Actually this. I'm in the same boat, with my own domain on shared hosting. I'm not going to shell out money to a third party for a cert that really isn't needed for a website that just gives info about me and my business.
On another note, I program embedded control systems for a living, and often am incorporating automation to reach out and either pull out scrape data from web servers for different reasons (to diplay weather or energyvusage stats) or control home security monitors etc. These embedded platforms dont have the encryption frameworks for them to access most https sites. Meaning to do the simple thing like scraping info from a https page requires delving into encryption protocols, rolling your own encryption implementations and having it run on a platform that is less powerful than a typical phone. It all started when all email servers went to https and then trying to get an automation system to send a status or alert email turned into a major PITA. Now the whole web is going to be like that. I love how in the dawn of IoT, that everyone assumes that all these microprocessors are going to be running standard full fleged web frameworks and all the goodies that goes with them, including encryption, XML, JSON, Restful and other frameworks that are common on on your big 5 OSes, but not so common in the land of proprietary OSes running on embedded platforms.
BTW, I program AMX and Crestron automation systems if anyone was wondering what platforms Im specifically referring to, but there are others as well.
The summary mentioned that these are shot from a "smooth bore" rifle. Meaning no twisted landing to make the bullet spin, like a shotgun. So unknown from the info given if the bullet even does spin. The reason most bullets spin are to keep it stable in flight so it doesn't start tumbling. *IF* it used fins somehow, I'm sure that is what would keep it stable in flight instead.
Yes, there are downsides to a generator as well, storing of fuel etc. But, I would say in an emergency situation, most of your argument goes away though, as most people would realize that some major catastrophe (hurricane, earthquake, etc.) has taken the power out, and it could be a while until it's back up, and start conserving their power to only necessary things to help live, like refrigerator and minimal cooking appliances or lights. A typical residential generator usage, would likely involve a very undersized generator that would not run the whole house, but would run just the necessities, maybe even requiring things to be unplugged for a bit while you plugged in something else that you needed. Possibly having more than one generator, so that you can start and stop ones that don't need to be used all the time to conserve fuel.
Only an idiot (or someone filthy rich) would try to run his entire house on a generator (or a backup battery for that matter) without immediately scaling back power usage to absolute bare necessities.
But a generator will likely run indefinately (provided you have enough fuel), vs a battery that will only power things for a limited time in a longer period blackout. Once your out, your out. Vs being able to keep a generator running and filling up gas every so often.
I think PG&E just likes putting that on your bill to make you feel like you should save more. Mine says the same thing.
However in my case it may be somewhat valid, as I run a home office with multiple PCs and such that goes with that, am home most of the day, as well as my wife and kids (who are homeschooled). So we use power almost all day long. And we are billed into the 3rd teir pricing as well. We dont have AC but all of our appliances are elec. vs. gas which doesnt help either.
Yes, and often times, when you zoom in to see the content, what you are not seeing are the ADS that surround the content on top, sides and bottom. So zooming in, actually zooms the adds out of, and off your mobile screen and enlarges the content area to fill the screen. If they did this automatically for mobile sites, maybe more people would like them, but the ADS on most sites are to important to most site owners, that they would rather show the Ads and no content, rather than the content with no ads.
Yes, this is a stupid move, since when I google for information, regardless of whether I'm using a phone or my desktop/laptop, what I'm really wanting is relevant information about my search. If I'm looking for information to a question I have, I want the best information to answer that question. It shouldn't matter what the hell the site designers did to make it mobile friendly or not. If I'm looking for specific information, I don't care if the best information is located on a webpage that looks like it's been created in 1995 and belongs in geocities, I want the information that best answers my question. Don't omit the best results just because they think that by some irrelevant criteria, that Google decided, that the info I need is not worthy of showing me, and instead they are going to show me info from a less than relevant source that has 'mobile friendly' site architecture.
