A few years back I met someone who worked at one of the largest dating sites, and they mentioned that a lot of employees create false profiles in order to fulfill the requirements of people they want to bone.
Apparently some of them have a great deal of success.
It could definitely be considered a perk of the job.
That's 5 times what a farmer makes playing WoW. For someone with the necessary skills outside North America that would be a decent amount of money. Plus, this is something that a person could use to supplement an existing job by working on it in their off hours.
Not everyone needs to make 100k a year for SUV payments and cable.
Ever talk to someone whose property has been seized? *IF* it comes back functional, it's obsolete by the time you see it again. They also take the weirdest shit. A kid running an abandonware bot on IRC had his music CDs, consoles, and books taken as well.
Still, I wish they'd just stick Ralsky in an evidence locker for two years.
I'm a reptile owner with boas, pythons, a few corn snakes, and a texas rat snake. The boa constrictors will eventually get to be fairly large, about 7 feet for the male and 8 to 10 for the female. The pythons, Royals (also known as Ball Pythons) and Spotteds will be hard pressed to grow past 5 feet.
The boas are the only ones I would consider to be a potential threat to other pets in the house, and that point is still years off. They are by far my most docile snakes, and only exhibit a feeding response when presented with rats. The smell of my cats or dog elicits no reaction from them whatsoever.
Ball Pythons are probably one of the fussiest snakes when it comes to feeding and they are of no danger to pets or people. They're very timid and there have been incidents of Balls being maimed or killed by live mice that were dropped into the enclosure when the snake wasn't hungry.
My town considers any snake over two feet long "bad", yet would take no action when our previous landlords pit bull came after my family five times. I find this somewhat ironic. Dogs are considerably more dangerous to people than any small or mid-size snake.
Large snakes such as burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, african rock pythons, and anacondas should never be handled solo, and bringing them out into the public is just plain nuts.
Burms typically have a docile temperament, but you don't want to be carrying a 10 foot long snake that gets a whiff of guinea pig off someone that walks by. The others listed there are known for their bad tempers, and the Rock python has been confirmed to have actually killed and eaten at least one person in its native habitat. Despite pictures of other snakes that are purported to have killed and eaten humans, neither I nor any of my friends in the herp community have found any documentary evidence to reinforce this. To the contrary, several of the pictures that make the e-mail rounds have turned out to be phonies.
Very very rarely, a large snake will kill it's owner. This is usually a mistaken feeding response. Like a monitor lizard, a snake that has taken the scent of prey has a one track mind. So if you're in the way of the food, or moving when the prey isn't it's a good way to get hit. The snake will then strike, hold and constrict. They don't crush bone, but actually tighten around the torso with each exhalation of breath until the victim asphyxiates. If the victim happens to be a person, the snake won't realize its error until too late.
On the other hand, these animals don't constrict as a matter of defense. Their strike is a fine deterrent. The strike of an adult burm or Rock has been described as feeling like being struck by a 12lb hammer.
That's why I'm content with my relatively small snakes:) When I'm walking the dog at night, sometimes my female boa comes along for a ride on my arm, but they never see the street during the day.
I've been considering buying an Avid chip system to tag my snakes. But this is for personal security rather than legislated responsibility. When you get into the rarer color morphs it can get quite expensive, and whole collections have been stolen.
Anyway, I'm all for chipping pets, "dangerous" or not, but I really hate how the label gets stuck on some animals because of irrational fears. (Freaking out if you find a croc in your front hallway is not irrational. Feel free to scream and piss yourself. Me, I'll grab a camera and keep my distance.)
Religion does have an effect, even if most people of agnostic or religious backgrounds are reasonable.
For a scientist to be considered credible they have to show proof of their works validity through extensive testing, peer review, etc.
For a religious leader to discredit them in the eyes of their followers, they merely need to point out that the bible doesn't agree with something in the scientists work. There's no credibility issue for them, it's a matter of charisma and dogma.
