I know of them, but I have yet to meet someone that actually has one. I am one of the fortunate few that still has an account with a local bank rather than a giant multi-national conglomerate. (Almost unheard of is the fact that I used to have an account with a fairly large bank that sold it's local branch to a tiny bank, and I've been happier ever since.) With the larger bank, if I had become overdrawn by any amount, there was a $35 per transaction fee. With my current bank, if I go overdrawn, there is a $1 fee for the first day, then $20 for everyday thereafter that I remain overdrawn AND transactions occur.
I have seen terminals with RFID readers, but they are generally only seen in the largest of chain stores (at least in my area, which is around Chicago, IL)
For the record, I do work for a merchant service provider (aka - a credit card processor). In the many years I have been here, we have never offered a point-of-sale system that supports contactless payment (RFID), and I have never seen a credit card that had an RFID (other than in commercials).
Well, Mr. Anderson. The evidence indicates that either you are a coke fiend, or you have recently handled money.
This presents an interesting dilemma for us, as we do not pay you enough to either afford blow or to have money to handle. We have come to the conclusion that you have obtained outside employment. You are no longer necessary. Please pack your things and leave.
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 does list it among the criteria (it is in fact in the very first of the 12 prohibited personnel practices):
Twelve prohibited personnel practices, including reprisal for whistleblowing, are defined by law at  2302(b) of title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.). A personnel action (such as an appointment, promotion, reassignment, or suspension) may need to be involved for a prohibited personnel practice to occur. Generally stated,  2302(b) provides that a federal employee authorized to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action may not:
(1) discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation;
Power supply failure - Redundant power supplies Hard Drive failure - RAID array (Though losing multiple drives at the same time... Very bad, unless you are using an "exotic" RAID level such as RAID 6 or 5+1 (Striped set with double distributed parity and mirrored striped set with distributed parity, respectively))
Building burns down - You have bigger problems than just losing some data.
I know that the weather bands transmit special tones (or whatever they use) to indicate an alert, and as others have noted, there are some cars that have the weather band, but they don't auto-switch on alerts.
If I was actually listening to a radio station instead of a CD or MP3 player, then sure, I might be able to find out if something major was going on, but I would greatly appreciate it if the radio switched itself on a tornado warning.
Sidenote: When the sirens turn on for a tornado warning, take shelter immediately. When the sirens stop, wait at least 15 minutes before leaving shelter. Reason: The siren may have stopped because it's no longer there.
I know this is off-topic, but why is it that car radios don't have the weather bands? Having weather information when you are most vulnerable seems like a common sense thing to me.
It is in the Visa regulations. You are correct, though. A private business has the right to refuse service, just as Visa has the right to put that business on the list of merchants that will never be allowed to accept Visa again.
If you want to accept credit cards, you have to follow the rules. Otherwise, you will not be able to accept credit cards ever again.
So when I walk out of a gas station because they wanted to see my license because I wanted to pay for a coke and some chips with my credit card, can I do anything about it?
IOW, is reporting violators of 2) in the above post actually worthwhile? Here is the corresponding quote from the Visa Card Acceptance Guide:
When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID. Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures. Laws in several states also make it illegal for merchants to write a cardholder's personal information, such as an address or phone number, on a sales receipt.
I've never personally witnessed any sanctions imposed, but Visa and MasterCard do take violations of the merchant agreement seriously.
Merchants are also not allowed to impose a minimum amount for credit card transactions.
Always honor valid Visa cards in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts in order to accept a Visa card transaction is a violation of the Visa rules.
I will concede that point. However, you are supposed to hold the card and make a Code 10 call if you suspect fraud, and not specifically if the signature doesn't appear to match. Accepting the sale with a mismatched signature is done at the merchant's own risk, just as many fast food restaurants do by not requiring the customer to sign the receipt.
I'd have to agree with you there. I'm a jack of all trades IT worker (formal title: Systems Admin). I'm responsible for keeping both the user PCs running as well as the servers.
If the servers were no longer my responsibility, my job would change very little.
Of course, what's actually important is that you don't need to catch up to the older players. Additionally, if they make a major mistake (such as not having an updated clone) and get killed, they will be at a MAJOR disadvantage for quite a long time (Like a level 70 character dropping to level 30 because he didn't have the right armor)
The group that I'm in however, we don't buy ships. They are provided for us. Weapons are also provided and/or found.
