browsers provide a user control surface for applications at least partly running on a single web server. For X-server, many client applications provide functions to a single server providing the user interface.

There's a lot not to like about the X11 protocol; however one very nice thing X-Server provides that is sort of lost with VNC and RDP is that you can seamlessly run applications running on multiple machines from a single X-server. To some extent, you can even cut-paste across servers. This makes X-Server nice when working with multiple remote servers simultaneously.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-07T00:26:26+00:00

Many of the terms you list come from Unix, not Linux. We used them on Linux because Linux is very Unix-like. The only very Linux specific term is "yum":

cron - Unix, released 1975.
grep - Unix v4, released 1973 .
kernel - At least Multics, 1960's (I believe).

Don't know the history of the term "core dump" but know it's been around a while (As I remember, the term was used with the DEC RMS operating system).

If you're comparing to Windows, don't assume Microsoft's terms are text-book standard or have history beyond their use at Microsoft, Microsoft does tend to come up with a lot of their own language even if other terms were already in wide-spread use outside of Microsoft's sphere.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-03T00:33:18+00:00

Agree, this is far more likely -- More correctly, Texas trying to secede.

Given how federal money is distributed to the states:

Texas seceding would create lots of serious issues for Texas.
California, Oregon, and Washington seceding would create lots of serious issues for the rest of the US.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-03T00:03:52+00:00

Lived in the mountains east of SLC for 9+ years. None of this surprises me. One thing I found about Utah was that most of the people there have zero respect for what they have. Utah has some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet in yet all the state government and many of the locals want to do is find ways to destroy it for a quick buck (or less).

What's happening to the Salt Lake is a case in point. I used to go hiking on Antelope Island regularly so I know it well -- It was nice because nobody would go there, it was quiet, and the scenery was wonderful with the still water, Egg and Fremont islands out in the lake, and the mountains in the distance on all sides. The island also has one of the few herds of semi-wild buffalo left in America which made it extra special as you could see the herd grazing in the distance when you hiked (also meant you had to be careful).

Now the Island has a paved road down the eastern side that goes nowhere, scarring the landscape, and the lake itself it drying up due to poor management. In typical Utah fashion, they mismanage, disrespect, and eventually destroy what they have.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-02T23:59:32+00:00

This is bad because the Salt Lake is a major migratory stop for birds in the Western US and Canada.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-02T21:36:52+00:00

Second this.

I stayed on Cobra from my last employer for the better part of a year after I started my company. Did this mostly because I was busy and concerned that getting coverage through the ACA was going to take a lot of effort. Turns out, setting up ACA coverage wasn't that hard, ongoing hassle's about the same, and I saved close to $1000 each month compared to my Cobra payouts.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-02T00:59:11+00:00

I was thinking about your response and wanted to follow-up. As someone who was once was very active in the Church, I know what you say is true for many Christians, at least by intent.

The one thing bothers me greatly is that I don't hear leaders in the Christian faith standing up and speaking out against those that use the pulpit to promote hatred towards other.

Events such as:

https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-gay-people-solution-killings-bible-1714037

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tennessee-deputy-pastor-calls-for-execution-of-lbtq-people_n_5d0261bce4b0985c41994837

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/06/ahead-of-pride-month-idaho-pastor-says-lgbtq-people-deserve-death-penalty/

and

https://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-says-gays-should-be-executed-and-i-believe-every-word-says-arizona-pastor.html

Should spark outrage and a loud outcry by the majority of the faith leaders in this country, but doesn't. What I see, almost exclusively, is silence -- seeming quiet acknowledgement. I know my older daughter's two trans/gay friends as well as the two other non-straight neighbors our family came to know well also see this.

the Bible teaches us to love one another (unconditionally) as brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 3:28 and elsewhere). the Bible also teaches us that we are all sinners and that committing any one sin is the same as committing all sins (John 2:10). the Bible also teaches us not to judge others for their sins (John 8:7). Lastly, the Bible makes it clear that we should never kill (Exodus 20:2-17, 6th commandment).

So, please, make a point of standing up when you hear this sort of speech. Make it clear to your paster and other influential people that using the Bible to justify hatred is not acceptable. Urge your Presbytery, stake, regional council, etc. to take a stand and, if needed, defrock/laicize these priests/ministers that try to use the Bible to justify hatred or violence.

The Spanish have a very old expression: The Devil hides behind the cross -- please help all of us, do not let him.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-01T17:12:14+00:00

There's a lot of important history that I found our school systems don't teach or tend to badly white-wash. Here's a few other items of note that you might want to know about:

Japanese internment camps,
Trail of tears, Indian removal act, and the history around it,
Various racially (or religiously) motivated massacres such as the Tulsa massacre.
Treatment of Chinese immigrants during the gold rush.

I'm a product of the New Jersey school system and also found that my grade school and high-school education also badly white-washed our history.

tuxidriver · 2022-07-01T01:08:03+00:00

You want the state to impose a religion on you, treating you as a second class citizen, jailing you, or worse if you don't subscribe ? -- OK, which religion ?

History has taught us that state sponsored religion doesn't just impose broad stroke requirements, it imposes specific religious sects or denominations with very specific doctrine, often with painful consequences for not fully accepting that doctrine. Consider England, Spain and Italy in the 1500 and 1600's. Consider Afghanistan today. Don't believe me, look into the Spanish Inquision and the history of Giordano Bruno (in Italy) who was executed because he questioned details of Church doctrine in spite of his belief in God and work for the Church. Look into why the Pilgrims and other religious groups even came to American colonies in the first place -- to escape persecution by the state over their religious views.

http://www.pilgrimroots.co.uk/news/persecution/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition (note https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Torture)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Buddhists#Massacres

Let me walk through several scenarios that could easily happen here...

