Massachusetts State Police Offer Cops Money for Tickets Court system and insurance industry pressures Massachusetts State Police into giving cash overtime bonuses for writing traffic tickets.
Police unions are up in arms over a Massachusetts State Police offer of cash for traffic tickets. Under a program that became public last week, troopers are given a 1.5 hour bonus on their time sheet for writing a ticket, but only one hour for a written warning and just half-an-hour for a verbal warning. The move cuts in half the amount of credit given for the verbal warning and brings troopers half-an-hour closer to lucrative overtime payments for every ticket issued.
The Boston Herald reports that insurance companies and the courts had pressured police into making the move because both make millions from traffic fines. The overtime bonus payments can increase a trooper's hourly wage by 50 percent, or even double it during holidays.
Union officials in the Western and South Shore areas where the program is in place told the Herald that the program eliminates officer discretion and that, like a ticket quota, troopers are being threatened with punishments for failure to issue more tickets.
"I absolutely refuse to write tickets unless somebody really deserves it," one trooper told the Herald. "You think twice before you take $600 out of somebody's pocket."
There have been several recent cases where Toyotas have suddenly accelerated out of control.
The most notable had a passenger who called 911 and reported her spouse, a Calf. Highway Patrol officer who taught driving safety, was unable to stop their car. They crashed with all on board killed.
Toyota has recalled several million cars to replace a floor mat that may jam the accelerator.
But the crash raises the question: why couldn't an experienced officer stop a runaway car?
a) It was a loaner from the dealer. b) It was equipped with a keyless RFID ignition lock. To force such off, you must *hold* the Start button down for 3+ seconds; touching it is ineffective. c) The transmission was some mix of manual and automatic, with a series of gates to keep you from mis-shifting. Apparently there is no clutch pedal. d) There were passerby reports the car brakes were on fire as it went by.
I see two big risks here. The first is changing longstanding, well-understood, user interfaces without considering the uninitiated driver. While Windows may have taught some of us that of course we use the Start button to stop; it's not clear such learning transfers to driving. And when you hide a vital safety function behind a time delay....
The second is more alarming. I thought that there was a {?unwritten} requirement that no US road-legal car could even overpower its own brakes; i.e., given full throttle and full brakes; the car stops, period. (This may not be the case for a dedicated race car...)
Is this no longer true? Are there production cars where the brakes can't stop a runaway? (That does not say you couldn't fade the brakes into worthlessness, but we can assume the driver knew that.)
There are obvious add-ons that could reduce the possibility of a recurrence [Tie brake activation to a throttle cutoff, add a real STOP button to the dash, etc.] but those add complexity or direct costs...and may provoke new problems.
While Toyota's head is now on the chopping block; they won't be the last.
Both have useful information. Minimum required hours is 40 last I can remember.
Typical rental of a C152 is $65/hr including fuel, Instructor is another $40/hr (although after 20 hours you can solo, further cutting your costs).
(NOTE: Rental time is the time the MASTER SWITCH is on, not the time you actually have the plane for.)
Since I am a ham radio operator, I typically use APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting
system), in which many hams have their own weather stations attached to, so you not only
get the weather data from the nearest airport, etc. But you get it from many, many
locations, and it is plotted on a map which can help alot during a fast moving storm.
There are several sites on the net that you can get APRS, such as http://www.aprs.net and if you're not a ham, you can still
usually get data from the 'net since many fixed stations gate their data to the net. There
are versions for DOS, Linux, JAVA, Windows, MAC, and possibly more. Also, those
"trained weather spotters" you hear the news talk about? Most are hams. Go to http://www.skywarn.org to find out more.
BUT, the cubicle neighbors who refuse to turn off key-clicks, talk(more like shout) on the phone all day, leave their ringer up so high ("It lets me hear it when i'm in xxx's office") so that it startles you when in deep thought, and of course in flu season: the snorting, sniffing, blowing, talking just to hear yourself or gain sympathy instead of going home (Trying to pass it on to everyone at work?)
That really bugs me. Loud HDDs can be tuned out, rude co-workers cannot.
Also, the ARRL has the ARRL
Handbook, which has information on Lightning and protection as well.
Lastly, Don't forget that the Telephone line is a very common way for
the lightning to enter your equipment.
What do I do in known lightning storms, besides the PolyPhaser protection? I disconnect
my antennas and place the ends in a ceramic jar (Just in case).
