Blue's News: Comments - Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

[Aug 26, 2008, 12:00 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

So the work has begun in earnest on our new sidewalk, as they tore up the old one today with the backhoe, leaving a trench in its place. This apparently entailed keeping one or more vehicles firmly in reverse gear for the entire day, so I had to endure several straight hours of ear-piercing warning beeps. Now I want the guys working out there to be safe, and I would certainly hate to have one of them run over by a backing up earth mover, but another day or two of this and no one is going to be safe, because I will end up going postal.

Postal Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Boombot. Thanks Jay is Games. Red Cross ERU.
Link:	Batty way to spend £150,000. The Bondo-mobile?
Stories:	Abandoned baby found safe with dog. Priest to hold nun beauty pageant. NYC stab victim's cries ignored for half hour. The Bystander effect. In NYC, yell "fire," not "help."
Media:	The Chosen One Will Kill Your PC. I'm Out Of Mana! Magic Missile! Girl laughs like a videogame. NSFW.
Follow-up:	Japanese Goblin Shark. Thanks nin.

View

25 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
< Prev [ 1 2 ] Next >

25.	Re: Citibank caught stealing $14M	Aug 26, 2008, 20:48	kxmode
	'Stealing from our customers is a business decision, not a legal decision.' Wasn't that Flagship's motto? ----- http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/ Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/




	end-of-line

24.	Re: Citibank caught stealing $14M	Aug 26, 2008, 19:45	dubfanatic
	Same goes for oil and the numerous other utilities. They are all items which are heavily vested by retirement and investment portfolios. Everyone will cry when their investments tank. Can't have our cake and eat it too! Utility/energy companies are actually very good investments right now, especially ones with large amounts of "clean" power production (e.g. hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal). I'd avoid oil companies though, and coal is only good for the short-term from what I can see. If I had money to put in the market I'd only invest in utilities.

23.	simple!	Aug 26, 2008, 19:42	space captain
	chew your gum and close your eyes and nothing can annoy you




	music from space captain: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=95514&content=music

22.	Re: Citibank caught stealing $14M	Aug 26, 2008, 17:15	xXBatmanXx
	Why isn't someone going to jail over this? 1. Politicians are some of the investors. 2. Police/Fire/other unions retirements portfolios include Citibank in their portfolios as well. /And the people are dead - do they really need their overpayment (joking......kinda) Same goes for oil and the numerous other utilities. They are all items which are heavily vested by retirement and investment portfolios. Everyone will cry when their investments tank. Can't have our cake and eat it too! The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition; and from these passions proceeded the violence of parties once engaged in contention. This message was edited at Aug 26, 17:16.




	In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

21.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 16:52	Bet
	Make unions optional. That's what bothers me. Mandatory union membership. Being forced into a union is not my idea of what a union should be about. Hell I'd rather pay the dues and have the choice of not being a member than being forced to attach myself to it without believing in it. That doesn't solve the problem, but still.

20.	Citibank caught stealing $14M	Aug 26, 2008, 15:13	Mr. Tact
	http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/09/ca_citibank.html "In the words of a Citibank executive, 'Stealing from our customers is a business decision, not a legal decision.' The same executive later said that the sweep program could not be stopped because it would reduce the executive bonus pool, Brown charged." Why isn't someone going to jail over this?




	Truth is brutal. Prepare for pain.

19.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 14:09	xXBatmanXx
	Whine all you want about unions, but enjoy teaching without one. My mother moved from unionized Ohio special education to non-unionized North Carolina, and the difference is staggering. I am sure my neighbor would disagree with you. She teaches SE and PT for elementary school kids and I must say - it sounds like slave labor. She has some sessions in stair wells!!! Of course, this is the Minneapolis school district we are talking about....McDonalds employees make more than teachers. Think about it. The union has turned into a monster that protects itself instead of the workers. Make unions optional. Shit would change real quick. No union fees = no money for the union heads. The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition; and from these passions proceeded the violence of parties once engaged in contention. This message was edited at Aug 26, 14:10.




	In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

18.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 13:54	Warhawk
	Whine all you want about unions, but enjoy teaching without one. My mother moved from unionized Ohio special education to non-unionized North Carolina, and the difference is staggering. Hence the reason for my comments. My wife is a teacher. Her union definitely helps on the pay scale, etc., but there is too much politics involved and MILLIONS are spent in political ads and union leader salaries instead of for the benefit of the members. We had to switch to the insurance coverage provided by my (private company) employer after her "union-negotiated" benefits were slashed and prices increased. That is unheard of, given the small company I work for doesn't have the greatest package to begin with. The union has turned into a monster that protects itself instead of the workers.




	Have I lied to you? I mean, in this room? Trust me, leave that thing alone. - GLaDOS Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? - Ripley

17.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 13:41	PHJF
	Whine all you want about unions, but enjoy teaching without one. My mother moved from unionized Ohio special education to non-unionized North Carolina, and the difference is staggering.




