There's an interesting theory on a possible mechanism for attraction that would integrate both nature and nurture.
Basically, we are attracted to what is exotic - that's why, once upon a time, a bare ankle could be erotic, wheras in some other cultures toplessness isn't unusual at all, so it's not particularly exotic.
At some point in our lives, that which is exotic becomes erotic. Hormones, and by extension, play a big role - effiminate men may, for example, associate more with women and feel disconnected from their male peers, leading to an eventual attraction to men. On the other hand, maybe it's simply blond hair that someone finds exotic, etc. - and you end up with someone who's bi but attracted to blondes.
For even more fun, one can throw "erotic target location errors" into the mix, and you potentially get autogynephelia and some other fetishes.
I will say this, though - I know from very personal experience that hormones can play a huge role in who one is attracted to.
I think I speak for everyone here on slashdot when I say
Fuck you!
I do not use profanity, but I simply don't have any other adjectives which properly convey the contempt and abhorrence I have for this bill. So, let me echo my agreement with a simple yet resounding
Fuck this bill!
Don't fix it, don't define the terms, simply kill it - in committee, on the floor, with a veto - whatever is necessary.
This bill is unneeded, and a very liberal interpretation would leave this way more invasive than the patriot act is. Private property, private information, private networks are important. Personal liberty depends on it.
Out of curiosity, what does one use to manage ESXi if you're not willing to shell out for VMWare Infrastructure? Does it have a web GUI management setup like VMWare Server?
VMWare Infrastructure Client. It's missing a lot of the fun features like live migration, but you can work around it using SSH most of the time.
Besides the (incredibly large) array of patent issues which make it difficult to use in a corporate environment, it would be very easy to make the case that VLC is a prohibited circumvention device. It breaks DRM, has built-in transcoding, and will very easily write files or stream content.
You could also make the case that the DRM isn't an effective access control measure, but the courts have set that bar really low. It would be unlikely that such a case would prevail.
When I lived in Provo, UT I got 15/15 for $40 per month and a $100 setup fee. Now I live in Texas and I get 10/1 for $65 through Charter. It makes me sad.
Moved from provo to TX - can only get satellite (too much latency, too many caps), or DSL. $90/mo for 1.5/768k. It's with SpeakEasy - they treat me fairly well, but there's only so much that can be done with DSL where I live.
Because if they didn't, employers would try even harder to rectally penetrate their employees. Freedom doesn't include the freedom to shaft others EVEN IF you have the power. Unless you live in a third world warzone; go ahead and move there if you think it's so great.
Believe it or not, not all employers are out to screw their employees. Besides, if you, knowing the cost and benefits, choose to work for an employer - why should you be entitled to more.
Or, on a more macro level - either you are worth what you are paid, or you are not - this includes opportunity cost (what others will work for). If you are worth what you are being paid, why do you need protection. If you aren't worth what you are being paid, what right do you have to force your employer to subsidize you (I'm looking at you, unions).
We hire good people, and we pay them very well. They are worth it, and they earn it. If they weren't, we'd fire them. That's not "screwing the employee", that's running a business.
In other words, you'd spend a lot of money and effort re-producing all the things naturally provided by the rest of the cow.
True, but it would remove some of the ethical concerns. If you take a few cells from me, I am not dead (nor necessarily harmed). If you were to grow that into tissue, then eat it - I am not harmed, and it lacks sentience, so you aren't killing anything, nor causing pain to something that can feel pain.
As a nice side effect, it could be legal to eat many things that otherwise really shouldn't be - endangered species, human, etc. There might actually be some money in it. Depending on the personal beliefs, it would also make meat available to some vegetarians, and some vegans. If the reason for not eating meat is the exploitation of the animal, a small tissue sample followed by a life of free-ranging would be acceptable to some people.
As for me, I eat meat - we have chickens, cows, a goat, etc. We eat eggs, dairy products, but I have no problem with eating meat. That being said, given the choice between meat that resulted in the death of an animal, and meat that didn't - I would choose the meat that didn't, even if it came at a (reasonable) premium. No, I won't pay $100/oz, but I would be willing to pay 50% more to reduce the amount of suffering involved in the process.
Also, if such a system were built - the nutrients could be more tightly controlled - would make certain types of changes (for flavor and/or nutrition) easier.
Apparently, Server 2008 makes a very stable client OS when all the server gumph has been disabled and Aero installed.
