8/22    For all you Mac fans, a description of Apple's current offerings (from
        http://www.aftermath-technologies.blogspot.com
                "As for the macrophilliacs out there. I am so sorry you
                 spent a stupid amount of money for a crippled *nix box
                 in a shiny package. But face it, you are running an
                 expensive,poserific,drm loving piece of enviromentally
                 damaging,disposable, x86 crap."
        \_ Nobody ever asked you to buy a Mac. It's interesting that
           anti-Mac people are far more vocal than Mac fans are.
           \_ no they're not
              \_ And in this one thread, you have an anti-Mac and
                 anti-Mac-user blog posted on the motd and anti-Mac
                 people aren't more vocal? Mac people aren't trying
                 to pick fights with you. The anti-Mac people, on
                 the other hand, are.
        \_ If crippling *nix is what allows average person to use it,
           that's not a problem, x86-ness irrelevant to users, and I
           don't know about DRM-loving.  BUT, I do agree that Apple
           products are environmentally damaging to some degree.
           \_ All computers are environmentally damaging.  If you want to
              save the environment, bring your computer, ipod, stereo, home
              theatre, vehicle (yes your prius too), and the rest of your
              western techo frills to an environmentally sound waste disposal
              site and be done with it.
              \_ That would be stupid.  Most of those devices are undamaging
                 in regular usage.  The vast majority of the damage cause in
                 production.  So if you want to save the environment stop
                 buying new toys, keep the ones you have and treat them well
                 so they last a long time.  Don't throw what you have away,
                 that's just adding more toxic crap to landfills.
        \_ Uh huh. -dans
        \_ I dislike Macs as much as anyone, but this guy's blog is really
           stupid.
           \- what is there to dislike about macs except for the price?
              [and the still crappy power connectors, but that boils down
              to price too]
              \_ the users
                 \_ Spoken like a true BOFH zealot.  Have fun storming the
                    castle. -dans
                    \_ "storming the castle?" I *am* the motherfucking castle.

8/22    my rack.  still huge.
        \_ Are you referring to your boobs or your penis?
           \_ How vulgar!  Server rack, of course!

8/22    Is there a Russian-equivalent name for the English name Andrew?
        \_ 'Andrei'
           \_ I see.  Then is there a Russian name that sounds like "Andriska"
              or "Andrishka"?  There is a kid in my son's daycare center whose
              name is "Andrew", but everyone there calls him something like
              "Andriska".
              \_ Andryushka.  It's a dimunitive form of Andrei.  Dimunitives
                 are very common in Russian in 'informal speech,' e.g.,
                 Sasha -> Alexander, Misha -> Michail, Natasha -> Natalia.
                 There are also lots of degrees of 'dimunitiveness', e.g.,
                 Sasha, Sashka, Sashen'ka, etc. -- ilyas
                 \_ do you enjoy speaking the Russkiy mat?
                    \_ fuck!
                 \_ Thanks!  Mystery solved.

8/22    BioShock video review - for PC, a video card with Shader Model 3.0
        is required (so an ATI X800 doesn't cut it)
        http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23825.html
        \_ Isn't the x800 from like forever ago?  You can buy a kickass card
           for $99 that stomps the x800 which was from like forever ago.

8/22    wow
        http://owllc.com/Mortars_alert.mpg

8/22    who is cheapest domain registrar?

                       some statistics about that.
        \_ One reason you can't do a state-by-state "test" shift to another
           tax system is it would encourage too many people and corps to mess
           around with where they reported their incomes vs. their costs and
           current tax loop holes so you'd create an even bigger mess.  I don't
           know if the FT is good for the country or not but I don't think you
           can gradually shift to something that requires dramatic changes
           across the board to see the expected/desired results.
           \_ Btw, you don't always need to do a 'test' to figure out the
              result. -- ilyas
                \_ Ilyas, I still think in my gut that the middle class
                   is going to get screwed by the so-called Fair Tax, but
                   the counter-arguments to my objections are enough to
                   make me unsure that the middle-class screwing will
                   actually occur.  That said, I'd like more than a vague
                   feeling of fear, uncertainty, and doubt as an argument
                   against a specific proposal to clean up the mess that
                   is our tax system.  A 'test' isn't the only way to know,
                   but doing a test will certainly make trying the new
                   system a lot more palatable to everyone.  --PeterM
                   \_ Thanks for being honest.
                   \_ I just meant "read my thesis." -- ilyas

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

           of choices out there with different tradeoffs.           of choices o\
ut there with different tradeoffs.

8/22    my server rack is out of control
        http://urltea.com/1ahk
        \_ "Free PORN at <DEAD>www.puretna.com"<DEAD>  WTF?

8/22    I'm sick of paying $70 a month for cell.  what is cheapest
        cell phone rate?
        \_ T-Mobile prepaid is $100/year.
        \_ For what kind of plan?
        \_ If you don't use your phone all that much prepaid is a heck of
           a lot cheaper.

