Surround Sound Quickies

Let's start this off with SanLouBlues's submission about a video made by splicing old 8bit video games (I don't think it'll work on Linux, but it's worth finding a box to watch this). And now, the senseless destruction portion of the show: stevenma sent an ISP's excuse letter, including a photo of the bullet damage from the wire! friedo knows how to make a hard drive squeal, but on purpose. If that's not enough destruction for you, knisa sent in a story about a meteor destroying a 1980 Ford. Slightly less-destructive violence was submitted by Steve Stag, who notes that Nerf has discovered that their weapons appeal to adults too. (well duh!) An anonymous reader noted that Liam Neeson's lightsaber from Phantom Menace is being auctioned off for charity. WhyPanic sent us a site that talks about Vintage Unix. An anonymous reader noted that in Finland, you pay traffic violations based on your income, and this dot-com millionaire was fined $70,000 for 20 miles/hour over the speed limit! Speaking of dot-coms, warland wonders if todays dot-coms would get funding if they tried to pitch their ideas today? And now for the truly strange stuff: conraduno sent in a palindromic C program. NinjaPablo sent in a link about a guy breaking a centipede 14-year-old record by scoring 7,111,111 points (and I thought breaking 200,000 on joust made me cool ;) head_the_mongoose sent us "Call Me Darth", a Darth Vader site that simply needs to be seen.

Comments

Re:Fair Fines: Finland's on the right track

[jbuhler]

(Disclaimer: IANAL)

Well, according to the old law codes in England, Denmark, etc, I believe this is exactly how the law worked. If you killed someone, even if it was ruled justifiable (ie he called you a wanker and you killed him in a fair duel), his family could still force you to pay his wergild (lit. "man-price"), which was supposed to compensate them for the income the deceased would have provided them.

I believe there's an analogous concept today in English common law.

$70k speeding ticket treatment

[JB]

Finland has it backwards. If you're rich, you should pay *less*, not more. I mean, the US has it down pat. If you're rich and famous, you can get away with robbing a bank (or murder). Meanwhile the less well-off have to struggle with ugly things like fairness and justice.

You crazy Finns! Damn you ALLLL!

-JB

Poor Dave

[bug_hunter]

In an attempt to achieve some fame and no fortune withg slashdot, my friend (with my graphics) made this game

http://xtux.sourceforge.net/

It has software logos battle it out, and you can play on a slashdot map too
After having no story about it he was convinced he'd get in on quickies.
So atleast my post here makes his wish half true in a rather sad kinda way.
Enjoy

Re:Wow

[Pxtl]

I read that gay Vader thing.... it was just bad. I'm sorry, but it was. Don't bother.

Fines based on gross income.

[Chacham]

Sheesh, talk about punative damages. Imagine if your stock falls between the time they evaluate you at the time you pay. Maybe that's why Linux is so safe, Bill Gates wouldn't dare go to Finland.

The nerf article has inspired me.

[Shoeboy]

No, it hasn't inspired me to make "nerf on or fuck off" my signature, nor has it inspired me to write one huge, rambling, incoherent, 5 page paragraph.
It has inspired me to get rich!
You see if adults like childrens guns, then it would seem logical that children would like adult guns.
I'm going to make a fortune.
Now I'm off to the local high school to sell my gun collection to disaffected video gamers.
Wish me luck!
--Shoeboy

Standard operating procedure?

[Manaz]

Following standard operating procedure, Optimum field staff resolved the issue as quickly as possible..."

What IS the standard operating procedure when a fibre cable is severed by a bullet?

I can just see it now - a black van pulls up at the Optimum Online office, the side door slides open, and several black-clad men jump out, and do what? Take cover, and start returning fire?

Re:Fair Fines: Finland's on the right track

[ostiguy]

Should it work the same way for liability? If your tottering grandmother runs over a millionaire, should she be fined 500,000 to make restitution for the victim's family, so they can maintain their standard of living?

Idiots. It's an IOCCC entry:

[TheKodiak]

http://www.ioccc.org/1987/westley.c

Should really be fucking credited to Brian Westley. Pisses me off.

Fair Fines: Finland's on the right track

[tshak]

There are many that are for a "flat" tax and our current "flat" fine system. Unfortunatly, flat mean regressive. What a progressive tax and fine system does is make the actual cost incurred by the person equal across economic classes.

A fine is designed to cost someone a certain amount in an effort to deter them from a violation. If I make $25K/year (net), and get a $250 speeding ticket, that just cost me 1% of my annual income. Better yet, subtract a reasonable cost of living for my region and marital/child status, and you've just fined me a large chunk of my available cash. If I make $250K/year (net) and that just cost me 1/10th of a percent of my income. The individual making the lower amount actually pays a higher fine - as a person it bears more of a financial burden. Therefore the richer are pretty much unaffected and the fine is simply a "flesh wound" where the lower classes get thier arms chopped off (oh, wait, that's also simply a flesh wound).