msisk6

I wrote a ton of AutoLISP back in the day to do similar things to generate well logs for environmental and geotechnical reports. Fun stuff.

In 1990 I went to work at Autodesk and got to work on all kinds of stuff over the next decade -- AutoLISP was the bridge that got me into tech as a profession over the geology field work I was doing. It's been a wild ride.

Well, yeah. Both crypto and AI require places with cheap power to rack and stack compute and GPUs.

It remains to be seen if AI will end up being about as useful as crypto in the long run.

Oh, I agree. I lived nearby (working for ERCOT; the Texas Power Grid operator) when Alcoa was still there and was planning the shutdown. It seems about half the people in Rockdale worked for either Alcoa, the nearby coal power plant, or the nearby coal mine that fed the power plant.

I remember the local press going on about the crypto mining operation and how folks were going get high-tech jobs in this rural area of Texas. Of course it didn't go that way.

Aluminum smelting is an incredibly energy intensive operation. A lot of places in the US that used to host aluminum smelters now host large datacenters, include the Google data center in The Dalles, Oregon on the Columbia river near a hydro dam. It's a shame that Rockdale didn't get something useful like these other places.

As far as Al smelting in the US; I don't know. I'd imagine it produces a lot of air pollution by itself and uses huge amounts of power that is usually generated by cheap methods like burning rocks (coal) or large hydro operations nearby to minimize transmission costs. Then you gotta get ore to the site. The only Al smelter I recall being left in the US is up near Puget Sound in Bellingham, WA and I think it's currently shutdown.

This was previously the location of an Alcoa aluminum smelter which used something around 1000+ MW. And that's why the crypto farm is there -- it already had sufficient electrical capacity to the site.

Folks should be happy since the crypto operation is using far less power and dumping less heat into the environment that the industrial operation that was previously there, but datacenters seem to be a trendy thing complain about at the moment so here we are.

The Boeing Company | Berkeley, MO | Digital Transformation Architect | Onsite | Full-time

We’re modernizing a major aerospace/defense program and need a senior architect to lead the digital transformation: cloud migration, DevOps, CI/CD, IaC, Kubernetes, automation, the works. High autonomy, big scope in the Air Dominance division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

You’ll drive architecture and technical strategy across multiple teams, replace legacy pipelines with modern tooling, and shape long-term engineering direction. U.S. citizenship + ability to obtain a clearance required.

What we’re looking for: - Deep experience with cloud (AWS/Azure), Kubernetes, CI/CD, IaC - Strong systems thinking and architecture design - Leadership across multi-team environments - Experience driving org-wide technical change

Comp: ~$151k–$205k + full benefits

Primary location is Berkeley, MO (at St. Louis Lambert International Airport) but for the right candidate Mesa, AZ and Seattle, WA might work.

More info / apply: https://jobs.boeing.com/job/berkeley/digital-transformation-...

Or contact me via LinkedIn; link in Bio.

The idea that the surface of the earth consists of a bunch of rock "rafts" floating around on a hidden mantle, occasionally running into each other -- with some falling and others rising -- seems rather crazy. It took a lot of data to convince folks it was real.

Early Warning (Zelle) | Senior Cloud Engineer | NYC, SFO, or Scottsdale, AZ | Full-time | $125-160k + Bonus

Early Warning, the fintech company behind Zelle®, is hiring a Senior Cloud Engineer to help us build and operate secure, scalable, cloud-native infrastructure. Our Cloud Engineering team is responsible for the core platform services powering real-time payments across the U.S.

What you’ll do: • Design and manage cloud infrastructure in AWS using Terraform and Kubernetes • Build resilient systems for compliance-heavy, high-availability environments • Drive automation, observability, and DevSecOps best practices

Tech stack: AWS, EKS, Terraform, Helm, CI/CD, Python/Bash, GitLab, Vault, Linux

About you: You’ve operated infrastructure at scale, are strong with infrastructure as code, and understand cloud-native architecture. You’re collaborative, security-conscious, and passionate about reliability.

Location: NYC, SFO, or Scottsdale, AZ. Hybrid in office 3 days a week

Apply: https://earlywarning.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/earlywarnin...

Questions? Feel free to DM or reach out via LinkedIn!

There's poor quality videos of older tests on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1acYZ93yc

These inert reentry vehicles are impacting at hypersonic speeds; I wouldn't want to be anywhere near there.

Early Warning (Zelle) | Staff Engineer, Cloud Engineering | Scottsdale, SF, NYC | HYBRID | $150-190K + Bonus

Early Warning powers and protects the U.S. financial system, operating products like Zelle® and Paze℠. We're seeking a Staff Engineer to lead our cloud infrastructure as we complete our multi-year migration to AWS.

Role: Lead design and implementation of cloud-native solutions using AWS (EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS, EKS). Focus on scalability, security, and cost optimization.

Requirements:

- 10+ years in Cloud Engineering/DevOps, 3+ years AWS

- Deep expertise in AWS core services and Kubernetes (EKS)

- Experience with Docker, Terraform, and CI/CD

- Track record implementing PCI-DSS, SOC 2, FFIEC controls

- Current AWS certification(s)

- Experience building observability at scale

- BS in Computer Science or related (MS/PhD preferred)

Benefits:

- Base: $150-180K (Phoenix) or $160-190K (NYC/SF) + bonus

- Healthcare (medical, dental, vision) + HSA

- Unlimited PTO (exempt) + 11 holidays

- 12 weeks paid parental leave

- 401(k) with 100% match on first 6%

Apply: https://earlywarning.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/earlywarnin...

