yes, that is exactly how large panel arrays are built.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:48 AM on July 25, 2008

Whose name is on the piece of paper really doesn't matter that much.

If you want to work for a top company, you need all of the above, plus a great name on your degree. U.Mich is a good school, but I probably wouldn't bother with a resume from a community college or a state school with a compass direction in its name.

Don't get me wrong, great people can come from third-tier schools, it just isn't worth my* time to look at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 8:35 PM on July 23, 2008

Apparently Something Awful is headquartered in Missouri.

In reality, no megafauna lives in Lake Tahoe. If it did, we'd know about it by now.

If you are writing a book or screenplay, then it certainly is possible to imagine a lurking horror at the bottom of the lake.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:25 AM on July 21, 2008

And even if you did, you would just get SDTV resolution, like a video game system.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:45 PM on July 20, 2008 marked best answer

Talk to your manager at the large organization. It is very common to go from contractor to full time employee ("going full time"). You have no career at a contract shop, and the longer you stay there, the worse it looks on your resume.

Keep in mind that the contracting company you work for is billing you out at somewhere between 200% and 400% of what they are paying you. Closer to 200% if your job is a generic software industry job, 400% or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:35 PM on July 20, 2008

Can you deliver sandwiches using a scooter with a box on the back?
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:30 PM on July 20, 2008

Newark has an air train to help you get from terminal to terminal. I've only flown through EWR before the air train was put in, and back then it was a very easy airport to navigate.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:30 AM on July 20, 2008

One of the oldest consulting tricks in the book is to find a competitor, and pose as a potential client.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:23 PM on July 13, 2008

GTIs have been totally awesome since day one. Go over to vwvortex for a more informed opinion.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 12:09 PM on July 13, 2008

One thing to consider when looking at GTIs is that they are very expensive to insure. The last time I looked into buying a car, I considered a GTI, M3 and Porsche 911, in model years that put each vehicle close to $25k. The GTI was the most expensive to insure, the M3 somewhat less, and the 911 was shockingly cheap. Of course, finding a $25k 911 is nontrivial, and keeping it running will most likely chew through the insurance savings.

I ended up going with a C-class... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:19 PM on July 13, 2008

Assuming the ad network pays out on a per-view basis, rather than a per-click basis:

gross revenue = (average ad rate) X (ads per page) X (number of page views)
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:58 AM on July 13, 2008

The PS3 will never be faster or better than the PS2 at playing PS2 games. PS2 games are coded to use the PS2 hardware exactly as it is, they don't benefit from faster or better hardware.

PS1 games aren't significantly different on the PS3. The biggest difference is that you can turn smoothing on. Also, the controllers are hard to switch from analog to digital mode. That makes Gran Turismo 1 unplayable. GT2 was smarter about setting analog mode for you,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:01 PM on July 11, 2008

As far as I know there is no way to have a PS2 game fill an entire widescreen TV unless you tell the TV itself to distort the image.

I'm pretty sure that PS2s have a setup option to configure video output for widescreen TVs. Some games, like Gran Turismo 4 even support HDTV output.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:34 AM on July 12, 2008

The cables supplied by Sony are composite cables, not RGB, and are incapable of delivering a signal other than 4:3 SDTV. You really need those component cables.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 12:42 PM on July 12, 2008

Google is surprisingly easy to use.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 8:35 PM on July 8, 2008

lunch; Seattle
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:42 AM on July 8, 2008

Depending on your vehicle, you may be able to flip the puffer over and cartop it. Alternately, you will want to look into a sailboat specific trailer - sailboat hulls are very different from powerboats.

Another possibility is just a plain flatbed trailer with some wood wedges to roughly match the bottom of your boat. Finally, you might be able to find someone who owns a trailer who is willing to help you out. The sailing community can be pretty strong, particularly with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:08 PM on July 7, 2008

Thank the reverend for his concern and end the conversation.

