Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, I lived in a rural part of Missouri. Our fire protection services were provided by a nearby town's volunteer fire department. They charged us a $50 annual fee. If you paid the fee they'd fight fires on your property, no questions asked. So far, a lot like Tennessee. The difference was if you didn't pay the fee and your house caught on fire. If you said "yes, please, put out the fire," it was a minimum $300 just to roll a truck. Then, when your insurance agent showed up with a check for the damages, someone from the fire department would be there to collect. And if that wasn't enough they'd put a contractor's lien on your property. From what I gathered, the local courts backed the fire department damn near every time. It's not a pretty situation, but it seemed to work out nicely for everyone involved.
You don't get penalized for filing a federal return late if you're getting a refund. A few years back, before I started filing electronically, I prepared my taxes, noticed I was getting a nice little refund, and promptly failed to put it in the damn mail. It was December before my lazy butt realized I hadn't received my check. (No, I'm not exaggerating.) So I mailed it. The IRS promptly issued my refund PLUS INTEREST! Granted, it was a crappy rate and I would have been better off putting that money in a savings account. Regardless, no penalties.
Same for me. That "activation" crap they pulled sent me straight to TaxCut. Can't say that I'm sorry now, considering I've turned procrastination into an art form.
All of the sponsored sites are Overture links. Do the same search at Overture and compare the results. Also, compare the search tool bar itself at yahoo.com with msn.com. Built from the ground up, my ass. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/01/125923 5&tid=109
I am currently employed by an online retailer. We've been dealing with this problem for at least TWO years. The basic scenario goes something like this: we receive an order placed online with an obscene total, next day shipping, a yahoo email addy, or a combination of other flags that tell us it's fraud. The credit card address verification always comes back "does not match" in these cases. Then we send them a polite email stating that we can't process their order any further until the address does match. Within minutes the call center receives a call from an IP relay operator. Occasionally, they don't identify themselves as IP operators. So we always ask "Is this an IP relay call?" So far, they've never denied it. (In the last two years we've documented ONE TTY call.) At this point we accept the call and then explain to the scammer that we can't accept IP relay calls and that they should send us an email. Shortly thereafter we get an email from a different yahoo account that reads like a 419 scam. It's fun.
Basically, the theory is that if someone is legitimately using the service, they're perfectly capable of sending email. The benefit is that we minimize the time spent dealing with scammers.
If anyone else has methods of dealing with this nonsense, I'd love to hear it.
Check out the job listings here:
http://www.google.com/jobs/index.html
Google frequently has job postings that list a PhD as a preference or requirement.
I, too, live in the St. Louis area. I've used Birch for residential service in the past. Their customer service is (or at least was) excellent, their prices were very competitive, and it was easier to get an SBC tech out for repairs going through folks at Birch than it is to go through the maddening red tape at SBC. No residential DSL through Birch, though. They apparently don't have provisioning rights. So I've had to switch back to SBC - Charter still won't offer Pipeline in my area. In some areas outside of St. Louis county, specifically St. Charles and St. Peters, Charter offers voice, as well as TV and internet.
My recommendation is to go with Birch if they offer service in your area and you're not in need of DSL.
One last thing. When I switched back to SBC, they offered me a slightly lower rate than what they normally charge new customers. If you explain to them that you're going to go with a competitor, they might give you a break in price. Good luck.
What third party toner manufacturers are doing to Lexmark seems to be fairly similar to what Compaq did to IBM when they reverse-engineered IBM's PC BIOS. Thankfully, there was no DMCA at the time. Otherwise, I'd be writing this on a typewriter.
There are several reasons I've steered clear of Lexmark printers over the last few years, and toner/ink price is the big one. This DMCA suit gives me one more reason to fuel their competitors.
"The people of Missouri voted the corpse in, and in a landslide no less."
No, we didn't. John Ashcroft was actually ahead in some polls until Mel Carnahan died. Many of us believe that without a "sympathy vote" for Carnahan, Ashcroft would have taken the election.
You can't just spy on your neighbor because you think he's a pinko commie bastard or an Al Queda sypmathiser. That requires a court ordered warrant.