And like a lot of you, I can't stand most 'mobile friendly' sites. Most suck, and most are stripped down versions of their normal site that don't allow the same access to the site information/functionality. The last 3 phones I've owned (over 6 to 7 years) all are plenty capable of showing regular websites scaled down to the screen, that allow me to zoom and pan and scroll how I want it. Most of this preferential for me than giving me a mobile friendly site that doesn't have the same navigation, or content organization, or features.
Ads are mostly annoying on mobile sites as well, since they don't use a column off the side to display them (where they are easily ignored). Instead, they put full width adds in the column of content, or even worse, they make the adds popup and cover the whole frickin' screen everytime you open a new page on the site, and you have to close the add popup constantly.
When changing the ECU on cars (like when Tuners flash a new tune) it is not the same as changing the entire underlying operating system. In most cases, the parts being changed are the parameters (or mapping points) that the underlying program uses to determine Fuel/Timing (and Boost if applicable) under certain RPM-Load points. The calculation of these and engine operation coding is rarely if ever touched.
It's almost analogous to changing config files for a program. You're not effecting how the program operates, just the parameter data that the underlying program uses.
It say's "Thou shalt not Murder". Murder and killing are two different terms with different meanings. You can kill in self defense and that is not murder. Murder is doing it willfully and on purpose.
You see, only Jeff Bezos has special permission to be delivering mail and packages via a small helicopter. I guess Amazon got beat to the punch this time.
Yes this. I only fly when I have to for work, which is a couple times a year maybe. I always opt-out of the scanners (figuring if they're going to do something pervasive, they should be embarrassed and uncomfortable about it as well). It also makes a point, as it always seems like your "putting them out" when they have to do a manual pat down (I wish more people would opt for this reason). Funny how they don't see themselves as the 'PERVS' in this situation, as they are giving you the option of seeing and photographing you naked, or getting sexually assaulted. Just because you pick the one least convenient for them, doesn't make you the 'perv', as most people would rather not get either if given the choice.
But it never fails, that when you inform them that your not going through the naked scanner like the other lemmings, that they subtly make you pay for it.
-First, they always try to talk you out of the 'opt-out' by regurgitating TSA info on the safety of the scanners.
-Then when you don't change your mind, they make a very loud and public announcement for "OPT-OUT, WE HAVE AN OPT-OUT!!!" while they point to you. As an attempt to publicly shame you in front of everyone.
-Then they tell you to go stand aside so they can continue to scan people while you are 'waiting' for another agent to let you through the by-pass door, meanwhile, your stuff has gone through the X-Ray and you can't see it anymore (violation of airport rules to loose sight of your luggage/carry-ons btw).
-You sit there for several minutes (or more) hoping that the dozen or two-dozen people that go past you don't take your cell phone, laptop, bag, or your wallet while your stuff is sitting down at the end of the XRay machine out of your sight.
-Finally someone will come get you and let you through and pickup your stuff and take you over to the exam counter where the real 'fun' (and rights violations) begin.
All the while, you aren't allowed to touch your belongings until after they clear you, so you have no idea if someone has taken anything from your bins of stuff until several minutes have passed (and at which point, getting your stuff back would be near impossible).
Unfortunately because these jobs are government (ie: public sector) jobs, their paychecks are paid from re-distributing everyone else's money out them. In other words, everyone (even those people who don't fly) have to pay more in taxes so we can have all these extra government jobs. To top it off, they are unionized (so they get better pay and better working package than most private sector jobs doing similar tasks) and they get a better retirement than most private jobs (just like most government jobs now days).
I would rather donate that extra money to charity for helping the truly poor and be able to fly without getting groped.
I'll give you credit though, at least you admitted (in not so many words) that it's largely just one big government works program for people who are, for the most part, unemployable for anything more productive... (a similar view to what I think a large majority of our local/state/federal government jobs really are).
