prev <-> next
[2011-03-21 14:05:43] - So I stand semi-corrected. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 14:05:32] - gurkie: I just checked the TJ admissions website. I can see how they would have had to prove that, but apparently if you had been at a public middle school, it wouldn't have been necessary. http://www.tjhsst.edu/abouttj/admissions/eligibility.php - Stephen
[2011-03-21 13:50:53] - Stephen: I actually think in state citizenship might be required... I know my parents changed the registration and I think their legal address on one of the cars and one of them so I could attend TJ... Before that they were both registered in DE with their cars there... We still had bills coming to VA but nothing proving residency ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 13:32:47] - you're effectively trashing 3 cards from their deck every turn. meeeean! - aaron
[2011-03-21 13:32:32] - http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/629646/kings-court-x2-goons-masquerade-broken/page/1 dominion combo with kings court/masquerade. really mean, but basically you combo your deck so your draw pile is empty; then you militia your opponent so they have three cards, then you kings court masquerade (triple masquerade)... since you have nothing to pass back, - aaron
[2011-03-21 12:57:45] - Xpovos: I wouldn't have a problem if TJ/Fairfax County wanted to require a demonstrable presence at an address in a participating jurisdiction for more than a year. That could just as easily apply to U.S. citizens from birth from Nebraska as anyone else. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 12:52:04] - Stephen: Counter example of colleges. To qualify for in-state tuition many (most? don't want to overstep my facts here) institutions require demonstrable presence at the in-state address for more than a year. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 12:42:45] - mig: Public employers also require legal residency/work visas. How is that statement ironic? - Stephen
[2011-03-21 12:41:02] - same _as_ state citizenship
[2011-03-21 12:40:51] - Xpovos: Residency for schools isn't the same state citizenship. If you have a Fairfax, PW (or Loudoun or Arlington) mailing address, you send your kids to those schools (or TJ), even if you are a legal resident of another state and pay taxes there. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 12:38:57] - Xpovos: You think taxpayers in Northern Virginia are worried about undocumented Korean immigrants sending their children to TJ? I don't think you're saying that, I think we may be discussing solutions for which there is no problem. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 12:38:34] - Xpovos: I'm so thankful that I never pulled the trigger on buying Sprint stock a few months ago. -Paul
[2011-03-21 12:18:23] - well citizenship/legal residency/work visa/etc. - mig
[2011-03-21 12:16:33] - "There are very few instances in which the government can discriminate based on citizenshp status" that is something I find to be somewhat ironic, since all private employers are legally required to discriminate based on citizenship. - mig
[2011-03-21 12:01:20] - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-20/at-t-agrees-to-buy-deutsche-telekom-s-t-mobile-usa-unit-for-39-billion.html AT&T and T-Mobile in a big deal. Affects me a bit since I'm a T-Mobile customer. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 11:35:00] - But they already have to be residents of certain counties (Fairfax,or PW [or others?]), therefore demonstrating legal residency is clearly permissible. So, citizenship by way of documented legal presence... (citizen, or visa, etc). And it does what most people angry about non-citizens gaining the benefits actually want. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 11:32:42] - Stephen: I can see that. It certainly works for hospitals. But I think there's a significant difference. I think such a move (to require citizenship at the school) would certainly bring a legal challenge. I'm just not convinced the legal challenge would win. It depends on how they defined the requirement. Strict citizenship, I think you're right, would fail. -- Xpovo
[2011-03-21 11:25:17] - gurkie: I can think of one or two whose English was noticeably less than perfect. It always amazed me that they managed to make it through the admissions process. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 11:23:36] - xpovos: Sorry, I should have said illegal. There are very few instances in which the government can discriminate based on citizenshp status, and public schooling is not one of them. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 11:21:09] - a: in addition to what is the value of TJ, I think its interesting to consider whether ESL classes should be offered in that environment, or if students shouldnt be accepted unless they are fluent... ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:19:14] - Stephen: I don't think they have a good reason for wanting only US Citizens except that the people who are complaining are citizens and want there kids to have a better chance of getting in. ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:18:20] - "limited English proficiency" ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:18:11] - I could be wrong but I don't think we had anyone in our class who had a
[2011-03-21 11:16:19] - a: also a lot of the students who went there werent necessarily there for math/science they were there for the best public education in the area... and I wonder at how non fluent english speakers affect the quality of english classes ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:15:12] - a: I guess to me the interesting question is what is TJ? A magnet school for well rounded gifted students with a focus on math and science, or does english matter too? If english doesnt matter why is the test just on math/english why isnt it math/science? ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:14:04] - Stephen: U.S. Constitution or Virginia State Constitution? I'm not seeing it. IANAL, of course. But I'm curious what you see. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 11:08:08] - Gurkie: Very excessive. Maybe it explains why Annandale is so Korean now, though! - Stephen
