9/28    LOOTER GUY GALLERY!
        http://www.looterguy.com/lootergallery1.htm             -jblack
        \_ Let me guess, he is black or Mexican, further proving your point
           that negros and beaners are inferior to you? Go. Fuck. Yourself.
           Do you want me to double the number of spam mails you have?
           Alternatively I can increase the number of fax calls and
           people who think you're a taxi driver within a week. Do
           you want that? Yes, this is a threat. I want you to go
           FUCK YOURSELF ASSHOLE.
           \_ Hi psychopath jblack hating guy.  Instead of posting long
              threats about harrassing someone, you could go to the link
              and see if you're right!
           \_ Hmmm, looking to cross some legal lines and earn yourself a
              restraining order?  I sure hope you're just pretending to be
              a nutcase, otherwise you should check your bank account.
              Lawyers for even a simple defense event are very expensive.
              You realise you're only "pseudo" anonymous with all that
              implies, right?
              \_ It's kchang, and we know it's only a matter of time before
                 he gets himself kicked off soda again, hopefully for good
                 this time.  -tom
                 \_ squish squish squish squish squish squish squish !
                 \_ I think making that sort of threat on the motd is a
                    squishable offense.  If someone with root wants to find
                    out who posted it. -jrleek
                    \_ I don't think this is a case of "wants to".  I think
                       it is long past the point of "should have already".
                       This goes back to the "fresh blood" question a few
                       weeks ago.  Why would anyone want to participate in
                       a .org that allows this sort of behavior to continue
                       unchecked?
                       \_ I would assume it's unchecked because the target
                          of abuse hasn't complained.
                       \_ We're a .edu.  Incompetent bureacracy, arbitrary
                          decision making, and patronage politics are par for
                          the course!
        \_ http://forum.ebaumsworld.com/showthread.php?t=91870&page=1&pp=15
        \_ For those who are bothered by this, here's a more ethnically
           neutral gallery of bad guys:
           http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/bond-villains.php  -John

9/28    Just bought a 12" Powerbook, and it's very poorly manufactured (case
        parts not aligned, wobbles, etc.) and the vendor claims that Apple are
        hardasses about replacing screwed up hardware if it's otherwise
        working, and that they have no support.  I really like the laptop,
        but it's a bit disappointing that it's got such a badly assembled and
        warped case--can someone from Apple confirm that it's this
        difficult?  -John
        \_ That's really too bad. Most of the PowerBooks I've played with
           were pretty well built. But like any manufacturing process,
           there's always a percentage of fallout where the product isn't
           manufactured to the tolerances set for whatever reason. It's
           like the theory for car manufacturing. You never want to buy
           a car that was built on a Friday or at the end of the work
           day because that's when workers are thinking about other things.
           \_ the only support problems I've had with apple products where
              when I tried to deal with third party types (like
              http://macconnection.com) instead of apple itself.  -meyers
           \_ Can I control that?  How do I find out if a car is build on a
              Friday?
              \_ Mondays are bad too. Workers are just getting over their
                 break. I'd say Wednesday is optimal.
              \_ Dealers have this information.  Just ask for it.  They
                 know the exact date on when the car was built.
           \_ Friday car quality myth today
              http://user.classifiedguys.com/sto/st120504.htm
        \_ Not from Apple, but this doesn't match my personal consumer
           experience with Apple. Call Apple support for confirmation.
        \_ did you buy a decked out version or a middle-of-the-road version?
           in my limited experience, companies like to save their nicely built
           batch for the expensive ones with three years warranty, and their
           batch for the expensive bundles with 3-years warranty, and their
           crappy batches (a bad pixel there, things don't fit quite right)
           for the budget brands with 1-year warranty.  Same model notebook.
           for the budget bundle with 1-year warranty.  Same model notebook.
           i've seen this for fujitsu S series (made in Osaka) and
           thinkpad T42.
           thinkpad T42 (China).
        \_ Did you get AppleCare?
           \- your apple is a lemon.
           \_ Yeah--3 year support, but I'm being told that they pawn off all
              support stuff to some outsourcer who "doesn't replace units."
              It's registered with Apple--I'm just wondering whether this is
              normal, or whether, if these guys are difficult about it, I can
              just somehow go to Apple directly and get it done.  I've just
              gone through support hell with IBM (never again, fuckers) and
              don't have the time or energy to constantly fight with laptop
              mfgrs. or their peons.  -John
              \_ iLemonade
              \_ Why not just give it a shot and report back to motd. I think
                 most of the Apple people on CSUA are engineers and dn't
                 know what's going on at ops and tech support (replacement
                 policy, etc.).
                 \- my powerbook has been back to apple like 5 times and
                    i think they have done a reasonable job of repairing.
                    the only think about by tibook i think is ass is the
                    powercharger and power charger connection ... the other
                    breakage was due to unusual stresses. oh i guess the latch
                    isnt that solid either.
                    \_ I think it's a warped body in this case.  -John
                       \_ I dropped my wife's iPod Mini. We had AppleCare.
                          They replaced it, no questions asked.
             \_ what kind of IBM support hell?  I just had the mainboard of
                my T41 replaced under warranty in a different country than
                where I bought it using drop off service at the counter in
                their office downtown.  kept the drive for myself, and they
                made no noises about the obvious corrosion of screws and
                other signs of harsh operation!
                \_ Treated like shit by their incompetent call center, not
                   allowed to park at service center where I went on my own
                   accord after being ignored by call center, told that it
                   would cost me ca. $1k to replace a MoBo on an X31 ca. 5
                   months out of warranty (which fried when I closed the lid),
                   lied to about the initial date of warranty, told that to
                   get a _cost estimate_ for the repair would cost me ca. $160,
                   had some smarmy customer service woman call me in response
                   to my utterly amazed complaint and have the chutzpah to
                   me to a 5% rebate deal they were having on their current
                   suggest a 5% rebate deal they were having on their current
                   models ("it has an airbag!")  Told by the guy who runs IT at
                   my gf's company (which has a massive global contract with
                   IBM) that they've been treated worse.  -John

