Of course, that was all back before the War on Underage Drinking.
...sponsored by the group of morons and incompetents known as MADD. Sometime in the 80s, the group morphed from one dedicated to preventing drunken driving, to a puritanical group dedicated to controlling *all* drinking. When that happened, the original founders were either forced out or left in disgust.
The right to remain anonymous died in 2004 in the Supreme Court case, Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada. All we're haggling about now is what kind of ID they can force us to show.
Hiibel was about having to *identify* yourself to a cop when under suspicion of a crime, not showing ID. Perhaps a verbal identification would have been sufficient, but Hiibel refused to give out any information. (Not that I think this is right either, unless you're arrested, ticketed, or need a license, you shouldn't have to give any info. to a cop.)
And I am quite sure the government has a cure for your smashed RFID chip. It begins with "please step this way, sir" and ends with habeas corpus nowhere in sight.
If it ever comes to that, there's a cure for tyranny, too. It begins with the Second Amendment and ends with a length of rope formed into a circle with a sliding knot closing the loop.
This "my code is perfect" attitude is alive and well. A friend of mine started a new job recently and found that his boss:
I was working for an engineering company (automation systems), and the owner was always testing us. One day, he told me to write some code. Unbeknownst to me, we was also writing the same code, in competition with me. He finished before me.
Only problem? His code had several flaws and wouldn't work if we had run it. Thinking that this was another test, I politely pointed out the errors. His response was to turn purple and scream -- "you little bastard, go home for the day..."
I didn't take this too well -- my response was, "I've been waiting a long time to say this to you, since you've been an asshole to me since I've started -- FUCK YOU MAN, I'm leaving for good." I saw him turning even more purple with anger and mouthing words as I walked out the door. At the time, I was hoping for a heart attack at least, but thankfully I didn't give him an apoplexy -- he had a family and I'd have felt guilty:)
Can I just phone the police in the States and pretend to be a landlord/prospective employer etc and find out every time you've been pulled over for having a faulty brake light?
No, but there are places that specialize in investigations, aggregation of police data. For something like $100, you can buy a "full report" (accuracy not guaranteed since agencies don't report everything) on a person.
Personally, I agree with the sentiment that arrest records should be sealed entirely at the discretion of the arrested party and that conviction records for misdemeanors should expire after three to six years, depending on the severity of the crime. People change, etc. And an arrest record even without a conviction can be used as a "blacklist" of sorts.
Senior year of college, I told a scumbag cop who had just shut down a 9/11 benefit concert and hit my friend in the face in the process: "Shouldn't you be in NYC helping clean up instead of harassing students who are actually trying to make a difference and help?" He arrested me for felony riot, disregarding an official order, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
The two first, most serious charges were dropped by a judge in the preliminary hearing within a few days. The other two charges (which were ticketable offenses, not even misdemeanors in Pennsylvania) stuck. Instead of fighting the charges tooth and nail on grounds of freedom of speech, my attorney advised me to plead no contest to the charges in exchange for community service, a fine, and probation. I stupidly followed his advice. Result: 6 8-hr days on what was basically a county chain gang, and a year's probation after graduation. Fortunately, the judge ordering the probation let me serve it out of state with no reporting requirements and an agreement that I not come back to PA for the duration (good fucking riddance!).
Anyway, despite there being no formal convictions, I found it difficult to find work after college, and the State didn't let me take my Fundamentals of Engineering (EIT) exams on the grounds of the two summary charges not being dropped. Call it a 21st century version of a 20th century blacklist.
Fortunately, I ended up starting my own IT business as a result -- oddly enough, people didn't seem to check on freelancers too closely -- am making *more* than I ever would have as an employee. Passed my EIT exam and am thinking of partnering with a professional engineer and starting an engineering consulting company. So the last laugh might well be mine.
Let's face it, ideas and presumed intentions are becoming criminal. George Orwell called it.
Look at the Montana Sedition Trials in the early 1900s (mostly during WW I). People were arrested and sometimes jailed for *years* for saying that they were members of the IWW ("Wobblies") or disagreeing with the war/telling people that war bonds were worthless. Today's country isn't perfect, but freedom of thought and speech were curtailed then, too, and the punishments for comparatively small acts were worse than anything that would get meted out today.
Owning a gun or talking about buying a gun is, as far as I know, does not qualify you for a protected class.
