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User: Urox

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  1. Re:how NOT to get SPAM 101 on Armoring Spam Against Anti-Spam Filters · · Score: 1
    respond to the email they forwarded you asking very nicely not to send you these emails. unless of course they are playboy bunnies.

    one friend got so bad about sending me these emails i set up eudora to copy the message back to him 100 times before he stopped sending me email like this.

    They will continue to send you email. The solution is to NOT give out your core email address to these people. I have several different addresses: personal trusted address (only the smart family members and friends get this one), every day address (as listed in slashdot) that I give to untrustworthy (clueless) relatives and friends, and one for everyone else where I want to be anonymous.

  2. Re:Uh oh . . . on India Becoming a Major Hub for Western Job Seekers · · Score: 1
    The infected beef still got to some restaurants and they weren't releasing the information on who unless that specific restaurant called in.

    If our tax dollars are paying for it, it shouldn't be termed as "proprietary".

  3. Re:Maybe it works the other way as well. on Googling For Prospective Date Unmasks Fugitive · · Score: 1

    When I was doing the online dating search, I made sure they had a webpage (only tech guys for me) and did google searches for them. This was back in 1999. The google search wasn't for what they said, but for what they didn't say.

  4. Re:Existing software on Recorded Speech to Text Software? · · Score: 1

    Random buttons can also cause some computers to dump your call.

    Some computers that ask your address only have pre-programmed values, so if your street doesn't match one of their values (a common non-matching value is "THE"), you'll have to repeat it 3 times (while in between listening to a computer voice say that it didn't understand and ask you to repeat) before it will give up and connect you to someone live.

  5. Re:What?!?!? RealityCheck! on Forbes Sympathizes with Poor, Abused Fax.com · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The above post is overrated. If they knew anything about fax.com, they'd know that fax.com recently (within the past two years) wardialed the university of washington medical center, tying up their phone lines.

    I'd call tying up a hospital's phone lines to be VERY life threatening.

    I used to volunteer there. If you tied up the phone lines, there was no way a nurse was going to be able to page a doctor for an urgent patient situation. Again, very life threatening.

  6. Re:OOOOOooooohhhh ...... on Building The Ideal Geek Gaming Center? · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, I thought about posting to let women in free because most geeks are guys and are drawn by girls, right? :)

    But then common sense got the better of me. If geeks are talking with the girls, they wouldn't be playing the games and thus no income.

    I also knew this guy on the street that dressed like a girl to get into women's only shelters.

    Okay, so all I really wanted was a free gaming area :)

  7. Re:Not a disease on Neural Feedback Training as Therapy for ADHD? · · Score: 1
    if I can get to strong caffeine, sugar and aspirin together in one hit, I'll be back to normal within another 40 minutes.

    I've found that my migranes aren't sensitive to sugar or caffeine. I know exactly what you are talking about with the symptoms and the time frame. I have found that liquid ibuprofin works best for me within an hour timeframe. I *only* take pain drugs when I think the pain will be unbearable for more than two hours.

    I found my trigger was aspartame, not the caffeine nor the corn syrup. I found this out through using sugar free candy/gum when I was not drinking any sort of caffeine/corn syrup/aspartame beverage.

  8. Re:What lie? Gore's lie on Tim Berners-Lee Attains Knighthood · · Score: 1

    Okay. I have to step in here having heard 1st person from both Gore and Vint Cerf.

    Gore is a liar (as are most politicians). I am not claiming he lied about the internet. I am claiming he lied about other things. He had the nerve to speak to a nationally accredited medical school and university which sits near Canada about how "well" the Canadian Nationalized Health Care system is working for them. We knew it wasn't. He lost my vote right there.

    Vint Cerf has said publicly (where I was present) that Gore pushed through the legislation to get the funding to allow the internet to become what it is today. And I believe his Vint Cerf's actual quote was, "We would not have the internet without his legislative efforts. So he effectively *did* create it."

  9. Re:Just a joke. on Caffeine vs Type II Diabetes · · Score: 1

    Are you sure it is the caffeine? A later poster to your comment showed relation by lack of symptoms with addition of espresso.

