That's on every mortgage contract I've ever seen. Maybe you haven't been looking for it. It's standard fodder.
I've bought 3 houses, and had several re-fi's, so I've seen a fair number of mortgage contracts, and the only one that had a demand feature was the one from the credit union. It was unusual enough to jump out at me when I read the contract for the first time.
I'm certain that the mortgage I got after rejecting the one from the credit union did not have such a thing, since I was specifically looking for it. I'm fairly certain that my earlier mortgages did not have them. It is possible that this is a state-specific thing, since all of my other mortgage contracts were from a different state than the one from the credit union.
Note that this was different than the routine clause that if you fail to uphold your end of the deal then they can foreclose. The "demand clause" in the credit union's contract said they could demand an immediate payment in full at any time, for any reason.
I haven't had a fee on my checking accounts from "regular" banks in the last few decades (at least). I keep the required minimum balance (which is far less than I normally wish to keep in the account), and I never overdraw against the account.
I also haven't paid a fee or interest on a credit card (I don't use debit cards) in over a decade (since I pay the full balance every month).
The one time I joined a credit union (primarily because I assumed that a credit union would be "better") I found that the credit union was terrible compared to every bank I had ever dealt with.
They had a credit union at my last job, and I decided to use it, in part because I was going to be buying a house soon, and I assumed that a credit union would offer a better deal than a "regular" mortgage company.
I didn't find anything about the credit union that was better than what I was used to at regular banks, and when I applied for a mortgage, I discovered they had a "demand feature", which I had never seen before (this was my third time buying a house). For those who don't know, a demand feature means that the credit union could, at any time and for any or no reason, demand that I pay the mortgage in full.
When I asked them about it, they assured me that "everyone did it" and that they wouldn't actually do that even if they could and that I should just trust them and not worry about it.
I immediately dropped them and went to a regular mortgage company, which did not have a "demand feature" and offered a better rate. I later learned from other employees that the credit union had "called" mortgages of other employees when they missed a payment on their linked credit card.
So, don't assume that a credit union is better than a bank or other financial organization. Some may be, but others aren't. Caveat emptor!
My last interview was for a "C" programming position (Point-of-Sale system for a large retailer) which was a very good fit for my experience and skills (30 years C programming, almost a decade on another large P.O.S. system).
Unfortunately, the only technical interviewer who talked to me was a Java programmer. He thought he was also a C/C++ programmer, but he was wrong. After 45 minutes of questions about details of Java class usage, it was clear that he couldn't tell a good C programmer from a bad one.
I didn't get the job, and I suspect that whichever Java programmer they ended up with is thoroughly miserable programming in C.
Seriously, this is a good point. Since taking up FPGA work, I've learned that "programming" simply means putting a bitstream on a chip, and the actual writing of the code should have a different name, such as "design" or "engineering".
If you're not going to use the word "programmer" for someone who writes programs, then you shouldn't use the word "engineer" for someone who develops hardware or software.
Everyone know that an "engineer" is someone who drives a train.
Good thing people never put their phones in their pockets, where they will twist in an uncontrolled an accidental way.
I once started receiving calls from my brother every couple of minutes for a half-hour. When I answered, I could hear background noises, but he never replied to my shouts of "Hello?!?".
It turned out that he was umpiring his kid's little league game, and every time he squatted down, he was inadvertently pressing the "Call" button, which was redialing the last number he had called (mine).
Pretty well every other laptop maker does the same! At least I can get a MBP with an anti-glare screen. Some makers don't even offer that choice but hey, don't let the facts stop your anti apple ranting.
I don't know why I'm bothering to reply to a AC, but in fact my primary computer was, until recently, a 17" Macbook Pro with the extra-cost matte screen. So, yes, I am quite aware of Apple's policy about anti-glare screens. It's worth noting that only the 15" and 17" Macbook Pro laptops have that option. If you want an iMac or a 13" laptop, or an external display, you are forced to get the pro-glare screens.
I would never get an iMac, just because of the screen. However, I've found that the screen on my new MacBook Air is acceptable, even though it isn't a matte screen.
Apple supports a number of free software projects. The OP doesn't say anything about doing this to "further the cause of free software". He just says he wants a Linux laptop that works as well as a MacBook, and based on my experience, the best way to do that is to get a MacBook and, if he really needs Linux (as opposed to real Unix) then he can run Linux in a VM. Best of both worlds: a terrific laptop that "just works", that can run all sorts of commercial and proprietary software that isn't available under Linux, and the ability to run any other common OS (Windows, Linux) in a VM.
