yes, $2000 for a single mom with two children living in the projects. more like this is all they had in the checking account.
Maybe I'm getting senile in my old age but hasn't the RIAA already done a vigorous analysis and determined that each file shared illegally warrants a fine of $150,000 per song? The fact that they settled for $2K almost suggests that perhaps their initial number wasn't quite as solid as they originally claimed.
Either that or they are using a formula that factors in the "criminal's" age and socio-economic standing. Or perhaps that $150K number was just pulled out of their ass...
Well of course Power Grid is feeling particularly insecure right now. I mean it's old and weak and obsolete and just got caught with it's pants down a few weeks ago. That kind of spectacular failure is bound to make anything or anyone feel pretty insecure. I doubt the last thing Power Grid wants is to have its insecurities examined publically! C'mon, people, let's not kick it while it's down!
Sometimes the most impressionable lessons are those that use everyday objects to convey. Have your son team up with his school chums and drag the class wimp into the bathroom. Have Junior shove this kid's face into the toilet while flushing it and point out that the direction in which the water swirls when it goes down is due to the Corriolis Effect. Depending on the age of the children involved, he can go into a deeper discussion of this important rule of nature. If you son's schoolmate does not seem to appreciate the significance of this natural phenomenon, have your child repeat the experiment over and over until the subject grasps the material being presented. It is quite likely that such a dramatic demonstration of the Corriolis Effect will have a much more lasting impression on the student than simply reading about it in an overpriced textbook.
It saddens me to see public schools squander their limited financial resources on internet-enabled computers and graphing calculators. All you really need are simple, everyday objects and a desire to teach! Too often, teachers are overworked and the students must find novel ways to educate each other. This is just one example of how students can share the joy of science with their fellow classmates.
So, to play a little mind game with her, I asked her how she knew the earth was a sphere.
If she was a little more up on her knowledge of the ancient history of science, she would have described the famous experiment of Eratosthenes where he simply used two sticks and a measuring stick to not only figure out that the planet was round, but also come up with an accurate estimate of it's circumfrence.
Maybe they're just waiting for the economy to get a little bit better. A lot of companies aren't doing so hot right now and probably aren't excited about the prospect of shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to get a new OS for each of their computers.
It remains unclear as to why Owen dressed up like a butler for the epic ride up Mount Washington. It surely won't help reduce the ridicule he receives from neighbors and friends. Perhaps he felt it lent a bit of dignity to the affair.
Is it just me or would it take an awful lot more than a butler's outfit to bring some dignity to a ride up a mountain on yuppie-gocarts organized by a retired clown?
"Winds were gusting from all sides and I had to stay down, just like skiing," Dick Norris, 69, a train conductor and fellow rider told the AP.
A train conductor? Good grief. Where are they getting these guys from?
Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports.
Okay, who wants to take a crack at guessing the career of the mysterious third rider? Former jet-setting CEO of a dot-com company who now works as the janitor in an adult bookstore? What about the dude who has to stamp "Inspected by #42" on all those pairs of underwear? Maybe it was Retired Machinist and
A.A.P.B.-Certified Astrologer Lloyd Schumner Sr.?
The Register, huh? This is the kind of hard-hitting news I would expect CNN Headline News.
There was once a time when she was being hailed as a "feminist cyber icon", a character who not only starred in a great game but also managed to become a household name.
I doubt she was ever hailed as that by anyone with brains. She was the ultimate teenaged boy's dream: sexy girl with incredible knockers who kicks ass. A true "feminist cyber icon" would have kicked ass without the 42DDs and the daisy duke shorts.
For a minute there I misread and thought your subject line was "Stacked chicks"! Then I realized you were just talking about some computer stuff. Dang!
Not to seem as though I'm harshing on these guys -- Kudos to them! Rather, I hope they are able to apply this technology to plutonium "waste", eventually. If they get it to work economically on iodine first, that's also good, because there is a lot of iodine waste sitting around being dangerous. It would be nice in the long run if we could replace the older iodine-producing nuclear reactors to breeder reactors, but to do that we'd need to figure out how to deal with the plutonium.
I didn't read the article (of course!) but I'm guessing this is merely a proof-of-concept style demonstration. You're right that there is much more awful stuff out there to be worried about than Iodine. But we need to take baby steps here. First show the method can be performed. Then make it economic. Then apply it to the real nasty stuff like plutonium.