Typing this on a server 2008 box right now. You don't need to disable server "gumph" - by default, it doesn't install stuff. In fact, the main changes that are needed are installing things - DirectX, Desktop Experience, Aero.
It's easy, and runs very nicely. A search for "windows 2008 workstation" can get you on the right track.
The only real downside is that some programs (Antivirus programs, really) want you to run server versions. Onecare, norton, etc. It can be a little more expensive to get an antivirus.
The overhead is not so bad if the decoders are done in an efficient manner.
I used to run around with a IPAQ 1910 (46mb available ram total, 300 MHz. It could do full screen, full motion decoding w/ OGG (128-192kbps) and MPEG-4 at the same time.
There are very few modern MP3 devices which _don't_ have sufficient horsepower to decode ogg, yet can handle MP3s.
And, as for secrets, is there any one of us who doesn't carry a TON of those around with them?
Actually, I decided to stop doing that a while ago. And there were certainly a lot of secrets I was carrying.
It's been interesting talking with my family, and my boss. Dishonesty and secrecy have been crutches I used to avoid facing the issues, and many of them were making me unhappy.
So far, my family hasn't disowned me, and I still have my job. And yeah, I came out and told my boss that he's been an idiot, and explained the specifics, and how he should fix things. Heck, I even told him that he should have fired me years ago - I've been very overpaid, and do a wonderful job of shifting blame.
I still have my job, but I'm working to earn my pay. My boss still does some stupid things, but he does them less often, and we work through them. My family still has issues, but we can talk about it and work things out.
For the first time that I can remember, I'm happy.
I am in a small company, which helps, and I am a director in the company (though I typically don't function in that capacity).
Secrets suck - if you can't be honest with the people around you, something is wrong. If I needed to lie to my boss on a regular occasion, I would start my own company, or look for employment elsewhere.
Firefox is not a replacement either, because it does not implement any of the interfaces that the IE framework does (even though they could go to MSDN and implement them, but we're talking about a lot of work here.)
It's not complete, but it does most of the basic stuff. In fact, it even includes a patcher to switch third-party apps from IE to FF:
In the current state of the Mozilla control, it is possible to run the IEPatcher tool on existing binaries and have them run using the Mozilla control.
So, setting up elaborate structures to avoid being convicted of, say, murder, is also acceptable in your eyes?
Acceptable and legal are two separate things.
Besides, sometimes the taxes are _designed_ to change behavior - so-called "sin" taxes, for example. Tariffs on imports can drive up the price of foreign goods to make domestic goods better able to compete.
You can't have it both ways - pass taxes designed to change behavior, then complain when taxes change behavior.
Just read an article on CNBC about how graduating in a recession will hurt your earnings potential for as much as 20 years... I'd recommend staying in school til things recover.
I recognize that this is the internet, and everyone is a "rocket surgeon", so I will leave you only with my assertion that my research is extensive, my credentials sufficient to say this without hesitation, and without reservation.
The current economic situation is a natural consequence of unhealthy social and economic policies - CDSes, Derivatives, SIVs, "growth" without regards to fundamentals, etc. For anyone who has really been paying attention, this was obvious - I've known (and told people) that this was going to happen for the past 4 years. When the system is fundamentally unsustainable, it's not surprising that we are having difficulties sustaining it.
We are in the process of corrections - a fundamental revaluing of risk, of assets, of policies. People are discovering that things simply aren't worth what they thought they were, and coming to grips (or being dragged kicking and screaming) with the consequences of such.
The unfortunate thing is that there is still a significant amount of "crap" in the system, and working through it will take years and years. This isn't something that's over in 2 years, or even 4.
The most sensible policy at this point is to plan accordingly - figure out what's important to you, and honestly determine if your actions will help you achieve them. If more education is what you need to get the right job, by all means, go for it! OTOH, sometimes the answer is to get a part time job, cut back on spending, and save everything you can - you can't live on student loans forever.
Anywhere it's legal for a male to go topless it should also be legal for women to do the same.
Yep, double standards suck. Few people want to see the fat guy in the Speedo, with the DDs, and I would make the case that it's quite indecent. They should be required to wear a shirt, too.
IE 6 is obsolete. If you know anyone with IE6, upgrade them so the web 2.0 can really mean 2.0 and not 2.0 "beta".
All things considered, I consider IE7 a serious downgrade from IE6. At least they provided a update blocker to avoid automatic "upgrades".
