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Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -Arthur C. Clarke
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Randor wrote: I'm not even sure how you would detect this.
A looong time ago, pre SMT. We had an issue with reversed tantalum capacitors. Fortunately, the device in question had a pretty consistent quiescent current when populated properly, and when put in backwards would draw measurably more current, though not necessarily immediately. A fun little addition to the test fixture. Everyone loved that they had to wait 30 to 40 seconds more before the testing would begin so we could detect the extra current draw.  But hey, it worked pretty well.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Those tants when installed backward would also tend to explode in a small fireball, usually shooting over your shoulder.
When I worked at a computer manufacturer there was a period of time when we would see at least one board a week, mostly video cards, that would go bang.
The biggest problem with tantalums is that when they failed they always failed short and again, BOOM!
Kelly Herald
Software Developer
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Wow, a hardware recall. We called those "class A changes". They were rare and greatly feared. Most of the time, boards could be barnacled in the field, but I guess you don't have that luxury when your customer base is this broad!
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Elon Musk said on a podcast that SpaceX will land humans on Mars between five and 10 years. And in a best-case scenario, we won't try?
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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is currently showing "sensor tampering" alerts linked to the company's newly deployed Microsoft 365 Defender scanner for Log4j processes. It's not not not a problem
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MIT App Inventor is an intuitive, visual programming environment that allows everyone – even children – to build fully functional apps for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Part Scratch, part VB
I'll let you decide if that's a good thing or not
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Don't waste time and money on tech when there are alternatives You don't need any more than two wires and patience
Didn't this author have another "brilliant" article recently?
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Interesting. When I clicked on the link for that article at work, up popped a "you have to subscribe to read this" box that couldn't be dismissed. Here at home where I use AdBlock Plus, no popup.
Despite the guy's inflammatory-and-somewhat-insulting title, he does present a valid argument. My employer is a perfect example. At one time we used Lotus Notes for everything. When we switched to Office 365 and Outlook, we had to keep Notes running for years because some business processes couldn't be performed any other way.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Dang, sorry about that - there was no subscribe notice when I grabbed it (and I don't have adblock to make sure that's not stopping things). Hmm. I still don't. Maybe it's geoblocked?
TTFN - Kent
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Never underestimate the misapplied power of the corporate IT gremlinoskis...
Software Zen: delete this;
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But ... My friends laugh at me if I do not install a home automation system ...
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Kent Sharkey: You don't need any more than two wires and patience
Isn't that what they say in Hotwiring 101? Or is it Grad Theft Auto 101? 
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Philip O'Keefe, a 62-year-old amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient in Australia recently became the first person to post a message on social media using only his thoughts. "I want to know what you're feeling, tell me what's on you mind"
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Quote: he posted an initial brief message, "Hello World," on Twitter
Hmm, there's probably a 'developer' thinking, 'I just copied that code from the interwebz, no one will ever know!'
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Wi-Fi’s biggest upgrade in 20 years is on the way with unlicensed 6GHz access "Is in the air for you and me"
"Unlicensed means anyone can use it, as long as they do so responsibly" Oh well, it was fun while it lasted
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So we're now going to have WiFi on the same frequency as air traffic control approach radars. This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
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Don't worry. From 6.0 to 6.9999999 ... GHz, you'll can fit one thousand 1 MHz wide channels. Or a hundred thousand 10 kHz wide channels. WiFi doesn't take all of the 6 GHz band!
How much do you worry about your microwave oven transmitting in the same frequency range as your current WiFi?
I am far more worried about 6 GHz not leaking out of the room where the wireless router is located. You may need one per room, if the walls are made from concrete.
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So, you want to use Windows 2000 in 2021? Because it just boggled my mind
So much effort, so little end result...
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Especially because NT 4 is where it's at.
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EXACTLY!! NT4 Pro or go home 
TTFN - Kent
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Rockstar is a computer programming language designed for creating programs that are also hair metal power ballads. In case you've always wanted to be a rockstar developer
Yes, not "new" per se, but it has been since 2018 since I posted it. Maybe we'll create a new generation of rockstar coders.
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Tell Chris he needs to add syntax colorization for Rockstar in the <pre> tag handling. Maybe play a Winger, Whitesnake, or Warrant(*) video in the background.
(*) Why did all of the hair band names seem to start with W?
Software Zen: delete this;
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Two-factor authentication is a widely used and trusted security mechanism, but criminals are increasingly using malicious toolkits that can outwit it. Oh yeah? Well here comes *Three*-factor authentication!
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Kent Sharkey wrote: Three-factor authentication!
Something old, something new, something borrowed?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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