5/11    http://i.timeinc.net/popsci/video/revopower.mov
        Yet another powered bicycle.
        \_ if it's powered, it's a motorcycle.  -tom
          \_ or a moped.

5/11    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/congress_taxes
        I make over 100K base salary, not including options/stocks.
        How does this law benefit me?

5/11    http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/05/10/perpetual.student.ap
        I can't believe you can be an undergrad for 12 years. I guess
        he gets a lot of women or something.
        \_ How long was PSB a grad student? I think he has this guy beat.
           \_ I don't think PSB was ever a gradstudent?  Just an undergrad
              taking grad level courses?  How about it Partha?  BTW, did you
              ever graduate?  That isn't meant as a smear--you're probably
              better educated than I.  --PeterM

5/11    I bought a few expensive LED lightbulbs. Comments: when they say
        an LED is equivalent to X watts incandescent bulb, it's marketing
        bullshit. In reality, it's more like X/2 or X/3. LED bulbs may
        save you a lot of energy, but they're simply not that bright.
        Secondly, they look very very unnatural. With incandescent bulbs,
        you get various frequencies and things look natural. With LEDs,
        you get cold white light and you feel depressed, which is perfectly
        ok if you're into goth or rave. Screw energy savings, I'm going
        back to 60-100W heat generating bulbs and 300W halogen bulbs.
        \_ ... or use fluorescents...
        \_ What type did you go with?  Most of the LED bulb manufacturers
           have "soft" versions.
        \_ Incandescent light doesn't look natural; you're just used to
           how it looks.  Unless you're using full-spectrum bulbs (which
           also look strange when you first install them), incandescents
           are extremely yellow.  -tom
        \_ CFLs are almost as efficient and have a very nice spectrum.  Any of
           these type are more pleasant through a lampshade, btw.

5/11    http://www.tinyrevolution.com/mt/archives/000905.html
        Bush vs. Nixon.