- It works. Quickly. Almost everywhere. If I wanted a browser that followed standards, I'd use FF (I do). - I hate tabs. With a passion. Yes, you can turn them off in IE7, but it's a pain. - There is nothing wrong with a Menu bar at the top, and an address bar at the bottom. It's been the standard forever, and I find it aesthetically pleasing. Alt-tab/alt-` does a wonderful job of switching between windows, and I happen to like the way (on windows) the alt-tab order is kept. It makes it very easy to switch between a browser and some other application - juggling tasks, instead of juggling windows in the same application.
As for better "web 2.0" support, I run around (in FF) with NoScript, Adblock, etc. HTML/CSS is a wonderful way to mark up content - if I wanted applications, I'd download and run them.
I had heard horror stories before about CFLs, and had no clue what the problem was. I've always used the GE Daylight bulbs.
I picked up a bunch at IKEA - now I know. They take forever to warm up, the light is awful, and they died very quickly.
I've been using them for years, and the light level is quite comfortable. I had one of them die this whole time - the bulb got smashed (they aren't as strong as most incandescent. Oh well.
it doesn't matter if you've got insurance because its perfectly OK for your insurer to say "whoops, we cant actually cover that"... As opposed to the FDIC?
The FDIC receives no Congressional appropriations - it is funded by premiums that banks and thrift institutions pay for deposit insurance coverage and from earnings on investments in U.S. Treasury securities. With an insurance fund totaling more than $45 billion, the FDIC insures more than $5 trillion of deposits in U.S. banks and thrifts - deposits in virtually every bank and thrift in the country.
So, FDIC insurance is wonderful, unless there's an actual bank crash. To put things in perspective, Wachovia had 420 billion in deposits. A bank run would make the FDIC fairly meaningless, very quickly.
I'd much prefer private insurance - they aren't very efficient, but at least they aren't government. They also tend to spread the risk around a bit more.
Yet another reason why we need a better satellite infrastructure. If everyone were using satellites, a reroute through Asia would be unnecessary.
Except for the whole "240ms minimum latency" thing. Also, it's a lot easier to fix a malfunctioning cable than a malfunctioning satellite. Also, bad weather over the Satellite NOC can take out everyone's connection.
If you lived in the US, you would be sitting in a jail cell right now facing felony charges FYI. Never help anyone with their computer in the US. It's not worth it.
Eh, that's not always true.
I was stuck in a Wells Fargo branch for a bit 3-4 years ago, and their kiosks would only go to wellsfargo.com. Being the enterprising person that I am, I immediately typed the HTML for a hyperlink into the search box, it worked just fine.
When I got home, I whipped up a quick Proof of Concept that abused JavaScript to do some nasty things (Cross Site Scripting attack). I contacted Wells Fargo, gave them the details (as well as how to fix it) - it was fixed in a couple days, and they called and said "thanks".
I was careful to keep it proof of concept - tested only against my own account. I also phrased it carefully - "An unscrupulous attacker could...", rather than "I could...". Furthermore, I pointed out that as a Wells Fargo customer, it is in my best interest that the environment be as secure as possible - it's my money too. When you look like a threat, they treat you like one. When you look like a concerned customer protecting your (and their) interests, there is little incentive to silence or harass you.
I don't even play these games. The humor I see in it is that Spore was cracked on September 3rd [kotaku.com]--four days before its launch date. Um, are they really under the impression that one of these schemes might stop the hackers?
This does nothing to stop determined piracy - we know it, and they know it. What it _does_ do is deter casual copying. For companies like EA, this offers one really compelling feature - it kills the resale market.
When you can only install on X PCs, it gets a lot harder to resell. Resold games don't make them any money.
What if the government starts to print lots of money to fund that stuff, creating a large invisible tax on everyone through inflation?
The problem with this is it drives up interest rates. A bunch. If I'm losing 12% a year due to inflation, and I want 3% interest for my risk and profit, I will not loan out money for less than 15%, as it's a losing proposition.
We are in defect spending right now, and cutting services is political suicide. Here's the options:
1) Continue deficit spending. Eventually, that compound interest catches up, and we default. At that point, the US can't get debt as easily, and spending is cut to meet income. What a novel concept.
2) Inflation. Do it too much, and it gets too expensive for us to borrow. If we can't borrow, we're in the same boat as #1. This is effectively a tax on people with money.