What I don't understand is all the press about the iWatch, as well as any of the iPhone releases. Android smart watches have been out for years, and not a peep on the nightly news about 'em. Either Apple is paying off the local/national media for 'advertisements' or the people that produce the news are all Apple fanboys and stumble over each other to give Apple free advertising in the form of "news".
OMG, this! I know people that will wake up from sleep to run in and answer their cell phone. I've known people who are taking a crap and feel they NEED to answer that call when it comes in. People--most of us are NOT that important, and more importantly, most other people are NOT that important to us that we need to be at your frickin' beck and call when you please!
If you call me and if I feel like talking to you, and I'm not busy, and I'm not doing something else I desire to do more than talk to you, I MIGHT answer it. Otherwise, leave a message (a specific one that says what you want) and I'll get back to you when all of the above conditions are met. Me carrying a cell phone is for MY convenience, NOT for yours! But people don't get this... they sit up and wag their tail like a trained dog when ever their cell phone makes a peep.
Because laws. When cell phones came out, hardly anyone had hands-free earbuds, but once states passed laws that say you get a ticket for even "touching" or "holding" your phone while in the drivers seat of a car that is started (even at a red light, stopped), people have to get them in many situations.
There is no such law that says you have to use a smart-watch.
Yes, the SIM can be changed, and that will change the phone number, but the phones are encoded with a IMEI number, which is like a serial number unique to each phone. The IMEI number is tranmitted to the cell towers and is how the cell providers track what kind of phone you have and other details.
The Feds have made it a FELONY to change the IMEI number of the phone, so even if you have the expensive equipment to do it, they've made it hard to get and illegal to use. This is how many organized theft rings would wipe a phone, they would change the IMEI number from the stolen phone, to either a generic IMEI number, or a legit IMEI number so the phone can't be de-activated on the cell network.
The cell phone companies use the IMEI (ESN) number for several purposes, one of them is to flag stolen phones and de-activate them on the cell network. You could change the SIM, but if the IMEI number has been reported stolen, and flagged in the DB, then the phone won't be allowed on the carrier's network. The other use the cell providers use the IMEI number is to know what phone you have. For instance, ATT requires all smart phones to purchase a data plan for it (even if you only wish to use data over wifi). If you activate ANY smart phone on their network, if you don't have a data plan for it, they will detect it and add a data plan to your account. They detect whether it is a smart phone by the IMEI number on the network.
I looked into this as I wanted to give my teen my old smart phone, but didn't want to put data on the plan for it (just calling+txt). I figured the phone was better than a feature phone, cause she could still use it on wifi, plus it holds tons of MP3's and has a nice camera etc. that aren't on feature phones. I looked into the idea of buying a go-phone (so they didn't add data to my plan), and then putting the SIM from the go-phone into my old smart phone to get it cell service. I quickly learned (from reading, not doing), that as soon as the smart phone is seen on the network (regardless of SIM used), they would add data to the plan. Needless to say, she has a go-phone.
Not ever having a prepaid phone, but living in the US, I am actually surprised too. Not in a bad way though, I don't think you should have to be identifiable to have a phone and I think it's great if you actually can get an anonymous phone if you desire too. I'm just surprised with all the loss of freedoms we've had in the US in the last decade that you are still allowed to buy a prepaid phone without showing ID and giving a SSN or something because "think of the children".
Logically, there is no reason to have to provide ID to buy a prepaid cell phone, since it is by nature, prepaid. The only reason why regular cell phones should/need to have an identity attached to them is for billing/contract reasons. Unfortunately recently, the US government and corporations alike seem to think that anonymity is something to be squashed. Either the gov wants your ID associated with everything for NSA and spying reasons, or corporations want your ID tied to everything for tracking/advertising reasons. Between the two of them, there isn't a whole lot you can do to be anonymous anymore.
Everyone knows you use a wet sponge to moisten the envelope if you don't want your saliva on it. Or now days, you can use peel n' stick envelopes, but have to be careful not to touch the sticky part with your finger. Or you wear latex gloves when creating and sending your "top secret" letters.