I think this is exciting news. Nuclear energy is one of the few methods of producing energy in which we can contain the less-desirable effects. Fossil fuels belch fumes into the sky where they will never be reclaimed from. Construction of solar panels requires nasty chemicals. Even wind power kills countless birds each year. Nuclear energy gives dangerous waste but at least that waste can be contained. And this new work is the first indication that perhaps -- someday -- we'll be able to take this contained waste and turn it into something far less dangerous.
There are plenty of ways you can attack this work as far as practicality is concerned. Let's give them time to see if they can make this economically viable or not.
How can I use my mod points to rate this entire article 'WRONG'?:)
I don't think you can use mod points to carry out punishment. However, I couldn't help but notice that little asterisk by your name. You could always stop giving the editors money to post blatantly incorrect stuff like this. Who knows: perhaps that would make an even stronger statement than mod points.
I was wondering the very same thing. I'm sure most homeless people don't remember their SSN (if they ever got one in the first place). So does this mean that homeless shelters are going to refuse to help anyone who can't remember their SSN? Probably not (at least I hope not). But once a few get away with not supplying their SSN, the others will wonder why they have to. Most of these poor souls are paranoid as it is. Pretty soon, they'll stop giving their SSNs, even though they remember them.
Please, let's just use the few dollars our society has set aside for helping them in a more constructive way.
Clearly the technology's simplicity is oversold. "Anyone can use it!"
I agree with this statement (not sure I understand what you're getting at with the rest of your post, though). Microsoft has been marketing computing as something for the everyman. Yet, their patching process is not understandable by most. They need to fix this.
The average person is not going to understand the messages that Windows Update gives. And they certainly will get lost with the descriptions at MS's Knowledge Base. What I'd really love to see is Microsoft use some of their mega-bucks to outsource the Windows Update service. Microsoft would still be responsible for creating the patches, of course, since they've got a closed-source OS. But it would be up to a third party to write the message that gets sent to the user. Something the average person can understand complete with a fair and unbiased description of the pros and cons of installing the patch. Clearly Microsfot does not have the interest in creating understandable messages because they sure as hell have the resources to implement this now. Right now the home user is confronted with a cryptic message about a new patch that they don't understand. "Well, since I don't understand what this patch does and my computer is working fine now," they reason, "why should I take a chance installing this new thing? Especially because I've been bitten by bad patches in the past!"
Gates loves to believe that his wealth is because of his great genius. But the fact of the matter is that he lucked out and entered a field that was ripe for explosion. Gates owes a huge, huge, huge debt to Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the WWW. Remember, Gates thought the public's interest in the internet was going to be a fad. So he's an accidental success in my book. Now that the everyman is at Microsoft's mercy due to their monopolistic practices, it's really up to Microsoft to start making computer security accessable to those persons. If they don't start going that, then perhaps it's time to start thinking about government regulation (you can hear the collective groan of all the conservatives out there).
GMD
They aren't efficient with money
on
Joining the ACLU?
·
· Score: 2, Informative
One tool that I've come to value in helping me decide what non-profit organizations to donate to and how much, has been the information put out by The American Institute of Philanthropy. They publish a Charity Rating Guide that lists pretty much every non-profit org that you can think of along with information on such things such as how much cash they have in reserve and what percentage of donor's contributions actually goes towards programs and what percentage goes towards paying the costs of fund raising. Let me tell you: the ACLU does not get high marks. Read the Guide for yourself to decide whether the marks are "high enough" for you to decide whether to give them money or save your contribution for a similar, but more efficient, organization.
Obviously many factors must go into your decisions but knowing some of their finances can really help you out. I have stopped giving to some non-profit orgs whose missions are strongly aligned with my own values based on the data I gleened from AIPs Guide. In fact, I actually gave some of that money previously reserved for other charities to AIP so they can continue doing their good work. I encourage all slashdotters to get a copy of the Guide.
Thanks to Tokyopia.com for their article showing a massive Tokyo skyscraper with Space Invaders projected on the side of it, as part of Taito's celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the all-time classic shooter.
