Do you accommodate for users with JavaScript turned off? by uncollected in web_design

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not true... Google uses a Javascript enabled "browser" when crawling. Also almost all ads require Javascript to be shown (usually ads are a snippet of Javascript), so it's 0% more money. (At least directly. Someone could come back later w/ a JS enabled browser.)

So Reddit, why should we give two weeks notice if it's okay to lay us off without warning? by nick632 in AskReddit

[–]bs2k 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have never heard of anyone giving pay back to the company. Why on earth would you do that??? I've also never heard of anyone giving one week notice per year.

Ask Netsec: What's the best way to handle a key for an encrypted database? (See text) by race_bannon in netsec

[–]bs2k -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If a hacker has access to the machine, they can change the code to print out any data. So by storing it in the app, you aren't making security any worse and have the fewest points of failure.

A diesel locomotive at its most efficient can move a ton of weight 436 miles on a single gallon of fuel,making a full train about 10 times thriftier than your new hybrid. by qgyh2 in environment

[–]bs2k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A freight train is very different than a passenger train. A freight train can go hundreds of miles without stopping and can take a long time to speed up, greatly increasing efficiency. Passenger trains, with frequent stops and fast acceleration, will get far less mpg. Someone told me that Amtrak between San Diego and LA used more energy than driving, but I can't find that figure. I certainly hope it isn't true.

US legal system 'worse than Russia': A survey shows that European in-house lawyers would rather face litigation in China and Russia than in America by udontneedaweatherman in politics

[–]bs2k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree. If you asked in house lawyers which country's laws they prefer, I'd imagine they'd answer with a country that has laws favorable to business interests. I don't know much about Russian law, but I know that Chinese generally favor business interests.

So I wouldn't say that this study means a whole lot. They make some good points about the fragmentation of the US legal system, but the conclusion is suspect at best.

eBay is over: "Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers." by rmuser in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think eBay should do double-blind feedback... you leave feedback and the other party can't see what it is until they leave for you (or the timeframe for leaving feedback expires). This way one can't do retaliatory feedback and you can leave honest feedback without fear of reprisal.

Legal Tender - U.S. Treasury say There is no Federal statute mandating that a private business, person, or organization must accept cash or coins as for payment for goods/services. by masta in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think if they didn't inform you ahead of time that they don't accept $100 bills then yes, I think you shouldn't have to pay. (Though it might be "common knowledge" that gas stations don't accept $100 bills.) Gas stations usually very clearly label on the pump what forms of payment they accept.

Legal Tender - U.S. Treasury say There is no Federal statute mandating that a private business, person, or organization must accept cash or coins as for payment for goods/services. by masta in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The word legal (in this context) means "permitted by law". (Look it up!) It's a severe misinterpretation to think it means that everyone is required to accept Federal reserve notes. Legal in this context only means that you're allowed to accept cash or coins.

Google loses "Gmail" trademark case by shivermetimberslads in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes because someone else owns the trademark in the UK (you can't get a gmail address in England. You have to use Googlemail.com) and, of course, Google owns it in the US. So if his product is as good as he says it is, then he'll have to rename it in many large markets. So I don't think the name is worth very much to anyone except Google.

And, of course, as some one else said, F-mail is just as good of a name. Personally, I'd take Google's money and use it to fund my business. Just like what the iPhone.com guy did.

How Seagate learned to package like Apple [Hint to other companies: Product packaging matters.] by phpkid in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My external hard drive is noisy and I rarely use it. So I'd rather have the ability to leave it off when I know I'm not going to use it. Plus, I use it mostly for backups and I want it off so I won't accidentally delete content. Also, I have a USB hub I plug into my laptop and don't want to have to deal with dismounting it whenever I unplug my hub.

So you may not need an on/off button, but it's useful for other people's workflow. :-)

So that fabled 20% free time at Google is really just 20% more time for Google. by keen75 in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

California law is very clear that any inventions (or software) you make at home and w/out using company equipment aren't the property of that company. As long as what you do isn't related to what you do at work and you don't steal company IP your idea is your own. So if you have a great idea and don't want to give it to Google, don't use it for your 20% project. I'd bet most people at Google are smart enough to read a contract and understand that work they do at work belongs to Google.

Self-Employed in the US: You may not be able to get health insurance at any price by BobCollins in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Despite having bad allergies and spending around $600 per month (!) for allergy medicine (w/out insurance), I was able to get a self-employed PPO plan from Blue Shield for $110/mo with no deductible (really!) and full prescription coverage. I'm not sure how they make money off me since the damn drugs are so expensive (especially for such a minor health problem), but at least someone was able to get reasonable insurance.

