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I like prime myself, I shop a lot online. But for a lot of people it is price gouging. The free books and streaming media collection suck, they are worthless. Two day shipping is a convenience, but not worth it to a lot of people. It is for me, even if I opt for standard shipping, Amazon ships though OnTrac, which is usually 1 day shipping.

That's not price gouging. That's something that is for some people and not for others. To me, the streaming is as good as Netflix for my kids. I buy enough that the shipping is a great deal for me. But it's not "price gouging".

Considering Amazon's normal two-day rates which are in the $6 to $12 range typically, if you want fast shipping and buy half a dozen items a year, it's a good deal at $80 even if you never stream any video.

If you pay $80 and buy one thing, once, that's not price gouging, that's you buying something you didn't need.

I wish I had robot legs.

Just to add to this, the shipping and handling is actually the source of profit for many companies on Amazon. I personally knew the owner of a company that sells $0.99 computer games on Amazon, but charges $5.99 shipping on them, which turns into a $5-plus profit on each game sold. I recently fell for this tactic when I bought a copy of the Hulk Video Game for $3.96 and got charged $4.59 in shipping. This is also the case with many used-book sellers on Amazon, who sell the book for a dollar, charge you five in shipping, and then send it using the library book rate, which only costs them pennies.

Someone else in this thread mentioned that NC does not have a tax on services, which might be why the company I knew was located there.

What does anyone really expect when SHARP sells BS products like the Sharp IG-BC2UB High Density Plasmacluster Ion Generator for Car Use?

What does that even mean?

Fairly stupid, but then again Amazon has free shipping with a $25 order which is about what the world's small violin costs.

No, you are wrong.

It is actually only $9.98 ... http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Smallest-Violin-Akira-Wing/dp/B002IYDTTK

I think Tri-Path was on the right path with their "Class-T" design. Its a lot like a bipolar switching power supply with a fast output voltage setpoint ( the speaker is the load ).

You can buy these right now at Amazon and others.

I have a couple of these and they work great for running remote PA systems on gel-cells.

Always check your own mileage. Keep the reciept from when you fill up and write the current mileage down on the back of it then do math next time you fill up
On a related note, for business travelers that need to keep mileage, there are apps available for that.

Why do we have centralized banking (aka the Federal Reserve System) in the USA?
The_Panic_of_1907

And you know what the solution to that panic was?
A bunch of rich guys injected liquidity into the system because there was no central bank to do so.
100 years later, when confronted with the same market situation, our central bank injected liquidity into the system and kept things from getting worse.

Except that it HASN'T worked.

Read Meltdown, by Thomas E. Woods.
http://www.amazon.com/Meltdown-Free-Market-Collapsed-Government-Bailouts/dp/1596985879

Looks like it's time to start learning Mandarin. The holy prophesy Firefly, of the prophet Whedon, depicted this eventuality.

Looks like it's time to start learning Mandarin. The holy prophesy Firefly, of the prophet Whedon, depicted this eventuality.

Most of this is from "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" (a great read): http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp /0609809644 Other pieces

Attila and Genghis Khan were completely different historical figures -- there was like a MILLENIUM or such between them.

And anyway, trying to interpret old history through modern prejudices and stereotypes is, to put it mildly, cringeworthy.

Dose it apply to http://aws.amazon.com/govcloud-us/

I don't know, it looks pretty effing weird. TypeMatrix 2030 USB - DV (US Dvorak English) keyboard

It's alright, anyone paranoid enough about android security threats should really be more worried about finding the wireless hidden cameras installed all around them. If you've stayed at a hotel, odds are good someone's seen you nude.

