7/26    In Perl, s/.*/foo/g will match twice and produce foofoo but
        s/.+/foo/g only once and produces foo.  Why?
        \_ Maybe because .* means zero or more, so it matches the zero too?
        \_ .* first matches starting from the beginning of the string until
           end, consuming all the characters. Then it tries to match the
           empty string at the end of the string, and succeeds since it will
           match 0 characters. .+ does not match 0 characters, so it does not
           match the empty string at the end.

7/26    Is there a program in windows that can reduce all the image files
        in a folder by a specified amount? I want to do this for several
        hundred pictures I just copied to my desktop from my digital
        camera. Thanks.
        \_ acdsee
        \_ "Reduce"?  Do you mean delete a few, make them lower resulution,
           convert to a lossy format, or recompress to be more lossy?
        \_ Paint Shop Pro for windows can do a batch convert, including setting
           .jpg prefs etc.  I suspect ImageMagick could do it too.
        \_ Good freeware, search for IrfanView.

7/26    Ambush alley in Iraq
        http://www.ehowa.com/show/media.html?image=ambushalley.wmv
        \_ What is this?  My firewall blocked it.

7/26    "Poll shows support for Kerry weakens on issues and attributes"
        http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/Vote2004/kerry_poll_040726.html
        Not a good sign since the lead up to the convention is supposed to be
        a big boost time for a candidate, not a time they *lose* ground.  He
        should be up 15 points right now to win in November.
        \_ When did you stop beating your wife?
           \_ You're off topic.  This isn't a wife beating post.
        \_ So you haven't read any of the poll data about how polarized the
           electorate is?  No one is going to be 15 points up in this election,
           ever.  November will all come down to razor thin margins and (most
           likely) Diebold and Florida Elections Authority intervention.
           \_ So you're already preparing the propaganda for a loss in advance?
              \_ Head.  Hole.  Ground.