I think the crime issue is less an artifact of gun control, and more likely an effect of economic disparity within a large population center. When you have dirt poor people living within sight of rich people, there seems to be a greater trend toward crime (even poor on poor) than in an area where more people live in the median. Both areas mentioned have high populations with significant disparity in household incomes within a relatively small geographical samples.
That being said, I'm of mixed opinion over these laws. As a developer it will be something of a relief to see the responsibility for every "bad act" by gamers lifted from our shoulders, but this is another case of legislating responsibility when the current system should be enough. Is it that complicated for people to read the label on a game before allowing their kids to play it? If you're buying toys for a three year old, you look for sharp edges, choking hazards, etc. So why is it any less the parents responsibility when purchasing digital entertainment.
Video games have been in the mainstream population for 20 years now, and the people that play them can readily tell you which titles are aimed at the younger set and which are for adults or older teens. Yet the people that are drafting and passing these laws are from the generation previous, and have completely closed their minds to reason. Yet they went through the same thing with their parents and that "damn rock and roll".
With the huge numbers of baby boomers in North America, we can expect to see a leaning towards conservatism for the next 20 years, simply because they have the numbers. It's going to be a hell of a ride.
Nostalgia is a powerful motivation for creativity.
The people that are in the positions to make the movies they always wanted to make were into comics at the end of the Silver Age, and the bankrollers know that the next generation of people bought even more comics than them.
It may get harder for studios to pull that off over time as interests become increasingly diverse thanks to being able to join any little community of people on the net.
I did some research on non-compete clauses as recognized by Ontario courts recently and there's some nice precedents in favor of the employees.
If you sign a non-compete *after* you're already working there it's much harder to enforce. And if the contract is one-sided in favor of the employer, then the employee can easily challenge it. Seems that if you sign one, it should have as much benefit to you as it does to them.
The 10 million is just icing on the cake. Being known as the winners of the X-Prize is sure to be worth a lot more than the prize or even the money they invested themselves.
When I was younger I pirated anything I could get my hands on. I look back on it now as 'collecting out of control'. I grabbed tons of apps and games I had no intention of using or playing just so I could check it out, say "ooh, neat!" and toss the disc. I still bought games and apps that I wanted or needed, but I was much more discerning with my dollar. My drive to collect software never created in interest in shoplifting or cheating. It was about finding things in out of the way places on the net with a bunch of people with the same interests.
Now I'm all grown up and the only "bad" stuff I download is TV shows. I don't need to. We've got a PVR and full cable package, and I could easily watch them down in the living room. But I watch them in the corner of my desktop while I do other things.
I still don't get urges to steal, and I'm finding that my taste in TV is getting even narrower since it can take a while to get some shows and they're just not worth the effort.
Slashdot Mirror
A few years back I met someone who worked at one of the largest dating sites, and they mentioned that a lot of employees create false profiles in order to fulfill the requirements of people they want to bone.
Apparently some of them have a great deal of success.
It could definitely be considered a perk of the job.
N00B! I got started on Pong... 10 years earlier.
I was 2, maybe 3 at the time. With the control knobs built on to the box it was pretty easy to just sit back and play using your toes.
It was a sturdy little box too. It took my abuse for a few years.
That's 5 times what a farmer makes playing WoW.
For someone with the necessary skills outside North America that would be a decent amount of money. Plus, this is something that a person could use to supplement an existing job by working on it in their off hours.
Not everyone needs to make 100k a year for SUV payments and cable.
In that case, Canada would be happy to welcome those who needed treatment.
Our leaders may be as crooked and corrupt as anybody, but they're generally pretty sensible when it comes to the rights of the people.
I guess it's because as long as we're happy they can tax the hell out of us.
It might take a little longer to get approved here, but "moral outrage" shouldn't stop good science.
Ever talk to someone whose property has been seized?
*IF* it comes back functional, it's obsolete by the time you see it again.
