I'm pretty sure most of my post wasn't passive aggressive, but hey. I assume you didn't read the my tagline either.

    Sending an anonymous email is real easy. I forget sometimes that there are people who read and write on here that actually don't know how to do simple IT things.

    I've had a few different ones. Two were Sony, and one was another name brand that I can't recall right off. I don't go strictly on reviews, most were impulse buys because I knew I'd be flying. One set, I got at the airport magazine shop, because the one I had with me broke.

    Mostly what I've looked for is pricing, something below about $100, and name brand. As far as design, I look for the full headset that goes all the way around the ear, with good padding.

    You'll always hear yourself, like you said via bone conduction. Opening your mouth will also allow sound to get in, shaking the back of your eardrum via your eustachian tube. It seems the air path through your sinuses seems to absorb sound better. I clench my jaw when I sleep, so I don't end up hearing anything except maybe a grinding sound.

    I frequently have problems with my eustachian tubes. They don't always clear, no matter what I do. I could go the surgical route to correct it, but I doubt I'd find a doctor willing to do it, if I can manage fine with pressure relief ear plugs.

    That's why I blew my left eardrum on one flight. If you've never had the pleasure, I suggest that you avoid it at all costs. It's a unique experience, that I'd wish on no one. Thousands of flights, and only one popped eardrum, now I never board a plane without the earplugs.

    I usually did. They'd jump me first thing when I came in, and right after lunch. I set no expectations of doing anything else for those periods. They'd also grab me on my way to/from bathroom breaks, and visit me in the smoking lounge (i.e., outside) for smoke breaks. I didn't mind discussing work during the smoke breaks, even though the final thing I'd always ask for was to send me an email with their request. I'm big into paper trails. They've covered my ass on more than one occasion.

That's like what I do for flying, or going to the shooting range.

When flying, I frequently need the pressure equalizing ear plugs. I have this aversion to having another eardrum blow out because the cabin pressure changed too quickly. I wear noise cancelling headphones over them, and I'm at peace for the whole flight. I'm usually not listening to anything, it's just the silence I appreciate.

When I'm at the shooting range, when I clench my jaw it tends to lift the shooting earmuffs off just enough for me to hear the loud crack of other people's weapons. A lot of ranges don't allow just earplugs any more.. So I wear the foam earplugs under the earmuffs. People have to shout anyways, but with the little bit of sound I can hear, along with lip reading, I do fine.

    Cube spaces are excellent for various things. You can prepare notes that say "shut up", wad them up, and lob them over the wall without anyone noticing who sent it. When they start getting pissy saying "Who threw the note at me that said shut up?" Everyone else would admit to it.

    If they didn't get the clue, a stockpile of "borrowed" desk items (pens, highlighters, staplers, etc) would start following. It only takes a few staplers to the head for them to realize that they're too being too loud.

    That, or transcribing their not-work-related conversations, and anonymously sending them to their supervisor.

    I've been known to do that. I'd wear noise cancelling headphones, so I don't hear idle chatter, doors opening and closing, phones ringing, or all the rest of the nonsense that is associated with an office. Sometimes I'd have music playing, sometimes I wouldn't.

    One thing I was advised about it though was, occasionally I'd talk to myself a little. Usually a "Hmm", or "ah ha", or even quiet rambling about the problem as I was working through it. Since I couldn't hear myself talk, my internal dialogue would sometimes not be internal.

    I usually managed to quell interruptions by explaining to people that there is a startup time for doing any work. Interruptions reset that time. So if it takes 5 minutes to mentally get back into what I was doing, and they stop by to ask me something every 15 minutes, they've delayed the work they want done by 20 minutes per hour, plus as long as they were talking. I was always clear to let people know when their request was done, so they learned not to interrupt to see if I was done yet.

    They'd also see multiple shells open, all doing something different or pending email responses to complete a task, so their interruptions didn't only hurt task, but others too.

    I thought the US already annexed Canada. Statehood will come later on, when it has a strategic interest. Don't worry, it'll be done properly on paper once we need your fresh water and oil reserves.

    The US still exports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, the majority from imported crude oil. We also export "computers and electronics", which the components are provided by overseas firms. For example, if Dell sells a metric fucktonne of computers from the US warehouses, it was an "export", even though it was assembled in a foreign country with foreign parts. Our other major exports are transportation equipment, chemicals, machinery, and agricultural products.

    That ignores the real problem though. The components use to make most of those are manufactured out of country. The US has gone from being an industrial source, to being an industrial middle-man. So, you will find stickers indicating almost everything you buy was manufactured in foreign countries. Quite a bit of the food you eat was grown in foreign countries. The car you drive, or at least the components, came from foreign countries.

    Being an industrial middle-man has benefits for the corporations based here, but for few others. They already know it's cheaper to manufacture overseas. They can have their call centers overseas. Since the US economy is down, they sell overseas. That leaves fewer and fewer jobs in the US, less consumer spending capability in the US, and is drawing us down into the collapse of the US economy.

    For steak, I go for rare. Body temperature on the inside, lightly grilled on the surfaces. For everyone else, they usually go medium rare to medium. I cook theirs to their whims.

    As you said, go for better foods, than quantity. There's usually a happy medium. I like filet minion, but a good sirloin cooked properly tastes great also.