I used to run various versions of Linux on a couple different ThinkPads, and over the last few years (2006 - 2008 or so), each new release seemed less solid than the one before. I would spend days or weeks trying to hunt down fixes for various problems (sleep wouldn't work, WiFi wouldn't work, audio wouldn't work, etc.).
Finally, in 2009, I bought a MacBook Pro (17", 8GB RAM), and used that as my primary machine. Best decision I've made in a long time. I wanted one laptop that I could use for everything, and with VMs running Windows 8 and whatever flavor of Linux I feel like playing with at the moment, I can develop and run any software for any platform.
I might feel differently if I were a gamer, but I'm not, so this is the best setup. Since you're coming from a Linux system, I'm guessing that any games you might play are already available on the Mac.
Also, it's just a flat out lie to make the title "$529M DOE Loan". It's a loan guarantee, not a loan. The taxpayers are in no way on the hook for anywhere close to $529M.
That's not how it worked with Solyndra. They borrowed the half-billion, using the government loan guarantee as collateral, and then declared bankruptcy, leaving the taxpayers on the hook for replaying the loan.
Ironically, the last president to reduce the size of the federal government was Clinton (he really was a fiscal conservative)
Ironically, it took the Democrats losing both houses of Congress in 1994 for Clinton to declare that "the era of big government is over."
There was also the end of the Cold War and the Information Revolution (neither of which he had anything to do with) that had a huge positive impact on the U.S. economy.
Clinton was smart enough to roll with the punches, but mainly he was lucky.
Actually, so do I. They work fine when I'm working on my computer at home.
My response above was about the post saying, "Monitor height is wrong. Top of monitor should e above eye height." I've been stuck working on systems with the screen set up this way, and had to tilt my head way back in order to read the screen. This made it impossible for me to use the computer for more than a few minutes.
This was one of the things that first attracted me to laptop computers. The screen was low enough to allow me to use the bottom part of my bifocals to read the screen without having to tilt my head.
Careful there. If the Sagan estate is still as litigious as Sagan used to be, the VLA might end up with the name "Butt-Head Astronomer Telescope". Wikipedia.org
Unfortunately, this sounds like almost every company for which I've worked.
At one job, we were using the same hardware and software that had been used about eight years earlier to originally develop the software. Nobody, including the other developers, saw any reason to change a thing. At one point, the secretaries were getting new machines, so we grabbed their old machines which were still much newer than any of our development boxes.
The only company I ever worked for that provided up-to-date hardware and software went out of business after six months, in part because they were spending so much money on "cool stuff" whether they needed it or not. (Lesson learned from the dot-com craze: Don't get expensive office space, fancy and expensive working "environments" and other perks until you actually have a revenue stream!)
Technically, they aren't. Pennsylvania has a whole brochure about why it's naughty naughty naughty to drive 45 minutes to Delaware to buy stuff tax-free.
But they're not demanding that the out-of-state store collect the taxes for them.
Tax calculated at the correct rate for my location. I know it is complex but it's not rocket science. This is why we have computers.
True, it's not rocket science, or even brain surgery, but it's a much, much bigger problem than most of the people posting here seem to realize. In fact, it's a wonderful way for those huge companies, like WalMart, to raise the barrier of entry to any new, small companies. To that extent, it inhibits real competition.
I just bought a sink from Home Depot web site. Shipped to my home address. Tax calculated at the correct rate for my location.
Funny that brick & mortar stores don't go to the trouble of doing that. They just charge the tax rate of their location. Why should online businesses have to meet a higher standard than brick & mortar stores? I know many people who drive to areas under different taxing authorities to pay less tax on their purchases. Why are they allowed to cheat the State like that?
Slashdot Mirror
I'm going to do Grub11...
Because it's one more!
You shouldn't let that affect how you see all other credit unions.
True enough. I was just interjecting my negative experience to offset the other posts suggesting that credit unions are always better than banks.
I've bought 3 houses, and had several re-fi's, so I've seen a fair number of mortgage contracts, and the only one that had a demand feature was the one from the credit union. It was unusual enough to jump out at me when I read the contract for the first time.
