6/28    On Tuesday evening, President Bush will try to convince you that
        we're making big progress in Iraq, energy, social security, tax,
        health care, and others. What are some things you expect
        him to say? I'll start:
        \_ "Terrorists hate freedom, that is why we must stay in Iraq"
        \_ More interesting to an actual discussion would be what you think
           he'll say, why he'll say it and why you think he is right or wrong
           with each statement.
           \_ More interesting than that would be a drinking game - a shot
              of Patron every time he says the word "freedom" or refers to
              9/11.

6/27    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1669640,00.html
        "The American general who commanded allied air forces during the Iraq
        war appears to have admitted in a briefing to American and British
        officers that coalition aircraft waged a secret air war against Iraq
        from the middle of 2002, nine months before the invasion began."
        \_ Oh... shocker! Let's go in when the enemy has some advantage.
           \_ Have you seen the memos?  Y'know, the ones that said we'd need
              to find some way to make the war legal.  That said maybe we
              could provoke a causus belli by pressing the Hussein regime.
           \_ let's bomb random countries!
        \_ I thought we'd been bombing them for years as they fired SAMs at our
           aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone.

6/29    Justice O'Connor resigns.
        \_ source?
        \_ Wow, a story not even Drudge has.
        \_ Are we so bored that we're writing SCOTUS fanfic?
           \_ link:csua.org/u/cj9 --danh
              \_ That's why people say you ain't right.

6/28    Who is the greatest American?  ... Oh my.
        http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican

6/29    Seeking a comparison of gasoline quality by brand. I've heard that
        Chevron is good and Citgo is bad but I was wondering if there is
        anything solid. I STFW and didnt turn up anything so far.
        \_ http://csua.com/?entry=35970
        \_ I get better milage on unocal and chevron, then shell.  Arco
           destroyed my last car (i think)
           \_ I usually stick to Chevron and Shell when I'm not near a Costco.
              I think the Shell station on the east side of 880 off
              Hegenberger killed my last car(which was getting old.) I had no
              problem with the Shell station on the west side of 880 off
              Hegenberger.  I also had a friend whose old car will not run
              smoothly on any gas other than Shell.  As for Costco, I've
              been told that they take bids from different companies and buy
              the cheapest, but that they don't take bids from certain
              companies with low quality gas.
        \_ AAA repeatedly says "they're all the same, buy the cheapest".  On
           the other hand, I filled up at a "COAST Gasoline" or some such one
           time and got 225 miles out of the tank instead of my usual 300
           (same exact route, driving habits, etc).  YMMV (literally)
           \_ Water in gas?
           \_ I verbally heard the same thing from others.  Is there an URL for
              the AAA reference please?  Thanks.
           \_ That doesn't really make sense. The only difference should
              be like if one has dirt in the gas or doesn't have the fancy
              detergent additives in there like "V-Power" or "Techron". It's
              possible some shady station puts alcohol or whatever in there
              but that would be illegal. Or maybe their pump was fraudulent.
              \_ Hey, you don't have to tell me.  I'm just saying what happened.
                 The needle was past "F" where it usually is after a full
                 fillup.  -op
                 \_ maybe someone siphoned it out. heh.
                    \_ You know you're a redneck when siphoning gas is a
                       family activity.  I used to work with a guy like
                       that.
                       \_ Stop insulting Bush voters, that is not very nice.
        \_ There was an article in some newspaper (from milwaukee, i think)
           about the difference in gas between various companies. The
           conclusion was that all gas pretty much comes from the same
           refineries and such, and the difference is just proprietary
           additives, for which it is supposedly not clear whether they
           really have any kind of significant benefit.
           \_ That doesn't really make any sense. The only difference should
              be like if one has dirt in the gas or doesn't have the fancy
              detergent additives in there like "V-Power" or "Techron". It's
              possible some shady station puts alcohol or whatever in there
              but that would be illegal. Or maybe their pump was fraudulent.
           \_ I agree, but I still shop at name brand gas stations based
              on the quality of the pump stations, no fee for credit card
              transactions, more working machines/ pumps, availability of
              receipts, etc.  The overall experience is different at a
              ghetto station.  Kinda like shopping at Target or Kmart, it's
              worth the extra $1 or $2 for me to avoid the inconveniences.

