Disqus - Latest Comments for thatedeguy

Re: More ING Direct Referrals Needed: Earn $10 By Referring a New Customer Here

thatedeguy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:25:56 -0000

I've got more if there's still room on the list.

Re: More ING Direct Referral Links Needed: Join the Waiting List

thatedeguy — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:35:16 -0000

I've got some if you want to add me to the waiting list.

Re: Question for Readers: Static Cling

thatedeguy — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:13:14 -0000

If you rub your legs down with lotion (any kind) it goes a long way to preventing the build up and cling from the static. Works much better than the "static guard" spray and doesn't have the effect of possibly getting your pants wet.

Re: New Computer Has Arrived, What Should I Do With the Old?

thatedeguy — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:52:40 -0000

ebay it.

Take the hard drive out or wipe it very clean first. Be very clear about the issues(battery,flickeringscreen,ac adapter) and you should still net a couple hundred out of it.

Donating it might just cause issues if it decides to stop working.

Re: Enhance Your Career By Consuming Alcohol (With a Giveaway!)

thatedeguy — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:36:31 -0000

I think that all that stats like that show is that most bosses like a kiss ass. That and crony-ism is alive and well. Friends are more likely to promote friends or at least drag them up the ladder with them.

Re: Future Spending, Two Big Items, Part 1: New Computer

thatedeguy — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:41:05 -0000

Flexo,

If you end up going brand name. HP and Lenovo are probably the most dependable. If you want a high quality machine that isn't exactly name brand, price out an Asus. It's a very dependable and very solid computer. Sturdy. Honestly, you may end up paying more for an Asus than you would for a HP or Lenovo.

Personally, I just picked one up and after a short hesitation, I bought it off of ebay.
For $400 I picked up a machine thats about 2 years old, but is better(spec wise) than the desktop machine I've been using. If you take the precausions and protect yourself using buyer protection services available through ebay, paypal or your credit card, it's pretty hard to get scammed.

Just be wary of the ones that are just too good to be true.

A laptop that sells retail for $2000, can easily go for about $1400 on ebay. Quite the savings to ignore the option.

Re: More Clarification on the Carnival

thatedeguy — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:32:06 -0000

I think the criteria are just fine. Like FMF said, it's your carnival, so you set the rules. I'd still love to host if you need someone to fill in for the host you're removing.

Re: Some Carnival Hosts Will Be Removed

thatedeguy — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:11:10 -0000

I'd be happy to fill in if you think I qualify.

Re: Link Updates

thatedeguy — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 22:59:39 -0000

I'd love to exchange links.

Re: Will The FTC Investigate Google & Matt Cutts For Paid Links? (updated)

thatedeguy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:07:36 -0000

And lets not forget that now Wordpress is using Google Blog Search for their recent links bit on the dashboard. But still, the one sided link war is waged...

Re: Will The FTC Investigate Google & Matt Cutts For Paid Links? (updated)

thatedeguy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:07:36 -0000

And lets not forget that now Wordpress is using Google Blog Search for their recent links bit on the dashboard. But still, the one sided link war is waged...

Re: Google-plex moves toward world domination

thatedeguy — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 12:44:06 -0000

Matt, it's Dalles, not Dulles.

Re: Techmeme eats Technorati’s lunch

thatedeguy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:25:51 -0000

I don't think that a techmeme top 100 would even come close to comparison with the technorati list. First, the techmeme list is naturally limited by the group of people who appear on it. If my site gets 3000 links, but none from the ones that appear on techmeme, I don't show up.

Technorati's list, while not all-inclusive (statistically impossible), at least tries to include every blog that gets a link. That list is only limited by those that either don't know about technorati, or choose to not sign up.

The way I see it, a techmeme top 100 is alot like having a "best scores" board at a private country club.

Re: Is StumbleUpon better than Google?

thatedeguy — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:48:01 -0000

I think another interesting issue is the recent downgrading of PR based on whether a site sells links or not. I think that makes it unreliable at best. Stumble upon gets us around that. Maybe we need a metric that combines the two...

Jason: Last time I checked, Mahalo was a social search site. Seems to me that the 3.7 million users of stumbleupon would be your core group of users. And, frankly, you can throw out the bottom 50% of users as they're going to use whatever search engine is convenient. e.g. Google.

Mathew: we may not be the average web user, but those like us usually make or break many of these companies.

Re: Unsubscribing from Scripting News

thatedeguy — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:13:34 -0000

Congratulations. I got tired of his whining months ago and I haven't missed it. I also got rid of scoble and boyd at one point, but have since resubscribed to them. But Winer I just don't like reading.

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:32:53 -0000

I'd use it to further my online ventures with some linkbuilding campaigns. That way it's more of an investment than a expense... Gotta use your money smart!

