11/9    Hard drive crashed. Data recovery? Freeware? I've heard of
        http://www.drivesavers.com They charge worst case $18k
        per GB but I heard you *will* get your data back. Ugh... how
        about http://www.restorer2000.com which I've heard is
        easy to use and restored my friend's files after some very
        important sectors went bad.
        \_ WAIT! STOP!  Before you run any silly programs on your drive
           you should use 'dd' or some other low level program of your
           choice to make a copy of your drive as best you're able.
           Depending on how your drive crashed you may only get one
           shot at recovery.
        \- driversavers never recovered anything on any disks i am
           aware of that went to them. i dont think these were damaged
           that badly.
        \_ If the disk still spins up, have a look at getdataback for
           NTFS ($$ but cheap.)  That's saved me 2 drives.  If that
           won't work, I can dig up the name of a forensics outfit
           that has a pretty good price structure.  -John
        \_ Send it to lazarus in SF they'll give you a free estimate
           http://www.lazarus.com

11/10   New Spiderman 3 Trailer:
        http://www.ifilm.com/presents/spiderman3

11/10   Has anyone heard of Otakukin before?  These guys have got to be a
        joke. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otakukin
        http://forum.deviantart.com/community/complaints/612247
        \_ It sounds much more harmless and less stupid than Christianity.
           If these people are for real, how many of them do you think
           believe that the world was created 6000 years ago exactly as
           described in Genesis?  You know, the same ignorant load of shit
           believed by OVER HALF of our dumbass redneck nation.
                                                \_ Hi racist!
           \_ BTW, is it Genesis or another Bible book which said the earth is
              flat and the sun revolves around it?
              \_ Neither.
                 \_ Then why did the Church arrest Galileo?
                    \_ They were staying the course.  -John
                       \_ I see.  So it wasn't the Bible that was wrong.  It
                          was the Church that was wrong.
                          \_ No, the pope is infallible.
                          \_ The Bible never says "the earth is flat", nor does
                             it say the Sun revolves around the Earth. There
                             are passages which talk about "the four corners of
                             the Earth" which some people interpreted to mean a
                             flat world. There is a record of a miracle in
                             which "the sun stood still" which many interpreted
                             to mean the sun goes around the earth, etc.

11/10   perl question: I want to bind the result of a pattern match on one
        variable to another variable.  I constantly find myself doing something
        like:
                $myvar1 = $long_string;
                $myvar1 =~ s/.*(regex.*)/$1/g;
        and it seems silly to do an assignment followed by a modification.
        Am I missing something?  Is there a way to do this in a single step?
        \_ Not a good way.  One of the things ruby fixes and that they're fixing
           in Perl6. You can do: ($myvar1 = $long_string) =~ s/.*(regex.*)/$1/g;
           but since you're being a good little perler and using strict, you'll
           still need two lines since you need my $myvar1; in there somewhere
                                \_ (my $myvar1 = $long_string) ... ?
           Now mconst will explain how there's an even better way.
           --dbushong
        \_ Not to nick pick but what's wrong with two lines? There's a fine
           line between convenience and readability. In either case regex in
           Perl is 100X easier to code and read than Java/STL/Python.
        \_ there's always the match, then assign...
           $long_string =~ /.*(regex.*)/;
           $myvar1 = $1;

11/10   I would like to thank the developers of Splinter Cell Double Agent for
        simplifying the light meter.  Actually having a warning when you're
        about to be visible was annoying.  I like the new instant transition
        from hidden to "visible from orbit".  It's great.  Thanks guys.
        </sarcasm>
        \_ What, is the lighting now kinda like Doom or something?
           \_ No, they simply changed the slider that measures dark to light
              into a single light that goes green->yellow->red.  Yellow means
              the guards are on alert and come looking for you.  So you have no
              idea when you're walking out of shadow.