3) Cut spending. This is a good thing. Running a house with a vicious cycle of debt never works. Why would it work for a government?
4) Taxes. Lots and lots of taxes. This leads to tax evasion, businesses (and people) leaving the country, etc. Excessive taxation is horrible for business, and places an unnecessary burden on small businesses and the poor (no matter how "progressive" it is.)
Sadly, it looks like #4 is the way we're largely going to go. With all the liabilities we have, we're in for some real pain in the not-so-distant future. This will not work as they think, either.
Here's a quick example: I run a software company. We are a US corporation, hiring US workers, with US taxes. All of our sales are done in-person, or over the internet. Corporate income tax can be avoided to a large extent through business expenses, leading to an effective tax rate not too much more than the income tax. Company pays employees, employees pay taxes, done. It works out to something like 40%, all said and done.
Now, suppose the tax climate gets really nasty. A company like mine doesn't have to be located in the United States - most of our customers aren't anyway.
So, it is possible to: 1) Set up shop in Panama (who doesn't tax corporations on income derived outside the country). 2) Move to another country (for example, Japan). Japan doesn't tax foreign-derived income for people who aren't "permanent residents". The US exempts the first $80,000. So, the first $80,000 are tax-free. 3) If you can live off $80,000 for a while, you can get paid in options. Provided you meet the criteria, this can end up capital gains. So, your taxes on this ends up at 15%.
So, for a hypothetical person making $150,000 - the taxes would be approx $10,500, or a 7% tax rate.
Large companies can do similar things, like "license" a bunch of technology from a company they own, located in a jurisdiction that doesn't tax them (like Ireland). This lets them reduce their taxable income and funnel the profits to something taxed at a much lower rate. Invest in Irish corp, license _from_ Irish corp, pay 15% taxes.
Yes, closing the capital gains "loophole" would even things out a bit; however, it has a lot of collateral damage; including people renouncing citizenship, reduced investment, etc. Given the credit crunch we're having, it really doesn't make a lot of sense.
Slashdot Mirror
There's an interesting theory on a possible mechanism for attraction that would integrate both nature and nurture.
Basically, we are attracted to what is exotic - that's why, once upon a time, a bare ankle could be erotic, wheras in some other cultures toplessness isn't unusual at all, so it's not particularly exotic.
At some point in our lives, that which is exotic becomes erotic. Hormones, and by extension, play a big role - effiminate men may, for example, associate more with women and feel disconnected from their male peers, leading to an eventual attraction to men. On the other hand, maybe it's simply blond hair that someone finds exotic, etc. - and you end up with someone who's bi but attracted to blondes.
For even more fun, one can throw "erotic target location errors" into the mix, and you potentially get autogynephelia and some other fetishes.
I will say this, though - I know from very personal experience that hormones can play a huge role in who one is attracted to.
I think I speak for everyone here on slashdot when I say
Fuck you!
I do not use profanity, but I simply don't have any other adjectives which properly convey the contempt and abhorrence I have for this bill. So, let me echo my agreement with a simple yet resounding
Fuck this bill!
Don't fix it, don't define the terms, simply kill it - in committee, on the floor, with a veto - whatever is necessary.
This bill is unneeded, and a very liberal interpretation would leave this way more invasive than the patriot act is. Private property, private information, private networks are important. Personal liberty depends on it.
Out of curiosity, what does one use to manage ESXi if you're not willing to shell out for VMWare Infrastructure? Does it have a web GUI management setup like VMWare Server?
VMWare Infrastructure Client. It's missing a lot of the fun features like live migration, but you can work around it using SSH most of the time.
Since when is VLC Player illegal?
In the US, since October 28, 1998.
Besides the (incredibly large) array of patent issues which make it difficult to use in a corporate environment, it would be very easy to make the case that VLC is a prohibited circumvention device. It breaks DRM, has built-in transcoding, and will very easily write files or stream content.
You could also make the case that the DRM isn't an effective access control measure, but the courts have set that bar really low. It would be unlikely that such a case would prevail.
When I lived in Provo, UT I got 15/15 for $40 per month and a $100 setup fee. Now I live in Texas and I get 10/1 for $65 through Charter. It makes me sad.
Moved from provo to TX - can only get satellite (too much latency, too many caps), or DSL. $90/mo for 1.5/768k. It's with SpeakEasy - they treat me fairly well, but there's only so much that can be done with DSL where I live.