They also take the weirdest shit.
A kid running an abandonware bot on IRC had his music CDs, consoles, and books taken as well.
Still, I wish they'd just stick Ralsky in an evidence locker for two years.
I'm a reptile owner with boas, pythons, a few corn snakes, and a texas rat snake. The boa constrictors will eventually get to be fairly large, about 7 feet for the male and 8 to 10 for the female. The pythons, Royals (also known as Ball Pythons) and Spotteds will be hard pressed to grow past 5 feet.
:)
The boas are the only ones I would consider to be a potential threat to other pets in the house, and that point is still years off. They are by far my most docile snakes, and only exhibit a feeding response when presented with rats. The smell of my cats or dog elicits no reaction from them whatsoever.
Ball Pythons are probably one of the fussiest snakes when it comes to feeding and they are of no danger to pets or people. They're very timid and there have been incidents of Balls being maimed or killed by live mice that were dropped into the enclosure when the snake wasn't hungry.
My town considers any snake over two feet long "bad", yet would take no action when our previous landlords pit bull came after my family five times. I find this somewhat ironic. Dogs are considerably more dangerous to people than any small or mid-size snake.
Large snakes such as burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, african rock pythons, and anacondas should never be handled solo, and bringing them out into the public is just plain nuts.
Burms typically have a docile temperament, but you don't want to be carrying a 10 foot long snake that gets a whiff of guinea pig off someone that walks by. The others listed there are known for their bad tempers, and the Rock python has been confirmed to have actually killed and eaten at least one person in its native habitat. Despite pictures of other snakes that are purported to have killed and eaten humans, neither I nor any of my friends in the herp community have found any documentary evidence to reinforce this. To the contrary, several of the pictures that make the e-mail rounds have turned out to be phonies.
Very very rarely, a large snake will kill it's owner. This is usually a mistaken feeding response. Like a monitor lizard, a snake that has taken the scent of prey has a one track mind. So if you're in the way of the food, or moving when the prey isn't it's a good way to get hit. The snake will then strike, hold and constrict. They don't crush bone, but actually tighten around the torso with each exhalation of breath until the victim asphyxiates. If the victim happens to be a person, the snake won't realize its error until too late.
On the other hand, these animals don't constrict as a matter of defense. Their strike is a fine deterrent. The strike of an adult burm or Rock has been described as feeling like being struck by a 12lb hammer.
That's why I'm content with my relatively small snakes
When I'm walking the dog at night, sometimes my female boa comes along for a ride on my arm, but they never see the street during the day.
I've been considering buying an Avid chip system to tag my snakes. But this is for personal security rather than legislated responsibility. When you get into the rarer color morphs it can get quite expensive, and whole collections have been stolen.
Anyway, I'm all for chipping pets, "dangerous" or not, but I really hate how the label gets stuck on some animals because of irrational fears. (Freaking out if you find a croc in your front hallway is not irrational. Feel free to scream and piss yourself. Me, I'll grab a camera and keep my distance.)
Posting a "No Tresspassing: Severe Tire Damage" sign might help.
They won't know for sure that you haven't put down spike strips.
Religion does have an effect, even if most people of agnostic or religious backgrounds are reasonable.
For a scientist to be considered credible they have to show proof of their works validity through extensive testing, peer review, etc.
For a religious leader to discredit them in the eyes of their followers, they merely need to point out that the bible doesn't agree with something in the scientists work. There's no credibility issue for them, it's a matter of charisma and dogma.
Let's hope Jack Thompson never sees your post. :)
I think the crime issue is less an artifact of gun control, and more likely an effect of economic disparity within a large population center. When you have dirt poor people living within sight of rich people, there seems to be a greater trend toward crime (even poor on poor) than in an area where more people live in the median.
Both areas mentioned have high populations with significant disparity in household incomes within a relatively small geographical samples.
