In the US, a farmer (or anyone else for that matter) doesn't pay taxes on "off road" diesel. This is fuel that is typically used in tractors and the like. However, farmers (and everyone else) get to pay taxes on diesel fuel used in the vehicles they drive on public roads. There's no difference in the fuels other than identifying dyes.
The reason calls start off like that is because too many "geeks" make people feel stupid for not knowing something. Users start to believe it's their fault they aren't all knowing.
I went through the same thing recently. I wanted to get a hunting buddy online so he could check out all the excellent information on hunting, shooting, balistics, woodcraft, etc. I gave him an old laptop with Slackware 5.0 installed. I configured the menu under Blackbox to only give him the choices he needed to get online and use the Internet (plus the command line so I could walk him through stuff if necessary). I typed up a page of detailed, but basic instructions (forgot to talk about clicking on hyperlinks-the things we take for granted...). It's been less than a month and he's hooked (it helps that he's an info junky). He's even beginning to figure out technical issues himself. This is his first exposure to computers...ever!
He's hooked on Linux too! When people started telling him he should be using Windows (friends, the people at the ISP he started using, etc), he asked me about it. I explained the differences, each one's relative strengths and weaknesses (nonpolitical, I wanted him to decide for himself). He has since decided that he prefers Linux because it empowers the user.
Did I mention that he's a 50 year old Harley riding biker type and ex-mechanic?
GM has an electric car on the market (or used to. However, at $30k, it was way too expensive. Also, it was small. I've only seen recharging stations for such cars in California (and then, only at one place in San Jose).
I wouldn't buy an electric car these days. An infrastructure doesn't exist, nor are they priced properly (when I can get a midsized sedan for $20k, I'll reconsider).
I use it personally to keep in touch with friends all over the country and locally too (some are AOL users). I use it professionally to contact people in remote offices. I use it at home under Linux and at work under NT. I've talked to friends on AIM that I haven't spoken to via voice or in person for well over a year (different parts of the country, different work schedules, etc).
Just because YOU can't find a use for it doesn't make it any less valuable.
The majority of all new companies fail. Why should.Coms be any different? Usually, they fail due to lack of funding (profits) and/or mismanagement. It's surprising how many people forget this simple rule of entrepreneurship, especially the people that make their living working with such businesses.
I agree. I would prefer a child knew how to properly handle an gun, knew what one could do, and respect it accordingly. A kid would be less curious and less apt to do something stupid with things that they are familiar with.
Having grown up around guns and having been properly educated about them, I never had the desire to get one and start playing with it (they were all loaded and within reach). I grew up treating them like the tools that they are. Nobody else in our family messed with them unless they were going to take them out and use them (for hunting or target shooting).
It's all about education, not computerized safety locks and fearmongering.
Excellent analysis. However, I prefer the original books because, sometimes, it is very rewarding to read an original text. It's almost a religious experience to read a book printed 200+ years ago in it's original binding of lambskin and parchment. Yes, I've held such books in my hand. Also, searching through archives of such books for nothing in particular is a rewarding experience. Chris
Why do you assume that just because people don't have the same priorities as you, they must be stupid? My VCR clock isn't set. Not because I'm stupid, but because it isn't a priority to me. I bet you don't do some things others do, but that doesn't make you stupid (change your oil, tune your car, mow your own grass, cook real meals, etc, etc). People's priorities are different. No wonder people call us/you geek. Chris
While we are at it, let's pay bank robbers or people who break into your house. Obviously, they are just pointing out security weaknesses too. We could extend this courtesy to all sorts of so called criminals. Whatever....
I know people at AOL that say the reason they don't do an official port of AIM to Linux is because "there are only about 10 linux users out there". He was joking, but the point is, they don't want to support another OS that has a very small market (yeah yeah, I know Linux is growing). I'll just keep using GAIM for now...
