- Anti gravity (which is probably related to the above)
People could benefit from getting rid of wrinkles and sagging. Best "big thing" I've heard of.
- hand held energy weapons
I'll duel you with my.44 Magnum, and you tell me afterwards how yours is better.
- teleportation
Merely faster transportation. People still walk every day. You can even pay to walk in place and not go anywhere!
- economical space travel (think "to mars", or, at the least, consumer viability for going to the moon)
I can't afford to go to India, Egypt, South America, Australia, on an annual basis. Can you? Do you? How many people do you know that do?
- curing cancer
Death is a part of life. What after that do you want to die from? Bone degeneration, and be like Peter from the family guy when he lost all of his bones?
- controlling computers with our brains
I already do. My computer is not spontaneously this stuff on/.
I can go on an on. All of these are enhancements to things we already take for granted today, and we will no more appreciate them than what we have today.
Music recordings are over 100 years old. Portable ones 20-30 years old. I was cooler with my Walkman in 1980 than you will ever be with your iPod today:) What is the "big thing" here?
much more advanced 3d video cards, composite 3d accelerated desktops
Again, all of these are enhancements of 20-30 year old stuff. Where is the "big thing" here?
new video players and microized computers that are pda in size (blackberry, Ipod video, Orgami, etc)
"New" is the "big thing". I had a portable video system in the 80s.
Oh, size matters, that is "big"?
Better wifi and other internet technologies that are wireless, physics accelerators in 3d cards, 3d interfaces, and seemingless networked clusters or SSI(single system image) where you can hook up several computers that act as one whole computer image rather than the traditional cluster.
Again, everything here is an enhancement of what already exists and has for a long time.
I'm interested in something new.
Teleportation.
But even that is not that innovative. Its just transportation that is quicker.
I cannot see a single "big thing" listed on this discussion, and I cannot think of one. Are there any?
Wireless is rediculus as far as a "Big thing" or innovation goes. 50% of the word is based on what is already here, and the other 50% is negating that. Its a convenience, sure. I love being able to go outside and use my laptop on the internet over wireless, but if I had to plug it in (which I have to do before my battery runs out anyway), my life would not be shattered.
Hydrogen or other alternative fuel vehicles - no commodity driven marketplace for Middle East interests.
What about public transportation?
I don't see where driving to work across paved roads in my huge 4x4 hydrogen powered vehicle makes any more sense than driving to work across paved roads in a huge 4x4 using gasoline.
Our oil needs are due much less than technological reasons. Its societal, and juiced in by the people in charge.
Digital Ink (e-Ink)
Another "innovation" where 1/2 of the term is already something that exists. Sure the stuff is neat, but is reading something via digital ink significantly different than black ink made from synthetics or squid juice? All digital ink would do is reduce the number of people in the printing industry and paper industry, and the resources used there.
Droids/Automatons (we already have Roomba and Asimo - I am already preparing to be crushed by the first robot rebellion)
I'm first after you!
These too are merely manmade replacements for what already exists. Its no big deal. Assembly lines, machines, and existing robots are merely doing what people have once done. The only exception is that they have lower variability in results, don't get tired, etc.
A chair made via robots is not significantly different than a chair carved by humans out of a rock with a cushion on it.
I can already feel the pain of the down mods already, but here we go.
Death is the cure for cancer and AIDS.
Aside from antibiotics and inoculations, I know of no other "cures" that have happened via medicine. And even antibiotics are starting to fail because of their widespread use in cattle.
Life by definition is finite. If you're not going to die from cancer, then what? Alzheimer's? Bone degeneration? What do you want?
I smoke cigarettes, and it says on the side of the box, "May cause cancer or heart disease". Well, if I were to never smoke, odds are what am I going to die from? Cancer or heart disease.
I have seen relatives kept alive for years of misery through modern medicine, and their quality of life was shit. I was grateful when they died. I loved them all, and they had done nothing significant for themselves or other people for at least 5 to 10 years before they died, so any time along there would of been fine for them and everybody around them.
Sure there are success stories like Lance Armstrong. But there are "success" stories for business careers like Jessica Simpson, but those are a few in a billion. There is no significant and repeatable treatments for things like cancer or AIDS. There are only expensive and painful symptom masquers that add nothing to the quality of life for the patient or ones that they care about. If you still believe that there are significantly successful cancer treatments, and not anecdotal accounts, please let me know. Everyone will benefit from correcting my ignorance here. But I cannot find any data on cancer cure rates. I mostly find "alternative" treatments.
If anyone has ever seen the next big thing, Bill Gates certainly would be a candidate.
The only credit Billy gets from me is for keeping BASIC alive, FWIW.