It is even possible (and quite profitable) to game the market which can be done without EVER undocking (Even from the point of character creation)
But like you said, WoW is easier. If you want a challenging game where you are free to do what you want, you know where to look. And if WoW is too hard, there's always Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
It's a common misconception that someone with fewer skill points is always at a disadvantage. Skill points only get you so far, you have to know what you are doing and how to handle every unique situation. For instance, the largest alliance in the game, "GoonSwarm", has a massive amount of members, and a fair percentage of them don't have a clue what they are doing (though there are plenty of them that do). Throw a bunch of them at an experienced player, and the experienced player is going to die.
Additionally, there are a number of people that buy an experienced account (expressly forbidden, but it does happen). These people are completely clueless, and will die easily.
It's all a matter of what you are bringing to the fight. A sniper with 20 years of experience is no match against a guy with a suitcase nuke that was trained yesterday to hold the button until it's time to detonate. If the sniper shoots, he's dead. If he doesn't shoot, he's still dead.
No part of the EVE universe is PvP free. You can be killed by another player in ANY system (the attacker may lose his ship as well, but if you're flying around in a piñata, the loot may be worth far more than the lost ship.)
Additionally, if you are in a non-NPC corp (which most people that have a clue are) a war can be declared on you, which means you can be attacked without retribution from the "police".
Have you tried playing an MMO that doesn't require you to play every possible hour you can to keep up, such as EVE Online?
There are no levels, only skills, and they continue to train even when you are offline. It costs about $20 to start a subscription and $14.95 thereafter. If you devote enough time, you can even pay in-game currency for game time, which results in free play.
The game is constantly being updated with expansions that cost nothing to the player.
Of course, if you wanted to stick to the Internet swords motif, there are several free-to-play MMOs available.
I just noticed something that no one else mentioned... If it's a web-based system, how will the WinForms functionality help?
WinForms is just for desktop apps, not web apps. (ASP.NET pages rendering HTML that is W3C compliant rather than "works great in IE" is another issue entirely.)
Alright, I'll put the convention issue into perspective: Linux and Windows are the methodology, with Ubuntu, Fedora, etc. as Linux operating systems and 2000, XP, and Vista as Windows operating systems (ignoring for now that the Linux kernel and distro versions increment independently, and the various distros are concurrent rather than incremental like the Windows camp). Even on the Windows side you can't just say "if it runs on Windows it runs on Windows". I am using Windows 2000 at work, as such, I cannot install Visual Studio 2008 or Silverlight as those do not install on Win2K. Going back before Windows 2000 we had a complete split between Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0. There were many things that could not run on NT 4.0 because support for DirectX was limited.
I will agree that the "Linux Desktop Experience" needs to have a good deal of work done to ensure a common ground for how things should be done. Software developers need to be consistent in how they provide their software, and they should not assume that something will be available on the platform. Even on Windows, with the exception of MSI files, installers include themselves in the executable code. Even with MSI files, there is typically a setup.exe that ensures that Windows Installer is available at a minimum version.
It's not an issue of the distro. Windows does have the Windows Installer service, but it is far from being the most commonly used method of installation. There are many other installers out there (WISE, InstallShield, Nullsoft, etc.), not to mention that some programs make their own installers and even more do not have an installer at all.
Linux has Red Hat Packages, Debian packages, and a variety of other methods.
Neither Windows nor Linux require an installer to be used. If the software you want doesn't have a one-click installer, complain to the company that makes the software, not the OS.
Go ahead and put me on that list. I've been looking for a way to program for Linux without using a masochistic language for a while now.
Why should I need to use a language where I have control of everything if I don't need to do anything out of the ordinary? It's non-conducive to productivity to have more control than necessary, and bugs in parts of the code that I don't need control over lead to security vulnerabilities.
Slashdot Mirror
It has recently been revealed that a common thread has been found among all human ailments and syndromes.
Everyone that has been afflicted with a disease or syndrome has consumed large amounts of DHMO!
Perhaps the fact that you are being flamed in the responses to your posts, indicates that your posts are, in fact, "flamebait"
Additionally, the abusive verbiage used in your original post indicates that you were posting clearly for incendiary value.
