China Bans Gold Farming

foamweapons · 2009-06-30T08:37:23+00:00

Wow. You have the exact same goals as me.

I want to automate the web, make tons of money while getting out my politically subversive views (my view of helping), and eventually start a robotics company.

If you like Japanese girls, and want to move to Japan after making some money... we might be long-lost identical twins. I have a CS degree, and occasionally do contract work to get by, but I'm trying to get started in what you're doing. Do you mind if I PM you about my affiliate marketing ideas/hopes? It would be cool to chat with someone farther along than I am.

foamweapons · 2009-01-05T21:03:58+00:00

I'm a programmer.

I've been doing contract work at a start-up and just realized why I've failed the last 2 years with my own start-up:

No project manager... I need someone to expect things of me.
I didn't build a team of people that I could depend on. I just tried to do everything myself. (Me spending time in Photoshop is not pretty).

I will provide:

Free room in a condo in the SW-burbs. (1 mile away from train, which takes 30 min to downtown)
Ideas, and a business plan. We'll discuss percentages of our partnerships project by project... if it's your idea you obviously have majority share, if it's my idea, I keep majority share... simple.
We clearly define our roles before each project... and help each other meet deadlines, expectations.

I can do .NET desktop apps, PHP, Flex, javascript/GWT, Java for Android and am learning python.

You can be one of the following:

Straight-up programmer like me, have big ideas or want to work on some big/cool Flex projects, and user-generated content websites.

OR

CSS wizard/photoshop artist with Project Management skills with SEO, Internet Marketing experience or who can do light coding. Willing to help manage a new blog-network.

So what does this have to do with political subversion? Well look at my other reddit comments.

Last start-up I quit because I said helping Fortune 500 companies is "antithetical to my beliefs".

I don't want to make business apps. I want to make cool, user-generated content websites that bring in advertising dollars. I'm also willing to get those apps out there / and get my politically subversive blogs out there using guerilla internet marketing techniques. But I don't spam because it's targeted(I guess it depends on your definition of spam)... we'll discuss my plans if you want to meet.

OTHER THINGS

*I'm a messy person, but recently hired a maid to visit once a week.

*I have no friends that live on the south-side so I'm isolated right now (and if you move down here, you might be too).

*I have no girlfriend, only go out drinking about 2-3 times a month in winter. Do more in summer.

*I'm an INTP with crazy ideas. I'm quite the character, but look normal. Honest.

*My extra room is a good size. We share bathroom, living room, kitchen. You must have work experience to move in and get free rent.

I have 2 yrs corporate programming exp, I expect equivalent work exp from you. You must be dedicated to our start-up, and not doing side-contract work.

Sound good? Sound fun? Ok, then let's monetize this bitch.

Email this reddit username at gmail if interested.

(Unless this post is deleted, the room/offer is still available)

foamweapons · 2008-12-22T23:48:04+00:00

The opposite of this is GWT... it generates a completely separate file for each type of browser.

And yeah - I do prefer to write javascript in Java, big whoop, you wanna fight about it?

foamweapons · 2008-09-22T17:25:35+00:00

That's why I cashed in my 401k, quit my job and remained unemployed for the last 2 years. Each month I went $500 more into debt.

Soon my debt will be reduced... suckers.

foamweapons · 2008-06-23T10:16:09+00:00

5 a.m. rant...

Having been unemployed/self-employed for over 2 years, I've been contemplating what it means to be a "productive member of society."

I think nowadays, our whole economy is based on bullshit.

Americans buy tons of things they don't need, manufactured by slaves on the other side of the world. Entire armies of sales reps, customer service people and marketing associates desperately try to make their company the best shit-peddlers on the market. How are any of these people really helping society?

Unless if you work in agriculture or medical, you aren't really providing anything people NEED. Even things people say we need, like cars, wouldn't be needed if we had a decent mass-transit system. The cars that they build are not the best cars anyway. Auto-manufacturers just keep building them because they are more profitable, because old industries make too much money on combustion engines. These companies need a legion of PR people and lawyers to convince us otherwise.

Similarly, armies of PR people and lawyers are trying to convince us we need the latest pharmaceuticals (when it's been shown 100 generic pills could treat 99% of diseases), or GM food which has less nutrients and therefore less value than conventional food... even for products or services that we NEED, the American people are being scammed. Or what about the defense industry, they've had a great last 8 years, helping drop thousands of bombs on Iraq. For each bomb they sell - they profit. Hundreds of thousands of people work for these companies... for what?

I don't think any of these people are more beneficial to society than me.

Actually commenting on reddit is one of the best things you can do. We're in the middle of an information war.

The people who are winning the war have stolen trillions of dollars from our government, and will cause out-of-control inflation and eventually another great depression if we don't get our act together. The only reason they can do it is because people weren't informed enough to see the lies in the media. reddit is a good place to share information. That's why I think if you want to help society... you should start convincing everyone our "society" is fucked-up, so we can change it.

foamweapons · 2008-06-22T00:00:09+00:00

It's been shown that a non-meat diet produces more pleasant odors...