BillG was late to the internet. Late to the modern desktop environment. Late to "DOS". Late to search technology.
He is just in time to sell crap to people, and yes, he is the richest person in the world because of that.
Remember that Microsoft got started when they went to IBM and sold them "DOS" before they had DOS. They then rushed to buy it from some guy, and he said, "Why do you want to pay this much money for this junk?"
Back on topic, no there is no big thing left, and actually, there has not been for 10 to 15 years now, and that is basically the way its going to be.
I'm a BIG fan of the scientific method, but what really is left to learn "on the cutting edge" of science? We can see to the subatomic particle level. We can put people in space all the way to the moon. We have received signals from our spacecraft outside of our solar system (or close). We know absolute zero. We know nothing goes faster than light. We know that most of the universe is void or nothingness.
Now, we are in the convenience/creature feature generation. We have a very short attention span today. Very few if any projects done today take more than a lifetime. Its easy to throw something into the microwave or just pick it up on the way somewhere to eat. No building a fire or acquiring fuel necessary.
Progress can be made however. I see progress into the efficiency of electronics/motor vehicles etc, as being valuable. I really welcome learning software. Google's "Did you mean ____?" is learned. Not dictionary based. Google search appliances learn company acronyms and proper names and their misspellings via context and use, just like people do. I would love for my cellphone to not store the damn names alphabetically, but rather alphabetically _by frequency of use_. Meaning, when I hit J, and I call "Jim" more than I call "Jane", Jim would be the first J, not Jane. Predictive memory management and scheduling will be cool things of the future. Stuff like Apple's SpotLight, Google's Desktop search, and even QuickSilver are all excellent.
I think its cool that my DVR works basically like a FIFO. I have about a week or so worth of programs instantly, and that changes every day. Its a cache of stuff I'm interested in watching.
But no, I don't think there is any big thing left. We have mastered controlling our environment in terms of housing and food production and personal climate control (clothes). What more is there that we need?
There is an old thought experiment suggesting that were all the wealth taken from the wealthy (whatever that means) and distributed equally among all, that within a few years it would find its way right back to its original owners. Stories such as that at the end of the URL above make me believe this.
I believe that poverty is a state of mind, not behavioral, but splitting hairs there is unnecessary.
I know a couple that makes together more money than I do, but I have more "stuff", and they say "I have a good job", etc because I don't "think poor".
I smoke. I buy my cigarettes in a nearby county that has lower cigarette taxes, and buy them by the carton. Doing it this way gets me cigarettes at $2.10 to $2.50 a pack, so $21.00 to $25.00 a carton. My friend is "too poor" to pay $2.10 to $2.50 a pack, so he opts to buy them by the pack at a convenience store for $3.50 to almost $4 a pack, because he sees $3.50-$4.00 less than $21.00 or $25.00, but cannot see the big picture. He owes me $300, and has for over 1 year now.
I was watching a show on prostitution the other month or so, and I found it interesting how some prostitutes charged $50-$100 and others charged $300+. Wow, if that isn't a state of mind difference there, I don't know what is.
Re:Don't take medical advice from me...
on
Preventing RSI?
·
· Score: 1
Often I see colleagues using wrist supports for their keyboards, where they quite literally push their wrists into the support and produce all motion from flexing the wrists; a sure way of getting RSI.
FWIW, I first got RSI in my wrists when I used a wrist support. It was first in my left wrist, and then in my right. Mostly, it felt like my hands were numb from the wrists to fingers.
I don't know if its a coincidence or not, but I believe that wrist guards contributed to the issue, and have not had wrist issues since I've quit using them. Yes, the ones with that space gel in them are comfy, but RSI is not.
Re:Things that work for me...
on
Preventing RSI?
·
· Score: 1
I have RSI in my right index finger. Basically, from using a scroll-wheel to scroll through webpages, yes, mostly/.
I stopped using my scroll-wheel in favor of a touchpad on my laptop. I prefer a real mouse. I have never liked scroll-wheels because I knew they would give me RSI because after much scrolling my joints would get soar. Well, the scroll-wheel is very seductive to use, and I have gone to bed with the devil because of it.
When I first noticed my joint swelling and the aching pain, I looked on the web for advice. Of course, I got everything from bullseye, to bullshit. (bullshit is spellchecked OK, bullseye is not???, I call bullshit!)
What I saw was the usual BS about "go see a doctor". Fuck doctors. They are usually just pushermen for the drug companies, and I have never known of a medication besides an antibiotic or an immunization or a couple of other things that has ever had any real lasting benefit. All of the medications that are prescribed mask the symptoms and add new ones (side affects), and they don't treat anything. They are "maintenance" drugs, and a BIG cash cow, even in the event of a class action lawsuit when the stuff kills people.