From your link:
"One serious sunburn can increase the risk by as much as 50%"
Okay. Hmm.
1. What is a "serious" sunburn?
2. What are the baseline risks to begin with?
3. Can other types of skin burns (From hot oil, etc.) cause cancer? (Yes, I know USED motor oil "has been found to cause cancer in rats", but I don't swim around in it like the rats do either)
Also, it says:
"1 out of 7 people in the United States will develop some form of this cancer during their lifetime"
Again, defined by whom?
I am not saying there isn't a risk, but I sure would appreciate references for the sources. Until I can get reliable and credible information, I will not be scared into beleiving there's a crisis.
What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's?
Why not get together with other people and make one big purchase?
That would seem to make the shipping price a much lower percentage of the entire cost of the purchase than you would get by only ordering stuff for yourself.
They could embed error correction in the signal, or go so far as to overlay a copy of it 60 seconds later. In short: "If they haven't solved this problem, they're sunk"
Also from the web site, explaining how they will cover in cities:
"We've created the world's largest network of 1500 radio broadcast repeaters to supplement satellite coverage in urban areas where tall buildings and other obstructions might interfere with satellite radio reception. These repeaters will receive our digital XM radio channels from the satellite and transmit them directly to your XM Radio. To bring you the best repeater network possible, we partnered with LCC International, the country's leading expert in wireless network design and construction."
Actually, it's not because of the higher frequencies (800MHz for Analog, 1.9GHz for PCS) because pretty much anything above 50MHz is LOS (Line of Sight).
What makes the difference is the POWER of the cell towers and phones:
Analog cell phones: 600mW(max) for handhelds, 5W(max) for bagphones/permanently installed phones.
PCS: 200mW for handhelds
So with PCS, etc. you don't have as much power to "punch" through trees, buildings, etc.
For more information on radio waves/ham radio go to http://arrl.org
If you have ever gotten a copy of your credit report, you'll notice a section that lists companies that inquired about your credit history. Most of these, if not all, are credit card companies and the like.
What will happen is that these companies will not be allowed to inquire about your credit history any longer, and you won't get those "pre approved" offers any longer.
I had gone from receiving about 4 credit card offers per week to none in the last 3 months (ever since I opted out). It really makes you feel better, since those credit card offers are a big security risk (especially since the mail is deleivered around 10am, and I usually don't get home until after 8pm) since anyone could snag those "offers" and have fun at your expense.
If you want to get off the Credit Reporters' lists, (and stop being "Pre Approved for this new fancy credit card!") here's the number for Trans Union:
1-888-5OPT-OUT
Call them, then listen to the options:
"Press 1 to be removed from marketing lists for 2 years"
(forgot what 2 was)
"Press 3 to be removed from marketing lists *permanently*"
Isn't it funny how they hide the "permanent" option at the end?
From http://www.transunion.com/General/MarketingOptOut. asp
"If you want your name and address removed from all mailing lists offered by the main consumer credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and Innovis, call 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688), or write to the following address:
Trans Union LLC's Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
Requests should include the following information:
First, middle, and last names (including Jr., Sr., III)
Current address
Previous address (if you've moved in the last six months)
Social Security Number
Date of birth
Signature
If you opt-out, you will no longer appear on direct marketing lists offered by these four credit reporting agencies. However, you may continue to receive commercial mailings based on lists from other sources. "
If you select the "permanent" option, they will send you a form to sign and return. This has the benefit of *proving* you requested privacy, and makes it much easier to take them to court if they happen to "forget" what your preferences were.
1-888-5OPT-OUT
Call them, then listen to the options:
"Press 1 to be removed from marketing lists for 2 years"
(forgot what 2 was)
"Press 3 to be removed from marketing lists *permanently*"
Isn't it funny how they hide the "permanent" option?
From http://www.transunion.com/General/MarketingOptOut. asp
"If you want your name and address removed from all mailing lists offered by the
main consumer credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and
Innovis, call 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688), or write to the following address:
Trans Union LLC's Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
Requests should include the following information:
First, middle, and last names (including Jr., Sr., III)
Current address
Previous address (if you've moved in the last six months)
Social Security Number
Date of birth
Signature
If you opt-out, you will no longer appear on direct marketing lists offered by
these four credit reporting agencies. However, you may continue to receive
commercial mailings based on lists from other sources. "
Who else notices that all the applications seem to reverse the current top-level DNS system? For example: www.company.com becoming company.www ?? This would really make it more difficult to find anything you want to look for. Is it under.org (seems there are many abuses of this TLD),.com,.net ?? Its pretty easy when you want to get to the government (.gov) or military (.mil) but anything else is up for grabs. Also, what happens when you are a non-profit organization with np.org, and some other company registers np.web np.net np.com np.www np.whatever ?? Should you only be allowed to register one domain name? Hmmm.
