I'm seriously confused by this, since last time I looked the power to regulate interstate commerce was reserved to the federal government, according to the U.S. Constitution. States don't get to regulate "imports" and "exports" across their borders--they aren't independent nations.

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If by "Bay Area" you mean San Francisco, CA area, you should know that California law forbids such contract clauses. So, they are unenforceable and you can tell your employer to go blow himself.

Check your employment contract. If you weren't paying close attention, you may have signed something that said anything work-related you develop while working for the company, be it on the clock or off the clock, belongs to the company as a "work for hire". If you did, you don't really have a choice; either turn it over to them, or sit on it until after you've left the company for a certain period (depends on your state law and your contract) and then sell it/ release under GPL, whatever.

Me, I always look for those 'work for hire' clauses in my contract and strike through any reference to them owning my off-the-clock work. My employer has no claim on my off-the-clock time or effort, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, you probably should introduce the application to work and then use it as one of your arguments for a pay raise/promotion--"I go above and beyond requirements and make things work better around here, for example the Fleegleborg app for HR... ", add it to your resume, and if they don't want to negotiate better pay/perks, etc, look for another job. There are a lot of companies that appreciate employees that don't just "do the job", but make permanent improvements.

And this sort of discourse is why when someone self-describes as "atheist", I automatically think "egotistical, callous, rude, intolerant idiot that I want nothing to do with". I know that the other type of atheists exist ("civil, caring, intelligent people who don't share my beliefs") and I know some in other venues, but they don't seem to post on Slashdot in any topic related to religion.

This! You made the post I was about to make.

Anti-educationalism may be a way of dealing with "future shock". If you don't know about the strange ways the world is changing, you can't be shaken and alienated by it.

It's not "much cheaper" if the victim pulls it off and drops it in a barrel of motor oil. ("Look! Someone gave me a free gift attached to my car--I guess I'll dispose of it as I see fit") If you Read The Fine Article, one model costs around $450 a pop. Lose one of those every day and you'll break your departmental budget in a hurry.

It might also be amusing to call the police to report a suspected car bomb. Who knows that black box really is without opening it? Besides, it might be booby-trapped. Best let the professionals handle it.

I have a temperature range that I sleep comfortably at. Obviously, RMS has figured out from experience what his is, and would rather not spend his speaking tour feeling and acting like a zombie because he didn't sleep most of the night. This is entirely reasonable.

Then you shouldn't be inviting people for speaking tours and making the arrangements. RMS's list is entirely reasonable, and he even explains why each item is there, for the stupid out there. Any pro who does a lot of speaking & interviews probably has such a list; for another example, go to John Scalzi's blog ("Whatever") and check out his requirements for interviews and suchlike. They are done in a very similar style: firm requirements, plus explanations as to why.

No, they refer you up to the department of the hospital that does chemo. Hospitals do not means-check you before they treat you--they just have you sign a piece of paper saying you are responsible for paying the bill. They are even pretty agreeable about letting you set up payment schedules for paying it back--they'd rather have you pay it back a little at a time than get zip because you default on the bill.

Now the fact that chemotherapy without insurance costs about as much as a high-end luxury car is an atrocity--but at least they don't require you to pay for it upfront. Or sign a contract for financing.

Well, it could be the local weather report / daily storm warning for the military base. Or the collected bulletins for "Generic Important Cause Awareness Day". Or the 9000 cc: All emails about the current status of the network repairs...

RESTRICTED does not mean CLASSIFIED; in fact, it specifically means UNCLASSIFIED but not for public release, aka FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Some of that is because it's Privacy Act information, as mentioned above. Most of it is mind-numbingly boring crap. What do you bet that Anonymous doesn't release the data because it's exactly that--privacy info or boring beyond belief?

The shill reviews on books are pretty obvious: they are always 5-star paens of glory about how awesome and wonderful and life-changing the book is--but pretty vague about the actual content. Alternatively, they are copies of the back-cover blurb or the publishers press release. They are just so obviously PR-speak that I toss them from consideration.

For fiction books, I'm on Amazon to pick up books that I already intend to buy, so the reviews are not really of interest. For non-fiction books, such as various computer programming how-to books, I find the negative reviews that explain why the reader didn't like the book to be most useful, followed by positive reviews that explained why the reader liked the book. At least one book I bought because of a negative review: the reason the reviewer didn't like the book was exactly the thing I was looking for! (He was quite correct about it, too; I am happy with my purchase.)

It's not the "free trinkets", it's the brand awareness that influences doctors. When the company or drug logo is in front of your face all day, it's hard to forget it--it'll be the first thing you think of when considering possible products to prescribe. Why do you think most big-ticket commercials these days aren't pitching the specific advantages of a specific product, but trying to give you a good feeling about a specific brand name?

Considering how many drug advertisements are now in mainstream commercials and periodical advertisements, a doctor would have to be a hermit not to be influenced, whether or not pharmaceutical reps give him free swag. The free swag just changes *which* brand name is in his face all day long.

Except in New Orleans, where the cops have been so notoriously corrupt (and the coroner corrupt AND incompetent) for years that they have trouble getting convictions because local juries automatically disbelieve cop testimony and assume the cops planted the evidence.

I read LOTR in 4th grade. Teachers were concerned because I was reading material "inappropriate for my age level"-- it was supposed to be too hard for me to understand, and they thought my parents had pushed me into it. My mother told them if I was reading it, it was because I wanted to, and I obviously could read it or I wouldn't be reading it.

Bullies do like to pick on those weaker than them, which is why demonstrating forcefully that you're NOT actually weaker discourages them. Bullies (as opposed to flat-out psychopaths) don't like getting hurt back and they prefer fearful victims--so you don't have to be tough enough to beat them and their buddies, just willing to dish it out in return. If you're not afraid and are willing and able to hurt them, it stops being fun for the bully.

My father, back in a much older day (1930s), was a glasses-wearing skinny kid who got beat up a lot. He took up amateur boxing and got quite good at it (local Golden Gloves Champion when he joined the Army). He stopped getting beat up after that.