I will qualify the "fuck doctors" thing. If you know of a doctor that specializes in RSI and knows about things _besides medication_ like exercises or physical therapy or chiropractic therapy (which the latter are not 'doctors'), then go ahead. Other than that, if you want to get well, don't go to a doctor.
On the web, I saw a couple of people say that RSIs are NOT just an RSI issue, they are a whole body issue. After hearing that a few times online and from real-life people, it started to make sense. Currently, I am seeing a chiropractor, and it is helping me. He did an X-ray, and found out that I had a double curvature of my spine. I have had back surgery before, and many X-rays, and this is new, and I saw the X-ray and know it was me from my piercings being visible:)
I have gone from weekly chiropractic sessions to 10 days now, and only have a few more to go to. I have altered my workspaces to accommodate my posture better, and am still researching and looking for better alternatives. I do not use the scroll-wheel anymore. I miss the multi-buttons (I use a Mac), but my health is more important than my job or the convenience of using multiple mouse buttons.
So, to be ontopic, to prevent RSI, get good posture, take breaks, stretch, don't use scroll-wheels, don't code in vi for 12-20 hours straight. My first RSI was in my left wrist from hitting the escape key all the time:) And, most importantly, pay attention to your body. Pain is not normal, and should be paid attention to ASAP.
The bill, cleared by voice vote in the House Financial Services Committee, would prohibit a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire transfers and electronic funds transfers in illegal gambling transactions. Unlawful gambling, under the legislation, would include placing bets on online poker sites, for example, and any other online wager made or received in a place where such a bet is illegal under federal or state law.
So, today, its legal to do money transfers for illegal gambling?
So, today, in my state, the government is the only legal gambling outfit? (lottery)
So, its illegal for me to do business in another country according to their laws?
I don't gamble beyond retirement funds, insurance, and whatnot.
Yeah, its funny. People get paranoid about the government spying on them, when its probably easier for those in the know to spy on the government than vice versa.
Does it make you feel all warm and snuggly to know that someone else has decided they know better than you do how to spend your money?
Odds are, if your an American, the Federal and State governments take out money of every check before you even see the money because "they" know better than you.
In fact, they usually take extra, and give it back to you after keeping it for 4 months as a savings account with 0% interest to you. Isn't that special?
I'm single and make more money than the median or average household in my area, I don't remember which stat it is.
I own a home, but cannot afford it anymore. No, I have not lost my job or got a paycut.
No one in my area who makes an average household income owns a house that I know of.
Microwaves and VCRs are practically free. Microwaves are cheaper to operate than an oven.
Back in 1995 my parents bought a very nice home for $250,000 and they are far from poor. I have no idea how a poor person can own a $300k house, unless it is something that is very old and rundown and its the property that is now worth that much, but they probably can't afford the taxes on it.
You can get a car for $1000 or so. Public transportation is almost nonexistent in most of the US. I took a cab the other day and it was $24 for one way that was not that far from my house. At $12/day inclusive, that is $360/month, so a $1000 car seems like a better deal to me.
Now, the overweight thing is not a good thing. Its because they eat poor people's food like McDonalds and other fried crap, and its not nutritious, nor are they healthy. In fact, these types of overweight people will be likely to have a number of health issues.
Later in the article is says, "The Census Bureau counts as poor any household with cash income that is less than the official poverty threshold--which, in 1997, was $16,404 for a family of four."
I don't see how a family of four can get overweight and have a $300k home with a car and things.
But then again, I don't see how a family of four, I would assume that at least 2 could work, so thats $8k/yr, or $666/mo, or $166/week that each of the two has to make to get that. Unless your disabled, I don't see how someone can work fulltime and not make more than that. I know plenty of people that do not work fulltime, and are not "poor".
The collusion comes into place when the first bank is given $1000 by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is allowed to print new money out of thin air by creating loans against government property and future government income. This initial $1000 is placed in Bank A as available cash. Bank A holds $120 but loans the remaining $880 to Bank B which is also part of the Federal Reserve banking system. Bank A still holds a demand deposit value of $1000 which is available to be withdrawn! Bank B also has $880, but has to reserve 12% of it ($105). It then loans the rest ($775) to Bank C, but still lists $880 as its available balance of demand deposits. Bank C reserves its 12% ($93) and loans the rest ($682) to Bank D, while still listing the original $775) as its available balance. This collusion continues to go around until there is no more reserve balance available. In the end, the original $1000 the Federal Reserve created is held as a base reserve for the $9000 or so "new money" that is created.
I always wondered why pyramid schemes were "illegal" when they are also the norm.
