Well the subject of the comment comes from Mystery Science Theator 3000 and that is what I had in mind with the post. However yes, This Island Earth also being featured in the MST3K movie does bring up an interesting paradox.
I loved Creature Double Feature. To this day, that themesong runs a chill down my spine. I wish they'd bring it back. And 'The Movie Loft' too. But without commercials.
She's going to finish year two and then take the exam for the license to run an agency then take over the family business. She's just working for one of the big ones to be sure she can make it on her own, with no family safety net. It would be embarassing to start out in the agency her grandfather started and then find out she's not cut out for it. Better to learn that lesson on GMAC's dime.
I'm speaking about the average experience in the Boston area which has it's own ups and downs these days. My wife is in year two and that's been our experience so far. What market are you in? Around here the 50/50 split she's got is better then what some of the other outfits are offering. One company has the 50/50 plus desk rent and 10% out of the agents end going to the person who recruited that agent. There are still too many agents around here who are willing to come in for mexican wages in the hopes of making it big. Turnover is high because the agencies can afford to play the numbers of applicants against each other. It's all a numbers game for the average agency. It's almost like a boiler room for them.
Well, you're right to some degree. It's no harder to sell a million dollar house then a 200,000 one except when the market flops. None of the houses listing over a mill around here are selling. Lately, nothing higher then 700,000 has moved. Yes, folks who sell real estate are self employed with the agency collecting half what they bring in for little in return. The laymen out there think 5% of 400K is 20 grand for a job where you set your own hours. They think it's robbery and don't understand for some months the agent can make less then minimum wage when all is considered.
There's a far cry between 5% comission on a $400,000 house and what the agent actually takes home. Half will go to the agency. There are few agents who still get both ends of the sale today. Most agents now represent a buyer or a seller but rarely both. Commission will be split evenly between buyers and sellers agent. So now the agent actually gets 1.25% of the sale or about $5000 out of which they deduct health insurance, SEP/IRA, license fees, membership dues, TAXES, gasoline, office supplies, dry cleaning, cellphone and in some cases, rent on their desk and phone at the agency. That's why there is a high turnover, 80% of all agents quit in their first year. Those who don't are still working another job for at least 5 years or have another income in the family. Smart folks may be attracted to a quarter of the $20,000 commission but the competition in the market place is such that many only sell 3 or less properties in a year. The few at the top who do well have been in the market place long enough to gain repeat business or very favorable word of mouth and other press. For the stress and irregular hours many would actually do better at $8 an hour wearing a blue shirt.
I really want a quiet Jacuzzi tub. Every one I've ever tried was louder then a leaf blower. And a cable TV drop next to said tub for the flat screen on the wall. And would it kill home designers to take into account pets? Make all the window sills a little deeper for the cat to sit on. Leave room in one of the bathrooms or laundry room for a catbox. Especially my catbox which is twice the footprint of a regular box.
The trouble is that development is afraid to go with a new idea. New ideas are untested, unproven. The studios are afraid of new things. Tomato plant is very poisonous, but the fruit is not. Imagine being the first person to eat a tomato. Wondering if you'd die. Check out this story for more insight on how important source material is when choosing a script. It's not that great original ideas aren't out there. It's that the studios are terrified of originality. Wasn't that the whole thing behind 'Adaptation' where his brother the hack sells the same trite cliche before the laserjet cooled off.
I've been listening to Gervais. I can see how they'd be willing to experiment with turning his show into a pay show. I mean if I'm listening to him he must have thousands of listeners. I'm not saying I'm so tapped into what's hip as I'm saying his show was worth listening to. But not for seven bucks.
Sometimes when I feel nostalgic I switch on the old Nintendo and play some Duck Hunt. I never knew there was an easter egg in Atari Adventure until 2 years ago. Pulled that out of the closet and sure enough, there it was. I like the fact that I'm not paying a monthly fee for GTA San Andreas, I'm still trying to finish that one. (OK I'm not playing for more then an hour or two a week.) I like being able to put a game down for a few weeks or revisit some old favorites years later. You can't do that on a subscription model. When games go subscription only I won't be following them into that business plan. I'm already paying enough for HBO and Internet. Oh and heat, water, sewer and electricity. I'm not adding anymore monthly recurring expenses.
