FWIW (and that is not a whole lot) I had (she passed away in odd circumstances and her husband died of entirely different causes while they were both in the same hospital - very freaky) a friend who was a councilor who specialized in working with sex offenders and she also further specialized in working with youth offenders. She said the same thing - I never called for a citation or asked to see the studies. I always just assumed there were studies as that field has studies that will say anything you want them to say. Well, that is my assumption after having read other psyche studies and abstracts.

Woah... Someone who actually knows what a Libertarian is? On Slashdot???

Why yes, yes I do support roads, police forces, taxes, libraries, public safety nets, and more. Just wait until they find out that I support single-payer health care... The mind, it boggles.

I am not sure if that was intentional but it is practically begging for:

Your coworkers are all cows. Moo says the coworkers. Moo! Mooooo! You coworker cows!

I did not try any AMD products until the K6-2 came out. I had an Acer that it came in, I had purchased it for the house. It was 350 mhz and I OCed it to a bit over 500 mhz and, while a bit warm, it never failed while I owned it. I could get it a bit higher but it was not very stable when I did so. The curious thing is that it came with ME on it and, honestly, ME ran like a champ. I had multi-month uptimes and ran an OpenNap server (then a hub) on it. I think it was one of six computers in the country that ran ME properly.

Are you sure that is true? I mean, yeah, it is stupid - it is damned stupid. However, I have heard things much more stupid than this. If this is the absolute stupidest thing you have ever heard then, frankly, count yourself lucky. I, on the other hand, can think of much stupider things including those who postulated the idea that anarchy could be effective as a world-wide political and economic system. I have heard people propose that pure communism would be effective too. I have heard people say that the government should be spying on us more than they already are doing. I have heard people propose that corporations have nearly unlimited power. I have heard people proclaim that the world's issues were to be solved by allowing areas to effectively eliminate the folks that they did not want living within their communities.

No, my good man or woman, if you have not heard anything worse than this you are either living under a rock, have a very poor judgment, are very naive, or very young. Count yourself lucky because, I almost guarantee that you will hear stupider things in just this one thread if you take the time to read it. Hell, give me a half hour - I will probably say something equally stupid or, perhaps, even more stupid. It is how I roll...

Thank you much. Now to find a way to combine a couple of apps and make it do this on its own. It sounds like an enjoyable project. I can, likely, find OSS to include as a way of saving a bunch of time. Basically, my thinking is more for a single person to use it. They can create a file, such as a plain text, encrypt it, take the resulting file and encrypt that into an AES encrypted RAR file that needs a password.

So, in order to open the file, they will have to know the password for the compressed and encrypted .RAR file. Once they decrypt it they will need a key, I am thinking PGP should suit, and they will need to use that key to decrypt that file - it may even be password protected a second time and it probably would end up being that way by default.

I think I might bust out CodeLite (I have been toying with the IDE, getting used to its tools, layout, and work space) and grab a couple of app sources from GitHub or SourceForge. Then I can wrap them (hopefully) and turn it into a single application that makes it easy for non-geeks to use. Exchanging the password(s) should be fairly easy and, I suspect, it would mean it was much more difficult to be seen by spying eyes. I could see it coming in handy.

When I was first thinking about it, I was considering it for use with stenography encrypted images where messages are encoded in the image source. Having pondered it, over a couple of months now, I have since thought that it may have uses outside of stenography and folks might be interested in that.

I do not see this as a project that will need much maintaining. Just a simple alpha, a beta, and a single point release and it should be pretty good. I might even be inclined to do it in Java so that it *should* work on every major OS out there. I am not fluent in Java but I know my way around. I could use the practice and it might be nice to familiarize myself with the Eclipse Java IDE.

Finally, thank you again. My attempt to Google did not reveal any applications out there that already do this. I am unable to be certain because I am not sure what keywords I would need to use. Another part of me pondered its validity as a web service. I am not sure I want the responsibility for such. I am retired, happily, and do not want to be beholden to anyone and an online service would, most certainly, mean a greater level of attention was needed.

You know, we do not really get any oil from the Middle East, right?

That is about the same ratio as Einstein faced before some astronomers were able to capture an eclipse on film. Consensus does not make science. I suspect you are one of those people who finds studies that they do not agree with and discounts their findings because they do not feel right to you. Leave the science to the scientists. You are not capable of understanding.

Note: I am not saying AGW is not happening. In fact, what I have said offers no opinion on that. Sorry but, honestly, I am not skilled enough to opine on its veracity. I suspect, strongly, that you are not either. The difference is that one of us is honest.

