> Mitchell and Cooper were both nuts. In which case how did they qualify as astronauts in the first place?

At least one report issued by Project Blue Book stated that there were cases that they could not explain. The majority of these cases appeared to have been close encounters of the third kind. Both Mitchell and Cooper were interested in those encounters.

To get more information about those encounters, they had to be willing to talk with anybody, about any alleged event. Furthermore, in those discussions, they could have done "damage control", by suggesting avenues of exploration, that were far removed from the cause of the event, but whose research would have been of interest to the military.

> someone isn't going to make more than $18k because that work just isn't that valuable

In some places, the minimum wage is US$15.00 per hour.
For a full time job, that means an annual income of US$30,000.

>Perhaps part of every welfare program should include some money and financial management counseling.

If your gross monthly income is US$1,500:
* Tax: US$180;
* FICA: US$180;
For a take home check of US$1,140:
* Prudence dictates that one spend no more than 25% of one's gross income on shelter, including utilities.
Most landlords insist on a take home check that is at least three times the monthly rent.
* Using the prudent formula, your shelter costs should not exceed US$375 / month;
* Using the landlord formula, your shelter costs should not exceed US$380 / month;

It doesn't matter how good your skills at keeping a budget are, if there is no shelter at a price that either prudence, or landlords will accept is affordable for you, the renter.

As a home owner, the options are slightly better, but even there, property tax can prevent financial prudence.

>How the guys running the fraud bots get anything out of the deal is a bit mysterious

No mystery.

The fraud-click is part of generating a cover story for the individual bots.

The big revenue generation comes after each bot has a credible cover story, and presence on the various social networking sites.

If, as a result of generating a cover story, a competitor of a friend's business no longer advertizers on the Internet, so what?

Bots can handle Captchas more easilly than individuals with accessibility issues.

The only reason your company doesn't have your medical information, is becuase they don't want it.
HIPPA is best described as "your medical data is legally available to all and sundery, upon request."

HIPPA does zero for actual patient privacy, but a lot for security theatre, and medical theatre. It also provides an easy way for some people to make a lot of money, doing absolutely nothing.

The issue is that Apple claims that each app is vetted for potential security issues. By most definitions of the term, "fraud" falls under the category "security issue". Consequently, the discovery of even one fraud app means that Apple is not vetting apps in a manner consistent with what they claim.

I quit submitting bug reports, when I realized that even when I provided precise instructions on how to reproduce the bug, the gatekeepers claimed to not know how to reproduce the bug.

Due Dilligence was never a part of the Creative Commons License.

>No cab company charges $30 for a 1-2 mile trip.

Get Uber at the wrong time, and you can pay far more than that.

In cities with mandatory minimum zone charges, crossing the wrong zones can result in a twenty dollar charge, even though one is only going one mile.

Scratch that. In some places, the effective rate is fifteen dollars per mile, or part thereof.

Aopparently you failed remedial investing 099:
* Appreciation of the asset;
* Income by leasing the asset out;
* A virtually indestructable asset;
* An asset whose costs are 100% tax deductable;
* Low risk;

The only reason Uber and similar firms are a threat to taxis, is becuase they (Uber) currently offer a very rare quality --- good customer service.

>Diamonds are expensive because diamond mining is expensive,

One of the best times of my life was the week at the bay, where the stones were diamonds. Skipping diamonds into the ocean waves is fun.

The first rule of security is:
_Do not do anything on a computer that has network capability_.

I've been told that Windows2000 was the last version of Windows that did not require calling home at least once a year, in order to function correctly.

I know that Windows7 point blank refuses to run if it hasn't called home in the last 180 days.

If China pulls a Ukraine in Asia, it is because the Red Army walked there. This is the only contemporary army that is built on the principle of walking to the battlefield, even if it is on the other side of the world.

If China had a good blue water navy, they would be more likely to pull a Ukraine in Africa, or South America, than Asia.

The business case is that the drone will fly across campus, and manually restart a server that can't be RSSd into.

Nobody sees a Roomba crossing a road, and hence they get destroyed when run over. Drones aren't seen, but since they are above ground level, don't get hit quite so often.

If the United States calculated the unemployment rate today, the same way they did in 1960, the unemployment rate would be over 25%.

If the United States stays on its current track, by 2050, 70% of the population will be permanently unemployed. A further 21% of the population will spend more than half of their life unemployed.