7/26    And here's why Kerry isn't polling up 15 and isn't going to win.
        Clinton was right, "it's the economy, stupid",
        "Consumer confidence hits two-year high"
        http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040727/D843769O0.html
        \_ Well, the Dems have been hammering Bush on the economy for at least
           the last year, cherry-picking stats to talk down the economy even as
           it's been recovering.  Now that the economy is in robust recovery,
           they've lost that point and look a bit silly.  On top of that they
           said that Bush's tax plan would ruin our economy.  Tax receipts in
           June were the highest for the month of June since 2000, so not only
           is the economy rolling, but the federal budget is doing well too.
           \_ ha we are like 30 trillion in debt up to our assholes, so doomed
              \_ Thanks to FDR, LBJ, and leftists.  [formatd on all this]
                \_ i am reasonably sure this country did not have huge
                   trade and budget deficits until the early 80s,
                   after someone ramped up spending while simultaneously
                   slashing government revenues.  are you still pissed
                   about that new deal thing?
                 \_ Whoa.  So how long have you and reality been divorced?
                    \_ 30 trillion?  I'd love to see the URL for _that_!
                       \_ Here's a guy who says we are 52 Trillion in debt,
                          counting unfunded pension and Social Security
                          liability:
                          http://www.fulcruminquiry.com/article76.htm
                          The Economist says that it is only $10.5 B though.
                          You can come up with almost any number for a
                          liability 75 years from now though.
                          \_ 10.5 B or 10.5 T ?
              \_ Learn to indent.  Yes, the fed. gov't needs to cut spending.
                 But the point is that tax receipts are now higher than in 2000
                 (well, we'll see if we're in a trend).  That puts us in a
                 great position to pay down some debt.  Unless of course Kerry
                 gets his way and (1) gets universal health care and (2)
                 relaxes restrictions on the immigration of people with AIDS.
                 \_ Both fears are bogus.  If we established universal
                    healthcare (which Kerry has not even proposed) we could
                    fund it with all the money employers are now spending on
                    for-profit HMOs.  Listing restrictions on immigration of
                    AIDS patients would not change immingration restrictions in
                    general.  We would not be flooded with diseased poor
                    Africans because we are not flooded with poor Africans
                    right now.
                    \_ HMO money goes from corps to HMOs to give health care
                       to employees.  Universal HC as you describe it would
                       take money from corps to the government to give HC
                       to everyone.  That guarantees fewer dollars per person
                       and therefore lesser health care.  No thanks.
                       \_ No, not really. See Canada vs. US health care
                          spending. Single payer appears to be a more
                          efficient way of allocating resources. You can
                          get better overall health care with fewer dollars
                          spent. That is what I believe, anyway.
                       \_ Oh, I see.  You've got yours so screw everybody else.
                          \_ So you're in favor of helping those in need at
                             the expense of others?  Ok, how about this: would
                             you be willing to lower your GPA from 4.0 to 3.0
                             so 3 other people can raise theirs from 1.7 to 2.0
                             and not get kicked out of school?  Didn't think
                             so.  You got yours and screw everyone else.
                             \_ yes, I am for providing help to students
                                to help them learn better, and hence improve
                                their GPA.
                                \_ Great.  What classes will you be taking
                                   next semester?  (Assuming you normally
                                   would pull up the curve, of course.)
                          \_ This is bankrupting Europe and it would
                             bankrupt us. Do you want to provide free
                             health care for all of Mexico?
                             \_ It is not bankrupting Europe. Who told you
                                such nonesense. Canada is doing better than
                                ever and they have single payer healthcare.
                                \_ I wonder how many people who waxes
                                   rhapsodic about the Canadian healthcare
                                   system ever had to rely on it.  My
                                   grandfather was covered under the Canadian
                                   system, and he was given the choice of
                                   either wasting away slowly and painfully
                                   while waiting > 1 year for back surgery or
                                   paying his own way in the US.
                             \_ Oh, trolling for anti-immigrant sentiment now
                                eh?
                                \_ No. It is the immigrants that are
                                   bankrupting Europe and they will also
                                   bankrupt the US if we adopt the same
                                   policies.
                                   \_ Uhm, they're not immigrants until they've
                                      left their country of origin, dumbass.
                                      \_ Huh?
                                   \_ really?  so how come we are still the
                                      most powerful country in the world
                                      after these centuries of immigration?
                                      \_ Because we don't provide free
                                         universal health care and other
                                         socialistic perks. Immigration is
                                         great. Giving money away to
                                         anyone who wants some is not.
                                \_ No. Criticizing ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is not
                                   anti-immigrant sentiment.  When will you
                                   knee-jerk lefties learn that?
                             \_ According to the Economist,  immigrants are
                                a net win for Spain because they're supporting
                                the pension system which is strained because
                                Spainiards of the past few decades decided to
                                have fewer children.
                                \_ Net win? There are other variables than
                                   budget numbers. This idea of needing to
                                   bring in a bunch of people to support the
                                   welfare apparatus is complete bullshit. If
                                   they structured the system properly, instead
                                   of setting up a ridiculous Ponzi scheme,
                                   then they would have a long term solution.
                                \_ These incoming immigrants are having
                                   more children of their own. Who will
                                   support them?
                    \_ I'm pretty sure I've heard John Kerry say that everyone
                       should be covered by the same insurance that members of
                       congress have.
                \_ how does universal health care in europe and other countries
                   work from the doctor's point of view. do they have to be
                   part of the system?  can they set their own rates?
                   \_ They do not have to be and many are not. You pay
                      cash. Doctor's salaries are low overall and there is
                      a shortage of doctors. Hospitals import immigrant
                      doctors from, say, Russia and pay them low wages.
                      They accept it because otherwise they get sent back.
        \_ Well, there really are two economise in America today. The rich
           are doing very well, fueld by tax cuts, but middle income and
           lower middle class sorts are seeing lower real wages and actual
           overall tax increases, since the states have raised taxes so much.
           So I am not so sure that the Republican line is going to play
           too well with the Wal-Mart voter. Also, the leading indicators
           are looking pretty bad according to these guys:
           http://www.businesscycle.com
           \_ Today the party announced that the chocorat is being increased to
              25 grams.
        \_ That a good economy benefits the incumbent is an accepted fact,
           but I think Bush has bigger problems.  In fact, I see the
           population throwing out Bush as it stands up on its feet after 9/11.
           \_ I see the prolitariat throwing off the shackles of
              capitalism after they realize the evils of tax cuts.

7/26    So does anyone find it kinda pathetic that the Iraqi TV stations are
        giving more coverage to the conventions than our own network TV
        stations?  This is a bi-partisan thing, BTW - the RNC is going to get
        just as shafted as the DNC.
        \_ The conventions are just partisan wank-fests anyway.  That's why the
           US networks aren't covering them much.  The Iraqis just don't know
           any better.
           \_ oh!  Your penis is so big and truth free!
              \_ No one mentioned Ann Coulter.
        \_ I don't see it as getting shafted.  I'm a political junky but
           there's no way in hell I'd waste 5 seconds of my life watching any
           moment of either convention.  If something truly interesting
           happens, it'll get rebroadcast a zillion times, downloadable off
           the net, etc, etc.  Conventions?  Pshaw!
           \_ You should watch the really good speakers from both sides
              in real time. Clinton, McCain, okay maybe there are only two.
           \_ Bill Clinton is a talented speaker so I watched him. I think
              Howard Dean might be interesting. That's about it. Kerry and
              Edwards themselves bore me to death and so do all the pubs.
              \_ You should watch William Buckley Jr. and Dinesh D'Souza.
                 Both extraordinary speakers.

