I have fond memories of reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series when I was about 11. Women in servitude, men fighting alien beasts with swords, political intrigue, betrayal. Everything a growing boy needed.
More modern classics are also probably in order. Ender's Game, the Rama series, Armor, The Diamond Age, HHGTTG, etc. And don't automatically dismiss RAH's work because it's too political - that's part of what makes them good. While I wouldn't necessarily start a pre-teen off with the Lazarus Long I've-always-been-too-fond-of-Mom saga, I'd have no problem handing some of his earlier works to a similarly aged relative.
We took a 5lb 12" G4 iBook with us for 2 months in Europe in 2005 and are glad we did.
We used it to:
* Backup digital pictures / free up flash cards. * Write our travel journal when we wanted to, instead of trying to seek out an internet cafe when we'd rather be sightseeing (rsync'd whenever we got online). * Reply to email offline (on trains, for example). Including pictures. * Burn DVD backups of our pictures to periodically mail home * Watch DVDs when we were exhausted and trying to unwind at the end of the day * Help fellow travelers back up their pictures onto DVD; we made some friends this way. * Recharge our iPods - 1 fewer transformer to carry.
We also backed up our photos to our iPods while we were traveling. The more places they lived, the more likely they were to get home.
The 12" G4 iBook was great for this. Under $1k, under 5 pounds, small 110/220 power adapter, ~5 hour battery life. I took it with me in my day bag when we were sightseeing if I was concerned about it disappearing. I bought a neoprene zipper case for it for padding, and it worked out very well.
It wasn't always easy to get the laptop online, but I managed every 2-3 days. Occasionally buying a TMobile wifi pass when I had to, and carrying my own short ethernet cable.
Internet cafes are great, except a lot of them run insecure versions of Windows with spyware/keyloggers installed. I wouldn't type my password into most of them if I could avoid it. Plus, the email "I'm writing this from a bistro in sight of the Eiffel Tower" is a lot nicer than "I'm in a shitty, smoky internet cafe in a dodgy part of town where everyone around me is on PalTalk."
In Texas, as a W2 contractor, I was most definately eligible for state unemployment benefits. I've had to use them twice since 2001. The state paid me $8/hr to play video games.
There are several types of contracts, and the type of one you have can affect the answers to your questions.
A W2 Contract is the most common around here (Austin). I'm currently a W2 employee of my contracting agency, working on premesis for . My contract agency pays me every other week, withholds FICA and SSI, pays the other half of SSI (aka self-employment tax), and deals with getting their money from . I'm paid by the hour, get no paid holidays, overtime, vacation or sick time. Any insurance or benefits would be offered by my agency, not by . Since Texas is a right-to-work state, there is 0 stability - they can let me go with no notice, and I can walk with no notice.
1099 Contractors are where pays you directly, does not do any FICA or SSI withholding, and you end up liable for the other half of SSI (which the IRS will label self-employment tax on your 1040). You might run into some things like net-30 terms where it can be up to 2 months before you receive your 1st paycheck, and, if it's a small company with money problems, you might end up getting stiffed or run around on the check.
There's also a corp-to-corp contract where you incorporate yourself and do business that way. I've never encountered this type of contract, and recommend you talk with an accountant before considering this.
As far as insurance goes, if your wife works, get insurance through her. For 1 thing, your insurance can stay the same if/when you bounce around from contract to contract. For another thing, her insurance is likely to be better and cheaper than what you'll find on your own.
For a W2 contract, I'd ask for at least a 30% bump (50% if you can get it) from what they were considering for a full-time position. This allows you to be ill, take some vacation, and weather times like Christmas when the company shuts down for a week and you don't get paid. The instability is also easier to stomach if you're making more money.
Add at least 10% more for a 1099 to make up for self-employment tax. More if the terms are net-30 or worse.
Keep some (at least 2 month's expenses) cash in the bank in case you suddenly find yourself unemployed - remember that companies like contractors because we're so disposable when the quarterly numbers don't look so good.
Macally.com makes the SyncBox which allows you to transfer USB->USB without a computer for about $32. Runs on AAAs. Especially handy if you've already got a USB hard-drive based MP3 player.
At least it'd let you empty those media cards and get to an internet cafe with a CD burner less often.
Looks like the Kangaru CD-burner (above) might meet your needs better if you can justify the price tag.
