10/27   If I'm getting a new EIDE hard disk for my 4 year old computer, do I
        have to worry about hardware incompatibilities? My old computer
        has an EIDE drive in it, but I'm not sure what the deal is with
        terms like Ultra ATA/133 and so on. Thanks.
        \_ No.  It'll work as expected.  You may not get the super peak
           performace the drive is capable of but you won't notice since
           the rest of your computer is just as slow.  I stuck a modern 120gb
           drive into a first generation HP celeron box yesterday.  The shitty
           bios didn't know what to make of it but it worked when I put my
           own c/h/s numbers in.
           \_ uh, there might also be an addressing problem.  the old computer
              may only be able to address ~137 GB of a disk.
              \_ which is true of many newer computers

10/27   Is there any search engine that lets you search for symbols?
        I am trying to figure out what the significance of # starting a
        line in a CSS file is and no search engine i know will do anything
        but ignore a '#'
        \_ look at the instructions.  Maybe you can use quotes.
                "#"
        \_ why not just check the CSS spec on http://w3.org?  Or ask?  #foo in a
           cascading style sheet refers to the element with the unique ID "foo"
        \_ sorry I'm late punkass.  when you start something with "." it refers
           to a class you defined, like something you use with "class='foo'".
           When you start with # it's an "id"- a uniquely named block.  Just
           use it once, using "id='foo'".  I use this to float layers.
           look at the examples at   http://csszengarden.com    -brain
           \_ Also, if you use neither, it refers to a predefined HTML tag.
                HTML                    CSS
                <div class="h2">        .h2 { }
                <div id="h2">           #h2 { }
                <h2>                    h2 { }

10/27   I'm glad we recalled Davis. Not only did he create an energy crisis,
        we've got huge fires in SoCal because of him! -needs to learn to
                                                        troll better
        \_ Pete Wilson created the energy crisis you dumbass... read your
           history.
        \_ Its Bush's fault.
        \_ Actually it's the fault of the CA state government who listened to
           self proclaimed environmentalists morons who spent years fighting
           against controlled burns.  Now that we don't burn off the fuel
           the easy way, nature is taking care of it the hard way every few
           years.  Nature *needs* periodic small fires to remain healthy and
           all this Smokey the Bear stuff is killing the environment as well
           as destroying homes, the economy, etc.  I was going to post all
           this as a new thread but I figured you could use a big cookie,
           young troll.
           \_ This may be true, but these fires are partly arson.  Possibly
              even of the muslim extremist variety.
           \_ periodic fires are actually beneficial for reasons other
              than controlling buildup of tinder.
              \_ yes I'm aware of that but not every plant benefits from fire
                 and I didn't want to confuse the masses.

10/27   Socket guy again: I need my module to attempt an auto-reconnect if
        a socket goes down (eg, shutdown() or close() by the other side, or
        maybe just the remote machine being switched off).  I've been trying
        to use select to detect either an invalid socket, or an exception
        on the socket, but I can't get any indication of the socket's
        non-existence until I actually try to send() on it (which fails and
        complains).  Is there some other property I should be checking on?
        Thanks
        \_ This is all theoretical so I hope it helps:  if you Ctrl-C
           on the remote side, the OS will send the TCP FIN type messages,
           so your local side should know.  If the remote computer is
           unplugged then you won't know until your local side wants to
           send something, and even then it will take a while for TCP to
           give up (like a minute?).  Finally, google for TCP keepalive.
           \_ If the remote side close()s or shutdown()s (or both), how
              do I detect that locally?
              \_ I'm not using select(), but it occurs when my next recv()
                 call returns 0.  My socket is in non-blocking mode.
                 \_ Thanks, I guess that's the only indication.
                    \_ Use select() with the socket in the read set.
                       If the socket is closed, you will get a read ready
                       on that socket.  Calling recv() on the socket
                       will return 0.

10/27   Why don't TV networks offer a live feed of their shows, complete
        with commercials?
        \_ They do.
           \_ err, I mean cached feeds.
        \_ people would download them and edit out the commercials.
           \_ Can't they make certain RealVideo feeds un-downloadable?
              \_ they can try, but ultimately data gets sent from the server to
                 the client, and there are various ways for the client to save
                 that data.
           \_ What's the diff. between this and kazaa?
              \_ the difference is that in one case, the TV network would be
                 going through the effort of digitizing a show instead of some
                 random hacker-guy with a capture card.
        \_ What for?  They've spent billions to control everyone's TV sets.
           Thet net can't yet be controlled.  If/when it is, then you'll see
           streamed tv shows on the net.  The bad shows will all have the evil
           bit set.

10/27   Word of of the day: boondoggle.
        \_ Hey dawg, baby girl had me straight boondoggled.
           \_ http://www.incest.com
        \_ boondoggle?  thats the best word available today?