7/27    It's amazing to see that people continue to bring up Clinton's
        sex scandal while ignoring the facts that BushCo has murdered
        thousands of people, invaded a foreign country for no reason
        other than to make themselves rich, fucked California out of
        billions of dollars in utility bill, lost millions of American
        jobs, drive up the deficit to record levels while pocketing
        millions themselves (heck, we have to pay it back, not
        BushCo). And all you can say to this is "I did not have sex
        with that woman"? We all make mistakes, what Clinton has done
        probably deserves a few slaps on the face by Hilary, what
        BushCo has done, the only justifiable punishment is a bullet
        in their head.
        \_ ye trolle, hello!
           \_ How is this a troll? you fuck head! -op
              \_ Use this in a sentence that's not a troll:
                 "... a few slaps on the face by Hilary ..."
        \_ What utility bill?  The one stalled in congress?

7/27    Is there any freewares out that that I can use to recover my locked
        Word Excel, and Outlook files?  I have not opened them for about 2
        years and can only remember some, but not all of the them.  I have
        found some that costs about $40-$70 but are not good enough.  There's
        one that cost $150+ that told it located my password, but would not
        show it to me since I have not registered for it yet.  Better yet, is
        there some simple sample programs that I can programmatically try to
        open the files?  I can write a simple brute-force program to do it.  I
        am in no hurry to recover my passwords.
        \_ If you had used PGP, you wouldn't have to worry about this now.
           \_ explain
              \_ If the files were PGP-encrypted and you lost your key, there'd
                 be no point in worrying about getting your data back because
                 you wouldn't.
                 It's a bit like locking up a bike with a toy lock.  If you
                 lose the key it's not too hard to break the lock, but if
                 someone else wanted to steal your bike, the lock would be
                 pretty useless.
        \_ Try Apache POI.  It's Java API that can open Word and Excel files.
           Their website also has links to other competing packages.
           Also, if you want to use the API interactively,  consider using
           it through Jython.  -jeffwong
        \_ http://www.elcomsoft.com/prs.html

7/27    What are some good sites that give you good bargains to products? I'm
        looking for a digital cam and I'd like something that is similar to
        http://bestbookbuys.com, but for cameras. Thanks.
        \_ You squished other people's changes.  Use motdedit.
           \_ No.
        \_ http://www.techbargains.com - the only one you need, run by some berkeley
           dudes I think...
        \_ http://bensbargains.net (really good)
        \_ http://pricescan.com
           \_ pricescan sucks.
        \_ They all suck, use http://www.techbargains.com they have lots of camera
           deals. Even if they don't have it RIGHT NOW, expect some deals to show
           up within a week or two.

7/27    What do you have as your homepage? Poll:
        Google: ..
        Yahoo: ..
        SlashDot:
        about:blank:.....
        worldnetdaily:.
        homepage I made: ...
                \_ now that is sick
                   \_ Why on earth would that be sick?
                        \_ don't know about you but looking at your own
                           picture every time you launch the browser is just
                           weird. Might as well as put up a mirror by the
                           monitor while you're at it.
                           \_ You're weird.  The page I have has alot of
                              useful links and tools that I use all the time.
                              It's not about vanity, it's about utility and
                              total customizability.
        http://thumbnailpost.com: .
                \_ NOT WORK SAFE
        msdn: .
        Kais Motd: . (yes motd is entertaining and stupid)
        "You can change it?": .
        \_ IM ON TEH INTARWEB!
        \_ AOL!

7/27    Has anyone seen a 3-D graphics program that reproduces irridescance
        like you'd find on the throat of a hummingbird or peacock's tail?  I'm
        wondering how hard it is to do with vertex shader programs and the like
        \_ dunno, maybe ATI or NV has a demo program with source?

7/27    Kool-aid on your cellphone: http://macnn.com/news/25607
        \_ Aww, now it's all sticky...

7/26    is there a way to list the file in your user space that has the largest
        size?  (Thank you all for the help except that idiot posted the rm
        command)
        \_ rm -Rf ~/
           \_ does anyone ever use R instead of r?
        \_ ls | sort | head
        \_ ls -lR | sort +4rn     But this won't tell you which directory
                                  the files are in.
        \_ du -k $HOME | sort -nr -k1,1 | head
           This should give you the files sizes of the largest files and
           directories in your home directory. If you want just files:
           { find $HOME -depth -type f -print0 | \
             xargs -0 ls -l | sort -rn -k5,5 ; } 2> /dev/null | head
           BTW, -print0 and xargs -0 only work on *BSD, OS X and Linux.

