10/26   What's the best way to deal with training mail under CRM114?  The
        issue is that it marks up the file, and then when I train, it
        learns from it's own markup which is not what I want. --jwm
        \_ I gave up on it a year or more ago.  I found SA out of the box
           did a better job with less hassle.

10/25   link:tinyurl.com/yj8nhs -- Darth Tater  -John

10/26   http://www.ucsdguardian.org/cgi-bin/print?param=head_2002_12_02_03
        Sperm makes women happier!
        \_ What a flawed conclusion in this 2002 study.  *Even if* all other
           physical (e.g. sensitivity to latex, noise of a condom) and
           emotional (e.g. "we're not really touching each other") factors were
           eliminated in the study, the study didn't distinguish between semen
           and sperm.
           \_ Or the fact that the cum-hungry sluts are likely the ones
              not using condoms. They probably like sex more and miss it
              more than the others.
              \_ Cum-hungry sluts?  Do you think they accounted for that
                 sub-group in their statistics?
           \_ The study was conducted by a psychology professor, so what
              do you expect?

10/26   http://www.barebackresources.com/guide_safer.html
        Not work safe but pretty hilarious to read.
        \_ I think it's sexist and discriminatory that they automatically
           assume it will be two men doing it.  -John
           \_ Idea for potential humor:8, Actual execution and effect:2.
              Would you like to try again?
              \_ Take off your pants, insert a finger and lube up, and we'll
                 give it a go.  -John
                 give it a go.  -Gay John

10/26   I find this short term gain for long term loss an interesting choice.
        http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-dems26oct26,0,3860101.story?coll=la-home-headlines
        So the DNC is putting quite a number of conservatives who are running
        as Democrats.  If they win sufficient seats to take congress, the
        party will have short term control over various committees at the
        long term expense of having very conservative incumbents in the party
        who are not going to vote for a liberal agenda.  So what's the point
        of having control if you really don't?
        \_ In either case the Jews remain in control        -jblack #1 fan
        \_ One related theory I read recently was that short term gains
           would be offset by long-term losses by turning blue voters
           complacent come next election time.  My main question is, what
           happens if a bomb goes off before the midterms?  -John
           \_ I don't buy into the whole morale thing about voters and
              complacency and all that.  We're losing so that will motivate
              us to win.  We're winning so that will motivate us to win.
              We're neck and neck so that will motivate us to win.  Shrug.

10/27   Anybody knows what's up with the alumni.eecs server?
        It has been down for almost a month now.
        \_ It is run by volunteers.  Maybe you'd like to volunteer?
           \- my suspicion is this is a casualty of the IEEE office move.
              ucsee was off the air for a while because nobody checked
              is there was a drop in the new office, and then there was a
              $ dispute about getting a drop in. anyway, i'm not sure
              why alumni didnt come back when ucsee did ... that might
              just be a case of "we forgot to plut it in" or it could be
              something lame like only one drop and they dont have a hub etc.

