Ahhhh, it now makes 100% sense. I gave myself outs ( "but then I've never been to Iraq", etc) since one of the very first things I learned in the military was that reporters maybe get 30% of the facts, and don't understand about 80% of what they do get, report it about %20 accurately and often way out of context. So you're left with about
Anywayz, thanks for clearing that up. Maybe I read it too fast but what I wrote was the implication it left me with. 99% of getting anything done in the military is political. I've struggled with it often (e.g. Major's more worried about protocol than the fact I went 6 weeks without pay....twice) but it's a fact of life. So I can empathize with you.
I wish you well and hope things get better for you over there. The article made it sound like you'd been sorta forced out. Having also owned a small business (retail store in small mall), I can understand some of the stresses and the disappointment when you have to close shop and move. It's a lot harder than anyone, even WITH an MBA, could ever imagine.
These 'entrepreneurs' deserve to be blown to pieces by a roadside bomb. They should get out of the country and allow the Iraqis to rebuild, on their own terms, with their own labour, using their own materials, and creating their own assets.
Because CLEARLY this worked in Vietnam (now a world superpower...just give them another century), Afghanistan after Russia pulled out, Iraq (the first war), Somalia and a dozen other countries. The ones who suceeded are the ones we STAYED in such as West Germany, and Japan to name a couple.
Dbrutus touched on this, but the amount of cash out there isn't all taxed and it's a fraction of our economy. After the crash of the stock market in the early 20th century, there was a new system of Monetary Policy, which is different from Fiscal Policy (spending your tax$$). The Monetary Policy consists of constricting/expanding "cash" (lowering how much the Federal Reserve loans out to large banks) and changing the "cost" of that cash (Reserve's rate of interest). This is why everyone always watched closely what Greenspan said during most of the last 2 decades. When "rates" rose, the cost of getting cash would go up. If you do the search DBrutus mentions, look at the overall US ecomony swings BEFORE Paul Volker and Greenspan. You'll notice the graph before swings wildly. This is REACTIONARY monetary policy...they wait till things went REALLY bad and then acted. This is why I laughed and thought, "You idiot", when people would grumble about Greenspan pre-emting inflation and other economic concerns by raising the rate because the alternatives were much worse. Business hates uncertainty...even if the certainty is bad news (hence the futures market and hedges:)
Hopefully this provided a little insight. Most people really have no idea about monetary policy and fact it has nothing to do with fiscal policy. In fact, the saving grace over the last 30 years is that monetary policy has remained outside of political control.
I read the part about "a scanner...color printer", and thought, "Man you really LOVE the risk of having 18 year old's with guns get very anxious about your presence." Expired CAC and Dependent IDs are one thing, but to outright forge docs....I'm surprised he's still even in theater, however I haven't been to Iraq.
In 12 years of military service (and still in for a little longer), I can tell you that's a risk I would would think is very foolish. My two roommates just got back from Iraq about 3 months ago, so I'll ask them. One of them set up IT networks there, but I don't think he was near these guys.
FWIW, I emailed the Iraq Blue company to see if they were interested in my resume. I'll be interesting to see what happens.
So you're saying, in a candid sorta way, "I wouldn't do it, but I understand why he did."
My college freshman year was extrememly lonely too, but I fell in with a bunch of alcoholics the second semester and promptly flunked out. The beginning of the end was when I found out: They don't take roll! We'd go out Wed-Sat and sleep most of Sun-Tue. We'd gotten to the point the waitress would see us and just bring over the pitchers of Kamikaze and Bud (some liked mixed liquor, others just beer...me, both!).
Anyway, I was lucky though that early in childhood I was bigger than most my age. The first bullying I can remember, 2nd grade, was met by my soon-to-be-friends beating the hell out of the bully. Sure there were others later, but I was a very fast runner and a smartass. I'd get them all worked up, say "Meet me after school", and then sprint the 200 yards from the school's front door to mine. Never got caught (hmmm...in retrospect, the bullys were almost always fat....hmmm).
Fast forward back to college, after I flunked out, I came back, went to a Community College, joined the Air Force and married my best friend of 5 years (who divorced me 4 years later). This settled me down.
I see your point, but I'm not sure how much of this was really him being bullied, versus, just a maladjusted adult. I'd venture to say thousands of people get bullied a day...yet this only happens every few years. To me, this is just like the US Postal Worker who got fired, went home, got guns and came back. He felt "fired" by: the frats, sports, girls, etc. Some people just respond badly to rejection....in this case...very badly.
Violence is part of the human psyche. Dictators and id10ts have been killing years before electricity. There were murders far before indoor plumbing. Hence, sure we have video games and killing, but murder and criminals have been around since dirt. If video games made you violent, I'd be the most violent mofo out there (I've played hundreds of hours of Rainbow 6:Las Vegas in just the last couple months). My dad brought me up with guns and I was a marksman in the Boy Scouts before I even hit my teens.
So the easy crackpot would think: He's gonna be violent and have guns. I'm 37 and I've never even been in a fist fight. I don't own any pistols or rifles (shotgun I have was only for self defense when I drove through the Yukon in Canada by myself...didn't want to be bear-bait).