6/29    Hey danh!  Can you stop posting http://csau.org links to gorey images as
        responses to threads?  Isn't one of the motd rules not being a jerk?
        \_ Dan's not here, man.
        \_ 1) Dan hasn't logged on since last night
           2) clicking a danh link is done at your own peril
                \_ I don't post random links to the motd without
                   some description, and I use tinyurl, not http://csua.org,
                   since I have a tinyurl firefox extension. - danh
                   \_ It was probably psb.  That's the kind of thing he
                      thinks is clever.  -tom
           \_ Um, so those procs running as 'danh' aren't his?
              \_ He just logged in. pbbbt.
                   \- Fear of a Danhimal Planet

6/29    How about a bubble that never pops?
        http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/28/news/economy/consumer_confidence
        \- the masquerade's forever
        \_ http://condoflip.com

6/29    SFChron reports on UC Scientist who claims ethanol costs more energy to
        make than it delivers.
        http://csua.org/u/cj8
        Tell that to the brazilians: http://tinyurl.com/7h2aw
        \_ Tell that to the brazilians: http://tinyurl.com/7h2aw
           \_ sugar cane != corn
              \_ Ethanol == Ethanol
                 \_ sure, but the energy calculation is totally different
                    for different kinds of plants.  -tom
           \_ Sugar cane, IIRC, is one of the most agrochemical intensive
              crops. They didn't mention fertilizer and nitrogen plume issues
              in that article at all. I wonder what the long term effects of
              so much nitrogenous stuff migrating into the rivers, lakes and
              oceans will be. I've read in the lit that ocean algae prod is
              primarily limited by rare metals such as iron, so maybe there
              won't be an effect.
           \_ corn != link:csua.org/u/cja --danh
              \_ Recent article in June(?) Nat. Geog. about this: how agri.
                 runoff was overfeeding the Potomac and destroying the
                 entire area.

6/29    Do you pay for parking where you work?
        I assume large companies (Intel, govt, etc.) cover this.
        Our 30-person company is moving into a suite in a class A building
        (high-rise), and we're being asked to pay 20%, which comes out to
        ~ $15/month.  Just trying to figure out whether it's weird or not.
        We also pay 20% for health insurance.
        \_ When I was at Intel (1997-2000), the parking structures were
           constructed by Intel.  We had to have ID to park, but there was no
           fee for doing so.  You got premium spots if you car-pooled.  And
           everyone in the company got VTA passes so we could ride the bus
           free (which I did for most of my time there). -emarkp
        \_ It is not unusual to have to pay for parking in areas where
           parking is difficult to find (e.g. downtown LA). Some employers
           subsidize the cost, like yours is. This is typical.
           \_ Most employers also subsidize the cost of your desk and computer,
              in addition to electricity for power-hungry servers and AC.
              This is typical.
        \_ I work for the US District Court. They do not pay for or provide
           parking. --erikred
        \_ Employees at Century City need to pay $200/month and it's normal.
           Varies by cities.
           \_ So you know for a fact that it's normal for Century City workers
              to pay $200/month (non-subsidized) in parking?
        \_ I work at Levi's Plaza in San Francisco and my employer (200
           employees) does not pay for parking, which is $200/mo. They
           do provide a $45 subsidy towards a Fast Pass if you live in
           SF, or $90 if you live elsewhere.
           SF, or $90 if you live elsewhere. I know for a fact that
           companies in downtown San Francisco rarely or ever offer
           free parking to their employees. -ausman
        \_ I don't pay for parking.  I also currently work in bum-fucking
           nowhere (Google earth features only recognizable at ~2km up.) -John

