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User: cayenne8

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  1. Re:Murderer on Amazon Kindle Fire Surfaces · · Score: 2

    Agreed - no one seriously needs a camera or a microphone, and at $200 it is affordable. A good move by amazon.

    Sounds like same specs as the B&N nook color. The stock price on that is $250....but can be found on craigslist or ebay for like $150. Easy to root and put cyanogen mod7 on it, and have a full blown Android tablet.

    I'm gonna be VERY interested to see this amazon kindle get rooted, how long it will take and a comparison.

    I'm also wondering, if on future Amazon kindle releases, if they'll offer the lifetime 3G on the unit...and also if 3G and wireless on a larger unit about the size of an iPad.

    It would be sweet to get one of those with lifetime 3G...and then root it, and have a lifetime connected android tablet, at a nice price!!!

  2. Re:Policy City-State on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 1

    Well the supreme court decision that has directly led to "papers please" in the US took place in Texas, a man on his own property with his truck (NOT on public land or a public road) was asked for ID by a police officer and declined, was arrested and subsequently courts sided with 'the law' that you must provide identification at all times including on your own property....so yep Texas isn't exempt from police state status. Incidentally how are the speed traps in rural TX these days?

    Can you provide a link to this please? I'd not heard of this.

    I thought that you were compelled to identify yourself...basically when asked you had to tell who you were, but not that you had to show or produce verifying documentation?

    I thought that the cops could only ask you..if they were investigating a crime, and had reason to believe you might be involved...but I didn't think the cops could just randomly stop citizens for no good reason for an ID check?

  3. Re:Not just Canada on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 2

    What are you talking about? I have yet to see a single news account about violence at a Tea Party rally or protest.

    I think you misread me. I meant that many news reports, on the left/liberal side or those giving speeches about the TP (Shelia Jackson Lee and the like) constantly berate the TP as having meetings that are violent, express and advocate violence as part of their platform....but no, there isn't any documentation to this fact in reality. Yet, you see violence show up at left/liberal protest...like this one.

    The thing is...many on the far left seem to speak of the Tea Party in terms of violent protests and violent change advocacy, but when asked to show evidence of it...you just plain don't see it. I've seen video of labor unions acting violent to TP's and other groups they disagree with however.....

  4. Re:Traffic cameras. on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 1

    I wonder if the traffic cameras can confirm or dispel police brutality reports. Or if there will be "malfunctions" and footage will disappear.

    Not everywhere has traffic cameras.

    I dunno for sure if NYC does or now..although I do think I heard the mayor or gov of NY pontificating for more of them, but I dunno if they have them or not.

    Certainly isn't something in every city in every state in the US...far from it so far (thankfully).

  5. Re:Not just Canada on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This protest has failed to make headlines in the US as well.

    Probably because it is not a tea party protest.

    Those things seem to get a LOT of news reports these days...about how violent they are, etc....

    If it isn't a protest by a conservative group...well, the mainstream press doesn't seem to feel the need to take much interest in it...

    Then again..I don't see fox on it either....so, maybe both sides have a reason to ignore it....

  6. Re:Lack of news on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 2

    In Canada at least, there has been a serious lack of news about this protest. It's mentioned in passing sometimes, but that's about it. I don't even really know what it's about. I heard "protesting corporate greed in America", but I mean that's a tough thing to protest.. you're basically protesting capitalism..

    I live in the US, tend to watch a good bit of news on all the networks (let things balance out a little that way)...and read headlines on the internet.

    It has barely made a blip on the 'map' on any news source I've seen.

    From the little coverage I've heard...would seem to be like 20 people showing up to protest. Frankly I had no idea it was still going on.....thought it was a one day deal that happened the other day.

  7. Re:Just a shot in the dark here on Spotify Defends Facebook Sign-Up Requirement · · Score: 1

    Ok, here's your project of the day: Pick a former classmate or former coworker that you haven't talked to in five or more years and email them.

    Interesting..I'd not thought to do that.

    Pretty much everyone I've wanted to keep in touch with all these years....from high school on (even one or two that I've known since I was 11yrs old), I've stayed in touch with....via email, and phone. I also try to send the odd snail mail too (usually cards).

    Anyone I want to know and have know me...I've always been in touch.

    Anyone not on that list...I could not care less about interacting with them. They had their chance and apparently didn't impress me enough for me to want to stay with them. But I have about 25-30 close friends I've known more than decades and stay close with....travel to meet in person as often as possible too.

