Slashdot Mirror


User: Chris+Mattern

Chris+Mattern's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
7,102
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 7,102

  1. Re:State of Oklahoma as well on Employers Switching From Payroll Checks To Prepaid Cards With Fees · · Score: 1

    Generally speaking, your state withholding will be based on the W-4 you gave your employer. Yes, that's a Federal form for Federal withholding, but in most cases it's used to calculate state withholding as well. Since most state income taxes are based off federal income taxes (my Viriginia state tax form asks me to start with my Federal Adjusted Gross Income and then has me calculate based on the differences between Virginia and Federal income taxes) this usually works out pretty well.

  2. Re:Perfect is the enemy of good. on Employers Switching From Payroll Checks To Prepaid Cards With Fees · · Score: 4, Informative

    What happened to paying in cash?

    Performing any transaction other than an in-person sale via cash is *heavily* discouraged in the US, for a variety of reasons. For one, the government frowns on it because it is a great route for money laundering and tax evasion. Paying people's wages and salaries in cash has been close to non-existant for decades.

  3. I can just see their ad campaign... on Apple Files Trademark For "iWatch" In Japan · · Score: 1

    "iLikeToWatch"

  4. Re:No Shit on More Details Emerge On How the US Is Bugging Its European Allies · · Score: 5, Funny

    Achievement unlocked: you've unmasked your first NSA plant.

    It was a rhododendron, as I recall.

  5. Re:Surpassing Vista on Windows 8 Passes Vista, Hits 5.1% Market Share · · Score: 1

    Bob was stupid, and had a stupid name, but it wasn't a Windows version. It was a shell. It was released to run on Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.5.

  6. Re:For the sake of saving time, on Snowden: NSA Spying On EU Diplomats and Administrators · · Score: 1

    You seem to have redacted the Kardashians. No-one of intelligence cares what they have to say.

    Yes, but you can't expect to find intelligence in Intelligence.

  7. We all know how this'll come out... on Microsoft Research Adds 'Mood Detection' To Smartphones · · Score: 1

    It'll be all sorts of weird colors for a few months, and then it'll turn black and stay that way.

  8. Re:Hello on Wall Street To Hold Quantum Dawn 2, Cyber-Attack Drill · · Score: 1

    > Can Joe Mainstreet afford a six figure stock transaction?

    Average net worth at age 65 is $200,000

    So, the answer is "no." Anybody who puts half his net worth in a single stock transaction is either a fool or a madman.

  9. Re:Middlemen: the official plague of the modern ag on Tesla Faces Tough Regulatory Hurdle From State Dealership Laws · · Score: 2

    Don't forget another reason for resellers - manufacturers don't want to deal with 1 piece orders constantly - it's way too much overhead for them. It's cheaper for them to sell 100 units to one person, then that person to sell it to 100 people, than for the manufacturer to sell to those 100 people.

    That used to be true. Nowadays there's this thing called "the internet." Maybe you've heard of it?

    Also, resellers can handle warranty issues locally - manufacturers then can deal with the reseller to handle it - e.g., the reseller can exchange 5 units to customers, then the manufacturer can send 5 extra units as replacements. Less overhead for the manufacturer, and local sellers may know their market better.

    All these arguments are absolutely beside the point. If it's better, it doesn't need laws enforcing it. If it's worse, it shouldn't have laws enforcing it. Either way, the laws should go.

  10. Re:Middlemen: the official plague of the modern ag on Tesla Faces Tough Regulatory Hurdle From State Dealership Laws · · Score: 2

    Because you don't live in a capitalist country, despite what the mainstream media tells you?

    I'd like to, though. Abolishing these laws would be one step in that direction.

  11. Let us remember that this is the country from which the Beatles, who were hardly Randists, gave us "Taxman":

    (If you drive a car ), Iâ(TM)ll tax the street,
    (If you try to sit ), Iâ(TM)ll tax your seat,
    (If you get too cold ), Iâ(TM)ll tax the heat,
    (If you take a walk ), Iâ(TM)ll tax your feet.

  12. Re:Someone please create an App on Automated Plate Readers Let Police Collect Millions of Records On Drivers · · Score: 1

    Why not? He paid the bribes to get his license, just like everyone else!

  13. Re:asking for trouble on Black Hat Talks To Outline Attacks On Home Automation Systems · · Score: 1

    For criminy's sake. TLS is *there*. It's *free*. Why the hell aren't these guys using it??

  14. Re:packet radio? on FCC Considering Proposal For Encrypted Ham Radio · · Score: 4, Informative

    Possible, yes. Legal, no. The fact that a large section of Internet traffic cannot be sent legally over packet radio is one of the reasons they want to do this.

  15. Re:A marriage made in HELL on Oracle and Microsoft To Announce Cloud Partnership Monday · · Score: 1

    You forgot Microsoft. Ballmer would make a very good Curly, I think.

  16. Re:A marriage made in HELL on Oracle and Microsoft To Announce Cloud Partnership Monday · · Score: 3, Funny

    A pity that an "Axis of evil" usually comes in 3. Wonder who will join?

    They haven't covered games yet. They need EA.

  17. Re:funny on How I Got Fired From the Job I Invented · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, you can't deny that they "took ownership."

  18. Re:Really? on PHP 5.5.0 Released · · Score: 4, Funny

    Citation please.

    Okay. How's this?

  19. Re:Cartridges? on Sony, Microsoft Squabble Over Console Features, But the Real Opponent Is Apple · · Score: 1

    I can't speak for the Vita, but my daughters 3DS and DS both use cartridges.

    And so does the Vita. The PSP had optical disks (in the UMD format, which Sony couldn't get to catch on), but the Vita goes back to cartridges.

  20. Re:Cartridges? on Sony, Microsoft Squabble Over Console Features, But the Real Opponent Is Apple · · Score: 2

    I'm still buying cartridges, but that's because I have a Vita and a 3DS...

  21. Re:Java 7 and prime time on Java 6 EOL'd By Oracle · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem isn't that Java 7 isn't production ready. The problem is the large amount of production that isn't Java 7 ready.

  22. Re:Typical Oracle - Enterprise sheds tear on Java 6 EOL'd By Oracle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have Java installed and have never paid Oracle a penny.

    And every time Larry thinks about cutting people like you off from any support or updates whatsoever, he gets a warm feeling where his heart would be if he had one.

  23. I'd applaud their results... on Length of Applause Not Tied To Quality of Presentation · · Score: 1

    ...but apparently that wouldn't mean anything.

  24. Compile it yourself on Are You Sure This Is the Source Code? · · Score: 1

    And run the resulting binaries. Voila, problem solved: you know the binaries you are running correspond to your source code.

  25. Re:Whoosh on Microsoft Kills Xbox One Phone-Home DRM · · Score: 2

    How much does a working SNES go for?

    Checking Amazon, a working used SNES goes for about $40.

    What other hardware can play SNES games?

    This, for one. Or this. Or this. Or, if you have transferred the ROM contents to a PC-readable file, a PC running an emulator.