Same here. I have a LinkedIn account because I am a freelance contractor, and use it as a means for contact and resume (to supplement my own website)--however even that is not updated often and is mostly static and has no picture. However, I have not had a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account ever, nor do I intend to. Friends and family who post things on Facebook, I tell them straight out, I will not get or see whatever they post, and if they want to share family or baby pictures, or a message to me, they have to do it another way. Email works perfectly fine.
Since I'm in a different employment arrangement than most, it doesn't necessarily apply, but if an employer or prospective employer told me I had to have a facebook account, I'd laugh at them and then explain the dozens of reasons why I don't, and won't, and why they probably shouldn't either.
As for sharing photos and video of memorable close family and friend moments, IMHO the best (most polite) way to do so is a public link to a Cloud folder (like Dropbox/OneDrive/etc.). This is most easiest, and polite way to share that stuff, let me click a link, see the pictures, without having my email clogged with multi-megabite picture, or having to "friend" you to see it, or needing to have an account with your website-of-the-week. Sorry, the stuff someone wants me to see isn't that important.
Same in California, the items that are taxed are marked (or the other way around), and so while your total receipt will usually have a sales tax amount on it, it is not a flat % applied to the entire list of items, only the items that are taxable.
Actually, if by 'spoils' you mean we took it from them because we won, you're wrong. The US paid Mexico $24M for the south-western states (in 1800's money value). I wouldn't call land that the US purchased for money, 'spoils of war'.
You cannot buy your own ATT UVerse modems yet. They are holding on to those tightly, and they are not something you can walk into a computer store and buy like you can with a normal DSL or Cable modem. I looked around when I signed up as I wanted to own mine as well, but no luck. Using your own router of your choice in a DMZ behind their's is about the best solution I have found, and works great.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually this. I'm in the same boat, with my own domain on shared hosting. I'm not going to shell out money to a third party for a cert that really isn't needed for a website that just gives info about me and my business.
On another note, I program embedded control systems for a living, and often am incorporating automation to reach out and either pull out scrape data from web servers for different reasons (to diplay weather or energyvusage stats) or control home security monitors etc. These embedded platforms dont have the encryption frameworks for them to access most https sites. Meaning to do the simple thing like scraping info from a https page requires delving into encryption protocols, rolling your own encryption implementations and having it run on a platform that is less powerful than a typical phone. It all started when all email servers went to https and then trying to get an automation system to send a status or alert email turned into a major PITA. Now the whole web is going to be like that. I love how in the dawn of IoT, that everyone assumes that all these microprocessors are going to be running standard full fleged web frameworks and all the goodies that goes with them, including encryption, XML, JSON, Restful and other frameworks that are common on on your big 5 OSes, but not so common in the land of proprietary OSes running on embedded platforms.
BTW, I program AMX and Crestron automation systems if anyone was wondering what platforms Im specifically referring to, but there are others as well.
The summary mentioned that these are shot from a "smooth bore" rifle. Meaning no twisted landing to make the bullet spin, like a shotgun. So unknown from the info given if the bullet even does spin. The reason most bullets spin are to keep it stable in flight so it doesn't start tumbling. *IF* it used fins somehow, I'm sure that is what would keep it stable in flight instead.
Yes, there are downsides to a generator as well, storing of fuel etc. But, I would say in an emergency situation, most of your argument goes away though, as most people would realize that some major catastrophe (hurricane, earthquake, etc.) has taken the power out, and it could be a while until it's back up, and start conserving their power to only necessary things to help live, like refrigerator and minimal cooking appliances or lights. A typical residential generator usage, would likely involve a very undersized generator that would not run the whole house, but would run just the necessities, maybe even requiring things to be unplugged for a bit while you plugged in something else that you needed. Possibly having more than one generator, so that you can start and stop ones that don't need to be used all the time to conserve fuel.
