I talk about retrocomputing with several people and most of those who are both over 30 and a long time computer users remember the Amiga.

LK

I think VW might contract the actual manufacturing to Chrysler.

Indeed. The VW Routan was a Chrysler Town and Country with some different skins on the inside and out. It was so much not a VW product that the VCDS system (the thing you can use to do vehicle diagnostics on any VW, Audi, Seat, or Skoda product since the early 90s) doesn't even talk to it.

In the German market, VW sells Vans of all different sizes. None of them are currently imported to the US; the Eurovan was the last rest-of-world van that was available in North America.

We have 3 kids in car seats, and an Odyssey.

When we lived in town, it was great. Back then, my only serious gripe with the Odyssey is that if you are running a second set of wheels (e.g. for permanently mounted snow tires), and don't fit a 2nd set of expensive TPMS sensors to those wheels, the VSA (stability control) cannot be defeated via the console switch.

This is a problem because the VSA implementation sucks and is frankly unsafe when accelerating on surface transitions - for instance, when you are waiting on a gravel road and are about to pull onto a paved highway, the VSA system senses differing levels of wheel grip between the wheel on pavement and the wheel still on gravel, and cuts power, precisely when you need maximum power to quickly get to highway speed.

Last fall we moved to a rural area, and now poorly maintained roads (deep snow in the winters until I clear it, deep ruts whenever there are rains) has really shown me the shortcomings of the vehicle. My wife has gotten it stuck 4 times in our first winter.

The Odyssey needs 2 things to be superlative. Air suspension with adjustable ride height (it is a very low vehicle, for ease of entry/exit for small kids), and a proper AWD system.

My wife is now desperately wanting an AWD vehicle. But to get a proper AWD system (e.g. locking transfer case or at least a torsen differential), and the useful seating capacity of a minivan, you need to be looking at full-size truck based SUVs, like the Excursion or Sequoia.

I'm aware that the Sienna comes in an AWD version, but its particular AWD system and ride height doesn't inspire me that they will be foolproof enough to want to make the switch.

Sadly, my wife also refuses to drive a Mercedes G-wagen :)

As an aside, the Odyssey towing capacity isn't really sufficient. It's 3500lbs, and it requires upfitting the vehicle considerably with things that don't come factory - PS cooler, ATF cooler, hitch wiring, etc. (In addition to the actual hitch receiver).

When we were considering camping options, essentially nothing that had enough floor space for a family of 5 could be towed behind an Odyssey.

Hi there. Been an engineer at Microsoft since 2000. Have interviewed hundreds of people at all skill levels.

Why do you assume that wages at Microsoft aren't increasing?

I understand the compensation model, and how it has changed in my 14 years. The comp packages we are offering to college grads these days are astoundingly lucrative. Every few years in my career, there has been a big compensation realignment based on market realities. Everytime something at work upsets me enough that I start talking to other companies, their comp packages (especially with cost of living factored in) aren't able to match what I'm getting now from Microsoft.

Lately, high comp packages are required to compete with Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc, who all have plenty of money, and, for younger developers, are often seen as cooler places to work than old stodgy Microsoft.

I just see no evidence that H1-Bs are a mechanism for the company to save money. Dealing with HB-1 hassles involves a lot of overhead and expense that are not applicable to domestic employees.

As I said earlier, I have interviewed many, many folks, for many positions. The hire rate is not as high as we would like it to be. It never feels good to have to turn someone down, and it is a waste of time for everyone when an interview doesn't go well. But the bottom line is, we talk to many more people than we can feel confident about making an offer to. There are lots of STEM graduates, foreign and domestic. But not all of them are someone we could feel comfortable hiring. I'm sure you've known people in your CS class who could get good grades but who couldn't code... those people count as "qualified STEM applicants" to people that are pushing the "H1B is evil" rhetoric, but we all know that just because someone has a degree doesn't mean they are employable in that field... and certainly not by the top organizations in that field.

I've also seen no evidence that Microsoft has a preference for hiring H1-Bs, or that there is any compensation disparity for H1-Bs. I have seen evidence that H1-Bs cost the company money that domestic employees do not. For example, the company has special lawyers and paperwork people that deal with H1-B and other immigrant-labor related problems. That's a cost. When H1-B engineers are dealing with this stuff (which is frustratingly often), they aren't writing code or analyzing tests. That's a hit to their productivity, which ultimately, is another cost.

I speak only for myself and I am such a person.

I have heard others say so for themselves.

You may have misunderstood my explanation.

LK

No. Making such analogies offends people who have been subjected to actual racism. They tend to stop listening to whatever else you say.

Like when someone takes whatever gripe they have, even when it's legitimate and likens the opposition to Nazis. At that people they lose people who might have been willing to side with them. That's also what a fake racism analogy does.

LK

I am beyond disgusted with people trying to equate everything to the racism that was a part of Western society's fabric until relatively recently.

Your failure to further your education has nothing in common with people who were never considered for jobs because of their race. You could have chosen to get a degree, they couldn't have chosen to be white.

You may think that you're being an insightful, open minded, progressive but you're being an insensitive douche with no perspective.

LK

I'm completely serious.

I HATE KDE4. I still use Trinity wherever I can because that was the KDE that I liked.

I don't care about what whiz bang technology went intro this. I don't care how many man years were invested. I don't care who else likes it. I will reserve judgement until I use it myself. If it's not as good as KDE3.5, I'll stick with Trinity.

LK

NEWSPEAK ALERT!

No, Dan Cathy donated money to organizations that worked against redefining marriage to fit a certain political agenda.

LK

You're just so full of wrong here.

First, you mean precedence, not precedent.
Second, the SCOTUS just saw it my way.

So, you can go suck a bag full of dicks.

LK

I can't say for certain how he or she became a moron but the idiocy he or she is displaying is how I know that he or she is a moron.

I argued that exact position before McCain-Feingold became law. If each of the people who own a corporation has the right to free speech, it's unthinkable that when they work together they somehow lose that right.

1. No one is prevented from getting anything. Every Hobby Lobby employee who can get a doctor to prescribe birth control pills can still get them. Hobby Lobby just won't be forced to pay for it.
2. Yes, I not only thought but I hoped that would be the case when the issue was decided by the SCOTUS.

Yeah, I see why you posted anonymously. If you had used your name, in a year, I would have waited to see you post and then replied to remind you what a fucking moron you are.

It's not going to happen. Ever.

The fact that to be able to have the right to vote, one must be a citizen and in order to be a citizen one must be a human being.

LK

And the resultant expense is always the man's responsibility.

LK

Every part of your day can be a religious practice.

For some people, running their business in accordance with their faith is a part of their religious practices.

LK

Stop with the butthurt.

Pay for your own Plan B. This decision doesn't take that away.

LK

Were there any documented cases of Chic-Fil-A refusing to serve someone because they were gay? Refusing to hire someone because they were gay? Attacking someone because they were gay?

LK