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Comment Re:So I get three more years... (Score 4, Funny) 249

It gets better--following their math, 92 minutes a week gives a 14% reduction in mortality from all causes, and every additional 15 minutes gives an additional 4%. there's no point of diminishing returns identified. So, if you exercise 7 hours a week, you become immortal.

On average. In reality, some people exercising 7 hours a week will live much longer than that, and some much shorter.

Comment Re:Isn't leaving things out fun? (Score 1) 645

A more accurate headline would've been "Sergey Brin thinks managing your own computer is 'torture'."

The Bush administration would probably have had its lawyers write papers determining that managing XP installations is not, in fact, torture, and have the enemy combatants at Gitmo doing sysadmin work until they broke down and revealed their terrorist plans.

Comment Re:Trust (Score 1) 189

The return address is not required in many cases, so regular mail can certainly hide who you are communicating with. Or the return address can be easily spoofed.

And if you drop the letter in a big blue mailbox or at a post office, there's no way to track the origin of the letter.

Comment Re:Use aliases. (Score 1) 323

I'm assuming your perl script uses a logged in google session if that's what you do in your browser. Is your perl script using the same user agent as your web browser? Do you allow javascript to run on google.com in your browser? Does your script run all the time, periodically (but randomized intervals), while you're awake, or does it run around the times you generally are searching for real? That's just a few ways that Google could determine which searches are really you and which are a script.

Comment Re:Mistake in Summary (Score 1) 318

"unsolvable with conventional computers"

They're not unsolvable, they're infeasible. There's an important difference.

You can solve TSP for 1 million cities if you're willing to wait a few billion years, but the fact that you're waiting a few billion years makes it infeasible.

If you can keep one or more of today's computer in a runnable state for billions of years, I'll concede that you're right. My bet, however, is that every single one of today's computers will be little more than dust in "a few billion years", effectively making the problems "unsolvable with conventional computers" because they simply can't last that long.

Comment Re:Should be good for the economy (Score 1) 1530

enacted "Obamacare" in a nearly completely partisan vote with little to no real input from the right

That's not quite the way it happened.
"We considered 287 amendments. 161 of those...accepted were Republican amendments. You can vote against the bill if you want, but don't suggest to me that this process denied people a chance to be heard, to be involved, and to be engaged. " - Chris Dodd

The fact that Republicans got 161 amendments added to the health care bill and they still didn't vote for it doesn't indicate to me that they're interested in engaging with Democrats in any meaningful way.

Sure, 161 sounds like a pretty big number, but you have to consider how substantial the amendment is compared to the rest of the bill. If Nancy Pelosi accepts my amendment that would raise HSA limits a couple hundred dollars, should I say "wow, thanks Nancy, this bill totally gets my vote regardless of what else is in it?"

Comment Re:My privacy won't be violated (Score 1) 902

"Per Title 13, they could fine me $100 for failing to complete the form. I don't think that'll happen, but it's worth $100 to me to stand on the principle."

If you believe the people who respond to questions on ask.census.gov, your $100 is probably safe. I asked what the penalties are for failure to answer questions:

You can find the penalties and offenses below, however, we have not pursued prosecution in the past.

From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[www.gpoaccess.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 3, 2007]
[CITE: 13USC221]

TITLE 13--CENSUS

CHAPTER 7--OFFENSES AND PENALTIES

SUBCHAPTER II--OTHER PERSONS

Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully
neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized
officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency
thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized
officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions
on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey
provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title,
applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related,
or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall
be fined not more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of
this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in
such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be
fined not more than $500.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person
shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious
beliefs or to membership in a religious body.

(Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1023; Pub. L. 85-207, Sec. 15, Aug.
28, 1957, 71 Stat. 484; Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13, Oct. 17, 1976, 90 Stat.
2465.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., Secs. 122, 209, and section
1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., The Public Health and Welfare (June
18, 1929, ch. 28, Sec. 9, 46 Stat. 23; June 19, 1948, ch. 502, Sec. 2,
62 Stat. 479; July 15, 1949, ch. 338, title VI, Sec. 607, 63 Stat. 441).
Section consolidates the first paragraph of section 209 of title 13,
U.S.C., 1952 ed., which section related to the decennial censuses of
population, agriculture, etc. (see subchapter II of chapter 5 of this
revised title), with that part of section 122 of such title which made
such section 209 applicable to the quinquennial censuses of
manufactures, the mineral industries, and other businesses (see
subchapter I of chapter 5 of this revised title) and applicable to the
surveys provided for by section 121(b) of such title (see subchapter IV
of chapter 5 of this revised title), and that part of subsection (b) of
section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., which made such section 209
applicable to the decennial censuses of housing (see subchapter II of
chapter 5 of this revised title). For remainder of sections 122 and 209
of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., and of section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C.,
1952 ed. (which section has been transferred in its entirety to this
revised title), see Distribution Table.
The language of section 209 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., providing
that it should ``be the duty'' of all persons over eighteen years of
age, to answer correctly, to the best of their knowledge, when
requested, etc., was omitted as unnecessary and redundant. The
provisions, as herein revised, define offenses and prescribe penalties
for committing them, and are deemed sufficient for the purpose of
enforcement. However, some of the language used in the omitted
provisions was necessarily included in the description of the offense.
The designation of the first offense, herein described, as a
``misdemeanor'', was omitted as covered by section 1 of title 18,
U.S.C., 1952 ed., Crimes and Criminal Procedure, classifying crimes; and
words ``upon conviction thereof'' were omitted as surplusage.
References to the Secretary (of Commerce) and to any ``authorized
officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency
thereof'', etc., were substituted for references to the Director of the
Census and to any ``supervisor, enumerator, or special agent, or other
employee of the Census Office'', to conform with 1950 Reorganization
Plan No. 5, Secs. 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263.
See revision note to section 4 of this title.
Changes were made in phraseology.

Amendments

1976--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(1), struck out provision
authorizing imprisonment for not more than sixty days for refusing or
willfully neglecting to answer questions under this section.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(2), struck out provision
authorizing imprisonment for not more than one year for willfully giving
a false answer to a question under this section.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(3), added subsec. (c).
1957--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85-207 substituted ``I, II, IV, and V''
for ``I, II, and IV''.

Effective Date of 1976 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 94-521 effective Oct. 17, 1976, see section 17
of Pub. L. 94-521, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.

Comment Re:GATTACA (Score 1) 268

Try again.

"We the People...in Order to...promote the general Welfare..do ordain and establish this Constitution."

The first mention of "general welfare" doesn't give the government any authority, so we'll skip that and find the second mention...

"Section. 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States"

"General welfare" in this case is a limitation on how taxes collected by the federal goverment can be spent -- it doesn't grant any power to Congress otherwise. Read on in Section 8, which lays out the powers of Congress, and try again to find something that justifies federally run healthcare.

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