    I've got plenty of people I've wanted to ditch over the years, and not wanting to give them a forum where they could find me.

    And right now...I don't have any kids that I know of...and I'd like to keep it that way, hence...I'm not on facebook.

    :)

  8. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1
    You know...everyone is giving 24 hours in a day.

    It is up to you to choose how you use them....and if a parent, up to you to choose how your child uses them.

    No, you can't do it all...so, you have to sacrifice to do what you think is important for yourself and your family. Is it worth it to work extra to earn more $$, or work a bit less, and spend quality time with kids and watch over them to make sure they eat correctly?

    We all have choices...

  9. Re:Which other service? on Spotify Defends Facebook Sign-Up Requirement · · Score: 2

    I'd like to take you up on your offer. Which alternative to Spotify do you recommend for listeners in the United States?

    Pandora springs to mind....?

  10. Re:Just a shot in the dark here on Spotify Defends Facebook Sign-Up Requirement · · Score: 2
    Well, guess I won't be trying Spotify out then....

    Facebook acct: Never had it....Never will....

  11. Re:What car does the senator drive? on Senator Goes After 'Brazen' OnStar Privacy Shift · · Score: 1

    However, human beings have evolved to notice patterns and make inferences.

    It doesn't matter whether a pattern holds true in all cases, it only matters whether it's more *likely* to be true as it influences my next decision.

    Hence, stereotypes....and why, despite many people hating them or disputing them....simply need to face the facts that many if not most of them are based somewhat in fact. They didn't come from no-where....

  12. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1

    Plain Doritos? I thought those were called "corn chips".

    Well, tortilla chips...Fritos are more 'corn chips'.

    But yes...when Doritos came out, they were plain corn chips...no flavors at all.

    I remember noticing sometime as a kid that they started doing flavored ones...maybe it was BBQ that was first?

    But yes...they started out as plain old tortilla chips.

  13. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1

    I think you've mistaken Ozzie and Harriet for a documentary - it's not. It's fiction. Seriously, as with so much else, there never was such a golden age except in rose tinted and selective memory.

    Funny...I remember growing up exactly the way I described. Mom cooked...when I was old enough, I learned to cook and contributed to evening meals. And yes....BOTH of my parents worked.

    This was basically how most all of my friends were raised.

    So, no, it isn't impossible.....it is quite simple to do.

  14. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1

    Sorry, but I and all of my Gen-X neighbors cook decent meals and sit down to supper every evening with our families. We police our children's diets, and we only scarf down a bag of Doritos once a month or so -- as a cool treat.

    From what I've observed from families I know...and the huge swath of obese kids (even elementary grades), I'd have to say you and your family are in the minority...and that is truly sad.

    Keep up the good work....!!

  15. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1

    You should emote at Coca-Cola and Pepsico, as well as the fast food chains. Then after doing that for a couple of hundred years, worry about processed snack foods.

    My rant was targeted at 'crap' food in general. All overly processed foods and drinks that parents (for some reason) keep throwing down the throats of their offspring.

  16. Re:Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 1

    Uh, you obviously don't have children. Stick some bright, colourful melodic thing in front of them and they will want it, no matter what the parents say. Back in caveman days they didn't have target markets and children oriented programming. Sure, parents should be stronger, more discipline etc etc BULL FUCKING SHIT. Stop showing this SHIT to my kids

    They had PLENTY of flashy, shiny ads for food and toys when I was a kid too.

    More often than not, when I saw something on tv that I wanted, my parents used this magic phrase..."No".

    Amazingly enough....that seemed to work. If I started to whine or act up...other words and actions came following that if I didn't accept the fact that they said no many times.

    Sure...you're right, if you "Stick some bright, colourful melodic thing in front of them and they will want it, no matter what the parents say"....they WILL want it.

    But that does NOT mean you have to let them have it...again, YOU are the parent...put your fucking foot down and show them who is in charge....

  17. Ambivalent feelings... on Doritos Creator Art West Dead at 97 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    You know....kinda sad, but also kinda angry.

    I mean, as a kid...I used to like doritos. Heck...I remember when they had plain doritos....not sure when they stopped those and only started the flavored ones.

    But I'm a bit mad now...this guy contributed to the crap food we in the US eat on a regular basis. Highly processed foods, with no nutrition....contributing to the high obesity rate we see out there today.

