3/16    I'm looking to troll the motd. What are some good topics guaranteed
        to get results?
        \_ sex!
        \_ Easy.  Anything of interest to more than 1 person that isn't
           resolvable.  Next!
        \_ http://www.trollwars.com  -John
         \_ http://www.criticalmiss.com/issue10/GrammarFascist1.html
            \_ This would make the motd so fun.
        \_ You've got a couple at the top now.
        \_ tom -dans
        \_ Evolution vs. Intelligent Design.
        \_ Emacs vs. vi.
           \_ uh, not this again. It's so boring. Besides, it has been
              established by now that vi lost.
              \_ how about emacs vs. vim?
                 \_ And xemacs vs. vim?
                 \_ Emacs. No contest. When vim grows up and gets modes
                    for reading mail, reading news, surfing the web,
                    compiling lisp, running in client-server mode, &c.
                    lets talk.
                    \_ Someone has been trolled.
                       \_ Someone was trying to make a joke.
        \_ Linux vs. FreeBSD vs. ......
        \_ Any environmental issue.  (Is global warming real?  Does recycling
           help?  Should we conserve?  Etc.)
        \_ Years ago "Is Windows a real OS?" used to be a hot topic.
        \_ Gun control. Postgres v. MySQL. The MacMini.

3/17    I've been driving for over 30 years and haven't died in car accidents.
        In fact every single driver I personally know haven't died in
        car accidents. Those who died must have done something wrong, but
        the car itself doesn't kill. Therefore, there is no correlatio
        between dying and and driving. Thanks williamc!
        \_ More importantly, people who drive die at the exactly the
           same rate as people who don't.
        \_ More importantly, people who drive die at the same rate as
           people who don't, so clearly driving doesn't cause death.
        \_ I don't get it. How is this related to williamc? who is williamc?
           \_ williamc is the nimrod who thinks that, because he's been
              typing for 20 years and hasn't gotten RSI, that people who
              get RSI are either imagining it or have diabetes.  -tom
              \_ He has also publicly stated that Americans who don't like
                 the president should quit bitching and leave the U.S.
                 Some of us take that very personally.  I think assholes
                 like that are the reason most people hate sysadmins.
              \_ I was gonna write something similar but you articulated it
                 better than I did. Thank you.
        \_ Who are you that you've been driving >30 years?  We have 47
           year olds in the CSUA?

3/17    What's my fellow sodan's stand on HD-DVD vs Blue-Ray? I am
        thinking HD-DVD because Sony seems so stubborn on the Blue-Ray
        extra copy protection crap. Seems like they are making the VHS
        vs BetaMax mistake again. They lost the ipod battle, they
        aren't doing too well on game console (delayed), and they are
        gonna lose the HD media. Pity them.
        \_ Sony doesn't own Blu-Ray spec.  So, from that perspective,
           Blu-Ray may be less effected by Sony's format war curse.  and
           FYI, Blu-Ray has a slight upper hand right now.
           \_ upper-hand technologically or widespread-adoption-wise?
              \_ upper-hand in terms of finalizing the specification, etc.
                 Technical superority is never an issue in a format war.
                 \_ So Blu-Ray has the upper-hand in finalizing the spec?
                    Aren't $1,000 HD-DVD players now available with movies
                    Aren't $500 HD-DVD players now available with movies
                    following in a month ... or are those like 802.11 Pre-N
                    routers and movies?
                    routers?
        \_ FYI, most of hardware manufactures and software house such as
           Cyberlink/Interview is betting horse on *BOTH*
        \_ But HD-DVD is pretty much just as bad DRM-wise.

3/17    williamc. My uncle's a smoker and he does NOT have lung cancer. I also
        know quite a few smokers who have been smoking for over 20 years and
        don't have lung cancer. Those that have lung cancer probably got
        it from something else. Therefore, there's no correlation between
        smoking and lung cancer. Thanks for clarifying this, I'll tell my
        uncle about this, he'll be really happy to hear it. Smoke on!
        \_ I think you're missing the point: *williamc* never got lung cancer,
           but if he was a smoker *then* there'd be no correlation whatsoever.
           Glad to see that you're catching on, though.
           \_ read "Thank You For Smoking" and catch the movie one day.

3/17    Freezer failure ends couple's hopes of life after death
        http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1732946,00.html

3/17    Panasonic previews an interactive display:
        http://www.akihabaranews.com/review-63-X.html

3/17    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188181,00.html
        On headline news, Jacko closes his Neverland Ranch permanently
        and is not coming back to the US!!! Oh my god!!!
        \_ Dept. of Labor closed it, not Jacko.
           \_ Yeah, Jacko just stopped paying them.
              \_ Yeah, but they were still working without pay, until DOL
                 ordered them to stop.
                 \_ Keep working, I have your children!