But go ahead and yell "Fire!" really loud the next time you're sitting in a crowded theater. See if anyone gives a damn about your rights when they haul your ass off to jail.
Gnome is available for OSX. http://news.gnome.org/gnome-news/1006658566/index_ html As is KDE. http://dot.kde.org/1022869694/ There are a few more here: http://www.xinetd.org/pub/darwin/X11/ You're really not limited to Aqua.
I recently purchased a Sony cdrw drive from the friendly neighborhood computer super store. (I got a giftcard for my birthday.) I forget the exact model number, but it's the 32x predecessor for their current 40x 195A. I didn't do my research. I bought a drive unsupported by Click 'n Burn, Easy CD Creator, and Nero. As I share a machine with my wife, that other OS gets a partition. Therefore, I need hardware supported by software that I ALREADY OWN.
Sony's current retail models come with something called B's Recorder Gold. Worst burning package ever. And it's a demo. If you want the real thing, Sony wants another $40 US.
I took my beloved new burner back and swapped it for a no-name-brand model that works just fine - Linux or DOS.
Thanks, Sony. I used to swear by your component audio equipment. Not anymore. Ever. Keep screwing us with your half-assed copy protection schemes, and watch me walk away from the rest of your catalog, too.
As a geology student at UMR in the early 90s, I was required to learn FORTRAN. As far as I know, it was a required course for all science students at the time. According to their current catalog, it's still a requirement. It was actually a very useful tool in my field at that time. I don't see why it wouldn't be useful today. And I can definitely understand it's application in weather sciences. I've changed fields since then, and haven't had a need for it in several years. Should a need develop, though, I wouldn't hesitate to put it to use again.
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Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, I lived in a rural part of Missouri. Our fire protection services were provided by a nearby town's volunteer fire department. They charged us a $50 annual fee. If you paid the fee they'd fight fires on your property, no questions asked. So far, a lot like Tennessee. The difference was if you didn't pay the fee and your house caught on fire. If you said "yes, please, put out the fire," it was a minimum $300 just to roll a truck. Then, when your insurance agent showed up with a check for the damages, someone from the fire department would be there to collect. And if that wasn't enough they'd put a contractor's lien on your property. From what I gathered, the local courts backed the fire department damn near every time. It's not a pretty situation, but it seemed to work out nicely for everyone involved.
Fuck you and Frank Luntz, too! (Not that Frankie has a damn thing to do with this, but how could I pass up the opportunity?)
You don't get penalized for filing a federal return late if you're getting a refund. A few years back, before I started filing electronically, I prepared my taxes, noticed I was getting a nice little refund, and promptly failed to put it in the damn mail. It was December before my lazy butt realized I hadn't received my check. (No, I'm not exaggerating.) So I mailed it. The IRS promptly issued my refund PLUS INTEREST! Granted, it was a crappy rate and I would have been better off putting that money in a savings account. Regardless, no penalties.
Same for me. That "activation" crap they pulled sent me straight to TaxCut. Can't say that I'm sorry now, considering I've turned procrastination into an art form.
All of the sponsored sites are Overture links. Do the same search at Overture and compare the results. Also, compare the search tool bar itself at yahoo.com with msn.com. Built from the ground up, my ass. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/01/125923 5&tid=109
Don't log in as root next time you run strange perl scripts. You might want to install something other than Lindows this afternoon.
I am currently employed by an online retailer. We've been dealing with this problem for at least TWO years. The basic scenario goes something like this: we receive an order placed online with an obscene total, next day shipping, a yahoo email addy, or a combination of other flags that tell us it's fraud. The credit card address verification always comes back "does not match" in these cases. Then we send them a polite email stating that we can't process their order any further until the address does match. Within minutes the call center receives a call from an IP relay operator. Occasionally, they don't identify themselves as IP operators. So we always ask "Is this an IP relay call?" So far, they've never denied it. (In the last two years we've documented ONE TTY call.) At this point we accept the call and then explain to the scammer that we can't accept IP relay calls and that they should send us an email. Shortly thereafter we get an email from a different yahoo account that reads like a 419 scam. It's fun.
Basically, the theory is that if someone is legitimately using the service, they're perfectly capable of sending email. The benefit is that we minimize the time spent dealing with scammers.
