12/28   I have been seeing lots of messages like this one in my .procmail/log
        file recently:
        ## procmail: Kernel-lock failed
        ## procmail: Kernel-unlock failed

        I think this started happening after the last reboot. Could it
        be hapening because something went wrong with soda patches?
        Was a new kernel patch installed before reboot?
        \_ Check if you have a random filename.lock file in your delivery
           directory.
        \_ The last reboot was only because of a hang...nothing changed.
           \_ That doesn't mean nothing changed.
              \_ no software was modified.  sure the date changed.  so did
                 the phase of the moon, fuckwad.
                 \_ you don't know that.  you can't know that.  and no need to
                    be childish about it.  you're just wrong.  accept and
                    move on.

12/29   Saddam getting chatty.
        http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4052441

12/29   Any helpful used snowboard equipment stores in Berkeley?  I know a
        great one in Fremont(The Station), but don't have time to drive down
        there.
        \_ no, we're too busy judging people's entire culture by cross
           referencing their food preferences with their skin color.
           \_ Go back to your Cool Ranch Doritos and Coca Cola you
              pasty-faced geek ;-)
              \_ Some of us don't drink coke or eat doritos.  Way too old for
                 that kid shit now.  Gotta take care if we're going to be
                 around to hijack your bank account to fund our retirements.

12/29   Warning.  This is really disturbing, even for the motd.  Weak stomachs
        should skip this.  It is criminal and medical, not political, btw.
        http://www.wftv.com/news/2730557/detail.html
        \_ Think of the children!
           \_ or not... yow!
        \_ Sadly, this isn't the first time I've heard a story like this.

12/29   I am hearing less and less about AMD computers.  Almost every local
        store is selling intel inside machines.  Is AMD fading away?  What
        was the third chip maker?  There was Intel, AMD, and one other
        competitor, but I have already forgotten its name.
        \_ Stock went from around 5 to around 15 in the past six. Don't know
           what that means, except wall street seems to think there is value
           in AMD. As for 64 vs. 32, people didn't know what to do when 32
           vs. 16 came out, then came Windows 3.0. I guess you can write
           bigger bloatware, since now you can address a lot more space...
        \_ umm, do you hear much about computers at all?
        \_ Cyrix, see wikipedia for a history.  AMD has a relatively
           inexpensive 64-bit CPU, but there is no demonstrated consumer
           benefit for it.
           \_ there are a few "third" chip makers. i don't know if cyrix is
              even still around, these days it's probably VIA. transmeta too,
              but they're more of a laptop thing.
              \_ Cyrix was bought out by National during the good days, then
                 National basically went South (and is continuing the long,
                 painful slide to oblivion to this day). They sold the assets
                 for Cyrix to VIA, which has basically done nothing with it.
                 National didn't do much with Cyrix either, except sell a couple
                 for embedded products. Problem with Cyrix is that chips always
                 get cheaper, and it doesn't make sense to build low performance
                 low margin chips that are going to be obsolete in two months.
                 What you want to do is build high-end high margin chips and
                 live off of the skim until it becomes commoditized.
           \_ thanks, much more informative response than the first non-sense.
              \_ nonsense begets nonsense.
                \_ ah, you loose.  just look at how this thread has grown.
                   \_ probably lose, too.  we weren't talking about yermom.
           \_ you mean the fact that it runs faster, runs cooler, costs less
              and out performs Intel's best?  hmmm, yeah, and no one will ever
              need more than 640k either.
              \_ faster is up for grabs; cooler is marginal (89 watts vs.
                 100+ watts?); costs less is true.  I should have written that
                 there's no consumer benefit to the 64 bits.
                 \_ Try 45 watts in the real world.  See real world benchmarks
                    on your favorite website for faster.
                    \_ Are you talking about the desktop Athlon 64?  Please
                       post a link to the 45W claim - I'm very interested.
                       I wasn't able to find any heat data beyond "89W" for
                       the Athlon 64 FX on tomshardware or anandtech.
                       And actually I also see 89W Thermal Design Power for
                       the FX, 3000+ and 3200+ on http://amd.com.
                 \_ Until MS Office 2005 ships with a minimum RAM
                    requirement > 4Gb thanks to the integration of
                    the Yukon database throughout.
                    \_ There's a conspiracy between M$ and Intel.  M$ keeps
                       cranking out slower and slower software so that people
                       have to buy faster and faster CPUs.
                       \_ Well, maybe not a conspiracy..  Let's call it a
                          friendly mutual arrangement.
                       \_ Wasn't java more CPU speed demanding to offset java's
                          inherent slowness?  Also, it's more Memory demanding.
                       \_ There isn't any new software that people care about
                          that needs much speed. Even new games don't need the
                          latest stuff.
                                \_ Doesn't matter, Microsoft & other makers
                                   keep requiring more and more speed and
                                   do as much as possible to make it hard
                                   to continue using older versions with
                                   lower requirements.
                          \_ NP-hard problems need speed.
                             \_ Indeed. What NP-hard problem is the mass market
                                so intent on solving?
                                \_ Now you deftly (?) went from 'people care
                                   about' to 'mass market.'  People care about
                                   NP-hard problems, my friend.  Otherwise
                                   there wouldn't be a name for them.
                                   P.S. You are an idiot.
                                   \_ the thread was about "consumer benefit"
                                      and desktop computers, dickwad.
                                      \_ Jesus you can't be this dense.  Let
                                         me spell it out for you.  Anyone who
                                         P.S. I remain an idiot.
                                         needs a computer is a 'consumer'.
                                         Some people who need computers use
                                         them for real sciency sorts of things.
                                         Like munging astrophysics data, or
                                         solving scheduling problems.  Those
                                         people care about fast computers.
                                         P.S. You remain an idiot.
                                         \_ YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE THE BALL
                                            LICKERS.
                                         \_ that stuff is research/industry.
                                            not "consumers".
                          \- Linux grep needs a lot of speed. --psb
                             \_ don't use linux grep.
                                \- do you know what is wrong with it?

12/29   In my background check, my social security number seems to have
        been associated with another name in 1998.  What should I do?
        \_ Associated by who?  A credit bureau?  Tell them to fix it.  The
           Feds?  Then it's a black line agency that's taken over your
           identity and you'll cease to exist in a few minutes.  You don't have
           to do anything in that case.
        \_ Tell me your name and SS number and I will find out for you.
           \_ Birthdate and Mother's maiden name too if you want it faster.

12/28   They don't even know who to lie to anymore...
        http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1113227,00.html

12/29   Republicans for Illegal Immigration
        http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1047986/posts
        \_ Even Republicans are now into this way of buying votes.  I think we
           should amend the Constitution to ban anything that rewards illegal
           activity.
        \_ Reagan did it, why not Bush?