I have been having the same strange problems lately. I added the TRG SuperPilot board to my PalmPro and after going above 2.5MB used, sometimes the device would not turn back on, even hitting the reset button would not work. I'd have to remove the batteries, open the case, short out C2 (so as not to have to wait days for it to discharge) and then turn it on, reload all data, etc... As I loaded more on it, it got worse; Now about every 1-2 days it bombs, sometimes making the backlight stuck on so as to waste batteries quickly. I tried to load TRG's OS update, but it's "Only for TRG devices" it told me, and I have heard nothing back from their tech support. Anyone else have the TRG SuperPilot board? Mine has the following markings on the DRAM chips: AM29LV160BB-120FC, 9846FBM P; and KM416V4104CS-L6. On the PCB: TRG980528 (not printed on, but in the design)
I am a Ham operator, and I have caused problems in a TV's surround sound system even at 1W power. What you need to do is keep the AC signal that's being picked up by the wires from being rectified in the equipment itself. You *might* get away with using a ferrite bead for low power, however I typically use a 1pF (any will do, the smaller the better since the formula is 1/(2*Pi*R*C)) ceramic capacitor and put it across the speaker terminals. Audio passes fine, but HF and above get shorted to ground. I have tested this on my TV with up to 1KW, though I usually run at 100W on HF.
I had a similar problem with equipment strewn about, and being "forced" to have my office in the server room! What I have requested (you know, companies will put off a decision as long as possible so it looks like they're trying to save money) is a "Little Glass House" from Liebert. It is a totally sealed rack enclosure, insulated against noise, has an environmental control unit, backup cooling fan in case power goes out, online UPS system, and you can get an option to exhaust the hot air into the plenum space so that if your boss 'knows' the normal room A/C is enough you don't have to work in the Sahara. Also available are water/smoke/temp detectors, SNMP management, etc. Did I mention it's lockable? Now you can keep the windows people away! (You know, the "Maybe we should just reboot it and see if it helps" people) -Jim
Most of the retail software I see has a seal on the box (and CD) saying "By opening this pakage, you agree to the terms and conditions on the license agreement contained inside". OK, You open the box, not knowing what you agreed to; You read the license, say "no way in heck!", put the box back together and take it back to the store. You guessed it! "You cannot return opened software" Biggest problem is that on most of the license agreements, they say "If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, promptly return the software to your place of purchase for a refund" What do you do? What I do is take the software back, say "The CD is warped (or whatever)" and get an exchange. A few days later, return the exchange (which was left unopened). Or I just have fun with the manager (depends on how playful a mood I am in)
Since I am a ham radio operator, I typically use APRS (Automatic Position Reporting system), which many hams have their own weather stations attached to, so you not only get the weather data from the nearest airport, etc. But you get it from many, many locations, and it is plotted on a map which can help alot during a fast moving storm. There are several sites on the net that you can get APRS, such as http://www.aprs.net and if you're not a ham, you can still usually get data from the 'net since many fixed stations gate their data to the net. There are versions for DOS, Linux, JAVA, Windows, MAC, and possibly more. Also, those "trained weather spotters" you hear the news talk about? Most are hams. Go to http://www.skywarn.org to find out more.
Slashdot Mirror
11/16/2006 is when this was reported:
Massachusetts State Police Offer Cops Money for Tickets
Court system and insurance industry pressures Massachusetts State Police into giving cash overtime bonuses for writing traffic tickets.
Police unions are up in arms over a Massachusetts State Police offer of cash for traffic tickets. Under a program that became public last week, troopers are given a 1.5 hour bonus on their time sheet for writing a ticket, but only one hour for a written warning and just half-an-hour for a verbal warning. The move cuts in half the amount of credit given for the verbal warning and brings troopers half-an-hour closer to lucrative overtime payments for every ticket issued.
