9/28    Last day for registering to vote in CA if you want to vote in the
        Nov 3 election is October 5.  If you aren't already registered
        (and can legally vote in CA), you may want to do so.  -- tabloyd

9/29    MCB majors desire minor in CS.  If anyone has any advice for these
        poor souls, consider mailing to mcb-students@uclink4.  ~jctwu/pub
        for the e-mails. (or post here and I'll forward the motd)
        \_ They're fucked.  A minor is worthless anyway.
           \_ Next time you go to the ER and your kid's or your own life
             is in danger tell the doctor what you think about MCB majors
              if it may prove useful. A minor is usually only 3 classes
              and see if they'll bother saving your life.  Learning about
              two different subjects means you're broad minded and not a
              narrow minded nerd.  And I have a lot more respect for
              MCB/CS than I do for CS/buisness who only care about
              becoming the next bill gate$.
           \_ I think it's worthwhile to take lots of upper division
              classes in majors different from your own, especially
              if they may prove useful. A minor is usually only 3 classes
              short of the requirements for a major. --dim
                \_ If you want it for work, you can't compete with majors.
                   \_ The idea is that, for example, a biologist who can code
                      is better than one that can't. The workplace is
                      becoming more and more interdisciplinary. Maybe
                      someone should tell Bill Gates that he'll never
                      compete with majors (or grads for that matter). --dim
                        \_ Nice theory.  "Hyuck! Hyuck!  Bill Gates is a
                           great example for all arguments!  Hyuck!  I can
                           always prove my point by using BG!  Hyuck!"
                        \_ You don't need a minor to show you can code.  In
                           fact, I would not assume that a CS major meant
                           you could code either.
                           \_ The idea isn't to *prove* you can code. The
                              idea is to *learn* how to code. Of course
                              you can learn without the minor (or major),
                              but that's one way to learn. --dim
        \_ I love the fact that a lot of MCB kids who take upper division CS
           classes flunk in them, and start realizing that they're worthless
           shitheads-- they can't get into med school, and they can't code.
        \_ too late. Too bad you listened to your parents. It is rather sad
           that every Chinese parent wants his/her child to be a pre-med.
           Too late. Too bad. Should've grow a mind of your own.
           \_ That is so true. That is why there are fuckin so many luzer
              Chinese kids in MCB who can't get into pre-med and are now
              disillusioned about life.
              \_ dude, sounds like me.  worst decision i made in college was
                 pre-med.  (best was to switch to major in cs).
              \_ Parents are parents.  Can't please them all the time,
                 especially on decisions that have such a large impact on
                 your own life.  Mother still complains I do not give her
                 the bragging rights that her friends' kids do, but, to
                 steal a line from the Bosom Buddies song, "I don't care
                 what you say anymore, this is my life.  Go ahead with
                 your own life; leave me alone."
                \_ too bad you can't "switch" to a major in CS now... you
                   kind of have to start out in one --brg
                   \_ you're kidding!  is that a new rule?  or does that mean
                      you can't declare something new if you've already
                      declared in third year?  that's kinda late.
           \_ How about growing an opinion of your own, instead of repeating
              trite cliches you heard on Rush Limbaugh?
                   \_ Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot. - A. Franken
                \_ Gosh.  Maybe the cliche is based on reality?  Nah, I'm
                   sure it's just *totally* made up by Rush and the other
                   180 million people in the VRWC.
                \_ it's totally true.  My parents were reallly weirded
                    out when I didn't go premed.
           \_ My parents pushed me into engineering. Thought about switching
              but stayed when I finally realized engineering is what I
              hated least, not what I liked most.

9/29    Under what condition is it legal to tape a conversation without
        the other party's prior consent?  I know it is illegal for phone
        conversations (e.g. Linda Trip) but what about other places?
        The taping of a Texaco coorporate meeting was illegal, but
        all those "investigative" reporting on 20/20 are.  Helpful
        URL is also welcome.
        \_ If you are a fat ugly woman who wants to betray your best
           friend then yes. Otherwise no.
        \_ You need a lawyer.  This is a complex state-by-state issue with
        a pile of federal laws thrown in for kicks.  For example, in some
        states, it is legal if *one* of the parties consents to the
        recording....  Linda just chose the wrong state to turn on the tape
        machine.
        \_ Since you're in California, I found something in the phone book.
           If your machine beeps every 15 seconds, -or- if you've been informed
           and you don't hang up, then you've consented.
           \_  For telephone conversation it is often illegal, but in public
                accesible places I doubt it.  Otherwise, it would be illegal
                to tape your Bio1A lecture.
                \_ I think there's a distinction as to whether a recording
                   is legally used against you or something;  how does the
                      to be recorded. --dim
                   \_ You've been informed that you're being recorded.  I
                      hate to agree with dim but that's correct.  Everyone
                      gets lucky sometimes.
                   whole self-incrimination thing work anyway?  -John
                \_ how about all those phone service / tech support things
                   where they basically tell you 'this call may be recorded/
                   monitored for quality assurance pruposes'.  They must be
                   assuming its legal in that case.
                   \_ By remaining on the line you are implicitly agreeing
                      to being taped.
        \_ I think in the case of Candid Camera and 20/20, they have to
           tell the people that they've been taped afterwards, then give them
           the choice to destroy the recording.

