Not really. At least not in the sense of a permanent move, which is what I was suggesting. People are still moving back. Another of my co-workers just moved back last weekend, as a matter of fact.
Not that you could have gotten through the switch anyway. I lived in New Orleans when the hurricane hit. My 504 area code cell phone was virtually unusable for incoming calls for the better part of the next couple of months. Backup generator or not, the lines were simply unusable. Actually, when we were evacuating, myself and my friend in the other car, once we finally made a connection on our cell phones, just stayed on the line with each other for several hours so we could communicate driving (idling) strategies.
That said, I haven't read the friendly article yet so I don't know if they mention the exact details, but from what I learned from a friend of mine in the T-Com industry in New Orleans, most of the major carriers either didn't correctly place their generators or simply didn't have enough diesel. Suffice it to say, my primary means of communication on the road became texting from my phone since those didn't require voice services, and sending email from my Skytel pager. I had to purchase a prepaid phone once in Houston in order to receive any calls at all from family and work.
On a different note, the city wide wireless network is very cool. I took advantage of it the last time I was down there. It's certainly useful to be able fire up my laptop from anywhere in the downtown area and connect to "City of New Orleans" to check my email. If all major cities started doing this, it could open up the markets to a whole new subset of wifi enabled mobile devices, like the Skype phones and Nokia wifi web tablet, not to mention embeded devices in automobiles such as, perhaps, a Google Maps/GPS navigator. The only criticism that I had was that I, not surprisingly, had a hard time maintaining a connection from the 18th floor of my hotel. I've also heard that the coverage isn't as good outside of the CBD, but I didn't take my laptop with me to test when I ventured out to the 'burbs.
It's not so much a matter of education what the ratings mean as it is educating the masses as to their existance. What we really need is an awareness campaign. Too many parents are probably not even aware that there are ratings on video games (despite the ratings clearly plastered on the boxes). I applaud the state of Georgia for this matter. If I were registered to vote here instead of my home state (I currently reside in Georgia), the attorney general would definitely get my vote.
Here's hoping that more campaigns such as these start to spring up in more states. Maybe once enough people are aware of the ratings system, they can stop with these needless, and trivial lawsuits against the gaming companies.
I'm curious: did the movie industry have these same problems getting their ratings system "adopted" by the public?
This brings up an interesting point. Does the Wii offer a standard RJ45 jack on the back as well as the wireless? I mean, I've already conveniently located my router next to my entertainment system so that my XBox, PS2, and HTPC can all access the network, so I would likely plug the Wii in as well. But will I be able to?
I keep waiting for one of the major labels to break ranks and start acting intelligent, giving customers fewer restrictions and defecting from the RIAA. It seems though, that none of them has the guts to do it, so they'll all keep pushing on consumers as hard as they can. The end result of the crackdown will eventually lead to a new business model in which the labels play a small or nonexistent role. Ironic, isn't it?
It's the Prisoner's Dilemma. Actually, it's a case of the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma to be more specific. As long as the big labels all stick together they maximize the results for the group. Sure, one of the labels could break ranks and would probably maximize revenues in the short term. But on the next "iteration" they would suffer the retribution of the rest of the group. It would be akin to corporate suicide.
Unfortunately, I don't see this madness ending unless the government steps in and declares the RIAA's actions illegal. There are probably other solutions, but I'm late for work and don't have the time to consider the problem further.
Suffice it to say, the chances of one of the big labels breaking ranks are slim to none. And yes, I realize that another poster mentioned Nettwerk in another reply, but they are not one of the "Big Four" and so their influence on the industry is much less than that of EMI, Sony-BMG, Universal, and Warner. Those are the "prisoners" in this case. It is their decisions that move the industry, such as it is.
The matrix was right in ignorance is bliss I suppose.
How ironic that you would use such a quote and yet be ignorant to its true origin. Please don't confuse the philosophising in The Matrix as being anything more than a vehicle for advancing the story.
Here's the original quote, from Thomas Gray:
To each his suff'rings: all are men, Condemn'd alike to groan, The tender for another's pain; Th' unfeeling for his own. Yet ah! why should they know their fate? Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies. Thought would destroy their paradise. No more; where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.
