Go Back   Two Wheel Fix > General > News Desk

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-02-2009, 04:36 PM   #1
EpyonXero
AMA Supersport
 
EpyonXero's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Redneck Riviera, FL
Moto: 2003 VFR800f6
Posts: 2,531
Default "As an educational institution we do not support the search for E.T."

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/c...ng-seti-as-an/

Quote:
We've dealt with a number of confused and outright foolish school administrators in our time, but it seems like Arizona's Higley Unified School District might be run by the most bonkers of the bunch: they've fired IT director Brad Niesluchowski for running SETI@Home on some 5,000 of the district's machines. Why? According to confidently-underinformed superintendent Denise Birdwell, Higley Unified "certainly would have supported cancer research," but does "not support the search for E.T." Well, that's just peachy -- except that her flippant dismissal of SETI belies a complete ignorance of one of the oldest and most respected distributed-computing projects in the world, and what it's actually looking for. Oh, but it gets worse: Birdwell thinks SETI@home -- which primarily runs as a screensaver -- was somehow slowing down "educational programs in every classroom," and magically estimates that it's cost her district "$1 million in added utility fees and replacement parts," with a further huge cost required to remove the software. Completing her transformation into the worst-possible stereotype of a school district superintendent, Birdwell's even got the local cops on the case. Yeah, it's idiotic, but it could be worse -- we can only imagine the hell that would have broken loose had Higley's machines been a part of the renegade Engadget Folding@home team.
Fox 5 Vegas
71Leave A CommentShareRead Here* required





DIGGTWITTERREDDITFACEBOOKYAHOOSTUMBLE UPON
EpyonXero is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 10:09 AM   #2
Particle Man
Custom User Title
 
Particle Man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central NY
Moto: 2003 SV650S
Posts: 14,959
Default

Okay, this:
Quote:
somehow slowing down "educational programs in every classroom," and magically estimates that it's cost her district "$1 million in added utility fees and replacement parts," with a further huge cost required to remove the software
is dumb... however, if he violated the school's IT policy by running unapproved software and got terminated as a result, then fine... but just freakin' say that if that's what happened.

Typical sensationalist bullshit.
__________________
I'm not "fat."
I'm "Enlarged to show texture."


Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.
Particle Man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:21 PM   #3
Dave
Chaotic Neutral
 
Dave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Cherry Hill NJ
Moto: GV1200 Madura, Hawk gt
Posts: 13,992
Default

jesus christ what a moron. Coincidentaly i was running folding@home last night
Dave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:30 PM   #4
Papa_Complex
Nomadic Tribesman
 
Papa_Complex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Brampton, Canada
Moto: '09 ER-6n
Posts: 11,150
Default

While Ms. Birdwell sounds rather technologically uneducated, bandwidth does cost money.
__________________
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising"

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/
Papa_Complex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:42 PM   #5
pdog
Refugee
 
pdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Moto: Pimped 2005 SV650
Posts: 332
Default

Bandwidth is not the main cost, it's running the CPUs at 100% for most of the day. A modern CPU at idle might consume 60 watts but at 100% take 160 watts. That 100w difference times 5000 machines makes for a big jump in the electricity bill. At 10c per kW/hr, that's $50/hr. If they were running 20 hrs a day, he was costing the district $1000/day.
pdog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:49 PM   #6
goof2
AMA Supersport
 
goof2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,756
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdog View Post
Bandwidth is not the main cost, it's running the CPUs at 100% for most of the day. A modern CPU at idle might consume 60 watts but at 100% take 160 watts. That 100w difference times 5000 machines makes for a big jump in the electricity bill. At 10c per kW/hr, that's $50/hr. If they were running 20 hrs a day, he was costing the district $1000/day.
I don't know how they work it so this is just speculation, but it makes an even larger difference if the computers were running all night vs. being shut down or hibernating when students aren't there.
goof2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:50 PM   #7
azoomm
moderator chick

 
azoomm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Hill Country TX
Moto: Pasta Rockets
Posts: 8,917
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Particle Man View Post
Okay, this: is dumb... however, if he violated the school's IT policy by running unapproved software and got terminated as a result, then fine... but just freakin' say that if that's what happened.

Typical sensationalist bullshit.
Did y'all read the part where he had permission from the previous administration 10 YEARS ago?
__________________
We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "smart"?

Come Play at the Track!!

http://www.elitetrackdays.com
azoomm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2009, 12:53 PM   #8
Papa_Complex
Nomadic Tribesman
 
Papa_Complex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Brampton, Canada
Moto: '09 ER-6n
Posts: 11,150
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdog View Post
Bandwidth is not the main cost, it's running the CPUs at 100% for most of the day. A modern CPU at idle might consume 60 watts but at 100% take 160 watts. That 100w difference times 5000 machines makes for a big jump in the electricity bill. At 10c per kW/hr, that's $50/hr. If they were running 20 hrs a day, he was costing the district $1000/day.
I didn't even want to mention that possibility, as we then get into things like suspend and hibernation, which some places don't know enough to use.
__________________
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising"

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/
Papa_Complex is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:55 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.