6/26    Has anyone SysAdmin consulted for Taos before?  They offered me
        a contract and I like their client.  How much more should I ask
        for above the client pays the full-time equivalent, assuming
        I figured that out?

6/25    Why is it that in many depictions of Hindu deities, they are portrayed
        with blue, green, or purple skin?  Is it sort of like how Christian
        icons have halos?
        \_ that is why people think these Hindu and Christian Gods were Aliens
           visiting earth back then.
           \- deities have canonical representations. this doesnt just
              apply to skin color but also clothing details, pose, what they
              are holding, what animal they will be pictured with etc.
              the "standard blue god" is krishna, which is an avatar of
              vishnu [other vishnu forms will not be blue/black]. krishna
              actually means dark. however, "neel kantha", meaning "blue
              throat" revers to shiva [who will occasionally be shown with
              a blue throat, in reference to a story where he was asked to
              drink some poison as a favor and stored it in his throat].
              neelkantha is also a very attractive mountain in the garwhal
              himalaya ... which somewhat confusingly is more tightly bound
              to vishnu in non-blue form than shiva, after whom it is named.
              better analogy might be to the "hints" in pictures of christian
              saints as to who if being depicted. for example if you seen an
              saints as to who is being depicted. for example if you seen an
              old fellow with a lion and a book, it is probably st. jerome,
              the translator of the bible into latin.
              \_ I'm now more confused than before. Cool though.

6/26    Has anyone consulted (SysAdmin) for Taos before?  They offered me
        work and I like their client.  How much more should a consultant get
        compared to their full-time equivalent? (assuming I figured that out)
        \_ I was able to find my own gig for almost 2x what Taos was looking
           to pay.  YMMV.
        \_ In general the contract client will be paying 2x for the work you
           do.  If you work through someone like taos, they take 1x and you get
           the other.  If you want to cut them out and go direct contract, you
           can, but there is a huge amount of overhead in taxes and
           administration you will need to take on yourself, as well as dealing
           with what happens when the contract ends.
           \_ More than that.  I knew a guy who got $17/hr from Taos.  They
              were billing the company $150/hr for his services.
              \_ BS dude, for me taos was taking about 30% and I got the rest.
                 I know because often i could get the client to tell me the
                 billable rate.
              \_ Heh funny, I seem to recall $17/hr being entry level
                 sysadmin Taos pay around 1996 or so.  I don't know how it
                 works in the US, but in Europe, big companies generally have
                 some form of "preferred supplier" list that's a bitch to
                 get on.  You must be on it to contract for them (obviously
                 if you're consulting for someone who really wants you or
                 high-enough level, that's not an issue.)  So the contract
                 agencies milk that for what it's worth.  -John
                 \_ same thing here for big enough companies. -shac
                    \_ Doesn't that fall under some sort of anti-competition
                       law?  I know companies can choose whom to do business
                       with, but in my experience, this has often been used
                       in a very nasty oligopolistic manner by contract firms
                       that bribe clients' purchasing people.  We also have
                       the problem of large banks, for example, getting
                       together to keep rates down--both are well-known but
                       extremely hard to prove.  -John

6/26    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060623/us_nm/life_friends_dc;
        Americans lonier now than before

6/26    I'm trying to take out my regular bike pedals and replace them with
        Shimano R540 clipless. I've tried using the hex tool (number 6) but
        the existing pedal wouldn't budge. I'm aware of the directional
        differences between the left and the right pedal and I've ruined
        one of my hex tools (I over twisted it). What's the best way to
        take pedals out without ruining hex tools? Thanks.
        \_ If you're trying to use a 6mm hex wrench on your pedals, you're
           probably looking at the wrong fastener.  Take a look at the shaft
           of the pedal where it enters the crankarm and you'll find flats
           for a 15mm wrench.  Typical pedal wrenches are a little flatter
           and longer than the 15mm wrench you'd get from the hardware store
           in case you need more clearance and torque (you might not).  While
           you could use a crescent wrench for this, it's a better idea to
           use a fixed 15mm wrench, as crescents tend to loosen and round the
           corners off the flats of the bolt you're using them on.
           Incidentally, you may find http://sheldonbrown.com and http://parktool.com
           to be useful sites for general bike maintenance.
           \_ Alright thanks so much! I will get a special wrench this week
              and try again. By the way, I'm trying to remove another set of
              pedals as I have several bikes, and there is no wrench interface
              on them, just hex in the back. It is an Impact brand. How would
              you remove them when they don't have the flat hex
              wrenchable part?
              \_ There are indeed pedals these days (like my EggBeater SL)
                 which don't have a 15mm flat surface for a pedal wrench.
                 Frankly, I don't like the trend, but it's certainly something
                 you'll have to deal with.
                 One thing to remember is that you'll be turning the hex wrench
                 backwards from what you might be expecting, because you're
                 turning it from the back side of the pedal.  And that the
                 pedal on the left is reverse-threaded.  Usually, bike pedals
                 don't get so tight that they can't be removed by a decent
                 allen wrench, unless you're screwing them the wrong way.  -tom
                 \_ Thanks so much tom!!! I will keep you updated. I may end
                    up buying those "liquid wrench" things as well, we'll see

6/26    Searching for the term intentional pluralisation, I came across
        http://www.bigbreastarchive.com/alphabetical/ashleyjuggs/ashleyjuggs.html
        \_ where is motd boob guy when you need him? that link sucks.

6/26    Is http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~erikred/wallchart.pdf
        going to be updated again?
        \_ Apologies! Forgot to do so over the weekend. All up-to-date now.
           Btw, the losers of the most recent match really did it to
           themselves.
           \_ Nix; hold on, updating again.
           themselves. [Updated: 1044 PST]
           \_ And updated again: 1446 PST
              \_ Did you change the URL? I don't see any 2nd round results.

