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User: CannonballHead

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  1. Random comments about it. on American Express Will Give All Parents 20 Weeks Of Paid Leave (cnn.com) · · Score: 2

    Random comments...

    Workers with families may actually be beneficial to companies. Why? Speaking as a parent in a single-income household, I would think they are less prone to job-hunting/switching frequently. It'd be interesting to see statistics on employee turnover rate for single vs. married vs. married-with-kids (or vs. single-with-kids, whatever). My income is very important to me, because I have three other people to provide for (plus associated "life" activities). It's stressful to not have a job; it's more stressful when you have a spouse and kids to provide for and, well, not starve, get into debt, lose your house, that sort of thing.

    That said ... heh, 20 weeks is a lot, that's like 5 months. I'm happy with 2-4 weeks of paternal leave, but it's not a huge deal if a company didn't give paternal leave. I think it's great, because IMO, it's a statement of the importance of family and the importance of fathers in family life. I mean, I wouldn't complain about 20 weeks! But I can see how someone might think 20 weeks for a *father* is a lot.

    Also, that said, 20 weeks for a mother is *not* that much. Even the official pediatric recommendation is to breastfeed, exclusively, if you can, for at least 6 months. It's really, really, really hard to exclusively breastfeed while working if you have any milk supply issues at all... because pumping just doesn't work the same. Sure, maybe companies should take that into account when working out pay, or maybe some of that should be without pay, or whatever, but unless we want to say to women that having kids is unimportant, or that making them healthy is unimportant, then time off for those critical months in a baby's development is a big deal to me. As a father. ;)

  2. Re:What is the use case for smartwatch? on Motorola Has No Plans For a New Smartwatch (theverge.com) · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I can think of two use cases that would be useful to me, if I had a smartwatch, which I don't. :)

    1. 1. Alarm for waking up in the morning without having something that also wakes up my wife and/or baby. But I'm not sure about wearing it on wrist and sending evil scary waves through my head all night (in the event I put my hand under my head while sleeping).
    2. 2. Phone notifications without having to get out my phone... e-mail, calls, sms, whatever. For example, I drive a tractor on our family farm (not my day job, or I'd be broke ;) ). I had to get a mount so I could put my phone up on the dashboard, otherwise there's just no way I hear it or feel it even in my pocket while driving the tractor. Other uses would be similar ... walking/running, etc. Just convenience, though.

    ... slashdot doesn't support "ordered lists" ? :(

  3. Re:Who acquired what now? on AngelList Acquires Product Hunt (fortune.com) · · Score: 1

    s/Angie's List/AngelList/ :)

  4. Re:Pay attention. on FBI To Gain Expanded Hacking Powers as Senate Effort To Block Fails (reuters.com) · · Score: 1

    or President Obama.

    Except, couldn't Obama veto it?

  5. Re:You realize that homeopathic treatments are wat on The US Government is Finally Telling People that Homeopathy is a Sham (vox.com) · · Score: 1

    The problem is ... things advertised as homeopathic are not always "just water." Sometimes, it's not diluted *that* much. And some "homeopathic" remedies include *non-diluted* ingredients that I've seen (e.g., herbs).

    It gets confusing, because the real "homeopathy" with the whole "the less there is, the more powerful" thing is weird. But when "homeopathic" remedies include actual active ingredients that DO do things... that lends credibility to "homeopathy" if someone doesn't actually know any better.

    It would be like marketing a "homeopathic" remedy for certain GI issues that "also includes" peppermint oil. Peppermint has an effect. The single molecule (if that) of Random Substance A? not so much. But look, a "homeopathy" worked!

  6. Re:More like 90%? on Linux Marketshare is Above 2-Percent For Third Month in a Row (omgubuntu.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Reading summaries is hard :)

  7. Re:First AI Post on Google's AI Created Its Own Form of Encryption (engadget.com) · · Score: 1

    Not to ruin a good joke, but at least with ASCII, each character is a byte, I think... :)

  8. Send new password to manufacturer? on How Vigilante Hackers Could Stop the Internet of Things Botnet (vice.com) · · Score: 1

    If they have access to the internet, couldn't manufacturers setup an API endpoint that accepts a serial number and a password... so that the password could be changed and the manufacturer could be sent the new one?

    The owner, when locked out, can call the manufacturer, they can look up the password, etc.

    Not totally sure how one might secure said API so it doesn't just get spammed as well, but... :P

  9. The "Smart" part is just an integrated way to potentially display what you want to throw at it (youtube, amazon video, whatever). At least on my integrated-roku tv, I can still plugin other stuff. I have a cheap Matricom Android thing for stuff the integrated roku doesn't do. But it's nice having the TV remote also be the Roku remote (although it's not as nice as the separate Roku remote, sadly... e.g., no headphone jack :) )

  10. Why would someone by a Roku? For internet? Doesn't almost everybody have a PC or tablet nowadays anyway?

    Without the snark ... :) ... I actually bought a "smart TV" (where the "smart" is just a builtin Roku). I still have a little android box plugged in for Skype and stuff... but I'm pretty sure the reason I got the "smart" one is the same reason someone else might - one less box to mess with cables, figure out where audio goes vs. where video goes, Yet Another Remote, etc.