I know of them, but I have yet to meet someone that actually has one. I am one of the fortunate few that still has an account with a local bank rather than a giant multi-national conglomerate. (Almost unheard of is the fact that I used to have an account with a fairly large bank that sold it's local branch to a tiny bank, and I've been happier ever since.) With the larger bank, if I had become overdrawn by any amount, there was a $35 per transaction fee. With my current bank, if I go overdrawn, there is a $1 fee for the first day, then $20 for everyday thereafter that I remain overdrawn AND transactions occur.
I have seen terminals with RFID readers, but they are generally only seen in the largest of chain stores (at least in my area, which is around Chicago, IL)
For the record, I do work for a merchant service provider (aka - a credit card processor). In the many years I have been here, we have never offered a point-of-sale system that supports contactless payment (RFID), and I have never seen a credit card that had an RFID (other than in commercials).
Well, Mr. Anderson. The evidence indicates that either you are a coke fiend, or you have recently handled money.
This presents an interesting dilemma for us, as we do not pay you enough to either afford blow or to have money to handle. We have come to the conclusion that you have obtained outside employment. You are no longer necessary. Please pack your things and leave.
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 does list it among the criteria (it is in fact in the very first of the 12 prohibited personnel practices):
Twelve prohibited personnel practices, including reprisal for whistleblowing, are defined by law at  2302(b) of title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.). A personnel action (such as an appointment, promotion, reassignment, or suspension) may need to be involved for a prohibited personnel practice to occur. Generally stated,  2302(b) provides that a federal employee authorized to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action may not:
(1) discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation;
Power supply failure - Redundant power supplies
Hard Drive failure - RAID array (Though losing multiple drives at the same time... Very bad, unless you are using an "exotic" RAID level such as RAID 6 or 5+1 (Striped set with double distributed parity and mirrored striped set with distributed parity, respectively))
Building burns down - You have bigger problems than just losing some data.
Everyone needs to eat steak and mushrooms cooked using solar ovens, and quit eating the damn vegetables.
Cows and mushrooms convert oxygen into CO2 (and methane for the cows, too). Vegetables convert CO2 into oxygen.
I've always found it ironic that many of the "eco-friendly" people are vegetarians, resulting in them saving the problem and killing the solution.
I know that the weather bands transmit special tones (or whatever they use) to indicate an alert, and as others have noted, there are some cars that have the weather band, but they don't auto-switch on alerts.
If I was actually listening to a radio station instead of a CD or MP3 player, then sure, I might be able to find out if something major was going on, but I would greatly appreciate it if the radio switched itself on a tornado warning.
Sidenote: When the sirens turn on for a tornado warning, take shelter immediately. When the sirens stop, wait at least 15 minutes before leaving shelter. Reason: The siren may have stopped because it's no longer there.
I know this is off-topic, but why is it that car radios don't have the weather bands? Having weather information when you are most vulnerable seems like a common sense thing to me.
How will this discovery save our bananas?
It is in the Visa regulations. You are correct, though. A private business has the right to refuse service, just as Visa has the right to put that business on the list of merchants that will never be allowed to accept Visa again.
If you want to accept credit cards, you have to follow the rules. Otherwise, you will not be able to accept credit cards ever again.
IOW, is reporting violators of 2) in the above post actually worthwhile? Here is the corresponding quote from the Visa Card Acceptance Guide:
I've never personally witnessed any sanctions imposed, but Visa and MasterCard do take violations of the merchant agreement seriously.
Merchants are also not allowed to impose a minimum amount for credit card transactions.
I will concede that point. However, you are supposed to hold the card and make a Code 10 call if you suspect fraud, and not specifically if the signature doesn't appear to match. Accepting the sale with a mismatched signature is done at the merchant's own risk, just as many fast food restaurants do by not requiring the customer to sign the receipt.
I work in the credit card industry, so I do know how it works...
1) The signature on the back of the card authorizes it for use. Failure to sign the card is supposed to indicate that the card is not authorized.
2) Merchants are NOT allowed to check ID as a condition of credit card acceptance.
3) The signatures do NOT have to match. The signature on the card only authorizes the card for use and is not for comparison.
I'd have to agree with you there. I'm a jack of all trades IT worker (formal title: Systems Admin). I'm responsible for keeping both the user PCs running as well as the servers.
