"Finally, doing without is not an option. Things necessary to functioning in society, such as government services, are increasingly offered only over the Internet. Not having a decent connection makes you a second-class citizen."
While I agree many government services ARE coming online and makes for convenience, I don't think you can name ONE that isn't still available the old fashioned way, where you go to the office, wait in line, but finally deal with a live person to get your business done.
At least I've not seen a single service refused due to not being online.
"I've never gotten cable without a mandatory leased cable box. Even for the most basic package."
I'm on the opposite end of things. I've NEVER had a cable box for my extended basic cable.
I tune in ALL of the extended basic channels with either a mythtv box, or just normal tv tuner. I can also scan and pull in all un-encrypted HD channels, mostly local stations via QAM.
Fun thing is when scanning with the mythtv box, I can get some HD channels they haven't encrypted yet, or the channels they use for OnDemand. Those are kinda fun as you never know what you'll watch...or when it will unexpectedly pause, FF or RW...
"I subscribe to cable modem service, but my provider puts a filter on the line that prevents basic cable reception. So, there ya go!"
Well, a couple of things you can do.
Complain over and over that you're not getting your speeds...they may take the filter off to fix that. If you by chance have a business acct (I like this option, anyone can get one)...this really works well.
And/or if your lucky, and have the little junction box they are putting on the side of the houses now...you can order a nifty little tool that can help you easily open it up to examine for any 'malfunctioning' filters.
Of course, I just heard this from a friend..that was looking into this for purely educational reasons.
You might be outta luck if you're with Comcast in areas...I hear they're eliminating analog cable completely, but most cable co's you can at least search with QAM for the free local HD stations.
"I very rarely order steak, especially from American restaurants. I want some vegetables with my meal, and steak is usually just meat and chips, with (perhaps) a tiny 'salad' for garnish."
Wow...what kind of US restaurant did you go to where they served a good steak...with potato chips?!?
Usually at the finer steak houses, you get choices..ala carte generally, but things like a good baked potato (very common), asparagus, creamed spinach..etc.
I've been to a few places that served french fries...but never had a decent steak where they served potato chips. Where in the states did you see this?
"Perhaps not. A short pin number is easy to remember. You're not going to send your five year-old to school with a pocket of cash for lunch."
Why not? It worked just fine when "I" was a 5 year old in school. Granted, I usually ate my lunch my mom packed for me in my Snoopy lunchbox...but when I did eat cafeteria, I took my lunch money with me and bought my lunch and milk.
Are kids incapable of that today?
Re:Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen
on
Cooking For Geeks
·
· Score: 1
"No problem! If, on the other hand, you enjoy bland but good food, they have another magazine, Cook's Country which has more traditional bland American food. "
Be careful...with the terms traditional American food...and the world bland.
Depends on the part of the country you come from. Certainly not in the south...and not in many parts out west.
Sure, you can google for the conversion anytime..but, who wants to do that every time you think of eating? I know what US measures are..and once I learn what a US measure portion should be...I can more easily do it by site...etc.
Yeah...if you go to a steak house here and they give you 4oz for a $50 steak...anyone would kill them here too.
Nothing wrong with splurging and gorging occasionally...but for every day eating....well, portions are MUCH smaller than we think. And let's face it...we could be eating home cooked meals about 98% of the time....eating out for a treat...only for special things and nothing wrong with going bit then, eh?
Re:Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen
on
Cooking For Geeks
·
· Score: 1
"I've found that to be true about America's Test Kitchen, but Cook's Illustrated has recipes that tend to be more flavorful."
Interesting...I'll give the magazine a look...thanks for the tip!
"And while it's hard to find cooking ingredients that are free, you can make lots of good food while only spending a small amount on materials."
Except...don't cheap out on your cooking TOOLS!
It is worth the money to shell out $$$ on good knives..and good cookware.
Find what you like, but it is better to save and get 2-3 good knives and pans if that is all you can afford, rather than sets of crap you'll end up replacing frequently, and that doesn't do your food right.
Nothing more dangerous than a dull knife. I like the Wusthof Trident knives. Yep, expensive, but they will last forever, and keep an edge. I bought a small set to start, and have started buying piece by piece as I have $$ and find some on sale.
Same with cookware. Your choice might vary, but I find it is worth EVERY penny I've spent on All-Clad stainless steel stuff. It heats well, it heats evenly...and again, will last forever. I spend $200+ on a pan...I will get my money's worth out of it.