That said, the first Matrix was a kick ass movie and a lot of fun to watch. I'll not start an argument on the second two.:)
You're obviously a Republican moron who sees the boogey man in every dark corner and immediately assumes that anyone who isn't also afraid of the dark corners is in league with the boogey men. You, sir, are the one without a brain.
Nothing like an election year to bring out the bipartisan name calling. What the hell does the man's political orientation have to do with it? How can you even be sure of his political leanings?
And before you accuse me of being another "Republican moron" please know that I am, in fact, a registered Democrat and have worked directly for a Democrat politician in the state legislature.
When you result to name calling like that, you are no better than whomever you decide to direct your hatred towards.
I can't believe such a derogatory comment would get moderated up.
Most people I know aren't even aware of those deficiencies of prop planes. I've had this discussion with a lot of people since I've probably flown on more commercial prop planes than just about everybody I personally know. (The only direct air route between college and home was serviced by US Airways operating Beechcraft B100s.) These people seem to prefer the larger jets for the same reason that they bought that big-ass SUV after they had their first kid: the irrational belief that bigger is better or bigger is safer. Specific counter-examples not withstanding, that's not necessarily true in the case of aviation and smaller twin prop planes. Furthermore, from a terrorism standpoint, smaller planes are safer -- they have less mass and less fuel and so will cause less damage. The planes used in 9/11 where chosen for their larger mass and their high fuel loads. And, as others have pointed out, some people still equate a prop with unreliability. Modern turbo props have come a long way since the piston engines of yore and they are a million times more reliable. This is evidenced by the FAA's continued expansion of the ETOPS limits.
Lastly, the few people that I do know who have flown on smaller planes, prop planes and regional jets sometimes seem to be a little unnerved when the pilot has do come back and do a manual balancing of the plane. Wudeva. That's for your safety people. It usually make me feel a little safer as I then know that the pilot certainly has checked the loading of the plane.
Thanks for the information. I've only had the time to merely scan the articles quoted in your post, but it does appear that some of the commonly held miss beliefs about socialization amongst home schooled children (by far the largest argument against home schooling) may not necessarily be true. I wonder if this isn't another factor of anecdotal evidence. I myself have known two home schooled children, but they were not home schooled due to their intelligence. In both cases, the children were home schooled due to some other difficulties in school -- discipline problems in one case and in the other case the parent made the choice due to what could have been already mounting socialization problems with the child.
I think the other problem with poorly socialized children may have to do with the parent. Perhaps the parent doesn't take as great an interest in their children's development as those parents whose children do socialize well. From what I saw, a critical aspect for the child's socialization seems to be the parents' willingness to involve/support/encourage the child in so-called extra curricular activities. That said, I think lack of parental support is a problem that many children seem to face, home schooled or not.
Using myself as a case study, I can certainly see where I would have benefited from home schooling in some ways. School moved much too slow for me the majority of time and the only thing I really looked forward to most days (aside from the girls) was football at the end of the day. Practice may have been torturous, but that was my one release throughout the day, and the one activity that truly challenged me, physically at least, but certainly not mentally. I will admit, however, that I also slacked off on my school work simply to fit in, so as not to appear too smart.
That said, one of the criticisms I saw listed in your posting was that of the clique-ish (if we can pretend that abomination is a real word) nature of high school students. I would contend that dealing with the internal politics of high school and their "shifting alliances" is still good training for the business world. Since venturing out in to the work force I haven't noticed a huge difference between the way people interact in the offices in which I have worked and the way students interacted in high school. This includes members of the offices forming their own cliques and the constantly shifting alliances amongst the employees. If anything, I would contend that the office to which I am currently deployed is even worse than high school in that respect, but that is neither here nor there.
Anyway, I look forward to reading your post further. I am willing to admit that my previous conceptions (as well as those of most people) could, in fact, be ill-informed misconceptions.
I've always found it ammusing what devices people are told to turn off and what they are allowed to leave on, actually. I don't know how many times I've seen people whom I am sure don't know how to turn off their wifi transmitter using computers on planes. I did have one flight where the attendents made me turn off my MP3 player during take off and landing. It kind of annoyed me since I've never been asked that before, but it wasn't worth making a fuss over. And truth be told, I was probably already a little annoyed since I had already been delayed for four hours at the airport and finally put on a plane operated by a different airline all together.