You're misreading the law. The Attorney General may certify an alien
This doesn't mean that the Attorney General may certify a US citizen as an alien if they meet the requirements. It means that if somebody is already an alien (i.e. not a US citizen) and meets the requirements then the Attorney General may certify them as a terrorist alien subject to detention.
Jose Padilla is the U.S. citizen who supposedly plotted to detonate a "dirty bomb." Since his capture -- not on the battlefields of Afghanistan or Iraq, but at Chicago's O'Hare Airport -- he has not been charged with any crime. Yet, for more than a year, Padilla has been held incommunicado in a South Carolina military brig.
You do not hear of people going to jail. They are illegally seized and detained indefinitely without charge or warrant and without legal council. Again under what part of the US PATRIOT Act is this?
Under the USA PATRIOT Act:
SEC. 236A. (a) DETENTION OF TERRORIST ALIENS-
(1) CUSTODY- The Attorney General shall take into custody any alien who is certified under paragraph (3). (2) RELEASE- Except as provided in paragraphs (5) and (6), the Attorney General shall maintain custody of such an alien until the alien is removed from the United States. Except as provided in paragraph (6), such custody shall be maintained irrespective of any relief from removal for which the alien may be eligible, or any relief from removal granted the alien, until the Attorney General determines that the alien is no longer an alien who may be certified under paragraph (3). If the alien is finally determined not to be removable, detention pursuant to this subsection shall terminate. (3) CERTIFICATION- The Attorney General may certify an alien under this paragraph if the Attorney General has reasonable grounds to believe that the alien-- (A) is described in section 212(a)(3)(A)(i), 212(a)(3)(A)(iii), 212(a)(3)(B), 237(a)(4)(A)(i), 237(a)(4)(A)(iii), or 237(a)(4)(B); or (B) is engaged in ___any other activity that endangers the national security of the United States.___
There you have it. You are now an "alien" if you do any activity that endangers the national security of the United States. That means smoking pot (funding terrorism), speeding (you may run into a government building), or whatever.
You are removed from the country, and the rest is up to them.
Incorrect. time_t is always signed, and thus it can represent any time from 1901 to 2038 on 32bit systems, and two thousand times the age of the Universe on 64bits.
Incorrect. By definition, time_t at 0 equals Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 GMT.
It was a Thursday:
TZ=GMT./gmt2localtime.pl 0 Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970
Only the geekiest of geeks could tell me whether 1984293617 falls on a Thursday without runing it through some kind of conversion program (simple as that may be for a geek).
$./gmt2localtime.pl 1984293617
Wed Nov 17 03:40:17 2032
$ cat gmt2localtime.pl #!/usr/bin/perl
if (!@ARGV) {
die "Usage: $0 timestamp\n".
"\n".
"converts a unix timestamp to localtime"; }
print scalar localtime($ARGV[0]), "\n";
I guess only the geekiest of geeks have used Oracle.
$ oerr 942 Error 942 is: ORA-00942: table or view does not exist
Now, tell me that less than the geekiest of geeks knows that November 18, 2032 is a Thursday. I would have to get out a serious calculator, or use much more than a one line perl script to figure it out.
No, the tool IS part of the problem in such cases.
Now, I said that MySQL _should_ do the "right thing" with the date, but it doesn't.
I miss the pick any two out of three things that were the fad here on slashdot. But here you go:
1) fast 2) cheap 3) good
Pick any two.
MySQL does 1 and 2 very well. PostgreSQL does 2 and 3 well. Odds are, the DB would not have been any better with PostgreSQL or Oracle or DB2 or a roll-your-own database, because the programmer sucked. Especially considering that most people know MySQL better than other DBs, I would say that this project was destined to fail due to a dud of a programmer.
I don't particularly care for C++, but I sure as shit would have written the code to store the numbers as a number, not as an ASCII string in hex and/or base 10.
I guess the fast, cheap, good thing applies to programmers as well.
Slashdot Mirror
Currently, I expect to die someday. So at least in medicine, there are still "big things" left.
Yeah, you'll probably have to wait until the end of time to live to the end of time.
See you there!
The next big thing would be robots that do everything for us so we can actually enjoy life rather than working 90% of it away enriching the elite. :P
Ah, so the "Next Big Thing" is to be like the elite?
Even that I don't think is new, but we are going in the right direction now...
- Hovering vehicles
.44 Magnum, and you tell me afterwards how yours is better.
/.
We have them.
- Anti gravity (which is probably related to the above)
People could benefit from getting rid of wrinkles and sagging. Best "big thing" I've heard of.
- hand held energy weapons
I'll duel you with my
- teleportation
Merely faster transportation. People still walk every day. You can even pay to walk in place and not go anywhere!