7/27    Watch kerry get booed at the Sox game and he is unable to throw
        a baseball across the plate from half way to the mound.
        http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1178385/posts?page=1137#1137
        http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1178385/posts?page=1169#1169
        Usually I wouldn't be so petty but it is hilarious!
        \_ Hrm.  He got it to the plate.  The catcher is a local reservist
           returned from stints in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This take on the
           event is petty and sad. --scotsman
        \_ Fuck you.
        \_ You know, if you want the canidates to drop their pants and measure
           their erect penises to figure out who to vote for, you should just
           ask and stop hiding behind this facade of watching their physical
           feats to figure who is more "manly" and who is the "girlie-man."
        \_ Kerry in space suit looks like a Sperm cell, at nasa
        \_ Yeah, because throwing a baseball is a more important qualification
           for a President than forming coherent sentences and using valid
           English words.
           \_ Don't misunderestimate Bush.
        \_ Five words:  Dubya as a monkey .jpgs.
        \_ I'd vote for Ashcroft if he were to run because he can sing really
           really well (watch F911! It converted me to a Republican) and
           he actually looks good on television.
                \_ second that, if he weren't a politician he'd make a pretty
                   decent singer/actor.
           \_ Nonetheless, his looks and the signing ability weren't enough
              to defeat a DEAD opponent in 2000 Missouri election for senate.
        \_ Bush threw a pitch once before a game.  Catcher told him
           not to bounce the pitch or else the crowd would boo him.
           Bush threw a strike to the plate.
           \_ George W. Bush was president of his fraternity at Yale.  What
              do you expect?
           \_ This comment and the one above re: Ashcroft are a very good
              approximation of the level of analysis we're going to see of
              this election from the TV news.
              \_ Who takes TV news seriously?  Hey, who even watches it?
                 \_ Sadly, quite a lot of people.
           \_ Dubya had another bike accident yesterday.
              \_ Let's mail some more pretzels to the White House.
              \_ Uh, yeah, and Kerry has had a bike fall and a ski wreck he
                 blamed on some poor bastard from his security detail.  Does
                 that make them both stupid and incompetent or does it make
                 Bush stupid while Kerry is athletic?
        \_ My love is bigger than your love, Sing it.