10/27   What's the word on mobile telephone service in Berkeley?  And GSM
        versus TDMA?
        \_ TDMA is old.  All TDMA service is being upgraded to GSM.  CDMA is
           technologically superior but only used in the U.S., South Korea and
           to some extent, Japan.  I use Verizon and my only complaint is
           price
           to some extent, Japan.  I use Verizon and my only complaint is price
           \_ CDMA has countrywide coverage 1x (144k) in Japan by KDDI.  CDMA
              is also used in China (China Unicom).
              \_ I thought GSM coverage in China is FAR MORE superior.
                 \_ You are right.  CHU's CDMA coverage is good in many
                    areas but still spotty in say Guangzhou.  It's a far newer
                    network (started building it less than 2 years ago) so
                    there should be improvements as it matures.  CHU already
                    had a GSM network when it decided that it wanted a
                    overlapping CDMA one, probably due to government
                    influence to gain some experience with CDMA technologies
                    because of its military applicability.  Another plus
                    is that a 2G CDMA system can be transitioned to 2.5G/3G
              is also used in China (China Unicom).
              \_ I thought GSM coverage in China is FAR MORE superior.
                    much more easily than a GSM to WCDMA transition.
           \_ old AT&T wireless was TDMA, right?  How is their new GSM system?
              when it first came out people were really unhappy with it, has
              it gotten better than their old TDMA system yet?
              \_ TDMA and GSM are simliar technologies.  I don't know about
                 you, but my experience of AT&T's TDMA in New York City
                 was hell on earth.
        \_ I've had TDMA, AT&T in N Cal since 1998. It was pretty good till
           I went to Southern Cal. Less coverage. Dropped calls. But then
           again I traveled a lot in S Cal than I did in N Cal (where I stayed
           mostly in one place, so that may be it, I don't know). At any rate
           TDMA sucked in S Cal and I decided to switch to AT&T's G3 network,
           which was GSM based, thinking that maybe coverage or quality
           would be better. WRONG!!!!!!!!!! So I cancelled GSM and got
           Verizon. Absolutely no complaint. Verizon is PCS+CDMA+Analog.
           Ok I guess my only complaint with Verizon is the price, but you
           really get what you'd pay for. BTW I would NOT do Cingular and
           T-Mobile, they make AT&T look like really good carriers.
                                                -ucla cs student
           \_ What's PCS?  I thought PCS is just a marketing term, or does
              it refer to a frequency band?
              \_ PCS is a marketing term which refers to CDMA operating at
                 1900MHz.  Many Verizon phones can 'roam' onto Sprint's 1900MHz
                 network in the event that there's a hole in Verizon's coverage
                 It's also worth mentioning that 1900MHz signals do not
                 penetrate buildings as well as say, Verizon's 800MHz.
              it gotten better than their old TDMA system yet?
           T-Mobile, they make AT&T look like really good carriers.
                                                -ucla cs student
                 \_ Frequencies do not "penetrate". They bounce. 800Mhz
                    bounces more easily than 1900Mhz, which require good
                    line of sight.                      -ucla student

10/27   U.N. Collecting Taxes in Kosovo
        http://www.unmikonline.org/regulations/2003/RE2003_23.pdf

10/28   Any tips on using php on csua?  I get "end of script headers"
        server error when I try to incorporate php into my html file on
        csua, do I need to put some other path or something in? (anyone
        have a template or simple script they can point me to?) Thanks!
        \_ judging from the logs, i think Soda's suexec+php setup
           is screwy and doesn't work, mail root?
        \_ man www
              PHP scripts are processed by Apache's cgi handler and  php
              if they have execute premissions and begin with this line:
              #!/usr/local/bin/php
              if they have execute premissions and begin with this line:
              #!/usr/local/bin/php
        \_ http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~danh/phpinfo.php works
           \_ Thanks - I had assumed it was loaded as a module... -OP

10/28   http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=457620
        67% of Iraqis (Sunni & Shiite) see the U.S. as an occupying force.
        15% view the U.S. as a liberating force.
        \_ I see us there as an occupying force.  It's because we are, duh!
           We're not there as traditional conquerers though.
        \_ i am wondering how many people in the States actually think
           that we are there for altrustic reason such as human rights,
           democracy, or well-being of iraqi people in general.
           \_ Hi Troll!
              \_ok, that is one.
           \_ If you don't want to look like a troll then please suggest
              why we are there.  Here I'll help you get started: we're there
              because the eveeeiilll bushco and his haliburton cronies
              needed a war to raise their stock prices after their dotcom
              scam was panned out.  Please continue.
              \_ We are there because oil is a critical resource for our
                 nation, and we need a military presence and influence
                 in the Middle East beyond Israel.
        \_ Why don't we make a poll. Here:
           US Is Evil: .
           US Liberator:
           Yermom Liberator: ..
           \_ Blame America First!  It's the only way to go!

