Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2000:January:06 Thursday <Wednesday, Friday>
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2000/1/6 [Uncategorized] UID:17170 Activity:low
1/5     No sodan has ever seriously used online personals ads, right?
        \_ wrong.
           \_ Please tell me of your or your soda acquaintance's experience.
              For posterity.
                \- post to /etc/motd.singles --psb
              \_ In short (my experience as a guy): online personals are a
                 *really easy* way to meet freaky, desperately needy headcases
                 who've been shat on by previous boyfriends and who are now
                 looking for some kind of instant Romeo-knight-on-white-horse
                 love connection.  But if you sift through the wierdos, you
                 can come up golden -- I met my GF through an online personal
                 (she's a perfectly normal, well-adjusted, reasonably
                 attractive woman who just happened to be new to the area).
                 If you're a woman who takes out a personal, be prepared to be
                 inundated by geeks (be prepared to be extra-inundated if
                 you're Asian, an admitted techie, or something else that
                 appeals to the fetish/geek crowd).
        \_ I advise extreme caution if you are looking for someone "normal" -ax
2000/1/6-8 [Academia/Berkeley/CSUA] UID:17171 Activity:nil 60%like:17389 60%like:17733 50%like:16882
1/6     /csua/pub/jobs/InfiniteMachine
2000/1/6-7 [Reference/Tax] UID:17172 Activity:high
1/5     http://VarsityBooks.com ROCKS!!! Cheaper than Amazon and free shipping!!!
        \_ http://Amazon.com still offers the best overall shopping experience, but
           http://VarsityBooks.com offers signficantly lower prices. They
           require you to turn on cookies, and they do not offer
           nearly as many nifty services or ease-of-use or technical
           expertise, but they have a flat shipping fee (2nd day UPS $4.95)
           (at least in the past...is it phree now?)
           (at least in the past...is it free now?)
           Most books (for example, O'Reilly) cost an average $9.00
           less than even AMZN. In fact, it is usually 40% off suggested
           retail. And still no sales tax for us Californians.
           They also sent me a nice gift and coupon for New Years.
           Their packing materials arent as environmentally-conscious
           as AMZN, but they arent suing over silly stuff like "One-Click".
           --samli
        \_ One click is not silly.  And you're supposed to be paying the
           taxes.  Are you one of those people who thinks everything is legal
           as long as you don't get caught?
           \_ Online companies follow the same rules as mail order vendors:
              A customer does not have to pay tax if the company does not
              have a physical presence in the state the order is shipped to.
        \_ is it just me, or it seems like Amazon is getting more and more
           expensive?
           \_ hey, they claim the book division will be profitable this year
2000/1/6 [Uncategorized] UID:17173 Activity:moderate
1/5     Stop reposting slashdot crap.  Everyone here either already reads
        it or doesn't care.
        \_ That is incorrect. Many people care, most don't have time to go
           through everything /. spews out [myself included].
           \_ Oh but you have time to read the motd, Mr. I'm-So-Busy?
        \_ I don't see where anyone ought to post something that is
           supposed to pertain to "everyone here." Do you _know_
           everyone here personally? Or do you just have a simple
           model of how everyone behaves from which no deviation is
           ever possible? Neither of these choices seems particularly
           credible.
           \_ Ok, how about this, "No one important cares."  Meaning: you're
              not important and it doesn't matter if I know you personally or
              not.  Hope that clarification makes you feel better about it.
                \_ Sign your rants.  --yermom
2000/1/6-8 [Uncategorized] UID:17174 Activity:nil
1/5     Where's a good place to find information about a company's work
        environment/atmosphere?  I'm trying to get some info on ARM. -jeff
        \_ Talk to people who work there but don't know you're looking to
           get hired.  Or talk to ex employees to find out why they quit.
           Or both.
2000/1/6-8 [Reference/RealEstate] UID:17175 Activity:kinda low
1/6     Anybody know where I can find exact maps of school districts?  I'm
        looking for a house and I want to know which school district a house
        belongs to.  The web sites of the particular school districts that I'm
        interested doesn't have that info. I'm wondering if there's a central
        depository for such things.  Also is there a good place to look at
        school rankings?  http://realestate.yahoo.com has some, but I'm looking for
        others.  Thanks.
        \_ There's a book called "McCormick's Guide" that even has average
           SAT scores.  There's a web site selling it but I forgot the URL.
           My sister got the book from her real estate agent free.  -- yuen
        \_ Maps change too quickly, and are not centrally stored anywhere.