    In my case, it was the aspartame in diet drinks. Regular caffeinated pop didn't cause the migraine and wouldn't get rid of one if I had one. Diet drink withdrawl (aprox. 100 oz per day) caused it and removed the symptoms.

  10. Do NOT buy from Sony. on Alarm Clocks for Heavy Sleepers? · · Score: 1

    I had an extremely bad experience with them which makes me hesitant to buy any future products at all.

    I have a high end Dream Machine. Gradual wake, three different alarm settings (radio, CD, buzzer which can be all activated at different times.. I also started hearing the radio in my sleep when I had an alarm with only radio wake function), adjustable snooze button. It also has a nap button which I had been searching for ever since my original alarm died (which had fine minute tuning rather than ten minute increments).

    The thing died on me after three months but the waranty was for a year for parts and labor. Two of the authorized sony centers I was directed to did not have the capabilities to fix it. The third was locked in a "he said, she said" argument with the main company on fixing it.

    The main problem stemmed from that I had a Sony paper waranty showing the year coverage but the sony computers EVERYWHERE said it was only for 3 months. I had to send multiple faxes (because they would never make it to their destination) of it and my receipt to various companies. Eventually, with enough harassment on my part, I got out of the center that Sony was not willing to cover them because repair was over 50% of the original cost.

    It cost me a quarter of the cost to send it to Sony insured so that they would fix it at their main site. THEN they switched service locations: just packed up and moved from Irvine to somewhere in SoCal. It took me a total of three months harassment to find out that I had to send it to them directly to get it fixed, and then three more months for them to send it elsewhere, take a look, and say that they were going to send a replacement.

    I will not buy from them again if I can help it.

  11. Re:a fashion geek on Best and Worst Books of 2003? · · Score: 1

    Fashion geeks are different from sewing geeks and both are different from quilting geeks.

    Fashion geeks understand what period clothings were introduced and what an A-line skirt will do to the figure. Combine TLC's What Not To Wear with a vintage clothing hunter (who, in my experience, can tell you the year a clothing is by cut, fabric, and embelishments). Elle Woods was a fashion geek in Legally Blonde (and she could tell you what fabric a particular dress was and that it was in last year's fashion magazine, not this year's as the saleswoman tried to sell her).

    Sewing geeks are all about the creation: cutting whether on the bias or other, the way fabric hangs, authenticity, and more. Obviously I'm not a sewing geek, but I have friends who are :)

    Quilting geeks.. well, that's the equivalent of putting back documents that were shred in a paper shredder (IMO).

  12. Re:Microsoft too on Everyone Else Must Fail · · Score: 1

    Needed to add: contributions to qualifying charities are tax deductible. That's less money that he's giving to uncle sam.

  13. Re:Microsoft too on Everyone Else Must Fail · · Score: 1

    I know several people who worked for microsoft (and only one of them a contractor). I'd also like to point out that these friends are rather exclusive of each other and worked in separate departments. They all left the company (except for the one that works overseas) within 5 years due to a hostile environment. Various complaints of "insane work hours: microsoft is your life" to misogynistic behavior of some managers and co-workers.

    There are people who are going to fit right in to some environments and others who are pushed out of them.

    As for how "nice" Gates is: he is very charitable (as his grandfather was) and damn intelligent (he asks the right questions from businesses he interacts with), but a pain in the ass (as much as his grandfather wasn't) in person if you're not important to him (whereas Larry will fire you if you start to rival his importance).

  14. Re:How soon.. on Police and Lawyers Love E-ZPass · · Score: 1
    I'm not trolling.

    When I was in Elementary school, I *did* refuse to say the pledge. Those of us who the teacher caught were forced to say it again. I have a belief in a higher power but I also believe in separation of church and state. I cringe every time Bushco mentions something along the lines of "God is on our side" since it puts them at the level of those who they are fighting. I certainly don't believe it is the place of the House to contradict the judicial branch or interpret it as "recognizing the religious heritage of America" Everything in the resolution smacks of forcing God into today's society when in fact the writers did not see fit to include it to begin with specifically because historically, the founders were fleeing religious persecution. God only knows that history has been changed to reflect the current government's beliefs. That's how the King James Bible was so mangled in translation.