If this is how the Japanese choose to celebrate the anniversary of one of their more notable contributions to world culture, I shudder to think of what's going to happen next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of their other more notable exports! I can just see some poor Japanese businessman or cute little Japanese high school girl casually looking up at the side of a skyscraper, seeing the image, and grumbling "Oh Lord, not again!" before running to the nearest shelter!
You're missing the important point here. It's not that solar power is going to save the Japanese a lot of money. They're desperate to ween themselves off nuclear power using any means necessary. After all, if you had to contend with these three smashing your reactors on a yearly basis, wouldn't you be damn anxious to do something -- anything -- to stop relying on nuclear power?
Before everyone adds me to their Foes list, I want to say that I didn't last long: I quit. I was desperate for a summer job as a college student and thought that working indoors making a good wage was better than the crap jobs my buddies were getting pitching tar or whatever the hell they were doing in the heat. Funny thing is that I was selling premium television channels and I, personally, thought (still do) that TV was largely a waste. It took me a few weeks to develop my ability to sell something that I didn't believe in but pretty soon I was starting the heavy-sell over the phone. I was a hypocrite -- I personally thought what we were selling was crap.
Finally, one day I made a call and a very elderly woman answered the phone. I started into my sales pitch when she finally sobbed "Please, please, just leave me alone. My husband has died and I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills." And by god if I didn't have to bite my lip to stop myself from replying "You need some entertainment to distract you from your problems. Can I sign you up for the comedy channel?" Man, I was so programmed to try to turn a bad situation into a sale that it was just automatic! Fortunately, I still had some decency left and told her that I wished her best of luck and hung up. I quit the very next day. I still remember the look on the boss' face when I told him why I was quitting. I don't think he had ever had someone quit for moral reasons before. He was stunned that someone would voluntarily quit a high-paying, cushy job solely because of moral qualms. Because I had left before my shift was up, my ride wasn't there to pick me up. I walked all the way home in the rain. But I was happy. I had done the right thing.
Whenever I hear about the sob-stories of telemarketers, I simply remember back to those awful, awful people who I worked with those few weeks. Screw 'em.
Make sure to do exercises for each part of your body:
Fingers: They do a lot of work during the day so you need to make sure they can handle the stress. Start typing gibberish at a gradually faster pace until you drive the guys in the nearby cubicles nuts with your key-clacking.
Eyes: You will be staring at code for long hours. Start by visiting your favorite pornography site. Stare at a hot picture, unblinking, for several minutes. Repeat with a new picture over and over again until your eyes begin to get tired.
Mouth: Your jaws will get fatigued during an entire day of sitting and snacking. Warm up by chewing on a sock for 30 seconds. Rest. Then try for 60 seconds. Remember to use a brand new sock for each day -- resist the temptation to use the same chew-sock for each morning's warmups.
Lungs: Breathing is very important. Sigh louder and louder over and over again until your coworkers tell you to knock that shit off and get to work.
Butt: It will get tired of supporting your ponderous bulk in your chair for hours on end. Stand up and plop yourself down in your chair repeatedly. Stop when you get bored or if your chair breaks, whichever comes first.
I usually start the day's coding session with a slow progression of vocal cord exercises that simulate what will be done later in the day.
Start with simple cursing. "Dammit. I can't believe I left that variable uninitialized." Then gradually build your way up to more intense grumbling, being careful not to overstrain your vocal cords. "Holy crap that goddamn idiot Jack still didn't fix that bug? That was a week ago! What does that fat sack of shit do all day long?" From loud complaining you work your way into loud yelling and screaming. "Fuck you, MSVC++! Don't tell me 'internal compiler error'! What the fuck kind of shit is this! You goddamn cocksucker! Fuck you Gates! Yeah, fuck you!" Now that your blood temperature has raised a few degrees, you can begin doing whole-body exercises. Jump up and down and scream "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! There's no error there you shithead compiler! That's perfectly legal C++! Just compile it you fuck!" Then pick up your monitor and pretend to throw it against the wall. Start gradually at first, eventually working into really whipping your torso around. This will make sure you down strain any ligaments in your lower back when you finally do snap and start trashing your computer.
1. Start home tech support business.
2. Be an asshole to the customers.
3. ????
4. Profit!
Sure, why not? This approach seems to work well for a lot of guys I know in getting hot babes that they don't deserve:
1. Manage to trick a gorgeous, witty, charming, caring, wonderful girl into going out with you.
2. Treat them like shit.
3. ????