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:19:26 -0000

So, whomever gets the 100th comment on this post? If that's what we're going for, it'll be a while. This should make 13. lucky 13.

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:36:10 -0000

I agree. I like the drawing idea. (mostly because my comments are nowhere near the 25,50,75, 0r 100 spots...)

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:32:53 -0000

I'd use it to further my online ventures with some linkbuilding campaigns. That way it's more of an investment than a expense... Gotta use your money smart!

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:19:26 -0000

So, whomever gets the 100th comment on this post? If that's what we're going for, it'll be a while. This should make 13. lucky 13.

Re: What Would You Do With $200?

thatedeguy — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:36:10 -0000

I agree. I like the drawing idea. (mostly because my comments are nowhere near the 25,50,75, 0r 100 spots...)

Re: Facebook’s Secret Rate Card Exposed!

thatedeguy — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:55:18 -0000

Adification delay?
Monetization Maturity period?
Ad Adoption Era?

I should be trademarking these...

Re: Someone Please Create A Geek Marketer Magazine

thatedeguy — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:58:48 -0000

Yeah. You're not the only one that's a little peeved that they killed that one. By far my favorite mag. Honestly haven't found anything to replace it either. Not sure in what world FORTUNE is a qualifying replacement for the rag, but I guess we'll see. If you do find something close, please let us know in a post!

Re: Google Flexes On Page Rank Debate Once Again

thatedeguy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:25:14 -0000

I really hope that this is just a bump in the road to a new PR pushout. If not, and these "penalties" remain, there are going to be a lot of very unhappy web admins. And how many of those push traffic to the Google search? I know I do. I could just as easily push it to Yahoo or MSN or Live or ASK. And if we all would do so, that could mean a pretty big drop in their marketshare (1-2% anyways) and that could affect their ad revenue as well.

Re: Dear Social Media, Help Me Stop Smoking?

thatedeguy — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:32:35 -0000

Jim,

I was a pack and a halfer for about 7 or 8 years. I'm still working on quitting, but the one thing that I have found to help out a ton is a prescription to Wellbutrin. Technically, it's a anti-depressant, but I've found (along with many others according to my doctor) that it really helps with the cravings. It doesn't eliminate them entirely, but they are a whole ton easier to ignore.

thatedeguy's last blog post..Jericho Gone Again

Re: Current Weight: 569 – 4 Reasons I’m Trying out for the Biggest Loser!

thatedeguy — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:33:22 -0000

Good Luck!

Re: Our Milkshake Brings All The Cows To The Yard

thatedeguy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:19:17 -0000

This blog is an amazingly faithful reproduction of the johnchow.net blog. Such great work folks!

Re: Get Your Contest Noticed and 6 Pownce Invites Available!

thatedeguy — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:36:17 -0000

Stumbling it now. That and a comment is a an entry! yay for a pownce invite.

Re: Become a Better Blogger With Free Goodies From Seth Godin, Aaron Wall and Yaro Starak!

thatedeguy — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:24:18 -0000

Comment: 1 ticket
Rss subscriber: 1 ticket

2 Tickets for me!!!

Re: 1st iPod Winner - Don’t Shoot The Messenger!

thatedeguy — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:47:00 -0000

Is there room for one of those John Cow cars? Or perhaps the John Cow milky mustache guy? Then johncow.com underneath in text...

Re: Alexa Finally Changes Ranking Engine

thatedeguy — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:05:37 -0000

Thanks for the link! I found that my rankings improved a bit. On the order of about 20k upward in fact. Doesn't make much difference, but it's always nice to see a good metric...

thatedeguy's last blog post..Adsense Deluxe, Wordpress 2.5 and MySQL 5.0

Re: AT&T to spend $1 billion on rebranding

thatedeguy — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:25:47 -0000

with people like Scoble, Winer, et. all it becomes more and more evident that word of mouth is actually one of the better methods as opposed to tv commercials or new taglines. It won't be too much longer before we see the marketing agencies turning to the blogosphere to try buying posts from some of the bigger names. Obviously, most of them will say no to outright post buying, but that doesn't mean that they can't be swayed by schwag.

Re: The closed blogosphere…

thatedeguy — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 23:24:42 -0000

I think that Interesting does only last for a little while... Consistently interesting last quite a bit longer. I write what is interesting to me. Feel free to disagree...

hmmm... Maybe I'm a poet as well?

Keep up the good work Scoble.

Re: Ouch, what if Microsoft designed the iPod box

thatedeguy — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 10:40:32 -0000

In all honesty, software and hardware packaging is a little different, but it also carries a bit of truth to it as well.
That and it's hilarious!

