How not to run a PC repair shop...

[Dreamstalker]

The desktop from ~2 weeks ago is baa-aack! Shuts down very soon after passing POST (and damn if it doesn't look like the same RAM that was there before, but that somehow passed POST as well, so that doesn't prove anything). I can see one suspicious-looking cap on the mobo, can't get the HSF off for a further check.

Then again, it and the Hell laptop here with driver issues might just be going into thermal-protection mode (as is my brain)....no exhaust fan in the desktop, at least 90 degrees in here with busted AC. Woo.

[Hyndis]

They can't get back to the moon because of a no-risk thinking. Everything must work flawlessly (a Murphy law issue) and have a back up to a back up to back up. We have hand held calculators more powerful than the computers on the crafts.

Personally, I think if you get 5+ men/women to accept the risk that they might get suck in space, run out of air, get turn into mince meat in a nano sec, etc... Then let them strap themselves in a Xmeg ton bomb and blast themselves up.

NASA is indeed far too risk adverse, whereas the Russians tend to just go for it and fix things on the fly.

Space is dangerous, but then again so is every new frontier. You can't explore a new frontier while at the same time refusing to take any risks.

[lordlundar]

We have hand held calculators more powerful than the computers on the crafts.

That was the 80s. We're up to wristwatches now.

[Dreamstalker]

One of the items he wants to sell (besides the loose RAM that is almost guaranteed to be borked in some fashion or another) is...

...a Duron processor with an interesting scorch/melt pattern on the die and a couple fried caps on the reverse. He actually gave the damn thing to me today "to test". Somehow, I don't think it would do anything even if I did have a test rig to use it with. I know the boxed stuff is good. What we need to test thoroughly is all the unboxed kit whether it's in antistatic bags or not, as I have no way of knowing what happened to it before now.

[Chromatix]

NASA is indeed far too risk adverse, whereas the Russians tend to just go for it and fix things on the fly.

"Russian electronics, American electronics... all made in Taiwan!"

[lordlundar]

"Russian electronics, American electronics... all made in Taiwan!"

Damn it! Now it's going to wrack my brain where that came from.

Edit: Nvm, found it. Armageddon.