8/25    In case this helps anyone, the fonts that come with the tetex packages
        are incomplete. When dvips encounters a missing font, it scales
        another and does so imperfectly. This can screw with the look of a
        document.  The fix is simple: install the package lmodern   -ben g

8/25    I have a portable USB HD (2.5") that I built myself with WD HD
        and an enclosure. On some systems it won't power on via the
        USB cable, it'll try to spin up, but does not successfully
        spin up. Could it be those machines do not provide enough
        power via the usb output? On one machine that fails to power
        up, I tried the fire-wire cable, it powered up fine. It also
        powers up fine on my machine via USB. Thanks.
        \_ Yes, exactly.  Not all USB ports are made the same.  I have a 4
           port USB hub that will power a mouse or other small device but
           nothing with a real power need "but it should".  Those systems are
           simply not providing enough power via their USB ports.
        \_ this is a well-known issue with some enclosures, see any newegg
           reviews of lower-rated enclosures.
           \_ Hmm, what would you consider a 'good' enclosure? My
              first one, the BYTECC HD-201U2, highly rated at new-egg,
              was a piece of crap. Dead on arrival, and the
              construction was also cheap. Drive hold in place by foam
              padding? My current one is a Macally PHR-250CC, much
              better designed and made, from the IC board to the way
              the drive is secured to the board to the way the board
              secures to the case. Could also be my drive, but I
              specifically picked one with average RPM so it won't
              suck as much power.. -op
              \_ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145135
                 (fixed the URL)
                 Vantec Nexstar 3 black (also in red and navy blue)
                 I got that for my gf, and it looks really nice, but she hasn't
                 used it much.  I purposely didn't order the BYTECC you got
                 because it looked cheap from the photos and someone posted
                 about a screw getting stripped.  Oh well.
                 Anyways, that was my choice for "best USB 2.5 enclosure" from
                 my research in early July.
                 I just noticed a new review saying it corrupts data.
                 used it much.  I didn't order the BYTECC because it looked
                 cheap from the photos and someone posted about a screw
                 getting stripped.  Oh well.  Anyways, the Vantec was my
                 choice for "best USB 2.5 enclosure" from my research in early
                 July.  I just noticed a new review saying it corrupts data.
                 Oh well, looks like the Macally is what you want.
                 If I could have a do-over, I'd get this:
                 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145658
                 I have the AMS Venus DS3 3.5" enclosure, use it ALL the time
                 and never had problems, so hopefully the 2.5" is the same.
                 I have some AMS Venus DS3 3.5" enclosures, use them ALL the
                 time and never had problems so hopefully the 2.5" is the same.
        \_ There are "powered" and "unpowered" USB ports.  The former supplies
           more juice than the latter.
        \_ Even with a powered USB port, the spec only requires that it is able
           to deliver 500mA @5V, or 2.5W.  There's no way you should expect
           the USB port to power a hard drive.  That's while all HDD enclosures
           have seperate power supplies.
           \_ ^all^all usb -- I have yet to have problems with my Firewire
              HDs getting enough juice.

8/25    Why are iterators "superior" or more recently popular over the
        traditional method of using  for loops and indexing?
        \_ I guess it's because you can change an array to some other data
           structure (linked-list, tree, ...) without changing the loop code.
           \_ This is a limitation of your language, not the concept of looping
        \_ They handle multithreaded use cases better.
           They hide implementation details.
           You can pass iterators around between functions and they do
           what you want witout much hassle.
        \_ Traditionally doing pointer comparisons is faster than
           dereferencing by index. (Good compilers probably will
           transform the latter for you for simple data structures like
           arrays, though.) Also, they're simply an abstraction that
           better describe what you're trying to accomplish
           (reverse_iterator) or what your needs are (const_iterator).