3/17    Clifford D. May is president of the Foundation for Defense of
        Democracies, a policy institute focusing on terrorism. He says
        pre-emptive strike is a good thing, and so is Iraq War. Is he
        considered a "neo-conservative"?
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060317/cm_usatoday/inactionfailed
        \_ There is no definition of "neo-conservative".  Stop trying to nail
           it down--you can't.
           \_ you prefer to be referred to as "idiot"?
           \_ Repeatedly saying that doesn't make it true.  There are many
              places that define it, and the definitions in general are as
              close to each other as definitions from different dictionaries
              of the same word.  Just because it isn't in the dictionary yet
              doesn't mean there's no definition.
        \_ i would say he is a "neo-con disciple"

3/17    Erin go bragh!
        \_ Erin go bleeaaarrrghhhh!
           \_ All the bright young things throwing up their Guiness in the
              gutter.

3/17    Trolling for profit:
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060317/ap_on_hi_te/patent_trolling
        \_ If these people got their knees broken I'd call it justice.  If
           I saw the CEO getting his teeth kicked in in a back alley, I would
           not call the cops.

3/17    Conservatives use "starve the beast" logic when they want to cut taxes,
        But if they  really want to starve the beast, than, why raise the
        debt limit?
        http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/17/news/budget.php
        \_ its pretty clear they just want to cut taxes, and keep spending up
          (just redirect it to Bechtel/Halliburton, and other 'contributors').
          This is perfectly in line with raising the debt limit.
        \_ That brings the per-capita federal debt to what, $30,000 per person.
           (note thats not per taxpayer)
        \_ They just used the fiscal conservative strategy to get elected,
           they don't actually believe it.
        \_ Duh, the strategy is to fuck it up so bad, that when the Dems assume
           power the economy will be all fucked up AND they'll have to raise
           taxes, which sets up the Republicans for the next election.
           \_ Sounds like what Clinton did to his successor.
              \_ You seem to be forgetting the gigantic surplus which seemed
                 to dissapear so quickly after 9/11.
                 \_ Yeah, you mean when the bubble popped.
                    \_ With the tech bubble, 9/11, and post-9/11 security
                       overhead as excuses, I can give tax cuts to my biggest
                       political donors and run horribly executed projects both
                       foreign and domestic, and I'm still completely covered
                       as far as my base is concerned!  Go dubya!
              \_ ^Clinton^Bush Sr.
                 \_ Maybe in your reality.  According to the National Bureau
                    of Economic Research, the Bush Sr. recession was from
                    7/1990 to 3/1991, so it ended way before the Clinton
                    presidency.  The Bush Jr. past recession was from 3/2001
                    to 11/2001, so it started right after the Clinton
                    presidency.  http://www.nber.org/cycles.html
                    presidency.  The Bush Jr. recession was from 3/2001 to
                    11/2001, so it started right after the Clinton presidency.
                    http://www.nber.org/cycles.html
        \_ Because they're not conservatives.  They're Republicans.
        \_ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385518277
           Impostor : How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the
           Reagan Legacy

3/17    You are editing someone else's code.  Formatting is terrible or
        does not comform to your standards.
        What do you normally do to the code formatting?
        \_ go north
        \_ If there is a code standard I change it as minimally as possible
           to conform to the standard.  If there isn't a well defined standard
           I leave it alone.  Making huge diffs in your source control system
           really sucks.
           \_ Agreed.  But your organization should have agreed-upon
              coding standards.
              \_ Lots of companies I've worked for have coding standards that
                 leave a lot of leeway for personal choice.
        \_ I conform to the sloppy code, where there is consistency.
        \_ I conform to the sloppy code, where there is conformity.
           Generally this means lining up my modifications with whatever the
           indent is and putting my pointer *'s left or right.
           \_ Seconded.  When I add code to existing code, I try to conform to
              the existing code' formatting as long as one exists, even if it's
              lousy.  When I create new code, I conform to my own formatting
              standard.  I refrain from re-formatting existing code unless I'm
              making big changes to it.  --- yuen
        \_ From our coding guidelines doc at work:
           "A single file should have a single formatting style (i.e., when in
           Rome...). If you are maintaining code written in a style different
           from yours, pretend you're a spy sent on a secret mission to make an
           undetectable change to that code. It's lots of fun!"
           I found that amusing.  --dbushong
        \_ M-x indent-region.
        \_ Small edits, conform.  Major additions or rewrites, use personal
           style.  If the old code becomes a sufficiently small portion of the
           file, it gets reformatted.

3/17    Help! Why is Google all green today?!
        \_ It's because the Islamists have won control of western civilization.
           Do not go outside without a thick beard or you will be beaten.
        \_ In the off-chance you're serious, click the logo, dumbass.
        \_ International tree hugger day.
        \_ Google Dividend day.
        \- Meditation in Green
        \_ Its St. Patrick's Day. Have yourself a Guinness to celebrate.
           \_ Does green tea count?
              \_ Only if it's heavily spiked with Irish whiskey.
                 \_ That sounds like a way to ruin two drinks.