5/11    Cody's on Telegraph to close:
        http://csua.org/u/fu2
        \_ "Down the block at equally venerated Moe's Books, bookseller Dave
           Yetter said sales have been down throughout the area. He blamed
           Berkeley city officials for neglecting Telegraph and instead
           focusing their efforts on other shopping corridors such as
           Shattuck Avenue in the downtown area."
           -- Wow, so downtown Shattuck is what happens when the city
              council tries to improve an area?  What a bunch of losers.
              If you ask the cops and business owners in Berkeley, they
              all *hate* the city council.  Even more liberal business
              owners who are more interested in quality goods and services
              than profits hate them.
              \_ Vote.  Get others to vote.
           \_ What it comes down to is that I can buy a text for $32 (including
              shipping) on the Internet or for $51 at Cody's. Yes,
              brick-and-mortar bookstores are great for browsing, but as
              a student with an assigned (required) text I don't need to
              browse. I just want my book for cheap. I imagine the main
              reason Cody's is closing isn't lack of demand, but a refusal
              to be competitive with Border's/B&N let alone the Internet.
              \_ yeah, if they just sold their books for $19 less each,
                 they'd be in much better shape!  -tom
                 \_ Imagine how well off they'd be if they'd just charged
                    $100 more for each book!
                 \_ Maybe they would? The main thing when I was there was
                    the B&M shops deal in used books. You already get
                    screwed on taxes with B&M, if they can't even compete
                    on the base price then they deserve to be gone.
                    \_ Retail stores will never be able to compete on
                       price with national mail-order.  The world will
                       be a poorer place if places like Cody's all go
                       away.  -tom
                       \_ Which is why I have a simple rule.  If I use
                          a B&M store to browse and discover what thing
                          I want to buy (salespeople's recs/looking at what
                          is available/etc) I buy that item at the B&M store.
                          Amazon is one of the few internet stores out there
                          that has done a good job at fullfilling those needs.
                          Hell there are things I research on Amazon that I
                          end up buying offline (cause I need it that day or
                          whatever.)
                          \_ if you are also the previous poster, you
                             have an internally inconsistent world view.  -tom
                                \_ nope not pp
                       \_ They serve three purposes as far as I can see.
                          1) stock for when you need it "now"
                          2) being able to browse
                          3) convenient used market (although, I guess this
                             too is now done on amazon and ebay, but you can't
                             really examine those items etc.)
                          Cody's was right next to another store anyway and
                          IIRC wasn't usually cheapest. Maybe if they had one
                          larger store with a cafe inside etc. they could
                          stay in business. Anyway, for browsing, libraries
                          are good things. Maybe there should be more budget
                          for that. In any case I don't feel obligated to
                          do charity work for struggling bookstores.
                          \_ and you think the world is a better place
                             without Cody's?
                             \_ Personally, I don't care whether it exists or
                                not. Give me a reason to care. Maybe something
                                else will occupy its space that is better
                                overall? Maybe you think we should pay taxes
                                to support Cody's? Or what?
                                \_ A reason to care is that it was a place
                                   with a good selection of books, arranged
                                   for browsing, with a knowledgeable staff
                                   and a pleasant environment.  Telegraph
                                   Ave. is lesser for its loss.  It's another
                                   example of how the "free" market often
                                   has undesirable end effects.  -tom
                                   \_ You know, I think I've been thinking
                                      Cody's was actually another store. I
                                      think I may never have even gone into
                                      Cody's. The problem with Telegraph was
                                      how it became a trashy hobo zone. My
                                      folks told me they used to go there from
                                      the south bay decades ago. When I was at
                                      Cal I didn't really enjoy Telegraph.
                                      Roaches were crawling on the walls in
                                      that Blue Nile restaurant and there were
                                      always bums accosting you. And you
                                      couldn't park, and the parking meters got
                                      sawed off, and the store windows were
                                      getting broken overnight, and somebody
                                      got murdered around Dwight or something.
                                      Whatever.
                                      \_ Oh my god. THANK you for articulating
                                         this so well. A lot of my friends
                                         who went to Berkeley said they loved
                                         it because its suckiness built
                                         character and made them tough. They
                                         loved the bums and the trash and the
                                         the murders. My take has always been
                                         that the whole city was a total
                                         waste of tax payer's money. The best
                                         public school in the world should
                                         not have to be placed in such a
                                         trashy town. As for the people who
                                         think I'm a traitor or just hate
                                         me because I have nothing good to say
                                         about Berkeley-- I don't need to
                                         conform with anyone's opinion and
                                         you can go fuck yourself. WHATEVER.
                                   \- the authors that would come on tour
                                      and gives talks/readings at codys
                                      was the main benefit i think. and a
                                      good example of the free mkt. otherwise
                                      i dont think this is really much of an
                                      evidence of mkt failure. --psb
                                   \_ I'm sorry but you're WRONG. Free market
                                      and less government improves people's
                                      lifestyle. Case in point, it allows
                                      people to work less while giving more
                                      freedom to many others:
                   http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1955256&page=1
                                      Go Free Market!       -Reagan's #1 fan
            \_ I have never seen the price discrepancy so large (but,
               disclaimer: I usually shop on amazon and never buy used or
               third-world paperback editions online.) Usually, the price
               difference is 5-10 bucks on expensive items before shipping and
               quite often it's worth it for me to just pick the book at the
               store instead of waiting for days for it to be delivered. Of
               course, the presure of the online competition is still
               undeniable. I buy most books online now.
               \_ Well, that was a real world example for a book I bought.
                  I realize Cody's cannot compete on price, but to be
                  honest such a large subsidy isn't worth it. I like the
                  idea someone suggested about adding a cafe or something.
                  It's like the gas stations adding mini-marts. The
                  problem is that Berkeley is saturated with cafes. I will
                  miss Cody's, but I still wouldn't buy a book there for
                  $50 when I can get it (new) for $30.
        \_ I hope all you Amazon shoppers and shareholders are happy...

5/12    http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7429/1459
        \_ "Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to
            gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised
            controlled trials"

5/12    Have you used WinXP in Parallels on a new Intel Mac? How is it?

5/12    Wash Post and ABC News conduct overnight poll showing 66% of those
        polled wouldn't mind if the NSA had a record of phone numbers they
        had called.  63% also say they feel it's acceptable (41% strongly so)
        for the NSA to collect phone records of tens of millions of Americans
        to investigate terrorism.  http://csua.org/u/fu4 (Wash Post)
        \_ In other news, Americans are idiots.  -tom
           \_ :)
        \_ You know, I don't mind the fact that the database has been
           collected.  I think it is a minimally invasive way to get intel
           on associates of suspected terrorists.  What bothers me is
           the high-handed unaccountable way Bush did it.  He didn't
           go for any judicial review, warrants, nothing.  Not feeling
           yourself bound by convention, not believing anything limits
           your power, those are characteristics of a tyrant.  --PeterM
        \_ In other news, only 29% still support the Chimposter:
           http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060512/pl_nm/bush_poll_dc_1
           \_ sloppy reporting from Reuters et al.  Good+Excellent vs.
              Fair+Poor is not the same as Approve vs. Disapprove.
        \_ http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/008453.php
           53 Percent believe that the NSA has gone too far.