I'm guessing that you don't fly to western Australia much if your flights are all relatively short.:)
Would that I did not squander my moderator points on a previous article tonight. You greatly deserve the Insightful moderation that you have recieved as well as additional moderations in the same manner.
I've actually been on a couple of flights where the attendants informed the passengers to turn off their phones, even if they have an airplane mode. Maybe it's just a Delta thing or maybe it's just the pilot not wanting to take any chances. Either way, when it comes to flying, I'll take my plain old MP3 player, thanks.
Why do you think people buy the large Hi-Def Flat Screen TVs, Fancy Cars, Stylish Laptops... It is to impress other people.Most companies know this. You will not get more or less entertained with a hi-def TV vs. a Normal one, with the content being the same. Having a high performance sports car will not get you to work any faster (legally?, But still you can speed in your old car too), A fancy Mac Book Pro will do the work just as well as a Dell Laptop with the same specs (OS Bigitry asside).
I'm sorry, but I think you're partially wrong. Some people buy these sorts of things just because they like them. I have a friend with a 52" plasma TV. He certainly didn't buy it to impress people. He rarely has people over to his apartment and apparently had the thing for a couple of months before anybody even knew he had bought it. He bought it because he likes TV and I have to admit that even watching HD PBS, was pretty awe inspiring. I certainly felt like it was more entertaining watching TV on the thing. The absolute clarity and larger size went a large way towards suspension of disbelief.
Cars. Not everybody needs to impress people with a fancy sports car. Some people like cars and like to drive cars. Yes you can speed in your Toyota, but it's another thing entirely to appreciate how well your Porsche corners compared to your Toyota. For a driving enthusiast, no matter how the car looks, it's a true joy to drive a well sorted car.
I could go on, but my point is thus: sometimes people really do buy objects on their own merits as opposed to how well they will impress.
Getting slightly back on topic, some people will want a media PC just on its own merits. Although I do agree that a Tivo will probably suit most people's needs. (My "HTPC" consists of my old desktop with a AiW Radeon in my bedroom to record and an old laptop with S-video out for playback. It suits my needs and I think I came out OK on price.:))
Homeschoolers usually have higher-quality and more extensive social lives than those in conventional school, learn more, are less likely to be alienated, depressed and to have the "learned helplessness" that results from being treated in school as shoddy parts destined for corporate machines.
I'll have to check. I'm not sure if I actually received certificates or not. The stock was gifted to me but I can't remember in what manner. I mean, I don't remember if I was given the certificates themselves as a gift or if the stock was simply purchased in my name without receipt of certificates.
Ironically enough, I have a good friend who used to work for Enron. I just sent him an email to see if he ever received any certificates by any chance. My email address is in my profile. If you're really interested, just shoot me an email and I can let you know if I find my certificates for WorldCom and/or if my friend has any Enron certificates.
I could also check to see if my grandfather has any certificates from GTE, if you're interested.
While I'm not sure of their criteria as well, I do know a little about Central High. I graduated from Cabot High School in 1999. (For those that don't know, Cabot is one of the more popular exurbs of Little Rock and has one of the largest school districts in the state.) But, I did have friends who went to Central High. I was consistently impressed with the number of programs and wide variety of programs they offered there. Cabot School District is typically considered one of the better in the state, and it is a much safer school district than many or most of the districts in its class, but our high school didn't compare in the number of programs available, the variety of programs available, and the quality of programs available.
We can look at it another way: advanced classes. I took more AP classes than anybody else I graduated with at 7 and our school only offered 6 until my junior year when they made third year Spanish and French AP classes -- for a total of 8 AP classes. I had friends at Central High who took 7 AP classes in one year.
I can't dispute the fact that most of the Little Rock School District is crap. A lot of this has to do with the bussing policy which is one of the factors that force parents to enroll their kids in private schools, as it did my parents before we moved to Cabot. That said, I would contend that Central High School is the exception to the rule.
See, it's comments like that that let people know you're going by hearsay rather than actual evidence. The 155mm nuclear artillery shell weighed 855 pounds and was 4.5 feet long. If you have a guy that can carry a backpack with that in it, you don't NEED a nuke-- just send that big bastard in with a club to SMASH the base like Gojira!