    The only adjustment I'd make for your instructions is to cook both sides fairly quickly.

    - cook the first side for about a minute with the top open (so you can supervise)

    - flip, and cook the second side with the lid closed (allows for better even cooking)

    - touching every few minutes with the spatula. You know what raw felt like. If it's well done, it will feel like pressing on cardboard. You're aiming for about 3 minutes less than where you want it. If one is cooking too fast, or you want it rarer than the others, move it to the top rack (assuming two racks), or to one side of the grill with the burner off (assuming multiple burners)

    - flip a third time, to finish cooking the first side. Get your clean serving plate, or individual dishes. By the time you come back out, they will be ready to collect from the grill.

  - If seasoning or BBQ sauce is desired, reapply it to the top surface after each time you flip it. Applying to the bottom only lets it fall off or burn.

  For hamburgers, I never cook them rare. Simply enough, the outside of the meat, where there could be contamination from handling is inside, so you want to cook it the whole way through. It will still have a slightly soft feel.

    For chicken, the same applies. You'll be looking for a slightly soft feeling.

    The same flip and seasoning applies to hamburgers and chicken.

    I cook vegetables, and shellfish on the grill too.

    Corn on the cob, I put a lot of butter on it, and wrap it tightly in foil. You want it to seal, so the moisture doesn't escape. The butter will soak into the corn while it cooks. Give at least 20 minutes on the cooler part of the grill (top rack, or on the side with one burner on low). You're going for baking, not direct heat. They can safely stay on longer.

    Baked potatoes get butter in the foil like the corn. Give those at least 30 to 45 minutes.

    Crab legs get wrapped in foil, but nothing additional inside. Be careful, they'll poke through the foil pretty easily.

    For foil wrapped things, rotate 1/4 turn or flip (as applicable) every 5 minutes to 10 minutes, which can be properly timed by every time you need another beer. :)

    I don't see the need for technology to assist, other than maybe a working clock, and a generic thermometer on the lid. The thermometer is just useful to glance at to make sure the grill is warmed up before cooking, and to verify you haven't run out of propane.

    I do have a pyrometer, but I only use it to check temperatures for automotive work, such as finding hot spots on engines (or avoiding burning your hands), and verifying A/C recharging was done properly (check the pressures, then check the outlet air temperature). I've used cooking thermometers for the later also, if they read down to 40F. A/C output is suppose to be 40F to 48F, depending on the charge and the condition of the equipment.

    There's no mention of kicking them to get a failing disk to spin up... Those come after asking nicely, and threatening. The last one actually works. :)

Nope. Google Images says that it looks similar to The Chain Reaction (1980, 5.4/10 stars). I think it really wanted to say Chain Reaction (1996, 5.3/10 stars). I can happily say, I missed both of them. :)

Actually, you should read what he wrote. That's exactly what he said. It is out of a sense of responsibility, and he does "sense" if they are driving.

if i get the sense i'm talking to someone who is driving, i will say "are you driving? i'll get off the phone"

it's not about being a hyperactive boy scout, it's not about the law, it's about living with myself. because if i am on the phone with someone while they are driving and i am AWARE of it, then i am responsible for continuing the conversation, and helping to keep the driver distracted

i have to live with myself. and i have to respect myself

    It's not your responsibility to make sure the other person is behaving properly. Do you ask if they just put the baby in the bath, or put a pan full of oil on the stove? I kind of doubt it.

    On plenty of occasions, I have answered to say "I'm driving, I'll call you back in a few." If I'm of the belief that where I am driving is too difficult to even do that, I let the phone ring. It's the difference between a long straight empty highway, or navigating city streets with other drivers around.

    What if your "sense" isn't right. For example, my mom drives a nice car, that's dead silent inside. Her calls go through via bluetooth to the cars sound system. I can't tell the difference if she's out somewhere, driving, or sitting at home and didn't get to the home phone first. She will tell me "I'm driving, let me call you back."

    The greedy part was suing someone who wasn't involved.

    If the guy was listening to talk radio, and something they said something that distracted him, would the radio station, or those talking on the radio be at fault? No. The argument is the same. They (those on the radio) have a reasonable expectation that people may be listening while driving. That's the only time a lot of us listen. Morning and evening commutes have higher advertising costs, because they know that's the peak time for listeners. They don't only expect it, they profit from it.

    Is it their fault for making the driver pay more attention to the radio than to the road around him? No. The fault was assigned properly in the beginning, with the driver who committed the action. Going anywhere beyond that is trying to profit from the incident. Will they continue on and sue the telephone manufacturer? the carrier? the vehicle manufacturers? the city/count/state highway department? any store front near the incident? owners and advertisers of any billboards that may have been visible? How about the girl jogging, she was clearly a severe distraction.

    You *can* sue all of them. You probably won't win any of them, and will make a lot of enemies along the way. That's one of the wonders of our legal system. You can sue anyone you want, any time you want, for pretty much anything you want. It doesn't mean you'll win.

    I have sympathy for the people who were injured. Life sucks. I know.

    I find, "Hey, you you doin'?" works fine.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43wkqM27z2E

    Sexual harassment accusations: 0
    Social interactions, followed by intimate evenings, accomplished: many