3/17    SETI is offering ug's internships for the summer:
        http://www.seti.org/site/pp.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=1453253
        \_ Is SETI still paying *way* too much for transit because campus
           policies prevent them from negotiating their own peering
           agreements? -dans
           \_ are you confusing SETI with setiathome.ssl?
              \_ Yes.  I thought they were referring to SETI@Home.
                 mea culpa -dans
           \_ last time i checked the seti@home folks hit up cogent to
              give them cheap transit. seti@home's transit is separate
              from commodity transit for the rest of campus - erikk
        \_ It doesn't look like they want programmers.
        \_ Where's the Search for Domestic Intelligence program?
           \_ Buried out in the desert.  Possibly in Syria.
        \_ Do you get to have sex with Matthew Mcconaughey and later lose your
           job because he questions your faith in God?
           \_ I think the movie would have been better without that sex plot.
              It didn't fit in with the rest of the movie.
              \_ Huh? What movie?
                 \_ Contact, I assume.
                    \_ Oh. I only read the book and I don't remember a sex plot.
                       \_ that's because it wasn't there in the book.

3/17    Is there any way to upload a file that contains a comma using curl?
        curl uses commas to denote multiple files, so I can't figure out how to
        turn this feature off or change the file separator character...
        \_ Try escaping the comma; use %2C.  -tom

3/17    http://www.othercinema.com/otherzine/?issueid=15&articleid=38
        Hu Jintao presented a number of new initiatives, which are very
        important for all the people of China.
        \_ "The goal is to produce white/asian babies of IQ 120 or higher."
           Assuming IQ is averaged among two couples, and assuming Hu's
           sending outstanding Chinamen which we can presume to be IQ 140
           or higher, then these Chinamen need to breed with a lot of white
           women that have IQ 100 or higher. Isn't that hard to do
           considering the dearth of smart white blond women, and secondly
           the obvious abundance but distracting ditzy airheaded valley girls
           and blondes in the heart of religious Go-George-Bush America who
           are obviously lower than 100 IQ?
        \_ Please tell me this is a parody. My craziness sensor for what China
           would actually attempt to do leads me to believe there is a chance
           it is not.
           \_ "Hu Jintao then revealed that on its next mission, the Shenzhou
              spacecraft will carry 200 kilograms of the purest and highest
              quality Chinese sperm"
              \_ This, of course, is Hu Jintao's sperm. He has been quite
                 busy in preparation. (By the way, shouldn't they also send
                 up some eggs, so the ETs can reconstruct some humans?

3/17    Gotta love it:
        "NEW YORK - Protesters joined bagpipers, marching bands and thousands
        of flag-waving spectators at the St. Patrick's Day parade Friday after
        the parade's chairman compared gay Irish-American activists to
        neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and prostitutes."
        \_ what do gay people have against prostitutes?

3/17    Seriously, what about those tip jars that you see at food/drink
        establishment counters? Is it fine always ignore those?
        \_ I think the appropriate term for this, the post below it, and the
           random williamc posts is "troll echo".
        \_ Feel free to be cheap if you want.

3/17    Hey dans, if your 19 year old gf is on the pill you'll have great
        sex for now but she'll get really fat in the future. Just something
        to think about if you want to get the most mileage out of her.
        \_ The pill doesn't make you fat.
           \_ Agreed.  And the pill makes women's breasts bigger, which is a
              plus.  -- !OP
        \_ You're either ignorant or a liar.  Regardless, you're a pig. -dans
        \_ Have the motd pimply geek wannabe bullies found a new target?  Lay
           the fuck off, it's pathetic and unbecoming.  -John
           \_ You said it, lay off! And HEIL!

3/17    I think somebody has a big mirror in their yard http://csua.org/u/fad

3/17    France weighs forcing iPods to interoperate.
        http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/technology/17ipod.html
        \_ How the hell can they "force" apple to do anything?
           In fact, could the american government even force
           such a nonsense requirement? Can't apple just give
           france the big F you and not agree?
           \_ Did you read the article?  "My gut feeling is that Apple
              will simply pull out of France if these amendments get
              through,"
           \_ And France says "OK, then you may not sell music in
              France."  Which would be pretty dumb, but I suspect that is
              what is going to happen.
           \_ Apple could, but they probably want to keep doing business
              in France. Congress could probably force Apple to open up
              as well under the Commerce Clause.
        \_ i am not too worried.  French didn't do jack shit with
           Microsoft
        \_ Couldn't Apple do something like "OK, French ITMS users can now
           buy WMA files for 2 euro each."  Now ITMS customers can play their
           music anywhere and almost nothing changed.  For bonus points, make
           the WMA files non-burnable and non-transferrable to other computers.

3/17    Where can I find the Dalek lesbian porn movie?
        http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005550115,00.html
        Best quote from article: "The reason the Daleks are still the most
        sinister thing in the universe is because they do not make things like
        porn."