- economical space travel (think "to mars", or, at the least, consumer viability for going to the moon)
I can't afford to go to India, Egypt, South America, Australia, on an annual basis. Can you? Do you? How many people do you know that do?
- curing cancer
Death is a part of life. What after that do you want to die from? Bone degeneration, and be like Peter from the family guy when he lost all of his bones?
- controlling computers with our brains
I already do. My computer is not spontaneously this stuff on
I can go on an on. All of these are enhancements to things we already take for granted today, and we will no more appreciate them than what we have today.
No Big Thing.
The Ipod and the mp3 player market
:) What is the "big thing" here?
Music recordings are over 100 years old. Portable ones 20-30 years old. I was cooler with my Walkman in 1980 than you will ever be with your iPod today
much more advanced 3d video cards, composite 3d accelerated desktops
Again, all of these are enhancements of 20-30 year old stuff. Where is the "big thing" here?
new video players and microized computers that are pda in size (blackberry, Ipod video, Orgami, etc)
"New" is the "big thing". I had a portable video system in the 80s.
Oh, size matters, that is "big"?
Better wifi and other internet technologies that are wireless, physics accelerators in 3d cards, 3d interfaces, and seemingless networked clusters or SSI(single system image) where you can hook up several computers that act as one whole computer image rather than the traditional cluster.
Again, everything here is an enhancement of what already exists and has for a long time.
I'm interested in something new.
Teleportation.
But even that is not that innovative. Its just transportation that is quicker.
I cannot see a single "big thing" listed on this discussion, and I cannot think of one. Are there any?
Wireless everywhere - 'nuff said
Wireless is rediculus as far as a "Big thing" or innovation goes. 50% of the word is based on what is already here, and the other 50% is negating that. Its a convenience, sure. I love being able to go outside and use my laptop on the internet over wireless, but if I had to plug it in (which I have to do before my battery runs out anyway), my life would not be shattered.
Hydrogen or other alternative fuel vehicles - no commodity driven marketplace for Middle East interests.
What about public transportation?
I don't see where driving to work across paved roads in my huge 4x4 hydrogen powered vehicle makes any more sense than driving to work across paved roads in a huge 4x4 using gasoline.
Our oil needs are due much less than technological reasons. Its societal, and juiced in by the people in charge.
Digital Ink (e-Ink)
Another "innovation" where 1/2 of the term is already something that exists. Sure the stuff is neat, but is reading something via digital ink significantly different than black ink made from synthetics or squid juice? All digital ink would do is reduce the number of people in the printing industry and paper industry, and the resources used there.
Droids/Automatons (we already have Roomba and Asimo - I am already preparing to be crushed by the first robot rebellion)
I'm first after you!
These too are merely manmade replacements for what already exists. Its no big deal. Assembly lines, machines, and existing robots are merely doing what people have once done. The only exception is that they have lower variability in results, don't get tired, etc.
A chair made via robots is not significantly different than a chair carved by humans out of a rock with a cushion on it.
So you think that human innovation stopped with air conditioning and short-sleeved shirts?
And food production.
What do you believe has been innovated? I'm not being adversarial here, I'm trying to learn.
I don't see MP3 players as being that innovative over wax recordings. More convenient and better sonically, but not innovative.
What is there?
I can already feel the pain of the down mods already, but here we go.
Death is the cure for cancer and AIDS.
Aside from antibiotics and inoculations, I know of no other "cures" that have happened via medicine. And even antibiotics are starting to fail because of their widespread use in cattle.
Life by definition is finite. If you're not going to die from cancer, then what? Alzheimer's? Bone degeneration? What do you want?
I smoke cigarettes, and it says on the side of the box, "May cause cancer or heart disease". Well, if I were to never smoke, odds are what am I going to die from? Cancer or heart disease.
I have seen relatives kept alive for years of misery through modern medicine, and their quality of life was shit. I was grateful when they died. I loved them all, and they had done nothing significant for themselves or other people for at least 5 to 10 years before they died, so any time along there would of been fine for them and everybody around them.
Sure there are success stories like Lance Armstrong. But there are "success" stories for business careers like Jessica Simpson, but those are a few in a billion. There is no significant and repeatable treatments for things like cancer or AIDS. There are only expensive and painful symptom masquers that add nothing to the quality of life for the patient or ones that they care about. If you still believe that there are significantly successful cancer treatments, and not anecdotal accounts, please let me know. Everyone will benefit from correcting my ignorance here. But I cannot find any data on cancer cure rates. I mostly find "alternative" treatments.
So true.
I can't wait until instead of listening to a computer voice give me the list of options and hitting a number, that I can just go ahead and scream:
"Put me in touch with a fucking human being!"
That would be progress. Almost as good as when humans answered the phones to begin with.
