4/26    Has anyone used the combo of Gmail/pop3/Thunderbird/EnigMail?
        How's that working out for you?

4/27    kchang, why doesn't your motd set cookies to /~kchang/blah instead of to /
        \_ dwc, is that you? I didn't specify root. I just used whatever
           CGI.pm defaulted to, which I guess is /. Is this giving you
           problems? Also, are you using the HTML feature, and what do you
           think about it?

4/26    X-Com UFO Defense is an awesome game.
        \_ is this 4/26/94?
           \_ nope, it's 4/27/10191
        \_ Seconded.  I reinstalled it on my laptop (there is a nice
           launcher to make it work under XP as well as a multiplayer
           add-on) to play on planes and places w/out wifi.  Let me know
           if you want pointers to the XP patch/multiplayer stuff.  Also, if
           you're into old timewaster games, remember Worms?  -John
           \_ Ooh, please!  Last time I tried installing it there were wierd
              ploblems from timing loops being out of whack on modern hardware
              problems from timing loops being out of whack on modern hardware
              which made it unplayable. -dgies, !op
              \_ Worms 2 works okay on most new windows boxes.
                 \_ Yup, and worms 2 is the best incarnation of the game,
                    especially in the area of interface design.
                 \_ I was talking about X-Com -dgies
                    \_ You can always try using moslo
                    \_ I run it under dosbox, and it seems to work pretty
                       well.  When I just ran it under XP it was funky.
                       -op
           \_ Yes, pointers please!
              \_ http://ufo2000.sourceforge.net for multiplayer.
                 http://f0dder.schwump.net for the bugfixed version.
                 Worms is technically still sold by Plan19 so you're going
                 to have to find that yourself.  If you still have problems
                 with x-com, drop me a mail at john@zog.net  -John
                 \_ you shouldn't put email addresses as email harvestors are
                    collecting emails to sell to spammers
                    \_ <generic-sounding first name>@three letter http://domain.net?
                       We get about 3500-4000 spams to this email address per
                       day and stop almost all of them.  Am I worried?  -John

4/26    Is CNN reading the motd?  Sometimes, occasionally, the facts of the
        matter are spelled out cleanly to the people.
        http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/04/27/iraq.main/index.html
        It is unlikely Iraq shipped banned weapons material into Syria before
        the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to a report released by the Iraq
        Survey Group, a CIA/Pentagon team searching for Iraqi weapons
        programs. In October, the group said that the 1991 Persian Gulf War
        likely destroyed Iraq's capabilities of producing weapons of mass
        destruction and that Iraq had none when the United States invaded.
        After the October report, Vice President Dick Cheney and other U.S.
        officials said they believed Iraq possessed such material before the
        war and had moved it across the border into Syria, where the weapons
        may have been transferred to terrorists. The group's final report --
        released Monday on the U.S. Government Printing Office's Web site --
        threw doubt on that possibility. The group also said it had been
        unable to complete its investigation because of security concerns and
        couldn't rule out an "unofficial" transfer of material. The report
        said that 12 years of international sanctions against Baghdad after
        the Gulf War had damaged Iraq's scientific community and these
        experts' skills were in a state of "natural decay." The group added it
        was unlikely that scientists were capable of recreating the destroyed
        weapons programs, meaning Iraq would have possessed little, if
        anything, to transfer.
        \_ How does all that add up to CNN reading the motd?  When I see a
           headline that someone in the Senate "illyased" a debate, I'll
           believe they're reading the motd.
           \_ What does it mean to "illyas" a debate?  Are the Dem's
              currently illyasing the judge debate in the Senate?  I know
              the Republicans are thinking of nuking it...
        \_ WTF??  I went to the link just now and http://CNN.com removed all of this
           stuff from the URL.  Oh well, at least it's here: -op
           http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/04/26/iraq.main/index.html

4/27    I want to add memoory to my compaq presario R3000z.  Various sites
        let me choose between pc2700 and pc3200 for this model.  Will pc3200
        be actaully faster for this system?  I couldn't find any info from hp
        that clarifies this.  ok tnx.
        \_ Yes, although if you mix and match I believe that it doesn't
           matter, I believe that it defaults to the lower speed memory.
           It also may not matter if the mobo maxes out the speed, it has
           something to do with the multiplier that affects both your cpu
           speed and the memory speed. YMMV.
           \_ I am sure there is a place where one find technical publication
              on the ram for my laptop but just don't know where to look for.
              I can't find anything using google.  Where else should I look?
        \_ http://crucial.com appears to suggest that there are two models --
           one with 2700 and one with 3200.  They have a "system scanner" that
           might tell you what you have now.

4/27    What's a good replacement for the Byte magazine? I want something
        more technical than PC Magazine, but less extreme than the art
        of computer programming.
        \_ Uhm, Dr. Dobb's? Maybe too technical? Are you doing only a
           software mag or do you want a hardware mag? If you want pure
           hardware, you can try circuit cellar (for ee in general, not
           only for computers).