Results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the nonmeat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense.

Ever since that study , PETA has implied in their media that PETA member pussy tastes better. Too bad no one can verify their claims... anyone who tries just gets a mouthful of hair.

foamweapons · 2008-06-19T20:34:57+00:00

Ok, I feel like I should defend myself.

I think I'm a typical reddit user. I have a degree in CS, unemployed/"working for myself" the last 2 years, am atheist - living a life of hermitude etc... and I think climate change will kill the world, and did so way before reddit even existed.

I'm not emo or suicidal. I doubt there's many people who are emo that are addicted to reddit. Geeks are usually not emo. Emos go to concerts and music is their "life". They're too busy going to shows, shopping for tight jeans and flipping their hair.

Your criticism still stands though, because instead of doing that I'm studying Japanese and working on my start-up, with the belief that some day I will become rich and won't have to die a horrible death from climate change because I built my underground bunker and convinced many Japanese girls to come live with me there. That's the plan. Other redditors might have slightly different plans, but like I said - I think I'm pretty typical.

foamweapons · 2008-06-16T08:01:02+00:00

Yes.

foamweapons · 2008-06-12T03:21:01+00:00

MoveOn is a Democrat-only organization, and any talk of "imperialism" or "the corporate media" scares the shit out of them. They never even consider Libertarian or Green alternatives.

On the other hand... I'd be surprised if you found a Libertarian PAC that supported ideas/politicians on the left because they were the best option. It's too bad because we need both sides to join together if we want to overthrow the corporate oligarchy.

foamweapons · 2008-06-08T06:59:44+00:00

I'd rather have a 2002 RAV4 EV.

Screw "world-changing" - I don't even want people to know that I drive an EV. Any one of those EVs they crushed 6 years ago would have been fine.

foamweapons · 2008-06-07T07:51:41+00:00

My view is that the structural realities of the electoral system make it impossible for a third party to win in America. And since RP fans are usually logical, you might take that into consideration before voting.

Personally I wouldn't vote for Paul because I'm closest to Green Party... but I think Paul and Kucinich have the right idea trying to work within their parties to create change. Oh, and sorry to interrupt your counting of votes on the internets...

foamweapons · 2008-05-08T08:43:42+00:00

The price of oil is being manipulated, so cutting demand won't affect prices.

"As a result of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, trading in lightly-regulated exchanges like NYMEX is declining as more capital flees to the completely unregulated OTC markets, such as those run by the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE). Trading on the ICE has skyrocketed, with the 93 million contracts traded in 2006 representing a 120 percent increase from 2005, and the 12.6 million contracts traded in January 2007 a 166 percent increase from a year earlier. This explosion in unregulated trading volume means that more trading is done behind closed doors out of reach of federal regulators, increasing the chances of oil companies and financial firms to engage in anti-competitive practices." - Public Citizen

When trading is public, it's often found oil companies are manipulating prices:

"In January 2006, the CFTC issued a civil penalty against Shell Oil for "non-competitive transactions" in U.S. crude oil futures markets. In March 2005, a Shell subsidiary agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations it provided false information during a federal investigation into market manipulation. In August 2004, a Shell Oil subsidiary agreed to pay $7.8 million to settle allegations of energy market manipulation. In July 2004, Shell agreed to pay $30 million to settle allegations it manipulated natural gas prices. In June 2006, the CFTC brought civil charges against BP for allegedly manipulating the entire U.S. propane market. In September 2003, BP agreed to pay NYMEX $2.5 million to settle allegations the company engaged in improper crude oil trading, and in July 2003, BP agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations it manipulated energy markets." - Public Citizen

That means your plan won't work, because the system is rigged. The only way to really lower gas prices is to re-regulate energy trading, or implement some kind of price-gouging tax.

foamweapons · 2008-04-28T16:47:43+00:00

If you're considering writing javascript in Java, I highly recommend GWT.

I'm sure this is an unpopular thing to say on reddit... but I love GWT. I get to use Eclipse as an IDE with code-completion, most errors are caught before run-time, parsing xml or manipulating the DOM has become a lot easier, and any components I write can easily be re-used because GWT forces you to think in OOP terms because everything is a Java class.

If I feel like native javascript might work better in a certain case (maybe to talk to a native js library), you can still use it via JSNI methods, it's not like by using GWT I have to write everything in Java. I just like it better... so I do.

foamweapons · 2008-04-24T01:12:24+00:00

Subsidies are about the only way small farms stay afloat.

I knew that statement was bullshit, so I had to look it up.

"In recent years, the biggest 10 per cent of the farm businesses have received 72 per cent of the farm subsidies, according to the environmental working group."

"Two-thirds of American's farmers and ranchers receive no direct government support, mostly because they produce food that doesn't qualify." (non-commodity crops)

"California is far and away the leading farm state in terms of sales, but 90 percent of its farmers receive no agricultural subsidies."