It's amazing how everyone thinks they are the norm and their ideas are either commonly held or believed. One of the things I learned in college is that I'm not at all common. Commonly people aren't the norm. There is so much diversity these days that so many different thoughts and beliefs are possible. Just think back a couple thousand years....the world was thought to be flat and the commoner had no reason to think otherwise. Today, you could post about ANY topic and get a couple hundred different "takes" on the exact same statement of fact (e.g. the world is NOT flat: You'd get discussions of oblong shapes and irregularities...some from experts, many with just a different opinion).
I normally get along with just about everyone, but the one type of person that always gets to me and confuses me are the ones who think their opinion is the only answer. Even if I have a firm belief, I always remember that my own opinion may be based upon faulty logic, conclusions, observations and other factors of human error. I'm actually looking for opinions that DISPROVE my conclusion and consider whether my argument would still stand in light of the new perspective/fact/etc.
Anyway, this is why I agree with your 2 posts (that I read) which are different from my point of view but I agree nonetheless. Just because I don't see a reason to leave a WiFi open doesn't mean I think you SHOULDNT. Guilt by association is a slippery slope. Imagine if we banned all paper and computer screens....because we all KNOW child porn is printed on paper or viewed on a screen. We must BAN these products which are OUT OF CONTROL.
Isn't control just an illusion anyway? When you say you've "lost control" it's actually an oxymoron...but I digress.:)
Re:The value of good user interface design...
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Ahhh...different topic, already posted on a couple days ago. You show me music that can make a $20k system sparkle like a gem, show incredible musical genius, and that has come out in the last 10 years and I'll buy it.
Not that it doesn't exist...because I buy music every month...but none that makes a smile a mile wide when it makes the speakers light up, and if it does, will still do it in 10 years from now. I still remember the first time I listened to a Pink Floyd album. I remember the exact position I sat, what I thought, etc. There's only a couple dozen bands that have that sort of effect.
Re:The value of good user interface design...
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You're assuming that I did not do just that, and also take it a step further and also pay $20+ for the Mobile Fidelty remaster on a Gold CD. I did both. It's just nice to have the option when things go wrong....such as the 15 or so year old gold CD cracked from the center out, making it unreadable in the CD/DVD player. The saving grace was that my computer's DVD drive dropped down to 4X speed and was able to make a lossless 192 (actually, I maxed out Media Player which goes to something silly like 382kbps).
My point wasn't that I couldn't do that with a CD, rather I'd like the option of being able to down load it on the fly when I'd like. I also plan on paying close to $50 for the copy I just heard remastered in 7.1 surround. So in effect, I'll have paid for the same musical work 4 times before it's all said and done.:) (Assuming at some point I find a need to download it).
Re:The value of good user interface design...
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Yeppers. I had a Toshiba GigABeat and ended up taking it back to get the 80Gb Video. It just works well. No lock into their download format or archaic DRM. Accessories are plentiful (the main reason I switched back...I had a Nano before) and function is intuitive. Like you mention, I don't even need to take it out of my pocket to "pause" it when I am done riding/running/whatever and don't want the battery to drain from leaving it on by accident.
People love to naysay the dominant market player, which is ironically the one getting trounced in the OS realm. I really do hope their new agreement for higher quality music takes off. I'm going to soon buy a permanent dock to dock my iPod with my high-end home audio system. So the new format will be greatly appreciated and I don't mind paying a few extra $$ for a high-def quality rip of Dark Side of the Moon.
I've seen a few birds spun up and super-synced because they were too low on Hyrdazine to be reliable for future stationkeeping maneauvers (*que sex jokes*). There are also uses for reducing the payload needed to put a satellite in orbit. Although orbital mechanics probably makes this less feasible, it's still an option available that wasn't (until this test proved the capability of the concept).
To get specific, GPS satellites fire thrusters about twice a year to keep their orbit the right inclination, and the rotation the right speed (Delta V and Delta Yaw maneuvers). The satellites don't carry a whole lot of fuel for system design and weight reasons. The birds are built to last 5 years and have always had enough fuel for stationkeeping to outlive the 5. However, I've seen first generation (Block 1) last 13 years when only designed to live 2 (SVN3 for anyone who cares) as an R&D bird. Hence, current birds designed to last 5 can run out of Hydrazine at the 8 or 9 year mark. Those birds could be theoretically refuelled to last longer. A good rebuttal, however, could be the current birds are getting so cluttered that fuel is no longer a large cause for end-of-life super-sync.
For the uninitiated, super-sync is where you boost the satellite far enough out that it won't pose a physical safety risk for that orbital slot. There are certain positions needed and if a dead satellite is there it renders it unusable (e.g. visualize a commercial airliner that gets a flat on the runway, and the runway is now permanently unusable....maintenance crews can't get to a satellite 12,000 miles away). You spin it up so that it remains stable due to gyroscopic forces. If it's spun up, and even super-synced, it's still somewhat usable in extreme circumstances (e.g. GulfWar I used a GPS bird previously unusable).