If anyone has ever seen the next big thing, Bill Gates certainly would be a candidate.
The only credit Billy gets from me is for keeping BASIC alive, FWIW.
BillG was late to the internet. Late to the modern desktop environment. Late to "DOS". Late to search technology.
He is just in time to sell crap to people, and yes, he is the richest person in the world because of that.
Remember that Microsoft got started when they went to IBM and sold them "DOS" before they had DOS. They then rushed to buy it from some guy, and he said, "Why do you want to pay this much money for this junk?"
Back on topic, no there is no big thing left, and actually, there has not been for 10 to 15 years now, and that is basically the way its going to be.
I'm a BIG fan of the scientific method, but what really is left to learn "on the cutting edge" of science? We can see to the subatomic particle level. We can put people in space all the way to the moon. We have received signals from our spacecraft outside of our solar system (or close). We know absolute zero. We know nothing goes faster than light. We know that most of the universe is void or nothingness.
Now, we are in the convenience/creature feature generation. We have a very short attention span today. Very few if any projects done today take more than a lifetime. Its easy to throw something into the microwave or just pick it up on the way somewhere to eat. No building a fire or acquiring fuel necessary.
Progress can be made however. I see progress into the efficiency of electronics/motor vehicles etc, as being valuable. I really welcome learning software. Google's "Did you mean ____?" is learned. Not dictionary based. Google search appliances learn company acronyms and proper names and their misspellings via context and use, just like people do. I would love for my cellphone to not store the damn names alphabetically, but rather alphabetically _by frequency of use_. Meaning, when I hit J, and I call "Jim" more than I call "Jane", Jim would be the first J, not Jane. Predictive memory management and scheduling will be cool things of the future. Stuff like Apple's SpotLight, Google's Desktop search, and even QuickSilver are all excellent.
I think its cool that my DVR works basically like a FIFO. I have about a week or so worth of programs instantly, and that changes every day. Its a cache of stuff I'm interested in watching.
But no, I don't think there is any big thing left. We have mastered controlling our environment in terms of housing and food production and personal climate control (clothes). What more is there that we need?
There is an old thought experiment suggesting that were all the wealth taken from the wealthy (whatever that means) and distributed equally among all, that within a few years it would find its way right back to its original owners. Stories such as that at the end of the URL above make me believe this.
I believe that poverty is a state of mind, not behavioral, but splitting hairs there is unnecessary.
I know a couple that makes together more money than I do, but I have more "stuff", and they say "I have a good job", etc because I don't "think poor".
I smoke. I buy my cigarettes in a nearby county that has lower cigarette taxes, and buy them by the carton. Doing it this way gets me cigarettes at $2.10 to $2.50 a pack, so $21.00 to $25.00 a carton. My friend is "too poor" to pay $2.10 to $2.50 a pack, so he opts to buy them by the pack at a convenience store for $3.50 to almost $4 a pack, because he sees $3.50-$4.00 less than $21.00 or $25.00, but cannot see the big picture. He owes me $300, and has for over 1 year now.
I was watching a show on prostitution the other month or so, and I found it interesting how some prostitutes charged $50-$100 and others charged $300+. Wow, if that isn't a state of mind difference there, I don't know what is.
Often I see colleagues using wrist supports for their keyboards, where they quite literally push their wrists into the support and produce all motion from flexing the wrists; a sure way of getting RSI.
FWIW, I first got RSI in my wrists when I used a wrist support. It was first in my left wrist, and then in my right. Mostly, it felt like my hands were numb from the wrists to fingers.
I don't know if its a coincidence or not, but I believe that wrist guards contributed to the issue, and have not had wrist issues since I've quit using them. Yes, the ones with that space gel in them are comfy, but RSI is not.
I have RSI in my right index finger. Basically, from using a scroll-wheel to scroll through webpages, yes, mostly
I stopped using my scroll-wheel in favor of a touchpad on my laptop. I prefer a real mouse. I have never liked scroll-wheels because I knew they would give me RSI because after much scrolling my joints would get soar. Well, the scroll-wheel is very seductive to use, and I have gone to bed with the devil because of it.
When I first noticed my joint swelling and the aching pain, I looked on the web for advice. Of course, I got everything from bullseye, to bullshit. (bullshit is spellchecked OK, bullseye is not???, I call bullshit!)
What I saw was the usual BS about "go see a doctor". Fuck doctors. They are usually just pushermen for the drug companies, and I have never known of a medication besides an antibiotic or an immunization or a couple of other things that has ever had any real lasting benefit. All of the medications that are prescribed mask the symptoms and add new ones (side affects), and they don't treat anything. They are "maintenance" drugs, and a BIG cash cow, even in the event of a class action lawsuit when the stuff kills people.