7/27    Buying a house in today's market: a totally insane thing to do, or
        what?  We're still thinking very broadly: considering both the SFBA
        and the LA area, looking for a "buy and hold" house (we'd like to
        stay there for a while), wanting to get a straightforward 30-year-
        mortgage (now doesn't seem like the time to get an ARM).  Should we
        just suck it up and go through with it now, or wait around to see
        whether gradually rising interest rates finally start deflating the
        California housing bubble?
        \_ there's a lot of good info below but he's the short answer:  if
           you live in an expensive place like the SFBA and plan to stay here
           for many years then buying a house is the smartest thing to do
           *over the long run*.  Rents will continue to rise but your loan
           rate is locked in.  By the time you make that 360th payment it'll
           cost you more to buy a cup of coffee but your rent will still be the
           equiv. of whatever it is in the future in today's dollars.  HOWEVER!
           If you live in a place where rents are dirt cheap and likelt to stay
           that way then owning is possibly a financial loss over time because
           you'll be paying out in time for maintenance, etc.  On the higher
           priced home the maintenance costs will get sucked up by the rising
           value of your home.  That won't happen so easily on your low priced
           home in a low priced area with slower price increases.  The idea
           that housing prices are going to take some dramatic dip soon is
           foolish.  I waited an extra year 5 years ago and it cost me $100k
           up front.  Since then my house has gone up another $260k and
           continues to rise.  Do the math.
           \_ locking in the rate is overrated.  you may change to a bigger
              house, move to a different city in the bay area, or move to
              a different region of the country, etc.  average american move
              once like every 7 years, so your 360th payment would likely never
              happen.  If Bay Area rent over price ratio is good, at least
              you have the option of keeping the place and renting it out
              (you get tax savings for first two houses).  Unfortunately,
              rent over price ratio sucks in the Bay Area.
              \_ Don't so quickly dismiss the ability to borrow $3/4M at
                 5.25%.
                 \_ are you talking about a home equity loan?
                    \_ No, just look at what payments would be if you
                       end up borrowing the same exact amount at 8%,
                       the historical average for mortgages. Home prices
                       would have to fall a lot to make it equal.
              \_ You can do all right with a duplex or triplex. Agreed
                 with a single family home.
        \_ school choice and vouchers would go a long way towards rationalizing
           the real estate market.
        \_ You'd be an idiot to buy right now.  Why buy when you can rent for
           half of the cost?
           \_ renting is just throwing money away. buy now and build
           principle
              \_ why do people keep saying this?  for a typical loan,
                 the amount that goes to the principle for the first
                 the amount that goes to the principal for the first
                 5 years is very minimal.
                 \_ ARG! It's called equity, not principle! Second, the
                 \_ ARG! It's called equity, not principal! Second, the
                    interest is tax deductible.
                    \_ nah, it's principal.  you don't pay equity,
                       equity fluctuates with the market.
                 \_ I have owned my house for 30 months. I paid the loan
                    down $10K in that time. Is that minimal? I am now
                    paying myself about $400/month in principle. As a
                    renter, I pay myself $0.
                    \_ the more important questions are, how much
                       interest are you paying per month, and how does
                       that compare with rental cost.
                       \_ How will it compare with the rental cost in 20
                          years when I have paid off the loan? The truth
                          is that I am paying myself money if the property
                          value remains level over 20 years and I am
                          making more money if it goes up. Renters are
                          deluding themselves. How many renters are
                          dumping $1K/month into stocks for the next 20
                          years? For those that are, what will they buy
                          with that money at that time? A house!?
                          \_ You have a point.  If instead of paying for
                             the house, one would just spend the money
                             on entertainment, etc., or if one is a
                             very bad investor, then throwing all your
                             money at a house may not be such a bad idea.
                             it's a nice little forced savings plan for
                             the weak-minded and the investment-challenged
                             (or just conservative investors).
                       \_ Bingo!  Although to that I'd say you should add
                          property taxes but deduct income taxed saved from
                          deducting the interest payments.  If
                          CASH_TO_INTEREST+TAX-TAX_SAVING < RENT then you
                          should buy.
                          \_ if
                                (
                                + estimated monthly investment income
                                  from downpayment
                                + monthly interest
                                + property tax
                                + association fee
                                - interest and property tax tax savings
                                )
                                <
                                monthly rent
                             then
                                buy
                             \_ You forgot that the property value will also
                                change.  So you should really add:
                                - monthly_increase_in_property_value
                                \_ or decrease.  also, add the "enjoyment"
                                   factor of living in a nicer home of
                                   your own, but also add the negative
                                   factors of having to mow your own
                                   lawn, and various repair costs, and
                                   likely higher utility costs.
                                   \_ Well, obviously it could be a negative
                                      number, but in the long view (which the
                                      OP wanted) it will probably increase.
                                      Trying to quantify all the intangibles is
                                      beyond the scope of this document.
                                      \_ you are right.  I do calculations
                                         for my modest townhouse using a