Finally, my last point was in regards to satellites that use a lot of fuel. MILSTAR satellites perform thruster firings all the time and even do it automously (GPS is a big affair with lots of people on crew watching and commanding the firing....currently...newer ones are being built which MAY do it themselves). The satellite is extremely heavy, requiring the largest spacelift vehicles available for their 22,000 mile high orbit. If you could refuel at a orbital transfer point, it could reduce the weight at launch.
Anyway, this comment will probably be lost in the sex jokes, but the implications of this are really cool for the space geek. For the other post about using it as a satellite killer...this is really something the US Military is trying to avoid. We could easily and completely render useless the asset of Space if we're not careful about debris. From a practical, and strategic standpoint, it's a bad idea. Sorta like briefcase nukes. Yeah, we can do it, but it's pretty stupid. (hence the nuclear artillary and briefcases are a relic from the 60s which likely will never be revisited).
I can leave my XBOX360 on Live for days with no problems (using several glitches, such as "rubber-banding" to fight inactivity timers). Yet, as soon as I use Limewire, my connection is almost 100% gauranteed to drop within 30-240 minutes. The fix? Reboot cable modem. The cable modem still shows activity with my router showing no WAN, so I believe they drop you from the DHCP server or just discard your packets until you re-handshake.
Their Tech Support denies it. But how else do you describe content specific drops in connectivity. Also, it wasn't like this before. Tech Support's suggested fix? Buy a new cable modem cuz at 5 years they are garbage. I kid you not...that was his reply. Although, to counter my own argument, I don't think this is necessarily for hogging. It's more for length of usage, etc. With Limewire, you can start dozens of downloads and walk away. My overall downstream is only about 300k, so I don't think it's peak usage that causes it. I have the Mid-Tier internet package which is supposed to be about 7Meg down and 512k up.
Hmmm...not too sure its TOOO far off topic since the topic is good music:) I finally checked out Goldfrapp and the others you mentioned. I liked Goldfrapp, and Mika a lot. Actually I liked all of them, but Goldfrapp the best. Thanks for the info....I'll look forward to your reply. I finally brought home my 120 Gig external drive, so I'll start ripping more of my CDs now. My computers drive was full and I had to stop.
Now I'll go off topic. Got 2 questions: Have you noticed when you rip with iTunes it doesn't seem to grab album art, but if you rip with MediaPlayer and then import to iTunes the art is there? 2nd, Can I rip straight from CD to my iPod. I manually sync the iPod, so droppin it into the library doesnt push it until I drag it over. Just seems I could save time by directly ripping it, since I'm not too concerned with having it on my harddrive (since I've got it on CD).
I agree. When I worked at Sprint, my Director was a EE/ME major with a PH.D. Although he was very astute of certain concepts and academia, he was not able to see applications and long-term implications when using that techology/concept. You could have asked the PH.D in electrical theory about how 3G data network operated and some of the reply would be wrong or misleading (because it would include correct observations based upon incorrect assumptions).
Some of the brightest people don't have a lick of schooling beyond high school. I have an MBA and am about to finish a MS in Sofware Engineering, but I always keep in mind a stat I read in a business magazine about a decade ago: Most Fortune 500 companies are made successful by leaders who have only a Master of Arts degree (not business). Getting an advanced degree means you have the ability to research and reach conclusions. The credentials mean you've hit milestones in learning. However, the these aren't mutual inclusive. You can be very adept and logical and not have a degree. You can have a degree and yet be, practically, dumb as a rock.
I applaud the discussion and it's intent. I would just look somewhere besides credentials to lead credibilty to information,IMHO.
But they quote wikipedia so it MUST be true......*hold it* *hold it*....must....hold back...... [burst] bwaaahahahahahahahaha.... hee hee just teasing.
That's probably the funniest quote ("make sure there is a wagon") I've heard in awhile...ok, next to Leno last night mentioning that if they impeach Bush for Iraq, it'll be the first time two presidents in a row are impeached for not pulling out.:)
It's interesting you mention the Fragile (Halo 14). I just popped the Right CD (Disc 2) in last night. Ordinarily, I like most NIN albums but I just couldn't get into that one. There were one or two that were good, but it was almost like he was just playing and experimenting. Sorta like Metallica after the Black album. In both cases, I didn't go for it.
Your observation about Evanesence is why I stopped listening to it. "Call me when you're sober" is a good track by itself, but after listening to so many tracks with identical sounding singing/riffs/song structure/etc, you get tired of it quickly. Which is a shame. Track 1 sent chills up my spine, but again, I don't play it because I don't feel like having to "seek" another artist 1 song later (my tastes change too quickly to use playlists) on my iPod.
I have noticed good new bands on Leno, but I always forget to get on NBC.com or whatever to find out who they are...since I usually fall asleep by the 2nd guest. Letterman used to be good, but I haven't watched him in years (I'm assuming he is still on-air).
Thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can't find a single or something available for the new NIN and I'll check out the bands you mentioned. I think I might have caught the Mika show, but I haven't watched much Leno lately either.