Re: Will Pate will sell ice to eskimos

thatedeguy — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 23:45:23 -0000

I'm always looking... problem is that there isn't much available way up here in Jamestown, North Dakota. Anything that pays more than $14 an hour anyways.

Anybody got anything for me?

Re: Will Pate will sell ice to eskimos

thatedeguy — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:43:05 -0000

What do I love? If I only knew... I enjoy tinkering with hardware. I enjoy the accomplishment that comes with a completed project. My biggest issue is location, but my second biggest issue is lack of training in a lot of the newer technologies.

Re: How you know you’re in Silicon Valley

thatedeguy — Sun, 21 May 2006 01:11:45 -0000

GNOME, in this case, is probably short for Genome. As in Human Genome project. Most likely a doctor/scientist of some sort. Plenty of that sort of thing going on in Billings.

Re: James says PodTech site sucks: I agree

thatedeguy — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 17:28:33 -0000

So, let me see if I get this right...

Podtech has to earn links before you'll link to it. But, then once it's earned enough links, you'll stop linking to it because of the whole gesture bit you've been going on about? I don't understand the thinking here...

Re: Giving away the photo store

thatedeguy — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:40:14 -0000

I think that is one of the dangers with the new media outlook. We see a CC as a way to freely distribute copyrighted material while alowing some things to be done with that material as long as attribution is given.
Many who are unfamiliar with the CC and the way it works simply see it as "Free" stuff.
While Kris may not be truly giving his stuff away, he is allowing it for public consumption without fee. So he really is giving it away. It's all in the semantics of it and how you look at it.

Re: A list bloggers: keeping the little guy down?

thatedeguy — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:17:25 -0000

Wouldn't it be called spamming if I were to put up a link to my website? Unless it's relevant, I delete those comments. Please don't encourage spamming comments... that just makes it harder for the rest of us to keep our comments clean.

Re: One for Valleywag: Duncan Riley leaves B5 Media

thatedeguy — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 17:37:03 -0000

Judging from the posts and comments at Duncan's blog, it would appear that he and Darren had some sort of falling out. Over what? Who knows. Whole bunch of clams over there.
I think the remaining founders of b5 are too smart to let it disintegrate too far, but b5 may become acquisition fodder sooner than expected as a result of Duncan's leaving.

Re: TechMeme list heralds death of blogging?

thatedeguy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:16:38 -0000

If you think of blogging as simply an online version of many, many small real world dailies, it does make some sense. However, if you use the "one voice" bit, then no, they are just another MSM outlet.

Re: Will videoblogs be outlawed because of California’s accessibility laws?

thatedeguy — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:01:34 -0000

Without a doubt, something like Mechanical Turk could do the trick. However, I think this accessibility thing is getting a little out of hand. I can't read spanish. Should all spanish language websites be forced to translate their sites to English? Or should I be forced to translate to Spanish?
I realize that a person cannot "learn" to see or hear, but the concept is the same. If there is no chance of you doing something, you don't try and do it.
If I choose to convey my art through the visible word, that's my choice. I'll miss out on some readers(listeners) because my site isn't accessible to the blind. When will newspapers be forced to include a audio recording and a braille version with each paper sold?

That all being said, I think it's hard to argue that the web isn't a frontier place that is the future of a lot of communications and many sites will feel the need to add accessibility options, but that's the natural progression and shouldn't be forced.

Re: What would you ask Tim Berners-Lee?

thatedeguy — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:54:45 -0000

Is the web essentially dead? And if so, what's next? If not, why does it seem nearly dead?

Re: It Took 19 Years, But The Slate Has Been Wiped Clean

thatedeguy — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:29:08 -0000

I can still remember what my first purchase was on my first credit card. An external CD burner and a lot of 100 blank CDs. That was in 1998.

I'm still working on paying that thing off. ;)

Congratulations on getting yours taken care of, it's got to be a great feeling!

<abbr></abbr><abbr>thatedeguy´s latest post: Who Do You Follow?</abbr>

Re: What’s The Best Kind of Link Bait?

thatedeguy — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:35:57 -0000

In all reality, the "link baiting contest" is the link bait.

Re: Attention North Dakota Readers/Hostfest Attendees

thatedeguy — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:10:28 -0000

sounds like a great time, but I'm not going to be anywhere in the vicinity. Have a work related retirement party to go to on Sat and with gas where it is...

Re: Miers Announcement

thatedeguy — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:11:08 -0000

I've got a couple of ideas as to why she was nominated. I won't go into detail on both, but lets just say that they involve no infighting over the nomination, and a non-confirmation.

http://www.thatedeguy.com/archives/2005/10/bush-nominates-miers-to-supreme-court

Re: Down Goes Roker!

thatedeguy — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 14:11:00 -0000

I know that the following comment is mean and believe me, I'm happy for the guy, but the first thing that comes to my mind is: Maybe he shouldn't have lost all that weight?