                                         2% annual increase.  Am I too
                                         pessimistic?
                                         \_ Knowing nothing else: probably.
                                            \_
                                The part of the equation you added,
                                "monthly_increase_in_property_value",
                                seems to be THE big question everyone
                                is now concerned with.  The rest are
                                more predictable.
        \_ Higher interest rates may bring prices down, but they'd also
           increase your costs.  If you're interested in buying, you might
           as well start.  -tom
           \_ all things being equal, you would rather have high rate and
              low cost than low rate and high cost.  reason is, you can
              refinance if rate later goes down.  of course, if you need
              a house, you need a house.
              \_ Also, per chance you come across a large wad of cash,
                 you can pay off a larger percentage of the loan.
        \_ dunno, if you got cash then go arm and wait, if not
        prices won't fall that much but interest rates will rise by a point
        if you wait too long
        \_ Bay Area is pathological.  SoCal still has bargains.  Live in
           Carson, or along the 10/60 freeway east of downtown, watch real
           estate values go up.  Don't buy the $700K 40-year-old 3-bdrm home
           in West L.A. on a busy street.
           \_ how much is an average 2 bdrm townhouse in LA these days?
              what about 3 bdrm?  What about Bay Area?      - chicago sodan
              \_ This guy is kidding if he thinks he can touch anything
                 in West LA for $700K. Irvine is $700K these days. The
                 average house is around $500K (same as Bay Area), but
                 LA is a big place. Where? Covina? Riverside? Torrance? OC?
                 \_ say Torrance, Hacienda Heights and OC.  What the price
                    for townhouses there?
                    \_ I just did a lookup and a 2bdrm condo in torrance will
                        run you 300-400k. +100k if you want a 2bdrm townhome.
                        Try http://themls.com if you want to look at West LA. you can
                        find homes for $700k. my buddy just bought a 1700 sf
                        home in Inglewood for $450k (nice home, quiet area,
                        but about 90% African American).
                        \_ wow.  I used to hang out around Torrance a lot
                           when I lived for a while with my uncle up on
                           Rolling Hills Estates.  His city-facing home
                           used to be around 300+K (1996).  Wonder how
                           much his 4 bedroom single family home (with
                           nice front and backyard) is worth now.
                        \_ The *lowest* house there is $610K and is 2/1.
                           By the way, http://www.dqnews.com has prices by
                           city and by zip code.
                           \_ Wrong, all in West LA:
                               http://csua.org/u/8cr 3/2 $620k
                               http://csua.org/u/8cs 2/1 $540k
                               Why do all these people in the motd
                               talk out their ass all the time???
                               \_ Beautiful Exposition Boulevard is what I
                                  think of when you say "West LA". Get a
                                  clue. $700K in West LA buys you nothing
                                  in the way of SFRs. All those houses are
                                  near the freeway. It's like saying you
                                  can buy a house for $350K in the Bay
                                  Area. Yeah, in Oakland. Technically
                                  correct, but not really true.
                                  \_ Yeah, they are sucky spots of West LA
                                     that is why they are cheap. Hey, don't
                                     be knocking Oakland! I just saw a
                                     beautiful craftsman 2/1 for $429k there.
                 \_ I don't understand your first sentence.
                 \_ In the Bay Area, even the $500k houses seem pretty shitty
                    to me. There are some older townhomes in that range.
           \_ I've been advised to look in either Valencia or Simi Valley.
              Are those reasonable choices?
              \_ You can find a house in Valencia for maybe < $500K but
                 the real question is: Where are you commuting to?!
        \_ too many unpredictable factors.  I would say, if you need a house
           buy it.  if not, save aggressively and wait a little while.
           also, don't stretch your finances and leave a little margin, if
           it is at all possible given the high property prices.
           \_ so you are saying you think the housing market will cool down,
              but if it doesn't, at least you'll have saved money for the
              down payment?
              \_ more or less.  saving and investing wisely.
                 \_ what about buying a condo as an in-between home?
                    \_ it's a consideration, and a way to not put everything
                       in one basket, spreading your bets and hedging
                       against further price increases.  What I would want
                       to find out would be how well the condo would appreciate,
                       how easy they can be sold, etc.  I did something
                       similar, but it's a townhouse since I am in
                       a cheaper area (chicago).  Chicago does have a
                       more reasonable rent to price ratio ($1200 rent
                       for a $200k townhouse) so renting out is an option
                       if I move to a larger place.  It should cover the
                       monthly mortgage ++ cost.  Tougher in the Bay Area.
                       But hey, Bay Area is so much nicer than Chicago!
                    \_ Condo's give you more house for your money and their
                       rent/buy price ratio makes them more sensible to buy.
        \_ http://csua.org/u/8ce .  Somewhat reasonable set of to buy or not
           analysis from the Chron.
        \_ Something a real estate agent told me that made a lot of sense:
           The people paying $500-600K for cute 2-bedrooms in the SFBA are the
           people most likely to be screwed.  They will have their 2.1 children
           and need to buy a bigger house.  Meanwhile, for $700-800K they could
           have bought a 3-4 bedroom or a duplex and rented some of it out.
           The fact that very few people can qualify for a loan to carry a
           7-800K house keeps these properties cheap relative to the much
           smaller 5-600K places.
           \_ The trick is to rent out 1/3 of your house, or put up with a
              duplex, while still maintaining privacy and dealing with various
              maintenance requests.  Nevertheless, the point from the real
              estate agent is valid, but the money to buy a $700-800K place
              could instead be coming from your parents or similar avenues.

