9/27    New method for storing nuclear waste:
        http://csua.org/u/97x (Daily Telegraph, by way of Slashdot)
        How safe is this method?  Is there any appreciable radiation leakage?
        If it really stores the waste safely for 200k years, what reason is
        there not use nuclear plants all over the place?
        \_ Yes, because nuclear power is eeeee-vil.
           \_ Damn you, Coal Industry!
        \_ The Three Mile Island and Chenobyl (sp?) incidents had nothing to do
           with waste storage safety, for example.
           \_ True, but they were also examples of old, obsolete technology
              and lax oversight.  Surely we've come a long way since then...
              right?
                \_ Tell that to the Japanese workers recently killed in a
                   nuclear power plant.  Although that was from a worn high
                 \_ No, he'd be the full $28B richer, just not liquid.  Do you
                    think his current net worth reflects the massive tax hit
                    he'd take if he sold all his MSFT?  No, it's calculated by
                    addingu p the value of all his shares.  Otherwise to
                    calculate rich people's net worth you'd have to track all
                    the purchase prices of their assets and estimate the tax
                    liability if liquidated.
                   temperature pipe which could happen in any power plant.
                   \_ The pipe hadn't been inspected in 28 years! w00t!
                      \_ Which was allowed by poor policy.  Bad policy never
                         goes out of style.
                         \_ In the Nuclear Era we will end bad policy,
                            hairpieces and silly ties. Everything will
                            be bright and gleaming and brand new.
                            \_ Here's a Radon-laden wrist-watch for your
                               outfit.

9/27    Gates has been an extremely generous philanthropist, giving away
        $28.3 billion over the years.
        http://www.forbes.com/forbes400/2004/09/27/cx_mn_rl04_0927toptenintro.html?partner=yahoo&referrer=
        So does that include all the free MS OS he donated? Can he claim
        to have donated $100 for each free XP given to schools?
        \_ that's an impressive figure.  Even more so when you realize that
           he can lose 30% of his fortune and not even notice.  In my mind
           though, the better man is the poorer man who gives away money
           he could actually use.
           \_ Are you trying to get biblical on our asses?
        \- i think bill gates is a pigdog for most things, but i think
           he has spent some of his charitable $ in a good way [like finding
           work on vaccines for which there is no mkt incentive, like malaria].
           it's also sort of cool that he has said "fuck you" to the philan-
           thopy racket run by women with expensive hairdos out of coctail
           parties. apparently they took a fair amount of criticism because
           they didnt hire a "professional" to run it but instead turned it
           over to big bill [parent of evil bill]. --psb
        \_ The article failed to realize that had he not given away $28b, he
           wouldn't be worth $28b more, because he would have to pay tax on it.
                 \_ No, he'd be the full $28B richer, just not liquid.  Do you
                    think his current net worth reflects the massive tax hit
                    he'd take if he sold all his MSFT?  No, it's calculated by
                    addingu p the value of all his shares.  Otherwise to
                    calculate rich people's net worth you'd have to track all
                    the purchase prices of their assets and estimate the tax
                    liability if liquidated.
                    \_ Oh, I see.

9/27    How much is it to get hard contact lens fitting AND the lens, and do
        they usually charge everything at once? I'm getting charged $300
        per eye (need special ones for medical reasons).

9/27    Just an epiphany that among my warmest feelings towards the US was
        while in Africa seeing France's legacy as an imperial power. For all
        the evil the southern American states have endured by way of the US, by
        comparison to the French in Africa, they are doing relatively well. Of
        course, American imperialism in places like Colombia vs. French
        imperialism in, say, Mali, is only one component of much larger story
        in either place. My Jack Handy for the day. -- ulysses
        \_ Our meddling in Central and South America doesn't hold a candle to
           full-on colonialism such as the French in Africa.  A better
           comparison would be what happened to the native Hawaiians.
           \_ Good point. -- ulysses
        \_ By southern American, do you mean Georgia? They still curse
           Sherman's name in Atlanta.
        \_ Are you going to make me bring up our bloody counterrebellion
           in the Phillippines?
           \_ I wasn't going to even ask but the thought of making you do it
              is too much to resist. Cuteness aside I had thought of the
              Phillipines when the poster abv mentioned Hawaii. Keep in mind
              that there are a number of islands off the coast of
              Africa where every last original inhabitant was killed by Spanish
              or French sailors/soldiers/merchants. This may all be academic,
              though.
              \_ How many Native American tribes were wiped out to the last man?
                 \_ We're still trying to figure out how many Native Americans
                    there were pre-Columbus to begin with.  Estimates range
                    widely.