Actually, according to this site: http://www.brook.edu/FP/projects/nucwcost/davyc.HT M, the XM-388 projectile weighed only 76 pounds, was 30 inches long, and 11 inches in diameter at its widest point. The warhead itself weighed only 51 pounds. I hate to say it, but a reasonably fit man could probably carry that around, although it would be a little unweildy.
What you are most likely referring to above is the entire XM-29 155-milimeter recoilless rifle and XM-388 projectile combination. The XM-29 "rifle" is only necessary if you're actually attempting to launch the projectile. (Although I'm still not sure about the 855 pounds part because I believe the entire weapons system was designed to be operated by a three man crew.)
Although it is interesting that you mention "Gojira" as the weapons system was apparently "used" in King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Lastly, according to one of those sites, the yield of one of those bombs is a paltry.01 kilotons or about two to four times the size of the Oklahoma City bombing. While that's not an insignificant blast yield, I would like to think that the military keeps their "New NORAD" far enough away from the fences and properly shielded enough that such a blast wouldn't have much effect.
Actually, I typically get a bit of reading done while "driving" to work. I put the term in quotes becuause there are several places where I have to sit through several cycles of a light to get through, some times for 10 or more minutes. So, I read a book while stuck at these lights. At least I don't feel like I'm wasting too much of my life sitting in traffic.
God, I wish we had a useful public transportation system here.
That said, I did see some guy trying to do a Sudoku puzzle while driving 70 on the freeway. I almost wanted to hit him just on principle.
I've had the fortune of driving several new or near new cars within the last year. It's sad, but it's really only been the last couple of model years that manufacturers have started to include 1/8th inch stereo input jacks. When I purchased my current car in '04, I was simultaneously excited that I now had an actual in-dash CD player, but dismayed that I no longer had a place to plug in my MP3 player.
In any respect, you can do what I planned to do when I purchased my XM radio, and install a wired FM modulator. This is basically a box that accepts RCA inputs and then gets wired in between your car antenna and your car stereo's antenna input. They aren't as easy to find these days as they were when CD changers first hit the market (most factory stereos have a PIE auxillary input), but you can usually find them at most specialty car audio/video stores. (Or maybe Best Buy does have them but the sales dorks were too stupid to know what I was talking about). Mine is a Clarion unit and I think it set me back about $35 or so.
I actually ended up not using mine since it turns out that my XM radio came with its own wired FM modulator. When I installed the radio I got lucky and found an empty set of power and ground leads on the fuse block, meaning I wouldn't have to use any extra connectors unless I wanted to also install the aftermarket modulator. Laziness won out.:)
Pefect! Then I can carry around a couple of 50lb. sandbags strapped to the passenger seat so that I can defeat the system. Or maybe a Realdoll...
Seriously, I can understand the manufacturers are under legal pressure to include such safety features, but here's a wild thought! How about we cure the problem with the stupid drivers instead of making certain car features inaccessible due to those stupid drivers?
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Not really. At least not in the sense of a permanent move, which is what I was suggesting. People are still moving back. Another of my co-workers just moved back last weekend, as a matter of fact.
Here's an interesting question: did the French that founded the city have any way to measure sea level in 1718?
Next question: when was it determined that parts of New Orleans were up to 10 feet below sea level?
Third question: what level of development had the city undergone when it was determined how much of it was below sea level?
Last question: what would have been the costs to pack up the entire fuckin' city and move it further in-land?
Not that you could have gotten through the switch anyway. I lived in New Orleans when the hurricane hit. My 504 area code cell phone was virtually unusable for incoming calls for the better part of the next couple of months. Backup generator or not, the lines were simply unusable. Actually, when we were evacuating, myself and my friend in the other car, once we finally made a connection on our cell phones, just stayed on the line with each other for several hours so we could communicate driving (idling) strategies.
That said, I haven't read the friendly article yet so I don't know if they mention the exact details, but from what I learned from a friend of mine in the T-Com industry in New Orleans, most of the major carriers either didn't correctly place their generators or simply didn't have enough diesel. Suffice it to say, my primary means of communication on the road became texting from my phone since those didn't require voice services, and sending email from my Skytel pager. I had to purchase a prepaid phone once in Houston in order to receive any calls at all from family and work.
