Which begs the question: Why didn't the government ship USPS?
Good question. Where I work (Air Force), we are directed to use USPS Next Day or Registered when we need that kind of service. And, we have never been disappointed. But, most of our Next Day and Registered is classified, so the *law* says we have to mail it.
A few years back, A UPS guy delivered a very LARGE bottle of oxycodone (I have mail order pharmacy as part of my very nice non-ObamaCare medical as a government employee) to a neighbor... My cost $70, street value $5000.
Fascinating, but you are focusing on the wrong element and even there your vision is myopic.
The real issue is not choice of over-priced police cruisers - used mostly for hot-dogging to non-events. I can no longer count the times I've seen 3 or 4 cops weaving in and out of traffic at high speed to arrive at a situation involving a drunk street guy or a hooker.
A few years back, I was waiting for a MAX train in in Portland at around 0030 after work, and had wondered up to the second or third floor of a parking garage to look over the street and smoke a butt. I watched a Portland cop drive up onto the sidewalk just to be able to chuck a Burger King bag into a trash can.
I give the cop points for disposing of trash in a proper receptacle.
And these MRAPs - yes, every Cop Shop seems to need one. You know, you might need to lay siege to a crack house... God forbid cops do like they had done for years and just fucking BREAK DOWN THE DOOR.
Oh yes, Police Work is a tough job... Here's what Forbe's has to say about it, let's have a look:
1. Logging workers 2. Fishers and related fishing workers 3. Aircraft pilot and flight engineers 4. Roofers 5. Structural iron and steel workers 6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors 7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers 8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers 9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers 10. Construction laborers
Cops? Not on the list.
It's not hard to understand that when you never get out of your car, and when you do it's to write a $200 ticket, well, life is good.
it really comes down to funding. Cops have limited resources, especially after 30 years of budget cuts in the name of "Reduced Bureaucracy" and tax cuts for the rich.
I'm sorry, WHAT? You are full of shit.
Police departments are well funded, the question is: What do they spend that money on?
A new "MRAP"? Oh yeah, every cop shop needs one of those... And I've noticed many cops are now driving high-end "muscle cars" - because you know a $60K Dodge Charger with a "police package" is so much more effective in city response than the old Crown Vics or whatever the "off the shelf" cop car is these days.
Yeah, the police are hurting of cash...
Except maybe in Seattle where there are significant numbers of "average cops" making well into the 6-figures with overtime and other cash cows.
I'm not saying cops should not be well equipped and compensated according to skill and danger, though many studies show that being a police officer is not particularly dangerous - maybe because they rarely get out of their cars anymore - but get real: Since "9/11", US police departments have become bloated bastions of over-paid steroid freaks with power issues.
I suppose that one could actually make use of the Foursquare thingy to see when people are all arriving for a party or get-together, but really, mostly it's just Facebook post: "So-and-so just arrived at Podunk Pizza" or "So-and-so just arrived at Whole Foods to spend a lot of money of trendy food..."
Is Foursquare just an automated Twitter feed to Facebook where the user no longer actually has to type in narcissistic crap that no one is interested?
Dear Slashdot, I'm afraid that years from now, my nuggets of wisdom will be lost, and I will not be able to find the appropriate pithy thought to properly respond to a Slashdot Troll... What ever shal I do?
Dear "Netdicted", first of all, your screen name for some reason reminded me of getting my cat neutered. Second, unplug. There is more to life than a 24/7 high speed connection. Third, consider your follow-on. Your children and grand children will not be able to read your e-diary, and writing things on paper long-hand will help you stave off Alzimers. In other words, keep writing in your Moll Skin, it's really the hippest and most practical way to go, and will leave something for your kids and grand kids to enjoy long after you are gon. Seriously.
Snark aside, work out a system of indexes - electronically in necessary, but please continue using that old "buggy whip", a pen and paper.
I think more than a few of the "big" car companies have shifted focus (back?) to hydrogen fuel cells. In the near future at least, the whole recharging "issue" is what bothers the big guys.
Very few Tesla owners are going to drive their $70 - 100,000 car across the country, take it to the Grand Tetons, do a tour or great Civil War historical sites in the South.
But people that buy cars from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota... They use their cars for things other than tooling around town from wine bar to chic noshing establishment.