6/28    Sorry for going back in time here, but where I am, it's still Tuesday
        the 28th of June ... anyways, I had a couple of posts about how much
        people trust http://www.anonymizer.com if people had experience with how
        much anonymizer can protect your information, especially if they are
        subpoenaed to turn over evidence.  Please leave this post up a couple
        of days, cuz I don't get to check the MOTD that many times a day.
        If nobody wants to comment, leave a note to that extent.
        \_ I used to work for a company in the same space. We kept access logs
           for 7 days, mainly to get statistics and bill advertisers. If we
           recieved a subpoena for access logs within 7 days of an event, we
           would turn over those logs (as required). If the request came more
           than 7 days after the event, we had no data to provide. The
           Anonymizer privacy policy states that they will disclose privacy
           information when required by law; however, they also say that
           "Anonymizer does not hold any personal information on our customers
           that could result in compromising their privacy and security", so I
           don't know what they might give up. I seem to recall their policies
           being about the same as ours, but it was a long time ago. -gm
        \_ Screw anonymizer.  Use TOR.
           \_ Is TOR anything like Freenet?  I tried out Freenet a while ago,
              but it was unreliable and slow as hell.  Looks like it's still
              being actively developed, but haven't installed it on my new
              computer.  Does either TOR or Freenet rely on a lot of
              participants?  -- op.
              \_ TOR is a serious mix-network crypto system.  Pretty
                 industrial strength.  Latency is gonna blow, but thats
                 the price.
        \_ Nothing you do online is anonymous, the trick is to make as
           cumbersome as possible for someone to track you.  If you go to
           a random library in another city, avoid cameras, use a public
           terminal and use an anonymizer, your "less likely" to be
           tracked than say logging into your home PC or local Computer Lab
           while using your private e-mail account.  It depends on what
           risks you're wiling to take (cost/ benefit).

6/29     We need data entry people for a super short term project ASAP.
        It pays $20/hr and would be good for a bored undergraduate.
        Contace me if you are interested. -ausman
        \_ ocr & scripting?

6/29    Freestar Media: "Lost Liberty Hotel" proposed on Justice Souter's
        http://www.freestarmedia.com/hotellostliberty2.html
        \_ It's too bad the "developer" decided to be so heavy-handed with
           his message.  I think a more subtle approach would have been
           funnier.
           \_ Losing your home is never funny.  Talk about missing the point.
              \_ Giving a precedent for taking your home away in this way
                 isn't funny.  Talk about missing the point.
                 \_ You must be young.  The point is that this guy knows he
                    is not going to be able to flatten a USSC justice's home
                    to build his hotel.  This is not going to set any
                    precedent.  The USSC already said what he's doing is ok.
                    He is showing how stupid and unfair the ruling is.
           \_ I don't think they're trying give a message.  I think they're
              really trying to condemn Souter's home.
              \_ It says its not a joke.  I think it would be awesome though,
                 a good illustration to the people who change policy without
                 thought that it could effect them. -mrauser

6/29    http://earth.google.com
        Download and be amazed.
        \_ FYI to other potential downloaders:
           It streams data from http://google.com to aquire higher-resolution maps
           depending on which locations you view and caches the data.
           Yes, this means application speed depends on bandwidth.
        \_ Taken down (temporarily) due to technical difficulties (6/29)

6/29    http://yahoo.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jun2005/nf20050628_2860_db006.htm
        "Well, I'm glad you're not shorting Google. If you're buying
        puts, you've got a limit on how much you can lose. I think it
        might be a good bet, because frankly Google is a classic
        case of how silly the debates are about company valuation.
        I mean, Google is like a mirror. People talk about whether it's
        overvalued or undervalued, but are really telling you more about
        themselves than Google.  If they think it's undervalued, they're
        saying they're major bulls, but if they're saying it's grossly
        overvalued, they're saying they have a very traditional view of
        investing --  they don't want to overpay for what future earnings
        flow may be.  One thing I'm fairly confident in about Google is that
        ultimately it can't keep growing at the rate it has been growing, at
        which point the stock will take a hit, just as eBay's (EBAY ) did.
        So it will reach a limit, but I can't tell you where that is.
        I would consider that put a rational bet, but on the other hand I
        wouldn't be able to tell you if it'll work or not."
        \_ ^Google^real estate
           I know a couple who just spent $930K on a place in San Jose, but not
           everyone has sufficient stock options to pay $530K down.
           \_ And they will live as peons, paying ever-increasing tithes to the
              landed gentry.
              \_ Actually the landed gentry are usually busy having grill
                 parties in their tiny backyards because they're too bushed
                 from cleaning up the leak in their basement or fixing the
                 roof to do anything else while we go out and have fun.  -John
                 \_ The non-retard landed gentry got the FUCK out of the bay
                    are where they can own plenty of land and a solid house
                    for the money that would get them a dirty little hut in the
                    middle of a shooting gallery back in the Bay.
                 \_ And in 20 years they'll have no rent and a massive wad
                    of cash while you'll be complaining that your upstairs
                    of cash while you are complaining that your upstairs
                    neighbor's stereo is too loud.
                    \_ And then they'll die.
                    \_ I stand to inherit about 3 houses.  In the meantime I
                       prefer the ability to pack up and piss off abroad when
                       I choose.  In 20 years I will earn enough to not give
                       a shit about loud stereos because there WONT'T BE ANY
                       ABOVE ME (not that there ever have been) while the
                       landed gentry will have a plugged septic tank and
                       neighbors' backyard grill smells wafting into their
                       living room.  -John
                       \_ So, in other words, someone else was smart
                          enough to make good decisions for you. We can't
                          all be so lucky. Some of us don't stand to
                          inherit shit.
                          \_ And some of us came from the 'land of the Common
                             Good.'  -- ilyas