I have to agree 100% with every single word you wrote. Although the last album I played in to the ground was American Idiot, I did buy afterwards the new Evanesence album (Open Door or something similar).
I listen to more and WANT to buy more now than I did as a teenager (now in my 30s), but there's just not much there. I listen to MTV and it's warmed over crap. VH1 plays stuff where even I think, "damn thats old!"
I also averaged at least 1-2 CDs a month as a teen, but have only bought the two mentioned above in the last year or so. I've bought singles, such as Lil John and Eminem tracks, but no other albums. I guess I'll just have to wait too for the NIN. Hopefully he's back to creating good stuff like he did in the mid-90s. I'm looking for good electronica too...like Massive Attack and Crystal Method. So if anyone has suggestions, I'm game.
I don't know if I can attribute the drop off to ClearChannel and the consolidations. I grew up with Clear Channel and before TicketMaster. I remember being able to see a concert for a headliner for under $15 bucks with no surcharges. I listen to music today and then compare it to the icons of our days (Green Day, Van Halen, etc), yesterday (Pink Floyd), and history (Elvis, Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath). I just don't hear the musical talent. My 4 yr old watches Disney and they promote their "in-house" bands, and I think, "This is what they're passing as talent?" If you grow up thinking Connect-the-dots pictures with watercolors is art, how developed will you be as an adult? Same with music.....I think...but I am probably wrong. It is funny to have Rob Zombie playing and hear my 4 yr old say, "TURN IT LOUDER DADDY!!"...you can see my grin from 100 yards away:)
You are correct, there is no true difference between the two. One is a proprietary plug which will run you $80+ at Circuit City, and the other is open and $30. I'm sure you can figure out which one is which. The HDMI claim is speed, but if you're running from a DVD next to your plasma/LCD, it doesn't really matter. And if you're running long distances, you're paying out the nose for a long HDMI cable, but you could just use a new component video disribution system for only a few hundred more (and then see that HD DVD on all your plasmas/LCDs).
Just save your $$ for games and be happy with component video. It passes the full 1080p, which isn't available for a majority of the stuff out there anyway! Most stuff is still hanging out in the 480 range.
Industry magazines are now starting to pick up on the next generation of closed, propritary methods being looked into use for transmission and even the end-device. I alerted our product managers that future TVs could even contain DRMs that are by default blocking non-DRM sources. Meaning, lets say you decide to locally modulate a DVD player and a camera in your own home. The Camera is over your front door and the DVD player is in your entertainment center. Currently, you can easily do this for a couple hundred bucks, and any TV in the house can watch the DVD player on channel 125, and the camera on channel 123 ( I won't explain, unless you ask, why a channel of seperation is used). If you watch what the MPAA and other abusers of DMCA and DRM are doing, this system would not work for a TV made in the future. The locally modulated channels would lack the "broadcast flag='off" tag, and using the now-prevalant 'if it's not DRM, it's stolen' mentality, the Television would block it. So your TV would say, "Nope, you cant tell me your not stolen, so I'm assuming you are stolen" and the local modulated signal would be dropped.
Hopefully I explained this in a way a non-TV geek would pick up. I simply took your quick, and accurate observation, and applied it to what might happen with a TV and Game Console of the future (e.g. a "GEEKBOX" running Linux might not work on the TV to play a game, unless it had the HDMI or someother DRM-approved cable).
Ahhhhh...the Good Old days...The Apple IIe. Back when "programmers" were either using punch cards or kids playing with this new concept, "The Personal Computer".
Good points in regard to the original post. I'm on the fence. I see advantages to open (now mistakenly attached to MS which is now draconian in practice and NOT open) standards VS closed (presumably Mac). SO I'll leave opining to others.
You wrote: the entire "Continuous Call Team" moving across to 2GB, along with some other high profile non-league related personalities (ie "The Parrot") as well.
What would also be interesting if they took this absurdity to the next logical level and apply property rights to their IP. Meaning, if you create a program at work and then move to another employer, then the rights for the computer program remain with the first employer. Now, extend that to a "personality" on the TV, which is something a TV show/broadcaster will and does spend considerable resources helping "develop", "promote", etc. When you move, technically they could try to argue they own the personna since it's a tangible asset. If the chef guy can protect "BAM!", then the show who employed the chef should own the rights, right? There's probably some loophole or industry practice that gets around it, but it truly shows how absurd this can get in today's litigation and IP happy culture.
Could Big Bird move from PBS to the Today Show? And if so would PBS sue? LOL Sorry...I'm a little giddy from lack of sleep.
This def is Charisma +10, except she also codes in Perl...that makes it +50. A lawyer who codes in Perl. Next, I'll meet a EE/ME/Scientist who also is a porn actress... bwahahahahah..err wait.
The industry I'm in, though, is built around the people who spend $50k-$150k on home theater. You're right, they wouldn't spend it on just a stereo...unless they were also buying the $10k 50+ inch plasma and all the things that a custom home integrator would suggest.