9/28    Mortgage interest is tax-deductible for federal and state taxes.  Is it
        also deductible for the items on my paycheck like Social Security,
        Medicare, etc.?
        \_ No.  You get to pay the middle-class regressive tax whether you
           like it or not.  Call us back when you get past that AMT wall, boyo.
           \_ i dont understand AMT. when i am about to pay $0 tax dollars..
              all of  a sudden i have to pay $8000?
              \_ AMT is a minimum amount of tax you should pay based on
                 some formula. So, for instance, if you make $300K and
                 have $300K in deductions (let us say stock losses) you
                 still have to pay the minimum tax (and not $0).
                 \_ AMT was designed to prevent the ultra-rich from paying
                    no tax.  Unfortunately it has never been indexed to
                    inflation, and so it increasingly hits the middle class.
                    This is only going to get worse over time, but for some
                    reason the Republican leadership seems reluctant to fix it.
                    \_ Well, the R leadership is too busy spending like drunken
                       sailors (apologies to sailors).  But if they tried it,
                       the D's would say "they're trying to protect the rich
                       again!" -emarkp
                       \_ Apology accepted.  I used to be a sailor, and drank
                          plenty, but I never spent more than I could afford.
                          \_ You also spent /your own money/.  Which is another
                             important difference. -emarkp
                       \_ For what it's worth, I believe the Democrats want
                          to fix the AMT.  It may even be in the platform,
                          but I don't recall.
                       \_ The AMT is primarily a problem for voters in
                          Democratic states.  Why would the Republicans rush
                          to fix it?  Let CA and NY vote Republican, and the
                          AMT will get fixed in a jiff.
                          \_ No, the Republicans want the AMT to explode and
                             hurt people. Then they can repeal the whole thing,
                             no questions asked.
                             \_ and by not removing the AMT, they have a
                                non-exploding budget for years to come :P
                                \_ No one wants to "remove" the AMT, except
                                   for maybe the Grover Norquist wing of the
                                   Republican party.  What it needs is to
                                   fixed so that it doesn't hurt the already
                                   battered and shrinking middle class.
                                   \_ yerright.  I amend that to:
                                      and by not fixing the AMT, they have a
                                      non-exploding projected budget deficit
                                      for years to come
                                   \_ No, I think you're wrong. To correct it
                                      would be simple, just like the fixing the
                                      estate tax. And now that tax is on the
                                      brink of being permanently off the books.
                                      The fate of the AMT will be the same, but
                                      unlike the "death tax," it will actually
                                      hurt people.
                                      hurt people first before they kill it.
                                      \_ do you think the GOPers will be
                                         laughing their asses off when the
                                         upper-middle-class Democrats are
                                         paying the higher taxes they wanted?
                                         \_ Oh dear me yes. They are expecting
                                            a rash of people going to the GOP
                                            when this happens.