And be happy that you only get the call once a year!
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:21 PM on July 7, 2008

1. Operating costs - you need to lease enough space in a telecom hotel to house your routers, billing and authentication servers. You also need to lease bandwidth from one or more major backbones. Finally, you need some way to deliver bandwidth to your customers. Oh, you also need to account for marketing and operating costs.

2. Anyone can enter as a CLEC, leasing last-mile copper from the ILECs. However, the ILECs don't have much motivation to improve their equipment,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 11:17 AM on July 5, 2008

What do you consider unattractive about the current large-scale ISPs?

They serve most people's needs, at an attractive price. There are numerous small specialty ISPs for people with more unique needs. What market demand do you see that is not being met?

Sure, you can get a higher bandwidth link in Tokyo, but what is the typical consumer going to do with it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 12:43 PM on July 5, 2008

Go for it. You can study math at any time in the future. You can take books with you to Kazakhstan if you want. If you turn your old boss down now, there probably won't be a second chance.

The calculus you are looking for is opportunity cost. You can double your earnings by going to Kazakhstan. The cost of staying at your current position is the salary difference, plus the "cost" of boredom at your current job, minus the educational opportunity you have locally.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:41 AM on June 28, 2008 marked best answer

4'33"
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:23 AM on June 13, 2008

I think the arguments for military R&D spending are confounded by the relative success of projects during the second world war and the cold war in the United States. It is worth noting that the US was able to mobilize a substantial portion of its economy for the second world war, and continued to keep a significant percentage of the economy engaged in military work during the cold war. With such a single minded focus, it is no surprise that numerous side benefits were the result.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:26 AM on June 12, 2008

Don't ever leave [NYC].
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 5:54 AM on June 6, 2008

A Toyota Camry or Honda Accord would seem like the standard choice.

Stay away from AWD and sporty engines if you want good mileage.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:46 AM on June 5, 2008 marked best answer

Shark's Eighteen
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:15 PM on June 1, 2008

The sort of metrics you describe are very common in large corporations, but require too much overhead for a three-person company.

If your boss doesn't care about your metrics, but you want them, then come up with them yourself. Track yourself. Measure yourself against the metrics. If and when the company grows, use your system of personal metrics to measure the research group you are running.

If the company is stagnant, consider leaving for a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:29 PM on June 1, 2008

Just be aware that there is some margin of error when you pull GPS data into GIS -- maybe the interface is better than it was when I was using pretty high-end equipment a few years ago, but I could take a point standing on one side of the road and then pull it into ArcView/Map and it would be on the other side of the road -- For your sake, I hope the technology is beyond this and the layers blend more seamlessly --

No, that's just the margin of error... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 12:27 PM on June 1, 2008

So if you took $10,000 and invest it in the growth and production of an apple crop, at the end you would end up with $X value in apples (dependent on supply of apples and demand therefor)

And if you took $10,000 you *might* end up with a completed software product within the same timeframe. And it *might* have value in the market (dependent on demand and the problem it purports to solve)

False dichotomy. Your apple crop can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:49 PM on May 31, 2008

Google Docs is a great example of this phenomenon.

Google Docs is a very poor example because there is a cost to Google associated with operating it. Google gives Docs away for free because it enhances the Google brand, and they make a ton of money from the adwords business. I don't host applications for free because I don't have an unlimited source of income.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 11:07 PM on May 31, 2008

If it actually works, put it up on ebay. I doubt you will get less than $50 for it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:11 AM on May 30, 2008

Shouldn't today's calculator be vastly more powerful (or at least much cheaper) -- in line with advances in home computers?

Intel's first CPUs were for use in desktop calculators. Over the years, they have gotten powerful enough that we now call them desktop computers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:11 PM on May 28, 2008

When I tell people in Seattle that I write software, they respect me. When I do the same in Southern California, they laugh.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 3:57 PM on May 26, 2008

Hopefully you can start to see the massive implications of this hack

I think you misspelled fraud.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:39 PM on May 27, 2008

The major difference between large web companies and other large companies is the incredible mass of fine-grain user and usage detail that the web companies are able to distill from their various usage logs.

