dbcurtis

30 ms·

331.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
Eh, I am not so sure. After watching my kid go through Suzuki Method violin through Volume 10 (a Mozart concerto) -- my observation is that it is incredibly important to not practice-in mistakes. The typical Suzuki Method attack is to ide
332.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
Every socket pin is a hit to reliability. That’s a Mother Nature problem there is no getting around. A soldered joint will always have better reliability than a pin-and-socket joint. The MTBF math is easy. So the right way to look at this
333.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
> Intel was created, funded, and structured by Fairchild Semiconductor. Are they still controlled by Fairchild Wut? Read up on the “Traitorous Eight”.
334.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
Indeed. If UMN can't tell how to undo the damage, then it is intentional sabotage, and should be prosecuted as such.
335.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
I have spent time doing contract development, and also made volunteer contributions to open source projects (not the Linux kernal, though). Certainly, if I were pulled into reviewing UMN kernel patches, I would be tracking my hours at my s
336.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
Way back when, my DiffEq prof did a Markov chain model to compute the probability of visiting each space on a Monopoly board. It shows exactly what you state. It's actually kind of a fun problem to think about. Sort of an early Mark
337.
by dbcurtis 5y ago
No. "reef knot" is a sailor's term. "square knot" is actually an overhand knot tied in the end of a line. "reef knot" (properly a "bend"), is the knot used to reef sails. The common shoe-lace b
338.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Let’s hope so. As an old farm boy and a do-it-yourselfer that grew up in the farm shop fixing equipment, few things get my blood boiling as much as the current machinery software lock-downs.
339.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Don’t know if it is still true, but Alaska used to have a daily flight from San Jose to San Jose. I always found that amusing when I saw the monitor waiting for my Portland (Oregon) flight.
340.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
The more code you write, the more true it is. Sometimes I go back to old code and go “What was I thinking”. Other days: “Wow, I was on it that day.” In any case, write like a stranger will be fixing your code later. Six months later, the
341.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
In computer science, though, I have several “ABD” (all but dissertation) acquaintances that have had fine and lucrative industrial careers. I don’t see it as such a black mark.
342.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Do read the footnotes if you read the article.
343.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
California’s tax authorities are much quicker than that to decide you are a resident and tax you accordingly.
344.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Came here to say this. I have spent a lot of time in hardware validation. Pseudo-random (explicitly NOT random) sequences are hugely useful. I once had a lights out server room of 60 servers whose entire purpose was to take skeletonized tes
345.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
In my observation, pretty much every 5 year old loves dinosaurs. So just wait. Enjoy it while it lasts. Most kids move on... some not. When my kid was 5, mom arranged for a couple of days of family vacation at a dig run by a museum just
346.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Nah. They only listen to voice contacts, and haven’t bothered to listen to Morse code or any of the digital modes. FT8 is guaranteed to be rant-free.
347.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
The thing I have noticed is pockets of popular brands. The deciding factor being the proximity to a regional parts depot. Where I grew up, the JD parts depot is a 20 minute drive away. Any other brand.... much bigger deal (slower) to get
348.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
> They are planning soon to change all their dimensions to conform with metric farming practices and spacing, which will entail having to re-buy all new stuff again. Oh, please. Every planter tool bar that I have ever seen allows plant
349.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
There is a great Freakonomics podcast on the opiate crisis. If you want to get some food for thought about the American approach to pain management, how it is done elsewhere, and some background on the opiate crisis. (Looks like episodes 4
350.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
I think your statement says more about what you are prepared to believe, than about any notion of absolute truth. MSNBC is often a mirror of Fox in equally (un)believable proportion. When I was young, I got into short-wave listening. This
351.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
> News organizations have an obligation to report on what they believe to be true. Please..... harden and sharpen the edge of your critical thinking skills. News organizations are business entities first. The idea of "just the fac
352.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
But in many areas a house is totally within reach on a tech salary.
353.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
In the pre-web days I had a shelf full of O’Reilly books. Everyone did. But O’Reilly has gone down hill, and the popular tools have good on-line doc that is much fresher than a book can ever be. Technical books have become a dumpster fire.
354.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Meh. I started my current job during pandemic. Some weeks I am in 100%, others zero. I have a desk in the ghost town, but spend a lot of time in the lab for hands-on stuff. I would be perfectly happy with a “desk hotelling” situation on a p
355.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
How about more first hand reports from nurses that I know? All had a day of mild to moderate flu-like symptoms. Not data, not a large sample size, but very consistent and from knowledgeable observers.
356.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
Steppers skip steps if you are asking for more torque than they can deliver. No other reason. It might be: 1) too small of a stepper motor, so it can not deliver sufficient torque for maximum load, 2) too small of a driver that can not de
357.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
I suspect it is more just volume and support costs. There really isn’t much government financial support at all for the vision impaired, outside of the Veteran’s Administration system. A friend and I looked at doing a tech product for the v
358.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
People that can ask the right question are much more impactful than people who can “only” find the answer. (NOT trivializing the smarts it takes to find the answer. ) My Pat Gelsinger story: I worked in a successor org to MIPO, in those day
359.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
I don’t think you can hit a consumer price point with a vehicle with sufficient sensors. A taxi, though, can amortize the cost of a richer sensor suite.
360.
by dbcurtis 6y ago
I think self-driving taxis need to be in a separate category. No need to park them in the city core, but they provide the range and comfort people seek.

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