    But then again...I guess I can't put the blame on this guy....hey, they taste good. Trouble is, people abuse fast food today. A bag of doritos in my house when growing up, was a rare occurance....maybe for a special weekend if we were going to grill out burgers or the like. It cerainly wasn't day-to-day food.

    Ok..so, goodbye Mr. Doritos Inventor Guy....thanks for a fun treat.

    It is just too bad, that somewhere in the past couple generations, we've lost parents that actually care about what their kids eat....than actually had at least ONE parent that knew how to cook and prepare a nutritious meal, and knew the importance of that, and at least the insistence of at least sporadic family sit down meals.

    It isn't your fault that a 'treat' is now viewed as a regular daily fucking food by so many Americans that are so fat, that if they drop the bag on the floor at their feet, they can no longer easily see the fucker sitting there.....nor can their 2nd grade kids...

  18. Re:Works with coal too on Coffee-Powered Car Breaks World Record · · Score: 1

    So, bring back steam cars, just this time instead of coal they would be powered by wood.

    Wouldn't work...unless EVERYONE was mandated to only use these.

    This 'record setting' vehicle...set the record with ONLY an avg speed of about 62mph??!?

    You trying driving only 62mph on any roads around where I've lived and you will get mowed down. Hell, that's the speeds you see through neighborhoods with children in them....

    But seriously...that is not very quick...most people on main artieries through the cities I've lived in, not just the highways mind you...drive much faster than the posted limit, and if you try going even the posted limit, you'll get hit badly.

    Unless you get green energy vehicles to where they'll keep up with real cars of today and traffic patterns....they ain't gonna cut it.

  19. Re:Where do I sign... on HP Spent Over $80M To Get Rid of Its CEOs · · Score: 1

    ... to get a job like that? Oh wait, I need to sign using blood? And what stranger paper is this that smells like... sulfur?

    Hey, you there....

    Are you gonna take all day? If you're not sure, had me over the damned pen so I can sign up!!

    You're indecision is really starting to hold up the line....

    :D

  20. Re:I've got a better deal on HP Spent Over $80M To Get Rid of Its CEOs · · Score: 4, Insightful
    What does one study to become a CEO??

    I'd love to get that job...tons of money when you're there...tons when you leave, and then...it seems, there are job opportunities after you leave, even in disgrace.

    I don't see any perceptible skills required to be a CEO...is it all only who you know?

    I mean, I'm member and good standing with the "anything for a dollar" club....so, wondering how I could get into the CEO business, and yes...I'm quite willing to sell shares of my soul for this.

    :)

  21. Re:$300 is too much on Amazon To Launch Kindle Tablet? · · Score: 1

    I dunno -- I see a lot more kindles on my train commute than tablets.

    Hmm...I've yet to see anyone riding trains before...

    :)

    Then again, I've never lived in a city with trains before...at least none used for passengers on them.

  22. Re:I'm an independant contractor... on US Gov't Pays IT Contractors Twice As Much As Its Own IT Workers · · Score: 1

    I have to cover all my insurance costs, all the SS and other mandatory deductions, plus vacation and other paid time off.

    Well, you *did* take under consideration these payments (vacation, sick time, insurance) when you negotiated your bill rate, right?

    Also, I hope you incorporated yourself, and did something like a "S" corp, which will allow you to save money on the SS and medicare....so that you don't have to pay those taxes on everything your company bills for and brings in....???

  23. Re:It's Called "Blame Pay" on US Gov't Pays IT Contractors Twice As Much As Its Own IT Workers · · Score: 1

    What benefits and protections did you have in mind? I've been one of those government contractors, and my brother is a systems programmer for NOAA. We've compared pay and benefits. I make a good bit more than he does. We pay about the same amount for health insurance for comparable plans. We get about the same number of days off. He has more legal holidays but I get more vacation days that I can take when I want or take as half days. I get a better pension. Our 401k plans are comparable. I'm not sure who has better job security.

    It doesn't sound like you are truly a 'government contractor'. Sounds like you are a W2 employee for a company contracting with the govt.

    There's a difference.

    Do you get salary or do you negotiate for your part of the bill rate per hour?

    I'm guessing you're W2. That's a good way to get in the door....but if you really want to do good money and have more freedom, you need to try to get out of the W2 thing...and subcontract 1099 with this company or some other....it is hard for a small guy to get a direct contract with the feds, but if you work at it, you can get a 1099 subcontractor gig with some of the bigger houses, or a sub to a sub....which still can net you a good bit of the bill rate.