Now that sounds like a Genuine Advantage!®

I am a math geek. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a crypto-geek. I do have a dumb question...

Is it possible, and I will try to explain as well as I can, to have an encrypted file that, when decrypted, becomes an actual encrypted file which requires a password to open? I realize that may be a strange way to think about it.

Let's say that I have a file, a plain text file, and I put it into a password protected .zip file. That new file, the .zip, would then be encrypted, as a whole, into a new file - say file.tar.bz. Now, to open it, you would need to have the shared key PLUS you would need to know the password to the encrypted .zip file.

I understand that this has nothing to do with TLS and would be wholly impractical for browsing. However, the talk of encryption made me wonder about this and I have been pondering this for a couple of years now. It means it would be something you have and something you know.

I can think of many ways to share the needed password/pass-phrase securely (for certain definitions of securely). Say, five books in a certain order on a bookshelf and calling with a series of numbers which determine with pages and words are used to make up the pass-phrase. A call could be as simple as, "Number 3, 27, 5, 18, number 7, 14, 32, 8. Confirm?" Which would be book number 5, chapter 3, 27th page, fifth and eighteenth words and book seven, chapter fourteen, thirty second and eighth word would be the password. This does not help if there is someone physically present.

Anyhow, there may be some need to change the file type at the recipient's end because decrypting the file.tar.bz file will not necessarily mean that the file has the appropriate .zip extension but, well, that is pretty trivial.

What am I missing? This, obviously, has absolutely no value in the real world for almost every single person on the planet. I could see it being useful for TLAs or those who are trying to subvert their government (for a variety of reasons which may be good or bad).

It is digital. I am not taking it apart anyhow. My doctor's scale says I weigh the same. His is digital too. I do not see the analog scales so often these days.

Bernie v Paul v Trump would be interesting and eventful if Paul pulled enough in from either side of the electorate to keep from drowning one or the other parties. Rand could do the staunch Classic Libertarian (not Ayn Rand or anarcho-capitalist) thing and, maybe, get enough visibility.

The Libertarian Party has some issues... It has been co-opted by folks who are ashamed Republicans and they are a vocal minority. It is associated with Ayn Rand. The actual platform ideals do not fit on a bumper sticker or make good talking points for thirty-second blurbs. This is a problem.

I typed you out a novella, by the way, in another section. You may find it amusing. I did not proofread it, caveat emptor.

The types of charitable giving that I typically do are for those that can not do for themselves - like disaster relief, the FSF, or others that enable people to do things on their own, such as Heifer International and I sponsor a scholarship program at Kent's Hill. Things like that... I wonder what his donations look like in that area. Those sorts of things speak volumes.

Keep in mind that, for now, I can not think of any particular thing that Trump has said that I intrinsically disagree with - nothing totally false and unacceptable. The same is not true with Hillary, in my opinion. I can not, and will not, vote for her. For now, I am entirely undecided but it is still unlikely that he will get my vote - there is likely to be a candidate more in line with my particular desires. I am not altruistic - I will not be voting for the general good of society, I will be voting for the party most likely to benefit me because I am a greedy and egotistical asshole.

I suppose, I should also make it clear, that I am a leftist but not in a traditional sense. I support the idea of a strong social safety net and providing for those who can not or will not do so on their own. Why? It helps stop them from stealing my shit. I like my shit - that is why I bought it. I am a greedy bastard. I support the idea of roads, libraries, police forces, and firefighters. They enable people to be productive. Their productivity is something I can capitalize on. I want everybody to create wealth - so I can have it. The leftists just have not realized I am a mole...

If I can not vote for someone who is going to make me money then I am going to vote for someone who will at least let me keep it. I do not mind taxes - not at all. I wish they were better spent but, frankly, taxes are less than I would pay to have a private company provide all the services I want. Those taxes are actually an investment - they do stuff like help me keep my shit. I already mentioned how much I love my shit - that is why I bought it in the first place. I am an asshole but I am honest about it. Anyone who can realistically show that they have a plan that enables me to be more productive (and acquire more shit) has my vote. That may be Trump. It sure as hell is not Hillary. It probably is not Sanders - he has some blanks to fill in. It might be Rand Paul but i worry that he is just riding his father's coattails. It will most certainly not be Bush.

I will be voting for myself. I am running for state Senate in Maine. We have lumped the Independent and Greens together here so I am an Independent/Green candidate. The signatures are already submitted. I am funding my campaign entirely on my own. I will accept not one single donation - not even from citizens. I am beholden to nobody and my choices are my own but will do my level best to represent the needs and desires of my constituents. My job will be to fairly represent them as honestly and openly as possible. I want to help them accumulate more shit. That way, I can find a way to get some of it. Besides, it will stop them from stealing *my* shit if they have enough of their own and have means to be productive to earn their own.