If anyone else has methods of dealing with this nonsense, I'd love to hear it.
http://catb.org/jargon/html/B/bug.html
Check out the job listings here: http://www.google.com/jobs/index.html Google frequently has job postings that list a PhD as a preference or requirement.
I, too, live in the St. Louis area. I've used Birch for residential service in the past. Their customer service is (or at least was) excellent, their prices were very competitive, and it was easier to get an SBC tech out for repairs going through folks at Birch than it is to go through the maddening red tape at SBC. No residential DSL through Birch, though. They apparently don't have provisioning rights. So I've had to switch back to SBC - Charter still won't offer Pipeline in my area. In some areas outside of St. Louis county, specifically St. Charles and St. Peters, Charter offers voice, as well as TV and internet.
My recommendation is to go with Birch if they offer service in your area and you're not in need of DSL.
One last thing. When I switched back to SBC, they offered me a slightly lower rate than what they normally charge new customers. If you explain to them that you're going to go with a competitor, they might give you a break in price. Good luck.
What third party toner manufacturers are doing to Lexmark seems to be fairly similar to what Compaq did to IBM when they reverse-engineered IBM's PC BIOS. Thankfully, there was no DMCA at the time. Otherwise, I'd be writing this on a typewriter.
There are several reasons I've steered clear of Lexmark printers over the last few years, and toner/ink price is the big one. This DMCA suit gives me one more reason to fuel their competitors.
Somebody mod this guy up, already. Laughed my ass off at this one. (I, too, was a Convergys flunky for a very, very short period of time.)
"The people of Missouri voted the corpse in, and in a landslide no less."
e /p oll_moos-.html
No, we didn't. John Ashcroft was actually ahead in some polls until Mel Carnahan died. Many of us believe that without a "sympathy vote" for Carnahan, Ashcroft would have taken the election.
Here is an exit poll to mull over.
http://www.cbsnews.com/campaign2000results/stat
Lots of interesting statistics, but not much indication of a landslide.
You've got that completely backwards.
You can't just spy on your neighbor because you think he's a pinko commie bastard or an Al Queda sypmathiser. That requires a court ordered warrant.
But go ahead and yell "Fire!" really loud the next time you're sitting in a crowded theater. See if anyone gives a damn about your rights when they haul your ass off to jail.
"Microsoft's been working on a new, secure authentication standard...."
Hopefully, "secure" implies slightly more secure than Windows 98 "secure". I wouldn't count on it, though.
Speaking of BBC, does anyone else think Daljit Dhaliwal is frickin' hot?
Maybe it's your Mac? Time to get a real computer.
Gnome is available for OSX. http://news.gnome.org/gnome-news/1006658566/index_ html As is KDE. http://dot.kde.org/1022869694/ There are a few more here: http://www.xinetd.org/pub/darwin/X11/ You're really not limited to Aqua.
I recently purchased a Sony cdrw drive from the friendly neighborhood computer super store. (I got a giftcard for my birthday.) I forget the exact model number, but it's the 32x predecessor for their current 40x 195A. I didn't do my research. I bought a drive unsupported by Click 'n Burn, Easy CD Creator, and Nero. As I share a machine with my wife, that other OS gets a partition. Therefore, I need hardware supported by software that I ALREADY OWN. Sony's current retail models come with something called B's Recorder Gold. Worst burning package ever. And it's a demo. If you want the real thing, Sony wants another $40 US. I took my beloved new burner back and swapped it for a no-name-brand model that works just fine - Linux or DOS. Thanks, Sony. I used to swear by your component audio equipment. Not anymore. Ever. Keep screwing us with your half-assed copy protection schemes, and watch me walk away from the rest of your catalog, too.
As a geology student at UMR in the early 90s, I was required to learn FORTRAN. As far as I know, it was a required course for all science students at the time. According to their current catalog, it's still a requirement. It was actually a very useful tool in my field at that time. I don't see why it wouldn't be useful today. And I can definitely understand it's application in weather sciences. I've changed fields since then, and haven't had a need for it in several years. Should a need develop, though, I wouldn't hesitate to put it to use again.