4. For some reason, they'll end up falling in love with you big time.
Don't ask me to explain step 3. I don't even know if there's a step 3. All I know is that I'm tired of consoling women who fall for this shtick and I'm frustrated at seeing assholes snap up all the primo babeage.
If you're out of work and know how to use a computer, you can make a killing doing freelance technical support.
In addition to making a decent wage and setting your own hours, you can decide how to respond to each customer without having to worry about what The Boss thinks of your approach:
Caller 1: "Hello? My computer won't work anymore!"
You: "When did you first notice the problem?"
Caller: "Oh right after I took it apart and washed all the components with warmy, soapy water. It was getting really dirty."
You: "You fuckin, fuckin, moron. No help for you!"
Caller 2: "Hello? I'm having trouble getting the floor pedal to work. How hard am I supposed to be stepping on it?"
You: "Floor pedal? What the fuck?"
Caller: "You know. That hand-shaped device with the rubber ball imbedded in it!"
You: *click*
Caller 3: "Hello? I can't get Microsoft Outlook Express to work with my AOL account."
You: "Well, Dude, it sucks to be you. If you were using pine on a Linux box I might be inclined to help you. But nooooo, you wanted to help Microshaft and AOHell strengthen their monopoly. Well, have fun with their tech support lines 'cause I sure as hell ain't gonna help your monopoly-strengthening lazy ass!" *click*
Yeah, I can see the freedom to provide the appropriate response a real bonus to this job!
Is it justified to feel guilty about being evil within a videogame?
I don't see why. You should be in touch enough with reality to know that the videogame is a clear-cut fantasy. Let's face it, Japan produces an entire genre of animated films featuring young-looking women being raped by monsters with tentacles. They don't seem to feel guilty about watching those movies.
Hentai films and violent videogames lie squarely in the realm of fantasy. There's no need to apologize for your interest in either of them.
Why is it that the second a company tries to release it's hold over it's own copyright content, the first thought that crosses your mind is how to rip it off?
I thought that the motivation behind my question was obvious enough but apparently not...
I was pointing out that it was kind of silly for Disney to be selling these expiring movie files when it would be easy for anyone to get around it. I have no plans to "rip off" Disney because I simply cannot stand the rediculous crap they put out (and, fortunately, I don't have kids that insist I sit through it with them). I'm just pointing out that since it's so easy to circumvent their "expiration" approach, why don't they just let consumers download non-expiring versions and charge a few extra bucks?
Slashdot Mirror
yes, $2000 for a single mom with two children living in the projects. more like this is all they had in the checking account.
Maybe I'm getting senile in my old age but hasn't the RIAA already done a vigorous analysis and determined that each file shared illegally warrants a fine of $150,000 per song? The fact that they settled for $2K almost suggests that perhaps their initial number wasn't quite as solid as they originally claimed.
Either that or they are using a formula that factors in the "criminal's" age and socio-economic standing. Or perhaps that $150K number was just pulled out of their ass...
GMD
Well of course Power Grid is feeling particularly insecure right now. I mean it's old and weak and obsolete and just got caught with it's pants down a few weeks ago. That kind of spectacular failure is bound to make anything or anyone feel pretty insecure. I doubt the last thing Power Grid wants is to have its insecurities examined publically! C'mon, people, let's not kick it while it's down!
Sometimes the most impressionable lessons are those that use everyday objects to convey. Have your son team up with his school chums and drag the class wimp into the bathroom. Have Junior shove this kid's face into the toilet while flushing it and point out that the direction in which the water swirls when it goes down is due to the Corriolis Effect. Depending on the age of the children involved, he can go into a deeper discussion of this important rule of nature. If you son's schoolmate does not seem to appreciate the significance of this natural phenomenon, have your child repeat the experiment over and over until the subject grasps the material being presented. It is quite likely that such a dramatic demonstration of the Corriolis Effect will have a much more lasting impression on the student than simply reading about it in an overpriced textbook.
It saddens me to see public schools squander their limited financial resources on internet-enabled computers and graphing calculators. All you really need are simple, everyday objects and a desire to teach! Too often, teachers are overworked and the students must find novel ways to educate each other. This is just one example of how students can share the joy of science with their fellow classmates.
GMD
So, to play a little mind game with her, I asked her how she knew the earth was a sphere.