    What evidence are you saying shows that McCarthy was right? For that matter, what was wrong with being a communist?

    It is not likely that 90% of America likes it the way it is since statistics can pretty much be manipulated to show whatever you want. I don't see a good reason to have changed the pledge in the first place.

    And several members of congress voluntarily reciting the pledge and then singing "God Bless America" sure looks to me like they want to cram it down people's throats. Mike Honda gained a lot of respect from me for being one of three representatives who did not agree with it and took a stand.

  15. Re:How soon.. on Police and Lawyers Love E-ZPass · · Score: 1

    I'm not a fan of the "under god" version either and do think the words should be stripped since they *were added* first implimented under the witch hunt for communists.

  16. Re:How soon.. on Police and Lawyers Love E-ZPass · · Score: 1
    Ok, let's look up "republic"

    1 a (1) : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president (2) : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government b (1) : a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law

    I argue that because we do not/ cannot exercise government through our representatives (I haven't had a government official give me anything more than a canned response to my letters at best. They bring their own agenda to the table) that we are a republic. The representatives are responsible for us, but that does not mean we get say beyond what is set in law (entitled to vote) and if they are in office next year (which doesn't even cover some appointed positions).

    Another example: how many people really want occupation in Iraq? Those who don't obviously are not getting to exercise their views through the government/elected representatives.

  17. Re:How soon.. on Police and Lawyers Love E-ZPass · · Score: 0

    We (the USA) aren't a democracy in the first place. We're a republic.

    Pledge of allegiance excerpt: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands..."

  18. Re:Hey thats my SSID on Warflying 2013 Access Points in Los Angeles · · Score: 1

    I've seen it in an apartment complex in Redwood City, CA, USA. :) IIRC, it wasn't protected either.

  19. Re:Intentional or Mistaken? on Stealth Inflation · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Depends on your definition of "in your favor."

    I once called SBC about getting DSL service. I just wanted to find information about it. They said they'd have someone call me back. Months later, I get DSL equipment and setup software in the mail. I'm very confused by this, and spend my time finding out what is going on. I certainly don't want any bills showing up for this since I didn't order it in the first place (and once it is on a bill, it is harder to get rid of). They said I signed up for service. I explained that I did not. They said to just return the equipment.

    Of course, because I didn't order it in the first place, I didn't have to pay for the equipment (by law). I considered it payment for the time I had to spend finding out what was going on with my account. Later, I find installation charges on my bill in the hundreds of dollars. I again call and tell them that I did not order the service and to remove the charges. It takes them a month to do this.

    The unrequested free equipment was in my favor. The unrequested hassle for it was definitely not.

  20. Re:Don't tell everyone who shops at Newegg.com the on Stealth Inflation · · Score: 1

    I'm rather not happy with Newegg. I purchased some computer parts from them (I think it was a motherboard and video card). Their website messed up and ordered twice what I needed.

    I only found out about this because I received two emails for different orders. I called them up to cancel. They told me I couldn't cancel with them and I would have to call shipping. I called them there. They said I couldn't cancel the order either but I could refuse the package and that after they received the refused package, THEN they would credit my order. I had to literally pry package tracking numbers out of them and then find out what item each tracking number stood for, and which order it went with so I could cancel one entire order.

    After I refused one order, they still didn't credit me back because they didn't recieve it. They eventually said that UPS delivered it to the wrong address. It took me a month to get my money credited back to me.

    Overall, they were very unfriendly about the whole process that started with THEIR website screwing up. I would have ordered more products from them in the future but after that incident, I am not likely to ever again.

  21. Re:Bravo on RIAA Extends Legal Action · · Score: 1
    Please define what you mean by musician. I could very well be a musician having played instruments for both fun and profit since I was 3 (no, not for profit at that young of age). It is not what I use for my main source of income (that being Software Engineer).