           You'll find one at the district office of whatever districts
           are in the area. Post your location and somebody here will know
           what the good schools are.
        \_ Try http://www.greatschools.net for this and other info. -emin
           \_ Expect outdated and incomplete information en masse
              -been there, tried that
2000/1/6-10 [Computer/SW/Languages/Perl] UID:17176 Activity:high
1/6     What would be a reasonable expected salary range for an
        entry-level sys-admin type?  Contracted and/or perma?
        \_ 40$ if you're not very good, but still call your self a sys admin
           \_ That translates to ~$85K/yr.  Pretty high for an entry-level job!
           \_ Entry level sysadmins do not get  $80k a year.  You must be
              talking $40k a year, not $40 an hour.
        \_ Entry level contracting coudl easily be 40/hr if you're not a twit
           and you go to a pass through agency (ie, not taos).  But it doesn't
           have benefits, so might translate close to $65k on annual basis.
           \_ I thought the rule of thumb was $10/hr ~= $10k/yr for contractors.
              \_ No.  Normal rule is yearly salary = 2000 * hourly rate.
                \_ That's just the raw pre-tax, pre-everything amount, though.
                   Just keep in mind that you don't pocket that much each year.
                \_ Also, full timers tend to get much better non-cash benefits
                   than contractors.  You'll have to weigh the value of these
                   benefits vs. more cash as it pertains to your life.  Also,
                   some benefits are never worth it when you can buy them with
                   the higher salary you might make elsewhere.
        \_ Great info.  What contracting agencies do folks reccommend?
                Hall Kinion, EDP, TAC-Temps, etc.  (clearly not Taos)
           \_ Why not Taos?  They never screwed me... -ex Taos Employee
                \_ You signed a contract with Taos?  You got screwed.
                   \_ You sound like a disgruntled ex taos employee.
                        Smart people who have used taos don't seem to have a
                        problem.. Like me.
                        \_ Dummyhead.  You got even more taken than the rest of
                           them.  No, I never worked for Taos.  I got as far as
                           an offer and then snapped out of it and got a real
                           job.  Your error lies in the fact that you think you
                           out smarted Taos or were treated well in some way.
                           I pity you.  -better resume than you, no Taos on it
        \_ I recently accepted an entry-level sysadmin TAOS job for
        \_ I recently accepted an entry-level sysadmin Taos job for
           $70K to start.  From reading the motd, I now feel I got really
           ripped off. True, I am only an Art major, but I had a
           campus job using UNIX and I will learn Pearl soon.
           campus job using UNIX and I will learn Perl soon.  [perl, not pearl]
           I did really well on their online tests.
           When they asked me how much I wanted, I said $70K, thinking
           that I'd work down from there, but they offered me that and
           I already said yes and signed the offer sheet and start in 9
           days. Should I try to renegotiate for more money? Can I
           legally do that? Advice?
           \_ This must be a troll. --dim
                \_ Why?  I got offered the same 70k from Toas with similar
                   experience.
                   \_ [perl, not pearl] is the tip-off to me. --dim
           \_ How many new BMW's have Ric and Alexis bought in the past year?
           \_ You should post your resume with a throw away email address and
              see what offers you get.  In this state, you're an "at will"
              employee.  In non-legalise, this means you can quit at any time
              without penalty and they can fire you at any time without cause.
              "At will" is perfect for employees in the current job shortage
              and will suck if things ever turn around... hmmm... you ever
              think of leaving the tech field and putting that art degree to
              work?
2000/1/6-7 [Recreation/Dating] UID:17177 Activity:insanely high
1/6     Does "engagement" mean the period after successfully proposing
        but before actual marriage ceremony?  Is an engagement ring
        considered mandatory when you propose (as in the movies) or should
        I buy it for her one afterward?  Is a diamond "mandatory" on the ring
        or what are acceptable alternatives?
        \_ You are engaged from the time your intended says "Yes" until the
           time the minister/JP/etc. says "I now pronounce you man & wife."
           The only thing that's mandatory is a marriage license.  Rings are
           completely up to what you want, what she expects, and what you can
           afford.  For some people, that means a diamond is required - for
           others a diamond engagement ring would be seen as a total insult
           (religious prohibitions against gaudy jewelry, rich guy rubbing in
            just how much more money he has over poorer fiancee, etc) or a
           waste of cash (someone who values eating over stupid shiny rocks
           for instance, or who would rather save those thousands of $$$ to
           spend on the wedding/honeymoon/new home).