Me? I make a modest amount (lets say I took a 25% pay cut getting out of telecom). After typing my original post, I've heard a new line of speakers a "sister company" (Sunfire, a Bob Carver company) is coming out with and for the first time in about 20 years, I'm convinced to spend $5k on speakers alone...and that's just for a pair and sub. The reference CD was a re-mastered in Dobly surround Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". I'd forgotten just how much I love music...yeah, I listen to it all the time on my iPod, but it's just a comfort to get through the daily grind (sorta like your beater Honda). But if I want to "drive what I love" (600+ horsepower, supercharged Trans Am), I'm going to turn off every appliance in the house, kick everyone out and turn off the phone, and then turn on this system with the source being a CD. Live is great, but how many people get to really hear the concert you've mentioned and have center row, 15' back, seats with 0 (zero) distraction and an accoustically perfect concert hall? You can have near that with a modest system, CD input, and constant availability.
I'm probably preaching to the choir and not telling you anything everyone doesn't already know, but I really have re-fallen in love with high quality music after a 18 year haitus. My wallet will hurt, but the rest of me will benefit:)
I used to work in a high end audio store back in da day and somewhat had "an ear". After college, I couldn't afford a high end system, but recently I'm starting to have enough cash to drop more $$ on speakers. I distinctly heard on 15 year old speakers just how crappy iTunes music is compared to store bought. Up to that point, I was thinking of ripping the remaining couple hundred CDs (not yet converted) and chucking them....but now I'm reconsidering.
Today, just before leaving work, I got to listen to some new Sunfire speakers (Bob Carver company) that got overnight air'ed for the Electronic Home trade show in Orlando this week... lets just say that even though I'd lost my ear long ago...this reminded me of just how good music could sound.
Anyway, long story longer...I know online is giving stores a run...but I think as long as there's people dropping $10k on speakers (the cost of the system I heard today for JUST speakers...double or triple it to include everything else), I don't think CDs are going anywhere.
LOL, I got your humor and thought it was funny (although lack of identifying your commentary VS original comment made it harder since their original comment was below my filter level).
I find the whole premise absurd. Ads are everywhere. Just get used to it and quit complaining. I saw a Dice ad (as in Andrew Dice Clay) in my Rainbow Six online game and was glad to see it...I didnt realize the old nasty bastard was still around and doing shows. I don't really care that the terrorist I just blew away with my Desert Eagle just fell against a blood (his) splattered Axe ad for deodorant. To me, it actually makes it more reaslitic and even comical (one ad looked like either a catepiller on crack or a really hairy peni$), since we're not seeing streets with "ACME" company ads.
"Games cost more"? WTF? I remember paying just as much for an old a$$ Super Mario for my SNES back around 95 as I just paid a couple months ago for my Tom Clancy Rainbow Six:Las Vegas. You honestly think the two are on par with each other? It's like gas....it stayed cheap forever and people got caught napping or pissing it away. Now that it's back on par with inflation you think twice before driving across the street to get that soda at 7-11. Likewise, games are expensive? Buy them used, research before you buy....or you get what you deserve.
"you're married, who cares," too me is just about as bad, but 'less bad' than the merchant who accepted them. I have tried on occasion to use my wife's card, and sometimes fail. I'm willing to bet the merchants who don't allow me to use it are paying lower merchant fees due to their vigilance. How did this come about? The VISA/MC encourage it by rewarding better behavior.
The "Who Cares" is probably more a minimum wage worker 'customer care'(less) response, and not the official response. Technically, they're probably right...if they come after her, they're also coming after you in a way. Arguably, you could have said, "these aren't my charges or my signature, and i'm not paying" (puting the onus on them to prove it is or is not your wife). However, you gave the guy an easy out by admiting it was her. Long story short, if you'd have stuck to your guns, the merchant's bank would have eaten it, and your merchants wouldn't have accepted your wife's signature (assuming the merchant has decent employees).
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I wish you well and hope things get better for you over there. The article made it sound like you'd been sorta forced out. Having also owned a small business (retail store in small mall), I can understand some of the stresses and the disappointment when you have to close shop and move. It's a lot harder than anyone, even WITH an MBA, could ever imagine.
Because CLEARLY this worked in Vietnam (now a world superpower...just give them another century), Afghanistan after Russia pulled out, Iraq (the first war), Somalia and a dozen other countries. The ones who suceeded are the ones we STAYED in such as West Germany, and Japan to name a couple.
Hopefully this provided a little insight. Most people really have no idea about monetary policy and fact it has nothing to do with fiscal policy. In fact, the saving grace over the last 30 years is that monetary policy has remained outside of political control.
In 12 years of military service (and still in for a little longer), I can tell you that's a risk I would would think is very foolish. My two roommates just got back from Iraq about 3 months ago, so I'll ask them. One of them set up IT networks there, but I don't think he was near these guys.
FWIW, I emailed the Iraq Blue company to see if they were interested in my resume. I'll be interesting to see what happens.