Other than the source data, you probably see the same sort of corporate politics driving analysis and decision making at Amazon and EBay as you might see at IBM or Apple.

They all hire MBAs from the same schools, and all of those companies... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:33 AM on May 26, 2008

There is nothing like Stroustrup (or K&R) for Ruby.

Pickaxe is a decent way to get started, and the online docs (try gotapi's interface, use the "Ruby /Rails" content, not the "Ruby Standard Packages") provide more detail. Neither is totally authoritative or complete.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:57 AM on May 21, 2008

Linux is generally a lot less tolerant of flakey hardware. Your drive is on its way out, toss it.

If you still have data on the windows partition, now is the time to start copying it out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:42 PM on May 20, 2008

If you really have three 500MB disks, then the easiest solution would be to replace them all with a cheap GB class drive. Otherwise, the JBOD or mounting disks as a folder is the way to go. Stay away from RAID of any kind, though. There are a ton of gotchas, and no one has any business running RAID on their desktop. Really, they don't.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:48 PM on May 18, 2008

Having a physics degree marks you as a Smart Person. It won't guarantee you any particular career path, but it will open the door to "exclusive" careers like Wall Street Finance (which can lead to hedge funds, if you are a rockstar).

There is nothing wrong with taking the physics path, even if you want to end up a computer scientists. Much modern physics involves a hell of a lot of software engineering. The people on the leading edge of massively parallel... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:18 PM on May 17, 2008

Have you tried the hint guides and FAQs over at gamefaqs? They might help you get past whatever difficulties are troubling you.

Wouldn't the game designers want maximum enjoyment out of their work?

Modern games often have much more involved storylines than games did in the past. Figuring out the puzzles or accomplishing the missions is part of enjoying the games.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 8:10 PM on May 17, 2008

Definitely available, with Also Sprach Zarathustra bonus tracks.

DG recordings never go away.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:23 PM on May 15, 2008

[also available as an mp3 download, but beware that if you get the MP3s, you only get to download them once. So download carefully!]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 6:24 PM on May 15, 2008

I'm no DBA, but the following tips have helped me out recently when optimizing queries:

1. Avoid UTF8 strings if at all possible. It is much faster to join on latin1 strings than UTF8. Better still is to join on integers
2. Sub queries never have indexes, so if the inner result set is large, try transforming your query to one that uses indexed temporary tables
3. conversely, too many indexes will make inserts impossibly slow
4. Disks... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 9:36 AM on May 11, 2008

If so, do you ask them to turn it down?

Of course not.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:55 PM on May 9, 2008

Seems to me the extra disk space will, in the long run, turn out to be worthwhile. Anyone who's been around computers for very long soon learns that there's no such thing as "too much disk space".

It takes about an hour and $100 to swap in a 250 GB 2.5" SATA disk. It was the easiest hard drive upgrade I've ever done.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:03 PM on May 7, 2008

Also, if you like games like GTA4 and Metal Gear Solid, you might like Assassin's Creed. Amazon had a special on it (sold by Amazon, not Target) last week for $39 or so, and some brick and mortar shops still carry it at that price.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:18 PM on May 7, 2008

how to do the upgrade.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 7:22 PM on May 7, 2008

The only reason for the 80GB unit is partial hardware support of PS2 games. If you need the 80 for more disk space, your money is far better spent on a new hard drive. The drive is user upgradeable, sony even tells you how to do it.

The downside of the 80GB unit is that you have a few more chips inside. As a result, it draws a little more power, and runs a little hotter.

In Europe, you don't get any hardware emulation of PS2... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 8:20 PM on May 7, 2008 marked best answer

this is the drive I installed in my PS3.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 8:21 PM on May 7, 2008

The coupons are even more effective if they spread the word about the product but aren't actually redeemed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by b1tr0t at 10:41 PM on April 30, 2008