6/29    I bought this item using Fedex Ground and the shipping cost was only
        $12.30. However, when I returned the [defective] item using the
        exact same box and service, Fedex charged me $20. What accounts
        for the discrepancy in shipping costs? Does Fedex have special
        rates for different vendors?
        \_ FedEx Ground sucks in all kinds of ways, apparently. --lye
        \_ Yes, pretty much every major shipper has special rates for
           large clients.  -tom

6/29    Apparently, a developer is petitioning a city in New Hamphshire to
        build a hotel at the location where the home of Chief Justice Souter
        is located. -- ilyas
        \_ That is nice, URL to prove this? What do YOU think about it?
           \_ See above.
        http://www.freenation.tv/hotellostliberty2.html
           \_ As someone pointed out to me, this would have been a lot funnier
              if they called it "the Hotel of Common Good." -- ilyas
              if they called it "the Hotel of Common Good," and instead of
              Ayn Rand gave out literature on the successes of social programs
              in the United States. -- ilyas
              \_ oh boy that would have been hilarious.  -tom
                 \_ You are a sad little man, Tom Holub.
                    \_ I'm so hurt to be insulted by an anonymous coward.  -tom

6/29    I'm suing a company but the court returned my application  saying
        that they need an "Agent for Service." How do I get an agent for
        service for the company? FYI it is Holiday Inn Express, Monterey.
        \_ http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/list.html

6/28    http://csua.org/u/cjf (Washington Post)
        Dubya talks to nation about need to win in Iraq, which I agree with.
        But the nation will remain divided, and unnecessarily, because Bush
        does not:
        (1) Be loud and clear about CIA's judgment that there were no WMD
        stockpiles nor active WMD programs, it being the number one reason
        we went in, and how the CIA did believe there was "no doubt".
        (2) Say we're there now, we made the above intelligence mistake,
        but we need to win for the sake of the people of Iraq who are being
        blown up by suicide bombers, for the sake of the world if Iraq
        devolves into a safe haven for those who would build and train
        people to use WMDs.
        (3) Say that we presented a case to the UN for which we had "no
        doubt", but actually there was a lot of doubt on.
        (4) Start using the UN correctly.
        As long as we do not do the above, the U.S. will not have come
        clean, and we will remain a divided nation.  Yet, we may still win
        in Iraq.  I hope at least that happens.
        \_ Come clean???  Hahaha...yeah, just like we did with Vietnam.
           When did we do that?
           \_ Well, Bubba came clean (finally) about Monica, didn't he?
              Nixon resigned rather than be impeached.
              Most people think OJ did it, and also understand how he got off.
              You can be /too/ cynical, you know.
              \_ Those were all bad examples, none of them "came clean".
                 2 of those examples were forced to admit their wrong
                 doings after they were full public knowledge.  You can't
                 come clean on something where there is "clear" evidence
                 against you (dna sample, tapes).  Neither of them
                 "came clean" when they had opportunities, only
                 when the evidence came forth.  And OJ never came clean,
                 because again, no "clear" evidence against him (ie. witness).
                 That's why Bush has not "come clean", because there is always
                 the possibility that the WMDs were moved, still hidden,
                 etc.  When documents eventually come out that show he had
                 knowledge there was no WMDs and that he had ulterior motives,
                 he may be "forced" to admit his wrong doings (not come clean).
                 \_ Note my points (1) and (2) don't say anything about
                    Dubya having ulterior motives.

6/28    Well, I have to admit.  This is the first I've heard of the trial
        http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=11044
        \_ Wow, U. of South Florida College of Engineering Outstanding
           Teaching Award in '93?  Why don't we have wiretaps on Brian
           "potsticker" Harvey?

