lbraasch

It would have been easier to select which OS's are not a part of my computer ecosystem.

Laptop is OS X(but dual-boot into Win7 as needed), work workstation is Win7, work servers are Linux, HTPC is a chomeOS (box), phone, tablet and 2nd HTPC are Android.

I'm a workaholic with ADD. I'm using any number of the above devices at the same time whether at the office or on the couch.

As a senior in high school, a pair NASA mech. engineers allowed me to shadow them. I had no experience in the field, nor current acceptance into an engineering program. They took me in and let me to work with flight hardware (presently taking 3D images of the sun [1]). They had to jump through hoops to get me in the door. The jobs were reserved for UC Berkeley students, and for some reason, they picked me.

It was an amazing, life changing experience. I got through some of my hardest engineering exams knowing I'd one day get to do something as cool as them. I now build research instruments for physical oceanography. I'm not at all surprised I stayed in a field of exploratory science.

[1] http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo3D_press...

Has anyone used an Academic ticket while University Staff?

I'm a development engineer at a University, with University staff ID. I imagine I prove this with a pay stub, and staff ID?

The last 10% has little to do with the number of remaining items, and all to do with the type of tasks and mental blocks. Project fatigue sets in.

Within the last 10% are small details pushed aside as the pace was chugging along for the other 90%. Seemingly trivial problems are hidden until the end, during which, developers/engineers are most eager to move on to the next mentally stimulating new project.

I think there is a reason why in schooling, 'A' level work requires a completion of that last 10%.

I often hear beginner programmers state they cannot program, only write code that will work. I hear this commonly among Elec. and Mech. E fields, where coding is secondary in the education.

It takes reading other peoples code to realize plenty of poor code has shipped and generated revenue. Yours may not be so bad.

It's pretty well documented. The supposed firmware fix doesn't fix the issue [1]

This drive came with my x220 (160gb), shipped March 2012. I have a second Intel 320 (120gb) which is older, and hasn't exhibited issue. Lenovo replaced the 160gb 320 under warranty. I opted to go with a 256gb Samsung 840 pro. The 320's are now external drives.

[1] http://www.anandtech.com/show/4646/intel-ssd-320-firmware-po...

tl;dr

I'm guilty of the SSD fear. My first Intel (320) drive was meticulously maintained in fear of shortened life span and performance losses. I went so far as to question every file copied to the drive vs. mounting an external HDD. The thing bricked itself due to a firmware bug in less than 12 months.

Using a Samsung drive now. I don't think about read/writes anymore. I just use the darn thing.

Heh. $24 from a Washington Mutual free checking account. Surely would have paid that in fees had I agreed to become a Chase member.

The funky Fn/Ctrl placement is a Thinkpad thing[1].

IMO, the classic thinkpad layout nailed it. Unfortunately, this has been replaced by the chicklet layout. I love the big delete button on the x220[2].

[1] http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/01/500x_l...

[2] http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/30/40/092594/thinkpad_x2...

> I've just found their service on hardware to be abysmal for replacement or fix. I had a T430 that I spent over 1 month trying to RMA the box.

I've owned a number of thinkpads (t41p,t61p,x220) and all have been depo repaired under warranty at one time or another. Turn around has NEVER exceeded 4 business days from time of calling the support center. Replacements include the logic board, screen, or just them sending me a replacement hard drive.

As always, YMMV.

Affected manufacturers listed in the first link, not present in the above link:

"Attacks were conducted against seven receiver brands including Magellan, Garmin, GlobalSat, uBlox, LOCOSYS and iFly 700."

T21 -> T41p -> T61p -> x220. I think it's safe to say I'm brand loyal.

I've always felt that Thinkpads look cooler with a beat up the case. I'll never own a sleeve or protector. They don't require one.

I have a hard time saying that about any of my other electronics.

As a side, I've just flown from LAX -> Sydney -> Perth on a single charge using the Slice battery and standard 6 cell. Took out season 5 of Mad Men in 720p in the process.

The writer would benefit greatly from the Ardiuno community. Most of this stuff is open-source code. Quite possibly, some of the authors solutions were learned from it. However, no credit was issued for where the author learned most of their lessons.

I do appreciate the layperson's explanation of an attitude system applied to a smartphone/tablet. Many do not realize just how powerful these mobile devices actually are.

I like it when people have to repeat themselves 3-4 because they didn't notice the headphones or ear plugs.

It usually sends a message:

"Not now chief. I'm in the zone."

FYI:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/recycling_batteri...

you forgot to pot it in epoxy first.

YES. It's a laptop. If you can't sacrifice the screen size, where else do you trim the fat?

thinner = less mass = less weight = portability. A laptop is designed to be a portable machine, no?

Desktops however, I do not care if there is a massive tower under my desk. I don't move it unless I'm plugging in something new, or upgrading components.

To quote a previous HN article:

"You are the average of your 3 closest friends"

Pick your friends wisely.

It would be very interesting to cross correlate with age. Some programmers were exposed to code at a very young age. IMO, programming for 10+ yrs by age 20 is far more fascinating of a statistic than say programming for 15+ yrs by age 50.

I ticked 10+, and I am 26. I was designing 'web pages' when I was in middle school, albeit geocities html, but then had my first programming class (C++) when I was 15. Curly braces do not phase me.

Lots and lots of physical measurements. One large scale example is the Global Drifter Program. The US contribution is largely funded by NOAA.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac/index.php

The array is usually maintained at above 1000 discrete instruments deployed by various cargo ships, and research vessels globally. These measure ocean currents centered at 15m depth, which helps eliminate bias from surface currents driven by winds. These drifters also measure surface temperature some with sea level air pressure.

In the scientific community, things are never a failure. Instead, it's something we like to call 'negative data'.

You learn to embrace the negative data. At the very least, you've just ticked off one thing that assuredly does not resolve the issue.