                                   ,,,
                _         _      \(((.
         __,,../v\,----../ `-..=.>"" _\,_
_______;/____<_  \_______\ \___////______;______
 ctr  ,"/      `.)        `.)       ```
     /,"        /7__       /7_   I DON'T KNOW WHY EVERYONE MADE SUCH
    ((          ' \\\       )))   A BIG DEAL OUT OF THE TIME THEY
     \\                          KISSED I MEAN I FOUND THE SCENE
      ))                          WHERE THEY WERE NAKED IN A TUB
     ((                          SCRUBBING EACH OTHER TO BE TEN TIMES
      )                           MORE BEATOFFABLE
     /
                                 I MEAN WHAT'S XENA

7/27    Stop rewriting the entire motd.  You're screwing up all the diff
        programs.  Restored.
        \_ how does one check who has a lock on the motd.public file,
           assuming he/she changed the name of motdedit?
           \_ fstat /etc/motd.public

7/27    Heh, http://drudgereport.com has a URL on Michael Moore on the O'Reilly show.
        Moore has been saying that Bush is a liar.  O'Reilly says Bush never
        lied, but he may have been mistaken.  Moore can't admit the difference.
        Now this is what I've been saying all along -- as a liberal.
        \_ hey, let's hear from the guy who said he spent 20 hours a week for
           a month researching bush's wmd claims because of a motd thread.
           what's your take on this?
        \_ OK, we can probably both agree that Bush said things that were shown
           to be false.  The difference in opinion is conservatives think he
           was simply mistaken while liberals think he knew it was wrong.
           In the run-up to the war, conservatives said "Trust that the
           president has access to the best intelligence that shows that
           Saddam has WMDs"  Now some are trying to say "He was tricked by the
           CIA".  Which is it?  Did he know there were no WMDs (and is a liar)
           or was he tricked, and is being led not leading.
           \_ He did have access to the best intel.  Going back years,
              everyone in the previous administration, Senators on the
              intelligence committee, foreign leaders, etc, all stated their
              belief that Saddam had WMD or was soon to develop working WMD.
              The intel was wrong.  Everyone's intel was wrong.  Who is
              saying that Bush claims he was "tricked"?  Whatever on that.
              If it had gone the other way and the exact same intel said the
              exact same thing in the exact same way and he did nothing and
              Saddam nuked something you'd be screaming that Bush is a moron
              and the worst leader ever.  Let's just grant that you hate Bush,
              Bush can do nothing right for you, and that's that.  By taking
              Bush out of context and making him be the only one to ever say
              or believe that Saddam had WMD is intellectually dishonest,
              verging on weak trolling.
              \_ You are lying and badly at that. Why do you continue to
                 lie about this, even though you have been proven wrong
                 repeatedly? You just make yourself and Bush supporters
                 in generally look deluded and out of touch with reality.
                 Some people believed there were WMD in Iraq and some did
                 not. This has been proven to you repeatedly, yet you
                 still claim otherwise.
           \_ Bush is responsible for what he says.  Harry Truman had a sign
              on his desk, "The Buck Stops Here"--meaning that he claimed
              responsibility for his own decisions, rather than pointing
              fingers.  Whereas Bush claims responsibility for things he
              has nothing to do with, like the economy, and refuses
              responsibility for decisions he personally made, like unilateral
              war with Iraq.  -tom
              \_ I don't think that word "unilateral" means what you think it
                 means.
                 \_ A lot of things don't mean what tom thinks they mean.  Be
                    kind.  He only has a high school diploma.
           \_ Okay, let me be absolutely clear:
              In my opinion, Bush did not lie.  Moore says Bush is a liar;
              Moore is wrong.  I have been saying this all along.
              -a liberal, and op
              \_ Glad to hear your opinion.  My opinion is that Bush is a
                 liar and a manipulator. I have been saying this all along.
                 - liberal who knew that Clinton was lying, too, but didn't
                   think a blowjob and perjury under duress constituted an
                   impeachable crime
           \_ How can you call him a liar if every intelligence agency in the
              world (and the UN!) said that Iraq had WMD's?  If intelligence
              said Iraq *didn't* have WMD's and Bush said they did, that would
              be lying.
              \_ First of all, every intelligence agency in the world did
               not say that. I have proven that this is false many times
               on the motd. The UN and everyone else said that the
               evidence was inconclusive. Bush claimed it was conclusive.
               That makes him a liar in my book, or at the very least
               he acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
                  \_ You're full of crap.  British, French, Russian, UN.  If
                     the Guatamalan intel agency didn't keep close tabs on
                     Iraq then I'm sorry, you're right, it isn't *every* intel
                     agency on the planet.
                     \_ You have been proven wrong on this so many times
                        it is embarrassing you. Hans Blix, in his own words:
                        http://csua.org/u/8ci
              \_ "Imminent threat", "yellowcake", putting Iraq and Al-Qaida in
                 the same sentance constantly.  "I'm a uniter, not a divider",
                 "Healthy Forest" as Bush-speak for clear-cutting.
                 \_ Never said imminent threat.  England and FRANCE still stand
                    by the yellowkcake.  Iraq has Al-Qaida ties.  And tell
                    SoCal how the "hands-off-the-trees" approach helped the
                    fires down there.
                    \_ Calling it "healthy forests" is blatantly deceptive, and
                       SoCal was mostly chaparall.  Selective cutting of the
                       large trees is good forest managment, but it's less
                       profitable.  Clear-cutting is very bad for the health of
                       the forest.
              \_ Because he is a stupid chimp, that's why! -- ilyas
                 \_ what you wrote has proven to be not far from the truth, IMO
              \_ I don't think the previous poster disagrees with you.
                 \_ But the liar/tricked is a false dichotomy.  To be tricked,
                    the CIA, MI6 etc. would have to be lying.

7/27    What's a good place to buy good walking shoes? (Berk/Oak/SF/..) I
        tried Sportmart, Copelands REI, Sports Basement, didn't find anything
        I liked.
        \_ Birkenstock on College
        \_ The WalkShop in Vine off Shattuck?
           \_ "For people who love pretentious commercials"
        \_ Ecco shoes are pretty nice I think, although expensive. For walking
           shoes don't go to a sporty place.

7/27    Does anyone know a magical mozilla/firefox incantation to disable all
        background noise/music in webpages?
        \_ stop button
           \_ That's no help as the file doesn't play until it has already
              loaded.  By the time I know I want quiet it's too late.
        \_ I browse with the computer muted to prevent this. There may be a
           less kludgey method but I was pretty glad when I accidentally ended
           up on the "the boss is a cunt" page.
        \_ When is 1.0 coming out? The webpage says "July 2004".
           \_ July 2004.
        \_ use AdBlock extension block a specific file type?
           \_ Would that hose me if I intentionally try to download say a MIDI?

7/27    will vote for Hillary in 2008 if Kerry doesnt win. = republican
        \_ why?
        \_ hahahhahahahhahaa

7/27    Does the Mozilla mail client have any kind of macro language?
        Currently I use emacs for mail since I really like being able
        to customize it and write macros.  Thanks.
        \_ Yeah, combining macros with email is great.
        \_ OUTLOOK IS THE STANDARD!  USE VIRUS!