There seem to be howtos, free design software, parts, etc.
I'm not associated with this site, other than as a customer. (Inexpensive optical audio cables!)
I had DirectTV installed last week, but kept Time Warner around until this week because we wanted to see the Super Bowl in Hi-Def, and didn't get a hi-def receiver from DirectTV (we're waiting for the HD Tivo units).
So far, DirectTV is superior in nearly every way to Time Warner cable in Austin.
We've had a standalone Tivo unit with a digital box from TW for a while now. DirectTV is cheaper, has better picture quality, better sound quality, records 2 shows at once, and doesn't suffer from the problem where TW reboots the cable box - leaving it powered off - and Tivo records several hours of a black screen.
Not to mention that Tivo via DirectTV is $5/mo, and it's $13/mo for the standalone.
Cable companies are trying to spread FUD with their anti-satellite commercials. Some people may have problems, but for us at least, satellite was definately the way to go.
After seeing the poorly-written, poorly-acted cartoons that Lucas has been trying to pass off as Star Wars films, I could care less about Episode 3, nevermind 7, 8 or 9.
He's managed to kill the franchise as far as I'm concerned.
We've been using PayTrust for 3+ years now, and it's great. You can set up recurring payments, rules for paying incoming bills (always pay full amt, pay as long as it's under $X, don't automatically pay). They notice and email you when they think you've not received a bill. They (can) email you when a bill's about to be overdue to remind you. They can draft checks and EFTs from multiple accounts (which also means you can easily change banks). I can have a check cut and mailed to anyone online. We buy maybe 1 book of stamps a year now!
At the end of the year we can buy ($20) a CD with all our scanned-in bills from the previous year. And in 3 years, PayTrust hasn't screwed up on us once. YMMV, obviously.
Now if they'd only receive and scan in my bank & brokerage statements...
First of all, go to www.avsforum.com and you can find information about all these different technologies.
There's tradeoffs, and there doesn't seem to be a perfect set yet. Especially not in the price range of mere mortals.
Having said this, my Samsung 50" DLP rear-projection set came in on Friday, and it's amazing for component DVD. Only okay for standard definition cable, and Time Warner is having some trouble getting a HD signal to me, but that is supposed to be very very nice as well.
Where this set is really supposed to shine is PC viewing, either through the VGA or DVI connectors. I haven't tried either, as I've been too busy re-watching my entire DVD collection:)
The drawbacks on these sets tends to be in black levels, and a "rainbow" effect when you move your head that some people can see, and I cannot. There's also a $250 bulb that will occasionally need to be replaced (mtbf 8000 hours).
The Sony Grand Wega LCD set is supposed to look better for SD cable, and really good for DVDs, but LCDs are prone to pixels getting "stuck", and you have to worry about image burn-in. Plus, getting a PC to display on the Grand Wega takes some fiddling; on the Samsung DLP, you more or less just plug it in.
Some guidance may be found at http://www.avsforum.com
Search for "HTPC" (Home theater personal computer).
Granted, the basic HTPC goes well beyond Tivo-like functionality and worries about things like progressive-scan DVD output, and doing Tivo-like things with High Definition sources.
...but get her one that looks good enough to make all her friends jealous.
Really.
Yes, it's an artificially inflated market. Yes it's basically a cartel. Yes there are so-called "blood diamonds" out there. No, working in a diamond mine might not be a great way to spend your day.
But all of these arguments fall flat when compared to "ooh, look! Sparkly!" ESPECIALLY when this phrase is uttered by her best friend/mother/sister.
Don't let her down; bite the bullet and spend the money IN SPITE of the fact that you know you shouldn't on many levels. Consider it practice for being married.
Now, make sure you get an education in diamonds beyond just the 4Cs.
www.niceice.com is by far the best place for detailed technical information on diamonds on the web that I found. They speak geek.
They also happen to be really nice folks.
I bought my wife's ring there. They're in Oregon, so no sales tax.
email me if you have more questions. smalloy "a-t--s-i-g-n" jump.net
Slashdot Mirror
I have fond memories of reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series when I was about 11. Women in servitude, men fighting alien beasts with swords, political intrigue, betrayal. Everything a growing boy needed.