The Boston Herald reports that insurance companies and the courts had pressured police into making the move because both make millions from traffic fines. The overtime bonus payments can increase a trooper's hourly wage by 50 percent, or even double it during holidays.
Union officials in the Western and South Shore areas where the program is in place told the Herald that the program eliminates officer discretion and that, like a ticket quota, troopers are being threatened with punishments for failure to issue more tickets.
"I absolutely refuse to write tickets unless somebody really deserves it," one trooper told the Herald. "You think twice before you take $600 out of somebody's pocket."
Source: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/14/1460.asp
From the RISKS Digest:
There have been several recent cases where Toyotas have suddenly accelerated
out of control.
The most notable had a passenger who called 911 and reported her spouse, a
Calf. Highway Patrol officer who taught driving safety, was unable to stop
their car. They crashed with all on board killed.
Toyota has recalled several million cars to replace a floor mat that may jam
the accelerator.
But the crash raises the question: why couldn't an experienced officer stop
a runaway car?
a) It was a loaner from the dealer.
b) It was equipped with a keyless RFID ignition lock. To force such off, you
must *hold* the Start button down for 3+ seconds; touching it is
ineffective.
c) The transmission was some mix of manual and automatic, with a series of
gates to keep you from mis-shifting. Apparently there is no clutch pedal.
d) There were passerby reports the car brakes were on fire as it went by.
I see two big risks here. The first is changing longstanding,
well-understood, user interfaces without considering the uninitiated
driver. While Windows may have taught some of us that of course we use the
Start button to stop; it's not clear such learning transfers to driving.
And when you hide a vital safety function behind a time delay....
The second is more alarming. I thought that there was a {?unwritten}
requirement that no US road-legal car could even overpower its own brakes;
i.e., given full throttle and full brakes; the car stops, period. (This may
not be the case for a dedicated race car...)
Is this no longer true? Are there production cars where the brakes can't
stop a runaway? (That does not say you couldn't fade the brakes into
worthlessness, but we can assume the driver knew that.)
There are obvious add-ons that could reduce the possibility of a recurrence
[Tie brake activation to a throttle cutoff, add a real STOP button to the
dash, etc.] but those add complexity or direct costs...and may provoke new
problems.
While Toyota's head is now on the chopping block; they won't be the last.
Strobe lights are actually easier to see and grab your attention at a distance.
Most aircraft (All commercial aircraft) already have them.
Both have useful information. Minimum required hours is 40 last I can remember.
Typical rental of a C152 is $65/hr including fuel, Instructor is another $40/hr (although after 20 hours you can solo, further cutting your costs).
(NOTE: Rental time is the time the MASTER SWITCH is on, not the time you actually have the plane for.)
Since I am a ham radio operator, I typically use APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting system), in which many hams have their own weather stations attached to, so you not only get the weather data from the nearest airport, etc. But you get it from many, many locations, and it is plotted on a map which can help alot during a fast moving storm.
The station I use is the Peet Bros. Ultimiter 2000. This company is very helpful, and they even publish the format of the RS232 data!
There are several sites on the net that you can get APRS, such as http://www.aprs.net and if you're not a ham, you can still usually get data from the 'net since many fixed stations gate their data to the net. There are versions for DOS, Linux, JAVA, Windows, MAC, and possibly more. Also, those "trained weather spotters" you hear the news talk about? Most are hams. Go to http://www.skywarn.org to find out more.
73's -.. . -. ---.. ...- .. --
The only use I can see for this device is to keep *others* from using my computer when I'm not there.
Maybe even claim its an antenna for receiving signals from aliens.
Good function, eh?
Nah, that's too complicated.
Just stick it in the MICROWAVE for a few seconds.
Of course, will there be a law that says no business can *accept* money that doesn't authenticate?
The fans, HDDs, etc. don't bother me.
BUT, the cubicle neighbors who refuse to turn off key-clicks, talk(more like shout) on the phone all day, leave their ringer up so high ("It lets me hear it when i'm in xxx's office") so that it startles you when in deep thought, and of course in flu season: the snorting, sniffing, blowing, talking just to hear yourself or gain sympathy instead of going home (Trying to pass it on to everyone at work?)
That really bugs me. Loud HDDs can be tuned out, rude co-workers cannot.
Many Hams use products from PolyPhaser http://www.polyphaser.com/ that are designed to handle a direct strike. They also have information on "What is Lightning?"