I don't think that would be dumbing down at all. Just because a person uses AOL doesn't mean they can't handle a standard ISP or Linux. Just means they made a choice based on what they want (my parents use AOL because it fits their needs just fine and because everytime they go to cancel it, AOL gives them another 2 months or so for free. They learned about Internet usage via me and my brother using Mindspring, so they're familiar with a normal ISP).
I think AOL on Linux would go a long way towards making more people adopt it (we can debate on the merits of mass adoption later). It would give them a comfortable presence amist all of those cold command prompts.
BTW, in responce to your next statement, AOL is an Online Service, not an ISP. There is a difference.
Offtopic, but being a fan of TR, I wanted to add to this. One of his basic beliefs was that to be a real man (not the macho, hunter type, but the strong, honest, reliable type) you had to push your mind and body to the limits. Not only that, but he also believed in honesty and honor.
Also, even though many view him as a bad person for his love of hunting, few know that he also viewed conservation as one of the most important things to our country. He also wrote many articles and essays on conservation, natural history, and biology. As a hunter, he despised "staged" hunts. He often prefered to stalk his prey on foot or horseback and spent weeks in the field. When presented with a "staged" hunt or captured animal to shoot (he was prez and people tend to do this so the prez can get a shot), he released the animal or gave up the hunt. He was a true sportsman. It's truly a shame a man like that will never again occupy our White House.
A good book that will introduce you to his sporting ethics and naturalist tendencies is "Outdoor Pasttimes of an American Hunter".
I hunt deer with a 357mag (Ruger GP100) loaded with hot ammo (I hunt in steep terrain, a handgun in a holster is easier to deal with than a rifle or shotgun on a sling or in hand). 50 yards would be no biggie. You're correct though, a rifle or shotgun is a better "disaster" weapon.
It was about 7PM EST (give or take 15 minutes). I was traveling northbound on Rt28 and the stream passed, more or less, in an eastbound diagonal across the highway. I agree, we may have seen the same meteor(s).
As I was driving home from work last night, I saw a string of fireballs streaking through the sky in the vicinity of Dulles Airport (I was on RT28 heading towards Sterling, Va). They were larger than any I've ever seen before and lasted for nearly a minute before burning out. It made my night.
I tend to use old passwords generated by ISPs I have used. At least in the past, they have created passwords that are completely random collections of numbers and letters. I also use phonetic spellings for passwords at work. Either way, I don't write them down and I rotate them fairly frequently. I have a pool of about 5 seemingly nonsensical passwords that I use for everything.
I don't know what their quality was like a couple of years ago, but I've built 3 PCs with their boards in the past year and all three have worked quite well. I can't get the onboard sound to work under NT or Linux, but it works fine with Win95. The only problem I ran into was Win95's bug with AMD chips over 350mhz. I'm typing this on a system built around an AMD 350mhz TXPro board that is overclocked to 400mhz. Nothing spectacular, but it runs well (especially for $130). I'd buy another one if I needed a motherboard.
They found a way to bottle "essence of VW Beetle"? And someone is willing to spray it on their computer?? I've never had a car that could rust as fast as my Beetle. Stiil, I miss that car, *sniff*
Hey, do you clean up excess with Bondo and primer??:)
I was lucky enough to go to an elementary school in Tennessee that was somewhat computer savy (at least for the mid 80s and in rural Tenn). We had a few Apple IIe's. Unfortunately for most students, the only ones who got to spend any real time on the machines were the ones who scored very high on their standardized tests. Out of the whole school, only 10 of us were in that special group (we got to skip our morning class once a week). We played logic games (not computer based, the verbal and prop based ones), learned BASIC, etc. By the end of my 6th grade year (I was part of the pilot that started my 5th grade year), we had written small games in BASIC. It was only 4 pages printed (don't remember the number of lines) and full of GOTOs and other niceties, but it ran. I just wish the JrHigh and first High School I attended were as enlightened. I might have retained more. As it was, I didn't do any programming at all till my Senior year and it was no more advanced than the stuff I did in 6th grade. Oh well, now I'm a SysAdmin...life has hit rock bottom:)
LPs do sound better than CDs if the quality of the hardware is good. An audiophile mag did a test a couple of years ago to find out if it was true. They used high end equipment for both systems and used new LPs and new CDs. IIRC, the LPs had a richer, fuller sound. The reason for this is that CDs, being binary, can't reproduce as well all of the gradients in a musical tone. It's the old Digital vs Analog thing again. The same thing can be experienced when dealing with tube based amps vs solid state amps. I've actually heard this one firsthand. The tube amps have a better sound. Unfortunately, that quality comes at a price. To realize the superiority of analog systems in music, you have to pay much more for new equipment. Plus, most people either can't tell a difference (I can only in the right circumstances) or it's not worth it to them. CDs are still the best system for 99% of us.
