Dubya actually did pretty well by the Texas Rangers (the team, not the police force). Got the city to build a new stadium, and massively increased attandance and profits. He also did OK as governer of Texas (though arguable the Lt. Gove has more power there), and often compromised to get things done. I was really surprised by how he behaved as president.
Yeah, he got the city to build the stadium on land taken by eminent domain.
What about the part that when the Rangers were sold, Dubya got a significantly larger share of the profits than his initial investment? According to the Washington Post, his $600K investment paid off at $14.9 million, whereas the investment group that bought the Rangers paid $75 million for 86% of the team, and sold (100% of the team, having acquired the rest later) for $250 million in 1998.
For having 1.6% of the investment money, he got about 6% of the profits.
"[George W. Bush] was an asset because his father's career was going up and reaching the top. We just brought the young man over somewhat out of respect for his father."
Washington DC says no. 1998-2003 study shows that at red light camera intersections, collisions more than doubled, Injury and fatal collisions increased by 81%, and t-bones increased by 30%.
At intersections without red light cameras over the same time period, collisions up by 64 percent; injury and fatal crashes rose 54 percent; and broadside collisions rose 17 percent.
Georgia required that intersections that use red light cameras to have yellow signal timings one full second more than the federal minimum. When that law went into effect, red light cameras caught 80% fewer people running the red lights.
The EFF is doing a little more in the way of advocacy, but for some reason the Obama administration has decided to defend the Bush administration classification of information related to ACTA.
The EFF and Public Knowledge announced today that they dropped a lawsuit against the US Trade Representative to release background documents related to ACTA.
There are things that can be done that makes horn-blowing not necessary at certain intersections, but that can cost $20K-$200K per crossing, from what I understand. I know they have put a few in around my area.
EFF is looking for people to contact their representatives in the US, especially if you are in a state with a senator on the Finance committee, or the House Ways and Means / Trade subcommittee.
From 1998-2004, total collisions in DC increased 61%. Intersections with red light cameras installed increased by 115%.
"Injury and fatal crashes climbed 81 percent, from 144 such wrecks to 262. Broadside crashes, also known as right-angle or T-bone collisions, rose 30 percent, from 81 to 106 during that time frame. . . . The results were similar or worse than figures at intersections that have traffic signals but no cameras. The number of overall crashes at those 1,520 locations increased 64 percent; injury and fatal crashes rose 54 percent; and broadside collisions rose 17 percent."
From what I've been seeing, I've noted that a number of musicians that I listen to have gone to a "pay what you want" price for their CDs. They used to sell them for $15 a pop, but have switched to "There's a pile of CDs in the back of the room. Pay what you can, I suggest $15" model.
Of course, these are small-time artists in the independent world, so they have the flexibility to set their own prices.
One of the performers doing this has said that he is making more of a profit every night because more people are giving something. (Granted, the profit margin is smaller, but he's making it up in volume.)
So, that leaves me about $9000 to spend on frivolities, such as my mortgage, pants, and lettuce.
So, the next person who complains to me about CDs costing $20 is going to get strapped to a fire ant hill and tasered in the nuts. Can we all take a vote? All in favor, signify by saying "aye." All opposed?
Interestingly, part of the explanatory text of the bill points out that "[e]xisting case law provides that in the absence of evidence of agreement to the contrary, a teacher, rather than the institution for which he or she teaches, owns the common law copyright to his or her lectures." That does seem to make some sense, but are notes "the lecture"?
Ever hear of an estate? Where the assets, such as copyright grants, have value which the deceased's will can direct to benefit the surviving family members? So a hard-working artist who dies too young can still take care of his family?
Part of the problem that came out of Eldred v. Ashcroft is that the Supreme Court (for some reason) found that the retroactive copyright term extension somehow induced content creators to create more works.
In reality, this is wrong. When you create a work, copyright attaches to the work. You follow the social contract, you know your work is protected for a certain period of time, and then it enters the public domain. The extension does nothing for what I might do in the present. The new social contract for new works might entice me to create new works, but the retroactive extension did nothing.
...Here in California, the company that prints the Unified Building Code books that all contractors must have has successfully sued a person who tried to post the code on the Web. He was forced to shut down the site by court order.
I had always assumed that there was a limited range that the interface device could be used with my pacemaker. Perhaps this will be incorporated next time I go in for a battery change.
An EMP would still be more effective as an attack though.
Or was the EFF unable to push the spotlight idea through the other partners they have for Chilling Effects (Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, University of Maine, George Washington School of Law, and Santa Clara University School of Law clinics.)
Take a listen to This American Life's podcast this week (Show #168) titled "The Fix Is In". Most of the episode is about Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), and a single instance of price fixing and collusion for a single farm product/food additive. I wouldn't call it "one" company controlling everything, but there is a definite oligarchy.
My senior year of high school was marred by a similar glitch. As part of a school internship program, I was supposed to assist the teaching of an AP Computer Science class. I was assigned the standard internship program class (last period of the day so you could leave early), but I was not assigned to the AP Computer Science class.
When the computer system came up with the schedules, the AP Computer Science class was assigned at the same period as AP Calculus, a class that I was taking.
The only way to fix that problem would have been to re-roll the entire schedule for the school.
Needless to say, I ended up dropping the internship.
Slashdot Mirror
Kotaku has been posting a log of their in-game experiences.
Dubya actually did pretty well by the Texas Rangers (the team, not the police force). Got the city to build a new stadium, and massively increased attandance and profits. He also did OK as governer of Texas (though arguable the Lt. Gove has more power there), and often compromised to get things done. I was really surprised by how he behaved as president.
Yeah, he got the city to build the stadium on land taken by eminent domain.
