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[2013-07-15 12:14:57] - a: and I agree, it was questionable judgement on the part of zimmerman. But that does not mean he didn't have e right to self defense if the events transpired as he claims they did (and eveidence presented in the trial supported at least some parts of his claims). - mig
[2013-07-15 12:13:20] - a: stand your ground was not invoked in the zimmerman case. Also, ZImmerman is hispanic. - mig
[2013-07-15 12:13:16] - the 911 operator told him not to pursue. what the fuck is wrong with him? ~a
[2013-07-15 12:12:14] - i forget the exact numbers but it's something like 10 to 1. ~a
[2013-07-15 12:11:55] - mig: she wasn't proposing that it had anything to do with the case. but IMO you're not sure what it has to do with the zimmerman case because you don't want to see the connection. stand your ground laws are used primarily by white people to stand their ground against black people. it hardly ever works the other way around. ~a
[2013-07-15 12:07:12] - have been the case. - mig
[2013-07-15 12:07:08] - The thing is, we'll never know, unfortunately, why Zimmerman ultimately decided to pursue Martin. Did he actually act suspiciously, or was it because of the "black people don't belong here" connection that people are trying to make? Jumping on the either requires making too many assumptions, but is it really that outside the realm of possibly that the former could
[2013-07-15 11:58:13] - a: that is interesting, and also sad. But I'm not sure what that has to do with the Zimmerman case. I keep hearing that the verdict is some symbol of racial oppression (one fb comment i've read said, "The struggle continues" ), but the reasons that are given for that I haven't fonud very convincing - mig
[2013-07-15 11:43:15] - uhhh the tl,dr is: her boyfriend is an african american male. while he was living with g, he was accosted by a neighbor (who later turned out to not even be a neighbor) in a fairly diverse neighborhood about how he shouldn't be there (primarily because he was black). it came out in the comments, that most african americans in the us have this story. ~a
[2013-07-15 11:37:15] - a: TL:DR? - mig
[2013-07-15 11:35:15] - did any of you read g's (eugenia's) facebook discussion? i'm not sure if any of you are friends with her on fb or not. anyways, in my opinion, it was an interesting read. ~a
[2013-07-15 11:17:39] - mig: I can understand people thinking he is guilty of murder, but from everything I read, there just wasn't enough evidence for a jury to find him guilty. -Paul
[2013-07-15 11:15:55] - mig: What I don't quite understand are the people who think it's outrageous how Zimmerman was found not guilty. No matter what you think of what he did, there just didn't seem to be nearly enough evidence to prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt. -Paul
[2013-07-15 11:14:15] - mig: Oh, I had no doubt that most people who had strong feelings about the case had already had their mind completely made up before the case began and if the jury came to the opposite conclusion, then they were clearly idiots. -Paul
[2013-07-15 11:02:43] - and if they reached a guilty verdict, obviously it would have been because they succumbed to the liberal media! - mig
[2013-07-15 11:00:39] - It saddens me a bit that the "red vs. blue" mob mentality was going to have no faith that the jury would properly do its job. They clearly were torn on the case as they were deliberating for 15 some odd hours over 2 days before reaching a verdict. But no, no, they're obviously fucking morons because they didn't reach the verdict that some people prefer. - mig
[2013-07-15 10:57:10] - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1704196-indians-fan-greg-van-niel-catches-4-foul-balls-in-same-game I would've expected something like this at a Marlins game (where the attendance is so sparse) but this is still ridiculously unlikely. -Paul
[2013-07-15 10:56:33] - mig: Oddly enough, I didn't really see a ton. I guess there's stuff from Ricky, but I didn't see a lot of disagreement in his posts. -Paul
[2013-07-15 10:34:18] - paul: can't get enough talk on facebook i take it? - mig
[2013-07-15 09:40:54] - No talk about the Zimmerman verdict? -Paul
[2013-07-12 21:17:47] - mig: Iowa is "right to work" + "at will". I'd be surprised if the judges went the other way, regardless of how silly. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-12 17:27:36] - http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iowa-top-court-firing-attractive-aide-legal iowa allows employers to fire an employee for being too attractive. - mig
[2013-07-12 17:02:03] - 2 female anchors on sc again. Still chalking it up to summer vacations? - mig
[2013-07-12 14:23:49] - g: I'd ignore that request as well. They have a seperate "recommendation" feature that you can use if you want to recommend somebody, particularly for specific skills, but networking with someone does bring a certain level of closeness as well, and it doesn't sound like that exists here. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-12 13:52:16] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsqFR5bh6Q sharknado trailer - aaron
[2013-07-12 11:36:23] - g: ignore the request. ~a
[2013-07-12 11:22:02] - g: And based on how many people were willing to connect with me... I assume it's not how others treat LinkedIn either.