I'm certain that the mortgage I got after rejecting the one from the credit union did not have such a thing, since I was specifically looking for it. I'm fairly certain that my earlier mortgages did not have them. It is possible that this is a state-specific thing, since all of my other mortgage contracts were from a different state than the one from the credit union.
Note that this was different than the routine clause that if you fail to uphold your end of the deal then they can foreclose. The "demand clause" in the credit union's contract said they could demand an immediate payment in full at any time, for any reason.
I haven't had a fee on my checking accounts from "regular" banks in the last few decades (at least). I keep the required minimum balance (which is far less than I normally wish to keep in the account), and I never overdraw against the account.
I also haven't paid a fee or interest on a credit card (I don't use debit cards) in over a decade (since I pay the full balance every month).
The one time I joined a credit union (primarily because I assumed that a credit union would be "better") I found that the credit union was terrible compared to every bank I had ever dealt with.
To each his own, I guess.
They had a credit union at my last job, and I decided to use it, in part because I was going to be buying a house soon, and I assumed that a credit union would offer a better deal than a "regular" mortgage company.
I didn't find anything about the credit union that was better than what I was used to at regular banks, and when I applied for a mortgage, I discovered they had a "demand feature", which I had never seen before (this was my third time buying a house). For those who don't know, a demand feature means that the credit union could, at any time and for any or no reason, demand that I pay the mortgage in full.
When I asked them about it, they assured me that "everyone did it" and that they wouldn't actually do that even if they could and that I should just trust them and not worry about it.
I immediately dropped them and went to a regular mortgage company, which did not have a "demand feature" and offered a better rate. I later learned from other employees that the credit union had "called" mortgages of other employees when they missed a payment on their linked credit card.
So, don't assume that a credit union is better than a bank or other financial organization. Some may be, but others aren't. Caveat emptor!
My last interview was for a "C" programming position (Point-of-Sale system for a large retailer) which was a very good fit for my experience and skills (30 years C programming, almost a decade on another large P.O.S. system).
Unfortunately, the only technical interviewer who talked to me was a Java programmer. He thought he was also a C/C++ programmer, but he was wrong. After 45 minutes of questions about details of Java class usage, it was clear that he couldn't tell a good C programmer from a bad one.
I didn't get the job, and I suspect that whichever Java programmer they ended up with is thoroughly miserable programming in C.
Obligatory Dilbert Comic
Seriously, this is a good point. Since taking up FPGA work, I've learned that "programming" simply means putting a bitstream on a chip, and the actual writing of the code should have a different name, such as "design" or "engineering".
If you're not going to use the word "programmer" for someone who writes programs, then you shouldn't use the word "engineer" for someone who develops hardware or software.
Everyone know that an "engineer" is someone who drives a train.
This is an even cheaper tablet.
Good thing people never put their phones in their pockets, where they will twist in an uncontrolled an accidental way.
I once started receiving calls from my brother every couple of minutes for a half-hour. When I answered, I could hear background noises, but he never replied to my shouts of "Hello?!?".
It turned out that he was umpiring his kid's little league game, and every time he squatted down, he was inadvertently pressing the "Call" button, which was redialing the last number he had called (mine).
Pretty well every other laptop maker does the same! At least I can get a MBP with an anti-glare screen. Some makers don't even offer that choice but hey, don't let the facts stop your anti apple ranting.
I don't know why I'm bothering to reply to a AC, but in fact my primary computer was, until recently, a 17" Macbook Pro with the extra-cost matte screen. So, yes, I am quite aware of Apple's policy about anti-glare screens. It's worth noting that only the 15" and 17" Macbook Pro laptops have that option. If you want an iMac or a 13" laptop, or an external display, you are forced to get the pro-glare screens.
I would never get an iMac, just because of the screen. However, I've found that the screen on my new MacBook Air is acceptable, even though it isn't a matte screen.
has told me that I want a highly reflective screen!
Apple supports a number of free software projects. The OP doesn't say anything about doing this to "further the cause of free software". He just says he wants a Linux laptop that works as well as a MacBook, and based on my experience, the best way to do that is to get a MacBook and, if he really needs Linux (as opposed to real Unix) then he can run Linux in a VM. Best of both worlds: a terrific laptop that "just works", that can run all sorts of commercial and proprietary software that isn't available under Linux, and the ability to run any other common OS (Windows, Linux) in a VM.
