Posts by jake

If there is no flavor, there is no point ...

Why not just bottle pure capsaicin & be done with it? The DSWs over "worlds hottest pepper" and "world's hottest hot sauce" are getting tedious, at best.

That said ... I make my own Habenero/Goat Pepper/Scotch Bonnet hot sauce, from peppers I grow here. Lovely stuff. Tastes of mango, banana, pineapple, a hint of apple, coconut & vanilla ... Is it hot? Yes! But it also tastes good ... if you can get past the heat. I spilled a little on my morning omelet just a little while ago. Doubles as pepper-spray ;-)

Take about a cup of good cider vinegar (I make my own from my gravenstein apple cider), put it in a blender with a dozen or so ripe Habeneros (seeds & all), a teaspoon of sea salt (not that nasty, metallic tasting, iodine-infused "table salt"), and about a tablespoon each of honey & turbinado/demerara sugar (muscovado or piloncillo also work, if you can find 'em). A tablespoon of chipotle powder adds a nice smoky note, but isn't required. Blend well. Add a little more vinegar if needed, to get a Tabasco-ish consistency. It's usable immediately, but bottle it & stick it in the back of your fridge for a couple months and it just gets better ... A turkey baster with the plastic bit from an eye-dropper stuck on the end works well for re-filling old Tabasco[tm] bottles.

I don't do google ... but ...

Has anyone tried "Scunthorpe"?

Something people are missing ...

Look to long-haul transportation, where economy makes for profits.

Trains: Diesel

Trucks: Diesel

Aircraft: Jet fuel (basically, diesel)

Shipping: Bunker fuel (basically, diesel)

Do the math(s) & follow the money. Diesel powered vehicles are the absolute cheapest form of long distance transportation known to man, from a TCO point of view.

The more we forget history ...

Great. Trevor's discovered 1985ish technology ... What ever will be next? The joys of the TSR in Corporate Computing? A review of the NeXT Computer System? Commentary on how narsty "New Coke" is? Perhaps a review of Bobbysocks!' "La det swinge"? Or maybe an explanation of what "Buckyballs" are? How about how to cheat at Tetris?

I'm on tenterhooks ... The possibilities are nearly endless ... Me, I'm hoping for a complete set of "Calvin Ball" rules.

Now ask me why ...

The first thing I do when brought in as a consultant is fire all the middle-management who do nothing but fiddle about with PowerPoint all day. Saves gobs of money.

IMO, at the state level, just getting rid of the PP-jockeys would probably balance California's budget overnight. At the national level ... let's just say the waste is staggering.

Numpties.

Why the fuck would anyone, with any knowledge of basic computer security, have a so-called "secure system" accessible in any way, shape or form from not-secure systems?

And these are the idiots in charge of my nation's security? Sometimes I despair ...

They have a point ...

My daughter's Precision Big Block (formerly owned by Jean-Jacques Burnel) goes weeks without being played ... Might have something to do with her being more interested in making a living than making music, though. Being late in her third trimester might have something to do with it, too.

The cycle of life continues, even though kids think they they know better then their parents. All that computer power, and they can't come up with anything better than mag tape? MP3s? ::spit::

Answers from a sometime IT educator ...

"These include asking whether computing is a real discipline in the same way that maths, physics or chemistry are."

No. Computing is more like plumbing or auto mechanics.

"Other questions include:

" Is programming still a fundamental literacy for the modern age?"

It never was, any more than people understand the processes that allow them to fire up their car and drive off to the shops.

" What is the purpose of ICT or computing classes in school?"

At the grade school level? It has nothing to do with the kids, and everything to do with petty politics amongst the adults in charge.

" Are existing qualifications fit for purpose?"

No, for the simple reason that said "qualifications" were speced out by the unqualified.

" Should computing even be taught in the school environment - do kids learn more outside the classroom?"

IMO, anything more than basic keyboard skills should be outside the scope of grade schools. Yes, allow simple programming languages (I'm talking Lisp or Smalltalk, not that abomination BASIC) and/or bare-bones "how it works" electives for those interested. But this shouldn't be a requirement, any more than autoshop or woodworking.

" Why do students study computing?"

They don't. They study "using consumer goods, and how to get their parents to purchase them for them".

" How much variety is there between different schools?"

Stupid question, How much variety is there between people?

" Do computing qualifications carry as much weight with universities as, say, maths qualifications?"

Not at any decent accredited school that I'm aware of (I have taught IT at several of California's State and UC campuses, and at many highschools & all of the Junior Colleges in the greater Bay Area).

" Is it a problem of perception?"

Probably ... The folks asking the questions aren't equipped to properly perceive the reality of the situation ... figuring out "why" is most likely a better place to spend the money on an 18-month probe.

" Is this problem unique to the UK or could we learn from other countries?"

Its world-wide, in my estimation.

Mall == private property.

Just like my living room.

You can NOT spout your religious bullshit to anyone in my living room ... I do not allow shamanism here in any shape or form. If you try, you will be shown the door, and indeed escorted off my property. If you struggle, I have the option of making a citizens arrest, charging you with trespassing, and/or assault, depending on how violent you are in insisting on delivering your variation of "the good word".

Don't like my house rules? Don't come here. We won't miss you.

Fairwell, Solaris.

I knew you well, and made a lot of money knowing you well over the years. Sad to see you go.

RIP

Agreed.

"No internet user should be punished for the actions of another internet user,"

I agree 100% ... I shouldn't have to burn bandwidth, CPU, disk and end-user time($$) on unsolicited email and other anti-social Internet traffic. Nor should my clients. That's why I block large swathes of IP space where anti-social traffic is known to originate. Including most of Latvia. And my clients are happy to follow my lead. Makes life easier over the long haul.

Don't like me blocking your IP traffic? Clean up your act; become a friendly net.neighbor, and maybe we'll start exchanging packets again ... *IF* someone using my blocklist asks me to allow your IP space again.

Internet balkanization? Absofuckinglutely. But here's the rub ... I'm in the rest of the world. The Internet version of the Balkans have chosen to become balkanized. Hopefully they are happy in their semi-isolation.

I am not Spamhaus, nor do I use them, but they are not alone.