I prefer to cook on gas...and this stuff is amazing on gas stoves.
Re:Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen
on
Cooking For Geeks
·
· Score: 1
"Any geek who aspires to cook good food would do well to read the magazine, Cook's Illustrated and watch the PBS series America's Test Kitchen, that puts out the magazine. "
I really like to watch ATK on PBS...but I find their food quite often to be VERY under seasoned. I'm guessing it is because they are all pretty much from the NE of the US. I've had friends from up there, that when they cook...if they used anything besides salt and pepper, I sure couldn't sense it.
But aside from that point...they are quite good, and I like how much they experiment with equipment and cooking methods.
Re:Cooking for Engineers
on
Cooking For Geeks
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Yup...if you're from the US, cooking metric just isn't something easily done.
For instance, I can easily measure in my hand a tsp or TBSP of something, I can pour about a cup of liquid easily, but I have no notion in my head what I'd try to measure if I did something in grams, or other metric units.
Don't even get me started in trying to tackle the concept of heat and cooking times in C vs F.
That being said...I think the most valuable new recipe book would be one that actually emphasized and re-enforced what actual PORTION size is supposed to be?!?!
I'm in the middle of working out, losing weight (down 30lbs...working on about 25lbs more)...and aside from moving away from processed foods and carbs, learning portion control has been a true eye opener!!
For instance, a portion of beef, let's say a steak is only 4oz. Do you have any real idea how small that is?
I didn't until I weighed it...and then, I had to weigh it about 3 more times as that I could not believe a bit of meat that small was what is supposed to be a normal portion of your meal. About the size of a deck of cards.
Well, I've been weighing foods to get that picture in my head what a portion is supposed to be. I've been trying to eat meals about 4-5 times a day..and that keeps from getting overly hungry, but man, it takes a little work to get used to eating such a small amount.
In the past, for lunch, I'd have a HUGE tupperware thing filled with spaghetti and soaked in red gravy and meat sauce. I'd have to guess I was easily eating 3-4 lbs of that for a single lunch portion.
Anyway...talk about an eye opener. I think if we could re-enforce what a true portion of food at a meal was, we'd go a LONG way to overcoming obesity.
Fortunately, I found that by increasing the % of protein and fat in my diet and doing practically away with junk carbs (I try to only get them from veggies and fruit and some whole grain products)...my appetite did naturally fade away to a more normal level. That and eating throughout the day helps you to not get voraciously hungry, and want to over eat portions.
"Yes, I'm well over 75k... but I'm supporting a wife, a mother-in-law and child support. I still feel poor most months."
Well, it certainly DOES help to put off the wife and kid thing longer...so as to be able to better afford them.
I really don't want kids...and any woman I do finally settle down with, needs to be making close to the same money "I" do, so we can have a good time, and not have the money thing to worry about, I hear that breaks up about 50% of the marriages.
I really don't wanna be supporting anyone, but don't mind at least close to equally sharing the expenses....
"You must have went to a very cheap school, or that job paid quite well. At greater than $30k/year tuition, my college jobs were not quite paying at the rate I was spending."
Hmm..interesting. Didn't most people's parents here...save money to PAY for them to go to school?
In my group of friends growing up, I really didn't know but two of them that had to take student loans out to go to college.
My parents saved for, and paid for while working (both parents)...and I had out of state tuition.
I would work all summers, and give my earning to my parents who would dole it back out to me during the year for my spending and food money, but that's all I had to do.
I'm actually a little surprised how many people say they not only had to take out student loans, but also how much they are?!?!
Did ya'lls parents not think ahead and put back anything for your schooling??
That being said. Wow...$75K for being happy raising a family??
That has to be very specific on what city and part of the country you live in. Some areas, that living high on the hog...other places, you are near the poverty line if you are trying to live IN the city proper.
I find that with 6 figures, and being currently single...it still isn't that easy to save money, but it does provide a good one. When I was on my previous gig, working 1099 through my own company, I found at that point I actually did make more money that I would spend just living on a level I enjoyed. I'm slightly below that now...
Actually, MOST things are state by state things...even though we bitch about more and more encroachment by the feds (which is happening), but they haven't taken over everything yet.
Most laws in the US vary a great deal from state to state. For instance, some states have NO car inspection requirements, while some like CA are quite draconian...even testing emissions from what I understand.