6/28    Analysis of Dubya's speech from the Washington Post:
        "The address continued a shift in the administration's emphasis as it
        has justified the Iraq war, beginning with the threat posed by
        Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction, continuing to the need
        to promote democracy in the Middle East, and now suggesting a more
        seamless link between Iraq and the attacks on American soil."
        \_ "An outright lie mired in a mighty river of bullshit."
        \_ Why? If all those reasons are bullshit, as you seem to imply, then
           why *did* Bush want the war?  So he could get the amazing
           45% popularity he presently enjoys?  So we could bring the price of
           oil down to a comfortable 60$/barrel?  I think Occam's Razor says
           Bush means what he says, and simply fucked up.  Repeatedly.
           \_ He said to his biographer in '99 that he wanted to be a wartime
              president so he could get the things he wanted to done.  I think
              he means what he says.  I don't think he quite grasps the
              repercussions of what he says.  I think the war was to project
              our power over the region, and to yield as much profit, political
              and monetarily, as possible. "We're liberating Iraq's money.
              Bring your duffel bag!  Oh, and don't worry about armoring that
              HMV...  It's just a soldier."
           \_ Occam's Razor says that the reasons espoused by the Project for
              a New American Century (with signatories Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc.)
              which declared the importance of invading Iraq back in 1997,
              are the reasons we invaded Iraq.  Primarily their reason is
              "because we can."  -tom
           \_ You make naive assumptions about Bush administration motivations.
              \- i agree he fucked up. but when the fuckups constitute not
                 catching OBL, AbuG, making the american reputation take
                 a large hit, wasted money, people killed ... including
                 white american people ... well, it seems there should be
                 more than a "whoops". what more could BUSHCO have fuckedup
                 before they should have paid some consequences? yes, i dont
                 necessarily expect BUSHCO to have said "i will not accept
                 the nomination of my party because i am a fuckup" but i
                 would have hoped he american voter would have tossed him
                 out on his ass. instead we compare a person who was
                 actually within bullet range doring vietnam with a guy
                 passwd out under a a table in an alabama bar.
                 passed out under a a table in an alabama bar.
           \_ That 45% or whatever is basically not of consequence. He still
              won his election. And then one could consider that he and his
              cronies have benefited from the situation at large.
              Re: voter stupidity there's a good lecture I saw on ilyas's
              "libertarian purity test" guy's web site:
              http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/pubcho2.html

              "Thus the typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental
              performance as soon as he enters the political field. He argues
              and analyzes in a way which he would readily recognize as
              infantile within the sphere of his real interests. He becomes a
              primitive again."

              "1. For many beliefs, ignorance or idiocy are very (privately)
                  costly. E.g., if you believe that you can do your job
                  perfectly well while intoxicated.
               2. For many other beliefs, however, ignorance or idiocy are
                  (privately) costless. E.g., what practical difference does it
                  make if you don't believe in evolution?"
           \_ Bush invades Iraq so he can stay in office and it
              makes it seem like he's doing his job leading the
              country while he and his cronies get to
              continue exploiting us for power/money/influence.
                \_ They're busy packing the ranks of non elected
                   and difficult to remove elected officials with slaves
                   to their philosophy so when gwbush resigns in disgrace,
                   it won't matter.
                   \_ A slave to a philosophy.  What a lovely expression.
                      What does it mean, exactly? -- ilyas

6/29    Bush criticism deleted. It's unlikely you'll convince Bush supporters
        and anti-war people in any direction any how.
        \_ Not true. You can't convince Bush supporter to go for peace in the
           face of threats, but I'm pretty sure a pacifists will be pissing in
           the wind looking for a gun when a raghead has a AK-47 pointed at him.
           the wind looking for a gun when a raghead has a AK-47 pointed at
           him.
           \_ If you don't support Bush, you're a hippie weirdo peacenik
              raghead-loving vegan nutjob, whose only good trait is a
              reasonable command of the English language.  -John
                 \_ GWB may not have the the powerful command of the English
                    language, but he sure has the most powerful military
                    command in the world.
                    \_ I was indirectly referring to the hope that pp is a
                       poor troll attempt, because if he/she/it isn't, a
                       swift and merciless beating is in order.  -John
                       \_ A bona fide redneck would not have misused the
                          phrase "pissing in the wind".
        \_ Not true. Bush's support falls every month.