5/12    http://csua.org/u/fu5 (Wash Post)
        Votes for death for Moussaoui were 11-1, 10-2, 10-2 on three death-
        penalty eligible charges.
        On the 11-1 vote, jury foreman says the reason for the life in prison
        vote was never put forth by the dissenter for discussion by the group
        despite repeated attempts to draw out a reason.
        \_ I think he's a delusional whack job who did not
           personally bomb the WTC.  he probably wanted to really badly.
           is that reason enough to improsin him for life ?
           \_ Yes.  Isolating dangeous people from society is one of the
              big responsibilites of the government.  Just because the
              reason you're crazy is that you're delusional doesn't make
              you any less dangeous.
              reason you're dangerous is that you're delusional doesn't
              make you any less dangerous.
        \_ So? I'm actually glad to hear you don't have to provide reasons
           for a decision like this.
           \_ In a jury room they are supposed to.  That's what they're there
              for.  Otherwise we might as well roll dice or draw cards.
              \_ I thought you had to supply reasons _for_ voting for the
                 death penalty, not against?  Or do we have mandatory death
                 penalty for big enough offenses now?  I thought it was always
                 a choice between life imprisonment and the whack for murder 1,
                 sufficiently bad treason, terrorism and a very few others,
                 with the jury given the ability to choose between the two
                 if the prosecution asks for the death penalty?  -John
                 \_ I'll clarify: I believe the jury should be discussing all
                    their options and everything presented in the case before
                    them before reaching a decision.  It sounds like one juror
                    was unwilling to perform their full duty while the other
                    10-11 tried very hard to do so.  If the juror simply
                    didn't believe in the DP then they shouldn't have been
                    allowed on a potential DP trial, but since they didn't
                    speak up we will never know why they voted the way they
                    \_ Ah okay, "should".  My question was more, is there a
                       legal requirement for them to justify their vote
                       against the DP lest the judge declare a mistrial or
                       something?  -John
                       \_ I don't believe there's a strict legal requirement.
                          As jurors they have a lot of latitude in what and
                          how they deliberate.  See "jury nullification".  Even
                          so, I still feel they *should* have even if they
                          probably weren't strictly legally required to.
                          \- the term you are looking for is "death qualified"
                             it is constitiional to require jury members be
                             open to capital pushisment in captial cases
                             but that is not a requirement. i dont know if
                             the prosecution asks on a case by case basis
                             during vore dire "we want a death certified
                             jury" or if it is mandated in certain
                             jurisdictions automatically under certain
                             circumstances ... like can you ask for a death
                             certified jury if you are still open to
                             negotiating if you will go for life or death
                             penalty? this is relevant because there have been
                             some studies whether death qualfied juries are
                             more pro-prosecution ... in which case they would
                             want a DQ jury even in a non-capital case.
                             while jury nullification means the jurors
                             never have to give an explanation, they actually
                             can be quite limited in how they negotiate ...
                             like they cant find for a lesser charge unless
                             it is offered to them, and in some cases judges
                             have done things like turned down requests for
                             a dictionary etc. i dont remember the USSC
                             cases on this but no doubt you can find them on
                             the WEEB once you have the right term.
                    did, if there was any reason at all, good, bad, or
                    otherwise.  In some sense I feel justice has been robbed.
                    I'd much prefer if they had participated fully in
                    deliberations and it went 12-0 against the DP than 11-1 or
                    10-2 for, but not knowing.  My cynical side says to look
                    for the book hype from juror #12 in the next few weeks.
                    \_ I dunno, my analysis is that the lone standout may
                       have been afraid of getting outed as the one voting
                       against death, and subsequently getting screwed by dumb
                       Americans in terms of privacy, success, and happiness
                       for the rest of his or her natural life.
                       How many 9/11's are there?
                       \_ Fame is fame.  If I was the hold out I'd be making
                          mega bucks with in 3 months.  No one famous was ever
                          held back by anything but their own stupidity.  Look
                          at Hollywood.  There are oodles of rich and famous
                          people, many of whom have no talent, education, or
                          anything else going for them, yet there they are.
                          \_ So to summarize:  You say maybe it's a book deal,
                             I say maybe the guy's afraid, you say if you were
                             the holdout you'd be making a book deal ...
        \_ You may wish to read about the case of the United States
           successful bioinformatics researcher by day /
           Islamic intellectual by night Ali al-Tamimi.
           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Al-Tamimi - danh