On a different note, the city wide wireless network is very cool. I took advantage of it the last time I was down there. It's certainly useful to be able fire up my laptop from anywhere in the downtown area and connect to "City of New Orleans" to check my email. If all major cities started doing this, it could open up the markets to a whole new subset of wifi enabled mobile devices, like the Skype phones and Nokia wifi web tablet, not to mention embeded devices in automobiles such as, perhaps, a Google Maps/GPS navigator. The only criticism that I had was that I, not surprisingly, had a hard time maintaining a connection from the 18th floor of my hotel. I've also heard that the coverage isn't as good outside of the CBD, but I didn't take my laptop with me to test when I ventured out to the 'burbs.
It's not so much a matter of education what the ratings mean as it is educating the masses as to their existance. What we really need is an awareness campaign. Too many parents are probably not even aware that there are ratings on video games (despite the ratings clearly plastered on the boxes). I applaud the state of Georgia for this matter. If I were registered to vote here instead of my home state (I currently reside in Georgia), the attorney general would definitely get my vote.
Here's hoping that more campaigns such as these start to spring up in more states. Maybe once enough people are aware of the ratings system, they can stop with these needless, and trivial lawsuits against the gaming companies.
I'm curious: did the movie industry have these same problems getting their ratings system "adopted" by the public?
This brings up an interesting point. Does the Wii offer a standard RJ45 jack on the back as well as the wireless? I mean, I've already conveniently located my router next to my entertainment system so that my XBox, PS2, and HTPC can all access the network, so I would likely plug the Wii in as well. But will I be able to?
It's the Prisoner's Dilemma. Actually, it's a case of the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma to be more specific. As long as the big labels all stick together they maximize the results for the group. Sure, one of the labels could break ranks and would probably maximize revenues in the short term. But on the next "iteration" they would suffer the retribution of the rest of the group. It would be akin to corporate suicide.
Unfortunately, I don't see this madness ending unless the government steps in and declares the RIAA's actions illegal. There are probably other solutions, but I'm late for work and don't have the time to consider the problem further.
Suffice it to say, the chances of one of the big labels breaking ranks are slim to none. And yes, I realize that another poster mentioned Nettwerk in another reply, but they are not one of the "Big Four" and so their influence on the industry is much less than that of EMI, Sony-BMG, Universal, and Warner. Those are the "prisoners" in this case. It is their decisions that move the industry, such as it is.
How ironic that you would use such a quote and yet be ignorant to its true origin. Please don't confuse the philosophising in The Matrix as being anything more than a vehicle for advancing the story.
Here's the original quote, from Thomas Gray:
That said, the first Matrix was a kick ass movie and a lot of fun to watch. I'll not start an argument on the second two.
Nothing like an election year to bring out the bipartisan name calling. What the hell does the man's political orientation have to do with it? How can you even be sure of his political leanings?
And before you accuse me of being another "Republican moron" please know that I am, in fact, a registered Democrat and have worked directly for a Democrat politician in the state legislature.
When you result to name calling like that, you are no better than whomever you decide to direct your hatred towards.
I can't believe such a derogatory comment would get moderated up.
Most people I know aren't even aware of those deficiencies of prop planes. I've had this discussion with a lot of people since I've probably flown on more commercial prop planes than just about everybody I personally know. (The only direct air route between college and home was serviced by US Airways operating Beechcraft B100s.) These people seem to prefer the larger jets for the same reason that they bought that big-ass SUV after they had their first kid: the irrational belief that bigger is better or bigger is safer. Specific counter-examples not withstanding, that's not necessarily true in the case of aviation and smaller twin prop planes. Furthermore, from a terrorism standpoint, smaller planes are safer -- they have less mass and less fuel and so will cause less damage. The planes used in 9/11 where chosen for their larger mass and their high fuel loads. And, as others have pointed out, some people still equate a prop with unreliability. Modern turbo props have come a long way since the piston engines of yore and they are a million times more reliable. This is evidenced by the FAA's continued expansion of the ETOPS limits.
Lastly, the few people that I do know who have flown on smaller planes, prop planes and regional jets sometimes seem to be a little unnerved when the pilot has do come back and do a manual balancing of the plane. Wudeva. That's for your safety people. It usually make me feel a little safer as I then know that the pilot certainly has checked the loading of the plane.
There's no such thing as Overkill. There's just Kill and Enough Kill and that's it.