What about the part that when the Rangers were sold, Dubya got a significantly larger share of the profits than his initial investment? According to the Washington Post, his $600K investment paid off at $14.9 million, whereas the investment group that bought the Rangers paid $75 million for 86% of the team, and sold (100% of the team, having acquired the rest later) for $250 million in 1998.
For having 1.6% of the investment money, he got about 6% of the profits.
It's good to be the son of the president.
Washington DC says no. 1998-2003 study shows that at red light camera intersections, collisions more than doubled, Injury and fatal collisions increased by 81%, and t-bones increased by 30%.
At intersections without red light cameras over the same time period, collisions up by 64 percent; injury and fatal crashes rose 54 percent; and broadside collisions rose 17 percent.
Source
And cities have been proven to have shortened yellow signals beyond the limits to increase violations.
And it's not just the municipalities. The standards themselves have been modified to allow shorter and shorter yellows.
Georgia required that intersections that use red light cameras to have yellow signal timings one full second more than the federal minimum. When that law went into effect, red light cameras caught 80% fewer people running the red lights.
Source.
The cameras became unprofitable and in many cases were removed. (Oh yeah... they were there for "safety")
The EFF is doing a little more in the way of advocacy, but for some reason the Obama administration has decided to defend the Bush administration classification of information related to ACTA.
The EFF and Public Knowledge announced today that they dropped a lawsuit against the US Trade Representative to release background documents related to ACTA.
Kinda like this video from Youtube which accuses Viacom of the same infringment that they claim Youtube has done?
The DOT highly regulates what a train must do for an at-grade train crossing.
There are things that can be done that makes horn-blowing not necessary at certain intersections, but that can cost $20K-$200K per crossing, from what I understand. I know they have put a few in around my area.
EFF is looking for people to contact their representatives in the US, especially if you are in a state with a senator on the Finance committee, or the House Ways and Means / Trade subcommittee.
And, according to studies, the red light cameras in Washington DC increase collisions.
From 1998-2004, total collisions in DC increased 61%. Intersections with red light cameras installed increased by 115%.
"Injury and fatal crashes climbed 81 percent, from 144 such wrecks to 262. Broadside crashes, also known as right-angle or T-bone collisions, rose 30 percent, from 81 to 106 during that time frame.
.
.
.
The results were similar or worse than figures at intersections that have traffic signals but no cameras. The number of overall crashes at those 1,520 locations increased 64 percent; injury and fatal crashes rose 54 percent; and broadside collisions rose 17 percent."
From what I've been seeing, I've noted that a number of musicians that I listen to have gone to a "pay what you want" price for their CDs. They used to sell them for $15 a pop, but have switched to "There's a pile of CDs in the back of the room. Pay what you can, I suggest $15" model.
Of course, these are small-time artists in the independent world, so they have the flexibility to set their own prices.
One of the performers doing this has said that he is making more of a profit every night because more people are giving something. (Granted, the profit margin is smaller, but he's making it up in volume.)
Independent singer/songwriter Jonathan Byrd released his own financial statement for 2008. (You'll have to scroll down to his 3/28/2009 update for it).
I was amused by his summary:
California banned "professional note-takers" from college classes.
Ever hear of an estate? Where the assets, such as copyright grants, have value which the deceased's will can direct to benefit the surviving family members? So a hard-working artist who dies too young can still take care of his family?
Part of the problem that came out of Eldred v. Ashcroft is that the Supreme Court (for some reason) found that the retroactive copyright term extension somehow induced content creators to create more works.
In reality, this is wrong. When you create a work, copyright attaches to the work. You follow the social contract, you know your work is protected for a certain period of time, and then it enters the public domain. The extension does nothing for what I might do in the present. The new social contract for new works might entice me to create new works, but the retroactive extension did nothing.
...Here in California, the company that prints the Unified Building Code books that all contractors must have has successfully sued a person who tried to post the code on the Web. He was forced to shut down the site by court order.
Correct. We discussed that in 2008.
I haven't heard any reports of people having them hacked. We had an internet-connected pacemaker, and reports that they could be hacked.
I had always assumed that there was a limited range that the interface device could be used with my pacemaker. Perhaps this will be incorporated next time I go in for a battery change.
An EMP would still be more effective as an attack though.
If your algorithm don't got Mojo Nixon, then your algorithm can use some fixin'.
Shuttle X27D is listed at eWiz for about $170
I thought this is what Chilling Effects was for?
Or was the EFF unable to push the spotlight idea through the other partners they have for Chilling Effects (Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, University of Maine, George Washington School of Law, and Santa Clara University School of Law clinics.)
I just got an AOL CD in the mail this past weekend.
First time in ages.
Take a listen to This American Life's podcast this week (Show #168) titled "The Fix Is In". Most of the episode is about Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), and a single instance of price fixing and collusion for a single farm product/food additive. I wouldn't call it "one" company controlling everything, but there is a definite oligarchy.
My senior year of high school was marred by a similar glitch. As part of a school internship program, I was supposed to assist the teaching of an AP Computer Science class. I was assigned the standard internship program class (last period of the day so you could leave early), but I was not assigned to the AP Computer Science class.
When the computer system came up with the schedules, the AP Computer Science class was assigned at the same period as AP Calculus, a class that I was taking.
The only way to fix that problem would have been to re-roll the entire schedule for the school.
Needless to say, I ended up dropping the internship.
Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.
Obligatory link...
"Screwed Up People Make Great Art" by Groovelily
Well, it's obligatory for me at least.
'What's next, will Scientologists have to wear yellow, six-pointed stars on our clothing?'
Bill Engvall has a sign for you to wear.