It's a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Since this is a *government* facility, are they allowed to dictate that employees aren't allowed to exercise their rights outside the workplace?
that don't have a fixed home or business location? Call them "road warriors". There'll always be a market for hosted applications, just because some people don't have the SPACE or time to host a server.
I run a web server and for me it's part time. The sites are mostly my own real-world businesses and when I need to add, oh say, something new in the hppd.conf throu SSH it takes me a lot of remembering, lots of reading and calls to friends.
Use a GUI or web-based front-end to the text configuration files if you can set it up. Makes things a lot easier, and you can still edit the flat files if there's something that the front-end can't do.
I hate POP with a passion, and while I would use IMAP, there just isnt a standalone email client I like.
Try Thunderbird 2.0. Once it's set up correctly, it's fast and gets the job done quite well. (I actually don't use the filtering/spam capabilities, preferring my server and procmail to do it, but, it still works nicely).
Why do I want an extra "hub" computer in my house when it's already a pain in the ass to keep a WEP-enabled wireless router working, and I actually know what I'm doing.
WEP-enabled? No WPA? That means that it's probably 2-3 years old -- maybe it's time to upgrade or at least get new firmware?
BTW, my router and server have been working fine for the best part of a year. No hassles. Then again, I use OpenBSD for anything that I really care about. Not very featureful, but robust as a tank.
I'd rather let the guys at Google provide my word processor without my having to find room for another plug in my power strip.
I'd rather my word processor run locally -- like MS Word or OpenOffice. That way, it's always accessible, I know where my documents are stored, etc. As far as backups, I just have a program that backs up to my BSD box regularly (even when I'm travelling, it can connect via SSH VPN).
and all the sudden declare my independence from Software as Service for the business purposes
A lot of businesses are still uncomfortable with Software as a Service. Something about their private documents being stored somewhere that's not under their control. For businesses, if Google was smart, they would come out with an Google Apps Appliance that hosts the apps and their data locally, has secure web access and Google's version of dynamic DNS, includes a VPN server, and has an easy way of backing up daily, either to an external SFTP server or to local removable media.
iWeb and their user interface is dreadful, IMHO. You're far better off with Google page creator (whatever it's called) or even regular web hosting and an... ahem... borrowed copy of DreamWeaver.
Even in the future the main problem with this setup is reliablity. I have had a server in my home doing these functions for many years. However I would never rely upon it to be the same as a real internet server providing these services. When the power goes out at home, most of the time it will stay down until I get back home.
I'm running OBSD with a backup mail exchanger. If power goes down and comes back up (and the limits of the UPS are exceeded), the box just reboots. Mail stored in the interim is sent to it from the backup MX.
Agreed. Why is there no punishment for people who attempt to unjustly use the legal system to send others to jail?
There is, actually. Look at 18 USC 241 and 242 ("Violation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law"). Punishments range up to 10 yrs in prison, with execution being an option if someone is seriously maimed or killed. I don't normally support the death penalty, but: good!
"We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007." and "Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008."
I thought LEDs used gallium arsenide as a semiconductor, BTW. Do the newer white ones use a different material?
Like putting windmills off the shore of NJ and NY... except all the rich liberals keep complaining about how their views are being ruined.
How expensive would maint. be on those windmills, out of curiosity? They tried to build radar platforms off of the coast ("Texas Towers") in the 1950s, and the platforms ended up being very expensive to maintain -- actually, one of them ended up getting destroyed in a Nor'Easter killing everyone on board. Not saying that the windmill platforms will be manned, but the sea is a rough place for any sort of fixed hardware.
But doesn't make up for the fact that most of NJ isn't that great of a place to live so I'm not moving across the border any time soon.
The northwest part of the state -- near High Point/Port Jervis, NY is really pretty IMHO. It's not all ugly development, provided you stay away from the major highways.
Also, Hoboken is nice in its way -- most of the conveniences of NYC without the high city taxes (though I still prefer Brooklyn since you can bike across to Manhattan rather than taking the PATH).
-b.
Re:Employee who just gets the work done??
on
Want To Work At Google?
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
They only want PhDs, people who have published papers or have patents against their names.
They're not only an R&D house -- they actually have daily operations and need people to run things as well. If they only hired geniuses, they'd end up with a lot of bored geniuses in no time.
After some introspective days after being told via email that I was not a "strong match", I realized it was probably because my hair is disappearing.
Shave your head if you get another chance.