9/28    Cindy Sheehan calls McCain a warmonger:
        http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-09-28-sheehan-mccain_x.htm

9/28    Tom DeLay INDICTED
        Frist next?
        \_ Apparently he has already stepped down as House Majority Leader.
           \_ Isn't this automatic?  You can't serve in congressional
              leadership when under indictment?
              \_ Yes, although the Republican leadership attempted to
                 dismantle that rule (the so-called 'DeLay Rule Change').
                 They were publicly embarrassed into not doing it.
                 \_ Wrong.  This is an an ethics rule the Republican
                    delegation in the House applies to itself!  It
                    \_ Bullshit.  You are either lying or misinformed.
                    was in response to the massive, widespread
                    corruption in the House when the Republicans took over
                    under Armey and Gingrich in 1994 (an apt analogy
                    would be running the House like New Orleans).  In 1993,
                    BTW, Earle indicted Sen. Hutchinson during her Senate
                    run in an attempt to change the outcome of the
                    election.  When the trial took place he refused to
                    present any evidence and the charges were dismissed.
                    \_ Mmmm... parrots...
        \_ Remember the adage: you could get a grand jury to indict a sandwich.
           \_ Unless the indictee is on The Other Team, in which case it's
              Justice.
           \_ Rove, DeLay, and Frist indictments being handed down?  HIT THE
              TRIFECTA!

9/28    What's the best aftermarket firmware to put in a WRT45G?

9/28    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050928/od_nm/dutch_witchcraft_dc
        Take a witchcraft class, get an educational tax deduction
        \_ And the objection is...?
           \_ No objection. It's good to encourage education
                \_ If churches aren't taxed, might as well make witchcraft
                   tax free.

9/28    Serenity comes out Friday!! Go see it!!
        http://www.serenitymovie.com
        \_ great!  Looking forward to it! - firefly fan

9/28    "US millionaires reaches record 9m"
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ft/20050928/bs_ft/fto092820050059491081
        \_ When do we get our favelas and armed compounds?

9/28    Does openWRT wear out the WRT54G flash by doing lots of writes?

9/28    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050928/od_nm/australia_births_dc
        Be patriotic, produce more kids!
        \_ Singapore has had similar policy for over a decade.  Recently Hong
           Kong followed too.
           \_ I once met a fellow in Siena who was paid by the Singapore
              government to go on vacation so he can meet women and reproduce.
              He's a dual-PhD director of some Singaporean museum and the
              government really wants him to pass on his genes.  He's also
              flaming gay, but supposedly the Singaporean reproduction
              program doesn't recognize homosexuality officially.
        \_ Taiwan also has this policy.  But get this.  The policy of
           encouraging more kids does *NOT* apply to
           1. non-Hans, which includes:
              a. Taiwan abroigine
              b. mail-order brides that is Vietnam/Indonesia/Philipine orgin
           2. Han Chinese that came from mainland China.
           Cool, huh?
           \_ Singapore encourages good genes by giving tax incentives.
              How about Taiwan? There's a difference between what the culture/
              media promote, and what the government actually advocates.
           \_ Gee.  Then this is one thing that Commie China is better.  Just
              the opposite, the one-child policy in Commie China does not apply
              to minorities.
           \_ There are Hans that didn't come from Mainland China?
              \_ you pointed out a very interesting point.  Those Hans who
                 came to Taiwan prior to Japanese occupation considered
                 themselves the true owner of Taiwan island (while
                 performing genecide toward the abroigine).  They tend
                 to be hostile to Hans who came to Taiwan after
                 Japanese occupation.
              \_ Where did Chewie come from? Or is it Chuy?
                 \_ Kashyyyk
        \_ World pop would be something like 15 trillion in 200 years if
           today's growth rate continues -- it's going to have slow down
           today's growth rate continues -- it's going to have to slow down
           some day.  Now, are the problems with a graying population easier
           to cope with if you have a large population or a small population?
           \_ that's why we need to terraform the moon and mars.
           \_ take a trip to China and step out the city.  My conclusion from
              it is that population will be limited by available fresh water.
              and deep down, I suspect there will be a plague/pandemic that
              will make Spanish Flue of 1919 looks like a child play.
              \_ But the problem with a plague at this age is that, with
                 today's travelling, a plague will probaby spread around the
                 world easily.
                 \_ yup. the result of pandemic would mean mass reduction
                    in population world wide, not confined in given region.