Re: 2,000 Deaths An "Artificial Mark On The Wall"

thatedeguy — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 14:11:14 -0000

I'm just guessing here, but it took far less time for us to reach the 2,000 mark in pretty much every other war we've been in. I think that, as far as wars go, this has probably been one of the safest in history. Of course that doesn't seem to make any difference. I am so glad that I get most of my news from the blogosphere and not from the perverted mainstream news sources that are available.

Re: Pajamas Media In <em>Wired</em>

thatedeguy — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:10:54 -0000

Rob,

I went and looked at your profile and it isn't all bad. I actually had no idea that you were as young as the picture they had would indicate. For some reason I had you picked at about 60.

Now, What the heck is this pajamas media all about?

Re: No Griping On The Prairie

thatedeguy — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:10:57 -0000

Up here in North Dakota, we regularly get storms that have "Tropical storm" sized winds and sometimes get gusts that would classify as "hurricane" winds. Very seldom do you hear any of us complaining. Very seldom do we close roads or schools. Extreme weather is not normal here, but it happens and we know that.

However, isn't it time that the Government employed that geodome that the dems seem to think that bush has?

Re: Dems In Maryland: Racist Attacks A-Ok!

thatedeguy — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 16:11:49 -0000

They were talking about this on Fox over lunch today. Quite the heated argument really. They actually had a guy on there to argue the point of it not being racist and that it was being taken out of context and he pretty much got booed off of the stage. That and the woman on the stage with him(Michelle Malkin?) pretty much tore him up.

Re: Michael Moore Owns Stock In Haliburton

thatedeguy — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 16:11:50 -0000

Is it possible that that is a forgery?

Re: Big Announcement

thatedeguy — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 11:12:10 -0000

Congrats. Having just gone through all of that last April, my sympathies as well. But it's all worth it after the planning and paying is over.

Re: "Pirate" Attack On U.S. Ship May Have Been Terror Plot

thatedeguy — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 10:11:31 -0000

Isn't their action alone enough to demarc them as terrorists? Since when do they have to be linked to a terrorist organization to be "terrorists"? They were engaging in activity that would bring terror to the people on board the ship. That makes them terrorists. Plain and simple. No question.

Re: "Pirate" Attack On U.S. Ship May Have Been Terror Plot

thatedeguy — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:11:36 -0000

Yes, it is a broad definition.

ter·ror·ist Audio pronunciation of "terrorist" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (trr-st)
n.

One that engages in acts or an act of terrorism.

adj.

Of or relating to terrorist.

Source: Dictionary.com

Askoxford.com describes it as: a person who uses violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

And dictionary.com has a second definition as an adj: characteristic of someone who employs terrorism (especially as a political weapon); "terrorist activity"; "terrorist state" n : a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities

Still, a terrorist is one who employs terrorism which is defined as "The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons."

So... while I may have been a little too broad in my definition, you could still apply these definitions to many different people who are not linked to "terrorist" groups. In fact, you could label the Paris rioters at terrorists if you so chose. As well as the "actions of our government vis-a-vis the war on terror in general, and the Iraq war specifically".

I support the War in Iraq. For reasons that I have clearly announced before. That doesn't mean that we haven't caused terror in some Iraqi citizens and it doesn't mean that it was lawful or not for political gains. So yeah, you could call it a terrorist action, but who's gonna defend your country if we don't engage in a little terrorist action now and again? And secondly, who's definition of "lawful" action do we use? And who's laws?

Re: Jordanians Rally Against Zarqawi, Al Qaeda

thatedeguy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:11:33 -0000

I love that this happened. Finally a bright spot for Muslims. Finally, someone other than the governments of these countries, whom I feel have massive amounts of political pressure from the U.S., has stood up to say "you don't represent us".

Re: Fargo School Board Refuses To Remove Grisham Novel From Curriculum

thatedeguy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:11:47 -0000

I'm not going to talk about the "less educated you are..." comment.

but frankly, why should the school board be responsible for making that choice? Aren't those our children?

Why not put it up for a vote? hell it was voting day on tuesday...

Plus then we can porkbarrel other books like anything that oprah chooses onto the bill and get them banned as well...

Re: Fargo School Board Refuses To Remove Grisham Novel From Curriculum

thatedeguy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:11:44 -0000

How bout this. We rural "dumbasses" will stop farming and we'll see how long you "Smarty Pants" types last? Perhaps we should also point out how most of the "Red" states are lauded for their hard working people? Damn wusses out in those blue states you mentioned(California, New York) can't even handle guns...