Only an idiot (or someone filthy rich) would try to run his entire house on a generator (or a backup battery for that matter) without immediately scaling back power usage to absolute bare necessities.
But a generator will likely run indefinately (provided you have enough fuel), vs a battery that will only power things for a limited time in a longer period blackout. Once your out, your out. Vs being able to keep a generator running and filling up gas every so often.
I think PG&E just likes putting that on your bill to make you feel like you should save more. Mine says the same thing.
However in my case it may be somewhat valid, as I run a home office with multiple PCs and such that goes with that, am home most of the day, as well as my wife and kids (who are homeschooled). So we use power almost all day long. And we are billed into the 3rd teir pricing as well. We dont have AC but all of our appliances are elec. vs. gas which doesnt help either.
Yes, and often times, when you zoom in to see the content, what you are not seeing are the ADS that surround the content on top, sides and bottom. So zooming in, actually zooms the adds out of, and off your mobile screen and enlarges the content area to fill the screen. If they did this automatically for mobile sites, maybe more people would like them, but the ADS on most sites are to important to most site owners, that they would rather show the Ads and no content, rather than the content with no ads.
Yes, this is a stupid move, since when I google for information, regardless of whether I'm using a phone or my desktop/laptop, what I'm really wanting is relevant information about my search. If I'm looking for information to a question I have, I want the best information to answer that question. It shouldn't matter what the hell the site designers did to make it mobile friendly or not. If I'm looking for specific information, I don't care if the best information is located on a webpage that looks like it's been created in 1995 and belongs in geocities, I want the information that best answers my question. Don't omit the best results just because they think that by some irrelevant criteria, that Google decided, that the info I need is not worthy of showing me, and instead they are going to show me info from a less than relevant source that has 'mobile friendly' site architecture.
And like a lot of you, I can't stand most 'mobile friendly' sites. Most suck, and most are stripped down versions of their normal site that don't allow the same access to the site information/functionality. The last 3 phones I've owned (over 6 to 7 years) all are plenty capable of showing regular websites scaled down to the screen, that allow me to zoom and pan and scroll how I want it. Most of this preferential for me than giving me a mobile friendly site that doesn't have the same navigation, or content organization, or features.
Ads are mostly annoying on mobile sites as well, since they don't use a column off the side to display them (where they are easily ignored). Instead, they put full width adds in the column of content, or even worse, they make the adds popup and cover the whole frickin' screen everytime you open a new page on the site, and you have to close the add popup constantly.
When changing the ECU on cars (like when Tuners flash a new tune) it is not the same as changing the entire underlying operating system. In most cases, the parts being changed are the parameters (or mapping points) that the underlying program uses to determine Fuel/Timing (and Boost if applicable) under certain RPM-Load points. The calculation of these and engine operation coding is rarely if ever touched.
It's almost analogous to changing config files for a program. You're not effecting how the program operates, just the parameter data that the underlying program uses.
It say's "Thou shalt not Murder". Murder and killing are two different terms with different meanings. You can kill in self defense and that is not murder. Murder is doing it willfully and on purpose.
You see, only Jeff Bezos has special permission to be delivering mail and packages via a small helicopter. I guess Amazon got beat to the punch this time.
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds..."
Yes this. I only fly when I have to for work, which is a couple times a year maybe. I always opt-out of the scanners (figuring if they're going to do something pervasive, they should be embarrassed and uncomfortable about it as well). It also makes a point, as it always seems like your "putting them out" when they have to do a manual pat down (I wish more people would opt for this reason). Funny how they don't see themselves as the 'PERVS' in this situation, as they are giving you the option of seeing and photographing you naked, or getting sexually assaulted. Just because you pick the one least convenient for them, doesn't make you the 'perv', as most people would rather not get either if given the choice.
But it never fails, that when you inform them that your not going through the naked scanner like the other lemmings, that they subtly make you pay for it.
