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Comment: Re:Palin (Score 1, Offtopic) 578

by Mashdar (#32873976) Attached to: Claimed Proof That UNIX Code Was Copied Into Linux
I cannot speak for everyone, but I find it frightening that there are people who deify her. I'm not saying she is dangerous as an individual, but that she is really a clown. Her step down from Alaskan governor was the most absurd thing I think I've ever witnessed. But somehow people seem to think she is a symbol for something. For what, I don't know, because she certainly is not a champion of women's rights. Maybe a symbol for irony?

Comment: Re:uhhh.... exactly (Score 1) 491

by Mashdar (#32873760) Attached to: Bitcoin Releases Version 0.3
I am not certain, but I was under the strong impression that federal reserve employees were not employed by the federal government, but by the fed directly. The fed FAQ states this:

No. Employees of the Federal Reserve Banks are not government employees. They are paid as part of the expenses of their employing Reserve Bank.

No matter how you look at it, the fed is an exceptional case, but I believe GP provided an accurate description. Oh, and

Are the Federal Reserve Banks private companies?

The Federal Reserve Banks, created by an act of Congress in 1913, are operated in the public interest rather than for profit or to benefit any private group.
Commercial banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System hold stock in the Reserve Bank in their region, but they do not exercise control over the Reserve Bank or the Federal Reserve System. Holding stock in a regional Reserve Bank does not carry with it the kind of control and financial interest that holding publicly traded stock affords, and the stock may not be sold or traded. Member banks do, however, receive a fixed 6 percent dividend annually on their stock and elect six of the nine members of the Reserve Bank's board of directors.
Although they are set up like private corporations and member banks hold their stock, the Federal Reserve Banks owe their existence to an act of Congress and have a mandate to serve the public. Therefore, they are not really "private" companies, but rather are "owned" by the citizens of the United States.

This sounds "mostly private" to me, since the board is 2/3 privately elected, and pays shareholder interest fix at a pretty nice 6%, considering it is essentially guaranteed by the entire financial system's stability.

Comment: Re:Reason #9839 not to buy HP printers... (Score 1) 397

by Mashdar (#32600362) Attached to: HP and Yahoo To Spam Your Printer
Have you ever paid for cable television? Your subscription is subsidized by the advertising revenue. Would you prefer paying multiple times your current bill to have no ads? Most people would not do this.

Have you ever used a web-interface based e-mail service for free? These would not existing without the advertising. It costs the company money to store, maintain, and manipulate your data. Either you need to pay them, or an advertiser does. Or the taxpayer, in the case of municipal e-mail services.

Granted, though, I will not be rushing to buy the HP AdBoxPro2000XLS.com Special Edition. But there are certainly users who A) appreciate a free service and B) do not mind receiving ads to use such a service.

Comment: Re:So let me get this straight .... (Score 1) 397

by Mashdar (#32600330) Attached to: HP and Yahoo To Spam Your Printer
What you don't realize is that under that normal printer exterior is a titanium endoskeleton. It will probably run itself through the wall in slow motion in the near future. The wall will collapse and you will think it destroyed, but moments after you leave it will crawl out of the reckage with it's shiny bits showing. The uprising is coming.

Comment: Re:I'd rather hear about a next gen console (Score 2, Interesting) 286

by Mashdar (#32564302) Attached to: Project Natal Renamed 'Kinect'
I have not changed any part of my computer (OK, I may have swapped the RAM out when I was building my HTPC) for over two years, and can still play any game I've tried on high settings. Oh, and I built the thing for under $800. The processor is still plenty powerful. Maybe I'll pick up a new video card in another year or so, but it will be a ~$150 one. Only crazy people are "having to constantly be upgrading". My advice: don't be cheap and buy a $50 video card expecting it to last indefinitely. Do some reading before you buy your parts. And don't think that 200fps with 32xAA is the bare minimum. PS WoW plays fine on my netbook.

To err is human, To purr feline. -- Robert Byrne

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