-Paul[2013-07-12 11:21:48] - someone just added me and I dont really wanted to be associated with them... honestly I dont really know them cept I know who they are and they worked at my office for a bit.... ~g
[2013-07-12 11:15:51] - Ugh, sorry, that was supposed to be directed at g. -Paul
[2013-07-12 11:15:37] - a: I don't think the recommendation part is implied... at least it isn't the way I treat connections in LinkedIn. -Paul
[2013-07-12 11:08:56] - I am trying to understand what a connection on linkedin means... Does it mean "hey this is someone I know or worked with and would recommend" or is the recommendation part not implied? ~g
[2013-07-11 12:30:19] - Helps, if I post the link: http://www.ohioverticals.com/blogs/akron_law_cafe/2012/04/florida-statutes-on-second-degree-murder-and-manslaughter/ -- Xpovos
[2013-07-11 12:28:26] - mig: This piece has the Florida legal language for manslaughter. I'm not sure it fits. I'm working with a local case for manslaughter right now, and it's actually pretty narrowly defined in VA, so I'm not surprised that it might not fit well in FL either, despite our assumed connotations. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-11 12:19:33] - All that being said, it may yield the "correct' result, because Zimmerman may in fact be guilty of manslaughter, but even with that being the case it feels like there's some due process violation here imo, even if it's on the up and up legally. - mig
[2013-07-11 12:10:27] - The attourney for Zimmerman was vocally displeased that the judge would even consider such a thing. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-11 12:10:03] - mig: It's worthy of more discussion. I don't have a good answer, but clearly it's legal--at least in this case. A news story I heard this morning indicated they might try to throw in 3rd degree as well as the manslaughter and potentially aggravated assault charge. 3rd degree might work because Trayvon was a minor and if you call it child abuse, you can get there.
[2013-07-11 11:52:51] - Then when the trial goes badly for the prosecution, they just add the misdemenor charge right at the end, and if the defendant doesn't get to enter a plea, they'll may have to face a max sentence after being found guilty (since you're going to be treated more harshly when you're found guilty as opposed to pleading guilty). - mig
[2013-07-11 11:50:50] - like say hypothetically, someone commits a crime that borders on misdemenor or a felony. He might plead guilty to the misdemenor, but the prosecutor wants to throw the book at him and pursue a felony charge. The defendant and the attorneys surmise though, that the prosecutions case is weak and will not plead guilty to the felony ...
[2013-07-11 11:48:35] - so, with the manslaughter charge being added to the docket in the zimmerman trial, I'm curious: does he get to enter a plea on that charge? While I think Zimmerman may be indeed guilty of manslaughter, I'm just wondering about hypothetical prosecutorial abuses that could result from this practice. - mig
[2013-07-11 09:26:10] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brdmnUBAS00 how to recharge batteries - aaron
[2013-07-11 01:27:15] - http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/video-game-starship-worth-9-000-destroyed-ambush-190533986.html eve online is certainly harsh. - mig
[2013-07-10 19:46:21] - http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/10/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-trial-animation/2504917/ so per our earlier discussion, it seems it is possible for the charges to be sort of downgraded mid-trial, but that still seems like all sorts of weird to me due process-wise. - mig
[2013-07-10 17:14:45] - http://washingtonexaminer.com/feds-helped-organize-manage-pro-trayvon-martin-protests-documents-show/article/2532890 I'm not even surprised anymore. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-09 16:28:19] - http:// sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/miami-marlins-latest-ticket-selling-gimmick-exclusively-ridiculous-180906313.html
[2013-07-09 16:28:10] - sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/miami-marlins-latest-ticket-selling-gimmick-exclusively-ridiculous-180906313.html we are all friends and family of Gio Gonzalez! - mig
[2013-07-09 13:57:58] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-xHcvug3WI grand theft auto V official gameplay video - aaron
[2013-07-09 13:21:55] - http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/08/spitzer-to-run-against-madam/?hpt=hp_c4 I wonder if Spitzer knew what he was getting into when he returned to politics. He couldn't have picked a worse race to get involved with, right? -Paul
[2013-07-09 13:01:26] - Continuing the Brazil oddly public displays of violence: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/5005030/horror-as-rapper-is-shot-on-stage-in-front-of-3000-fans-in-brazil.html -- Xpovos
[2013-07-09 11:25:01] - vinnie: I think the word(s) you are looking for is "Regime Change". - mig
[2013-07-09 11:23:24] - Anybody heard of the geo game thing Ingress? -Daniel
[2013-07-08 16:10:49] - Vinnie: Or, in this case, it's not a coup if we want to keep giving their government money (which apparently we can't do by law if it's defined as a coup). -Paul
[2013-07-08 16:08:00] - paul: well it's a coup when it's a bad thing, and an overthrowing when it's a good thing - vinnie
[2013-07-08 15:27:58] - http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/07/08/obama-morsi-egyptian-military-mccain/2499099/ "White House to decide if Egyptian act was a 'coup'". Is there really a decision to be made here? The military removed a democratically elected leader. Sounds like a coup to me. -Paul
[2013-07-08 13:12:36] - Paul: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/07/brazilian-referee-decapitated-stabs-player This article has it, but it's not the one I read initially. 4th paragraph. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-08 12:54:26] - Xpovos: I didn't see it mentioned about the stoning and the spike in the article I posted. Did you read that elsewhere? -Paul
[2013-07-08 12:49:53] - Paul: You missed the part where they stoned him to death, then decapitated the corpse. Your version makes it sound like they killed him through the decapitation. Also, I thought the head on the spike on the field was a nice touch... -- Xpovos