Sure, Tesla now has a cross-country "Super Charge" network, but Americans are impatient, and 30 minutes is too long. The liklyhood of breaking the boundaries that prevent faster charging in the near future are slim.
"Back in the day" when a "road trip" was an adventure, people would have had no problem with a 30 minute super charge, they would have plugged in and had a picnic lunch. Think "Airstream Culture". Those were the days when travel was exciting, now people just want to get the fuck where the are going and plug in to the nearest Wi-Fi.
So maybe the Big Guys have a point with hydrogen power cells that in reality are no more dangerous than 20 gallons of vaporized gas hitting a flame - if you're in an accident that punctures the tank and causes an explosion, your gone either way.
Guess the good Mayor has never heard of the Streisand Effect.
Uh, yeah. And how is that relevant here? Doesn't seem like he's actually taking much heat, except here at Slashdot and a single Left leaning web site. Maybe a little heat in his home town paper. But seriously, "Streisand Effect"?
People like to pontificate "Streisand Effect", but in most of the cases where it is used, it has not actually occurred.
"Streisand Effect" is a *WAY WAY* over used Intertube meme.
1. The mentally ill. 2. Drug users and alcoholics that don't want to "get off the street" enough to do something about their habits. 3. Homeless people who lived too close to the edge and became unemployed, drug addicts and alcoholics who want to change their lives.
And here is Seattle - "Nicklesville"...
4. People who feel that society should support their homeless lifestyle.
There are in fact many services for all of these groups except Number Four. The rest, if they work hard, give up the heavy booze and drugs (there are in fact programs), they can lift themselves out of homelessness.
And don't fool yourself, Number Four exists in great numbers, dragging the "real" homeless down to their level.
France fails at having an Internationally competitive workforce.
Sure, if you are a fan of the coporate greed that is "free trade". On the other hand, if your primary goal is the health of your society, your nation, your people and their quality of life, an "internationally competitive workforce" may not be the top concern on your list.
The landlords have nothing to do with this. This is the city evicting people.
Incorrect.
The city is threatening landlords with fine for the activities of their renters. The landlords are evicting people, not the city.
You should also read this article analyzing the issue from an owner's perspective. You'll note that it doesn't suggest that the San Francisco has the ability to evict the tenant... merely to fine the landlord.
The landlords evict to avoid the fine, and also because the renter has clearly violated the rental agreement.
the context here is that rental rates in SF have skyrocketed in recent years, and if landlords can evict long-time tenants they can get the unit on the market for 4x rent.
Irrelevant. You expect your landlord to uphold his end of the lease, why should he not expect you to uphold your end of lease.
This sounds like predatory landlord practices.
It sounds to me like landlords enforcing the rental agreement. The agreement is between the renter and the landlord, not some unknown unvetted third party.
I'm not sure I want to live in a building where other renters are sub renting to random people on a daily basis. Seriously, these people need to get a hotel room, and if they can't afford a hotel room, well, what could go wrong?
Quick!!! A 3D printer can print something! This is newsworthy fodder for Slashdot!!
And naturally the thing being created is currently very "sexy" in the tech world - a UAV! Why, the uses are unlimited! Amazon can deliver products to the products (you and I), and, and, and...
I think there are many great possibilities for 3D printing beyond the UAV / plastic gun craze, though.
Slashdot Mirror
Which begs the question: Why didn't the government ship USPS?
Good question. Where I work (Air Force), we are directed to use USPS Next Day or Registered when we need that kind of service. And, we have never been disappointed. But, most of our Next Day and Registered is classified, so the *law* says we have to mail it.
A few years back, A UPS guy delivered a very LARGE bottle of oxycodone (I have mail order pharmacy as part of my very nice non-ObamaCare medical as a government employee) to a neighbor... My cost $70, street value $5000.
This is a non-story: UPS mis-delivers a non-classified package from to government to some college student who decided to whore for 15 minutes of fame.
Done.
Next...
Fascinating, but you are focusing on the wrong element and even there your vision is myopic.
The real issue is not choice of over-priced police cruisers - used mostly for hot-dogging to non-events. I can no longer count the times I've seen 3 or 4 cops weaving in and out of traffic at high speed to arrive at a situation involving a drunk street guy or a hooker.