8/25    http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/24/real_estate/pluggedin_tully.fortune
        Yeah it's about time!!!  -bitter young grad, born and graduated
                in the "wrong" era and missed out on dot-com and
                housing boom.
        \_ I think a correction to cool things down is a healthy thing.
           --- '93 grad who didn't profit from the dot-com or housing boom,
           didn't have rich parents, and own one home and one rental
        \_ I think it's a good thing.  --- old grad who didn't profit from the
           dot-com era, didn't have rich parents, and own one home and one
           rental
        \_ Bad news is that rents are on the way up.
           \_ Awesome.  Now we renters can be smug on the motd.  RENTS WILL
              NEVER GO DOWN!!!!11!!! --smug renter

8/25    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.dreyfuss.html
        Very interesting article on the Iraq Study (!Survey) Group
        "if the Democrats win back one or both houses of Congress in November,
        they would unleash a series of investigative hearings on Iraq, the war
        on terrorism, and civil liberties that could fatally weaken the
        administration and remove the last props of political support for the
        war, setting the stage for a potential Republican electoral disaster"
        (I came to the above conclusion some time ago, as well)
        \_ On the other hand, it could totally backfire on the Democrats as
           the Clinton impeachment did on the Republicans.
           \_ Dubya doesn't have Clinton's general popularity, but then again
              Bubba didn't have Dubya's mushroom cloud.
              \_ you mean the type of general popularity that got Clinton a
                 whopping 43% of the popular vote in 1992? Or the type that
                 got him 49.2% of the popular vote in the lowest voter
                 turnouts in decades? At least Dubya got >50% once.
                 \_ your first example is stupid.  you don't need me to
                    tell you why.
                 \_ ob stronger 3rd party candidates and pre-9/11 world
                    ob "general popularity" == approval rating
                    ob http://csua.org/u/grk (crooksandliars.com)
        \_ Why do the Democrats hate America?
           \_ Please explain to me how the Clinton impeachment backfired on
              the GOP. Although it did not achieve the stated goal of removing
              him from office, it sure did distract from his attempts to get
              his policies pushed through. -confused (and bitter) libdem
              \_ Well the GOP came across looking mean and spiteful and then
                 proceeded to take over all 3 branches of government for six
                 years.  That'll learn em!

8/25    Is this a sarcastic blog entry?
        http://powerlineblog.com/archives/015081.php
        \_ It's powerline... so no.
        \_ I guess they're giving out rose-colored Koolaid now at these
           functions
           \_ John Hinderaker brews his own Koolaid. Call him and ask:
              (612) 220-1060.

8/25    Dear C++ experts. Why would there be two "const" in the following
        method declaration?
        const bool ILikeMotd() const;
        \_ The first const refers to the data type returned.  The second
           const says the function doesn't modify an object's member variables.
           The first const in your example is bad, I believe; it should
           be something like const bool& or const bool*.

8/25    Jesus Loves You As Long As GOP Is In Control.

8/25    USB teddy bear holds data, scares children:
        http://tinyurl.com/m9ak4  -John