10/26   Muslim cleric blames women for rape:
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061026/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_muslims
        'A senior Muslim cleric compared women who go without a head scarf to
        "uncovered meat" left out for scavengers, ...
        "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside ... without
        cover, and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or
        the uncovered meat's?"'
        \_ Sadly not an original stance.  Look at Pakistan's legal structure
           that says a raped woman needs 4 male witnesses or she's guilty of
           adultery.  The obvious assumption is women are SEX MACHINES just
           waiting for that chance to get it wherever they can.  Of course
           there's some merit to "dressing provocatively gets you raped", but
           it's no different than "buying that expensive car is what got it
           stolen"
           \_ No, there is no merit to "didn't cover herself head to toe got
              her raped".  Nor is there any merit to "she was wearing a
              bikini and it got her raped".  Buying an expensive car doesn't
              get it stolen.  Getting it stolen gets it stolen.  Sheesh.
              \_ I think we're agreeing with each other.  My point was that the
                 "merit" is pointless.  There's definitely a herd mentality
                 at play here, though.  If they're all covered head to toe and
                 one's showing ankle, she _is_ more likely to get raped.  That
                 doesn't mean she was "asking for it" or "deserved it", but
                 there is cause and effect.
                 \_ I think you'd have to back that up. I don't know what
                    goes through a rapist's mind (probably - often - just
                    a simple "right place at the right time") but I know
                    that when talking about being sexually attracted to
                    women I am not necessarily more attracted to the ones
                    showing more skin. If one is not attractive (to me) and
                    half-naked and her friend is totally hot but covered
                    head to toe, I'm still interested in the hot one.
                    \_ But in an environment where most dress conservatively,
                       one can use the fact that one girl is dressed "slutty"
                       to rationalize that that one is "asking for it" and
                       so it's ok to rape her. In those fucked up religious
                       places "slutty" could be having your head uncovered.
                       Actually there was a case in Iraq where a goat farmer
                       was murdered because he had been warned to put diapers
                       on his goats and failed to do so. source:
                       http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5622900
                       The real implication here is that men are like
                       dumb beasts, who will eat "meat" if it's available
                       regardless of morality.
        \_ How can one buy meat at the "meat market" if one can't see it
           first?
           \_ If you're hungry enough anything tastes good.
           \_ Your parents arranged it with her parents.  No one asked you.
              \_ So when do you start feeding yourself?
        \_ This is the argument I keep having with American friends who do
           not really have a lot of exposure to really nasty militant islam
           inside the country--some of the shit you see from the loonies,
           who are neither few nor far in between nor particularly fringe, is
           so egregiously bad that it immediately removes any legitimacy they
           might lay claim to--and yet some insist on "dialogue" with
           assholes like this while painting painting people like Orianna
           Fallaci as fascists (probably right, but still) who should be
           shunned and ostracized.  Sigh.  Then again, there was the Italian
           court a few years ago who acquitted a guy of rape because it's a
           well-known fact that you can't get blue jeans off a woman who
           isn't a willing participant... -John
           \_ Italian rape case:
              http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/277263.stm
        \_ I want to ask this cleric: if he goes to a public restroom and
           pees with his microscopic willie, without cover, and a stray dog
           walks in and bites it off, whose fault is it, the dog or the
           uncovered willie?
           \_ His wang would be unclean and unable to join him in paradise.
           \_ Neither.  It would be the fault of the Jews and their Zionist
              Entity, created and sponsored by The Great Satan.
              \- i have neither followed the story nor the thread above closely
                 but i think a number of people are missing the point. the
                 point is not to debate this on the merits, but ask "why do
                 obvious fruitcakes continue to have followers rather than
                 discrediting themselves." this applies to: crazy mullahs ...
                 a category in which i include pat robertson, people like
                 rush limbaugh [i dont include ann coulter, michelle malkin,
                 michael moore ... because i dont think they really have
                 followers in the same sense ... and they are to a greater
                 extent just clowns]. i dont really think there is anything
                 to talk about "on the merits". like w.r.t. to creationism:
                 creationism in the 21st century is an interesting social
                 phenomena in america which begs some explanation, but
                 obviously there is nothing to talk about on the substative/
                 scientific merits. back to the mullah vs mullah: obviously
                 it's silly to claim not wearing the chador/burka/hijab ->
                 "come get me" is ridiculous ... why are you even talking about
                 that. do you sped a lot of time debating whether america
                 "deserved" 9/11, katerina because it is not appoximating
                 "deserved" 9/11, katerina because it is now appoximating
                 soddom and gommorah? how about "can a good christian
                 pray for the death of ussc justice." so what begs explanation
                 is almost anthopological, not ethical/moral/legal or religous.
                 is almost anthopological, not ethical/moral/legal or relig.
                 \- BTW, it occurs to me that the cathloic popes have some
                    equally fruitcake views. they might be less inflammory
                    and not have obvious policy consequences, but intellec-
                    tually, they are about as nutty. i suppose it's a
                    somewhat interesting question would you rather work for
                    a boss who held some minorly offensive political views
                    or somthing fruitcakish, like aliens are walking among us
                    or the earth is flat or we never landed on the moon ...
                    which speaks to general world view and reasoning, but
                    little if any policy consequences.

10/25   In Syria, Iraq's Fate Silences Democracy Activists
        http://tinyurl.com/yc37tc (washingtonpost.com)
        \_ I can't seem to find this URL...?
           \_ seems to work for me.

10/25   Revolt of the fairly rich
        http://tinyurl.com/yy42h7 (money.cnn.com)
        \_ Because they can best see the broken promises of the prior social
           order where "go to school, work hard = good retirement".