[2011-03-21 11:07:45] - a: I think so. Maybe my memory is faulty, but I think Sienna (Malubay) became a naturalized citizen while we were in hs. I don't understand why you would need, or even want, a citizenship requirement to attend a public magnet school. In fact, I think that requirement would probably be unconstitutional. - Stephen
[2011-03-21 11:04:40] - "I would hope that the administration is ensuring that all of these kids are U.S. citizens," we had some non-citizens in our class, right? ~a
[2011-03-21 11:04:28] - gurkie: which is the interesting question? ~a
[2011-03-21 11:03:04] - a: im 22... really ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 11:02:56] - a: it was more than half my lifetime ago! ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 10:59:32] - seems like half of a lifetime ago. ~a
[2011-03-21 10:49:44] - I too am surprised that kids with poor English skills would even get accepted. there wasn't any science on the admissions test when we took it, no clue how it works today. my gosh, we took that test more than fifteen years ago - vinnie
[2011-03-21 10:42:33] - I am also surprised that the Korean embassy has information about TJ on it... Doesnt that seem excessive? ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 10:41:58] - I am surprised that students with poor english skills make it through admissions... If I remember correctly the TJ admissions test was English/Math right? I don't remember science questions... ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 10:40:31] - xpovos: if they stand alone then the series aspect isnt a huge deal... Let me check the price on Kindle and get back to you about borrowing the book
~gurkie[2011-03-21 10:39:10] - a: wow... its an interesting question... Im not surprised parents want US Citizens, it eliminates some of the competition... ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 10:30:24] - I can loan you Misenchanted sword (paperback copies only) and you can try it out. It stands alone remarkably well (due to the fact that so many of the books are so far after it storyline chronologically). -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 10:28:57] - gurkie: OK, apparently he's gotten creative since I checked last. 10 written with 1 underway and an additional 10 possible planned. Sheesh. That said, I personally am excited, though I can see how it would be daunting to a new reader. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 10:21:32] - Though those stories are told over several books. Ethshar is individual stories and characters, though all in the same world, and sometimes referencing the events in other books and times. They have not been written in chronological order. Misenchanted Sword is about 100 years or so before most of the rest, but after that he's jumped around some. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-21 10:19:46] - gurkie: Yes, there's a planned cap. I think he said 13, but it's been a while since I looked, so DD. He's young and healthy. The only thing that would keep him from finishing it is if he can't sell them, which happened after the first 7 for a while. But even that doesn't really matter because it's not a series like LoTR or Wheel of Time where it's one ginormous story.
[2011-03-21 10:15:44] - a: Thank god I have no sound at work. It's going to be rough watching/listening to myself tonight! - Stephen
[2011-03-21 10:11:23] - xpovos: re- 10 novel series is there a planned cap? Not sure I want to start more gynormous serious unless there is an end in sight, and it looks like the author wont die before the end... ~gurkie
[2011-03-21 10:06:42] - it's stephen! ~a
[2011-03-21 10:06:35] - a: ha ha! - aaron
[2011-03-21 10:01:23] - hahah. perfect subtitle for today
~a[2011-03-20 11:33:55] - front page article of the washington post? wow, not even front of the metro section: the front page, front page. As Thomas Jefferson adds help for poor English skills, some Va. parents fume ~a
[2011-03-18 20:06:49] - Paul: If they're burrowed, it might not work, even though they're obviously more useful burrowed. Unburrow, transfuse, reburrow? -- Xpovos
[2011-03-18 20:06:21] - gurkie: I really enjoy his Ethshar series (10 novels right now, starts with Misenchanted Sword), but he's done a lot of more modern style stuff. Dragon Weather (trilogy) is pretty solid. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-18 16:33:46] - gurkie: spoilers from Wise Man's Fear and theories about the next book. -Daniel
[2011-03-18 16:33:17] - if i knew of something, i probably wouldn't be asking.
~a[2011-03-18 16:30:32] - a: I don't know, is there? -Paul
[2011-03-18 16:19:48] - daniel: spoilers for wise mans fear or for after? I finished wise mans fear... ~gurkie
[2011-03-18 15:48:50] - hmmm, is anything fun happening tonight? ~a
[2011-03-18 15:45:10] - Gurkie: Interesting spoiler theories on Wise Mans Fear if you are interested: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/sleeping-under-the-wagon-more-spoilers-for-patrick-rothfusss-the-wise-mans-fear -Daniel
[2011-03-18 10:26:10] - aaron: aww that's great! - vinnie
[2011-03-18 10:17:39] - http://notalwaysright.com/clap-top-repair/10694 clap-top repair - aaron
[2011-03-18 09:55:47] - xpovos: standby fantasy mind-candy sounds awesome... Ill have to check that out due to your description
thanks! ~gurkie[2011-03-18 09:09:38] - xpovos: Almost certainly burrowed. Transfuse is a lot less useful on unburrowed spine crawlers.
