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Comment Re:This makes sense (Score 1) 895

by hopejr (#32973280) Attached to: New Photos Show 'Devastating' Ice Loss On Everest
Believe it or not, the increased melt happened in the late 90's. In fact in 1999, the ice melted so much that the body of an explorer was found on Mt Everest that went missing in the 20's. After that, there was so little rainfall that the ice didn't build up enough to melt in summer, so the power issues started. Precipitation is low, the ice melted in torrents prior to 2000, so it's never building up again.

Comment This makes sense (Score 5, Informative) 895

by hopejr (#32947790) Attached to: New Photos Show 'Devastating' Ice Loss On Everest
Nepal's power is run from hydro installed by the Russians many years ago. The generators are on the rivers that contain run-off from the Himalayas. I used to live there ('99-'01) and there was enough problems with lack of water then for us to have many brown outs. But lately, friends over there have been telling me that the power has been out for weeks on end, with hospitals, etc, having to constantly run their diesel generators, increasing the already excessive amount of pollution in the air, especially around Kathmandu. They've been saying that it's because the rivers have had hardly any water in them, which is caused by the decreasing amount of ice on the mountains.

Comment Re:I don't agree. (Score 1) 419

by hopejr (#32685334) Attached to: Australia Gets Its First Female Prime Minister

I don't agree. It is not directly democratic to hopejr, and all other Australians.

When I read through Australian news forums, there are a lot of regular people that feel that when they elected the government, they elected it as it was, with Kevin Rudd as it's leader.

At the end of the day, a government is one person, and to change that person, is to change the government. The only people with the right to change the government are the public citizens of Australia.

I'm an Australian, and I know how our system works, yet I entirely agree. Not democratic, and a truly unjust and deceitful way of manipulating the will of the people.

Exactly the point I was trying to make. I am Aussie myself, and I also understand how the system works. But I do know the fact that many people, when filling in their ballot papers, are not thinking about their local member, but about the future PM.

Comment Re:Another piece of legislation delayed? (Score 2, Interesting) 255

by hopejr (#32040646) Attached to: Australian Government Delays Internet Filter Legislation
Sorry, I was going on slightly old and incorrect news. Basically, it was Croatia, having shopping banned on Sundays because of church pressure. Thankfully, this pre-historic, religious-related law was deemed unconstitutional 6 months later (according to Wikipedia), and repealed. The information I had, which seemed to be from news sites, though I can't find it now, stated that shops were shut because the Catholic church wanted people to go to mass, or something like that.

Comment Another piece of legislation delayed? (Score 2, Interesting) 255

by hopejr (#32040370) Attached to: Australian Government Delays Internet Filter Legislation
Though I'm far from disappointed, this is the 3rd one this week! Last week it was the Emissions Trading Scheme nonsense, then the Health Care stuff, and now this. Seriously, what's up with the Rudd government?? It's turning out to be a "Dudd" government! Bring on an early double dissolution election and get this idiots out (not that the alternative is much better . . . ).
<rant>
Oh, and as to the Australian Christian Lobby and all those other extreme conservative political groups - don't mix religion with government! I'm Christian, but I don't think that should have anything to do with running a country. One of these days we'll end up like certain European countries and be forced to go to church every week!
</rant>

Comment Re:Good programmers aren't easily ruined (Score 1) 548

by hopejr (#31424008) Attached to: The Value of BASIC As a First Programming Language

A good programmer has experienced many languages and done things in many ways. A good programmer has compared all these various experiences and understands the advantages and disadvantages of each language and programming technique. A good programmer doesn't get bogged down in line numbers and GOTO statements and never move beyond that. If someone does get bogged down they never had the attitude to be a good programmer.

I agree. I was one of those who started with BASIC, but am a good programmer (not meaning to boast - it's what I've been told by colleagues and bosses). BASIC is a good starting point to learn how procedural programming works, and can build from that to other paradigms and languages. It's people who only feel comfortable with that stuff that don't move on from their GOTO statements. I think this guy, Dijkstra, is like Freud by studying 60 german house-wives who have no life, and thinking the whole world is the same.
Censorship

Submission + - Aussie Net filtering trial delayed (abc.net.au)

Submitted by hopejr
hopejr writes: The Federal Opposition says it is not surprised the Government's mandatory internet filtering trial has been delayed. The trial, which was meant to begin today, has been postponed until mid-January 2009 and the internet service providers (ISPs) who will participate will be announced at the same time. ISPs iiNet and Optus both said yesterday they had not heard anything about their applications to participate in the trial, and doubted the Government would meet its own deadline.
Networking

Submission + - IPv6 Cutover January 1, 2011

Submitted by IO ERROR
IO ERROR writes: An internet-draft published this month calls for an IPv6 transition plan which would require all Internet-facing servers to have IPv6 connectivity on or before January 1, 2011. 'Engineer and author John Curran proposes that migration to IPv6 happen in three stages. The first stage, which would happen between now and the end of 2008, would be a preparatory stage in which organizations would start to run IPv6 servers, though these servers would not be considered by outside parties as production servers. The second stage, which would take place in 2009 and 2010, would require organizations to offer IPv6 for Internet-facing servers, which could be used as production servers by outside parties. Finally, in the third stage, starting in 2011, IPv6 must be in use by public-facing servers.' Then IPv4 can go away.

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