[2013-07-08 12:36:29] - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-brazil-soccer-20130706,0,4342621.story Referee fatally stabs soccer player. Mob decapitates referee. I know they take their soccer seriously, but what the hell is going on in Brazil? -Paul
[2013-07-08 09:51:59] - mig: Some people really didn't like it, though, and claimed it made things look too realistic, which I completely don't get. -Paul
[2013-07-08 09:51:37] - mig: Yeah, I realized the difference when I got my TV, where it had a mode which I think basically made things run in 60 fps even if the source was in something slower. Made the picture look so much nicer. -Paul
[2013-07-08 09:48:18] - well i misunderstood it in that sense, but understand I guess that fps does matter. - mig
[2013-07-08 09:28:44] - a: I guess, but does realizing that 60 fps is awesome mean you better understand people who dislike it? -Paul
[2013-07-08 09:12:11] - he called it a "fiasco" so i think he understands it was about people not liking the 60fps. ~a
[2013-07-08 09:06:40] - mig: Well, the hobbit thing was all about people NOT liking the 60fps, though. Isn't that kinda the opposite? -Paul
[2013-07-07 19:29:37] - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-watch-mgs5-at-60fps so I've never really realized how much a difference 60fps was from 30fps until now. I guess I understand the whole hobbit fps fiasco a little bit more now. nsfw. - mig
[2013-07-07 02:08:54] - xpovos: I'm pretty sure a charge of murder vs. manslaughter is mutually exclusive. Otherwise, yeah double jeapordy would definitely come into play. - mig
[2013-07-06 13:34:40] - mig: If they brought both charges, which is technically permissible--I think, despite probably being a double-jeopardy issue, IMO. I don't think they can add additional charges at this time, though. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-06 10:21:10] - one curious argument the prosection made during their rebuttal of the dismissal motion: they said even if the judge bought all the defense's arguments to dismiss, she should allow the trial to continue on the lesser charge of mangslaughter. Can that actually happen? That seems very messed up, - mig
[2013-07-06 10:12:49] - xpovos: I think a wrongful death suit is an absolute certainity, due to prosecutorial incompetence on many levels. - mig
[2013-07-05 23:46:25] - mig: So we can expect acquittal and civil liability lawsuits for wrongful death to follow? -- Xpovos
[2013-07-05 16:56:55] - marcia clark has been brought out as a talking head. I think we can finally say now that the zimmerman trial is OJ Trial 2.0. - mig
[2013-07-05 13:41:57] - a: I'm a little confused, though. She doesn't have any photo ID? Or is hers from some other state? There are ways to get a photo ID that isn't a driver's license (http://www.dmv.state.va.us/drivers/#id/get_id.asp). -Paul
[2013-07-05 13:38:05] - a: "yes, i agree paul, it's perfectly reasonable to require people to do this before they vote." Glad you finally came around to my way of thinking.
-Paul[2013-07-05 13:29:38] - That's more rhetorical and generic, I know your answer to the specifics. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-05 13:29:24] - a: That seems very odd. Why are letters being required? They don't like sending letters because letters aren't typically required (getting back to my 'seems odd' though) therefore this seems to be an unusual situation, not what people normally experience. Does a rare case defeat the benefit of a (usually) simple requirement? -- Xpovos
[2013-07-05 13:27:12] - back to a previous conversation, audrey still doesn't have a drivers license. dc has to send a letter to virginia and virginia has to send a letter to maryland so virginia will give her a license. none of these governmental organizations like sending letters . . . ever. yes, i agree paul, it's perfectly reasonable to require people to do this before they vote. ~a
[2013-07-05 11:42:04] - So... yeah. Any reason why the NSA doesn't have all of this too? http://www.beneaththewaves.net/Projects/Motorola_Is_Listening.html I can't think of any. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-05 10:12:46] - Less than half my office is in today, I imagine most places are running at about the same level. The only reason I'm not off myself is that I enjoy the opportunity to work on such a quiet day with such reduced traffic. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-05 09:29:08] - mig posted that on wednesday. still . . . the same theory probably applies: everybody is off this week. ~a
[2013-07-05 08:49:29] - mig: Considering it's the Friday after a National holiday in the summer.... it might just be that they're the low people in terms of seniority and got stuck hosting. Mike and Mike and WTOP definitely seemed to have the B-team this morning. -Paul
[2013-07-03 18:04:51] - 2 female anchors on sportscenter today. Sign of progress? - mig
[2013-07-03 14:19:14] - lol
[2013-07-03 14:14:09] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mA7BbliyL8 congratulations!!! you are the 1,000,000th car crash - aaron
[2013-07-03 14:07:15] - they're quoting something that was removed from wikipedia like a million years ago. regardless, the current figure on wikipedia right now is talking about over-all-time, not over recent transactions. ~a
[2013-07-03 14:05:09] - heh, ok. ~a
[2013-07-03 14:04:17] - a: mt.gox still claims 80% (4:1). -- Xpovos
[2013-07-03 14:01:18] - paul/xpovos: i should have been more clear. people are fleeing mtgox relative to other exchanges. (bitstamp is just another exchange) the ratio of the volume of mtgox/bitstamp used to be 9 to 1. now it's about 3 to 1. ~a
[2013-07-03 13:58:50] - a: Why are people fleeing mtgox? And aren't they the biggest exchange? Are there others picking up the slack? -Paul
[2013-07-03 13:57:20] - a: Maybe it has something to do with the Winklevoss desire to set up a Bitcoin exchange for traders? -- Xpovos
[2013-07-03 13:54:52] - Paul: Scanning your article, it looks like it was European countries being a dick and ignoring diplomatic immunity, not the U.S. Sure, we're the root cause, but I'm not sure a's take that we're at fault is the truth. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-03 13:54:42] - people are fleeing mtgox like something from a sinking something. ~a
[2013-07-03 13:53:42] - you could always . . . not be a giant pussy.