9/27    Nice Garmin GPS costs about $600+. Is it better to just get a PDA+
        GPS plug in thing as it is cheaper and can do more? What are the pros
        and cons of doing so? ok thx
        \_ Garmin units are very nice. They are very well built, and
           the software on those units in my experience has been top
           quality.  I never liked PDA+ units, as they are very fragile
           and are not in the same league as some of the garmin
           handhelds. I'd much prefer a 60C over any PDA+ combo. Also
           the battery life on the Garmin is impressive, 30 hours on a
           double AA. Try that on your PDA.  PDAs are for techies who
           wants to have GPS added to their PDA, but don't really use
           it for any serious purpose. Garmin units are for the more
           serious GPS users where one day your life may depends on
           it. :)
           \_ Very true if you want to use the GPS for outdoor purpose.
              That said, if you want to use GPS for car navigation
              purpose, I think PDA+GPS has a better price/performance
              ratio.  Chechk http://www.gpspassion.com for PDA+GPS related
              items.
        \_ Don't most of the newer cell phones have GPS recievers in
           them as part of the Enhanced 911 initiative?  Or does that
           only work in the coverage area?
           \_ Yes they do, but it's seldom paired with GPS software, just a
              little routing to forward the info to 911 operators.

9/27    Can anyone recommend a good open-source content management system?

9/27    If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
        \_ Lion.  Many wives.
           \_ Lions usually get only 1 or 2 years when they rule the pride.
              After that, they are chased away by younger and stronger lions,
              which is also why they often kill the baby lions, so the
              female lions get into heat again - no time to waste.
                \_ so that's how they get more sex. Too bad it doesn't
                   work for me                  -married and getting none.
                   \_ How do you married people who aren't getting any cope?
                      Affairs?  Probably not an option for many of you.
                      Porn?  Do you force your wife or bribe them with money
                      or gifts?  Serious question.
                      \_ If you seriously never get any then you should get
                         divorced. Have a talk about it at least.
                   \_ you married someone with kids?  lions don't kill
                      their own offspring, just someone else's.
        \_ Baboon.  Ruining your sex life with stress.
        \_ Bonobo. No explaination needed.
        \_ Buffalo.  Just following the alphabetical trend.
        \_ Bird. Flying must be awesome.
           \_ don't you fly in your dreams?
        \_ Butterfly.  Nobody ever suspects the butterfly.
        \_ Human.  They have opposable digits and large frontal lobes.
           \_ Yeah, but humans tend to split the usage 90/10 between the thumbs
              and frontal lobe.
        \_ Troll.  Oh wait ...
           \_ fictitious creature.
        \_ Iguanas seem pretty well off. Just sit around in the sun, and
           nibble on plants. A large migratory bird could be nice but with all
           the humans everywhere they must have a hard time these days.
           \_ why not a well taken care of dog?
              \_ I don't know, the dependency on the master makes it kind of
                 an undignified life. And there's the butt sniffing thing.
              \_ Gets to satisfy the female master when the male master is at
                 work.  Nobody would suspect a dog for adultery.
           \_ Don't Iguanas turn into Roadkilled Iguanas fairly often?  Or
              is that Armadillos?
              \_ I was thinking of the Galapagos ones, or other tropical
                 places. And if you're thinking of N. America that's armadillo.
        \_ Dolphin.  So long and thanks for all the fish.
        \_ I wanna be a grizzly bear in alaska - great scenery, all kinds of
           sushi, sleeping in a cozy hole for the whole winter, ruling the
           wild, a relatively long life, lots of sex, scaring silly hikers
           and campers, licking honey, mauling mooses, cute chubby cubs,
           all are appealing to me.
           \_ Until we drill the ANWR...then we're coming for your hairy
              bear ass!
              \_ And smelly old Chinese men will take your gall bladder!
                 \_ Plus the palms.
           \_ Sashimi, not sushi, unless you've got rice and special vinegar.
           \_ lots of sex? bears?  really?  i'm not sure about that.
              \_ Ever since I visited Bern in Switzerland when I was
                 a kid and saw two bears in the zoo there copulate for
                 like an eternity, I was under the impression that
                 bears get lots of sex.
        \_ I'm pretty happy being human.
           \_ Learn to read.
        \_ Crocodiles.  Nice design, no natural enemies (except humans
           possibly).  Predatory, at home in the water and on land.
           Lives a fairly long time.  Looks like a nice life.
        \_ I want to be a monkey, cause I can then be President of the
           United States.

