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User: hansoloaf

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  1. Yet some states are in the process on Solar Could Lead In Power Production By 2050 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    of making it difficult for homeowners to utilize this technology thanks to the regulatory capture of giant utility companies. http://www.law360.com/articles/573896/enviros-blast-pa-limits-on-customer-solar-generation http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/as-hawaii-demands-utility-reform-thousands-of-solar-installers-are-laid-off This along with downgrading of utilities stock by one of these banks or analysts (I can't recall which right now), we are going to see utility companies use their political connections to stifle this until they can have full control of the solar electricity production.

  2. Re:What is the Tesla strategy? on Tesla's Next Auto-Dealer Battleground State: Georgia · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Because: 1) Dealers sell more than one brand. They will steer the buyers towards other brands if the buyer is hesitant about Tesla. Dealers don't care about one brand loyalty - just want to sell as many as possible in a month. 2) Dealers will definitely try to sell more gas cars as they break down more frequently and the $$$ for dealers is the service dept. They barely make a profit in the sales dept. 3) Tesla has a specific idea on how to do customer experience. Dealers are the worst in this category. Tesla wants to avoid this.

  3. Helpdesk software on Why Everyone Hates the IT Department · · Score: 1

    Most helpdesk software are crap and I suspect it's the first step in pissing people off when they contact IT for help with whatever issue. It only goes downhill from there.

  4. Re:What's wrong with this? on China To Cancel College Majors That Don't Pay · · Score: 1

    Whats wrong with letting colleges and students decide whether to have these majors or not. I sure do not want some bureaucracy making decisions on whether colleges should offer majors or not.

  5. good luck getting this by harry reid on Congressmen Pushing To Reopen Yucca Mountain · · Score: 2

    ya know the senate majority leader who happens to be from nevada.

  6. does taxes pay for your job? on Union Boycotts LA Times Over Teacher Evaluation Disclosure · · Score: 1

    We all know where the schools get their revenue from. So it is a good thing this info gets out. The more information the taxpayers have about the performance of the schools, the more pressure the schools will be under to explain themselves if they are underperforming. Of course this is only one facet of the impact on schools.

  7. This is why I love competition on How the Nintendo 3DS Might Handle 3D Display · · Score: 1

    When iPhone came on board with games, etc, I knew there will be potentially improved products from Nintendo and eventually Sony/Microsoft.

    Competition brings that.

    So the more variety of products (iPhone, iPad, Android, etc etc) the better it is for all of us.

  8. I had a bad experience with DirecTV DVR on DirecTV Sued By Washington State · · Score: 4, Informative

    I had a DirecTV Tivo DVR that was working fine in Missouri. I moved to Vermont and brought it with me. However the model would not work in Vermont.

    Directv would not allow me to continue to use the Tivo model so they forced me to obtain their free DVR product (crap). Didn't cost me anything so I had to agree to that.

    Then the DVR product broke and I asked DirecTV to replace it. They did so no problem but extended my two year contract without informing me. About a year later when the contract was supposed to have expire, I called to negotiate a better deal including HD etc, only to be told that I have one more year left. After countless calls I learned that they extended this quietly because they "gave" me a replacement DVR.

    So screw them, I paid the ETF and moved to Dish. Ever since DirecTV have been bombarding me with mails begging me to come back but I'm staying with Dish for two years.

    Hope the states force DirecTV to stop these practices.

  9. It's one of the biggest factors for sure on Did Chicago Lose Olympic Bid Due To US Passport Control? · · Score: 1
    The other factors are in my opinion are:
    • SLC bribery scandal. Couple that with Chicago's reputation for corruption.
    • Chicago's presentation did not inspire the IOC as others did, despite Obama's apperance
    • It's simply South America's time and this is the biggest reason. Just a matter of time.
  10. Silly on Feds Ask IT Execs To Throw Away Cellphones After Visiting China · · Score: 1

    and yet we have everything built in China for sale in the US (iPhones, Lenovo, etc).

  11. Re:Risk aversion stems from funding sources on Risk Aversion At Odds With Manned Space Exploration · · Score: 1

    Believe it or not I think the public is fine with space exploration and the risks involved.
    It's the bullshit media that likes to build up the drama and dangers of space travel in order to sell.
    This leads the political establishment to react thinking they need to look good in having silly hearings, pushing for this and that.
    Thus the NASA becomes nervous and more risk averse.
    Not that I am putting the blame on the media alone just that they are a big part of this and the lack of spine among Congress and NASA members.

