2/18    restored.  "curling" as the only topic is beyond boring.  jesus h.
        christ what are you trying to do?  let's just go back to
        uname -a > /etc/motd if curling is going to be the big motd topic.
        \_ curling IS boring.
           \_ Chess is fun!
              \_ Speaking of chess, anyone who comes to soda want a regular
                 chess partner?  I need to practice more.  -- ilyas
              \_ It is!  It should be an olympic sport.
        \_ I've forgotten my olympic events.  Is Baseball an olympic event?
           \_ trolling the motd should be an olympic event.

2/17    is it possible to configure my windows system so that even if the
        screen saver is on I can press just one key without having the
        screen saver shut off? I want to do this so that when I want to
        change to another song (with winamp) by pressing just a key (no
        mouse), the screen saver will still stay on.
        \_ no.  That's the point of a screen saver.  Maybe you can find some
           3rd party freeware or hack the source to one but not the default.
        \_ Use one of those winamp visualizers as your screen saver (e.g.,geiss)

2/18    poll: if the Canadians didn't whine, would they have gotten laid?
        yes:
        no:  .

2/19    I don't eat grossly much food, but, I tend to notice my gut bulge
        after eating a meal - what can be done about this?  I point this
        question to ppl like ax, or other health-conscious sodans. (i would
        like to know what excercises I can do to specifically keep my food
        from forcing my gut to bulge, or alternatively, training my muscles
        to tell me to stop eating if the problem is I'm not noticing my
        stomach is full.
        \_ Don't eat, then you won't have the bulging problem.
        \_ there is no such thing as 'spot reduction' losing weight must be
           a part of an overall diet/exercise regimen. if you aren't willing
           to commit to this, go buy bigger clothes.
          \_ Lipo will reduce in a certain spot.  But it will come back again
             unless you change your diet/exercise.
             \_ This statement is flat-out wrong.
                \_ You saying lipo won't spot reduce or it won't come back?
           \_ yes, I am trying to change my diet/excercise, I'm wanting to
              know what excercise I should do to firm up the gut muscles.
              I'm already doing bench and pullups and running.
        \_ Strengthen your stomach muscles (situps, crunches, etc.)
        \_ Don't you know fat is good for you?  You ever see a healthy person
           starving to death?
                \_ you ever see ANYONE starving to death these days?
                   \_ In Afghanistan and North Korea, yes.
                   \_ I work in SF.  Yes.  I do.  Questions?
                      \_ Anyone not using drugs?
                         \_ I never stopped to ask why they're on the street
                            or what they put in their bodies.
           \_ Since when?  Fatty diets increase your risk of heart disease and
              and cancer.  Less fat is better.
              \_ This is a lie from the freaky animal 'rights' extremists.  The
                 same people also tell you milk is toxic.
                 \_ Huh?  I didn't mention meat at all.  Most doctors will tell
                    you to eat less red meat and more chicken and fish, which
                    both have less saturated fat.  Quit makin' shit up.
                    \_ PETA freaks always hiding behind 'most doctors'.  Most
                       doctors on your payroll you mean!
                        \_ Look, advice is advice.  I eat meat occasionally, but
                        I eat less of it than I used to.  To each his own.:
                           \_ All advice is not the same value.  For example I
                              would take my lawyer's advice in a legal matter
                              over contrary advice from the Slashdot crowd.
                              He isn't political.
           \_ I heard on the radio this morning about some guy surviving a
              gunshot to the stomach because of the rolls of fat that stopped
              the bullet.  Anybody can find any reports of this on the web?
              A quick google showed nothing.
              \_ Oh, some Stern-wannabe said it, so it must be true. Sorry,
                 a bullet is affected by distance, caliber, powder uses, type,
                 and other factors. fat is still flesh.
              \_ You sure it wasn't annanova?
                 \_ I guess you were right:
                    http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_524079.html
                    Are ananova stuff bogus?  Never been here before.

2/19    The point of screensavers (in response to a nuked thread):
        http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/savers.html

2/19    3rd person singular.  Present tense.  Is there a single verb in
        English which doesn't end in an 's'?  Dinner is riding on this.
        \_ "Fish" when used as a verb.
                \_ that would be "he fishes"
                  \_ i like to fish or go fishing, i am fishing 'ing'
                    \_ You made the same mistake I did.  I wasn't thinking 3rd
                       person.  I = 1st person.  The OP wants 3rd.  --Fish
        \_ Ok forget fish.  Try this:
           http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:eZjDbE6jkcYC:www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/150/box-verbs.html+%22third+person%22+%22singular%22+%22present+tense%22+%22exceptions%22&hl=en
           So, they call be/is/have/has the exceptions to the "-s" rule but
           that isn't your bet.  You should have specified the "-s" ending to
           a regular verb as opposed to "ending in an 's'".  Buy them a nice
           dinner and next time be careful how you phrase your bets.
                \_ So does "is, have, and be" count or not?
                  \_ "he have"?  present tense, third person singular.
                  \_ "is" and "be" are the same verb. "have" is totally wrong,
                     and "is" and "has" both end in s.
                     \_ "He have a good grammar!"
        \_ How about "hax0r"? I hax0r, you hax0r, he hax0rz, we hax0r, they
           hax0r. -phil
        \_ Depends on your precise definition of "verb" -- some modern
           theories of English grammar will treat auxiliaries as verbs,
           allowing you to use "he can", "he must", "he may", "he ought", etc,
           to earn your dinner. -alexf