9/27    Inspired by http://home.lbl.gov:8080/~psb/Humor/wall.log-GiantBrain_of_JSL
        who do people think was the most clued politburo member?   The least
        clued?  I suspect I know Partha's answers, but anyone else have an
        opinion?
        \- There are plenty of people clued about operating systems you
           dont want writing or interpreting your constitution, running
           meetings, dealing with external persons etc. So it depends on
           the position. In the case of JSL the questions are: 1. how does
           that happen [did she beat someone in an election?] 2. is she
           better or worse than having nobody in the position. --psb
        \_ obSomeoneInsultsPaolo.

9/27    John Kerry quotes.  He takes every position.
        http://www.cox-internet.com/tomguy/BB4/KerrysPositions(Semone).mp3
        \_ Mmm... Out of context quotes.  Fuck off.
        \_ Fuck you. Have you seen what an incompetent the chimp in office
           is? Do you realize our 'president' doesn't read news, doesn't
           pay attention? Are you fucking kidding me that you think Kerry
           will do a worse job than this international fucking JOKE Bush?
           \_ The university has free mental health services...
              \_ Oh sure, anyone who dislikes Bush is psycho. Not to
                 mention unpatriotic, unamerican and down right unchristian.
                 \_ No, by the tone of your language and your paranoid,
                    undue indignance.  It's appropriate you whine, casting
                    yourself as a persecuted victim, since afterall, the
                    Democrats have become the party of institutionalized
                    victimhood.  Does Kerry's free health care encompass
                    mental disorders? Would explain alot.
                    \_ Undue indignance?  Go peddle your BushCo propaganda
                       elsewhere, freeper boi.
                    \_ Oh, your dick is huge and tax free!
                       \_ No, that's only for Coulter-bots.
                    \_ After 8 years of wathcing Rush Limbaugh playing poor
                    \_ After 8 years of watching Rush Limbaugh playing poor
                       persecuted me during the Clinton administration,
                       this statement of yours is hilarious. Thanks for
                       the laugh.
                       \_ I'm reporting you to the FBI.  Print this out
                          and send it to Democracy Now and the Kerry
                          campaign.
                          \_ Stop it! You're killing me!!!
        \_ Flip-flops explained: http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh072904.shtml
        \_ http://media.ebaumsworld.com/presaddress.mov

9/27    My company's looking for a PT IT support person (~10hrs/wks)
        to support the 7 person office here at Berkeley (close to Golden Gate
        Field ) Basically need to have a good understanding of Windows
        networking, be able to setup machines and just a lot of misc. trouble
        shooting with our Germany office.  If interested send me your resume
        at mch@soda.berkely.edu Pays about $15-$30/hr DOE
        \_ Wow, that's really low. Guess you're looking for a student.
           \_ Look at the tasks involved.  My brother who's 16 could do this..
              \_ Well, your brother who's 16 can also probably be trained
                 to run a DNA sequencing machine. That doesn't mean a
                 mission critical lab should hire him. Setting up a bunch
                 of machines on a network running Windows is trivial.
                 Setting up a bunch of machines on a network running
                 Windows so you won't get hacked within 24 hours isn't.
                 Setting up a network which is redundant so you won't
                 lose all your data when the hard disk warranty goes
                 out the window isn't a $300 per week task.
                 \_ It might be a 10hrs/week task, but that's more than
                    $300/wk.
        \_ http://www.supportresort.com
        \_ http://supportempire.com

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        \_ http://supportempire.com

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9/27    Republicans try to steal Florida again:
        http://csua.org/u/986 (law blog)
        \_ There was no attempt in the first place.  Learn your facts.  Though
           many people were incorrectly on the felon list, more felons who
           should have been on the list were not.  Blacks and whites alike.
           Nice troll though.