If she was a little more up on her knowledge of the ancient history of science, she would have described the famous experiment of Eratosthenes where he simply used two sticks and a measuring stick to not only figure out that the planet was round, but also come up with an accurate estimate of it's circumfrence.
GMD
Maybe they're just waiting for the economy to get a little bit better. A lot of companies aren't doing so hot right now and probably aren't excited about the prospect of shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to get a new OS for each of their computers.
GMD
It remains unclear as to why Owen dressed up like a butler for the epic ride up Mount Washington. It surely won't help reduce the ridicule he receives from neighbors and friends. Perhaps he felt it lent a bit of dignity to the affair.
Is it just me or would it take an awful lot more than a butler's outfit to bring some dignity to a ride up a mountain on yuppie-gocarts organized by a retired clown?
"Winds were gusting from all sides and I had to stay down, just like skiing," Dick Norris, 69, a train conductor and fellow rider told the AP.
A train conductor? Good grief. Where are they getting these guys from?
Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports.
Okay, who wants to take a crack at guessing the career of the mysterious third rider? Former jet-setting CEO of a dot-com company who now works as the janitor in an adult bookstore? What about the dude who has to stamp "Inspected by #42" on all those pairs of underwear? Maybe it was Retired Machinist and A.A.P.B.-Certified Astrologer Lloyd Schumner Sr.?
The Register, huh? This is the kind of hard-hitting news I would expect CNN Headline News.
GMD
There was once a time when she was being hailed as a "feminist cyber icon", a character who not only starred in a great game but also managed to become a household name.
I doubt she was ever hailed as that by anyone with brains. She was the ultimate teenaged boy's dream: sexy girl with incredible knockers who kicks ass. A true "feminist cyber icon" would have kicked ass without the 42DDs and the daisy duke shorts.
GMD
It pisses me off so much when people try to limit my vocabulary.
Gees, Charlie. Don't blow a gasget. My, my, my, I'd sure love to know what your reaction to the following are:
All those issues get me more upset than the differences between 'intelligent' and 'smart'. I guess we have different priorities, you and I.
GMD
For a minute there I misread and thought your subject line was "Stacked chicks"! Then I realized you were just talking about some computer stuff. Dang!
GMD
I didn't read the article (of course!) but I'm guessing this is merely a proof-of-concept style demonstration. You're right that there is much more awful stuff out there to be worried about than Iodine. But we need to take baby steps here. First show the method can be performed. Then make it economic. Then apply it to the real nasty stuff like plutonium.
I think this is exciting news. Nuclear energy is one of the few methods of producing energy in which we can contain the less-desirable effects. Fossil fuels belch fumes into the sky where they will never be reclaimed from. Construction of solar panels requires nasty chemicals. Even wind power kills countless birds each year. Nuclear energy gives dangerous waste but at least that waste can be contained. And this new work is the first indication that perhaps -- someday -- we'll be able to take this contained waste and turn it into something far less dangerous.
There are plenty of ways you can attack this work as far as practicality is concerned. Let's give them time to see if they can make this economically viable or not.
GMD
How can I use my mod points to rate this entire article 'WRONG'? :)
I don't think you can use mod points to carry out punishment. However, I couldn't help but notice that little asterisk by your name. You could always stop giving the editors money to post blatantly incorrect stuff like this. Who knows: perhaps that would make an even stronger statement than mod points.
Just a thought...
GMD
I was wondering the very same thing. I'm sure most homeless people don't remember their SSN (if they ever got one in the first place). So does this mean that homeless shelters are going to refuse to help anyone who can't remember their SSN? Probably not (at least I hope not). But once a few get away with not supplying their SSN, the others will wonder why they have to. Most of these poor souls are paranoid as it is. Pretty soon, they'll stop giving their SSNs, even though they remember them.
Please, let's just use the few dollars our society has set aside for helping them in a more constructive way.
GMD
Clearly the technology's simplicity is oversold. "Anyone can use it!"
I agree with this statement (not sure I understand what you're getting at with the rest of your post, though). Microsoft has been marketing computing as something for the everyman. Yet, their patching process is not understandable by most. They need to fix this.