Because if they didn't, employers would try even harder to rectally penetrate their employees. Freedom doesn't include the freedom to shaft others EVEN IF you have the power. Unless you live in a third world warzone; go ahead and move there if you think it's so great.
Believe it or not, not all employers are out to screw their employees. Besides, if you, knowing the cost and benefits, choose to work for an employer - why should you be entitled to more.
Or, on a more macro level - either you are worth what you are paid, or you are not - this includes opportunity cost (what others will work for). If you are worth what you are being paid, why do you need protection. If you aren't worth what you are being paid, what right do you have to force your employer to subsidize you (I'm looking at you, unions).
We hire good people, and we pay them very well. They are worth it, and they earn it. If they weren't, we'd fire them. That's not "screwing the employee", that's running a business.
In other words, you'd spend a lot of money and effort re-producing all the things naturally provided by the rest of the cow.
True, but it would remove some of the ethical concerns. If you take a few cells from me, I am not dead (nor necessarily harmed). If you were to grow that into tissue, then eat it - I am not harmed, and it lacks sentience, so you aren't killing anything, nor causing pain to something that can feel pain.
As a nice side effect, it could be legal to eat many things that otherwise really shouldn't be - endangered species, human, etc. There might actually be some money in it. Depending on the personal beliefs, it would also make meat available to some vegetarians, and some vegans. If the reason for not eating meat is the exploitation of the animal, a small tissue sample followed by a life of free-ranging would be acceptable to some people.
As for me, I eat meat - we have chickens, cows, a goat, etc. We eat eggs, dairy products, but I have no problem with eating meat. That being said, given the choice between meat that resulted in the death of an animal, and meat that didn't - I would choose the meat that didn't, even if it came at a (reasonable) premium. No, I won't pay $100/oz, but I would be willing to pay 50% more to reduce the amount of suffering involved in the process.
Also, if such a system were built - the nutrients could be more tightly controlled - would make certain types of changes (for flavor and/or nutrition) easier.
Plus unless they changed something DirectX is kind of a pain to get on a Windows Server OS so I don't think you can even get Aero on there.
Add roles and features, "Desktop Experience". Install DirectX using the standard installer.
Apparently, Server 2008 makes a very stable client OS when all the server gumph has been disabled and Aero installed.
Typing this on a server 2008 box right now. You don't need to disable server "gumph" - by default, it doesn't install stuff. In fact, the main changes that are needed are installing things - DirectX, Desktop Experience, Aero.
It's easy, and runs very nicely. A search for "windows 2008 workstation" can get you on the right track.
The only real downside is that some programs (Antivirus programs, really) want you to run server versions. Onecare, norton, etc. It can be a little more expensive to get an antivirus.
The overhead is not so bad if the decoders are done in an efficient manner.
I used to run around with a IPAQ 1910 (46mb available ram total, 300 MHz. It could do full screen, full motion decoding w/ OGG (128-192kbps) and MPEG-4 at the same time.
There are very few modern MP3 devices which _don't_ have sufficient horsepower to decode ogg, yet can handle MP3s.
And, as for secrets, is there any one of us who doesn't carry a TON of those around with them?
Actually, I decided to stop doing that a while ago. And there were certainly a lot of secrets I was carrying.
It's been interesting talking with my family, and my boss. Dishonesty and secrecy have been crutches I used to avoid facing the issues, and many of them were making me unhappy.
So far, my family hasn't disowned me, and I still have my job. And yeah, I came out and told my boss that he's been an idiot, and explained the specifics, and how he should fix things. Heck, I even told him that he should have fired me years ago - I've been very overpaid, and do a wonderful job of shifting blame.
I still have my job, but I'm working to earn my pay. My boss still does some stupid things, but he does them less often, and we work through them. My family still has issues, but we can talk about it and work things out.
For the first time that I can remember, I'm happy.
I am in a small company, which helps, and I am a director in the company (though I typically don't function in that capacity).
Secrets suck - if you can't be honest with the people around you, something is wrong. If I needed to lie to my boss on a regular occasion, I would start my own company, or look for employment elsewhere.
Firefox is not a replacement either, because it does not implement any of the interfaces that the IE framework does (even though they could go to MSDN and implement them, but we're talking about a lot of work here.)
You mean something like this?