If anyone asks:
"I'm recovering from brain surgery. I just had a neural implant of my own design, which doubles the memory capacity of the brain and communicates via WiFi for backup purposes. Next question?"
You are a loser. You can't even spell "collage dropout" right. If there is one thing I can't stand it is when pretentious dropout snobs start complaining about nobody hiring them because they don't have a degree. The rest of us software engineers had to suffer through that bull before we could get a job and so should you.
Pretentious snob? Pot. Kettle. Black. Apart from the spelling error, the rest of his post was well-written. It could have been a spellcheck thing, a simple typing mistake, or someone not natively speaking English. Interviews should test education and knowledge, not whether someone finished a certain college. There can be many reasons for not finishing university -- illness/injuries, family poverty, needing to take care of an ill family member, to just name a few.
If someone gained a lot of knowledge *without* a formal education setting, they deserve even more credit for their achievements, IMHO. And, BTW, I've known fools with lots of formal education and some really smart people who never finished high school.
Slashdot Mirror
-b.
Hiibel was about having to *identify* yourself to a cop when under suspicion of a crime, not showing ID. Perhaps a verbal identification would have been sufficient, but Hiibel refused to give out any information. (Not that I think this is right either, unless you're arrested, ticketed, or need a license, you shouldn't have to give any info. to a cop.)
-b.
If it ever comes to that, there's a cure for tyranny, too. It begins with the Second Amendment and ends with a length of rope formed into a circle with a sliding knot closing the loop.
-b.
Nothing new: before that, they were a British "state." Who let the Brits test nuclear bombs on their soil in the 1950s?
-b.
I was working for an engineering company (automation systems), and the owner was always testing us. One day, he told me to write some code. Unbeknownst to me, we was also writing the same code, in competition with me. He finished before me.
Only problem? His code had several flaws and wouldn't work if we had run it. Thinking that this was another test, I politely pointed out the errors. His response was to turn purple and scream -- "you little bastard, go home for the day..."
I didn't take this too well -- my response was, "I've been waiting a long time to say this to you, since you've been an asshole to me since I've started -- FUCK YOU MAN, I'm leaving for good." I saw him turning even more purple with anger and mouthing words as I walked out the door. At the time, I was hoping for a heart attack at least, but thankfully I didn't give him an apoplexy -- he had a family and I'd have felt guilty :)
-b.
Depends where. Not every European country is as strict as the UK. Switzerland and Austria have pretty liberal gun laws AFAIK.
-b.
No, but there are places that specialize in investigations, aggregation of police data. For something like $100, you can buy a "full report" (accuracy not guaranteed since agencies don't report everything) on a person.
Personally, I agree with the sentiment that arrest records should be sealed entirely at the discretion of the arrested party and that conviction records for misdemeanors should expire after three to six years, depending on the severity of the crime. People change, etc. And an arrest record even without a conviction can be used as a "blacklist" of sorts.
Senior year of college, I told a scumbag cop who had just shut down a 9/11 benefit concert and hit my friend in the face in the process: "Shouldn't you be in NYC helping clean up instead of harassing students who are actually trying to make a difference and help?" He arrested me for felony riot, disregarding an official order, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
The two first, most serious charges were dropped by a judge in the preliminary hearing within a few days. The other two charges (which were ticketable offenses, not even misdemeanors in Pennsylvania) stuck. Instead of fighting the charges tooth and nail on grounds of freedom of speech, my attorney advised me to plead no contest to the charges in exchange for community service, a fine, and probation. I stupidly followed his advice. Result: 6 8-hr days on what was basically a county chain gang, and a year's probation after graduation. Fortunately, the judge ordering the probation let me serve it out of state with no reporting requirements and an agreement that I not come back to PA for the duration (good fucking riddance!).
Anyway, despite there being no formal convictions, I found it difficult to find work after college, and the State didn't let me take my Fundamentals of Engineering (EIT) exams on the grounds of the two summary charges not being dropped. Call it a 21st century version of a 20th century blacklist.
Fortunately, I ended up starting my own IT business as a result -- oddly enough, people didn't seem to check on freelancers too closely -- am making *more* than I ever would have as an employee. Passed my EIT exam and am thinking of partnering with a professional engineer and starting an engineering consulting company. So the last laugh might well be mine.
-b.