-Paul[2011-03-17 19:06:00] - Also sci-fi, I'll recommend James Alan Gardner, since he's way under the radar and shouldn't be. Expendable (and series) is available on Kindle. For fantasy, I'll recommend my standby fantasy mind-candy of Lawrence Watt-Evans. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 19:03:23] - Scalzi is pretty awesome. I like a lot of his stuff. Very light and easy to read, good characters, often, if a little too similar between books. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 19:02:34] - Paul: Burrowed, or unburrowed? That probably makes a difference. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 17:08:29] - Daniel: If I counted right I have read 7 of the top 25 books, thats a little disappointing to me, that its that few... But whatever now I have more of a reading list. ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 16:55:57] - Daniel: I like Feist and Hobb... I never really got into Erikson... I think I have a Tad Williams book but didnt really get into that. Mistborn is on my list of books to read maybe I should start that. ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 16:10:06] - Gurkie: You could also check out http://www.bestfantasybooks.com/top25-fantasy-books.php for ideas. -Daniel
[2011-03-17 16:09:42] - Gurkie: Authors my college friends recommend: Fiest, Erikson (I tried this one and didn't get into but they all love him), Tad Williams (read 1 book and it was ok) , and Bakker so those are names you could look up but I can't give you much info on. -Daniel
[2011-03-17 16:03:41] - Gurkie: I'm not sure who all you have read but I can throw out some authors: Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi (more on sci fi side but still good), Robin Hobb, RA Salvatore (kind of cliche but can be entertaining),Ann(e?) McCaffery... ummm yeah thats what I got at the moment. -Daniel
[2011-03-17 15:51:29] - Xpovos: Me too. I'm still trying to find ways of using them more effectively. I heard they can transfuse a spine crawler, but I've never been able to do it myself, which I thought was weird. -Paul
[2011-03-17 15:44:30] - daniel: any suggestions on good books for me to read? (others can chime in but I know he likes my books...) ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 15:37:40] - Paul: I agree, but I did find it amusing. I'm impressed by the power of the queen, when used right and particularly against Protoss. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 15:24:16] - Xpovos: It's actually a decent question. So few zerg build more than one queen per hatchery that it might seem like you are only allowed to have one per hatchery. -Paul
[2011-03-17 14:51:45] - "It's possible to build more than one [queen]?" "Nah, hack." -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 14:29:48] - mig: feds are just people like you and me. if you remove their ability to raid medical marijuana providers, where are they supposed to score their pot?
- aaron[2011-03-17 13:50:50] - gurkie: Absolutely. I think his order was written in such an intentionally vague way that it was a dishonest attempt to placate a branch liberal base without effectively doing anything of substance (much like pretty much evertyhing he's done during his presidency). - mig
[2011-03-17 13:49:42] - from the article, I think they stated they had raided the 26 dispensiaries but not pressed any charges at this point... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 13:49:08] - mig: do you think Obama is in support of the feds creatively interpreting state law? Or do you think they do this to get around his ruling... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 13:48:38] - it definitely hasn't like, stopped entirely - my intuition is that it's gone down a little, but probably not very much. although some people insist that, like, the number of arrests has tripled every day since he was inaugurated. i really just want some good unbiased statistics from law enforcement or a DoJ statistics page or something - aaron
[2011-03-17 13:46:35] - gurkie: yeah, i tried to do some research about the number of dispensary raids, or the number of marijuana-releated arrests since obama's inauguration; but i had trouble finding recent numbers. i'm really curious whether it's gone up, down, or stayed the same! - aaron
[2011-03-17 13:43:07] - The whole idea was that "if they're not violating state law, then the feds won't get involved". The problem is, though the feds have gone out of their way to creatively interpert whether medical marijuana distributors are violating state law (of which there are many), and in effect, nothing really changes. - mig
[2011-03-17 13:35:28] - The fact that Obama has broken his promise on this isn't exactly breaking news. - mig
[2011-03-17 13:34:37] - Gurkie: Whether they are still raiding or not and whether they are supposed to be or not. -Paul
[2011-03-17 13:29:20] - paul: what depends on who I ask? Whether the fed govt is still supposed to be pursuing or why they raided? ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 13:25:51] - Gurkie: Depends on who you ask.