The average person is not going to understand the messages that Windows Update gives. And they certainly will get lost with the descriptions at MS's Knowledge Base. What I'd really love to see is Microsoft use some of their mega-bucks to outsource the Windows Update service. Microsoft would still be responsible for creating the patches, of course, since they've got a closed-source OS. But it would be up to a third party to write the message that gets sent to the user. Something the average person can understand complete with a fair and unbiased description of the pros and cons of installing the patch. Clearly Microsfot does not have the interest in creating understandable messages because they sure as hell have the resources to implement this now. Right now the home user is confronted with a cryptic message about a new patch that they don't understand. "Well, since I don't understand what this patch does and my computer is working fine now," they reason, "why should I take a chance installing this new thing? Especially because I've been bitten by bad patches in the past!"
Gates loves to believe that his wealth is because of his great genius. But the fact of the matter is that he lucked out and entered a field that was ripe for explosion. Gates owes a huge, huge, huge debt to Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the WWW. Remember, Gates thought the public's interest in the internet was going to be a fad. So he's an accidental success in my book. Now that the everyman is at Microsoft's mercy due to their monopolistic practices, it's really up to Microsoft to start making computer security accessable to those persons. If they don't start going that, then perhaps it's time to start thinking about government regulation (you can hear the collective groan of all the conservatives out there).
GMD
One tool that I've come to value in helping me decide what non-profit organizations to donate to and how much, has been the information put out by The American Institute of Philanthropy. They publish a Charity Rating Guide that lists pretty much every non-profit org that you can think of along with information on such things such as how much cash they have in reserve and what percentage of donor's contributions actually goes towards programs and what percentage goes towards paying the costs of fund raising. Let me tell you: the ACLU does not get high marks. Read the Guide for yourself to decide whether the marks are "high enough" for you to decide whether to give them money or save your contribution for a similar, but more efficient, organization.
Obviously many factors must go into your decisions but knowing some of their finances can really help you out. I have stopped giving to some non-profit orgs whose missions are strongly aligned with my own values based on the data I gleened from AIPs Guide. In fact, I actually gave some of that money previously reserved for other charities to AIP so they can continue doing their good work. I encourage all slashdotters to get a copy of the Guide.
GMD
Thanks to Tokyopia.com for their article showing a massive Tokyo skyscraper with Space Invaders projected on the side of it, as part of Taito's celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the all-time classic shooter.
If this is how the Japanese choose to celebrate the anniversary of one of their more notable contributions to world culture, I shudder to think of what's going to happen next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of their other more notable exports! I can just see some poor Japanese businessman or cute little Japanese high school girl casually looking up at the side of a skyscraper, seeing the image, and grumbling "Oh Lord, not again!" before running to the nearest shelter!
GMD
You're missing the important point here. It's not that solar power is going to save the Japanese a lot of money. They're desperate to ween themselves off nuclear power using any means necessary. After all, if you had to contend with these three smashing your reactors on a yearly basis, wouldn't you be damn anxious to do something -- anything -- to stop relying on nuclear power?
GMD
Before everyone adds me to their Foes list, I want to say that I didn't last long: I quit. I was desperate for a summer job as a college student and thought that working indoors making a good wage was better than the crap jobs my buddies were getting pitching tar or whatever the hell they were doing in the heat. Funny thing is that I was selling premium television channels and I, personally, thought (still do) that TV was largely a waste. It took me a few weeks to develop my ability to sell something that I didn't believe in but pretty soon I was starting the heavy-sell over the phone. I was a hypocrite -- I personally thought what we were selling was crap.
Finally, one day I made a call and a very elderly woman answered the phone. I started into my sales pitch when she finally sobbed "Please, please, just leave me alone. My husband has died and I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills." And by god if I didn't have to bite my lip to stop myself from replying "You need some entertainment to distract you from your problems. Can I sign you up for the comedy channel?" Man, I was so programmed to try to turn a bad situation into a sale that it was just automatic! Fortunately, I still had some decency left and told her that I wished her best of luck and hung up. I quit the very next day. I still remember the look on the boss' face when I told him why I was quitting. I don't think he had ever had someone quit for moral reasons before. He was stunned that someone would voluntarily quit a high-paying, cushy job solely because of moral qualms. Because I had left before my shift was up, my ride wasn't there to pick me up. I walked all the way home in the rain. But I was happy. I had done the right thing.