Northern Virginia has those cameras all over the place. Radio and Television news stations *do* use them for traffic reporting, but it's not a large stretch of the imagination to think they could be used by other groups. Chris
I agree. I go through the same process myself, but at the end, I go one step further and think about dropping out of society all together. For years I've been reading/studying wilderness survival info and this fall/winter I'll be learning how to hunt and butcher game. In all likelyhood, I don't see myself actually "dropping out", but I like to think that I could pull an "Eric Rudolph" (guy who evaded FBI by disappearing into Western NC wilderness) and just disappear into the mountains of Western North Carolina (or SW Va, or East Tn-it's all part of the same mountain range).
For those of you who think this is loopy, consider one thing, it's very comforting to know that I probably won't *need* Big Brother holding my hand to survive in this world. If it gets bad enough, I can take my toys and go home.
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In the US, a farmer (or anyone else for that matter) doesn't pay taxes on "off road" diesel. This is fuel that is typically used in tractors and the like. However, farmers (and everyone else) get to pay taxes on diesel fuel used in the vehicles they drive on public roads. There's no difference in the fuels other than identifying dyes.
Chris
The reason calls start off like that is because too many "geeks" make people feel stupid for not knowing something. Users start to believe it's their fault they aren't all knowing.
Chris
I went through the same thing recently. I wanted to get a hunting buddy online so he could check out all the excellent information on hunting, shooting, balistics, woodcraft, etc. I gave him an old laptop with Slackware 5.0 installed. I configured the menu under Blackbox to only give him the choices he needed to get online and use the Internet (plus the command line so I could walk him through stuff if necessary). I typed up a page of detailed, but basic instructions (forgot to talk about clicking on hyperlinks-the things we take for granted...). It's been less than a month and he's hooked (it helps that he's an info junky). He's even beginning to figure out technical issues himself. This is his first exposure to computers...ever!
He's hooked on Linux too! When people started telling him he should be using Windows (friends, the people at the ISP he started using, etc), he asked me about it. I explained the differences, each one's relative strengths and weaknesses (nonpolitical, I wanted him to decide for himself). He has since decided that he prefers Linux because it empowers the user.
Did I mention that he's a 50 year old Harley riding biker type and ex-mechanic?
Chris
GM has an electric car on the market (or used to. However, at $30k, it was way too expensive. Also, it was small. I've only seen recharging stations for such cars in California (and then, only at one place in San Jose).
I wouldn't buy an electric car these days. An infrastructure doesn't exist, nor are they priced properly (when I can get a midsized sedan for $20k, I'll reconsider).
Chris
I use it personally to keep in touch with friends all over the country and locally too (some are AOL users). I use it professionally to contact people in remote offices. I use it at home under Linux and at work under NT. I've talked to friends on AIM that I haven't spoken to via voice or in person for well over a year (different parts of the country, different work schedules, etc).
Just because YOU can't find a use for it doesn't make it any less valuable.