Just picked one of these up: http://www.amazon.com/Dane-Elec-DA-DP1-01GC5-R-Z-PEN-Wireless-Digital/dp/B0013JHJWE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_3 from Amazon Prime for $25. Don't know if it'll actually work under Linux or not, but the description is certainly promising: "This Viewer software runs on virtually all recent operating systems, from Windows 2000 onward, Mac OS and even most versions of Linux." Even if all you get is a flash drive that stores SVG/JPG/GIF/PNG, seems like you could write a udev handler that would recognize the drive, then call a script to scan it for new files and pass them off to an OCR program. Let's see how well this guy works when I get it.

I bought a house so figured I'd need a lawn mower. That's my only experience with Fiskars.

I know you're really here looking for pens, but I gotta point out that the TUL mechanical pencils I have are my favorite writing tool. The weight is well balanced, the grip is just right, and it just works. http://www.amazon.com/TUL-0-7mm-Mechanical-Pencils-Pack/dp/B002VL6960/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351778004&sr=8-2&keywords=tul+mechanical+pencil Beyond that, truth be told, you could do a lot by amassing the right stationary.

about Mozilla using RIAA/MPAA math, read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Statistics. Lost downloads is a measurable metric and not the same as making up a dollar figure to scare a jury,

I've been buying them by the box since everybody in the family was stealing my pens already.

Now, if I find a pen in the house that won't write, I throw it in the trash. Scribbling to get a pen to start is for people who hate technology.

n.b. it's not the smallest point ever, but we've had cheap reducing technology for 40 years now. If you're trying to put fine details on something drawn too small, you're doing it wrong. Y'know, comic strips are drawn 2' wide, not 6", despite how they might appear in the newspaper.

I'll second the .28 mm uni-ball signo. It's the best thin-line pen I've ever used. It's great for doing neat, precision writing, but I can't write very fast with it. In my opinion the .18 is a little too small. I haven't tried the .38 version.

I've also tried the Pentel Slicci .25 mm pens, as mentioned by other posters, but I don't like them as well.

For a thicker-writing pen, I highly recommend the Uni-ball vision elite micro.

I use one everyday in the lab and I never had any of the problems you have. It might be a bit thicker than 0.4 mm though http://www.amazon.com/Caran-Dache-Ballpoint-Metal-Black/dp/B000WFXTI8.

Here's something you can probably convince the mailroom at an office to buy:

Uniball Micro Deluxe. 0.5 mm and waterproof ink. It will start instantly until it gets low on ink but you'll probably ditch it by then anyhow because it starts exhibiting dropouts around the same time.

The one downside is that although the ink is waterproof once dry, it is NOT smudge-proof UNTIL it is dry. If you drag any part of your hand through what you recently wrote, you're going to get a partially black hand and an illegible mess on the page. Once dry though, even leaving your coffee cup on the page will net you nothing more than a coffee ring. The writing won't move. This is why I use it for (now very rare, notation software is SO much easier) hand-written music, and for corrections on documents that are going to be passed around (including corrections to printed music).

Yes, "Better" is part of the name, and they truly are.

I have used this pen for decades now. (OK, not the same one.) It is listed as having a .5 mm tip but it writes much more fine than that. I once legibly signed my name (Grant S. Robertson) with one in about 1/4 of an inch. Not .25" HIGH... .25" long and only about 1/16" high. You can't do that with any gel pen or drafter's pen. It writes on just about any surface, including photographs and thermal receipt paper. It never globs up. It rarely needs to be "started" by scribbling on a piece of scratch paper. The line is even, without those spaces where you can see that the ball pushed the ink out of the way as with cheaper ball-point pens. They last a really, really long time. They don't look fancy so no one will steal them from you. And they are super inexpensive. You can get some here: http://www.amazon.com/Better-Ballpoint-Retractable-Ribbed-PIL30000/dp/B00006IEB8.

I even got a bunch of refills so I won't ever have to worry about doing without them for at least ten years.

Maybe it's even the extra broad or whatever it was called, 1.6:
http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-BPS-GP-Extra-Broad-Ballpoint/dp/B000JTMVK4/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1351745191&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=bps-gp

It got a huge ball at least, is black and write smoothly. I have no need to thin lines and don't do any school or work stuff.

