nomoresecrets

The very image and text used in the article implies that the original poster is correct.

Look at the example for 32 - it is given as 8 + 2x12. The hand on the right has two fingers extended. Clearly all fingers can be extended in this image, and then the number would be 8 + 5x12 = 68. If the left hand is used to count to 12, the number is 12 + 5x12, or 12+60=72.

Either the limit is 60, or the images/text in the article are wrong.

Given the recent commentary on the new design for a folding version of the UK mains plug, I should share a tip a friend gave me - you can put a UK mains plug in 'upside down' to an adapter strip.

This means only the earth pin is connected, thus earthing your case but without running the risk of having live connected, even if isolated via a switch on the PSU.

Presumably the author is unaware that people said the same thing in 1988, and how all the new games were crap.

Even Bristol probably has issues. When I was choosing Universities I heard that for Bristol, the filtering for remaining places on the medicine course (i.e. for people who didn't make the grades the University asked for) was rumoured to start with these two questions:

1. Did you go to public school? (i.e. privately educated) 2. Was either of your parents a doctor?

If you answered either of those with 'no', then the concensus was you could kiss that place goodbye.

"A Computer Called LEO" - story of the first commercial computer, used to run Lyons teashops. Fascinating both in terms of computer history, and history in general, especially Lyons' attitude to perfectionism, to the extent of doing many things themselves, that these days would never survive an outsourcing purge.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Called-LEO-Worlds-Office/dp...

"The Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder

Drags a bit in places, but is still interesting in a history type way. It's the story of Data General building a 32-bit minicomputer in a year in the 1970s.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/031...

mysql has a query cache, which stores the query and results:

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/query-cache.html

It did. Today. I imagine this is why this article was linked here today.

My favourite Atwood screw-up of all time was on the recent stack overflow podcast. Joel referred to a digital clock on the wall, which Jeff corrected him, and said it was an analog clock. Joel did his customary 'Jeff said what?' pause, and then pointed out "I'm pretty sure I can see digits on that clock, so it's digital." Jeff was still not immediately convinced.

That said, I enjoy listening to the podcast, even if sometimes because I get to laugh at the things Jeff said. But as someone else said here, it's hard to be too down on someone who was a key factor in making a site like Stack Overflow. He also makes some good points. Sometimes.

But objectively, about 90% of the time I agree with Joel when the two have a disagreement. Guess that means I shouldn't apply for a job at Fog Creek :-).

Also remember that when Microsoft call it Release Candidate, they mean 'Beta'.

This is because when they used to call this phase Beta, they found that corporate IT depts wouldn't try it.

"Briefly?" You're not kidding :-)

"Others prefer the Steelcase Leap Chair"

Was that it?

I think you have encountered the conflict between Apps Hungarian and Systems Hungarian:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_notation#Systems_vs._...

Au contraire. I think you'll find it's a perfectly cromulent word.

No, think there was an Alitalia on the factory floor when I worked there, but I can't remember.

Most memorable event on the factory floor was when a hydraulic jack failed on a sim, and the resulting jet of fluid punched a hole through six layers of hand wire-wrapped PCBs on the sim next door.

I think it put them back six weeks. Luckily the penalty clause for lateness was only $50,000 per day. Gulp.

I like the conversations, but what I really want is the ability to turn off conversation views, especially when searching.

Sometimes when I'm searching tech discussions with colleagues/clients, etc, I just want to see the emails with the relevant terms, not all 75 emails in the conversation in a big cumbersome list.

I don't understand. If I hit reply, then I reply to the person who sent. If I hit reply-all, then I reply to everyone who got the email (barring bcc, of course).

This is unaffected by To or Cc was used.

Did I miss something?

Ha, cool, I used to work at Rediffusion and I heard a similar story about when a UPS pilot got the SC to do the phugoid behaviour 'properly' by taking him up in a plane to experience it.

When they tried it in the sim, both of them were similarly thrown around and a terrified few seconds as neither were able to reach the panic button :-)

Puns may be bad, but poems are verse.

Yes I'm sure all 150 million of those people really wanted to listen to the whole song, and didn't, say, just close the window after 5 seconds.

For the social aspect.

There was a famous story about some University's computer lab (I forget the details) where they got fed up of the coffee machine. There was a perfectly good cafeteria close by where the students could get coffee. Plus they had to keep the machine stocked, service it, etc. It was just a pain in the ass, so they got rid of it.

Within about a week, their TAs were swamped with demands on their time from students. They had to take on like 2 extra people to meet the demand.

Turned out, that coffee machine was a social hub, and people would chat about their problems, ask each other for tips and advice, and solve a large percentage of their problems on their own.

So they bought a replacement coffee machine.

Now I'm imagining those students doing all the work on their computers in their dorm rooms on their own. Hmm.

Sure, there's lots more connectivity these days and places you can ask for help, but when learning/starting out that sort of personal contact etc is quite useful.

Did you miss the part where they kept the client's money, with no explanation whatsoever, and the client's only recompense is to sue Google, probably costing more money in the end?

For a lot of people, that's close to some definition of evil at any rate. Either that or incompetence. But when it comes to money, most people view incompetence that ends up with their money being stolen as pretty much the same as evil.

Apparently I use my right brain. Couldn't make her change direction.

Then I looked over to the right hand side of the page and noticed out of corner of my eye she was now turning counter-clockwise, so now I was using my left brain.

Now I can't make her turn the other way.

I used both sides of my brain and used them together to decide that this test is bullshit.

Sounds like a HN geek enrolling in an irony class. It would be baffling. Try reading the article slower :-)

Only if you're inside one of the Mac product ranges.

e.g. I want a desktop Mac without an integrated LCD (i.e. not an iMac), and without putting up with laptop class components which compromise performance (i.e. not a Mac mini or laptop).

So my choice is a Mac Pro: starting at $2799(!)

Fair enough, it's an awesome machine (8 cores, great case design, etc), but it's still nearly 3 thousand dollars.

(Aside: I own PCs and Macs, I just feel there's a bit of a gap in Apple's product range there. It's quite possible Apple are right though, and that most people will want to buy a laptop or iMac).

Agreed. As I mentioned above, I can read pretty quickly, but if you find yourself speed-reading, say, PG Wodehouse, then it's just possible you may be missing out :)

I tried that article, and clocked myself at about 730wpm (in your face! or something...). But I was deliberately trying to read fast, although I do read pretty quickly.

I am able (obviously) to skim read things quickly - I would read slower when reading for pleasure though.

I've never tried speed reading techniques, mainly because the one person I talked to about it said they found it hard to 'switch off' speed reading. e.g. I was asking him about 'Watchmen', and he couldn't remember some of the stuff I was talking about - he thought it was because he speed-read it.

I'd rather enjoy reading than focus purely on speed.

I don't mean to be rude, but I've seen horseshit that had less horseshit in it.

Anyone else reminded of "Adam's Platform"?

Reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from John Carmack:

"I feel bad for some companies out there. The founders, who are these incredible engineers, are now directors of their departments doing management rather than engineering. At the same time most of the people they are managing are nowhere near as good as they were at doing the actual work."

I suspect that this is your hypothesis, rather than your theory.

Wow. I'm in the UK, and the main reaction I'm getting from reading all these comments is "Wow, is US education really that bad?"

Seriously, High School is 1300 hours of 'busy work'? Or just memorising lists of facts?

The equivalent period of my education in the UK could in no way be described in this way.

It's not really this bad, is it? It's just people dissing studying things they don't want to study, right?