10/26   This congress is pretty much a "do nothing congress."  My question of
        the day is, how did that happene?   The Republicans control both
        houses and the presidency!
        \_ because, fundamentally, conservatives like things the way they are.
           \_ That's so cute that it ought to be true.
        \_ in part because the republicans in congress are conservative while
           the bush administration is republican yet not conservative.  so
           bush couldn't get most of his big spender policy through yet the
           conservatives in congress couldn't get past the more centrist
           senate.  grid lock isn't a bad thing in government.  i'm all for
           a life time of do nothing congresses.
           \_ I'm sorry, but with budget deficits in the $500B range we
              cannot afford "do nothing" Congresses that keep this level
              of deficit spending.  Further, social security needs to be
              fixed.
           \_ "Couldn't get most of his big spender policy through"
              Are you HIGH? Bush has even eclipsed President Johnson in
              spending.

10/26   Periodic Table Shower Curtain:
        http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/8a2f
        \_ Screw that.  I already know as much of the periodic chart as I
           need.  I think it makes more sense to have a shower curtain with
           plastic slots to put viewgraphs of relevant data in that you print
           out yourself.  That would be cool.
        \_ "Jog those brain cells with some steaming hot water, and a giant
           six-foot tall periodic table."  Nope, can't read it in a shower when
           it faces outward like in the picture.
           \_ you don't get it.  you jog your brain cells trying to read
              it in reverse.
              \_ Ah!  I see!
        \_ That is so fucking cool
        \_ this is cool too http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/76c9
           "have patience friends, the blood-curdling plant-on-insect action
           will be worth the wait"

10/26   College degree inflation, and a BA/BS degree is worth ~$20K/year.
        Also Bush loving rednecks in West Virginia have the lowest
        proportion of college graduates.
        http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/10/26/degree.value.ap
        \_ I'm not saying their conclusions are wrong, but anyone who talks
           about mean income without talking about median income is such
           a moron that they should be ignored just on principle.
           Fucking dumbass journalists.
           \_ What's the difference?  -- dumbass journalist
              \_ The median income is the income such that exactly half the
                 population has a higher income and half has a lower income.
                 The mean is found by adding everyone's income and dividing
                 by the number of people in the sample set.  For certain
                 distributions they are the same, but not typically for
                 income.  If you live in a town with 99 poor people plus
                 Bill Gates, than the mean income is roughly bill gates's
                 income divided by 100, which is not a useful number by
                 itself if you want to know about the whole population.
                 Whereas the median will actually give you information
                 about the other 99 people.
              \_ i guess the median is lower
        \_ Because off-springs of siblings tend to be retarded.
        \_ ah yes welcome to the motd where racism is not only ok but
           encouraged as long as its white people we hate.
           \_ It's a culture thing, not a color thing.
        \_ as yes more racism, why are most liberals inveterate
           racists?
              \_ Bzzzt!   Redneck = white.  There are no 'rednecks' of any
                 other race/color.  If you're going to use hateful terms it
                 helps to know what they mean so you offend the right people,
                 ok?
                 \_ What about that Hmong dude on King of The Hill? Isn't
                    he a redneck?
                    \_ way no.  he's a different case, a caricature of
                       arrogant, overachieving asians.

10/26   Sudoku Rubix Cube:
        http://toys.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00112
        \_ It doesn't seem very sudoku-like.  All the faces just have
           1-9 on them, all in order, which makes it equivalent to a
           normal Rubik's cube (aside from orienting the center
           squares).
        \_ I saw some with white background in Walgreen's.

10/26   http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/26/news/economy/newhomes
        New home price plunge worst since 70s
        \_ fyi, this is a Commerce Dept result, of only new homes; this is
           more forward-looking than existing homes, as article explains.
           the Natl Assoc of Realtors recorded a 2.2% drop in median price
           year-over-year of all types of homes sold - biggest drop ever.
           ob swami sux.
           if we took out incentives, it would a fuckin' rout.  of course,
           santa clara (and SF) remain strong.  ob swami sux.
           santa clara county (and SF) remain strong.  ob swami sux.
           http://rereport.com/scc/charts/prices.gif

10/26   Govt report on Q3 U.S. GDP due before market opens Friday morning
        Analyst consensus is 2.6%
        Analyst consensus of all major banks is 2.0% or lower
        White House Natl Economic Council head predicts between 1 - 2%
        Council of Economic Advisors to the President signals below 2%
        Finally, wishful thinking of a Q4 bounce
        \_ It's time to short GDP!
           \_ The trick is to figure out how much the market has factored in
              2.6% vs. <= 2.0%, and election hijinks prior to tomorrow morning.