-First, they always try to talk you out of the 'opt-out' by regurgitating TSA info on the safety of the scanners.
-Then when you don't change your mind, they make a very loud and public announcement for "OPT-OUT, WE HAVE AN OPT-OUT!!!" while they point to you. As an attempt to publicly shame you in front of everyone.
-Then they tell you to go stand aside so they can continue to scan people while you are 'waiting' for another agent to let you through the by-pass door, meanwhile, your stuff has gone through the X-Ray and you can't see it anymore (violation of airport rules to loose sight of your luggage/carry-ons btw).
-You sit there for several minutes (or more) hoping that the dozen or two-dozen people that go past you don't take your cell phone, laptop, bag, or your wallet while your stuff is sitting down at the end of the XRay machine out of your sight.
-Finally someone will come get you and let you through and pickup your stuff and take you over to the exam counter where the real 'fun' (and rights violations) begin.
All the while, you aren't allowed to touch your belongings until after they clear you, so you have no idea if someone has taken anything from your bins of stuff until several minutes have passed (and at which point, getting your stuff back would be near impossible).
They have high resolution scans of every inch of their persons, including their private parts, but they "can't identify" the victims? Hmm, ok.
Unfortunately because these jobs are government (ie: public sector) jobs, their paychecks are paid from re-distributing everyone else's money out them. In other words, everyone (even those people who don't fly) have to pay more in taxes so we can have all these extra government jobs. To top it off, they are unionized (so they get better pay and better working package than most private sector jobs doing similar tasks) and they get a better retirement than most private jobs (just like most government jobs now days).
I would rather donate that extra money to charity for helping the truly poor and be able to fly without getting groped.
I'll give you credit though, at least you admitted (in not so many words) that it's largely just one big government works program for people who are, for the most part, unemployable for anything more productive... (a similar view to what I think a large majority of our local/state/federal government jobs really are).
What I don't understand is all the press about the iWatch, as well as any of the iPhone releases. Android smart watches have been out for years, and not a peep on the nightly news about 'em. Either Apple is paying off the local/national media for 'advertisements' or the people that produce the news are all Apple fanboys and stumble over each other to give Apple free advertising in the form of "news".
OMG, this! I know people that will wake up from sleep to run in and answer their cell phone. I've known people who are taking a crap and feel they NEED to answer that call when it comes in. People--most of us are NOT that important, and more importantly, most other people are NOT that important to us that we need to be at your frickin' beck and call when you please!
If you call me and if I feel like talking to you, and I'm not busy, and I'm not doing something else I desire to do more than talk to you, I MIGHT answer it. Otherwise, leave a message (a specific one that says what you want) and I'll get back to you when all of the above conditions are met. Me carrying a cell phone is for MY convenience, NOT for yours! But people don't get this... they sit up and wag their tail like a trained dog when ever their cell phone makes a peep.
Because laws. When cell phones came out, hardly anyone had hands-free earbuds, but once states passed laws that say you get a ticket for even "touching" or "holding" your phone while in the drivers seat of a car that is started (even at a red light, stopped), people have to get them in many situations.
There is no such law that says you have to use a smart-watch.
Yes, the SIM can be changed, and that will change the phone number, but the phones are encoded with a IMEI number, which is like a serial number unique to each phone. The IMEI number is tranmitted to the cell towers and is how the cell providers track what kind of phone you have and other details.
The Feds have made it a FELONY to change the IMEI number of the phone, so even if you have the expensive equipment to do it, they've made it hard to get and illegal to use. This is how many organized theft rings would wipe a phone, they would change the IMEI number from the stolen phone, to either a generic IMEI number, or a legit IMEI number so the phone can't be de-activated on the cell network.