My college freshman year was extrememly lonely too, but I fell in with a bunch of alcoholics the second semester and promptly flunked out. The beginning of the end was when I found out: They don't take roll! We'd go out Wed-Sat and sleep most of Sun-Tue. We'd gotten to the point the waitress would see us and just bring over the pitchers of Kamikaze and Bud (some liked mixed liquor, others just beer...me, both!).
Anyway, I was lucky though that early in childhood I was bigger than most my age. The first bullying I can remember, 2nd grade, was met by my soon-to-be-friends beating the hell out of the bully. Sure there were others later, but I was a very fast runner and a smartass. I'd get them all worked up, say "Meet me after school", and then sprint the 200 yards from the school's front door to mine. Never got caught (hmmm...in retrospect, the bullys were almost always fat....hmmm).
Fast forward back to college, after I flunked out, I came back, went to a Community College, joined the Air Force and married my best friend of 5 years (who divorced me 4 years later). This settled me down.
I see your point, but I'm not sure how much of this was really him being bullied, versus, just a maladjusted adult. I'd venture to say thousands of people get bullied a day...yet this only happens every few years. To me, this is just like the US Postal Worker who got fired, went home, got guns and came back. He felt "fired" by: the frats, sports, girls, etc. Some people just respond badly to rejection....in this case...very badly.
So the easy crackpot would think: He's gonna be violent and have guns. I'm 37 and I've never even been in a fist fight. I don't own any pistols or rifles (shotgun I have was only for self defense when I drove through the Yukon in Canada by myself...didn't want to be bear-bait).
I normally get along with just about everyone, but the one type of person that always gets to me and confuses me are the ones who think their opinion is the only answer. Even if I have a firm belief, I always remember that my own opinion may be based upon faulty logic, conclusions, observations and other factors of human error. I'm actually looking for opinions that DISPROVE my conclusion and consider whether my argument would still stand in light of the new perspective/fact/etc.
Anyway, this is why I agree with your 2 posts (that I read) which are different from my point of view but I agree nonetheless. Just because I don't see a reason to leave a WiFi open doesn't mean I think you SHOULDNT. Guilt by association is a slippery slope. Imagine if we banned all paper and computer screens....because we all KNOW child porn is printed on paper or viewed on a screen. We must BAN these products which are OUT OF CONTROL.
Isn't control just an illusion anyway? When you say you've "lost control" it's actually an oxymoron...but I digress. :)
Not that it doesn't exist...because I buy music every month...but none that makes a smile a mile wide when it makes the speakers light up, and if it does, will still do it in 10 years from now. I still remember the first time I listened to a Pink Floyd album. I remember the exact position I sat, what I thought, etc. There's only a couple dozen bands that have that sort of effect.
My point wasn't that I couldn't do that with a CD, rather I'd like the option of being able to down load it on the fly when I'd like. I also plan on paying close to $50 for the copy I just heard remastered in 7.1 surround. So in effect, I'll have paid for the same musical work 4 times before it's all said and done. :) (Assuming at some point I find a need to download it).
People love to naysay the dominant market player, which is ironically the one getting trounced in the OS realm. I really do hope their new agreement for higher quality music takes off. I'm going to soon buy a permanent dock to dock my iPod with my high-end home audio system. So the new format will be greatly appreciated and I don't mind paying a few extra $$ for a high-def quality rip of Dark Side of the Moon.
To get specific, GPS satellites fire thrusters about twice a year to keep their orbit the right inclination, and the rotation the right speed (Delta V and Delta Yaw maneuvers). The satellites don't carry a whole lot of fuel for system design and weight reasons. The birds are built to last 5 years and have always had enough fuel for stationkeeping to outlive the 5. However, I've seen first generation (Block 1) last 13 years when only designed to live 2 (SVN3 for anyone who cares) as an R&D bird. Hence, current birds designed to last 5 can run out of Hydrazine at the 8 or 9 year mark. Those birds could be theoretically refuelled to last longer. A good rebuttal, however, could be the current birds are getting so cluttered that fuel is no longer a large cause for end-of-life super-sync.
For the uninitiated, super-sync is where you boost the satellite far enough out that it won't pose a physical safety risk for that orbital slot. There are certain positions needed and if a dead satellite is there it renders it unusable (e.g. visualize a commercial airliner that gets a flat on the runway, and the runway is now permanently unusable....maintenance crews can't get to a satellite 12,000 miles away). You spin it up so that it remains stable due to gyroscopic forces. If it's spun up, and even super-synced, it's still somewhat usable in extreme circumstances (e.g. GulfWar I used a GPS bird previously unusable).
Finally, my last point was in regards to satellites that use a lot of fuel. MILSTAR satellites perform thruster firings all the time and even do it automously (GPS is a big affair with lots of people on crew watching and commanding the firing....currently...newer ones are being built which MAY do it themselves). The satellite is extremely heavy, requiring the largest spacelift vehicles available for their 22,000 mile high orbit. If you could refuel at a orbital transfer point, it could reduce the weight at launch.