10/26   Schwartzenegger grants DMV additional stickers, allowing up to
        10K hybrid vehicles to hog up the carpool lane.
        \_ Hogging?  Isn't the point of the CP lane to reduce gas consumption?
           It seems the right place for a vehicle with lower consumption.  I
           don't own one, I drive a gas hog V8, but I don't have a problem
           with single passenger hybrids in the CP lane.
           \_ 2-3 people in a car doubles to triples the fuel efficiency of
              the car...  hybrid w/ one person (which is the only reason to
              have the sticket) may not compete with that (especially if it's
              2-3 people in a non-gas-guzzler)
           \_ I thought it was supposed to reduce congestion. Besides hybrids
              are most efficient in stop and go, so the space should be made
              available to non-hybrid cars that need to keep moving.
              \_ Agree, it's for congestion.
                 \_ The point of HOV lanes is to encourage carpooling. More
                    carpooling improves both congestion and per capita fuel
                    expenditure, but HOV lanes themselves increase congestion
                    by reducing the number of lanes available overall (since
                    less than 1/4 of cars qualify, so more than 3/4 of all cars
                    must use only 3 of 4 lanes). I think Varaiya did some
                    research into this recently.
        \_ US transportation policy is completely inane.  We should
           double or triple the number of highway lanes.
           This would save billions in man hours wasted sitting in traffic,
           reduce emmission, save gas, and generally result in a greatly
           improved quality of life.
                    research into this recently. -gm
                    \_ It improves fuel expenditure, but the point of it
                       is/was to relieve congestion via carpooling. The
                       mileage your vehicle gets was never part of the
                       equation.
                    \_ Carpool lanes carry much more traffic than other
                       lanes, as long as you don't do stupid things like
                       allow hybrids to use them.  (But mainly, carpool
                       lanes are a scam to get semi-eco-conscious taxpayers
                       to approve more road construction; carpool lane
                       constraints are always loosened after the bill/bond
                       passes).  -tom
                       \_ Varaiya's research: link:csua.org/u/hbd
                          Conclusions include an increase in overall congestion
                          and no significant increase in throughput of people
                          (which is what I assume you mean by "more traffic").
                          I find some of the arguments made in the paper to
                          be unconvincing (in particular, the paper does not
                          address the issue of reduced demand outside HOV hours)
                          but I'm inclined to believe that the conclusions are
                          more or less correct. I'd be interested to see data
                          to the contrary if you have any. -gm
                          address the issue of reduced demand outside HOV
                          hours) but I'm inclined to believe that the
                          conclusions are more or less correct. I'd be
                          interested to see data to the contrary if you have
                          any. -gm
                          \_ The issue you mention is a pretty significant one;
                             the primary finding of the paper is that traffic
                             moves faster from 7-9 PM than it does from 4-7 PM,
                             and there's an implicit assumption that the
                             traffic would move at the 7-9 PM speed if the
                             HOV lane didn't exist.  I think that's fairly
                             ridiculous.  -tom
                       \_ A couple years ago CalTrans said more people passed
                          thru the carpool lanes on the left and right of the
                          west-bound Bay Bridge approach during commute hours
                          every day than that on all the other 14 toll lanes
                          combined.
           \_ I guess you could argue the carpool lane rules reward good
              behavior, whether it is carpooling or driving a fuel efficient
              vehicle.
              \_ Buying a new hybrid car in order to use the carpool lane is
                 wasteful. And why reward hybrids and not any car getting
                 above some mpg value? This is idiotic and so are you.
                 \_ I can think of some reasons, and so can you if you bother
                    to think about it, but I agree that the reasons are
                    mostly stupid.

10/26   wow, check out http://drudgereport.com's headline.  that's some quality
        mudslinging, probably the GOP candidate's only hope.  the books are
        fiction, btw.
        \_ That's pretty awesome.  Reagan (and plenty of other people)
           thought Allen's book "Fields Of Fire" was the best book
           written on the Vietnam War, ever.
        \_ California Inferno?
           \_ refresh!  mebbe your proxy is messed up
        \_ OK, what the fuck is it w/ politicans and perverted fictional sex?
        \_ D'oh!  Webb's in some deep macaca.
        \_ Why do you think being fictional saves his ass?  That makes it
           even worse.  He's not reporting something he witnessed, it came
           from his own twisted brain.
           \_ did i say/imply being fictional makes it better?  yes, i agree it
              makes it worse. -op
              \_ yes.
                 \_ reading comprehension++
           \_ You obviously have not served...