The cell phone companies use the IMEI (ESN) number for several purposes, one of them is to flag stolen phones and de-activate them on the cell network. You could change the SIM, but if the IMEI number has been reported stolen, and flagged in the DB, then the phone won't be allowed on the carrier's network. The other use the cell providers use the IMEI number is to know what phone you have. For instance, ATT requires all smart phones to purchase a data plan for it (even if you only wish to use data over wifi). If you activate ANY smart phone on their network, if you don't have a data plan for it, they will detect it and add a data plan to your account. They detect whether it is a smart phone by the IMEI number on the network.
I looked into this as I wanted to give my teen my old smart phone, but didn't want to put data on the plan for it (just calling+txt). I figured the phone was better than a feature phone, cause she could still use it on wifi, plus it holds tons of MP3's and has a nice camera etc. that aren't on feature phones. I looked into the idea of buying a go-phone (so they didn't add data to my plan), and then putting the SIM from the go-phone into my old smart phone to get it cell service. I quickly learned (from reading, not doing), that as soon as the smart phone is seen on the network (regardless of SIM used), they would add data to the plan. Needless to say, she has a go-phone.
Not ever having a prepaid phone, but living in the US, I am actually surprised too. Not in a bad way though, I don't think you should have to be identifiable to have a phone and I think it's great if you actually can get an anonymous phone if you desire too. I'm just surprised with all the loss of freedoms we've had in the US in the last decade that you are still allowed to buy a prepaid phone without showing ID and giving a SSN or something because "think of the children".
Logically, there is no reason to have to provide ID to buy a prepaid cell phone, since it is by nature, prepaid. The only reason why regular cell phones should/need to have an identity attached to them is for billing/contract reasons. Unfortunately recently, the US government and corporations alike seem to think that anonymity is something to be squashed. Either the gov wants your ID associated with everything for NSA and spying reasons, or corporations want your ID tied to everything for tracking/advertising reasons. Between the two of them, there isn't a whole lot you can do to be anonymous anymore.
Everyone knows you use a wet sponge to moisten the envelope if you don't want your saliva on it. Or now days, you can use peel n' stick envelopes, but have to be careful not to touch the sticky part with your finger. Or you wear latex gloves when creating and sending your "top secret" letters.
Same here. I have a LinkedIn account because I am a freelance contractor, and use it as a means for contact and resume (to supplement my own website)--however even that is not updated often and is mostly static and has no picture. However, I have not had a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account ever, nor do I intend to. Friends and family who post things on Facebook, I tell them straight out, I will not get or see whatever they post, and if they want to share family or baby pictures, or a message to me, they have to do it another way. Email works perfectly fine.
Since I'm in a different employment arrangement than most, it doesn't necessarily apply, but if an employer or prospective employer told me I had to have a facebook account, I'd laugh at them and then explain the dozens of reasons why I don't, and won't, and why they probably shouldn't either.
As for sharing photos and video of memorable close family and friend moments, IMHO the best (most polite) way to do so is a public link to a Cloud folder (like Dropbox/OneDrive/etc.). This is most easiest, and polite way to share that stuff, let me click a link, see the pictures, without having my email clogged with multi-megabite picture, or having to "friend" you to see it, or needing to have an account with your website-of-the-week. Sorry, the stuff someone wants me to see isn't that important.
I believe the phrase is: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter..."
Same in California, the items that are taxed are marked (or the other way around), and so while your total receipt will usually have a sales tax amount on it, it is not a flat % applied to the entire list of items, only the items that are taxable.
Actually, if by 'spoils' you mean we took it from them because we won, you're wrong. The US paid Mexico $24M for the south-western states (in 1800's money value). I wouldn't call land that the US purchased for money, 'spoils of war'.
You cannot buy your own ATT UVerse modems yet. They are holding on to those tightly, and they are not something you can walk into a computer store and buy like you can with a normal DSL or Cable modem. I looked around when I signed up as I wanted to own mine as well, but no luck. Using your own router of your choice in a DMZ behind their's is about the best solution I have found, and works great.