My current Vuescan license is from 1999. And I think that one was just to replace an older serial due to some upgrade on their end. It's probably the most bang for the buck of any software I've actually purchased.

I don't do much scanning anymore, but I do have an ancient Nikon CoolScan 35mm scanner that's probably at least 20 years old now. I get it out every few years to scan something I found and, with Vuescan, it still works remarkably well.

Although the last time I fetched it out from a storage container by our barn (I really should store it in the house) I found the negative strip scanner wasn't working anymore, but the slide adapter did and that was good enough for the task at hand.

I have both; I got the LG when they first came out and the Studio display last year during a good sale on Amazon.

The panels seem the same but everything on the Apple one is better, as you would expect.

But lately my LG is starting to have issues with ghosting and color shifts around the edges. It's still ok to use (I'm typing this on it) but I guess it's nearing the end of it's useful life.

Yeah, I've been using these on multiple Macs for a decade now and it's just not an issue.

If I get the warning the mouse is getting low on charge I just plug it in, go grab a drink or use the bathroom, and by the time I get back it's good for the rest of the day.

Then all I have to do is remember to plug it in overnight and it'll be good for months. YMMV.

For a decade. That works out to $10 a month. Not a bad deal.

I have a MacBook Air on my desk plugged into a Apple 27-inch 5k Studio Display next to my work MacBook Pro plugged into a cheap AOC 27-inch 4k display via HDMI and frankly there's not much difference.

The speakers and mic in the Apple display are nice, but if you're just concerned about the display itself save yourself the bucks and stay with the 4k.

Both JB Hunt and Tyson Foods are nearby. Both very large Fortune 500 companies. Lots of smaller companies that work with Walmart have offices there, too.

And as others have said, it's mountain bike heaven. Super low cost of living, too.

Not my thing and I wouldn't move there, but for some folks it's very attractive.

Yeah, and this should really should have set off alarm bells to the officials there: "Ms. Blanchard would buy the building, renovate it and make it the launchpad for a rethinking of Bartlesville as “Silicon Ranch,” a new hub for technology start-ups drawn by Oklahoma’s lower cost of living."

Bartlesville is in the middle of nowhere, even by Oklahoma standards; not even on an interstate highway and only a general aviation airport. No start-up is going there unless they're handing out million-dollar seed rounds.

I know this is in jest, but it might be the root of the problem; a lot of folks don't have a good grasp on basic math, especially with large numbers, and fall victim to this kind of thinking.

Once I was cruising down the 130 toll road around Austin just after rush hour listening to the radio and just keeping up with traffic. Then traffic started pulling away from me and I couldn't keep up; my truck wouldn't go any faster. Thinking I was having a problem I looked at the dash and noticed I was going 105 mph and was up against the speed limiter on my truck. Yeah, even when the speed limit is 85 that's not enough for Texans. ;)

I meant there's few trucks during rush hour. Overnight it's a different story. Last month I was going down south I-35 around midnight and got stuck in construction traffic in Waco and it was about 80% trucks.

You should try going over one of those on a motorcycle! Good thing I'm not afraid of heights.

The frontage roads are great. If the freeway comes to a standstill you just cross over to the frontage road and continue. Doesn't matter if there's an exit or not. Everyone has giant 4x4 trucks so you can just exit where ever you want and hop on the frontage road. Eventually everyone does that and the frontage road gets clogged so timing is everything. Texas is interesting.

Being someone that has sat in a lot of traffic in Texas on these interchanges, the number of vehicles with more than one person is a rounding error.

There's a few trucks hauling freight, but they try to miss the cities during rush hour.

Those steep ramps and banked curves sure are fun when an ice storm comes along about once every five years.

Those MIRVs come in kinda fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZM3y5qpMgY

Just in case anyone is wondering what kind of shock waves a nearby nuclear blast would generate, watch this video of a 1-megaton test in central Nevada. You can drive right up to this point today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETHnsKnKiA

100% agree. I drove through a bunch of these just yesterday and my wife and I were saying that once the current generation die there's little reason for these towns to exist.

I don't recall it being especially transformative. I was in high school from 1979 to 1983 and was an early adopter of a Walkman, probably sometime in 1980. It was fun to share it with friends and -- especially -- girls.

I probably wore it more around school off my ears and around my neck as some sort of status symbol more than actually listening to music between classes.

Eventually my high school banned them when someone recorded test answers on a cassette and used their Walkman to cheat on tests.

The TV show "Square Pegs" captured the era somewhat accurately. The character played by Merritt Butrick was one of those wearing a Walkman around everywhere and sort of reflected the way it felt. To me anyway. YMMV. :)

Same when my dad was dying from cancer a few years ago. He was prescribed ice cream with "sprinkles" in an effort to get his caloric intake up.

In the end the cancer still got him, but it was less painful than the alternative of, essentially, starving to death.

It's all fun until lightning strikes your wellhead, shorts out your well pump, and your insurance denies the claim. Then you discover there is a large capital cost to delivering water besides the electricity cost.

Yes, very much so. Some of the interesting small rural museums across the western US I've been to include:

* Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, Nebraska * The Santa Fe Trail Center near Larned, Kansas * Ash Fork Route 66 Museum in Ash Fork, Arizona * National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado * American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, Texas * Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum near Ashland, Nebraska

The rural US has many local museums and most are surprisingly well done and very informative.