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Comment Re:So Proud of Gun Ownership (Score 3) 1232

I have a FOID card, but do not own a gun. Sorry that so many here do not understand the difference. There is no gun in my home, but I would appear on such a map. Is that really right? I think not. Why not an "armed robbery" registry? Murderer registry? Speeding ticket registry? Drunk driver registry? Car accident-causer registry? Etc., etc. ...

At least the fact that I have a FOID card indicates that I have been vetted by the state police. To me, that makes me a safer neighbor than one who has not been vetted by the government. Right?

Comment Re:Good and all but... (Score 2) 193

You would follow up with an ERCP, which is expensive.

The current CA19-9 blood test is not reliable in many individuals, but is a relatively inexpensive blood test to check for pancreatic cancer. If you baseline with CA19-9 and use the test on a regular basis, it seems pretty good right now. I guess I can't see this kid's test being 28 times cheaper than a CA19-9 test, but I could see it being 28 times cheaper than an ERCP.

Moe

Comment Hansen Must Go (Score 0, Flamebait) 1181

Hansen needs to resign. He is abusing his post at NASA and tainting the agency with his political activism. His problem is that NASA gives him a platform, and he feels that he can't give it up because he will lose his voice with the press. He is exactly the type of scientist that the public despises. Scientists that I know obsess with finding out why their theory/science/findings are wrong. They want to be proven wrong. Hansen comes off as a nut job and does not possess the skepticism that makes a good scientist. Almost everyone sees right through his charade.

The fact that most climate science is not peer-reviewed causes folks like me to just toss it all to the side. Back in the Kyoto talks, we were TOLD that if no action was taken, then the point of no return was something like 2007. Well? Based on that "science", nothing we do can help anyway. Your Prius just makes your farts smell like roses, according to "science".

Comment Duh. Liars Lie. (Score 1) 220

I worked for these folks many years ago. The "entitlement" culture bordered on paranoia. If a corporation could be labeled with DSM criteria, then the upper echelon certainly made sure the company met such a diagnosis. E-mails were repeatedly sent to all employees regarding how to vote and how to petition your government representatives. Walking in the door at 7 in the morning often meant mandatory (or seemingly) signing of petitions for government action. Don't sign? Well, an after coffee 9am phone call from HR was in works for you. Or better yet, a sit down with the local HR droid.

I did quit, but not before actually being promoted twice for speaking my mind both publicly and privately, in an anon coward sort of way.

This sort of pressure will bring this company down. They thrive on crap. Their shareholders are tossing money in to the legal game. They knew 15 years ago that the day of reckoning was closing in. The business model is unsustainable, but it is a freaking huge business.

F them and the horse they rode into town on.

Moe

Comment Re:And the Point is What? Testing Illegal Stuff? (Score 1) 81

Well, nobody uses their Bluetooth headsets or hands-free mode. So, your point is moot.

But, it is a fact that you can be ticketed for using your phone in hands-free mode. You also can be held responsible for using your phone in hands-free mode if you are in an accident. Distracted driving is an offense in many/most places in the US/world. Even in Chicago, IL, US, it is illegal to use your phone while biking. There is a proposal in Chicago to ban using your phone while walking.

FYI - My car has been hit twice (each over $5,000 in damage) by people who were distracted. One on a cell phone and the other reading his day planner. Both were ticketed for the same offense... distracted driving or whatever it is officially called. Even though the cell phone law was in place, the police/troopers did not/would not issue a citation for that offense because the distracted driving law had a lot of history and was more enforceable. I 100% agreed with them on that. The cell phone laws are duplicate laws made for political points.

Comment And the Point is What? Testing Illegal Stuff? (Score 1) 81

So, what is the point of this???? It is illegal to use cell phones while driving in a whole bunch of places, and the list is growing all the time. I need coverage in my home, client's offices, tall buildings with offices not near windows, airports, city parks, restaurants, etc. Not my car. So what is the big deal with focusing so much testing doing something that is both dangerous and potentially illegal???

Comment Can We Have a Story from 2011? (Score 1) 66

I quit Facebook all three times. Can this guy predict my first friend on Google+? It has been a lonely, lonely 6 weeks.

I don't want to pay the research cash for a Stanford guy to make this prediction for me. So, maybe I can get a discount and have some MIT geeks figure it out for free?

And yeah, you don't have to mention the MIT grads I know who won't accept my G+ invites. We don't need to discuss that. I just want to know who and when!!!!!!

So, so lonely here online. So lonely....

Moe

Comment File Cabinet and Electronic (Score 5, Informative) 371

I follow IRS rules and keep 7 years of documents. When possible, I have bills electronically sent to me and I simply file them in folders in G-mail.

Each January, I create a new set of file folders (physical) that mirror the previous year's folder structure. Then, I shred the files from 8 years ago. Takes an entire hour. My files for current year and past year are in the top drawer of a 4-drawer file cabinet. The other 5 years' stuff is stored 2 drawers down. The 2nd drawer holds things like insurance info and instructions/directions (indirections??) for house-hold "stuff". The bottom drawer is for home-owners stuff, personal stuff. etc.