9/28    http://csua.org/u/djq (andrewsullivan.com)
        Re CPT Fishback
        "[Rumsfeld said:] 'Either break him or destroy him, and do it quickly.'
        ... The scapegoating of retarded underlings like Lynndie England is an
        attempt to deflect real responsibility for the new pro-torture policies
        that go all the way to the White House."

9/28    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-27-fishback-abuse_x.htm
        "Army Capt. Ian Fishback said he tried for more than a year to get his
        commanding officers to pay attention to reports of widespread abuses of
        Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops. But it was only after Fishback, 26, a
        West Point graduate, spoke to Human Rights Watch and several members of
        Congress that military investigators began to listen ...
        Fishback said his interest in reporting the abuses was sparked by
        congressional testimony ... Rumsfeld said that U.S. troops in Iraq and
        Afghanistan follow rules in the Geneva Conventions barring prisoner
        abuse ..."
        \_ Yeah, we should use harsh language instead. It works great against
           IEDs, hijacked airplanes, and suicide bombers.
           \_ Prisoner abuse has worked against IEDs, hijacked airplanes, and
              suicide bombers? Please elaborate. Your insanity will be pleasant
              to read.
              \_ works just about as well as your ability to detect sarcasm.
                 \_ So, what, you were using some kind of double-sarcasm? You
                    meant that the sarcastic suggestion that we should use
                    harsh language in some way pointed out the ineffective
                    nature of prisoner abuse? This is positively Byzantine!