I don't see why this is a bad idea. Afterall, I already know Liberty City more intimately then I do the real city I live in. It would be a fresh way to revisit the cities of the earlier games. Plus they could be more challenging to take advantage of the regular players familiarity with the maps. Somebody just jacked my car. Dammit. I'm calling the police. Then when the corrupt police file the report and forget it the player calls his 'cousin' who puts him in touch with Joey at the chop shop. Something could happen and it looks like Joey was killed by the player. Then the player has to try to clear his name with the mafia bosses. Or some citizen comes in with a carjacking report and offers a bribe to a corrupt cop who tries to find the car and at the same time dodge an internal affairs investigation for his role in a gangland shootout. There's no end to the possibilities.
Those meters may still be using a mechanical device to measure the power. The magnets might still work. If they ever did. I would think that gumming up the main rotor would be a better option. Blow in some cornstarch and wait for a humid day. Meter still runs but slowly. That's just a theory though. I haven't tried it.
Since you're renting you don't have much choice in how it's insulated but there are a couple things you can do and your landlord might even let you deduct the cost if you approach him before you do it. If you have access or can get it for a day, take a look at not only the water heater but if you have hot water pipes for heating check those pipes as well. Every bit of pipe that's exposed is a source of heatloss so every bit of pipe you see should be covered in pipe foam. It's a couple dollars or pounds or euros for every ten feet or 3 meters. One or two bags should cover the pipes in an open basement. I know you can't run the foam all the way to your apartment, once the pipes go into the walls you have to hope there's insulation.
The other thing you can do is check the wall switches and outlets. If you feel a draft a spray can of electrical outlet safe foam will go a long way toward sealing the draft. But you're not done yet, put caps on any outlet that isn't in use, all those slots in the house can equal a quater inch or one half centimeter open window.
That's not as flippant a comment as you make it sound. I believe the new Geary designed building at MIT is using a recycled water system to flush the toilets. They have to put up little signs so people aren't shocked to see yellow water already waiting for them in the bowl.
If he's paying for water this is bad advice. Even running a half load uses less water then washing the same in the sink. Water turning on for a minute even 6 times uses less water then washing by hand for 7 minutes. Plus it really is healthier, dishes are cleaner and most soaps are mild sterilants or bleaching agents. Skip the plate dry to save energy. Unless you're looking to quickly change a load. Most people who run their dish washer at night wake up to dry dishes without the extra expense of running that hot coil at the bottom.
Slashdot Mirror
I like some of the map making efforts that the Brits are engaged in.
Hey, way to link to something that was linked to in the write up. Why don't you head on over to Fark and pretend to be Ric Romero.
It was 'War of the Worlds"? I thought it was "This Island Earth". Now I'm all confused. I was thinking of the guy in Deep 13.
As a matter of fact, I was trying to start the next geek war meme.
Well the subject of the comment comes from Mystery Science Theator 3000 and that is what I had in mind with the post. However yes, This Island Earth also being featured in the MST3K movie does bring up an interesting paradox.
Dr Buckaroo Banzai and his arch nemesis Dr Emilio Lizardo
I loved Creature Double Feature. To this day, that themesong runs a chill down my spine. I wish they'd bring it back. And 'The Movie Loft' too. But without commercials.
Q was an engineer, not a scientist.
Dr Forrester.
She's going to finish year two and then take the exam for the license to run an agency then take over the family business. She's just working for one of the big ones to be sure she can make it on her own, with no family safety net. It would be embarassing to start out in the agency her grandfather started and then find out she's not cut out for it. Better to learn that lesson on GMAC's dime.
I'm speaking about the average experience in the Boston area which has it's own ups and downs these days. My wife is in year two and that's been our experience so far. What market are you in? Around here the 50/50 split she's got is better then what some of the other outfits are offering. One company has the 50/50 plus desk rent and 10% out of the agents end going to the person who recruited that agent. There are still too many agents around here who are willing to come in for mexican wages in the hopes of making it big. Turnover is high because the agencies can afford to play the numbers of applicants against each other. It's all a numbers game for the average agency. It's almost like a boiler room for them.
Well, you're right to some degree. It's no harder to sell a million dollar house then a 200,000 one except when the market flops. None of the houses listing over a mill around here are selling. Lately, nothing higher then 700,000 has moved. Yes, folks who sell real estate are self employed with the agency collecting half what they bring in for little in return. The laymen out there think 5% of 400K is 20 grand for a job where you set your own hours. They think it's robbery and don't understand for some months the agent can make less then minimum wage when all is considered.