4/27    I drive down 280 alot and everyone is going >> 65; with cops
        rarely seen stopping people. Is it still worth it to buy a
        radar detector if you stay under say 80 and drive sanely ?
        \_ 79 mph on 280, don't change lanes, you'll be fine. my buddy got
           a ticket last week going 85mph.
        \_ If you drive North, like I do everyday, be careful when you hit
           92, I see people get busted EVERYDAY around that section. Just
           a few days ago I saw 3 police cars/bikes spaced out around 2-3
           miles each. damn. I slow down when I approach 92...
        \_ i can't drive 85! do 100
        \_ A friend with a BMW 745i routinely takes it up to the maximum
           governered speed on 280 (roughly 145, I believe).  He's pretty
           stupid, but he hasn't been busted yet.
           \_ governed by... a microprocessor?
              \_ Yes, I realize that sentence is unclear.  Almost any street
                 legal car sold by the Germans that is capable of doing over
                 155mph has an electronic governor that prevents it from
                 going over that speed or some speed close to it.  I believe
                 it's sort of a "gentleman's agreement" between the German auto
                 companies.  Of course, the speed governors can be removed by
                 a knowledgeable auto mechanic, but I'm not sure what this does
                 to your warranty.  As an example, I believe a Mercedes E55
                 with the governor removed can do 170+.
                 \_ Mercedes E55 AMG, the fastest sedan in the world.
                    \_  Is this still true? I've done 162 in mine with no
                    \_  Is this still true? I've done 162 in my !E55 with no
                        problem, coincidentally on 280.
           \_ Are his tires rated for that speed? I think normal tires go to
              around 100 MPH safely?
                \_ on a 745i you'd hope he has Z rated tires.
                   \_ Actually, V rated, which is still safe, although you can
                      always suffer a blowout.
        \_ I don't like breaking the law... I just wish the speed limits
           would be raised where it makes sense. 280 can easily be limit 70
           at the least. But it isn't. What bullshit.
           \_ 65 MPH is just 5 MPH less than 70 MPH ... And everyone (including
              me) just goes 70 MPH anyhow.
              \- isnt 280 supposed to be pretty accident-prone? maybe because
                 of the curvature and/or banking?
                \_ My understanding is that 280 was designed by a guy who also
                   designed racetracks.  All the curves are banked so that you
                   can travel quite fast on them without fear of spinning out.
                   Assuming dry weather of course.
                \_ 280 is nothing compared to the Autobahn. At any rate, my
                   \- apples and oranges. although one thing that may explain
                      280 and autobahn is large speed differentials. i do enjoy
                      passing people on the right an glaring at them on 280.
                   European friends say that accidents rates are lower
                   there than in the US because cars cost more [relative to
                   how much you save]. So people who buy cars and drive
                   tend to be older, more cautious, and have much more
                   courtesy than in the US. People feel privileaged to
                   drive. In theUS cars+gas+repair+insurance are so cheap
                   that driving is a God given right. What say you
                   EuroMotders?
                   \_ You're looking too deeply into it--esp. in Germany it's
                      a "right" like in the US--driving tets are harder, and
                      a "right" like in the US--driving tests are harder, and
                      people just grow up being used to high speed goose-
                      stepping regimented traffic.  Oh and passing on the
                      right, hogging the fast lane and tailgating are fined
                      (fines tend to be higher.)  Additionally I have a theory
                      that, because more people drive stickshifts, you have
                      fewer brake lights as people decelerate, causing more
                      orderly traffic flow.  Just a thought.  -John
              \_ I think in Germany the cars and roads are better regulated.
                 A lot of junky or modified cars here, or cars with
                 maintenance issues like misaligned headlights etc. would
                 not be allowed on the road. I think they have like periodic
                 maintenance inspections you have to pass. Highway design is
                 another issue... like on 101 there are several exits
                 where there's no space at all for people to accelerate up
                 to the proper merging speed or to slow down to make a
                 sharp turnoff. They even constructed a new on-ramp from Moffet
                 in MV just recently and it has a sharp turn right as you're
                 trying to get up to speed. Or while you're accelerating,
                 on the same small strip of asphalt other people are braking
                 to exit. Also the Aryan race is better than you stupid
                 Americans.
                 \_ I saw this documentary on The History Channel (I think it's
                    called Road Engineering or something). Basically, after the
                    Allies went into Germany, they noticed that the Autobahn
                    was mainly straight with occassional big turns. The
                    Americans laughed at crappy German engineering. 10 years
                    later the Americans found out that curves help keep drivers
                    awake and alert esp. late at night, and renovated Route 66
                    (which at the time was mainly straight) to include nice
                    curves. That actually helped reduce accident rates by 1/2.
                    Yeah, crappy Aryan engineering.
                    \_ Denser population = more villages to have to build
                       curves around.  Although given who built them, I dunno
                       whether that was really a concern.  -John
        \_ i can't drive 85! do 100
        \_ This reminds me of the time when I was 5 years old and my dad
           got pulled over by a cop. The cop asked my dad if he knew how
           fast he was going, and he said 60 [miles]. Well as a kid I
           didn't know any better and shouted "No you weren't, you almost
           hit 100! [kilometers]" We had a very long talk after that.
        \_ Remember that 280 is now a part of the CHP's "focus routes",
           which means they are doing more patrols on that highway. So
           be careful. I think a radar detector wouldn't be a bad
           investment.
                \_ Any reccomendations on models and where to get a
                good price? And do cops still use radar these days?
                  \_ The best radar detector is still the V1.