Also, the ARRL has the ARRL Handbook, which has information on Lightning and protection as well.
Lastly, Don't forget that the Telephone line is a very common way for the lightning to enter your equipment.
What do I do in known lightning storms, besides the PolyPhaser protection? I disconnect my antennas and place the ends in a ceramic jar (Just in case).
From your link:
"One serious sunburn can increase the risk by as much as 50%"
Okay. Hmm.
1. What is a "serious" sunburn?
2. What are the baseline risks to begin with?
3. Can other types of skin burns (From hot oil, etc.) cause cancer? (Yes, I know USED motor oil "has been found to cause cancer in rats", but I don't swim around in it like the rats do either)
Also, it says:
"1 out of 7 people in the United States will develop some form of this cancer during their lifetime"
Again, defined by whom?
I am not saying there isn't a risk, but I sure would appreciate references for the sources. Until I can get reliable and credible information, I will not be scared into beleiving there's a crisis.
What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's?
Enjoy!
Why not get together with other people and make one big purchase?
That would seem to make the shipping price a much lower percentage of the entire cost of the purchase than you would get by only ordering stuff for yourself.
Enjoy!
They could embed error correction in the signal, or go so far as to overlay a copy of it 60 seconds later. In short: "If they haven't solved this problem, they're sunk"
Also from the web site, explaining how they will cover in cities:
"We've created the world's largest network of 1500 radio broadcast repeaters to supplement satellite coverage in urban areas where tall buildings and other obstructions might interfere with satellite radio reception. These repeaters will receive our digital XM radio channels from the satellite and transmit them directly to your XM Radio. To bring you the best repeater network possible, we partnered with LCC International, the country's leading expert in wireless network design and construction."
I already boycott the stations around here.
Just use your own CDs or MP3s in your car. Then you can take YOUR favorite music anywhere.
They most likely would do some type of buffering, just like the anti-skip features on newer CD audio players. Test ground: Boston's Big Dig!
Actually, it's not because of the higher frequencies (800MHz for Analog, 1.9GHz for PCS) because pretty much anything above 50MHz is LOS (Line of Sight).
What makes the difference is the POWER of the cell towers and phones:
Analog cell phones: 600mW(max) for handhelds, 5W(max) for bagphones/permanently installed phones.
PCS: 200mW for handhelds
So with PCS, etc. you don't have as much power to "punch" through trees, buildings, etc.
For more information on radio waves/ham radio go to http://arrl.org
Fishie,
If you have ever gotten a copy of your credit report, you'll notice a section that lists companies that inquired about your credit history. Most of these, if not all, are credit card companies and the like.
What will happen is that these companies will not be allowed to inquire about your credit history any longer, and you won't get those "pre approved" offers any longer.
I had gone from receiving about 4 credit card offers per week to none in the last 3 months (ever since I opted out). It really makes you feel better, since those credit card offers are a big security risk (especially since the mail is deleivered around 10am, and I usually don't get home until after 8pm) since anyone could snag those "offers" and have fun at your expense.
Enjoy!
If you want to get off the Credit Reporters' lists, (and stop being "Pre Approved for this new fancy credit card!") here's the number for Trans Union:
. asp
1-888-5OPT-OUT
Call them, then listen to the options:
"Press 1 to be removed from marketing lists for 2 years"
(forgot what 2 was)
"Press 3 to be removed from marketing lists *permanently*"
Isn't it funny how they hide the "permanent" option at the end?
From http://www.transunion.com/General/MarketingOptOut
"If you want your name and address removed from all mailing lists offered by the main consumer credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and Innovis, call 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688), or write to the following address:
Trans Union LLC's Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
Requests should include the following information:
First, middle, and last names (including Jr., Sr., III)
Current address
Previous address (if you've moved in the last six months)
Social Security Number
Date of birth
Signature
If you opt-out, you will no longer appear on direct marketing lists offered by these four credit reporting agencies. However, you may continue to receive commercial mailings based on lists from other sources. "
If you select the "permanent" option, they will send you a form to sign and return. This has the benefit of *proving* you requested privacy, and makes it much easier to take them to court if they happen to "forget" what your preferences were.
Happy Hunting!
1-888-5OPT-OUT
. asp
Call them, then listen to the options:
"Press 1 to be removed from marketing lists for 2 years"
(forgot what 2 was)
"Press 3 to be removed from marketing lists *permanently*"
Isn't it funny how they hide the "permanent" option?