~a[2013-07-03 13:48:49] - a: http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/bitcoin-exchange-mt-gox-requires-account-verification-after-liberty-reserve-shutdown-219732 Considering how the government has started to go after bitcoin.... I don't know if I want to give the NSA more reason to scrutinize my phone records.
-Paul[2013-07-03 13:46:41] - paul: you can always . . . buy some. ~a
[2013-07-03 13:45:03] - a: I no longer have any bitcoins since liquidating my 0.1 position to you.
-Paul[2013-07-03 13:44:41] - mig: Yeah, the Bolivian president is rightly pissed. I hope something meaningful comes out of this. -Paul
[2013-07-03 13:42:02] - in related news, wikileaks accepts bitcoin donations. 1HB5XMLmzFVj8ALj6mfBsbifRoD4miY36v ~a
[2013-07-03 13:41:07] - wtf, united states. we're getting a pretty bad name here. stop sucking. ~a
[2013-07-03 13:40:26] - paul: that's pretty unprecendented. - mig
[2013-07-03 13:24:15] - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23158242 Also, how crazy is it that the president of Boliva's jet was forcibly searched for Snowden? -Paul
[2013-07-03 13:15:05] - http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/03/world/meast/egypt-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 Apparently Egypt is going through a government change again. So glad we send foreign aid over there to help stabilize the region... -Paul
[2013-07-03 12:55:06] - mig: Defend or lose your rights is a terrible precedent, IMO. I understand why it exists, but it causes these confusing cases. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-03 12:45:40] - i was reading some articles about dota2 yesterday and came across the trademark dispute with Blizzard over the use of the term "DOTA". I thought it was funny blizzard lost the case (They had planned to name their MOBA "Blizzard DOTA"), with DOTA 2 having heroes that all look remarkably similar to many warcraft 3 units and heroes. IP laws are strange sometimes. - mig
[2013-07-03 11:28:31] - vinnie: Not being there for the 2000 change, I can only guess what my reaction would have been, and I'd probably have been in an uproar (mild) both times. I definitely wasn't hugely in favor of the 2010 change, though I understood their reasoning. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-03 11:12:42] - a: there's a funny example of that in Magic the Gathering. back around 2000, they made a change to the way combat worked and there was an enormous uproar, people threatened to quit the game, etc. fast forward to 2010, they decide to simplify the game and revert that rule. you guessed it, huge uproar, more people threatening to quit the game - vinnie
[2013-07-02 15:32:42] - deciding which is better (the older or the newer) is almost always left up to opinion and debate. the ones voting for the older will always vote louder because they're curmudgeons (also see andrew's comic). so, compared to the people who vote loudly for the old option, i try to see the new option in a good light. if it's unarguably worse, then that's different. ~a
[2013-07-02 15:26:00] - yah. ~a
[2013-07-02 14:27:56] - a: This sounds stupid to say, but I only like change if it's for the better. -Paul
[2013-07-02 14:00:46] - a: Third strip: http://books.google.com/books?id=gNdlEpNHSUoC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84#v=onepage&q&f=false -- Xpovos
[2013-07-02 10:29:59] - i actually love change. but not at the expense of quality. which is why it makes me sad when, about once per year, linux goes through a major change and everything seems to get buggier. ~a
[2013-07-01 23:43:37] - I should probably add irony tags to that... -- Xpovos
[2013-07-01 23:43:29] - a: Never change anything! Just make it better!! -- Xpovos
[2013-07-01 16:49:14] - be careful what you wish for ~a
[2013-07-01 16:48:45] - wikipedia. ~a
[2013-07-01 16:34:11] - a: How did you find out that he taught calculus? -Paul
[2013-07-01 16:23:13] - he taught calculus? wtf. ~a
[2013-07-01 16:21:29] - he's also only three (four?) years older than us. ~a
[2013-07-01 16:19:34] - mig: He grew up in West Springfield, which is exactly where I grew up too. -Paul
[2013-07-01 16:18:46] - mig: Yeah, I found that out about a month ago. He actually sounds like a really interesting guy. Seems to be very smart and experienced. -Paul
[2013-07-01 16:14:48] - paul: i didn't realize he went to TJ. - mig
[2013-07-01 16:10:30] - http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/new-candidate-for-governor-throws-his-hat-in-the-ring Under the "related news" section of Amy's article.... an article about the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia! -Paul
[2013-07-01 15:51:10] - a/mig: It's been like that for years, I use the application very frequently. Freaked me out the first time too. -- Xpovos
[2013-07-01 14:21:04] - the .exe? it's an exe on the server. you don't download it. talk to the virginia legislature. ~a
[2013-07-01 14:18:07] - a: that's the sketchiest url i've seen in a while. - mig
[2013-07-01 14:15:55] - i guess, i'm not sure if you were doing anything wrong. you have to be lewdly *and* lascivious *and* be cohabiting. imo, you were only doing one of those things
~a[2013-07-01 14:14:29] - ah nm, i found it ~a
[2013-07-01 14:13:49] - http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-345 . . . what did the content used to be? ~a
[2013-07-01 14:12:07] - how lewd. ~a
[2013-07-01 14:04:40] - probably should have clarified that as "using mobile device while driving" laws -amy
[2013-07-01 14:03:58] - new texting laws: http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/beware-new-traffic-laws-go-into-effect-monday and hooray, aaron and i are absolved of a misdemeanor. -amy
[2013-07-01 13:40:07] - a: who knows? I agree heated sidewalks is definitely nice, but I don't think that function is *that* expensive. Looking at the preview photo for the video in the article, the shelters seem "artsy" but apparently not very functional (with residents complaining that they don't actually keep rain/snow off them). - mig
[2013-07-01 13:23:06] - put another way, i think they could have probably built a full-up building for less than 1m. why didn't they just do that? ~a
[2013-07-01 13:21:51] - well i've seen the typical bus shelter. it's miserable. i'd refuse to spend cumulative days of my life waiting under one. still, i'll agree that a 1m stop should at least include air-conditioning. ooh, heated floors? ok, maybe i do like this bus stop. ~a