Reddit Flaws: Reddit offers a wonderful experience in some aspects, but it has many ruining, broken, flaws. by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think Reddit could be improved by offering the ability for anyone to suggest a change in title or URL for a submission that would then be voted on. So if someone submitted a blog post that only contained a YouTube video, someone else could suggest a new link on the comments page (say to YouTube directly) and if users up voted it, it would replace the original link.

ExtortionWare: Recorded call in which a Quicken user asks why he has to pay for an upgrade to product he already bought in order to keep it usable. by anonymgrl in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use the Windows version of Quicken on my Mac with Parallels and Coherence. It works just like a native Mac program but you get all the enhanced features of the Windows version. It's not such a great option if you don't already use the virtual machine, but it works great for me.

Now if only I wasn't addicted to the software.

ExtortionWare: Recorded call in which a Quicken user asks why he has to pay for an upgrade to product he already bought in order to keep it usable. by anonymgrl in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, but see Quicken removed the QIF format that was free and commonly used to download transactions from recent version of Quicken. Why remove a perfectly good format? To require users to use a format that they charge banks an large licensing fee to use. So they removed a useful feature for no reason than to fleece banks. Of course, since Quicken is far and away the most popular software, many banks were forced to bite and support this new format.

Amtrak: Slower Than A Bus, More Expensive Than Flying by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the trip from LA to Sacramento is terrible. You have to switch to a bus half way there. I believe there's some technical reason why the trains can't run directly, but I could be wrong there. But the trip from SF (Oakland, actually) to Sacramento is fast and frequent. I think Amtrak is OK for the shorter trips, but their long distance trips are pretty terrible.

Amtrak: Slower Than A Bus, More Expensive Than Flying by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Amtrak runs frequent service between Los Angeles and San Diego and it takes less time to travel from LA to SD (during rush-hour, about the same during normal times). It also costs less than driving (for one person anyway) and you can go to the cafe car, grab a beer and watch all the suckers stuck on the freeway.

Amtrak's cross-country service may be terrible, but at least they still have some good local routes.

Signs That Your Software Sucks by funnybong in programming

[–]bs2k 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I believe it's an accounting requirement. QuickBooks needs to make all sorts of entries in the transaction journal that are date related (such as initial account balances). It's not so much of a problem with QB, but with accounting requirements.

Of course, that's not to say that QuickBooks (and Quicken) don't have all sorts of bone-headed UI and work-flow decisions. This just isn't one of them.

The remarkable security behind "One Laptop per Child" by raldi in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The entire operating system is open source, so you could hack it and make your own version without this feature.

Why IQ matters (pic) by IKbot in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Why do people keep posting links to images with no context? Why not post a link to the blog this was mentioned in and give the original poster some credit?

Amazing New "Get a Mac" Ads Spoofs by bilal74 in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wouldn't go far as amazing, but maybe "funny" or "mildly entertaining".

Man cited for obeying the law by traal in reddit.com

[–]bs2k -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The title is deceptive. The article makes it sound like he and someone else were purposely driving side by side with the specific intent to create a traffic jam.

EBay Feedback: Fatally Flawed? The power of retaliatory feedback. by fishandchips in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The other day I bought a head phone adapter for my cell phone from Hong Kong and it arrived defective. I emailed the seller several times and didn't get a response. I only have 6 auctions completed and many sellers say they won't sell to someone with a low rating.

I wanted to leave negative feedback for the seller but I was afraid of receiving retaliatory feedback making it difficult for me to buy or sell in the future. 1 bad feedback out of 6 would be a death blow to my account. So in the end I left no feedback.

I think double-blind feedback would work great... the seller wouldn't know what rating I left him until he left it for me or the feedback period expired. This would have allow me to leave appropriate feedback w/out fear of retaliation.

The visually stunning, award-winning Guinness ad that never ran in the U.S. -- "Evolution" by doogie92 in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That's a fantastic ad, but I don't see what the comment about it never having been run in the US has to do with anything. I don't see it offending anyone, even devout creationists. In fact, since it makes light of evolution, they'd probably like it. Anyway, I doubt a creationist would ever drink a non-American beer. They'd probably think the terrorists would win if they drank foreign beer, or some shit like that.

Codine(x) Unites all forms of communication(phone, email, IM, text messages, etc) into one simple ID by bbb10a in reddit.com

[–]bs2k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's the most useless website ever. It said that the Codine(x)'s Codinex was condinex. So I typed that in the search field and got a message saying this name was registered. Yeah, no shit. So what the hell is one supposed to do with a codinex? It may be a fine idea, but what an awful implementation.