8/25    http://www.ucla.edu/about/faculty/tao.html
        \_ Sigh.  Tao >>>>>>>>>> me.
           \_ "Such is Tao's reputation that mathematicians now compete to
              interest him in their problems, and he is becoming a kind of Mr.
              Fix-it for frustrated researchers. 'If you're stuck on a
              problem, then one way out is to interest Terence Tao'"
              \_ This is why I got out of math.  No amount of hard work or
                 slightly clever tricks or listening to the advice of smart
                 old guys can come close to compensating for not being a
                 genius in math.  Why should I spend three years of my life
                 working hard on a problem that some genius can solve in a
                 couple hours?  Other sciences are not like that.
                 \- yeah, i know that feeling. years ago a friend of mine
                    asked me about an "extra credit" problem for his 50a
                    class. I couldnt believe I couldnt figure it out ...
                    and started working on it with some other friends for
                    a few days. We then started talking to Robin Hartshorne
                    about it ... it was amazing the stuff he came up with in
                    an hour. BTW, it turned out it was an open problem not
                    an "extra credit" problem.
                    an "extra credit" problem. It is interesting how many
                    of these people are just not normal ... Solovay, for
                    example. Another friend of mine reported a homeless man
                    in the elevator to the math dept ... their reaction was
                    "oh, that is Prof x".
                    \_ Was he bald and reading minds?
        \_ Is there (and I really am just curious) something to be said
           about someone this young winning a Fields medal? If this is
           truly like the Nobel prize of math, shouldn't/aren't awards
           like this usually given to people who are older (i.e. more
           well established in the field, more published, etc.)? I'm
           just wondering if this is a subtle publicity stunt of
           sorts. But I do realize this kid is a math genius, too.
           \_ You have to be under 40 to win the Fields Medal.
                \_ OH, I didn't know that actually. Thanks. -op
                \_ OH, I didn't know that actually. Thanks. -pp
                   \- note: that is "why" AWILES didnt get a FM for
                      the FLT proof, but got a consolation prize
                      of some lawn furniture.
           \- No, it's not a "stunt". I'm actually kinda surprised Tao is
              getting all this special attention. I think th point of the
           \- It's not a "stunt". I'm actually kinda surprised Tao is
              getting all this special attention. I think the point of the
              "under 40" rule is so that the prize doesnt become a "liefetime
              achievement award". Sort of the opposite of a Life Oscar ...
              who/how old was the youngest Life Oscar Winner?
              \_ But what if you do something great after 40? Wiles got screwed
                 Don't the rules imply that if you don't do anything great b4
                 40, you won't. Wasn't it RIBET's result that turned Wiles
                 onto Fermat? He must have forgotten to check how old he was.
                 \- Wiles hardly got screwed ... and we only think in those
                    terms because he coincidentally missed by only a couple
                    of years [would you have said "he go screwed" if he did
                    the work when he was 50?]. While WILES isnt exactly a
                       \_ Yes. There should be a Nobel or equiv for Math.
                    household name, you have heard of him ... how many
                    Fields Medalists have you heard of? Did HAWKING get
                    screwed because he hasnt won a Physics nobel? It's not
                    like WILES would have been able to get a better academic
                    position if he won a FM. In some cases the person is
                    honored by the prize, in  other cases the prize is
                    honored by them ... do yu think VS Naipual readership
                    changed after he won the lit Nobel?
                    \_ I think most people in the physics department believe
                       Erwin Hahn got screwed for not getting it for spin echo.
                       \- i think there are probably more valid cases of
                          screwage when person A B C D are involved in
                          idea X, but only A B C win an award rather than
                          nobdy getting an award for some idea. I guess the
                          famous case of this is RFRANKLIN in the DNA
                          episode [nobel can only be split up to 3ways],
                          \_ also can't be given to dead people.
                             which she was.
                          and I dunno how valid that case is, but I suppose
                          CHIEN-SHIUNG WU [UCB Physics PhD ... in 1940!] has
                          a pretty good case in the YANG-LEE PARITY case.
                          As for UCB Physics, do people think ZUMINO has
                          been screwed?
           \- BTW, if you are interested in a somewhat interesting take
              on "math culture", see: http://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~wtg10/2cultures.pdf
              It's by Timothy GOWERS, who is Yet Another Fields Medalist
              [and was a student of BELA BOLLOBAS, whom some of you may know,
              if you have studied GRAPH THEORY]. GOWERS divides mathematicians
              into "problem solvers" and theory builders ... I think generally
              people outside the math community -- but who have studied some
              math -- dont hear hear much about people working on inscrutable,
              hard problems. [ObTrivia: GOWERS won the Fields medal the same
              year as CURT MCMULLEN, who used to be at Berkeley but was stolen
              by Harvard and is kind of a jerk, and BORCHARDS, who is at
              Berkeley still and works on MOONSHINE, and had brain analyzed
              by ALI G's cousin, who is a famous research psychologist].