8/22    created a /csua/bin/mtd to appease the masses until those in charge
        can find the source for the real one
        \_ looks like yours does what it needs to.  problem solved.  thanks!
        \_ Did the other version do anything more than copy+append like yours
           is doing?

8/22    I don't mean to keep spamming about this but I wanted to reply here:
          \_ You make an interesting case
             for "FairTax".  With 50 states, this
             could be prototyped by having 1 state
             shift from an income tax to a sales
             tax to see what happens.  A lab
             experiment, in effect.  Or you could
             do comparisons with countries which
             use a tax system similar to proposed.
             (or between states...)
             Last, we could phase in a fed. sales
             tax by 10% per year, and phase out
             income taxes at the same rate, ...
              \_ I think the problem with this is you end up with both
                 systems at once. That's exactly what the plan intends
                 to avoid (via repeal of 16th amendment). Politics being
                 what it is, you can't phase out the income tax in parts.
                 It's too complex and there are too many forms of it.
                 And how do you make sure it goes away and stays gone?
                 Plus I don't believe you could see benefits from a
                 halfway system. It would be worse than without: you'd
                 be adding to the complexity rather than simplifying.
                 We do have states to compare. But no country in the
                 world has a FairTax-like system. They have VATs on top
                 of income taxes.
                 \_ Yes, having both systems in place at once will be
                    clunky, but most businesses already have sales tax
                    handling built in, so it won't be a horrible burden.
                    And a gradual phase-in *will* allow the actual
                    consequences--intended and otherwise, to be
                    measured, and a reverse route to be taken if
                    the change is bad.  Also, the whole federal income
                    won't be dependent on a new untried system.
                    Just like the opponents of abortion, the advocates
                    of "fair tax" might find they get more traction
                    if they don't push for "all or nothing".  --PeterM
                    \_ Both together would be *more* complex than today. So you
                        \_ Only moderately, and most wouldn't feel the burden
                           because the new tax system *is* so lightweight.
                           No matter what, there will be pain in conversion,
                           why not spend some pain to reduce the *risk* that
                           the new system (any new system) brings?  And you
                           *can* reduce tax compliance cost by simplifying
                           the damn income tax at the same time.  --PM
                       get no drop in tax compliance costs. To really judge it
                       probably requires a reasonably long observation period.
                       And if the systems are muddled together it will be
                       hard to measure the real effect, when so many other
                       things affect economic performance.
                       You can obviously do a "trial run" at the logistical
                       level of collecting the taxes (have businesses "fake"
                       collecting the sales tax and submit the monthly returns
                       etc. for 6 months or whatever). You could gather
                       some statistics about that.
        \_ One reason you can't do a state-by-state "test" shift to another
           tax system is it would encourage too many people and corps to mess
           around with where they reported their incomes vs. their costs and
           current tax loop holes so you'd create an even bigger mess.  I don't
           know if the FT is good for the country or not but I don't think you
           can gradually shift to something that requires dramatic changes
           across the board to see the expected/desired results.
           \_ Btw, you don't always need to do a 'test' to figure out the
              result. -- ilyas
                \_ Ilyas, I still think in my gut that the middle class
                   is going to get screwed by the so-called Fair Tax, but
                   the counter-arguments to my objections are enough to
                   make me unsure that the middle-class screwing will
                   actually occur.  That said, I'd like more than a vague
                   feeling of fear, uncertainty, and doubt as an argument
                   against a specific proposal to clean up the mess that
                   is our tax system.  A 'test' isn't the only way to know,
                   but doing a test will certainly make trying the new
                   system a lot more palatable to everyone.  --PeterM
                   \_ Thanks for being honest.
                   \_ I just meant "read my thesis." -- ilyas

8/22    There are car insurance companies.  There are car insurance
        brokers.  When I go to the car insurance broker office, she
        pulls up a little web interface to search for rates.
        Is there any reason for me to go through a broker (and
        per her fee)?  Why not just go directly to the car insurance
        company site?  Opinions?
        \_ I guess it's the same as mortgage companies vs. mortgage brokers.

8/22    'broad spectrum antibiotics' is my favorite position
        \_ "Infectious diseases spreading faster than ever: U.N."
           http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/hl_nm/un_dc
           "It warned that global efforts to control infectious diseases have
           already been "seriously jeopardized" by widespread drug resistance,
           a consequence of poor medical treatment and misuse of antibiotics."

8/22    What is a controller?  What is a model?
        what is a view?  did I win something?   -brain

8/22    What happens if you go to Burning Man, and you get your period?
        \_ What do you think happens?
        \_ You bleed.
        \_ If you're responsible, you pack your bloody tampons out with the
           rest of your garbage, and fer fuck's sake don't clog the port-a-
           pottys with them.