More modern classics are also probably in order. Ender's Game, the Rama series, Armor, The Diamond Age, HHGTTG, etc. And don't automatically dismiss RAH's work because it's too political - that's part of what makes them good. While I wouldn't necessarily start a pre-teen off with the Lazarus Long I've-always-been-too-fond-of-Mom saga, I'd have no problem handing some of his earlier works to a similarly aged relative.
We took a 5lb 12" G4 iBook with us for 2 months in Europe in 2005 and are glad we did.
We used it to:
* Backup digital pictures / free up flash cards.
* Write our travel journal when we wanted to, instead of trying to seek out an internet cafe when we'd rather be sightseeing (rsync'd whenever we got online).
* Reply to email offline (on trains, for example). Including pictures.
* Burn DVD backups of our pictures to periodically mail home
* Watch DVDs when we were exhausted and trying to unwind at the end of the day
* Help fellow travelers back up their pictures onto DVD; we made some friends this way.
* Recharge our iPods - 1 fewer transformer to carry.
We also backed up our photos to our iPods while we were traveling. The more places they lived, the more likely they were to get home.
The 12" G4 iBook was great for this. Under $1k, under 5 pounds, small 110/220 power adapter, ~5 hour battery life. I took it with me in my day bag when we were sightseeing if I was concerned about it disappearing. I bought a neoprene zipper case for it for padding, and it worked out very well.
It wasn't always easy to get the laptop online, but I managed every 2-3 days. Occasionally buying a TMobile wifi pass when I had to, and carrying my own short ethernet cable.
Internet cafes are great, except a lot of them run insecure versions of Windows with spyware/keyloggers installed. I wouldn't type my password into most of them if I could avoid it. Plus, the email "I'm writing this from a bistro in sight of the Eiffel Tower" is a lot nicer than "I'm in a shitty, smoky internet cafe in a dodgy part of town where everyone around me is on PalTalk."
In short: Keep it light, but take it.
n/t
This varies on the state and type of contract.
In Texas, as a W2 contractor, I was most definately eligible for state unemployment benefits. I've had to use them twice since 2001. The state paid me $8/hr to play video games.
There are several types of contracts, and the type of one you have can affect the answers to your questions.
A W2 Contract is the most common around here (Austin). I'm currently a W2 employee of my contracting agency, working on premesis for . My contract agency pays me every other week, withholds FICA and SSI, pays the other half of SSI (aka self-employment tax), and deals with getting their money from . I'm paid by the hour, get no paid holidays, overtime, vacation or sick time. Any insurance or benefits would be offered by my agency, not by . Since Texas is a right-to-work state, there is 0 stability - they can let me go with no notice, and I can walk with no notice.
1099 Contractors are where pays you directly, does not do any FICA or SSI withholding, and you end up liable for the other half of SSI (which the IRS will label self-employment tax on your 1040). You might run into some things like net-30 terms where it can be up to 2 months before you receive your 1st paycheck, and, if it's a small company with money problems, you might end up getting stiffed or run around on the check.
There's also a corp-to-corp contract where you incorporate yourself and do business that way. I've never encountered this type of contract, and recommend you talk with an accountant before considering this.
As far as insurance goes, if your wife works, get insurance through her. For 1 thing, your insurance can stay the same if/when you bounce around from contract to contract. For another thing, her insurance is likely to be better and cheaper than what you'll find on your own.
For a W2 contract, I'd ask for at least a 30% bump (50% if you can get it) from what they were considering for a full-time position. This allows you to be ill, take some vacation, and weather times like Christmas when the company shuts down for a week and you don't get paid. The instability is also easier to stomach if you're making more money.
Add at least 10% more for a 1099 to make up for self-employment tax. More if the terms are net-30 or worse.
Keep some (at least 2 month's expenses) cash in the bank in case you suddenly find yourself unemployed - remember that companies like contractors because we're so disposable when the quarterly numbers don't look so good.
Good luck
I agree that things like this shouldn't automatically end up in court.
Try taking control of the situation yourself. Beat him within an inch of his life, and then throw him the hell out.
Macally.com makes the SyncBox which allows you to transfer USB->USB without a computer for about $32. Runs on AAAs. Especially handy if you've already got a USB hard-drive based MP3 player.
At least it'd let you empty those media cards and get to an internet cafe with a CD burner less often.
Looks like the Kangaru CD-burner (above) might meet your needs better if you can justify the price tag.
http://www.partsexpress.com/
In particular: here
There seem to be howtos, free design software, parts, etc.