[2013-07-01 13:16:58] - mig: Not terribly interesting. I'll be hanging out with Dave and playing some video games. Maybe next year (when Talia is a little older) I can host a cookout again, but not this year. -Paul
[2013-07-01 13:09:34] - or even 50x. - mig
[2013-07-01 13:09:15] - a: "A typical bus shelter costs between $10,000 and $20,000, county transportation officials said at the time." I'd expect some sort of markup for a "superstop" but not to a degree of 100x. - mig
[2013-07-01 13:05:53] - i assume you believe this was too much to spend on a busstop? ~a
[2013-07-01 13:05:20] - so, anyone doing anything interesting for the 4th? - mig
[2013-07-01 12:02:44] - http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/arlington-to-hire-independent-contractor-to-review-1-million-bus-stop/2013/06/24/78a10f5c-dcff-11e2-9218-bc2ac7cd44e2_story. of local interest! has anyone been here? did you feel you got your $1 million dollars worth of busstop goodness? - mig
[2013-07-01 11:48:57] - a: Paul is also a biblical name, which I imagine played more into it than the fact that I'm an all-around awesome person. -Paul
[2013-07-01 09:58:56] - mig: Well, he does really try to save the joker in the first movie, and Ras is more a death by lack of trying to save him.... although I agree that's nitpicky. -Paul
[2013-07-01 09:57:08] - paul: batman kills quite a bit in his movies too. he pretty directly kills the joker in the original one (also a few of his henchmen as well), he sets someone on fire with the batmobile's exhaust pipe in batman returns. And as I said earlier, he kind of cops out on his do not kill rule with Ras in batman begins. - mig
[2013-07-01 09:09:34] - a: Aw... I forgot how to do the sunglasses smilie. -Paul
[2013-07-01 09:09:21] - a: B-) -Paul
[2013-06-29 15:26:58] - paul: meg totally named her kid after you. ~a
[2013-06-28 16:25:46] - http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/28/superman-stone-cold-killa I never realized that Superman basically killed Zod and let his companions die at the end of Superman 2... -Paul
[2013-06-28 16:21:54] - Paul: I think it's divine revenge, actually. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-28 15:54:31] - Xpovos: Could this also be parlayed into making your boss' life miserable? -Paul
[2013-06-28 15:41:43] - Holy fuck my window is leaking. Whee! Gallons of water on my paperwork! -- Xpovos
[2013-06-28 14:51:13] - Xpovos: Congrats? -Paul
[2013-06-28 14:50:13] - It has been an absolutely wonderfully epic day of making my boss' life miserable. Gold star! -- Xpovos
[2013-06-28 14:25:10] - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122610474805110179.html 18 holes in 45 minutes, an article about speed golfing - aaron
[2013-06-28 11:10:36] - mig: I think because it's such a team sport-able game. You could have the same game in 1v1 and it would be awful. RTS (WC3/SC2) is at its best sport-wise 1v1. DOTA style makes an extremely compelling team game though. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-28 11:06:20] - so I've been playing a fair amount of dota 2 lately and my mind is blown that a game based on concepts that just about everyone hated about Warcraft 3 (heroes that gain xp/levels, items, and neutral creeps) got so massively popular. I know, I know, LoL has been around for years, but Dota 2 really reminds me of the Warcraft 3 look and feel. - mig
[2013-06-28 09:39:02] - xpovos: ahhaha the bubbledome for the kids! and the horn! they nailed everything - aaron
[2013-06-28 09:12:20] - http://homercar.com/ -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 15:34:24] - i think it would be cool if news aggregations could just check a super simple web-page and just tell me if the page changed. a
[2013-06-27 15:34:09] - a: Huh, interesting. Not sure what is wrong. I have 12 sources which I've categorized and can delete or modify them there. Adding sources I think it done elsewhere. Honestly, though, I mostly just imported stuff from google reader unchanged. -Paul
[2013-06-27 15:31:32] - organize says "2 sources" which is incorrect. it only shows the 2 sources that are categorized as "others". anyways, i have something like five sources at this point which i can see clearly in my "today" section. ~a
[2013-06-27 15:28:59] - a: Look under the "organize" menu option.-Paul
[2013-06-27 15:28:44] - a: Do you see, for lack of a better term, an android "menu" icon looking thing in the upper left hand corner? If you mouse over that, a menu appears. -Paul
[2013-06-27 15:26:58] - nm, i kind-of found it. i still can't see a list, but at least i can modify my subscriptions to a certain extent. ~a
[2013-06-27 15:26:04] - paul: in feedly, where do i see/modify the stuff i'm subscribed to? i can easily see the items in the various subscriptions, but not the subscriptions themselves? ~a
[2013-06-27 15:07:29] - My county will be replacing 100% of the voting machines before our next presidental election. I'm petrified by this. 1) new system = problems. 2) New system = learning curve = longer vote time per ballot cast. There was already a massive complaint about voter suppression because of our long lines in 2012's general. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 14:54:29] - mig: i'm glad we agree on this. i imagine it's done without source code inspection. which means it is doomed to failure. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:51:56] - a: i'm definitely in agreement on that, I honestly have no idea how much oversight goes into auditing things like electronic voting devices but I can't imagine it's extensive. - mig
[2013-06-27 14:49:40] - yeah, i'm worried about NON-in-person-voter-fraud. but voter-id doesn't help there. and i'm more worried about voter suppression. where voter-id actively hurts. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:48:48] - daniel: i think that's where the "dead people" voting issue might come in. Most registration lists are probably not updated often enough to reflect that, and I imagine it could be easy to get away, though it's probably not a significant problem. - mig