2/19    http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/02/19/gen.strategic.influence/index.html
        Office of Strategic Influence or Office of Propoganda/Brainwashing?
        \_ Oh my god!  The government might not tell the truth!  This is truly
           shocking!  Do we also spend money on the Office of Correct Spelling?
           Not enough, apparently.
                \_ yeah but this is the sort of office it'd be better
                   not to publicize to people..just do it already,
                   but covertly.

2/19    How do I remove the "UC Berkeley" organization string in tin
        NNTP posting? Thx.

2/19    Does help@soda no longer work? My mails seem to go into a
        blackhole!! What the (&^%*&
        \_ Ask help@soda

2/19    what is the best "non-stick" cooking pots and pans out there?  I'm
        asking about brand names or technology names.  Also, are the shiny
        alumninum surfaces better than those coated with some black stuff?
        I couldn't find any of the shiny ones that are also billed as
        "non-stick". Thanks.
        \_ Just get something like All-Clad and to hell with non-stick
           except for an omelette pan or something. --dim
           \_ it isn't too hard to keep a dedicated omelette pan that
              doesn't need to be non stick.
           \_ get le creuset, the best of both worlds -- heat retention
              and non-sticky surfaces.
              \_ Too heavy and slow to heat. I have some and it's great
                 for casseroles, but you won't want to make a sauce with
                 it. --dim
                 \_ it's not much heavier than shitty calphalon, and you
                    can make EXCELLENT sauces with le creuset.
                    \_ i must just be a wimp because le creuset is far too
                       heavy for me.  get some all clad or demeyere stainless
                       steel, and if you really need a non stick pan, just
                       get a cheap one at some place like ikea since they
                       all get scratched up and become useless in due time.
        \_ I bought a set of pots and pans by Regal Royal Diamond at Walmart.
           It's cheap (like $59), has nice glass covers, and doesn't stick.
           Made in USA (somewhere in Minnesota I think).  Been using
           it for more than a year.  So far so good.
             http://www.consumersearch.com/www/kitchen/cookware
        \_ Do it the Chinese way.  First, buy a cheap Chinese "wok".  Don't
           buy a stainless steel one, because that sticks.  Buy the kind made
           of iron instead.  Then before you use it for the first time, buy
           some chive and a big piece of very fat pork, stir-fry them in the
           wok, then throw them away and DON'T eat them.  Now the wok is ready
           for real use.  To maintain the wok, you need to clean it the proper
           way.  After you cook, wash the wok with scrub and hot water WITHOUT
           any detergent.  You can scrub as hard as you want to get out
           anything that's burnt.  You can even scrub with the spatular.  It's
           okay to scratch the wok surface.  After scrubing, the surface should
           still feel oily, but that's good.  Then turn on the stove
           and heat it dry.  (Air-dry doesn't work, since it'll rust.)
           This way you have a non-rust non-stick wok, and you don't have to
           worry about eating teflon.  If you occasionally
           don't clean it properly and let it rust, just scrub off the rust
           with water and scrub and heat it dry, just like the normal cleaning
           steps.
           My relatives told me these at first, but my mom bought me a
           brand-name non-teflon "non-stick" pan.  For a few years I used that
           for cooking and cleaned it with detergent and a lot of hard
           scrubbing.  Yet it still stuck and cleaning was a nightmare.  Now I
           listen to my relatives and use a wok instead, and cleaning is much
           easier.
           --- yuen
           \_ Replace wok with cast iron skillet and you have the
              hillbilly way. -ausman
                \_ trailer trash solidarity, dude.  -lila
                        \_ the white trash has spoken. :-)
           \_Use pork if you want it to smell horrible...use vegetable oil
             and put it in the broiler (or on the stove) if your at all
             sensible.  This works for cast iron or any scratched pan
             as well.  -professional chef
             \_ The Iron Chef has spoken. :-)

2/19    Saw this and I thought of the CSUA.  Good luck with the job search:
        http://www.digitalcampaigns.com/d5.html

2/20    I don't breath grossly much air, but, I tend to notice my chest
        expand after taking a breath - what can be done about this?  I point
        this question to ppl like tom, or other pollution-conscious sodans.
        (i would like to know what exercises I can do to specifically keep my
        air from forcing my chest to bulge, or alternatively, training my
        muscles to tell me to stop breathing if the problem is I'm not noticing
        my lungs are full.
        \_ I suggest training with sealed plastic bags over your head.  Start
           with a large bag and make them progressively smaller while you
           increase the length of each training session.  Once you have fully
           mastered the advanced techniques, breathing won't be a problem for
           you anymore.  I promise.