11/10   Is there anyway to get C/C++ compilers to automatically compile
        different code for different processors?  I'd like to be able to
        say something like:
          #if defined X86 ...
          #elif defined SPARC ...
          #else ...
        If there's not standard way to have the compiler do it, is ther an
        easy way to have configure figure it out?
        \_ Most compilers have something like that.  Which compiler are you
           using?
           \_ I have to support a couple. gcc and icc are the main ones.
           \_ So, do you know how to do it in any compiler?  Please?
        \_ Do you mean that you want to do this without the #if statements?  Or
           do you just want standardized OS defs?  If the latter, take a look a
           the wxwidgets project, it's got a lot of examples of OS-specific
           code.
           \_ I don't care about OS, I care about processor architecture.
              x86, sparc, IA64, PowerPC.  I don't really care if it's done
              with #ifdefs or some other way.  It doesn't matter.
              \_ Sorry--brain fart about OS.
         \_ gcc at least, makes this easy for you. do a 'gcc -E' and see what
            defines it sets. Usually it is thinkgs like __sparc__ and __X86__
            for the relevant architectures.  Then you can just wrap your code
             in #ifdef's for those symbols. -ERic.

11/10   Hi sodans.  Engagement rings again.  What do people think of a 0.70
        carat ring at http://bluenile.com for $2,500 (+$500=$3K for setting)?  Will
        her parents think I'm cheap?  My SO has indicated that she would rather
        spend the money on something useful (car, crap, etc.).  Do women really
        want 1 carat minimum?  I know about Apollo Diamond, but it's not
        mature (ob blood diamond discussion).  Also, is a Signature Ideal
        diamond really that much better than a Very Good cut diamond?  Thanks.
        \_ It's fine.  Be glad you found a women that has a bit more
           sense than just how big a ring you can give her.  Why would it
           matter what her parents think?  I bought my wife something
           similar to what you are thinking of getting.  Out of the
           four C's, I go for cut, color, clarity, and carat in that
           order.  The better cut does give a better "fire".
        \_ I bought my wife's engagement ring for less than $300 and wedding
           ring for less than $1k.  Now *that* was cheap.  We put the money on
           properties, cars (not fancy ones) and savings instead.
        \_ Before you buy anything, check out the past discussions on "debeers"
           and "De Beers" in the MOTD archive.
           \_ We have synthetic diamonds now.  Screw De Beers. -!op
              \_ If someone came up with a process to create diamond rings
                 for like $100 that match today's $3000 ones, would people
                 still value giving those?
                 \_ I hope not.  Down with jewlrey!
              \_ Yeah.  But from the MOTD archive, De Beer "also started a PR
                 program to convince people that synthetic diamonds are like
                 cheating by buying a cubic zirconia and that if you really
                 love your woman you'll get her a 'real' diamond."  So don't
                 fall to that BS.
                 love your woman you'll get her a 'real' diamond."
                 \_ If you really love your woman, you'll buy her this jar
                    filled with the blood of african children killed so that
                    rich people can show off their bad taste. $3000 OBO.
                    \_ You know, It actually would not be crazy to try to start
                       something where one pays 3000 dollars for a 100 dollar
                       piece of jewlery plus a 2900 dollar loan/grant to a
                       non-diamond related African business.  If this caught
                       on, men could avoid being called cheap, but have a net
                       positive effect instead of net negative effect on the
                       African economy.
                       \_ You're insane.  Yes, let's buy milk bottle rings
                          for our wives and send millions of dollars every
                          year to stuff the pockets of which corrupt what?
                          Seriously, you're either a troll or you've never
                          had a girlfriend.
                    \_ GO DE BEAH!
        \_ Her parents have nothing to do with it.  If you still care about
           her/your/anyone else's opinion on how you live your life at this
           level you're likely not ready for a serious relationship.  It is
           none of their business.  You should talk with her about it.  As far
           as size of the stone goes, see above about the 4 Cs.  Cut is most
           important because that is the shape of the stone.  Good color and
           clarity will make whatever you have look better.  Carat count
           beyond about .5 or .6 is all about showing off to the Jones'.