I suppose, I am the rare breed that is truly independent. I am likely to win my seat. My district has a habit of voting out incumbents and electing third party candidates. The guy who is currently in office is *scratches that out*... The guy is disliked by a majority if people are being honest with me. I do have self-interest in mind, I will be advocating for a Geek Appreciation Week where IT workers get an extra paid week off. *nods* (No, not really.) My entire platform is, pretty much, here is a list of everything I have done wrong. On the back of that paper you will find what I have learned from each of those mistakes and how it has changed my outlook.

If you want to vote or me and do not live in Maine, I can take care of that. I will get you an absentee ballot. You want a ballot? I will get you one. No, no... Again, I kid... I can see some LSJ reporter digging through my posts and only quoting part of that. I should probably delete it but, well, we have internet in my district. I can publish a URL. I am not sure how well honesty and being truly independent will serve me but, frankly, it is worth the shot and I might be able to make a very small change as a very small voice in a very small area. I can hope and, if not me, I can hope the person that runs against me is going to try to do similar. (Right now I may be running unopposed.)

I dunno... I think the EV craze might exist without the subsidies BUT it would not be as quick or as prevalent. There were people who bought them before the subsidies existed as far as I know. I do not recall there being subsidies when Tesla first brought out the roadster way back when. Well, not at the federal level - I think one or two of the west coast states may have had subsidies?

I think the market could decide but that it would not be quick enough if we really want to change things in a timely fashion. There are people who can and will elect to pay more to be environmentally friendly. We do it because we think it is the appropriate thing to do. Some of us, like myself - I hope, are far from zealots. I do not have, for example, an EV. I eat dead animal flesh. I have a giant RV and am so eager to be content I use that RV to tow a car behind it so that I can more easily move around at a long-term stop. I have many firearms and love to hunt. So, no... I am not some sort of eco-nut - I don't think.

I suspect (or, hope, really) that there are more people like myself. I hope that there are more of me that are not eco-nuts as well. But, if it takes the kooks to get things rolling then, at least, perhaps they have done something useful.

I could get behind taxing emissions but I would worry about how it would impact the impoverished. While they might be exempted from a number of taxes they would almost certainly be affected due to externalities as costs for most everything will increase. Cap and trade is, I feel, a shell game - at best. It is more likely to be some abused industry that preys on people and lives off the government's teat by virtue of being a mandate. I mean, yeah, it sounds like a good idea but let's be honest for a minute and think about how it will likely manifest in the real world.

No, I do not have solutions for this. I have some ideas but they are not important as nobody ever listens to me. I do not expect that to change.

I am a hell of a cook, I just do not really like food. I eat once or twice (at most) a day. I have a neighbor that I pay to clean my house and she usually cooks a big meal which I eat over a few days. I sometimes cook my own food but, often, after I have cooked it there is something that makes me no longer really want to eat it. I was an opiate abuser for many years and that slows down the digestive system a great deal. When I quit my appetite was huge and I ate a lot but that did not last long. I just really do not like eating. I would most certainly not benefit from this drink, however. I would not consume it. If it were a pill? I might eat that. If it were a pill that got me high as all hell? I'd eat the fuck out of that - I'd shoot that shit.

I do have a sibling who has gastroperesis (I have no idea how to spell it, basically it means her stomach and intestines do not work - at all) and she lives because she gets her nutrients through a pick line in something called TPN and uses a strange computerized pump. I pay for some of her medical care and it is expensive - like $900/wk for the TPN alone. The tubing, computer, etc... That stuff is very costly. I do not know the exact figure but it probably works out to about $1500/wk with all of her TPN supplies. She is disabled so the government covers the majority of the stuff but the only company that was eligible to take care of her supplies was inept so it was simpler to get a different company, that does not accept government insurance, and does the job better. *sighs* Fortunately, I owned my own company and was able to sell it at a great price and retire. It is still a bit of a burden.

I could complain about all sorts of things in her area of life but it would do me no good. One prescription she was only allowed so much of (about half of what the doctor recommended) and, if she paid for any additional number of that med they would stop paying for what they were already covering. It is pricey... You do what you can, I suppose. Any insurance policy I could find that would actually cover even as much as is already covered is actually more expensive than what I am already paying. It reminds me that there really are cracks that people can fall through and, once they are there, there is little hope of getting anywhere. I imagine that there are many like her, she indicates that there are, but are unable to really do anything and have nobody to help.

But, enough digression...