If the servers were no longer my responsibility, my job would change very little.
Or it could be Brother, and then you never know what kind of "multithreading" they're talking about.
Of course, what's actually important is that you don't need to catch up to the older players. Additionally, if they make a major mistake (such as not having an updated clone) and get killed, they will be at a MAJOR disadvantage for quite a long time (Like a level 70 character dropping to level 30 because he didn't have the right armor)
The group that I'm in however, we don't buy ships. They are provided for us. Weapons are also provided and/or found.
It is even possible (and quite profitable) to game the market which can be done without EVER undocking (Even from the point of character creation)
But like you said, WoW is easier. If you want a challenging game where you are free to do what you want, you know where to look. And if WoW is too hard, there's always Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
It's a common misconception that someone with fewer skill points is always at a disadvantage. Skill points only get you so far, you have to know what you are doing and how to handle every unique situation. For instance, the largest alliance in the game, "GoonSwarm", has a massive amount of members, and a fair percentage of them don't have a clue what they are doing (though there are plenty of them that do). Throw a bunch of them at an experienced player, and the experienced player is going to die.
Additionally, there are a number of people that buy an experienced account (expressly forbidden, but it does happen). These people are completely clueless, and will die easily.
It's all a matter of what you are bringing to the fight. A sniper with 20 years of experience is no match against a guy with a suitcase nuke that was trained yesterday to hold the button until it's time to detonate. If the sniper shoots, he's dead. If he doesn't shoot, he's still dead.
No part of the EVE universe is PvP free. You can be killed by another player in ANY system (the attacker may lose his ship as well, but if you're flying around in a piñata, the loot may be worth far more than the lost ship.)
Additionally, if you are in a non-NPC corp (which most people that have a clue are) a war can be declared on you, which means you can be attacked without retribution from the "police".
Have you tried playing an MMO that doesn't require you to play every possible hour you can to keep up, such as EVE Online?
There are no levels, only skills, and they continue to train even when you are offline. It costs about $20 to start a subscription and $14.95 thereafter. If you devote enough time, you can even pay in-game currency for game time, which results in free play.
The game is constantly being updated with expansions that cost nothing to the player.
Of course, if you wanted to stick to the Internet swords motif, there are several free-to-play MMOs available.
I just noticed something that no one else mentioned... If it's a web-based system, how will the WinForms functionality help?
WinForms is just for desktop apps, not web apps. (ASP.NET pages rendering HTML that is W3C compliant rather than "works great in IE" is another issue entirely.)
Alright, I'll put the convention issue into perspective: Linux and Windows are the methodology, with Ubuntu, Fedora, etc. as Linux operating systems and 2000, XP, and Vista as Windows operating systems (ignoring for now that the Linux kernel and distro versions increment independently, and the various distros are concurrent rather than incremental like the Windows camp). Even on the Windows side you can't just say "if it runs on Windows it runs on Windows". I am using Windows 2000 at work, as such, I cannot install Visual Studio 2008 or Silverlight as those do not install on Win2K. Going back before Windows 2000 we had a complete split between Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0. There were many things that could not run on NT 4.0 because support for DirectX was limited.
I will agree that the "Linux Desktop Experience" needs to have a good deal of work done to ensure a common ground for how things should be done. Software developers need to be consistent in how they provide their software, and they should not assume that something will be available on the platform. Even on Windows, with the exception of MSI files, installers include themselves in the executable code. Even with MSI files, there is typically a setup.exe that ensures that Windows Installer is available at a minimum version.
It's not an issue of the distro. Windows does have the Windows Installer service, but it is far from being the most commonly used method of installation. There are many other installers out there (WISE, InstallShield, Nullsoft, etc.), not to mention that some programs make their own installers and even more do not have an installer at all.
Linux has Red Hat Packages, Debian packages, and a variety of other methods.
Neither Windows nor Linux require an installer to be used. If the software you want doesn't have a one-click installer, complain to the company that makes the software, not the OS.
Go ahead and put me on that list. I've been looking for a way to program for Linux without using a masochistic language for a while now.
Why should I need to use a language where I have control of everything if I don't need to do anything out of the ordinary? It's non-conducive to productivity to have more control than necessary, and bugs in parts of the code that I don't need control over lead to security vulnerabilities.