           Unless you're marrying the Jones' or her parents don't worry about
           that.  Also, most marriages that end in divorce do so because of
           money problems.  Don't spend a zillion bucks on a rock and a party
           just to get divorced 6 months later because you're broke and every
           penny spent is a big fight.
        \_ Do you get one diamond engagement ring plus a diamond wedding ring
           later? Or is that the same ring? Also, I thought you're supposed to
           have the ring when you propose, not discuss it.
           \_ The wedding ring is not supposed to have a rock in it.  It's
              supposed to be a band, representing eternity.  Maybe op should
              get a mobious strip ring.
              \_ Typically engagement ring has the diamond.  Your fiance
                 wears that between your engagement until your wedding
                 day.  She doesn't wear that ring at the ceremony because
                 the wedding band is suppose to go on first.  Something
                 to do with "closer to the heart."  She slips the
                 engagement ring back on (band first, then ring) after
                 the ceremony.
                 \_ ok thanks, I guess I was always a bit confused about that
                 \_ And of course, it's common to get them as a set so they can
                    be welded together after the wedding.
                    \- ObDeBeers=EvilFuckers:
               http://home.lbl.gov:8080/~psb/Articles/Politics/DeBeers=Evil.txt
                       \_ I agree. I think it's silly to buy diamonds.
                          Fortunately I married a woman who agrees. -pp
        \_ After all that is being said and the evil of De Beer.  Do
           keep in mind, that 20 years down the road, the diamond will
           still be a diamond, but other things that you might have
           bought with the diamond money, such as that plasma TV, the
           killer laptop, will probably be out of service and money
           down the toilet. ;)
           \_ Of course, if you invested, 20 years down the road you will
              probably have doubled your money.
              \- "a diamond is still a diamond" is not an argument.
                 part of the "problem" with diamonds ... again de beers
                 is partly responsible ... is there is no real secondary
                 mkt for diamonds. while the diamond is durable [assuming it
                 doesnt get stolen or lost], it isnt liquid. given that
                 a "used" diamond should be as good as a new diamond,
                 it's the depressed value of "used" diamonds that is
                 interesting [compare to high value of "used" DVDs].
                 3.5% return = double money in 20yrs. [ob nominal/real
                 disclaimer]
                 \_ Or put another way: The TV depreciates over a few years,
                    the diamond depreciates instantly!
                    \- that's a compelling way of putting it. and gives me an
                       excuse to contrast it to the depreciation of other
                       things. shoes get worn out. tv also gets worn out but
                       more importantly quality goes up and prices fall.
                       in the case of a car, it wears out, the quality goes
                       up, and there is the mkt for lemons informations
                       up, and there is the mkt for lemons information
                       aysmmetry problems [you dont know if the car has
                       been in an accident ... not generally a problem
                       with TVs ... although it is true TVs unlike cars
                       dont have an odometer ... on the other hand a tv
                       pretty much jut does one thing: have a picture,
                       which cars have transmission, tires, body, cosmetic
                       issues suspension etc]. so really a diamond is sort
                       of like a DVD ... it really doesnt wear out and what
                       you see should be what you get [minus the small chance
                       the DVD is scratch ... but surely you can get a
                       guarantee it will play fine]. but a DVD really doesnt
                       depreciate much at all! and the diamond is something
                       you would expect would hardly depreciate ... it doesnt
                       get worn out, they dint get cheaper or better over
                       time, there isnt much info asymmetry [except maybe
                       some chance it is stolen ... not also the very idea
                       of "used vs new gold" is silly], it's price would be
                                   the panda says "no!" _/
                                       \- http://csua.org/u/hfz
                       determined by the double coincidence of wants
                       [finding somebody who wants that size/cut etc] ...
                       again the same as a DVD [think about regional codings