  12. main character paralyzed on Avatar, Has Sci-fi Found Its Heaven's Gate? · · Score: 1, Redundant

    one thing that I get from the synopsis and trailer is that there's this main character that is paralyzed and is linked to a new hybrid alien life form through the mind (telepathy I guess).

    If they have this type of technology - why not just cure the paralysis. So it smells like a plot hole that the director is ignoring in the pursuit of a cinematic vision.

    I'll still watch it just out of curiosity.

  13. Ironic day on 10th Annual System Administrator Appreciation Day · · Score: 1

    since at the University I work, a lot of computers (Windows XP, Vista, and 7 RC) are freezing up due to ESET NOD32 for some reason. So the sys admins are very busy dealing with this all day. Actually been at it since last night. Great day for them :)

  14. Great they saved money on US Postal Service Moves To GNU/Linux · · Score: 1

    so they can ship more junk mail. That's pretty much what the PO do nowadays since online billing is widely available.

  15. In other news on Is Sat-Nav Destroying Local Knowledge? · · Score: 4, Funny

    In 10 B.C., one Josephus Moranivus wrote on papyrus paper bemoaning the fact drawn maps destroys the ability to navigate by dead-reckoning.

  16. Also obligatory post on Successful Test of Superconducting Plasma Rocket Engine · · Score: 1

    everytime VASMIR is mentioned - one should read up Franklin Chang-Diaz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Chang-Diaz) who invented this.

    His life story is amazing and should be inspirational for many people in which education and hard work can enable you to succeed in life.

  17. Re:To be fair to the WSJ on Google Will Star In New Dow Jones News Model · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think you need to consider the audience that the WJS sells to. Business people do not mind paying for business-oriented content. Look at The Economist, FT, etc for examples along with WSJ.

    Meanwhile for general news, NY Times tried the walled garden and it failed.

  18. In a year on Malcolm Gladwell Challenges the Idea of "Free" · · Score: 1

    no one is gonna care.

  19. List of Countries on Emigrating To a Freer Country? · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here's a list of countries by Human Development Index http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index#High

  20. The University of Vermont went through this on Univ. of Wisconsin's 30-Year-Old Payroll System Needs a $40 Million Fix · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not on that scale but still a hefty chunk of change nevertheless.

    The cost and complexity of moving the entire payroll and finance system over to peoplesoft was so much that it lead to the resignation of the CFO of the university because he spent more without the authorization of the board - never mind that the board and the president pushed for this improvement knowing the budget will go over from $25 mil to $40 mil or so.

    http://www.vermontnewsguy.com/tag/daniel-fogel/

    Bottom line is that these type of projects are incredibly complex and no one really knows the long term costs when they get into it initially. But due diligence and oversight would be critical and helpful no doubt.

  21. time to dump BIND on Another DNS Flaw Found, Patched · · Score: 2, Informative

    and go wtih djbdns

  22. Steve Jobs yesterday on Microsoft Zunes Committing Mass Suicide · · Score: 1

    "This time has come, execute Order 77"

  23. I live in Vermont and have Fairpoint on Fairpoint Pledges To Violate Net Neutrality · · Score: 5, Informative

    I got their mailer and here what it says :

    Yahoo!, AOL and MSN or Other Third-Party Portal Users

    On Jan 31, 2009, you'll still have access to Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN content, but you'll no longer be able to access your email directly through the third-party portal. Instead, you'll now have access to the new MyFairPoint.net portal.

    Beginning January 1, 2009, we'll start the migration of all Verizon-Yahoo! emails and settings to your new FairPoint WebMail account. You'll be able to access your FairPoint WebMail on this date, but your Verizon-Yahoo! messages may not be transferred until later in the month. Please check your new inbox periodically to find out when your messages are moved. The migration is expected to be complete by January 31, 2009.

  24. Re:Reason #1 this is useless to me on Netflix Extends "Watch Instantly" To Mac Users · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I do like foreign films. I do like domestic films as well. And yes I'm deaf. Very little videos on the net (hulu, itunes, netflix, etc) are captioned so it's frustrating to see all the cool technology. Yet it all remains inaccessible to people like me.

  25. Reason #1 this is useless to me on Netflix Extends "Watch Instantly" To Mac Users · · Score: 2, Informative
    From Netflix help section:

    Can I see subtitles or closed captions while watching movies instantly on my PC?
    A:
    Foreign-language movies watched instantly on your PC will have subtitles. We don't currently provide Closed Captioning, nor subtitling of English language movies, but you'll find those on most of our DVDs.

    arrghh