  24. Re:It's Called "Blame Pay" on US Gov't Pays IT Contractors Twice As Much As Its Own IT Workers · · Score: 3, Informative

    I say this as someone who not only has worked both sides of that fence, but is currently hiring for Federal IT (InfoSec) positions. I've seen an average of 100+ applicants for each position advertised and most are contractors desperate to become full-time Feds.

    One reason for this is, that the contracting paradigm is no longer what it was before.

    I'd posted earlier...the Feds, more and more...are only hiring contractors through large contracting houses. These contracting houses, hire people as W2 employees...they get the worst of both worlds. Sure they get benefits, health, etc....but they really lose out on what balances out the contracting life. In a normal contracting life, you get a very high bill rate. From this, you pay yourself, your vacation/sick time, etc. It makes up for the level of 'job security' that you have to put up with in being a contractor.

    When you are a W2 employee of the contracting house....you don't get that high pay, but you still only have the job stability of the regular contractor....and you aren't really treated as a real 'employee' by anyone.

    But, as I'd mentioned before...if you can get in to the contractor world, even as W2 for awhile, it can lead you to being able to get into a subcontractor role yourself, and do the 1099 gig.

    But those are harder to find....so, with that being the case, yes...jumping over to the Federal side, for what can be a lifetime job, isn't a bad thing to look into...I've looked into it myself.

    It helps if you've worked in the fed contracting world for awhile for that jump too....you get in good with those working in fed IT programs, they can help pull strings to get you in. And if you've been doing federal IT stuff, likely as not, you already have clearances, which also help grease the skids to jumping to the govt. side of things.

    If you're getting a bit older, and have made some good money....jumping over to the govt. side isn't a bad thing, for the job security and extra benefits, along with 'decent' pay. It isn't contractor pay by a long shot in most cases....but it is much more secure.

  25. Re:It's Called "Blame Pay" on US Gov't Pays IT Contractors Twice As Much As Its Own IT Workers · · Score: 5, Informative
    Actually, it isn't that bad at all.

    You get yourself in the door of a good Federal contract.....form a "S" corp and get on as a subcontractor. You bill out at anywhere from $65-$80/hr....and you're golden.

    This will keep you comfortable in salary....it is enough to figure to take off about 3-4 weeks a year for vacation and sick leave. You get yourself set up with a high deductible medical insurance policy (like $1200) and you use this ONLY for emergencies (heart attack ,etc), and with this you are eligible to set up a HSA (Health Savings Account) where you can stick back over $3K a year pre-tax.

    As a 1099 contractor, you can write off all kinds of things, even mileage driving to the site daily if you have to drive...lots of perfectly legal deductibles.

    A nice thing with the "S" corp, is that it can also save you a good deal of money on employment taxes, (SS and medicare). Do get a CPA for advice on this, but you can do something like:

    Say you pay yourself a salary or about $40K through the company. You bill for $100K for the year.

    You only have to pay SS and medicare on that $40K, the rest of the $60K falls through on your personal taxes at the end of the year (dividends or whatever you want to call them from the company) and you only pay normal state and federal income taxes on that portion.

    About the only PITA, is the paperwork you need to do. YOu can get a service to handle your payroll if you want, but these days with electronic access, you can easily set up with your state and the feds and pay your taxes quarterly on the income portion. Just document stuff well, and it actually is a pretty nice way to go.

    The HSA is something I like, and wish was more easily available..not just with high deductible plans. This isn't like the FSA's you get through your normal W2 employer, it isn't a "use it or lose it" type thing...it keeps building and building. At retirement, you can convert this to retirement funds. You can also invest from this account if you so wish...

    When I was doing this...I had no problem paying for my routine meds and Dr. visits with my HSA money. Often when I'd tell the Dr. that I'd be paying...they'd give me at least a 15% discount right off the bat...

    Unfortunately, the Feds have more and more, bastardized the contractor paradigm. They deal more and more exclusively with only the LARGE contract houses...and is harder these days to get a 1099 gig...the big houses want you on as a W2 employee.....and then, you get the worst of both worlds as far as job security and pay go. Even that still isn't horribly bad, but you lose all the freedom (no more fscking having to 'earn' vacation and sick leave hours....and all the tax breaks.

    More difficult to find...but not impossible.

    If nothing else, if you can get in on a Federal contracting IT program as a W2...get in, get some experience and foot in the door and meet people. Makes it much easier on the next gig...to get them to let you sub contract to them and go the 1099 route.