-Paul[2011-03-17 13:22:23] - although on closer inspection it says that they raided them because they think they are also traficking to non medical peoples... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 13:21:48] - apparently feds raided 26 medical marijuana dispensiaries in montana... I thought the fed govt was supposed to not be pursuing these anymore... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 12:19:36] - aaron: the birthday skeleton did arrive but I'm under a NDA and can't provide any details. - mig
[2011-03-17 12:06:16] - xpovos: yeah that would make sense early game on some maps. just drop a research building, like, where you're planning your third base to go maybe; and count on your opponent not to scout it - aaron
[2011-03-17 12:01:33] - IIRC almost all of the Terran buildings could fly, just not the add-ons. So, yeah, if Engineering Bay is stuck now... I can see maybe putting it somewhere where it was neither defended nor in an enemy base (one last point of defense if you lose your base) but even that has reduced benefit since your enemy gains sight if you lose your base now. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 11:59:53] - most early units wouldn't do enough damage to kill it so it was a fairly safe way of scouting. - mig
[2011-03-17 11:59:12] - paul: in the sc1 an engineering bay could fly, so it was common for terrans to build one, lift it off and scout with it. - mig
[2011-03-17 11:52:20] - Aha! Yeah, proxy pylon is a useful strategy because of the gateway ability as well. But, yes, I see the confusion with proxy engineering bay now. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 11:47:28] - Xpovos: So it basically puts a fairly important structure in danger for zero gain. -Paul
[2011-03-17 11:46:56] - Xpovos: There would appear to be zero reason for building an engineering bay in an opponent's base because it provides no extra utility over having it in your base AND it can't fly away (I believe it could in the first game). -Paul
[2011-03-17 11:46:04] - Xpovos: It works well for those because there is a reason to build them in the opponent's base (they can create units) and there's no huge loss once they are found out (barracks can fly away, pylon is cheap and otherwise fairly useless). -Paul
[2011-03-17 11:45:00] - Xpovos: Well, a proxy barracks is when you build a barracks inside your opponent's base (hidden so they don't see it) so you can build up a force and hit them behind their lines. This is also often done with a pylon for Protoss. -Paul
[2011-03-17 11:35:22] - Newb alert: What's a proxy engineering bay? -- Xpovos
[2011-03-17 10:57:32] - mig: Yeah, that was the best part, how Day 9 was trying to justify the proxy engineering bay. I was cracking up every time he mentioned the proxy research and the overreaction by Day 9 when the zerg player saw the proxy engineering bay. -Paul
[2011-03-17 10:57:04] - mig: eh, I dont know what happened I searched for an email on it... but didnt see one however it was already on my calendar somehow... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 10:54:05] - aaron: Well, if the link I posted was your first exposure to Day 9 (like it seemed to be for Adrian), then I can totally see why, since he is totally obnoxious and holier-than-thou to the bronze leaguers. -Paul
[2011-03-17 10:52:38] - maybe he thought he was still playing brood war, i guess. - mig
[2011-03-17 10:52:08] - proxy engineering bay .... really? - mig
[2011-03-17 10:48:21] - paul: i'll say i really like husky starcraft, and the two people have a lot in common. i can't really rationalize why i like one and not the other, it might just totally be like - i watched a certain video first, and made a snap judgment, and i've stuck with it. idk. - aaron
[2011-03-17 10:39:49] - aaron: Aw, sad. I really love his sense of humor and don't find him obnoxious at all (although I can totally see why others would). -Paul
[2011-03-17 10:18:44] - gurkie: it should have sent emails, as I've gotten responses from non-gmail people. - mig
[2011-03-17 10:11:17] - mig: did you choose to send invites to your party? it somehow appeared on my calendar without me ever seeing the invite... Ive seen that happen before but I am not sure how. I wouldnt have known about the party if Paul hadnt mentioned it... ~gurkie
[2011-03-17 09:36:42] - without exaggeration, the worst personality, the worst sense of humor of any starcraft podcaster i've ever tried to listen to. he's like that drunk guy at a party who doesn't realize he's being really loud and obnoxious and everybody's too polite to tell him - aaron
[2011-03-17 09:34:10] - paul: yeah i sat through about 20 minutes of one of his "funday mondays" and something about his sense of humor, or the way he slowed down to overpronounce words, something about his tone was just incredibly obnoxious, i couldn't bear to listen to it. i tried pretty hard. - aaron
[2011-03-17 08:50:19] - a: Day 9? I guess he would come across as kinda obnoxious and full of himself if that's the first video you have seen of him. I don't think he's really like that, though. In most of his other videos he makes fun of himself much more than other people. -Paul
[2011-03-17 00:55:22] - that guy is so fucking full of himself. he is annoying and kind of gross looking. i also think he's not wearing any pants. but . . . it's growing on me. he . . . is growing on me? ~a
[2011-03-16 22:42:14] - Actually, I can't remember if it's the second game or third. Whichever one was the bronze league game. The others were worth watching too, IMHO. -Paul
[2011-03-16 22:41:20] - starcraft people: http://blip.tv/file/4737137 Has anybody seen Day 9's funday monday with mass queens? The second game was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times due to his comments. -Paul
[2011-03-16 17:12:16] - mig: did you get anything cool from the birthday skeleton? - aaron
[2011-03-16 17:08:22] - gurkie: Oh. You don't have a chest hole? Oh man... this is gonna suck. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 16:49:42] - Daniel: I read a couple of those books awhile ago, Ill try to remember to check the link tonight... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 16:48:06] - "spawn hatch" does too also confusing... I was like spawning hatchlings? Hatching spawnlings? Hrmm... very complicated. ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 16:47:33] - I don't know if any of you guys read the "Redwall" series by Brian Jaques - but http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-katniss-everdeen-versus-martin-the-warrior.html is the most horrific version of Martin the Warrior I've ever read. -Daniel
[2011-03-16 16:45:17] - chest-hole sounds dirty. ~a
[2011-03-16 16:35:10] - gurkie: It's all fine until the spawn hatch and launch out of your chest-hole. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 16:27:10] - gurkie: ah, I don't think I will figure it out tonight, unfortunately. probably better to count me out - vinnie
[2011-03-16 16:01:35] - anon: I'd say I knew it, but I didn't... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 15:51:20] - gurkie: Surprise!