Re: North Dakota Students Worried Over Cuts To Student Loan Programs

thatedeguy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:12:25 -0000

As someone who very recently finished school and did receive a good bit of it in student loans, I have mixed emotions about this.

I could not have gone to school where I did(Jamestown College=pricey) if it had not been for student loans. However, if those student loans had not been available, or were reduced, there were other less expensive schools that I easily could have gone to. I also think that the student assistance program that we have now has a great deal to do with the everybody going to college.

Basically, College is a privilege. Not all people are cut out for college. Some realize this and don't try. Others do try and don't get anywhere. There is a reason that some schools actually filter based on standardized test scores...

Re: Where's The Draft

thatedeguy — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:12:16 -0000

I completely agree Rob. There will be a few comments I'm sure that the second term is not yet over, but I don't see it happening quite yet. Although, it won't be Bush that reinstates it. It'll be all those quacks like the ones down in San Fran that won't allow recruiters. You can call me extremist if you like, but I have to agree that if they shouldn't count too hard on the military protecting them if they won't contribute to the military a little... And frankly, why not a draft? Reduce the Minimum number of years needed to serve down to two and draft people for those two years... surely retention rates would rise as you get people who stay, or who never thought that they would like it liking it...

Ok, I'll brace for the flames in return now...

Re: Clinton: Iraq War Is A "Big Mistake"

thatedeguy — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 10:11:40 -0000

couldn't it also be said that getting a bj from your intern while at work is a "big Mistake"?

Re: Clinton: Iraq War Is A "Big Mistake"

thatedeguy — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:12:23 -0000

docdave: Do you mean something like going into a country that is on the list of countries know to have terrorist sympathies and telling them that our foreign policy is wrong and we made a big mistake? Sounds a lot like treason to me...

Of course, nobody will hear about the Al Queda using President Clinton's remarks as cannon fodder for recruiting...

Re: Windfall Profits Tax To Do More Harm Than Good

thatedeguy — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 10:11:52 -0000

What a load of bull... The only thing that tax will do is raise the price of oil... and gas... And what the hell good is 5 bil if the damn politicians can't even come to terms on a budget cut for 7 times that amount? Maybe they won't have to cut their mandatory every half hour coffee breaks.

Re: CNN Marks Cheney With An "X"

thatedeguy — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 10:12:05 -0000

There would appear to be text under the X in black, can anyone make any of it out?

Re: One Heck Of A Light Show

thatedeguy — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 10:13:18 -0000

Does anyone happen to know what song that is? Also, does that guy have an neighbors?

Re: North Dakota Ranked Second To Last In Teacher Pay

thatedeguy — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 15:12:51 -0000

First things first, Rob, this is an excellent post.

Secondly, while I think it is probably true that some of the "better" teachers do leave for "greener" pastures, there are still quite a few of them that were born and raised here that choose to stay.

Lastly, I hadn't ever thought to compare the numbers the way that you did, kudos for smart thinking.

Re: Count This

thatedeguy — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 12:13:00 -0000

ICallMasICM: Spot on.

The guy in the lower left hand corner doesn't get the top of his head replaced when it shifts, effectively adding a person to the picture.

Good find Rob.

Re: Count This

thatedeguy — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 20:13:31 -0000

Rob:

If you watch the person in the lower left hand corner, the only thing that moves is the very tip top of his head. When the top of the right side moves over to the top of the left, no part of the right side replaces the top of his head. Because the top of the right side does not touch him, he becomes the 13th person.

If you watch when it switches, there always are 7 people in the right half of the picture, but if you watch the left side, there are 5 before the switch and 6 after.

Still makes my brain hurt though.

Re: Jamestown Fire

thatedeguy — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 08:12:50 -0000

It was in the low twenties this morning at 7:30.
Still about there now.

There were no casualties or injuries, although the one building collapsed entirely.

Re: Free 411

thatedeguy — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 13:13:20 -0000

does the google sms service charge? or is it a free service? Also, does it work with all cell carriers?

Re: The Joys Of Socialized Medicine

thatedeguy — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:13:06 -0000

Pretty sure if it were to ever get that way, I'd be the guy you see on the news who held up a Dominoes and the local smoke shop then holed up in his house with a small arsenal. All the while, yelling something like "You'll never get my pizza and smokes" as I shoot warning shots over their heads.

The idea that the government would do that, and I think they would, is one of the biggest reasons that I cannot fully support any type of social health program.

Re: Embarrassing Parents

thatedeguy — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 17:12:50 -0000

WOOF: Is that the best retort you have?