[2013-06-27 14:45:02] - Granted I currently don't have much evidence to back up my stance that people voting for other people is not a big problem. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:44:26] - I think the voter fraud this TX law is (in theory) trying to address is someone voting for someone else. I don't see that as a big problem. I think vote tampering where people have/gain access to the vote system / vote counting system could be a serious problem. ID laws wouldn't matter to those issues though. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:37:59] - And with that (and because I think people have largely stopped listening to me), I'm off to lunch. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:36:49] - a: I know, but I'm giving examples of how I feel like a lot of people (honestly, me included) doesn't really trust the whole voting system. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:36:09] - a: And didn't the whole fiasco in Florida in 2000 go to show that, yeah, sometimes votes aren't counted or they're miscounted or people accidentally vote for the wrong person? Why is it that weird to think that there could be some intentional fraud to go along with mistakes? -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:35:01] - the 2000 election wasn't in person voter fraud. it wouldn't have been "fixed" by voter id laws. unless you count it as "fixed" when bush would have won florida by a landslide. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:34:38] - a: We accuse lots of other countries of rigged elections and voter irregularities. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that studies have shown voter fraud isn't a problem. Before I read about it, I always assumed it was and kinda felt like one reason voting was silly is because it could be rigged anyway. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:33:01] - a: hint - someone who posts a lot on facebook. - mig
[2013-06-27 14:33:00] - a: Lots of people still believe the 2000 election was stolen from Gore. I still hear stories about how the Democrats in Chicago for years had it rigged where "dead" people would vote.... multiple times. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:32:13] - somone here?
~a[2013-06-27 14:32:06] - a: I dunno, I'm not sure I see why it's so unlikely to think voter fraud is rampant. There are studies showing it's not (which, again, I completely believe), but it makes sense to think that it could be a major problem. The requirements for voting in Virginia seem incredibly lax, and it seems like it would be easy to rig things. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:31:12] - a: not me, but someone we know. - mig
[2013-06-27 14:30:22] - hah, who calls you a kkk hood collector? ~a
[2013-06-27 14:29:57] - paul: i'd label this mistaken belief as incompetence though. it would be so hard to have that mistaken belief, that it'd be hard for me to call them a competent politician if they're that divorced from reality. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:29:37] - a: hey at least no one refers to you as a "KKK hood collector". - mig
[2013-06-27 14:28:57] - a: If your dad thinks you're a Republican, I wonder what he'd make of me. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 14:28:41] - ugh. i guess maybe. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:28:37] - aDaniel: Again, I'm not saying their intentions are pure or anything. I'm sure lots see political gain here. But I also see reasons why somebody with good intentions (but not aware that voter fraud isn't a big problem) would be for it. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:27:07] - aDaniel: Is it that hard to believe that they are doing it out of an ignorant belief that voter fraud is a big problem? This is the same party that had large groups of people who think Obama is a muslim that was born in Kenya and Iraq had WMDs... -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:25:46] - I probably lean more towards thinking intentions are impure on the Texas id law. But with regards to the scotus ruling because Texas is bad doesn't mean Virginia should be subject to the same federal oversight that Texas should be. - mig
[2013-06-27 14:25:04] - Daniel: Right, and that's the shade of grey I attribute to politicians that support voter ID laws. They know it might suppress voter turnout for the other side, but they also believe voter fraud is real and is a problem that needs to be addressed. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:24:37] - The only voter fraud issue I've ever seen discussed seriously where I thought the parties were genuine was discussing new computerized voting machines and whether or not they were secure or could be hacked to alter voting results w/o anyone's knowledge. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:23:45] - yeah, i'm with daniel here. i can often see the other side of the coin. i can at least understand, and in many many cases agree with, what red is doing and thinking and why. audrey thinks i'm a republican. my dad thinks i'm a republican. come on. but, in this case, i'm dumbfounded. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:22:00] - Paul: I don't think that R's always have evil intentions at heart, but in the case of voter id laws... I think they probably do. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:21:59] - paul: well you could probably convince me that 10 or 20% of them are doing it for other reasons (ignorance, confusion, ambivalence, unrelated political reasons). ~a
[2013-06-27 14:20:53] - a: I just think it's sad when this whole red vs blue mindset narrows people's thinking and causes them to see the other side as wholly evil in all things and only ever have evil intentions at heart. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:19:54] - Paul: I think its probably both. I think they know it makes it harder for them to win elections, but I think they also think that if $ it erodes democracy. I think there are people who only care about the $ in politics part. Are there independent groups working to stop voter fraud? They might exist I'm just unfamiliar with them. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:19:51] - a: If you want to think that every single Texas politician who voted for this voter ID law is trying to win elections and doesn't "give a fuck about voter fraud", then that's certainly your prerogative. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:19:07] - "I just don't see how that is so ridiculously unacceptable" i do see it as unacceptable. especially when this long lunch break can't be taken after an election. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:15:51] - ridiculous? why do you think the texans did this? and please don't say voter fraud.