10/26   Cody's Telegraph is now a Halloween supply store.
        \_ RIP.
        \_ Shrug.  If it sold more books it'd still be there.

10/26   Ollie North, Ortega-Contra reunion tuor, 2006!
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061024/ts_nm/nicaragua_usa_dc_2

10/26   I'm finding OSC's anti-homework rants fairly amusing
        http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2006-09-17-1.html
        http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2006-09-24-1.html
        \_ I'm finding them insightful.  Have you read the books he cites?
           \_ No, I haven't.  I think I will, but I'm not in a huge hurry.
              (As my daughter won't be in school for another 2 years.)
              \_ Well, as an adult who went through the educational system,
                 what do you think? I think homework has value. I am not
                 sure that a 5 year old needs to do 4 hours per night,
                 but this kook seems to say that it's not even valuable
                 to a high school student and I strongly disagree with that.
                 The other thing this putz needs to do is figure out what
                 a private school is. Don't like the teachers? Switch
                 schools. What the hell does he think a letter-writing
                 campaign will do to a LAUSD teacher?
                 \_ OSC doesn't say anything about letter-writing campaigns
                    in the article, are you refering to something in the
                    books?  I haven't read those, and can't comment on
                    them.  In the second essay he covers what kind of HW is
                    and isn't reasonable for HS students, and that sounds
                    pretty right on.  I really don't remember elementry well
                    enough to say.  I don't recall oppressive amounts of HW
                    anyway. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen somewhere.
                    He also points out that his daughter currently is not
                    overburdend, so he doesn't need a private school.  Wait,
                    you didn't read the article, did you? -op
                    \_ I read the article and in it he says that if your
                       child's teacher is assigning more homework than you
                       would like then you should start writing letters.
                       It should be every parent's right to raise an idiot
                       child, after all. In the second article, he talks
                       about how people don't need basic math if they are
                       going into the fields of English or PE. (Math is a
                       subject that is homework-intensive.) What does it
                       matter if the Chinese or Russians are better at
                       math, he says. I can't really support that. He thinks
                       it is okay to go gather leaves, but not to do math
                       homework. The truth about most parents who think
                       their kids have too much homework is that their
                       kids just aren't very bright and that's why it
                       takes them so long to do it. I have witnessed this
                       first hand.
                       \_ Yep, a lot of what he says is a little wacky, no
                          argument there.  However, he doesn't say
                          non-science people don't need "basic
                          math" he says the don't need 4 years of HS math
                          (up to calculus.)  I personally don't really
                          agree, (sounds like the German system, which has
                          well known defects) but you don't need to
                          exaggerate.  On the letter writing, he advocates
                          1 letter to the teacher with a cc to the
                          principal, that's not a "campaign" that's
                          documentation.  I can't respond to your last
                          sentence.  Again, it differs by location.
                          \_ Note that Math-up-to-Calculus is not required for
                             students who do not intend to attend college. For
                             those who do intend to go to college, I can't
                             recommend math up to Calculus enough because:
                             a) it exposes students to a field that they may
                             find interesting enough to pursue, & b) it teaches
                             the kind of discipline you need to do better than
                             a C average in college (and get anywhere in life).
                             \_ Field?  You mean math?  I would argue that you
                                don't really get exposed to that "field" until
                                you take something like 104.  Maybe kids should
                                take analysis in highschool?  I was lucky enough
                                to get exposed to things like analysis and
                                differential geometry in highschool and did
                                get hooked, but I don't think most highschool
                                students who take up through calc get exposed
                                to anything remoteley resembling real math
                                as it's practiced by mathematicians.
                             \_ They should have real analysis in highschool
                                if the goal is to get kids hooked on math.
                                Too bad most highschool math teachers are
                                not qualified to teach that.
                                    \- i loved analysis [mostly because i
                                       like topology] but i dont agree
                                       with this at all. being able to think
                                       in terms of marginal rates of change,
                                       gradients, minimization and maximizing
                                       of functions is useful for many many
                                       problems, even if in just a conceptual
                                       sense where you arent actually doing
                                       the math ... and some things are
                                       probably EASIER to explain with
                                       elementary calculus without
                                       calculus [like a lot of mirco econ].
                                       on the other hand, i dont think most
                                       people really need deep understanding
                                       of continuity, let alone more
                                       complicated stuff like compactness.
                                       for science people, understanding
                                       more about integration theory and
                                       measure isnt bad. but this is a much
                                       smaller group than the "practically
                                       everyone" who would benefit by
                                       learning some calculus. rather than
                                       analysis, i think i'd recommend a
                                       analysis, i'd recommend a class on
                                       "science that everybody should know"
                                       [DNA, gravity, a little atomic theory,
                                       conservation laws, evolution, some
                                       astronomy etc].
                                       \_ Dude, I'm not seriously advocating
                                          forcing everyone in highschool to
                                          take analysis.  I do think that in
                                          a perfect world, there would be
                                          an *opportunity* for highschool
                                          kids to get exposed to it if they're
                                          really into math.  Even if it's just
                                          as simple as having a calc teacher
                                          that knows enough to hand their
                                          best, most bored students a copy of
                                          Rudin to read for fun.
                                \_ Agreed! However, the same could be said of
                                   critical analysis of history and current
                                   events and the lack of qualified
                                   instructors. Cf. "Lies My Teacher Taught Me"
                                   \_ Is history addictive like math?  I'm not
                                      sure.  "Don't worry, kid.  It's just a
                                      harmless little book with some funny
                                      symbols...and the first one's free"--
                                      and then you're hooked!  Before you know
                                      it, you're living in your car and ripping
                                      off people's TV sets to get money to
                                      buy your Springer-Verlag books.