Thanks for the information. I've only had the time to merely scan the articles quoted in your post, but it does appear that some of the commonly held miss beliefs about socialization amongst home schooled children (by far the largest argument against home schooling) may not necessarily be true. I wonder if this isn't another factor of anecdotal evidence. I myself have known two home schooled children, but they were not home schooled due to their intelligence. In both cases, the children were home schooled due to some other difficulties in school -- discipline problems in one case and in the other case the parent made the choice due to what could have been already mounting socialization problems with the child.
I think the other problem with poorly socialized children may have to do with the parent. Perhaps the parent doesn't take as great an interest in their children's development as those parents whose children do socialize well. From what I saw, a critical aspect for the child's socialization seems to be the parents' willingness to involve/support/encourage the child in so-called extra curricular activities. That said, I think lack of parental support is a problem that many children seem to face, home schooled or not.
Using myself as a case study, I can certainly see where I would have benefited from home schooling in some ways. School moved much too slow for me the majority of time and the only thing I really looked forward to most days (aside from the girls) was football at the end of the day. Practice may have been torturous, but that was my one release throughout the day, and the one activity that truly challenged me, physically at least, but certainly not mentally. I will admit, however, that I also slacked off on my school work simply to fit in, so as not to appear too smart.
That said, one of the criticisms I saw listed in your posting was that of the clique-ish (if we can pretend that abomination is a real word) nature of high school students. I would contend that dealing with the internal politics of high school and their "shifting alliances" is still good training for the business world. Since venturing out in to the work force I haven't noticed a huge difference between the way people interact in the offices in which I have worked and the way students interacted in high school. This includes members of the offices forming their own cliques and the constantly shifting alliances amongst the employees. If anything, I would contend that the office to which I am currently deployed is even worse than high school in that respect, but that is neither here nor there.
Anyway, I look forward to reading your post further. I am willing to admit that my previous conceptions (as well as those of most people) could, in fact, be ill-informed misconceptions.
Dolphin vagina. It's a much more elusive search query as there's not a lot of content out there yet. But don't worry. I hear the demand is rising.
What's wrong with you?
I thought everybody had searched for midget pr0n. What use is the internet if you don't use it to search for unusual pr0n?
I've always found it ammusing what devices people are told to turn off and what they are allowed to leave on, actually. I don't know how many times I've seen people whom I am sure don't know how to turn off their wifi transmitter using computers on planes. I did have one flight where the attendents made me turn off my MP3 player during take off and landing. It kind of annoyed me since I've never been asked that before, but it wasn't worth making a fuss over. And truth be told, I was probably already a little annoyed since I had already been delayed for four hours at the airport and finally put on a plane operated by a different airline all together.
:)
I'm guessing that you don't fly to western Australia much if your flights are all relatively short.
Would that I did not squander my moderator points on a previous article tonight. You greatly deserve the Insightful moderation that you have recieved as well as additional moderations in the same manner.
I've actually been on a couple of flights where the attendants informed the passengers to turn off their phones, even if they have an airplane mode. Maybe it's just a Delta thing or maybe it's just the pilot not wanting to take any chances. Either way, when it comes to flying, I'll take my plain old MP3 player, thanks.
I'm sorry, but I think you're partially wrong. Some people buy these sorts of things just because they like them. I have a friend with a 52" plasma TV. He certainly didn't buy it to impress people. He rarely has people over to his apartment and apparently had the thing for a couple of months before anybody even knew he had bought it. He bought it because he likes TV and I have to admit that even watching HD PBS, was pretty awe inspiring. I certainly felt like it was more entertaining watching TV on the thing. The absolute clarity and larger size went a large way towards suspension of disbelief.
Cars. Not everybody needs to impress people with a fancy sports car. Some people like cars and like to drive cars. Yes you can speed in your Toyota, but it's another thing entirely to appreciate how well your Porsche corners compared to your Toyota. For a driving enthusiast, no matter how the car looks, it's a true joy to drive a well sorted car.
I could go on, but my point is thus: sometimes people really do buy objects on their own merits as opposed to how well they will impress.
Getting slightly back on topic, some people will want a media PC just on its own merits. Although I do agree that a Tivo will probably suit most people's needs. (My "HTPC" consists of my old desktop with a AiW Radeon in my bedroom to record and an old laptop with S-video out for playback. It suits my needs and I think I came out OK on price.