Buy them here

Lamy 2000 (fine point) with Noodlers Black ink. It's what I use.

I prefer the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. I use the 0.3mm size, and it fits all the requirements. It is gel, comes in many colors, and is cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Hi-Tec-C-Gel-Basic-Colors/dp/B001GR4CQO

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JNHJ/ref=wms_ohs_product

Uni-Ball Gel RT Micro Point
0.38mm

I have tried several other thin pens over the years and have settled on this one. I think my co-workers like it too, because my pens keeps disappearing, but I now have pretty good supply of them in case they stop being produced.

I'll second this. The Uni-ball Vision Elite Micro is 0.5mm and produces a reasonably fine line (depending on the paper). The ink doesn't bleed, it requires very little pressure, is quasi-waterproof, the pen won't leak if you take it on an airplane, and the writing experience has a great feel, not scratchy or uneven. It took me years to find this pen and now I never buy any other kind. Obligatory Amazon link: Package of 12.

I was just shopping for pens the other day... I picked up a couple of mechanical pencils and I replaced this cheap Parker that I've fallen in love with another. http://www.amazon.com/PAR7803211-Retractable-Ballpoint-Medium-Barrel/dp/B00275YMAU/ref=sr_1_23 They like to wander to off, so I don't know what good it'll do you? but everytime I pick up one of these I'm satisfied and I stop looking for a pen and start writing again. They write small, smooth, and have a comfortable heft. Dry quickly and have blue ink. I have a more expensive parker and it kind of sucks. I think I just need to replace the ink cartridge. I do know pens need maintenance, maybe you're not taking care of your pen, OP? Parker does generally make pretty decent stuff and on the ink cartridge it says www.parkerpen.com Ballpen Refill [1.0][M] if M is for medium... So I'm thinking you could probably even find something finer, though how it writes I don't know.

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-G-Tec-C-Rolling-3-Pack-35483/dp/B0058NNAG0/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1351738471&sr=1-1&keywords=pilot+g-tec-c4 in the states.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_pen

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001J5MBKW

$72 for a full set but you can by them individually as well.

Pricey but you get what you pay for. I've had a set since I was 10. Still the best tech pen I've ever tried. Perfect for diagrams, fine line drawings and annotations of such. Not great for general writing.

Fisher space pen.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Space-Bullet-Pen-Matte/dp/B000WGD13U/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1351737896&sr=1-1&keywords=tactical+pen

Appears so. Incidentally Lovecraft's complete works are available in " H.P. Lovecraft The Complete Collection " for only $2.99. They're a bit of a mind trip to read, but well worth while.

The gist is that IR equipment is not generally available to public citizens...

How much longer can we expect this ruling to stand, though?

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Ti10-9Hz-Thermal-Imager/dp/B0018LCAM6

Satirical scientific articles are a field of literature ripe for expansion. The only one I know of to have really found a wide readership (at least among those who follow modern literature) is Georges Perec's Cantatrix Sopranica L. .

Or this paper.

Of course, the Sokal hoax paper is also a brilliant piece of writing.

And here ya go.

Satirical scientific articles are a field of literature ripe for expansion. The only one I know of to have really found a wide readership (at least among those who follow modern literature) is Georges Perec's Cantatrix Sopranica L. . Of course, the Sokal hoax paper is also a brilliant piece of writing.

I concur.

If you really need a number pad on a laptop, just get one of these.

Yes there are. When the movies were released on DVD you could buy two disk sets of episodes IV-VI where it included the 1997 remaster and the original theatrical release.