9/29    Is there any reason why I shouldn't be able to install 2.5.1 on an
        ULTRA ? Doing a boot cdrom from a solaris 2.5.1 CD keeps on asking
        me for the kernel location --ramberg
                Sounds like an Ultra 5, 10, 30 running an older 2.5.1
                CD.  You need 2.5.1 HW 11/97 or later.  Could also
                be the eeprom settings.  -ax
                \_ If this is indeed an ultra5,10, or 30, most 2.5.1 revs
                   are missing the /platform/SUNW,Ultra-n link with which
                   it tries to track down the kernel.  try giving it
                   "/platform/sun4u/kernel/genunix" or sumthn like that.
                   then, when it's installed, make sure to make the link
                   in /platform. -- scotsman
        \_ Install a REAL OS like NT or 95/98.  (hah! take *that* you *NIX
        bigots!)
        \_ Yes, there's a reason.  You need a real OS like Windows!
        \_ Yes, there's a reason.  You need a real OS like Windows!  All
           the folowing comments make it clear why Windows is winning and
           *NIX is for geeks.
                Sounds like an Ultra 5, 10, 30 running an older 2.5.1
                CD.  You need 2.5.1 HW 11/97 or later.  Could also
                be the eeprom settings.  -ax
                \_ If this is indeed an ultra5,10, or 30, most 2.5.1 revs
                   are missing the /platform/SUNW,Ultra-n link with which
                   it tries to track down the kernel.  try giving it
                   "/platform/sun4u/kernel/genunix" or sumthn like that.
                   then, when it's installed, make sure to make the link
                   in /platform. -- scotsman
        \_ it is the CD-ROM, 11/97 is the correct HW release. --jon
        \_ If it's the original 2.5.1 release it only supports the Ultra 1/2,
           & {3,4,5,6}000 - later models need later releases

9/29    available now:  java jdk 1.1.7.
        \_ When will it ever end?!  Stop the madness...
                \_ Death to JAVA!  Up with ActiveX!
                                                \_ already dead it is
                \_ I love ActiveX.  I love erasing Harddrives and emailing
                  Quicken files to random sites on the internet.
                  other people's that is.  Ah, sweet security model...
                  \_ Fuck that noise.  You hear a lot more about Java holes
                     than ActiveX problems.  Fuck Sun and their crummy Java.
                        \_ you can't use ActiveX to develop reliable
                                distributed applications.  DCOM bites..
                                \_ ActiveX runs on all platforms worth
                                developing on.
                        \_ I don't think you've even used Java
                                \_ "Yes I have. No you haven't. Yes I have".
                                Don't bother unless you have something to add.
                        \_ it's not noise.  Despite its problems, there
                           aren't any major security holes in Java.
                                \_ Major?  Oh please.  If Java was so perfect
                                why is anyone using anything else?  Java is
                                dead.  Still born.
        \_ it will never end.  JDK 1.2 has CORBA.  Woo hoo!
                \_ CORBA iz da bomb
                        \_ Yeah, a "logic bomb"...
                \_ Still, it's f**king slow.
        \_ I should send you a Perl magnetic poetry kit.  -- tmonroe

9/28    I am looking for a shared housing in Fremont or Palo Alto/Redwood
        city area. Prefer to share with recent graduate/young
        professionals. Thanks!  -bkong

9/29    The other day when I was using "dict" it somehow searched a lot of
        different online dictionaries rather than just Webster, but I could
        not reproduce it.  What is the right command?
        \_ dict/webster queries a secondary source when EB Webster fails
           to return a definition.  there isn't a way for end-users to
           specify which source to use at run time right now.  but you
           can go to <DEAD>work.ucsd.edu:5141/cgi-bin/http_webster<DEAD>
           with any browser in the mean time.  -jwang
           \_ of course, since dict is a simple perl script, if you were
               an elite perl hacker, you could hack it to do that yourself.
                \_ Then someone must be changing the script when I ran
                dict the other day, because it queried about 4 or 5 different
                sources, with very nice quotations of actual usage and
                detailed notes on similar words.  Hope it can remain that way.
                \_ the second source (in the URL) is in fact a gateway to
                   about 4 or 5 other databases.  again, it's only used
                   when the primary Encylopedia Britannica Webster database
                   fails. -jwang

9/29    <DEAD>www.csua/~reeser/cssa_rama.html<DEAD>
        They are notes I typed up from the Dr. Ramachandran lecture.  He
        did some extensive research of phantom limbs, and gave some neuro-
        scientific answers to some traditionally psychological puzzles. -reeser

There seems to be alot of bitterness toward MCB majors here? Why is
that?  It makes no sense, unless most of these posts are by the same
overworked geek.

9/29    What is this? Useful motd.public Day? Scary.

9/29    I'm timing an algorithm for cs170. The only library functions I
        could find in c/c++ are time_t which is not precise enough.  Is
        there something that measures milleseconds? -thnx
        \_ If this is that benchmarking thing for the strassen project, it's
           totally bogus, there's no easy way to benchmark the way they
           suggest.  I just wrote something like what they said they wanted
           and ran with it..  ~dbushong/pub/bench.c  --dbushong
        \_ In any case, _don't_ try running this on soda.. there are far
           too many processes running for you to get any sort of accurate
           timed benchmark.
        \_ Try playing on EECS instructional machines.  -- Grumpy
        \_ try playing with gettimeofday(). -ERic
        \_ getrusage() does microseconds and measures only time actually
           spent on your process, not other processes
           \_ gettimeofday() will get you absolute system time.  getrusage()
              gives you the amount of time the system kernel allocated to
              your process, which on a heavily used multiuser system, could
              be very different. --ERic
              \_ How about /usr/bin/time, or the shell built-in "time"
                 command?  -- yuen
                        \_ Those report both.