                       fucking up the secondary mkt]. so the immense
                       depreciation can only be explained by factors outside
                       the depreciation of the product itself, i.e. debeers.
                       [for the DVD contrast, compre the price of used DVDs
                       to the amazon new price, for popular selections.
                       not also the negative premium for non-USA region
                       DVDs].
        \_ The only reason diamonds cost so much is because everyone else
           wants them (because of advertisements that suggest bigger diamond==
           commitment), and there is a strict control of supply set by the
           diamond cartel. If diamonds were mined and sold in a completely
           free market the price would plummet to less than 1/10 of its
           current value right now.
                   \- it's more complicated than debeers just pushing bigger
                      diamonds. they push different trends based on what part
                      of the stock they want to push. like going from large
                      solitares to 3 smaller stones past/present/future rings
                      because a large number of smaller diamonds came on line.
                      read the home.lbl.gov link.
           \_ Episode from South Park: Kyle asks his dad for money to
              buy the latest and greatest Chinpokemon toy. His dad explains
              that it is a fad and he doesn't have to be a part of it. In
              fact he can make an even stronger statement by saying that
              he's an individual. Kyle responds "Yes I understand. Now let
              me tell you how it works in the real world. In the real world,
              I can either get a Chinpokomon, or I can be the only kid
              without one, which singles me out, and causes the other kids
              to make fun of me and kick my ass." Dad agrees and gives him
              money.
                My advice to you-- yes DeBeers is evil, but so are many
              corporations and cartels out there. Get the fucking diamond
              anyways. You seriously don't want to be an outcast or a weirdo
              and be ridiculed in the society, do you?
                  \- this is why guys not in a bind and before The Ring becomes
                     an issue should give Liberal girls a hard time about the
                     acceptability of diamonds. look at furs ... nobody i know
                     under at least 45 is expected to buy the wife a fur ...
                     at least not in northern california. do any normal women
                     under say 45 own +$5000 fur coats? ... i dont include
                     people from texas or people who own +$1000 chihuahuas,
                     but i do include people with multimillion dollars who
                     clearly could afford it. even a ridculously expensive
                     watch is better. in fact next time i see some women
                     friends of mine, i'll have to bring it up.
           \_ Is there 10x the supply of diamonds that there is of, say,
              emeralds or rubies?
                       \- De Beers bot controls the supply [by stockpiling
                       \- De Beers both controls the supply [by stockpiling
                          the production, as well as conrolling access
                          to high high end stone to high high end
                          jewelers] but also doesnt a lot of work on
                          jewelers] but also does a lot of work on
                          the demand side ... and i think what they
                          do on the demand side is kinda sleazy.
                          it's one thing to advertise something like
                          car to an adult ... he should be able to
                          control his spending urges. but in he case
                          of diamonds for something like engagement
                          rings, it puts the man in this weird position
                          [as per the OP ... "will my inlaws think i am
                          cheep"] and is in a sense not fighting fair.
                          just like there is a sleaziness marketing say
                          junk food to kids so they will cause a scene
                          at the airport ... except this is more indsidious
                          since at least society would back if not
                          encourage the parent's right to fight the
                          peopel advertising to their kids. a guys
                          cant really himself bring up "dont be a de beers"
                          to his fiancee.
                          to his fiancee. i guess he could give her a
                          copy of one of the "debeers expose" books ...
                          [i consider it a good deed to talk about
                          debeers with liberal fiancee's of friends]