A few years back, I was waiting for a MAX train in in Portland at around 0030 after work, and had wondered up to the second or third floor of a parking garage to look over the street and smoke a butt. I watched a Portland cop drive up onto the sidewalk just to be able to chuck a Burger King bag into a trash can.
I give the cop points for disposing of trash in a proper receptacle.
And these MRAPs - yes, every Cop Shop seems to need one. You know, you might need to lay siege to a crack house... God forbid cops do like they had done for years and just fucking BREAK DOWN THE DOOR.
Oh yes, Police Work is a tough job... Here's what Forbe's has to say about it, let's have a look:
1. Logging workers
2. Fishers and related fishing workers
3. Aircraft pilot and flight engineers
4. Roofers
5. Structural iron and steel workers
6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers
9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
10. Construction laborers
Cops? Not on the list.
It's not hard to understand that when you never get out of your car, and when you do it's to write a $200 ticket, well, life is good.
There is a game element to check-ins where you can become mayor, gets points, do runs etc...
Let me fix that for you:
There is a lame element to check-ins where you can become mayor, gets points, do runs etc...
it really comes down to funding. Cops have limited resources, especially after 30 years of budget cuts in the name of "Reduced Bureaucracy" and tax cuts for the rich.
I'm sorry, WHAT? You are full of shit.
Police departments are well funded, the question is: What do they spend that money on?
A new "MRAP"? Oh yeah, every cop shop needs one of those... And I've noticed many cops are now driving high-end "muscle cars" - because you know a $60K Dodge Charger with a "police package" is so much more effective in city response than the old Crown Vics or whatever the "off the shelf" cop car is these days.
Yeah, the police are hurting of cash...
Except maybe in Seattle where there are significant numbers of "average cops" making well into the 6-figures with overtime and other cash cows.
I'm not saying cops should not be well equipped and compensated according to skill and danger, though many studies show that being a police officer is not particularly dangerous - maybe because they rarely get out of their cars anymore - but get real: Since "9/11", US police departments have become bloated bastions of over-paid steroid freaks with power issues.
I suppose that one could actually make use of the Foursquare thingy to see when people are all arriving for a party or get-together, but really, mostly it's just Facebook post: "So-and-so just arrived at Podunk Pizza" or "So-and-so just arrived at Whole Foods to spend a lot of money of trendy food..."
Is Foursquare just an automated Twitter feed to Facebook where the user no longer actually has to type in narcissistic crap that no one is interested?
Facebook should by Foursquare.
you can opt-out at www.aboutads.info...
Using this "opt-out" requires you to "opt-in" to their cookies.
One word: Dice and page views.
"stave off Alzimers"
Says the guy who can't spell it.
Says an Anonymous Coward.
Dear Slashdot, I'm afraid that years from now, my nuggets of wisdom will be lost, and I will not be able to find the appropriate pithy thought to properly respond to a Slashdot Troll... What ever shal I do?
Dear "Netdicted", first of all, your screen name for some reason reminded me of getting my cat neutered. Second, unplug. There is more to life than a 24/7 high speed connection. Third, consider your follow-on. Your children and grand children will not be able to read your e-diary, and writing things on paper long-hand will help you stave off Alzimers. In other words, keep writing in your Moll Skin, it's really the hippest and most practical way to go, and will leave something for your kids and grand kids to enjoy long after you are gon. Seriously.
Snark aside, work out a system of indexes - electronically in necessary, but please continue using that old "buggy whip", a pen and paper.
Excuse me now, I have to mow my lawn.
I think more than a few of the "big" car companies have shifted focus (back?) to hydrogen fuel cells. In the near future at least, the whole recharging "issue" is what bothers the big guys.
Very few Tesla owners are going to drive their $70 - 100,000 car across the country, take it to the Grand Tetons, do a tour or great Civil War historical sites in the South.
But people that buy cars from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota... They use their cars for things other than tooling around town from wine bar to chic noshing establishment.
Sure, Tesla now has a cross-country "Super Charge" network, but Americans are impatient, and 30 minutes is too long. The liklyhood of breaking the boundaries that prevent faster charging in the near future are slim.
"Back in the day" when a "road trip" was an adventure, people would have had no problem with a 30 minute super charge, they would have plugged in and had a picnic lunch. Think "Airstream Culture". Those were the days when travel was exciting, now people just want to get the fuck where the are going and plug in to the nearest Wi-Fi.