I'm not associated with this site, other than as a customer. (Inexpensive optical audio cables!)
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/satellite.html
A few restrictions for historic buildings, safety concerns, etc.
I had DirectTV installed last week, but kept Time Warner around until this week because we wanted to see the Super Bowl in Hi-Def, and didn't get a hi-def receiver from DirectTV (we're waiting for the HD Tivo units).
So far, DirectTV is superior in nearly every way to Time Warner cable in Austin.
We've had a standalone Tivo unit with a digital box from TW for a while now. DirectTV is cheaper, has better picture quality, better sound quality, records 2 shows at once, and doesn't suffer from the problem where TW reboots the cable box - leaving it powered off - and Tivo records several hours of a black screen.
Not to mention that Tivo via DirectTV is $5/mo, and it's $13/mo for the standalone.
Cable companies are trying to spread FUD with their anti-satellite commercials. Some people may have problems, but for us at least, satellite was definately the way to go.
> We don't take gun companies to court do we? Actually, yes, more and more often, they do.
After seeing the poorly-written, poorly-acted cartoons that Lucas has been trying to pass off as Star Wars films, I could care less about Episode 3, nevermind 7, 8 or 9. He's managed to kill the franchise as far as I'm concerned.
We've been using PayTrust for 3+ years now, and it's great. You can set up recurring payments, rules for paying incoming bills (always pay full amt, pay as long as it's under $X, don't automatically pay). They notice and email you when they think you've not received a bill. They (can) email you when a bill's about to be overdue to remind you. They can draft checks and EFTs from multiple accounts (which also means you can easily change banks). I can have a check cut and mailed to anyone online. We buy maybe 1 book of stamps a year now!
At the end of the year we can buy ($20) a CD with all our scanned-in bills from the previous year. And in 3 years, PayTrust hasn't screwed up on us once. YMMV, obviously.
Now if they'd only receive and scan in my bank & brokerage statements...
Funniest thing I remember was a candidate who claimed "excellent troubleshouting abilities". They weren't hired.
First of all, go to www.avsforum.com and you can find information about all these different technologies. There's tradeoffs, and there doesn't seem to be a perfect set yet. Especially not in the price range of mere mortals. Having said this, my Samsung 50" DLP rear-projection set came in on Friday, and it's amazing for component DVD. Only okay for standard definition cable, and Time Warner is having some trouble getting a HD signal to me, but that is supposed to be very very nice as well. Where this set is really supposed to shine is PC viewing, either through the VGA or DVI connectors. I haven't tried either, as I've been too busy re-watching my entire DVD collection :)
The drawbacks on these sets tends to be in black levels, and a "rainbow" effect when you move your head that some people can see, and I cannot. There's also a $250 bulb that will occasionally need to be replaced (mtbf 8000 hours).
The Sony Grand Wega LCD set is supposed to look better for SD cable, and really good for DVDs, but LCDs are prone to pixels getting "stuck", and you have to worry about image burn-in. Plus, getting a PC to display on the Grand Wega takes some fiddling; on the Samsung DLP, you more or less just plug it in.
Funny that the State of Texas uses digital images for driver's licenses.
Some guidance may be found at http://www.avsforum.com Search for "HTPC" (Home theater personal computer). Granted, the basic HTPC goes well beyond Tivo-like functionality and worries about things like progressive-scan DVD output, and doing Tivo-like things with High Definition sources.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
...but get her one that looks good enough to make all her friends jealous. Really. Yes, it's an artificially inflated market. Yes it's basically a cartel. Yes there are so-called "blood diamonds" out there. No, working in a diamond mine might not be a great way to spend your day. But all of these arguments fall flat when compared to "ooh, look! Sparkly!" ESPECIALLY when this phrase is uttered by her best friend/mother/sister. Don't let her down; bite the bullet and spend the money IN SPITE of the fact that you know you shouldn't on many levels. Consider it practice for being married. Now, make sure you get an education in diamonds beyond just the 4Cs. www.niceice.com is by far the best place for detailed technical information on diamonds on the web that I found. They speak geek. They also happen to be really nice folks. I bought my wife's ring there. They're in Oregon, so no sales tax. email me if you have more questions. smalloy "a-t--s-i-g-n" jump.net