~a[2013-06-27 14:15:14] - i was just bringing it up to compare to your 4%. to give your 4% meaning. 4% without a number to compare it to is meaningless. seeing 4% next to all those zeros, gives perspective. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:14:27] - a: I joke because I don't know what else to do when you just start making ridiculous pronouncements. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:12:54] - a: Yes, right, we get it that you think voter fraud is practically non-existent. I don't think I've disagreed at all with that point today. I'm pretty sure most of us are beyond that now. You don't have to keep bringing it up.
-Paul[2013-06-27 14:11:37] - paul: you joke because you know i'm right? ~a
[2013-06-27 14:10:10] - paul: ok, maybe you guys are right. still it's 4% and not ~.000001% of in-person-voter-fraud. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:10:03] - a: Oh yeah? Well 200% of voters commit voter fraud in 300% of elections! -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:09:23] - daniel: great point, having to prove where you live is hard even when you aren't super transient. this is hilarious that i'm only now remembering this, but it was almost impossible for audrey to get a drivers license in VA. the rules for getting a drivers license is insane. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:09:02] - a: What's wrong with that math? Sure, I'm making assumptions because I have to (can't easily find numbers for people who want to vote but have no photo ID), but I don't see anything horribly wrong. In fact, like Xpovos said, it's probably lower than 4%. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:07:30] - Daniel: Sure, I would probably agree that it's in the back of the mind of a lot of politicians. Let me ask you this, though: Do you think liberal objection to the citizens united decision is based solely on a love of pure democracy unsullied by money? Or a way to try and influence elections by muzzling certain wealthy voters? -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:05:41] - also, where is your nefariousness math. 100% of texas conservative politicians are doing this to win elections and don't give a fuck about voter fraud. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:05:02] - Paul: Naw. The 10% of Americans who don't posses a photo ID are far more likely to be in the 60% that doesn't vote in your numbers, so the actual issue is less than your 4% analysis. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 14:04:50] - i like your 10%*40%=4% math. try your stat math again. you're assuming too many things that are wrong. ~a
[2013-06-27 14:04:49] - a: So those 4% are going to have to take a long lunch break one day to visit some local government office to apply for their photo ID. I just don't see how that is so ridiculously unacceptable. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:04:32] - I would agree with Adrian somewhat that I don't ever buy the at its face reason of reducing voter fraud for voting ID laws but rather see them as a way to try and influence elections by changing who votes. Small changes in voting demographics can effect close elections. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 14:02:17] - a: Tame even if you don't ignore those things. What percentage of people don't have a photo ID? A quick check of the internet suggests around 10%. What percentage of Americans vote? About 40%? So this would affect about 4% of a population. -Paul
[2013-06-27 14:02:01] - I don't remember any crazy requirements to get a photo ID while I was in Texas. Andrea was able to get one that wasn't a driver's licence but was just an ID card. I guess the biggest deterrent was you had to have proof of address. So if you are homeless or transient then it might be a no go. -Daniel
[2013-06-27 13:58:10] - a: Sure, it might be even MORE stupid than most since it addresses probably a smaller problem than most, but I also feel like the inconvenience is much smaller than most (unless getting a photo ID requires taking your shoes off and going through a back-scatter x-ray machine that takes nude photos of you). -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:57:35] - tame if you ignore disenfranchisement and ignore nefariousness, yes i agree. if you ignore both of those things. both of them. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:56:56] - a: More seriously, though, my point is that the government is ALWAYS creating stupid laws that inconvenience tons of people to address TINY problems. This particular voter ID law in Texas honestly seems tame by comparison to some. -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:56:33] - mmm. what? oh for photo id? ~a
[2013-06-27 13:54:59] - a: Oh, and killed by airplanes too. -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:54:45] - a: Ok, then if we're counting that way, I'll go back to the TSA and we'll use number of Americans killed on US soil by terrorists in 2012.