5/12    A tiny little city I live in is going through a major redevelopment
        process. In 2008, they're going to tear down a huge plaza that was
        built in the 70s, along with with all the mom&pop stores and
        replace them with a super mega parking structure, hi-end shops
        by the marina, an art gallery, etc. At the same time they're going
        to tear down a mostly empty parking lot to build a 300+ apartment
        building with lots of mixed use retail/office space on the first
        floor. My property is 0.5 mile from the land. Is the construction
        going to devaluate my property?
        \_ Not unless the new construction is blocking your view or something.
           Sounds like the changes will put you in a more desirable area in
           general.
           general.  (Assuming you actually live in a currently desirable/
           in-demand area.  If there's no demand, and this construction doesn't
           create it, and it raises your property taxes, then yes, your property
           value could go down)
        \_ No, expect your value to go anywhere from up to way way up.  Even
           if you lost a view, the rest should more than make up for it.
           The only downside is if the new mega mall fails and ends up
           dormant.  Just curious, what city is this?
           \_ Marina del Rey. The mom&pop stores are in Fisherman's Village.
              The massive apartments&condos&mixed use buildings are along
              Via Marina. The construction could take several years so
              I'm a bit concerned with noise, traffic, and pollution.
              \_ Marina del Rey?! That's not exactly what I think of as
                 a "tiny little city". I am not sure the megamall is going
                 to make a blip compared to what's already around there
                 (a tiny little city called "Los Angeles"). The real
                 question is whether the new development will be perceived
                 as an improvement, which it probably will. I doubt it
                 will impact property values much, though, as MdR is
                 already sky-high.
                 \_ According to http://www.city-data.com it is 0.9 sq mile.
                    \_ Thank you master of the obvious. The point being
                       that a suburb of LA cannot in all honesty be
                       evaluated as a "tiny little city" even if it really
                       is a "tiny little city". In this case the size of
                       the city isn't a factor like it would be if, say,
                       that megamall is the only one around for miles. MdR
                       is going to be desirable no matter what based on
                       location, not because of (or in spite of) some
                       development unless the development, say, blocks all
                       access to the marina or something. My opinion is
                       that high-end retail will do very well in MdR and
                       will probably be a boon. An exception is if these
                       condos/apartments aren't "luxury" apartments.
                       \_ You forgot to mention tsunami and huricane which
                          will render coastal cities completely worthless
                       \_ Very good Mr. Expert. Who are you and what is your
                          credential wrt Los Angeles?
        \_ You're looking at an investment. If you try to sell while construction
           is just beginning or looks unlikely to complete, then yes, you may lose
           value. Stick it out, though, and your property should improve in value
           nicely. Sorry to hear about the mom&pop shops, but the mixed-use sounds
           like good urban planning.

5/12    Are there ANY major historical figure who have been left out of
        the history books because they're gay?
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1531648/20060512/index.jhtml?headlines=true
        \_ maybe not left you, but ignored and vilified while
           they were actually alive
           \_ or the fact that they were gay just glossed over
              \_ Did their historical contribution come from being gay?
                 If not, then it seems pretty unrelated.
           \_ "maybe not left you?"  What?
                     \- whether or not people or events are left out of
                        history books has more to do with the climate
                        under which the books are produced than the
                        attributes of the events/people. in america
                        if you want to write about something omitted
                        by somebody else, no external force stops
                        you from doing so. --psb
                        \- BTW, this idea I'm getting at is nicely captured
                           in the title of a recent book on/by STANFRAUD
                           professor RICHARD RORTY: Take Care of Freedom And
                           Truth Will Take Care of Itself.

5/12    Have any of you used OpenMake?  Our build engineer seems kinda excited
        about it.  We're using Ant now and are reasonably satisfied, but I
        think she wants to change because she's not too comforable using Ant.

5/12    What do people use to clean their laptop screens? Mine is full of
        finger smudges and dust. Thanks.
        \_ Microfiber towels that I get with my sunglasses.  Go to a good
           optician, they should have some (I think every pair of Ray-Bans
           you buy comes with one.)  Wipe gently.  I don't use those moist
           alcohol screen cleaners, because I haven't found any that don't
           streak.  I use these little towels for my camera lenses too,
           by the way.  If you find something better, please post.  -John
        \_ Microfiber towels that I get with my sunglasses.  Go to a good
           optician, they should have some (I think every pair of Ray-Bans
           you buy comes with one.)  Wipe gently.  I don't use those moist
           alcohol screen cleaners, because I haven't found any that don't
           streak.  I use these little towels for my camera lenses too,
           by the way.  If you find something better, please post.  -John

5/12    Is it just me or is motdedit hozing a lot of change merges
        lately?  -John
        \_ If there's any doubt, it's almost definitely you.      -mice
        \_ What happened to /csua/bin/me ? That's what I used to use?

5/12    It's amazing what you'll randomly find using google images:
        Not work safe!
        link:csua.org/u/fua