It's not complete, but it does most of the basic stuff. In fact, it even includes a patcher to switch third-party apps from IE to FF:
In the current state of the Mozilla control, it is possible to run the IEPatcher tool on existing binaries and have them run using the Mozilla control.
So, setting up elaborate structures to avoid being convicted of, say, murder, is also acceptable in your eyes?
Acceptable and legal are two separate things.
Besides, sometimes the taxes are _designed_ to change behavior - so-called "sin" taxes, for example. Tariffs on imports can drive up the price of foreign goods to make domestic goods better able to compete.
You can't have it both ways - pass taxes designed to change behavior, then complain when taxes change behavior.
I recognize that this is the internet, and everyone is a "rocket surgeon", so I will leave you only with my assertion that my research is extensive, my credentials sufficient to say this without hesitation, and without reservation.
The current economic situation is a natural consequence of unhealthy social and economic policies - CDSes, Derivatives, SIVs, "growth" without regards to fundamentals, etc. For anyone who has really been paying attention, this was obvious - I've known (and told people) that this was going to happen for the past 4 years. When the system is fundamentally unsustainable, it's not surprising that we are having difficulties sustaining it.
We are in the process of corrections - a fundamental revaluing of risk, of assets, of policies. People are discovering that things simply aren't worth what they thought they were, and coming to grips (or being dragged kicking and screaming) with the consequences of such.
The unfortunate thing is that there is still a significant amount of "crap" in the system, and working through it will take years and years. This isn't something that's over in 2 years, or even 4.
The most sensible policy at this point is to plan accordingly - figure out what's important to you, and honestly determine if your actions will help you achieve them. If more education is what you need to get the right job, by all means, go for it! OTOH, sometimes the answer is to get a part time job, cut back on spending, and save everything you can - you can't live on student loans forever.
Rather OT, but are you actively working on the "Custom-TF Improvement Project"?
Anywhere it's legal for a male to go topless it should also be legal for women to do the same.
Yep, double standards suck. Few people want to see the fat guy in the Speedo, with the DDs, and I would make the case that it's quite indecent. They should be required to wear a shirt, too.
IE 6 is obsolete. If you know anyone with IE6, upgrade them so the web 2.0 can really mean 2.0 and not 2.0 "beta".
All things considered, I consider IE7 a serious downgrade from IE6. At least they provided a update blocker to avoid automatic "upgrades".
- It works. Quickly. Almost everywhere. If I wanted a browser that followed standards, I'd use FF (I do).
- I hate tabs. With a passion. Yes, you can turn them off in IE7, but it's a pain.
- There is nothing wrong with a Menu bar at the top, and an address bar at the bottom. It's been the standard forever, and I find it aesthetically pleasing. Alt-tab/alt-` does a wonderful job of switching between windows, and I happen to like the way (on windows) the alt-tab order is kept. It makes it very easy to switch between a browser and some other application - juggling tasks, instead of juggling windows in the same application.
Yeah, I can force IE7 to look like IE6 with some poorly documented registry hacks, but why would I want to?
As for better "web 2.0" support, I run around (in FF) with NoScript, Adblock, etc. HTML/CSS is a wonderful way to mark up content - if I wanted applications, I'd download and run them.
Finally! Someone who mirrors my shorts-in-every-season dress style.
So I'm not alone!
My legs don't really get cold. I've been perfectly comfortable with snow boots, a heavy coat, and shorts - I'm quite comfortable.
I don't know why it bothers people so much.
I had heard horror stories before about CFLs, and had no clue what the problem was. I've always used the GE Daylight bulbs.
I picked up a bunch at IKEA - now I know. They take forever to warm up, the light is awful, and they died very quickly.
I've been using them for years, and the light level is quite comfortable. I had one of them die this whole time - the bulb got smashed (they aren't as strong as most incandescent. Oh well.
And no, I'm not a paid shill for GE :)
it doesn't matter if you've got insurance because its perfectly OK for your insurer to say "whoops, we cant actually cover that"...
As opposed to the FDIC?
So, FDIC insurance is wonderful, unless there's an actual bank crash. To put things in perspective, Wachovia had 420 billion in deposits. A bank run would make the FDIC fairly meaningless, very quickly.
I'd much prefer private insurance - they aren't very efficient, but at least they aren't government. They also tend to spread the risk around a bit more.
Yet another reason why we need a better satellite infrastructure. If everyone were using satellites, a reroute through Asia would be unnecessary.