That being said, I'm of mixed opinion over these laws. As a developer it will be something of a relief to see the responsibility for every "bad act" by gamers lifted from our shoulders, but this is another case of legislating responsibility when the current system should be enough. Is it that complicated for people to read the label on a game before allowing their kids to play it? If you're buying toys for a three year old, you look for sharp edges, choking hazards, etc. So why is it any less the parents responsibility when purchasing digital entertainment.
Video games have been in the mainstream population for 20 years now, and the people that play them can readily tell you which titles are aimed at the younger set and which are for adults or older teens. Yet the people that are drafting and passing these laws are from the generation previous, and have completely closed their minds to reason. Yet they went through the same thing with their parents and that "damn rock and roll".
With the huge numbers of baby boomers in North America, we can expect to see a leaning towards conservatism for the next 20 years, simply because they have the numbers. It's going to be a hell of a ride.
It would be a lot easier for someone to mail him a tail from out of the country than to have the whole carcass smuggled in.
Once he has the tail all he need to do is blow away a feral cat, use a perpective trick to get a good photo, and he's an instant celeb.
And I even left out the bit on technology :)
Comic movies have been made for ages but the tech was never able to compete with the expectations of the fans, no matter how much money there was.
Now you can just render a skin tight body suit and it looks good. That's one major hurdle to suspension of disbelief there.
The viewers were already out there, there just wasn't anything worth watching until CGI reached the right level of cost and quality.
Nostalgia is a powerful motivation for creativity.
The people that are in the positions to make the movies they always wanted to make were into comics at the end of the Silver Age, and the bankrollers know that the next generation of people bought even more comics than them.
It may get harder for studios to pull that off over time as interests become increasingly diverse thanks to being able to join any little community of people on the net.
Brute force? A little social engineering works wonders.
"More wine, dear?"
I remember the demo for Rocket Jockeys. Using a grappling hook to turn was cool. Using it to rip your opponent off his rocket was even better :)
I did some research on non-compete clauses as recognized by Ontario courts recently and there's some nice precedents in favor of the employees.
If you sign a non-compete *after* you're already working there it's much harder to enforce. And if the contract is one-sided in favor of the employer, then the employee can easily challenge it. Seems that if you sign one, it should have as much benefit to you as it does to them.
It's these damn talkies! There's life in vaudeville yet, I tell ya!
Let's pool together and send George and Dick into orbit.
Will the Russians give us 50% off if we don't want them back?
The 10 million is just icing on the cake. Being known as the winners of the X-Prize is sure to be worth a lot more than the prize or even the money they invested themselves.
When I was younger I pirated anything I could get my hands on. I look back on it now as 'collecting out of control'. I grabbed tons of apps and games I had no intention of using or playing just so I could check it out, say "ooh, neat!" and toss the disc.
I still bought games and apps that I wanted or needed, but I was much more discerning with my dollar. My drive to collect software never created in interest in shoplifting or cheating. It was about finding things in out of the way places on the net with a bunch of people with the same interests.
Now I'm all grown up and the only "bad" stuff I download is TV shows. I don't need to. We've got a PVR and full cable package, and I could easily watch them down in the living room. But I watch them in the corner of my desktop while I do other things.
I still don't get urges to steal, and I'm finding that my taste in TV is getting even narrower since it can take a while to get some shows and they're just not worth the effort.
Even resorting to paper these days you want to make sure you've got archival quality equipment.
Some inkjet pages fade considerably in just two years. After a decade they may just be yellowing pages with no discernible content.
Exactly, it's a Slashvertisement.
Wonder if getting a post on here drums up investors.
What kind of Mac?
I picked up a Mini recently, and stuck a 1 gig stick in it. I was curious to see if it would run *well* on that.
Hurricane strength has followed a roughly 70 year cycle for hundreds of years.
This was recently covered in National Geographic. It's not a global warming issue.
I agree. They should be given medals.
Ones made of lead, and propelled at high velocity by smokeless gunpowder.