7/27    So was the home-buying thread intentionally to hijack the motd?
        \_ housing prices as a topic are currently the #1 most reliable
           troll topic, where reliable means "guaranteed to produce maximum
           verbiage, maximum flameage, and minimum knowledge."  Politics
           have become too obvious.
           \_ hey, fuck off.  that doesn't make it a troll.  housing is an
              extremely important issue to absolutely everyone.
           \_ I got trolled  :(
           \_ You missed the Bush lied/did not lie flame war.
              \_ Well, he didn't lie, nor did the CIA "trick" him -- I don't
                 know who came up with that one. -liberal

7/27    What's the argument against instant runoff voting? Are any of you
        actively against it?
        \_ Are you nuts?  They couldn't even figure out a ballot in
           Florida that was mailed to everyone months in advance and
           you want them to start ranking candidates???
        \_ I think instant runoff elections are great!  On a completely
           unrelated subject: motd liberals, are you not tired of the way in
           which the Democratic Party sells out the interest of the working
           man in favor of shadowy special interests, just like the Republican
           Party does?  Take a stand against corruption now!  Vote for a
           'minor party' candidate that speaks best for you. -- ilyas
        \_ Republicans oppose it because it would help the Democratic party.
           \_ Both major parties oppose it because it would help third parties.
              - Liberal Dem.
              \_ But the "liberal dems" won't go on record with that argument.
                 I was reading various articles and legislative actions about
                 IRV and other electoral reform and progress seems pretty slow,
                 although there are a couple exceptions. Jesse Jackson has an
                 interesting constitutional amendment proposal that would
                 state an explicit "right to vote" and require a winner to
                 achieve majority instead of plurality (leading to IRV or
                 something to that effect).
                 \_ Wait, isn't Jesse Jackson a liberal Dem?
                    \_ No.  JJ is all about JJ.
        \_ You need computers tabulating the vote.  When you have computers,
           you need a paper-based audit trail.  Ready for local elections,
           not ready for state or national yet.
           \_ Well what would make it be ready? In Texas they apparently can't
              even use it at a local or county level and bills to lift that
              restriction quietly died.
              \_ To hold a state-wide election, you would need computers
                 tabulating votes for all precincts, and a paper-based audit
                 trail.
                 \_ Right so why aren't we ready for that system?
                    \_ ... well, someone's got to convince all the little
                       bigwigs at the Capitol to install the suckers and
                       show they can't be manipulated.  I mean, I'm seeing
                       a drudgereport article talking about how all the
                       Florida 2002 gubernatorial data were accidentally
                       "lost due to computer failure".
                       I nominate YOU to go out and lobby the big wigs, and
                       be in charge of selecting the right system and
                       installing them all, and be responsible if something
                       goes wrong.
                       \_ Have you ever worked for/with a government IT guy?
                          I'm not at all surprised a government paid IT guy
                          would fuckup and lose the data.  That's far more
                          likely the reason for data loss than some cabal of
                          evil sysadmins destroying the records as part of
                          their plot to take over the Florida electoral system
                          for Halliburton.
        \_ What does instant runoff mean?
           \_ Instant runoff is a method where you get to rank your 1st, 2nd,
              3rd... choices.  If your first choice doesn't get a plurality,
              your vote falls back to your second choice and so on.
              http://www.fairvote.org has more info.
              \_ How does it work? Voters rank candidates in order of choice:
                 1, 2, 3 and so on. It takes a majority to win. If anyone
                 receives a majority of the first choice votes, that candidate
                 is elected. If not, the last place candidate is defeated,
                 just as in a runoff election, and all ballots are counted
                 again, but this time each ballot cast for the defeated
                 candidate counts for the next choice candidate listed on the
                 ballot. The process of eliminating the last place candidate
                 and recounting the ballots continues until one candidate
                 receives a majority of the vote. With modern voting
                 equipment, all of the counting and recounting takes place
                 rapidly and automatically. (from the FAQ)
                 \_ Compare this description to the current system:
                    1) vote for the guy you like,
                    2) the guy with the most votes wins.
                    The complexity of IRV is reason enough not to do it.
                    \_ It's not complex. Are you an idiot? The whole point is
                       to accurately account for more than two candidates by
                       letting voters express a secondary preference. Why
                       would anyone NOT want elections to more accurately
                       reflect voter desires? It's supposed to be democracy.
                       Having winners with less than a majority support makes
                       me unhappy.
           \_ It's an oral technique perfected by yermom.

7/27    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders struck an agreement
        on a $103 billion state budget, ending a 26-day standoff ... With
        billions of dollars in borrowing and one-time savings, the spending
        plan contains little of the cuts the governor wanted in January. ...
        "I said many times, when I was lifting weights and shooting for a
        500-pound lift and maybe ended up at 495 -- I was still happy to get
        it done" the Republican said late Monday ...