Chris
The majority of all new companies fail. Why should .Coms be any different? Usually, they fail due to lack of funding (profits) and/or mismanagement. It's surprising how many people forget this simple rule of entrepreneurship, especially the people that make their living working with such businesses.
Chris
I agree. I would prefer a child knew how to properly handle an gun, knew what one could do, and respect it accordingly. A kid would be less curious and less apt to do something stupid with things that they are familiar with.
Having grown up around guns and having been properly educated about them, I never had the desire to get one and start playing with it (they were all loaded and within reach). I grew up treating them like the tools that they are. Nobody else in our family messed with them unless they were going to take them out and use them (for hunting or target shooting).
It's all about education, not computerized safety locks and fearmongering.
Chris
Excellent analysis. However, I prefer the original books because, sometimes, it is very rewarding to read an original text. It's almost a religious experience to read a book printed 200+ years ago in it's original binding of lambskin and parchment. Yes, I've held such books in my hand. Also, searching through archives of such books for nothing in particular is a rewarding experience. Chris
Why do you assume that just because people don't have the same priorities as you, they must be stupid? My VCR clock isn't set. Not because I'm stupid, but because it isn't a priority to me. I bet you don't do some things others do, but that doesn't make you stupid (change your oil, tune your car, mow your own grass, cook real meals, etc, etc). People's priorities are different. No wonder people call us/you geek. Chris
While we are at it, let's pay bank robbers or people who break into your house. Obviously, they are just pointing out security weaknesses too. We could extend this courtesy to all sorts of so called criminals. Whatever....
Chris
I know people at AOL that say the reason they don't do an official port of AIM to Linux is because "there are only about 10 linux users out there". He was joking, but the point is, they don't want to support another OS that has a very small market (yeah yeah, I know Linux is growing). I'll just keep using GAIM for now...
Chris
I don't think that would be dumbing down at all. Just because a person uses AOL doesn't mean they can't handle a standard ISP or Linux. Just means they made a choice based on what they want (my parents use AOL because it fits their needs just fine and because everytime they go to cancel it, AOL gives them another 2 months or so for free. They learned about Internet usage via me and my brother using Mindspring, so they're familiar with a normal ISP).
I think AOL on Linux would go a long way towards making more people adopt it (we can debate on the merits of mass adoption later). It would give them a comfortable presence amist all of those cold command prompts.
BTW, in responce to your next statement, AOL is an Online Service, not an ISP. There is a difference.
Chris
I wanted to add a couple of urls for your perusal:
http://theodoreroosevelt.org
http://theodoreroosevelt.org/life/quotes.htm
The second one has many excellent quotes that give insight into the man's personality and character.
Chris
Offtopic, but being a fan of TR, I wanted to add to this. One of his basic beliefs was that to be a real man (not the macho, hunter type, but the strong, honest, reliable type) you had to push your mind and body to the limits. Not only that, but he also believed in honesty and honor.
Also, even though many view him as a bad person for his love of hunting, few know that he also viewed conservation as one of the most important things to our country. He also wrote many articles and essays on conservation, natural history, and biology. As a hunter, he despised "staged" hunts. He often prefered to stalk his prey on foot or horseback and spent weeks in the field. When presented with a "staged" hunt or captured animal to shoot (he was prez and people tend to do this so the prez can get a shot), he released the animal or gave up the hunt. He was a true sportsman. It's truly a shame a man like that will never again occupy our White House.
A good book that will introduce you to his sporting ethics and naturalist tendencies is "Outdoor Pasttimes of an American Hunter".
I recommend you read it if you're interested.
Chris
I hunt deer with a 357mag (Ruger GP100) loaded with hot ammo (I hunt in steep terrain, a handgun in a holster is easier to deal with than a rifle or shotgun on a sling or in hand). 50 yards would be no biggie. You're correct though, a rifle or shotgun is a better "disaster" weapon.
Chris
It was about 7PM EST (give or take 15 minutes). I was traveling northbound on Rt28 and the stream passed, more or less, in an eastbound diagonal across the highway. I agree, we may have seen the same meteor(s).