    I don't think the point is that you can't do the same thing with a dumb TV + some sort of computer (roku, whatever). But sometimes, having it integrated is nice.

  11. I believe he is referring to "augmented reality"

  12. Re:Has anyone actually researched him? on Interviews: Ask Martin Shkreli a Question · · Score: 2

    gouging the government and the insurance companies

    Because, clearly, insurance companies will just eat those costs. It's not like they charge their clients anything to cover the costs...

  13. I keep my wallet and keys in my left pocket, because if I'm carrying something, I usually use my right hand (right-handed) and typically want to get to my keys to open the car door. But, I wear watches on my right hand as well, even though I'm right-handed.

  14. Re:"it was used for children's writing exercises" on Computers Decipher Burnt Scroll Found In Ancient Holy Ark (nationalgeographic.com) · · Score: 1

    This is a very ... complicated matter. Hopefully I speak somewhat clearly. Errr... type.

    Not one will pass away "until all is accomplished." And to be honest, I'm not sure what exactly Jesus is referring to there, but it "accomplish" sounds rather similar to "fulfill." Perhaps Jesus is talking about what He came to accomplish? But at this point, He is still giving the Jews a chance to *not* reject Him. He's talking as if He is not going to die, as if He actually will be accepted as the Jewish Messiah by the Jews.

    Also, it is important to see who He is talking to. In Luke, He's talking to the pharisees. Justifying their own faults (REAL faults, according to the actual law) while simultaneously trying to make sure everyone else kept not just the Law, but the traditions.

    This is why the rest of the NT is important, understanding why Jesus came (super short version, He came to Israel as their Messiah under/in the Old Covenant; but He was rejected, and a New Covenant was made that was not specific to Israel... hence the rest of the NT). Under the old covenant with Israel, what Jesus said totally makes sense. You can't say you don't have to follow parts of the Law. Furthermore, you can't wiggle around it like the pharisees (hey, I didn't sin! I mean I was angry enough to WANT to kill my brother, but I didn't, so I'm innocent of the law!).

    But, yes, that changed. Jesus was rejected. Jesus still fulfilled the law. Paul, in Romans, goes through great lengths to discuss this, going back to what the law was even there for to begin with. The author of Hebrews does, as well. Paul even mentions that the Jews rejected Jesus so that salvation would be extended to the gentiles. In other words, since the Jews rejected Jesus as Messiah, a new covenant was made that was NOT with Israel specifically, and thus all can come, and without going through the Old Covenant (hence the lack of circumcision being necessary, as Paul makes pretty clear in ... now I forget which epistle).

    For a Jew living in the Old Covenant, to say that one of God's covenant laws was not necessary? Blasphemy, pretty much.

    "Unchanging" does not refer to God's methods or actions, it refers to His character. Unchanging, faithful, true, those would all be very related words. It doesn't mean that how God acts or deals with men doesn't change. Clearly, that has changed, since Israel was not around since the beginning of time.

  15. Re:"it was used for children's writing exercises" on Computers Decipher Burnt Scroll Found In Ancient Holy Ark (nationalgeographic.com) · · Score: 1

    "Scare quotes" were because simply saying what they said (the words) and leaving it at that doesn't necessarily indicate what they meant by those words.

    Paul said "that stinks." Paul "said" it, but Paul actually meant "that is an unfortunate turn of events," not "that is unpleasant to my olfactory nerves" (or whatever it is that transfers smells in the nose, I'm not actually sure if their nerves now that I think about it, heh).

  16. Re:They HAD this service? on Amazon Is Killing Off Its $12/Year Plan For Unlimited Photo Storage (petapixel.com) · · Score: 1

    Ha, yeah. I realize my usage is not at all similar to people who take a lot of photos. I don't have tons of [high res] pictures or ripped movies or anything like that... and the movies that I have, I have the DVDs for, so I just do local backups for those.

    Most of my ... I don't recall how much, 150gb or so ... *is* photos (since we got a decent camera) and music, and it's growing, but we're not going to hit 1TB anytime soon. I have more stuff like games, the aforementioned ripped DVDs, ISOs, VMs, etc., but I don't have any reason to back that up other than locally, since it is all recoverable.

  17. Re:"it was used for children's writing exercises" on Computers Decipher Burnt Scroll Found In Ancient Holy Ark (nationalgeographic.com) · · Score: 1

    Also, Leviticus is not just Hebrew law, its Christian law too. Jesus said so many times himself. Unless, of course, you don't take everything Jesus said seriously.

    [Citation needed]

    Seriously, though... this is a very, very simplistic interpretation of what Jesus "said." For example, what exactly did Jesus mean when He said that He didn't "come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." And, of course, if you take the NT to also be accurate, then you have to deal with all of Paul's writings on the law, which are ... voluminous. And enlightening, as Paul often wrote to non-Jews, whereas Jesus was talking to Jews. Rightly interpreting what Jesus said, and why, requires knowing who He was talking to, why He came... well, and more, heh. He didn't just randomly show up and start speaking nice morals to a global human audience.