[2011-03-16 15:48:05] - apparently paul is coming out on friday... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 15:42:54] - you must watch different tv stations than i do: paul ~a
[2011-03-16 15:42:16] - alien? what alien??? ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 15:41:36] - i thought you were talking about the alien. ~a
[2011-03-16 15:41:09] - a: well seeing as how I am marrying him, I would venture to say "I do"... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 14:44:05] - who cares about paul? ~a
[2011-03-16 14:38:42] - vinnie: as an fyi living social is a DotD site... sooo you would need to let me know sooner... Also I am not even sure if Paul is into it yet. ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 14:37:59] - Daniel: ah I knew that they bought Sun... Didnt know Sun owned OpenOffice... That makes sense though. ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 14:03:11] - gurkie: Yeah it used to be part of Sun which was bigger on being open than Oracle. Oracle apparently wants people to sign an agreement when working on OpenOffice that says Oracle owns the code they do which apparently led to the LibraOffice stuff. This is all based on reading the wikipedia articles so hopefully I'm not wrong.
-Daniel[2011-03-16 14:00:04] - gurkie: I'll have to check whether I can make any of those dates, but I am interested - vinnie
[2011-03-16 13:54:12] - whoa... I had no idea openoffice was bought by oracle! ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 13:40:33] - aaron: It looks like LibreOffice is the continuation of OpenOffice now that OpenOffice is owned by Oracle and not quite as Open anymore. -Daniel
[2011-03-16 13:14:48] - I also use google docs some, mostly the spreadsheet functionality though... I find spreadsheets incredibly useful for tracking ... anything. Never used open office but I have heard mixed reviews... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 13:13:46] - I use MS Office a lot... My job requires a lot of documentation of systems and we write them all in open office, and then transfer to PDF to deliver the documents... and I dont like the 2010 redesign, but I am getting used to it ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 13:00:10] - a: I guess they could have done survey/market research rather than spying... but that's sad that we immediately assumed spying because of the technological capacity these programs have. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 12:59:20] - a: Thank you for confirming my desire to never install Steam. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 12:58:35] - yeah i'm too stupid to understand why LibreOffice exists but... knowledge of its existence at least makes me question which one of the two i will install, next time i'm setting up a new box - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:57:18] - a: ha ha ha! cool! i've heard there's some problems with the ownership of the open office license which has driven people to fork it.... - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:56:21] - xpovos: i think i just inherently dislike wysiwyg editors, i can't think of any version of MS word i've been happy using. i've probably cumulatively spent like, a week of my life, trying to figure out why my new paragraph is coming out a different font than the previous paragraph, or how to have a code sample which doesn't interrupt the formatting of a numbered list - aaro
[2011-03-16 12:54:12] - it's a little scary that steam can see this information. i wonder how they account for people running steam inside wine. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:52:19] - paul/aaron: from wikipedia: according to valve corporation, 15% of Steam users have openoffice.org installed on their machines as of 2010. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:50:26] - I'm probably using (and even liking) MS Office more now than I have in a long time. 2010 is a complete redesign which bugs a lot of people because they change so much. But a lot (alot?) of the changes are quite good once you get into the rhythm of the work. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 12:47:02] - a: I use open office on my netbook and I use google docs for tons of stuff. Frankly, except for using Excel at work, I don't use MS Office much. -Paul
[2011-03-16 12:44:10] - a: I'll probably host something at my parents' place in McLean. Expect an email to go out today or tomorrow! - Stephen
[2011-03-16 12:42:42] - hmmm, wiktionary has it so it must be a word. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:41:21] - looks like paul and myself are the only offenders: link. but we don't use that word, alot. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:30:19] - xpovos: i've been very impressed with evince, which might lend credence to adobe's solid specification for the PDF format. i have nothing against adobe, as a company. - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:28:33] - i don't know how many security bugs there have been, total, against adobe flash and adobe reader but it's alot - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:26:26] - also, every text editor since 1990 has had the same UI except for adobe reader, there's nothing wrong with "click to select, mousewheel to drag" and i disliked that they decided to reinvent it. and of course there was a new zero day released yesterday - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:25:07] - from a link on sd about japanese internet outages: image. it's interesting for me to see topographically how the internet is connected between landmasses. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:24:34] - a: Yes, I'll be 30 soon. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 12:24:18] - aaron: Cool, I've been looking for more Reader alternatives. I've used Foxit in a number of places but am unimpressed. I'll check out Evince. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-16 12:24:04] - a: i had a lot of problems with the reader; i disliked the auto-update functionality, i disliked that it put an icon my desktop, i disliked that it launched slowly in firefox, i disliked that it showed a splash screen before launching.... - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:15:37] - interesting, why the choice of evince instead of adobe reader? haha, i actually use evince too, but just want to know your reason. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:14:14] - a: i use openoffice at home, i agree, haven't looked back. ditto for using Evince for PDFs - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:13:07] - yeah, that makes sense to me. how do you think things like the spring framework manage their requirements? they probably just come in as RFEs and they're managed through their bug tracking tool like everything else. - aaron
[2011-03-16 12:12:33] - hey, do you guys use openoffice or google docs for anything? i've completely switched over to the two (they play nicely together) and haven't looked back. i'm wondering if it only works though because of the type of people i work with. i'll admit there was a little strain back when i worked with non software engineers who didn't know about odt etc. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:06:58] - bug tracking manages the requirements and their statuses. the presentation software details out the requirements. it's suboptimal, but much better than nothing. also it's not all that much different from using rational rose with office software as i was instructed in college. ~a
[2011-03-16 12:05:31] - I could maybe see excel... ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 12:05:07] - a: how do you use power point for requirements management???? ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 11:58:17] - we so often just use bug tracking and presentation software (powerpoint) for requirements management. ~a
[2011-03-16 11:57:23] - sorry, i have only used doors and it was not open source afaik. ~a
[2011-03-16 11:54:37] - any of you guys use any good open source requirements management tools
~gurkie[2011-03-16 11:53:12] - xpovos: are you turning thirty as well? ~a
[2011-03-16 11:51:34] - gurkie: all of those work for me. the first weekend is xpovos' birthday so make sure you invite him.