10/28   What are some good tires for a wet climate.  Yes, I know about yokohama
        but they're a bit pricey, are there any cheaper ones?
        \_ Yokohama is a medium-tier brand. You won't get much cheaper. Go
           to http://tirerack.com and check out their ratings. --dim
        \_ My Dunlop SP9000s are the best tires I've ever driven.  These
           things rock rock rock in all conditions.  Dunno about price, but
           if you want really good handling, there you go.  -John

10/28   I've used PC&UNIX for most of my life and after trying to use the Macs
        for only a week, I LOVE IT!!! Here's a question for you Mac users--
        has anyone NOT like the Macs after trying them out?
        \_ yes.  i hated those fucking things from the day they came out
           and apple abandoned their last decent line of computers
           (the apple II).  I hate the prices, I hate the interface, I hate
           the look and feel of the desktop, I hate Steve Jobs, and I hate
           the fanatical jerkoffs who seem to get off from telling
           everyone else how great they think macs are. and yes, i have
           been forced to use macs quite a bit at various times in the past.
           \_ I don't know whether to hand you a tissue or a prozac.
        \_ USE PC&UNIX!  LOVE MAC!
        \_ The buttons to close and minimize windows are in the wrong place
           The mouse has ONLY ONE BUTTON!
           \_ you can use a different mouse.
              \_ Not with the laptops unless you don't mind the inconvenience
           \_ I've only need a multi-button mouse for some FPS games, and
              I can easily plug in my favorite trackball for those.  I
              starting using a mac about a year and a half ago and I can't
              say I miss dealing with broken Windows or Unix boxes. -meyers
              \_ hint: macosx is a unix box with a proprietary gui.  what
                 unix boxes have you used?  linux doesn't count.
                 \_ Since you asked: aix, hpux, solaris, freebsd, and linux.
                    I like Apple's UI, and apps that implement to it.  Having
                    each app do it's own thing with the UI makes using it
                    a pain.  -meyers
                    \_ So you prefer that application writers are forced to
                       write apps to whatever the OS says it should be like?
                       Without the ability to create and try new ways of
                       doing things we'll always have the same shitty 1985
                       era GUI forever.  More colors, more pretty bells and
                       shiney whistles but still crap.  And entire new kinds
                       of applications that don't fit that particular
                       highly arbitrary GUI model will never be created.
                       \_ Calm down there.  I do more than open xterms to
                          other machines, so an fvwm-like window manager
                          just doesn't do what I want.  What do you suggest,
                          the crappy microsoft interface?  twm?  bash? -meyers
        \_ Yes.  I once had to work on a whole lab full of G3s and G4s.
           I found MacOS X to be sort of a unix, but sort of broken, like
           waking up and you think you're in normal life, but really you've
           entered the just-oh-so-slightly-reality-shifted dimension of
           evil things.  -John
           \_ So what you're saying is that you didn't like the flavor of
              Unix that came with the Mac.  What did you think of the MacOS
              experience itself? --erikred
        \_ I went back to Mac after years on a PC. I like it, but its tough
           in a PC-centric world. Software is hard to come by and things break
           (e.g. web sites). I like a Mac, but only in *addition* to a PC.
           \_ Yeah, I feel the same way about BeOS.
        \_ expensive, fragile hardware, in-your-face GUI, stupid
           Capitalization in the file system /Home/Users/ or something.
           inefficient form factors. noisy. was the powerMAC G4 nicknamed
           "windtunnel"?  but even with all those issues, new Mac's are way
           better than any PC running Microsoft Windows.
           \_ Better?  That's a funny word.  Care to define what is 'better'
              about it other than a religious anti-Microsoft mantra?
              \_ the browser is standars-complaint, it has SSH and a real
                 command-line environment. The power management is great,
                 the networking is great, it's stable. you can login to
                 your computer remotely using ssh and actually do things.
                 There's ton's of free Open source software that runs on
                 OSX, Apple doesn't have "activation" spyware.

10/28   10/28 What hardware MP3 players have adjustable playback speed?  It'd
        be good if they can play .wma's too.
        \_ http://www.nomadworld.com
           Time Scaling Up to 1.5x faster or 0.5x slower for audio playback
           \_ Specifically the Zen and Zen NX
           \_ Thanks!  What's your experience with it?
              \_ Don't have one.  I'm researching this.
                 I hear from people - don't get Archos.
                 \_ What's wrong with the Archos?
                    \_ my archos had crappy sound. my ipod is a much
                       better approx. to hifi.
              \_ I have the Zen, I like it. A friend has the NX, he likes it
                 too but has had a few problems with drivers / firmware
                 upgrades which were eventually resolved. The Zen is better
                 value for the money than the iPod.
                 \_ Zen plays wma too.
                 \_ Their features page says it can be used to store files.  If I
                    connect to it via USB 2.0, does it show up as another drive
                    letter in Explorer?
        \_ serious question: why would one want to do this?