6/26    http://csua.org/u/g9l (Wash Post)
        Republican House members buy cheap real estate, earmark a freeway next
        to it, then sell the land at a huge profit
        \_ republicans rool while liberals drool1!!!111!!1one
        \_ From what I hear, he's actually owned the land for many years, and
           the buyer insists that the price is up because of general real
           estate trends, not the freeway.  Gonna be hard to prove one way or
           another, but I'd hardly call it a slam-dunk.
           \_ that is a completely bull-shit.  no one will *INSIST* on
              spending extra million or two for a lot of land if s/he can
              buy that land for cheap.  Just admit it, he earmarked the
              bill and he is personally benefiting from it.
              \_ Uh, where'd you get "extra" million from?  The price has gone
                 up since he bought it... what real estate _hasn't_?
          \_ You do know about conflict of interest don't you?

6/26    anyone have problem using lynx w/in pine? I can't see the error
        but it looks like it is looking in /usr/share/bin.

6/26    Senate within one vote of passing constitutional amendment to ban
        flag burning
        http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/06/26/flag
        \_ Thank God our elected representatives are making us safer.
        \_ Shouldn't it set off alarm bells among (are there any left?) the
           small gvt folks that "A total of 14 Democrats, including Minority
           Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Dianne Feinstein of California,
           are expected to join 52 Republicans who support changing the
           Constitution to allow federal prohibitions of flag burning."?
           \_ Yes, but it's also a midterm election year.
           \_ The small government folks are voting for the few real
              conservatives who show up on the election rosters.
           \_ Feinstein is a sell-out and a tool.  -tom
        \_ 'In a recent USA Today editorial, (Feinstein) wrote, "There is no
           idea or thought expressed by the burning of the American flag that
           cannot be expressed equally well in another manner."'
           Does she have any idea what a foolish road that is to walk?
           \_ here's the op-ed:  http://csua.org/u/g9m
              I strongly disagree with her.  For one, her argument about
              the Lincoln Memorial is ass, as there is only one of those,
              and a ton of U.S. flags anyone can buy.
              I also watched her on CNN last week on the panel of woman
              Democrat senators, and she looked ... senile.
              This is in contrast to Boxer, who seems articulate and informed.
              \_ If their political views/votes were reversed I suspect your
                 opinion of each would reverse as well.
                 \_ I doubt it.  I've seen a lot of Boxer, but not that much
                    Feinstein.  Boxer looks dynamic; Feinstein, senile.
                    Feinstein.  Boxer looks dynamic; Feinstein, slow.
                 \_ I doubt it.  I've seen a lot of Boxer, and she's always
                    looked dynamic, informed, and articulate.
                    \_ Uh huh.  I've seen a lot of both and I think Boxer is
                       a mindless party line drone.  My politics are much
                       closer to Feinstein however so I at least realise that
                       my opinion of each is tainted by my political views.
              \_ Her conclusion is pure hand-waving.  If there is some other
                 expression similar to burning the flag, would it not also
                 be reasonable that congress has the power to block it as well?
                 \_ We should also disallow not standing up when the national
                    anthem is playing.  You diminish the bravery of every
                    soldier who has fought for the United States, some of whom
                    have been horribly injured for their sacrifice.
        \_ I might have to partake in a protest mass flag burning if this shit
           happens. I wonder if pissing on the flag will still be allowed?
           \_ A more clever way to protest this is to serve up a nice batch
              of American flag cookies, with a note pointing out that anyone
              who actually eats one would be breaking the law by directly
              transforming the American flag into excrement.
              \_ Uh... no.  The way to protest most things is to do that
                 thing on a large scale.  The sillier the thing, the larger
                 the scale.
                 \_ I think that's the wrong approach in this case.  Part of
                    the reason it didn't pass is that the severity of the
                    problem (very very small) vs. the encroachment on freedom
                    of expression makes it not appealing to pass.  If people
                    come out and start defacing the flag right and left, I
                    can't imagine it swaying opinion _away_ from passing the
                    bill.
                    \_ Uh, the bill didn't and probably never will pass and
                       even if it does that's only the start of a long process
                       to attempt to change the Constitution.  I think it's
                       stupid but if someone wants to burn the flag go ahead.
                       No one is going to change the Constitution because
                       some people in Berkeley burned the flag.
              \_ Don't forget to provide American flag napkins for the
                 crumbs.

6/26    Austrian Writer Peter Handke: Send my award to the Serbs
        http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1655863/posts
        \_ Please tell me why do you change it to an IP? Are you
           embarrassed about the source?
           \_ I sure as heck would be.

6/26    Can a (small) company in a different country register a company
        in the US? Something like a sales office? Or register a real
        company name? Do they need to have a physical presence here?
        Is this at the city, state or federal level? A friend of mine
        wants to know, can someone point me in some directions?
        -clueless engineer
        \_ Call a lawyer.

6/26    http://cbs4.com/local/local_story_177194808.html
        Rush Limbaugh detained on possession of illegal prescription drugs.
        \_ republicans rool while liberals drool1!!!111!!1one
        \_ That's one way of putting it.  Sorry but this one isn't going
           anywhere.
        \_ Should this be "detained on illegal possession of prescription
           drugs"?
           \- Rush Limbaugh is an illegal radio host.
              http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~nunberg/aliens.html
              \_ Which aliens?  The Greys?  What do They have to do with a
                 radio talk show host?
              \_ The mistake the author makes here is that he tries to
                 disconnect the adjective from the noun.  An illegal
                 immigrant is someone who immigrates illegally, not an
                 immigrant who commits an unrelated crime.  An illegal
                 radio host would be someone who is on the radio
                 illegally, not a radio host who takes illegal substances.