So maybe the Big Guys have a point with hydrogen power cells that in reality are no more dangerous than 20 gallons of vaporized gas hitting a flame - if you're in an accident that punctures the tank and causes an explosion, your gone either way.
Random thoughts...
Guess the good Mayor has never heard of the Streisand Effect.
Uh, yeah. And how is that relevant here? Doesn't seem like he's actually taking much heat, except here at Slashdot and a single Left leaning web site. Maybe a little heat in his home town paper. But seriously, "Streisand Effect"?
People like to pontificate "Streisand Effect", but in most of the cases where it is used, it has not actually occurred.
"Streisand Effect" is a *WAY WAY* over used Intertube meme.
100 percent. Been there, done that.
There are four basic types of "homeless" -
1. The mentally ill.
2. Drug users and alcoholics that don't want to "get off the street" enough to do something about their habits.
3. Homeless people who lived too close to the edge and became unemployed, drug addicts and alcoholics who want to change their lives.
And here is Seattle - "Nicklesville" ...
4. People who feel that society should support their homeless lifestyle.
There are in fact many services for all of these groups except Number Four. The rest, if they work hard, give up the heavy booze and drugs (there are in fact programs), they can lift themselves out of homelessness.
And don't fool yourself, Number Four exists in great numbers, dragging the "real" homeless down to their level.
Believe it or not in a conversation people do not repeat the same point over and over again.
Believe it or not, when your initial argument is bullshit, it doesn't change the facts...
Depends in what sense you use the word.
No, not to the IRS, and that was the original question.
When you have billions of dollars your versions of "hobby" may be very different from what a normal person would do.
Maybe so, but going back to original post about what the IRS considers a "hobby", a "non-profit" is not the same as a business that makes no money.
According the IRS if you run a business and don't make a profit, it is considered a HOBBY.
Sort of like Bill Gates' non-profit is a "hobby"?
Hopefully in a journal that is reviewed by skeptics rather than Ideologues.
All scientific journals are reviewed by skeptics.
That's because all scientists are skeptics.
Spoken like a true ideologue.
is there in one of these plates? Are they detachable by thieves to be sold for the metal value?
Given the location and structural requirements, I'm going to say this is not a readily detachable part...
Don't underestimate the persistence of a meth-head: Catalytic converters are removed with battery driven grinders and saws-alls all the time.
France fails at having an Internationally competitive workforce.
Sure, if you are a fan of the coporate greed that is "free trade". On the other hand, if your primary goal is the health of your society, your nation, your people and their quality of life, an "internationally competitive workforce" may not be the top concern on your list.
Yes, but the patent claims something specific.
But isn't that just more of the "this function, that fumigation ON THE INTERNET" sort of thing?
The landlords have nothing to do with this. This is the city evicting people.
Incorrect.
The city is threatening landlords with fine for the activities of their renters. The landlords are evicting people, not the city.
You should also read this article analyzing the issue from an owner's perspective. You'll note that it doesn't suggest that the San Francisco has the ability to evict the tenant... merely to fine the landlord.
The landlords evict to avoid the fine, and also because the renter has clearly violated the rental agreement.
the context here is that rental rates in SF have skyrocketed in recent years, and if landlords can evict long-time tenants they can get the unit on the market for 4x rent.
Irrelevant. You expect your landlord to uphold his end of the lease, why should he not expect you to uphold your end of lease.
This sounds like predatory landlord practices.
It sounds to me like landlords enforcing the rental agreement. The agreement is between the renter and the landlord, not some unknown unvetted third party.
I'm not sure I want to live in a building where other renters are sub renting to random people on a daily basis. Seriously, these people need to get a hotel room, and if they can't afford a hotel room, well, what could go wrong?
Quick!!! A 3D printer can print something! This is newsworthy fodder for Slashdot!!
And naturally the thing being created is currently very "sexy" in the tech world - a UAV! Why, the uses are unlimited! Amazon can deliver products to the products (you and I), and, and, and...
I think there are many great possibilities for 3D printing beyond the UAV / plastic gun craze, though.
YouTube was great until Google acquired them. Every "enhancement" and change they make drags it down further.
I don't agree with your opinion, but really this has little to do with the issue at hand.
It's the DMCA takedown laws that allow this.