Comment I home they have an entry visa (Score 1) 103
if they're extraterritorial
Comment Re:Off-by-one error (Score 1) 315
Wasn't Cheeta from Simia ?
Comment Re:Hipster? (Score 1) 385
Wait ! You're saying that American Idol isn't a reality show ?
Comment Re:Missing option: (Score 1) 1270
Then don't you have to go back and kill yourself ?
Comment After unsuccessfully struggling to run TurboTax. (Score 1) 432
I had actually completed and filed my return. When I went to check status, TurboTax tried to install an update, but that failed, leaving it unusable.
After at least 20 hours of remote control support from TurboTax and from Microsoft, I finally reinstalled TurboTax onto a different computer.
Mozilla's VP of Engineering On H.264 675
We recently discussed news that YouTube and Vimeo are each testing their own HTML5 video players using the H.264 format. Firefox does not support H.264, and Mozilla's vice president of engineering, Mike Shaver, has now made a post explaining why. Quoting: "For Mozilla, H.264 is not currently a suitable technology choice. In many countries, it is a patented technology, meaning that it is illegal to use without paying license fees to the MPEG-LA. Without such a license, it is not legal to use or distribute software that produces or consumes H.264-encoded content. Indeed, even distributing H.264 content over the internet or broadcasting it over the airwaves requires the consent of the MPEG-LA, and the current fee exemption for free-to-the-viewer internet delivery is only in effect until the end of 2010. These license fees affect not only browser developers and distributors, but also represent a toll booth on anyone who wishes to produce video content." Mozilla developer Robert O'Callahan has written a blog post on the same subject, following a talk he gave on Friday about the importance of open video on the web.
Submission + - Why Can’t the I.R.S. Help Fill in the Blanks (nytimes.com) 1
gollum123 writes: IN the digital age, filing income tax returns should be a snap. The important data from employers and financial institutions have already been sent to the government’s computers. Yet taxpayers are still required to perform the anachronistic chore of preparing a return from scratch. And, in many cases, they pay a software company for the privilege. Many developed countries now offer taxpayers a return containing all information collected by the taxing authority. It’s a stunningly reasonable idea. When you prepare your return, why can’t you first download whatever data the Internal Revenue Service has received about you and, if your return is simple, learn what the I.R.S.’s calculation of your taxes would be? You’d have the chance to check whether the information was accurate, correct it as needed and add any pertinent details — that you’re newly married, for example, or have a new child — before sending it. Far better to discover problems early with the I.R.S., whose say matters more than third-party software’s best guess. The I.R.S., however, isn’t rushing to offer returns that are already filled in.
Submission + - AT&T Losing iPhone Exclusivity Next Week (hothardware.com)
MojoKid writes: "An inside source over at HotHardware reports that AT&T will lose their iPhone exclusivity on 1/27, conincident with Apple's upcoming press event next week, though it's not yet clear what other carriers will be stepping in to pick up the iPhone. For anyone who has followed the saga, you may notice that you haven't seen AT&T fighting to extend their original exclusive agreement as of late. In fact, they have spent most of their time fighting Verizon's negative ad campaigns. This may not be all that surprising. Inside of AT&T, words is that the iPhone is causing more trouble than ever before. On some level, having the iPhone is hurting AT&T's image. Do you remember hearing about AT&T's "horrible network" before the iPhone? The iPhone itself doesn't really handle the switch from 3G to EDGE very gracefully, so calls that are in-progress tend to fail whenever 3G connections aren't optimal and the phone attempts to step down to EDGE. It seems that AT&T may finally be tired of taking the heat."
Comment Re:My reference was to Terry Pratchett (Score 1) 958
I first thought it was a Spoonerism, but then realized that wouldn't have made sense. Then I figured out that forn = furrin.
Comment All my toys went to younger siblings (Score 1) 396
Although I finally ended up with my Dad's model Zeppelin from his childhood. It's almost like an Erector set. It would be a lot nicer if he hadn't painted it with flat latex wall paint.
Submission + - Change to royalty payments for internet radio ? (mercurynews.com)
Tex Bravado writes: Over time several of the online stations I've listened to have gone quiet, at least in part due to royalty structures they've labeled onerous. They likely have small audiences; I don't know if that helps or hurts.
This announcement of a new payment scheme might make the payment structure more bearable, although I still don't quite get the distinction between free over-the-air and paid-over-the-internet.
This announcement of a new payment scheme might make the payment structure more bearable, although I still don't quite get the distinction between free over-the-air and paid-over-the-internet.
Comment Re:Hallucinations (Score 1) 605
Wow, you saw them too ? I was driving from Colorado back to Albuquerque and saw what I thought was a small tide of lemmings crossing the road. Only now do I realize what it really was.