the second weekend is earth hour! and, hmmm, aba's birthday? ~a[2011-03-16 11:47:56] - I did the canopy tour (ziplining) in Costa Rica but I was terrified, since I am scared of heights... But it was fun... Not sure how this would compare ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 11:47:07] - well since it sounds like there is interest... it is 80 bucks and would need to be done on March 26 or 27 or April 2 or 3... Would one of those days work for people? ~gurkie
[2011-03-16 11:46:36] - vinnie: me neither! it's the kind of thing i feel like i would really enjoy since i have fun with climbing and heights. and . . . according to aaron i love gravity.
~a[2011-03-16 11:45:19] - stephen: do you have any plans for monday? ~a
[2011-03-16 11:33:58] - that sounds really fun, I haven't done a ropes course or ziplining since I was a kid - vinnie
[2011-03-16 11:07:20] - Stephen: do they do a lot of beer tasting in costa rica
I am a little jealous of that trip though... Costa Rica was awesome! ~gurkie[2011-03-16 11:03:22] - i didn't know they had a ropes course near rockville. sounds like fun. ~a
[2011-03-16 10:44:08] - gurkie: Yeah, I saw that! Maybe it would be good training for my Costa Rica trip
- Stephen[2011-03-16 10:24:43] - LivingSocial's deal looks kind of fun... Zip Lining, Ropes Course, and Beer Tasting... ~gurkie
[2011-03-15 16:01:24] - stephen: I'm playing on hard and I only occassionally heal. Being able to fully heal between fights makes it way less needed. -Daniel
[2011-03-15 15:24:27] - mig: when/where is the party? ~gurkie
[2011-03-15 15:18:08] - stephen: I was playing on nightmare ... I wish I could heal more often. - mig
[2011-03-15 15:12:43] - aaron: GJC? Wow I didnt know his first name was Gaius... why does everyone call him Julius? ~Gurkie
[2011-03-15 15:11:07] - Dragon Age II people: Is it just me, or are you healing less in this game than in the original? I am in Act II right now and I don't heal that often (nor can I, those cooldowns are crazy). - Stephen
[2011-03-15 12:43:59] - vinnie: it's michael jackson's birthday? ~a
[2011-03-15 12:29:46] - gurkie: GJC, not JHC - aaron
[2011-03-15 11:08:23] - vinnie: jesus christ died today??? ~gurkie
[2011-03-15 10:55:53] - happy birthday MJ and death day JC - vinnie
[2011-03-15 10:38:36] - title: was the 2025th anniversary of the death of Julius Ceaser... lets observe a moment of silence... ~gurkie
[2011-03-15 10:09:52] - Happy Birthday Miguel!!! ~gurkie
[2011-03-14 15:42:49] - Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!
[2011-03-14 15:00:10] - a: I'll be going to see Sucker Punch in a few weeks. I'll let you know my thoughts. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-14 14:47:09] - paul, but it looks too much like kickass! anyways, i like elen page, so i could get behind it. another march/april movie with a good trailer is sucker punch. i'm sad neither of them has a stable rating on rotten tomatoes yet. ~a
[2011-03-14 13:12:47] - paul: heh heh sounds cute, i'd see it - aaron
[2011-03-14 13:11:45] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_(2010_American_film) Has anybody else heard of this? It sounds like Kick-Ass with Captain Reynolds, Juno and Dwight. -Paul
[2011-03-11 16:13:14] - To me, it's less important if that guy was right about the law, and more an issue of what principle he was fighting against. I understand not wanting to be inconvenienced to show the receipt since he was carrying the TV, but once he put the TV down and the guy was blocking him, it seemed a lot more inconvenient to not show it. -Paul
[2011-03-11 16:05:58] - Stephen: The individual claimed that there was a Virginia law that prohibited the store from demanding to see proof. That's where the confusion really is. Since we can't question him what the law is, it falls to the lawyers. Though your unfamiliarity with it is of value as well. (Not that I expect the lawyers even to know all the laws, there are so many...) -- Xpovos
[2011-03-11 16:00:59] - Otherwise...I think it's legal, but maybe not a policy that consumers will accept. - Stephen
[2011-03-11 16:00:16] - Paul: I'm trying to figure out on what grounds that requirement would be illegal. It's not really an invasion of privacy, since you could voluntarily not go to the store. It could be open to allegations of profiling, but not if you required everyone making a high-ticket purchase to show their receipt. - Stephen
[2011-03-11 15:58:47] - a: Haha, I like how you think! - Stephen
[2011-03-11 15:38:46] - *** Paul passes the collection tin around
[2011-03-11 15:25:09] - stephen's services are not free, i'm guessing.