Everybody else: Can't we all just enjoy a good joke? Hell, it would still be funny if you replaced it with your favorite Republican Presidential hopeful. Rice?

Re: Embarrassing Parents

thatedeguy — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:13:05 -0000

Well, color me tasteless then. I found it quite funny. I think you might have found it funnier if it had been aimed in a different direction.

Re: Ted Kennedy Belonged To Woman-Excluding Club

thatedeguy — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 09:01:22 -0000

I believe he also belonged to the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" as well...

There aren't many people in this world that I absolutely cannot stand, but Teddy boy is one of them. I'd love to give him a swift kick in the nuts. Nothing like being a icon of the Democratic party while being a Alcoholic and Woman Abuser...

Can you tell that I don't like him?

Re: Wal-Mart Swamped With Job Seekers

thatedeguy — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:01:25 -0000

The hell with where were those 325 people working that they want to work at wal-mart, where were those 25,000 people working that they want to work at walmart. Seriously though, walmart jobs are some of the better part-time jobs. Especially in our neck of the woods. Try and find a job slingin hamburgers that pays much more than $6 an hour...

Re: The Problem With Oil

thatedeguy — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:01:32 -0000

you forgot one. Oil is slippery and yucky... ;) Seriously though, we have to wean ourselves off of the imported oil. Of course I completely agree that in order to do that we have to find an alternative to that oil. Up here in the northern heartland we're beginning to see a pretty good growth in Ethanol production. Of course the problem with that is that the energy expended to create it is nearly as much or more than that created. Not exacly a winning situation.

Re: Sheehan For Senate

thatedeguy — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 23:01:27 -0000

OH MY! That would make a lot of political bloggers very, very happy. I can only imagine the ruckus that would cause on the blogosphere.

Re: Court Rules That Downloading = Creating

thatedeguy — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 17:02:02 -0000

Another thing to look at is whether the court makes the deliniation between whether you will be charged with "creating" a copy or "creating" period. Because if they are just flat out saying that you "created" it... Then if I download a MP3 or Bootleg Movie, I am "Creating" it. Not "creating" a copy, but "creating" the movie, or music. I realize that it's a stretch that any court would uphold it, but the deliniation needs to be made. Also, If I truly could be charged with the "creating" the movie or music, could I then turn around and sue the recording company? Technically, if I "created" it, they are selling bootleg copies of my "creation" to movie stores and consumers.

Re: Court Rules That Downloading = Creating

thatedeguy — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:02:16 -0000

I think that everyone is forgetting that we are not talking about the legallity of child porn and snuff films, but rather the difference between a lawyer saying you created it or not. I think that everyone can agree that child porn, rape porn and snuff films are bad. But should anyone who downloads said bad things be charged the same as the person that created it? I don't think so. Possesion of the material is one thing and should be prosecuted, but prosecuted for possesion, not creation.

Re: Where Were The Troops At Super Bowl?

thatedeguy — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:02:51 -0000

Richard, we aren't talking about shoving religion down everybody's throat. We're merely talking about acknowledging the men and women who fight every day for your freedom.

Have a good day.
God bless. (had to throw that in for fun)

Re: Review: <em>Company</em> By Max Barry

thatedeguy — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 22:34:32 -0000

I've read Jennifer Government and it's a good read.  Even if you don't necessarily believe in the "big evil" corporation bit, the premise of the story is excellent.  I've been trying to squeeze Syrup by Barry as well, but haven't really managed to get it into the list yet.

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Wed, 03 May 2006 14:08:47 -0000

Rob,

I think you're looking at this a little too broadly.  I can completely see your point, but you're looking at it the wrong way.  We send out children to school to learn.  For those hours that they are at school, we entrust them to the teachers and employees of the school system.  There are regulations that tell the schools exactly what the "diet" in the school cafeteria must be.  Little good it does to only offer them milk, juice and water in the cafeteria when they can take their $0.50 out into the hall and buy a Mt.Dew.  

It's not a ban on sugared soda.  You'll still be able to get your fix at the local Stop'n'Go.  All it is is the schools and the distribution companies saying, "there's a problem with the system" and fixing it.  Or at least taking a step in the right direction.  

When they start telling me that nobody under 18 can imbibe sugared beverages anywhere at anytime, then we can start yelling and screaming about beverage censorship and banning.

"Rob, Soda is bad for you."  How much do you drink in a day?  Does knowing that soda is bad for you help you reduce or eliminate your consumption?  How bout the rest of the SayAnything readership?  

Now, if soda were unavailable to you for 7-8 hours a day, would your consumption change?  Your consumption pattern would change for certain, but I'm willing to bet that you would also drink less. 

I'm rambling, so hopefully, most of this makes sense.

