Posts by Mark 85

Star Wars? I like it. Will there be some stirring music??

Re: Promotion?

Big Kahuna Relativity for those from the 60's.

Re: Still not convinced

Up to a point, you are correct. He is a typical megalomaniac though so things of this sort can't be put past him and his regime. Consider his total power and how he's (according to news results) constantly guiding his people via personal appearances at missile launches, factory operation, etc. He knows all. This is just another piece of the mythological power of his persona.

Then again, this behavior is exhibited by, for all intents and purposes, all leaders of all countries. The world has become a scary place with these folks in charge.

^^^^^^ This... exactly and spot on. Parents (at least in the US) have dumped much responsibility for raising kids on the baby sitters and the schools. The schools have got away from teaching critical thinking and values due to the agendas of the teachers union. Then there's all the social programs that by edict, the schools must do.

Re: 'There is no indication that other customer information was affected'

I'll reference Animal House and "Stay calm!!!! All is well!!!!!" during the ending mayhem of the movie.

Re: They're Not Wrong

I too found that "interesting" that it's only the data collectors who seem to be protesting. Not sure why other tech firms aren't complaining.

Re: No, just....no

If you're "old school", going to the store and looking at what you're buying (especially fruits, veggies, and meat) is a ritual. I know of several chef's at higher end restaurants who buy their produce and meats this way as they don't trust the local suppliers to inspect and check the quality of their goods.

Re: The fact you need to be religious to be a politician

Just an observation.... most of the "religious" politicos I've come across spew the verbiage but fail to walk the take. So God talks to them? No, I hear money/sex and in some cases, drugs does.

Re: "as well as knuckleballs and sliders"

I'll assume you're not trolling... Both are terms in American baseball for two distinct types of pitches.

If trolling, a knuckleball something on the kinky side in certain parts of the world? The outcome is always unpredictable.

Re: Of course the companies like it

Add to that the $20 Million. Won't go all that far and I'm sure there's a few groups that will actually use the money as intended. Not many though. Most will probably figure out a way to get some grant money use it to fund a "study" or some other meaningless nonsense.

Re: Here's the thing.

The stuffing of the electronic ballet box has be brought several times in the past. I don't recall off the top of my head if they were valid or just BS to misdirect any questions.

Re: Bah!

Possible that the issue wasn't the programmer. He/she might have only been following directions and the person who wrote the specs for the program blew it. If they're high enough in the "corporate structure", blame will flow downhill.

Re: Polticians for sale! (again)

What? Buy our own politicians? Interesting concept. Or should we wait for "Vive la revolution"?

@Halfmad -- Re: I don't mind beeps, I don't mind music.

^^^^ THAT!!!!! Applies to any center. I wish there were a lot more upvotes I could give and some way of hammering this into every call center (except the Indian, for obvious reason) in the world.

@Ledswinger -- Re: A hijack target?

Need to add in lawyers, lawsuits, etc. into that equation. Around these parts, lawyers file a suit for just about any reason.

Re: Don't be evil...

They seem to have done away with that slogan a long time ago.

I'm not sure why you have a downvote. I thought a lot of us did this.

Give it time... once some nutcase weaponizes a drone and flies it into a parade, that will change.. The cops will shoot on sight.

Re: Truth or Consequences

He obviously has a problem - and because this is America, nobody has ever tried to help him overcome the problem or seek treatment.

We, as readers and not in the inner circle, don't know that. It's quite possible that after the first episode, some of his staff and friends did try. Given the nature of politics and privacy, unless someone actually comes forward and says "I tried to help him.", we'll never know.

I'm not defending him... he should have found help. It's out there and one would think that after the first time, he would have sought if nothing else to defuse the situation. But he didn't (as far as we know) and if he had, treatment would have brought out in court instead of his admitting he was in denial.

@Chemical Bob -- Re: This guy is about to become a legend

But only after both are neutered to keep from reproducing.

I have always thought all this was pure BS on his part. Yes, it could have easily cleared up if he'd followed the rules much as expects those his site exposes. He uses Wikileaks seeking justice, etc. yet decides he's immune to anyone seeking justice from him. He basically washed his hands of Manning and (if reports are to be believed) failed to assist with legal counsel for Manning's trial. All the rest of his moaning and whining have purely been self serving attention seeking. His running and hiding was an act of sheer cowardness much the sort we'd see from a two year old hiding under his bed because he was afraid of the punishment for breaking a window.

Sorry JA fans... I'm still thinking of him somewhere lower than whale shit.

Re: Put them on hold

For added point, do a loud scream and yell "Oh my god... " followed by "Fire... call the fire department". A bit of screaming about "it's got me" and then hang up.

Among some of the sharper consumer types (not employed geeks), Geek Squad and some other places are know for going through the HDD's and copying anything that interests them... pictures, games, etc. Best advice if you're a customer is to keep everything on a separate, removable HDD and remove it before taking the box in for work.

Re: If I recall correctly

RE: that 35%.

Most companies count into the "total compensation" such goodies as the employers part of Social Security. Other add in the "cost" of taking the company truck home at night. Tax wise, there's a pretty broad base on what goes into that calculation.

Re: Don't care

I fondly remember Win2000 and it's no BS approach. It was a damn good OS. Instead we get bells, whistles, and apps (sometimes).

An operating system should just work. Fancy bells, whistles, dancing bears, etc. aren't needed and for many of us, not wanted. Our applications need a stable platform that will sit quietly in the background and just run the tools.

Re: Why Israel didn't ban electronic devices on flights to Tel Aviv?

Or just useful to create a "siege" feeling for political reasons...

Bingo.... we are getting a culture in this county of "big brother will watch out for us". That and power. Look at the recent history of more restrictions, more control and all in the name of "safety". And that includes those who don't want encryption and full access to everyone's computer.

Re: Norks "getting instantly flattened"

I would expect our tech for resisting EMP is pretty good, too.

I worked in military development early on (early 70's) EMP, Tempest, and other things were part of specs for electronic equipment and test parameters were exceeded just "see what will happen". I haven't a clue what the specs, etc. are like now but I imagine they've come a long way.

We'll have to consult Professor Hawking if we want to understand this down to the quantum level.

I would think the answer is "42".

While I tend to agree, but there's the human thing. Not just from passengers needing reassurance that there's a human in charge. We've had several incidents (for lack of a better term) where the pilot managed to save the plane and passengers a nasty death. On the other hand, we've had a few incidents where not having a human pilot might have been a better thing.