Apple ate my computer. Thanks to their Mac OS 10.2.8 update, my iMac was inoperable from Tuesday onwards. Academic Computing services at my college said my only recourse was to reformat my hard drive. I was able to save it through the magic of Alsoft's
DiskWarrior, but I paid $80 for the privlege. "Not worth our money" says Academic Computing, thereby dooming the next generation of malfunctioning computers to erasure.
Remember, kids, never install anything until you've got testimonials that it works, even if
Software Update tells you it's just the greatest thing ever.
posted by Mr. Ripzaw at 6:55 PM
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From the
Washington Post, via
Atrios and
Kos:
Speaking of contracting out, an administration move to privatize air traffic control at 69 airports has sparked opposition from labor groups, which contend it would compromise safety.
The administration had proposed 71 airports, but House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska), who supports the effort, got someone to strike the two Alaska airports on the list.
Young, on an Alaska cable TV show a week ago, acknowledged the move generated some heat.
"Of course the criticism of myself," he said, "is that I exempted the state of Alaska." But there were ample reasons for that, he said, ticking off a number of them.
"Lastly," Young said, "my hotel room is on the top floor of the Sheraton, and the airplanes take right off towards my hotel room. Every morning I look out and there's one coming right at me. It's an interesting experience and I want to make sure everything is done right in that field."
This one just speaks for itself.
posted by Mr. Ripzaw at 9:30 PM
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As the
Galileo spacecraft plunges into Jupiter, my faith in the Space program is replenished. For $1.4 Billion, the cost of a B-2 bomber and a half, we sent this thing 3 Billion miles and found out there might be life on Jupiter's moons. In the practical arena, you only have to read the stories to see what came from this mission. The main antenna failed to deploy. They now know why, and it won't happen again. Further, they were able to resume the mission by communicating with Galileo via its reserve antenna and reprogramming its computers from Pasadena. Doesn't that seem like a technique that might come in handy? The ship took a lot more radiation than it was designed for. A lot of equipment went down. Galileo didn't have an onboard toolkit, or a mechanic for that matter. Despite that, the NASA crew was able to keep it running by rerouting power through undamaged conduits, redesigning its software to make the remaining equipment do things it was never meant to do, and repairing balky equipment using techniques they made up on the spot (according to one article I can no longer find, they got a jammed tape recorder working by turning nearby equipment on and off in a manner which caused electricity to arc through the tape, changing its chemical composition and freeing it.) Oh yeah, and all this from a machine with the power of a 60-watt bulb and the intelligence of an Apple II.
Sometimes things go wrong. But sometimes, even the things that go wrong can be made into something absolutely, perfectly right. This was one of those times. Congratulations on a job well done Galileo, and the same to the group of scientists and engineers that made her possible.
posted by Mr. Ripzaw at 4:44 PM
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