11/9    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15643639/site/newsweek/page/3
        "Polls going into the election showed a dramatic shift to the
        Democrats, but the actual numbers were less dramatic... The national
        generic polls always exaggerate the Democratic advantage...
        You generally get an over representation of Democrats in the polls.
        If you averaged the pre-election polls, there was a 12-point
        Democratic advantage."
        Just as I said. Liberals are very vocal but they're too lazy
        to vote whereas Republicans don't express their views but tend
        to be loyal hardcore voters.
        \_ Loser say what?
        \_ No, I think it's a case of who is around to answer the phone at
           the times they call and who would actually bother to do so.  I
           don't think either party's voters are "lazy" about voting.  You
           might want to note that a number of conservative ballot measures
           around the country passed (or liberal ones failed) in a lot of
           the same places that voted out incumbent Republicans in favor of
           an unknown Democrat.  Conservatives showed up, they just didn't
           vote for the faux-conservative Republican candidates.

11/10      I have a small chest size (32) but pretty large boobs -
           DD (and I'm afraid, getting very close to DDD). I started
           growing my girls when I was around 9 and when I was 10 1/2
           my mother had the "talk" with me and the next day she took me
           to buy my first bra. My mother was totally surprised to find
           that my little boobies fit into a real A cup bra.  I didn't
           really like wearing a bra because I was the first to wear
           one in my 4th grade class. The girls were either jealous or
           thought I was trying to outdo them. The boys, well let's say
           they were awed by my growth. I received more comments than
           I care to think about.  When I was 12 my best friend Mindy
           invited me and four other girls over for a sleepover. It was
           in Sept. just at the start of school and it was HOT. All of
           the girls were wearing cute little tank tops and shorts. Not
           me! I wore a loose fitting tee shirt - trying to hide the fact
           that just two weeks earlier my mom had taken me in yet again to
           be fitted for new bras. I had just turned 12 and my birthday
           present was my new 32C underwire bras. I was mortified that I
           was having to wear this huge industrial-strength bra with the
           wide shoulder straps and a 3-hook back strap.  My friend had
           a swimming pool and we all decided to go swimming so we went
           into her bedroom to change into our swim suits. Now I had never
           shown my new bra to anyone except Mindy but I thought I could
           change real quick and hopefully no one would notice. Well,
           no sooner had I lifted off my tee shirt than one of the girls
           made a comment about how large my boobies were and how big my
           bra was. Now all the girls wore bras - even if they were AA or
           A or training bras. I turned bright red, totally embarrassed
           as the conversation turned to bras and boobs and how everyone
           wish they had bigger boobs.  I turned around toward the wall
           as I unhooked my bra and tried to very quickly put on my
           swim suit top. All the other girls were wearing cute little
           triangle string bikinis but I was wearing a sturdy two piece
           with a top that really looked like a bra in disguise. I felt
           heavy, different and for the first time realized that these
           boobs I had been carrying around were going to be a liability.
           I've since grown into a 32DD - I think I was 14 when I grew
           into a D cup. At 16 I made the transition to DD and at 18 I am
           very close to trying on a DDD. Gosh, when do they STOP growing?

11/10   I modified a page in my html directory.  When I go load the page
        at work, it shows the old version of the page.  The permissions
        are set right.  I tried deleting cookies and internet files, etc.
        I tried to reload the page.  It only shows the older version.
        I tried this with a 2nd file.  Same thing.  What might be causing
        this?
        \_ you looking at a cached file.  Is there a proxy cache you go through
           at work?  Also clearing the cache in your browser.
             \_ Is that the same as deleting temporary internet files?
                If so, I already did that.
                If so, I already did that.  The version that is coming
                up in the browser was modified weeks ago.  Also, someone
                else at work on the different computer had the same problem
                with my page.  However, espn and cnn show up to date
                versions of their pages.  What makes csua different that it's
                not showing the latest version of my page?  -op
                \_ Probably some meta tag that indicates how the page
                   should be cached.
                   \_ <meta name="description" content="My pictures"> is
                      the only meta tag in the file.  -op
                      \_ I assume you mean in your file?
                         http://www.i18nguy.com/markup/metatags.html
                         Caching hints also can be specified in the http
                         header.
        \_ As the poster suggested above, are you using a web accelerator
           and if so, if you disable it do you still get the same behavior?
        \_ What is the URL? That might help.

11/10   We have a bunch of new openings at Slide, see:
        /csua/pub/jobs/Slide
        Feel free to bug me if you have any questions. -dans
        \_ Can you please post a picture of your girlfriend?
           \_ I'm not seeing any particular woman seriously enough at the
              moment for me to call her my girlfriend.  Was there a particular
              ex of mine you were curious about? -dans
              \_ Yes the near underaged cutie. Please post pics ok thx
                 \_ I have a long history of dating near underaged cuties.
                    You're really going to have to be more specific. -dans