9/28    Here's an ethics question:  Suppose someone is a vegetarien for ethical
        (animal suffering) reasons, and thet also own a pet dog/cat.  The can
        either feed their pet standard meat-based pet food (and directly
        contribute to the death of more animals) or they can feed it high
        protien vegetarian food which costs 3x as much and gives their animal
        indigestion.  What is the ethical thing to do? (This is purely abstract)
        \_ Cats are carnivores, and can't survive a vegetarian diet.  Dogs
           can, though their diet has to be watched carefully to make sure
           they're getting enough nutrients.
        \_ Vegetarians == Murderers     - Fruitarian
           \_ What do you do with the seeds?
              \_ shit them out and watch them grow..
              \_ eating seeds is like abortion! It kills!       -fruit cake
              \_ the whole reason trees bear fruit is for animals
                to eat them and spread their seed ... symbyosis..
        \_ You should feed pieces of yourself to your pets. Start eating tons
           of vegetarian food, so you get really fat, and hopefully you will
           regrow chunks of yourself fast enough to let the pet survive.
           You can tranquilize and take parts off other people at first.
        \_ I have an acquaintance who adopted a cat from a vegan moron who
           fed the cat a vegetarian diet. The cat was unhealthy and small.
           She's still messed up by it. You have to feed your pet a proper
           (carnivorous) diet. Period. If you cannot do that then do not
           get a pet.
        \_ Cats are carnivores. In fact, one argument vegetarians often use
           to show that humans *aren't* pure carnivores is to contrast the
           digestive tract of a feline with the digestive tract of a human.
           Felines have short, straight digestive tracts versus the long and
           bendy digestive tract of a human ... Feed the cat meat or don't
           have a cat.  I don't know anything about dogs.
           \_ please.. look at archeology.. all the tools prehistoric
              humans used to evolve were mostly to kill animals
              and eat them.. we evolved as carnivores..
           \- IMHO, vegetarianism is mostly a life style choice and only
              putatively an "ethical" choice. "can you be politically
              opposed to slavery and have a pet" ... shouldn't you give
              it the chance to run away at any time? looking for ethical
              it the chance to run away at any ime? looking for ethical
              consistency here is silly. There are some big ethics questions
              this touches [like how to respond to the "infinite demands
              or morality" and the comission/omission problem (if you are
              opposed to animal suffering why arent you quitting your job
              and helping animals rather than "merely" not eating them) but
              the motd is too small for extended discussion of that kind of
              thing.
                \_ The point is that if you have a cat and are hurting it
                   by feeding it vegetarian food then you can't win if you
                   don't want to hurt animals -- cats need meat -- so either
                   feed the cat meat or don't have a cat.
           \_ Humans aren't carnivores.  Humans are omnivores.
        \_ some options:
           1. choose not to own a pet
           2. if you must own a pet, get a vegetarian pet (most animals
              are vegetarian, so its not that hard)
           3. if you must own a non-vegetarian pet, let the pet feed
              itself via hunting (its not like you personally are doing
              the killing)
           4. if you can't let the non-vegetarian pet feed itself, then
              feed the thing appropriate food.
              \- 5. get a chiapet
                 \_ or a nintendog
                    \_ Or a Penthouse Pet.  Are those vegetarian BTW?
                    \_ Or a Penthouse Pet.  Are they vegetarian BTW?
        \_ Well thanks for the pet care tips but this is a purely hypothetical
           question.  I'm an omnivore and so's my dog. -op
           \_ i don't understand your 'animal suffering' logic.
              Animals suffer a lot more as a whole due to expansion of
              area of human activities.  If you really care about animal's
              well-being, have less children, and don't critize countries
              who are trying (i.e. China). And at the same time, dump your
              SUV, and seperate your garbage.  These things will go a long way
                       \_ "separate." And "loose" is not the same as "lose."
                          \_ i meant seperate and recycle
                             \_ nope, still not a word.
                                \_ seperate?
                                   \_ http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=seperate&x=0&y=0
                                   \_ http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=seperate
                                   \_ http://tinyurl.com/dx4fe (webster.com)
                                      \_ seperate!
                                         \- Why cant we all get along ...
                                            and have a Separate Peace.
                                            and have A Separate Peace.
                                                --rodney && john
                \_ dump your car, even if it isn't a SUV.  RIDE BIKE!
                   \_ WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA?
                      \_ What if the bike is made in the USA?
                         \_ It probably looks French.
                            \_ riding bike looks french? really? I
                               always thought that riding bike looked
                               asian or british.
                               \_ Commuting by bike is very popular in the
                                  Netherlands.
              than eating them, as they are legit source of protein.  Just
              skip any sport that kills for fun, such as possum hunting and
              fishing... unless you are planning on eatting possum and all
              the catch you got.
              \_ I call the big one bitey.
        \_ I'm a vegetarian and if I had a cat I would feed it meat.  I would
           laugh at people who tried to call me on my ethical inconsistency,
           because they just Don't Get It.  None of us are perfectly consistent.
           That doesn't mean our sporadic "good" actions have no weight. -niloc
        \_ I'm a vegetarian and if I had a cat I would feed it meat.
           I would laugh at people who tried to call me on my ethical
           inconsistency, because they just Don't Get It.  None of us
           are perfectly consistent. That doesn't mean our sporadic
           "good" actions have no weight. -niloc

9/28    oh my, Pres. Bush while flying over oil Rigs..
        "It's like Atlantis down there..."

9/28    Japanese scientists take first photos of a giant squid:
        http://tinyurl.com/bvbur (reuters.com)
        \_ So two days ago.
        \_ cool.  I bet Japanese just want to eat them.
        \_ I bet this breakthrough will usher a whole new era in the tentacle
           porn genre.
           \_ Tentacle porn genre??
              \_ For the love of god, somebody get this boy some hentai
           \_ Or stranger sex accidents than ever before:
              http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e050925.html

9/28    High Times magazine hiring:
        http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/wri/100343188.html

9/28    http://sqlzoo.napier.ac.uk/cgi-bin/oliver/gisq.htm
        A gentle introduction to SQL, with how-to's for many different DBs
        \_ keywords: oracle informix sybase postgres mysql

9/28    In FreeBSD, how can I find out how much RAM my video card has?