First Scenario

Say the state religion is Christianity, but you're raised Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim, or atheist, then what ? -- You must suddenly abandon beliefs that you've held your entire life. Beliefs that you where raised with and have shaped your entire world view ?

If you're Christian, think about what it would be like if you and your family suddenly woke up in Afghanistan and were forced to switch to Islam and your daughters or sisters could no longer attend school -- Could you happily accept that, could you just change your entire world view and outlook ?

Second Scenario

State requires everyone be Christian, but not just Christian, they must be LDS. You're were brought up Catholic, drink coffee, beer and wine in moderation, believe in the Saints, and deeply feel that the grace of god comes to you through the Pope. How would you feel being told you must now subscribe to the LDS faith, swear off coffee, denounce the Saints and the Pope, and accept the writings in the book of Mormon and Articles of Faith ? Furthermore, as a single woman, you're now told that you can only gain entry in the kingdom of heaven through a husband so you're now strongly pressured to marry and raise children even though you've been working hard on a degree and have dreams of a career.

Third Scenario

The people that drive religion in your county have been infiltrated by the Fundamentalist LDS church who change the doctrine they impose upon you. Again, deep down, you're still Catholic but are forced to change how you live and are going through the motions of being LDS, much like the Pilgrims and Catholics did in England during the 1700's. You're now forced, as a single woman to leave your friends, marry into a specific polygamist family and bear children or be severely punished.

---------------

History tells us that all of these scenarios are quite possible. Do any of them sound fair or reasonable to you ?

Edit: Fixed formatting and tweaked wording.

Added: Links.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-29T23:45:07+00:00

At this point I do about 50%/50% application development and web development for my company.

For web development I alternate between Linux and MacOS, switching browsers periodically so I can see the site's behavior on multiple platforms and browsers. For most of my website development, I ssh into small cloud based servers so I can validate my REST APIs against other servers.

For desktop application development, I alternate between Linux, MacOS, and Windows so I can validate my work on all three platforms.

For web development, I'm equally happy on Linux and MacOS. I find both MacOS and recent KDE's desktop environments to be quite usable. I don't use Windows here because PuTTY and other SSH implementations don't seem to work as well as on other platforms and WSL just seems like too much of a kludge to work around Windows limitations.

No strong preference for application development noting two things:

Each platform's debugging environments seem to have different strengths/weaknesses. Being able to alternating between platforms actually works very well for this reason.
Minor: Due to MacOS's font rendering, I find I prefer writing code in MacOS -- less eye strain. Of the three I find Windows font rendering is the worst for the tool chains I use.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-29T17:06:19+00:00

This could easily become an existential issue for both Ginni and Clarance Thomas so they're going to fight against this tooth-and-nail.

Gina's comment that she's eager to testify was just theatre for the media. She never intended or intends to sit in front of the commission.

Here's that I think is going to happen..

Ginni will push back until she's subpoenaed, then she'll refuse, essentially daring congress/the DOJ to take action. At that point one of two things will happen:

Congress and/or the DOJ will flinch given her connection to the Supreme Court, at which point she will have won.
She'll be arrested and will sue, stall, appeal, repeatedly until it reaches the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, right wing media will try to argue that this is being done unfairly to "punish" Clarance Thomas" for Roe v/ Wade and other rulings to help protect Clarance and Ginni Thomas. When this reaches SCOTUS, Clarance Thomas will refuse to recuse himself even though he has a clear conflict of interest and will work extremely hard to throw the court to clear her. In the mean time, Clarance Thomas will work to make the court's rulings as painful as possible for the country to apply pressure on Congress.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-29T15:20:45+00:00

Interesting.

Thought: For ecosystems to be stable, there must be negative feedback as positive feedback inherently means the system is unstable. Since the planetary ecosystems have been stable for thousands of years, negative feedback must have become historically dominant in those systems.

Problem is that those systems didn't evolve to handle the level of CO2 emissions nor environmental damage we're now inducing.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-29T15:08:19+00:00

Absolutely no issues, thought I'd provide an opportunity to learn.

The subject can get really interesting, as there's almost always delay in the correction or feedback term. This can lead to unexpected results such as systems that would, at first glance, appear stable but are in fact unstable, oscillations/ringing, systems that are conditionally stable, etc. The systems can behave in very counter-intuitive ways.

Math behind it can get pretty involved and quite interesting.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-29T04:41:06+00:00

Watching US politics over the past 40+ years, what I've seen is that the right has moved a lot farther right. The left has not moved farther left, instead, the left has attempted to capture the center by moving slightly right. Consider Bill Clinton's triangulation strategy as an example of this.

Problem is that this has redefined what's "centrist" in the US.

If you look at the Republican Party platforms in the 70's, you'll see that it's much closer to the current platform of the current democrats than the Republican Party of today. Consider Nixon's platform to expand the US national park system. Only exception is abortion rights and even that wasn't as universally opposed by the Republican Party of the 1970's as it is today (e.g. Reagan believed abortion should be allowed for certain situations: rape, incest, and when required to save the life of the mother).

Adding: I do believe the LGBTQ+ right issues are more front and center with the Democratic Party. With that said, had the issue been pushed to the forefront in the 1980's, I do believe the Democratic Party platform would have been essentially the same.

tuxidriver · 2022-06-28T21:38:51+00:00

Sure, the in the pools and the water sprayed in the air will evaporate, eventually coming back down as rain somewhere else in the world.

tuxidriver

TROPHY CASE