10/28   The motd censor is a cranky bitch.
        \_ We are legion.
           \_ Not only that, but bad at quotes too.  It's 'my name is
              legion', you cranky bitch.  -John
              \_ that makes them stupid cranky bitches
                 \_ Uhm, only one person wrote that post.  Cranky bitch.
                    \_ Seen one motd censor, seen them all.  Since they never
                       self identify they all get the same paintbrush.  Bitch.
                       \_ Yes, but John was responding to one guy.  You're the
                          one making shit up.  Stupid.
                          \_ It's universal, you stupid cranky bitch.

10/28   The left ear of my Sennheiser HD535 headphones just died. I'm looking
        to buy a new pair. Recommendations around $100 would be appreciated.
        \_ are you sure it's not the cable?  You can order them for about
           $10-$15.
           \_ Hmm, possibly. I was unaware the cable was replaceable.
        \_ An expensive brand fails on you and you're eager to plunk down
           for another pair? Wow, well, good luck. Let's hope the next one
           you get was made properly. If not, then maybe the third or
           fourth pair will be. Keep giving them your money so they can
           afford quality control someday.
           \_ An expensive brand that lasted me 6+ years. I've gotten a lot
              of mileage out of it. Yeah, it probably should've lasted a lot
              longer, but I'm not exactly complaining.
        \_ umm... Sennheiser rocks... One of the many reasons is because
           they can be dissassembled and replaced part-for-part.  You don't
           have to buy a new pair of headphones, even if it's the left ear.
           \_ Agreed, Sennheiser headphones are superior to everything I've
              tried.  I use their high-end closed ear HD25 (not to be
              confused with the cheaper HD25SP) for studio work and music
              production, and they sound fantastic.  They put the highest
              end Sony headphones to shame.  Mine have lassted 3 and a half
              years so far, and I don't see any reason to think they won't
              last as long as Sennheiser keeps making replacement parts.
              Note that I have no experience with their consumer grade
              products, and some casual music listeners may find studio
              headphones to have too flat a frequency response curve for
              their tastes.  --lye
          \_ The Germans and the Japanese are superior at making things that
             are good. No wonder they had better war machines and better
             kill ratios in WW2. But I guess in the end it doesn't matter,
             it's the production power/raw material/mass that matters.
             \_ Um... what the FUCK is the point of trolling this thread?
                You're lame and deserve to be censored.
        \_ I recently bought a Sennheiser HD212Pro.  It's quite affordable,
           and the sound does sound fantastic.  I wonder how it compares
           to more expensive Sennheiser models.  Are those another big
           leap over mine, or would I get diminishing returns?

10/28   Liberal Christian Science Monitor turns against Bush:
        http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1028/p09s01-codc.html
        \_ this is news?

10/28   A Dodge Viper V10 engine on a motorcycle.  Oh, yeah.
        http://homepage.mac.com/jon_scott/images/DSCN1103.jpg
        \_ The Tomahawk. Its pretty but ... silly.
        \_ You mean 2 wheels and a seat on a dodge viper v10.

10/28   Boom!  One of the most powerful solar flares has hurled a CME
        directly toward Earth this morning:
        http://www.spaceweather.com
        http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/images2003/28oct03/cme_c3_big.gif
        \_ So what they said about Tiger Woods and Eminem was right.  The End
           Time is near.

10/28   "The spread of democracy in Latin America, Asia and parts of Africa
        suggests that this form of government is not unique to Western
        culture or to advanced industrial economies."
                -- US diplomat James Dobbins
        \_ Hahahaha, that is almost as good as the "It would be nice if
           foreign countries would stay out of Iraq" remark by Wolfowitz.
           Where do they find these guys? Don't they at least make them
           take a history test before giving them a job???
           \_ Are you sure he's not just being intentionally ironic?  What's
              the context?
              \_ Decide for yourself:
                 http://www.iraqfoundation.org/news/2003/gjuly/21_wolfowitz.html

10/28  Bush blames Aircraft Carrier for "Mission Accomplished"
       http://www.dailykos.com
        \_ Wow, that was really lame, and badly thought out.
           \_ Yeah, I agree. That aircraft carrier stunt was really stupid.
           \_ Nah, not really.
           \_ is it even worth a cut n paste to my browser?
        \_ That's a pattern. Bush barely knows what's going on, even with folks
           he appointed. Bush should take a page from Truman and stop passing
           the buck.
          \_ I disagree.  I think he knew exactly what is going on, just that
              when things are not going the way he wanted, he starts to blame
              his subordinates (read: CIA).  Bush is surely a man of action,
              he just doesn't take the responsibility for his action when
              things are not going his way.