9/27    http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/27/debates.tm
        Debate negotiations conclude for first debate
        Kerry got:
        - Three debates not two debates.
        Dubya got:
        - Short lecterns separated by 10 feet, can't walk to the other side
          (Dubya won't look shorter than Kerry; Kerry will look awkwardly tall)
          \_ Doesn't the taller candidate win like 90% of the time?
             \_ 100% of the time since TV was created   http://csua.org/u/988
                (Gore won the popular vote in 2000)
        - Warning light displayed on TV when speaker goes over time
          (Dubya won't have problems with short answers; Kerry, problems)
        - Can't ask direct questions to other candidate
          (Kerry can't query Dubya on specific points on Iraq)
          \_ This provision is the stupidest crap ever.  It becomes a
             press conference instead of a debate.  Fuck our managed
             democracy.
             \_ Hey, Bush can't even manage to get through a Press Conference
                without a few amazing gaffes that the US domestic press rarely
                if ever reports.  The debates are essentially over before
                they begin - short of some sort of freak incident (i.e.
                Bush the Elder puking on the PM of Japan), it will be
                declared a Bush victory no matter what.  This would happen
                regardless of format.
                \_ The candidates have pulled this in the last couple of
                   election cycles as well.  It's anti-democratic and stupid
                   regardless of who it might help.
             \_ Yep. This alone should be reason enough to vote against Bush.
        - Foreign policy in first debate, not domestic policy
          (this one makes sense)
        - Room temperature above 70 degrees
          (Kerry sweats; Kerry wanted below 70)
          \_ Uh, really?  Wow.
             \_ Temperature in a performance is a funny thing.  A warmer room
                makes for a drowsier audience.  Letterman keeps his studio
                cool (~50) for a reason.
                \_ Audience?  For a televised presidential debate?  The
                   TV viewers are the audience.
                \_ 50F?  I have a hard time believing they'd keep it *that*
                   cold.  Anyone without a sweater would be shivvering.
                   \_ There was one episode when he raised it from 53 to 57
                      which was met by cheers from the audience
          \_ Maybe Kerry will bring his own Air Conditioned suit!
             "I am no longer John Kerry, I am now 'Mr. Freeze' and the new
              president of the United States. And you, Mr. Bush, are now
              officially... On Ice."
              \_ This won't be funny when Arnold runs for President.
                 \_ Yes it will!

9/27    How are functions like C's printf made?  It can take 1-N arguments and
        the 2-N arguments can be of almost any type.  How do you write a
        function like that?  Surely printf wouldn't work with 500 arguments?
        \_ probably would, depends on how much stack you have.  See <stdarg.h>
        \_ man stdarg
        \_ Has to do with the ... function argument notation.  Check your
           K&R.

9/26    White collar unions, hi-tech still sucks:
        http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/biztech/09/15/techjobslump.ap/index.html
        \_ Too late, we should have formed one when we had the bargaining
           power back in the late 90s. But then all the moron sysadmins
           were convinced that they were doing well because they were
           brilliant, not because of the economy. Now they are all
           taking pay cuts (if they are good) or out of work (if they
           are not) and employers will fire anyone who even dares
           to say the word "union."
           \_ On the other hand, the good engineers should be thankful that
              no union was formed.  Otherwise after the bubble bursted, the
              only ones that would still have jobs are those with high
              seniority, not high ability.
              \_ There is that. We wouldn't be losing so many jobs to
                 outsourcing if there were tech unions though.

9/27    Looking for colo in Berkeley/Oakland/SF (we provide box)
        The best I've seen so far is http://coloserve.com $100/mo for 100GB transfer
        Has anyone dealt with them/know anyone better?  Thanks
        \_ check http://www.vix.com/personalcolo ? -EricM
        \_ That works out to about 320kbps.  Maybe you should just get
           DSL and host it yourself.
           \_ Think about traffic patterns for a minute.  Also, colo gives
              you dedicated power/AC maintenance.  Depending on how you're
              going to use the connection, the colo is likely the more cost
              effective way to go.
        \_ I was looking for same thing yesterday.  If you http://HE.net down in
           Fremont is okay with you, you can go to:
           http://www.nationhosts.com
           http://www.netspaceinternet.com
           they give 1mbps at 95%(~200GB) for $75-85 for 1U.  If this is
           just a personal thing and you'll have low bandwidth, I've actually
           decided to rent out a space on a friend's rack.  E-mail me and I'll
           see if he's interested more tenants.  - johndkim

9/26    Any recommendations for a provider of Toll-Free forwarding phone
        numbers? I'm tired of reprinting my business cards.