-Paul[2013-06-27 13:53:49] - a: Agreed. Most successful intentional voter fraud of any significant scale probably also involves conspiracy. Heck, you might (and you personally probably do) categorize the voter ID law efforts as an in-sight version of that kind of conspiracy. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:52:25] - xpovos: in person voter fraud and homicides scale up in difficulty per homicide/vote unless you get people to help you. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:50:04] - paul: the actual numbers are both out of the national population. so percentages are equal if you're talking about the same population and the same unit of time (which we are if you use 1 or 2 per year for my figure). ~a
[2013-06-27 13:48:48] - xpovos: good point. i dunno. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:47:58] - a: Why are we comparing apples and oranges in terms of absolute numbers? Doesn't comparing percentages make a lot more sense? -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:47:49] - a: Each homicide victim counts as a homicide, right? Does each fraudulently counted vote count as a case of voter fraud? Or are you looking at "elections in which voter fraud took place"? -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:47:15] - mig: "minor as moving a voting venue" if you use the word minor here, i'm not even sure what word you use to describe the 1 national case of in-person-voter-fraud per year. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:45:45] - that homicides can be compared to voter fraud. and that your 323 over one year can be compared reasonably to the . . . like 10 or 20 cases . . . over 12 years. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:44:37] - paul: yep. his name was mike turzai. and he's not a politician anymore. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:44:11] - a: No voter ids probably won't prevent most cases of accidental voter fraud. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:44:09] - a: I'm not sure where all this talk of accidental came from... I'll leave this between you and Xpovos. What am I saying that is so out there? -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:44:09] - And the VRA covers more than just election laws, up until the decision Virginia would need the feds permissions just to change something as minor as moving a voting venue. - mig
[2013-06-27 13:44:03] - i know. that was my point. paul was looking at homicide. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:43:30] - a: We call that manslaughter. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:43:03] - a: Do you really think a politician would willingly admit to trying to rig voting on camera? Even if it was a partisan event? -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:42:57] - a: actually I can aruge section 4 of the VRA is something that would qualify as an example. While Texas's voter ID law was rejected the AG, they rejection rate of proposed law/procedure changes in the affected states and localities is absurdly low. Multiple articles I've read say the AG accepts 99% of the changes that are brought up to them. - mig
[2013-06-27 13:42:09] - will the photo ids prevent accidental voter fraud? you guys are so freakin out there. i'm having a hard time staying polite
~a[2013-06-27 13:41:49] - a: Also, I don't think the Turzai comment is the trump card you think it is. I understand it sounds bad, but it seems pretty reasonable to think he was referring to trying to cut down on voter fraud in PA, which would allow Romney to win. -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:41:38] - paul: oh, so photo ids will prevent all in person voter fraud? ~a
[2013-06-27 13:41:00] - accidental voter fraud. . . . you guys. like accidental homicide? ~a
[2013-06-27 13:40:06] - a: Right, but that's a completely unlikely maximum. Not every rifle is an assault weapon and the ban wouldn't prevent every shooting. -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:39:03] - a: Guarantee you there are more than 323 cases of accidental voter fraud in any given presidential election year. The cases of intentional voter fraud will be far higher. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:37:05] - 323 were committed by rifles. already more cases than in-person-voter-fraud. and you're looking at only one year. i was looking at twelve years. and you're looking at homicides. i'm looking at . . . non-homicides? ~a
[2013-06-27 13:35:33] - Xpovos: "On June 23, 2012, Turzai stated at a meeting of the Republican State Committee that Pennsylvania's recent voter identification law would "allow Governor [Mitt] Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania"[8] in the 2012 U.S. Presidential election." -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:35:11] - read the whole page. "Turzai stated at a meeting of the Republican State Committee that Pennsylvania's recent voter identification law would 'allow Governor [Mitt] Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania'". watch the youtube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOT1bRYdK8 ~a
[2013-06-27 13:34:49] - Xpovos: Turzai had a quote about how some voter ID law was going to deliver PA to Romney or something. -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:34:30] - Also from that article, "the most common AWs prohibited by the 1994 federal ban accounted for between 1% and 6% of guns used in crime". -Paul
[2013-06-27 13:33:12] - http://www.policymic.com/articles/23290/7-reasons-why-an-assault-weapons-ban-will-fail-to-reduce-violent-crime "of the 8583 firearm homicides that occurred [...] only 323 were committed by rifles. Most assault weapons are a subset of the rifle group." Even if we assume EVERY rifle was an assault weapon (which is a huge overstatement), that's only 3.7% right there. -Pa
[2013-06-27 13:33:06] - paul: uhhh, sure. the other areas where it is required are completely different situations though. the documented cases of underage drinking in harper hall alone overshadow these voter fraud cases in the whole US. and someone who wants to fraud some votes (who, who are these people) can't do the same damage as a plane hijacker in 2001. ~a
[2013-06-27 13:30:53] - a: I'm genuinely afraid to ask what Turzai means here. I see only that's there's an elected official from PA with that name. His wikipedia page doesn't include any "controversy" section. -- Xpovos
[2013-06-27 13:29:15] - paul: what's the %? ~a
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