7/3     MP3s of Beethoven Symphonies 6-9 are now available from the
        BBC's Beethoven Experience:
        http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/beethoven/downloads.shtml
        \_ Only 128 kbps though.
           \- LvB Advisory: The SFS Beethoven program on July 14 looks good.
              \_ Anyone know how much the sound quality varies in the cheap
                 seats? How is it in those $15 seats behind the orchestra?
                 \_ I've sat in most of the sections in Davies Hall, and I
                    don't think the sound quality varies very much between
                    most of them.  The noteable exceptions are center terrace
                    and side terrace.  Your close proximity to the musicians
                    (especially ones that are highly directional, like the
                    brass instruments) and your position relative to the
                    shell over the stage can make some sections of the symphony
                    sound out of balance with the rest of the symphony.  You
                    may not notice, and even if you do this may not bother
                    you.  The greater variable between the different seating
                    areas in Davies is the view, and for that center and side
                    terrace are unmatched.  I would avoid center terrace
                    because it's general (not assigned) seating, and some of
                    the people who sit there can be really annoying (for
                    example, the woman sitting next to me the last time Yo-Yo
                    Ma appeared with the SF SYmphony, who got drunk at
                    intermission and threw up all over herself and my seat).
                        \-wow, what happened then?  was it a posh woman?
        \_ So the site used to have 1-5 up, did anyone grab them? Can
           you make them available on soda? -bz

7/3     NYTimes claims profits but not jobs are up in the Valley:
        http://csua.org/u/clj
        Does this jibe with anyone else's experience?  Seems like the job
        market is plenty hot for engineers with clue.
        \_ And lots of good engineers are medium level engineers.  The world
           needs them too.  Who else is going to do the scut work?
           \_ I find it hard to believe that a woman with 5 years of project
              management experience for KPMG couldn't find work. She's kinda
              \_ "... went to work in 1997 as a project manager and a Web
                 designer for technology companies ... [and] quitting the
                 consulting firm KPMG in 2002..."  It's unclear from this
                 description if she actually has any useful skills, especially
                 given the frothy bubble job market.
              cute, too. Still, the job market looks bleak overall and not
              just for s/w engineers. It's bad in a lot of disciplines,
              including aerospace and chemical. Civil engineering seems
              strong, but that's an exception. The US economy is bleeding
              highly paid/highly skilled jobs as far as I can see. It's
              not just outsourcing, but that companies are slashing R&D as
              a form of belt-tightening that makes sense in the short-term
              and is suicidal in the long-term.
              \_ That is actually a bad picture of her, she is super hot.
                 \_ http://tinyurl.com/9hmfd *ahem*.  "Super hot".  -John
                 She used to work as a project manager at PlanetOut but
                 we restructured and laid off all the project managers.

7/3     Does anyone know if http://freerepublic.com censors posts?
        \_ Yes.
        \_ Yes, plus they turn off your account.
        \_ Yes, for anything that doesn't toe the party line.  And they are
           blazingly fast, it will happen in seconds.  Gestapo efficiency.
           \_ Can we have a moratorium on Nazi references?
              \_ Fuck you, goebbels
              \_ Can we have a moratorium on hypersensitivity?
              \_ Can we have a moratorium on hyperthreading?

7/3     Someone auctioning his x-gf's stuff for revenge:
        http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5594026579
        \_ Mmm.  Bidding on stolen property.  This can only end well.
        \_ Winning bidder: http://csua.org/u/clv
           "NON PAYING BIDDER HAS LEFT ME SEVERAL HARRASSING/THREATENING
            EMAILS"
           Sounds like these two were made for each other.
        \_ No bras or penties.  Who would want to buy it?
           \_ Wow, I guess you've got something in common with David Beckham.