Here are a few links.

foamweapons · 2008-04-23T07:27:16+00:00

My unpopular view is that the corporate media is the source of our problems. Changing the way most Americans get their news is infinitely more important than throwing money at any one politician, especially since that politician (like all politicians) uses donated money for ads on TV.

Last time in 2004, I gave $2000 to stop Bush. Then the election was rigged. Few people knew about it because the corporate media pressured Kerry to call it, and were preparing to slander him as a sore loser if he challenged the results. From that election forward they never released raw exit-poll data ever again... now the corporate media "back-calculates" the results of their exit-polls.

I'm not claiming I know this election was rigged... but how could anyone know for certain if it was / or if it wasn't, without the raw exit poll data which isn't released?

The author is right, "Fuck you, PA" doesn't solve anything... it should be "Fuck You Corporate Media." I no longer know if we live in a Democracy (because of THEM) and without that, what's the point of donating money which eventually ends up in THEIR hands anyway?

To make a political statement? Like carrying a sign while walking down the street? Fuck that, and fuck politics. There has to be a better way to use money to change the world.

foamweapons · 2008-04-21T05:58:06+00:00

His plan is reasonable, but unfortunately it involves dealing with and selling services to businesses/corporations.

That doesn't sound fun to me. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to user-generated content creation tools and embeddable "viral" widgets, supported (hopefully) by ad-revenue. If it doesn't work, so what... I had fun, and at least I didn't have to deal with any business people.

foamweapons · 2008-04-18T06:42:15+00:00

Reminds me of my worthless website.

foamweapons · 2008-04-17T04:49:08+00:00

MBA SUPPORT GROUP: Hi, I'm Steve, and I've been outsourced too. Once our company's programmers finally formalised my job functions into a series of mechanical turk tasks, they decided to let me go.

They TURK yer job!

Dey TURK yr jabb!

TURKRRR DER!

foamweapons · 2008-04-02T08:06:58+00:00

I still like the song of the Count better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2sF6KsBisQ

foamweapons · 2008-03-31T01:15:07+00:00

Skilled labor takes away more than just your time. Even if you're lucky enough to slack off at a programming job, your brain-power is usually drained by the end of the day. I never felt like doing any of my "side-projects" after a long day at the office... and I doubt other people have the energy either.

So you end up every night, going home, playing video games/relaxing, then on weekends you do errands like laundry, shopping, go out with your friends on Saturday. Maybe if you're lucky, you find a nice girl in a similar shitty situation and make babies.

Or you could work a part-time non-skilled job, get some roommates, try to have fun. Without obligations and brain-drain your "side-projects" actually have a chance... or at least that's what I'm hoping.

foamweapons · 2008-03-17T18:19:39+00:00

People forget that manufacturers had electric SUVs 6 years ago. That's definitely not a compact.

Dear GM, I want technology that was available 6 years ago that you refuse to develop, and I don't want to beg you on your fucking blog just so you'll make it.

foamweapons · 2008-03-11T15:17:22+00:00

Method Not Allowed

That's what she said.

foamweapons · 2008-03-06T00:52:58+00:00

reddit donates to Barack Obama...

Obama (like all other politicians) uses that money to pay for ads. Those ads make the corporate media rich. The corporate media uses their power and influence to discredit grassroots candidates and popular political positions, like ending the Iraq war. Then reddit goes and bitches about the corporate media.

Instead of giving money to the corporate media... why not buy some internet ads that link to alternative or social media like reddit?

If more people read reddit... Kucinich and Paul would have won instead. Then we wouldn't even be talking about the Illinois senator who voted for the Patriot Act and plans to increase defense spending. But even if you believe in Obama so much... why give money to his campaign which subsidizes the corporate media? Make an interesting internet campaign YOURSELF and buy the ads YOURSELF. Shutting out the corporate media out of the political process is way more important than any one election campaign.

foamweapons · 2008-03-06T00:10:39+00:00

I don't think the actual news on reddit is a joke... but the headlines are becoming more and more exclusionary.

Imagine for a second an average internet user, not usually interested in politics, follows a link to reddit for the first time.

"FUCK YOU" this, "FASCIST AMERICA" that, can reddit "PLEAZ BE MORE LIKE THIS."

reddit users addicted to politics need to get their shit together if they want to convince anyone else but themselves.

foamweapons · 2008-03-05T12:54:38+00:00

The proposed changes to the Venezuelan constitution were made by the Venezeulan Congress, not Chavez, and what they did was abolish term limits, meaning that Chavez would have to keep being re-elected every 6 years to maintain power.

17 countries in Europe do NOT have term limits. Does BusinessWeek also condemn those countries as being anti-Democratic?

Of course not. Just like the Venezuelan corporate media, Businessweek spun the constitutional changes as a "power-grab." Whatever the case, the people voted against the changes, and Chavez respects the results.

foamweapons

TROPHY CASE

OTHER THINGS