        \_ For people who care, a typical guideline is 2 months salary for the
           engagement ring.  My wife and I didn't care though, and we both
           agreed we'd like to use the money in other ways.  I proposed earlier
           than I was planning somewhat spontaneously, and so didn't even have a
           ring.  We picked it out together.  And today (Jan 6) is our 4th
           wedding anniversary.  Yay!  -emarkp
           \_ Pre-tax salary or after-tax?
                \_ I was told three months pre-tax.
                   \_ That "guideline" comes straight from the diamond industry.
                      \_ Ask Partha about his love for de Beers.
        \_ Most people I know who got married recently spent about 6K on
           their engagement ring. That gets you a nice 1+ carat ring. -ax
                \_ My wife was happy with a nice $250 ring sans diamond.
                   \_ Yep.  Save the money and honeymoon in Europe.
                \_ Mine was happy with a ~$450 one with tiny diamond.
           \_ My friend went with her sister to go shop for her engagement
              ring. Then they called up the boyfriend and told him which
              $5k ring to get.
                \_ It's impossible for anyone with a conscience to support
                   de Beers.  It's ridiculous for anyone with a brain to
                   pay thousands of dollars for a rock.  -tom
                   \_  You are SO unromantic tom and most of me agrees with
                       you.  The other part explains that the WHOLE POINT is
                       to spend a shitload of money on something that is
                       essentially worthless as a romantic/symbolic token of
                       irrational Love.  (boy, now i'm more sure it's dumb)-tom
                   \_ the difficulty comes in communicating this to the woman
                      in question
                      \_ The greater difficulty comes in not strangling her
                         when she says she has lost it.
                         (yes, it's REALLY lost, permenantly)
                          \_ Oh no!  What are you some kind of GIRL? who gives
                             a fuck if she lost a hunk of metal and carbon?
                             You didn't lose any more money than you had
                             already lost by buying it.
                         \_ If you're going to spend a dumptruck full of
                            money on the ring, would it be so tough to get
                            it insured?
                            \_ Silly me, I thought it was wasteful to spend
                               $500 a year on insurance, when I could trust
                               my wife to look after things.
                               I'm cured of that now.
                               I also have a greater appreciation for HSN.
                                \_ You are an asshole.
                                   \_ I suggest that he is trolling.  If not
                    he is an idiot as well as an asshole.  He can't possibly
                    think that she (assuming, and i don't, that he actually has
                    a wife...) actually lost something worth X thousand $$.
                    She lost a rock that would never be worth anything except
                    as a symbol, which, if he were a decent human being it
                    could have been in spades.  Being decent about something
                    like that can earn you as many points as wasting your money
                    on the damn thing in the first place.  The money Was wasted
                    BEFORE she lost the thing, A husband in this position could
                    get TWICE what he paid for.
        \_ it doesn't matter. YOU'LL BE SORRY!!! (to the newly weds)
        \_ "I'm Tom Shane.  You have a *friend* in the diamond business."
2000/1/6 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:17178 Activity:nil
1/6     Y2K is overhyped! There was no nuclear explosion, power outage,
        \_ ^Y2K^SexwithYerMom
        terrorists rampage, etc. What a dissappointment!
2000/1/6-7 [Computer/SW/Unix] UID:17179 Activity:high
1/6     tar -cX directory.tar exclude_file /directory
        doesn't seem to work on my Sun Solaris 7 box. (Though that is the
        way the man page seems to say to write it).
        tar -cvX exclude_file directory.tar /directory
        lists the right files to be tared + tries to include directory.tar
        in the tar.
        Someone please tell me what i'm doing wrong.  This has taken me
        far too long to figure out one friggin' command.
        \_ You're forgetting the "f" flag:
                tar -cfX directory.tar exclude_file /directory
             \_  Thanks.  I'm an idiot.
                 \_ And you're a moron for not removing your entry.
                    \_ Which of course makes you twice the moron for not
                       removing it either.
                       \_ I hope you never breed.
2000/1/6-8 [Uncategorized] UID:17180 Activity:kinda low
1/6     The nice people in the robotics lab gave us a color printer
        for the office.  Everyone say "thank you, Daniel Fisher"  -John
        \_ <holding breath> laser?
           \_ <holding breath> idiot?
              \_ <holding breath> coprophile?
                 \_ AHHHH SHHHHEEEYIT!
2025/03/15 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
3/15    
Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2000:January:06 Thursday <Wednesday, Friday>