There's a far cry between 5% comission on a $400,000 house and what the agent actually takes home. Half will go to the agency. There are few agents who still get both ends of the sale today. Most agents now represent a buyer or a seller but rarely both. Commission will be split evenly between buyers and sellers agent. So now the agent actually gets 1.25% of the sale or about $5000 out of which they deduct health insurance, SEP/IRA, license fees, membership dues, TAXES, gasoline, office supplies, dry cleaning, cellphone and in some cases, rent on their desk and phone at the agency. That's why there is a high turnover, 80% of all agents quit in their first year. Those who don't are still working another job for at least 5 years or have another income in the family. Smart folks may be attracted to a quarter of the $20,000 commission but the competition in the market place is such that many only sell 3 or less properties in a year. The few at the top who do well have been in the market place long enough to gain repeat business or very favorable word of mouth and other press. For the stress and irregular hours many would actually do better at $8 an hour wearing a blue shirt.
If anyone is still reading, here's a Massholes take on this.
n cha.html
http://deanasc.blogspot.com/2006/03/sick-of-la-ma
I really want a quiet Jacuzzi tub. Every one I've ever tried was louder then a leaf blower. And a cable TV drop next to said tub for the flat screen on the wall. And would it kill home designers to take into account pets? Make all the window sills a little deeper for the cat to sit on. Leave room in one of the bathrooms or laundry room for a catbox. Especially my catbox which is twice the footprint of a regular box.
The trouble is that development is afraid to go with a new idea. New ideas are untested, unproven. The studios are afraid of new things. Tomato plant is very poisonous, but the fruit is not. Imagine being the first person to eat a tomato. Wondering if you'd die. Check out this story for more insight on how important source material is when choosing a script. It's not that great original ideas aren't out there. It's that the studios are terrified of originality. Wasn't that the whole thing behind 'Adaptation' where his brother the hack sells the same trite cliche before the laserjet cooled off.
I've been listening to Gervais. I can see how they'd be willing to experiment with turning his show into a pay show. I mean if I'm listening to him he must have thousands of listeners. I'm not saying I'm so tapped into what's hip as I'm saying his show was worth listening to. But not for seven bucks.
How is this any different from the legal activity of copying a CD to a tape to listen in the car?
Sometimes when I feel nostalgic I switch on the old Nintendo and play some Duck Hunt. I never knew there was an easter egg in Atari Adventure until 2 years ago. Pulled that out of the closet and sure enough, there it was. I like the fact that I'm not paying a monthly fee for GTA San Andreas, I'm still trying to finish that one. (OK I'm not playing for more then an hour or two a week.) I like being able to put a game down for a few weeks or revisit some old favorites years later. You can't do that on a subscription model. When games go subscription only I won't be following them into that business plan. I'm already paying enough for HBO and Internet. Oh and heat, water, sewer and electricity. I'm not adding anymore monthly recurring expenses.
I don't see why this is a bad idea. Afterall, I already know Liberty City more intimately then I do the real city I live in. It would be a fresh way to revisit the cities of the earlier games. Plus they could be more challenging to take advantage of the regular players familiarity with the maps. Somebody just jacked my car. Dammit. I'm calling the police. Then when the corrupt police file the report and forget it the player calls his 'cousin' who puts him in touch with Joey at the chop shop. Something could happen and it looks like Joey was killed by the player. Then the player has to try to clear his name with the mafia bosses. Or some citizen comes in with a carjacking report and offers a bribe to a corrupt cop who tries to find the car and at the same time dodge an internal affairs investigation for his role in a gangland shootout. There's no end to the possibilities.
Wait, I'm confused. Should we be drinking beer or not?
Those meters may still be using a mechanical device to measure the power. The magnets might still work. If they ever did. I would think that gumming up the main rotor would be a better option. Blow in some cornstarch and wait for a humid day. Meter still runs but slowly. That's just a theory though. I haven't tried it.
The other thing you can do is check the wall switches and outlets. If you feel a draft a spray can of electrical outlet safe foam will go a long way toward sealing the draft. But you're not done yet, put caps on any outlet that isn't in use, all those slots in the house can equal a quater inch or one half centimeter open window.
That's not as flippant a comment as you make it sound. I believe the new Geary designed building at MIT is using a recycled water system to flush the toilets. They have to put up little signs so people aren't shocked to see yellow water already waiting for them in the bowl.
If he's paying for water this is bad advice. Even running a half load uses less water then washing the same in the sink. Water turning on for a minute even 6 times uses less water then washing by hand for 7 minutes. Plus it really is healthier, dishes are cleaner and most soaps are mild sterilants or bleaching agents. Skip the plate dry to save energy. Unless you're looking to quickly change a load. Most people who run their dish washer at night wake up to dry dishes without the extra expense of running that hot coil at the bottom.