10/26   I'm considering upgrading from a 14" iBook G4 1.33 MHz to a 2.0 GHz
        white MacBook. How much hotter will the MacBook be?

10/26   I seem to having this same conversation a lot recently:

        them: Hey get a Yahoo/MSN/hotmail account.
        me: No. I already have a gmail account.
        them: Just get one so I can IM you.
        me: Use AIM or gtalk like everyone else.
        them: But I don't use AIM or gtalk.
        me: Fine, I'll get one. Just don't send me email me there.
        (months later)
        them: Hey, I sent you an email/evite weeks ago and you ignored me.
        me: No you didn't.
        them: Yes I did.
        me: What account did you send it to?
        them: xxxx@yahoo/hotmail.com
        me: I don't check that account. Send it to my gmail account next time.
        them: Why not?
        me: Because it's not my freaking email address you moron. Get a clue.
        (repeat over and over and over again)

        What the hell? Why do people insist that you check an email account
        you never use and then bitch and complain when you don't respond to
        their emails?
        \_ You sure are bitchy.
        \_ I've never had that problem.  Maybe you need friends that
           aren't dumb?
           \_ seconded
              \_ Thirded, but I have a friend who only has gtalk.  "What's
                 wrong with gtalk?" ... When he IMs me I never notice it.
        \_ The invisible hand.
        \_ Forward e-mail from that address to the one you do read.
           \_ AFAIK, neither support forwarding.
        \_ AIM?  I thought nobody uses AIM anymore.  I stopped logging in to
           my AIM a couple years ago.
           \_ Really? Most of my interns (current EECS students) only use
              AIM, which is why I got an AIM account.
        \_ I got that same problem.  Here is how i solved it.
           1. use thunderbird and /or  client that supports both imap and pop3
           2. use mr.postman so all yahoo/hotmail account email will be
              end up in your local mail client
           3. use gaim so you can talk to every friends of you (5 total)
              using their IM software of the week.
           The only thing I can't solve right now is that my friends starts to
           use Microsoft's lives.space as their blog  service.  That service
           can not be accessed without using Microsoft's official client,
           using Internet Explorer.   Let me know if you guys find a way to
           get around that.             kngharv