Anyway, this comment will probably be lost in the sex jokes, but the implications of this are really cool for the space geek. For the other post about using it as a satellite killer...this is really something the US Military is trying to avoid. We could easily and completely render useless the asset of Space if we're not careful about debris. From a practical, and strategic standpoint, it's a bad idea. Sorta like briefcase nukes. Yeah, we can do it, but it's pretty stupid. (hence the nuclear artillary and briefcases are a relic from the 60s which likely will never be revisited).
Their Tech Support denies it. But how else do you describe content specific drops in connectivity. Also, it wasn't like this before. Tech Support's suggested fix? Buy a new cable modem cuz at 5 years they are garbage. I kid you not...that was his reply. Although, to counter my own argument, I don't think this is necessarily for hogging. It's more for length of usage, etc. With Limewire, you can start dozens of downloads and walk away. My overall downstream is only about 300k, so I don't think it's peak usage that causes it. I have the Mid-Tier internet package which is supposed to be about 7Meg down and 512k up.
Now I'll go off topic. Got 2 questions: Have you noticed when you rip with iTunes it doesn't seem to grab album art, but if you rip with MediaPlayer and then import to iTunes the art is there? 2nd, Can I rip straight from CD to my iPod. I manually sync the iPod, so droppin it into the library doesnt push it until I drag it over. Just seems I could save time by directly ripping it, since I'm not too concerned with having it on my harddrive (since I've got it on CD).
Thx
Some of the brightest people don't have a lick of schooling beyond high school. I have an MBA and am about to finish a MS in Sofware Engineering, but I always keep in mind a stat I read in a business magazine about a decade ago: Most Fortune 500 companies are made successful by leaders who have only a Master of Arts degree (not business). Getting an advanced degree means you have the ability to research and reach conclusions. The credentials mean you've hit milestones in learning. However, the these aren't mutual inclusive. You can be very adept and logical and not have a degree. You can have a degree and yet be, practically, dumb as a rock.
I applaud the discussion and it's intent. I would just look somewhere besides credentials to lead credibilty to information,IMHO.
That's probably the funniest quote ("make sure there is a wagon") I've heard in awhile...ok, next to Leno last night mentioning that if they impeach Bush for Iraq, it'll be the first time two presidents in a row are impeached for not pulling out. :)
Your observation about Evanesence is why I stopped listening to it. "Call me when you're sober" is a good track by itself, but after listening to so many tracks with identical sounding singing/riffs/song structure/etc, you get tired of it quickly. Which is a shame. Track 1 sent chills up my spine, but again, I don't play it because I don't feel like having to "seek" another artist 1 song later (my tastes change too quickly to use playlists) on my iPod.
I have noticed good new bands on Leno, but I always forget to get on NBC.com or whatever to find out who they are...since I usually fall asleep by the 2nd guest. Letterman used to be good, but I haven't watched him in years (I'm assuming he is still on-air).
Thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can't find a single or something available for the new NIN and I'll check out the bands you mentioned. I think I might have caught the Mika show, but I haven't watched much Leno lately either.
I listen to more and WANT to buy more now than I did as a teenager (now in my 30s), but there's just not much there. I listen to MTV and it's warmed over crap. VH1 plays stuff where even I think, "damn thats old!"
I also averaged at least 1-2 CDs a month as a teen, but have only bought the two mentioned above in the last year or so. I've bought singles, such as Lil John and Eminem tracks, but no other albums. I guess I'll just have to wait too for the NIN. Hopefully he's back to creating good stuff like he did in the mid-90s. I'm looking for good electronica too...like Massive Attack and Crystal Method. So if anyone has suggestions, I'm game.
I don't know if I can attribute the drop off to ClearChannel and the consolidations. I grew up with Clear Channel and before TicketMaster. I remember being able to see a concert for a headliner for under $15 bucks with no surcharges. I listen to music today and then compare it to the icons of our days (Green Day, Van Halen, etc), yesterday (Pink Floyd), and history (Elvis, Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath). I just don't hear the musical talent. My 4 yr old watches Disney and they promote their "in-house" bands, and I think, "This is what they're passing as talent?" If you grow up thinking Connect-the-dots pictures with watercolors is art, how developed will you be as an adult? Same with music.....I think...but I am probably wrong. It is funny to have Rob Zombie playing and hear my 4 yr old say, "TURN IT LOUDER DADDY!!"...you can see my grin from 100 yards away :)
Just save your $$ for games and be happy with component video. It passes the full 1080p, which isn't available for a majority of the stuff out there anyway! Most stuff is still hanging out in the 480 range.
Industry magazines are now starting to pick up on the next generation of closed, propritary methods being looked into use for transmission and even the end-device. I alerted our product managers that future TVs could even contain DRMs that are by default blocking non-DRM sources. Meaning, lets say you decide to locally modulate a DVD player and a camera in your own home. The Camera is over your front door and the DVD player is in your entertainment center. Currently, you can easily do this for a couple hundred bucks, and any TV in the house can watch the DVD player on channel 125, and the camera on channel 123 ( I won't explain, unless you ask, why a channel of seperation is used). If you watch what the MPAA and other abusers of DMCA and DRM are doing, this system would not work for a TV made in the future. The locally modulated channels would lack the "broadcast flag='off" tag, and using the now-prevalant 'if it's not DRM, it's stolen' mentality, the Television would block it. So your TV would say, "Nope, you cant tell me your not stolen, so I'm assuming you are stolen" and the local modulated signal would be dropped.