~a[2011-03-11 15:13:11] - Stephen: In a nutshell, are people required to show their receipt to prove they bought a high-ticket item when leaving a store like Wal-Mart? -Paul
[2011-03-11 15:11:45] - Xpovos: Here, but I'm not reading all this to figure out what the issue is. - Stephen
[2011-03-11 14:49:09] - Don't we have lawyers here? Where's my lawyers at? -- Xpovos
[2011-03-11 14:44:03] - a: I would have to see the quote to say whether I agree or not. For the record, I don't think he is wrong to do what he did, I just felt like it was an odd thing to protest against. -Paul
[2011-03-11 14:43:48] - paul: [repost] i'm trying to look up the quote about exercising your rights or losing them. do you remember the quote? more importantly though, do you agree? i think it's not super important, but in general, i think exercising your rights is needed at times. ~a
[2011-03-11 14:42:51] - Xpovos: Right, I can understand not wanting to present it at first, but not showing the receipt very quickly becomes more inconvenient than just showing it. I understand he's probably standing up for some principle, but I just am not sure what principle it is. Not having to do what a store asks you to? -Paul
[2011-03-11 14:27:13] - a: yeah, which is why I'm curious as to the actual law he's referencing. Honestly, I'm not entirely convinced it's on his side. - mig
[2011-03-11 14:25:47] - I dunno I guess the main thing is that legalities aside, just letting customers walk out of the store with stuff that could cost from in the hundreds-thousands $ range without bothering to verify if they had actually purchased doesn't strike me as a good business policy. - mig
[2011-03-11 14:23:59] - that's all reasonable, sure. but to be completely honest, i'm not sure on the laws. it's private property, but it's like a "public place" or something. not sure what rules apply. i'm basing my statements on the validity of what the guy is saying on paul's consumerist link. ~a
[2011-03-11 14:21:46] - have you heard of a pat-down while exiting a domestic flight? ~a
[2011-03-11 14:06:47] - a: if you won't show it to the person, is it reasonable for them to assume you hadn't paid for it if the person at the exit hadn't actually seen you pay for it at a register? (In some walmarts with electoronic products that can certainly be the case) - mig
[2011-03-11 14:06:14] - a: sure, i understand they have to take special considerations before you get into a plane. but after you get off the plane, and you're going home? for a domestic flight? sure, i understand it's an exceptional case though - aaron
[2011-03-11 14:05:15] - i've never seen military personnel with automatic weapons at the best buy. i can't say the same about ORD. ~a
[2011-03-11 14:02:31] - aaron: oh no, airport security is different for many many reasons. the airport is not a public place and it has exception written all over it. plus there are a slew of laws that spell this out . ~a
[2011-03-11 14:01:43] - your plane lands, and it's a domestic flight, and for some reason they want you to submit to a pat-down before you go home. okay - you're not letting me go home??? that's a really weird thing for a business to tell you. - aaron
[2011-03-11 14:00:50] - mig: sure, you can ask. that's reasonable. i don't have to answer though. ~a
[2011-03-11 14:00:29] - mig: yeah, that's true, there's always the question of what's "reasonable", i think showing a receipt is OK sometimes. and sometimes, if your hands are full, or if there's like 5 other people in line waiting to show their receipt, it feels unreasonable. i mean, i can relate. other people have done the same thing with airport security; - aaron
[2011-03-11 13:55:16] - bah enter key. technically, he was allowed to leave the store. just not with the TV until he showed the receipt. - mig
[2011-03-11 13:54:50] - and technically
[2011-03-11 13:52:45] - aaron: that is true. but I do think a question of whether proving that you actually bought the thing you're walking out with is resonable is something you can argue. - mig
[2011-03-11 13:51:23] - obviously there's a line, i think the guy's right in defending that line, maybe has to pee. maybe he's a reverse vampire. if i want to leave your store i should be allowed to leave your store, if i'm not doing anything wrong - aaron
[2011-03-11 13:49:50] - mig: well, it seems weird that a business could say, "you can't leave until you do xxxx." even if xxxx is really trivial, it still seems like a violation of personal freedoms. you can't leave until you show me a receipt. ok, fine. you can't leave until you complete this survey. ok, that's really annoying. you can't leave until you buy something. - aaron
[2011-03-11 13:41:18] - well i have no idea, sorry. i just know he wasn't claiming the question was a violation. ~a
[2011-03-11 13:39:49] - a: well I was looking for something a little more specific than that. - mig
[2011-03-11 13:36:17] - mig: whether any of this story is true or not and whether this law exists or not, the article states: "state law dictates that once I pay for something, I don't need to show ownership of it" "state law protects my right to not need to prove ownership of something I have purchased" "You can only ask." ~a
[2011-03-11 13:33:33] - i think you missed his point. the "show me the receipt plz" was not the violation. ~a
[2011-03-11 13:31:19] - what state law exactly does the "show me the receipt plz" policy violate? - mig