4/27    I am seeking data backup suggestion for my wife's computer. We are
        talking about 4G and we have about $400 to play with. A flash drive?
        A standalone RAID box? A Zipdrive. What says the mighty motd?
         -- ulysses
        \_ If it's just 4G, then back it up to DVD. Plextor/TY media. -chiry
           \_ We have found CDs and DVDs to be an unreliable means for
              backing up data. YMMV and thanks for the input. -- ulysses
        \_ external HD and keep the external HD far away from your computer
           \_ Yes, just buy a USB drive for like $150.
              \- external drive + gtar/rsync. at 4gb, i would probably not
                 do incrementals. --psb
                 \_ whether you need incrementals depends on what you're
                    trying to protect against, not how much data you have. -tom
                 \_ Is there a windows equiv to rsync? Her computer runs
                    XP and that ain't something I can change. Thanks for the
                    suggestion. I was already leaning towards an external
                    drive. -- ulysses
                    \_ get cygwin's rsync.
        \_ Press the button, it backs up everything on C:
           http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144382
           If you lose a hard drive partition, you need to re-install, but
           at least you can copy files over one-by-one.
           If you want to make disk images while still in Windoze:
           http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681279691SF
           You can also use the external drive with the software above.
           On my boss's T42 notebook, it did 20 GB in 17 minutes, which is kind
           of unbelieveable.
           If you have USB 1.1, it'll be 1 MB/s.
                 \_ whether you need incrementals depends on what you're
                    trying to protect against, not how much data you have. -tom
           \_ My god, somebody on the motd actually answered the actual
              question with useful information. You will certainly be punished.

4/27    Dear Java gurus, say I have the following code, where Visitor()
        has a method called "visit(Node n)...". I see the following code.
        Does it mean I'm temporarily over-writing the visit method?
         root.accept(new Visitor() {
            public void visit(Node n) {
               //Do stuff with n
            }
         });
         \_ for a lot more on the above code, see Erich Gamma's book
             "Design Patterns" (introduction and visitor pattern)
        \_ It's an anonymous class and yup you've got it.  Even more
           useful is the fact that as long as you have final variables
           in the code that calls visit, you can use those variables
           in the redefinition of visit.
           final Long x;
           root.accept(new Visitor() {
              public void visit(Node n, Long y) {
                 super.visit(n, x+y);
              }
           });
           Is valid.  (I may have a few details wrong, but that's the basic
           idea.  See documentation for anonymous classes if you want to
           know more.)
           \_ To slightly correct the above, it's an anonymous *inner*
              class, which is the Java version of a closure-like-thing
              (lamdas if you know LISP, Blocks if you do Smalltalk).
              If you aren't familiar with them, you should write a few little
              programs to explore them -- they can be quite useful.
           \_ Did you actually try compiling the above code or the code
              below it? It doesn't seem to work.
              \_ No, no I didn't.  I just gave the concept.  Note where
                 I said I may have a few details wrong.  Here, because you
                 are obviously unable to fill in the blanks yourself...

     public class Foo {
         public Foo() {
         }

         public void a(Long a) {
             System.out.println("a("+a+")");
         }

         public void doA(Long a) {
             final Long b = new Long(11);
             new Foo() {
                 public void a(Long a) {
                     super.a(new Long(b.longValue()+a.longValue()));
                 }
             }.a(a);
         }

         public static void main(String[] args) {
             new Foo().doA(new Long(5));
         }
     }

04/27   Desktop fusion
        http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050425/full/050425-3.html

04/27   Penny Arcade's take on the new Star Wars TV Show:
        http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2005-04-27

4/27    Meet your ideal Southern Belle today!
        http://www.republicanpeoplemeet.com/index.cfm?track=VT0001
        And for Queer Republicans: http://dallas.logcabin.org

4/27    Hi, I can't seem to find a FREE (no filesize limit) tool that rips
        CD/DVD into an ISO file.  I'm looking at http://download.com.  Is this the
        right place to look?  Can somebody point me to such a tool if it
        exists?  Thanks.
        \_ Google for discdump.
        \_ for movie DVD, use DVD Decrypt.
        \_ http://csua.com/?entry=35868
           http://csua.com/?entry=26665

4/27    need to get new dsl service, who provides the cheapest dedicated
        line? (so i don't have to get local tel. service).
        \_ I think that's called "naked DSL". I don't know who to recommend.
        \_ SBC-ASI DSL is always tied to a POTS line.  So you will not be
           able to do this with SBC or anyone who buys DSL layer services
           from ASI.  If your goal is ideological, I think Covad offers
           this, and there are probably others too.  If your goal is monetary,
           buying service from SBC or ASI-reseller and also getting a metered
           POTS line from SBC is likely your lowest cost solution.  Well,
           finding a friendly neighbor with a net connection and a wifi
           access point would be even cheaper.  You might want to check
           ba.internet archives for more discussion.