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Comment It's about services. (Score 1) 301

by dr_skipper (#30037652) Attached to: Reporting To Executives

Start by defining the services you deliver. For example, email. The exec's don't care about your internet connectivity uptime, server disk space, etc. They care about services they consume, and the availability and cost of those services.

So, think about it from the perspective of the execs going shopping to replace you. They'd go to IBM and give them a list of what they want from IBM, in language that you'd expect from a business-focused non-technical user. Now build that list in your head, and associate the underlying components with each of those services and start monitoring both the service and the components, and report back on the service availability quarterly.

Next, they'll ask you how much each of those services cost (they're always looking to cut costs, be ready and surprise them with a list, and demonstrate how you're the best choice.)

Comment Re:I have to agree (Score 1) 166

by dr_skipper (#25916601) Attached to: Fujitsu Offers Free Laptop Upgrades For Life

You're actually doing more harm than good.

Lithium Polymer batteries require regular discharge/charge cycles or the chemicals in them crystallize, leaving you with a nice paperweight.

The best thing you can do to preserve LiPo battery life is to run plugged in, without the battery in the laptop, and use the battery only when needed. Once a month drain the battery and recharge it.

A more practical use is to keep it in the laptop, provide adequate ventilation to keep it cool, and discharge/charge monthly.

Also, when the battery seems discharged it actually isn't, there's a protective circuit in most LiPo batteries to prevent a complete discharge as this would damage the battery. The funny thing is if after this protection circuit kicks in some times the batteries will build a bit more of a charge up and allow you to continue to use them. This also really ruins LiPo batteries. When the protection circuit kicks in, it's doing it to protect the battery and you should charge it prior to use, not force a few more minutes of use out of it.
The Military

Air Force to Get "Cyber Sidearms" 81

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the buzzword-makers-just-getting-lazy dept.
mlbtaz writes to mention that techs working on Air Force networks will soon be getting "cyber sidearms" to help alert them to potential security breaches. "The tool could be a small piece of software installed on Air Force computers or it could be a simple mechanism for taking a screenshot and relaying it to security experts, said Maj. Gen. William Lord, who will soon take command of the Air Force's provisional Cyber Command. In an interview this week, Lord said service officials have not made a final decision about which technology they will use for the program. "

Illumninatus! Author Needs Our Help 553

Posted by kdawson from the magnum-opiate dept.
Criceratops writes, "Almost every fringe-geek worth their salt has read 'The Illuminatus! Trilogy,' or at least the 'Principia Discordia,' and much of the enlightenment therein came from Robert Anton Wilson. On the eve of 'Xena' being officially named Eris, Douglas Rushkoff's blog reveals that the extremely ill Mr. Wilson can't make his rent. Another testimony to how our society refuses to reward those who enrich it... but not if we can help it!"

The Question of Robot Safety 482

Posted by Zonk from the please-give-my-best-wishes-to-everybody dept.
An anonymous reader writes to mention an Economist article wondering how safe should robots be? From the article: "In 1981 Kenji Urada, a 37-year-old Japanese factory worker, climbed over a safety fence at a Kawasaki plant to carry out some maintenance work on a robot. In his haste, he failed to switch the robot off properly. Unable to sense him, the robot's powerful hydraulic arm kept on working and accidentally pushed the engineer into a grinding machine. His death made Urada the first recorded victim to die at the hands of a robot. This gruesome industrial accident would not have happened in a world in which robot behavior was governed by the Three Laws of Robotics drawn up by Isaac Asimov, a science-fiction writer." The article goes on to explore the ethics behind robot soldiers, the liability issues of cleaning droids, and the moral problems posed by sexbots.

Real Life Spy Gadgets That Anyone Can Buy 171

Posted by CmdrTaco from the show-cams-and-pen-grenades dept.
Ant writes "Here is a collection of "spy equipment" found for sale around the Internet. Everything listed is completely real, is sold at online stores, and almost any item listed here costs less than $500, and often times can be bought for less than $200. Seen on Compfused."

Brits To Crash Test a Scramjet 314

Posted by CmdrTaco from the please-give-us-videos-of-that dept.
hywel_ap_ieuan writes "The BBC is reporting that a the "Hyshot consortium" will be testing a scramjet called Hyshot III in Australia on Friday. The fun part: "If everything goes to plan, the experiment will begin at a height of 35 km. As the engine continues its downward path the fuel in the scramjet is expected to automatically ignite. The scientists will then have just six seconds to monitor its performance before the £1m engine eventually crashes into the ground.""

Adults Love Video Games 257

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-i'm-only-technically-an-adult dept.
flabbybuns writes "For those of you who feel you may waste too much time behind a controller fret no longer. According to a recent report on adult gamer statistics, it turns out that the adults are more hardcore about gaming than the kids are. "

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