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  1. Re:Exactly: money is no object on How to Win on Ebay: Snipe · · Score: 1

    >Sniping works when people don't actually know what something is worth.
    Competition is certainly an object.

    A couple of years ago, I lost an auction to a sniper. Immediately after the auction, I received a short email from the winner of the auction. The email essentially said "Ha ha, I beat you." I filed this away in my head as another example of why I should stop using eBay and deleted the email.

    A few days later, I got another email that essentially said "Sorry, dude. I thought you were someone else."

    Are there people running around outbidding their friends as if eBay were some sort of massively multiplayer financial game?

  2. Re:Private backbone/VOIP on Google to Create a Private Internet Alternative? · · Score: 1

    With all of the news/rumors lately of the big carriers enforcing tiered access (pay for play), wouldn't google having it's own backbone make them less vulnerable to the machinations of other companies?

  3. Re:Write Your Own Damn Compiler, AMD! on AMD Alleges Intel Compilers Create Slower AMD Code · · Score: 1

    I don't know much at all about the workings of the gnu/gcc development group. Is there any particular reason that the gcc people and AMD couldn't come to some sort of arrangement to scratch each other's backs, so to speak?

  4. Re:It's true--and they know about it on AMD Alleges Intel Compilers Create Slower AMD Code · · Score: 4, Interesting

    While the focus of these threads is Intel vs. AMD competition, I think that it is worth pointing out that Intel is also crippling (or, at least, "not improving") the performance of their own PIII processors. For what reason would anyone do that, other than an desire to sell more P4 processors when a PIII processor might suffice?

  5. Re:I remember MOVE on Sal Wise, Philly eBay Scammer Strikes Back! · · Score: 2, Informative

    Sigh. Five years of lurking, and now I've got to post about this...hopefully, this will give a little context to people who aren't familar with the incident or aren't from the area or even from the US. In the final analysis, people see in it the things that they want to see, like Koresh and Waco. This posting is long and could use some editting, but if you don't like it you can ask /. for your money back.

    IANAME: I Am Not A MOVE Expert.

    Quickie Personal Background:
    I've lived in or near Philadelphia all of my life.

    At the time, my German grandmother did recieve telephone calls from relatives in the old country asking why "the mayor of Philadelphia was bombing the city". This "bombing" is true, in a sense, but not in the way most people would imagine such a bombing.

    The May 13th, 1985 incident occurred in the "West Philadelphia" district, which is only a few miles from my school (Drexel University, class of '89) in the city's "University City" district. IIRC, while driving to school that morning (while sitting in traffic on Woodhaven Road, actually) I heard news of a firefight between the police and MOVE. Later that afternoon, while at school, I saw smoke from that area of the city. In other words, this was a day long event and it was the culmination of years of antagonism between MOVE, it's neighbors and the police.

    What is MOVE, exactly?
    MOVE is essentially a back to nature group. For some reason, they chose to go back to nature in the middle of one of the USA's largest cities. They also had a penchant for annoying their neighbors to the point where the cops would be called in.

    There seems to be a reasonable (Though I think that Mumia (yes, *that* Mumia) was convicted in the death of a different police officer, not Ramp. Perhaps I've got my murders mixed up.) synopsis of what MOVE is about here http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/Mo ve.html

    So, what happened?
    An earlier altercation between MOVE and the police occurred in 1978 in an area called "Powelton Village". This incident resulted in the fatal shooting of a police officer named James Ramp. (Incidentally, Powelton is near Drexel's dorms, fraternity houses and student apartments.)

    After the 1978 incident, the MOVE house at Powelton Village was razed. It had been heavily damaged but it has been argued that razing the house was mere payback/revenge to/on MOVE. MOVE relocated to Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia and proceeded with the same behaviors that lead up to the first confrontation. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 1978 incident, so I'll leave it at that.

    There seems to be a reasonable synopsis of the MOVE incidents here
    http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedi a/m/mo/move.html

    My recollection of the 1985 incident:
    I clearly recall that the TV news had stated that firemen were kept away initially because they were fired on. I don't see why the firemen would be kept away from the fire for several hours. The fire eventually destroyed 60+ homes in the area. That section of the city is densely built, so there are many two- or three-story homes on each block. I don't think that the city government would have been so blinded by MOVE-hatred to purposefully destroy 60+ homes, the majority of which would have been owned by people who where not sympathetic of MOVE.

    The "bomb" is alternatively described as designed to destroy a "bunker" or fortification on the roof of the building or as a distraction/ruse. Police today often use "flash-bang" devices to stun or disorient people in siege or hostage situations. This device was much more powerful than a flash-bang and used a military grade explosive (C4 or some similar plastic explosive, IIRC).

    I recall that police were present in a building with a wall common to the MOVE house and