Prove it.
I'll have to check. I'm not sure if I actually received certificates or not. The stock was gifted to me but I can't remember in what manner. I mean, I don't remember if I was given the certificates themselves as a gift or if the stock was simply purchased in my name without receipt of certificates.
Ironically enough, I have a good friend who used to work for Enron. I just sent him an email to see if he ever received any certificates by any chance. My email address is in my profile. If you're really interested, just shoot me an email and I can let you know if I find my certificates for WorldCom and/or if my friend has any Enron certificates.
I could also check to see if my grandfather has any certificates from GTE, if you're interested.
While I'm not sure of their criteria as well, I do know a little about Central High. I graduated from Cabot High School in 1999. (For those that don't know, Cabot is one of the more popular exurbs of Little Rock and has one of the largest school districts in the state.) But, I did have friends who went to Central High. I was consistently impressed with the number of programs and wide variety of programs they offered there. Cabot School District is typically considered one of the better in the state, and it is a much safer school district than many or most of the districts in its class, but our high school didn't compare in the number of programs available, the variety of programs available, and the quality of programs available.
We can look at it another way: advanced classes. I took more AP classes than anybody else I graduated with at 7 and our school only offered 6 until my junior year when they made third year Spanish and French AP classes -- for a total of 8 AP classes. I had friends at Central High who took 7 AP classes in one year.
I can't dispute the fact that most of the Little Rock School District is crap. A lot of this has to do with the bussing policy which is one of the factors that force parents to enroll their kids in private schools, as it did my parents before we moved to Cabot. That said, I would contend that Central High School is the exception to the rule.
I have some shares in Worldcom I could sell you. :)
Actually, according to this site: http://www.brook.edu/FP/projects/nucwcost/davyc.H
What you are most likely referring to above is the entire XM-29 155-milimeter recoilless rifle and XM-388 projectile combination. The XM-29 "rifle" is only necessary if you're actually attempting to launch the projectile. (Although I'm still not sure about the 855 pounds part because I believe the entire weapons system was designed to be operated by a three man crew.)
Here's another link: http://www.guntruck.com/DavyCrockett.html
Although it is interesting that you mention "Gojira" as the weapons system was apparently "used" in King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Lastly, according to one of those sites, the yield of one of those bombs is a paltry
Actually, I typically get a bit of reading done while "driving" to work. I put the term in quotes becuause there are several places where I have to sit through several cycles of a light to get through, some times for 10 or more minutes. So, I read a book while stuck at these lights. At least I don't feel like I'm wasting too much of my life sitting in traffic.
God, I wish we had a useful public transportation system here.
That said, I did see some guy trying to do a Sudoku puzzle while driving 70 on the freeway. I almost wanted to hit him just on principle.
I've had the fortune of driving several new or near new cars within the last year. It's sad, but it's really only been the last couple of model years that manufacturers have started to include 1/8th inch stereo input jacks. When I purchased my current car in '04, I was simultaneously excited that I now had an actual in-dash CD player, but dismayed that I no longer had a place to plug in my MP3 player.
:)
In any respect, you can do what I planned to do when I purchased my XM radio, and install a wired FM modulator. This is basically a box that accepts RCA inputs and then gets wired in between your car antenna and your car stereo's antenna input. They aren't as easy to find these days as they were when CD changers first hit the market (most factory stereos have a PIE auxillary input), but you can usually find them at most specialty car audio/video stores. (Or maybe Best Buy does have them but the sales dorks were too stupid to know what I was talking about). Mine is a Clarion unit and I think it set me back about $35 or so.
I actually ended up not using mine since it turns out that my XM radio came with its own wired FM modulator. When I installed the radio I got lucky and found an empty set of power and ground leads on the fuse block, meaning I wouldn't have to use any extra connectors unless I wanted to also install the aftermarket modulator. Laziness won out.
Pefect! Then I can carry around a couple of 50lb. sandbags strapped to the passenger seat so that I can defeat the system. Or maybe a Realdoll...
Seriously, I can understand the manufacturers are under legal pressure to include such safety features, but here's a wild thought! How about we cure the problem with the stupid drivers instead of making certain car features inaccessible due to those stupid drivers?