Hopefully I explained this in a way a non-TV geek would pick up. I simply took your quick, and accurate observation, and applied it to what might happen with a TV and Game Console of the future (e.g. a "GEEKBOX" running Linux might not work on the TV to play a game, unless it had the HDMI or someother DRM-approved cable).
Good points in regard to the original post. I'm on the fence. I see advantages to open (now mistakenly attached to MS which is now draconian in practice and NOT open) standards VS closed (presumably Mac). SO I'll leave opining to others.
What would also be interesting if they took this absurdity to the next logical level and apply property rights to their IP. Meaning, if you create a program at work and then move to another employer, then the rights for the computer program remain with the first employer. Now, extend that to a "personality" on the TV, which is something a TV show/broadcaster will and does spend considerable resources helping "develop", "promote", etc. When you move, technically they could try to argue they own the personna since it's a tangible asset. If the chef guy can protect "BAM!", then the show who employed the chef should own the rights, right? There's probably some loophole or industry practice that gets around it, but it truly shows how absurd this can get in today's litigation and IP happy culture.
Could Big Bird move from PBS to the Today Show? And if so would PBS sue? LOL Sorry...I'm a little giddy from lack of sleep.
This def is Charisma +10, except she also codes in Perl...that makes it +50. A lawyer who codes in Perl. Next, I'll meet a EE/ME/Scientist who also is a porn actress... bwahahahahah..err wait.
Me? I make a modest amount (lets say I took a 25% pay cut getting out of telecom). After typing my original post, I've heard a new line of speakers a "sister company" (Sunfire, a Bob Carver company) is coming out with and for the first time in about 20 years, I'm convinced to spend $5k on speakers alone...and that's just for a pair and sub. The reference CD was a re-mastered in Dobly surround Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". I'd forgotten just how much I love music...yeah, I listen to it all the time on my iPod, but it's just a comfort to get through the daily grind (sorta like your beater Honda). But if I want to "drive what I love" (600+ horsepower, supercharged Trans Am), I'm going to turn off every appliance in the house, kick everyone out and turn off the phone, and then turn on this system with the source being a CD. Live is great, but how many people get to really hear the concert you've mentioned and have center row, 15' back, seats with 0 (zero) distraction and an accoustically perfect concert hall? You can have near that with a modest system, CD input, and constant availability.
I'm probably preaching to the choir and not telling you anything everyone doesn't already know, but I really have re-fallen in love with high quality music after a 18 year haitus. My wallet will hurt, but the rest of me will benefit
Today, just before leaving work, I got to listen to some new Sunfire speakers (Bob Carver company) that got overnight air'ed for the Electronic Home trade show in Orlando this week... lets just say that even though I'd lost my ear long ago...this reminded me of just how good music could sound.
Anyway, long story longer...I know online is giving stores a run...but I think as long as there's people dropping $10k on speakers (the cost of the system I heard today for JUST speakers...double or triple it to include everything else), I don't think CDs are going anywhere.
I'm probably wrong but that's my opinion.
Here's a list of what I was listening to: Processor
2700 watt Subs (2!!)
2,800 Watt Amp
Speakers (not the same, but similar to these) **DISCLAIMER** The company I work for owns Sunfire...
I find the whole premise absurd. Ads are everywhere. Just get used to it and quit complaining. I saw a Dice ad (as in Andrew Dice Clay) in my Rainbow Six online game and was glad to see it...I didnt realize the old nasty bastard was still around and doing shows. I don't really care that the terrorist I just blew away with my Desert Eagle just fell against a blood (his) splattered Axe ad for deodorant. To me, it actually makes it more reaslitic and even comical (one ad looked like either a catepiller on crack or a really hairy peni$), since we're not seeing streets with "ACME" company ads.
"Games cost more"? WTF? I remember paying just as much for an old a$$ Super Mario for my SNES back around 95 as I just paid a couple months ago for my Tom Clancy Rainbow Six:Las Vegas. You honestly think the two are on par with each other? It's like gas....it stayed cheap forever and people got caught napping or pissing it away. Now that it's back on par with inflation you think twice before driving across the street to get that soda at 7-11. Likewise, games are expensive? Buy them used, research before you buy....or you get what you deserve.
Just my sarcastic rantings...
The "Who Cares" is probably more a minimum wage worker 'customer care'(less) response, and not the official response. Technically, they're probably right...if they come after her, they're also coming after you in a way. Arguably, you could have said, "these aren't my charges or my signature, and i'm not paying" (puting the onus on them to prove it is or is not your wife). However, you gave the guy an easy out by admiting it was her. Long story short, if you'd have stuck to your guns, the merchant's bank would have eaten it, and your merchants wouldn't have accepted your wife's signature (assuming the merchant has decent employees).