  18. I am a Christian, and have attended (and continue to) churches that preach from the Bible, and endeavor to study it and to rightly interpret it.

    Also, just in case you aren't familiar with the abbreviations, OT = Old Testament and NT = New Testament :)

    Referring to out-of-context passages in the Old Testament (e.g., Leviticus for things about homosexuality) seems pretty common... unfortunately. It is not treated very well, and, as you have noted, pretty much just cherry-picked to "prove" one's point. It's often referred to as proof-texting.

    I don't know exactly what you meant, but if you were asking whether that is a good thing - I do not think it is. Israel was a specific nation, with a specific covenant by God; some of the laws appear to coincide with, shall we say, a more universal standard of right and wrong that God has. Others were clearly designed to simply set Israel, as a nation, apart from other nations (e.g., not wearing clothing with mixed fabrics, or many of the dietary restrictions).

    In general, I side with non-Christians who criticize Christians for pulling out random OT passages when it suits them and not other ones. Those who criticize Christians for that do, in fact, have a valid point. Christians should not simply pick the parts they like from a law given specifically to Israel and pretend they apply universally to humanity.

    Now, that said... I am also of the opinion that there are pretty clear statements in the NT on things like homosexuality (and other sexual sins). And, to be fair, there are parts of the OT that are *not* specific to Israel, even if they were written TO Israel. A lot of stuff in the prophecy books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc.) has not been fulfilled. A lot of the Psalms, which are just songs, were written by Israelites (primarily David) but often talk about God in generic terms, not Israel-covenant-specific terms... though again, one has to be careful when trying to bring out an application for a New Testament Christian.

    .

  19. Re:They HAD this service? on Amazon Is Killing Off Its $12/Year Plan For Unlimited Photo Storage (petapixel.com) · · Score: 2

    I had heard of this, but at the time, I didn't like their cloud software... I dunno, it just didn't integrate well with my phone, Linux, Windows, etc. OneDrive actually has a lot better support. There's even a little service someone wrote to have it do filesystem sync stuff on Linux. I think I only pay like $2/mo for 200gb or something like that, which is all I need at the moment... backup everything of value to OneDrive, backup everything of super importance to Spideroak, and also use Google Photos / Music / Amazon Music for convenience.

  20. Presumably, somewhere around 3 million have sold. Is that a lot? I have no idea, ha. Seems decent? At, say, an average price of $170, that's about $500 million in revenue.

  21. Re:Finally! on Apple Announces Event On September 7: iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 Expected · · Score: 1

    Oh, so that's what the number means (iPhone 6)!

  22. Re:Different protections for different threats, en on How Security Experts Are Protecting Their Own Data (siliconvalley.com) · · Score: 1

    so far there haven't been any traditionally viruses

    What are these?

  23. Re:"More Professional Than Ever" on Linux Turns 25, Is Bigger and More Professional Than Ever (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    All the things you're complaining about aren't problems, once you know your keyboard shortcuts better.

    I didn't say I didn't get around the problems. But saying "it's not a problem if you know your keyboard shortcuts" is ... I dunno, sounds like a Linux-forums response ;) ha. But seriously, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts.

    indows alt-tabs through everything, which doesn't scale well with large numbers of windows. Mac alt-tabs through applications, and alt-backticks through windows within that application

    Yes, I am aware that's how it works and that is how I use it. I prefer the Windows way of cycling through windows, actually. I believe Unity also uses something similar, though you can change the alt-tab behavior somewhere in settings. Mostly, it's annoying when switching back and forth from terminal windows and something else... constantly having to cmd-tab and then cmd-backtick (or cmd-left/right to change tabs). Minor whining point.

    It's ironic that someone who wants to install Linux, which pretty much entirely consists of little plugin tools to make stuff happen, hasn't bothered to go looking for the little plugin tools that can customise OSX for you.

    I haven't spent a lot of time looking, I'll admit that point.

    My biggest "technical" complaint is the package management. Say you download a dmg. You install it (which mounts it, which is a little weird). Depending on how it works... you either get an installer (cool), or a big window that asks you to drag and oversized application icon to the oversized Applications folder. Kinda weird. It seems to kinda be the equivalent to script or .bin installers on Linux... which are equally annoying if they don't provide an easy way to uninstall. ;)

    And now that I've installed it that way, the accepted way appears to be dragging the icon to the trash. Ok... but that only works if absolutely everything was contained in that single folder. Which may not be the case (e.g., application settings).

    And overall, I just find it to be ... kinda clunky. Even Windows .exe distributions tend to be better than that, either with an included uninstaller or using the Windows uninstallation stuff.

  24. Re:"More Professional Than Ever" on Linux Turns 25, Is Bigger and More Professional Than Ever (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    I do use homebrew. And I didn't buy the MBP, it's a work laptop. :)

  25. Er, or a few. 1 gbps ... it's tricky to actually get good wireless speeds that fast...

    I would probably use a wired router and setup X acess points, each with their own SSID, for each neighbor. Each neighbor would probably be limited to what, 300mbps throughput or something around there?

    I guess modern routers can try to push more using... I forget what, dual band or something where it uses both at the same time, something like that.