I screwed up the last point. If playing games is important to you, make sure those games are available for Linux.
Or, as I said above, stick with a Mac, and run Linux in a VM if you want.
I used to run various versions of Linux on a couple different ThinkPads, and over the last few years (2006 - 2008 or so), each new release seemed less solid than the one before. I would spend days or weeks trying to hunt down fixes for various problems (sleep wouldn't work, WiFi wouldn't work, audio wouldn't work, etc.).
Finally, in 2009, I bought a MacBook Pro (17", 8GB RAM), and used that as my primary machine. Best decision I've made in a long time. I wanted one laptop that I could use for everything, and with VMs running Windows 8 and whatever flavor of Linux I feel like playing with at the moment, I can develop and run any software for any platform.
I might feel differently if I were a gamer, but I'm not, so this is the best setup. Since you're coming from a Linux system, I'm guessing that any games you might play are already available on the Mac.
Also, it's just a flat out lie to make the title "$529M DOE Loan". It's a loan guarantee, not a loan. The taxpayers are in no way on the hook for anywhere close to $529M.
That's not how it worked with Solyndra. They borrowed the half-billion, using the government loan guarantee as collateral, and then declared bankruptcy, leaving the taxpayers on the hook for replaying the loan.
It was a loan, so it will be repaid, and with interest.
Just like Solyndra, I'm sure.
Ironically, the last president to reduce the size of the federal government was Clinton (he really was a fiscal conservative)
Ironically, it took the Democrats losing both houses of Congress in 1994 for Clinton to declare that "the era of big government is over."
There was also the end of the Cold War and the Information Revolution (neither of which he had anything to do with) that had a huge positive impact on the U.S. economy.
Clinton was smart enough to roll with the punches, but mainly he was lucky.
Actually, so do I. They work fine when I'm working on my computer at home.
My response above was about the post saying, "Monitor height is wrong. Top of monitor should e above eye height." I've been stuck working on systems with the screen set up this way, and had to tilt my head way back in order to read the screen. This made it impossible for me to use the computer for more than a few minutes.
This was one of the things that first attracted me to laptop computers. The screen was low enough to allow me to use the bottom part of my bifocals to read the screen without having to tilt my head.
Careful there. If the Sagan estate is still as litigious as Sagan used to be, the VLA might end up with the name "Butt-Head Astronomer Telescope". Wikipedia.org
Not if you wear bifocals, and you use the bottom part of your lenses to focus on the monitor.
Now, get off my lawn!
Unfortunately, this sounds like almost every company for which I've worked.
At one job, we were using the same hardware and software that had been used about eight years earlier to originally develop the software. Nobody, including the other developers, saw any reason to change a thing. At one point, the secretaries were getting new machines, so we grabbed their old machines which were still much newer than any of our development boxes.
The only company I ever worked for that provided up-to-date hardware and software went out of business after six months, in part because they were spending so much money on "cool stuff" whether they needed it or not. (Lesson learned from the dot-com craze: Don't get expensive office space, fancy and expensive working "environments" and other perks until you actually have a revenue stream!)
1. Police have generally been favorable to or at least tolerant of Tea Party protests. They have been hostile and violent towards Occupy Wall St.
That's because the Tea Party doesn't defecate on their cars. Daily Mail
Technically, they aren't. Pennsylvania has a whole brochure about why it's naughty naughty naughty to drive 45 minutes to Delaware to buy stuff tax-free.
But they're not demanding that the out-of-state store collect the taxes for them.
Tax calculated at the correct rate for my location. I know it is complex but it's not rocket science. This is why we have computers.
True, it's not rocket science, or even brain surgery, but it's a much, much bigger problem than most of the people posting here seem to realize. In fact, it's a wonderful way for those huge companies, like WalMart, to raise the barrier of entry to any new, small companies. To that extent, it inhibits real competition.
I just bought a sink from Home Depot web site. Shipped to my home address. Tax calculated at the correct rate for my location.
Funny that brick & mortar stores don't go to the trouble of doing that. They just charge the tax rate of their location. Why should online businesses have to meet a higher standard than brick & mortar stores? I know many people who drive to areas under different taxing authorities to pay less tax on their purchases. Why are they allowed to cheat the State like that?