My work files are stored under my desk in a double-drawer horizontal filing cabinet. It holds all things work-related. But, the top drawer closest to me holds anything that is currently going on in my life, so that I have instant access when I get phone calls, e-mails, etc. On top of that, I have an organizer on my desk that holds really, really current stuff that would include stuff that I will be working with on any given day.

I have been doing this for years, and it works, as long as you keep a maintenance routine. Easy habits to get into and I am never searching through piles like I see others doing. My desk stays neat and organized and I always have what I need for any day right in front of me.

Being organized like this is essential to increasing personal productivity and producing quality work.

It is stupidly easy, but I would say that maybe less than 5% of people can achieve a high-level of organization.

Your question might come across as dumb to other slashdotters, but I find it incredibly relevant.

Comment No Loyalty from Samsung (Score 2) 161

As a Galaxy S (Sprint) owner, I am outraged at the lack of upgrade to Android 2.2 that was promised 6 or 7 months ago. Yup, I got the point back then and it is reinforced now. Sprint AND Samsung have no loyalty to existing customers. They want to churn us to the Galaxy S2, which has even less battery time because it is so "slim". I'll take triple the thickness if it gives me double the battery time. Period.

At least freaking Apple tries to do upgrades. Sure, original iPhones can't be upgraded, but this sure beats what Samsung and Sprint have colluded to do regarding using the full hardware capacity of the phone that they promised to upgrade for me.

I use Sprint because they have the best coverage in my area, 4G and all. I'll suffer with Verizon after being a 14 year loyal customer to Sprint.

Moe

Comment BYOB (Score 3, Insightful) 292

Do it yourself. There is no substitute for creating your own database/worksheet. Why in the hell would you even trust what was given to you by a subscription fee? Just because you pay you trust it? In my experience, it is much more rewarding and valuable if you do the work yourself. We took a ton of time and effort, but our family has the real truth with real documents (copies) and contacts thousands of miles away.

If your ancestry is important to you, do it yourself. Don't take shortcuts. The risk of being misled/wrong are too great. Even doing this ourselves, we were taken down false leads. Imagine someone who does not have a stake doing something so important for you.

Moe

Comment Re:AAAAAAAAA (Score 0) 828

Because their liberal bias is seething for some reason. I suspect Taco hated the mid-term results. It was like the weird 6-week period that Jon Stewart did after Bush's second election. He was almost in tears every night, despite being a "comedy" show. Taco needs to reign things in. Or else, risk being marginalized. I read Slashdot, but the past few months are making me rethink. I use Slashdot as a professional resource as, well, someone who needs technical resources. After 13 years, I am having an honest discussion about this.

Slashdot is showing its colors. It needs to sit down, shut up, and smile. Period.

First order of business for Taco is to get some honest reporting regarding wikileaks. For god's sake, there are really good reasons why this is a bad thing and Assange may be a really bad guy. Not such coverage is found on slashdot. People die in the future for mirroring this stuff. Not my problem. Yours?

Moe

Comment Re:DD (Score 1) 828

Yup. Exactly. I have no idea why the "movement" sees this as some victory. We go back to the past. Which was fine. As much as I am a gay-rights person, I see this as a victory in the sense that folks can now be discharged for homosexuality. I am OK with that.

Don't ask, don't tell was a huge victory for the "movement" in the Clinton era. Repealing it takes us all back to square one. My goodness. Queue the Benny Hill music.

Moe

Comment Re:Happened Before (Score 0) 828

Stupid, idiot, right-wingers who won't allow polygamy.

Why is polygamy wrong here yet accepted in a rather large part of the world? Or do we "have to draw a line"? We almost had a huge hole in the US, known as Utah, due to this issue over 100 years ago. Utah, um, relented (haha). OK. We twisted their arm over "don't wive's, don't tell".

Gosh. Why are there laws in the US against bestiality? Live and let live. Right? So if someone finds that bestiality is inherited, then we need to have "civil rights" laws/protections. I am 100% not against homosexuality. I have zero problem with it. I do have a problem with it as a civil rights issue. Absurd.

I agree that we have spent way too much money on separate bathrooms based on gender. Which, is based on sexual orientation. So, separate bathrooms inherently are discriminatory. Unisex bathrooms should now be the norm and we should potty together. As a man, I look forward to couches and hang-out areas in my bathrooms. Especially because I now will be able to hit on hot chicks in the bathroom. Yes, I have been hit on by not-so-hot guys in bathrooms in the past and it is as weird as a woman might feel being watched or hit on in a women's bathroom. But, this opens up a whole new avenue for me on my dating front.

Our enemy's these days (no

Comment The Economist + Fox News (Score 1) 1352

I read The Economist each week and also watch Fox News. Fox News has a better presentation. I do not watch the opinion/freak shows such as Beck/Hannity/O'Reilly, the morning junk etc. But I think their anchors are fairly intelligent. Cavuto asks some good questions and clearly has an econ background of some sort. Shep Smith is also fun to watch, quick on his feet, and asks good questions. Bret Baier is good and so is the Sunday show anchor. Very good.

CNN has become a joke with bumbling anchors, with the exception of Wolf. But they even took Wolf and tossed him into some sort of multimedia Tron thing that makes me seize.

CNNi is pretty good, but I prefer The Economist for my international fix.

I am a news junky, but extremely well informed. And I prefer Fox News.

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