Whenever I hear about the sob-stories of telemarketers, I simply remember back to those awful, awful people who I worked with those few weeks. Screw 'em.
GMD
Make sure to do exercises for each part of your body:
Hope that helps,
GMD
I usually start the day's coding session with a slow progression of vocal cord exercises that simulate what will be done later in the day.
Start with simple cursing. "Dammit. I can't believe I left that variable uninitialized." Then gradually build your way up to more intense grumbling, being careful not to overstrain your vocal cords. "Holy crap that goddamn idiot Jack still didn't fix that bug? That was a week ago! What does that fat sack of shit do all day long?" From loud complaining you work your way into loud yelling and screaming. "Fuck you, MSVC++! Don't tell me 'internal compiler error'! What the fuck kind of shit is this! You goddamn cocksucker! Fuck you Gates! Yeah, fuck you!" Now that your blood temperature has raised a few degrees, you can begin doing whole-body exercises. Jump up and down and scream "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! There's no error there you shithead compiler! That's perfectly legal C++! Just compile it you fuck!" Then pick up your monitor and pretend to throw it against the wall. Start gradually at first, eventually working into really whipping your torso around. This will make sure you down strain any ligaments in your lower back when you finally do snap and start trashing your computer.
Remember people, safety first!
GMD
1. Start home tech support business.
2. Be an asshole to the customers.
3. ????
4. Profit!
Sure, why not? This approach seems to work well for a lot of guys I know in getting hot babes that they don't deserve:
1. Manage to trick a gorgeous, witty, charming, caring, wonderful girl into going out with you.
2. Treat them like shit.
3. ????
4. For some reason, they'll end up falling in love with you big time.
Don't ask me to explain step 3. I don't even know if there's a step 3. All I know is that I'm tired of consoling women who fall for this shtick and I'm frustrated at seeing assholes snap up all the primo babeage.
GMD
If you're out of work and know how to use a computer, you can make a killing doing freelance technical support.
In addition to making a decent wage and setting your own hours, you can decide how to respond to each customer without having to worry about what The Boss thinks of your approach:
Caller 1: "Hello? My computer won't work anymore!"
You: "When did you first notice the problem?"
Caller: "Oh right after I took it apart and washed all the components with warmy, soapy water. It was getting really dirty."
You: "You fuckin, fuckin, moron. No help for you!"
Caller 2: "Hello? I'm having trouble getting the floor pedal to work. How hard am I supposed to be stepping on it?"
You: "Floor pedal? What the fuck?"
Caller: "You know. That hand-shaped device with the rubber ball imbedded in it!"
You: *click*
Caller 3: "Hello? I can't get Microsoft Outlook Express to work with my AOL account."
You: "Well, Dude, it sucks to be you. If you were using pine on a Linux box I might be inclined to help you. But nooooo, you wanted to help Microshaft and AOHell strengthen their monopoly. Well, have fun with their tech support lines 'cause I sure as hell ain't gonna help your monopoly-strengthening lazy ass!" *click*
Yeah, I can see the freedom to provide the appropriate response a real bonus to this job!
GMD
Is it justified to feel guilty about being evil within a videogame?
I don't see why. You should be in touch enough with reality to know that the videogame is a clear-cut fantasy. Let's face it, Japan produces an entire genre of animated films featuring young-looking women being raped by monsters with tentacles. They don't seem to feel guilty about watching those movies.
Hentai films and violent videogames lie squarely in the realm of fantasy. There's no need to apologize for your interest in either of them.
GMD
I'm your average geek, with normal social skills...
Um, don't those two statements contradict each other?
GMD
Why is it that the second a company tries to release it's hold over it's own copyright content, the first thought that crosses your mind is how to rip it off?
I thought that the motivation behind my question was obvious enough but apparently not...
I was pointing out that it was kind of silly for Disney to be selling these expiring movie files when it would be easy for anyone to get around it. I have no plans to "rip off" Disney because I simply cannot stand the rediculous crap they put out (and, fortunately, I don't have kids that insist I sit through it with them). I'm just pointing out that since it's so easy to circumvent their "expiration" approach, why don't they just let consumers download non-expiring versions and charge a few extra bucks?
GMD
Users can watch the film an unlimited amount of times before the movie expires.
What's to stop me from using a screen capture program while I'm playing it to make an unexpiring copy for myself?
GMD