    I have listened to freely provided mp3s (ah, the days of the webcaster and online jukebox) and received mix tapes (which they'd like to get rid of as well but settled with media fees). When I liked the artist, I went right out and BOUGHT THEIR MUSIC, not only CDs, but the sheet music. They are making twice the profit off of me for good work. I wouldn't have heard them if I hadn't gotten exposure through the mp3s or tapes to begin with. Good music is worth getting a good quality of (instead of a low quality mp3. A good stereo system will let you hear the difference). Bad music isn't even worth my storage.

    Should we shut down used CD stores because the artists don't make a dime? I now purposely avoid new labels that the RIAA represents and buy used because of the crap they've thrown around.

    There are other musicians who agree that mp3s are free publicity. The RIAA (as do many bad business models) just wants to force the crap they spew down everyone's throat and put the blame on someone else for why they aren't making money.

    The same concept goes for the Baen Free library. I've read free books by authors I didn't know. The ones I like, I often buy more of. Why do restaurant fronts often have free samples of the food they are selling? Free music is more than a boon for consumers.

  22. Re:Just don't get into a contract on What Has Number Portability Done For You? · · Score: 1

    I have had Cingular since '00. I renewed the contract to get a new phone (note: don't trust kiosks. One screwed me out of $20 by lying to me directly about contract fees).

    Despite the contract (up in Feb), I can change to whatever plans I want within Cingular. Never had a problem. In fact, changed the plans in October, November, AND December due to what was going to be most convenient.

  23. Re:nada, and it never will... on What Has Number Portability Done For You? · · Score: 1

    I was a little sore about having to purchase a land line to get DSL until I heard a friend of mine's stories about the phone company taking his twisted pair of wires for testing. They didn't see a land line assigned to it so they thought it was available. Now he runs outside anytime he sees the phone company vans out there so that his service isn't interrupted.

    I liked the fact I could transfer my land line from one address to a different one (and even my mobile phone if I so desired) during moving.

  24. Re:BigBlockMopar in University... on L.A. County Bans Use Of "Master/Slave" Term · · Score: 1
    I'm suspect you, like many engineering/science/maths people, would probably fail a subject about renaissance art or English literature (the type that comes from England) or modern history. At the very least your dismissive and superior attitude would inhibit your ability to actually understand the very real subtleties and complexities of such subjects.

    Pot calling kettle: you're black.

    Personally, I've seen quite a bit tech geeks also being history/lit geeks (music geeks make EXCELLENT programmers ;) ) and few Arts degrees with tech background. Most of my college friends came from academic teams where the most well rounded were the ones who scored the highest ( Academic Decathlon , Knowledge Bowl, etc.). I should qualify that about 80% of my friends are currently employed in the computer industry

    AND in fact, there usually are some Arts/Social Sciences courses REQUIRED in American universities, just as there is usually Calculus required in Arts curicula.

    And since background qualifications are important to you, I was ranked 3rd highest individual score in the state the year I was in Academic Decathlon. That means I had to excel at a variety of subjects including Economics, History, Art, Music, Literature, Math, Science, and an interview. In my university I took two years of literature courses, one year of economics, three of psychology, 2 years of dance, 6 years of music... and still came away with a BS in Math and BS in Chemistry and qualifications for med school admissions.

  25. Re:Violation of election laws on Touch-Screen Voting Snags Continue · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm in San Jose also. There are two polling places in the apartment complex where I live (because it it THAT huge). They said they'd tabulate the votes after the polls closed.

    Around 8:30, the power went out in the apartment complex. The whole thing. *IF* the machines were still attached, I'm not sure they had UPSes. What does that do to the tallying? What does that do to the data stored? What will a reboot do to the system?

    It was a little frightening that when I dropped off my absentee ballot, that there was no lock on the box to go to the registrar's office. The guy was able to open that puppy up completely (without me needing to drop it into the provided security slot) and show that I was the only absentee drop off so far. I can definitely see how ballots could be "lost" there.