From http://www.transunion.com/General/MarketingOptOut
"If you want your name and address removed from all mailing lists offered by the
main consumer credit reporting agencies: Trans Union, Experian, Equifax and
Innovis, call 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688), or write to the following address:
Trans Union LLC's Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
Requests should include the following information:
First, middle, and last names (including Jr., Sr., III)
Current address
Previous address (if you've moved in the last six months)
Social Security Number
Date of birth
Signature
If you opt-out, you will no longer appear on direct marketing lists offered by
these four credit reporting agencies. However, you may continue to receive
commercial mailings based on lists from other sources. "
Who else notices that all the applications seem to reverse the current top-level DNS system? For example: www.company.com becoming company.www ?? This would really make it more difficult to find anything you want to look for. Is it under .org (seems there are many abuses of this TLD), .com, .net ?? Its pretty easy when you want to get to the government (.gov) or military (.mil) but anything else is up for grabs. Also, what happens when you are a non-profit organization with np.org, and some other company registers np.web np.net np.com np.www np.whatever ?? Should you only be allowed to register one domain name? Hmmm.
I have been having the same strange problems lately. I added the TRG SuperPilot board to my PalmPro and after going above 2.5MB used, sometimes the device would not turn back on, even hitting the reset button would not work. I'd have to remove the batteries, open the case, short out C2 (so as not to have to wait days for it to discharge) and then turn it on, reload all data, etc... As I loaded more on it, it got worse; Now about every 1-2 days it bombs, sometimes making the backlight stuck on so as to waste batteries quickly. I tried to load TRG's OS update, but it's "Only for TRG devices" it told me, and I have heard nothing back from their tech support. Anyone else have the TRG SuperPilot board? Mine has the following markings on the DRAM chips: AM29LV160BB-120FC, 9846FBM P; and KM416V4104CS-L6. On the PCB: TRG980528 (not printed on, but in the design)
I am a Ham operator, and I have caused problems in a TV's surround sound system even at 1W power. What you need to do is keep the AC signal that's being picked up by the wires from being rectified in the equipment itself. You *might* get away with using a ferrite bead for low power, however I typically use a 1pF (any will do, the smaller the better since the formula is 1/(2*Pi*R*C)) ceramic capacitor and put it across the speaker terminals. Audio passes fine, but HF and above get shorted to ground. I have tested this on my TV with up to 1KW, though I usually run at 100W on HF.
I had a similar problem with equipment strewn about, and being "forced" to have my office in the server room! What I have requested (you know, companies will put off a decision as long as possible so it looks like they're trying to save money) is a "Little Glass House" from Liebert. It is a totally sealed rack enclosure, insulated against noise, has an environmental control unit, backup cooling fan in case power goes out, online UPS system, and you can get an option to exhaust the hot air into the plenum space so that if your boss 'knows' the normal room A/C is enough you don't have to work in the Sahara. Also available are water/smoke/temp detectors, SNMP management, etc. Did I mention it's lockable? Now you can keep the windows people away! (You know, the "Maybe we should just reboot it and see if it helps" people) -Jim
Most of the retail software I see has a seal on the box (and CD) saying "By opening this pakage, you agree to the terms and conditions on the license agreement contained inside". OK, You open the box, not knowing what you agreed to; You read the license, say "no way in heck!", put the box back together and take it back to the store. You guessed it! "You cannot return opened software" Biggest problem is that on most of the license agreements, they say "If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, promptly return the software to your place of purchase for a refund" What do you do? What I do is take the software back, say "The CD is warped (or whatever)" and get an exchange. A few days later, return the exchange (which was left unopened). Or I just have fun with the manager (depends on how playful a mood I am in)
Since I am a ham radio operator, I typically use APRS (Automatic Position Reporting system), which many hams have their own weather stations attached to, so you not only get the weather data from the nearest airport, etc. But you get it from many, many locations, and it is plotted on a map which can help alot during a fast moving storm. There are several sites on the net that you can get APRS, such as http://www.aprs.net and if you're not a ham, you can still usually get data from the 'net since many fixed stations gate their data to the net. There are versions for DOS, Linux, JAVA, Windows, MAC, and possibly more. Also, those "trained weather spotters" you hear the news talk about? Most are hams. Go to http://www.skywarn.org to find out more.