They even released a box set of just the theatrical edition. Sadly the quality isn't great as the negatives where supposedly destroyed by the remaster process so they are from the Laserdisks. But they were officially released on DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trilogy-Widescreen-Theatrical-Edition/dp/B001EN71DG/

They already have all this stuff on sale at Disneyland. Here's a link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Star-Wars-Mickey-Minnie/dp/B004IJC7I2/ref=pd_sim_t_1

Luke = Mickey
Leia = Minnie
Han = Donald
Darth = Goofy
C3P0 = Goofy
Ewoks = Chip and Dale
Emperor = Stitch
Boba Fett = Pete
Chewbacca = Goofy
Anakin = Mickey
Amidala = Minnie
Shadow Trooper = Donald

Yes. Every tall character is Goofy.

I visited Disneyland a little over a year ago. While there, I happened upon Muppets Star Wars figures, which you can find http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Tours-Muppets-Collectible/dp/B001DSAEH2/ That looks pretty close, with Miss Piggy as Leia.

If you had 100% efficient solar panel, you'd have to make a solar panel the size of a small town to capture enough energy to power a passenger jet.

So put it in orbit and beam the power down to the aircraft.

Oh, you're speaking now of the 1% who engineer the laws to take money from taxpayers and give it to themselves?

http://www.amazon.com/Free-Lunch-Wealthiest-Themselves-Government/dp/1591842484

http://www.unjustdeserts.com/inside.cfm

You can build pirate cards on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-ge-2034-Playing-Cards/dp/B0045SWBUA/ref=pd_bxgy_t_img_y

Seriously, we ACs get No Respect .

unlike those examples, wireless charging tech is real. The problem is there's too much 'diversity of implementation' and not enough interchangeability.

Dawkins is the one who is ignorant concerning Creationism though.

This shows that you've gotten your information about Dawkins from sources other than Dawkins. Try reading one of his books rather than reading about his books. If you can't bring yourself to do that, try reading David Sloan Wilson or Jerry Coyne and find out why 'microevolution' is itself a problematic distinction.

Dawkins... argued that Evolution proves that God Doesn't Exist

Um, you need to read another of his books. He never argued that. What he argues is that evolution directly counters a specific argument for God, the 'argument from design in biology', and indirectly undermines other design arguments because it forms an 'existence proof' that other sources for design exist than directed intelligence.

Dawkins is the one who is ignorant concerning Creationism though.

This shows that you've gotten your information about Dawkins from sources other than Dawkins. Try reading one of his books rather than reading about his books. If you can't bring yourself to do that, try reading David Sloan Wilson or Jerry Coyne and find out why 'microevolution' is itself a problematic distinction.

Dawkins... argued that Evolution proves that God Doesn't Exist

Um, you need to read another of his books. He never argued that. What he argues is that evolution directly counters a specific argument for God, the 'argument from design in biology', and indirectly undermines other design arguments because it forms an 'existence proof' that other sources for design exist than directed intelligence.

Dawkins is the one who is ignorant concerning Creationism though.

This shows that you've gotten your information about Dawkins from sources other than Dawkins. Try reading one of his books rather than reading about his books. If you can't bring yourself to do that, try reading David Sloan Wilson or Jerry Coyne and find out why 'microevolution' is itself a problematic distinction.

Dawkins... argued that Evolution proves that God Doesn't Exist

Um, you need to read another of his books. He never argued that. What he argues is that evolution directly counters a specific argument for God, the 'argument from design in biology', and indirectly undermines other design arguments because it forms an 'existence proof' that other sources for design exist than directed intelligence.

Dawkins is the one who is ignorant concerning Creationism though.

This shows that you've gotten your information about Dawkins from sources other than Dawkins. Try reading one of his books rather than reading about his books. If you can't bring yourself to do that, try reading David Sloan Wilson or Jerry Coyne and find out why 'microevolution' is itself a problematic distinction.

Dawkins... argued that Evolution proves that God Doesn't Exist

Um, you need to read another of his books. He never argued that. What he argues is that evolution directly counters a specific argument for God, the 'argument from design in biology', and indirectly undermines other design arguments because it forms an 'existence proof' that other sources for design exist than directed intelligence.