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Comment: It's Not a Phone (Score 1) 851

by Zyrkyr (#38473174) Attached to: Do You Really Need a Smart Phone?
I've heard the same argument: "I don't need a phone with all that crap." For people who only want voice communication, that's great, but some people miss the point: many of us don't buy "phones" to yak at each other, but rather for mobile computing which happens to let us make phone calls as well. I was ready to ditch my last cell in favor of a Galaxy tablet with a bluetooth headset, but they ended up being crippled in that respect (and massively expensive), so I went with the Galaxy S instead.

My Android device isn't a "phone" any more than an automobile is a giant mobile cigarette lighter. Yes, you can light a cigarette with it (and also listen to radio and keep warm in cold weather, etc.), but the primary function of the machine is for transportation. The primary function of a "smartphone" is as a portable Internet-connected computer.

To be fair: it is kind of pathetic that I can't wait 20 minutes to check my email, etc. while I'm walking or riding the bus, but there you go. :-/

Comment: Re:Splitting Hairs (Score 1) 520

by Zyrkyr (#37516506) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: CS Grads Taking IT Jobs?
"that 1% of people who know the distinction are the ones that matter to his career"
Possibly maybe, but I've worked for (/been hired by) people who had little or no technical knowledge. The CS degree ought to be enough to get your foot in the door for an interview (I could be wrong, it's been years since I had to go through that...).
Personally I wouldn't want to work for anyone who would toss my resume just because I had experience in tech support (which I did as a college job, BTW).

Comment: Splitting Hairs (Score 1) 520

by Zyrkyr (#37514426) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: CS Grads Taking IT Jobs?
Wow, some of us have passionate opinions about this distinction... :-/ As far as 99% of the human race is concerned, there is no difference between CS and IT, we're all just "computer guys". BTW I got my Master's in CS, and I've been working "in IT" for over 10 years (as a database developer). I'm also a part-time instructor (of database development) in a community college; while the CS background definitely helped get my foot in the door there, I think the practical experience pulled just as much weight. My advice: take whatever decent job you can find, even if it's a lowly "IT" job. Consider it part of your overall career experience; diversity (such as it is) is an asset.

Comment: Re:Conditions Apply (Score 1) 635

by Zyrkyr (#33070028) Attached to: Nuclear Energy Now More Expensive Than Solar
What's to keep us from storing energy in a different form? Say, use excess solar-generated electricity to run a motor which lifts a heavy weight (converting it to potential energy, which can later be used to spin a turbine and generate more electricity)? This is the same process that a grandfather clock uses (and yes, I know that Neil Gaiman described it in Anathem); there's some mechanical overhead, but it's more sustainable than chemical batteries... For that matter, why not use excess solar electricity to separate hydrogen from water molecules, creating fuel?

10 IT Power-Saving Myths Debunked 359

Posted by timothy
from the replace-all-leds-with-cfls dept.
snydeq writes "InfoWorld examines 10 power-saving assumptions IT has been operating under in its quest to rein in energy costs vs. the permanent energy crisis. Under scrutiny, most such assumptions wither. From true CPU efficiency, to the life span effect of power-down frequency on servers, to SSD power consumption, to switching to DC in the datacenter, get the facts before setting your IT energy strategy."
