The Back Room

Daniel Ferguson wrote: I didn't realize that was one of the jobs reserved for illegals. Any job where the foreman speaks only spanish is reserved for illegals. Daniel Ferguson wrote: provide a service other than moving money around In any society that has progressed beyond barter, banks are necessary. And the service of determining where capital should be used is extremely important to the functioning of capitalism. In socialistic countries this service is provided by the government - often with results that make capitalism look good. Daniel Ferguson wrote: If money taken in from taxes goes down, govt can either raise tax rates or trim costs — usually by firing people. Both options are unpopular You forget borrowing - the service that banks provide. Unfortunately because of the greed of a few men, and the interference in banking by Washington in the previous 20 years, the banks are very leery of loaning money these days. Daniel Ferguson wrote: It's a list of 100 projects from across the country, so is it really surprising some projects are not on the list? My anecdote stands as an example of the kind of failure the PR successes of the list are designed to gloss over. I would have been delighted to hear that the complete list of how our money is being spent is now on line, but -- in spite of repeated promises that it would be -- we are now told that it will be 2011 before such a site is fully operational and, when it is - much of the meny will be detailed merely as having been given to the states for reimbursement. Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Both democrats and republicans are playing for the same team and it's not us. - Chris Austin

youtube is not a reliable source. Any wuckfit who sleeps with his sister can put up whatever cack they like. Reference a reliable source, even wikipedia would count here, to support whatever your argument is and then present the facts you have found with a conclusion. The guantlet has been laid befire you, go and provide some facts and figures with a coherent argument. Later Matey Boy! Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.

Richard A. Abbott wrote: VAT don't work like that Jon. Fascinating - The person who explained to me had lived in England for 4 years. Either she didn't ever bother to find out or she was trying to push my buttons. Richard A. Abbott wrote: So loopholes, in this respect, are not valid. Most loopholes are written into the law, specifically to favor this group or that. Richard A. Abbott wrote: be cautious of how wording in law is written AFAIK whenever both a state and the feds tax something (gasoline, income, etc) both apply their tax to the base item and neither taxes the other. Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Both democrats and republicans are playing for the same team and it's not us. - Chris Austin

Getting frustrated with your rates of conversion? Or Did you just discover the word "facetious" in the dictionary? This statement is false

CaptainSeeSharp wrote: What a child... Roll eyes What, needing to eat is suddenly too babyish for you, is it? I'll have you know that I don't need my shoes to crush you, it's just that I'll need to wash your face-goo off my feet afterwards.

My post was for Intel, who appears to be more open minded in regard to these matters. Whether it is true or not I cannot say. I considered it laughable in '67, but to be told it by a Burmese in '89 ... well, it makes you think. Bob Emmett

Oakman wrote: 'tis pretty much the same with wage slaves, Chris. It runs something along the lines of, "we've added these requirements - nothing much - just a few screens and maybe a new database so we can track our inventory, too - but we can't extend the time frame, or give you any more resources." Yep been there and done that. Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --Ralph Charell

