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geomark

2,878 karma · joined March 25, 2015

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geomark··on How NASA built Artemis II’s fault-tolerant computer
I sure wish they would talk about the hardware. I spent a few years developing a radiation hardened fault tolerant computer back in the day. Adding redundancy at multiple levels was the usual solution. But there is another clever check on transient errors during process execution that we implemented that didn't involve any redundancy. Doesn't seem like they did anything like that. But can't tell since they don't mention the processor(s) they used.
geomark··on Mathematics is hard for mathematicians to understand too
Of course. I just find it hilarious that someone like von Neumann would say that.
geomark··on Mathematics is hard for mathematicians to understand too
I thought we were well past trying to understand mathematics. After all, John von Neumann long ago said "In mathematics we don't understand things. We just get used to them."
geomark··on LM8560, the eternal chip from the 1980 years
Yep. Just used a 555 today to whip up a low frequency clock source.
geomark··on Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox
Ask HN: Is Brave an ok alternative?
geomark··on LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
My sister lives in Anaheim Hills. A couple years ago a brush fire burned right up to the property line behind her house. Fortunately her house was undamaged. Last year the insurance company declined to renew her policy. I think you made a wise choice to avoid that area.
geomark··on Yi Peng 3 crossed both cables C-Lion 1 and BSC at times matching when they broke
When people say "unprovoked" do they not know the history, or they think the history doesn't matter, or do they just not care?
geomark··on Wafer Scale and Trilogy Systems: Part 1
Interesting article. I wonder if in part 2 they will cover the work done at TRW as part of the VHSIC Phase 2 program. They succeeded with a WSI chip called the CPUAX that used some of the same redundancy techniques together with a built in self test and configuration system.
geomark··on When To Do What You Love
Then they're doing it wrong. The idea is that you grind when you're young to set yourself up for more free time to spend with your kids when you're older. You can afford for one parent to stay home, both if you've really nailed it
geomark··on When To Do What You Love
Most of my friends had kids young. They were busy working and hardly saw them grow up. A few were fortunate that the mothers could and wanted to stay home. The others all had their kids raised by daycare workers. When they found out what was happening in schools all they could do was scream about it. When covid hit and the schools shut those parents were buried and their kids suffered setbacks in their education. That's the standard routine. No thanks.
geomark··on When To Do What You Love
Have kids later. After early retirement if you can.
geomark··on When To Do What You Love
At a big electronics hardware company a group of us EEs would talk about our dream of owning a bike shop almost every day.
geomark··on How America's universities became debt factories
If everywhere you see "free university" you could replace it with "taxpayer funded university" that would be great.
geomark··on How I Became the EEVBlog Guy [video]
I laughed. It's the same way I got started, taking stuff apart and getting yelled at for it. But I never got one of those kits :(
geomark··on A Theoretical "Case Against Education"
I hear that said but I completely disagree. Being surrounded by mostly game-addicted goal-less classmates is a drag on even a motivated high achiever. It was such a difference to have the flexibility of homeschooling and be able to get him in with some like-minded kids and watch him bloom (my anecdote, n=1).
geomark··on A Theoretical "Case Against Education"
That's a weak reason. Instead of being locked up with a bunch of classmates which you have no choice about you get to associate with people you choose.
geomark··on All the remedial classes in one place
The recursive nature of your reply should not be lost on HN readers. :)
geomark··on Scandal at America's top science fair
I judged at some robotics competitions where we interviewed the students. It was usually immediately apparent if the student had not done the work, and as a result they would not receive an award.

I think that's the only way to do it. The student must be able to describe the work they did. A fraudster might still get through with sufficient coaching.

geomark··on I should have loved biology (2020)
Health coverage is nitpicking? And two months of vacation every summer?
geomark··on The Pentagon's Silicon Valley Problem
"Compartmentalization of the work appeases the mind a lot."

Definitely. When I worked at a aerospace co some of the young engineers had internal conflicts they rationalized away by saying "we aren't building bombs." No, they were just building the targeting systems. Pointing the gun but someone else pulling the trigger. So it's all good.

geomark··on Tiger moth jams bat sonar (2009)
I think the bats do need sonar because they use it for echo ranging. You need an echo to determine range.
geomark··on Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
In the country I live virtually every house is plumbed with PVC. Works great and only fails if done extremely poorly. Of course, they don't run hot water through it. Most people here think it is bizarre to have a big tank of hot water at one end of the house (often the garage) that is sent throughout the house, rather than having instant hot water heaters at the point of use.
geomark··on Facebook users have less than a month to claim a piece of the $725M settlement
I got over $2000 from the class action against banks for sneaky foreign transaction fees. It did, however, require a lot of documentation.
geomark··on Everything must be paid for twice (2022)
Another benefit of knowing how to do it yourself is that if opt to hire someone to do it you can better assess their work.

Also, if you have kids who learn along with you the value is multiplied.

geomark··on Working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)
I've done this in hardware design, presented a design for review with a problem that had already been discovered and had a fix in progress. It was a red herring that gave the customer something to latch onto and feel like they were contributing to the success of the project. Somewhat dishonest, yes, but very effective in getting customers to work with you rather than be adversarial.
geomark··on Open source hospital price database
Try this for a comparison https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/page/cardiovascular-surge... Looks like about 1/10 the cost.

As good or better medical care as any hospital in the world, with much nicer facilities and warmth in their care. No good if it's an emergency, but great if you can plan ahead.

geomark··on Open source hospital price database
That certainly wasn't my experience. I didn't know any better until I moved to another country.
geomark··on Clearing 500k feral cats from New York’s streets
I had an alpha male cat when I was a kid and once saw it run down and kill a jackrabbit with one bite.
geomark··on The Open Buddhist University
Does anyone here know what temple Khemarato Bhikkhu is located at?
geomark··on Study finds 90% of Australian teachers can't afford to live where they teach
Several comments about the budgeting issue in public schools, but what about teacher pay in private schools? Is it higher? Are private school teachers unionized? Because absent institutional constraints teacher pay would be more market based. My anecdotal evidence says the market still doesn't highly value traditional teaching, meaning teaching a class in a traditional school.
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