"It's obvious to you now, but what about in ten years..."
Hmm....if you're at all interested in your career, progress both in level and SALARY/BILL RATE, you need to resign yourself to the point that you will not be at the same job 10 years from now to look at code again. The only way to make it these days..is to job hop every 2-3 years.
"- die after shooting themselves in the head with an officially-licensed firearm?
- die after shooting themselves in the head with an unlicensed firearm?"
What are these firearms licenses you're speaking of?
I've never had to get any type of special permit or license just to own a firearm....only time I ever got a type of gun permit that a state required was for concealed carry. Heck, all my guns in the past were purchased used from private individuals, so no background check, on traceable paperwork at all....
What state do you live in where it is so stringent?
Slashdot Mirror
Got a link for info on this?
Yep....when I read the title of this, my first though was "OK, they are one large step closer to true Fembots".
Ok...when I was talking a real steak restaurant..I was thinking more on the higher quality end, something like Dickie Brennan's Steak House .
Grow a pair man....get it back!!
While I agree many government services ARE coming online and makes for convenience, I don't think you can name ONE that isn't still available the old fashioned way, where you go to the office, wait in line, but finally deal with a live person to get your business done.
At least I've not seen a single service refused due to not being online.
I'm on the opposite end of things. I've NEVER had a cable box for my extended basic cable.
I tune in ALL of the extended basic channels with either a mythtv box, or just normal tv tuner. I can also scan and pull in all un-encrypted HD channels, mostly local stations via QAM.
Fun thing is when scanning with the mythtv box, I can get some HD channels they haven't encrypted yet, or the channels they use for OnDemand. Those are kinda fun as you never know what you'll watch...or when it will unexpectedly pause, FF or RW...
Well, a couple of things you can do.
Complain over and over that you're not getting your speeds...they may take the filter off to fix that. If you by chance have a business acct (I like this option, anyone can get one)...this really works well.
And/or if your lucky, and have the little junction box they are putting on the side of the houses now...you can order a nifty little tool that can help you easily open it up to examine for any 'malfunctioning' filters.
Of course, I just heard this from a friend..that was looking into this for purely educational reasons.
You might be outta luck if you're with Comcast in areas...I hear they're eliminating analog cable completely, but most cable co's you can at least search with QAM for the free local HD stations.
Wow...what kind of US restaurant did you go to where they served a good steak...with potato chips?!?
Usually at the finer steak houses, you get choices..ala carte generally, but things like a good baked potato (very common), asparagus, creamed spinach..etc.
I've been to a few places that served french fries...but never had a decent steak where they served potato chips. Where in the states did you see this?
Why not? It worked just fine when "I" was a 5 year old in school. Granted, I usually ate my lunch my mom packed for me in my Snoopy lunchbox...but when I did eat cafeteria, I took my lunch money with me and bought my lunch and milk.
Are kids incapable of that today?
Be careful...with the terms traditional American food...and the world bland.
Depends on the part of the country you come from. Certainly not in the south...and not in many parts out west.
Yeah...if you go to a steak house here and they give you 4oz for a $50 steak...anyone would kill them here too.
Nothing wrong with splurging and gorging occasionally...but for every day eating....well, portions are MUCH smaller than we think. And let's face it...we could be eating home cooked meals about 98% of the time....eating out for a treat...only for special things and nothing wrong with going bit then, eh?
Interesting...I'll give the magazine a look...thanks for the tip!
Yep....remember to always be careful if frying chicken nekkid...
Grease *pops*
Except...don't cheap out on your cooking TOOLS!
It is worth the money to shell out $$$ on good knives..and good cookware.
Find what you like, but it is better to save and get 2-3 good knives and pans if that is all you can afford, rather than sets of crap you'll end up replacing frequently, and that doesn't do your food right.
Nothing more dangerous than a dull knife. I like the Wusthof Trident knives. Yep, expensive, but they will last forever, and keep an edge. I bought a small set to start, and have started buying piece by piece as I have $$ and find some on sale.
Same with cookware. Your choice might vary, but I find it is worth EVERY penny I've spent on All-Clad stainless steel stuff. It heats well, it heats evenly...and again, will last forever. I spend $200+ on a pan...I will get my money's worth out of it.
I prefer to cook on gas...and this stuff is amazing on gas stoves.