I will qualify the "fuck doctors" thing. If you know of a doctor that specializes in RSI and knows about things _besides medication_ like exercises or physical therapy or chiropractic therapy (which the latter are not 'doctors'), then go ahead. Other than that, if you want to get well, don't go to a doctor.
On the web, I saw a couple of people say that RSIs are NOT just an RSI issue, they are a whole body issue. After hearing that a few times online and from real-life people, it started to make sense. Currently, I am seeing a chiropractor, and it is helping me. He did an X-ray, and found out that I had a double curvature of my spine. I have had back surgery before, and many X-rays, and this is new, and I saw the X-ray and know it was me from my piercings being visible
I have gone from weekly chiropractic sessions to 10 days now, and only have a few more to go to. I have altered my workspaces to accommodate my posture better, and am still researching and looking for better alternatives. I do not use the scroll-wheel anymore. I miss the multi-buttons (I use a Mac), but my health is more important than my job or the convenience of using multiple mouse buttons.
So, to be ontopic, to prevent RSI, get good posture, take breaks, stretch, don't use scroll-wheels, don't code in vi for 12-20 hours straight. My first RSI was in my left wrist from hitting the escape key all the time
The bill, cleared by voice vote in the House Financial Services Committee, would prohibit a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire transfers and electronic funds transfers in illegal gambling transactions. Unlawful gambling, under the legislation, would include placing bets on online poker sites, for example, and any other online wager made or received in a place where such a bet is illegal under federal or state law.
/ Savemoney/P99649.asp
So, today, its legal to do money transfers for illegal gambling?
So, today, in my state, the government is the only legal gambling outfit? (lottery)
So, its illegal for me to do business in another country according to their laws?
I don't gamble beyond retirement funds, insurance, and whatnot.
Here is interesting, and typical situations from those that "win" the lottery: http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt
In the end, nothing will change. Offshore gambling will be no different.
Yeah, its funny. People get paranoid about the government spying on them, when its probably easier for those in the know to spy on the government than vice versa.
Expect a hefty new federal tax on your broadband access to pay for this new universal access.
Why not.
I'm looking at my phone bill now:
Taxes - $13.79
Service - $14.00
And if I had the luxury of call waiting, long distance, or other things, it would be more on both categories.
So, sure tax it more so that poor people can use the internet with their free computer that I will have to buy them next.
Does it make you feel all warm and snuggly to know that someone else has decided they know better than you do how to spend your money?
Odds are, if your an American, the Federal and State governments take out money of every check before you even see the money because "they" know better than you.
In fact, they usually take extra, and give it back to you after keeping it for 4 months as a savings account with 0% interest to you. Isn't that special?
Nice numbers, but I question the optimism here.
I'm single and make more money than the median or average household in my area, I don't remember which stat it is.
I own a home, but cannot afford it anymore. No, I have not lost my job or got a paycut.
No one in my area who makes an average household income owns a house that I know of.
Microwaves and VCRs are practically free. Microwaves are cheaper to operate than an oven.
Back in 1995 my parents bought a very nice home for $250,000 and they are far from poor. I have no idea how a poor person can own a $300k house, unless it is something that is very old and rundown and its the property that is now worth that much, but they probably can't afford the taxes on it.
You can get a car for $1000 or so. Public transportation is almost nonexistent in most of the US. I took a cab the other day and it was $24 for one way that was not that far from my house. At $12/day inclusive, that is $360/month, so a $1000 car seems like a better deal to me.
Now, the overweight thing is not a good thing. Its because they eat poor people's food like McDonalds and other fried crap, and its not nutritious, nor are they healthy. In fact, these types of overweight people will be likely to have a number of health issues.
Later in the article is says, "The Census Bureau counts as poor any household with cash income that is less than the official poverty threshold--which, in 1997, was $16,404 for a family of four."
I don't see how a family of four can get overweight and have a $300k home with a car and things.
But then again, I don't see how a family of four, I would assume that at least 2 could work, so thats $8k/yr, or $666/mo, or $166/week that each of the two has to make to get that. Unless your disabled, I don't see how someone can work fulltime and not make more than that. I know plenty of people that do not work fulltime, and are not "poor".
Lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Good luck in getting your display _and_ the GPS working. Seriously, good luck.
The collusion comes into place when the first bank is given $1000 by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is allowed to print new money out of thin air by creating loans against government property and future government income. This initial $1000 is placed in Bank A as available cash. Bank A holds $120 but loans the remaining $880 to Bank B which is also part of the Federal Reserve banking system. Bank A still holds a demand deposit value of $1000 which is available to be withdrawn! Bank B also has $880, but has to reserve 12% of it ($105). It then loans the rest ($775) to Bank C, but still lists $880 as its available balance of demand deposits. Bank C reserves its 12% ($93) and loans the rest ($682) to Bank D, while still listing the original $775) as its available balance. This collusion continues to go around until there is no more reserve balance available. In the end, the original $1000 the Federal Reserve created is held as a base reserve for the $9000 or so "new money" that is created.