	"It's not a magic bug, you dope! It's a magic arachnid! Can't you count the legs!?"

16.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 13:39	Narf2029
	Of course they increase costs. Setting minimum wages and benefits and stuff sounds good on the outside but a lot of union people get paid way too much for what they do. And some of these unions are ironclad fucking giants. Look at the Postal Service's electronics technician union... their union is so powerful you can literally show up to work and sleep the entire day and keep your job, and get paid for it! Or say your TV or computer is having issues... bring it in and fix it on the Postal Service's time, with the Postal Service's tools and parts. Oh, and keep your job and get paid. I don't know if it's still that way today since my dad's retired now but it's amazing that it ever was that way at all. No wonder the Postal Service can't compete anymore! Edit: All the above requires no sneaking at all. It doesn't matter whether or not a supervisor sees it since he can't do anything about it anyway, because of the union. This message was edited at Aug 26, 13:40.




	Vegetarianism is the belief that humans can save animals by eating all of their food. Life was a game to him, and he played it by his own rules.

15.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 13:38	PHJF
	Oh man I was without internet for the past 4 days while I transitioned to school-provided Roadrunner access on the cheap. Worst 4 days ever.




	"It's not a magic bug, you dope! It's a magic arachnid! Can't you count the legs!?"

14.	No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 12:15	xXBatmanXx
	They had their place in history when the worker wasn't taken care of - now there are so many watch dog groups, special interest groups, government overwatch, bla bla bla, workers rights are setup and followed for the most part, and everyone is quick to sue if they aren't - therefore unions aren't needed. It is my opinion they actually increase costs of whatever service is being provided. The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition; and from these passions proceeded the violence of parties once engaged in contention.




	In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

13.	Re: Beep Beep	Aug 26, 2008, 11:59	JM
	Unions have/had their place. Unfortunately, they have expanded into areas that really should not be unionized and they no longer serve the purpose they were intended for. Sounds a lot like the federal government.

12.	Re: Beep Beep	Aug 26, 2008, 11:50	Warhawk
	I second that. Unions are just one step away from being a socialist enterprise. Unions have/had their place. Unfortunately, they have expanded into areas that really should not be unionized and they no longer serve the purpose they were intended for. For those reasons I somewhat agree. But for the most part they have outlived their usefulness.




	Have I lied to you? I mean, in this room? Trust me, leave that thing alone. - GLaDOS Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? - Ripley

11.	Re: Beep Beep	Aug 26, 2008, 11:46	deadgoon
	.......unions are worthless. I second that. Unions are just one step away from being a socialist enterprise.

10.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 11:45	kanniballl
	Simple! Possible (and perhaps easy) with today's free software, but too much of a hassle. What if their frequency isn't completely static, or they start/stop the machine every now and then and the beeping shifts over a second or two. A better option is to change the gravitational constant of the universe, thereby altering the mass of the ~~asteroid~~ backhoe. Then punt it like a football. That is assuming you're a Q of course. This message was edited at Aug 26, 11:46.




	"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you." -Fry, Futurama

9.	Re: Beep Beep	Aug 26, 2008, 11:36	xXBatmanXx
	Most construction machinery has a warning siren for when the equipment is moving...regardless of direction. Many excavation machines also sound off when the bucket moves as well. If you've ever spent time watching an excavator, you'll know that the difference in sound between doing nothing and swinging 20 tons of machine in a 40 foot circle is not discernible to someone wearing earplugs. Thus, the warning siren. It's certainly annoying as hell, but quite necessary. ??? But everyone stands around leaning on shovels....I don't see how they could possibly be in danger when they are just watching what is going on.......unions are worthless. The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition; and from these passions proceeded the violence of parties once engaged in contention.




	In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

8.	Beep Beep	Aug 26, 2008, 11:28	Pumas
	Most construction machinery has a warning siren for when the equipment is moving...regardless of direction. Many excavation machines also sound off when the bucket moves as well. If you've ever spent time watching an excavator, you'll know that the difference in sound between doing nothing and swinging 20 tons of machine in a 40 foot circle is not discernible to someone wearing earplugs. Thus, the warning siren. It's certainly annoying as hell, but quite necessary. ________________________________________________ Have a nice day \| \| V




	How will I know limits from lies if I never try?

7.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 10:17	InBlack
	Because someone in some obscure Sony marketing department (this was during the reign of the Playstation 1) figured out that console gamers are willing to dish out more cash than their PC Gaming counterparts, for games that are of a much lower quality than well...most PC games This message was edited at Aug 26, 10:28.




	I have a nifty blue line!

6.	Re: No subject	Aug 26, 2008, 10:15	nin
	Beep, beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP! Sounds like an excuse to crank up Rock Band. ------------------------------------------------ http://theslip.nin.com/ "The Bellic boys! Taking over your town, assholes!"




	http://www.ninja2009.com/

25 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
< Prev [ 1 2 ] Next >