I really like to watch ATK on PBS...but I find their food quite often to be VERY under seasoned. I'm guessing it is because they are all pretty much from the NE of the US. I've had friends from up there, that when they cook...if they used anything besides salt and pepper, I sure couldn't sense it.
But aside from that point...they are quite good, and I like how much they experiment with equipment and cooking methods.
For instance, I can easily measure in my hand a tsp or TBSP of something, I can pour about a cup of liquid easily, but I have no notion in my head what I'd try to measure if I did something in grams, or other metric units.
Don't even get me started in trying to tackle the concept of heat and cooking times in C vs F.
That being said...I think the most valuable new recipe book would be one that actually emphasized and re-enforced what actual PORTION size is supposed to be?!?!
I'm in the middle of working out, losing weight (down 30lbs...working on about 25lbs more)...and aside from moving away from processed foods and carbs, learning portion control has been a true eye opener!!
For instance, a portion of beef, let's say a steak is only 4oz. Do you have any real idea how small that is?
I didn't until I weighed it...and then, I had to weigh it about 3 more times as that I could not believe a bit of meat that small was what is supposed to be a normal portion of your meal. About the size of a deck of cards.
Well, I've been weighing foods to get that picture in my head what a portion is supposed to be. I've been trying to eat meals about 4-5 times a day..and that keeps from getting overly hungry, but man, it takes a little work to get used to eating such a small amount.
In the past, for lunch, I'd have a HUGE tupperware thing filled with spaghetti and soaked in red gravy and meat sauce. I'd have to guess I was easily eating 3-4 lbs of that for a single lunch portion.
Anyway...talk about an eye opener. I think if we could re-enforce what a true portion of food at a meal was, we'd go a LONG way to overcoming obesity.
Fortunately, I found that by increasing the % of protein and fat in my diet and doing practically away with junk carbs (I try to only get them from veggies and fruit and some whole grain products)...my appetite did naturally fade away to a more normal level. That and eating throughout the day helps you to not get voraciously hungry, and want to over eat portions.
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte...
Well, it certainly DOES help to put off the wife and kid thing longer...so as to be able to better afford them.
I really don't want kids...and any woman I do finally settle down with, needs to be making close to the same money "I" do, so we can have a good time, and not have the money thing to worry about, I hear that breaks up about 50% of the marriages.
I really don't wanna be supporting anyone, but don't mind at least close to equally sharing the expenses....
Hmm..interesting. Didn't most people's parents here...save money to PAY for them to go to school?
In my group of friends growing up, I really didn't know but two of them that had to take student loans out to go to college.
My parents saved for, and paid for while working (both parents)...and I had out of state tuition.
I would work all summers, and give my earning to my parents who would dole it back out to me during the year for my spending and food money, but that's all I had to do.
I'm actually a little surprised how many people say they not only had to take out student loans, but also how much they are?!?!
Did ya'lls parents not think ahead and put back anything for your schooling??
That being said. Wow...$75K for being happy raising a family??
That has to be very specific on what city and part of the country you live in. Some areas, that living high on the hog...other places, you are near the poverty line if you are trying to live IN the city proper.
I find that with 6 figures, and being currently single...it still isn't that easy to save money, but it does provide a good one. When I was on my previous gig, working 1099 through my own company, I found at that point I actually did make more money that I would spend just living on a level I enjoyed. I'm slightly below that now...
Hmm..I need to find some side income....
State by state thing.
Actually, MOST things are state by state things...even though we bitch about more and more encroachment by the feds (which is happening), but they haven't taken over everything yet.
Most laws in the US vary a great deal from state to state. For instance, some states have NO car inspection requirements, while some like CA are quite draconian...even testing emissions from what I understand.
Hmm....if you're at all interested in your career, progress both in level and SALARY/BILL RATE, you need to resign yourself to the point that you will not be at the same job 10 years from now to look at code again. The only way to make it these days..is to job hop every 2-3 years.
Not all states DO car inspections...
- die after shooting themselves in the head with an unlicensed firearm?"
What are these firearms licenses you're speaking of?
I've never had to get any type of special permit or license just to own a firearm....only time I ever got a type of gun permit that a state required was for concealed carry. Heck, all my guns in the past were purchased used from private individuals, so no background check, on traceable paperwork at all....
What state do you live in where it is so stringent?
According to his ratings, I'd not put money on that bet...
Nah...I'd rather see 2112 , then we can assume control....we have assumed control....we have assumed control.