Except for the whole "240ms minimum latency" thing. Also, it's a lot easier to fix a malfunctioning cable than a malfunctioning satellite. Also, bad weather over the Satellite NOC can take out everyone's connection.
If you lived in the US, you would be sitting in a jail cell right now facing felony charges FYI. Never help anyone with their computer in the US. It's not worth it.
Eh, that's not always true.
I was stuck in a Wells Fargo branch for a bit 3-4 years ago, and their kiosks would only go to wellsfargo.com. Being the enterprising person that I am, I immediately typed the HTML for a hyperlink into the search box, it worked just fine.
When I got home, I whipped up a quick Proof of Concept that abused JavaScript to do some nasty things (Cross Site Scripting attack). I contacted Wells Fargo, gave them the details (as well as how to fix it) - it was fixed in a couple days, and they called and said "thanks".
I was careful to keep it proof of concept - tested only against my own account. I also phrased it carefully - "An unscrupulous attacker could...", rather than "I could...". Furthermore, I pointed out that as a Wells Fargo customer, it is in my best interest that the environment be as secure as possible - it's my money too. When you look like a threat, they treat you like one. When you look like a concerned customer protecting your (and their) interests, there is little incentive to silence or harass you.
I don't even play these games. The humor I see in it is that Spore was cracked on September 3rd [kotaku.com]--four days before its launch date. Um, are they really under the impression that one of these schemes might stop the hackers?
This does nothing to stop determined piracy - we know it, and they know it. What it _does_ do is deter casual copying. For companies like EA, this offers one really compelling feature - it kills the resale market.
When you can only install on X PCs, it gets a lot harder to resell. Resold games don't make them any money.
Do you have a newsletter? Because I'd like to subscribe to it.
I'd recommend HousingDoom.
The problem with this is it drives up interest rates. A bunch. If I'm losing 12% a year due to inflation, and I want 3% interest for my risk and profit, I will not loan out money for less than 15%, as it's a losing proposition.
We are in defect spending right now, and cutting services is political suicide. Here's the options:
1) Continue deficit spending. Eventually, that compound interest catches up, and we default. At that point, the US can't get debt as easily, and spending is cut to meet income. What a novel concept.
2) Inflation. Do it too much, and it gets too expensive for us to borrow. If we can't borrow, we're in the same boat as #1. This is effectively a tax on people with money.
3) Cut spending. This is a good thing. Running a house with a vicious cycle of debt never works. Why would it work for a government?
4) Taxes. Lots and lots of taxes. This leads to tax evasion, businesses (and people) leaving the country, etc. Excessive taxation is horrible for business, and places an unnecessary burden on small businesses and the poor (no matter how "progressive" it is.)
Sadly, it looks like #4 is the way we're largely going to go. With all the liabilities we have, we're in for some real pain in the not-so-distant future. This will not work as they think, either.
Here's a quick example:
I run a software company. We are a US corporation, hiring US workers, with US taxes. All of our sales are done in-person, or over the internet. Corporate income tax can be avoided to a large extent through business expenses, leading to an effective tax rate not too much more than the income tax. Company pays employees, employees pay taxes, done. It works out to something like 40%, all said and done.
Now, suppose the tax climate gets really nasty. A company like mine doesn't have to be located in the United States - most of our customers aren't anyway.
So, it is possible to:
1) Set up shop in Panama (who doesn't tax corporations on income derived outside the country).
2) Move to another country (for example, Japan). Japan doesn't tax foreign-derived income for people who aren't "permanent residents". The US exempts the first $80,000. So, the first $80,000 are tax-free.
3) If you can live off $80,000 for a while, you can get paid in options. Provided you meet the criteria, this can end up capital gains. So, your taxes on this ends up at 15%.
So, for a hypothetical person making $150,000 - the taxes would be approx $10,500, or a 7% tax rate.
Large companies can do similar things, like "license" a bunch of technology from a company they own, located in a jurisdiction that doesn't tax them (like Ireland). This lets them reduce their taxable income and funnel the profits to something taxed at a much lower rate. Invest in Irish corp, license _from_ Irish corp, pay 15% taxes.
Yes, closing the capital gains "loophole" would even things out a bit; however, it has a lot of collateral damage; including people renouncing citizenship, reduced investment, etc. Given the credit crunch we're having, it really doesn't make a lot of sense.