Look at the Montana Sedition Trials in the early 1900s (mostly during WW I). People were arrested and sometimes jailed for *years* for saying that they were members of the IWW ("Wobblies") or disagreeing with the war/telling people that war bonds were worthless. Today's country isn't perfect, but freedom of thought and speech were curtailed then, too, and the punishments for comparatively small acts were worse than anything that would get meted out today.
Much more here: http://www.seditionproject.net/photogallery.html
-b.
It's a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Since this is a *government* facility, are they allowed to dictate that employees aren't allowed to exercise their rights outside the workplace?
-b.
-b.
Use a GUI or web-based front-end to the text configuration files if you can set it up. Makes things a lot easier, and you can still edit the flat files if there's something that the front-end can't do.
-b.
Try Thunderbird 2.0. Once it's set up correctly, it's fast and gets the job done quite well. (I actually don't use the filtering/spam capabilities, preferring my server and procmail to do it, but, it still works nicely).
-b.
WEP-enabled? No WPA? That means that it's probably 2-3 years old -- maybe it's time to upgrade or at least get new firmware?
BTW, my router and server have been working fine for the best part of a year. No hassles. Then again, I use OpenBSD for anything that I really care about. Not very featureful, but robust as a tank.
I'd rather let the guys at Google provide my word processor without my having to find room for another plug in my power strip.
I'd rather my word processor run locally -- like MS Word or OpenOffice. That way, it's always accessible, I know where my documents are stored, etc. As far as backups, I just have a program that backs up to my BSD box regularly (even when I'm travelling, it can connect via SSH VPN).
-b.
A lot of businesses are still uncomfortable with Software as a Service. Something about their private documents being stored somewhere that's not under their control. For businesses, if Google was smart, they would come out with an Google Apps Appliance that hosts the apps and their data locally, has secure web access and Google's version of dynamic DNS, includes a VPN server, and has an easy way of backing up daily, either to an external SFTP server or to local removable media.
-b.
iWeb and their user interface is dreadful, IMHO. You're far better off with Google page creator (whatever it's called) or even regular web hosting and an ... ahem ... borrowed copy of DreamWeaver.
-b.
I'm running OBSD with a backup mail exchanger. If power goes down and comes back up (and the limits of the UPS are exceeded), the box just reboots. Mail stored in the interim is sent to it from the backup MX.
-b.
Can't you relay it via an external (either Comcast's, or a mail-hosting company's where you have an account) mail server?
-b.
There is, actually. Look at 18 USC 241 and 242 ("Violation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law"). Punishments range up to 10 yrs in prison, with execution being an option if someone is seriously maimed or killed. I don't normally support the death penalty, but: good!
-b.
I thought LEDs used gallium arsenide as a semiconductor, BTW. Do the newer white ones use a different material?
-b.
How expensive would maint. be on those windmills, out of curiosity? They tried to build radar platforms off of the coast ("Texas Towers") in the 1950s, and the platforms ended up being very expensive to maintain -- actually, one of them ended up getting destroyed in a Nor'Easter killing everyone on board. Not saying that the windmill platforms will be manned, but the sea is a rough place for any sort of fixed hardware.
-b.
Well, publicly-subsidized healthcare isn't nonsense, yet it's a pretty socialist policy (though it's good for small businesses, IMHO).
-b.
The northwest part of the state -- near High Point/Port Jervis, NY is really pretty IMHO. It's not all ugly development, provided you stay away from the major highways.
Also, Hoboken is nice in its way -- most of the conveniences of NYC without the high city taxes (though I still prefer Brooklyn since you can bike across to Manhattan rather than taking the PATH).
-b.
They're not only an R&D house -- they actually have daily operations and need people to run things as well. If they only hired geniuses, they'd end up with a lot of bored geniuses in no time.
-b.
Shave your head if you get another chance.
If anyone asks:
"I'm recovering from brain surgery. I just had a neural implant of my own design, which doubles the memory capacity of the brain and communicates via WiFi for backup purposes. Next question?"
-b.
Pretentious snob? Pot. Kettle. Black. Apart from the spelling error, the rest of his post was well-written. It could have been a spellcheck thing, a simple typing mistake, or someone not natively speaking English. Interviews should test education and knowledge, not whether someone finished a certain college. There can be many reasons for not finishing university -- illness/injuries, family poverty, needing to take care of an ill family member, to just name a few.
If someone gained a lot of knowledge *without* a formal education setting, they deserve even more credit for their achievements, IMHO. And, BTW, I've known fools with lots of formal education and some really smart people who never finished high school.
-b.