10/26   "If Hitler hadn't turned against their beloved Stalin, liberals would
        have stuck by him, too." --Ann Coulter
        OMGWTFBBQ!
        \_ Just out of morbid curiousity, what's the theory behind "liberals
           liked Hitler"?
           \_ Not that you should ever take Coulter seriously... but her
              liberal baiting crowd usually claim that liberals
              would have sided with Stalin.  This Hitler thing
              sounds new.  Maybe she's still ironing it out in the
              draft of an upcoming book.
           \_ Nazism is short for National Socialism. Everyone knows that
              the liberals would like to deploy national cradle to the grave,
              the liberals would like to deploy federal cradle to the grave,
              let the welfare state take care of me and insulate me from the
              invisible hand style socialist policies. This means Liberals
              must like national socialism. Since Hitler was a proponent of
              national socialism, Liberals like Hitler.
              invisible hand style socialist policies. This means that if
              the liberals took control, we would have socialism nationally.
              Socialism national, is the same as National Socialism, when
              Socialism nationally, is the same as National Socialism, when
              you turn the words around. Thus Liberals like National Socialism.
              Since Hilter was a proponent of National Socialism, and Liberals
              like National Socialism, Liberals like Hitler.
              Since Hilter liked National Socialism, and Liberals like National
              Socialism, Liberals like Hitler.
              \_ Yes, and the People's Democratic Republic of Korea is run
                 by the Democrats, too. And the Republicans, I guess.
                 by the Democrats. And the Republicans too, I guess.
                 \_ That's Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  Thanks for
                    playing.
                    \_ Why the heck do communist countries always have
                       "democratic" or "republic" (or both) in the name,
                       anyway?
                    \_ I am telling you, it's the Judean People's Front.
                    \_ I am telling you, we're the Judean People's Front.
                       \_ Instant legitimacy. Since "republic" and "democratic"
                          imply election by and support of the populace,
                          any efforts made against the Party thus become
                          efforts against "the people." It's the 20th century
                          equivalent of Divine Right of Kings. The fascinating
                          thing is watching the PRC straddling the line
                          between the 20th and pre-20th centuries through
                          the "republic" wording and PR stories that obviously
                          reference the Mandate of Heaven (i.e., all goals met,
                          crops abundant, weather mild, etc.). --erikred
                    \_ "Excuse me. Are you the Judean People's Front?"
                       "Fuck you! We are the People's Front of Judea."
                 \_ I agree is completely STUPID, but that is the rationale
                    I have heard. I'm also told that some democrats wanted
                    to stay out of WW2, but I've never seen any facts to
                    back that up.
                    \_ Uh?  There was a large isolationist movement.  If you
                       looked for facts you'd find them.  It was no secret.
                       \_ The isolationist movement was largely Republican.
        \_ Stupidity's unfortunately no legal grounds for retroactive
           abortion.  -John

10/26   http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/26/laura.bush/index.html
        I trust the First Lady and when she says her husband didn't lie,
        I believe her. My faith in the Republican party is back  -conservative
        \_  "With her favorability rating at 68 percent in the latest CNN
            poll..."  Good gods! 68%?!  Is there any republican at the national
            level who even comes close to that now?  You guys are just happy
            to have *one* national level figure who is at least doing no
            real harm.
            \_ Fortunately we run the country by elections, not polls.  Your
               last line about doing harm is bizarre.  Polls are not a measure
               of harm but whatever.

10/26   http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/26/news/economy/weighty_drivers
        Americans now pump 938 million gallons of fuel more on a yearly basis
        than they were in 1960 because of their increasing weight.
        Americans' reliance on cars for private transportation has increased
        as low rise construction, single-family homes and highways associated
        with suburbs have grown since the end of World War II.
        By the way, Exxon made $10.5B, a near-record quarter.
        \_ Airlines once considered addign a surcharge for passangers that are
           overweight, because flying them consumes quite a bit more fuel.
           Airlines are also pumping more gallons per passanger into the planes
           before takeoff in order to restore the level of safety to that
           before obesity was widespread.

10/26   I'm considering upgrading from a 14" 1.33 GHz iBook G4 to a 2 GHz
        white MacBook. How much hotter will the MacBook be? And, is now a
        good time to buy a MacBook, or are there kinks that will be worked
        out in the next version?
        \_ With Apple just releasing new MBP with Merom CPUs, Macbook update
           may or may not be far away, so if you can wait, I'd suggest waiting
           a bit.  As far as heat goes, check out smcFanControl software.
           Works well with my MBP.
        \_ My cousin's MB is hot enough that he can't put it on his lap.
           If you are okay using it on a desk, then you will be okay. I
           also agree that you should wait b/c the MB may be updated in
           MWSF.
          \|_ Thanks. I'll wait for the next version!