I always wondered why pyramid schemes were "illegal" when they are also the norm.
You're misreading the law.
The Attorney General may certify an alien
This doesn't mean that the Attorney General may certify a US citizen as an alien if they meet the requirements. It means that if somebody is already an alien (i.e. not a US citizen) and meets the requirements then the Attorney General may certify them as a terrorist alien subject to detention.
Apparently, I'm not the only one misreading the law: http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-21-03.html
Jose Padilla is the U.S. citizen who supposedly plotted to detonate a "dirty bomb." Since his capture -- not on the battlefields of Afghanistan or Iraq, but at Chicago's O'Hare Airport -- he has not been charged with any crime. Yet, for more than a year, Padilla has been held incommunicado in a South Carolina military brig.
But yes, he is brown.
At 0, it's 1970. At -2^31, it's 1901:
:)
perl -e 'print scalar gmtime 0x80000000'
Fri Dec 13 20:45:52 1901
And its Friday the 13th
Personally, I would feel uncomfortable having negative times, but I learned something new.
You do not hear of people going to jail. They are illegally seized and detained indefinitely without charge or warrant and without legal council.
Again under what part of the US PATRIOT Act is this?
Under the USA PATRIOT Act:
SEC. 236A. (a) DETENTION OF TERRORIST ALIENS-
(1) CUSTODY- The Attorney General shall take into custody any alien who is certified under paragraph (3).
(2) RELEASE- Except as provided in paragraphs (5) and (6), the Attorney General shall maintain custody of such an alien until the alien is removed from the United States. Except as provided in paragraph (6), such custody shall be maintained irrespective of any relief from removal for which the alien may be eligible, or any relief from removal granted the alien, until the Attorney General determines that the alien is no longer an alien who may be certified under paragraph (3). If the alien is finally determined not to be removable, detention pursuant to this subsection shall terminate.
(3) CERTIFICATION- The Attorney General may certify an alien under this paragraph if the Attorney General has reasonable grounds to believe that the alien--
(A) is described in section 212(a)(3)(A)(i), 212(a)(3)(A)(iii), 212(a)(3)(B), 237(a)(4)(A)(i), 237(a)(4)(A)(iii), or 237(a)(4)(B); or
(B) is engaged in ___any other activity that endangers the national security of the United States.___
There you have it. You are now an "alien" if you do any activity that endangers the national security of the United States. That means smoking pot (funding terrorism), speeding (you may run into a government building), or whatever.
You are removed from the country, and the rest is up to them.
Are we clear yet?
Incorrect. time_t is always signed, and thus it can represent any time from 1901 to 2038 on 32bit systems, and two thousand times the age of the Universe on 64bits.
./gmt2localtime.pl 0
Incorrect. By definition, time_t at 0 equals Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 GMT.
It was a Thursday:
TZ=GMT
Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970
Only the geekiest of geeks could tell me whether 1984293617 falls on a Thursday without runing it through some kind of conversion program (simple as that may be for a geek).
./gmt2localtime.pl 1984293617
$
Wed Nov 17 03:40:17 2032
$ cat gmt2localtime.pl
#!/usr/bin/perl
if (!@ARGV) {
die "Usage: $0 timestamp\n".
"\n".
"converts a unix timestamp to localtime";
}
print scalar localtime($ARGV[0]), "\n";
I guess only the geekiest of geeks have used Oracle.
$ oerr 942
Error 942 is: ORA-00942: table or view does not exist
Now, tell me that less than the geekiest of geeks knows that November 18, 2032 is a Thursday. I would have to get out a serious calculator, or use much more than a one line perl script to figure it out.
No, the tool IS part of the problem in such cases.
Now, I said that MySQL _should_ do the "right thing" with the date, but it doesn't.
I miss the pick any two out of three things that were the fad here on slashdot. But here you go:
1) fast
2) cheap
3) good
Pick any two.
MySQL does 1 and 2 very well. PostgreSQL does 2 and 3 well. Odds are, the DB would not have been any better with PostgreSQL or Oracle or DB2 or a roll-your-own database, because the programmer sucked. Especially considering that most people know MySQL better than other DBs, I would say that this project was destined to fail due to a dud of a programmer.
I don't particularly care for C++, but I sure as shit would have written the code to store the numbers as a number, not as an ASCII string in hex and/or base 10.
I guess the fast, cheap, good thing applies to programmers as well.