Wow, this is great news for both of the guys who have zunes! A couple great quotes from the article: Microsoft tells us it is a "version of IE 6 that has been highly customized and optimized" Seitz told us it would be a "cool browser for the finger." I've been giving IE the finger for years and it hasn't helped. In a utopian future, the prospect of buying a TV episode through the 360, then watching it on a PC, Zune HD, or WinMo cellphone is powerful. I'd never describe the iTunes Store as 'utopian' and anyway, it's already here. Being serious for a moment, this is obviously a copy of the iPod Touch. I've often thought about the difference between Apple and Microsoft and I think it's focus. Apple is a consumer electronics and software company. Apple was never good at selling their hardware and software to businesses. XServe, for example, isn't very popular. They are good at figuring out what consumers want, then designing an integrated hardware platform and operating system to serve the user's needs. (ie: iPhone, Apple TV) Even their original business (before iPod) was an integrated hardware and software platform. The key to their design strategy is not the hardware or even the software, but how people are using it. Microsoft is primarily a software services platform vendor. They build software service platforms (Windows, .NET framework, Office, IIS, Exchange, SQL Server, DirectX, Windows Mobile, etc) for OEMs, ISVs, and in-house development. Typically, rather than selling products to consumers directly, Microsoft builds a platform such Windows, or PlaysForSure and sells that to OEMs (Dell, Sony, Toshiba, local computer shops, etc) who build the hardware and integrate it with the software and then sell it on to consumers. The problem is that the OEMs don't always do a good job of integrating the hardware and software, or OEMs will install crapware in Windows before selling machines. The out-of-the-box user experience can't compete with the integrated solution from Apple, so Microsoft is trying to build their own integrated hardware ecosystem. They've sold a lot of XBoxes, but they've also had issues like the red ring of death. The key to the Microsoft design strategy is building a powerful platform of interdependent software service tools. They aren't great at integrating hardware though, and what they really need is at least one hardware OEM that can integrate consumer hardware and software the way Apple does.

And so you did. - F

hopingToCode wrote: So no I don't get it and I don't want to know either I have more important and better things to do with my time. Ah, that explains it[^]

Oakman wrote: 2007 - Chinese year of the Chicken Boar. Bird Flu Pandemic devastates parts of Asia. 2008 - Chinese year of the Horse Rat. Equine Influenza decimates Australian racing. 2009 - Chinese year of the Pig Ox - Swine Flu Pandemic. Next year -2010- is Chinese year of the C*ck Tiger. What could possibly go wrong? On the other hand - Chinese Zodiac[^]; the "year of the chicken" and the "year of the cock" would be the same thing, the most recent having been roughly 2005, the next will be roughly 2017. Amusingly enough, I was born in a "year of the cock."

Conspiracy freaks and people that post in multiple font syndrome

Daniel Ferguson wrote: Seems like the only way to get impeached is if there's a recording of your crime or if you're doing something with an intern... which way would you go? Well, I was hoping for impeachment. I guess you're saying that it's assassination or nothing. Oh well. When it's time to go over the bifrost bridge. . . I hear Valkyries a-comin One-eyed Odin we will follow In the air their song is comin And in fighting we will wallow They forgot the words! They're hummin! Till we wind up in Valhallow But they're good enough for me! Which is good enough for me! Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Both democrats and republicans are playing for the same team and it's not us. - Chris Austin

but what would the Yokut, Mohave, Yurok, Chumash, Maidu, and Miwok say?

Oakman wrote: Can I call 'em, or can I call 'em?!! On the other hand, I pretty much agree with you. No matter what any one says about terrorism, or the economy, or any other issue - the holy grail of American politics is the supreme court. That is what all the lies and deceit and games are really all about. Every other issue is nothing more than a means to the end of packing the courts with like minded people dedicated to a specific agenda. She has precisely the same disdain and contempt for this country and its constitution that Obama harbors so deeply. And nothing is more telling of the reality of the political situaion in this country than this. Souter was a repubublican nominanee who gleefully took his seat on the court knowing full well he was not going to support the positions representative of the democratic processes that made the opportunity available to him. An honorable man would at the very least have said 'gee, ya know, I'm really on the other side of every major issue from the people who voted for you." And an honorable man, knowing he wanted to retire, would have at the very least allowed a republican to replace him. But Souter's very calculated and blatantly undisguised decision demonstrates the utter mad dog contempt that these people have for any political principle that is even remotely at odds with their agenda. This strikes like a knife in the back of representative democracy. Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.

BoneSoft wrote: I'm confused. What were the options again? :thumbsup::thumbsup: :laugh: Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Both democrats and republicans are playing for the same team and it's not us. - Chris Austin

Tim Craig wrote: Oh, out of curiosity, just how big was the tab? Don't remember, but it was pretty steep. The most expensive part was the massive doses of gamma globulin my son needed. Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.