Chris
As I was driving home from work last night, I saw a string of fireballs streaking through the sky in the vicinity of Dulles Airport (I was on RT28 heading towards Sterling, Va). They were larger than any I've ever seen before and lasted for nearly a minute before burning out. It made my night.
Chris
I tend to use old passwords generated by ISPs I have used. At least in the past, they have created passwords that are completely random collections of numbers and letters. I also use phonetic spellings for passwords at work. Either way, I don't write them down and I rotate them fairly frequently. I have a pool of about 5 seemingly nonsensical passwords that I use for everything.
Chris
I don't know what their quality was like a couple of years ago, but I've built 3 PCs with their boards in the past year and all three have worked quite well. I can't get the onboard sound to work under NT or Linux, but it works fine with Win95. The only problem I ran into was Win95's bug with AMD chips over 350mhz. I'm typing this on a system built around an AMD 350mhz TXPro board that is overclocked to 400mhz. Nothing spectacular, but it runs well (especially for $130). I'd buy another one if I needed a motherboard.
Chris
They found a way to bottle "essence of VW Beetle"? And someone is willing to spray it on their computer?? I've never had a car that could rust as fast as my Beetle. Stiil, I miss that car, *sniff*
:)
Hey, do you clean up excess with Bondo and primer??
Chris
I was lucky enough to go to an elementary school in Tennessee that was somewhat computer savy (at least for the mid 80s and in rural Tenn). We had a few Apple IIe's. Unfortunately for most students, the only ones who got to spend any real time on the machines were the ones who scored very high on their standardized tests. Out of the whole school, only 10 of us were in that special group (we got to skip our morning class once a week). We played logic games (not computer based, the verbal and prop based ones), learned BASIC, etc. By the end of my 6th grade year (I was part of the pilot that started my 5th grade year), we had written small games in BASIC. It was only 4 pages printed (don't remember the number of lines) and full of GOTOs and other niceties, but it ran. I just wish the JrHigh and first High School I attended were as enlightened. I might have retained more. As it was, I didn't do any programming at all till my Senior year and it was no more advanced than the stuff I did in 6th grade. Oh well, now I'm a SysAdmin...life has hit rock bottom :)
Chris
LPs do sound better than CDs if the quality of the hardware is good. An audiophile mag did a test a couple of years ago to find out if it was true. They used high end equipment for both systems and used new LPs and new CDs. IIRC, the LPs had a richer, fuller sound. The reason for this is that CDs, being binary, can't reproduce as well all of the gradients in a musical tone. It's the old Digital vs Analog thing again. The same thing can be experienced when dealing with tube based amps vs solid state amps. I've actually heard this one firsthand. The tube amps have a better sound. Unfortunately, that quality comes at a price. To realize the superiority of analog systems in music, you have to pay much more for new equipment. Plus, most people either can't tell a difference (I can only in the right circumstances) or it's not worth it to them. CDs are still the best system for 99% of us.
Chris
What episode was that? I'd like to see it. Chris
Northern Virginia has those cameras all over the place. Radio and Television news stations *do* use them for traffic reporting, but it's not a large stretch of the imagination to think they could be used by other groups. Chris
I agree. I go through the same process myself, but at the end, I go one step further and think about dropping out of society all together. For years I've been reading/studying wilderness survival info and this fall/winter I'll be learning how to hunt and butcher game. In all likelyhood, I don't see myself actually "dropping out", but I like to think that I could pull an "Eric Rudolph" (guy who evaded FBI by disappearing into Western NC wilderness) and just disappear into the mountains of Western North Carolina (or SW Va, or East Tn-it's all part of the same mountain range).
For those of you who think this is loopy, consider one thing, it's very comforting to know that I probably won't *need* Big Brother holding my hand to survive in this world. If it gets bad enough, I can take my toys and go home.
Chris