9/26    Any BMW drivers?  Where do you go for oil change?  $$?
        \_ Mine's still under the 4Yr/50KMi warranty but my coworkers
           recommend the Japanese Beetle.
        \_ Dealer. <=$200 for "Inspection I" which includes oil change.
           If it is under warranty don't go anywhere but the dealer.
           \_ The warranty had expired and dealer told me it's $400.
              \_ Wait a minute.  If you're paying more than $40 for an oil
                 change you're getting ripped-off.
        \_ Change your own oil. It's not all that hard.
              \_ It's not $400 at any dealer. To see what is included in
                 Inspection I & II (including cost) see here:
                 http://www.bimmerzone.com/inspection.htm
                \_ may be it was inspection 2.  i heard different things
                   from different people.  how often do you do the oil
                   change?  as indicated by the indicator or every 5000mi?
                   \_ I do it according to the indicator, but whatever
                      works for you. Some people are nuts about it, just
                      like some people spend $150/month detailing their
                      cars. I find that every 15,000 miles is 1x per year
                      and that's what BMW recommends. It's what I do.

9/26    I need ink for my Canon S800 printer. I'm wondering about using a
         "compatible" replacement ink cartridge, rather than the official
        Canon manufactured part. Any experiences with this sort of thing?
        \_ You'll grow hair on your palms!
        \_ I've read that Canon's inkjets (the current crop at least) use
           the ink to cool the printhead.  Buy the real one.
           \_ Thanks.
        \_ If you use it for photo, stick with Canon.  I believe S800 and S820
           use same cartridges.  If so, Costco carries the ink.

9/26    Any recommendations for cheap Troll-Free phone numbers?
        \_http://www.pngcom.com -crebbs

9/27    MOTD gun nuts:  Considering buying an M1 Garand.  What's better,
        30-06 or NATO 7.62?  I haven't used 30-06, but if there's no diff,
        that caliber costs about 3 times as much here.  -John
        \_ There is a difference, of course.  30-06 has longer effective
           range, 7.62 can be made a little more accurate, if you are into
           that sort of thing.  In practice, try shooting both, and use
           the largest calibre you can comfortably shoot.  30-06 will kick
           more.  On a slightly unrelated note, isn't an M1 Garand a
           _military_ rifle?  Tsk, tsk, there ought to be a law, deadly
           military-style weapons on our streets, etc. etc.  -- ilyas
           \_ "our" streets? DOesn't John live in Switzerland?
              \_ Amazing that their streets aren't flowing with the blood
                 of non-believers, no?  The M1 is legal in most of the US,
                 btw. -- ilyas
        \_ get a Remington 700 PSS
        \_ I used that in Medal of Honor, it's pretty lousy. I'd prefer
           M16 as it is more accurate and less recoil.
           \_ banned in California
        \_ Hey gun nuts, do your activities damage your hearing?
           \_ muffled ear protection
              \_ Well, I've seen a lot of videos and things where people aren't
                 wearing any ear protection. And somehow I doubt hunters wear
                 any. And I never heard of infantry having ear protection on
                 duty. Too bad silencers are illegal.
                 \_ Don't silencers mess up accuracy? -!gun nut
                    \_ most do.  but they don't have to.  Surefire (makers
                       of high performance flashlights and laser sighting
                       products) now makes a very well designed sound
                       suppressor for the M4 carbine (5.56/.223) which
                       has good acoustic performance, slight improvement
                       on muzzle velocity, and minimal (less than 1 minute
                       of angle) impact on accuracy.  http://www.surefire.com
                       \_ I'm reading their marketing articles and they claim
                          that accuracy is improved (tighter groups). The l.t.
                          1 minute of angle referred to point of impact shift.
                          \_ the surefire sound suppressor does both.  --Jon
                          \_ pedantic sidenote: accuracy is the proper term
                             for 1MOA impact on point of aim.  precision would
                             be the proper term for the fact that the shots
                             all end up in a tighter group. --Jon
                       \_ They also describe cases of police officers getting
                          damaged hearing so I guess the answer to my original
                          question was "yes".
                 \_ they may be wearing ear plugs.  also, outdoors shooting
                    is easier on the ears than indoors.