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Wed, 03 May 2006 14:27:04 -0000

<blockquote>Why not let it be an actual decision made by parents through the representatives on the school board?</blockquote>

From the news release:"The deal follows a wave of regulation by school districts and state legislatures to cut back on student consumption of soda amid reports of rising childhood obesity rates. Soda has been a particular target of those fighting obesity because of its caloric content and popularity among children. "

Congrats on getting off the stuff Rob. My point is that you're my age, and I made the switch at 23.  I personally feel that a little less exposure to the stuff when I was younger would have helped a little.  Also, if you've ever made the switch to diet, the taste takes a little getting used to.  Once you're used to it, it's exactly the same going back to the regular stuff.  I used to drink Mt. Dew by the 6-pack and now I can't stand the regular stuff.  Those of us that make the decision make it because we come to the realization that it's truly bad for us.  Some don't know any different.  We can't expect all parents to take the responiblity.  There are some parents that just don't care.  As sad as that is, it's true. 

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Wed, 03 May 2006 14:44:28 -0000

What difference does it make who made the decision? 

Also, lets remember that the phrase "free people making free choices" does not apply here.  How many school age children vote?  doesn't sound like they are making very many free choices.  

If we leave it up to the parents, we end up with nothing done.  Why would we need a child welfare system if the ideal system were to just leave it to the parents?   

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Wed, 03 May 2006 15:12:35 -0000

I would bet that if we put it to a vote, that most parents would either not care, or would vote to do exactly what this agreement did. 

I would agree that unhealthy people drive up the cost of healthcare and that that needs to be fixed as you suggest Rob.  Problem is that going up against the Insurance industry is a little more difficult.  So why not try and stem the problem a little?

The problem we are having is that we all agree that soda is bad for children, but we just can't decide who should make that decision.  I happen to think that if it were left up to the school boards, nothing would have gotten done.  It's a step that needed to be made.  And while it should have been done by the board, it wasn't.  Besides, nobody's saying you can't bring soda to school...

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Wed, 03 May 2006 20:06:54 -0000

All due respect to you all, but even thought he school board is an elected body, they are still mostly strangers to me.  I would no sooner leave the well being solely up to a stranger down the street than to the school board.  That's all they really are, a bunch of elected strangers.  Granted they are usually qualified elected strangers.

Re: Clinton Foundation Negotiates No Sugar Drinks At School Policy With Soda Companies

thatedeguy — Thu, 04 May 2006 09:56:54 -0000

Does anyone have any proof that there were threats of legal action?  IF not, please stop using it as a reason to distrust this agreement. 

Re: American Troops Pool Side In Baghdad

thatedeguy — Thu, 04 May 2006 11:37:27 -0000

amen.

Re: North Dakota To Get New Drivers' Licenses

thatedeguy — Fri, 19 May 2006 13:09:13 -0000

One of my friends actually just got one of these and they certainly are nicer to look at than the old ones. He actually got carded shortly after getting it and the bouncer nearly threw him out, but decided that the card was a little too elaborate to be a forgery.

Re: North Dakota To Get New Drivers' Licenses

thatedeguy — Fri, 19 May 2006 13:15:44 -0000

unfortunately, no. There aren't too many Susie's around Jamestown. Although, I think I've seen her evil stepmother around. ;)

Re: The Rob's Birthday Joke Contest

thatedeguy — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 16:20:07 -0000

Q:How many people with ADD does it take to change a light bulb?

A:Lets go ride bikes!!!

Happy Birthday Rob!

Re: Soliciting Questions For An Interview

thatedeguy — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:21:57 -0000

It would be interesting to see whether she would support a division of iraq into seperate kurdish,sunni,shi'te countries or feels that it should remain a unified country and try and embrace the diversity.

Re: Reasons Why: Part One

thatedeguy — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 14:47:51 -0000

We needed reasons why? ;) I'd love to get rid of either or both. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that it can be done. I did see Grotberg's Winnebago here in Jamestown not too long ago though. That's a good sign.

Re: Site Load Problems Alleviated

thatedeguy — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:22:25 -0000

One thing you could do is to clear your computer's cache, and time the load on the site. Then, clear your cache again, remove the pajamas ad and time again. Of course, you can't leave the pajamas ad out, but it would give you an idea as to how much time it's adding to the load time. And a little ammo if you need to argue with them about it. ;)

Re: Democrats, Do You Know Where Your Money Is Going?

thatedeguy — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:53:35 -0000

Bloggers nationwide are fighting for recognition as press. Here, Rob enjoyes a few of the perks. A trip to Arkansas comes to mind. I'm not saying it's wrong. In fact I think it's great for Rob. However, if a member of the mainstream media made comments like those that Rob made (which I agree with) I think that it would be expected by the Dems for the Dem Communications Director to take that mainstream media outlet to task over it. So, why is it so wrong for him to do so in this case.