[2011-03-11 13:24:43] - yeah, i agree. it's like the same people who participate in class action lawsuits against their cable company for a $10 overcharge. on one level, the woman's right. just pay the $10, just get out of my way, i don't care. but on another level yeah, someone has to stand up for even the small things just so people don't get their rights trampled on - aaron
[2011-03-11 13:09:32] - paul: i'm trying to look up the quote about exercising your rights or losing them. do you remember the quote? more importantly though, do you agree? i think it's not super important, but in general, i think exercising your rights is needed at times. ~a
[2011-03-11 13:02:54] - Paul: If you take him at his face value, he claims to not want to present his receipt not (just?) because he doesn't want to but because doing so would be inconvenient, given that he was carrying the TV. He's detained long enough to put the TV down, but then continues as a matter of principle. -- Xpovos
[2011-03-11 12:59:22] - Vinnie: I totally agree. Clearly this person thought he was making a point or fighting something he considers to be wrong, but I don't understand it. I guess he's upset that stores are assuming some customers are theives until proven innocent? -Paul
[2011-03-11 12:26:13] - i don't know. i'm not sure where the line is between lawful detainment and unlawful detainment. ~a
[2011-03-11 12:03:02] - a: oh certainly, I agree. I only think that this specific thing doesn't make sense to fight. honestly, I'm surprised it isn't already legal for public stores to do that and I don't think there would be much resistance to law saying they could do it. if stores think you are shoplifting, they already have the right to detain you, right? - vinnie
[2011-03-11 11:53:57] - but you don't believe that anything that prevents shoplifting should be allowed, right? i can think of some out-of-the-box ideas for preventing shoplifting that are currently not legal. ~a
[2011-03-11 11:09:43] - yeah I don't really get what the point here is. that companies don't always follow the letter of the law? the only thing I could see coming out of this is that if Walmart finds that checking receipts is helping them prevent shoplifting they'll probably get some law passed that lets them do that. will this guy feel satisfied then? - vinnie
[2011-03-11 10:45:25] - Aaron: I like to think I am patient when it comes to things like that, where it could be a safety issue or where somebody might not be comfortable driving. I think I would be less patient if somebody appears to be holding everybody up just to make a point (and I don't even know what point that is). -Paul
[2011-03-11 10:42:06] - paul: yes, exactly, i think it's happened to me now or then but i'm having trouble remembering a specific time. sometimes someone will avoid making a left turn on green or a right on red when i think it's safe but i'm very patient about it. - aaron
[2011-03-11 10:10:01] - aaron: I don't think it has ever happened to me, but if I was stuck behind this person while trying to leave the store, I would definitely have been annoyed. -Paul
[2011-03-11 10:06:09] - "who cares about if they're breaking the law, you're inconveniencing me" fair, but i'm often thinking "why is this person blocking the obvious flow of traffic?" (foot or vehicle). i'm also often thinking "why is this person being such an abusive customer" (in this case, the customer wasn't abusive: but often in situations like this the customer gets abusive) ~a
[2011-03-11 10:01:31] - paul: i agree with you that my feelings are mixed. but i'm more annoyed with the woman who calls him a prick than the guy though. i'm trying to remember the last time that i was thinking, "who cares about if they're breaking the law, you're inconveniencing me" - aaron
[2011-03-11 09:51:43] - walmart and best buy employees will always let me walk past them when people queue up. i'm not partaking in a optional fucking line to get out of the store. ~a
[2011-03-11 09:48:55] - paul: well the other thing is that walmart usually won't ask for your receipt 100% of the time. Costco they definitely do. - mig
[2011-03-11 09:48:06] - daniel: ah right, that probably would make a difference, I'm not sure what state law he is referring to though. - mig
[2011-03-11 09:46:31] - mig: I think its legal at Costco because you sign an agreement to be able to shop there. WalMart is actually just public. I think I read somewhere that was the difference. -Daniel
[2011-03-11 09:45:37] - mig: Ah, I haven't noticed, honestly. I have never said no. I've also never said no when asked for my zip code, although I've often considered it. -Paul
[2011-03-11 09:40:11] - whether it's legal or not. - mig
[2011-03-11 09:40:05] - paul: costco is a lot more insistent on seeing receipts than walmart is. - mig
[2011-03-11 09:32:31] - mig: Why do you think that? -Paul
[2011-03-11 09:30:31] - paul: i wonder if he'll try that at costco? I have a feeling he won't be nearly as successful there. - mig
[2011-03-11 09:23:00] - http://consumerist.com/2011/03/calm-man-successfully-buys-tv-and-denies-walmart-receipt-checkers.html I wonder how people here feel about this. I have very mixed feelings. Part of me cheers on the guy for calmly sticking to his guns, but another part of me agrees with the woman who calls him a "prick".
-Paul[2011-03-11 09:04:41] - Footage of a wave in japan from the earthquake. Maybe part of the tsunami? In my head tsunami's were taller but hard to tell exactly how tall the wave is in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VopzGcBkfnE -Daniel
prev <-> next