Re: Democrats, Do You Know Where Your Money Is Going?

thatedeguy — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:44:16 -0000

Ok, even if you don't consider yourself a journalist, what you do is seen publicly. Just like many of the other concerned citizens actions/words are. Many of them are also picked out for the spotlight by officials on both sides.

My point is that I think it's a bit of a overreach to say that he shouldn't be saying things about you on the official DNC blog. Free seems to have taken it to a bit of an extreme.
I agree with Rob on this one, getting singled out like he did means that he poked the right coal. Unlike many of us, he got heard. That's something.

Re: SAB'ers Fantasy Football Results Week Two

thatedeguy — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:42:45 -0000

Yay ME! I had the least points this week. Seriously... I don't even have injuries to fall back on like Rob. ;)

Re: SAB'ers Fantasy Football Results Week Two

thatedeguy — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:59:04 -0000

I'm beginning to wish that the Raiders would trade off Jerry Porter so I would have a decent receiver... I can understand his frustration, what with the raiders not having a quarterback and all.

Re: SAB'ers Fantasy Football Results Week Two

thatedeguy — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 10:57:10 -0000

It's still possible that Moss might put up some decent numbers before the year is over, but the O-line of the Raiders isn't giving anyone any time. Even Brooks should be able to get a few completions in, but he doesn't have the time.

Re: California Bill To Allocate Electoral Votes To Winner Of National Popular Vote Goes To Governator Fo

thatedeguy — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:12:07 -0000

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really understand enough about the electoral college, but I do know enough to think this is stupid.

I must ask, wouldn't it be smarter to proportionally devide the electoral votes based on how the state voted? In Cal. case, send 29 votes for Kerry and 25 for Bush? Maybe this wouldn't fix the problem either.

I do understand that there is a very good reason for the electoral college to be there though.

Re: What Makes Soda so Sweet?

thatedeguy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:23:41 -0000

Don't get me wrong, I live in ND and I've already voted so I have no true interest in this. I think that the point is being missed.

And perhaps Klobuchar's comments are being taken out of context a little. Diet Coke is still a coke product. And if Coke uses Corn Syrup which is a direct competitor of Sugar, it would make some sense that even a Diet Coke would be soda non-gratis at the Beet Sugar plant.
Also, Diet Coke is sweetened with Aspartame which I would also assume is a direct competitor of Sugar...
Seems to me that Klobuchar's comments might have been inline and that Kennedy is trying to spin it a little.

Maybe I'm wrong? Anyone been to the sugar plant or know someone who works there?

Re: Anti-War Protester Originally From Dickinson ND Lit Himself On Fire To Protest The War

thatedeguy — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:00:36 -0000

Well, you've got to admire his dedication...

Re: The Sabotage Of American Idol

thatedeguy — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:53:18 -0000

I'm not so sure we have to worry too much about it. Sanjaya was in the bottom two last week and this week is Gwen Stefani week. I can't think of one song that she sings that he won't murder. His number will be up soon enough. They can only tip the scales so far unless all 6 million vote...

Re: Why The Latest Harry Potter Won't Be A Best Seller...

thatedeguy — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:41:19 -0000

I prefer the Amazon bestseller list anyways. It's updated quite regularly (hourly?) and doesn't deliniate between one genre and another. HP's been at the top of the list since a few hours after it became available for preorder.

Re: Soliciting Opinions On Health Savings Accounts

thatedeguy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:07:59 -0000

My wife and I went onto a Employer offered HSA last September. We pay about $235 a month for a $5000 deductible family plan. With any luck, we won't reach the deductible, but if we do, they pay 100%.

The way I see it, if you never reach the deductible, it's a bit of a toss up. You've still got to come up with a lot of out of pocket. We only save about $160 a month (which goes into the hsa), so if we never use it, it will take us just shy of 3 years to get to the $5000 that would cover our deductible in a given year. Of course, if we have no medical costs (or very low costs) then we are gaining. If we have really high medical costs, then we are gaining. It's when we spend in the 2500 to 5000 range without getting to 5000 that it hurts us.

The savings that is offered for our HSA is currently paying a little over 3% ( I think it's at 3.2) so we get a fairly decent dividend each month from that as well.

The thing I really like about it is that it acts just like a retirement account. Tax free going in, tax free coming out for medical, and then taxed like an IRA after retirement.

Of course, each situation is different. In our case, our son is asthmatic with two hospitalizations within his first year. He's much better now, so we don't forsee any major medical bills, but even one hospital stay could meet our deductable. And we're thinking about having another, so it might come in really handy...